#is that they finally gave her a long-term love interest. but they decided to make that love interest a second blonde woman with long hair.

[theprincessandthepie]

LOOK AT HERRRRRRR <3333333

[chilschuck]

hi there!!! I love your blog!!! I know you’re mainly a Chilchuck girlie, but I saw that you occasionally do Laios headcanons/drabbles, and I’m a massive Laios simp. if you have the time and inclination, would you maybe write about Laios realizing he’s falling for a reader who is also autistic like he is? and they’re both so in love with each other, but they don’t realize it bc they’re both idiots, so the party has to set them up lmao

OBLIVIOUS (IN MY LOVE FOR YOU).

꒰ warnings: ꒱ mutual pining, hopelessly in love silly guys, gn!reader. sfw as always!

꒰ wc: ꒱ 1.3k

✦ i hope this turned out how you wanted it!!! i felt bad that i’ve been doing so much chil and nothing for the others, so i was happy that you sent this request!! i’m not sure how to feel about this, but i’m happy to get something out for you!!! <333 honestly i’m worried this turned out badly, but alas, i feel that way about everything asdfdhgjhk. enjoy lovely!!!!

It was more than obvious to anyone but the two of you, much to the party’s displeasure. The mutual pining between you had been a constant back and forth for what felt like ages, and it was almost humorous how in denial it seemed you were.

Laios always spent time chatting with you before bed, his soft voice carrying so much warmth. You always noted how fuzzy your head felt whenever he’d talk about something he was especially interested in. It was almost heartbreaking to part with him to finally rest, longing to continue the conversation for as long as you could.

Little did the two of you know that the rest of the party had their eyes on you, tired sighs leaving each of them. This was every night now, and the fact neither of you were making an effort to come to terms and admit what you were feeling was beginning to become tiresome.

Chilchuck huffed, head in the palm of his hand. “I can’t believe that this is still going on. I’m tired of it.”

Marcille tutted, but the frustration at both of your ignorances was seeping through. “There’s got to be something we can do. They’re obviously so in love with each other...”

And right she was, with how absolutely enamored Laios had become. He’d never felt this way about anyone, the feeling seeping into his bones slowly but surely. With every smile you gave him, words of encouragement, or even reassuring touches, you made yourself at home in his mind and heart. Laios was content with just the whispered conversations and adventures together, not quite piecing together the entire situation just yet.

Marcille was not so sure that was something to be content with. Izutsumi was also getting fed up with the constant beating around the bush, and Chilchuck was sick and tired of watching this ordeal occur. The three of them had decided that enough was enough, and through gossip-like whispers, they decided on a course of action.

“I’ll try and talk to Laios,” Chilchuck settled, although he wasn’t entirely happy with the idea of helping an inner party relationship unfold. It was even harder to watch the two of you continuously pine after each other blindly, so he chose what he believed was the lesser of two evils. “You two convince you-know-who to get some one on one time with him somehow.”

Marcille hummed, finger tapping her chin. “Maybe we could get Senshi to cook something up just for the two of them, get them on a date of some sort.”

Izutsumi flicked her tail in annoyance at this entire scenario, before giving her own opinion. “Let’s just get them stuck in a trap or something.” At that, the elf across from her shook her head adamantly.

“Although that might work another time, I think setting them up would work best. We’ll all conveniently go off somewhere and leave the two of them to talk it out. Somehow…”

Thankfully, it wasn’t hard to get the two of you alone together. Laios would explain something about a monster your party had encountered earlier, delighted at your interest in anything he had to say. Before he knew it, the rest of the party had excused themselves after dinner, leaving just you and him with a cooked meal and unsaid words hanging in the air.

Even earlier, Chilchuck had decided to try and drill it into Laios’ skull that perhaps coming to terms and admitting what he was feeling wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Grasping for straws, Laios tried to create excuses that what he felt for you was just that of a close friend. There was no way he was falling in love, right? Yet, the look Chilchuck had given him shut him up quickly.

“You think friends just look at each other with that lovesick face you’re always making? And it’s not exactly hard to see just how much you care about them. It’s actually pretty obvious.” The half-foot grit out, floored that Laios still hadn’t figured out just how deeply he had fallen.

Marcille and Izutsumi had a similar problem with you, finding that you were convinced what you felt was just that of a deep friendship, of course you weren’t actually absolutely smitten with the man. Giving each other a knowing look, Marcille continued her prodding.

“I think there’s more to this,” the way she said your name so softly held your attention. “You need to talk with him. Maybe talk through just what you’re feeling.”

So now, as you took another bite of your dinner, you tried to figure out just what you were feeling. Laios was doing the same, and the silence, which was never a problem before, now hung with tension.

Both of you tried to speak, before signaling the other to continue, before giving a light laugh at the awkwardness. It wasn’t that just being in each other’s company was the problem, but more so that there was so much left unsaid.

Laios ran his hand through his hair, giving you that tender smile you had come to love so much. “You first.”

Another laugh left you, before your current train of thought followed through your words. “So I was wondering… Have you ever been in love before, Laios?”

That caught him off guard, swallowing hard before thinking of the right thing to say. “Well… I, uh…” A beat of silence followed as you let him find his words. “I wasn’t sure before today. What about you?”

Trying not to get your hopes up, or have the flame within you extinguished so easily, you smiled. “Same here, actually. I think…” You trailed off, just staring at his rosy cheeks and intent gaze making your heartbeat a little faster. Setting your plate to the side, you bit your tongue for a moment. Talk through what you’re feeling… You can do that.

“I guess I didn’t really realize, but… Lately, I’ve been really eager to be around you.” Your voice tried to fight back the tremors rising within you. Before you could continue, Laios grabbed your hand and gave you that intent expression again.

“Me too! I mean, I always really enjoy our talks. I look forward to them a lot.” He spoke a tad out of breath, trying to reign in how he was feeling. Another beat of silence, followed by the clearing of his throat.

“I think I’m in love with you.” You both muttered at the same time, before the feeling of both shock and excitement coursed through you. There was… no possible way, right? But with that doting smile and lovesick gaze he was sending your way, you began to think he did feel the same.

“Thank the gods,” you whispered, a huff of relief leaving your lips. “I had to have Marcille and Izutsumi make me realize.”

Laios laughed, cheeks flushed with delight. “Yeah, Chilchuck definitely gave me a talking to. I think Senshi tried to help me realize, too. It was definitely interesting.”

Both of you shared light giggles before Laios gently pulled you into an embrace. You wrapped your arms around his broad shoulders, nuzzling into his neck.

“Sorry it took me so long.” He whispered, inhaling deeply, the air leaving him in a content sigh. Your eyes fluttered shut, shaking your head slightly in reply. “No need. That’d mean I’d need to apologize too.”

You pressed sweet kisses to his cheek, to his nose, to his forehead. Laios beamed, intertwining your fingers as he spoke from the heart just what he had been trying to come to terms with. You did your best to do so, too.

Chilchuck, Marcille, Senshi, and Izutsumi all let out sounds of relief at watching the two of you around the corner. Getting both of you to finally realize the extent of your feelings was difficult, but oh so worth it in the end.

“Finally,” Chilchuck grumbled, before scratching the back of his neck. “That only took, what? Forever?”

Senshi grunted, trying to recall just how long it had been. Izutsumi even watched as Marcille rocked back and forth on her feet, a certain sparkle in her eye.

She’d have to get the two of you to be open more often.

— dividers by @/cafekitsune!! <33

[pamela-lntt]

More Redraws = More Progress Comparisons !!

The 2024 designs are my idea of what they look like post-canon before the epilogue (aka while they're still in high school) :D

also some face shapes are different because i based them on some redraws i made in 2023 TT

You can see the Hermie comparison and design explanation here !

Like my art? Consider buying me a coffee (kofi) !

Design explanations under the cut (it's a little long, be warned!)

Link:

To me, his representative color is Green just like the Wilson Family (yes I have colors for each family, if I redraw the s1 dads i'll talk about it :]) so that shows up a lot. It's much more desaturated than in the beginning due to, well, everything that happened and his changed outlook on life. I also gave him a Teen High Bomber Jacket because in my head he manages to get on the soccer team! I am a big fan of assigning specific colors to different characters and using that as symbolism, so since we know from the Epilogue that at some point Link and Scary became a thing, I implemented each other's colors on each of their designs (although subtle since in these designs they're only crushing on each other i think).

Scary:

Her representative color is pink, but she also has hints of purple due to that being the Stampler Family color. I imagine she still dresses pretty goth, but started re-embracing her love for sports, which is translated in her wearing a sporty jacket. Her outfit doesn't change much beside that, but I do have a lot more to say, but for that to be possible I would need to show ALL the Scary clothes variants I made (for s2 I went crazy when designing the main gang and have a character sheet for each arc / event... idk how I found the time). All I'll say, for now, is that her clothes are looser and pink-er since she feels more free to be herself.

Taylor:

His representative color is Red, but more on the pink side (Close-Foster Family color is also Red, but more of a pure red). His clothes don't change much, just become brighter and show his weeb side more. He also embraces his main-character energy with the cropped jacket and got another pork pie hat to replace the one he lost. He doesn't hide his neck scar from his beheading since he thinks it's cool too, jajaja. In terms of color, his mom is mainly represented by the color pink (a purpley pink), and since he is really close with his mom he favors his reds to be pinker. In one of my arc designs, his red is closer to the Close-Foster Family red since he decides to start embracing his dad's side, but after the finally I think he fully embraces his mom's colors while not forgetting his demonic heritage.

Normal:

This one's just sad...

His representative color is a light blue, the same as the school's, which fits with the Oak Family representative color (blue and/or aqua). Just like Link, his outfit becomes more desaturated with time due to... everything... and his main color isn't even the forefront anymore, instead hiding behind a gray shirt. I think he still doesn't truly know who he is? Hence, the whole hiding his representative color, but it still peaks through because it's part of who he is. His clothes are baggier and cover him almost completely because, unlike Taylor and even Scary, he is not the happiest about his burn scars and prefers hiding them, but tight clothing makes them ache so he decides to go loose to avoid that. He wears tennis shoes that were passed down to him by Hero and fit him snugly enough to not need shoelaces to wear them (he avoids wearing sandals as a way to lightly detach himself from Sparrow, who wears Birkenstocks like Henry). Just like in Link and Scary's designs, Normal has one extra color that represents someone else: Hermie (specifically Hermie 1.0)... it's a hard thing to get over, even though he is technically still here.

And that's it !!

I think my designs are really simple, but for that reason I try to put a lot of thought behind what I decide to include. Hopefully this was interesting... if you have any other interpretations, feel free to share !! I love knowing what other people think :D

[l00rem]

Hz ep65 rambles

This is going to be a long post because as expected I am just so incredibly normal about this episode. As someone who has wanted a deeper look into liko and amethio’s dynamic since forever i’ve been fed well. When it was clear Amethio wouldn’t be in this arc much I hoped we could at least get an episode with him and liko somehow but i gave up on the possibility, only for the title of 65 to get leaked which made me unable to sleep that day lmao

I know a lot of people are annoyed it’s taken the series so long for them to have a meaningful interaction but tbh i don’t really mind. The pokemon anime seasons last around 150 eps, and with gen 10 looking further away than most next generations hz might be lasting closer to the dp animes length, which makes sense considering it feels more like a one-shot series that won’t carry over into the next gen. It also just makes sense to me that they haven’t had a chat like this until now because why would they? as amethio says, liko was just the girl with the terapagos to him, there was no reason for him to go out of this way to chat with her and she was running from him because he’s the enemy. This episodes made it clear that their dynamic matters with it being the title, so i’m sure they’ll get a lot more moments from here on out.

Anyway, I absolutely adored amethio’s characterisation in this episode. Going into it i’d hoped we’d get to see his softer side and did the writers deliver on that! I love how it’s amethio who makes the initiative easier to talk with liko, there’s no reason for him to do this and what he said only motivates her (his enemy!!) and yet he most likely sees himself in her and so wants to comfort her as there was never anyone there for him… what he said really reminded me of friede’s words at the end of ep45 as well. I wonder if he could potentially become more of a mentor figure to her later on now that he’s been fired, as friede and roy have always felt closer to me in terms of mentor-student bond so it would be nice if liko got that with someone too.

he’s also the one to reach out his hand, which btw is the first time he’s made any physical contact with someone which wasn’t him flying on corviknight. Of course his hands were gloved, i wonder if he’ll take them off at some point? something something gloved symbolic for vulnerability, taking them off shows his trust and comfort…

The timing of putting Amethio next to Grusha also feels very intentional. They’re both cold on the surface but have better intentions deep down. I wonder if the whole Grusha being happier when he was younger will be true for Ame as well?? I can’t help but think about that Charcadet back from ep57 , which seemed so happy and friendly… He even made sort of a smile in this ep?? I don’t think i counts as a proper one, but his eyes are filled with so much love and warmth that it certainly gives the illusion of one. So, of course, order had to be restored by immediately making amethio suffer right after he finally displays some level of happiness

I find it really interesting how Gibeon seems to be bringing up Amethio’s dad in repose to Amethio showing comradeship with the enemy.

