#i'm so sick of all the excuses from people who have no need to eat meat

[oca-rinn-a]

Unfortunately just discovered a bird slaughtering facility in my neighborhood.

I was on a walk and, as a person who loves birds, was excited to hear bird sounds very close. It sounded vaguely gull-ish, so I looked up, but within a split second realized with horror that three feet in front of me on the sidewalk sat about ten crates cruelly overstuffed with live birds. Turkeys, chickens, and ducks. They couldn't move in the crates.

The turkeys had no room for any position other than laying. The crate squashing them down and together, it was the turkeys I heard, as they reacted to someone approaching. Black eyes of young turkeys, wondering what was next for them. Think of them, please, when you see their carcasses labeled with kind words in a grocery store this Thanksgiving season. Nothing kind happens to them. At no point in their life do they get to have quality time with any friends or family. It's the cruelest marketing there is.

Their crate was stacked atop two more crates stuffed with chickens. As small as the chickens were in comparison to the turkeys, there were so many packed in together that they could not turn around, and the crate was so shallow that their leg joint could only reach a maximum angle of 30 degrees. They were restless, and they were the majority. The other three stacks of crates were almost all chickens, the one exception being a crate of ducks.

The ducks were the liveliest. They seemed angriest, their crate second from the top of the stack, sandwiched between two crates of chickens. The ducks' long necks were forced into a dipped position. They communicated and tried their best to find egress. They don't want to be here, and they have never had a say in what happens to them. They want water and grass and there's only plastic and concrete and their own excrement.

A chicken in a crate in the middle of the stack relieves themselves, the excrement splashing forcefully onto the chickens in crates beside and below.

None of these birds can move. They have no options. There is no room, they are in literal cages. I don't know when they were delivered to the door of the slaughterhouse, and I don't know how much longer they will have to suffer there, smashed and aching and covered in shit. Impossibly confused about their situation.

I honestly hope, for their sakes, that they're dead by now. For their sakes and for my own peace, I hope they're dead, and I hope you think about them.

[darknight3904]

𝘐𝘴 𝘐𝘵 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘠𝘦𝘵?

𝘓𝘰𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵 𝘹 𝘍𝘦𝘮!𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺: 𝘓𝘰𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘺.

𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘭 & 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦 (2024).

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶 ��𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵.

𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴: 𝘝𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦.

𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘺 𝘚𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳.

𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵: 2.4 𝘬

𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 / 𝘔𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵

Logan dislikes December. He always has. From the over priced gifts to the over played music, who could forget the biting cold. He hated it all. One of the things he hated most had to be some of the desserts people tried to pass off as edible.

"Get that out of my face." He growls as you try to feed him a forkful of something Al made

"One taste, Logan." You groan

"Don't like fruitcake. Makes me sick." He grumbles, "You eat it."

"But what if she screwed it up. Like those cookies she made that she used salt instead of sugar in?" You pout

"So I'm your guinea pig?" He asks with a sigh

"No! You're my loving boyfriend who will try Al's cooking for me."

"Nice try, bub." Logan takes the fork from your hands and set it back down on the plate, "I'm not dying of food poisoning."

You scoff, like food poisoning would be the thing to take him out.

"Hey, do we have any more lights? I think this strand is broken." Laura asks as she digs through boxes of decorations

"Uhh...I think we had a few more strands somewhere." You say, leaving Logan's side to help the girl with her decoration.

For whatever reason, you and Laura had insisted on not only buying an enormous tree but also that the entire apartment needed to look like an elf threw up in it. Odd little decorations had accumulated in every spare surface of the house. Even Logan's favorite coffee mug had been replaced by a Santa-shaped one that Wade had found at some store. He was pretty sure he was living in a nightmare.

"Do you think he's still scowling over the fruitcake?" You ask

"Probably. I bet his face is doing that dumb thing where it-"

"You two know I can hear you, right?" Logan asked, entering the living room and plopping down on the couch

"If you're not going to eat, can't you help?" You ask

"Help with what?" He sighs

You toss a big ball of tangled-up lights for the tree into his lap. Yes, this really was a nightmare he was stuck in.

Another issue Logan had was gift-giving. Not because he didn't think people deserved gifts, but he never knew what to buy. He'd been alive for nearly 200 Christmases and he still struggled with gift-giving. How's that for bad luck?

He already had something for nearly everyone in his life. Al was getting a container of that hair stuff she liked, Wade and Vanessa were getting matching Hello Kitty sweatshirts, hell he even found a toy for Mary sitting in a discount bin at the grocery store. Now, the two biggest struggles in his life, You and Laura.

Laura had asked for new games for her Switch but Logan had a suspicion you bought them already. So, here he was standing in a Macy's in the Young Women's section, hoping something would catch his eye for the teen in his life. Most of the clothes were either ugly or not her style.

Holy shit, there was no way that qualified as a top. Logan wouldn't let Laura two steps out the door in something like that. That had to be an undershirt or something...right?

An ugly sweater catches his eye. Perhaps he could get her a gag gift. There was a sweater with an overweight cow drinking beer. That seemed decent.

"Excuse me, son. I need to get by."

Logan glances down to see a little old lady pushing a shopping cart. He steps to the side and easily lets her slide past.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" He blurts out to her

"Of course!" She smiled

"I got this teen girl at home. I need gift ideas." He sighs, "She's not the girliest and I can't figure it out."

The woman stands there for a second and thinks it over. A small snap of her wrinkled fingers cut through the air.

"How about shoes? Girly girl or not, every young girl likes a new pair of shoes every once in a while."

Logan thought about it, what shoes did Laura even wear? Usually, she was in that black pair of boots. Surely this huge store had something like that.

"Sounds perfect." He nods, "Do you have any ideas for my girl?"

"Oh well, what does she like?" The woman asks

What do you like? He swears he knows yet his brain is empty right now. You like him, that's for sure, "She likes me. I think"

"You're a bit empty-headed, aren't you?" The woman chuckles

Logan slowly nodded in agreement, normally an insult like that would have him simmering but he couldn't fight this old woman. She looked like she was 90.

"Well, when I was young, I always liked receiving a nice pair of pajamas. Or, a candle that smells like cookies. Honestly, I still like getting those things. One of my favorite things though to get was a day of peace and quiet. I used to tell my husband Howard to clean the house and take the kids out in the snow so I could take a long bath and read a book."

Logan thanks the woman, who he learns her name is Darlene, and goes off to find a pair of boots for Laura. He guesses on the size and shoves the gift receipt in the box just in case. He feels a bit unsuccessful as he walks back to the apartment he shares with Laura and you. He had one day left. Christmas Eve was tomorrow and you had wanted to bake cookies and watch movies all day.

He stashed the gifts under the bed, making a mental note to wrap them tonight after you passed out in bed. He tossed the idea around his brain of just giving himself as a gift to you, he'd like that if you did that for him. Honestly, it was the perfect gift for him. Of course, it seemed lamer coming from him now since he had done that for your birthday. Sure, the sex had been great but he wanted to give you something better.

Darlene had suggested pajamas but all you ever wore were his t-shirts to bed, that or nothing. You already had a huge collection of candles, and Laura really wasn't that chaotic so he didn't see any need to keep her away from you.

Fuck, what was he going to do?

The loud slam of the front door has him groaning. You were back from work, and he was still empty-handed in the gift department.

"How was work?" Laura asks

"Good. I gave Matt his gift early since he is driving to his parent's house for the next few days. Oh! I also saw the cutest kitten in that Petshop's window. An itty bitty orange one, looked like he was a few weeks old." You sigh dreamily

Logan officially had an idea. Perhaps it was a bad one, cats never did like him. Oh, fuck it, it beats not having a gift.

The next day, he sets out early. Laura is still snoring in her bed and you've gone off to help Vanessa with something. It's the perfect time to sneak a cat into the apartment.

The pet store is just opening as he arrives. The single employee looks like he'd rather be anywhere else as he welcomes Logan to the store with a monotone voice. So much for the Christmas spirit.

"Hey, there was an orange kitten here. Where is it?" Logan asked looking around an empty cage that was labeled Cats

"What?" The guy asked, not listening

"The orange kitten." Logan huffs, "I want to buy him."

"Oh, he was sold last night. Some lady came in, said her kids wanted a cat for Christmas." The guy says

"What?" Logan asks

"He's gone, man." The guy snorts

"Well, when do you get more?" Logan asks he can feel his blood pressure rising but he took a deep breath.

"More what?" The guy asks dumbly

"Cats! When do you get more fucking cats?!" Logan angrily slams his hand on the counter, "I need one for my girl. Any color I don't give a shit!"

"Oh, not for a while. Probably after the new year. The holiday season, those kittens go fast." The guy shrugs, "The shelters don't really give us too many at a time anyway."

Logan wipes a hand over his face with a groan, "You're really unfuckinghelpful."

Back outside, Logan's legs carry him to the bar he always went to when he was stressed. Two glasses of whiskey deep he's still giftless. It was starting to look like he was going to be the gift. Maybe he could borrow that giant bow Wade had, wrap it around his waist, and surprise you. He was so fucking lame.

Logan stumbles back out onto the sidewalk. Thoroughly drunk, he thinks about hiding in Wade and Al's apartment until this Christmas is over. Seriously, is it New Year's yet? He was losing his damn mind over this entire month.

Down a back alleyway, he pukes into a dumpster. He might've overdone it this time. How long was he even at the bar? You were so going to chew into him about this. A loud crash behind him had him jumping. He spins around, ready for some fight. Instead, little pawprints in the snow catch his eye. They lead to the smallest drain pipe Logan's ever seen. He kneels down, feeling the snow soak into his pants as he peers into the pipe. A little black and white kitten with yellow eyes stares back at him.

Maybe he wasn't entirely fucked this Christmas after all.

"Hey, bub." He greets the kitten, "Wanna c'mon out?"

He sticks a finger into the drain pipe and recoils when the kitten slices it open with a claw.

"Motherfucker!" He curses at the sudden, unexpected pain. The cat hisses from inside the pipe and Logan groans.

He sticks his face closer to the pipe and the kitten backs up a few small steps.

"Listen here, you little shit stain. You're going to save my ass tomorrow morning, so get out here. Or so help me I'll- "

The animal mockingly meows in his face.

A can of tuna from the corner store, and multiple scratches later, Logan is victorious. The black and white kitten has been secured. Logan has it tightly bundled up in his jacket, in an effort to not only keep it warm but also keep it from scratching his eyes out.

When he reaches the apartment, he pushes the door open and calls your name. Lucky for him, you're still out with Vanessa. He enters the bathroom and shuts it behind him.

"Bath time you little monster. I can't have you stinking tomorrow up."

The kitten, despite it's size is elusively strong. It wiggles out of Logan's grasp multiple times and somehow manages to have his entire shirt soaked from the water that he's filled the sink with.

"It's warm water. Just gotta rinse the soap off." He reasons with the animal as it scratches at the door.

"Is someone in here?" Laura's voice calls

"Yeah, It's me. Bathroom!" He yells back

The bathroom door swings open just as he snatches the kitten back up and Laura stares at him in bewilderment.

"What are you doing? Is that a cat?"

"No, he's the devil. Help me rinse it." Logan huffs

To his dismay, Laura is able to get the cat to stay relatively still under the running water as she rinses the soap off.

"Where did you find a kitten? That local pet store is sold out." She says

"You know that bar a few blocks away?" He asks

"The one you go to when you stress drink?" Laura asks, her eyes narrowing in suspicion

Logan shoots her a look but nods, " I found him in a drain pipe nearby."

Laura coos down at the little animal as she wraps a big towel around it.

"What's its name?" She asks as she dries it off

"I dunno. Frank?" He shrugs sitting down on the edge of the tub

"Not everything can be named Frank," Laura judges him

"Alright, fine." He huffs, and a wreath that you hung on the bathroom door catches his eye. Jingle bells that gleam in the light are decorated with holly and berries adorn the wreath.

"Jingle. Or maybe Bell." He says staring at the wet kitten who seems hypnotized by Laura.

"Sounds good to me." She smiles at the kitten who meows back, "Hello, Jingle."

Logan sighs in relief and stands up, "Hide Jingle in your room."

"Where are you going?" Laura asks as he exits the bathroom

"Jingle needs a place to shit. We need cat stuff."

The next day, Logan is woken up by you gently kissing his neck.

"Morning." He mumbles

"Good morning." You smile, "It's Christmas."

He nods with a small grin.

"C'mon time to get up." You huff and stand up to pull at his arm

"What are you five?" He groans as you fail to move him

"Yes. Now get up."

Presents opened and a million pictures taken, Logan feels even more tired than when he went to bed last night.

To his glee, Laura loves the boots, and he's even managed to get the right size. Darlene as it turns out is full of good ideas.

"Last one." He says to you, "Put your hands out and close your eyes."

You give him a look like he's about to prank you.

"Wade put a cicada in your hands one time and now you distrust everyone?" He asks

"Yes. That was the scariest moment of my life." You affirm

"Just shut your eyes." Logan huffs

He has somehow gotten Jingle to stay in a little basket he found in the closet and he gingerly places it into your hands. The kitten shifts and nearly tips the basket over as you open your eyes.

