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possesseddesiress · 1 month ago

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Switch Up: Miles' Ambition

CONTENT WARNING: This story includes themes of transformation and body control with a suggestive approach. If this type of narrative is not to your liking or you do not meet the recommended age, we suggest you do not continue. All images used (if any) belong to their respective owners. I claim no authorship over them and they are only used for illustrative purposes.

If you decide to go ahead, welcome to Possessed Desires, where mind and body are never completely under your control.

Switch Up: Miles' Ambition (English Version)

Part One: First Level

Part Two: Logan's Revenge

Part Three: Ethan's Relief

Part Four: Miles' Ambition

Part Five: Conclusions

I thought about asking Ethan and Logan for help. After all they were my best friends, but they both seemed so unfocused on flexing their new muscles or almost sniffing each other, they looked like children.

I didn't mind raising suspicions, more than one person had seen us in the library, some curious, some even judging. but what would they do? They had no way of checking that there was anything wrong with “Caleb” and ‘Ruben’, much less in “Alan's” new behavior.

Alan's body was certainly a good acquisition: handsome, attractive, muscular, rich, even his scent was... A delight.

However, he was a far cry from my “final destination”, the only reason I had started doing the check-up: Blake Jones.

The best athlete in all of high school: He had been captain of the swimming, soccer, Greco-Roman wrestling and basketball teams. And he could have been captain of more teams if he wanted to, he was such a freak at sports, I didn't even know where he found the time to practice and represent the school in every discipline, but there he was, being the star.

I wanted that.

You might think that being an athlete, his average would be low, lots of muscles but little brains, right?

On the contrary, Blake seemed to have everything in the palm of his hand: fame, body, brains and money.

The perfect springboard to reach the pinnacle of success. I had always been made to feel lesser because of my appearance: lots of pimples, a spinal problem, glasses and to make matters worse, I also had braces.

To others I was just another nerd with a hissing problem and a computer geek. But I was more than that, and the control was the perfect test of my abilities.

Blake's body was the ideal opportunity to bring out my intellect, such a hot body accompanied by a brilliant mind? Success was assured.

Thousands of inventions created by me - Steve Jobs and Einstein would be dwarfed by me! The control could go on the market long after, perhaps, sell for a huge amount of money and ensure a way that no one could take my new body away from me and everything would be perfect.

But there was no use fantasizing without my lottery ticket.

I made my way to the sports area of the school, right where the pool was, the soccer field or the soccer field, even the gymnasium. There was no way I couldn't find Blake.

A few guys waved at me, which caught me off guard until I remembered what skin I was in. It felt good to be noticed, if a body like Alan's was flashy, I couldn't imagine what I'd get with my favorite stud.

I arrived at the gym, empty. For a second I thought I had failed, when I heard soft breathing, I turned to look a little closer, searching for the source. Until I saw Blake sitting on the steps, agitated and wearing his compression shirt, he watched me for a second, raising his palm.

- Hey - he sighed with a smile.

It was as if my brain stopped working, there was an awkward silence until finally something escaped my lips.

- Hi

That made him raise his eyebrow.

- Why so serious, Alan? - he leaned over to get a drink of water - Your essays not going well?

- Nah, bro - Fuck, didn't that sound too forced? - Teacher Rivera sprained her foot or something, they suspended rehearsals.

- Too bad - He nodded slightly. Another silence - Are you sure you're okay, dude? You're feeling quieter than usual. Also... Ugh. What's that smell? - He motioned, starting to sniff around him.

Holy shit, holy shit.

He walked over to me, sniffing.

- Dude... - he sighed in denial, looked up. And what followed next took me by surprise - Since before? Today you woke up bold

He murmured to grab me by the back of the neck and pull me close to him for a kiss. It was intense, but what was going on!

- Wait... - I mumbled pulling away.

- Too exposed? You're right, I jumped the gun. I'm sorry, but you just, you smell too good, dude - he smiled only to almost throw himself at me again.

Blake was gay? Alan was gay? The two of them were... together? Fuck, I'm supposed to be smart, how could I not notice?

They hardly ever speak to each other in public, they don't even belong to the same social circle and share few classes. But... Blake always goes to the theater performances, and Alan goes to all the games.

He kissed me on my neck with intensity, caressing my waist, slightly lifting my shirt to sink his fingers into my skin. I let out a sigh, it was like my brain was fried, I couldn't think anything!

I wanted more of him. I knew what my goal was, but what was the likelihood of getting this on my body? Never. And after I get Blake's body? Impossible.

I kissed his lips intensely, then moved to his armpit to sink my face into it, smelling like crazy.

- Woah, easy, looks like someone's excited!

He giggled with that charismatic smile, loaded with desire. I continued to lick and smell his armpits, filling my face with his sweat, his scent.

He grabbed me with some force from my buttocks, massaging them obscenely. I closed my eyes, panting and lost in the sensation, that I didn't even realize when he pulled out his grip.

- What is this? - he asked curiously, weighing the box. I was about to take it from him, but that would be suspicious, what would someone like Alan do with something like that? I mean... it looked like a control and already at first sight, but to bring it with you?

- I found it - I mumbled - It was lying in one of the aisles

- And why did you take it? - more than confused, he seemed curious, with a chuckle at the end of his question.

- I found it conspicuous

He nodded

- It is - He ran his fingers over the buttons, fiddling with it, he didn't even notice when he pressed the yellow button, just when he had it turned towards him - Will it work with batteries or something? - He turned it over again.

And suddenly I was holding the controller in his hands. I couldn't help but smile.

It was a strange thing, when I went from my body to Alan's, it certainly felt different, he was taller, had a slender body, but now. Damn... I felt strong from head to toe, his calves, his arms, his pecs felt like melons and his abs felt like steel! I felt so... Powerful.

I looked up, meeting the gaze of the body I'd been in just moments before.

- What the fuck? - he shouted. He looked down at himself, touching himself in panic.

I had never been good at acting. Science and math were my best weapons, acting? I could barely pass in theater. But I had to do it, at least if I wanted to fit the nails in this time.

- Blake? - I said in a frightened tone. I had to make every effort not to start groping myself like a madman.

The new Alan looked at himself in amazement, he stood in front of a mirror. He didn't say anything, he was just puzzled. And when I least expected it, he smiled. - Not bad... - he murmured caressing her arms, the frame of her waist and even taking her buttocks to shake them - Yes you do have a big butt! - he teased giving her a few slaps as he laughed.

I thought he would be more scared or even reluctant, but he seemed excited exploring his body. It took him almost no time at all to slip his hand inside his pants.

- You're not bad yourself - I murmured to start touching my new ample chest, it was so satisfying to feel those fat bulges. I was no longer puny, now I had muscles all over me! - And just smell this... - I said raising my arm, enjoying all the stinky stench that was now emanating.

Strong, musky and pungent. It smelled like a real man, an alpha male.... “Alan” kept touching himself with care, even taking out his phone to take a couple of pictures of himself showing off his arms.

- Oh yeah? - he raised his eyebrow as he started to move towards me, slowly.

- Yes... Alan.

He stood still for a second, but then smiled.

- You should let me try it, Blake.

And it was like touching heaven. Tasting all my fantasies, the future in the palm of my hand.

- Go ahead.

I lifted my shirt to give him direct access to the body that seemed to devour him with my gaze, plus his pants left nothing to the imagination.

A prominent silhouette was forming, and I didn't even feel that “excited” yet. I felt the weight of his attributes, heavy as a bull.

He knelt down to start licking my abdomen in its entirety, it felt good.... too good. Like an obedient and attentive object ready to serve. I grabbed him by the hair to rub him again and again against my skin, which made him let out a moan.

- Ah, ah, A-Alan!

- No. My name is Blake.

I demanded. Squeezing his hair, which made him gasp more.

- Blake... - he murmured obediently.

- That's the way I like it, puppy...

I smiled.

When I least expected it, we were both slammed up against the mirror, his pectorals clashing on the cold surface, and his rod rubbing over and over in the reflection.

- Ah, ah!

I nibbled on his neck, squeezing his waist tighter, the back and forth between our bodies was continuous, sweaty and intoxicating. As if we had both surrendered to simple instincts, but geez. Getting the body of my dreams and having that same guy at my feet could make me last for hours.

- I-I'm going to finish - he sighed with his eyes closed, anxious. I was about to hit him harder when I thought, with a wicked grin. I stopped the movements, which made him feel more desperate - Why are you stopping?

- Tell me you'll always be Alan.

I stroked him gently, as if at any moment he was going to take his hand away.

- What? What the hell are you talking about?

- And I'll always be Blake.

I smiled.

- Dude, I'm not liking what you're saying, I think...

I was about to speak when I pushed back against him, burying my tool even deeper.

His eyes widened, his cheek pressed against the glass as he gasped for more, thrust again and again. Enjoying the sound of the skins slapping against each other, saliva even seemed to drip from his mouth, a goofy, lost smile on his face.

- Say it.

- I-I...

- Say it! - I applied more force again. What seemed to break him was when I touched that sensitive spot inside him.

- Ah, I'm Alan! Your Blake! Ah, ah! - he gasped with a smile, nodding. I couldn't help releasing my seed inside him, immediately, he did the same, spilling that whitish liquid against the reflection.

I let it spill with satisfaction on my face. Alan's breathing looked ragged, a mess, he watched me closely.

I thought he would have a fit of rage, or try to hit me, even complain: but instead, he just smiled.

- Blake...

He muttered.

The days went on after that. I knew people could notice the “new” behavior in Caleb, Ruben, Blake, even Alan. But many preferred to ignore it, besides. What would they say to popular guys?

Exactly, nothing.

The new Logan was very meek, Ethan and Miles on the other hand? For a while they were annoying, but after a couple of talks, discipline and their mouths being occupied for more than just complaining, they became as obedient as he was.

And everything seemed to be perfect, I loved being Blake, just look at these muscles!

Everyone was looking at me, everyone was crazy about me, drooling at every step I took in this school, where I was finally the king.

Slowly I started to wear more revealing clothes. Fuck it, what does it matter?

Sexy, an adonis. At first I worried what I would do about Blake's sports, he had the brains but not his athletic abilities. But we quickly learned that the talents and abilities of our current bodies seemed to be preserved.

Ruben was quite a sensation for the works, they said he had become a little more... “spicy.” The rumors of dating girls had disappeared but mysteriously seemed to have been replaced by rumors of dating boys.

Caleb, well. He was still sweaty-smelling and fond of exercise, but he had improved his grades, as well as acquiring a new taste for superhero costumes. He almost seemed obsessed with watching the spandex stretch to highlight his muscles.

The new and improved Blake, was quite the star. Skilled at sports, more strategic than before, even ruthless? And well, more exhibitionist.

But you know what was best of all? The new Alan. He became a star of the theater, almost on Ruben's level. And shortly thereafter he spoke to me to “formalize” our relationship.

It had worked out well for everyone, hadn't it?

To be continued.

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I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you liked it, don't forget to follow it and share it so more people can discover it.

I'm always open to suggestions and ideas, so if you have any fantasy or scenario in mind, let me know in the comments or in messages.

This is the fourth part of “Switch Up”, a new series for the blog, I hope you like it. The story of Ethan and his friends is almost at the end... But what other adventures will the control be able to give?

See you in the next story... Who knows what body you will occupy this time?

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#body swap #body switch #malebodyswap #bodyswapping #mental change #nerd to hunk #twinktohunk #hunktotwink #switchup

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madwomanxx · 3 months ago

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Thoughts on Storie from Styx musical

I want to start this off with a disclaimer

I'm going to be mostly talking about Persephone, Hades, and Demeter

This is just Act 1, and these three will take up most of my discussion

Don't tell me this is just inspired by ____it doesn't need to be accurate, because I agree with you!

It doesn't mean I can't compare or explain my thoughts on what works or doesn't work for me in comparison to the original myths

I mean NO hate, nor do I want to shame people, and I'm not saying you have to write anything a certain way

I change many things in my own writing of the gods, which I know a lot of people would hate

I talk about art out love for it or the vision, not out of malice

I also need everyone to know I LOVE these gods and the relationship between Hades and Persphone, so I'm not biased against any of them

Thoughts:

Praise:

1- I'll admit, I was skeptical of Casper's singing prior to the musical. I just didn't like the covers I heard from him, but here? Gorgeous! Amazing vocals that complement the music very well

2- Everyone's vocals are amazing and filled with emotions, the music chosen matches the tone perfectly

3- Hera joining Zeus was good characterization of her, the fact they only duet with each other is a nice touch

These two have a complicated relationship in the myths, and I'm glad to see Casper didn't make them hostile from the start. It's such a simple decision that I adore!

4- I like using the Muses to tell the story, it reminds me of the Iliad beginning with a call for them to tell/sing the story of Achilles' rage

Again, very nice attention to detail!

5- The sound effect on the Muse's voice was explained to bridge between modern times and the mythic times- I believe Casper explained this previously??I love the idea!

I imagine the Muses in a pub singing this into a cheap mic to very lucky mortals

6- I'll get to Demeter later, but if you take her song without the Persephone verse and all the musical context, it's SO PERFECT

Like, I AGREE WITH YOU GIRL!! It just captures her and hell MY feelings too XD!

Everything else:

I'll get this out of the way before anyone comes at me—no, there's not a single version in myths, no Greek or Roman myth EVER says or even implies that Persephone went to Hades willingly, that she knew him in any capacity before he kidnapped her, or that there were any complications between her and Demeter

These are 100% fully modern changes with no basis in myths

Mythology is culture and history, our writings on it don't suddenly become mythology

It's literally a field of study, in college, do they study Madeline Miller's Circe? Or write academic papers on Circe as a source for that ancient civilization? No

The original myth is literally the most feminist thing a society that old ever made

I don't think people fully realize how empowering that myth is

Nor do they bother to think that many women in thirdworld countries still live that reality to an extent

In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Persephone is not feeling trapped or bothered by living on the surface with her mother

literally the opposite:

"She [Persephone] was having a good time, along with the daughters of Okeanos."

I FEEL LIKE I'M TRAPPED OH, I FEEL LIKE I'M FROZEN I FEEL LIKE I’LL NEVER BE THE CHOSEN I’LL NEVER BE THE ONE TO TAKE A STAND

More examples:

I’LL BE YOUR QUEEN, NOT SOME IDEAL FOR BEAUTY SHACKLED ME ABOVE, DOWN HERE, I��D LIKE TO BUILD A LOVE I’M ASKING YOU, DO YOU TRULY SEE ME?

"He seized her against her will, put her on his golden chariot And drove away as she wept. She cried with a piercing voice, calling upon her father [Zeus], the son of Kronos, the highest and the best. But not one of the immortal ones, or of human mortals, heard her voice."

The musical is slightly better than other adaptations of Demeter

she at least seems to be unaware of Persephone's unhappiness

Persephone even says:

MY INNOCENCE IS GUARDED YET MY DAD HAS ME DISCARDED THAT’S WHY A MOTHER’S LOVE’S MY SWORD AND SHIELD

The issue is that Demeter and Persephone don't have any of that. Persephone wasn't happy with Hades at first:

"He (Hermes) found the Lord inside his palace, seated on a funeral couch, along with his duly acquired bedmate, the one who was much under duress, yearning for her mother, and suffering from the unbearable things inflicted on her by the will of the blessed ones."

Then Hades gives a very sweet speech that he'll treat her well (recommend reading it), and you know what Persephone's reaction to it ?

"So he spoke. And high-minded Persephone rejoiced. Swiftly she set out, with joy, but he [Hādēs] gave her, stealthily, the honey-sweet berry of the pomegranate to eat, peering around him. He did not want her to stay for all time over there."

And this is Persephone retelling what happened herself to Demeter:

“So then, Mother, I shall tell you everything, without error. When the messenger came to me, the swift Argos-killer, with the news from my father, the son of Kronos, and from the other dwellers in the sky, that I should come from Erebos, so that you may see me with your own eyes and let go of your wrath and terrifying mēnis against the immortals, then I sprang up for joy, but he, stealthily, put into my hand the berry of the pomegranate, that honey-sweet food, and he compelled me by biē to eat of it."

I don't think I can make it clearer how close and loving they are, so instead :

Why it matters to keep their loving relationship and how it's empowering both

It is an arranged marriage, but both weren't made aware of it.

They were happy together

Persephone is taken

She screams for help

She screams so loud for her father or anyone to help

Nobody hears, and those who do, don't interfere

Her voice gets so loud her mom from far away finally hears

She comes running, Is her daughter going to get raped like she was?

Not many things can hurt gods, after all

She asks and walks the earth calling for Persephone, until finally, Hecate tells her she was taken, but she doesn't know who

They search together aimlessly until Helios, the sun itself, feels pity

He tells her who took Persephone, but he also tells her to give up... basically, suck it up.

Hades is powerful, and he makes for a far better husband than most others

Persephone could do worse

Worse could happen to Persephone

Really, this isn't that bad of an outcome

She won't accept it. The whole world will suffer the same grief the gods have caused her

If her daughter won't be free, then she'll hold the world hostage instead

And it works

Her daughter is back, safely in her arms again

Yet, she's bound to the Underworld for some time of the year

That's not so bad, is it? She won. THEY won

Persephone is free, even if it's only part of the year

But she's not fully trapped down there. She makes her own place. She embraces her darkness and title.