I know a lot of people think Amethio was born into explorers, but my personal interpretation is that ame’s dad left after meeting ame’s mom and decided there was more to life then chasing his dad’s wishes. Perhaps she was also a target for one of his missions but he ended up falling in love with her … (i don’t ship ameliko btw, i think the parallel is more love in general than specifically romance). I also don’t think amethio’s dad is alive, amethio seems to cling to gibeon for some reason so my theory has always been that gibeon killed ame’s dad (perhaps he tried to take gibeon down, now we’ve seen what the eternal blessing can do he wouldn’t stand a chance) and then manipulated amethio under the illusion that he’d been abandoned. And now he’s been abandoned again… Gibeon clearly doesn’t give a shit about him, in ep54 he goes all ‘how long has it been since we met like this?’ which sounds warm, like seeing your grandparent in person after so long… but then you realise that gibeon is literally just a long ass corridor away and could call amethio at any time. he chooses not to because he doesn’t care. ‘special regard’ my ass, it’s all manipulation to isolate amethio into thinking he could only belong to explorers. This also makes me wonder if gibeon didn’t actually fall for spinel’s plot as much as he seemed to, maybe he just knows amethio will get desperate in banishment and will try even harder to reclaim his honour (fucking pokezuko lmao) it’s a very evil scheme in that case, gibeon has been shown to hold a lot of intelligence so i hope it does turn out to be the case or else he looks kinda stupid imo

Another detail I loved in this scene was the others reactions, particularly Sango.

She looks genuinely shocked, I think from her pov amethio has always been this pampered prince whose been given everything on a silver platter, she didn’t realise how fragile his place in explorers actually was. I expected this from Onyx, but it shows a lot of nuance for Sango to feel this way too. Also, I’m a Hamber hater so i’m always gonna perceive his actions in a bad light- i don’t think he was showing genuine concern for amethio, it’s more that he knows amethio’s character better than gibeon and so would know that amethio would never betray gibeon. he saw the torture amethio put himself through in training, and said himself he was impressed by his resolve. Hamber’s concern comes from loosing a valuable asset to his master, not because he genuinely cares imo.

This does make me wonder how Ame and Liko will interact from here on out. I think he’ll blame Spinel mostly, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s colder to her next time to make a point to himself that he’s not soft on the enemy. But I hope Liko will notice this, perhaps realise he’s been banished and use this as an opportunity to get to understand him better. She showed him vulnerability this ep, so i hope the tables will turn next time.

I really liked this line too, especially considering liko is a character so centred around empathy. Allow me to speak in my girl who only thinks about umineko voice for a second, but it really reminded me of the core theme ‘without love it can’t be seen’. Liko’s learning that if she doesn’t try to see the perspective of even people who seem to have ill intent, she’ll never understand them. A good lesson for a girl who wants to understand the hearts of others!

Now, as for amethio’s future… Considering his own advice to liko he’s definitely not going to give up like that. He’ll probably continue to train so he can seize terapagos, but in the process will potentially get closer and closer with liko and the rvt. This depends a lot on his situation now he’s been fired- like will he have money? will zir and conia follow him? i get the sense that the writers want to isolate him from them to make it easier to focus on his development (as much as i miss them as a trio) it’d be interesting if they got given to spinel temporality but i’d fear for their safety…

It seems that he’ll be important next arc, i hope now that he’s not in explorers it’ll be much easier to make him show up in a casual setting. I’ve always hoped he’d be relevant in getting Kleavor, mainly bc both Kleavor and Cerueldge have weapon hands so a battle between the two would be cool, especially if he teams up with liko!

Perhaps this is a reach but i’ve been humouring the idea that he might actually form a bond with Carmine.

He is next to her on the poster, which might not actually mean anything… but amethio’s always given me Keiran vibes, i’d love it if she saw keiran in him (especially if he’s going through his emo era) and so wanted to reach out to him as perhaps a way to work out how to approach her brother. It would be really sweet for amethio to get a familial figure who genuinely cares about him, now that he’s in his homeless arc maybe she could take him in for this arc like the sad sopping wet kitten whose been left in a card box in the rain that he is.

So yeah, those are most of my intelligible thoughts that aren’t just me screaming and jumping on the spot. Inevitably this is already my favourite hz episode we’ve gotten so far, and i’m so excited to see where amethio goes from here on out! Please, just let him smile and be happy, he’s suffered enough :,)

[charkie-ee]

team bolas rojas gas masks designs??

in THIS day and age?????

it may be more likely than you think..

this was my first time drawing a series of different gas masks, no idea if they’re accurate at all, but it was really fun!!

**notes & closeups under the cut :-D**

it’s a lot of notes so be prepared for an info dump.

NOTES:

Philza: honestly, what more is there to say than “CROW MAN!!”? aside from his goggles being glow-in-the-dark, theres not much more to the mask design. however, i decided, “hey! this is purgatory! i can fuck up these characters!” so, he has a ripped ear(?)wing and messily cut back hair. (i didn’t pay too much attention to the hair in this design, i was mainly trying to get the gas masks down, but maybe i’ll go further into later.)

Cellbit: this is definitely one of my favorites, he looks pretty scary, i would NOT stop my car if i saw him on the side of the road. its based off of a cat mask(obviously) and a painted white streak goes through his mask, inspired by his hair. i didn’t include it, but circles in the goggles are supposed to retract with different emotions (kind of how cat’s eyes do, saucer and dagger pupils.) he’s also covered in blood because he’s going through it lore wise.

Slimecicle: ngl, it was my first time drawing code charlie(other than all the wips i have that i’ll never finish),but i think he’s pretty spooky. his mask is the worst quality, like it USED to work well until he wore it out. thus, there are broken air tubes that let the gas in. (he should probably get those replaced.) the holes for his horns are kind of like an airlock, so the gas can’t enter through them (phil helped him make it.) however, it makes it difficult to take off.

Baghera: baghera’s mask is kind of built like charlie’s, except in much better quality. aside from the loose air tubes, the mask almost goes all the way around her head, not letting even the slightest bit of gas in. theres also a plastic duck beak on top of the regular breathy-thing(i have no idea what i’m doing, so, no, i don’t know the technical term for that) to give it the “bird touch.”

Jaiden: jaiden’s mask was FUN. like i kinda went overboard. i did these all on different days, and this was the night after the big egg battle day. i saw she had fnaf bonnie ears along with her bird gas mask, and said “ok cool. i’ll add that.” she has the same feather/beak thing i gave to baghera. also, hair-wise, she gets a hair bun and her brown roots showing through(we love messy haired cubitos ^^)

Foolish: foolish was interesting, not sure i like the final product, but i’m tired, so it’ll do. his mask is based off of a lemon shark. he gas glowing green eyes and golden splotches on the leather. the air tube foolish has is REALLY long. like unnaturally long. so he wraps it around his neck to get it out of the way. the other members are extremely concerned it’ll choke him one day, but foolish thinks it’s cool and will scare other teams away. kind of like a “yea, i’m crazy, i could choke and die at any minute, and i don’t care.” phil, being the protective father figure of the group, does not like this at all.

Carre: and finally, we have carre. ah, sweet, sweet carre.(he is my favorite.) his mask is based off of a snow leopard because i hc he’s half feline. carre has the lightest, and most simple mask, since it’s entirely plastic, and more so based off of skiing or snowboarding goggles.

ANYWAY, i hope these notes make sense, excuse my rambling about silly designs, i tend to doodle messily, and not really have a plan when i draw, lol.

thanks for reading, BYE!

[happy74827]

Pink Palace

[Luke Riordan x Female!Reader]

Synopsis: You finally decided to let Luke visit your dorm room, and let’s just say… he wasn’t expecting what was hidden inside (GIF Credits: @crimsoncountess)

WC: 2013

Category: Fluff

I’ve wanted to write more for Gen V for a while now, and with my friend producing ideas (love you @summerrivera777777), I finally wrote a Luke fic since I both love and miss him so much. Unproblematic king 🙌

And what better way to write him with a little fluff 😏

『••✎••』

You and Luke have been going steady since the beginning of the new term. You’ve been very close since day one and have been best friends before you two decided to date. Even when you two have been together, you guys were never apart. He was the perfect boyfriend; he was always there for you. The only thing was that you were very… new to all of this.

You’ve never really been with anyone before. Luke was your first boyfriend and your first kiss, and that was only a month ago. Luke was also the first boy to show interest in you. You were the girl who would rather study and hang out with her friends, the girls. But when Luke came along, your whole world turned upside down. He was Golden Boy, the number 1 hero of the school, the guy every girl wanted.

And now you were dating him.

Even after months into your relationship, you still couldn't believe that this was happening. That a guy as handsome, smart, kind, and strong would ever want to be with someone like you. But he did, and it felt like heaven. He treated you like you were his world.

That still went without saying that you were a nervous wreck. There were certain things you made a big deal out of, even though Luke had done them hundreds of times. Such as, when he would wrap his arms around your waist, he would pull you closer to him, making your chest push up against his. It drove you crazy because you weren't used to it. Your heart would always beat a million times per minute, and you could feel the heat rising to your cheeks. You would always stutter over your words, making you look like an idiot.

It wasn't just that, though. You didn’t even let him near your dorm room. You’d gone to his dorm on rare occasions, but whenever he tried to take you to your room, you would make some sort of excuse and get him to leave.

It was a stupid thing; you knew it, but you couldn’t help it. Call it embarrassment, call it anxiety, call it what you will. You couldn’t help the way you felt. Today, though, was a little different. You were starting to realize how stupid you were being and wanted to change that. You didn’t want to have your nerves take over anymore; you wanted to feel what everyone else felt, no matter how embarrassing it was.

Today was the day. You and Luke were going to be alone together in your dorm, and nothing was going to get in the way.

You were a mess the whole day, even fumbling in your English class. You never fumbled during English class, not even when you were taking a test. It was the one class that was always easy for you, and yet, today, you were a train wreck.

After the final bell rang, signaling the end of the day, you headed back to your dorm room to clean up. You were lucky enough that your roommate, a girl named Aiko, had some study sessions (it definitely wasn’t a study session) with her friends, which gave you the whole room to yourself.

You started by straightening up a little bit. Not too much, though. It would seem weird if your room were completely cleaned out of the mess that had accumulated throughout the semester. Once the room looked decent, you moved on to your desk, shoving the clutter out of the way and onto the floor, or in the drawers, or under your bed. It didn't matter where they went, just as long as they were out of sight.

With your desk finally clean, you moved on yourself. You ran your hands through your hair, hoping it looked good, then pulled out a tube of lip gloss and spread it onto your lips. You smacked your lips together, hoping the color would look nice. Once you were satisfied, you went back into the bathroom and grabbed your makeup bag, dumping it onto your bed and sifting through it until you found what you were looking for. Mascara and eyeshadow.

After putting it on, you decided to change. You didn’t want to look too gaudy, just enough to look decent. You put on a pink cami, then pulled on a white crop top that had the sleeves cut off and the collar lined with lace. You took off your skirt and replaced it with a pair of jeans.

You were definitely overthinking this, you thought. What you were wearing was perfectly fine. Nothing was out of place. Yet here you were, acting as though Luke was that rich auntie who nitpicked every single thing you did.

You sat at the foot of your bed, letting out a heavy sigh and rubbing your eyes. You needed to calm down. It’s Luke, your boyfriend, not the queen of England.

A knock on the door pulled you out of your thoughts. You froze, wondering if that was Luke or your roommate. You didn't move, waiting for another knock, but you were only met with silence.

You jumped off the bed, making your way towards the door and slowly opening it. It was Luke, of course, smiling down at you with his perfect pearly white teeth. His smile always made you weak in the knees.

"Hey, gorgeous," he greeted, leaning in to peck your lips. “Got your text. Ready to go?”

Oh, right. The lie you told him. You were “planning” on going to brunch together. To… catch up and talk about whatever couples talk about. You honestly had no idea. When you asked him, it was all but word vomit. He agreed, of course. A little suspicious but still happy.

“Uhm, yeah, about that—” you began, rubbing the back of your neck nervously, a sheepish grin on your face.

He gave you a concerned look. "Is something wrong?"

"I— uh..." you couldn't bring yourself to tell him. It was so stupid. So, so stupid. “We’re not going to brunch.”

He gave you a confused look, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. He was wearing his white pullover, the one that made his arms look even better, and his hands were stuffed into the front pockets of his dark jeans. He was giving you his full attention, his body leaning slightly forward.