"Logan!" You gasp, looking between him and the black-and-white fuzz ball.

"Like it? That orange one was gone when I got to the store. But I-"

You're jumping off the couch and tossing your arms around his broad shoulders. Jingle still sitting in his basket.

"I love him." You smile, leaning in for a kiss

"Good. You have no idea what I went through to get him for you." He presses a chaste kiss to your lips, aware that Laura is watching and just a sentence away from teasing him.

"What's his name?" You ask as he lets you go, "Or are you a girl?"

Logan hadn't bothered to check as he shrugs and you pick the kitten up, lifting it's little tail up.

"A boy...I think" You say

"We were going with Jingle." He says looking at Laura who nods, "But you can change it."

"I think that's perfect." You smile, petting the animal's head.

Luckily this cat likes you a lot more than it liked him yesterday. Logan's eyes narrow at the way the cat stares at him, what was this animal's deal?

"So how'd you get him?" You ask curiously

"Would you believe me if I said I nicely talked to him and then let him follow me home?"

"No, not in a thousand years."

Logan chuckles as you smile back at him. Alright, maybe the holidays aren't so bad. He still thinks New Years could come quicker though.

Next Extra

I was feeling like I needed Christmas when I wrote this. Fun fact, originally I was going to have Logan tell the reader he loved them with a kitten at Christmas. Scrapped that for the scene in the yard at the school. :)

Also, I've gotten a couple of anons sliding into my inbox asking if I'm doing kinktober or anything like that. I am not unfortunately as I have a busy college schedule that is somehow getting even busier... that being said I do still plan to write just not on a daily basis.

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[tcfactory]

A smile for the master

Okay, what if white lotus Luo Binghe and OG Shen Qingqiu body swap.

The fake cultivation manual does make Luo Binghe qi deviate. Relatively early too, he's still in his white lotus phase. This qi deviation just coincides with one of Shen Qingqiu's many, many deviations and, by some freak twist of luck, swaps their bodies.

The only people who know about this are Yue Qingyuan, Mu Qingfang and the people directly involved, because they can't let word get out about the body swap. Unlike all the regular shenanigans (amnesia, de-aging, animal transformations, etc.) Mu Qingfang has no idea how to approach fixing this. He can't even tell if it is possible to fix it or not. This is such a one-in-a-million thing that there's no precedent.

So for the time being Luo Binghe in Shen Qingqiu's body will be confined to the bamboo house, under some supervision, with the excuse that Shen Qingqiu is still under danger of another qi deviation. And Shen Qingqiu gets to go out and pretend to be Binghe.

He's meant to move into the bamboo house to 'assist his shizun in his recovery' (yeah, right, like anyone would believe that), but the first thing he does once everyone leaves them alone that evening is grab a few things in a qiankun pouch and prepares to leave.

"Where is shizun going?"

"Wipe that pathetic look off my face! I'm sleeping in the woodshed."

"But shizun doesn't have to! This disciple will sleep in the side room, I-"

"I don't care where you sleep in my house. But I'm not sleeping under the same roof as a man, and you currently qualify as such."

It's such a strange thing to say that it sticks with Binghe - does his shizun genuinely feel safer in the woodshed than in the same house with his own body??? - but he is still disoriented and in so much pain that he doesn't have it in him to argue. Mu-shishu said it was not unusual for a severe qi deviation to cause pain, but he hopes it will fade quickly.

The pain doesn't fade by morning. It stays a persistent, sharp ache in his joints that seems to sap the strength from his limbs. Binghe thinks he can cheer himself up by cooking breakfast in shizun's kitchen, but his hands shake and his fingers refuse to bend right. He still scrapes together two servings of palatable congee, which gets him an unreadable look from his returning shizun. You'd think Binghe would be able to read the man's expressions on his own face better, but all he can say for certain is that his face has never made that expression before.

"Shizun, how do you stop the shaking?" Binghe asks tentatively. Shen Qingqiu made tea and brought over a few dry biscuits that looked completely unappetizing to Binghe. He planned to pointedly ignore them in favor of his own, much better food, except he has eaten two spoonfuls of congee and he's suddenly feeling sick. Something on his face must be showing because Shen Qingqiu snatches his bowl away and pushes the biscuits to him instead.

"Eat one, slowly, with the tea. It will help you keep the food down." In Luo Binghe's body his shizun has no problem eating both portions while Binghe nibbles on the biscuit. It's bitter from the herbs, but it does help. "Haven't you learned how to channel qi to stabilize your body? Useless little beast." After a moment his eyes grow wide and he hastily holds up a hand. "Don't try it with my body! The last thing we need is for you to have another qi deviation."

"Even this useless one knows how to direct and circulate his qi, shizun." Binghe tries to pout - it has never worked on his shizun, but maybe he will be more receptive of such tactics when it's his own face - but finds that the muscles of his face are not working as they should.

"Not with my meridians you don't. I thought even the lowliest of outer disciples have heard by now that my cultivation base is ruined." He squints up at Binghe and his glare is no less formidable on a different face. "Little beast. What are you trying to do with my face?"

Binghe has, in fact, reached up and is trying to feel out why he can't move part of his face as he should. "This... is there a scar here?" He's not familiar enough with scars to be sure, but he can feel the slightly different texture of the skin with his fingers as it curves around his cheek and jaw. Strange, he's sure he would have noticed before if his shizun had such a big scar on his face.

Shen Qingqiu slaps his hand away.

"A mule kicked me in the face when I was a child. They put an ointment on it at the time, so it healed well enough that it's no longer visible."

Not visible, but still present. Later, after Shen Qingqiu leaves for Luo Binghe's classes, he stands in front of the bronze mirror to test the range of his expressions and suddenly understands why Shen Qingqiu prefers to hide the lower half of his face behind a fan. The scar tissue tugs on the muscles of his face and makes the way one corner of his mouth moves rather ghastly.

It's not the only scar he has. It takes Binghe until the afternoon to work up the courage to take a bath and he can't help to look at his shizun's body then. The history written into the man's skin is distressing to say the least. Cuts and whip marks, all etched in deep, and burns, so many burns. The most horrifying is on one of his thighs, the muscle and skin deformed where it was burned deep; Binghe has seen kitchen accidents before and this has the look of boiling oil, but it's position and size both speak of intentionality. He can't even imagine what shizun has done to be injured there, so close to an intimate area.

And the crowning jewel of all scars, the one that raises the most questions in Binghe's mind, is the slave brand. Qiu, it reads on the left side of his chest, still clearly legible despite obvious signs that someone tried to ruin it with deep cuts; the character just ate even deeper into the flesh to retain its shape.

He's standing in front of the bronze mirror, staring numbly at the brand while the water goes cold next to him, only snapping out of his stupor when the front door slams open, then closed, then his shizun calls for him. "In here, shizun!"

Shen Qingqiu is in a good mood - the body he's in is strong and healthy, despite everything, and unlike that dolt of a little beast, he knows exactly how to get out of chores - so he doesn't immediately snap at Binghe when he finds him inspecting his body. "It would have been too much of a blessing to expect you to not undress and poke at my flesh the moment you were left alone."

"I just wanted a bath." The face he currently wears doesn't lend itself to his usual tactics, so he simply... doesn't try. It makes him much more tolerable in Shen Qingqiu's eyes. "Begging shizun's forgiveness, I expected him to take longer with this disciple's daily chores."

"Unlike you, I don't have the personality of a doormat. I've done the chores for you and Yingying and then tricked one of your shixiongs into insulting Ming Fan, so he got saddled with the rest." He says it like it's the easiest thing in the world and there's a disapproving edge to it. See, little beast? His eyes say. Why don't you do it this way, it's so easy.

"I don't know what shizun expects from me," Binghe finally says, his frustrations overflowing. "I want nothing more than to cultivate in peace! I used every trick I have ever learned to make the bullies go away, but it only made things worse!" He claws at the slave mark, as if he could rip it from the skin and hand it to Shen Qingqiu. "I thought shizun to be a rich master who would not understand, but shizun has come from a background as lowly as this one's! Shizun should understand! Shizun should-!"

"Shut up. You don't know anything about me." There is no real anger in those words, but Binghe immediately shuts up. Shen Qingqiu regards him with something calculating, until he finally comes to a decision of sorts. He closes his eyes, schools his features and when he opens them again the picture of innocence looks up at Binghe, a harmless white sheep who could do no harm.

It's almost as good as when Binghe does it.

"What did you say your mother's job was?" The moment is gone and Shen Qingqiu arranges his features back into something more comfortable and Binghe, still reeling, answers on autopilot.

"This one's elderly mother was a lowly washerwoman."

"An elderly woman, of a low, but stable position, with no ambitions left in life and no power to protect her son." Shen Qingqiu exhales slowly. "She taught you to smile, hasn't she? To be good and docile to avoid trouble."

"Yes!" Finally, it feels like they are going somewhere, they have found common ground. "My mother taught me that no matter what grief or grudge settles in my heart, I should always-"

"Have a smile for the master," Shen Qingqiu finishes for him. He looks annoyed, but not angry - at least not at Binghe. "Go take that bath." He reheats the water with the touch of his hand and a careful application of qi. "This master has essays to grade."

The hot water is a blessing, but Binghe still hurries to get clean and get dressed again. Shizun, true to his word, is grading essays at the table when Binghe returns. Binghe fidgets with nothing to do while his shizun works, so eventually Shen Qingqiu chases him off to make tea so he can work in peace.

Binghe is just returning when the sect leader arrives. "Qingqiu-shidi, Luo-shizi. I hope everything is going all right so far?"

"Good timing," Shen Qingqiu looks up from the essays with a wolfish expression that makes Binghe's face look almost scary. "Qi-ge, think fast: smile for the master-"

"-Snarl for the wolves-" Yue Qingyuan answers without thinking, something sharp and dark glinting in his usually soft eyes. This minute slip in his mask scares Binghe more than the worst of his shizun's temper.

"-knife for the rivals." Unexpectedly, Shang Qinghua pops his head out from behind the wide bulk of the sect leader. "Why are we reciting the Urchins' Laws?"

Shen Qingqiu narrows his eyes at his shidi. "Where this one grew up we said rocks for the rivals, but the sentiment is the same." He gestures for Binghe, who stands frozen in Shen Qingqiu's body, to serve the tea. "What is Shang-shidi doing here?"

"I might have, ah. Overheard? Overheard the situation and I might know an herb that can remedy it. Liu Qingge is already on his way to get it, so it's only a matter of days!" He rubs the back of his neck. "I just wanted to be here when zhangmen-shixiong tells shixiong the good news."

"That's acceptable." Shen Qingqiu takes a sip from his tea, then pushes the essays away in favor of an empty sheet. "Then Shang-shidi can stay and help us remedy a serious shortcoming in disciple Luo's education. It would seem he only learned to smile and never to snarl, leaving him with the appearance of an unfortunately spineless disposition."

"I see." All three adults look at Luo Binghe with pity, even the one currently wearing his body. He takes a big gulp of his tea to get away from their staring and almost chokes from the overwhelming bitter taste.

"It's fine, shizi! I think there are no better people to teach disciple Luo these lessons, so he will learn them in no time!" Shang Qinghua hurries to reassure him.

"That's not- thanking shishu for his encouraging words! It's just this tea is unexpectedly bitter."

The lords all look puzzled. "Bitter? Has Shen-shidi acquired a new blend?"

"As if you could tell," Shen Qingqiu huffs dismissively and takes another sip of his tea. "I don't taste anything wrong with it."

They all turn to Shang Qinghua, who takes a sip and immediately makes a noise of disgust.

"It's been severely over-steeped," he declares, pushing the cup away.

"Interesting." Shen Qingqiu drinks the rest of his tea and shakes his head. "Disciple Luo can't taste bitterness, so he doesn't know when he over steeps the tea."

"This one can taste bitterness, shizun! Mu-shishu's cold medicine-"

"-doesn't count. Even zhangmen-shixiong can tell it's bitter and he has almost completely lost his sense of taste when we were children."

The sect leader has a soft, awkward look on his face and Shang Qinghua stifles a laugh behind his sleeve. "Can confirm! Yue-shixiong once drank an entire undiluted bottle of chili oil on a bet when we were disciples. Luo-shizi is in good company."

Good company indeed. It's strange and a little frightening to see the three untouchable immortal masters acting so human, but Binghe rubs the scar on his face and thinks of masks. The same way Binghe puts on the mask of a meek little lamb every morning, the peak lords put on their own masks each day.

In the fifteen days it takes for Liu-shishu to get the herbs and return, they teach Binghe how to navigate the power plays of the sect in the way only those not born into power know:

A smile for the master (be pleasant and meek and uninteresting in the face of those who can hurt you without consequence, because it's boring to bully docile and uninteresting servants. Bide your time and only plot where they can't see it).

Yue Qingyuan smiles, because he has risen above the rest. Nobody would dare to trample him, so he can wear a smile if he wants; it makes him more approachable. Luo Binghe smiles at him and the sect leader winks back; this comes the easiest to him.

