#personally it’s not a nice feeling when one friend is clearly suffering but just offers up these excuses every single time you invite them

[jessiescock]

yeah lets all lie to our friends and never adress any problems we’re experiencing that’ll be best for everyone

[cupcakeslushie]

I dont usually send asks, mostly cause im shy and don’t know what to say lol, but I wanted to share my appreciation for your Kendratello AU, cause it’s helped me recognize a toxic relationship in my own life.

I’ve never been a victim to SA or anything of the likes, so I can’t say I’ve been EXACTLY in Donnie’s place, but something that unsettled me early on when reading your AU was how…NICE Kendra would seem when alone with Donnie.

In a lot of media, especially in the media I saw growing up, the manipulative antagonist almost always had very obvious tells that show they’re evil when interacting with the victim. Maybe they’re talking about committing a very clearly villainous deed, keep the protagonist prisoner, something like that. But Kendra didn’t. Well, not always.

Kendra destroyed Donnie from the foundation up, and then rebuilt him back up to be who she wanted him to be, would punish him but then spin the situation around to be his own fault, but the rest of the time she would seem kind.

Only recently have I realized that someone very close to me has been toxic for most of our lives, and the reason it took me this long to realize it was because they would treat me kindly only until it became in their own interest to act otherwise. But I would take it, because I loved them and didn’t want to hurt their feelings, and I assumed that since they loved me, they wouldn’t ACTUALLY (emotionally) hurt me.

Spoiler alert: they did.

I’m not going to get much more into it, but your AU’s been very comforting to me ever since this happened, because it’s helping me come to terms with the fact that what happened wasn’t my fault just because our relationship seemed nice most of the time.

Your depiction of Kendra manipulating Donnie so realistically, and Donnie slowly but surely realizing that Kendra was hurting him is so powerful, and I thank you for that.

I’m so happy for you Anon 💚💚

It’s good to see these patterns, and depending on how toxic the relationship is, to speak up for yourself, or cut the person out, if they are unwilling to change.

Kindness is often a tool used by manipulators. But the biggest thing to ask yourself is exactly what you saw. Is this person only nice to me when they need something from me? And if so, then this isn’t real kindness. Good for you for knowing your worth!!

⚠️

sa related ask and discussions of very toxic relationships…

Personal experience rambling below. Toxic friendship and sa mention.

I’ll only be discussing this once, here, in this post. So I’m afraid if I get anyone asking for further info, I’m not going to reply /lh

I’m very sorry for what you’ve gone through. I hope you can find what you need to heal. Everyone’s traumas are so different, so please if you can, and haven’t already, speak to a professional that will give you help catered to you.

But I do want to immediately answer your question and say, yes, I have healed, for the most part. It took a lot of work and self-reflection that I didn’t want to do, because it was scary. But when I finally talked to someone, and realized I needed to take action in order to heal, that was when the process started.

For years, I thought my only options were to suffer in silence, and that what happened to me was my own fault, because towards the end, I was consenting. But I didn’t understand how my mindset and self worth had become so twisted.

My person (let’s call him J) was one of my best friends growing up. But as he got older, and more interested in…mature things, he changed. J would only ever agree to hang out together unless I offered to give him something to make it worth his while. Eventually I started to think these acts were all I was good for, as that’s all that made him happy to be around me. Pretty soon, J didn’t even have to push the ideas onto me. He only had to act uninterested or busy, and I would sit there and beg to do whatever he wanted.

The idea of rejection grew to be so painful and terrifying as he was one of only two friends that I had (the other being his sister. So if I lost one, I was so scared to lose the other). And I’d recently lost one of my closest childhood friends. Which he often used her cutting contact with us in his manipulations as well.

(It wasn’t until years later that she contacted me through Facebook and revealed that it was J that made her feel too uncomfortable, and as she already lived two hours away from us, and only visited once a year, it was just easier for her to cut off contact. I don’t blame her now, but without that knowledge, the thought that it was something I did, only helped J manipulate me.)

As I grew older, and I got better friends, I started to learn just how much I’d been pushed into only ever doing what he wanted, and how one sided of a relationship it was. He moved away, and that distance I was so scared of became a reality. But it was the best thing to ever happen. I still wonder what would’ve happened if he’d stayed in town. If we might’ve gotten married or if I would’ve finally stood up for myself. But all that matters is he is gone. There is always the danger of him coming home and me seeing him—we were neighbors, so his parents and mine still live right next door. Holidays can be kind of a high stress time lol.

That cafe comic is actually probably the most therapeutic piece out of the whole Kendratello AU I’ve done, as it’s always been a fear of mine that I could just turn around and he’d be in town visiting lol. Sending Kendra through that portal was highly cathartic. But even if that were to happen now, I have my coping skills, and I’m in a much better headspace. I think I would be able to handle myself.

I’m still a people pleaser, I don’t think that’s ever going to go away, even with all the work I’ve done. The biggest thing is, I know I’m worth more now. I can see real kindness, and catch the fake stuff much better by looking for those same toxic signs. The real friendships I’ve made have shown me what connection is truly like. It’s not a one-sided negotiation every time you get together. And if it is, then it’s probably not a healthy give and take. I’ve healed, but it is a constant effort.

Every new person sets off some kind of anxiety in the back of my head, but I don’t let that fear control how our relationship will develop. I’ve got the final say in what happens and what I get out of it.

[advisorykitty]

Idk if I asked this already but can you do Randal x extremely nice/pushover! reader headcanons

Randal X Pushover Reader

Headcannons!!

You were Randal’s only friend, drawn to his strange but lonely vibe. You started dating because you were too nice to say no.

You agree to everything Randal wants, even his weird hobbies like collecting creepy dolls or exploring abandoned places and playing video games.

Randal will casually say things like “You’re mine forever,” but he says it with a weirdly sweet (yet unsettling) smile.

Unlike everyone else, Randal never tries to scare you. Instead, he just creepily watches you until you notice him. Something like "Oh hey! about time you notice me~"

If someone is rude to you, Randal will offer to make them “disappear,” though you always decline with a nervous laugh.

He gifts you a doll that looks eerily like you. You accept it even though it makes you uncomfortable.

Randal has no concept of personal space. He’ll randomly appear while you’re brushing your teeth or reading, just wanting your attention.

You can’t say no to Randal’s odd requests, like exploring creepy buildings or helping him name his dolls. Sometimes even straight up trespassing .

Randal constantly reminds others that “she’s mine,” in a way that makes people unsure if he’s joking.

Probably explains why no-one longer talks to you in class

Which is great for him since you have more time to spend together!

Sebastian thinks you’re too nice for your own good and encourages you to stand up for yourself, but you never do.

Luther offers you vague, slightly creepy advice like “You can always leave if he gets too much,” which leaves you unsure if you should laugh or worry.

And you find yourself contemplating what facial expressions to make when he says something (like is he trying to be funny or serious?)

Nyen teases you about putting up with Randal, while Nyon avoids being around when the two of you are together, clearly uncomfortable.

You’ll sit through hours of some wierd anime or eat Randal’s questionable cooking, just because you don’t want to hurt his feelings.

Onetime he tried making shitake soup probably saw it in an anime

He used poisonous mushrooms that he found, and you were sick for a week

If you’re stressed, Randal insists, “I’ll handle it, don’t worry,” though you’re never entirely sure what that means.

Another time while you were at school and unbeknownst to you had been getting bullied.

The next day the bullies magically didn't show up to class. Who could of thought 🙀🙀

MINI-INTERVIEWS!!

Nyen: "She’s soft, too soft. I don’t get why she sticks around Randal like that. He’s weird, but she’s worse for putting up with it. If it were me? I’d leave. No one’s worth that much patience. Maybe she likes being treated like one of his dolls. I don’t care. She’s just... there. Nothing special." Shrugs."Whatever." Nyen doesn't really care for you. As long as you stay out his way, he'll stay out of yours. However, he is interested in seeing what it takes to break your facade.

Luther:

"Sie ist... nett. Too nice. I’ve told her—several times—that she can leave Randal whenever she wants, but she stays. Warum? No idea." He shrugs slightly, voice monotone. "Maybe she likes suffering. Patience like hers is rare but fragil. We’ll see how long it lasts. But she’s... not terrible. Just... too kind." Luther enjoys your company. If he can even enjoy it, you're helpful and don't complain?? 5 stars already. He's still confused about how patient you, but humans like your are his favourite!

Randal:

"She’s mine, forever. No take-backs. I love how she never says no, like she’s meant for me. She’s kind of like a doll, you know? Only real, and much better. I won’t let her leave. She’s perfect the way she is, even if she doesn’t know it yet." Loves you alot, maybe to much. You spend majority of your time with him and he makes sure of that! Not like you can say no anyway.

Sebastian:

"She's uh.. okay?? I don't know how she has so much patients with Randal though... atleast it keeps thing off me for a while when she's around."

Similarly to Nyen, he doesn't care much for you, but he is thankful that you keep the heat of him when Randal is busy talking to you.

Nyon:

"She's..... nice.. too nice. Strange, too, not like Randal. Good. Strange.." He's not much of an extrovert, but he does see you as somewhat extraordinary. It's not often you meet someone who isn't cynical. However, he does sometimes feel bad for you when you have to endure Randal daily; you don't see him much, so you can't exactly regulate an opinion.

[of-many-aus]

Less Than Ideal Living Situations

Summary: you and jake are put into a situation that is less than ideal

Warning: slight mention of violence

A/N: I’m kinda worried that this sucks; but also, feel free to send in requests for one shots for this series if you feel like it!!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Masterlist

･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.

You would like to reiterate the fact that this was completely Natasha Trace’s fault. Nothing about this did you do on your own free will.

She was the one who began the school year by commuting to classes after she got an apartment off campus with her boyfriend of two years, leaving you roommate-less.

True, she had apologized over and over again and even offered to keep being your roommate and give up the chance of staying with her boyfriend, but you wouldn’t let her. You were her best friend after all, and what kind of friend would you be if you kept her from happiness on your own selfish accords?

So, you reassured her that it was fine and you would find new living arrangements. She didn’t have to worry about you.

Turns out, she probably should have been worried. Because after posting up flyers all over the campus and social media- offering a room in your apartment for anyone who would like to accept your offer- not a single reply came your way.

That was when you really began to stress out.

It was one day until roommates had to be finalized, and you didn’t have one.

You had even begun to contemplate how you could trick the college staff into thinking that you were still with Nat, but not a single idea that could actually be done without breaking a couple of laws came to mind.

Then, a notification came through on your phone halfway through history class. Someone had accepted your offer.

The relief and joy that spread through you was almost too overpowering to even read the name of the person that would be your new roommate.

Jake Seresin.

Star player of your college's baseball team with an ego larger than the campus and a reputation to back it up.

The two of you had literature together. That is, when he actually bothered to show up. And when he did, he would mostly sleep through it. The only reason he wasn’t failing any of his classes was because your school couldn’t afford losing the best baseball player they had seen in over fifteen years. According to the gossiping group of girls you overheard in the dining hall, that is.

It was clearly too close to the final date to change it and desperately try to search everywhere for somebody else- anybody else- so now, you would just have to suffer through it.

“-and then, I went to go check on Jake, only to find him face down on the lawn.” Bradley Bradshaw, first baseman for the baseball team, laughed, shifting the box in his arms, “So naturally, we all just decided roommates without him. I mean, he should have seen it coming. There’s an odd number of us, including our manager, so of course one of us is going to have to find a different living arrangement- he just shouldn’t have missed it. It’s a good thing he saw your ad though, or else he might be living in the alley behind the campus kitchen-“

The man had been happily chatting your ear off for the last hour now, as he helped his friend unload all of his stuff into your apartment. And while he seemed nice enough, you just wished he would stop talking. You were exhausted and, quite frankly, nervous about the whole situation, so you weren’t exactly in a chatty mood.

Both of you walked through the door of your apartment after trudging up the stairs for the tenth time

“Rooster, leave the girl alone. You’re gonna scare my new roommate away.” Jake's voice floated smoothly through his lips and reached your ears in a way that made you shiver. You now had to live with this man.