"We're not?" He was suspicious, but his tone was sweet.

You shook your head, chewing the inside of your cheek. You felt your cheeks getting warm, so you covered your mouth, trying to hide your face.

"No... uh, I thought we could... stay in. Y-You know, like, watch a movie and have snacks or something." You were trying so hard to get the words out.

His look of concern was replaced with a grin. "Like a movie night?"

"Yeah. We can do that."

He smiled. “Alright, I got a TV I think we can use. I just need—”

Ugh, he was so nice. You couldn’t have him do all the work.

You cut him off. "Luke, as much as I love your movie taste, I would really like to pick the movie for tonight. And, if it's okay, I think my room would be a lot more comfortable.

"Yeah, sure. No problem. I'll just… wait, what? Your room?" His smile disappeared, and a worried expression was replaced with it.

You nodded, your hands clasped together. You were squeezing your hands so tight your knuckles were turning white. You were so scared, so nervous, and the way he was looking at you was not helping.

"Are you sure?" He asked, his voice quiet. God, he was so worried about you. It was so sweet yet so nerve-wracking.

You nodded and took a deep breath. "I'm sure. I mean, I think it's about time. We've been together for months now, and I’ve never invited you in before."

"I know, and that's perfectly fine. I don't mind. We don't have to rush into anything."

"I know, but I'm tired of being such a stupid baby and making such a big deal out of nothing."

Luke laughed. "You're not a stupid baby."

"You say that now," you mumbled, "But, seriously, Luke. I'm ready."

"And that's fine," he said, "But I'm just worried. I don't want to do anything that'll make you uncomfortable.

"Luke, you've never made me uncomfortable. I’m just uncomfortable with myself."

He reached forward, cupping your face and making you look up at him. His touch was gentle and reassuring, his gaze soft. "I can't imagine why because I think you're amazing."

He was too sweet.

"Luke," you whined.

"I'm serious," he replied, pressing his forehead against yours, "And if you're sure you're ready, then… movie night it is."

You smiled, nodding, "Okay."

He leaned forward and kissed your lips softly, and it felt as though he was trying to comfort you. You closed your eyes, letting out a quiet sigh, and reached up to wrap your hands around his wrists. He tilted his head, kissing you a little deeper, and pulled away with a quiet smack.

With another breath, you opened your eyes and took his hands, pulling him into your room. His eyes immediately get captured by the small space, the walls decorated with posters and pictures. The bed was neatly made, the pink and white sheets matching the pillows and the duvet. The desk was neat, the clutter hidden away, and the closet door was closed, hiding the clothes and shoes that were probably all over the floor.

“I… oh, wow.” Luke was in a daze. “It’s so…”

“Clean?” You offered, a slight chuckle escaping your lips.

He shook his head, a smile on his face. "It's so... Pink.”

You snorted, closing the door. "That's the first thing you noticed?"

"Well, it's like a pink explosion. You didn't strike me as the type to have a lot of pink stuff."

"I wear pink every day."

"Yeah, but that's a color. Not… this." He gestured towards the whole room.

You frowned that nervousness returning to you. You thought the color was nice. Was he not a fan of pink? Did he not like it?

"Is that bad?" You asked, wringing your hands.

Like a switch was turned on, his eyes widened, and he was suddenly aware of his words. Be aware of what they did to you. "No! Oh my god, no, no. I think it's lovely. Very fitting."

You sighed, letting the worry wash away from you. Thank god. Overthinking things was something you always did, but at least it was easy to get you out of that mindset.

You sat on the edge of the bed, patting the spot next to you. Luke joined you, wrapping his arm around your waist. He pulled you closer, pressing his lips to your temple, then to the side of your head, then to your cheek. You giggled, swatting him away playfully.

"I like the pink, I promise," he assured, "It's just not what I'm used to seeing."

You smiled. "Thanks. I'm glad you like it."

"I think I have the perfect movie for tonight."

"Oh, yeah? What's that?"

"Legally…” He paused for dramatic effect, "Blonde."

You snorted. "Does my room have anything to do with your choice?"

"Maybe. Maybe not."

"Whatever you say, Riordan."

He grinned, pecking your lips once again. Soft, like Luke. He was always soft. Always so gentle and careful. And he always treated you like you were the most delicate thing. It was endearing.

You were still nervous. Your heart was still beating fast, but not as much as before. The longer he stayed, the longer the movie played, the calmer you became. You were finally relaxed.

Overthinking things was a part of you, unfortunately. But it was always easier when Luke was around. You couldn't help the anxiety that built up, but with him there, everything felt better.

You knew, with time, you would learn to trust yourself. It was only a matter of time. And you had the best boyfriend to help you.

[justrantingaboutrandomtopics]

I absolutely hate that the “redemption arc” they gave harumi in crystalized because in reality it was just another poor excuse to give a character aka Lloyd a love interest even though it wasn’t needed.

First of all, it wasn’t even a proper redemption arc! She didn’t see the errors in her ways or all the wrong she had done. Nope. None of that. Instead she realized the personification of pure evil she was working with was actually involved in everything that led to her parents death. So she just decided to change up her sides and get revenge on someone else. She showed no other reason other than that. And even if she maybe showed even the slightest amount of sympathy it clearly still wasn’t enough to affect her evil actions to stop at all. If they wanted to give her a redemption arc, they should’ve started showing atleast something more a lot earlier. Not literally on the last episode. That just didn’t give enough time to truly get over everything she did and show that she did in fact change. In simple terms, it was too little too late.

Second of all, they didn’t even try to hide that it was just a chance to make Harumi a love interest for Lloyd. They focused so much on that in the season instead of actually character growth and progress. They literally had to brush over all the stuff that Lloyd through in order to get them together. Lloyd forgave her way too quickly. She hadn’t actually shown any progress or anything that could indicate she could be trusted other than in the final battle. And Lloyd isn’t stupid and also probably had trust issues. We all saw how he wouldn’t forgive Garmadon (still rightfully so. I’m not saying he had to) who had show real growth no matter how much he tried. But on Harumi it took her like few minutes! And the best explanation they had was that he was in love with her which is just wrong. Lloyd isn’t stupid and Harumi betrayed them before. He had gone through this entire phase of how he was too forgiving and couldn’t see how Harumi for what she really was during the end of season 8 and during season 9. No matter how deeply in love he was and how much he was dealing with complex feeling he wouldn’t be able to let it go. This would most likely take a long time and a lot of struggling for him.

Thus the writing for this was just really poor and it wasn’t as well done as it should have been.

[k0iy0]

From Dusk Till Dawn Chapter One - Dusk 0

Skeleton/undead Luffy and reader (platonic)

Slight Trafalgar x reader (maybe)

3,821 words

Modern au where Law and reader are childhood friends and Robin is your older sister. I actually wrote this before my other Law fic but I was too lazy to post it earlier. My first fic in about 10 years.

Reader has female pronouns and is a bit of a scaredy cat. Some swearing. You hyperventilate. Living characters are pre-time skip design-wise. Might be OOC. Uhhh Rosinante and Law's family are alive though they don't appear(in ch 1 at least). Not edited.

WARNING: you won't catch me updating this much, my bad

Cross posted on Ao3:

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Summary:

Original prompt: "Your archaeologist father has recently passed and his will makes you the sole owner of the skeleton of a cursed warrior king. All seems well till the king wakes up at sunset and demands his crown. Describe the adventure with you and the skeleton king on a hilarious road trip quest to finally put him to rest."

In which you find yourself in possession of a skeleton due to your recently deceased father. Having that thing in your house already gave you the creeps and your sister telling you it was cursed certainly wasn't helping.

Coming to terms with the skeleton, you find yourself sleeping peacefully in your room.

At least, until the sound of something rummaging through your fridge at 3 AM awakens you.

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The reality that your father was deceased didn’t really hit you until you find yourself staring at the ridiculously large casket in front of you. Not… Not your father’s casket - well, technically yes, it was your father’s but not the one he was currently and already buried in. No, no, you see, your dear old dad was an archaeologist who, before he passed, for some reason, had the foresight to write you as the next sole owner of - of some dead guy?? Okay, to be fair, yes, you had some(you say veery loosely because wow that’s a lotta zeros) financial inheritance amongst other things but you’d think he would give all… the ‘weird’ things to your older sister, who is also an archaeologist. To which he did, like the mummified hand of a so-called Celestial Dragon, or the Devil Fruit that once belonged to a tyrannical king long passed. Well, you supposed what you got was better than the contained Dyna Stone that you’re pretty sure is illegal to be in possession of but whatever. 

You had thought about giving the corpse + coffin bundle to your sister, who would undoubtedly find a better use for it than you but had decided against it. She was already swamped with organizing your father’s assets, dealing with his investors, and just ensuring his research could continue without many setbacks. Not to mention she had organized the entirety of his funeral on her own within a day, and that’s on top of her own projects and hobbies she had to focus on. It… made you feel a little useless if you were honest. You had offered, multiple times to help, whether it was going through paperwork or physically moving but every time your sister simply waved you off with her signature smile and told you to not worry. Not because she thought you were useless or in the way, but because she wanted you to relax after your father’s passing. That and you’re pretty sure she enjoys the work, keeping herself busy. 

Regardless, you find yourself in possession of some dead guy’s bones and his ivory packaging. You understand that your father had hoped you carried at least some sort of interest in archaeology, like your mother and your sister but no, it seemed the gods skipped over you when bestowing that particular interest into your family. You tried, really. You went to their excavations and research facilities when you were old enough and while something piqued your interest every so often, it just never clicked with you. 

Despite this, your parents and sister never loved you any less. They would often send letters during their travels and called whenever they could get a signal as they often found themselves in rural areas. Your parents never left you wanting either; their successful after-successful excavations left them with an abundance of grants and funding - much of their earnings they sent to you and your sister, ensuring you both were well-fed and clothed. At least, until your sister graduated college and went off with your parents. She mostly sends you letters of things she’s discovered along with a trinket and a brief history lesson about said item. Most of the time they’re mildly interesting, though sometimes she’ll send things that run a shiver down your spine. Part of you thinks she does that on purpose; she had a morbid side to her sometimes, saying or doing things to freak you out. 

You’re shaken out of your thoughts as you hear a familiar ringtone emitting from your phone. You blink, taking a second to process the chime ringing in your ears and the buzzing in your back pocket. Retrieving your phone, you don’t even have to look at the contact to know who it is, the custom ringtone belonging to only your older sister. You do check the time, however. You wonder briefly what your sister had to say when it was already eleven p.m. Shrugging, you tap the screen. 

“Hello?” You greet, pressing the receiver to your ear. 

“Apologies for the late call,” She starts. “I heard the Pirate King’s remains had been delivered and I wanted to make sure everything was going alright.” Your sister explains, and you wonder if now was the only time she could spare to call you considering it had been delivered a couple of days ago. It made you feel a bit guilty - using her downtime to worry about you. You weren’t a kid but you appreciated the thought. It was only your sister and you now, with your mother passing a few years back and your father’s funeral mere days ago. She just wanted to make sure you were okay.

You stare at the thing in question; you had the movers place it in the middle of your living room - it being the only place it could fit in your humble abode. It wasn’t as if you couldn’t afford a bigger place, but you lived alone and you didn’t feel the need to have anything extravagant. Though you suppose you could relocate to a bigger place, the housing market was kinda fucked and you should probably strike while the iron was hot. Or something like that. You also weren’t sure if your landlord would allow… human remains such as this to… well… remain here(heh heh). 

“Um, yeah it’s going okay I guess,” You tilt your head in contemplation. “It’s a bit hard to uh, integrate it with my current home decor though.” You joke. She’s silent for a brief moment and you can just imagine her nodding in understanding. 

“I see. That’s understandable. Let me know if there are any issues, I will see to it if so.” She stops as if mulling something over. “However, if you find yourself needing assistance with decorating your house, do not hesitate to ask. Though, I do not recommend placing the Pirate King’s remains within close proximity of the Leopard’s Paw.” She warns. 

“The what now? Why?” You’re almost afraid to ask, trying to remember why it sounded so familiar.

“The Leopard’s Paw,” She repeats, and you can almost hear the wicked smile gracing her lips as she resumes speaking, her tone even and calm with a hint of mischief. “I sent it to you a while back after coming across it during one of my excavations. While it’s entirely harmless on its own, it’s still a cursed artifact.” You freeze at her words, now remembering what she was talking about. 

“As I wrote in my letter,” She reminds, much to your dismay. “the owner of that paw was once known as the “Massacre Weapon,” and records indicated that he was regarded as a formidable man with incredible strength. Sadly, there isn’t much information on him aside from those tidbits. Although from what we’ve gathered thus far, we can conclude he was an agent who worked for the Old World Government; considering all records of him are from classified documentation within the OWG.” Your sister rambles, and while it was mildly interesting, you were way more concerned about the possible negative implications of the combination of the two artifacts. 