Hades treats her with respect and kindness

Sure, the marriage isn't ideal, but he doesn't just love her—he respects her

And maybe, she can learn to love him too

Gods have different standards, after all

One last thing

I didn't know where to add this so, here

in the musical, Persphone calls out Zeus for disregarding her before Hades even came to the picutre, I actually like this addition

It doesn't really have any basis in myths but it's a clever way of interpreting the lack of myths regarding her and Zeus ( or even her siblings you can argue )

That being why Demeter became her sword and shield

Everything about that verse's implications and set up I love and never saw anyone make something similar to it!

Which adds to my sadness that we're still painting Demeter as unreaonsable or at least doesn't hear her daughter out, Demeter seems like a none abusive version of Mother Gothel ?? this is best way I can describe my feelings

#stories from styx #greek mythology #demeter #hades #persophone #I like the musical more than I thought I would #It's still representing Demeter better than everything else I've seen #the bar for Demeter rep is so low lol #I fully recommend the musical though!#can't wait for animatics and act 2 #rambles of a mad woman

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cy-lindric · 9 months ago

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bonjour cy-lindric, j'ai une petite question. when I was a young person, I read The Three Musketeers and then eagerly started to read Twenty Years After and was so upset at what had happened to my beloved young heroes that I put the book down and never picked it up. what do you think, should I try again?

Bonjour !

After reading The Three Musketeers, I also wasn't sure I wanted to read Twenty Years After, and I took a break inbetween both to read something entirely different (The Locked Tomb, iirc). I think my reason for that was kind of the opposite of yours ; I enjoyed T3M a lot and loved the characters, flaws and all, but by the end they had somewhat crossed over the line into being Too Awful and the lack of retribution left me a bit frustrated. I didn't see it as a failing of the story - on the contrary, their strong character flaws and downfall in the conflict with Milady is one of the most emotionally intense and compelling parts imo - but I wasn't sure I felt like hanging out with these guys for a few hundred more pages at that point.

If your vision of the characters as a young reader was a very positive and perhaps idealized one, I can imagine why you might not have enjoyed entering into Twenty Years after. The illusion of glory has worn off ; the characters have separated, they live unremarkable lives, and their personalities have evolved drastically with the passing of time. It's almost a brutal return to reality.

For me though, it added layers of characterization to the point where now it's clear to me that this version of the Inseparables is by far the one I prefer.

I hope it's ok if I take the opportunity to talk at length about what I like about TYA below the cut. TL;DR : I love that Twenty Years After is a more realistic look at the big four's personalities and how they evolved while still keeping them thematically coherent, and that TYA makes them confront the reckless and cruel shit they did in their youth.

Spoilers ahead obviously.

We've often talked about how T3M is at its core a story about the end of knighthood. It's a tongue-in-cheek approach at chivalrous initiation, set at edge of the modern world, inbetween the time of ballads about knights in armor and that of adventures about journeying gunmen and soldiers. I think TYA embodies that particularly ; the story of people who have carried the last of these intense, dangerous chivalric ideals in their youths, and who have now grown into middle aged adults who need to find their place in the world.

For a good chunk of the book, the big four are separated into two teams ; that in of itself might discourage some, but imo it's genius. Instead of the natural two-by-pairings, Dumas goes for a d'Artagnan+ Porthos and Athos + Aramis split on opposite sides, which makes for good drama and develops lesser explored dynamics. D'Artagnan and Porthos form a scrappy team of opportunists with money on their minds, and Athos and Aramis a more idealistic duo fighting for a noble lost cause. I think it's a bold choice but also premium sequel writing.

I also love the way the young and wild characters we knew evolve into middle aged men ; at their core, they're still the same, but they've all changed and struggled against the sunset of the golden age in their own ways.

D'Artagnan, after knowing such adventures and subsequent rapid social ascension in his teenage years, has been met in his adult life with the harsh reality that he is, in fact, not a noble knight but a soldier on payroll. His modest origins give him little hope for any further career advancement, and he takes on a new mission in his early 40s for a man he has no devotion for and a cause he doesn't care about, simply because he is bored and broke. D'Artagnan still has his quick wits, his strategic talent, his fencing skills, but he has grown out of the excesses of pride of his teenage years. I loved meeting him again in TYA, and it made so much sense to me that his bouts of anger and aggressivity would be a youthful trait that he'd ended up taming. He also realizes now a lot of what seemed like funny adventures and necessary violence was actually kind of fucked up ; that was a shock to me, as their shenanigans are treated so lightly in T3M, and tbh it healed me a little. Grown up d'Artagnan is cunning, calculating, down to earth and realistic. My foxy little man. I love him.

Porthos, likewise, has been struck by the weight of reality. He has made the sensible choice and got married to the rich widow who sugar mommied him in the first book. Now she's passed, he is rich, but he still fails to earn the respect of the high society he evolves in because he's not high born enough. Like d'Artagnan, he's stagnating and bored and now that he goes back adventuring it has nothing to do with the queen or the kingdom or honour ; it's about getting his damn nobility title.

Athos, on the other hand, is the eternal knight : the only truly high born of the four, and still hopelessly holding on to a time gone by. It's no surprise imo that his storyline brings him into the english civil war, doomed to fail at saving a king who'll end up executed right in front of him. TYA acknowledges more clearly than ever that at 28 yo, Athos was a depressed alcoholic, and an embodiment of what an excess of aristocratic righteousness can do. In TYA, he is sober and moisturized and a DILF, and now he's running around frantically looking for absolution for his numerous crimes. It's delicious.

Aramis is maybe the hardest pill to swallow. TYA confirms the T3M hints that he isn't really the prim and proper romantic boy he acts like he is, and that he's possibly the most hypocritical and ruthless of the four. It might be a harsh one for Aramis fans who like him better as a cute bean, but I love the early onset of remorseless conniving bloodthirsty ambitious Aramis. Another harsh bit might be the evolution of Aramis and d'Artagnan not really liking each other ; they were always the least close combination, and imo it makes sense that their personalities would clash. I think it's clever and compelling conflict.

Now, obviously, if you've cared enough to read all this and if you know me a little, you know that a huge highlight of the book for me was its late-appearing antagonist, Mordaunt. Mordaunt is the son Milady had with her english husband. Because of the Musketeers' intervention, he's grown up in poverty and has been denied his father's inheritance. He's now a Roundhead working for Cromwell, and set on avenging his mother at all costs. Mordaunt, unlike his mother who was this beautiful and dangerous force of nature, is very uncool and pathetic. She was the primordial snake, he's the gutter rat. Obviously, I love that in and of itself, but it's also kind of striking image of the wretchedness of what they've done to her, a fucked up little goblin ghost come back to haunt them as they're trying to make their life worth living again. This time, their enemy is not a cunning political rival with a flamboyance of body and mind akin to their own ; it's a shitty little guy with bad skin who wants to kill the king and punish the murderers. Watch out babes, it's the modern world coming for you.

Of course, they're the Four Musketeers, and they did what they had to do, so they get together again and swear friendship and keep going their way. But they're also old guys with difficult personalities in a world that's never going to be the same. I think it's a cool book.

#twenty years after #vingt ans après #invizigothx #replies

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jimblejamblewritings · 1 year ago

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love letters and second sons | part 4.

Summary: The princess is finally ready to debut in society. But before she does, she decides to disguise herself and see the true faces of the ton.

Warnings for the Series: light sexism in line with the times, light classism in line with the times, mental health stigma, shitty doctor care, smut, suicide attempt (will get it's own warning when the time comes)

Warnings for this part: smut

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x princess!reader

Word Count: 4.7k

Previous Part | Series Masterlist

The cloak wrapped around you felt like velvet. The softness between your fingers calmed you down significantly. Reynolds grabbed your hand after the fifth time you balled it up in your skirts. You looked up to see your three valets trying to hide the concern on their faces. You could have an incident or get caught or both. None of those three options were ideal or even good.

“Do I look decent?” you asked as the carriage got closer and closer to the party.

“You look perfect.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t wear the mask?”

“You don’t have to but keep it on you.”

You agreed, exiting the carriage with a letter from the princess version of you — complete with a wax seal — that was basically a pass to enter any establishment no matter what. Spotting Penelope and Colin out of the corner of your eye, you breathed out a sigh of relief and ran over to them. Both of them wore wide smiles at your surprise arrival. They had been expecting a letter or something to signal your arrival back from Ireland.

You were sad to hear about Marina not joining you all for this evening. It would have been nice to know her more than a little bit in between the courting of suitors. But there would be more times to meet and catch up later. Plus, hearing your friends’ stories of their daily lives proved to be a good enough distraction. You let them go after a while so Colin could escort Penelope to the dance floor like he promised to do after a run in with Cressida Cowper.

Looking around, you failed to immediately locate the rest of the Bridgerton children. You grabbed a drink from the lemonade table and began to wander. The alcohol had looked appealing but you had never drank, afraid of the consequences if drink mixed with your illness. Someday you’d try some but not after an episode. Never right after one.

On the outskirts of the party, still close enough to hear the music, you ran into Benedict. He gave you a smile and the same surprised look on his face as Penelope and Colin. You leaned in closer to hear him over the deafening melodies of the orchestra. Small talk that was mainly about your fictitious trip made up the first half of your conversation. After a while, you grew comfortable with each other as if you never left.

“The lights are beautiful,” he commented, staring at the small lantern display that a scientist presented.

You nodded. “We have some at the palace. They add more day by day but it would be nice if all of London, maybe all of the world, had these little lights. How has your art been?”

“Not terribly well. Nothing seems to be good enough.”

“Well, what are you drawing?”

“Still life. I can’t expect my free drawings to be good if I can’t depict what is right in front of me.”

“You are too hard on yourself, Benedict seriously,” you argued when he scoffed. “Sometimes we have a problem seeing our own greatness. You ju—”

“Would you ever consider marriage to someone, me, perhaps?”

You choked on your lemonade. “Pardon?”

“Apologies.” He finally turned to look at you. “With Daphne out in society, people have started looking at Anthony and because my dear brother does not care to at least pretend to be a proper viscount, they have started to look at me. Ravenous mamas are eyeing me and it must be a matter of time before they talk to me.”

You laughed. “You still call me Miss Beckett yet you want me to help you through a marriage?”

“Wait, what is your name, actually? If you are to continue being a friend of the family then I am at liberty to refer to you by first name.”

“Bergamot. My parents were a bit too keen on gardens. My second name is Sophie.”

“Bergamot Sophie Beckett. That is a lovely name.”

“Thank you… I still won’t marry you.”

Benedict scrunched up his face as he bent over to try and plead with you. “Please! I can’t be out here with the wolves.”

You patted him on the shoulder. “Your whining, no matter how pathetic and cute, will not work. I will see you tomorrow, alright.”

He muttered something that you didn’t hear while you took off into the gardens for a stroll. You’d have to leave soon, pressing your luck wasn’t the way to go. You put your cloak back on and closed it to hide your dress completely as you finally put your mask on. The gardens at night were very beautiful. Perhaps because you were alone.

You chuckled at the thought of your interaction with Benedict. Even if it happened only a few moments ago, it was hysterical. It was only funnier because you were sure that when you finally introduced yourself to society, you’d get even stranger proposals. Only they wouldn’t be to avoid hungry mamas. And they wouldn’t be coming from one of your friends.

Hopefully, they wouldn’t be too upset with you. Hyacinth would never but she was more like a little sister than a friend. Benedict would think the whole situation is funny, hopefully. Daphne might as well. Eloise and Penelope could go either way. Anthony would probably be mad that you let him attempt to woo the princess when you knew the truth which would make Colin and Gregory and Francesca mad at you as well. But maybe it would be fine after you explained everything.

The sound of voices caught your attention. Spying was wrong but you couldn’t help yourself. You started to walk into the hedges, ignoring the twigs catching everywhere. The view wasn’t the best but you could see well enough. What could be a scandal between Daphne Bridgerton and Nigel Berbrooke seemed to be a very different scene to you because you knew the man from her letters. You tightened the mask around you just in case you needed to leave the bushes.

Nigel kept coming close to Daphne. You began to run when he grabbed her, thinking of how to protect your friend. You’d have to hit him. That was the only option. There was nothing else you could do about it… You paused as Daphne pulled her hand back. There was Nigel Berbrooke on the ground. After being punched.

You and Daphne looked up from Nigel to see the Duke of Hastings running into the garden clearing as well. The two of them seemed to realize that you were the princess and you were in the garden with them having witnessed everything. They bowed to you deeply, something you returned.

“I will survey the area. If I do not return then you two may safely leave the garden.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“It is no trouble really. I am so sorry for your distress, Miss Bridgerton, and I do hope your hand feels better in the morning.”

You did a thorough check of the area to make sure that Daphne wasn’t compromised before fleeing to your carriage before anyone could spot the mask. Assuring your valets nothing went wrong, you closed the carriage door and let it drive back to Kew.

“Thank you,” you said as you took off your mask and cloak and opened the carriage window since it was night.

“For what?”

“For making me go out tonight. I did need it. I feel better, immensely.”

“That is good. We are glad to hear it. Will you be going out again tomorrow?”

“Just to the Bridgertons.”

“Oh, to home then.”

You rolled your eyes but didn’t argue because they were right. Being at the Bridgertons felt like home more than your own at times. Maybe because your mother and father were the only ones who even tried to be a proper family. But there was no trying with the Bridgertons. They just were family.

That much was true when you walked into the house a lot later than the early morning to see everyone but Eloise in the drawing room, talking about Daphne and the Duke. You said hello, greeted by hugs from everyone who didn’t see you yesterday. You took the plate of toast from Violet, who was trying to get her daughter to eat, and shoved the bread under Daphne’s nose. She took a bite before actually grabbing it from you. Relieved of your mother bird duties, you plopped down on the couch in between Benedict and Colin.

“What are your plans for today?”

“Fencing and then a gentlemen’s club and then preparing for a party tomorrow and, dreadfully, a picnic the next day,” Colin said as he handed you a chocolate from the box on the side table.

“May I watch?”

“Of course, Sophie. A beautiful lady will only encourage us.”

“Since when did you learn to be a flirt?”

He just shrugged, sitting back to listen to Daphne play the pianoforte and tease her about the duke. You clapped at the end of her piece and requested a second one that she obliged. Daphne would have to play at the palace some time or at least at Kew. She sounded lovely. Closing your eyes, you just listened for a moment.

“How does a lady come to be with child?”

Your eyes flew open to see Eloise standing in front of everyone. Violet jumped up from her brief moment of sitting on the couch across from you.

“Eloise, what a question!”

“I thought marriage was a requirement.”

Daphne tilted her head. “What?”

“Apparently, it’s not even a requirement.”

“Eloise.”

“Mama, the princess did say all young women nearing their debut should learn.”

Violet stuttered as she took the tray of food out of the room, forcing Hyacinth and Gregory to go with her, stating she’d be back in a moment she just needed some water. She turned back for a moment.

“Daphne, dear, do go on. I’d like to hear some calming music when we return.”

Eloise trudged over to the couch, sitting on the other side of Benedict. She smacked her brothers’ knees but neither one of them wanted to answer her directly. Colin turned his head.

“Have you ever visited a farm, El?”

You laughed as Benedict smacked the back of Colin’s head but stopped when Eloise slumped down in her seat. You tapped her on the shoulder, making her perk up again. Your hand rested on Benedict’s thigh so you could prop yourself up as you leaned over him.

Covering your mouth and Eloise’s ear, you began whispering to your friend everything you thought she needed to know about sex. Unable to help himself, Benedict leaned in to spy, surprised that your information was actually correct. You weren’t lying, the Princess’ court really taught all the valets everything. Eloise sat back, finally satisfied and a lot less worried about a spontaneous pregnancy. Until she became curious again.

“But why would anyone want to initiate it? Who wants to be with child?”

You leaned over once again. “No one wants to be with child. Even those who want children. It’s about the pleasure. Sometimes the pleasure of actually liking someone and other times the pleasure being about nothing but you.”

“What?”

“The… think about when you start breathing a bit heavier, feeling warm when you touch each other, a… I’ll tell you the rest when your brothers aren’t here. It is a bit awkward. Oh, I’ll even draw you pictures. Only a certain amount of posit— mov— steps are important. The rest you should figure out with your husband.”

“So you do truly know what you’re talking about?” Benedict interrupted the nearly finished meeting.

“Did you doubt me?”

“A bit,” he admitted.

You sat back down. “Men aren’t the only ones that know what they are talking about.”

“Sorry to offend.”

“No offense. None at all. I expect even the kindest and smartest and prudest of men to think such things.”

“Well, I am still sorry. If not because of offense then because of my ignorance.”

You squeezed his thigh in appreciation. Benedict laid his hand on top of yours. The two of you stayed like that for a moment until his hand held onto yours a bit tighter. He turned to look at you. There was an understanding shared between your eyes. There was no breathing heavy or loving eyes. It was for both of you but in purely selfish pleasurable ways.

“Sophie, are you coming to watch our fencing match?” Benedict asked.

“Yes.” At that he moved your hand closer to his private. “A bit after the calling hour starts. I like to watch the men make fools of themselves.”

“I am not surprised by that at all. Shall we wait for you?”