Bradley grinned, “You don’t need me for that, Hangman, I trust that you’re gonna do that all by yourself.”

It was an annual tradition at your school that every athlete as a freshman in your sports centered college would get a nickname that would follow along with them for the rest of their years.

You gave the blond a tight lipped smile, “Not yet scared away.”

The man beside you dropped the box onto the ground beside all the other ones, “Welp, that’s the last of them, Bagman.”

Your smile morphed into a small, genuine one as you turned to face him, “Thank you for the help.”

He threw a playful wink at you, “Anytime. Just give me a call if Seresin is giving you any trouble. I’ll rough him up for you.”

A laugh left your lips as Bradley gave you a two finger salute before turning on his heel and exiting your apartment, ignoring the warning look his teammate was giving him.

There was a silence that followed Bradshaw's absence, as if any form of conversation had been taken by the hand and led out by the man.

Jake cleared his throat, drawing your eyes to lock with his devastatingly green ones, “Thank you again for letting me live here.”

There was a sort of sincerity in his voice that would have made you do a double take if you weren’t already looking at him. It was a tone that you never in a million years would have expected to hear out of him.

You coughed lightly, forcing yourself to roll your eyes, “Yeah, well, didn’t have much choice.”

His look didn’t falter like you had expected it to, “No, I suppose not.”

“Well, I’ll be in my room. Let me know if you need any help unpacking.” You desperately needed to get out of this situation.

He waved his hand dismissively, “I think I can manage.”

With that, you practically scurried off to your room, tightly closing the door behind you before sliding your back down it until your legs were curled up to your chest.

Your hand flailed to the side, gripping onto a pillow from your bed and bringing it into your lap before shoving your face into it and screaming, letting it muffle the sound.

So yes, this was completely Natasha Trace's fault. You were stuck in a small apartment with the last person you would ever had thought, and you would never let her hear the end of it.

Taglist: @djs8891 @pono-pura-vida @shanimallina87 @melllinaa @callsignbirdy @fogle97 @randomfandomgirl97

[hxney-lemcn]

i wanted to ask if you could do brett hand x gn! reader but angst? like stuff with his family and its getting worse. hope its not a bad idea

have a good night/ day hun!!

summery: reader tries to cheer Brett up. They find out just what is making Brett feel down and fluff ensues.

tw: toxic family relationships, hurt/comfort

a/n: ...teehee, so I'm pretty sure this was requested like...a year ago...uh...sorry for the late upload?? LMAO! If you're still interested here you go 💀

wc: 1.2k

Master List

I couldn’t focus on the shitty 80’s movie playing when I had Brett curled into my side. I noticed he seemed to be down at work, and offered to host a sleepover. Yes it may be childish, but after learning about Brett’s shitty family and how he never really had a childhood, I thought it would be nice. 

Brett didn’t hesitate to agree. Although his demeanor was enthused, his brown eyes still showed unhappiness. Which led to our current situation. Watching classic 80’s movies and cuddling on the couch. I kept sneaking glances down towards the brunette, his eyes glued to the tv. His head rested on my chest, and my arms wrapped around his back.

At one point, his eyes started watering, which led me to pausing the movie. Clearly something was eating at him and I wasn’t gonna just watch him suffer. 

“Why’d you pause-”

“What’s wrong Brett,” I said, interrupting him. I wasn’t gonna let him bat around the bush.

“N-nothing, why do you ask?” He deflected, eyes darting all over the place. He was a terrible liar.

Bringing a hand up, I ran my fingers through his hair, which made him relax almost immediately. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” I soothed. “But I don’t want you to hold it in either. You can talk to me.” He fell limp, admitting defeat as I gently scratched at his scalp.

“It’s…” He stuttered slightly. “I-its my family.” I tensed when they came up. I’ve only met them once, and it was not a pleasant meeting. I mean, Brett literally took a bullet for his brother and he’s once again on their shit list. Which I could never understand. Brett was the sweetest man I had ever met! He listened, he cared, and he’d do anything to make his friends happy…well more like anyone happy (clearly coming from his family trauma), but still! He was an absolute sweetheart. 

All in all, I did not like his family. In fact, you could even say I hate them. I couldn’t tell Brett that though, as he still loved them dearly. Something they did not deserve. 

“What did they do this time?” I asked, trying to keep myself from letting my distaste show in my tone. 

Brett nuzzled further into the crook of my neck, “Just the usual, called me a disappointment and I never deserved to have even been considered for the 1st ranked sibling. How they don’t understand why I even bother to show my face around them anymore.”

I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. I know family is important, but if my parents did that, I’d be out the door and never come back. I have no clue how Brett could be strong enough to endure his parents' neglect and emotional abuse. I know his family is important to him, but there's a certain point that people should just cut ties.

“Oh Brett,” I muttered, nuzzling the top of his head. “My sweetheart. My sweet little boy.” Brett’s hold on me grew a little tighter at the nicknames, and I felt tears hit my neck, but I paid it no mind. “You deserve so much better. They should be the ones begging for your love and attention, not the other way round. You are so accomplished, loved, and overall amazing. You’re a boss at the shadow government, you’ve got a team who loves you! …in their weird little ways of course. Not to mention that you are just a caring and loving person.”

Brett sniffled, “Then why are they so mean?”

My heart churned, feeling my own eyes water at just how beaten he sounded. 

“I’m not exactly sure of their history, but I assume it’s because that’s how their parents treated them,” I replied, trying to think how people could be so cold to their own children. “That and a mix of them not having the capacity to actually care for you and your siblings. When they look at you, they see a commodity, not a person.”

I winced as Brett let out a sob mixed with a whimper. Did I make it worse?

“But you’re not a commodity,” I muttered, pressing a kiss to his temple. “You’re an amazing, beautiful person who deserves the love you get and even more. I know you care for your family, but I think the best thing you can do is let them go. I mean you have a work family who do care for you, who want to see you succeed. I hope I’m not overstepping, but I feel like your family is holding you back. I know you can grow so much more if you learn that their affection and approval isn’t worth the pain and hurt. Because there are other people willing to give you that affection and approval.”

Brett let a sob escape him, his arms squeezing the life out of me, but I wasn’t gonna stop him. He was babbling things I couldn’t make out, but I think it was things of gratitude and love. I didn’t need to hear what he was saying to know that he was grateful. I was just glad I seemed to have gotten through to him.

“Th-they found someone to m-marry me off to,” He stuttered. “A-and I didn’t want to disappoint them, b-but I don’t want to marry them! I want to marry you! A-and I told them that, and that's when they started t-to insult m-me.”

My eyes widened at his bold proclamation, my hand halting its ministrations in his hair. They wanted to marry him off? I guess that wasn’t out of their reach. But he actually said no? Because he wanted to marry me?! I felt myself fluster at the thought. I couldn’t help but picture us standing at the altar, or podium, in front of the sea? Maybe in the woods? I wasn’t sure where, but a beautiful place, with us exchanging our vows of love, and then becoming wedded. 

I snapped out of it when Brett’s teary eyes met mine. They were big and watery, almost like a sad puppy. He seemed to be freaking out, eyes frantically searching mine.

I cupped his jaw, brushing my thumb over his cheek, “I would be honored to marry you.”

His eyes widened, cheeks warming under my touch, a bashful smile gracing his face. A tear fell down his cheek, and I wiped it away.

“I would be honored to marry you,” Brett emphasized. 

I chuckled, feeling elated, “I guess we’d be honored to marry each other.”

Brett giggled back, the brightest smile I’d ever seen on his face, “Yeah.”

Pulling his face down, I littered his face with kisses, causing his giggles to continuously fall out of his mouth. I nuzzled our noses before leaving one last kiss to his lips. He hummed in content as I wrapped my arms around his neck, the kiss being a slow, passionate, loving one. 

“Do you wanna continue the movie?” I asked after we pulled apart.

Brett’s eyes were glued to my lips, “Could…we do that again…please.”

I blinked, an explosive laugh falling from my lips, “Brett this isn’t our first kiss.”

[m30wk1ttycat]

i love you

pairing: brenda x fem!reader

tw: none, just brenda being drunk :3

summary: car ride with brenda, jorge, and the others.

i wanted to post this earlier, but i lowk forgot. SORRY.

you and the others went looking for brenda and thomas. every single person there was stumbling, struggling to even stand on their two feet without having to hold onto something.

and, apparently, brenda wasn't much different.

"y/n!" she hummed, lazily wrapping an arm around you in a side hug. you weren't sure if she was doing it to support her weight or if this was her new way of greeting you, but you guessed it was the former.

"hey, bren." you gave her a smile, as if that would hide the worry you felt when you couldn't find the brunet. "where's thomas?"

she pointed towards a boy in the crowd of people, already being held up by newt and minho who had managed to find him.

"great," you huffed. now you had to find your way back.

⛧

after what felt like hours of watching jorge beat up the dude in the fancy suit -- who turned out to be marcus -- you were finally on the way to the right arm. jorge was driving, of course, and the rest of you were sitting in the back, chatting.

brenda was playing with your rings, twisting and spinning them, still in some sort of a daze. you could barely manage to get a non-slurred word out of her, so, instead, you let her toy with your hands in silence while you talked to the others, trying to get to know them. if you were gonna be stuck together in this cramped car -- that was called 'bertha' for some very odd reason -- why not at least try to learn more about them?

"ew," you said in response when minho mentioned the stew incident. apparently, some chicken had gone bad, and frypan didn't notice it. the poor gladers ate stew with spoiled chicken meat, and ended up suffering with food poisoning. now that? that sounded disgusting.

"i know, and the sloppers had to clean to clean the toilets," minho continued, newt beside him looking like he was having war flashbacks. almost as if he was the one who had to clean those toilets -- which he didn't, since he was the second-in-command, and a gardener. but damn, that sounded like a nightmare, and judging by the blond's face, it was, indeed, a nightmare.

"i feel bad for them," you chuckled.

meanwhile, brenda was looking at your hands, shifting them and angling them so she could look at the rings. in her defense, those rings looked really fucking cool.

you felt her intertwine her fingers with yours, and she shifted in your lap, holding your joined hands to her chest. you wanted to ask her if she was okay, but clearly, she wasn't. whatever it was that she was offered at the 'party', she looked very much out of it.

"i love you," she all but whispered, looking up at you for a second. then, she turned away, mumbling, "you're a nice girl, i don't tell you that enough."

barely focusing on her words, you didn't think much of her half-murmur until your brain finally registered what she said. you felt your cheeks warm up at the new information. your best friend loved you? she was drunk, though, so she probably didn't mean it.

but what if she did?

what was that one saying? drunk words, sober thoughts?

nah, you were overthinking it. she's drunk. or maybe high, you weren't even sure what the hell she took at that party.

gulping, you looked down at her.

"love you too, bren," you said after you calmed down.

this was.. unexpected. but a nice sort of unexpected.

now you just had to pray that jorge didn't hear your exchange of 'i love yous' or he'd probably shoot you dead.

[hewholivesinhisname]

Most people just like to shit on men for fun and profit. They like to shit on god for fun and profit. Then they trash the world. But also more importantly in a spiritual way in that they are constantly, fucking constantly poisoning the social environment making it impossible to get anything positive done,

Create middle class families, especially white middle class families. And shit on the poor. And shit on the Jews of course with palestine.

They learn it early in school

School is a masonic project. to teach children the values learned in "the enlightenment" (the Echthroi's values) vs. the values of god. Get families broken up and kids away from their moms.

But who am I kidding?

Is anyone fucking listening?

I guess this is the price of existence.

I think about Jeffrey's existence. What he's there for, and I guess, really he's there to destroy reality. Like Kefka or the Nothing. And everyone is behind him of course.....because like the Morque, they want POWER. they even say if for these dead "martyrs" "rest in power"

I think he's going to win.

I can already feel it in myself. I hate this existence. Working so hard in school. Having my friends and family turn on me. Being bullied. Watching as their are even worse predators all around me, especially in power. Watching people actually still follow and listen to these monsters.