“Right. And uh, why would it be unwise to place it with the skeleton..?” You stare down the King’s Retirement Box, mentally glad you had stuffed that stupid paw in the back of your bedroom closet. Gently, of course. It was silly but after your sister told you it was cursed you were slightly afraid of angering whatever was probably possessing it. Slightly. Your sister simply laughs, and to anyone else, it would sound normal, cute even. But not you. No, no, you know better. That was the laugh she makes when she’s about to tell you something she knows will freak you out.

“Robin,” You plead, taking a step back from the coffin. “Please, it’s almost midnight.” Yeah, okay, you were twenty-three and afraid of the spooky and occult, of what goes bump in the night, so what? It certainly didn’t help when your sister often told sinister tales to you during your youth, when your parents were off around the world. Okay, maybe she didn’t do it that often, but still! Not to mention how she used to use her Devil Fruit to spook you throughout the week. You take a seat on the couch, turning away from your father’s parting gift.

“It’s nothing really. Just some newly discovered records show that as opposing sides, the late Pirate King and the Massacre Weapon were often at odds with each other. The cursed energy within the Leopard’s Paw may awaken if in close contact with its owner’s sworn enemy. Not to mention the skeletal remains of the Pirate King are also said to be cursed.” Robin’s explanation causes a single, metaphorical tear to run down your cheek. She continues in your stupor. “You’ll be sure to tell me if anything occurs, yes?” She asks, almost sounding hopeful at the thought of some long-forgotten grudge reviving within your very home.

You reply meekly, slouching in your seat. The conversation shifts to a more normal casual topic as you both talk about how the past week has gone. You begin to feel more at ease as you chat, you always found her voice to be calming when she wasn’t messing with you. The chat comes to an end when Robin tells you she has to go, as she has an early flight to catch and that she might not be able to contact you for a few days. You wish each other a good night(and a peaceful flight to her) before hanging up. 

Setting your phone down on the couch next to you, you stand up to stretch, a yawn escaping you. Stepping around your temporary coffee table, you make your way to the kitchen. The time on the microwave tells you it is currently a quarter to twelve, and your conversation with Robin was a bit longer than you had thought. Not that it mattered, you tended to stay up late into the night on your days off. 

Humming a tune to yourself, you open the fridge, intent on whipping something up for yourself. You mull over what to cook, eyeing the fridge and pantry as you rummage through your mental cookbook. You decide on something simple - eggs on toast. Placing the sliced bread in the toaster, you get started on the eggs: heating the pan, melting the butter, and cracking two eggs into the pan. You briefly debate overeasy verus sunny side before just flipping the eggs. Overeasy it is. You take out the maple butter you made the other day and spread a bit of it over the finished toast. Reaching for your spice rack, you season the eggs just the way you like it; which happens to be the way your mother made them, though yours could never come close to her cooking. Sliding the eggs onto the toast, you make your way to the counter next to the sink, content to just stand and eat. You could feel your stomach rumble as you pick up a slice of toast. 

Before eggs on toast could meet your lips, you hear a loud growling sound. You pause, slowly lowering the toast, frowning. It... almost sounded as if the noise came from in front of you in the living room but there was nothing?? You scan the open area from behind the counter, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. Your eyes linger on the box containing the Pirate King’s remains. Not wanting to entertain the thought of Robin’s warning, you tear your eyes away from the stone casket. It was probably your own stomach growling, right? Or just the typical old building noises. That’s what you tell yourself as you continue eating. You finish relatively fast, placing the plate in the sink. You wash your hands, drying them on a nearby towel. You glance at the pan sitting on the stove. You’ll wash it in the morning. 

You give the area one last look, just to reassure yourself. You didn’t hear any growling, and again, you don’t see anything. Letting out a sigh of relief, you turn to head to bed, shutting the lights off on the way. Entering your room, you make sure to close your door before changing into something more comfortable. Some shorts and an old T-shirt from high school. You make your way under your covers, the cool touch of the sheets feeling nice against your skin. Shifting around to get comfortable, you realize you left your phone out in the living room. The sigh that leaves your lips embodies the feeling of laziness that took over you. You’ll grab it tomorrow, you don’t feel like getting up right now. 

Your head hits the pillow, and you stare at the alarm clock sitting on your nightstand as the food in your belly lulls you to sleep. Eyelids feeling heavy, the last thing your brain registers is the bright red numbers on the screen.

12:05 A.M.

Your eyes close shut as sleep embraces you.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

You shift, the noise slightly stirring you. Your eyes open briefly, eyebrows furrowing as your brain tries to decide if you were still sleeping or if you were hearing things. Eyes blurry, you stare at the ceiling. A few moments of silence has your mind drifting back to sleep as your eyes slowly close.

BANG

You jolt awake, mind going haywire as you stare wide-eyed. It sounded like something heavy collapsing. You hear an odd clacking sound, like a rattling of… something from beyond your bedroom door. The noise stops before a steady thumping takes its place. The rhythm makes you realize it was the sound of footsteps. Breathing heavy, you don’t dare move an inch, afraid of alerting whatever was out there. The footsteps stop, and you strain your ears to hear anything else. You don’t hear anything over the loud beating of your heart. You glance at the nightstand.

3:02 A.M.

Steadying your breathing, you try to muster up the courage to get up. You slowly peel the sheets off you, sliding your legs over the edge of the bed, and rise to a slouched stand. You tiptoe your way to the door, grabbing your spare umbrella that was propped up nearby. Clutching the umbrella in one hand, you reach for the door handle with the other; with a shaking hand, you twist the knob, slowly pulling the door open.

The door opening slightly, you poke your head out. Peering down the hallway, you are greeted by darkness. The once familiar hallway warps in the dark, twisting itself into something sinister. 

‘It’s all in my mind,’ You think to yourself, taking a step out. ‘It was actually nothing and I was just dreaming. I am simply going to double-check.’ You hold back a sniffle, both hands grasping the umbrella so tight your knuckles turn white. Careful to not make a sound, you silently make your way through the darkened hall. You’re almost successful in convincing yourself until the sound of the refrigerator door opening makes you jump. You tense up, unmoving as the goosebumps on your arms rise. Gulping, you resume walking towards the kitchen, the light of the fridge illuminating the sink and the living room behind it. There’s a shadow within the cast light, shifting about as they rummage through the fridge. It… it sounds like they’re eating?? What the fuck?? Between the sound of things being tossed around and torn open, you hear the clacking of teeth and the dedicated… munching akin to some voracious animal. 

You’re close enough that the entire kitchen comes into view. You see a figure hunched over as they dig through the fridge, their frame blocked by door. You hold the umbrella over your shoulder, preparing yourself to swing if necessary. 

You take a step forward.

…And your breath hitches as the floorboard beneath you creaks. 

You hold back a whimper as the figure stops, slowly rising from their position, standing tall. Their head turns towards you slowly, the light reflecting their features. 

A skull. 

You scream.

The thief(skeleton?? Was it even a person?) takes a step back from the sudden reaction, raising its hands almost defensively. 

“Woah! You-” It starts, and you watch its jaw move animatedly as it speaks. Your eyes follow the slice of cheese sliding down its teeth, it falls, landing on that thing’s very, very bony foot. “-startled me! What’s with the screaming anyways?” Your gaze flickers back up at the skeleton’s face, or lack thereof. It puts its skinless, meatless, bloodless-whatever else it has less of!- hands on its hips, tilting its head. You could imagine that if it had a face it would be staring at you like you were the weird one.

You blink. Again. And again. 

And then you scream. Again.

“Hey!” It moves to cover its ears- that it doesn’t have -and oh so very stupidly, you throw your only weapon of defense at the thing. The umbrella hits it square in the face and bounces back, hitting the refrigerator door before clattering to the ground. The undead monstrosity yelps in pain as it gets knocked off its feet. Quickly you turn, deciding to just leave. You dash through the living room to the front door but trip over something before crossing said room. 

You gasp, stubbing your toes rather painfully on whatever you tripped on. You fall to the ground, holding your arms out to brace yourself. Grunting, you turn to look at what you tripped on. You just cleaned the other day, so nothing should-you freeze, your blood turning cold. 

It was the coffin. Or, well, the lid of the coffin. It was laying on the ground as if tossed aside casually. The extremely heavy stone lid that you weren’t able to even budge? The very same lid that took several curious movers to just slide it a smidge? You don’t even know how they got it in the fucking house!

…

You slowly look down at the lid and crane your neck up at the skeleton who was hunched over, a skeletal hand on its forehead, as if trying to reorient itself. It stands back up and you remember Robin’s words from earlier. The stupid cursed Leopard’s Paw and its equally stupid supposed sworn enemy, the Pirate King and his stupid stupid cursed skeleton. 

The thing looks over to your fallen form(why aren’t you getting up, get uP ) from over the counter. It slowly begins walking, presumably making its way over to you. Your breathing quickens and time seems to slow down, your vision becoming blurry as hot tears stream down your cheeks.

Oh god, you were going to die. You were stupid and threw away your weapon, and like some stupid cliché, you tripped and found yourself unable to move; only able to pathetically weep as some fucking cursed monster bestowed by your father made its way to eat you after ravishing your fridge.  Powerless to do anything but cry, you could barely hear the sound of its feet clacking against the tile(and eventually the hardwood floor) over the sound of your sobbing. 

Then, you hear a ding.

The thing stops and looks over at the couch. You follow it’s gaze and see your phone. Judging by the sound of the notification, it was probably your weather app. However, the sound snapped you out of your trance, and with some newfound strength, you reached for your phone. You pay no mind to the creature, furiously swiping at the screen, blindly tapping at your contacts as you rise, dashing towards your room. You duck, pushing past the Pirate King, knocking it to the ground(again) with unprecedented strength. Ignoring the sharp pain of your arms hitting bone, you stumble through the hall as you dial someone. Anyone. 

You hear the faint ringing as the call tries to go through to whoever you called. Inside your room, you slam the door shut, locking it. You huff, eyes scanning the room wildly for a place to hide. You settle on the closet and practically leap inside, closing the door once in. Confined to the small space, you collapse to the floor; backing up and trying to hide. Your breathing quick and heavy, you hold the phone to your ear as you hear the person pick up. 

“Oi, what the hell?” A familiar voice slurs, sleep in their tone. You hear them groan as they try to keep awake. “Do you know what time it is?” 

“Law!” You sniffle, glad that he answered. You hear the rustling of bedsheets through the receiver as you ramble unintelligible words between sobs. “Oh god, why didn’t I call the police? Why didn’t I just leave? I was at the fucking door!” You shut your eyes, feeling yourself starting to hyperventilate. 

“Hey. Hey .” Law calls your name through the phone. “Listen to my voice. You need to breathe, okay? Breathe.” He orders and you follow, taking a deep breath. 

“Yeah just like that. Deep breaths.” He continues, his smooth voice grounding you. “Okay, can you-can you tell me what’s wrong? What’s happening?” You sniff back a sob, sighing out a shaky exhale. 

“Law, I-I-” You choke out, momentarily losing your voice. “-I don’t know. I just woke up and the fucking, the fucking skeleton wakes up and it was in the fridge and I threw my umbrella at it andandandnow it’s gonna eat me andI’mgonnafuckingdie!” You weep, sobs now racking your entire body. Under the sobbing, you hear Law moving through the phone as he tries to calm you down.

“I’m coming over right now. Just-just stay on the phone and don’t, don’t hang up. Keep talking for me okay?” You simply nod, unable to speak. You could hear the worry in Law’s voice, along with the lingering groggyness from barely waking up. 

Your call with Law distracted you from hearing the approaching footsteps of the lurking skeleton. It banged loudly on the door, muffled words coming through. 

“What was that?” Law calls your name when you only sob back in reply. “Is someone there with you? Fuck, what’s happening?!” You listen as the door only bangs louder before ultimately breaking under the sheer force of your soon-to-be killer. It enters your room, silent as you hear bone scratching on bone. Holding your phone in a vice-like grip against your ear, you shut your teary eyes as you cover your mouth with your other hand, attempting to quiet your breathing.

 The closet door swings open, revealing the Pirate King staring down at you with empty sockets. You hear Law calling out to you but you don’t answer, staring up at the thing in fear. 

You look between teary eyes as the Pirate King’s jaw lowers, as if to say something.

And then you pass out.

[jihyocentric]

i had to delay the pup hyo due to personal stuff, but it's here finally!