A snarl for the wolves (do not let your peers trample you. You are roughly of equal standing and power, so fight for what you deserve. If someone with only slightly higher standing tries to strike against you and you can get away with it, bite the hand that struck you, so they would think twice before they try again).

Shen Qingqiu was born a wolf and will likely die one, too broken and battered to become a prized, pampered hound. He snarls at the world and wants Binghe to snarl back at him, to show him that he has the determination to make it through. (Urchins who don't learn to bare their teeth when they should all die, trampled in the dirt, and Binghe suspects that his shizun has seen it happen enough times that he has hardened his heart against it.) It comes frighteningly easy, once he tries, and he makes sure to restrain himself so he doesn't become a mirror of his bitter shizun.

A knife for the rivals (be ruthless and deadly to the outsiders who come to harm you and yours. Set aside internal strife in the face of outside threat and sharpen your fangs together; the only good enemy is a dead one).

Binghe doesn't know what to think of Shang Qinghua at first. The An Ding lord has his own flavor of pathetic (it's not quite the same as smiling, he thinks), but Binghe is not a fool. If the sect leader is the smile and his shizun the snarl, then Shang Qinghua is the knife, and his cultivated helplessness is the perfect disguise for his sharp edge.

Out of all three of them, he decides that Shang Qinghua scares him the most.

The day after they are switched back Luo Binghe returns to the bamboo house to report to his shizun.

"So early today, little beast." Shen Qingqiu doesn't look up from the novel he's reading, sprawled carelessly over the couch. Binghe knows that this crack in his shizun's peerless facade is only there for him to see because he has lived in his body for two weeks and knows exactly how much agony he is in day in day out (Binghe did some much less dignified sprawling when he was wearing that body, that's for sure), but it still makes him feel honored, in a way. He's in on a secret none of the other disciples are and it makes him feel... special.

"Ming-shixiong had an unfortunate incident with a hive of wasps and forgot to assign his shidis extra chores."

Shen Qingqiu glances at him over the edge of his book. "Where in the hells have you found wasps this time of the year?"

"I could not say. Shizun will have to ask Shang-shishu."

The set of Shen Qingqiu's mouth shifts. It's not a smile, but it's as close as the man gets and Luo Binghe's heart soars when he sees it. His shizun stands with mesmerizing feline grace and plucks a manual off from his shelf. "Catch." Binghe scrambles to catch the manual, his eyes going wide when he recognizes his shizun's calligraphy. The book is bound in an old cover to make it look used, but the pages and the contents are all brand new. "This master has noticed that disciple Luo's current manual is unsuitable for his cultivation. This one will be a better fit."

"Thank you, shizun!" He turns to walk into the side room, planning to pretend that he belongs here ('sometimes if you are confident enough, you can make others think that you belong somewhere you have no business being', Shang Qinghua said), but he stops dead when his shizun calls after him.

"Where do you think you are going, little beast?"

"To my room, shizun." He brazenly meets Shen Qingqiu's narrowed eyes and carefully gauges the man's mood. He's not angry yet. "This disciple has no place in the dorms, but he got to thinking: wouldn't it reflect badly on our peak and our peak lord if word got out that one of the Qing Jing disciples sleeps in the woodshed? This one is not a man, so he thought shizun would have no opposition against him taking the unused side room in exchange for performing extra chores around the house."

Shen Qingqiu approaches him with an aura like a fierce storm, but Luo Binghe stands his ground. The man wanted him to snarl back; it was time to test the practice of that theory.

"Luo Binghe has done a lot of thinking in the day since we last met."

"Of course. This disciple had years of thoughtlessness to make up for."

Shen Qingqiu exhales sharply; a silent laugh. "Luo Binghe might not be a man yet, but he will grow up to be one. Why should I tolerate his presence?"

"This one might become a man, but only if shizun can't mold him into something better."

"Insolent little beast!" He expects the smack with the fan. It smarts like always and it's likely going to leave a bruise. He doesn't expect the hand on his head, not petting, but... acknowledging. "Go to your room."

Binghe can't restrain the smile that spreads over his face. It earns him another smack, lighter this time, but it's worth it. He sets the new manual down on the bed and starts brewing tea for his shizun, lighting a timer talisman so he doesn't seep the leaves too long.

It took him to walk a mile in his shizun's boots in the most convoluted way possible, but he has finally done it: he found common ground with his master. It could only get better from now.

[demonpiratehuntress]

dreams

OPLA!Zoro x F!Reader

summary - majority of your dreams seem to manifest in the real world somehow, so when you have one about your crush and your best friend...things get a little out of control.

warnings - heavy angst (im sorry), hurt to comfort

a/n: when i started writing for this fandom i PROMISED myself i would not make it all angst and no fun, but oh well :))))) idek where this idea came from, i need help

You woke up from a nap with the sickening urge to empty your stomach overboard. Nausea reared its ugly head, and before you could even try to tame the feeling, you were sprinting to the side of the ship to empty your stomach.

What exactly was the cause?

This would sound insanely ridiculous, and to you it really was, but you had a weird dream. And it didn't sit well with you. Most of the dreams you had often became a reality, albeit with slight changes. There were some that didn't, but almost all of them came true eventually or manifested in a similar way at some point.

And that's probably the reason you couldn't stop yourself from vomiting obscenely before your stunned - and confused - crew.

"(Name), are you okay?" Nami asked worriedly, coming over to you.

You flinched away from her, increasing her confusion, before turning and running off to the bathroom. She exchanged looks with the others who were out on deck - Usopp and Luffy - before shrugging it off and going back to mapping the ship's course.

The truth was, you had a completely unexpected yet maddening dream while napping, one that you prayed to any god who would listen would not come true. You had dreamed of Zoro - the man you had the biggest crush on - and Nami, which may seem an odd coupling and probably was but you couldn't control your dreams. Much like how you couldn't control how you felt about it, despite it only being a fictional idea your mind concocted.

You went straight to yours and Nami's room after cleaning yourself up, setting up the divider that separated your section from hers so you wouldn't have to deal with seeing her if she came in. Your behaviour was unfair to her, since you knew she would never do anything like that, nor did she have any romantic interest in Zoro. In fact, she barely had any interest in the swordsman at all. But according to your dream, that might change.

You curled up on your bed, pulling the blanket right up over your head to shield yourself from the real world. The familiar feeling of something wet running down your cheek informed you that you had started crying, but you couldn't care less. You couldn't move. You didn't have the energy to move, much less bring your hand up to wipe your tears away. So you just lay there, curled up in a foetal position, trying - and miserably failing - to get your mind off it.

A while later, a knock at your door caused you to jerk up in your bed, before you groaned and flopped back down.

"Go away!"

"Nami said you're sick," came Sanji's voice, "So I made you some soup. Please open the door."

You breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't either of the two people you were currently trying to avoid. Slowly dragging yourself out of bed, you had to make even more effort to get yourself to the door. Forgetting that you had just been crying, you opened it and let the cook in, confused when his expression immediately grew alarmed.

"(Name), why are you crying??" He immediately set the soup down and pulled you into a comforting hug - one that seemed to be much warmer than usual right now.

"I-I'm fine," you mumbled into his shoulder, "Just not well."

He nodded, falling for your excuse, before pulling away to hand you the soup, "Here, this should help. If you need more, or if you need anything else, just let me know." He smiled at you, before leaving you alone once again.

You sat back down on your bed and ate the soup - because who can say no to Sanji's cooking, even if you're not really in the mood to eat? And it did help, the warmth helping to settle your queasy stomach and alleviate the nausea if only a little bit. Minutes after you finished it, there was another knock and you frowned, wondering who it was now.

You didn't answer, in fear of it being Zoro.

Just the thought of Zoro had you replaying that dream all over again, and before you could stop yourself or at least soften the sound, sobs were wracking your body and you were burying your face in your hands, crying into their warmth.

The door opened and a familiar set of heavy footsteps reached your ears before the bed dipped beside you. Your entire body froze up, tensing at the arrival of the green-haired swordsman. Your sobs fell silent, hiccups replacing them as you stilled and tried your best to quell your sadness - still keeping your face hidden.

"What happened?" Came that usually-comforting deep voice you loved so much, but that now caused your nausea to return. "What's wrong, (Name)?"

"Please go away," you found yourself speaking, not wanting to push him away but knowing you'd feel even more ridiculous if he found out how you felt about him while you were recounting a silly dream.

"No."

Usually the swordsman would leave without a word if you asked for space, or if you told him to go away, but this time he could see you were absolutely not okay and you needed someone. Luffy wouldn't be a good idea, Usopp wouldn't know what to do, and you seemed to be avoiding Nami. And he sure as hell did not want that stupid cook anywhere near you right now, in fear of him comforting you so well that the swordsman would lose you to him entirely.

You didn't respond to that, so Zoro brought his hands up to slowly and gently peel yours away from your face. You let him, shocking yourself, and the sight of your bloodshot eyes and tear-stained face caused his heart to constrict painfully.

"Tell me what's wrong."

He held your hands in his own, not wanting to let go. He had waited so long to be able to hold them, and he was glad for this excuse to. But he was heartbroken seeing you so upset and apparently sick over something he didn't know about yet. He gently squeezed your hands, silently encouraging you to speak. He wasn't good with words, but if comfort was what you needed he would do and say whatever he could to make your pain go away.

"It's you and Nami."

He stiffened. He didn't know what that meant, but just hearing he was part of the reason you were so upset made his heart sink.

"What did we do?"

"It's...um...it's silly," you replied quietly, voice low but pain still evident. "It doesn't matter." You tried pulling your hands away, but Zoro only gripped them tighter.

"It does, if it's making you this upset."

Reluctantly, you relayed to him what you had dreamed about, voice cracking halfway through as more tears fell. You felt even sillier saying it to someone else, especially him, and avoided making eye-contact throughout the entire explanation. When you finished, you shot him a small, brief glance - only to do a double take when you saw the absolutely horrified and disgusted look on his face.

"Me and the thief?" He questioned, distaste clear in his tone. "You've got to be kidding me." He sighed, sneakily shifting closer to you on the bed. "That can't be possible."

"But-"

"Some of your dreams don't come true," he reminded you, "This is definitely one of those. You want to know how I know?"

You nodded slowly, biting your lip.

You did not expect his next words.

"Because I already dream about doing that with you."

Your jaw dropped. If you were like Luffy, it would have probably dropped all the way to the floor, you were so stunned by his confession. Your formerly slowed heartbeat picked up speed again, heat filling your cheeks as you processed his words.

"Me?"

"Mhm. Only you. Been a recurring dream, actually."

As you stuttered out an incomplete sentence and then stammered through some nonsense, Zoro leaned in slowly and pressed his lips against yours, locking you in a slow but sweet kiss. His lips were warm and soft, inviting you to lean into him and return the kiss. The affectionate gesture had butterflies blooming in your stomach.

"I'm sorry," you whispered once you remembered how to speak.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead before pulling you into a warm, comforting and secure embrace.

You sat like that quietly for a while, Zoro rubbing soothing circles onto your back while you clung to him, face buried in his neck. He kissed the top of your head every few minutes, in between mumbling sweet words of comfort into your ear - mainly "you're beautiful" and "i'm yours" because he didn't know what else to say. But it was enough for you.

Eventually, he spoke up.

"You should clear things up with Nami. She's upset because you're not talking to her."

"I know...later."

He chuckled and tightened his grip on you, keeping you warm and increasingly happy in his strong arms. He didn't intend on letting go, but that was good because you didn't want him to.

BONUS:

"STUPID MOSSHEAD!"

Loud banging and clanging jerked you awake the morning after your confessions, the sound of Sanji's loud exclamation having woken you - but not Zoro - up. He probably had woken up the others as well.

You tried to get up to see what was wrong, but Zoro refused to let go. He was still sleeping, but his arms wound around you even tighter, pulling you back against him. You sighed, knowing you could ask someone else later anyway.

Nami poked her head around the divider and smirked, "He's upset that Zoro finally confessed and ruined his chance to woo you."

You laughed at that, "Give him an hour, max. Then he'll try to woo you."

She groaned, "I'm already dreading it."

The two of you laughed, and it felt good to be back on speaking terms with her. Even though, strictly speaking, you hadn't had a reason not to be in the first place. But oh well.

The power of dreams...

[0wh1te0]

He's in love ♡

—Blade ☆

Blade, in love, holds you so tightly when you hug that you have no chance of escaping. He is definitely possessive, if he really likes you, it shows in the fact that he bites your neck, and quite hard. This leaves no doubt that you are in a relationship with someone you really like, which means he has fewer people to scare off...

—luka ♡

Luka is falling so in love with you that it's starting to affect his performance in the ring a little. It's nothing special, but he gets hit more times thanbefore . He looks at you, not paying attention to the enemy, and now his lip is already bloody. It's not a serious injury, but it's the perfect place for a post-fight kiss.

—Gepard ☆

Gepard in love is trying to hide the fact that he really likes you. He needs to try to remain professional,but there is definitely favoritism. As a result, he becomes much more attached to you, makes sure that you have everything , checks on you more often than other subordinates, and finds excuses to bring you things.