My mother was raped by her father and her mother never left him, however when my father lost his job...she left him. That fact always haunts me because it shows just how much women care morea bout societal acceptance than protecting their children. And I'm a poor man, so clearly I have nothing to offer.

So, thanks to people's faithfulness to the system we'll have prison hells. We'll have horror show after horror show. Economic inequality, revolutions, wars, crime, simulations of reality, hells. We don't have marriage but we have free pornography. Then some religious person points out maybe that they shouldn't do that and...the religions are fucked up too. However, they are less fucked up than the wider culture. But, blame god. that will solve all your addiction problems.

Don't blame all the rich people who sold you the addictive products. Don't blame the constant immorality. Make sure to keep hurting people, especially men. The kids bully each other, the men won't or can't protect the children. The women use all their social power to take jobs from the men and use shitty socially aggressive tactics to fuck over the men. Then they lust over the rich men who make money by degrading the general population. And their's predators on top of them and so on and so forth.

Jeffrey's good man. Not a good man, but he's good at being evil. Pushing the world towards pain and suffering. Then people will naturally not want to exist like I do now. He knows exactly what to do to make it seem like he's the good guy. After extended torture and psychological manipulation, I'm sure I'll fall for it too. That's the point of Darkmatter's videos which are very hostile to god, but informative. He might be hostile in some ways, but he's truthful. that's important.

He's one of the only people who is nice to me though and honestly I don't know why. I don't know why. Or, I do. He is playing some long game. The only real friend I have

They all want something. Money, cigarettes, women, to have their fragile egoes validated, POWER. to get in groups and do gang violence then call it something nice like democracy. They sometimes try to make it up by going to church maybe.

Created beings are hateful inferior creatures.

I am beginning to learn to hate people.

[knoxs2nd]

yasu fantasized for years about battler rescuing her in her greatest time of need because he's her prince and loves her. he promised!

battler: actually only "rescues" kanon by helping him pick up the tools because he's just a nice, helpful person. kanon is literally a stranger to him.

battler simply throws a wrench into yasu's whole worldview that people act out of Romantic Love, and it is the One Element Of The World that could both make and destroy people. it's the one thing that could save her and make her Worthy of Being Alive.

yasu likes to imagine someone being with her when she's being scolded or suffering, like with natsuhi scolding shannon and kanon showing up out of nowhere and going SHE'S THE WORST, or how the other servants bully yasu and shannon is standing there and trying to cheer her up.

but...in the end, all that kanon and shannon do for yasu is encourage her or vent with her and talk through things with her. they don't (can't) actually do anything about the situation. they help her brave the bullying by standing strong and helping her withstand it .

kanon is shannon's younger brother. shannon is yasu's best friend. they are how she envisions familial and platonic love. you could also bring people like genji and kumasawa into how yasu views familial love and friendship. they helped make her life more fun and bearable...but they don't really make life worth living. she was still contemplating just ending it all and going to the golden land. up until battler offers her a glimpse of potential escape from rokkenjima, and she thinks it's because of romantic love.

romantic love is the one thing that could free her of her life, that would drive someone else to rescue her and break the cycle. for a long time, yasu pinned those hopes on battler.

but then, george ends up being the "prince" to shannon.

he notices shannon being belittled and doesn't just stand by and try to tell her to chin up, he helps her out! and then, yup, it turns out that george has a crush on her. yasu was right that it's because of romantic love that someone would go out of their way to help her.

same deal with jessica. who really approached kanon and stepped in and wanted to change things for kanon because she has a crush on him. even though shannon and jessica have been best friends for years...yasu doesn't see friendship as love that is transformative.

and then battler in episode 1, the outsider to the family, both:

1) helps kanon out, a literal stranger, not out of love, but because he's a nice person

2) actually tries to step in with rosa abusing maria, family he hasn't seen in years, because he feels this is wrong

even in episode 2, battler stands up for kanon, who is still effectively a stranger to him, because he feels like kanon is being unfairly blamed!! battler clearly isn't in love with anyone at that point. he just steps in because he sees people are suffering or maligned and it's WRONG

yasu: so the guy i was in love with and pinned all my hopes on to rescue me, because he loved me, not only forgot about it and did not rescue me, but is also just a NICE PERSON who would HELP ANYONE OUT????? *laughs hysterically and bitterly*

then on oct 6th, battler did try to rescue yasu, who he barely knew and was most certainly not in love with, because he noticed her suffering. battler, when given the chance, extended that kindness and acceptance to yasu too, and made her feel loved at the end...

[league-of-sam]

As Grim as the Reaper | Simon 'GHOST' Riley PREQUEL

Ghost x Reader, Graves x Reader

CHAPTER FIVE

Phillip Graves x AFAB!Reader!OC 18+ MINORS DNI! t.w // angst, mental health, language, violence, death, sexual themes/SMUT, military inaccuracies, language inaccuracies (google translate).

As Grim as the Reaper: Masterlist

Looking at the clock on your side table, the red numbers flashed angrily at you; 03:12.

You'd been tossing and turning for hours, for the second week in a row. If it wasn't a nightmare waking you up in the middle of the night, it was not being able to sleep at all.

What kind of weirdo did you have to be to suffer sleeping issues three months after moving across the world?

But you missed home, and you missed John.

It wasn't that you weren't loving Virginia - you were - it was just...well it's just not the same without the one person you loved most in the world.

Everyone made you feel welcome.

Your relationship with Alex was flourishing nicely, and you'd go as far as to say he was your best friend already.

You were close with Emily, and she'd introduced you to a few others, including Orlando - Sergeant Lucas Johnson. You smiled at the thought of him; he was a flirt, but was so clearly head over heels for Emily.

He got his callsign after his first day, because he wouldn't shut up about the fact that he was from Florida, living mere minutes from the Orlando Studios.

And then, there was Phillip Graves.

A man that took every opportunity to check up on you, and of course he was not subtle about his interest. So much so, Alex all but warned you away from the Commander. They didn't particularly like each other - that much was painfully obvious - but Alex just wanted you to be happy, whatever your decision would be.

Despite your attraction to the man, you continued to turn down his offers of dates and dinner, of 'private' training, because the last thing you needed right now was a relationship.

There was no time for distractions.

Sighing, once more as you glanced at the clock, you flung the clovers from your body, and jumped out of bed.

It was the middle of the night, so you could be sure that no one would be around. There was a curfew, yes, but thankfully, things were rather lenient on base.

Slipping on some socks and your black army hoodie, you pushed open your door, peaking your head out.

The corridor was in darkness, save for the red glow of the emergency light and the lamps coming from the common area at the bottom. 

Moving on your tiptoes, you crept past the rooms encasing the sleeping bodies of your comrades until you reached your destination. Raising your hand, you knocked softly, praying the person inside heard it enough to stir awake.

As you waited, your hands fiddled with the chain hung around your neck.

You jumped slightly as you heard a shuffle and bang, followed by several curses before the door swung open.

Before you, Alex stood with half open eyes and dishevelled hair. He looked angry, but that expression immediately softened when he saw your small and tired frame staring back at him.

"You all good, Keller? Do a little trip there?" You spoke with a smirk.

He rubbed his eyes for a moment, almost to make sure he wasn't imagining things, "Angel? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Quarter past three...yeah, sorry, I shouldn't have-"

You turned to leave, guilt swallowing you, but he reached out with a sigh, pulling you into his room and closing the door behind you.

"What's goin' on? Talk to me."

"You're gonna think I'm being stupid, Al." You frowned, pulling your sleeves over your hands.

He smiled, and guided you to sit on the end of his bed with him, "No, I won't. Nothing that comes from you is stupid to me, alright?"

Taking a  deep breath, you began pouring your feelings to him.

You told him everything about you, from losing your parents in childhood, to being separated from your brother now. Of course, heeding John's warnings, you kept his name out of things, but that didn't take away from your stories.

You missed him, and you missed home, and you were starting to think you might not last here.

Especially with your first mission as part of the Echo team quickly approaching.

Alex frowned as he listened to you talk, hand raising to your cheek to wipe away the few stray tears that fell, before he pulled you into his arms.

"I used to get homesick too." He whispered.

"You did?"

"Oh yeah, took me months to get over it. But I won't let that happen to you, 'cause you belong here."

You smiled, a puff of air leaving your nose, "Thanks Alex. M'glad I got you here."

"You got me forever, angel." he said, hugging you again, "You wanna stay here tonight?"

"Is that allowed?"

He shrugged, lying down in his bed and opening his arms for you, "Don't really care."

"Fine," you rolled your eyes, "But I refuse to be the only girl you have in this bed. We're getting you on the pull as soon as possible."

It was his turn to roll his eyes as you crawled onto the bed, lying down and placing your head in his chest, his hands moving to rest across your back, keeping you close.

"Oh my god for the last time I have had several women in my bed-"

"I'll believe that when I see it!" you teased.

"Fuck off and go to sleep, you troublemaker."

Alex cupped his hand over your mouth to stop your giggling, until slowly, your eyes started to droop, and your breathing shallowed, as sleep began to take you.

He shifted, allowing you to tuck into his chest, with his chin resting on the top of your head.

You were his best friend, and he'd keep you safe.

Always.

It took time, but eventually, you began to get over your homesickness. 

Especially once you started receiving the care packages from John. In them he packed your favourite snacks from England, a blanket, a candle or two, something a little more sentimental such as a picture of your parents or the two of you, and finally, a handwritten letter.

Of which, never failed to make you shed a tear.

He kept you updated in his letters, in his scheduled calls to you, even if they lasted barely 30 seconds. He never kept you in the dark, and that made you feel so much better about being so far away from him.

And now, that level of comfort was something you needed, because it was mission day.

Your first one with the Echo team.

You had been flown to Berlin in the early hours of the morning, Laswell briefing you on the mission mid-flight.

It was a covert op, something you'd have to get used to doing in the Special Ops, with stealth being your given specialty after the months of training. Laswell's intel suggested that the Russians were up to something not-so-savoury with a General Barkov, who had taken control of Urzikstan some 10 years prior.

She was worried, and rightfully so, especially when there was mentions of chemical warfare.

So now, you were sat in a chair in the safehouse, a few blocks from the Russian embassy, where there was a dinner and presentation, as Laswell's aides did your hair and make up.

It was your job to infiltrate, and try to gain as much intel as possible by talking to all of the guests. 

You and Alex would be undercover, posing as a couple, alongside Emily and Orlando, who had also been dragged onto the mission.

It seemed that Laswell was intent on using every asset at her disposal, as Shadow Company had also been brought in, given their previous works on similar cases. They flew you there, and Graves and his alpha team would be overseeing the mission from the skies, providing air support if needed.

By the time you were all prettied up and briefed on your aliases, it was time to go, and so the group moved, making any finishing touches.

You stood alone while Alex had his suit adjusted to slip in concealed weapons.

"Christ, sergeant, you look absolutely stunnin'."

When you turned, a blush crept onto your face as you saw Graves before you, clad in his usual tactical gear, his Shadows not too far away.

"Thank you, Commander."

"Truly my pleasure, princess. Fuck, you're beautiful." He continued, eyes raking over you, taking you all in.

"We're on duty, Graves, best watch that southern charm of yours." You teased,

A shy smile graced his face as he stepped closer to you, "My apologies, ma'am. Was raised better."

"I'm sure you were."

He was close to you now, close enough for you to smell his aftershave, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can."

"When this is done, would you want to-"

Before he could finish, Alex approached the two of you, taking you gently by the hand and pulling you away from Graves just enough for him to notice.

"Sorry to interrupt," Alex cut him off, "You ready, wifey? We got a mission to complete."

You smiled, linking your arm around his as you spoke in your Russian accent, "Lead the way, husband."

Looking back at Graves, you noticed the frown on his face, and a pang of guilt shot through your heart.

But again, you reminded yourself that he would be a distraction...it wasn't on the cards.

Wasn't right.

The rest of the night went perfectly. You and Alex played your roles to the point the two of you demanded Oscars for your performance once you'd gotten back to base, and the information you'd managed to extract was exactly what Laswell had been hoping for.

"I'm just sayin'!" Alex spoke, moving around the room, "We played this so smooth I think we'd give the great Leo DiCaprio a run for his money."