-

perhaps nayeon was being a little evil when she gave jeongyeon that task, but she didn’t wake up in a good mood, upset with jeongyeon for an unknown reason, and doing that was her way to have her sweet revenge.

the instructions were rather simple, all jeongyeon had to do was brushing jihyo’s ears and tail, as it was the time in the month to get rid of the excess fur jihyo would left around the house.

it wasn’t a lot, but it bothered nayeon to have it in their sheets, on the ground or on the couch if jihyo were to sit there for a long period of time, and although jihyo hated to have her ears and tail groomed with a scary brush, she couldn’t run away from nayeon.

with jeongyeon, however, jihyo takes advantage on the fact that jeongyeon is clearly hesitant to touch her when she’s whining and asking her not to, successfully avoiding being brushed, despite being slightly scared of what nayeon would once she got back home.

but it wasn’t always like this. at some point when nayeon had just gotten her, jihyo used to love having her ears and tail brushed. the affection she’d get from nayeon was everything she’d ever wanted, and after the grooming she’d receive cuddles and treats for being a good puppy.

she started rejecting it after she saw the amount of hair nayeon took from her.

nayeon had been careful not to let jihyo see it, but the only moment she slipped and accidentally didn’t hide it from jihyo before throwing the excess fur away, jihyo decided that she didn’t want to be brushed anymore, as the brush nayeon used was allegedly stealing something from her, a part of her.

that very same reason is what she explains to jeongyeon, tucking her head into jeongyeon’s neck the third time she tries to make jihyo comply. the puppy even goes as far as rejecting the fruit snacks offered to her, determined to escape this month’s grooming.

jeongyeon palms jihyo’s ears, carefully tugging at the fur. she shows jihyo that she was truly shedding, hopeful that it would make her understand that it was time to let it go, but jihyo doesn’t seem to care at all.

“we need to do it, pup,” jeongyeon sighs, nearly going insane, not knowing what to do when jihyo looked at her with her bottom lip sticking out, eyes shining, almost crying. “it’s for your health.”

“but my ears will look bad,” jihyo whines, tail between her legs, ears flopping down. “they won’t be as soft and fluffy!”

“of course they will,” jeongyeon quickly assures. “it’ll be fast and i’m only taking what is already shed, i promise, pup.”

jihyo hums and shrinks in jeongyeon’s lap, trying to get away from the discussion, not wanting to make any deals with jeongyeon, resolute in her decision to not be brushed that day.

“we should do it before nayeon comes back,” jeongyeon adds, her heart tightening at the guilt she feels by making jihyo purposefully scared, but desperate times call for desperate measures. “her methods won’t be as nice as mine and you’ll even get treats and cuddles from me. what do you think, puppy?”

jihyo’s eyes widen at the mention of nayeon, thinking about the last time nayeon brushed her.

she wasn’t the best puppy, jihyo knew that, especially when she bit nayeon, but getting silent treatment from nayeon was even scarier than being scolded. jihyo didn’t want to go through that again.

despite the slight tremble of her body when she reminds of the last time she had to be groomed, jihyo was still determined to have it on her terms, tail wagging when she has an idea.

if she had to be brushed and lose a part of her, then she had the right to get something from the pain they were putting her through — even when there was no pain involved when she had to be brushed.

“will you get me new legos?” jihyo mumbles softly against jeongyeon’s neck, tail swishing, suddenly interested in that conversation. “been asking for them but nayeonie says i have to be good to get them.”

jeongyeon swallows thickly, wondering if the price of momentary peace was worth it.

“maybe…” jeongyeon replies slowly, instantly regretting it.

“i’ll let you do it.” jihyo pulls back, a big grin on her face, leaning in and kissing jeongyeon’s lips briefly, excited to get what she wanted.

jeongyeon laughs nervously, uncertain of how she’d hide from nayeon that she had just bribed jihyo into having her fur brushed, deciding to think about her other problems later.

jihyo sits on the couch willingly, letting jeongyeon run the brush against her ears and her tail, the object not as scary as it used to be when she thinks about the worse alternatives: having nayeon being mad at her or not getting a new set of legos.

if jihyo hadn’t been stubborn before, she would’ve known it felt good way before jeongyeon groomed her. she was nearly sleeping, head fallen back against the couch, ears twitching softly, pliant when jeongyeon made her turn around so that her back faced her, moving from her ears to jihyo’s tail.

nayeon walks in silently, shocked by what she sees, both angry because it looked like jeongyeon didn’t struggle at all to get jihyo to be groomed when she wanted her to, and incredibly jealous that jihyo was letting jeongyeon brush her without whining and trying to bite her.

“how did you…” nayeon lets out shakily, trying not to give away that she was upset.

“u-uh…” jeongyeon stutters, taking the brush away from jihyo’s tail, the puppy peacefully sleeping with her head fallen back to the side. “i just… promised her c-cuddles and treats.”

“oh, great!” nayeon huffs and walks away, going straight to the kitchen with the groceries she’d bought while she was out.

jeongyeon follows her, trying to figure out why nayeon was suddenly snappy, but not before making sure jihyo was comfortable in her sleep.

“what did i do?!” jeongyeon asks from behind the counter, watching as nayeon aggressively took the groceries out of the bag.

“nothing!” nayeon replies loudly, her own voice making her flinch. “i’m sorry. it’s really not your fault…”

“what is it then?” jeongyeon sighs.

nayeon bites her lip. “did you date any girls from work? yesterday i heard some things… i know we weren’t together back then, but…”

“i didn’t date anyone,” jeongyeon says, as if she was trying to find the right words. “did you walk in when they were talking or…”

“i wasn’t supposed to hear it. they were embarrassed when they noticed i was there,” nayeon breathes out, hands shaking, not a fan of the feeling inside her chest. “there’s no reason for me to be jealous. do i sound stupid? i do, don’t i?”

jeongyeon smiles, relieved that it wasn’t something serious, walking around the counter to hug nayeon.

she kisses nayeon’s forehead sweetly, reassuringly.

“you don’t sound stupid.” jeongyeon tells her. “it’s cute, actually.”

“so cheesy.” nayeon groans, making jeongyeon lean down to kiss her cheek. “lunch is on you.”

nayeon pats her shoulders and leaves, wanting to join jihyo on the couch.

“but i cooked yesterday!” jeongyeon whines.

[sitp-recs]

Save the Date by @mallstars

Harry/Draco (2023, Explicit, 123k)

In the twelve years after the war, Harry attends sixteen weddings. As friends and acquaintances vow their lives to one another, he watches quietly from the sidelines. Step by step, Harry pieces himself back together, builds a life from the wreckage of his past and falls, slowly and thoroughly, for Draco Malfoy. A story told in sixteen parts, of patient and transformative love, of queerness, of reaching out and holding on. Featuring plenty of pining, Gilderoy Lockhart getting married in a fever dream of glitter and product placement, and Rita Skeeter spitting a steady stream of venom at Harry and Draco's every move.

“Perhaps this was how much of Divination worked. Showing you something you wanted, or didn't want, and urging you along a path. Sitting in the freezing ground on a Bulgarian mountain as the sun commenced its journey up the sky, Harry made a decision. He would get to know someone, the way he knew Ron and Hermione. Better, even, if he was capable of that. It was evident, really, who he wanted that person to be - and Padma seemed to approve. It had to be Draco Malfoy.”

Since I’ve been talking and getting asks about my most recent read I’ve decided this would be a good opportunity to write a brand new rec, and hopefully send more people on their way to this story. I’ve been in the mood for longer fics lately but it’s getting harder and harder to binge anything over 30k, so instead of pressuring myself to rush through it I’ve decided to take my sweet time and embrace the experience over the past week.

Curiously, I found this fic thanks to the author herself! We bonded over our shared interest in a niche fic kink (isn’t that how it always starts!) and she mentioned that earlier this year she published her first fic, one she was very proud of. Naturally I had to ask for a link to check it out and I’m so happy that I did. This story is a long, aching and deeply emotional love letter to Harry, carefully exploring his trauma and post-war struggles in such a compassionate way it gave me a lump in the throat. From dealing with his childhood abuse and a general lack of sense of purpose after the war, to coming to terms with his fame and sexuality to finally allowing himself to be happy and fulfill his resolution: getting to know someone, deeply. I love how that scene puts everything into motion, giving the fic a magical and serendipitous tone that helped me get through the angsty slow burn knowing that Drarry was more than endgame, it was inevitable. The tea leaves willed so!!!!

We follow Harry’s melancholy and introspective POV for about 12 years, each one marked by a different wedding he attends. There’s this weary wistfulness about the way he sees things that really touched me, as he struggles to find his place and pines on for Draco. We celebrate the friends and acquaintances we get to know through his eyes, one wedding at a time - and what a fantastic cast! I especially loved seeing more of Angelina as she’s not usually explored in fic. From Blaise’s to Lockhart’s to Ron’s to Hagrid’s, each wedding ceremony offers a new setting for Harry’s self-reflection and advances the Drarry agenda offering him new ways to get to know Draco and himself. They don’t always meet or talk but Draco’s always at the back of his mind, even before the resolution is made, and I found that quite romantic!

I wasn’t expecting this fic to span over so many years but instead of never-ending pain where you don’t quite understand why they can’t kiss and make out already, Harry’s pining is soft and tentative; it allows him to grow, explore his own sexuality and learn how to be comfortable in his own skin before reaching out to Draco. Despite being unavailable for some time, we don’t really need Draco’s POV to know he’s aching for Harry just as desperately. But we do get a glimpse of his mind through their correspondence, which is how they actually fall in love.

Watching their friendship blossom through the letters made me so soft and happy I didn’t want it to end. I think that was my favourite chapter and and I’m not even that much of an epistolary enthusiast! But their written exchanges create the most delicious anticipation and oh, when they finally get together they’re both so sure and devoted to each other it feels earned and right. I love how the fic paces the progression of Harry’s initial obsession towards a calmer, reserved and patient love. Just like he wished many years before, he gets to know someone deeply: this reformed and fascinating tea shop owner Draco, who adores his mom, is there for his friends, says Harry’s name with adoration and has a fondness for flowers and owls 🥹

If you’re looking for a cathartic pining!Harry journey, with gentle slow burn and satisfying payoff - the endearments! the smut! be still my heart - this long fic is an absolute treat. Check it out today then let’s get started on @mallstars’s new time loop wip!

Read on AO3!

[song-witch]

Make You Feel

Pairing: Taylor Sloane (Ingrid Goes West) x Jess Thayer (Rough Night)

Word Count: 3,126

Warnings: Age Gaps (Jess is 34, Taylor is 25), Pre-Smut, Slight Choking, Spanking, Daddy Kink, Possessiveness, hints of Jealousy, Angst | 18+, Minors DNI

Summary: With a private charity event set to help Jess in the upcoming election, Taylor decides there's not enough fun at the party. It's no more than a publicity stunt, after all.

A/N: This was written for and inspired by @cthulhus-curse! This is our little rarepair and I love them dearly.

Jess sighed upon taking another sip from her martini. She had been listening to this man blabber on for upwards of an hour, yet he hadn’t said a single thing to spark her interest. Had this appearance not been so crucial to her reelection, she thinks she might’ve left hours ago. She probably wouldn’t have shown up in the first place if she were entirely honest.

It was something she hated about being in the public eye. She had to be so conscientious of what she said and did, and even then, it would still be picked apart by people who hated her. Years of self-criticism led to her hard exterior, it was critical as a politician. That didn’t mean she liked it, though.

So she continued to attend these… publicity stunts, for lack of a better term. It was part of the job and for the pretty penny she was paid, she would continue to deal with arrogant, old white men. Even if she was fairly certain she would get wrinkles at the ripe age of 34.

Forcing her mind back to the conversation, Jess swallowed harshly, nodding her head. “I hate to cut this sort, gentlemen, but I do have others to attend to.” The short-haired blonde gave a very fake laugh to accompany her words, as if it would lessen the blow of her leaving. The woman smiled as she stood, allowing their words to filter in and out of her head once again, pushing her way out of the circle she was in.

Filtering through the people who lingered about was easy enough, stepping out into the small, thankfully empty, balcony. Jess set her glass down on the railing, inhaling the sweet crispness of the fall air, her eyes watching the still-setting sun. Despite the fact that it was nearing 8 pm, the sky was painted something akin to a Bob Ross painting, with deep oranges and pinks.

She was thankful for the cool breeze and her cropped hair, meaning all of the wind hit her, rather than her hair. Jess paid no attention to the clicking of heels, knowing there were only a handful of people brave enough to follow her outside. “Fancy seeing you here, miss senator.” And yet, of the ones she expected, the soft Californian Valley Girl of her girlfriend was the least expected.

“Seeing as how we were both invited, fancy is not the word I would use to describe you following me.” Without looking back, Jess brought her glass to her lips, sipping the vodka-based drink. The chill of the air was more present than the one of her lemon drop martini, though she was hardly complaining as she finished it off. “Stalker is more your style.”