You closed the gap and placed your hand over the top of Benedict’s pants. “No. You may start without me and I’ll just come when I find the time.”

“Okay. We’ll play again soon, maybe even another game today. So don’t be too bothered if you miss us playing for your calling hour.”

Giving an experimental squeeze, you watched the man next to you nod ever so slightly and swallow his spit before moving your hand himself. You both relaxed into the couch completely, satisfied with your understanding. The two men left when Violet came back — it was fairly obvious that calling hour was about to start. The calling hour was several hours but at some point you had just dropped the s and you weren’t sure why.

You thought it would be only one or two men but the duke seemed to have lit a fire under the other men’s feet. The line became rather long rather quickly. You were happy for Daphne. The more men the better. Maybe she could get a love match.

You took the last bouquet of flowers for Daphne, thanked Lord Colfield, and went to go put the flowers in a vase on the fireplace mantle. You were about to tell Daphne that you were leaving to see her brothers’ fencing match when Anthony came storming in. A gasp escaped you when Nigel Berbrooke came up behind. You were completely over this little man and his obsession.

Without thinking, you approached Anthony. “What do you think you ar— Anthony, you and Nigel need to either leave the drawing room as this is your sister’s calling hour or wait in line if he is here to call? These lords and gentlemen have waited a great deal to talk to her and they are very patient. It is not right nor just nor of any class to disrespect the patience they have shown.”

“Nigel?” Berbrooke scoffed. “Who do think yo—”

“The Young Princess’ valet. She’s become a family friend,” Anthony cut Nigel off.

At least Berbrooke had the decency to be surprised and then give you a bow. Their tunes towards you changed completely as they almost looked like they were going to wait their turn or just leave. Nigel smiled.

“Callers were unexpected as we have already been talking extensively.”

“Lord Berbrooke is the only man who proposed and therefore the only person I consider.”

“I’m sorry, what?” You looked at Anthony.

“He is the on—”

“Everyone! I am very sorry but you must leave. Miss Bridgerton’s calling hour is currently closed. Please leave your name with Heroldt, starting with the order you have been waiting, and two days from now we will continue.” You turned to Anthony as everyone filed out without complaint since they thought the princess was the reason for calling hour being over. “There. Now, Lord Berbrooke, I must speak with the Bridgertons alone. I hope that speech staved off the wolves for you if only for two days while matters are discussed.”

“Thank you, Lady…”

“Miss Beckett,” Anthony answered. “Thank you, Sophie. Lord Berbrooke, do you need me to escort you?”

“No, no. You have business. I can find the front door on my own.”

The moment he left, you, Daphne, and Violet descended on Anthony. Every word that came out of Anthony’s mouth made you scoff. Violet looked between all three of you, very upset. Anthony was ruining both Daphne’s prospects as well as his own prospects with the princess. And you were there to witness it all.

You backed Daphne on everything. Even if she was wrong, Nigel was a foul man that you would never allow to marry. You approached Anthony, speaking lowly although your friend and her mother could still hear it.

“I hope you survive whatever poison you are drinking. Whether the Duke is a serious man or not, there are plenty of serious men here. You will not sign away your sister to such a foul man that you barely know as well and pretend it is in her best interest. And you will not expect her to be understanding or appreciative when you don’t care an ounce for your sister’s happiness. And you still wish to draw up a marriage contract? Please, just think for a moment… Good day, Viscount Bridgerton.”

You stormed out of the drawing room and straight into the backyard where Colin and Benedict were handing their fencing gear back to a servant. They noticed the furrow in your brow. Benedict clicked his tongue.

“I will find out what is wrong. You, brother, instruct the kitchen to leave something out for us. If there is crying then we will be long.”

Benedict practically dragged you to the far side of the backyard. He knew no one would think anything of it when you were very angry about something Anthony did — that part was loud enough for everyone to hear. He looked at you when the two of you finally stopped.

“Was that a ploy to get away? Or are you genuinely mad at my brother?”

“I don’t want to talk about why I’m mad at Anthony. There’s nothing you can do anyway. Not without a good scandal… Sorry, I came out here for a fencing match. Let us focus on it. On you.”

He took your hand again, placing it over his trousers. You began to rub it back and forth, the fabric between you guys creating friction. You reached into his pants and pulled out his cock, stroking it a bit more freely. Benedict pulled you closer. His hand reached around your ass to squeeze it.

Every time you stroked him closer to finishing he would squeeze harder than before. You watched his face the entire time. If you got back exactly what you were giving him then you would be a very happy woman. It was truly going to be about selfish pleasure for both of you.

You gasped when he all but ripped the top part of the dress as he tried to push it all down to expose your breasts. He wanted something else to stare at that would get him off even quicker. You tried to stifle any moans threatening to escape your lips as he groped you — some of the marks so hard you were sure they would be a bit red until tomorrow. This was his turn. Yours would be later. If you both tried to get pleasure at the same time... Well, that's how people fall in love. The two of you weren't stupid to test that.

Benedict moaned and for a moment both of you were worried someone would come see what was the matter. He laughed underneath your hand covering his mouth.

A shudder went through him and he grabbed your wrist. “I’m going to come. I-if you let g-go… just in m-my britches.”

You dropped to your knees, shocking your friend. He grabbed your head with one hand while he bit down on the other until he finished. A very gentle touch lifted you up. He wiped stray bits of lipstick from around your mouth, wiping the evidence away on the inside of his vest.

“I have to say I did not expect you to sit down for the last round of fencing. We were done anyway.”

“Well, I wanted to help put up the equipment so we could all relax later. Plus, if the princess does choose to invite you all to Kew then I would like you to help put up the equipment there too.”

Benedict laughed.

“I promise whether I win or lose. The next time we have a round of fencing, I will put up the equipment. All of it.”

He leaned down to whisper.

“Even if you are not a lover, I would never have you on the ground, sullying your pretty gowns and body..." He squeezed your breasts one last time before helping pull your dress back up. "with grass and dirt stains. I promise I’ll bring you your pleasure next time we are inside and alone. I will leave first and retire to my room. You stay out here and eat the sandwiches the cook left. I won’t be able to return for at least an hour.”

“Okay. I have to go see the Featheringtons and Miss Thompson anyway.”

You did just as Benedict suggested and no one even gave you a suspicious look. You took your own sweet time going across the street. You had moved the physician and all of Wednesdays special tutors to Tuesdays so you would have more time in the city. Despite not wanting any visitors, you were the obvious exception and could go upstairs to see Marina. She looked up from her writing desk when Penelope announced she was coming with a visitor.

The three of you gathered on the bed to share a plate of sweets. You mainly listened to Marina and Penelope, not having much to add. You wanted to figure out a way to help her. Trying to meddle in daily affairs and save the lives of one subject at a time seemed almost ridiculous. But, that was what you should do as a royal.

“Did you say Spain?”

“Yes. That’s where all of George’s letters are coming from at the moment. They all say Spain.”

“If you ever need a letter to Spain or to anywhere else they send Sir George, just let me know. The princess wants to help her subjects, especially women, so give me a letter and I’ll give it to her. Whenever you need.”

Marina flung herself at you. “Thank you. If there shall ever be a problem, I promise I will say such.”

“Oh, the princess is going back to the palace for a few weeks because of something important so I won’t be so available for a little bit.”

“What will she be there for?”

“You will find out when it happens.”

The two of them giggled. “You are so mysterious.”

You were tired after an exhausting day but a letter you received from a footman that same day made you get up. Anthony had given you a key to the front and back garden gates as well as the back door that led into the kitchen. You entered through the backyard so you could actually get inside the house without waking the entire house with your knocking. You only needed Violet and Daphne. And you had a letter to leave just in case you couldn’t wake a single person.

Voices made you pause. You recognized Eloise and Benedict talking. Instead of going any further, you just listened. Eloise — like so many other women — wanted better for herself. It had never been a question of something you would plead to your brother… You sighed. You knew your brother. It was time to stop thinking of him as the heir. There was a reason everyone was going to support Younger Charlotte’s claim over her father. And Young Charlotte listened to you. She planned on making you her advisor. There would be no pleading. You would make better laws for women.

You didn’t want to disturb them too much so you flung the letter at Benedict’s head. Running as fast as you could, you ignored their confused calling out for you once they recognized the letter coming from the princess. Hopefully, Benedict or Eloise would get the letter to their mother before Nigel could come back.

Dear Dowager Viscountess,

I am nothing but my mother’s daughter and therefore it is, in fact, my job to meddle in the lives of our precious subjects for a better and more peaceful United Kingdom. Miss Beckett has told me much of your troubles in regards to a man called Lord Nigel Berbrooke. I don’t have much information on him but I do have a request that I would ask you to aid your princess in.

I recall an acquaintance of his. A maid. She used to work at the palace but asked for a job in the ton so she could be closer to her aging parents. I believe she was employed by a neighbor of the Berbrookes? Or a friend? Or maybe them, who knows. She was supposed to come back two years after they died but has yet to return. Nigel or one of his neighbors must know. Or perhaps, his mother, she’s very close to the maids. Knows every single one of them by name. I care terribly for this maid and would like her working back at the palace.

Please meet with his mother. She loves crumpets with any sort of preserves or a chocolate dipping sauce. It was all she wanted when she requested a meeting with my second brother.

That is all I have to say. I do look forward to seeing your family properly.

Yours Truly,

Princess Y/N Kew

P.S. Please tell Anthony that it took him long enough but I am proud he finally came to his senses. If only he can learn to listen to a woman first then he might have less problems.

You smiled to yourself as you sat in the kitchens. The staff couldn’t stop talking about Nigel Berbrooke’s bastard that he doesn’t take care of and the mother he sent away before she even gave birth. You would feel bad but you had a very personal and up-close view of the man’s real personality. The morning only got better when Brimsley and Reynolds came in with Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers. It was on the front page of the pamphlets. Absolutely worth paying the two pounds per pamphlet for everyone in the Kew household.

“Do you think he’ll ever show his face again?”

“No,” the cook said as she handed you your breakfast. “You did a good thing for Miss Bridgerton, Your Grace.”

“Your Grace?”

“It is just a title we are trying out.”

You hummed suspiciously. The cook ignored you.

“You better pack if you don’t want to be late for the carriage coming today.”

You nearly forgot. The reason you couldn’t hang out with the Featheringtons and the Bridgertons arrived. Your cousin Friedrich, the prince of Prussia, was coming for a visit. He agreed to marry a British girl to strengthen the alliances and prove that Prussia and Britain were still close family. It was neither a complete truth or a complete lie. The entire family was not close. But you, your cousin, your father, your mother, and your aunt were very close.

Sneaking out wasn’t an option. You thought that much as the carriage neared Buckingham. It had been a while since you snuck out the palace — a completely different thing from simply leaving Kew. Pandora, Brimsley, or Reynolds would sneak you your letters and you would be satisfied. Besides, even though your family was coming for an indefinite amount of time, you only had to stay a week or two.

The carriage hadn’t even stopped completely before you ran to hug your cousin. It had been years since you last saw each other. You could hear your mothers laughing in the background. They left to have tea inside while the two of you stayed out.

Friedrich took your hand in the crook of his arm. “Come, cousin, let us take a promenade. Have you been well?”

“I have been better. However, I am doing well.”

“And your illness?”

“Not better. But I haven’t had an episode that I couldn't recover from on my own.”

“That is good. I suppose that is the best we can ask for. Especially since I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?”

“I asked Aunt Charlotte and she agreed to let the princess accompany me to events as she knows the ton better than the both of us. You have to wear your mask but it is still a good deal.”

“It is a wonderful deal.”

“Good. The first event is a ball tonight.”

“Tonight?! But I’m not prepared.”

“I’ve already had everything arranged.”

“You planned this?”

“I figured it would do you good to get some fresh air and get out of the palace… or Kew, now.”

“Thank you, Friedrich. Seriously, thank you.”

(part 5)

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#benedict x reader #benedict fluff #benedict bridgerton #benedict bridgerton x reader #benedict bridgerton #benedict bridgerton smut #bridgerton x reader #bridgerton smut

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evilbihan · 1 year ago

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This is probably the most unpopular of all unpopular opinions out there, but hear me out for just a second:

Can we please start to acknowledge Kuai Liang's flaws? It's perfectly fine to like a character while also acknowledging their negative traits and the bad things they've done. I'm genuinely confused by the whole "aww Kuai Liang is so nice :)" thing the fandom has going on. I understand that, being a Bi-Han fan, I might sound biased, but I promise this is coming from a completely neutral standpoint.

I don't see how any of the positive traits fans associate with Kuai Liang (kindness, selflessness, a caring nature) are backed up by any canon material we know of. Those traits belong to Tomas, not Kuai Liang. The version of Kuai Liang that is a loving brother to Tomas and the prime example of a good man only exists in fanon.

Vengeful, short-tempered, regressive — those are Kuai Liang's actual traits.

May I remind you, the real Kuai Liang looks like this.

His face expresses arrogance, he's looking down on whoever is in front of him. He doesn't smile, doesn't display any expression that one could interpret for kindness. He looks cold. Does that arrogance and coldness look familiar at all?

It's the same expression as this one. Bi-Han is also shown looking down on others, with the exact same confidence stemming from the idea that he is superior to others. Kuai Liang mirrors that expression perfectly. They're brothers, they're similar in the way they act and think, in the way they were raised. Let's not forget that Kuai Liang was second in line for the grandmaster title while with the Lin Kuei. He is grandmaster of the Shirai Ryu now. They are both arrogant.

Tomas is the only one of the three who smiles and has a warm, kind aura to him. I'm not saying he's a perfect ray of sunshine, he's certainly capable of being ruthless just like his brothers, but he doesn't share their overwhelmingly negative traits.

There is no warmth to Kuai Liang at all, which is ironic given that his element is fire. Kuai Liang's fire, however, burns cold to match Bi-Han's ice. They are not opposites, they are the same.

Hanzo as Scorpion was driven by grief and ultimately love for his family, Kuai Liang's fire is only fueled by hatred for his brother.

While Bi-Han is obsessed with power, Kuai Liang's obsession with honor and tradition is crossing the line to fanaticism. Am I the only one to find it concerning how he worships his father and his father's ideals almost religiously? It's pretty much all he ever talks about at any given chance.

to Bi-Han: "His teachings did not pass with him. They should still guide us." to Bi-Han: "Father would turn in his grave if he saw this." to Smoke: "We must chart a new course. One that both honors our Father's legacy and serves Earthrealm." to Kitana: "Death before dishonor." to Smoke: "Only if we honor tradition."

Is this how a normal person talks? I don't think so. Admittedly, Bi-Han's methods are wrong, but since when is it a good thing to be completely against progress? Kuai Liang is stuck holding onto outdated traditions that don't allow for growth. It's not necessarily a bad thing that he looks up to his father, but idolizing someone to the point of never questioning anything they do or say and giving up any critical thinking is dangerous.

There's plenty more examples in the story mode and intros where Kuai Liang brings up honor and tradition, but this post is going to be long enough as it is so I only named a few.

I want to focus more on how Kuai Liang treats other characters throughout the story.

Tomas:

Why does the fandom claim he's such a good brother to Tomas when this is the only scene in the story mode where Kuai Liang expresses any sort of care towards Tomas — in a moment where he needs Tomas on his side?

Oddly enough, he's playing at Tomas' vulnerability here by bringing up family and reassuring him that they're brothers even if they don't share blood, in direct contrast to how Bi-Han said Tomas' blood was not Lin Kuei earlier. Words he chose carefully and deliberately, not out of the goodness of his heart because he wanted to comfort Tomas, but to achieve the desired effect: to sway Tomas to his side.

Similar to Bi-Han, Kuai Liang is a manipulative and calculating character. I would even dare to go as far as to say he's even more manipulative since Bi-Han lacks the charisma and patience to be a successful manipulator. Bi-Han makes no effort to convince Tomas to join him. He can't even keep up the lie he told Kuai Liang for very long. Bi-Han's actions are impulsive and poorly planned out, he's the naive one being manipulated by characters like Shang Tsung while Kuai Liang makes smart, calculated moves. He knew exactly what he was doing when speaking to Tomas.

I don't see how that was even necessary since Tomas would have picked Kuai Liang's side regardless simply because it's the one aligning with his own beliefs, but Kuai Liang's words were a subtle "Hey, remember that I'm the one who considers you part of this family and he does not. If you don't side with me, you're going to betray your own brother."

One of the key signs to recognize a manipulator by is how they try and convince a person close to them that it's "the two of them against everyone else" or in this case "them against their older brother". Manipulators know someone's weaknesses (Tomas' desire to be a part of their family) and how to exploit them to get what they want.

There was never even the slightest chance that Tomas would have sided with Bi-Han in that fight anyway, but he also appears way more passive in it as opposed to Kuai Liang. Tomas doesn't want to fight his own brother, but at the end of the day he cares more about doing the right thing and saving innocent lives than about his inner conflict. For Kuai Liang, it's a quest for vengeance and the pursue of his own goals above all else.

I also think it's interesting that Tomas looks slightly surprised/ confused at the hand being placed on his arm by Kuai Liang. It's almost like he's not used to being reassured like this which makes you wonder how often Kuai Liang really comforted Tomas or showed any support towards him. Like Liu Kang and everyone else, Kuai Liang barely acknowledged Smoke's presence before. They're only seen exchanging occasional glances.