"Alright, 3-1. I'll be sure to put you up for an Oscar after you've earned yourself a few more medals on duty." Laswell teased back.

"I don't want just an Oscar, Kate. Give me the full Monty! I'm talkin' Grammys, Baftas, Academy Awards, the whole lot!" You joked. "Not bad for a newbie, huh?"

The mission was a success, and that's all you needed to finally crush those last bits of doubt you had.

US Special Ops was where you belonged.

With Alex, with Laswell, with Graves and the Shadows.

This was truly home, right?

[electrasev5nwrites]

Ninja Daily: Clarity 1

She could almost see 'Obi rolling his eyes at her for getting overly enthusiastic and dropping the cloaking genjutsu that he had painstakingly taught her.

But this was fun too, in a different way.

Aiko smiled absently, tapping her big toe inside her right sandal along with the beat of a rather chipper song. 'Obi hated it, but she thought the theme song for those silly princess Fuin movies was cute. It had been stuck in her head for the last fifteen minutes or so, but she didn't mind. She ducked under what seemed to be a pathetically slow sword slice and twisted under the shocked Ame nin's raised arm to stick him in the gut with an old-fashioned kunai, literally without missing a beat in the staccato she was keeping.

"Sorry, love." She lied casually, stepping in just a little closer and giving a nice, big scoop with some serious elbow action and muscle behind it. His stomach opened up with piteous ease.

He made a choked sound and dropped his weapon with a clatter to reflexively reach for his gut. She batted one arm away with her elbow and used her free hand to grab his right wrist. Immediately she pulled it around his back so that she could brace his torso up with her forearm when his knees threatened to buckle.

In the instant where he was hanging supported by her leverage, frightened blue eyes met Aiko's turquoise eyes, silently begging for mercy.

She shrugged.

"Nothing personal." With deft motions, she pulled her blade out and made a precise jab at the pulsating artery on his upper thigh. He had a minute left by the time she extracted her blade, tops.

The gut wound would have been enough to kill him, of course, but she wasn't a sadist. This had to look messy, but there was no reason to let the man suffer for the hours it would take for intestinal bleeding to finish him.

Excess cruelty served no purpose, after all. It didn't entertain her and it didn't make her target any more dead.

She left her new friend awkwardly collapsed face-up with buckled knees on the cement floor, tucking a bit of loose hair behind her ear with the cleaner hand as she meandered through the storage facility of one of Ame's newly re-occupied border outposts. She'd never been there before, so she would be forgiven a bit of curiosity at the surroundings.

'In a desolate way, Ame is beautiful.' She took a deep breath of heavy, cold hair, feeling crisp condensation coat her lungs.

It was very grey, for lack of a better word. This was one of the few places she'd seen where a cement bunkhouse wasn't totally out of place. The rocks were grey, the long grass was a strange blue-green color she had seen in no other flora, and the sky itself was tinted from low-hanging clouds ambling with the sluggish wind.

Ame was clearly a hard place. Of course, she could have already concluded that by assessing the apparent character of the people who lived there. They were an awfully cantankerous lot, as far as she could tell. Proud and stubborn, Ame refused to admit that they needed military assistance to keep out Kumo.

They were horribly wrong, of course, but it wasn't like allies were lining up at the door to offer help. Ame really only had one country who had expressed a willingness to offer them assistance, but Konoha's help would certainly come at a steep price.

'That's what happens when you don't play well with others,' Aiko sighed, patting down a bit of frizz. 'You try to launch one little takeover of the world, and suddenly nobody wants to play with you after school'.

Not that she had any room to talk, of course, but that was beside the point. She didn't know exactly what had happened a year and a half ago, but she didn't really care, either. She'd been asked to pop over, sabotage Ame's relationship with Konoha, and stop to get milk on the way home. So there she was, slaughtering her way through the more alert sentries at various posts. Dull. But the havoc later should be fun.

She wasn't there to kill everyone, of course. It wasn't like she and 'Obi had anything against these people in particular, just the idea of Ame allying with such a large faction. Besides, it would be awfully impractical to get rid of everyone in the vicinity when she needed the breach in security to be detected soon.

Aiko kneeled to pry the lid off what proved to be a container of munitions.

Naughty, naughty. Ame had been dealing with the technology-rich countries outside of the shinobi nation-states. It wasn't a surprise, but it was good to know. She patted the crate companionably, information confirmed. It wasn't crucial, but it was nice to see that Kotaka wasn't useless after all. She made a note to put a little more faith in his reports, although she really would have preferred to know his sources.

The storage area had been a bit of a detour, but she considered it time well-spent, even though it meant she had to move that much faster to her true destination. It was probably a good idea for Ame to have their outpost separated into a few bunkers instead of as one big, internally connected building. In theory, that design protected most of the base when one section was compromised.

In practice, Aiko was mildly inconvenienced because the buildings weren't helpfully labeled but also weren't adequately guarded. She ended up in the barracks by accident, calmly holding her breath and sliding past a pale-faced duo who were talking quietly at a small table. They didn't hear her steps and they certainly didn't notice the slight friction of chakra against reality as the genjutsu wrapped around her like a silk dress let them see what they expected to see.

That was a little thrilling, to be honest. Genjutsu wasn't a strength of hers, but 'Obi had been drilling her mercilessly in using genjutsu to hide for the last month and a half. She'd spent most of that time grouching that she would never get the damn technique down and that she didn't want it anyways. Now that she was suddenly competent, Aiko found all sorts of situations where it was useful.

In other words, she was getting lazy as all hell and she probably owed her friend an apology for being a poor student.

'I'm terrible,' she thought with a thoroughly inappropriate smile at her own expense.

Hypocritical or not, the technique worked like a charm to get herself in the control center. It was pretty nice, for an office in a little outpost. That was thanks to the fact that border control had been one of Ame's greatest priorities after their dust-up with a four country alliance two years back. As a result, they had all but poured their money into the base and lit it on fire.

Feeling strangely artistic, she carefully left a sixteenth of a bloody fingerprint on the inside of the door at a height that implied someone just a little shorter than she was. That was insignificant enough to look accidental. Aiko accidentally leaned a little too close and got a nose-ful of the cloying reek of iron and fear.

'Whoo, that's gonna piss somebody off.'

The inevitable forensics team would know it was from one of their people when the sample was compared. Even Iwa could handle that kind of detective work. Ame should do fine.

She left the office mostly untouched, doing her best to imitate the movements of an agent who was pressed for time, but attempting to ensure that they left no traces. The three bodies in the warehouse would be dismissed as a distraction from the intruder's real aim, hopefully, when all was said and done.

Even if they were really clueless, Ame would only be able to conclude that someone had commissioned an intelligence gathering mission.

If they were incompetent, they would think that Iwa had been the ones to break in, which was a violation of their current but shaky treaty. Ame should be leery about that, actually. A nominal ally sneaking around was much more hazardous than a known enemy. Their closest neighbors would be on Ame's shortlist of suspects, and Aiko had spent the night in a hotel not four hours away wearing the face of an Iwagakure kunoichi. Digging would uncover that and reinforce their paranoia in regards to their northern neighbors.

But if Ame's people were as good as 'Obi hoped they were, they would think that Konoha was framing Iwa in an attempt to pry apart their alliance.

(Aiko didn't bother fretting about the possibility that they would actually figure out that a third party had attempted to frame Konoha for framing Iwagakure. If Ame worked that one out, they deserved a pat on the back, no matter how much 'Obi would scowl and stomp around).

She lazily picked papers up nearly at random, leaving her scent in case Ame would think to check what had been touched that way. It wouldn't matter that it was hers, since they wouldn't know her personally. It took a great deal of time and experience to memorize an individual scent and not just follow a trail. There was no reason for any Ame shinobi to know her off-hand. All they'd know was that a female shinobi had been poking around. She paid special attention to information on orders in regards to the other nations, holding Ame's protocol about Rock-nin at borders and the records of contract for the longest time out of personal curiosity.

It was mildly interesting to see that Ame wasn't treating Rock with more caution than they were Suna or Kiri, who were understandably peeved about their tiff in the not-so-distant past. That wasn't wise of them, was it?

'This Konan woman must not be much of a politician. Too straight forward, I think,' Aiko decided disinterestedly. It was true on the surface, at least, that it was logical to be most wary of the countries that Ame had recently engaged in armed conflict with. Rock had been the only one out of the great shinobi nations who had stayed out of that scuffle, so Ame must have decided that Iwagakure was their most probable was a one-dimensional way to look at things.

'Ugh.' She blinked back excess liquid and shook her head. Aiko felt a headache coming on. 'I should hurry out of here.'

Now that the adrenaline-filled part of the mission was over, she was losing interest. Still, the mission had to be finished. It was her job to leave the impression that Konoha was framing Rock for illegal entry that undermined Ame/Iwa relations.

Speaking of that…

Aiko dug around in the left-most pocket on her hip pouch and extracted a tiny glass bottle. She held it up to the light to see the dry corpse inside one last time.

'How on earth did he get one of these?'

She pursed her lips and shrugged, carefully tipping out one kikai bug onto the thin carpet right by the edge of the desk she knelt in front of.

The bug had died of natural causes—old age. They occasionally just did that, and fell wherever their master was. Any shinobi who looked around this room would be able to tell that there had only been one intruder, a female with a petite build. The bug clan was notoriously sneaky. So Ame wouldn't be surprised to 'discover' that an Aburame had gotten in the premises, though Ame wouldn't be pleased about it either.

'And there goes Konoha's hope of convincing Ame that the threat from an Iwa/Kumo alliance is more important than their pride,' Aiko sighed. She didn't really care one way or another, but it was a little shocking that the lives of so many people could be affected by something so fragile.

Or not. Maybe it wasn't that fragile, judging by the faint presence she was noting flicker on the edge of her awareness. Maybe Konoha had actually planned a mission like the one 'Obi was having her fake. Wouldn't that be funny?

She repressed a snort as she crossed her way across the lines of barbed wire and miles of icy marsh that made up the no-man's land between Ame and River Country. That was awfully convenient, but then, Konoha and Ame were running out of time for their respective goals.

She'd left a slight scent trail leaving Ame to River (although only an expert would be able to tell) because a Konoha nin wouldn't have gone directly through the border at Fire Country, but they wouldn't really go through Rock Country either. Nice neutral River country left plausible deniability for any party. Coulda been a Suna mission, even, if it weren't for the fact that Suna and Kiri were outright refusing to take part in Konoha's less than selfless efforts to keep Kumo from taking Ame. If Ame didn't formally ask for Konoha's protection, then Kiri and Suna couldn't be forced to take part in helping them. Konoha was crippled, until Ame pulled their collective heads out.

'Ugh, why am I wasting time thinking about this? It's not really my problem.'

Apparently, 'Obi was operating on the same wavelength as the Hokage, because there really was a Konoha-nin creeping towards Ame.

Or at least, she assumed it was a Konoha nin heading north through River. Aiko stopped leaving an intentional trail at all when she veered off course to meet with the approaching chakra signal. It would be a pain if this asshat managed to make it into the Ame border-post and do damage control.

'Like what?' Aiko snickered at her own dramatic thoughts, licking her lips. 'I don't even know how he would figure out what happened. Still, it's an unnecessary loose end.'

As soon as she saw him, she circled downwind, to the west of the traveler. He wasn't marked, but Konoha wouldn't have sent a hitai-ite on a mission like that anyway.

'No one I recognize,' Aiko thought wryly, wishing she'd made a cleaner kill earlier and hating the obvious stink on her arm and shirt. There was always a risk of running into a dog-nin when dealing with Konoha, and blood carried a strong scent.

She could have killed the sentries without the fuss, of course, but it was supposed to look like a hack job by an infiltrator who accidentally drew too much attention. Aiko hadn't had a problem with the men she'd run into, and could have ambushed them like an infiltrator should. But that didn't fit the profile she was attempting to imply. An Aburame who was canny and practiced enough to pull off a mission like this would already be well-known, and there wasn't one of those with Aiko's physical profile currently active. So she was portraying someone talented but inexperienced, a girl who managed to sneak past most of the security but had to fight for her life against a rather good Chuunin.

'This guy is definitely not a Chuunin, though. I wonder what that scarring is from. Very distinctive.'

In an odd way, the horizontal lines marring her new find reminded her of 'Obi. Except this guy's scars made a sort of rough triangle with a tip across the bridge of his nose that stretched and expanded over his left cheek, instead of decorating a neat half of his face. Odd, though not particularly important.

But the Konoha nin didn't seem to be a dog-man. No matter how obvious the stink of blood was to her, he was visibly ignorant.

He was skilled, however, even if he did have beady black creeper eyes. He picked his way rather expertly through the marshland, not leaving a physical trace of his presence. Like a veteran, actually.

'He has a lot more experience than me,' Aiko noted, more interested in an accurate tactical analysis than her ego. 'I can't afford to let him have a fair shot. It would be pathetically cliché for the young shinobi to underestimate someone cannier.'

It was almost a shame to unceremoniously kill someone that good, but she couldn't have him undermining her work. Aiko shrugged, picking a single senbon out of her leg holster and twirling it between her middle and forefingers as she examined her target to pick her shot.

'All that muscle might be enough to put the needle penetration off if I get the wrong spot. He's not in bad shape. What is he, in his mid-thirties?' Aiko gauged, eyes flicking over his lithe form for weaknesses. 'Definitely from Konoha, with that chest armor. They really prioritize that.'

Her target stopped suddenly, clearly alert.

She didn't know how, but he knew he was being watched. Did he have a chakra sense that was better than her suppressing? That would be odd, since his suppressing wasn't as good as her sensing. It was more likely that indefinable seventh sense that occasionally pricked the back of your neck for no apparent reason that had alerted him he was in danger.

'Oh, pooperscoop.'

Aiko pressed her lips out in a pout, slipping the senbon behind her ear like a schoolgirl would store a pencil. Now that he was alert, it would be a pain to get that perfect shot. And she hated unintentional messiness. There was no point in doing something sloppily when she could expend minimal effort and still get precise results by switching tactics. Her next tactic wasn't hard to choose, seeing as there was one obvious resource all around her, curling into her lungs and kissing her lips damply.

'Well, do you know where I am or not, sweetheart?' she wondered curiously, circling just a little bit as the sluggish wind shifted. She was still wearing her genjutsu, but no technique was perfect. A fellow infiltration shinobi was more likely to be able to spot the cracks in the technique than a random nin.

"Kai!"

Aiko jerked in mild surprise as the burst of chakra washed over her. Usually she could maintain her technique through one of those disruptions, but he'd really gone full-out with the power he'd put into the technique. Not bad. She was right, he was experienced. Special Jounin at least, if not a full Jounin. Konoha's Jounin were nothing to sniff at. Their standards for promotion seemed to be set higher than many other countries'. She should be wary and professional. Still…

"That's cheating!" Aiko faux-pouted, cocking her head slightly and letting him drink the sight of his killer in for just a moment.

Oddly, the man outright gaped. She might have thought he was leering, if it weren't for the fact that he seemed stuck on her face and hair and hardly glanced below the collarbones. (Not that there was anything to see, clad as she was in a high-necked but sleeveless top with pants). He looked more surprised at seeing her than he really had any right to, considering he'd just attempted to disrupt a genjutsu. Had that been luck? Did this guy just occasionally freeze like a startled deer and check for genjutsu?

'I'm definitely not telling 'Obi I got caught out by a complete lunatic,' she thought morosely.

Now that he'd seen her, he definitely had to die. She wasn't much good to 'Obi if the whole world knew about her, after all. Her hand slipped into her hip pouch for a smoke pellet.

Wow, he didn't even tense. Was he an idiot or what?

Generally, one took evasive action when an opponent was possibly reaching for a weapon. This man must be particularly clueless. Or trusting. It wasn't as if she had a mark of affiliation on her person. Maybe he wasn't willing to attack a stranger met within a country that was technically on peaceful terms with his own, if loosely.

That was… somewhat reasonable, actually.

Didn't matter. He'd kill her in an instant if he knew the mission she'd just completed. It wasn't particularly sporting to make the first move, but should that really matter in a fight to the death? Having had a chance to fight back wouldn't make the loser less deceased. Aiko had no plans of being that deceased shinobi.

Ah, well. Philosophy later, fighting now. Her hand darted like the head of a snake, snapping the pellet down with enough force that it burst open and spat a fat billow of scentless purple smoke. Aiko didn't bother repressing a smile and a cheeky wave in the instant that her upper torso was still visible, before she faded into genjutsu again and let the smoke cover her.

She didn't move an inch. No one other than a total idiot would expect someone to remain in the same position after using a smoke pellet. It was an absurd, just plain stupid strategy. Sure enough, as the smoke dissipated, the poor reasonable bastard of a Konoha nin clearly thought she'd merely moved into hiding.

'He really shouldn't be surprised that I would use the same trick twice,' Aiko assessed critically. 'Silly. Are Konoha nin just showboats or something? No point in re-inventing the wheel when you have a technique that gets the job done.'

No wonder 'Obi had been careful to keep her away from Konoha nin, aside from the whole 'they'd kill her on sight thing'. He probably didn't want her to pick up bad habits.

With preternatural ease, she took hold of the mist clinging insistently to the air as a preemptive strike. It was almost too easy, really. It was a second's work to condense it into actual water—a trick that was nicely timed with the instant that her unknown opponent opened his mouth wide. "U-"

'It's like he wants to help me kill him,' Aiko thought, bemused. That didn't stop her from taking control of her element and bastardizing a water bullet to send it shooting down the Konoha nin's throat before he got out more than a syllable. His jaw clamped shut and a hand shot to his neck, but she was already flooding his lungs. Clinically, she tilted her head and watched as panic set in. He wasn't even looking for her anymore, preoccupied as he was with the fact that he was about to drown.

Dispassionately, she waited and watched while consciousness fled and the poor sap collapsed. He had the presence of mind to turn his face to the side when he fell, probably in hopes that she would get sloppy and bored. If she were in too much of a hurry to wait until he was actually dead, he might cough up the water even in his unconscious state. With his head to the side, it would spill out. It was a little trick, but it would have saved his life, had she been careless or rushed.

'That's a tactic straight out of the warnings about passing out drunk,' Aiko thought, charmed by his hopeful attitude. He was a cutie. 'Well, buddy, that was a nice try.'

She let the genjutsu slip away and stepped forward, delicately tilting his chin up with her clean hand so that he faced skyward. His eyes had fluttered shut when oxygen was cut off to his brain, and he almost looked peaceful. He laid still and quiet on his back without so much as a scuff or wrinkle on his clothes.

That was the way she preferred to operate. Nice and clean. Aiko gave his shoulder a fond pat as she rose, finally releasing her hold on the water and glancing curiously at the rings on his hand. She had waited long enough that he was definitely dead, so it had merely been her impulse towards perfectionism that had led her to thwart his last-moment plan and not any practical reason.

Finished, Aiko cast her senses out. She wasn't sure if she thought Buddy was operating alone or not. On one hand, Konoha nin did tend to travel in groups, so he very well could have back-up. Then again, it was often easier to get in and out on a stealthy mission with as few people as possible.

She didn't sense anyone… There could be someone who was very sneaky, but it didn't seem likely. Aiko wasn't a half-bad sensor.

'Well, if he had someone who was meant to help, I think they're running late,' she decided perfunctorily, tossing her head and distractedly unclipping her hair. It was going to kink up terribly if she left it like that for long, and she had plans for the night that didn't involve a bad hair day. She didn't give it another thought, casually loping back on her path to the point where she'd diverted to meet Buddy.

'If Ame really has anyone as good as me available to check this out, they are going to be so fucking confused when they find that body,' Aiko thought with unkind amusement as she went through the motions of leaving a slight trail in the direction she had initially intended to go.

Of course, that would be more amusing than the original plan. She half-hoped that Ame was more than competent, just for the entertainment value.

'God, my head is killing me.' Aiko made a face, rubbing her palm against her temple in an ineffectual attempt at soothing the pain while she waited for her friend to meet her and whisk her away.

[ducknotinarow]

07 MikeyCasey  🍷💖

| send 🍷💖 so my muse drunkenly flirts with yours

Honestly? Despite Mikey feeling that Raphael had turned into the worlds biggest jerk ever since Leo left for his journey and such. Growing more moody as time went by. Starting to stay out all night long, and sleep all day. Everyone else seemed ready to at least try and move on and continue on with their lives. Mikey liked to believe that lie at least. But not Raphael. No one really knew what he was up to for awhile Casey was even covering from him. Claiming they were together but Raph's answers didn't always line up with what Casey would tell them. Casey's too good for Raph sometimes.

Nah not even some of the time all of the time. So it was honestly a real shock to Mikey when he heard they broke up? They just didn't make sense. Mikey used to Raph's tantrums and such and yeah he got told to drop dead himself even but Casey?

Mikey knew that wasn't good. And then he brought that home and sent Donnie into a bad spot as well. Mikey thought about checking on Raph he did. If he was doing that? Clearly something wasn't right. But, he didn't. Why not? Because of what he did to Mikey? Nah not really. Mikey wasn't who Raphael needed. Raphael needed that time alone Mikey knows hiw Raph works he's possed the guy off more times than anyone after all. Raphael would see the truth no Mikey instead maybe to some, wasted his time trying to be there for those burned by Raphael. Especially Casey.

Who looked just awful least the guy came to window. Mikey wasn't even sure if he had drank anything when he offered the hang out. Mikey was more sadden by the state if Casey. The small bit of apartment he could see from where he stood looked bad. But Mikey figured maybe ignoring it would be for the besr as he sat down and hand over a beer to Casey and went on to chat. He was the only one chating but that's fine.

You could just see the pain dripping off of Casey after all. He'll Mikey feels you could feel it. So where he wasn't a fan of beer still to this day he could suffer through some cans. Even if he stuck his tounge out and shook his head hoping it would shake away the taste he felt pretty proud he beat his record and got through a good few amount of cans. But even with a buzz as he leaned back and looked up at Casey he could tell this wasn't helping.

"You look terrible ya know?" Mikey offers he wasn't really trying to be nice. "I mean sure ya ain't all prim and proper maybe looking back explains why mutants were you besr chance for friends." He rambles a bit as he speaks. "But I get it. If I felt like something important just left me I might not be able to still look as prettt as I always do either." Mikey offers a smile as he throws a compliment his own way. Only for it to fade as he looks at them.

" If you were a puck, I’d never shoot. Because I would always miss you." That was clearly a pick up line and catered to the well known puck head an attempt at some reaction. "Bet Raph would use a line like that on you right?" He offers its hard to really say what Mikeus train of thought was in that moment. Because this might not be the time or place. Considering Casey's current state of mind. "Not a good one? Hmm oh! Hey boy, lemme get a few slapshots on your bum!" He holds his smile as he tries again.

Moving to stand up, no slightly wobbling on his feet when he tries. Moving to lean against the brick wall now thibking he looks smooth when he dose "Do you play hockey? ‘Cause I wouldn’t mind poke-checking you." Before Casey can really react though he drops his smile. "Yeah I know it's pointless. I mean I don't like you that way for one. Your more my brother personally. I just.. hate seeing you like this casey." Mikey offers.

"Like I get it though you two might think you were to much or whatever but it was pretty clear you two were hung up on the other before and after getting together. I mean ya could tell when Raph just seen you he always got in a slightly better mood which is saying something when it comes to Raph." Mikey points out "heck could tell the second you pop up he stop whatever to see you." Mikey not sure of this helps or makes it worse. "I'm not trying to add to your pain but, I think Raph knows he fucked up and if not yet? He will. I dunno what you guy will do when he does but I know my brothers pretty well Casey." Mikey isn't sure if this is a good choice or bad but if it helps Casey maybe it's worth the risk? "I don't think Raph gonna be able to stay away for long Casey. I do think you should get to hit him or something though for being. A fucking dick like he is being right now. But" he pauses thinking best he can in the state of alcohol buzzing over his thoughts.