—Jing yuan ♡

Lovestruck Jing Yuan is much more flirtatious than usual in hopes that YOU will think that's what he's like. You know he's flirty, but now he does i every time he sees you. Not only that, when you are in public, he kisses your hand and cheek while complimenting you, his smile is contagious and encourages you to stay close to him to get more.

— Sampo ☆

Sampo, in love, wants to kiss and hug you all the time. It's not enough to just do this between missions, it's starting to happen during missions as well. Yes, very dangerous, but he can’t help the blush that appears on him when he hears you gasping from his kiss. If you were alone, he could make you do more than just gasp.

—Luocha ♡

Locha, who is in love, visits you more often than anyone else. Not because you're sick, but because he wants to be in your company. Even comfortable silence is enough for him. But what he enjoys most are long walks in nature where he can sit and watch the sunset while kissing and then asking him to take you home.

—Dan heng ☆

Dan Heng, who is in love, becomes a little more cute when he gets to this stage. Much more tactile as he will hold your face as you kiss or let his tail curl around you to pull you even closer. The only sure way to know he's reached the point of no return is when he feels completely comfortable purring around you.

—Welt ♡

Welt, who is in love, suddenly starts sending many more messages than usual. It's not about blowing up your phone or anything, but he's trying to talk to you more while you're apart. It takes him a while to ask you out on a suitable date, but it doesn't happen over text message, he wants to see your face when he does it.

Note: eng: I'm eating watermelon 🍉🍉

Русс: я арбуз кушаю 🍉🍉

[mcflymemes]

PROMPTS FROM LIFE IS STRANGE, SEASON 1 *  assorted dialogue, suggested by ismelodrama, adjust as necessary

everything is a picture waiting for be taken.

you're just jealous of me because i actually do the things you can't.

are you hiding something?

i'm sick of your disrespect. tell me the truth!

i don't want to fight with you anymore. i don't want to fight with anyone anymore.

i was eating those beans!

how the hell did you know about that photo?

always take the shot. my number one rule of photography.

you just don't listen, do you?

there's something weird going on with you.

you've only been here for three weeks and you're already causing conflict.

after this week, you are certainly not a little kid anymore.

not now. i'm contemplating shit.

are you fucking kidding me? this is major bullshit!

i didn't have all the evidence at the time.

we all make decisions we regret.

i'm not gonna make any excuses for my behavior.

i'd put stephen hawking against picasso any day.

it sucks to be dragged into the spotlight.

nobody believes me anyway.

you're exactly the kind of soldier i'd want by my side in a war.

why the hell not?

i almost asked you to hang out.

you should have asked me.

maybe we're too much alike.

i don't believe anything you say. you're full of shit.

eat a dick, [name].

i'll be in the tardis getting my delorean ready.

since you're the mysterious superhero... i'll be your faithful chauffeur and companion.

you don't know who the fuck i am or who you're messing around with.

where'd you get that? what are you doing? come on, put that thing down!

don't ever tell me what to do! i'm so sick of people trying to control me!

so you can't help me?

i told you before that i'll always believe you.

i may be a pest but... i'm a good listener.

you're the bravest person i've ever known.

for every action, there's a reaction.

i'm trying. but you have to understand my position.

i know i can be a pain in the ass... and you've always treated me like a person, not a beta nerd.

why do you want all your friends to die?

oh i see. i'm not important to you anymore.

nobody lectures me. everybody tries though.

do not analyze me! i pay people for that.

hey, that's total slander!

you don't know shit about my father, or me.

you're all fucked!

everybody hates me.

[name]... it's me. i just wanted to say i'm sorry.

i truly am sorry for being such a bastard.

you would have been cool to hang out with.

you might as well choose me.

i'm not perfect, okay?

you have talent, [name].

you don't have to push people out of your way.

thanks for admitting again that i have some talent.

do you think it's, like, fate we're not supposed to be friends?

nobody says we have to be friends.

everybody lies. no exceptions.

i came for all of you.

i'm in a nightmare and i can't wake up.

no wonder they call it a "web." nothing can ever get out.

i wish i could go back in time and erase everything.

just tell me you do have the photograph.

now shut up and listen.

i'm not a real scientist.

i was just happy just being your friend.

[name], i'm so sorry you had to go through all that.

i don't think i can concentrate on going out to the movies.

everybody pretends to care until they don't.

even angels need angels, [name].

i might be naive, but i feel their struggle.

why did you stop me from jumping?

this shit pit has taken everyone i've ever loved.

when a door closes, a window opens... or something like that.

i keep going back in time.

how could there be a more important moment in history?

thank you for trusting me.

hey... be careful out there.

what kind of friend are you?

you never understood me, or what happened to me.

i'll always be alone, thanks to you.

just in case we don't get out of this...

i'm going to make the right choices from now on.

i've been feeling like this might be actually the end of the world.

i hate to say that i'm glad to see you, but i'm glad to see you.

i wish i could stay in this moment forever... but then it wouldn't be a moment.

if that tornado came right now, i would just sit here and watch for a while.

i just feel like escaping.

i have total faith that you'll do the right thing when the time comes.

with great power comes great bullshit.

am i pushing myself too hard?

you like to hurt people, huh?

i'm glad you decided to escort me.

i know this is a bad time, but can i get one picture?

of course i believe you. you're the most amazing person i've ever met, and i'm glad you trust me.

i don't have a fucking clue what's going on.

[hhonghu]

Xiao being a shy virgin at first, but once you introduce him to the world of pleasure and sex, he becomes a cock drunk whore who always wants to ride that dick.

I imagine he will pull you away from a conversation you were having with someone and drag you to an alley just so he could push you against the dirty floor, stroke your cock until its hard, and ride you. He doesn't care how loud he is, how the sound of rough skin on skin slapping attracts the attention of people, how he is risking his reputation by doing this in a public area.

All he cares about is you, your dick, and his orgasm.

[Thirst]!

anon you have big brain bc that is absolutely true! >:)

i can see that after reader introduced him into the world of pleasures, it became his own. reader who would initiate sex with him almost everyday; shoving your dick inside him while you both bathe together, bending him over a table and eating him out while he tries to muffle his moans, or using his mouth like your personal fleshlight and dumping your hot cum inside! and he just lets you.

now imagine this: reader suddenly becomes busy, lets say they work as an adventurer and the guild is needing extra hands on handling work. so imagine xiao's frustration when you no longer fuck him all the time, having to excuse yourself attending to peoples needs. what about his? he needs you. why would you put these people needs over his? your dick inside him is the only thing that should be important to you, bringing orgasm after orgasm to xiao only!

so he seeks you out when you haven't come home late at night, finding you at liyue harbor talking to some rookie adventurer. you feel a hand grab your wrist and you turn your head around to see your xiao with a frown on his face. "xiao? what are you—", "we're leaving." before you could even ask, he was already dragging you away, leaving the adventurer stunned and.. afraid. the deadly look xiao gave them as he dragged you away sent chills down their spine.

xiao navigates the nearly empty streets of liyue and takes you to an empty alley, shoving you against the wall behind some crates. you gape at him, shock and confusion on your face as he kneels down and starts undoing your pants. "xiao? xiao, baby, hold on—", you gently grab his hair and make him look up to you — his eyes glossy and brows furrowed. he's muttering something as his hands still work on your pants, dragging it down to your ankles and staring your soft cock. "xiao? i can't hear you..", "you're so mean to me, [name]." you were taken aback and before you could ask him what was wrong, he spits in his hand and grabs your cock, stroking it making you hiss.

"busy.. you're always busy.. how come you're putting your work first before me?" he starts to stroke you faster, your pre-cum smearing his hand and looking up to you, eyes hazy with lust and frustration. "work this, work that... i'm sick of it. we haven't had sex in weeks, [name]. you have to make it up to me, i deserve it." oh, that's what this is about. you almost wanted to coo at him for being desperate for your cock but all you could choke out is a groan as his hand squeezes you.

when he deemed you hard enough, he lets you go and pushes you down the floor and watch as he undo's his pants, seeing his hard pretty cocklet drooling. "look what you did to me, [name]. i played with myself and yet it's not the same, i need your dick inside me." he hovers over you, aligning your the tip of your cock to his slick hole and both of you moaning as he slowly lowers himself on to you. you can feel his legs shake on your sides before your hear him take a deep breath and slam himself down on your cock. xiao mewls out loud, hands grabbing your shoulders for leverage as he engulfs you whole, your dick reaching deep inside him.

he begins to ride you, desperation to feel pleasure course through him as brought his ass up and down your cock, hips erratically moving. "fhuck, fhuuuck♡! that's it, right there! mghhh— yesyesyes♡! you cock nghh— is all mine. all mine, all mine, all mine♡♡!", "i won't stop, don't wanna stop mmmm—fhuck! you cock is the best, [naaame]♡♡!". he doesn't care who hears him, the sound his ass slapping against your thigh and lewd squelching coming from his ass echoing in the alleyway doesn't bother him. your cock is all that matters and his already fast approaching orgasm.

"'m gonna cum ah, ah, ah— cumcumcumcum♡!" his pace becomes sloppy, his hole clenching around you as he feels his orgasm approach. you decided to help him, your hips meeting his ass as you brutally fuck his hole. xiao saw stars, crying out as his orgasm shocks him, cum shooting out his pretty dick and onto your clothes, watching him convulse and shake from pleasure.

you grab him before he could fall back, resting his still shaking body. as you try to sit up, you feel his ass grind back into you. his grip on your clothes tighten before he shakily raises his ass up and slams back down, moaning into your clothes.

"we're not done yet, [name]. you haven't cum yet inside me. we'll be done once you filled me up with all your cum and milked you dry, so we are not stopping."

heehhehe thank you anon for the food <33 we enjoyed it very much ^^

[weirdsht]

Disillusioned 12 . Henituse

a/n: eating a lot of shellfish for my anemia made me feel better but everyone around me says I'm still pale asf T-T also ngl I don't the way I wrote this chapter but I'm too sick to redo it sorry huhu

tags: very vague hints of abuse near before the end

English isn’t my first language so there will be grammatical errors

Pls don't repost my work anywhere without my permission

Constructive criticisms and any kind of interaction are more than welcome

Requests are currently closed but my ask are still open (read pinned)

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Days pass and it’s now mid-November. To others, it just signifies the start of winter. Signifies the extreme cold that’s about to come. 

For Cale’s group and the Whale Tribe, it signifies the start of battle. Signifies that they must now obliterate Arm’s First Battle Brigade.

Where does _____ fit in all of this?

Besides Cale, that’s where.

After their talk, the healer became practically glued to Cale with the man saying all kinds of reasons to take them everywhere.

In this particular case, his excuse is that they need to have a healer in case of an emergency.

Hannah snorted at the blatant excuse curated by the young master.

What makes it funnier for her is how after insisting they need a healer, Cale just went ahead and gave everyone potions after the battle.

“Why are you giving me a potion? I thought that little healer of yours didn’t have purification powers, I’m sure they can heal me.”

Cale frowns as if it’s a sin to even mention _____.

“_____ is still at the ship. I can’t have them out of commission so early so make do with the potions.”

“Human you’re lying again! I definitely heard you say on the way here that kind _____ shouldn’t see such a messy sight!”

As Raon spoke in his mind Hannah also burst out laughing.

This made the redhead turn around to leave. His frown etching deeper into his face as the two unknowingly gang up on him.

Everything goes smoothly. 

Of course it does, Cale’s planning is always top-notch.

They managed to win against Arm’s First Brigade. They managed to take the remaining ships, Cale also managed to get permission from his father to let the Tiger Tribe stay in Harris Village.

But Cale is still not happy.

This is because he has to go to the empire. A place where the Sun God’s church influence is strong. The one place he can’t take _____ to.

It’s dangerous if someone, like a priest, discovers who they are. It’s still too early to let _____ back out into the world. Too early for them to fight their battles.

So when Count Deruth asked Cale if _____ could stay at the Henituse castle he allowed it. He may not be sure why his father is asking for the healer but he knows nothing bad would happen. It would also be a good opportunity for _____ to socialize more. Cale has noticed them trying to initiate conversations so meeting new people would probably be good practice.

What doesn’t know is that Hans had a hand in making this invitation come true.

Needless to say, the influence wasn’t direct. It’s just that every report the butler made included the healer which made Cale’s parent’s curious. It was also obvious that Hans thinks the two have chemistry so the Count and Countess wanted to take a look.

The whole family is aware that _____ is alive and in hiding. Aside from them a minimal amount of very trusted servants have also been informed. These servants are the most loyal to the family and in turn have been chosen to directly serve _____ during their stay.

Basen, in particular, has heard his parents talk about _____. He has heard them speculate about whether or not the healer will get together with his brother. And so when he met them he had full intentions of checking whether or not they are worthy of his brother.

Meanwhile Lily was none the wiser. All she knows is that the pretty healer must hide their face because bad people are out to get them. That and their abilities are amazing, she still remembers that refreshing feeling she felt when _____ healed her before.

With different intentions, the siblings went to greet the healer after their parents did.

Lily instantly got along with _____. Meanwhile, Basen and his parents nodded in approval..?

Approval of what? _____ doesn’t know. They’re just glad that everyone is kind.

The entire Henituse family, including Cale before he left, told _____ to just roll and play around. Treat their stay at the castle as a vacation. 