“Well excuse me for wanting to make sure my senator girlfriend is okay.” The blonde scoffed, moving to stand next to the older woman. She shivered in her short black number, jacket long forgotten in some coat closet, Malibu Sunset clenched tightly in her hand. Rather than wrap her arms around the taller one as she would in the privacy of their home, she instead sidled up next to her, their arms just barely touching as she set her glass next to the other’s.

Jessica only scoffed, shaking her head. “Stalker.” She whispered with a coy smirk, dropping her elbows to lean against the railing, finally looking at the younger woman. Heels that she insisted on wearing, even though Jess had said otherwise multiple times. It had led to the younger nearly being bent over her knee, only being saved by a call from her Uber driver of all people. She would be the first to say they accentuated her legs, though.

Sweeping up her legs that seemed to go on for much longer than miles, she resisted the urge to reach out and tug her dress down, the material barely reaching midthigh. The material wasn’t an issue. She rather liked seeing the girl in short, silk dresses. The issue was not only how short it was, but how she seemed to parade around, knowing her tits and ass were out. Jess had found it funny at first, given the fact that they were attending a “high-end charity, cocktail event,” whatever that was supposed to mean. As the night progressed, though, the cockiness of the younger woman had only fueled the rage she spent hours mustering away.

“You love it.” Taylor Sloane’s teasing pulled her out of her self-induced reverie, a shit-eating smirk accompanying her features. Her hair waved behind her in the breeze, the sun giving the slight tan she had developed over the summer a soft glow accentuated by her makeup. The angle she was leaning against the railing at made it more than easy to look down her dress, hardly anything covered.

“I don’t love being stalked.” Both had had their fair share of creepy paparazzi on more than one occasion. It wasn’t something they talked about often, though the thought hung heavy in the air. Reaching for her glass, Jess took a long look at the woman, clearing her throat. “And put your tits away.”

Taylor smiled cheekily, seemingly leaning forward even more. It was as if she were trying to get on Jess’ already high-strung nerves, though two could play at that game. “I thought you liked them, Daddy.” She emphasized the final word, a smirk playing on her lips.

“Shut. Up.” Jess held the glass tighter in her grip, turning away from the woman. She left without another word, leaving the younger behind to fix herself. It would still be hours before they would be home, though they were both certain they would see each other again. The moods the two would be in, however, were a lot less certain.

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

Jess watched as the younger posed against the wall, some man taking photos of her. She knew Taylor was doing it on purpose; the fact that they had made eye contact multiple times was more than enough of an indicator. Yet still, it pissed the senator off beyond comparison, barely thinking it over before she was marching up to the young woman. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Taking pictures. What does it look like I’m doing?” Taylor only rolled her eyes, continuing to pose. She bent forward, much like she had earlier, barely any fabric hiding her tits. A smirk was thrown Jess’ way, a kiss at the man.

“That’s enough. I can take it from here.” Jess reached for the phone, shooing the man away in a move that was less than polite. She pocketed the girl’s phone, stopping the impromptu photo session within seconds. “Let me ask again, what the fuck are you doing?”

“Like I said, taking pictures.” Taylor scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Sure, she had asked a rando to take her pictures in an attempt to get the woman to her, though she wasn’t impressed it had backfired so quickly. She rolled her eyes, blowing air from her pursed lips.

“Taking pictures like a slut?” Jess scoffed, fixing the woman with a glare. Taylor had a tendency to brat out, especially when she wanted attention, though this was unusual, even for her. “We’re at a charity event and you’re slutting yourself out for a random man?”

“Oh please, I wasn’t slutting myself out. You’re just jealous.” Taylor rolled her eyes, reaching up to play with a strand of her hair. She knew she was in trouble, even before they had left the house. Why not play it up a bit? The only thing that could happen would be another punishment, and she was more than willing to pay that price.

“Jealous of what?” Jessica pressed, stepping closer to the woman. Their chests were nearly touching, the world around them fading to soft blurs. In this moment it was only them and the tension between them. She would’ve found it hot if they were at home, though she was far more fed up than amused.

“Jealous of the fact that I’m getting more attention than you.” The word ‘bitch’ mumbled under her breath, squinting her eyes at the woman. She knew those words would do it, by the way the older woman’s body tensed. She took a step closer, their noses now practically touching.

“Quit being a fucking brat.” Jess spit out as she grabbed the dirty blonde’s wrist, stopping her from walking away. As the number of warnings she got went up, the patience the senator had got lower. She was lucky they were at a very public, very important event, or she’d have been bent over hours ago.

“Then quit being a fucking bitch.” Taylor snarled right back, with possibly more venom than needed. She didn’t care, though. There was no reason for Jess to be as pushy as she was. Why couldn’t she take photos to post later if she wanted to?

“Excuse me?” The older grasped her wrist harder as she tried to walk away again, this time not letting her grip loosen. She was shocked to hear those words, especially after the talk they had earlier. Jess glanced around them, assuring they weren’t being watched, before pulling the girl closer. “Would you like to say that again? And watch your fucking attitude.”

“Then you,” Taylor met the woman with the same intensity, the pointer on her free hand coming up to poke at the woman’s chest, “stop being a fucking bitch.” She crossed her arms over her chest, meeting the same intensity that the other woman held. She was fed up. All of her attempts to gain her attention had gone to waste, shrugged off as if she were nothing.

“Let’s go.” Jess would be damned if anyone saw them, too focused on taking care of the girl to even care. She dragged her to the bathroom, practically throwing her inside the small room. “Fucing brat.” The short-haired woman snarled, turning to face the door. She inhaled deeply before turning around, ignoring the ‘what the fuck’ thrown at her.

Jessica locked the door behind her, a sense of cockiness filling her as she did. Taylor would face the consequences of her actions, publicity be damned. “You have about two seconds to apologize before I give you something to whine about.” Her hand almost immediately threaded through the younger’s hair, settling at the base of her skull and pulling upwards.

“Apologize for what? I wasn’t the one being a bitch.” Taylor scoffed, yanking her head back in an attempt to have her hair dropped. It didn’t work and only encouraged the older to pull harder, which in turn made the younger struggle just slightly against her grasp.

“I said: apologize, whore.” Jess grasped her hair harder, a gasp pulled from the younger woman’s throat. She knew how easy it was to rile up the blonde and vice versa. If she wanted to be a bitch, two could play that game.

“Fucking bitch.” Taylor spit at the woman’s heeled feet, actually spit, a flame in her eye that wouldn’t go away. She practically snarled, rolling her eyes and tossing her hair back, effectively pulling the older woman’s hand out of her hair.

“Watch your fucking mouth.” The words just barely resonated with the blonde before her head jerked to the side, falling to her knees, pain blooming throughout her cheek. The same hand that had slapped her, Taylor knew due to the warmth and slight buzzing that seemed to connect them, pulled her face back over and up, not giving her time to even react to the hit. Fire blazed behind her eyes as they stared up at Jess, her chest heaving.

“Cunt.” The speed at which two fingers were forcefully shoved down the younger’s throat was enough to make her choke, the acrylics of the older woman’s nails easily hitting the back of her throat. Despite the fact that Taylor was the best little cocksucker Jess had found, and she had had her fair share of free trials, she loved how easily it was to make her gag. The sound she made was enough by itself to turn her on, though the feeling was exquisite too.

“You keep running that goddamn mouth thinking I’m not going to do anything, huh?” Jess raised both of her eyebrows as her face tilted down just slightly, fixing the younger with a questioning look. Her hand followed where the blonde whipped her head back and forth in an attempt to dislodge her fingers. Even as Taylor’s hands came up to grasp her wrist and push it away, she continued to press forward.

“What? Too dumb to say anything back?” The taller woman faked sympathy, pouting condescendingly. She pushed her fingers forward before pulling them out, a sense of pride filling her as she watched the girl bend forward, hair falling in front of her face as she coughed. With a coo, Jess squatted, reaching through a curtain of blonde hair to tilt her chin up, meeting a pair of rage, and lust, filled eyes.

Taylor glared at the older though her vision swam with a mix of tears and arousal, grinding her teeth together. “Fuck. You.” The influencer spat through her teeth, her chest heaving. She knew she was going to be punished, if Jess’ earlier threats weren’t obvious enough, the unmistakable anger on her face was more than enough to send any man to their knees.

Jess’ nose twitched, her throat tightening as her hand traveled down the blonde’s neck, easily closing against it. “You just don’t fucking learn, do you?” She stood, not letting go of the younger as she did so, instead pulling her up and allowing her to dangle for a moment before dragging her towards the sink. The woman was thrown over the porcelain, her head bouncing off said counter with a resounding thud.

Taylor whimpered at the pain spiraling through her head, attempting to stand and reach for her head, only to be stopped by the politician. Jess easily grabbed the younger’s wrists, holding them behind her back, her free hand pressing down between her shoulder blades. “Don’t even fucking think about it, slut.”

“Ow.” The dirty blonde half whimpered, half moaned against the sink, squirming in her place. She was more than aware of the senator’s hands pushing the skirt of her dress up, a spank accompanying the motion. “What the fuck!” She yelped, though more from shock than pain.

“You wanna act like a fucking slut, you get punished like a fucking slut.” Was all Jess said as her free hand tugged the girl’s lacy thong down, bending over to pick it up and study it for a second. “Fucking pathetic. Getting off on your punishment. Whore.” The cropped-haired woman shoved them in the pocket of her pants, before another slap against the younger’s behind rang out through the room.

“Stop!” Taylor pushed her hips forward, trying to escape the slaps against her ass. It was futile, even if she didn’t want to admit it. Her hands were held behind her and there was no way she could squirm away, not with how high her heels were. It would most likely lead to her toppling over and she didn’t want to hit her head for a second time that night.

“You don’t get a say in this, bitch. So I suggest you start counting before I start over.” Jess threatened, her hand coming down yet again. She waited for Taylor to yelp out the word one, mere seconds before her hand came down again. She never hit the same spot twice, alternating both cheek and power with each hit. It had the younger crying by the twelfth hit, a mess of tears and whimpers.

Jess’ hand came down hard on the blonde’s ass, the sharp resounding slap of skin on skin reverberating through the small bathroom. She waited, curling her fingers until her nails dug into the soft flesh they rested on. “If you sto-” The woman was cut off by a wail from the younger, her form shaking with poorly hidden sobs.

“N-nineteen!” Taylor nearly screamed, rocking between her feet under the other’s harsh gaze. Her entire body shook with how hard she was sobbing, a mixture of tears and snot running down her face. She hardly even cared about how smudged she knew her makeup would be, able to see globs of black streaked across her cheeks, another product of her punishment, no doubt.

“Good.” Was all Jess said before her hand came down one last time, landing squarely on the girl’s already sensitive sit spot. She couldn’t care less about how loud they were being, far more focused on beating the brat out of the girl bent over in front of her. She watched with satisfaction as the girl yelped, her body quivering with the way she sunk against the sink. “Number.”

Taylor grasped at the faucet, her knuckles white with how strong she was holding it as tears continued to fall down her cheeks. “T-” She was cut off by a sob, pressing her face against her arm. It took her another sob before she spit the word out. “Twenty.”

“Good girl, Taylor.” Jess gently pulled the girl off of the sink, gathering her in her arms before sitting on the floor. Taylor clung to her almost instantly, her face slotting against her neck, fists grasping at her shirt. “It’s all done, baby. You’re okay.” The older woman murmured against her ear, holding her tight against her body.

“Good girl, Tay. You’re my good girl.” Jess hushed the girl, running her fingers through the loose curls cascading down her back. The younger continued to sob, her entire body flinching with how violent they were. Jess rocked back and forth just slightly, attempting to soothe her in any way possible. “My good girl, taking her punishment so well. Such a good girl.”

The short-haired woman swayed until the younger’s sobs subsided, though she didn’t let her go right away. “Look at me, Tay.” Jess prompted softly, using the hand still carding through long hair to gently tilt her head back. She waited until the dirty blonde did so, smiling softly at the girl. “You’re such a good girl, Taylor, even if you were acting up today. Now, you’re gonna get your Uber and I’ll meet you at home, okay baby girl?”

"Okay.” Taylor hiccuped softly, pushing her chin back into the woman’s neck. Neither of them cared about how much time passed, sitting on the floor of the bathroom, merely basking in each other. Jess ultimately had to force the younger up, helping her clean her makeup before sending her off, a kiss against her lips as a silent promise that she wouldn’t be long.

[1stunseeliefaelass]

Horsemen Reptile/Amphibian/Arachnid Pet Owners:

This is just me wanting to have a bit of fun speculation for funsies as a reptile owner myself and someone who grew up around these animals as long as I've been alive. So what would each Horseman get as a pet or pets if they were to get into the reptile/amphibian/arachnid hobby.

You hadn't been to a reptile show since the apocalypse happened. In truth many of the species you loved as a kid were struggling to stay around past potential extinction. Others however actually managed to thrive despite everything happening. So when you heard that your fellow humans were hosting a show once again, things finally began to feel somewhat like normal again. It was also high time for your scaly puppy to have food again as you'd run out of your bulk.