"I don't think someone like Raph could ever really turly walk away from someone like you so..ya know it's not your fault Casey it's really not. Raphs" going through something he wants to say they all are but is it right to excuse it? "Just hang in there okay?" After all it only been about two weeks how long could this break up turly last?

[shakespearean-snape]

Okay but like, everyone has at one point made the observation that Harry and Ginny are like James and Lily 2.0, right?

But the parallels between how Harry was over Ron and his falling out and Snape and Lily are super interesting when you think about it. Both Harry and Snape were children who came from abuse and neglect, in Harry's case Ron is not just A friend but the very FIRST friend that Harry makes on the train to Hogwarts and his first real connection to the magical world with someone like him. Likewise, Lily was Snape's first significant connection with someone his own age and in both cases, Lily and Ron provided a window into a sort of domestic life that Snape and Harry have never had and would like.

Even before speaking to Ron, Harry is completely taken by the domesticity of the Weasley family and Molly's maternal kindness towards him when he's trying to figure out how to get on the train. Lily, meanwhile, is from the "nice" part of their neighborhood and a child who is clearly well cared for and adored by two Muggle parents who not only accept her as a witch but treat her having magic as a thing of pride (in contrast to Snape's father). While Ron does suffer from being lost in the pack with all the Weasleys, his family is big and for all their financial hardships there is an undercurrent of idyllic domesticity in Harry's perception of Ron's life with all his siblings and two living, loving parents.

Ron doesn't just provide Harry a glimpse of something he wants, he's brought into his family and accepted as an honorary Weasley (to the point Percy clearly felt some resentment). In spite of Petunia (who I often think wasn't just jealous of Lily's magic but of the fact Lily having magic felt like a thing that drove a wedge between them as sisters not just with her going to a different school far away she couldn't attend but also because instead of it just being them playing together she began spending more time with Snape, another magical boy who could offer what she couldn't and give her insight into the magic world they belonged to) Lily also gave Snape a glimpse into a different kind of life where a child with two Muggle parents could be loved and adored and well cared for and have "loads of magic" without being resented or rejected or a reason for said parents to argue more.

Harry having a fallout with Ron hit him so hard I think because Ron wasn't just A friend of many, he was that first real connection to this magic world and the first person in his life to give him a glimpse of something better than the circumstances he came from. Losing Ron was losing a best friend and that sense of connection to what Ron and the Weasleys meant to him, light and family and warmth and his want of that. Snape wasn't the only neglected child "like a plant starved of light," Harry was too and Ron was his first, close childhood friend that suddenly wasn't talking to him and I just imagine how that period of time and his feelings were a likely echo of another light-starved, neglected boy who probably caught himself staring in potions class at his first, best friend who gave him a glimpse into a world of light, family and warmth and feeling miserable at the loss of her and all she meant to him.

looking back at the harry potter books with like… actual time frames you realise that the most ron’s ever gone without really talking to harry was like two weeks but everyone always makes such a bigger deal out of it because harry is the one who makes a gigantic deal out of it. i think the fandom should make fun of him more for how dramatic he gets when fighting with ron.

you read the books and each time ron doesn’t talk to harry the narration is like. harry woke up feeling miserable. he turned to talk to ron but then remembered they aren’t talking and that made him start wallowing in his own sadness. there’s no point in going to the great hall, he can’t eat. he spent the potions class looking at ron who decided to sit with seamus instead of him. he was so busy staring at ron wishing they could make up he didn’t notice his cauldron exploding. snape is screaming but ron is still not talking to him. he has detention? big deal. if ron was there they would have detention together

[izel-01]

Still haven’t been able to find a job, been applying and even reapplying hoping someone would contact me but nothing and I cant stand the idea of calling and getting rejected

So obviously I had to cancel some luxuries that I’ve once had and one of those being Spotify premium, I had the family plan, but with the price change and having no income I can’t have that luxury rn

So I canceled and my younger sister is acting like it’s the end of the world like? I already explained to her that it’s not a necessity sure it’s really nice to have it but if I can’t afford it I have to cancel it and when she woke up to the subscription being canceled she was not happy

She offered to pay, I kept declining bc I don’t think it’s fair that she would pay for something that I originally was paying for and last payment I asked our “ mother “ for to lend me some money ( I’m keeping track how much I owe her it’s not much but still I hate feeling like I owe people money )

Anyways our mother said we’ll talk later about it, my sister and her did talk about it without me ( which idc ) but they kept making “jokes” saying shit like “too bad for those without Spotify premium having to listen to ads” and honestly it was annoying but I ignored them not giving them the time of day

But it hurts cause like I know I can’t afford these luxuries but at least I have a roof over my head and a comfy bed to sleep but it was nice and I miss it but it’s not a necessity and I have having to depend on her for money even though I try not to ask for anything especially since she has to save money for that stupid parasite she’s gonna have but that’s for another day

It just sucks bc I’m the eldest I’m supposed to be the example but I can’t even get a fucking job - I refuse to go back to food service it is not worth my mental health and the pay was not enough - the second oldest doesn’t want a job which imo is fine bc she literally raised the youngest 3 but she doesn’t want to cook, do chores, or learn to drive. And it fucking pisses me off sometimes bc at least she has a purpose living here unlike me

I’m in the way and I know it even if this stupid bitches say I’m not I know I am bc my sister, my best friend, says to “just move out already” , “it’s not that hard”, “nobody wants you here”, etc and ofc it hurts cause the one person who has been through everything with me, who made me suffer (not her fault when we were little but now she should know better), the one who I consider my best friend/my other half is saying this stuff to me in my face

It usually happens when she gets really irritated or when she just snaps at me for any reason which happens almost everyday and I know I may be a bit too much (tough playing with the little ones or “butting” in stuff) but it’s how I show my appreciation and love and concern but she says it’s not my “business” or sum other shit calling me names

One time a while ago around Dec 2021 I’m pretty sure after we had another argument she said something along the lines of “if I was tired then I would not get up cause nobody expects anything from you” and that really hurt I don’t remember the context of what was said I just wrote it down in my notes just her saying that

What do I say to that? How do I move on from that? I obviously didn’t forget but I’ve not forgiven her either. I cook for her I clean after her I try to help her in any way I can I defended and still do to this day from our “mother”- I remember once around middle/high school when our mother was yelling and was about to hit her and I stood out in between them saying she’ll never hit her again and this bitch (the mother) laughed and called me a hypocrite I’ll never forget that and to this day she says she doesn’t remember funny how the most terrible moments of my life she claims of having no memory of and ok my brain is shit cause I physically can’t remember shit at all but I remember that clearly tears in my eyes, scared to death of standing up to her, scared of her but I knew I had to protect my little sister

Anyways it just sucks that I already know I’m a miserable example of the eldest child, but for them to keep reminding me like i don’t know already doesn’t make it better and I can’t tell my supposed best friend bc she is part of the reason why I’m slowly losing my will to do anything and I’m pushing myself everyday trying to cook more help with chores even more to show that I do appreciate them letting me stay here bc according to my mum I’m “ no longer her obligation”

Like I stopped being her child once I turned 15… but she would never dream of doing this to the younger 4 but it’s fine bc at least they have a fighting chance in this cruel world I really want the best for them bc they didn’t asked to be here but it must be nice to not have to suffer what I did

Me and the second oldest like to joke saying we were the free trial and the youngest three have it easy, and jokes aside they do. Like in that show “Good Place” when the main character said sum about her mum sum along the lines of “ if she could’ve been a better mum for ____ then that means she could always change but I wasn’t enough for her to change” and that fucking hit me like a train… cause she did change not for her, not for us, but for them her 3 precious angels (about to be 4) and that “loving husband” of hers, don’t get me wrong that’s a good thing but it hurts seeing them be treated how I deserved to be treated to get that “family” I will always yearn for, it’s still not good tho but hey it’s wayyyy better than my childhood at least I hope it is bc then it would all have been for nothing

[llycaons]

ep37: a-qing just can't catch a break

the way his face just lights up when he has the opportunity to do something helpful...I mean I kind of get it but also. kid. get a hobby besides being a teacher's pet PLEASE

ohh neat. wwx talked a lot in the book about commoner's solutions to problems without cultivator involvement. it would have been nice to see a more pointed critique of the highly specialized and often impractical and elitist education the rich sect kids get

I love this shot. so mysterious and eerie! and he is so handsome <3

it makes me so mad that wwx is joking about a-qing's looks, not so much because I care about him being a dick and scaring the kids on purpose, but because it's a shitty and narrow-minded way to view a young person who is clearly suffering some kind of horrible...death? every single junior includes some comment on her beauty or looks and it's so annoying. she's more than that! she deserves more!

wwx scolding jl for emulating jc and sounding like a brat (or maybe more accurately to wwx's complaints, a little bitch) is weirdly satisfying to me. no he thinks the way jc raised jl sucks, actually, and he's trying to fix jl's attitude. here jl goes along with wwx's prank and then yells at him afterwards, even though he himself played along. a bit different from the jc situation sin he's a child, but I imagine wwx got irritated when he was younger a lot when jc would go along with his schemes and them turn around and complain about him as if he didn't particupate

STOP WEARING HIS FACE! YOU SICK FUCK. it's so bizarre to see xxc in black that I didn't even recognize him this time around. with the eyes hidden, it's a bit harder to tell

when I was reading swbts this weekend, she mentions that nobody actually follows all the precepts, because it's impractical and absurd. but there were some really obvious ones like 'don't murder' and it's nice to see that the lan precepts include some good things in there besides the well-criticized 'don't laugh without a cause' and such. also, lwj is the only person following every single one anyway and that doesn't have anything to do with whether he's a good person or whether he thinks wwx is a good person, either. they're really not connected and his character development is realizing that

aww, they're all offering their blood up. this little scene where wwx asked if anyone has blank talismans and commenting on their cultivation level was also explained further in the books - strong cultivators can write their own, but still-learning kids need to bring talismans that have already been written

wwx's face here is so sad. he admired sl and xxc so much and wanted to emulate them, and to see them come to an end like this...must be devastating. as if he hadn't already lost so much

ALSO the idea that would-be lovers turned on each other and tried to kill each other. I imagine that would be very difficult for wwx given his own history with lwj

spooky!

ssc's actor did so well. that smile is all xy

WEI WUXIAN CALLING XY A DRAMA QUEEN

help why did he say it like that

oh damn that's jgy

xy interacting with wwx is so funny to me honestly. like a huge fanboy. his greatest psychosexual obsession is with xxc but he definitely has a thing for wwx too I know he wants to be topped or something

classic line. we love not dehumanizing our autistic undead friend 👍

STOP CARESSING HIS SWORD YOU CREEPY FUCK

oh and this is also funny. wwx like 'are you bullying me since I'm still recovering?' (implying he IS recovering and could still rebuild a core 👀 and xy being like 'yep! as you recall I am a delinquent and I am acting like it!' and wwx being like 'no fair. MAN'

omg and as soon as lwj appears and xy is like 'hehe we meet again' and lwj just refuses to answer, summons xxc's sword, and delivers THIS devastating line. love it. no bullshit. no tolerance

I feel like xy recognizes lwj as objectively handsome but he's not really into him

his two-bladed sword is so sick too bad he's evil

I don't really think about villains in terms of whether they're 'redeemable' or not and I don't like to think of people as ontologically evil but man I don't think xy was ever going to be anything besides what he was. it did suck that he was mutilated as a child, and it must have been difficult growing up on the streets, but the glee with which he talks about mass murder makes me think he would have kind of taken any excuse to go wild and murder a ton of people. 'oh he just needed love and understand' well he got it! and he used it to trick the person who loved him into murdering more people and then he tortured and murdered their teenage ward/friend. I can appreciate a reading where he's more harmless and just funny in his destructiveness, but I will never be able to swallow AUs where he's genuinely a good person. loving murder is just too much a part of him!

there's also a line where the juniors make wwx say that lwj is good at stuff and he seems very taken aback to be asked, which is weird bc aren't they at least traveling companions? maybe he was confused at being asked to give an account with authority since he knows the kids still think he's a random jin exile who's known lwj for like. a few weeks max. man I don't like that moment, it seems really forced and awkward even if wwx is still in his 'I don't quite understand why lwj is doing this or how long it'll last' era. which also seems weird given them moments they've already shared and the comfort wwx has in stating with lwj? man, maybe it's easier if he doesn't have to think about it or explain it to other people. I GUESS

god this sucks....that's his last connection to his mama

A QING!!!!!!!!

wwx comforting her is so. he's been such a dick to the kids this episode so it's nice to remember what a kind person he is when it really counts. and a-qing hasn't felt human touch in a very long time

and when he says he'll do empathy, it's jl who objects! one of those 'aw, he really does care' moments

personal highlights:

while this wasn't as horribly dull and poorly done as the last third-party character focused plot (I seriously spent a lot of 34 thinking 'oh god, cql is bad after all), it didn't offer a lot in terms of special moments or humor. a solid 5/10. mediocre. let's see

wwx talking about folk remedies

the kids offering their blood. because they love him

wwx calling xy a drama queen

wwx seeing sl and xxc's bodies and realizing what state they're in. that shit hurted

"you don't deserve this sword' TELL HIM HANGUANG-JUN

[catt-leya]

This is gonna be different to what you usually write but can I request for a dominant female reader who ties Rick to the bed after she caught him flirting with Jessie at the party and punishes him. She rides his face and his dick and doesn’t let him come 👀

Jealousy (18+) || Rick Grimes

Thanks to you anon for getting me out of my comfort zone. I wrote through the fic in one sitting and fell a little in love with sub Rick, even though I'm a whore for dom Rick 👉🏼👈🏼

I tried to write something I hope you'll like and enjoy reading it 💗

(Quick side note for @toxic-ink : I hope I didn't disappoint you with my nice fic 👀💓)

I tug the dress into place one last time and follow my boyfriend into the room full of people.

The fact that I'm wearing a dress at all, given the realities of the world, is unusual enough, but seeing the group of people relaxed, sipping their alcohol, and apparently really celebrating is disconcerting.

Actually, I didn't want to come here at all, but Rick wanted to be here for who knows why and because I love him, I picked out an old dress and am now with him among the people who have offered us a safe place to stay.

Sighing, I slide my fingers out of Rick's hand and point my head toward the bar, "I clearly need alcohol to get through this."

My boyfriend gives me a nod, "Okay" before he disappears between people and I roll my eyes.

Rick is just the type of person who likes to be around people and people are always hanging on his every word.

He has a certain presence that captures others and that's how he got me around quite easily in the beginning.

I let him have his fun and turn to my joy: alcohol.

Before the world went down the drain, I used to enjoy a glass or two of wine with my friends, but now there are usually other priorities.

With a glass of wine, I lean against the wall farthest from everyone else and look around.

The Alexandria people are really nice but naive as hell, and I find it hard to believe they've survived this long without suffering major casualties.

I keep sipping from my glass as I spot my boyfriend at the other end of the room. Smiling, I watch as he talks with bright eyes to a woman I saw here in Alexandria yesterday.

He takes a sip from his glass and my smile grows even wider. It just makes me happy to see him so content.

The moment I want to let my gaze wander further, I see Rick put his hand on the young woman's back.

My eyebrows draw together and I don't take my eyes off the two of them. Normally, I'm anything but the jealous type and don't mind when Rick talks to other women and has fun doing it. It's the trust that I have in him and he has in me, but his hand is so dangerously low that I don't want to avert my eyes.

He probably thinks nothing of it, but when he lowers his head and whispers something in her ear, I see red.

I exe my wine and set the glass down on the first available sideboard and tap Rick on the shoulder. Still in a good mood, he turns to me with the woman in his arms and says, "There you are. I want you to meet Jessie."

I look over at Jessie and have to gulp for a second because she is so beautiful. I quickly catch myself though and jut my chin up, "Hey, nice to meet you."

She leans against my Rick a bit and I grit my teeth. He probably didn't even think to tell her he's in a committed relationship, which makes him anything but available.

She's not to blame because I know how good Rick can feel next to you.

So I paste a smile on my face and look up at Rick, who still has his fucking hand on her back, and say, "I'd like to go home."

I feel Jessie's gaze on me, but only look at Rick, who asks, "But why? Aren't you having fun?"

Shortly, I say, "No."

I know he's not going to let me go home alone and I'm right because he lets go of Jessie and looks at her apologetically, "I hope I see you again soon."

His stupid voice, which is the perfect mix of raspy and deep, makes Jessie shiver and fuck, me too.

She looks dreamily at Rick and murmurs, "I hope so too."

That's the moment I've had enough and I press out, "I'm sure you'll see my boyfriend in Alexandria now and then."

Her features all slip away and I use the moment to grab Rick's hand and drag him away from her.

We're probably both surprised at how hard I pull him behind me, and he stumbles after me all the way out into the fresh air.

Only outside does he catch himself and brace himself against me, which he manages with ease, hissing, "What's wrong with you?"

Furious, I turn to him and dig a finger into his chest, "You asshole went for that blonde."

What's in his favor is the fact that he looks genuinely confused as he mutters, "Huh? What makes you think that? I was just talking to her. You don't usually act like that when I talk to other women either."

I want to talk it out with him and try to get my anger under control, and he shrugs and walks past me, "Just relax and don't act like that."

My mouth just drops open and all I can do is stare after him. I can't believe he told me to relax.

ME to relax?

This asshole is so fucking arrogant I want to rip his balls off. I love him, but his arrogance sucks and I know exactly how to pay him back.

Couple times I take a deep breath and try to make my voice sound soft as I walk up behind him and say, "You're right."

Surprised, he looks at me again, "Oh really?" And then quickly corrects himself, "I know."

I suppress rolling my eyes and walk beside him with played equanimity. The fact that he thinks I'm going to let him treat me like this and just swallow it all is so incredibly humiliating.

When we finally arrive home, I am surprised myself that I have this level of self-control and follow Rick all the way to our bedroom without hitting the ceiling.

Rick tells me something about his plans for tomorrow and I slowly get up and put my arms around his body from behind, "Rick?"

I feel his muscles relax under my touch and grin against his back as he sighs softly.

In the end, Rick is just a man too, feeling soft breasts pressed against his back.

Slowly, I let my hands slide down his stomach to his belt and he murmurs, "I like apologies like that."

Biting my lower lip to keep from growling something like, "You should apologize to me," I undo his belt and pull it out of the loops.

With his belt in hand, I take a step back and he turns to face me. I can literally see how much he wants to touch me and dominate me, but today I want to do it differently.

His blue eyes follow me as I sit down on the edge of the bed and gently tap the bed, "Take your pants off and come here please."

Of course, I don't have to ask him twice.

Faster than I would have given him credit for, he strips off his shirt and pants, including his boxers, and I have to pull myself together to keep from falling into our normal dynamic of asking him what he wants me to do. Because that's exactly what heats up our sex so much: the dominance game between us in which I let him do whatever he wants and he takes me to my limits.

Unfortunately, it was a mistake to sit on the edge of the bed while he is still standing, because he can look down on me and quietly commands: "Take off your clothes, sweetie and put your face down into the pillows and your butt up in the air."

My eyes flutter shut and I say weakly, "Not today."

I hear him laugh, "Oh yes you are and you know it."

My traitorous center tightens at his tone, but I haven't forgotten Jessie either. So I shake my head and look him in the eye, "I want to tie you to the bed."

Of course, he bursts out laughing and doesn't seem to care at all that he's naked and vulnerable in front of me, "You want to tie me to the bed? Are you serious? Sorry, sweetie, but you do realize it's your part, right?"

Of course Rick respects me and actually we are partners at eye level, but as soon as it goes to the sexual level, it's just the opposite. That's why I can't blame him for laughing.

But I look up at him pleadingly, "Please?"

I know that's the only way I can get what I want, and I see Rick glance briefly at the belt in my hand.

Why I have to ask him to do this is obvious to both of us.

If he ties me up, it's easy and even if I resist, he's far superior to me physically. If I tried it on him, he could just push me aside. That's why he has to let me do it to him.

He looks me in the eye again and then sighs heavily, "Fine."

Without taking his eyes off me, he drops onto his back and extends his wrists toward me, "Go."

Even in this position he gives me orders and through clenched teeth I do.

I climb onto his thighs and put the belt around his wrists the way he usually does with me, fixing them to the metal of the bed frame.

Briefly he tugs on it and then murmurs, "Well done."

Now that I know he has no chance to touch me and can barely move himself, I smile at him in relief: The hard part is done.

Only now can I concentrate on Rick and trace his nipples with my finger. The sight of him straining against the bondage at this innocent touch makes my stomach warm and I bend over to whisper in his ear, "Want me to tell you a secret? I'm still mad at you because I know for a fact that you were flirting with that blonde."

Again, he braces himself and I press my middle against his cock, making him gasp, "Oh come on."

Gently I rub against his shaft and the unfamiliar position he's in seems to bother him.

Smiling, I breathe, "You know Rick, I have eyes in my head and I saw exactly where your hands were with her. For that, you can forget about touching me in the slightest today."

I can see how annoyed he is with the development, but I want him to beg me like I always do. I want him to beg to come and forget that Jessie even exists.

Lasciviously, I stand up and give him a strip show he won't forget in his lifetime and as I bend over to let my panties slide to the floor as the last piece of clothing, I stick my ass out at him so he can see what's his.

It doesn't matter that he can barely move because I still belong to him.

When I turn back to him, he's still staring between my legs and I purr, "Let's see if you can make amends."

Unusually still, he looks up at me and I can't get enough of the sight of him.

The way his biceps protrude through the restraints and his curls frame his beautiful face like a halo.

I stare at his lips and lean forward so that only a few inches separate us, "I want you to kiss me."

Immediately he lifts his head and wants to press my lips to mine, but I grab his curls and yank his head back before he can kiss me. I pull so hard on his hair that he moans softly, "Fuck."

Then I swing one leg over his head and kneel to the left and right of his arms so that my wet pussy hovers in front of his face.

Desperate to maintain control, I try to hide the trembling of my hands by bracing myself against the wall behind the headboard of the bed.

Breathing heavily, I look to him and almost give in at the sight of him looking at me with that special glint in his eyes. Unfortunately, I can't hide the trembling in my voice as I breathe, "I want you to kiss me like that."

Still not saying a word of his own and moving my pussy a little closer to his lips, he whispers softly, "You need to go down further."

I close my eyes and just think: His voice…heaven his voice….

Somehow I'm trying to punish him, but I can't shake the feeling that he doesn't even really see it as punishment yet.

Again I lower myself further and immediately he puts his lips on me.

At the first touch, my legs threaten to give way and I moan, "Oh God."

This guy just has a magic tongue and without complaining, he licks me, causing my hands to slide off the wall and I have to hold onto the edge of the bed to keep from falling on top of him and cutting off Rick's air.

My legs start to shake and Rick moans softly, "Lower."

Without thinking, I do as he says and he slides his tongue inside me.

Hectically I gyrate my hips and he knows exactly what he's doing as he presses his nose against my clit and all my muscles contract.

As I come on his tongue he tugs at the bondage and probably only now he realizes how lousy his situation actually is.

Shaky from the orgasm, I roll off him and my eyes fall on his cock, which twitches expectantly before I look up into his face.

Rick's blue eyes shine in the dim light and the feeling of pride is overwhelming as I see his beard glistening from my wetness.

I'm proud of myself that a man like Rick is licking me like it's the only thing that matters and this feeling of power over him is just overwhelming.

He licks his still wet lips and pulls at the belt around his wrists, "I got it, sweetie. Untie me so I can fuck you the way you deserve. I want to show you that you are my goddess."

The words out of his mouth are like a drug, but I want him to beg. I want to bring him to the brink of collapse. So I pull myself together and push myself on top of him again.

When my wet pussy touches his belly, he flinches and I huff, "Forget it."

I trace a wet trail across his belly as I move to his cock and out of reflex he lifts his hips to enter me, but I brace myself on my knees and aim his cock so that only the tip is at my entrance.

Eyes wide, he stares up at me and moans as I close my hand tighter around him.