What has me doubt the sincerety of Kuai Liang's words even more is this scene.

Personally, I don't believe that Bi-Han has ever snapped at Tomas like that before this incident here, but I know the fandom likes to think otherwise so just for this take let's go with the wrong assumption that Bi-Han used to put Tomas down like that regularly.

Why did Kuai Liang not step in to defend Tomas in this scene? If he knew where this was going why did he let Bi-Han finish his sentence? It's certainly not out of respect or because Bi-Han is their grandmaster. Kuai Liang has no issue talking back to him and contradicting him in other situations but he was surprisingly silent when this whole thing went down.

He was either just as surprised as Tomas that Bi-Han would snap at their brother like that because it hasn't happened before or because he simply didn't care to interrupt since he had nothing to gain from it, unlike later when he wanted Tomas' loyalty for himself.

Kuai Liang could have been standing up for Tomas in this situation if he was the good brother everyone sees him as, but for some reason he didn't. Make of that what you will.

As for the intros between them, there's only one where Kuai Liang asks about Tomas' family. In every other intro with Tomas he only speaks of his own goals. Honor, tradition, training the Shirai Ryu, defeating the Lin Kuei... At one point he praises Tomas for his loyalty towards him, only to question said loyalty later on.

Scorpion: Our resolve cannot waver, brother. Smoke: I'm offended that you think mine has.

If I'm not mistaken, that's a prime example of manipulation right here. Guilt tripping/shaming someone into doing something they don't even want to do.

Kuai Liang seems to always be working an angle with Tomas. Why is he suddenly doubting him? Because he knows Tomas wants peace, not war between the brothers?

Ultimately, it seems he doesn't care about what Tomas wants. We know that Tomas is torn in this conflict, he resents Bi-Han, but he also doesn't want his brothers to fight. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked for Liu Kang to reunite them.

Tomas' intros are a whole paradox of their own.

Smoke: Are we to be enemies for life? Sub-Zero: Unless you submit, Tomas.

Smoke: I'll never forgive Bi-Han. Scorpion: His betrayal has seared both our hearts.

Scorpion: We'll soon meet the Lin Kuei in battle. Smoke: It will be our last with them. Smoke: For Earthrealm's sake, my brothers must reunite. Raiden: There's little hope for that, Tomas.

Smoke: Can I get the brothers to reconcile? Liu Kang: They must choose their own path, Tomas.

What Tomas says to other characters contradicts everything he says to Kuai Liang. But why? Why does he never tell Kuai Liang directly that he'd just wish him and Bi-Han would stop fighting? Why if not because he's afraid of Kuai Liang's reaction and that he will lose him as a brother unless he agrees with everything Kuai Liang says?

SPOILERS: It's interesting how Kuai Liang in this scene asks Tomas to help him bring Bi-Han back with them so he won't be able to aid Shang Tsung, but according to leaks he's going to leave Bi-Han behind with Havik in the dlc, not even caring about the consequences that might have for Bi-Han or for Earthrealm. Now that Tomas isn't there he no longer has to keep up the facade. Tomas' absence also makes me wonder if he maybe got tired of Kuai Liang's spitefulness and blind hatred.

To sum it up, here's what we know about how Kuai Liang treats Tomas:

Kuai Liang initialy doesn't defend Tomas against Bi-Han's harsh words

He picks an odd timing to comfort Tomas at the Ying Fortress, possibly to assure that Tomas will join his side, not Bi-Han's

He's trying to push his own agenda onto Tomas who agrees with him in their intros but doesn't seem to share Kuai Liang's goals when speaking to other characters like Liu Kang or Raiden

SPOILERS: It seems that Tomas won't be attending Kuai Liang's wedding as he's not mentioned at all in any of the dlc leaks. He might be trying to stay out of the fight between his brothers entirely.

Bi-Han:

Another detail I've noticed is how quickly Kuai Liang comes up with the idea to create the Shirai Ryu. How likely is it that he made the decision to form an entire new clan on the spot? He seems way too prepared for this scenario.

Smoke: Once he's exposed, won't you be grandmaster? Scorpion: You forget Cyrax and Sektor. Their loyalty to Bi-Han is absolute. They'll sooner abet his corruption than follow me. We must chart a new course.

Why did Tomas not know about this when they're part of the same clan but Kuai Liang knows the answer immediately? It's almost like he has thought it through before, tried to figure out exactly who would side with him and who wouldn't if it came down to important Lin Kuei members choosing between him and Bi-Han. And that's because he has. It even says so in his official bio.

Kuai Liang always intended to overthrow Bi-Han.

He admitted that he was aware of Bi-Han's frustrations all along and yet he never brought up his concerns to Liu Kang or anyone else. It seems that he intended to take advantage of how mentally unstable his brother was in order to become grandmaster himself. I'm not saying he always wanted the title to himself, Kuai Liang doesn't care about power, but his obsession with tradition equals Bi-Han's obsession with power. He wanted to rule the Lin Kuei himself to enforce his own ideals and when he realized that wouldn't work out, he settled for the next best thing: creating his own clan.

Kitana in comparison also knows that Mileena is impulsive and many people doubt that she's fit to lead but she supports her sister regardless. Her loyalty to Mileena is unwavering. Kitana loves and supports her sister unconditionally. It doesn't even once cross her mind to take Mileena's place on the throne.

Kuai Liang and Kitana share similar values, yet Kitana's loyalty to her sister outweighs all that while Kuai Liang didn't hesitate to plot against Bi-Han way before Bi-Han even sided with Shang Tsung. Just Bi-Han's frustration alone was reason enough for Kuai Liang to want to overthrow his brother.

Ashrah, a complete stranger, cares more about redeeming Bi-Han than his own brother does. And no, Kuai Liang's actions can't be justified by bringing up that Bi-Han let their father die or betrayed Earthrealm etc. because Kuai Liang gave up on him long before any of that happened. In fact, the way Kuai Liang constantly brings up their father at every chance he gets probably added to Bi-Han's frustrations and is part of the reason why he was driven to madness.

Scorpion: Glory? We fight for duty. Sub-Zero: Does our father's ghost possess you? All I hear is his voice.

Bi-Han seems haunted by their father's ghost and Kuai Liang knows, yet he doesn't shy away from bringing it up at every opportunity. Was it done on purpose? Who knows.

But it's noteworthy that it's again manipulative behavior. The way Kuai Liang constantly criticizes Bi-Han, undermines his authority, compares him to their father whenever he can although he knows about Bi-Han's frustrations, then claims a shadow has fallen on Bi-Han's soul when he at the very least partially helped cast that shadow.

I'm not sure why people claim Kuai Liang was supportive of Bi-Han before his betrayal because there's no evidence of that at all. At least, none that I could find. Kuai Liang seems reluctant to follow Bi-Han's orders and he also doesn't seem to respect him much. Again, compare that to how Kitana shows actual concern for Mileena while Kuai Liang just seems fed up with Bi-Han.

Personally, I believe Kuai Liang's goals are far bigger than we know at this point. Something about the line "The Shirai Ryu won't rest until Bi-Han is defeated and the Lin Kuei's honor is restored" suggests that, while he built his own clan, Kuai Liang still has some interest in the Lin Kuei. I doubt that he's just planning to take down Bi-Han to let someone else be grandmaster in his place. I think that Kuai Liang wants to merge both clans once Bi-Han is defeated. After all, Kuai Liang's bio mentions that he's willing to fight his brother for control of the Lin Kuei's legacy. He might think it would be in his father's interest if he became grandmaster of both clans. However, that's just an educated guess and might not be true at all.

How Kuai Liang treats Bi-Han:

Kuai Liang never trusted Bi-Han's leadership skills or acknowledged his authority

The conflict of interest between the brothers always existed, even before Bi-Han switched sides and Kuai Liang always planned to take the grandmaster title from Bi-Han

Kuai Liang attempted to (and would have) killed Bi-Han but was interrupted in doing so

He's eager to fight Bi-Han, while Tomas is reluctant

He seems to have always held very little love for Bi-Han, if any at all, although he claims they used to be close once

Harumi:

Does no one else think it's a little bit suspicious that the woman Kuai Liang ends up "falling in love with" is a capable fighter and head of her own clan, someone with exactly the resources, knowledge and means to provide Kuai Liang with everything he needs to build his own clan? He even names the Shirai Ryu after Harumi, a clan whose goal it is to take down Kuai Liang's hated brother, someone Harumi probably knows little about or never even met. Maybe I'm the only one to think that's kind of messed up and not a romantic gesture, but at least he's giving her some credit, right? Does Harumi lead the Shirai Ryu with Kuai Liang or did he take her own clan from her to build his own? I couldn't really find any information regarding that but it would be even more messed up if the Shirai Ryu are originally Harumi's clan that Kuai Liang simply took over.

Another weird detail is how Smoke calls Harumi Kuai Liang's "good friend" in his own ending, which makes you wonder if he left the Shirai Ryu before Kuai Liang and Harumi became a couple? Does he know Kuai Liang doesn't actually love Harumi? It's confusing because Tomas is the person closest to Kuai Liang. Shouldn't he be the first to know if his brother fell in love and is planning to get married?

Kuai Liang's reaction when Kitana congratulates him on his marriage is rather cold as well. He doesn't seem like a happy, newly married man and it makes me think their marriage wasn't necessarily out of love, at least not on Kuai Liang's side.

How Kuai Liang treats Harumi:

There's not enough known about their relationship yet to really know if Kuai Liang's love for Harumi is genuine

He benefitted a lot from his friendship with her when creating the Shirai Ryu

It's strange that Tomas only calls Harumi Kuai Liang's "good friend"

Final conclusion:

Kuai Liang seems to follow a pattern of binding people to him emotionally (Tomas, Harumi... ) to be able to use them to his own advantage. I'm not saying that he doesn't care about them at all, but first and foremost, they're assets to him and family second.

For someone who claims to care about honor, Kuai Liang sure has very little of it. SPOILERS: The fact that Kuai Liang is willing to let Bi-Han die and deny him treatment when he gets infected with chaos magic says a lot about the type of person he is. How is it honorable to kick a man when he's down? How is it honorable that he wants to kill Frost during his own wedding and Harumi has to beg him to spare her life?

To get this straight, this is not an attempt to paint Kuai Liang as the epitome of all evil or to say he doesn't care at all about the people in his life, just that he's much more cold and calculating than people give him credit for. Just because Kuai Liang has chosen the good side while Bi-Han went down the wrong path doesn't necessarily make him a nice person. He's still vindictive and selfish. He still shows toxic behavior.

I know someone will try and twist this post into something it isn't, so let me say this is NOT a personal attack on Kuai Liang fans or an attempt to spread negativity, it's just my opinion that you're free to disagree with. I blame the writers and their obvious bias for Scorpion that Kuai Liang's bad traits are so often overlooked. This post is only me sharing my thoughts. If it offends you, block me. I don't want to see this reblogged with paragraphs from people trying to defend Kuai Liang.

#kuai liang #mk scorpion #bi han #mk sub zero #tomas vrbada #mk smoke #lin kuei brothers #mortal kombat 1 #mk1 2023

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kikyoupdates · 29 days ago

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Tears of a Villainess ⭑˚🗡️⭑ 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡

yandere!ocs x reader

yandere, reverse harem, isekai, original characters x fem!reader, slowburn, slowburn yandere

Reincarnation isn't as great as it sounds, especially when you've been reborn as none other than the villainess. Fated to die if you stand in the heroine's way, you immediately resolve to distance yourself from the plot. As long as you have nothing to do with any of the relevant characters, surely, you'll be able to avoid an untimely death. But in a horrible turn of events, the heroine ends up wanting to get close to you. Are you really doomed to meet the villainess' tragic end? Or is there an even more sinister fate that awaits you?

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“That was fun! We should play hide and seek more often,” Rowan grins. “I didn’t even realize it, but the evening’s already over.”

You let out a heavy sigh. Well, at least one of you had a good time. You’ve been running around hiding from Flynn for what felt like a solid eternity, but the event has finally come to an end, and everyone is slowly starting to trickle out of the ballroom.

“Ah,” you blink. “I see my parents. They’re coming over here, so you should probably leave now and meet up with the rest of your family too—”

“I’ll wait to bid your parents good night first,” Rowan smiles. You feel his fingers squeeze yours, and you didn’t even realize it, but you’ve apparently been holding onto his hand this whole time. You try to get him to let go, but his grip remains firm, and you can already see the sparkle in your parents’ eyes once they realize the two of you are holding hands.

“Oh, how precious,” your mother beams. “It looks like you two are getting along swimmingly.”

“We were playing hide and seek until just now,” Rowan beams back.

“Is that so? How amusing. Well, as long as you enjoyed each other’s company, that’s all that matters.”

Your parents are clearly overjoyed to see that you have another suitor lined up. They might be extremely chill in the grand scheme of things, but they still adhere to traditions, and it goes without saying that they want you to get married. To someone of high rank, ideally. And while Rowan isn’t quite as revered as Alistair, he’s from the same reputable household nevertheless, and everyone holds him in high regard.

He’s like the discount, off-brand version of Alistair. The next best thing. And you know that sounds kind of harsh, but unfortunately, in the world of nobles, that’s exactly how people must perceive him.

You’re willing to bet his insecurity plays a pretty big role in why he and Alistair hate each other so much.

“Forgive me, Countess [Last Name], but I believe this is our first formal meeting. I would just like to once again express my immense gratitude for allowing me to court your beautiful, intelligent, and endlessly charming daughter.”

Rowan finally lets go of your hand so that he can bow deeply before your mother, and as always, the ass-kissing comes naturally to him. It’s practically second nature at this point. If superpowers existed, his would undoubtedly be the ability to kiss people’s asses without so much as batting an eye.

“It’s our pleasure,” your mother giggles. “My, I’m so happy to hear you speak about [Name] with such fondness. I realize this is quite rude… but her previous suitor, Alistair, wasn’t quite as open about his affections. Perhaps that’s why it didn’t work out. It was an ill-fated match.”

“Dear, you shouldn’t say those things,” your father nudges with a frown. “Rowan is Alistair’s cousin.”

“Oh, I think we’re well past worrying about maintaining appearances. He pursued [Name] even though Alistair had been previously involved with her. Further proof that he wants to be with her no matter what. Isn’t that right, Rowan?”

“Just so,” Rowan replies, and he can’t seem to bite back his grin. “While I pity my cousin for his failed engagement, my heart was already set on [Name] from long ago. I simply had to act on my feelings. I couldn’t risk losing her to another man yet again.”

Your mother lets out a delighted little squeal, very much enjoying this soap opera play out. Technically, your involvement with Rowan is considered to be in very poor taste. As far as you know, people don’t often pursue their family member’s ex-lover, after all. Perhaps this is more likely to happen among common folk—and even then, it’s still a really sleazy move—but certainly not in high society, where there are all these rules and standards in place.

You don’t particularly care about any of that, though. If Rowan is actually a good guy, then that’s all that matters to you. It’s why you decided to give him a fair chance in the first place. And as long as it keeps you far away from the storyline, it’s really not that big of a risk. You can just cut him loose if he turns out to be an asshole.

You watch as Rowan happily converses with your parents, flattery spilling from his cunning lips like a never-ending fountain. He definitely strikes you as being a bit fake. It all just seems a little too practiced. But then again, most nobles are like that. Very few of them are willing to reveal their true feelings and let their guards down in public.

Also, even though Alistair is certainly attractive (you were obviously lying when you rejected him on the basis of his looks), truthfully, Rowan is more your type. Alistair is almost too beautiful. His beauty is ethereal, but also a bit unsettling. It makes you painfully aware of the fact that you’re living in a fictional world right now, and that he’s meant to be a character in a game.

Rowan is very handsome too, but somehow… you just feel more comfortable around him. He feels more like an actual person, and hence, the kind of guy you would be more inclined to fall for in real life. Call it personal preference or whatever. You don’t really know how to explain it, but you just like looking at him more.

Only looking at him, though. Having to listen to his incessant yapping is a different story.

“I think you’re more handsome than Alistair,” you say, straight-faced and utterly tactless in your approach. Even your parents are taken aback by how bluntly you said the words, and they awkwardly look away, pretending like they didn’t hear anything.

Rowan, on the other hand, has no intention of glossing over what you just said.

In fact, he’ll remember those words for a very, very long time.

“R-Really?” he blinks, and it’s kind of funny, because up until now, you were under the impression that he couldn’t get embarrassed. He says a lot of cringy things without even thinking twice, after all.

Which is why it’s strange that his cheeks are suddenly so red.

“Yeah,” you nod. “I like looking at your face more than his. Even if the stuff you say is kind of annoying sometimes.”

“[Name], that’s not very nice,” your father chides.

“Sorry. I can’t help that the truth hurts.”

You shrug your shoulders, and your mother huffs, angrily waving her hand fan in your face and demanding you apologize to Rowan—who, to quote her, is ‘a lovely young man deserving of respect’. But you bet she’s only saying that because she hasn’t yet realized that he’s incapable of shutting up.

Still, despite all your rudeness, and despite the fact that you’ve made your doubts about him very clear, Rowan isn’t deterred. His face is still vividly red, and rather than looking at all offended, his grin seems to be getting wider by the second.

Yeah. He definitely has a humiliation kink.

While this silly charade unfolds, someone stares at you from across the ballroom. You succeeded in avoiding him all night, but now that people are steadily clearing out, he’s finally spotted you.

Flynn presses his lips together. It’s just… strange. He already knew that you were engaged to Alistair, but he never thought much of it. You used to gush about how cool and handsome Alistair was, and how all the other ladies would be teeming with jealousy once they discovered you’d secured an engagement with him. It was obvious that you were over the moon to have him as your future husband, but all the same, Flynn could tell that your excitement wasn’t reciprocated.

He’s always been exceptionally observant, which is how he instinctively knew that Alistair didn’t feel the same way about you. Every time Flynn saw the two of you together, he could tell that Alistair was doing his best to look the part, and sure enough, he was courteous and respectful, but his eyes were soulless. Devoid of any true passion.

Deep down, perhaps Flynn always knew that engagement was fated to end. He just never thought that you would be the one to end it.

When he looks at Rowan, however, he doesn’t get that same feeling.

Rowan might actually be interested in you for real.

“I’m tired,” Flynn sighs, turning away. There’s really no point in dwelling on it. You’re bound to get married at one point or another, and so is he. It’s just the natural progression of things. When the two of you were younger, you used to joke about getting married to each other once you grew up, but those were just silly, infantile emotions. Kids don’t know any better, after all. Kids don’t know what they actually want, and it’s certainly not like he’s in love with you or anything like that.

It really is strange, though.

He doesn’t understand why watching Rowan hold your hand irritates him so much.

Well, you’ve met the heroine, and you did something nice for her instead of bullying her like the villainess originally did in the canon storyline. Hopefully that should make you significantly less likely to trigger the villainess’ death flags. In any case, you plan on staying out of Lucy’s hair from now on, so she’ll be able to enjoy her romance free of interference—with whichever lucky love interest she happens to pick.

Either way, the scariest part is over. It’s only a matter of time before Flynn falls for Lucy and leaves you alone. He’s easily the most bothersome of the bunch, especially because of how perceptive he is. Alistair doesn’t seem to hate you anymore, which is good, because you’d rather not have any bad blood with anyone who could get you killed. And your few encounters with Carmine both ended amicably, so no problems there.

You have a different problem, though.

Namely, the fact that your tutor hates your fucking guts.

“Hi, Annabel!” you greet, waving enthusiastically as she steps inside the manor. “I’m so happy to see you again! How’s your day going so far? Did you sleep well? Eat a yummy lunch? See any cute animals while you were outside?”

You bombard her with questions to compensate for how nervous you are. You still feel absolutely awful that she’s being forced to tutor someone she despises, but it’s certainly better than having your father tarnish her reputation and put her whole family through hell if you make her step down as your tutor. Besides, you can handle this. It’s not really you that she hates, but rather, the villainess. Since this arrangement is pretty much set in stone, you may as well take this as an opportunity to prove that you’re a changed woman.

Still, it’d be nice if she didn’t glare at you like she’s out for blood.

“My day has been perfectly ordinary,” Annabel replies, tone frigid. “We’re using the same room as last time, correct? Let’s get started right away. I want to stay on schedule.”

Unsurprisingly, she isn’t willing to give you the time of day. But it’s fine. In your previous life, you weren’t blessed with an absurdly beautiful body like the one you find yourself in right now (seriously, the villainess is way too pretty—it’s actually unfair), so of course, you had to compensate for your lack of god-given beauty with your god-given personality.

Well, self-proclaimed. But it’s always good to be confident.

I can win her over. People appreciate character development. Even Fiona was terrified of me at first, but now we’re practically besties. It’s only a matter of time.

“Sure,” you grin. “I’m excited to work with you again. I’ve been looking forward to this lesson for a long time, since you’re such a great teacher! Have you considered becoming an actual professor when you’re a bit older and having your own classroom? Or do you prefer to teach students one-on-one?”

Annabel glances over at you for half a second, lets out a disgruntled sigh, then turns away without responding.

Cool. That’s, uh, exactly the kind of reaction you were hoping for.

Despite your best efforts to make small talk, Annabel brushes off just about everything you say and gets started with the lesson instead. You try to crack a few jokes here and there, but either she’s got a terrible sense of humor, or perhaps her hatred of you prevents her from expressing amusement, because by all accounts, you are hilarious.

Nothing seems to be working, though. And it’s a little hard not to get discouraged.

“I’m all done with these questions,” you say, pushing your notebook towards her. She blinks, clearly surprised that you finished so fast, and based on her expression, it looks like you got them all right, too.

Annabel must despise you to the very depths of your core, but she remains professional nevertheless, and somehow, that just makes you feel even worse.

“Good job,” she praises. “You learn quickly. I must admit, I wasn’t expecting your education to be so far along. I was under the impression that you didn’t particularly care for academics. I suppose you must have had several tutors before me?”

Not really. What you’re seeing is the culminated efforts of an overworked, almost entirely self-taught university student.

Since most of the professors back in your old world were absolute ass, you had no choice but to buckle down and learn the material all on your own. This amount of work is nothing compared to what you’re used to. Most noblewomen aren’t exactly known for their exuberant knowledge, after all. They mainly take lessons for etiquette, ballroom dancing, and all sorts of other frivolous things.

In that sense, Annabel is an exception, and you can respect all the time she must have put into her studies. It’s obvious that she’s a hard-working, diligent woman who constantly strives to expand her knowledge and improve upon herself.

Goddammit. The villainess really loves to pick on the people who least deserve it.

Annabel starts skimming through the textbook she brought along. “Just one moment, please. I wasn’t expecting you to finish so fast, so allow me to find something more challenging for us to work on.”

You take a few moments to just stare at her. She’s been rather cold to you from the very beginning, but naturally, she has her reasons. You have no way of knowing exactly what the villainess did to her, and it’s not like you can just come right out and ask. Pretending you’ve forgotten would probably just add more insult to injury. Whatever happened, it clearly left a lasting impact on her. If you act like you don’t even recall that distinct act of cruelty… you may as well be admitting that you don’t give a single shit about her.

It sucks to be blamed for something you didn’t even do. But if you’re going to live in this world, in this new body, then you have no choice but to get used to it.

“I’m really sorry, Annabel.”

Annabel’s shoulders jump. She clearly wasn’t expecting you to utter those words, and after a brief pause, she turns towards you, visible skepticism reflected upon her pale blue eyes.

“I understand if you don’t believe me,” you continue. “But I really am trying to be a better person. A lot of people seem confused by how much I’ve changed. They doubt whether or not my intentions are truly genuine. I think it was like… an epiphany, or something. One day, it all just caught up to me, and I was ashamed to have acted so horribly all this time. I understand I’ve said and done a lot of hurtful things to you in the past, but I swear on my life that it’ll never happen again. I’m not that person anymore.”

Quite literally.

To emphasize your statement, you gently pat her on the back, offering a bright smile. She doesn’t seem to know how to react, as evidenced by the way her lips are parted in visible disbelief. Maybe the best thing to do right now is give her a little bit of space. A bit of time to process what you said and let it all sink in.

“You’re a great tutor,” you grin. “That’s why I’m learning so quickly. Because you do an amazing job of explaining everything so that it’s easy to understand. I think you deserve a break for working so hard. I’m gonna go grab us some pastries to munch on, okay? I’ll only be gone a few minutes, and if you want, we can play a game when I come back!”

She still seems to be struggling to come up with a response, and after waving her off with another big smile, the door closes, leaving her alone in the room.

Annabel blinks.

“What… just happened?”

It doesn’t make any sense. The moment she heard that she was being hired to work as a tutor for your family, she was already prepared to be humiliated. She expected no shortage of verbal abuse, condescending laughter, and whatever other psychological warfare you planned to wage against her.

When you greeted her the day of your first lesson, she was very much taken aback. You were acting so friendly all of a sudden. It was obviously contrived, but you’d never bothered to hide your malice before, so she wasn’t quite sure how to handle it. And she soon realized that watching you pretend to be nice was even worse than being openly tormented. It made her sick to her stomach. It made her want to scream out in frustration and wring your neck.

Annabel figured the mask was bound to slip off at some point or another. It was painful being ridiculed like this, but she knew you could only go so long without revealing your true nature. People like you live to bask in the misfortune of others. It’s what fuels you. It’s what gives you purpose—as sickening as that may sound.

And yet, your mask is still intact. You’ve done nothing but smile at her and compliment her, seemingly without end. Even though she should know better than to believe your lies, there are moments when she genuinely can’t sense any trace of insincerity. When you smile at her… she wants to believe it’s real.

You say you’ve changed. You say that you regret all the things you did before, and that you’ve had some kind of revelation. Perhaps it really is possible, as difficult as it sounds to believe. Perhaps the evil that dwelt in your body has finally been cleansed, and now, you’re on a mission to right your wrongs.

Annabel wants to believe that you’re a good person now. It would be so much easier that way. It would bring her so much relief. The nightmare you’d trapped her in, which appeared to have no end in sight, might finally, finally be over.

But no matter how hard she tries, she just can’t seem to forget.

She can't shake the image of you, staring down at her with a cruel glint in your eyes, as she lies helpless on her knees, sobbing from humiliation.

She still remembers the exact way you uttered the words. She remembers how every syllable fell from your pretty lips, as well as the sheer delight with which you poured salt into her wounds.

“Absolutely revolting. I can’t even stand to look at you. Annabel, don’t tell me. For your sake, I really hope it’s not true, but…”

The twisted smile that spread across your face still haunts her, even to this day.

“You like women, don’t you?”

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bonefall · 7 months ago

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Bones Bones Bonesss wc Star full book spoilers already out in the wild (forums)......... Looking forward to your thoughts when it officially comes out (or whenever!) cause. I will not say. But ohhhhhh it sure was a book............ :33

You know I'll also be doing a full read when I get my grubby paws on a copy, but I do have some strong feelings assuming that the leaks are totally accurate!

The no-spoiler version of my opinion; BOY this ending is a stinker. This arc truly was a blundering mess of lost potential and wasted time. As someone who still feels the first few books were STRONG setups, from 3 onwards I feel like I've been watching a train run out of track and derail in a slow, pitiful fashion.

It's not even a FAST trainwreck. The ending was predictable insofar as they clearly had no good climax or message in mind. Infact it's kind of a marvel how utterly bloodless this arc was, and how any violence they DID show came out of left field because they failed to build up to it.

HOWEVER. I am not just a reader, I'm a scavenger. This stuff is GREAT for BB. The ending gave me the most important pieces I need, and now I know how BB!ASC is going to rework it.

But I'll not get ahead of myself; quickly, I'll just talk raw first impressions of the spoilers.

(As always, take this with a grain of salt and the knowledge that the spoilers may be incorrect. Opinions may change once I read the book myself.)

Splashstar is a garbage villain. He is absolutely bottom-tier for me.

His "amorality" comes out of nowhere and quite frankly he reads like a Chick Tract Evil Atheist.

I don't get how people can accept the way the characters call him "manipulative" when his plots are utterly brainless.

He is the type of naunceless evil that makes me want to hurl. Splash reads like a writer trying to "repeat" the evil of Tigerstar without any of the intelligence of early TPB.

Tigerstar was a RESPECTED warrior. He leveraged his standing in the Clan to secretly carry out his assassinations and forge alliances. He was established strong to begin with.

Splash is like cat-18 and able to kill-no-miss strong warriors with his Evil Jump, and then keeps the Clan in line by holding his siblings hostage.

It makes me not understand how he has ANY followers, because he has no consistent ideology or rhetoric.

Anything they did use (like claiming he'd make the Clans strong and saying tigerheartstar wanted to take over the whole forest or whatever) isn't consistent because they failed to establish these over the SIX BOOKS THEY HAD.

It feels like he was only a legitimate threat for like 2 out of 6 books

And then he's dead in chapter 13. Halfway through the story. Incredibly lame.

I want to reserve my judgement on the Frostpaw vs Splashstar battle, but it's absurd on its face. Harelight went down in 1 hit but Frostpaw musters all her strength to use his move and overcome him?

I have to see it first before I conclude if it's something I want to salvage though. Sometimes fights just come across better when you're reading them.

But on the note of battles, it's frustrating how bloodless this arc was. We started off with tigerHeartstar invading and occupying RiverClan-- yet we're looking at a total body count of 5, with one heart attack and one illness.

And speaking of deaths.

Whoever decided to give Berryheart a redemption death should get offscreen greencough.

UTTER shite. You have this whole arc with radicalization as a major theme, show Berryheart trying to brutally murder her in-law with a snake, grabbing at power desperately to the point where she CHANGED CLANS to be Splash's deputy, and decide that her ideal ending is "she would die for her baby :(((("???

Ffffuuuuuck yoouuuuuuuuuuuu

This is why we can't have good, nuanced villains, these writers trip over themselves the MINUTE they have a sad parent. It could never actually STAY about power or politics, they cant allow a parent to truly be willing to sacrifice their child for their own ends.

No matter how badly or violently they treated you, They're Still Your Parent. Hogwash. I'm sick to death of this thought-terminating cliche.

Being a parent does NOT automatically mean they'd die for you. They already did this earlier with Curlfeather, and the absolute insult it is to the theme of radicalization aside, having Berryheart repeat that sacrifical death cheapens hers.

Now it's not that CURLFEATHER is the one who would never go so far as to allow her daughter to die for her own ends, contrasting Berryheart. It's Just What Moms Do.

And furthermore if they were going to do a "redemption death," it REALLY sucks that they decided to have Berryheart refuse to kill Yarrowleaf and not FRINGEWHISKER.

It's not even indicative of GROWTH or RECONSIDERING HER BELIEFS or anything. She won't kill her SISTER.

It might have meant something to have a chance for revenge and refuse it, but nooooo. Yarrowleaf. My god. Yarrowleaf.

and don't @ me about Yarrow being ex-kin, they both joined and rejected it at different times.

All that said...

There are some things I like here!

Frostdawn and Whistlebreeze getting their names at the same time was really sweet. I like them a lot.

Sometimes a predictable choice is the right one. Icewing becoming leader is a good move. Icestar my beloved.

I'm personally excited to get to Icey's leadership ceremony in my own rewrite, the canon one was as fanservice-wanky as you'd expect of modern arcs but I LOVE rewriting those.

Though I would have preferred Froststar, I'm ok with this.

The fracturing of RiverClan is a great move. I love the idea of there being a mass exodus following these events. It's wild we haven't gotten that before.

While I bemoan the awful politics and lack of setup, I do LIKE the idea on paper of there being "ex-Splash Supporters" to cause problems in future arcs. Not that these writers know what setup and payoff is, but hey, more for me.

I liked the sort of desperate feel of Frostpaw being exhausted in StarClan and deciding if she wants to go back or not. Im a little iffy on how much other cats PRESSURE her, though.

I need to read the chapters myself but I fear that it might not read like her own choice, but another thing that she's being forced into.

Shut UP Tree why are you HEREEE

The part where they all point out that without her, RiverClan wont have a holy messenger and that's bad, fits the consistent way the writers try to portray StarClan as a good thing when they're really not... but.

I think it would have made a fascinating moment for Frosty to realize that SHE is the one who really holds the power in this situation. What spirituality is going to look like in the future of her Clan is in HER paws now.

They are absolutely going to toss this potential away, but I guess the things I like most about the ending are the ways it kinda softly threatens the status quo.

The fracture of RC and the exodus of cats, Frostpaw deciding she will return and fix RiverClan, Icestar accepting help from the other Clans to fix the camp...

It's not ALL bad, it's just that the negatives outweigh the positives and this is exactly the kind of ending I feared. I hope that this isn't just a tease of a change to the status quo, but I've learned to not get my hopes up.

And, lastly, Owlnose deputy and Nightheart's ending chapter are just straight up beyond parody. I can't even be mad, they're such bad moves they're funny to me at this point.

#asc spoilers #Star Spoilers #Bone babble #A Starless Clan #Warrior cats spoilers

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dapperapple · 6 months ago

Text

Mike's crush on El does not necessarily contradict him being gay rather than bi

I wanna start off by clarifying that if you see Mike Wheeler as bisexual rather than gay, THAT'S 1000% VALID don't let anyone take that from you babe

this is just my perspective as a lesbian who thought she was definitely straight until the end of 10th grade (age 16, a bit older than Mike and Will are in canon)

I was rewatching a lot of scenes from the show, mainly s2 and s3, to see if I thought that Mike's feelings for El came across as weird/forced or if their relationship felt off

and honestly it left me (a Byler shipper) pretty confused at first

because YES there are a lot of odd things about his feelings and their relationship

BUT ALSO

there are a few moments that are so cute and feel so genuine I didn't know what to do with them for a sec

mainly all the scenes where they're together at the Snowball dance

because that shit seems real to me, it's cute as fuck, that is a Mileven win right there if there ever was one

and honestly, the forehead touch when she and the Byers are about to leave, and again when they reunite in s4

dude that shit is so sweet okay

(Mileven shippers are valid even if I disagree with it for the narrative)

ANYWAYS here's where my personal experience comes in to help out with my confusion over this

Mike in s1 feels the most obviously comp-het to me

because I had a big crush on a boy in kindergarten, another in gr2/3

I didn't even know what gay people were, I knew girls liked boys, so if a boy was my friendly, and nice to me instead of mean, I probably would've liked him or thought I liked him

Mike in seasons 2-4 reminds me of myself in gr7/8

the most intense crush I had on a guy was in gr7/8

I was more used to being friendly with guys at this point but this guy was becoming a close friend of mine

a cute confident guy who was nice, funny, and taking an active interest in me as a person was like wooaahh

I really do believe that Mike unintenionally idolized El, putting her up on this pedestal, with his self esteem all wrapped up in her liking him back

but I also don't think that's his fault, when you're young you don't know any better

the pressure to date starts to increase a bit, and low self esteem is kicking your ass

I did the exact same thing with the guy I liked, I had this whole other version of him in my head and I started liking him less and less the more he didn't act like that ideal

(insert Mike's behavior towards El after she assaulted Angela)

even after I figured out that the kind of person and the kind of connection I wanted in a relationship was something I was far more likely to find with a girl, I still thought I was straight, so it just made me kind of sad

like- I had resigned myself to the fact that I would struggle to find a guy that I TRULY liked

maybe it was lingering internalized homophobia, idk, I had lots of gay friends, but I just hadn't felt that way about any girl at all before, I didn't think I was capable of being attracted to girls

and then there was her

we became very close friends, she was such a kind person, so fucking funny, an incredibly skilled artist, and absolutely gorgeous

and it finally clicked

finally my mind registered the fact that I COULD be attracted to girls

I still consider her my first love

and then there was no turning back

WHICH IS WHY

I wouldn't be surprised AT ALL if it takes Will coming out to Mike/the party in order for him to consider Will romantically

not because he isn't already in love with him subconsciously

but because I don't think he has registered it as a possibility for EITHER of them

moral of the story:

COMPULSIVE HETEROSEXUALITY IS REAL GUYS AND IT CAN FEEL MORE REAL THAN YOU'D EXPECT

especially since when you're young, the differences between boys and girls (both physically and how we're socialized) are much less apparent

MIKE WHEELER I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE (because me too!!)

#not to mention I asked out that girl not long after #because I'd never wanted to be with someone more than I feared asking them out before #mike wheeler i know what you are #mike wheeler is gay #mike wheeler loves will byers #mike wheeler #mike wheeler analysis #byler endgame #byler analysis #will byers #stranger things s5 #stranger things season 5 #stranger things

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prettywordsyouleft · 2 months ago

Text

Fancy

Pairing: Kim Junmyeon (Suho) x female reader

Genre: fluff

Tropes: holiday fling, lowkey instalove >_>

Warnings: --

Word count: 3479

Author’s Note: This is part of the song fic series I’m taking part in with @this-song-thats-only-for-you. We got Fancy by Twice for February, and this is my version based off the lyrics. To see Sem’s version, click HERE. And yes, we’re posting these stories much later than the month intended. Better late than never!

Nothing’s Over | Fancy | Zombie

“I’m out of my depth,” you proclaimed breathily, blinking wildly as you took in your new surroundings from the small window. This was a paradise you had never imagined. Slowly, you got up and went to the exit, still feeling numb from the immediate overwhelm you experienced when you arrived at your destination. A hand extended up to you and you looked away from the unreal view to take the proffered help from a steward assisting you and the other passengers of the amphibious aircraft down onto the jetty.

“The signboard at the last airport doesn’t do this place justice,” your childhood friend Mac agreed as he stepped down behind you, slinging an arm over your shoulders.

“How are we here?”

“Well,” Mac started, and you shot him a filthy look that made him grin. “You see that tiny little plane you were afraid to get on two hours ago behind us—oof!”

You elbowed him in the ribs and started to walk off, following the other travellers towards the island waiting at the end of the jetty. A staff member called out that the sand feels so magical that taking off your shoes was best to do before stepping onto the shore, so you kicked off your sandals and bent down to retrieve them.

You then glanced up at Mac. “Jennie isn’t this rich, surely.”

“It’s an almost private island, Y/N. I think she’s more than billionaire-level rich.”

A wheeze left you as you stepped down onto the pale blonde sand, feeling completely changed as the warmth enveloped your bare feet. Wow. This was paradise indeed.

“How could she hide her wealth from us all this time? We all rented the shittiest apartment together when we were in university. This makes no sense.”

Mac shrugged, not feeling any sting of betrayal like you were. “And yet here we are for the wedding destination of the year. Are they waiting over there with flutes of champagne for us? I’ve never had this type of perk upon arriving anywhere before.”

“You’ve never been flown into a tiny island for a wedding like this before either.” You eyed everything a little more cynically. “We only paid two thousand dollars to attend this.”

“And?”

“Look around Mac! This is utter paradise. This is mad! This is expensive.”

“Oh no,” he lamented, shaking you gently. “You’re not going to get hung up on the details, are you? Our best friend met the woman of her dreams. Now she’s getting married. We, as members of her bridal party need to get on board with her ideal wedding. She wanted something tropical and on the beach. It can’t get any better than this for Jennie.”

You sighed, knowing he was right. You wanted the very best for Mac and Jennie, but you also wanted answers. Nodding gratefully at the flute of bubbles handed to you, you craned your neck to see if your other best friend that you hadn’t seen in six months would suddenly appear before you and settle your nerves. Maybe there was some misunderstanding, some other way you had both ended up flying halfway across the world to this little island for less than you knew something like this had to cost.

Instead, you spent the next ten minutes listening to the head of staff on the island letting you and the eight others who had flown in with you about how the island ran. Whilst they had a heavy focus on nature and serenity, it was a resort all the same, with full amenities to promote relaxation and zen.

“Maybe we need to get you to the spa,” Mac murmured to you with a chuckle. “You’re not looking very zen.”

“I want to find Jennie.”

“For those here for the Mabell-Lorne wedding, please follow me in this direction,” a staff member suddenly gestured to a small pathway and you and Mac followed her. She smiled at you both. “We are still waiting on more wedding attendees to arrive today, but the hosts are up here. You are part of the Lorne bridal party, yes?”

“We are.”

“Excellent, I will organise you into your lodgings for the duration of the week, and then we can show you where those already here are relaxing today.”

You weren’t led to a large resort building, but rather, a pod-like village, all connecting to a boardwalk that sat near the beachfront. You laughed sharply, and Mac, who was uncharacteristically quiet too, wrapped his arm around you again. “This is insane.”

“This is our private cottage colony,” the clerk mentioned, gesturing to the buildings you were heading towards. “The whole wedding party will be located over here for privacy and easy commute to other attendees. The brides-to-be are staying in the cottage up the front here, and you both have been allocated a cottage to share a row back. Allow me to show you to it now.”

Another disbelieving laugh left you when you saw the luxurious cottage. Everything was high-end. There were two plush beds facing out to the sea through a window wall, a shower with three shower heads that was large enough for you both and even Jennie to share comfortably, and a waiting goodie basket full of branded chocolates, perfume, and another bottle of champagne.

“Okay, I’m suddenly on board with interrogating Jennie now,” Mac admitted after letting out a low whistle. You let go of your purse onto a bed and then marched back out to the waiting clerk who led you both to your best friend.

You saw the back of her first. She was laughing whilst leaning into her fiancée Cassida and your heart squeezed for the genuine love between the pair. However, Mac, now having caught up to your level of stress, called out and broke up the canoodling moment. “Oi, Jennifer Marie Lorne. You have some explaining to do.”

Jennie shrieked and turned, running at you and Mac, and your annoyance dissipated as soon as the woman held you both tightly to her body. “I’ve missed you both, oh my God.”

“I’ve missed you more,” you told her, as Mac patted you both on the back, his signature hug style.

“And I’m always glad to have women in my arms, but I have to know. How the hell did you pull this off, Jennie?”

Your best friend stepped back and allowed Cassida to hug you both whilst wringing her hands together. “So, uh. There’s something I need to tell you both about my family.”

The sun was finally setting in paradise, and you had spent the last few hours finding out that your best friend for the last ten years had been born into wealth. You and Mac had heaps of questions, but at the end of it all, being rich didn’t mean Jennie wasn’t the same person you thought she was. Well, mostly. You still were trying to wrap your head around the fact that her parents actually owned multiple island resorts just like this one, and that Jennie had wanted an authentic college experience fending for herself and not living like the elite she was.

You’d taken this information on board better than you initially felt you would, and the excitement of Cassida and Jennie’s wedding returned before long. You guessed you could see this week-long stint on a tiny island as a great way to relax before returning to reality after all this. In fact, you had just woken from a small nap and gotten ready for the first night of wedding festivities.

Dinner with the wedding party wasn’t too bad. Yes, you noticed the wealth radiating off certain people gathered there, but everyone was welcoming, and you didn’t feel out of place in your maxi beach dress that you had gotten on sale and not from a branded store. Mac had already charmed his way into the graces of Cassida’s very single cousin Lydia, forever finding his way through life with a smile on his face and adapting to any situation thrown at him.

You were more reserved, however, and made polite conversation where it mattered, trying to not monopolise all of Cassida and Jennie’s attention when they were wanted by everyone there to celebrate their love story. But you were thankful when the younger members of the group decided to head off to the club on the island to continue the night. Relaxing with your best friends and dancing for a couple of hours loosened you up, as did your second drink of the night. You weren’t buzzed, but your shoulders were no longer up by your ears, and you were laughing and having a good time.

You were on a romantic little island though. And there was a part of you, as you watched Mac cosy up with Lydia, and then Jennie and Cassida kissing as they danced, that made you look around the crowd. Maybe there could be someone here you could get to know. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet someone for an island fling, wasn’t it? How many of your other close friends were going to get married like this?

Searching the crowd again, your gaze snagged on a group of people who had been at another table during dinner. You hadn’t paid them much attention earlier, trying to keep up with conversation going around the table you were sat at instead, but now you were free to acknowledge the group more easily.

“What’s caught your eye?” Mac breathed heavily into your ear, wrapping a sweaty arm around your shoulders that you immediately shrugged off. “Or who? Don’t want your bestest best friend leaning over you in case you want to shoot your shot?”

“Y/N?” Jennie said with a laugh, shaking her head lightly. “There are calculated risks to everything, Mac.”

“Including dating. ‘I can’t possibly jump into anything that fast’,” he concluded, echoing words you had said years ago.

You rolled your eyes. “I can be spontaneous.”

“You over-plan everything.”

“You immediately grew cynical when we arrived here earlier,” Mac pointed out and you looked at him accusingly.

“Excuse me, but so did you!”

“Okay, so I should have told you both earlier in our friendship, but I never made friends, only people who wanted me for my status. I apologise!” Jennie claimed dramatically and you laughed whilst rolling your eyes. Jennie then grabbed your hand and pulled you to where she and Cassida were still dancing. “But we’re right, Y/N. You don’t just leap without checking what’s happening below.”

“Maybe I could here,” you announced, looking back over at the group from before. There was one man amongst them all that made your heart thud faster. Although he’d lost his jacket, his clothing screamed wealth, and you sighed a little, wondering if someone like you could still be attractive to anyone on this island. A little fun wouldn’t hurt, though. And if you could get away from your best friends, they could actually enjoy more romance themselves. You knew Mac was dying to make out with Lydia but kept near you just so you weren’t left out entirely.

You straightened your shoulders. “Actually, I know I can. I like someone already.”

“Holy shit.” Mac looked straight at Jennie, a hand coming to rest over his heart. “Is our baby bird ready to fly our nest, darling?”

“We’ve raised her well. It’s about time she wobbles on out of here.”

“I will not wobble. I can do this,” you told them both, catching the eye of the man in question and smiling at him. He looked you over from head to toe and returned his focus to your eyes, smiling back.

“Oh god.” Jennie tracked your focus. “Hey Y/N?”

“Hm?”

“That’s uh, my father’s best friend’s son.”

“Aim high baby!” Mac exclaimed with a wolf whistle.

“What’s his name?”

“Kim Junmyeon. His dad was at dinner with us. You know, the one I mentioned ran this island for my parents.”

“You mean, he lives here?”

Jennie frowned. “I think he lives here some of the year. Junmyeon helps run the place. He will take over when his Dad retires.”

You laughed lightly. “Of course, I would go for the most unrealistic option here.”

“He’s really nice,” Jennie supplied, and Mac rubbed your bare shoulders like he was warming you up for a round in the boxing ring. You guessed it was a bit like that with how your brain was already throwing punches at you to not proceed anywhere near the attractive man.

You rolled your shoulders under Mac’s hands, and he moved them to tap you playfully on the butt. “Atta girl. You’ve got this. I’ve watched you slay mediocre men in the office. Treat it like an interview.”

“Not like an interview,” Jennie breathed at the terrible advice, but you nodded decisively and started walking over to the group. Junmyeon stepped away from his friends to meet you halfway.

And of course, just before you reached his side, you did in fact wobble. How could you lose your footing when you didn’t even have any heels on or something to make you step poorly, to begin with, you didn’t know. One moment you were confidently moving towards the gorgeous man, and the next you were falling.

“Woah,” he breathed, reaching out to right you before you fell, and you gripped his forearms that were exposed by his rolled-up sleeves, sinking into the warmth of his body. They were firm, and you reluctantly loosened your hold when you felt stable enough.

“That was not how I was hoping to come over and say hello,” you admitted sheepishly, and looked up into his face. He was the brightest thing here under the stars of the outdoor club, especially when he grinned at your statement. You felt momentarily blinded, your heart thudding out three words in repetition.

I like him.

“It’s very memorable all the same. And you gave me the chance to show my chivalry.”

“I can’t take the moment from you then.”

“No, but you could tell me the name of the woman I just saved?”

“Y/N,” you said, lifting a hand away to hold out in greeting.

He slipped his palm against yours without hesitation. “Junmyeon. Are you here for Jennie’s wedding?”

“The one and only. Maid of honour, at your service.”

“You’re the best friend from college days that I’ve heard a lot about.”

You nodded. “One of them.”

“And how are you liking paradise?” he wondered, gesturing to the place around you without taking his eyes off yours.

“It’s like a dream.”

“Don’t want to wake up?” he wondered, and you smiled again.

“Definitely not right now.”

“It would be terrible if you did.”

You spent the rest of the night getting to know Junmyeon. At one point, your friends came over and joined you for a chat, and you marvelled at how easily Junmyeon fitted in with everyone. Of course, he knew Jennie and was able to share anecdotes of their childhood growing up. Not to be outdone, Mac was quick to supply your own memories, much to your horror when he talked about the time you marched into the swimming pool with your bikini top off so you could match him.

“I was six!” you exclaimed, leaning over to cover his mouth from spilling anything else. “I didn’t even have a chest to worry about covering up then.”

It wasn’t lost on you when Junmyeon tracked that you had something there worthy of keeping wrapped up now.

And when Jennie kissed you on the head and told you she would see you in the morning, and Mac declared that he would not see you until breakfast whilst following Lydia back to her cottage, you shifted further into the seat of one of the couches that lined the terrace that you had migrated to earlier.

Junmyeon leaned on his arm as he swivelled to look at you. “Not tired?”

“I’m not risking going to sleep just yet. It might disturb this dream I’m having.”

He laughed. “We don’t want that. How about we take a walk on the beach? Somewhere quieter than here?”

If you were back home right now, you wouldn’t dare go somewhere secluded with a man you had only met, but you didn’t think about it as you slipped your hand into Junmyeon’s, allowing him to pull you up and lead you away from the club.

There was an easy quiet between you both as he swung your linked hands back and forth whilst taking you down to the beach from a small trail marked between the trees and bushes. The ocean was calmly rolling in and out along the shore and you sighed with content. “How do you find living here? I wouldn’t be able to believe it’s real every day I woke up.”

“When I’m away from here for a while, it’s like that for a bit when I return,” he admitted, staring out at the sea. “I find cities hard to bear because of it.”

“The noise,” you replied, and he nodded.

“And the smell. I’m very lucky to live in such a natural environment.”

“Does it get lonely?”

He nodded softly. “We have guests all year round. So, it’s not that I’m only seeing the same faces. And the people who work for us do come and go. Paradise long-term isn’t for everyone.”

“Fancy things lose their shine, I’m sure.”

“It gets all very much the same. People who come here are generally from the same circles. They expect certain things from the people here.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s never real. The rich, they can be very ridiculous.”

You shot him an amused look. “Says someone wealthy.”

“Touche.”

“I work with people like that though. The façade of the office is exhausting.”

“Thankfully, you get to leave it behind at the end of the day. When you live in paradise, you don’t quite get to escape it.”

“Do you want to?”

“I just want something real. I want to feel more than I do.”

“I relate to that,” you admitted, taking a seat on the sand and Junmyeon dropped down beside you. “I’m not normally this forward.”

“No?”

“Gosh no. Back home, I’m pretty guarded. Mac can approach anyone and make a friend within five minutes. Not me.”

“You chose to come to me tonight.”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“I felt… something.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Like?”

“My heart picked up.” You couldn’t face him as you continued your confession, staring out at the ocean instead. “I thought this is someone I could like.”

“Huh.”

“And then I went and fell on you.”

“You sure you didn’t do that on purpose?”

“You do have impressive arms,” you replied with a laugh, and Junmyeon scooted closer.

“In this dream of yours, the one you don’t want to wake up from. What happens next?”

“Well,” you said, moistening your lips. “In dreams, you’re the bolder version of yourself, right?”

“Definitely.”

“Then I’m not going to be afraid to take your hand, like this.” Reaching out to take the hand that had held yours all the way down to the beach, you smiled when he rubbed his thumb over your skin softly.

“And I’ll tell you that I’d very much like it if you kissed me.”

Junmyeon’s lips were still smiling when they touched yours, but not for long. The kiss was slow and searching, both of you looking for more than the spark of attraction that had brought you together tonight. He tasted decadent, like chocolate melting in your mouth, and you moaned lightly when his tongue slipped in to meet yours, your free hand slipping up into his hair.

Eventually, he sat back, catching his breath. You noticed he still held your hand and smiled.

“Was that a good first kiss?”

“Probably the best I’ve had.”

“Well, I confess, I don’t just go around kissing anyone.”

“You mean, you don’t take a chance with every new group on this island here?” you teased, and Junmyeon nudged you playfully.

“Definitely not. I’m very glad you came over to me.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been looking at you all night and was about to move over to you when you did.” The moon lighting up his face in the night helped you see the pink tinge to his ears. Without thinking, you reached out to touch one of them, and Junmyeon sighed heavily.

“One week.”

“Don’t break the dream yet, Junmyeon.”

“Who’s to say that you’ll want to leave paradise too easily?” he wondered, and you leaned in so you were a breath away from his lips again.

“I really fancy you.”

“Good. Because the night isn’t yet over. I’m hoping I can make you keep telling me just how much you like me that after this wedding, there’s more than just one love story to share.”

_________________

[EXO Masterlist] | [Main Masterlist] | [Song Fic Collab Masterlist]

#kwritersworldnet #suho fanfic #suho fiction #suho scenario #suho fluff #junmyeon fanfic #junmyeon fiction #junmyeon scenario #junmyeon fluff #exo fanfic #exo scenario #exo fiction #exo fluff #kpop fiction #kpop fanfic #kpop fluff #prettywordsyouleft #song fic collab

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vespidclan · 2 months ago

Note

Idk why but Sparkbreak ( 500 ) from the Roleswap seems like the type of " player " that resets a bunch of times for the " best outcome " or will reset if their favorite character/cat dies in a patrol or moon skip.

That probably sounds insane so let me explain. Moth ( 404 ) seems to have the type of playstyle of someone who's trying to tell a story/stick to a certain rule list like for challenges. Ik it's all to make cat's suffer but she's very methodical ( like cm only players interested in story lore would headcannon their rng kitty to have psychology broken at the sight of their God and then moon reset until they get the Kill Yourself prompt (( now that I say that that sounds like shade at you I promise it's not )) )

But Spark ( 500 ) would have the playstyle of getting to attached to every cat within the small clan and not wanting anything to happen to them, so I see him resetting moons that have death in them, resetting when a patrol outcome results in injury/death, and other odd things ( like if the clans prey stores are low just coding in more or even turning it completely off ).

But tbh thinking about it this way, I'd hate ro like in a 500 world. Could you imagine watching a friend/sibling/parent/partner die right in front of you? Then in an instant your back in your nest at the start of the day and they come in the den bringing you food like always. You never starve because the pile is always full, but you take note that it's always full, and that even if every cat was hunting at all times, they still couldn't catch that much. You feel like you should've been dead a long time ago. You're an elder that's surpassed life expectancy, you're suffering but something won't let you die. You're his daughter, he'd never hurt you, but in helping you he is.

Sorry for the ramble I'm mentally ill

I liked reading this! And this is an interesting idea for reverse Spark/500 in the sense that he’s the opposite of 404. Maybe instead of becoming hateful of everyone and himself he sees it as an opportunity to protect everyone he loves from what horrors he’s witnessed, and not 404’s differing mindset of wanting to break others down because of the mentioned horrors.

This has its drawbacks of course—the cats in the clan, the favored ones at least, will basically be invincible to any obstacle. They’re healthy and well fed. They will have no memory of dying or being in pain because 500 made sure they could never die. Imagine if they saw someone they loved die, and in the next moon, they’re suddenly conversing with you like it never happened. Everything is perfect, but too perfect, in an uncanny and fake way. Maybe your inferior mind can’t pinpoint exactly what’s wrong with your life, but something is definitely not right.

What if 500 picks favorites like the ‘favoriting’ system the actual game has? What does he do with the cats he doesn’t like? Would Out Of Bounds be turned into a prison for those cats if they end up dead? Would he cause their deaths to stay out of their ‘perfect clan’? How would 500 deem which cat is more favorable? He’s extremely protective to who he loves… and that’s his biggest flaw. Everyone else will languish, because to him, that’s the way it should be for them.

Or think of this! If he really wants to… he could alter a cat completely. New personality, appearance, quirks, a completely different cat, and everything would change to fit his view so that you’re the ‘ideal version’. One moment, you’re yourself. Next moment, you’re unrecognizable to yourself. Good for him, probably good for others, but for you? You would never know.

So what we’re getting at is; 404 and 500’s way of managing the game is just another example of dystopias and utopias… Neither are favorable but that’s what’s fun! Two sides of the same coin, meddling with something that they shouldn’t in order to benefit themselves… I think they’d fit this song really well actually.

I did base his design off of AM! Since it’s something I didn’t really do for 404 and I still want him to be based off of the same things that inspired 404, but just enough so that he’s his own thing. His original sketch had him look way more similar to him, but I went for a more cat-like look instead

#vspc asks #au stuff #NO idea why I went hard with his design I adore it so much #I also accidentally cropped out schwip’s beautiful beverage pfp so sorry dude

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komoboko · 1 year ago

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𝐫𝐮𝐢 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

ft: platonic rui ayaki ・spider demon reader

tumblr totally ate up the ask I saw about rui with a big sister reader so I hope you find this anon 😭

we all know how much rui strives for any family figures to be apart of his life, so you can imagine how much he would cling to you. He doesn’t like straying far away from you and when he has to, he tends to get impatient itching to come back to you. He’ll space out and almost feel lost without your guidance, embracing the side of the actual kid he was before he was turned into a demon.

Speaking of transformation, rui was already close with you before both of you were turned into demons. He appreciated how much you helped him even if he felt like he was burden due to his illness. Your reassurance definitely persuaded him to keep pushing, even if he couldn’t due as much as he pleased. None the less he still liked to help around the house almost as a way to show how grateful he was for you in the first place.

When muzan comes around and ends up turning both of you into demons, you still tried to shush his cries even if you were scared out of your mind. While rui can’t remember this moment clearly due to his human memories dampening and fading in and out of his mind, he can still feel the relief and joy that you were still there with him despite your unfortunate circumstances.

Now having the power to be more active then before rui totally takes advantage of it. He’ll bug you through any point of the day to play children’s game like tag or hide and seek all around the mountain with him.“to make up for the past.” is what he says but you know deep down he just wants to be a kid again. He tends to cheat in those games more times than you can count though… so he might cause you a bit of trouble here and there.

You stalk around the dark forest moving slowly but carefully as your eyes dart around any corner of the forest you could see. While the atmosphere around the area felt like something ripped out of a murder scene, the real intentions were much more lighthearted. You’ve been dragged into playing hide and seek with rui for an hour, it wasn’t like you haven’t seen him yet. Rui just cheekily decided to change the rules to play hide and seek tag instead of the tradition hide and seek.

A sigh escapes your lips as your breath lingers in the air before you plop down to the ground, defeated and giving up with chasing the demon around the entire forest. “Rui! It’s about time we stop playing around, we’ve been doing this for an hour.” You yell out as your voice echos in the forest, followed by a cheeky and mischevious laugh in response.

You can hear silk and webs creep towards your direction as you can already predict who’s coming down to meet you.

“You gave up already? we just started you know.” rui says with a cheeky grin only to be smacked in the head as you silent revenge.

Not to say rui doesn’t like just to spend moment in comfortable silence. One of his most favorite things to do is just sit in silence while you both weave and create large patterns and design out of spiderwebs that decorate the tree tops. Rui likes making different animals with them, but he really likes when you make stories through the webs. Almost like the demon version of shadow puppets or pop up books.

You get along with the spider family quite well!! They all in general enjoy your company and are reliable if you ever needed helpy with anything. You can’t help but sympathize for them, like spider sister for example. You often have to tell your brother off for being so harsh on the demons, so the whole spider family is grateful you save them from Rui’s anger from time to time.

Muzan doesn’t mind you around eithe. While it wasn’t ideal to turn you into a demon at first, you keep rui in check so he tolerates you to say the most. Rui grateful that the demon king can even tolerate letting you live in the first place. He likes taking you on mission, he’ll get bored when you’re not there so he claims he just needed your help when in reality he just wants to be around you.

While rui can be a pain to deal with, no doubt about it. He’s just a kid who wants to make up for the time he lost in the past, he truly does appreciate you got what you’ve done for him. He can’t help but admire the fact he had a role model in his life that is his big sister

#@.komoboko writes #kimetsu no yaiba #kny #kny fluff #kny x reader #demon slayer #demon slayer x reader #fluff #headcanon #x reader #platonic #rui ayaki #rui kny #rui ayaki x reader #platonic fic

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eyesanddragons · 2 years ago

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Albatross, Animus Dragons and Preventable Tragedies

(Also Known as: This tragedy was not inevitable, let's talk about responsibility)

(CWs: Murder, Abuse)

So, Legends Darkstalker as a book has a lot of thoughts about fate and inevitability. Clearsight and Darkstalker try and fail to create an ideal future for the both of them, Fathom is scared that he can't prevent his animus magic from destroying is soul, and the readers know how all of this is going to end since Legends Darkstalker is a prequel to Arc 2.

In the midst of all this talk about inevitability and fate we have...Albatross. Someone who we've known about since Arc 1 and know how his story ends. He causes the Royal Seawing Massacre, his magic allegedly "driving him insane." What's interesting about Albatross is that when you really look at his life, this historical version of it falls short in many ways. The retelling of his life leave out important context, and notably, scrub any idea that someone or multiple someones might have caused him to act like this.

It's Albatross' fault in the end, it's his fault for losing control, his fault for being "insane."

But if we take an actual look at the story in Legends Darkstalker you find that this really isn't the case.

Albatross found out he was an animus in a very...unpleasant way. He enchanted a shell to bite the claws off his sister, Sapphire. This event was deeply traumatic and would stick with Albatross for his entire life. You might be wondering why Albatross didn't fix Sapphire's claws considering his powers and I'll get to one of the reasons in a bit since it's very important to what I'm trying to say, but @/kinkajouwof breaks it down over here.

In short, most likely the reason why Albatross didn't fix it at the start is due to uncertainty if he really Could do it and because Albatross and Sapphire were terrified.

The reason more important to my point though is that Lagoon Actively Benefited from this fear. When Lagoon became Queen she would hold this action over Albatross whenever he was unwilling to do things to guilt him into following what she wanted him to do.

"This is a waste of time, Lagoon," he said. "Nobody ever tested me, but we figured out quickly enough what I could do. If any of them have a shred of power, surely they would of known by now. Or it will become obvious, sooner or later." "I'd prefer sooner," the queen said silkily. "If we find another animus in the tribe, that would make us twice as powerful, which would be quite useful given how the Mudwings and Rainwings have been behaving lately. And the earlier we find her, the sooner you can start to train her, and the sooner I can start to use her." "Besides," she added in a lower voice, so Fathom had to strain to hear her, "I think we would all prefer to discover our next animus in a less...dramatic fashion than you were discovered. Don't you?" Albatross flinched, just slightly. He cast a skeptical eye across the young. "My power is more than enough for whatever you need. I've given you everything you've asked for, haven't I? And I don't want an apprentice."

Afterwards Lagoon commands Albatross to start the test but you can see what I mean. Lagoon actively threatens Albatross and Exploits Him, and wants to find Other Animus Dragons to Exploit. He is not just a Subject to Lagoon, he is an Object to Lagoon. Non-sexual objectification.

She plans to do the same thing to another animus, Lagoon's rule was built on Exploiting the powers of the people she could Control. She wants to find them young so she could mold them into the tools she wanted them to be earlier. She wants to condition them to treat themselves as objects Now.

This treatment comes to a head during the banquet. Where Lagoon once again holds what happened to Sapphire over his head, while also threatening to Replace Him.

"Here is our first animus," Queen Lagoon said to the Skywings, who seemed to have figured that out themselves, judging by the looks of terror on their faces. "My brother, Albatross. We were just talking this morning about what his next project should be. I'm thinking big this time. Something that makes me invulnerable, perhaps. Or something that kills any dragon who might be a threat to me." Beyond Albatross, over the couches, Splash stiffened, and Fathom saw her crush one of the hibiscus blossoms between her claws. He glanced around and saw his father put a wing around Manta, who had gone pale. "Yes," Albatross said. "Although you recall I wasn't exactly enthused about any of those ideas." "Then it's lucky you're not my only animus dragon," Queen Lagoon said coldly. Fathom felt a shiver all the way down to the tip of his tail. If she asked him to do a spell like that, would he? Would he obey his queen and put his own mother in danger? Or disobey her, and perhaps put everyone he cared about in even worse danger? What would she do to Indigo If I ever said no to her? Albatross stopped right in front of the queen, snout-to-snout with her. Fathom couldn't read his face. He looked as though he'd been carved from stone, any emotions chipped away. "Do you think you're done?" Queen Lagoon said to him softly. "Do you think you'll ever be done atoning for what you did to Sapphire? It's not going to end Albatross. You'll always be mine."

This is a bit of a blunder on Lagoon's part since Albatross Kills her! She's revealed that she is Never going to let him go, that no matter how hard he works he's never going to escape. No matter what he does he will be an Object to her. Fight, Flight or Freeze, stay here and be worked to death killing hundreds of people or Escape Now.

And Albatross...chose Fight.

Note that Albatross literally says right here that he doesn't Want to make Lagoon Invulnerable, he doesn't Want to give her the power to kill people.

When he starts killing other people it's not because he became ax-crazy. He killed the Queen, no matter how horrible and cruel she was their all going to defend her...and they've never thought about him. They've never cared for him. To them he was also an Object.

So...he kills them too.

Now I'm not saying He should of killed all those people, murder is bad actually. But this is a Consequence of Lagoon and the rest of Seawing society's actions. This is the direct, real, bloody consequence of treating a person like an object designed to serve their every whim.

This wasn't something he was doomed to be, this is something that has a tangible cause and effect. The system and the way it treated him is What Caused This.

Except, none of the Seawings who survived Want to face that. They don't Want to accept responsibility for that. Why should they accept the responsibility and guilt of having lead one of their own to believe that murder was the only way to escape a truly horrific and abusive situation...when they have a perfectly convenient scapegoat. Remember...Albatross is an object. Lagoon died, not because she perpetuating a horrible abusive situation that her society allowed her to do due to the absolute power she was given, but because she handled Albatross Improperly. Animus magic is just a dangerous thing, and the people who can use it are dangerous tools. This isn't Their Fault for treating a person like an object, it's the fault of improper usage of a tool.

It's a more convenient story for everyone...except for Fathom who proceeds to be treated horribly and drown himself in guilt and shame for being Dangerous.

Seawing Society caused something horrible and instead of trying to fix it, turned their backs and pretended they did nothing wrong. When we see Anemone their doing the Exact Same Thing to her. She is an object, a weapon of war, and she will be treated as such. Anemone believes she's doomed to become evil and almost Kills her family out of the belief that she is doomed to become a mass murderer.

Albatross' Massacre was preventable, and that's what makes it tragic.

#wof #wings of fire #wof albatross #wof anemone #wof meta #been a hot minute!#I get really frustrated whenever people treat Albatross as doomed to be evil #he really isnt

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mama-qwerty · 1 year ago

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Understanding SCU Knuckles

Okay, one of the big things I keep seeing a lot of people bring up is the fact that movie!Knux talks about being a warrior all the time, and how different he is from other characterizations of Knuckles, specifically the games and comics. He doesn't seem to care about guarding the Master Emerald, and always seems ready to jump into things fist-first.

So I thought I'd do a deep dive into his psyche to see what truly makes him tick.

Buckle up, this'll get long.

Before I start, I wanna just put it out there that I headcanon the SCU is a separate universe from any other Sonic media. I actually take ALL Sonic media as separate universes--Boom is separate from Prime, which is separate from the SCU, which is separate from the games, which is more connected to but still separate from the comics. They're all different, which means the interpretation of the characters will be different too, to varying degrees.

The Knuckles of the SCU isn't like any other version. He wasn't born and raised all alone on Angel Island. He wasn't always the last of his kind. He wasn't essentially raised with the knowledge of what the Master Emerald truly is, and understood his role as its protector and guardian. He wasn't completely removed from what happened to all the other echidna, all those many years ago. He doesn't have the benefit of hindsight, to recognize that the warrior ways of the echidna were what ultimately led to their own demise.

Movie!Knux knew his tribe. He was raised by them. They were still in the middle of a war with the owls, so yes, they would still be warriors. That was what he strived for, too, because he's been raised on the stories of his people, with likely a heavy slant toward the "we did nothing wrong!" angle of what happened all those years ago. (And honestly, we don't have a completely unbiased story on what truly happened back then, so who knows what the actual truth is. But, anyway.)

He lost his tribe to that very same war. All of them. As a very small child. One who was then thrust into a dangerous galaxy, whether willingly or unwillingly, to figure out how to survive and try to complete the quest of his people. That was the only thing driving him, the only thing keeping him going. That quest.

So yes, being a warrior was, and is, a very important aspect of how he sees himself. That was his people's legacy--how they worked to retrieve the ME and regain the honor that had been stolen from them all those generations ago. Seeing this mindset through the eyes of a small child, he would accept that as being the way he should carry himself as well.

Movie!Knuckles has been living in survival mode for most of his life. He felt a tremendous amount of pressure to find the Master Emerald and complete the quest of his lost tribe. He was all that was left, it all fell to him, and failure meant his entire race died for nothing.

Fighting is what kept him alive. He didn't have the luxury of staying out of conflict, like game!Knux. He didn't have the advantage of being on a nearly inaccessible floating island, surrounded by harmless chao and flickies and other critters as he grew up. Movie!Knux was hunted and forced to fight in arenas for the entertainment of others. He fought, or he died. It was that simple.

And, it could be, over time the idea of what an echidna warrior was became warped in his head. He only had his memories of a young boy of about 6-ish to guide him as to what an echidna warrior stood for. Being out in the galaxy and having to fight for survival may have gotten the ideal of "being a warrior and fighting for a cause" confused with "everything requires a fight to solve".

He calls himself a warrior because he wants to keep his people's legacy alive. He wants to make his ancestors--his father--proud of him, by carrying on their tradition and honor.

He lived his life how he thinks they would have wanted, based on his memories as a child who lost everyone he loved.

He fought. He survived. He searched to complete that one quest that had plagued his people for generations. And when he finally, finally got his hands on the Master Emerald, he had this look:

This is not the look of a brave warrior, proud to have finally finished his quest.

This is not the look of a proud warrior, celebrating his victory after so many years.

This is the look of a boy, who'd lost everything he held dear, because of the pursuit of this little rock.

This is the look of a boy who thinks "Is that all? Is this truly what cost his entire tribe, his entire clan, his entire race, their lives? Was this rock truly worth the sacrifice made in its name for all those years?"

Maybe part of him hates the Master Emerald. Hates that the single focus his people had with it is what left him all alone. It was well hidden on Earth, tucked beneath the waves of a secret temple. The very second it was found, someone he trusted used it to cause great destruction and harm.

He had caused great destruction and harm in his own pursuit of it. However noble he believed his own goals were, he had behaved in ways he may be ashamed of now, all because of the belief that the Master Emerald belonged back in echidna hands, by any means necessary.

And now look.

The sacred temple, destroyed. Green Hills, partially destroyed. Sonic and his guardians, very nearly killed.

All because of this rock.

All because of him.

No one would have ever found the ME if he hadn't come looking for it. He nearly brought the same fate as his people unto the heads of who knows how many others.

All for this little rock.

Remember that the legend indicated that the Master Emerald was created from the chaos emeralds. The ME shattered, releasing the chaos emeralds that allowed Sonic to go Super. When Sonic released the chaos emeralds at the end of the fight, he scattered them throughout the world, and severed their connection to the ME in the process.

It's very possible no one really considers the Master Emerald to have any power itself. It was simply the container that held the smaller emeralds with all the power, and once they were released, the ME itself was simply a pile of crystal shards. Knuckles reformed the ME, but at this point, there's no reason to believe it holds any power at all.

youtube

When Knuckles fixes the ME, he doesn't say that the emerald itself is a threat to the safety of the universe. He doesn't say they needed to band together to prevent others from using the emerald's power to cause harm. He says they needed to use their power to keep the universe safe. This is a very vague statement, and does not indicate to me that he's looking at this as a "This emerald is a danger, we must keep it out of evil hands at all costs."

At no point in the series did Knuckles make any mention of the Master Emerald as a source of great power. (At least I don't think he did.) He simply said he had sworn his life to protect it. It's possible he looks at it as simply a totem of his people, a reminder of their fall. A sacred relic that is tied so firmly to his people's history, he feels responsible for keeping it safe and well-guarded. His people all died going after this thing, so he will honor their deaths by keeping it near.

So it's not surprising movie!Knuckles isn't all about guarding the ME and never letting it out of his sight. It's a dead rock, one that holds no power at all. An heirloom that carries his tribe's history, and that's all.

The series picks up very shortly after the second movie, so Knuckles is still leaning really hard into his warrior status. It's all he knows, it's what will keep his people alive in his own heart. Just because he's not constantly on the run anymore doesn't mean he can simply stop doing what's essentially ingrained in him at this point.

He's spent his whole life on the move. Training, fighting, questing. He's a work dog who can't adjust to life as an indoor companion pooch. He needs something to do.

He's a warrior, and a warrior doesn't just relax. So he's not gonna just sit around and make his entire life revolve around the Master Emerald.

Yet.

Keep in mind that we haven't seen the entire story of the SCU yet. Just because he's still leaning into the warrior thing now doesn't mean he always will. It doesn't mean he won't have some epiphany or vision or just a change of heart after some time in the Wachowski's care, and realize that being a warrior maaaybe isn't the best path for him at this point. That maybe that part of his life is done, and although he'll still need to fight when necessary, he is free to pursue other interests now. That he doesn't have to live his life according to what his people would want or deem appropriate.

I don't believe he's actually grieved for his loss yet. Not fully. I think a part of him always felt like an open wound because the ME was still out there, still tainting the memory of his people. And now that he has it, and is on a planet that allows him to feel safe, he'll be able to work through those emotions. Work through that grief and maybe discover who he is, apart from his people and their legacy.

The fundamental aspects of what makes Knuckles who he is is still within movie!Knux. In the series he told Wade that he had been betrayed over and over and over again, which indicates that even though he was in a rough and dangerous galaxy, he tried to trust others. He tried to make friends. But each time he did, they betrayed him. But that didn't stop him from trying again.

We saw glimpses of a different Knuckles in the series. One who opened up to others. One who cared about others. One who acted like the boy he was, instead of the hardened warrior he thought of himself as.

Movie!Knuckles needs time to figure out who he is now that his quest is over. Change doesn't happen overnight, and given his backstory, it makes sense for him to still hold onto that warrior title with both fists. He's an echidna, the last echidna, and he doesn't want to turn his back on what he remembers his people to have been.

I'm eager to see how he'll behave in the 3rd movie.

#knuckles the echidna #scu #sonic movie 2 #Youtube

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yuseirra · 7 months ago

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I really enjoy drawing them as gods! :) I'll keep drawing this version too while I can (and even after things clear up~)

I jotted about these guys earlier AGAIN and it's so funny, I'll put it in the read more

(was written in another language, translated in bulk by chatgpt~)

I set up my tablet to draw all weekend and started listening to Fatal again.

Seriously, this song… it’s just Kamiki, saying, “I can’t live without Ai~~ I want to see Ai so badly… Without her, I’m really going to die, I feel like I’ll die—what am I supposed to do?” That’s exactly what it sounds like.

It’s like Ai is Ame-no-Uzume, and Kamiki is her husband. He’s like a god who lost his wife and went completely insane. I can’t hear it any other way, seriously. If this isn’t the case, I’d be so disappointed! There’s just no other explanation for all the bizarre situations in the story. Every time I hear this song, I feel like I’m losing my mind because of this interpretation…

This isn’t Aqua. Right now, Aqua let go of his wish for Ai and is sinking deeper as he saves Ruby. No, it’s Kamiki who’s crying about not being able to live without Ai, wanting to see her that badly. What are we supposed to do with him? Why does he love Ai this much? (To be fair, the backstory is there. Watching his character unfold, I thought, "Yeah, it makes sense he’d fall for Ai.” Even before the song and Chapter 154 came out, I was certain of it.) He’s the only character who’d have such a “lack of Ai.” He lost Ai, and now he’s like, “My destiny is to get her back!” I’m sure that’s what’s driving him. He studied science in college, built a company, and went around doing all these things while telling himself, “It’s my fault, my fault,” and witnessing people dying. Seriously… what is this?

And his eyes—I feel they were originally golden, but it feels like something mixed in because of that black star, which changed the color. His eyes look so murky. I don’t think they were meant to be purple. Every other character has clear eyes, but whenever they show his in the anime, his color is cloudy, almost like something else is mixed in.

The Hoshino family’s eye colors connect to their names, but Kamiki’s name means “light,” so why the sudden purple? It could be, but his eyes look so cloudy, and no other character’s eyes have that quality. He’s not in his right mind… he really seems possessed. And why are the lyrics like this? Why do they have this meaning? If this isn’t revealed, I’m going to seek out the author myself. It’s almost funny. This song is just so strange.

It sounds like constant crying—a song of intense longing, he’s losing his mind. Once again, this isn’t Aqua’s emotional arc. Kamiki’s emotions are ten steps deeper than Aqua’s, maybe even more unhinged. He literally seems unable to live without Ai. But this makes sense if they’re a divine couple; they literally can’t function without each other. They need to be together, which even aligns with the things Kamiki says in the story. He was hers and she was his- What is he, really? He isn’t your average person. He’s genuinely strange. What he does is something that can't just be explained with charisma or “because he’s charming.” No, Ai and Kamiki must have originally been gods.

Honestly, Kamiki must be a god who was deeply devoted to his wife, driven to madness because people killed her. That’s why Aqua was assigned to dunk him into the sea to get him… This storyline would make so much more sense if this is it.

Ai must be crying in heaven if she sees what’s become of her husband. It’s so absurdly tragic. I feel like this direction would make more sense. I mean, what kind of story would it be if Kamiki were just “the bad guy”? We already know he was fundamentally a good person. How could an ordinary person even do all these things? I know the setting is modern, with cell phones, electronics, law enforcement, etc. But honestly, people buying into this guy’s ideals to this degree is baffling. He could only pull this off if he were a god.

Fatal… I’m sure I’ve shared my thoughts on this song countless times, but every time I listen to it, I feel like I’m one step closer to understanding its meaning. This song’s emotions are just so Kamiki. If this is Kamiki, though… well, he must really have loved Ai. He’s struggling so much, and you can really feel what it means to not be able to live without someone. He simply can't bear it. That’s how strong his love is.

At this point, can’t we just let him meet Ai again already? He fell apart because he couldn’t see her, even though he wanted to so badly. Was he really at fault for all of this? Is he actually responsible for Ai’s death? I don’t think so… If Ai had been there, he probably wouldn’t have ended up like this.

We need to find out the real reason Ai died, don’t we? This song has to mean something, right? There has to be a reason this song came out. I wouldn’t have started down this path if I didn’t feel I already knew the answer. If I were the author, I’d never make a character who wants to see Ai so desperately into her killer. Maybe Kamiki has some godly power that became unstable out of his anxiety, causing the chain of events that led to her death, but...

Now that we know Ai truly loved Kamiki, I can’t believe he’d even lay a finger on her. It just doesn’t fit his character or story. His behavior shows he isn’t capable of that. This is the same person who couldn’t even retaliate against people who treated him horribly, even those he cared less about than Ai. He was a kind person.

Looking at Kamiki’s consistent behavior, there’s always this gentleness, almost peacefulness. Even if he’s lost it now, that gentleness seems closer to his true nature. I feel like something forced its way into him and twisted him.

The person Ai loved was probably this part of Kamiki, the gentle exterior. If you look at it, it makes sense why she’d fall for him. He’s fundamentally that kind of person, but something happened to him.

I’m rarely wrong about things like this… There aren’t many chapters left now, so if I’m wrong, I’ll just take it as it comes.

Was Kamiki really the kind of person Aqua could treat that way? Honestly, I wasn’t satisfied watching the interactions between Tsukuyomi and Aqua. It didn’t feel good to watch them connect and talk sympathetically. Plus, if it turns out Ai loved someone who was truly insane, that’s another problem.

If Kamiki really did do horrible things, it would make more sense if they were god-level punishments from a god who went insane. If he were just a regular boy who lost it and became a serial killer… what even is that? That would be so disrespectful to people who have similar backgrounds. For a character like this, I feel like there should be a certain amount of care in how he’s handled. Otherwise, I'd really be upset. I’m sure the author understands that.

Anyway… it feels like the answer’s already in the song. Like the answer’s already been given. There aren’t many chapters left, so I guess we’ll find out soon.

#oshi no ko #hikaai #oshi no ko spoilers #hikaru kamiki #ai hoshino #doodle #spoilers #this comic is ridiculous #they better wrap it up in a convincing way. I'm watching #oshi no theories

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akhillaous · 5 months ago

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@wlfhardinc here’s my response to the jayvik and patrochilles post! it was too long for a comment section sorry 😓

I can understand a few of your points if we are only discussing the Song of Achilles versions of Achilles and Patroclus but I disagree overall. I think their stories are not all that similar in terms of character ideals and dynamics and given their circumstances I don’t expect them to be either. Additionally I think some of the parallels you mentioned are wrong. For example; you say that Patroclus has no fighter genes but that’s simply not true. Both him and Achilles were formidable opponents and Patroclus did train to fight he just didn’t do so in the same Achilles did. I can’t remember if song of achilles has him as a fighter or not it’s been so long since I’ve read the book but regardless he does still fight very strongly at the end so this point makes no sense. There is no reason to try and relate season one Viktor to Patroclus by making Patroclus seem weaker in comparison.

Another point you mentioned is that they both have the same principles which is also just… not true. Achilles does vow not to kill Hector so he won’t die in turn but he also refuses to fight in the war wholly. I don’t see how this could align with either Jayce nor Viktor’s principles. To my understanding, Jayce and Viktor want to use their invention to better the world and by the end they advocate for an independent Zain which are very admirable goals they are aiming to accomplish a lot of things. These goals are not so similar to Patroclus and Achilles’. Achilles joins the war to gain everlasting glory because it is prophesized that he will gain it if he fights, something he’s been training and preparing his whole life to do. Whilst at the war he gets increasingly agitated with the way things are handled and feels that this war is not worth sacrificing his life over anymore if he won’t gain adequate glory in return and the Trojan people have done nothing to him personally so this isn’t his war to fight. Patroclus does not indulge in the war but he repeatedly berated Achilles for being selfish and sustaining from fighting while their comrades are dying on the battle field. Both Patroclus and Achilles are trapped in a war they no longer want to be in. Forgive me if you’re trying to say something different and I misunderstood but I don’t really see a connection between these principles?

The point you mentioned with the women Briseis And Deidameia is kind of pointless because the circumstances in which those women met those men are completely different. Briseis was not in love with Patroclus in original mythology and she was basically just their slave. Patroclus was kind to her in the original text but Briseis should not be considered as a romantic or platonic option for either of them because she has no ability to consent to any relationship. Also Deidameia and Achilles’ marriage was out of love in the original myth and Madeline Miller’s decision to make Deidameia sexually assault Achilles is very misogynistic as it simply villainized Deidameia so readers are more inclined to like Patroclus and Achilles together. This could be similar to Mel and Jayce however it would only similar because it’s a heterosexual ship and Mel and Jayce are both more prominent and powerful figures like Achilles and Deidameia were.

For season two you mentioned that Achilles and Viktor have the same principles which is again, no true. Achilles does get high on the glory he receives but that does not in any way parallel viktor’s ascension or whatever the hell it was that he did idk he went crazy in season two. Viktor starts a new ideology and quite literally creates a cult because he believes in a certain higher purpose/power. Achilles simply refuses to fight because Agamemnon is incompetent as a leader and he feels that fighting is beneath him now if it is for a leader such as Agamemnon. So I don’t really understand the similarities here either because they aren’t really there? Achilles goes crazy at the very end of the Iliad when Patroclus is killed and it is not that he goes crazy with like newfound knowledge or extraterrestrial power like Viktor he goes insane with rage. He makes a bloody mess of the battlefield during it and has no care of his own life or anyone else’s. If anything this is more like Jayce in season two when he returns back. I guess you could say Jayce and Patroclus both sacrificed themselves but Patroclus was not planning on dying or sacrificing himself he was simply just killed by Hector at the hands of Apollo. The last point is pretty sad I’d say I’d agree with that.

I know that I’m probably coming off really strong right now so please don’t take to offense anything I’ve said I’m simply far too fixated on Patroclus and Achilles. 😭 I only asked because I didn’t really understand what parallels you were trying to draw and in your explanation post it’s very clearly you were only referring to the TSOA versions of the characters which I already have problems with in multiple ways regarding characterization so just off the bat I was already disagreeing with many of the points made because I feel that if TSOA doesn’t represent them correctly than neither can and explanation using the TSOA versions. Overall I think patrochilles have to be mischaracterized in order for this parallel to work and most of the parallels even then are shallow. And that’s alright! Jayvik don’t have to be similar to Patrochilles to be tragic they are vastly different and that’s a good thing. It would be boring if we had the same ships and dynamics all the time.

With all that being said I appreciate that you took the time to go into depth with your thoughts. I’d suggest reading Fagles’ or Wilson’s translations of the Iliad if you want more of Patroclus and Achilles or you could play the hades game where they have a very heartwarming story!

#achilles #patrochilles #trojan war #arcane #jayvik #jayce talis #viktor arcane #eli speaks #absolutely no negative feelings towards op I simply just had a lot of thoughts about this

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