Give _____ some credit because they tried really hard to follow their words.

However, they only lasted 3 hours before they were on their way to get permission to assist the knights' training.

Good thing Cale saw this coming so he informed Count Deruth in advance how _____ has a strong sense of responsibility.

The Count approved of them healing the knights but not replenishing their energy. _____ understands as they know stamina and endurance are important virtues to being a knight.

Another thing that Count Deruth noticed is how the healer seemed interested in administrative paperwork. Coincidentally, it was also how everyone found out that they’re a fast reader and learner.

“Healer-nim[1] are you interested in administrative work?”

The Count asked the next day while they were all eating breakfast.

“A little bit, but more than that I just noticed that the documents here look different from where I came from.”

Excuse me what now? How could they immediately tell that there was a difference when they only saw the document for half a minute and they weren’t even that close to it?

“You managed to read all of it?”

“Ah, I’m sorry was I not supposed to? I only read the first page because the rest was covered…”

Basen who couldn’t help but ask reassured _____ that those are public documents so it was fine to read them.

“...That’s so weird. In my previous place, they hid things like that. The ledger here is also different…”

Now that got Deruth’s full attention.

“How so?”

“Back when living with the Perduellios, I saw their ledgers a few times. Unlike here, the ledger there seems to have lapses in entry, but they aren’t very noticeable. Then they have two sets of ledger? I’m not sure why though maybe the people there aren’t as skilled as Basen so they need a trial ledger…”

That…

That’s definitely a textbook case of either fraud, tax evasion, or embezzlement. Or possibly all three. 

Not that _____ would know because they never received proper education.

Speaking of their education…

“Healer-nim may I ask how did you learn to read and write?”

Countess Violan asked politely.

“I learned by accident. My room was where they used to put books that were for donation. They didn’t renovate it fast enough so I managed to check out those books. Then after a few days, I accidentally memorized the alphabet.”

This…

Doesn’t this mean they have a genius on their hands?

They let the topic go and switched to more lighthearted ones, like whether Cale is treating them well, as breakfast progresses. However, the Count and Countess didn’t forget about what they talked about.

That afternoon the Count sent sample administrative documents as well as beginner books to _____’s room. He also told the healer to come to him or Basen if they had questions or wanted to learn more.

Meanwhile, Countess Violan took it upon herself to teach the healer noble etiquette. With _____’s permission of course.

And that’s how _____’s stay in the Henituse Castle became an impromptu how-to noble 101 lessons.

_____ isn’t sure how this happened but they're just happy to be a part of whatever’s happening.

Aside from learning and healing _____ also plays with Lily whenever the young girl has free time. More often than not Lily would spend her downtime looking for the healer and asking them to do more light tricks. To which _____ is more than happy to do so.

So their schedule is as follows:

In the morning they would eat breakfast with the whole family.

After breakfast, they would either learn etiquette from Countess Violan or read the books Count Deruth gave them.

Then after lunch, they would either help heal the training knights or play with Lily.

It’s vastly different from how _____ spends their day with Cale but it still felt fulfilling.

However, the healer still felt more comfortable at the super rock villa.

This was because their movement was pretty restrained in the castle, unlike in the underground villa where they could wear whatever and go wherever they wanted. They can only roam around inside the castle and they can rarely let their guard down.

But it’s still fun.

_____ likes the new experience it brings. They like the new things this family is teaching them.

Plus it’s not like they were isolated because they could still talk to the servants assigned to them.

“Young master-nim, you've already perfected tea etiquette? That’s amazing!”

The healer's cheeks are dusted a soft pink hue at the maid’s compliments.

“Ah please refer to me by my name or just healer, I’m not a young master…”

“Nonsense! Young master _____ is a young master!”

_____ feels like they had the same conversation somewhere else before…

“However, was young master-nim born with the gift of learning fast?”

Lily, who was on her way to play with _____ overheard the conversation.

“Hmmm, I guess to some extent? Even before I was adopted people have told me I pick up things fast. But I’m not sure if those were empty words because my adoptive family still deemed my learning speed slow.”

The maid styling _____’s hair made a noise of protest.

“There’s no way that’s the case! I bet they were just jealous that young master-nim is a genius!”

“Huh? Me a genius? Ah no, no. There’s no way. When I was a kid I was punished because I can’t learn things in one go… I think someone like Lily-nim is a genius, not me.”

The maids and servants attending _____ began protesting about how both Lily and _____ are geniuses.

Lily then decided that she had eavesdropped enough and finally knocked on the door.

“Ah young master Lily, please wait a moment young master _____ is almost done getting ready.”

That evening, as Violan tucked Lily in, the girl spilt what she overhead to her mother.

In turn, Countess Violan told Count Deruth.

Then Count Deruth told Cale after he got back from looting- investigating the empire.

“Huuu, they just keep adding more sins to their list.”

Count Deruth did not comment as he heard the angriest sigh leave his son’s lips.

“As we talked about before I’ll let you handle the Perduellio family. Just talk to me if you need anything and I’ll make it happen.”

“Thank you.”

The two talked a bit more before they both left the Count’s office. As they turn into a corner they see _____ playing with Basen and Lily.

“Cale! You’re back! I heard what happened at the empire, did everything work out fine?”

Ho? So Hans was telling the truth when he said Cale and ____ have been on a casual first-name basis since a month ago.

Another thing that Deruth noticed was how his son’s face relaxed at the mere sight of the healer. It was as if he was never angry in the first place.

Deruth Henituse approves.

Cale and _____ hadn’t even gotten together yet, much less have asked for his approval.

Nonetheless, Deruth Henituse approves.

[1] I'm honestly not very knowledgeable about kr name honorifics, I only grew up learning the fil and jp ones so I'm unsure of this one like... I feel like Deruth's status is too high for him to address reader with nim but it also feels awkward if I don't put an honorific at the end... send help

[stormblessed95]

Watching Are You Sure?! EP 3

A reminder of how I do these reaction posts as I watch things. I just write my reactions and thoughts down literally they happen. Think more of a bullet point format. I'll include links when I can to videos, thanks to the people who twt who upload clips. And at the end, I'll do a better wrap up of all my opinions. I hope everyone enjoyed the show so far!!

It's Chuseok right after their trip, so they went and filmed this at the end of September 2023

JK was so sassy about Tae inviting himself along for their Jeju trip! Lol

Jikook singing along to Vs Slow Dancing 🥺🥺🥺

Not my baby Jimin already having a stomach ache 5 minutes into the episode! We just got here and it's already travel sickness round 2?! 😅😂

Jimin yelling at Taekook to go inside while he is still in the car. Just to turn around and claim abandonment lmfao. He is just like me for real. I hope the fresh air helped him feel a little better. And JK immediately ordering Pork Cutlets, one of Jimins favorites, as soon as he gets inside is just 🥺🥺

Jimin finally coming in and JK pulling a whole "oh my God, my crush is here" type of routine. Lmao boy, the hair tucking, the giant smile. Boy, stand-up!Istg they are perfect!

Caressing Jimin's thigh as soon as he sits down talking about the "view" being so beautiful 😍😏

And Tae just fawning over Jimin being cute as soon as he enters too? Lol Jimin really has these men wrapped around his finger!

Not Tae going oh we do this stuff all the time. And JK and Jimin going "bro then leave!!" Lmfao you chose to be here Tae! Enjoy your time with your besties!

Tae getting fish and Jimin asking if he should take the bones out for him 🥺😍 that's his baby! Lmfao and JKs immediate "no" 😂🤣 no one asked you Jungkook! I too, don't like de-boning anything, I need a friend like Jimin 😂

It was giving perilla leaf, not going to lie 😂😂 Jimin babying his best friend and Jimins boyfriend being like "that's a whole grown man, excuse me?!" Is the vibes being given here. And I love it 😂

Me being sat and riveted for Jimins de-boning lesson knowing I will never do this myself. Because I'm a #spoiledbitch

The way he just info dumps too 😂

JK just stimming and loving his food so hard! And I love how vmin just let him do his thing. Baby is so loved 🥰😍 it really makes my heart so happy

Jimin making a ssam for Tae just for him to leave and Jimin to chase him running and giggling down the street, even losing his shoes, to make him eat it 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣 why are they like this? Lmao!!

JK just collecting his boyfriends shoes for him too. Lol and Tae coming back and eating as soon as Jimin tells him he doesn't have shoes. Lol he is so loved.

(x is so loved is clearly going to be the theme of my post here!)

Vmin driving in the car all leaned into each other. I love them. So freaking much. Them singing Seven and Arson too. BTS forever supporting BTS!

Jimin saying "let's take pictures together later" and Tae going "couple pictures?" Lmfao 🤣🤣🤣

Jimin having to talk Tae through how a drive through works 😂😂 my baby? How is this new to you? Lollll Jimin is suchhhh a caretaker 😍

And the way he makes sure JK stops and is hydrated too! He loves so hard!

"I'm fine!" "Im not!" That was so boyfriend, my god

"Jhope would've loved this. Ah, I miss him." God me too!

JK always going along with whatever skit or roleplay Jimin or Vmin start doing. Lmfao Jimin being like "oh, did you see his tattoos?!" Yeah, we get you 🤣

Jimin caring in JKs bag for him into the house 🥰

The 3 of them cuddling and laying on the floor together 🤣😂 before the cut to crazy head banging and Jimin having a stomach ache again 🤣 what a tonal shift lol

I'm obsessed with the pull back from touching that keeps happening. In all 3 episodes. One person on Twitter called it "controlling your habits" and I'm just ughhhhhh just hold hands 😭😭😭

Jimin singing 3D!

JK shooting Jimin in both the ass and the crotch with the water gun 😅🤣😂 the caption being an innocent 5 year old.... Lol not sure that was super innocent, but he was certainly giggly and having fun 😂 Tae also joining in and shooting Jimin, but only a few times in the ass, mostly on his back 😂 and the way Jimin just laid there and took it lmfao

The way JK watched over Jimin briefly while he was napping on the floor. That stare, those heart eyes 😍

Taekook being the absolute cutest puppies in the pool 🥰😍

Taekook drop the cuddly selca!!

JK jumping up to play as soon as he heard Jimin 😂 they are so cute! Why did they cut the entirety of Jikook playing upstairs? 👀😂

Followed by the mini wrestling match of taekook vs Jimin over the water guns and being shot again 😂

"you look pretty. You really look pretty" Jungkook please! My Jikook 🥺🥺

The distance Jungkook got with every skip in that parking lot man. Lol he is super human!

How many Jimin-ssi's did we hear in like 30 seconds when Jikook were climbing that wall together? Lmfaooo in that tone too? They like each other's muscles when watching each other climb. I get it 😂

"Jiminah, I'll show you I'm not the kid I used to be" "yeah, you are an adult now" 😂😂 Vmin lol I love Jimins dry sense of Humor too 😂😂

This whole climbing/go cart section felt very Run BTS esque lol bringing back those vibes for a moment here. Including JKs giant ass smile whenever Jimin starts messing with him or fake boxing him. That happened so often in Run

The way JK and Tae's faces immediately dropped as soon as they noticed Jimin was bleeding. There really is so much care there even when they are silly. JK saying that Jimin always gets hurt when they travel and breaks his heart 🥺🥺

"Going in order" with Jimin, Tae then JK on the go carts. I appreciate the editors acknowledging and feeding my Jimin is the hyung enjoyment 🥰

JK saying "how immature, all hung up on competing" boy you just feel left out! Lmfao because competition is at your core 😂

The way Jungkookie was looking at Jimin when Vmin were praising him 🥺🥰

Tae recording himself instead of Jimin being silly 🤣

I don't think anyone understands how much I love them and adore them.

Wrap up thoughts:

Hyung Jimin moments give me life and this episode had me well fed. He takes SUCH good care of the people he loves, and taekook in particular. He really has those men wrapped around his finger too. The love shared there is so so special and I'm so tickled anytime I get to witness it.

I also just wish for more peaceful episodes for Jimin! I'm curious how the next Jeju episode will go because after Connecticut, where they didn't have a choice but to talk about his stomach bug, they clearly were going to try and cut those moments out at first but it was so bad they couldn't. But it seemed like they are now low-key leaning into Jimins struggles as a bit with the cuts and edits now. Like it's part of the silliness of the show. Regardless, I do hope he feels better faster and doesn't get sick in Sapporo too! My poor baby 🥺😭🥰

Even with Jimin feeling sick, he still appeared to be at the center of that trio. Even when taekook were playing, they were doing so in a way that revolved around Jimin, constantly getting out to go annoy him. JK shooting him with the water gun to soak his pants in the dick and ass area was a special kind of stupid horny boy humor 😂 the way the editors covered it up (even sometimes with just camera angles) after his pants were soaked too, I know that outlines had to be on DISPLAY. Which I wouldn't be surprised if that was either one of the goals or just a nice reward for JK 😂 Poor Jimin. At least they let him nap in peace eventually!

We know Jimin did get in the pool with them at some point since they have promo shots in the water together. I'm looking forward to seeing that next episode! Or I'm going to be salty with Hybe for not giving us any of that footage! Lol

Jikook also had much larger suitcases than Tae did, who was also already there on vacation with his other friends. Did Jikook stay longer than Tae did or was it because we know they went to Busan shortly after to visit family too? It's really nice knowing that Jikook spent an extended trip together to their hometown also even if we didn't really get to know about it or see anything from it

The more hyungs that are around, the more maknae-esque our Jungkookie gets. Lol it was so cute. It IS an interesting aspect of Jikooks dynamic though, the inclusion of others and how that changes how they behave. It absolutely gives them an air of "us" at times. I know y'all know what I mean. It also highlights how much more they behave as equals, chingus, "them," when they are alone too. Because that is such an unusual dynamic and they've normalized it so much we barely blink at it anymore and some people don't even notice. He was very baby with his hyungs this episode whereas in USA, he took the lead with Jimin alot, which I did mention in my posts over those episodes.

He also was incredibly bratty and sassy in many moments of these episodes. Jimin even called him on it once 😂 this would've been the time that they had just applied for the buddy system together. And I think as much as they miss their members when they aren't there, JK also was looking forward to spending alone time with Jimin and the quick plan changes right before the trip happened put him in extra brat mode 😂😂 you could tell he was excited and happy to have Tae there though to play with. Those two had so much fun together and it was nice JK had a goof off buddy while Jimin wasn't feeling good. It also gave Jimin a much needed break I think from feeling pressure to entertain even when he wasn't feeling his best.

There were some soft and really cute moments in the first two episodes, but while there was so much chaotic energy in this episode, between Jikook, there was almost more softness. Like they save the bickering for home when they are out with others 😂 all the little touches and fondness killed me.

The cuts were horrendous this episode. Lol this was one example and there are a million more.

The episode timeline was cut all over the place. Lol so many conversations had music cut over them so we couldn't hear, so many continuity errors due to cuts. Like part of me gets it, but why was it so bad?!

Plus I'm sad we missed out on most of what was shaping us to be a Jikook wrestling match over the water guns. Oh the fanfic that'll inspire 😂 if they don't give it to us in the behinds, it's going to look incredibly suspicious 😂😂

It's also crazy to think about how this was Jikooks second trip to Jeju together. Think they went together before to scout out things they wanted to do together and enjoy the minor smaller vacation together sans cameras? Just like how they went back to the restaurant in NY alone before going back home. I really love that for them.

Sorry for only getting this post out like a week late! At least it's done before episode 4! Lol hope you all are loving AYS and having fun with it!

[asegunda]

The Three Candles

Pairings: Luke Castellan & Thalia Grace & Annabeth Chase x Platonic! GN! Not Clearsighted Mortal! Reader

Summary: They always come back (But not ALL of them).

Warnings: Spoilers to all the 1st Collection: Percy Jackson and the Olympyans. Too much fluff! (Lol) and talks about death!

Notes: This is the Part 2 of my other work, "A Delightful Enconter", and thank you all for your love!

1.

The first time they came back it's still the three of them, some months later...it's late at night and you hear a knock on the door, still in your pajama you go see who it is. You yawn as you open the door.

Your eyes wide as you see who is there.

"Hello again Y/N." Luke says, he looks tired like he is trying not to cry.

"Do you three need a one night lace again, hmm?" You ask smiling as you let them enter.

"Bingo." Thalia says as she starts taking her things out of her bag.

"Y/N!" Annabeth runs to you and hugs you. "I have read 'Ulisses'!"

You smile. "Really? Did you like it?"

"Yes! I'm going to be a hero like him!" She tells you, her eyes shining.

"That's great dear." You smile to her again and go to Luke.

"Do you need help with the sofa?" You ask.

"Yes please. This just don't switch to the bed." He says still trying.

You help him and with that the bed is ready.

"Do you want to talk about it? I see that you are sad." As he looks at you you say. "I'm sorry if I'm being rude, I just want you to be okay."

He smiles. "Thank you, really..." He sighs. "It's just family problems." You nod wanting for him to continue.

"I visited my... mom today and my...dad was there." He tells you looking at the ground.

"I guess it didn't end well?" He nods.

"You know, family isn't just about blood, and what you have with Thalia and Annabeth is just as special as everything in the world." You smile at him and he hugs you.

"Thank you." He whispers in the hug.

"No problem honey." You say.

After the hug you go to Thalia to help her with a injury she had in the leg.

"Thank you." She smiles at you and you smile back.

They go to sleep and the very next morning they're not there..like last time.

You smile to yourself.

2.

The second time they came it's in the day, which you though 'weird'.

It starts with a knock in the door and as you open you see two people with orange shirts that say 'Camp Half-Blood' or some thing like that.

But you don't see the third head, they look at you with a sad look.

"Hey kids." You smile at them and they have the energy to smile back. "Where is Thalia?" You ask, and they froze up in place.

Luke is the first to talk. "She..." He looks at Annabeth trying to think of an excuse. "She is at the new summer camp we are at...she is sick so she didn't feel like coming." He sighs as he finishes.

"Oh, wait a second." You go to the kitchen and bring back a box and give it to Luke.

"For Thalia. I hope she feels better with these, and Annabeth.." You take a book from your shelf. "This one is for you." Annabeth reads the title 'The Renaissance era: Art and Architecture'.

"I saw that you love this greek kind of stuff, so.." You smile to her. "Thank you Y/N."

They leave after a group hug.

At the camp Luke opens the box, it's filled with sweets and cake. He cries as he thinks of Thalia, he and Annabeth eat the sweets together.

3.

The third time they came it was not 'they' just her, Annabeth.

As you open the door you smile as you see her, but you shiver as you don't see any sight of the others.

"Where are Luke and Thalia, dear?" You ask and she starts crying in your arms.

You take her inside and caress her hair.

"Oh, honey...what happened?" You whisper to her.

She sobs but between the sobs she tells you everything. That demigods and gods exist, that Thalia is a three now and that Luke is a traitor piece of crap, her words not yours.

You cry as you hear what happened to the two. You take two candles and light it. "For Thalia." You light one. "For Luke..I know he has a good heart, I'm sure he will come back to reason." You light the second candle.

For some hours you just hug Annabeth, she sleeps in your house and in the morning she is not there.

'Some things never change.' You think sadly. You see a note:

'I really liked the book, maybe I will be a architeth."

You smile and look at the candles.

4.

The forth time they come back is 'they' again, as you open the door you see Thalia and Annabeth, you run to Thalia's arms and hug her and cry.

She hugs you back smiling.

You take Annabeth to the hug too.

They come inside and they explain everything. How Thalia isn't a tree again, the situation with Luke, again.

As you hear all of it you look at the candles and Annabeth smiles at you.

Thalia tells you that she is now a Hunter of Artemis.

You congratulate her and give her the box with the same sweets you 'gave' her years ago.

She smiles and you three eat it at your house, talking and laughing, trying not to think about Luke.

"And Annatbeth has a crush." Thalia tells you.

"I have not a crush for Percy!" She yells blushing at Thalia.

You smile teasingly. "But no one said Percy dear." And she blushes even more.

Thalia laughs at her face and you smile to yourself.

They go away at the day this time, and when tehy are not there anymore you put one more candle.

"For Annabeth." You light the first. "For Thalia." You light the second. "And for Luke. Who I still believe has a beautiful heart." You light the third.

5.

The fifth time they come back it's the same as the last one. But with two new heads.

You hug Annabeth and Thalia, and has you hug the last you whisper to her: "So who are the other two?" She smiles and explains that they are Grover and Percy.

They both shake your hand and the four enter in your house. You take a lemonade out of the fridg eand give each a cup.

"So...what about Luke?" You ask and they all look both happy and sad.

"He was a hero." Percy says.

"...was?" You feel you eyes water with tears.

"..yeah, Y/N. He..died as a hero. You were right he really did the right thing." Annabeth says and Thalia hugs you. And the second she hugs you Annabeth comes for the hug too.

After some minutes you calm down.

All of you start talking about other things, how thay won the war. And...well Grover spoils a thing for you.

"Well, Y/N, me and huh...Percy...are.." She takes Percy hand and you already know what it is.

"They are dating." Grover says happy." Finnaly!!"

"Grover!" The other three yell at him.

"Congratulations dear." You say to Annabeth. "Well...Congratulations to all of you." You smile to them.

You pass the afternoon talking, they lunch at your house and when the night aproaches they get up and start leaving.

You hug Thalia and Annabeth again.

"It was nice meeting you, Grover, Percy." You wink at them and they shake your hands.

They go away and you light the candles again, you think it is a sign of Good Luck.

[slayfics]

Inosuke finds himself for the first time ever not wanting to leave on a mission. Tanjiro explains it might be because he will miss you.

Inosuke, Tanjiro, and Zenitsu all stood outside the gates of headquarters getting ready to leave for their next mission. An assortment of people gathered around to say goodbye to the demon slayers and wish them well on their journey. Inosuke realized that the helper who always took extra care of him was making their way over to say goodbye.  

“Are you all ready to leave Inosuke?” They asked.

“Yup sure am! Those demons better be ready because Lord Inosuke is coming!”

The cutest giggle escaped their lips.

“Be careful for me ok, and here shhh I made you some extra.” The helper handed over some rice cakes to the demon slayer. Inosuke didn’t realize the feeling he now had in his stomach. Oh duh it must be hunger. Inosuke grabbed the rice cakes and began to eat them.

“Those are for the journey Inosuke! But something told me you’d eat them right away, so here promise to save these ones ok.” Inosuke grabbed them from the helper. Hu... that feeling again... Maybe I'm still hungry he thought. He put the extra rice cakes away to humor the helper, but as soon as they turned away, he planned on popping them right into his mouth.  

“Ready Inosuke?” Tanjiro asked already starting to head out with Zenitsu.

“Well looks like you're all ready... be careful ok...” The helper moved towards Inosuke and pulled him into an awkward hug. Inosuke wasn’t sure what this custom was.. Were they trying to fight? Surely not they were no match for him or even a beginner swordman. He did not move but stayed limp in the hug.  

“Umm ok bye!” They said turned and quickly left. Inosuke noticed they were breathing heavier and seemed to have turned pinkish... Maybe they were sick? Or was there something he was missing. Whatever there's demons to take care of he thought and took off after the other two boys.

“Wow that was embarrassing to watch.” Zenitsu said.  

“Hu?” Inosuke wasn’t sure what he was talking about.  

“THEY HUGGED YOU AND YOU JUST STOOD THERE!!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE IF THAT WAS ME?”

“WHY DON’T YOU JUST GO TO SLEEP AND BE OF SOME ACTUAL USE.” Inosuke retorted.  

“Stop it! Both of you! It’s too early in our mission for this.” Tanjiro stated hoping to calm the two boys.  

The two demon slayers stopped arguing and continued on their journey. Zenitsu caught up to Tanjiro and they both were in a conversation about whatever, Inosuke didn’t care to listen.  

A hug? Is that what that was? What was that supposed to symbolize? Inosuke found himself wishing Zenitsu wasn’t here and maybe then he’d ask Tanjiro. He didn’t want to give the yellow hair boy any excuse to make another jab at him.  

A hug had to symbolize something good right? After all the helper took off looking a bit flustered. I mean who wouldn’t be after being so close to Lord Inosuke though. For the first time Inosuke found himself not as excited to be out on a mission. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but his stomach felt weird, and he had the slightest urge to turn around. For what?? This never happens.. Maybe I'm sick he thought.

“Inosuke?” Tanjiro asked approaching the demon slayer.

“Hu? Yeah what do you want?”  

“Are you ok?”

“Yes! And I don’t need you checking up on me alright!”

“Ok.. You're just falling behind quite a bit and that’s unusual...”

Inosuke realized Tanjiro was right. What was wrong with him today??

“Ok maybe something is wrong.” Inosuke replied.

“What do you mean?”

“I think I might be sick.”

“Sick? How do you feel?”

“Usually there isn't anything else I want to do but be out here on a mission... But I have this weird feeling like I want to turn back. I don't know I just don’t feel right. My stomach feels weird and... I DONT KNOW OK I’M SURE IM FINE NEVER MIND!”

Inosuke found himself frustrated not being able to describe what was going on with him, he just knew he felt different.

“Oh I see..” Tanjiro said with a sly smile.

“WHAT?? DON’T GO LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!”

“I’m sorry Inosuke... but could it be you're going to miss your friend?”

“Hu?”

“That helper that is always sneaking you food and gave you hug before you left. Could it be you’re going to miss them while we're on our mission.” Tanjiro asked in a curious tone trying not to upset Inosuke anymore than he already was.

Miss them?? Inosuke didn’t think he’d ever missed someone in his whole life. He’d had no family or friends before Tanjiro and Zenitsu and they were always together on missions or at headquarters. But Tanjiro might be right. The thought of the extra food the helper always found ways to get to him, and the way they smiled at him as though he was the best thing in the world gave him the slightest desire to turn back around. And even though he wasn’t sure what a hug meant it made him curious for more interactions with them.

“What would that mean if I missed them?”

“Well, it could mean you like them...”

“Like them?”

“Yeah you enjoy their company and being around them makes you happy.” Tanjiro attempted to explain.  

“I don’t like that it makes me feel different. I’m not used to wanting to do anything other than missions and testing my strength.”

“Well when I miss someone, I use it to fuel my motivation to fight even harder and to be even stronger. Then when I come back, I'll have amazing stories to share, and the time apart only makes seeing each other again even better.”

Inosuke thought about this for a few moments before responding.

“Yeah.. That makes a lot of sense. ALRIGHT THEN! Let's get this demon and when we get back, I'll tell them all about it!” Inosuke felt fired up and ready for the mission now, and for the first time ever excited to come back as well.

Tanjiro smiled at his friend. It was endearing to see him grow and learn human customs. Tanjiro always tried to be patient with Insouke and explain things in a way that would make sense to the stubborn boy.

“One more thing.. Next time you should probably hug them back.”  

“Right.”

“But not too hard! Gently ok!” Tanjiro said having an image of Inosuke squeezing the life out of the poor helper.

“Gentle, got it! They do look weak.” Inosuke said.

“YOU ARE SUCH AN IDIOT DON’T GO AROUND INSULTING THEM LIKE THAT! YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW GOOD YOU HAVE IT INOSUKE!” Zenitsu yelled.  

“Ughh!” Tanjiro ran faster to get away from the two boys bickering. The two followed and continued their journey.  

[bonefall]

heyyyy bonefallll!!! So uhm. Wind released. And if you read it, what do you think of it?

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I started ASC off with a lot of excitement. I had known to not get my hopes up, but for the first time in a long time, I felt like they actually had something meaningful to say about the problems in Clan society. For once, it felt fresh.

A conflict based on a murder mystery and a power struggle, political radicalization within another Clan with anti-Clanswapper bigotry turning violent, and the reluctant heir of a legacy sprawling several generations. Like a dark echo of TPB, implying the root issues had never been truly addressed by Darkest Hour. The Clans still have a terrible ruling system. The culture is still bigoted. Firestar failed to destroy the obsession with legacy-- he just founded a new bloodline.

And even if it wasn't THAT deep, it was at least a grounded plot that was based in the characters more than faith in StarClan. If Nightheart's arc about legacy fell apart, I'd still enjoy watching him struggle, lose people, grow, and find his purpose. Or seeing Splashtail juggle the power he'd managed to snatch and was just not smart enough to hold onto. Or the cool fights that would surely result from an invasion of RiverClan.

Wind tossed it. It was already having a downturn in the previous book, but this is a book that seems so afraid of having interesting conflict that it spends 75% of its time debating if something interesting should happen, and 25% of its time barking, "EVIL HEATHENS WHO HATE GOD WILL DESTROY OUR SOCIETY!!"

I can't get over how awful Splashtail's "descent" is. He's having a dumbass atheist stoner debate with Podlight when they go to the Moonpool, musing that maybe you have to eat 9 mice to get 9 lives, and then 2 appearances later he's foaming at the mouth with a dictator speech and kills harelight no miss.

They even seem to have tried to replicate Stonefur's execution but badly. It's jarring. Splashtail had a big dictator speech, killed the beloved deputy suddenly, and the whole camp looks Super Scared and Upset so that you know it's the Evil Leader and not a systemic problem.

His "TALENT FOR MANIPULATION" is saying he heard Curlfeather murmur evil plans in her sleep and (apropos of nothing) accusing her teenage daughter of "getting the wrong idea" about his adult romantic interest in her. I keep coming back to this because the ENTIRE book's plot is based on this successfully smearing Frostpaw's reputation.

you may be tired of hearing it, but I'm definitely more tired than you because I had to read and analyze an ENTIRE BOOK founded on it.

The plot is endlessly arguing over if they can trust Frostpaw or not, gathering "evidence" to this end, while Sunbeam and Nightheart's POVs uselessly languish in ThunderClan doing mentoring stuff.

Im SO sick of being forced to sit in thunderclan while more interesting things happen offscreen. stop adding MORE cats to ThunderClan, you already have Stormcloud and you do NOTHING with him why are they also getting WAFFLEPAW

Everyone's praising the fact that the book can remember previous entries, but actually, I'm going to drop a hot take; It's actually bad if they CAN obviously reference old material, and then it doesn't influence the actions the characters take. They namedrop Nightstar several times and then come up with excuses for why they still need to sit around and do nothing!!

THAT'S WORSE, ACTUALLY.

SCALDING TAKE, I'd RATHER see the cats have the memories of goldfish if the alternative is "We remember Nightstar! We're simply going to purposefully disregard Nightstar, because the plot needs to happen"

They also muse that maybe Splashtail's evilness is making all the RiverClan cats act evil, and they'll go back to normal once he's removed. This has been implied before, but never so blatantly stated.

But most of all, I can't stop going back to "Godless Heathen Bloodlust." What a fucking joke. For a shining minute it looked like we were going to have interesting villains, but no, they really are just coming out and saying that lacking faith is an indicator of a moral failing. What makes Splashtail so uniquely bad and scary is that he "disrespects the ancestors" (hey podlight. what if eating 9 magic mice gives you 9 lives? woah dude look at this. the bugle chips look like claws. lol haha) and hates love and peace and won't even let Jesus guide him.

The scenes with Frostpaw and her allies are the only parts of this book worth reading. Shadowsight, tigerHeartstar. Clinging to Whistlepaw like she's a life preserver. save me windclan

[jellybeanium124]

Stede excused himself from the brightly lit ballroom with two hundred chatting people and loud band to go to the bathroom. He sat on the toilet for five minutes in the brightly lit bathroom as other fundraiser guests walked in and out, doing their business and washing their hands.

All he wanted to do was go home. He didn't want to talk, he didn't want to be wearing a suit, he didn't want a fancy meal. This was unusual for Stede. He normally loved wearing a fancy suit while eating a fancy meal and talking nonstop, but he was tired and his whole head and body was buzzing. His suit felt too tight and itchy, and he swore he could feel tags rubbing against him, and his shoes hurt.

He left the stall and washed his hands and started wandering around. He shouldn't be doing this, abandoning the party to snoop around like a curious child, but he couldn't go back in there. What was he supposed to do? Go find Mary and stand behind her while she talks like a functioning adult? He didn't even know why he felt like crap.

The entire building the party was being hosted in was bright and fancy, but at least here in a random hallway with benches and candelabras on the walls and plush velvet carpeting, it's quiet.

He turned a corner and saw a man sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall where a bit of it juts out to form a small corner. He's got his knees tucked up to his chest.

"Sir, are you okay?" Stede asked, walking over to the man.

He looked surprised to see someone. "What? Yes, yeah, I'm fine. I'm with the fundraiser benefit, that's why I'm here. I just... needed a break."

"Me too."

"...You wanna sit?"

"Ok."

Stede sat down on the carpet next to the man, and stretched his legs out.

"I'm Stede," he said, holding out his hand.

"Stede??" the man echoed, shocked. "Shit, Stede Bonnet?"

"Um... yes?"

The man seemed to grow shyer, and looked away. Stede put his hand down. Then he pulled his knees up and sighed.

"You've probably read those articles, right? About Bonnet Suits? Where I'm the silly spoiled son of an evil Disney villain?"

"Yeah... might've..."

"Well, Mr. Teach was right about some things. My father is evil. There's no appealing to his humanity no matter what. He won't make any of the changes I want to make in the company. That's why everyone thinks I'm so useless. Maybe all my ideas are stupid anyways... I just have stupid ideas..."

"What are your ideas?"

"Pay every single employee who works in the factories making suits for us the equivalent of $15 an hour. Every single one. I've done the math 40 different ways, it's possible! We could pay them more, but I've got to start somewhere. My father always shuts me down and tells me I'd be throwing away hundreds of millions in profits. I've stopped trying to convince him to do something by explaining how this will help the people who make the suits that made him fucking wealthy beyond his wildest dreams, and right now I'm working the whole 'everyone loves human rights this will get us more customers and we can charge more if people think we're sustainable' angle but even that's not working. I can't take it anymore. I have a little boat. I bought it as a fiftieth birthday gift to myself. It's sitting at a pier in Rhode Island right now. No one knows about it. Not my father, not my wife... once I grow some balls I'm going there and getting on my boat and I'm not coming back."

The man blinked at him.

"Sorry... fuck... I don't know why I said all of that. Fuck, there's journalists at this thing. I'm supposed to be doing good for my father's reputation, not sitting in a hallway talking about what a piece of shit he is..."

The man swallowed. "Yeah..."

"Enough about my stupid problems, you really don't seem okay. Are you sick? Should..." Stede cut himself off and looked at the floor.

"Should...?"

Stede shook his head. "Nothing. You came out here for some peace and quiet, and I'm fucking it all up. I can go now."

"I wouldn't mind if you sat and we had peace and quiet together."

Stede smiled at him briefly, before leaning his head back against the wall and letting out a sigh.

For a few minutes, the two of them sat together in silence. It felt a little good, at least, to know that there was someone else here who couldn't stand to be at that party longer than thirty minutes. A kindred spirit, maybe. A potential friend.

"I'm Ed Teach," the man said quietly, after a few minutes had passed.

Stede's heart dropped through the floor.

He was sitting next to the man who called him an ineffectual, under-qualified, empty-headed heir to a despicable fashion fortune. And he was right.

"Oh," Stede said.

"That's it? 'Oh?' You're not going to have me thrown out? No yelling? You're not even gonna bribe me to stop talking about your dad's company and the shit he pulls?"

Stede shrugged. "Eh, we deserve worse."

"You're a lot different than I thought you'd be."

"You're a lot different too. I thought you'd be a ruthless and mean sneaky journalist."

Ed sighed. "It's hard being like that all the time... I thought you'd be a prick. A real entitled asshole."

Stede smiled gently. "At least one thing my father never gave me was his personality."

Ed nodded. "But y'know, if you're really serious about change, why don't you just fucking do it? Stop waiting for your dad's approval, go to Cambodia and Bangladesh, and pay them out of your own pocket? Running away to Rhode fuckin' Island isn't gonna help anyone."

Stede cocked his head at him curiously. "Could I do that? Go behind my father's back and just... pay them out of my own savings? Is that legal?"

"I mean, you can give people money. You can write checks. You could write me a check right now. That'd be legal."

Stede raised an eyebrow. "Writing a check for my nemesis journalist? That'd be awful suspect, even if it's legal."

"Okay okay okay not me specifically, but, like, you can do that. You can write checks. I know you're sitting on millions and millions of dollars, Bonnet."

"Okay," Stede said, standing up. "Let's go."

"Let's?"

"Yes. Let's go. Fuck em."

Ed stood up. "Now?"

Stede nodded. "Now. Let's get our passports and board the first plane we can. I'm going behind my father's back, like you suggested."

"And you want me... to come with you?"

"Of course. Presumably I'll need a journalist on my side when this shitstorm goes public," Stede said with a manic smile.

~~~

Obviously, our juvenile stunt didn't immediately solve everything. Bonnet Sr. still had access to Stede's finances, and drained his bank accounts so the millions he gave out in checks would bounce. But our stunt wasn't without its value. It immediately brought public attention to Bonnet Suits, and the fashion industry and its abuses in general. Bonnet Sr.'s now infamous meltdown during his interview for Reuters caused him to step down as CEO, leaving Stede to take over. Over the course of the following year, Stede made sweeping reforms inside the company, all according to plans he'd spent years trying to get his father to implement. Yesterday he publicly announced that he's retiring, and now here I am, retiring as well. People often compare us to Romeo and Juliet, with one reporter who shall remain nameless calling us "just as fockin stupid as those teenage twats." And perhaps we are just as stupid and headstrong as them. I did get on a plane to Bangladesh with a billionaire approximately 5 hours after meeting him (he'd never flown on a commercial flight before, he was adorably excited about trying the "airplane food" and requested a pin with wings on it like kids get). But now it's been well over a year, and I'm still stupidly in love with him, so up yours. I'm going to retire and spend the rest of my days eating fresh lobster rolls and relaxing on my husband's little boat. Journalism has no doubt taken years off my life, so I'm going to spend whatever time I have left happy.

Take it sleazy, Ed Teach

[boytumms]

I'm just thinking about fantasy adventurer boys again. Specifically fantasy adventurer boys doing something heroic, and the locals, of some other species than the adventurer himself (like, elves or dwarves or whatever vs humans, or something), holding a victory feast in his honor. Yay! Cool, right? Except... halfway through the feast, the adventurer notices that his tummy is hurting terribly, because ooops, it turns out that some of the ingredients the local people use for their foods don't really agree with human digestive system.

Can the hero excuse himself somehow, slink out of the feast - that's being held in his honor - somewhere private? Or does he rather try to put on a brave face and suffer through the feast?

I bet this happens all the time in fantasy worlds, like imagine how different dragonborn food or orc food is, a lot of it probably wouldn't be edible for humans. Human adventurers like him would often end up getting very sick stomachs trying to eat food from other species, especially when their cultures say it's rude to refuse a feast. And of course the feast is huge, with massive proportions compared to what he's usually use to, they're so much bigger than he is and the meal sizes clearly reflect that.

After only one course, his poor belly is tight and round, heavy and solid like he just ate a rock (and who knows, he might as well have). More and more plates are pushed towards him, the hosts continuously piling more and more food for him to eat. There's nothing he can do to excuse himself, not wanting to show disrespect, so he forces himself to smile and swallow as much as he can, ending the night with a tummy so achingly huge it could probably be mistaken for a nine month pregnant belly.

His stomach hurts terribly, full with pounds and pounds of strange food, spices and meats and vegetables his body has never had before, and he's not even sure if he'll be able to digest it. His skin feels hot to the touch, belly bubbling and roiling like a boiling pot of water with all the spicy food he had to choke down. He need's help walking back to his tent, and once he's finally allowed to lay down, his hosts apologetically tend to his painful bellyache. They rub his sore belly with their big hands, pushing out the knots where his bloated stomach tightens and cramps.

It takes hours of him moaning in pain and rolling back and forth on the bed for him to finally fall asleep, arms wrapped tightly around his swollen tummy. His hosts stay to care for him throughout the night. They need him to feel better for the feast they're holding tomorrow...

[luv-kakashi]

One of us is dead

masterlist | chapter two

chapter one - running

Deep down, I've always been reaching for a hand. A hand to save me from drowning in this criminal underworld.

Kill. Collect money. Kill. Collect money

An endless cycle of bounty hunting, killing shinobi over and over again. The cold, unyielding leather of my seat sent shivers down my spine. A relentless echo of decisions made and paths taken, leading me to where I am right now.

Alone.

My blood-stained fingers trace the rim of the tea cup I held. Its warmth burned into my cold hands.

My hands: a constant reminder of all that I am—a cold-blooded murderer whose hands could never be cleansed of sin.

I'm sick of it. I'm tired of being called Kunoichi Thirteen, The Byakuya Princess. Being born into this world with no clear understanding of right from wrong. Killing those around me was all that I was taught.

My entire purpose was to be moulded into a perfect weapon for my father to take his revenge on the shinobi world. Revenge on those who abandoned the Uzumaki clan during their time of need when the Hidden Eddy Village was destroyed by shinobi.

Hatred and disdain poisoned the clan, who wished for the downfall of the Senju clan, and all those in Konohagakure.

Yet somewhere along the road to revenge, greed blinded their eyes.

2 years ago, I was sold to a bounty hunting organisation which goes by the name "The Byakuya". All so that my sad excuse of a father could line his pockets from my blood stained hands.

My father. The rest of my clan. They don't care that I am missing. As long as I wake up everyday and make money, they couldn't care less.

Each tick of the clock echoed in silence and with each tick the image of those I have massacred reverberated through my mind. The images of my most recent mission haunted my mind.

I had one job, an ambush mission. S-ranked Konoha ninja were commissioned to assassinate any Hidden Mist Village ninja who infiltrated the neutral area between the two Hidden Villages. Unknown to both, the neutral area was occupied The Byakuya.

My Job? Simply ambush both Konoha and Kiri ninja so that they do not discover The Byakuya headquarters and retreat.

But the Konoha nin were too stubborn for their own good.

One of them even went as far as abandoning the mission just to save his comrade from being hit from one of our assailants jutsus.

We watched as the Konoha shinobi retreated, now with one fewer among their ranks than when they began.

I don't even recognise myself. No matter how much I try to hide my actions. I'm still a killer.

But I don't want to kill anymore. I don't want to be used as a tool for revenge.

That's why I find myself in my cold and dingy room revising my plan to escape the Byakuya for good.

The clock ticked incessantly; each second felt like hammer on my nerves. It's 8.45 pm.

Most of the bounty hunters will have retired for the evening, leaving the corridors all empty. The fewer the people the eas-

"Boo! Earth to Y/N," a voice shouted down my ear, startling me from my thoughts. "Here," the man said as he placed a bowl of gray goop infront of me.

"Kakuzu?! What are you doing in my room?!"

"Eat or you'll be just bones, princess," Kakuzu said as he took a seat on my bed.

"I would rather starve than eat... that," I said as I watched the gray substance fall from the spoon like slime, "and please don't call me that Kakuzu-san."

"Still formal as ever princess. Anyways, what's got you so busy?" he asks with a hint of concern across his patchwork face.

"I think... No I will do it, I'm going to run."

"Y/N..." Kakuzu says as a sigh leaves his throat, "The Reaper will be pissed when she finds out."

"It's almost like that's the whole point," I chuckled rolling my eyes at him.

"Do you even have a plan? Where are you going to go? You don't even have any money, I swear all of your bounty money goes to your clan or something?" he rambles, his face becoming increasingly panicked.

"Do what you want Uzumaki," he scoffs.

"Awe Kakuzu-san you big softie, I know you don't mean that," I tease as I know he really wants me to be safe, "That being said, do you think I have time do one last petty thing? The byakuya has done nothing for me but rob me of my life."

"You gonna piss off The Reaper, princess? I'm listening," Kakuzu says with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

"You think I have time to steal some precious weapons from Leader-sama?"

"What are you thinking?"

"The Swords of the Mist. We have three, no?" I pondered.

"Mhm... They'll surely go for alot. Enough for you to get on your feet and support yourself," Kakuzu calculates, "You're becoming greedy Y/N."

"What can I say, you've rubbed off on me," I say with a chuckle...

"Kakuzu, why have you stayed in the Byakuya for so long?"

"Money," he says without faltering, "I have nothing outside here, no family to run back to, no village, nothing. You are just a child with much left to live and experience. Whatever you do, don't do anything stupid out there."

"I'm not stupid!"

"I never said you were stupid, I said don't do anything stupid," Kakuzu says as he gets up from my bed and walks towards my door, "Good luck Uzumaki."

"Kakuzu... ," I whisper under my breath.

I get up from my desk and search my room for the nearest empty scroll.

I will no longer be a prisoner of the Byakuya.

I swiftly slip from my room and head towards the storage unit, where most of the prized weaponry belonging to the byakuya was kept.

I opened the scroll and placed it over the Swords of the Mist owned by the byakuya.

Samehada. Nuibari. Kabutowari.

"Sealing Jutsu: Storage Seal," I chanted as I watched the three swords become imbued with my own chakra. Just before the swords became completely sealed within the scroll, I bit my finger to inscribe the last parts of the jutsu with my own blood.

Blood Manipulation. It's a rare trait found within the Uzumaki Clan.

Since we have such large chakra reserves, reinforcing our blood with chakra creates sharper and more reinforced weapons.

Not to mention, the reserves of chakra can even be used to form more blood.

Now the scroll cannot be opened without my blood. I placed the scroll in my pocket and I continued my way to the back-exit of the hideout.

There really shouldn't be any-

"Halt! Who goes there?" a voice echoed throughout the dimly lit halls.

Shit, stupid Leader-sama and her patrol men.

"It's just me," I say as I slowly turn around to be met with a man in mask, painted with an eerie smile.

"Princess, what are you doing up so late?"

"Just carrying out some checks for Leader-sama. Don't worry yourself, I'll keep watch over this wing!" I say cheerily, mentally begging the patrol man to leave any minute now.

"Are you sure princess? Promise you won't tell Leader-sama?" he asks.

"Of course I won't silly!" I reassure him with a smile. As much as I hated the nickname, being heralded as the Byakuya princess comes with its perks. No one dares to suspect anything I do since The Reaper holds me in such high regard for my blood manipulation.

Now the only obstacle in my way are the door guards. I could cause a distraction but that would bring too much attention to the scene. My only choice is to deal with the guards myself.

Prying the door ever so slightly, I slip out into the outside.

"Wind style: smoke dome." I chant and thick wall of smoke emerged between me and the door guards.

"Who's there?" one of the guards chokes out.

"Blood Manipulation: Chakra Spear." I say, as I aim the blood spears towards the guards as it impales them.

Compress.

My blood slowly seeps into their circulation compressing all of their vessels, from small capillaries to the carotid and aortic arteries, causing the guards to fall to the floor gasping for air.

Release.

The jutsu shouldn't kill them. But they certainly won't wake up anytime soon.

Gathering my composure, I run straight through the densely packed forest contemplating my options once I find safety.

"Child, that's a lovely kekkei genkai you have there." A man said as he perched on a tree branch behind me, stopping me in my tracks. "I don't think I've ever met a ninja who can use blood manipulation."

Alarmed and now panicking, I tightened my grip on my kunai, wondering where on earth this person came from. A hybrid of a walking venus flytrap and a chewed dog toy looms above me, lurching on a tree.

"Who are you? And why are you here?" I retorted.

"I'm a nobody and I was wondering what a talented girl like you is doing. Are you going somewhere?"

"I don't tell strangers shit and stop avoiding my question, You don't work for the Byakuya so why are you here?"

"My, my, you sure are a feisty one. I'm here to simply recruit new members for my organisation and we could do with a kunoichi of your calibre."

"No."

"Well that was straight to the point, but surely you're not stupid, Y/N Uzumaki."

"Oh wow, big scary tree thinks I'll join his clique just because he knows my name. Go away please."

"It's clear you have no intention of joining but let me offer you a proposition instead." Said a new voice.

A voice sharper than any blade I've ever wielded. A voice which penetrated my body like a force of a million needles piercing my bones.

"There's nothing worth any value you can offer me." I turned around to meet this daunting voice, to be met with a masked man leaning against the tree t he venus flytrap man emerged out of.

"Oh I think you should hear me out, Kunoichi Thirteen or should I say Byakuya Princess."

My heart sunk to the pit of my stomach as a million thoughts raced through my mind. How does he know about my name from when I was in the academy, or about my life in the Byakuya?

"You're clearly on the run from the Byakuya but where will you go?" the masked man added,

"Surely you know you are quite well-known throughout the neighbouring regions as the red-haired kunoichi with the branding 13 on her neck. The kunoichi who can manipulate her own blood. Tell me where will you go? Back to the family who sold you off?" he chuckled as he spat in my face.

I was convinced that all life ceased to thrive after hearing his words. If I hadn't felt scared before, I certainly did now. This stranger whose known me mere minutes, knew everything about me.

"Maybe I will go back, why do you care?" I said defensively, my hands trembling as I tried to maintain my grip on my kunai.

"I think you should hear me out. You don't want to do this the hard way."

"What baseless threats. Excuse me, I have to make my way back to my family," I spat, as I watched the masked man turn his back to me as he walked into the dark abyss.

"Say hi to your sister for me!" the venus fly-trap chuckles.

Shit.

Whoever they were, they weren't good news. How did they know I was running back to my sister?

Whoever they were, they knew too much about me. It was suffocating.

Regardless, It's not stopping me from returning to the only place I have ever called home as I continue running in the direction of the Hidden Rivers Village.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Here's the first chapter my lovelies!

As I was re-reading this chapter I started to overthink a lot of what I have written. Overthinking is a bitch 🤚🏽.

Let me know what you think! I'd really appreciate the feedback.

Loving you always, Suri🎀

[lemonhemlock]

Is it just me or is everyone's obsession with being "disappointed" in Alicent greatly exaggerated? It is true that most of these concerns were raised when the trailers were released, but it seems to me that episode 1 turned out to be pretty.... normal? God knows the writers flip-flopped on her reactions and objectives in the second part of season 1, but so far I think she had a pretty understandable characterisation?

She is angry with Aemond for killing Lucerys, but I feel like that's a pretty basic reaction? What was she supposed to do, congratulate him? He went to Storm's End on a diplomatic mission, after all. She does tell Otto that she understands Aemond's ire with Lucerys and even kind of excuses and minimizes what he did, because he never got justice for his eye. But it's a normal scolding mother reaction to not encourage these kinds of behaviours in one's children? Also, it's been, what, a week? She's allowed to be upset that Aemond goes on one (1) big boy errand and immediately loses his temper.

I also wouldn't be taking Aemond branding her "a fool" at face-value lol. This is the boy who will soon be executing children at Harrenhal and lighting the Riverlands on fire. Sometimes "holding love for your enemy" is not such a bad thing, Aemond!

She does light a candle for Lucerys in the sept, but this is, again, not that big of a deal? She is allowed to extend sympathy for the senseless loss of life and regret that it has come to this, without ~betraying her family, lol.

She accepts in front of Otto that there will be violence, but insists that it need not be senseless. I'm having a hard time understanding why this is such a controversial take. There are so many pieces of meta that people reblog constantly about how the Dance of the Dragons consists of wanton and unnecessary violence, but god forbid the same sentiment comes out of Alicent's mouth. 😂 Then she is branded a Rhaenyra-lover at the expense of her children. I'm not denying that the writers have a problem with separating her actions from gravitating around Rhaenyra, but wanting to prevent as many deaths as possible is not some woke take in the service of better-written female characters.

Similarly, of course she is still writing letters to Rhaenyra! You must never abandon diplomatic efforts if there is the slightest chance it will reduce bloodshed! Sure, you can argue that the narrative is also simultaneously assigning her the motive of (still) being love-sick about Rhaenyra, which can get grating, but I feel like fans fail to realise that killing off members of the black faction that they find annoying is always going to come at the cost of the smallfolk and other innocent people who have nothing to do with this quarrel. Sometimes you have to eat your tongue and make concessions in order to avoid military escalation.