Since you have nothing better to do than that, you decide to make the most of this. Especially given how long it's been, and you finally have friends to share your hobby with. Finally some folks who don't think reptiles and such are gross or inheritly evil. Death takes some convincing, given his homebody nature when not working. But eventually decides to join along, if only to make sure you stick to your shopping list and don't buy anything out of budget or anything living. Just the one 'danger noodle' as you keep calling your royal python is enough he feels(Yes he does call ball pythons by the original name and even knows why they're called royal pythons.). Strife needed no convincing at all and was happy to come and see what these mythical 'reptile shows' were. That and he's an animal lover so he's as excited as little kids are to see them all. Fury only came so you'd stop asking, supposedly. Deep down though, she's curious about the animals that have captured your heart so. She initially plans to ask questions about any that peak her interest or yours. War is convinced well enough after your explain just how big some of these python species can get. Course he's not believing you because, "I've seen much bigger snakes than a simple reticulated or indian python.". So he's coming just so he can prove you wrong.

So what does everyone buy?

Y/N - Well thanks to Death’s mostly hypervigilant self, you avoid buying any new critters. Just frozen rats to feed your scaly puppy at home. That doesn't stop you from taking photos of War posing with pythons and boas, and Strife holding everything he comes across if he's allowed to. Fury and Death were hard to nail in any photos. But eventually you do get one of each quietly. One has Fury interacting with a baby hognose that played dead in her hand as she called it a drama queen. The other has Death handling a tarantula, something you're admittedly still afraid to do. It was a beautiful sapphire gooty female that was somehow there. You immediately fled the scene right after the picture, not because Death caught you, but because the spider decided to showcase the speed demon side all indian ornamental species are known for. Getting a good chuckle out of the old Horseman who luckily was definitely fast enough to keep the little lady from 'chasing you'.

Death - He decides on buying the sapphire gooty, as their extreme rarity gave him a sort of kinship kind of feeling towards her. That and the unintentional jumpscare she gave you might've given him some ideas. He gets at least two other species as well. A goliath bird eater because he enjoys her spunk seeing as she actually stridulated at him when he picked up her container. The final tarantula he takes is a gorgeous antilles pinktoe. The colors were just way too eye-catching to him, and her temperament was a plus too. The last animal he grabs isn't even an arachnid though, as he actually finds someone selling venomous animals and is attracted to a black female king cobra. You at first ask if he's crazy, then notice she's blind. Upon asking, Death and you are told she's a rescue and was devenomed. Naturally you explain the term to Death, who is horrified at knowing. He can't forget about her and ultimately buys her. Promising he'll give her a much happier life. Good thing humans these days will take gilt as well as cash. Cus he definitely has that in surplus. Naturally he buys enclosures/food for his new critters and the ones his siblings inevitably buy. He of course also names his little ladies. The GS is named Princess(yes he is serious about the name), the goliath is named Ungoliant, and the pinktoe is dubbed Tanzanite. Meanwhile he calls the cobra Queenie.

Strife - Strife avoids the tarantulas like the plague, and other arachnids to his older brother's amusement. He explains Death and War have pranked him with these animals before. Though Death insists he never used anything living to do it. Didn't want them to be needlessly hurt in the panic after all. Strife does however fall in absolute love with ball pythons and geckos. He ultimately leaves the show with a crested gecko, leechie gecko(which to Death’s shock and annoyance cost near a grand in human US currency), & a banana mimosa ball python. The crestie he calls Nutter Butter(Nutter or Nut for short), the leechie he names Chonker, and the BM ball python he names Glowstick because she looks like a rave glowstick to him with all her bright colors.

Fury - Fury takes interest in an axolotl surprisingly, claiming she finds the empty headed creature to be amusing. In reality it's derpiness is more endearing than funny. She also takes the baby hognose from before, as well as a sand boa for the same reasons as the axolotl. Her naming conventions are not terribly creative but at least carry a common theme, she names the hognose Death after her brother until he begs her to change it to Stinky(She thought referencing Death’s avg stink to the stinks hognoses make while playing dead was hilarious for the record.). The sand boa she simply calls Sandy, and soon takes the name very seriously. The last name she picks for the axolotl is Doofus(a secret reference towards Strife that he somehow misses). She never admits it around others, but she adores her little critters.

War - War is a simple man with simple enjoyments admittedly. He takes interest in the bigger animals. He decides on buying a baby anaconda with the intent to grow it into the biggest one the world has ever seen. He also snags a tegu, since they seem hardy and fun. Plus he did like how the one he got is very dog-like for a monitor lizard. He also gets a leechie like Strife does after the latter convinces him to get one for breeding purposes so they make more like Chonker. War names his critters thusly; Amazon for the anaconda, Dog for the tegu(because he acts like a dog and he couldn’t think of anything else), and his leechie gets called Chonkette after Strife suggested it when War couldn’t think of anything. At first he regretted it, now he finds it suits his 'Big Girl' well. Amazon also gets the nickname of 'Big Mama' after the group discovers eggs in her cage about a month later.

The house has gotten so much fuller, but everyone is happy and caring for their respective pets properly. Including you obviously, who War also promised could have first dibs on Amazon and Chonkette's future babies.

[ultraericthered]

Recently learned that the Dreamworks' The Prince of Egypt stage musical was a thing, and... yeah, the Disney's The Huncback of Notre Dame stage musical is still by far superior in terms of non-Broadway, divergeant musical retellings of an animated masterpiece.

And it's not like The Prince of Egypt is a terrible show the whole way through. It recieved a lot of middling reviews from people who were just whelmed by it. Some of the ideas behind what they added to the story are actually interesting and easily workable. But at the very end, they do something that is absolutely unforgivable to me in how it straight up spits in the face of the source material it was adapting. And it's ironic because I'd said with Hunchback that what the movie gave us of Esmeralda surviving, a big action climax against Frollo, and the big feelgood ending, feels like a Focus Group Ending wherea the stage show felt more like how the story naturally would play out, whereas here it's the reverse - the stage show plays out like a Focus Group Ending that the original movie wisely and boldly avoided!

Where it starts is in alterations made to Rameses' character and in how his and Moses' brotherly relationship falls apart. In this telling, Rameses is more easily won over to hearing Moses' initial argument and promises him that he will let all the Hebrew slaves go, fully intent on doing so. But when his wife Nefertiri and High Priest Hotep make him secondguess himself, he goes back on his word and doubles the slaves' work load instead. This itself is not a harmful change - Queen Nefertiri and the sway she could hold over her husband's decided courses of actions was a thing in The Ten Commandments, so it's neat to see it added back into this story, and High Priest Hotep is more like this version's equivalent to the Dathan character from The Ten Commandments than he is a Hotep-Hui composite character. The story plays out like you'd expect it to from there, with Rameses stubbornly doubling down and becoming a spiteful antagonist to Moses and the Hebrews who refuses to let them leave Egypt, with only the death of his and Nefertiri's child making him finally relent.

Then comes the finale. Rameses and Hotep raise an army to pursue the fleeing Hebrews to kill or re-enslave. Moses parts the Red Sea so that the Hebrews can pass through, but this time as the Egyptians pursue, Moses decides he will turn himself over and ransom himself for his people's safety. So he stands before Rameses, with Hotep urging the Pharaoh to kill him. Rameses has a long pause...and then refuses to kill his brother, rationalizing that there has been too much death already, and as such, "he will be the wink link that breaks this chain of destruction and suffering." This, people, is the epitome of "He Would Not Fucking Say That". The tragedy of Rameses in the movie was that his desire to be a strong leader for Egypt and to uphold the legacy of his father and dynasty without tarnishing it was all-consuming, and so was the stubborn pride, wrath, hatred, and dehumanization of others, even his own foster brother, that came with it. No matter how many plagues he and his people were made to suffer, he would refuse to relent and become that weak link; Seti's strict and abusive upbringing had ingraved this too deeply into him. Here, it seems much the same until right at the Red Sea, right at the cusp of triumph where he could kill his former brother who, need I remind you, is responsible for the death of Rameses' child, Rameses just...decides to finally stop trying to live up to the expectations set by his father and change his tyranical ways. His heart just magically softens on the whole matter. And it gets worse: he and Moses share a loving embrace, renewing their brotherhood. Again diminishing the tragedy of the film's story, the weight of what Moses had to sacrifice in order to do God's work and liberate his people from bondage and oppression. In the movie, Moses' faith and devotion to the will of the Lord, and to his enslaved people that he now could see, love, respect and dignify as people, was so strong that he had to see God's plan through to the end, had to work all of the Lord's miracles in order to free his people, even at the cost of having to be Rameses' enemy, and as a result, his loving, brotherly relationship with Rameses completely shattering beyond repair. Because doing what's righteous against an unjust reality is usually not easy and never without cost. Moses' place in Egypt and his relationship with the man he once called brother was the price he had to pay in order to win freedom for the Hebrews. Once it was gone, he could never get it back. Yet this stage play has him win the Hebrews freedom AND keep the love of his brother even if they have to go their separate paths in life, so I suppose you could say Moses ends up with "All He Ever Wanted!"

But here's the kicker - when Rameses refuses to kill Moses and the rest of the Hebrews, Hotep takes command of the army in his place, so it's he who gets swept away in the Red Sea with the rest of the Egyptian soldiers, and unlike Rameses in the movie, God does NOT spare Hotep! This is literally that "the story now acts like this cronie of the main villain is and always was the main villain who gets his comeuppance while the hero and villain suddenly become buddy-buddy with each other" stupidity from Goodtimes' Hercules! As much power as Hotep may hold as High Priest, it makes no sense that he take authority over the fucking Pharaoh, the actual antagonist of the Biblical story of Exodus. This is the culmination of what Alex Woods' review on the show was on about with how this version of the story "makes Pharaoh's power far less absolute." It hurts the narrative rather than helps it, detracting from Rameses' pathos and menace.

Can you imagine a version of Infinity Train's third season where Samantha the Cat talks Simon into using the memory tape extractor rather than him going to her to get it, and then Samantha ends up with the Apex when Simon's leading it at the end, and then at the moment where Grace saves Simon from falling off the train, he has a change of heart and reconciles with Grace only for the Cat to try to kill her and so the Cat gets killed by the Ghom instead of Simon? That'd be absolutely absurd, neutering the power in those character arcs and the haunting tragedy of the whole situation. But that's pretty much what this play does in regards to Moses and Rameses' story! It's like the script was written by someone who'd not been able to take the harshness of how things actually ended in the movie, so this is their Fix Fic where Rameses sees the light, he and Moses renew their brotherly bond, and they all live happily ever after. And it just does not work. Rameses is an animated villain I don't think I have ever seen anyone give the Draco In Leather Pants treatment to, since the film makes it abundantly clear the two truths that A: he is a complex, layered, tragic figure whose struggle to be a mighty king is pitiful because he is, in the end, all too human and fallible, and B: he's a fucking slavedriver who literally owns human beings as slaves and towards the end of the story intends to commit mass genocide of them - not something you can simply walk back from. So when he ends up losing everything that mattered to him, he's brought it on himself. This is widely understood. There was no need to change it.

If this show is ever revived, someone needs to rewrite the ending. 'Cause sometimes, the villain just needs to remain a villain, dammit!

[amourcherie606]

havent time to clean this up so!! mermaid melody redesign!! :33 i love mermaid melody to deff its on par with princess tutu for me in terms of favorite show of all time.

anyway, heres like, what i had going. When Luchia was younger, saved a boy from drowning, same stuff as the original only in my version, she gets reminded of this fact her ENTIRE LIFE! like this is a pretty big deal in the long run!! shes incredibly embarrassed by this and while she isn't exactly bullied for this...nobody lets her forget this. The Princess who gave her pearl to a human she barely even knew. It made her disinterested in humans due to the negative associations she has with them. Eventually, at 16, she decides to make an effort to retrieve it due to an omen from her auntie. She attends a local college in japan, the last time she recalled actually visiting the human world in search of the human boy. Unfortunately, she has no leads for several years but she does learn about human society more.

While Luchia isn't exactly eager about humans, that doesnt mean she can't style herself cutely! So I drew her with Japanese fashion in mind. I decided to make her actually have a red pearl yet she chooses to wear pink cuz she wants to! Shes also based off of northern pacific fish as well, i took into account common features between north pacific fish and applied that to her mermaid design.

She likes fashion and beauty alot!! :3

Eventually, when Luchia begins college, the towns lovely surfer boy finally comes back after spending some time in Hawaii, Kaito. Yet Luchia doesn't recognize him. I honestly tried re-designing Kaito but I just couldn't make him appealing enough, to me anyway.