I take a deep breath and purr, "Do you want to feel how ready I am for you, Rick?"

Panting, he nods and his cock twitches in my hand as he growls, "Fuck, yeah."

Sugar-sweetly, I ask, "What was that? I think there was something missing."

Rick is smart and knows immediately what I mean. I can see how much he resists, but the need to feel my warm walls around his cock is stronger, so he moans, "Please, sweetie."

I don't move an inch and my wetness wets his tip.

Rick yanks so hard on the belt that I'm briefly afraid he'll rip the bed part right off with it, but his hands stay in place and he growls in frustration, "I'm sorry I touched Jessie. Really."

I slide a little lower and his tip is inside me.

I've never seen him so desperate and needy as he is at this moment.

The vein on his neck comes out clearly and his hands are clenched into fists. Having this power over him is intoxicating and I whisper, "So what?"

He tries to come higher with his hips, but I move out of the way and he gasps, "Holy shit, I'm sorry I told you to relax."

Again I slide a little lower and moan hoarsely with him. I'm so wet that he slides into me so incredibly easily and I demand, "Beg for it."

Our eyes meet and I know full well that I'm taking it too far and that I'll regret it when I take his ties off afterwards.

But his desperation is so great that he unintentionally complies: "Please, please let me into your perfect pussy, sweetie."

At my petname, I let myself fall on top of him, moaning, and his whole body tenses as my pussy wraps tightly around his cock.

Panting, I give in and let my upper body fall forward so that my breasts are pressed against his torso.

He's so big and deep inside me that I can barely breathe, let alone move.

Especially since Rick usually has his hands on my hips, helping me move on top of him. It's not that I don't know what to do, but now I have to take care of it myself and I can't let him take control.

Rick notices my hesitation and gasps harshly in my ear, "You want to do this alone?"

With my hand on his chest, I feel his heart hammering fast and I whimper with my lips against his neck, "Yes."

His curls tickle my cheek as he moves his head slightly and murmurs, "Just try. You can't do anything wrong and you don't need my help to do it too. Finish it, sweetie."

Surprised by his encouraging words, I straighten up a bit and the love in his eyes blows me away. I had actually planned on not letting him come at all, but now I don't want to.

A little awkwardly, I straighten up again, bracing my hands against his broad shoulders as I raise my hips again, then lower myself back down onto him.

My mouth hangs wide open and with each deep moan from Rick, my whole abdomen tightens and Rick gets louder too. To my surprise, he also no longer resists the belt and lets me do whatever I deem fit to him.

As his cock starts to twitch inside me, he huskily blurts out, "That's it. Take what you need." And fuck, I do.

Trembling, I come one more time, pulling Rick right along with me. I'm still pulsing around him as I drop forward on top of him again, sliding my hands down his arms.

I undo the belt and once his hands are free, he wraps them around me, "Thank you."

I nod weakly and he lifts me to slide out of me and lay me down next to him in the bed.

My whole body feels like it's made of rubber and I open my eyes lazily as he whispers softly, "I'm really sorry. Are you still mad at me?"

Smiling, I shake my head and he brushes a strand of hair out of my face.

My eyes fall to his wrist and I'm instantly wide awake again, "Oh God, I didn't mean to. Why didn't you tell me I tightened the belt too much?"

I reach for his wrist and stroke the clearly visible red scratches and look up in irritation as he laughs softly, "Take it easy. It's all good. I kept pulling on it myself, didn't I? Don't worry about it."

Doubting, I look back down at the marks on his skin and he laughs again, "I think you should worry more about how uncomfortable it's going to be when someone asks about how I got those." And now I can't hold back the laughter either.

@hail-yourselves @bean-is-reading @chanlvr2 @criminalwalkingsupernatural @sunshinevirus @toxic-ink

[hawkinshighdropout]

Welcome to Hellfire, Kid.

Pairing: Eddie Munson x (female) Reader

Summary: You're the new kid in school and have no one to hangout with during lunch hour, Eddie comes and seemingly saves the day with his group of doe eyed misfits!

Warnings: No warnings, this is purely fluff/pure content. Unless you count a couple of curse words as needing a warning? Idk, I haven't written fanfics in like 8 years so I'm a little rusty...

Note/Request: Requested by @marvelfanfn2187a113. "Could you do a fic with Eddie and a shy reader (we all know he loves taking in ‘lost sheep’). Like maybe he sees her looking for somewhere to sit at lunch and lets her sit with Hellfire, then sees she’s totally obsessed with fantasy (maybe not DnD, but she loves fantasy genre books). And like he becomes like her ‘protector’ and maybe defends her if anyone teases her about hanging with ‘freaks’"

Word Count: 1.7k

Send me prompts to write about!

First days were hard for everyone, especially if you joined in the middle of the school year because your parents just decided they wanted to leave sunny Los Angeles and raise you and your younger siblings in a town much quieter, much safer. It felt very rushed. One day you’re waking up, heading to school, and hanging with your friends at lunches, the next? The next you’re standing alone in the cafeteria with your packed lunch, looking for somewhere to sit, somewhere you belonged.

Eyes casting around the bustling lunchroom, keeping your packed lunch close to your chest as you let out a dejected sigh. Everyone had already found their cliques; you were just another outsider trying to find your place. A few seats were free, those being closest to the trash cans or seats that were a little cracked and worn down from wear and tear. Nothing suitable for what you needed, at this point? You considered even taking your lunch outside and sitting by the bike racks. Anything was better than the awkward tension that was building as you scanned the room for options. The only saving grace of this whole situation was the fact you were graduating this year, so you wouldn’t be suffering for too long.

“Excuse me, sweetheart?” a deep voice said from behind you, warm palms suddenly placed upon your shoulders as you jump out of your skin from the shock. Turning your head with wide eyes as you glance over your shoulder at the curly haired rocker dude that’s suddenly talking to you, feeling your cheeks flush warmly.

You stepped to the side, mumbling a shy ‘sorry…’ in response, assuming he wanted to get past you to sit down with his friends. A little more confusion overcame you when he made no effort to move past you, he just folded his arms across his chest and offered a fond smile in your direction.

“Are you new here? Are you… okay?” his voice grew more concerned, clearly picking up on your nervous energy whilst you were searching his expression for a reason as to why he’s speaking to you. Tough guy appearance paired with tender and caring personality? Your weakness.

“Uh, yeah. Hi. I’m new, and I’m okay, I’m just… I don’t know, I don’t know where I can sit without bothering people. I was thinking of just sitting outside, it’s a nice day and all…” you start, interrupted by one of his hands waving in a dismissive manner.

“Absolutely not! You’re not sitting outside by yourself, okay? Come sit with us, there’s always room for more.” He offered with a fond smile, before you got the chance to even protest it, he was placing his hand on the small of your back and guiding you towards his group of friends. “I’m Eddie, by the way.”

Smiling shyly, you nod in acknowledgment before clearing your throat subtly and looking up at him. He towered over you a little, and the arm around your back made you feel safe at least just for a moment. “Y/N, it’s nice to meet you.”

Just as you finished introducing yourself, you both were suddenly at the head of the table. The conversations simmered into a comfortable silence, multiple sets of eyeballs staring your way from the table below. Glancing across the various ages of kids sitting at the table, all seeming to be wearing the same Hellfire Club shirt, you smile nervously in their direction.

“Henderson, Wheeler, Fellow Nerds, I present you with our new friend, Y/N! She’s new, be nice to her, got it?” Eddie said with a playfully stern tone of voice, to which the group smiled up at you welcomingly before being instructed by Eddie to all shuffle down one spot so you could sit beside him.

Thanking them politely as you set your lunchbox down on the table, sinking into your seat and tucking loose strands of hair behind your ears whilst getting comfortable. Wide eyed at the sudden outburst from the younger curly haired boy beside you, who seemed to be taking a particular interest in your lunchbox.

“Whoa, Star Wars?! Nice!” Henderson offered up a high five to you, which you reciprocated with a sweet giggle. It took mere seconds for the excitable boy to start up a whole conversation about the Star Wars movies, asking you what felt like hundreds of questions whilst you did your best to answer them.

You had gotten through most of lunch without any issues, the group opened up to you and let you into their squad without hassle, everyone being friendly and talkative with you whilst you ate lunch together. You gave the backstory of why you moved here midway through a school year, and they all gave a brief overview of themselves to level the playing field. It’s only when a bratty and nasal filled voice walked past you that you were brought back to reality.

“Ew, you’re sitting with these freaks?” The voice said, causing your group to look up in the direction it came from. You looked back down at your lunchbox, playing nervously with the zipper as to avoid confrontation.

“Really, Mariah?“ Dustin questioned, sounding annoyed. Clearly this happened a lot as the group knew each other by name and seemingly nature. “We’re not Freaks, and she’s cool.”

“It’s not like your little cheerleaders made any rush to offer her a seat, so just walk away.” Mike added, rolling his eyes as he seemed already disgruntled by having to defend his buddies yet again.

You started to pack up your lunch bag, not wanting to be a burden to those who had been nice to you. Not a word had passed your lips whilst you slowly raised from your seat to leave, just wanting to get the attention off of you and the heat away from the guys. A squeeze to your palm is what once again snapped you out of your daze and took you off of autopilot, glancing down to see Eddie giving you a comforting squeeze and encouraging you softly to stay. You look unsure, but his expression convinced you. Slowly sinking back down into your seat and he rose from his, watching him wander the few steps towards her with a smug look on his face.

“Listen here, Prissy Princess. I don’t know what your problem is, but save it, yeah? Just cause Tommy dumped your sorry ass doesn’t mean you get to wander around like a bitch with a stick up your ass. Okay? See ya later, sweetheart.” Eddie announced proudly, voice oozing with sass, clearly he was amused by this.

The cafeteria had gone quiet, apart from a couple “ooooh” or snort laughs at the cheerleader being shot down and burned for her attempted bullying. She was red in the face and clearly bursting to say something back to him, only to let out an annoyed grunt before storming out and letting the heavy doors slam behind her. Eddie turned on his heels and wandered smugly back to your table, stepping up onto the tabletop with glee in his eyes.

“Anyone else wanna say something, or?” He questioned to the room, everyone kept their head down or shook their head ‘no’ in response, jumping down from the table with a delighted grin as he pats you gently on the back. “See? Not so tough…. remind me to get you a shirt, yeah? One of us now.”

You giggled to yourself as Eddie would then ball is hand up into a fist, raise it in the air and slowly chant “One of us, one of us, one of us”, one by one, the other guys would join in and chant alongside him, until the whole table was chanting in a playful cult-like fashion, voices getting louder and attention being snapped back to your table.

“Munson, enough already!” Called a lunch lady from the corner, causing him to break out in a fit of giggles, dropping his fist and stuffing his face with a handful of Mike’s M&Ms. Not a single apology was uttered to the authoritarian, just shrugging his shoulders and leaning back to get comfortable in his seat.

“Heeeeeey….” Mike whined, narrowing his eyes in the direction of Eddie, causing you both to giggle as he rolled his eyes fondly at the younger kid. “Asshole!”

The attention was off of you just as quickly as it had been thrust upon you, the guys getting lost in various conversations across the remainder of the lunch hour. You would get involved in subjects you cared about such as Lord of The Rings and Star Wars, and you would happily sit whilst they would excitedly ramble about their latest DnD campaign. Truly grateful to just be surrounded by such sweet and carefree guys, they even were kind enough to invite you to their next Hellfire session so you could experience it first-hand.

Glancing over at Eddie, you noticed he hadn’t said a word in a while, he seemed to just be content with munching on his lunch and admiring the small group he had acquired, the small family he had built. A collection of outcasts who had found solitude in the company of one another, a proud look on his face as you all mingled and found a home in one another.

“Thank you, Eddie...” You mumble quietly to him, appreciating him sticking up for you. The fact he did it without even waiting a beat, his natural instinct was to keep those close to him safe and make sure they felt like they had somewhere to belong. Shaking his head in disregard, a fond smile on his face, clearly showing you that it wasn’t something that deserved gratitude.

“Welcome to Hellfire, kid.” He smirked.