With how I've designed Luchia, I feel like she wouldn't actually really be interested in dating, especially with danger on the horizon. But! I am to ideas lol. I kinda cooked alot but its mainly cuz i love mermaid melody sm :3

let me know if you want to see any other mermaid melody characters redesigned!! ive had some ideas for the others but not enough motivation to actually draw them lol

[denial-permanente]

Hi,

First of all, I want to thank you and Tom for the interesting real life chastity blog.

Different than many other blogs that are based on men’s chastity fantasies. This doesn’t mean I’m not enjoying them 😊.

We are a couple in our mid 50’s and this year we are happily married for 35 years. We are young at mind and fully enjoy life as it is supposed to be.

Since my childhood I have affection for bondage and other kinky stuff in contrary of my wife.

However, she knows my kinks and all those years she does efforts to understand this and she helps me out to fore fill my needs.

In the mid 90’s we watched on national a TV show regarding special fetish and taboos. There was an interview with Mr Walter Goethals of Carrara design experimenting with male chastity devices.

At that moment I also knew that chastity was something for me.

With internet more information on male chastity became available. When the CB6000 came out I purchased one and started to experiment with It. Sometimes I was locked for 3 weeks. However, the plastic case in 2 longitude parts gave me painful issues.

To make a longs story short, over several years we ordered several chastity cages and finally I have this cheap metal case from Alibaba that works fine, together with an anti-pull-out ring.

Our sex life is/was always good and I liked to experiment with new techniques to please my wife. Already since more than 30 years I don’t cum if my wife doesn’t cum first.

Since my wife likes penetration and likes to give me HJ and BJ, it was not always easy for her when I was locked. Sometimes she taught I didn’t like her or that I wasn’t happy with her performances. So we talked many times on the subject and the last 4 years she locked me for 2-3 weeks with some long term intervals. But as you mention in your blog, once you tried chastity, it stays in the mind and you want to go back being locked.

Since last year both our children are out house, and so we have more time for us.

Last January my wife had the NY party at work and I was alone at home. So I put myself in strict self-bondage with a sensory deprivation hood, chastity cage eo.

I texted my wife in advance not to be scared when she came home during the night. This was not the first time I did that, but she is always afraid that an accident would happen.

That night she came home relaxed, reacted positive and again understood my needs. We made love and she came from orally, and I didn’t cum😊.

From that night I’m locked up day and night.

However, she decided to unlock me twice to make love. I stayed unlocked during the night what result in a good night sleep (*).

My wife holds the key, and the spare key is in a sealed envelope in case of emergency.

Now since last week I found your Tumblr blog and I love it. Both the point of view from you both. I couldn’t agree more.

Furthermore, it helped me to introduce my wife to keep me locked longer then before and if she agrees permanently.

Since my wife doesn’t really like to go on Tumblr, I copy-paste your Q&A in a word document so my wife could read about your lifestyle as a chastity couple and the advantage of it if we/she implemented in our marriage.

It is now 27 days that I’m locked and, I hope that it is the first 27 days of a permanent chastity, fully managed by my wife.

In the meantime, I ordered a Vixskin and harness together with a t° regulated water heater. 😊

If my wife can enjoy the Vixskin we can go for the Vixskin-X, but this is not yet available in the EU. If I order it from the US with tax and import duty this become +/- 500$

This all said I have a question for you both, but particularly for Tom.

During the day I have no issues wearing the cage, but during the night it is sometimes terrible when I get an erection, which is normal. This always result in stretching the skin below my cage ring and makes me wake up several times during the night.

Before I go to sleep, I always use anti chafe cream to allow movement for the skin in the cage, but still.

When I wake up, I can concentrate to make him soft again.

The problem is that I don’t have a good night sleep with negative results during daytime.

Any idea how I can get over this issue?

Tank you and keep up the good work.

Regards

B

Wow, there is a lot to comment on here. 😅

First I am glad that you and your wife really talk about this. Too many times we get questions or messages from men who just push this on their wives and the wife has no idea what to do with all of this. But it seems that you and your wife talk about this.

I hope that you talked to her about using the Vixskin before you ordered it. I am pretty sure there are stores over there where you can get it cheaper than ordering from the US. I'll let my husband answer the rest of this. 🔐

~

Tom here. My wife is correct; lovehoney.co.uk sells Vixskin products (and other nice items. I've been there and am happy to give a shout out).

Unfortunately, the only thing that will help you adapt to wearing the cage is to keep wearing the cage. It may take a couple of months wearing it overnight to allow your body to get used to those erections in the middle of the night.

Make sure that you use good lube around the cuff ring to keep your skin from "burning" (it's really stretching). Also, I do not know what cage you have, but one that is smaller inside, that is, a more narrow diameter, will prevent your penis from expanding. That will help.

Note that I am not recommending those nub cages. You may have to try several different designs to find one that is comfortable for you.

[wonder-worker]

Katherine of York:

[Henry VIII's] fondness for his aunt was once again demonstrated when in 1512 he granted Katherine all the Courtenay estates in Devon for the term of her life, and to be passed to her children upon her death. This act gave Katherine her much needed security, although did she have to make a sacrifice to pay for it? For shortly after William’s death, Katherine took the following vow of chastity:

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, I, Katherine Courtneye, Countess of Devonshire, widow, and not wedded, ne unto any man assured, promise and make a vow to God, and to our Lady, and to all the Company of Heaven, in the presence of you, worshipful Father in God, Richard, Bishop of London, for to be chaste of my body, and truly and devoutly shall keep me chaste, for this time forward, as long as my life lasteth, after the rule of St Paul. In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti

The romantic perspective of course is that she took the vow because she deeply loved her husband and had come to a decision that she did not want to marry anyone else. This may well have been the case. But there is also a hypothesis that perhaps this vow may have either been a condition of Henry’s grant to her, or a condition Katherine placed upon herself to keep her lands and property safe. As the daughter of a Yorkist King, as much as Henry had a real regard for her, he may not have felt the same about any future man that she may have chosen to marry. There is no proof that he asked her to take the vow of chastity, but it may have been a bargaining tool that saw him grant her the estates, ultimately giving her security without the threat to himself of a new husband at some point in the future using her lineage to threaten the throne. But it may also of course have been something that Katherine decided was in her own best interests. Widows in medieval times were able to run their own estates and take care of their children but once they remarried, their power completely diminished and they once again because subservient to their husband. Having been through so much upheaval and insecurity, this was finally Katherine’s chance to take control of her own destiny once and for all and she must have grabbed the opportunity with both hands, never again having to rely on anyone else for help and support.

Once William had died Katherine spent less time and court and much more of her time on her Devon estates. She remained in favour with her nephew, Henry VIII, giving and receiving gifts from him, as well as several wardships. She was also given the honour of being godmother to Princess Mary.

As a femme sole, Katherine was now able to make a comfortable life for herself in Devon, and it seems she became a well-liked and respected member of the community. Her main residence was Tiverton Castle, which today is a privately owned house which the owners open up to the public. In an inventory taken in 1538 after the death of her eldest son, the castle is described as a mansion, moated, walled and embattled, with houses, offices and lodgings ‘well-kept and repaired’ with fair gardens and two parks. It was originally built as a motte and bailey castle in 1106 by the de Redvers family, the first Norman Earls of Devon. As the centuries moved on, the castle was altered and enlarged and exhibits today all periods of architecture from medieval to modern, along with beautiful walled gardens.

...For over fifteen years she lived here in relative peace and comfort, keeping in touch with her friends and family in London by letter and perhaps travelling to London and the court for special occasions. Household accounts that have survived from the period 1522-23 and 1523-24 detail payments to messengers for taking correspondence to the King and Cardinal Wolsey. She used for her title and seal ‘the excellent Princess Katherine, Countess of Devon, daughter, sister and aunt of Kings’ and in official documents, signed herself Katherine Devonshire.

She also paid a servant who took four horses to her daughter in London and remembered her husband William by paying for a mass on the anniversary of his death. A London Chandler was likewise paid for a year’s supply of wax for Lord William’s tomb.

Katherine ran her own estates with network of stewards and servants; some of her properties were administered for her by a bailiff, and some paid rent directly to her. Her influence was felt throughout the local area, an example of which can be found on a rood screen in Kenn church, which contains a panel to Saint Bridget and is the only known surviving example of a depiction of the Bridget cult in the south-west. The Courtenays presented to Kenn church and before its restoration in the nineteenth century the Courtenay arms were reportedly seen by antiquarians in the east window of the chancel and in a window in the south aisle. It is not believed that Katherine paid for the screen but the presence of Saint Bridget on one of the panels does suggest her influence, particularly because of her family connection to Saint Bridget, the saint whose name her younger sister bore. Katherine did visit the church at Kenn as she presented the new rector, Thomas Mitchell, in 1517. She certainly had a reputation in the parish for her generosity in the giving of alms and was a patron of several religious orders, inviting their members to come and preach at Columbjohn. The rood screen can still be seen today in St Andrew’s church in Kenn. During the reformation, many rood screens were renamed chancel screens but were often defaced or destroyed in an attempt to remove the images of saints and catholic idolatry. Amazingly the Kenn screen survived and it was renovated to its former glory in the nineteenth century.

... What we can also glean from these records is her generosity to staff. Philippa, her maid, upon her marriage received £6 13s 4d and Katherine also covered the cost of velvet for her wedding dress and kirtle, the cost of making the outfit and the cost of the wedding. ‘Andrew of the kitchen’ had garments made for him and her fools, Dick, Mug and Kit were well provided for as she paid for the mending and washing of their clothes. In her Will of 2nd May 1527 she made provision for her servants to be provided for a year after her death. For the Christmas festivities, she bought a ‘gallon of honey, apples and pears bought against Christmas’. Players who performed before the Countess on New Years’ Eve and New Years’ day were paid 13s 4d. Payments for the King and Queen’s New Year gifts are listed as well as a gift to her son of two buckles, two pendants, six studs, six oiletts, six aglets (a metal tube wrapped around a shoelace) and gold and enamel garters.

Katherine, on her estates far away from London, would almost certainly have had an opinion on the goings-on at court but that opinion of course was never recorded. Staunchly catholic as she had been brought up, she would likely have received news of her nephew’s intentions to divorce Catherine with some dismay; she would have known and met Catherine of Aragon on more than one occasion. Thankfully she did not live long enough to witness the arrest and execution of her son. As the King removed the threat of any remaining Yorkists, you cannot help but wonder whether his deep admiration and regard for Katherine would have been enough to save her had she still been living, or whether she too would eventually have fallen under his suspicion. But as it was, she did not even live long enough to see Anne Boleyn finally usurp her rival to become Henry’s second wife, as on 15th November 1527, at 3pm in the afternoon, she died at her home in Tiverton. She was forty-eight years old.

Her body was embalmed, cered, leaded and covered with a pall of black velvet, with a cross of white satin. Upon that was placed another pall of cloth of gold with a white cross of silver tissue garnished with six escutcheons of her arms. Katherine’s body was attended day and night until Monday 21st December, when mourners wearing black hoods and gowns and carrying banners depicting the saints, escorted her body to Tiverton parish church under a canopy of black velvet. The coffin was placed under a richly decorated canopy, which was guarded all night by attendants. The mourning party then returned to Tiverton Castle for a meal.

At 7am the next morning, the mourners returned to the church where a requiem mass was sung by the Abbot of Montacute, who was supported by choristers from the nearby city of Exeter. In honour of his aunt, the King sent one of his chaplains to deliver the sermon. Her Chief mourner was Lady Carew, who was assisted by Sir Piers Edgecombe. After the service, her body was buried in a vault in the Courtenay chapel on the north side of the church (probably near the site of the present vestry). Her funeral was attended by five hundred mourners including the Mayor of Exeter and City Alderman and was a testament to her popularity. After her death, eight thousand poor people were paid two pence each on the condition they prayed for her soul. In her memory, her son Henry had a tomb erected, of which there is no longer any trace; it was very likely a casualty of the Civil War.

Katherine was still living when Thomas More was writing his History of King Richard III between 1513 and 1518, and his description of her is a perfect summing up of her life. He tells us Katherine was ‘long time tossed in either fortune, sometimes in wealth, oft in adversity, at the last – if this be the last, for yet she liveth – is by the benignity of her nephew King Henry the Eighth in very prosperous estate and worthy her birth and virtue’. She did not live long enough to see the outcome of her nephew’s ‘great matter’ that brought about not only his divorce but also radical changes to the religion that Katherine would have held so dearly. And she managed to live out her final years in peace and security and also, one hopes, she managed to find happiness. After all the adversity she experienced in her early life, this Princess of York may not have ended up as Queen of Spain as was originally intended for her by her father, but she managed to obtain for herself her own little kingdom where she could reign as Duchess of Devon.

Sarah J. Hodder, The York Princesses: The Daughters of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville