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loveisanimaginarydagger3000 · 1 month ago

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The Soldier Of Death (10)- Nightmares

Natasha Romanoff X Super Soldier Reader 18+

Summary: Soldat Smerti. The Soldier of Death. You were the perfect weapon: loyal, obedient, and merciless, or so Hydra thought. What happens when these traits are put to the test? Your captivity in the Avenger's tower and the presence of a redhead makes you realise you didn't have to be a monster. The question was though; Did Hydra make you the monster or were you always one?

This fic will contains dark themes. Please read these warnings before starting any of these chapters: graphic descriptions of murder, violence, gore and torture, heavy angst, mental issues.

Please consider these warnings before reading

Word Count: 3.7k

General Masterlist | The Soldier Of Death Masterlist

Specific Chapter Warning: Dark thoughts, flashbacks/nightmares of experiments and murder, graphic descriptions of violence and gore.

—

A knock at your door snapped you out of your thoughts, blinking your eyes as your gaze flickered across your new room, briefly remembering where you were as you had zoned out for a considerable amount of time, still adjusting to the enormous change.

"Y/n?" Natasha's voice called gently from the other side of the door, an odd weight taking over your chest as a small pang of guilt invaded you, the thoughts from earlier haunting you as a mocking chuckle seemed to linger at the back of your mind, the sight of her lifeless eyes staring back at you unable to be erased. Your eyes flickered down to your hands that trembled slightly, every time you blinked the image flickering between your normal hands and blood stained ones, the darkness incessant on tormenting you, determined to ensure you suffered.

Show her the real you, let's see if she still comes crawling back to check on us.

This was the real 'you', you argued back, still refusing to accept that the darkness was truly a part of you, desperate to believe it was something Hydra put into your head and not your own sick and twisted mind.

Stop lying to yourself. You crave to hurt others, to kill others. It's only a matter of time before she sees that too.

Another knock helps drown out the sinister words, your head snapping over to the door, noticing how it opens slightly, Natasha calling your name again.

"Y/n? Can I come in?" she asks, part of you screaming no, not wanting to put her in danger while the other part of you wants her to stay with you, to help numb your conflicted state and offer a peaceful escape for a little while.

"Sure," you answer with a hesitant voice, the spy immediately picking up on your discomfort as she enters the room, her enticing green scanning over the room to see how you'd changed a few things. She noticed how the mirror in the large room was covered with a sheet, your bathroom door shut and partly blocked by the bedside table, the sofa having moved closer to the window where you were currently sat curled up, your hands hugging your knees to your chest as you stared ahead at the view. Her brows furrowed at how small you seemed, her mouth opening and closing as she was unsure of what to say, not too sure as to what caused your sudden switch in demeanour.

"Is everything alright?" she murmurs, cautiously moving to sit on the other end of the sofa you were on, observing your reaction. Your fingers started to drum against your legs in an anxious manner, your gaze still fixated on the view outside but she could tell you were watching her in your peripheral vision.

From what you could see, you noticed how the gentle glow from the sun that streamed through the window caused her red hair to appear more vivid, her skin highlighted beautifully by the light which caused it to look impossibly soft and smooth, the green of her eyes also popping as the light caused them to look even more emerald if that were possible.

"Yeah," you sigh out, aware of how obvious the lie seemed, not too bothered at the moment as you didn't want to tell her the truth, to scare her away and show her that side of you. You would never want her to see that side of you.

"You know you can talk to me, right?" she almost whispers, her eyes trained on you rather than the spectacle that was outside, the sun starting to set which was why she was originally here.

"I know," you murmur back, risking a look towards her, noticing the tenderness behind her eyes, the gentle and soft smile that she was offering to you, nothing to indicate fear or hate present on her face. A warmth replaced the odd weight that had settled in your chest, getting lost in her enchanting green as she let the gaze linger, your eyes eventually flickering away as the darkness seeps back into your thoughts.

Let me talk to her, let's see what happens then

They snickered, your jaw clenching at their mocking tone, having a vague idea of what they would do if you lost control, the desire to protect her encouraging you to continue the tiresome battle of your mind.

When you remain quiet for a little longer, the room being enveloped in silence, Natasha speaks up again. She could sense there was something going on in your mind, just not sure as to what, the redhead longing to help you be able to be free of whatever Hydra did to you, just wanting you to be able to be the real you. Not their weapon.

"Do you still want to see the sunset from the roof?" she asks in a soft murmur, not wanting to push you and make you feel as though you had to come as, although she was eager to help distract you from whatever war was going on inside you, she knew that today would have been a lot, the earlier incident of the medical tests and training along with the adjustment to everything going to have taken its toll on you.

The room once again was wrapped up in a silence as you thought over her request, the wait so long Natasha thought you may not have heard her. When her mouth opened to ask again, you responded,

"Perhaps... Another night," you whisper, looking at her with an apologetic glint in your eyes as you could tell she was just trying to help, that odd weight stomping out the warmth as disappointment took over. Earlier, you were excited to go with her but now you felt too on edge to truly enjoy it, your expression conveying your previous excitement.

Natasha doesn't take your words to heart, smiling a little as you tried to make your rejection sound as polite as possible, your words also giving her hope as you had suggested another time, your gaze flickering down to her lips as they tugged into a slightly wider smile as a small one grew on your face.

"Another night," she whispers back, her eyes holding an indecipherable glint in them as she slowly pushes herself off of the sofa to make her way back to the door, pausing and turning to look back at you. "Enjoy the rest of your night Y/n," she says with a soft smile, her tone gentle and soothing before she leaves the room, closing the door and leaving you on your own.

"You too, Natasha," you murmur back despite knowing she couldn't hear you, gaze lingering on the door before you lose yourself to your thoughts again, trying to unpick your fractured mind.

***

A sob escaped you as your veins practically glowed blue as the serum was pumped into you, fingers prying into the table you were on, denting the metal as pain coursed through you violently. A harsh whimper was ripped out of you as another needle followed the last, the restraints on your hands and feet stopping you from wriggling away from the metal needle as it slid into another vein, another wave of agony washing over your body as you could do nothing but cry out in pain. Your voice was hoarse from the last few rounds of serum, the screaming and incessant pain leaving you exhausted after each trial, this one feeling different from the last as a surge of energy seemed to consume you.

"Stay still Soldat," gritted out a scientist but you ignored their comment, your fist pulling against the restraint, snapping it with the amount of force you used. His eyes widened along with the other scientist in the room as your other hand effortlessly shattered the other handcuff, the second man running quickly to the door to escape when he found it locked, his hand wrapped around the metal handle and desperately pulling on it, knowing that he would need to leave now if he wanted to live.

You blocked out the desperate pleas from the other man as he called out to the other guards nearby, your gaze locked on the other scientist who stared at you in horror and awe, the knowledge that the serum worked again piquing your general's interest who watched behind the one way glass.

"Soldat," he trailed off while staggering back, the reality of the situation settling in his mind as you broke free of your last restraints, your eyes glossed over with darkness and malice. "Soldat-" he was interrupted by your body tackling his to the ground, the days, the weeks, the months, the years of torture and pain he inflicted on you fuelling your actions as you lost control, wanting to rip the man apart and break him.

The other scientist could only look back in pure terror as an animalistic scream was ripped out of his co-worker, your body pinning him to the ground while your hands roughly snapped the bones in his arms as he tried to pry you off of him.

"General!" The man at the door screamed, begging the man to let him be free as your hands went to the other's head, eyes holding nothing but darkness in them as your fingers pressed into his skull, killing him in the same way your general would order you to kill your victims. As usual, the bone started to strain under your thumbs, sobs leaving the man beneath you until they were silenced by a deafening crack. A sigh left you when his heart soon stopped beating, your ears zoning in on how it slowly stopped while you pulled your fingers out of what was left of his head, crimson oozing onto the concrete floor as you wiped what was left on your hands on his white lab coat, moving to stand and face the other man.

Nothing but pure rage and anger filled you as the man turned to look at you with fear in his eyes, his back pressed against the door as there was nowhere left for him to go.

They made you like this. He made you like this. It was only fair that he suffered like you did.

A gasp left you as you woke up from the vivid nightmare, your chest rising and falling as your eyes frantically searched around the room, trying to calm yourself down. You pulled the blanket up further on your body as you moved to sit on the sofa instead, not wanting to sleep in the bed as the mattress was far too soft, the feeling unnerving you as you were used to sleeping on something solid, your mind still reeling from the memory. You squeezed your eyes shut for a moment but all you could feel was the warmth that enveloped your arm as your fist went straight through the other man, fingers searching their way through flesh and blood until they reached his heart, ready to rip it out and watch as his body slumped to the ground.

They deserved it

The darkness said, their voice lacking the usual mocking tone as your hands covered your face, mind thinking for a split second that you could feel the blood from the man smearing on your face as your fingers moved to cover your eyes. You didn't bother to say or think anything back to them, simply trying your best to clear your mind, the attempt futile.

You knew you weren't getting back to sleep after the nightmare, your body itching for something other to do than drown in your thoughts, the only idea being to go back down to the training room. You were a little scared to leave your room in the middle of the night, not too sure if you'd be punished or not, so you made sure your movements were stealthy, footsteps light as you navigate your way around the compound until you reach the room, noticing how quiet and empty it was.

You didn't bother flicking on the lights as the small windows present illuminated the room softly, enough for you to see where things were to let your pent up frustrations out.

It was a cycle of cardio and weights, neither seeming to help tire you out as you either lifted the heavy bar over and over again or ran for an hour on end at a ridiculous pace, the enhanced stamina seeming to be endless as nothing seemed to tire you out, your mind wanting to sleep but body desperate to stay awake.

You didn't realise how long you were at the training room until Clint came over to you with a bottle of water, his face calm and containing a smile, hiding his concerns as he could tell you had been in here for most of the night.

"Thirsty?" he asked, to which you nodded a little nervously, not keeping his gaze as you finished the bottle in almost record speed, a pant leaving you as you realised how much strenuous exercise you had put your body through. "Everything alright?" he asked and you wished he wouldn't as you didn't want to have to talk about it.

"I just needed a distraction," you reply vaguely as you knew saying 'nothing' wouldn't have been a good enough answer, not wanting him to press for any more information.

The archer saw how you shifted from foot to foot, your head turning a little at all the sounds coming from the rest of the training room, your ears picking up all the noise as you weren't utterly consumed by your thoughts. An idea popped into his mind as he saw your eyes scan the room, his hands digging into his pockets in search of something.

"Try these," he says while handing you some earphones, your brows furrowing as you had never used them before. He chuckles a little at the confused expression written across your face, his hands motioning for you to put them in your ears before his hand pulls out his phone from his pocket. "Listening to music always helps distract me," he explains before he plays the song that was already loaded, the 80s hit causing your eyes to watch him puzzled at the strange noise, your mind noticing how it helped block out everything in the background without your thoughts taking over.

Clint watched with a small smug smile as you seemed to focus on the song, helping distract you from whatever was bothering you, as Nat came to him last night to talk about you, the archer giving her the 'best friend opinion' of the situation as she was unsure of how to help you and a little worried.

"Better?" He asked once the song had finished, a smile subtly creeping onto your lips as you actually rather enjoyed the song, nodding to him before moving to take the earphone out, the man stopping you, "Keep them, I'll play the rest of the songs for you now, but then later I'll sort you out a phone and make you a playlist." The words go straight over your head but you nod anyway, thanking him quietly before doing a few more rounds of running on the treadmill, hoping to tire your body out enough that you would sleep later without any issues.

***

The next few weeks seemed to be a constant cycle of waking up to a nightmare and sneaking off down to the training room, the ear phones a necessity to you now as you slowly but surely learnt how to use the music app on the phone, Clint's suggested playlist playing in the device as you worked out every day, still unable to get a good night's sleep. You felt guilty at how distant you had been to others, especially Natasha as you still hadn't gone to the rooftop with her yet, but you made a move to stop that as Wanda approached you in the kitchen.

Your teeth sank into the apple that you took from the fruit bowl, hoping no one would see you as the open space was empty until the young witch walked in, a mission on her mind.

"Hey Y/n," her tone casual as she walked up to you, moving to go into the fridge instead, your mind on guard as you were still not used to not having to ask permission for stuff.

"Hey," you reply back with a shy tone, still a little cautious of the witch after she invaded your thoughts, the brunette understanding of your nervousness. You took another bite of the red apple, the crunch seeming to fill the silence that brewed in the room, Wanda moving to lean against a countertop as she watched you sit awkwardly on one of the stools.

"I want to apologise to you," she says after a moment, her fingers playing with the ends of her long sleeve shirt, "I'm sorry that I went into your thoughts and made you relieve those... events."

You don't look at her as brief flashes of what you remembered filtered through your mind, your eyes fixated on the half eaten apple in your hands.

"Did...Did you see them too?" you asked, wanting to confirm your beliefs about her powers.

"I did," she quietly confesses, your eyes slowly moving over to look at her, noticing the genuine apologetic tone of her voice, "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry you had to see them too," you murmur, taking her by surprise, her brows raising a little as she watches your form seem to slump in disappointment. "Thank you for apologising, I'm going to head back to my room now," you say, wanting to leave the conversation as swiftly as possible but her words stop you, your head turning back to look at the witch.

"Wait," she says to stop you leaving, "We're having a movie night tonight, the whole team. I was wondering if you wanted to join us?" Her eyes hold a hopeful glint in them, your mouth opening and closing just as quick, unsure of what to say.

"I don't know," you trail off, her smiling a little as it wasn't a straight up no.

"It will be fun, I promise you," she says, excitement seeping into her tone as she had gotten to choose the film for tonight, "I know it's hard to get used to but, we're a family here, and we want to get to know you better." The cheerful and optimistic look in her eyes wins you over, the idea of being with everyone a little daunting but the thought of familiar green eyes and red hair help calm you down.

"I'll join you," you say, earning a wide smile from the young woman, the sight inevitably causing one to grow on your face before you say goodbye, making your way back to your room.

Too busy thinking about the movie later, you bump into someone who rounds the corner, a recognisable shade of red entering your vision.

"Sorry," you both say at the same time, her voice a little breathless as she came straight from the training room after her workout.

You seemed to get lost in a trance as you take in her outfit, the simple sports bra and leggings occupying your thoughts while your eyes focus on a bead of sweat that drips down her neck in a tantalising slow motion, the sigh causing a different warm feeling to take over you, the sensation a lot lower than your chest.

"Y/n?" she asks, a hint of teasing to her tone as you snap out of it, red tinting your cheeks as you realise you were staring.

"Sorry," your tone shy as you mumble the apology. "I don't know what came over me," you say honestly, missing the subtle smirk that took over the redhead's lips, moving past her to go towards your room, confused as to when she followed you. You stood frozen by your door as she went to the room next to you, her hand opening the door before looking over to you, her brows furrowed as you stared at her once more.

"What?" She asked out in a chuckle, the smile never leaving her lips as she was glad to talk to you again, noticing how you distanced yourself recently.

"Have you always been in the room next to me?" you ask, unaware that anyone was near your room, the thought of her hearing you wake up after a nightmare entering your mind.

"Yes," she says, her smile dropping a little but still present as she could see your hesitation on whether to ask a question. She remained patient with you, moving to lean on the side of the door frame, her arms crossing over her chest in a relaxed manner.

"Have... Have you ever heard me during the night?" your voice was laced with nerves as you didn't want people to know, a sympathetic look taking over her face.

"Why, what have you been doing in the night, alone?" she teased, trying to lighten the mood but the innuendo goes straight over your head, your brows furrowing at her words. Her eyes soften as she looks at you, nodding to answer your question as you look down a little embarrassed.

"Sorry if I woke you up," you mutter, not meeting her gaze.

"You can come to me if you have a nightmare," she says with a gentle voice, reassuring you that she wouldn't mind, "We don't have to talk about it, I just...I don't want you to think you're alone. We're here for you. I'm here for you." You meet her eyes after her words, offering her a shy smile before opening your own door and looking back at her, unsure of how to feel at the care she was showing you.

"Thank you Natasha," your tone is filled with appreciation as you smile at her, a warmth enveloping the redhead's chest at your softening features before you enter the room, leaving her to stare at the spot you were just at, unable to stop thinking about your smile.

#marvel fanfiction #angst with a happy ending #heavy angst #the soldier of death #super soldier reader #hydra #tw torture #tw abuse #tw violence #graphic #cw gore #natasha #natasha romanoff fanart #natahsa romanoff #natasha romanov #natasha romanoff #black widow x reader #natasha romanoff x reader

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the-amazing-digital-mafia · 2 months ago

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Do you mind if... I used ur Kaufmo as pfp in discord? (._.") People rarely draw him and I love ur art in general.

(Btw, if u have time, could u do sm brother and sis moment between Kaufmo and Pomni?)

Here's a random image <3

I was never against of using any of my art for anything!! Just be sure to credit me

Heres the besties

#answer time #doodles #the amazing digital circus #tadc #tadc au #the amazing digital mafia #tadc mafia au #tadc pomni #tadc kaufmo

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theannoyingurge · 29 days ago

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Playing with the idea that none of the bg3 villains are fully honest with Durge. Everyone is hiding some piece of the puzzle and happy to abuse the amnesia situation to their advantage. 'Cept Kressa. She's psycho, but she's an honest psycho. In another life, we might have been friends.

Edit: part 2 here

Ketheric is the first, most obvious example of this. He doesn't even bother to inform the other Chosen you've reappeared. (Myrkul is the god of exhaustion, so this tracks.)

Balthazar also 100% recognizes you and also doesn't even bother. To him, your amnesia means no tedious reunions with annoying Bhaalspawn who are big mad that he stole their brother's name and rib bones.

The Emperor is sometimes overlooked when piecing together Durge's history, but he admits to knowing your past if you reject him in Act 3 (stating "I know everything about you" while threatening to turn you into a puppet like Duke Stelmane). Whether or not he's posturing, he should at least be aware of your past with Gortash, considering you helped kidnap him in the first place. For evidence, see Gortash's interrogation notes, which open with "When we captured you". (Sure, this could refer to Orin, but I simply do not see these two working as a highly functional team. More on this and the timeline below the cut.) Naturally, despite traveling together for months, The Emperor wouldn't want to fill any gaps in your memory that might cast doubt on his trustworthiness or help align you with his enemy.

The Absolute might be lying about respecting you/your plan and preferring you over your replacement. I am of two minds about this. If you were attacked immediately after crowning the brain, there should be no basis for a preferential relationship. In that case, the brain is just stroking your ego and need for approval. However, I have doubts about Durge being taken down during the initial raid.** I think some time must have passed after crowning the Absolute, giving it the chance to develop a working relationship with you that it lacked with the other Chosen, which caused everything to fall apart after you were tadpoled. This also buys us time to kidnap the Emperor and bring it under the Absolute's thrall as described in Gortash's interrogation notes.

**Some of Gortash's other notes claim Durge was lost during the first raid, but his journals are full of contradictions. He leaves the House of Hope out of his memoirs entirely. He seemingly retcons history to present himself in a more favorable light, which probably includes intentionally diminishing the work of his allies (or erasing the painful memory of his nearest and dearest). In any interpretation, the brain definitely hates Gortash the most, and that's good enough for me.

Orin and Gortash paint somewhat conflicting pictures of you pre-tadpole. The difference here might be genuine (the honest perspectives of a little sister vs a business partner or lover) or it could be a manipulative game of tug of war over your budding and impressionable self image.

Now, I like Durgetash - but I like every possible interpretation of these assholes, not just the mutually reciprocated and/or sexy ones. It's conceivable to me that Gortash may have discovered Durge's crush on him via the Prayer for Forgiveness and played up their history in Act 3 as a defensive measure. Maybe Gortash always knew of Durge's feelings and used them to his advantage (Orin outright tells you this, but again, nobody listens to Orin. Sorry sis).

It's also conceivable that he knew Durge was the first to be tadpoled, considering how close their pod was to his workbench. The brain was given orders to transform the party (that were resisted several times), so Gortash's surprise that Durge still lives makes sense, assuming he even knew Durge was with them (he doesn't seem to be checking the scrying eyes at all. What kind of loser tyrant ignores his own surveillance system? I digress). His general relief and preference for them over Orin is also still valid. (I imagine he feels something along the lines of Durge being the one who got away, you don't know what you've got until it's gone, etc etc. Cue hysterical bonding as the long lost love of his life waltzes into his coronation covered in blood to save him from their psychotic sister and the poorly housetrained Netherbrain they left him full custody of. Yes he wanted full custody, but still.)

Puppy eyes aside, Gortash is a blackhearted pragmatist (he will turn on Durge if they give him the stones) and progress is progress. The first True Soul was an incredible breakthrough, and the show must go on. So just imagine the bricks he's shitting in Act 3 if Durge comes back and remembers the Wrong Things from before the nautiloid. What if they want revenge on him? Nope, not good at all. Best to position himself as Durge's only friend and most trustworthy partner. Regardless of how well he treated them before, Durge was willing to piss off Bhaal to spare his life. That's an extremely useful vulnerability right now, because he's about to ask them to do it again!

Lastly, I have no proof, but I strongly suspect that Sceleritas is fibbing about Durge's past as well. Partly because the Slayer form is severely disappointing in-game and canonically excrutiatingly painful, despite Fel claiming you've always wanted it. It honestly sounds like a way to sell an unwanted used car back to it's amnesiac owner who failed to appreciate it before. Bhaal isn't a full deity any longer, so take what you're given (and you'd better damned well like it!) I also call bullshit on tossing a coin to a beggar being the "worst" crime Durge ever committed against Bhaal (*ahem* looking at you, Gortash). Some dialogue with the Oathbreaker Paladin suggests we've tried somewhat consistently to be good in the past, and Sceleritas has a vested interest in making Durge worse, not planting noble ideas in their freshly lobotomized murder-happy brain.

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jesncin · 1 month ago

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The Portrayal of Noah Ikumelo's Disability in Spurrier's Hellblazer and Dead in America run

Noah Ikumelo is a divisive new character introduced in Si Spurrier's 2019-2020 Hellblazer 12 issue solo (illustrated by Aaron Campbell and Matias Bergara, colors by Jordie Bellaire), he continues appearing as a recurring character in Hellblazer Dead In America (2024, 11 issues) Spurrier's long awaited continuation of his original run. Introduced in the very first issue as a Black, mute (hearing, but unable to orally speak) teenager who predominantly uses BSL to communicate.

We'll be discussing how Noah's disability was portrayed, how effective it was narratively, and thoroughly analyze the limits and ableist biases comics have as a visual language. Spoilers for Spurrier's Hellblazer and Dead In America run below. CW for ableism, racism, SA, police brutality, and general violence.

Disclaimer!! I am an able-bodied person with only occasional interactions with the Deaf community and am still studying ASL in my own time. All of these observations are made from an outsider perspective. I feel that starting a critical discussion from any source of knowledge for other more informed perspectives to follow up on is better than having no discussion at all.

However! I can offer some valuable perspective as a ~classically/formally trained~ comic artist- because we'll be discussing some inherit biases with how comic artists are trained to illustrate communication in this visual medium. I'll also be talking about lettering, which I'm nitpicky about so if I'm an expert on anything, it's those things.

I won't be going through each issue in as much detail as these first few issues for the sake of set up, but I will stop every now and then to discuss the portrayal of some scenes.

Let's start with Noah's very first appearance in Hellblazer 2019 #1. Noah is introduced as one of the very young members of a gang called the Ri-Boys. He's tasked with kidnapping a magic specialist to help get rid of murderous angelic spirits in their local park that are getting in the way of their prime location for selling drugs. He kidnaps John Constantine, who is quickly informed that Noah is mute.

Noah doesn't sign at all in this first issue, opting instead to communicate with a little notebook tied around his neck.

Despite K-Mag's (the gang leader) justification for recruiting teenagers as a "refuge" from a world that hates them, he's not afraid to treat Noah as disposable. He opts to send Noah's able-bodied friend (named Isa) on an errand instead of Noah because they "don't need no tongueless splesh backin' on ops-" and threatening Noah's life in order to get John to cooperate. So narratively the set up is clear: even though this gang is meant to provide jobs for the marginalized, it's still a bigoted organization that doesn't treat Noah well.

After accompanying John to the park where the angelic spirits murder another junkie, Noah is so traumatized by what he witnesses that he throws up on his notebook- rendering it unusable. Issue #2 starts with Noah raving in BSL (the image at the very top of this essay) to his gang mates that ignore him. When John asks if anyone knows sign language, he gets no response. It's clear that Noah is an outsider even among the Ri-Boys. Regardless, by the end of the issue in the following day, Noah is back to using his notebook (I guess he got a new one).

So. The notebook. I'll be honest I hate the notebook. It's such a clunky thing for Noah to carry around his neck, and it's clearly a set up so that Noah throws up on it and can't communicate to people who don't know sign.

On personal experience alone, I've been able to communicate with deaf people through texts on a shared phone. We'd just pull up notepad and write to each other to bridge the language barrier. And (as I've been informed by @scoliwings!) if phones running out of batteries is the worry, there's also pocket-sized boogie boards as a handy means of communication. At the very least Noah canonically has a phone (he is texting John in the panel above), and the Ri-boys can afford an ipad that K-Mag uses. These boogie board devices are much more affordable than either of those items and far better than a notebook.

Throughout Spurrier's treatment of Noah's disability, there will continue to be a sense of "we haven't even exhausted basic options to bridge a language barrier yet-" and this one is the first instance of that.

[this is not how the panels look in the comic, I chopped and arranged the last panel to save up on tumblr blog image space]

To keep this essay focused on Noah's disability, by issue #3 after some plot stuff progresses, John reveals to Noah that he actually can understand BSL. It turns out he knows "a bit" of BSL from a relationship he had with a deaf man in the 90s. Regardless, throughout Spurrier's whole run, John is shown to understand Noah's signing fluently. You might be wondering why John kept this a secret. Was he withholding his understanding of BSL so he could "eavesdrop" on something Noah signs to his friends without knowing? Nope. This reveal had no narrative purpose; John gained nothing from hiding this from everyone and it retroactively makes earlier scenes weirder. John just decides to reveal this to Noah for no other reason than to be a jerk I guess?

Once John fixes the "murderous angels in the park" problem, he also convinces K-Mag to let go of Noah from the Ri-Boys gang so that Noah can live a more honest life going to school (we will never see this) and uh. Being John's new personal driver. John used to have a friend, Chas, who drove him around everywhere but with Chas gone now- Noah is narratively set up to take his place.

Eagle-eyed readers might notice something odd about the way the scene where John reveals to Noah that he understands BSL is staged: if John supposedly understands what Noah is signing, why is he walking away, yet responding to what Noah is signing behind him? Yeah. This is one of the most annoying artistic blunders throughout all of Spurrier's Hellblazer runs with Noah. Despite Noah being mute, other characters still act like they can "hear" him.

Sign language isn't a language you can passively listen to. When someone is signing, that means you have to be looking at their hands and facial expression in order to understand what they're communicating to you. A casual irl example- in art school us hearing students could draw in our sketchbooks as the teacher lectured. A deaf student we had that year had to clarify that was not something they were able to do. As whenever the lecturer spoke- that meant that student would have to look up to their interpreter translating the lecture. So they weren't able to catch up with the classwork the way us hearing students could.

You'll notice in the panels above, John is preoccupied and talking to someone on his phone. Yet he's "hearing" what Noah is signing to him. John self identifies as someone who knows "a bit" of BSL- meaning he's not fluent. But this doesn't go anywhere since John's functionally fluent throughout both runs. It's like having a character say they know "a bit" of French only to show them being fluent through the whole story. Why bother mentioning a language barrier if it wasn't going to matter?

In these panels, Noah is signing while facing to the side- as in he's not facing John directly as he's signing, which obscures his signs from being clearly read. This wouldn't be a problem for folks who are way more fluent with any sign language (they can recognize signs at many angles), but for newbies you'll usually have people signing with their torso directly facing the other person to be as clear as possible. And they'll sign a lot slower. Little nuances like that make it clear that no one on the Hellblazer creative team have conversed with deaf people before- but why would something so obvious not be considered in the artistic direction of this run?

Let's quickly go over comics visual storytelling and how comic artists are trained to tackle staging a "talking heads" scene. Scenes like this are when characters are having a long conversation, visually giving the scene a "samey" vibe. Our job as comic artists is to keep the visuals interesting, so there are a ton of tricks we're taught to vary up how a conversation looks. We'll have a character hold a prop, walk around, look away to something else, have characters multi-task as they talk (bonus if it's thematic to the conversation), basically outside of zooming in and out it's good to keep a character busy to give the scene visual variety. Anything to break out of that silhouette of two characters directly facing each other.

[these are not how the panels are presented in the comic, I spliced these panels from 2 different issues to save up space]

Therein lies the problem: these tricks rely on an able-bodied standard of communication in order to function. Having a character like Noah communicate in sign, relies on the character he's signing towards to be paying full attention. Tackling "talking heads" as a comic artist explains but doesn't excuse these horrendous instances where poor staging of the characters ends up accidentally implying Noah "has a voice" because the able-bodied characters sure seem to be able to "hear" him even though they're facing all sorts of directions. Again, this just means the artist and writer have to rise to the challenge of keeping the scenes visually interesting while being inclusive to the disabled character the writer introduced into this world.

While we're talking about comics, I'm just going to go ahead and say I'm not a fan of the letterer's choices to visualize Noah's dialogue. To differentiate from the other characters, Noah's speechbubble is more like a caption box- it's square and light green. Instead of a tail pointing out of it to indicate who is talking like a traditional speechbubble would, instead Noah's dialogue box has a long arrow coming out of it. The arrow pointing out is just so corny. It says: "look! here's where the words are coming from! His hands!! Whoaaa".

Moreover, the arrows ruin the visual flow of the comic pages. We humans are hard wired to look at where an arrow is pointing. It's what that symbol is designed for. It's why all those clickbait youtube thumbnails have arrows pointing on them, it steals your attention. The best kind of speechbubbles are unobtrusive to the art, complementing it. Having it so that whenever Noah has dialogue we get these annoying arrows that stick out of the page composition just ruins it. Here's what it looks like edited on other characters' speechbubbles. It's a lettering eyesore.

I see no reason why Noah can't have a speechbubble tail like everyone else. I personally like making the speecbubble tail a lil-squiggly when I'm drawing a speechbubble for a character signing. Differentiating the speechbubble enough but not to the point it's obtrusive to the page flow.

Additionally, Noah has "translation brackets" around his dialogue- it's a block of dialogue that starts with the "less than" symbol and ends with the "greater than" symbol to indicate a sentence being translated from another language.

<So you'll have a character's dialogue look like this in the speech bubble.> *

accompanied by a translation box clarifying that the dialogue is; [*translated from French, for example] in the first instance we see the language featured in the comic. Of course this isn't the only way to portray language in comics, sometimes letterers will go for using colored text to differentiate languages. There's no standard look! Noah's dialogue never featured an initial caption box that discloses what language he's signing in. I'm going to charitably presume that it's a stylistic move away from that practice so that the reader is put in the same confused position as John is upon first meeting Noah.

I don't personally have an issue with the application of translation brackets to Noah's dialogue. Because even though Noah is communicating in a type of English language (British Sign Language), what we're seeing written in the dialogue of the comic isn't a direct translation of what he's signing. Unless it's Sign Exact English, sign language has different sentence structure, grammar and syntax from spoken English. So if Noah signs something like "#BUS RED YOU SEE WILL", then that translates to him saying "You will see a red bus." in written dialogue. It's a translation of his signing, even if it's still English.

I don't think there's an indisputably correct way to portray sign language in comics. Something like this will go down to personal stylistic choice of the artist. Maybe one artist decides they don't want to put brackets on ASL dialogue because they'd rather use that to differentiate English language from non-English language. There's an argument to be made either way! So long as you commit to your set of rules, I can at least try to engage with where an artistic choice is coming from even if I disagree with how it's done.

Unfortunately, that's not the case for Dead in America:

It's in the very last issue of the run, but well. You forgot the translation brackets there, guys. Sloppy work.

To wrap up Noah's arc in Hellblazer 2019, Noah is revealed to be John Constantine's son. John had a graveyard fling with Liza Ikumelo, a police woman (barf), thereby insulting a demonic spirit (and by extension, me, the reader). Many years later the spirit hunts down the woman, cursing her to an eternal sleep. Her child, Noah, was nearby and by proxy lost his voice from the incident. So it's John Constantine's fault that Noah's mute, and that Noah's mom is in a coma. Hellblazer 2019 ends with John feeling an immense guilt for forcing Noah to kill a friend, meaning they now have to flee the country. John doesn't tell Noah that Noah is his son.

So despite the poor portrayal of Noah's disability in this run, his character overall at this point was a really interesting addition to Hellblazer lore. He has a unique background of hardship; cursed by John's shenanigans at birth without even knowing it, and despite all of that he still has it in him to want to help and be kind. The reveal that he's John's son adds a layer of tragedy to everything- what does it mean to be another continuation of the Constantine family? Without even knowing it? There's plenty of angst on John's end of things, having unknowingly been an absent father for years. We get to see echoes between father and son in their actions. They're both from harsh backgrounds but humanitarians at heart, in different ways. It's very compelling stuff.

Years later, Dead In America is released as the long awaited continuation of this story. John, his friend Nat, and Noah are in America now, going on a long cross country road trip in a double decker London bus. Why? Just because. Noah and Nat take turns driving because John can't drive. In my opinion Dead In America is a bigger, more convoluted plot so I will stick to summarizing things that are relevant to Noah's disability.

This run has all the same problems as the 2019 Hellblazer run does with characters not being staged properly when Noah is signing to them, but it's the very first issue that reveals something particularly damning about how Spurrier views sign as a language.

As Noah is driving the bus he is instructed not to stop for anyone. But later that night he suddenly does. John berates Noah, only to be surprised that Noah is speaking (and sounding uncharacteristically posh)! John suddenly can't speak, instead he signs. This is how he realizes he's in a dream and regains his ability to speak. It's clear what's intended by the storytelling here. Seeing an able bodied person sign is part of the surrealism that makes this scene out of the ordinary. It's supposed to be odd that John is signing, because it's weird that Noah is the one speaking. Signing is a thing only disabled people do, not anyone else. This dream sequence is the only time a character other than Noah signs.

This single narrative choice has a drastic ripple effect on the rest of the run; it means that through both runs, no one ever signs back to Noah. According to the National Association of the Deaf, 72% of hearing parents with deaf kids don't learn sign language. This leads to deaf kids struggling culturally within their own families. Sign language expresses things that written or spoken languages can't. So having their own family not bother to learn sign is deeply isolating for deaf kids. By not having anyone but especially John sign to Noah, any narrative attempt to portray familial care and consideration between the two is undercut by this barrier. Sure John cares for his son in his own way, but not enough to converse with him in his own language.

This is when it became clear to me that Noah's use of BSL functions more as "a voice but #diverse" instead of portraying sign language as a culture and community of its own. It's like characters of color being written as white, where their identities are just a palette change. Only here, it's more of "this character is speaking, but with his hands this time" never mind how that drastically changes how a character navigates the world and how people interact with him. Attempts at writing Noah's disability in this run continue to be lackluster at best and insulting at worst.

Don't get me wrong, Noah is not a "whitewashed" character- his Blackness is integrated into the narrative of both Hellblazer 2019 and Dead In America... for better or for worse. By this I mean especially in Dead In America, Spurrier really likes to use Noah as a prop to show how racist America is. I don't think there's anything wrong with showing some uncomfortable scenes of Noah facing off American cops. In fact I like how this scene in the first issue shows the specific struggles a Black disabled person goes through, being double profiled as someone dangerous when Noah's attempts to communicate are misinterpreted as a threat- it sets the tone for how dangerous the country is for someone like him.

The original Hellblazer showed plenty of scenes where John is brutalized by the cops in both the UK and US, so gritty commentary is right at home with the character's stories. The difference here is there is almost a giddiness to inventing scenarios for Noah to experience profoundly racist situations at the expense of Noah's own characterization in this run. It becomes more obvious as we progress.

This is another nitpick but when John, Nat, and Noah meet up with Clarice Sackville (an elderly magician lady) in issue #2, Noah discreetly signs to John, calling Clarice a "wrinkled old hag" only for John to whisper back "Be grateful she can't sign, Noah." meaning "be glad she can't understand what you're saying". If there was any opportunity to use sign language as a means of discreetly communicating around someone who doesn't understand it, this would've been the moment. But alas, only disabled people use sign language, right guys. John can only sign in a weird dream sequence.

The punchline here is that Clarice actually understood what Noah was signing, making a jab at him for calling her a "wrinkled old hag". I don't know how she understood what Noah was signing when she was clearly facing away from him the whole time but well. That's basically a tradition for Spurrier's runs at this point. Technically John's dialogue isn't wrong here. Clarice "can't sign". She understands it, but doesn't sign. Because that's a thing only disabled people do.

Let's put a pin on issue #4 and skip ahead to Dead In America issue #5. This is essentially an anthology issue containing short stories of little incidents John, Nat, and Noah encounter on the American road. I will be discussing the second story, "One-Way Ticket" written by Aaron Campbell (ordinarily the main artist of Spurrier's runs) with art by guest artist John Pearson.

It's a story about a ghost guy who wants to go home but everyone ignores him (because they can't see him), John helps out by discovering his dead body and bringing the spirit comfort. It's a cute and cozy story if it weren't for the abysmal way Noah is treated in it, completely contradicting its themes. Noah is horrified at the prospect of John leaving him alone in the red bus, fearing the cops will show up. John responds "You're mute, just pretend you're dumb too." Even for asshole-John standards this is unnecessarily cruel. Dead In America started with Noah being profiled by the police, so Noah's fears are as founded as it gets. This short story may not be written by Spurrier, but it is written by the artist who DREW THAT SCENE.

I didn't splice the panels above, that is exactly how they are presented in the comic. Not only do we have characters facing away from Noah as he's signing again (a tradition even guest artists continue to perpetuate it seems), but it's followed up immediately with a ghost being grateful that John recognizes him. The irony that John gets told that after ditching his son. Why not make the story about Noah relating to the ghost? Remember that scene where Noah is signing to the Ri-Boys and they all ignore him? He and the ghost could connect over how they're ignored and treated as disposable, how accommodation for people like them is considered an inconvenience, how no one cares when their life is threatened.

When John returns from discovering the ghost's dead body, just like clockwork Noah is being searched by a cop. Only now it's treated like a joke instead- with Nat taking a smoke on the side and John just slapping a spell on the cop to make him stop.

This nonchalant carelessness for the portrayal of cops is a big departure from how ACAB John was in his original Hellblazer run. John was a man who could outsmart and kill the Vampire King only to be immediately beat up by cops afterwards. He's called homophobic slurs for defending the dead body of his sex worker guy friend. It paints this image of a guy who can overcome the supernatural but doesn't stand a chance against mundane human cruelty. Because that kind of thing takes more than a magic trick to defeat. But in Dead In America, cops are a mild inconvenience to John. He can just cast spells on them and move on. It's disappointing how even in a run that's supposed to be a return to form for Hellblazer, John isn't as radical as he was written in the 80s and 90s. The cops don't have the kind of threatening authority they had in the older comics. Don't worry, it gets worse.

Let's hop and skip ahead to Dead In America issue #9. For plot reasons, John went missing. He disappeared to Hell and back for four weeks, separated from Noah and Nat. When he reunites with his friends, they want nothing to do with him. They're now running their own little film studio, shooting a film that metatextually reflects their road trip adventure. Again, for plot reasons. They're teaming up with a metamancer to speed filmmaking along. Nat's the director and Noah's the producer. He's practicing magic, and even found himself a girlfriend, Liz! She's an Asian girl though and that worries me. Because Asian love interests are usually seen as narratively disposable. A racist character assumes Noah is using "mind magic on her" because there's no way Noah would end up with someone so "hot", right? Right.

[spliced panels from issue 9 and 10]

Issue #10 is when we get very much needed perspective from Noah and Nat's point of view. Nat always wanted to be a writer, while Noah longs for a life of normalcy. The two narrate their backstories, building their life up to meeting John, to where they are now with their film studio.

We learn how Noah got into using magic, and. Urgh. Sick of dealing with a language barrier as a disabled person, Noah uses magic to communicate with people. It's another case of "we haven't even exhausted basic options to bridge a language barrier yet-" I get it, throughout this run Noah doesn't have his notebook, and he doesn't appear to have his phone either (perhaps to hide from the authorities tracking them down) but to that I say pocket-sized boogie boards are still an affordable option that won't get you tracked down by the cops. I'd even prefer him buying another notebook over this. In this issue he's even seen with a phone, so what do I know.

"huh! I just remembered that I, an American, actually do know British Sign Language! Hah how could I forget something like that ho ho" it's just so trite. Like we're not even going to try and grab a paper and pen to communicate? We're skipping to using dark magic instead? Okay. Worst of all, so you're telling me the racist loser was right about Noah?? That Noah wouldn't have a chance with Liz if it weren't for magic? What are we doing...

I'm not including the panel here but after Noah narrates "I won't use this shit to coerce people-- I'm not him. But... making things easier? Simpler? Why not?" the following panel is of him and Liz getting funky style in bed. Even with Noah saying he won't "coerce people" he still says that magic can make things easier. Simpler. There is this uncomfortable implication that Noah "made it easier" for Liz to sleep with him. Sure it can be read that he got close to her through them communicating on the same page. But when their relationship isn't developed, narratively she just kind of exists as a prop for his desires. To quote Noah himself in Dead In America issue #4: "It was rape."

Time to revisit that pin. So issue #4 is about John and Noah masquerading as an exorcist and...an enslaved person to trick a small town into revealing a coverup: a girl was assaulted by six boys in their local football team, ending her own life from her story being pushed aside for the bright future of the football boys. Noah is so infuriated by how she was mistreated that he beats up one of the boys. It's a heavy story about how far a town will go to protect the future of boys while discarding the life of the girl, who to this day is anonymous. If you're wondering whether Noah pretending to be an enslaved person was necessary to the con, I can assure you it really wasn't.

What's frustrating here is that are we really supposed to believe that Noah, a character who was willing to risk his safety by beating up a rapist, would then go ahead and "make it easier" to sleep with a girl later? Remember. The reason he did that was because his disability was apparently holding him back. Are we really having it so the only person of color in John's cast for this story did this? That if he wasn't disabled, he wouldn't do this? It's frankly disgusting.

Through John's silver tongue trickery, he pulls shenanigans that cause Nat and Noah to get arrested. Despite Nat being known to be violent, Noah is the one who is brutalized by the cops and put into solitary confinement. Because racism. Spurrier really wants you to know that American cops are so racist, guys.

I wonder where all this energy was for his Hellblazer 2019 run taking place in the UK. Where the only cop characters were noble people of color who are looking out for each other. Noah's own mom was a cop, even. He'll show Noah looking tense in a car as cops walk by in Hellblazer 2019, but for Dead In America? Noah is profiled by police three times, made to play an enslaved person for John's ends, and is in the receiving end of so many bigoted characters' racism. Spurrier is selective about his portrayal of cops when it suits him.

At this point it's transparent looking back at the treatment of Noah's character throughout Dead In America, that there's a giddiness Spurrier (and technically Campbell) have in crafting racist scenarios for Noah to go through. But it's okay because they have John say a lamp-shading comment to assure readers that the writers recognize "This Is A Racist Thing Happening".

Reading Dead in America reminded me of the discourse surrounding "Strange Fruit" a comic by Mark Waid and J. G. Jones. I won't belabor explaining the plot, but what they have in common is this self congratulatory "giddiness to put Black characters in compromising situations" I keep describing. Like, they didn't have to create a naked Black Superhero named "Johnson" who doesn't speak and wears a confederate flag while dealing with racists in the Jim Crow era South but...these white writers just didn't have a choice! It's the rules of story! John has to pretend Noah is his property!

"Strange Fruit's desire to make big, albeit familiar statements about America's sinful past and do justice to both the subject matter and history often comes at the expense of considerate or even dimensional characterization."

-Vox writer Tre Johnson, 2017.

This is the kind of giddiness to indulge in fictional cruelty that isn't written with Black readers in mind. It's to entertain white readers with an exaggerated depiction of racism to make themselves feel better about being British. And if anyone's excuse is "well it's Hellblazer! Vertigo comics are supposed to talk about uncomfortable topics, John gets beat up by cops too back in the day", then need I remind you that unlike John, the sheer frequency Noah is put into these compromising scenarios is at the expense of his characterization.

Don't think that Spurrier's done playing with his "America Sure Is Racist" prop yet though.

As Noah (still bruised and battered) escapes prison, John pulls a couple more tricks on him: he "accidentally" reveals that Noah is his son, tricks Liz into faking her death to freak Noah out (we'll never see her again after this), and gets Clarice to pretend to die in front of him. All this angers Noah into attempting to kill John- but he stops. Because Noah still isn't that kind of person.

This is all part of John's plan, supposedly he made a deal with demons in Hell that if John himself is killed in the allocated time, he won't actually die. But his plan failed. Unfortunately for John, Nat is still filming their road trip movie, and whatever the actors do, the real characters do as well. A script change happens, and John ends up killing Noah.

But aha, this is yet another trick. By issue #11, Noah wakes up bruise-free and alive (he even gets to smash in John's stand in actor for good measure). Turns out, John's deal with the demons of Hell was for his son to live, instead- a selfless act that none of the Gods and demons saw coming. After John does some more silver-tongue talking to a Dream Entity, he's able to grant people some rushed happy endings.

Noah's mom wakes up from her eight year magical coma, the policeman hunting down Nat and Noah deletes his files, and Nat becomes the boss of a major studio- her writer dreams come to fruition. I don't know how Noah's getting back home to his mom, but shh shhh it's a happy ending, Spurrier promises.

So we have a twist to the usual Hellblazer story. Instead of John surviving at the expense of his friends and family, now John sacrifices his life to Noah and Nat so they can live freely. Last but certainly not least, as Clarice dies she gifts Noah the ability to speak. And when Noah does speak, he sounds so out of character I thought I was misreading things. Is this another lettering mistake? No? Then what is this random poetry.

I recognize what the narrative is doing here. It's John's fault that Noah's mom is in a coma and that Noah is mute, so the resolution to that conflict is for him to undo the wrongs he did to the Ikumelo family- which includes Noah being "cured" of his disability. The problem here is not only is this an exhausting continuation of the "disabilities getting cured" trope- so Noah can join the "easier, simpler" life of able bodied people- but also that a large facet of Noah's identity is tied to John's character development.

Noah might not be the main character, but he's the deuteragonist of Dead In America- the beating family heart that ties John to someone who would otherwise be a stranger. Instead of narratively endearing us to Noah's character, Spurrier seems content to just have Noah drive the bus only to make occasional stops to demonstrate how Racist America Is. It's such a fall from grace to the intriguing character we met in Hellblazer 2019. All that characterization of someone willing to help despite a life of hardship is just out the window.

[spliced panels]

My overall feelings about the treatment of Noah Ikumelo is that whatever representation he embodies feels like being thrown a really shitty party. Noah Ikumelo is an original creation for these two runs. Si Spurrier didn't have to make Noah a Black disabled teenager, but he did. Spurrier takes up that responsibility of representation by half-assing it. The kind of thing a guy who gloats about a bi-colored comic cover would do before accidentally calling the character in it "pansexual" in said comic. And then backpedal on twidder when called out for it. Half ass behavior.

Noah went from being this interesting exploration of unintended legacy to being a prop to make shallow commentary on American racism. Noah is never drawn consistently between artists but he sure is adultified a bunch to the point that I even see readers describing him as "basically an adult" when he's only 16-17 years old. I get that it's supposed to be tragic that he's forced to grow up too soon, but part of that tragedy is that he still is a kid. The portrayal of his disability shows how no research was put into being inclusive in either the writing or the art to the point it's downright nonsensical. The research amounts to looking up a sign language dictionary for words and that's it. This isn't even touching on how there was no recognition of the intersection between Black culture and sign language.

The problems with Noah Ikumelo are not unique to Hellblazer, or Si Spurrier or the Hellblazer creative team. They're a reflection of a predominantly able-bodied and white industry that is comics and media as a whole. The very way comics as a medium is taught carries with it an ableist standard for portraying communication. All this to say that tackling a character like Noah would mean doing the extra work to be critical of what we're used to seeing as the norm. But if you were just going to half-ass setting up a party for Black disabled readers, then why even bother y'know? It's not like Spurrier was held at gun point to create a disabled character. Frankly he was too busy crafting scenarios for guns to be pointing at Noah instead.

#ramblings #jesncin dc meta #hellblazer #noah ikumelo #john constantine #long post #it's christmas let's go home #i left you all a spicy meatball for the holidays

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lovifie · 10 months ago

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I now can't stop thinking about Johnny (+ reader) fucking Simon until he's got the overstimulated shivers, throwing his head back with tears in his eyes, hardly able to tell if he wants more or if he needs a breather. Or edging him until the big man begs.

The mental image is making me shake, but I'm thanking you for planting that little thought in my head to ponder on 🤭

Añslskdiwbslsnw FOAMING AT THE MOUTH

I can totally see (not even on the I Wasn't On That Tunnel Fic universe, in general), Simon being all happy about being with both reader and Johnny.

Just like, "Ah... My two precious things for which I have so much love and would die and kill for." And he is all confident that he can provide everything they may need WITH EASE.

Until they are finally doing the deed and an especially whiny moan escapes Simon and it is like blood falling into the water for the sharks. Johnny and you look at each other just to make sure the other has the same idea and smile when you realize you do.

Now, I don't think Simon would be especially vocal in bed; so hearing him was like unlocking a room that they are more than ready to explore.

Just trying every position on the book and creating new ones; each making the sounds a bit louder. From vanilla cowgirl riding him, passing from fucking Johnny doggy style while he eats you out, until grabbing Johnny's and your head together and fucking the two of your lips while the two of you try to make out.

But the one that does it is when Johnny and you sandwich him in the middle, it starts with him standing up and Johnny and you on your knees. One in front and one behind.

Simon is already used to the feel of your throat around his length, what he is not so used to is the feel of Johnny's tongue burying itself deep in his ass.

It has his toes curling as both his hands grab both of your hair, pretty moans and whines escaping his mouth. He tries to pull back, not wanting to come so early into the night; but then he feels four hands grabbing his thigh locking him in place to come down your throat.

He doesn't even get a moment to breathe before you are pushing him to bed, Johnny and you crawling up to him. The both of you kissing up his body making him softly moan when you reach his nipple, the overstimulation making him already more sensitive.

But the moment his shaft starts to come back to life, you move him to his side giving him your back as you sink into his length being the little spoon. He hugs your middle, kissing softly your shoulder thinking he has the upper hand; until Johnny is on his back slowly easing his girth into his tight ass.

Simon's eyes widen at the double stimulation, your tight cunt pulsating around his length and Johnny's dick deep rubbing his walls.

There is a moment of breathing, but then the two of you start to move at the same time knocking the air out of him. The whines, cries and moans falling easily now from him.

But then the two of you start to whisper little nothings and praises on his ears. "Taking me so well, Si..." "Fucking me so full, Si..."

And if it hasn't been the plan all along you would tease him about how fast he cums, not even managing to pull out before he was moaning loudly.

Johnny and you look at each other, because neither of you have come yet. And Simon realises that he is in for a night.

It's quite later, when the two of you help him clean up, making him drink some water and promising him a full breakfast in the morning, that the three of you go to sleep; cuddling him in the middle making him the happiest man alive.

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mactavishsgfandwife · 11 months ago

Text

Simon Riley x Curly Haired Reader

universally applicable to any curly girly (who wears her hair natural) 😋 pure fluff beautiful beautiful image from @ave661

When you and Simon first started going out, he only ever saw you with straight hair - you were worried about spending the night with him in case he would see your natural hair after a shower, and find it ‘ugly’. It was silly, but it felt like your curls didn’t look like other curls, they were just… a mess. The first time Si saw your natural hair, he was immediately all over you, even though he’d only come round to pick up his phone. He got so distracted by you that he completely ‘forgot’ about the phone, and just had to visit you again the next day to get it.

Simon Riley who loves to sit and watch you doing your hair. If you two have to stay at a hotel for a special event, and he’s ready way before you (his military efficiency), he is very happy to sit on the bed and watch as you try to fix that one curl that won’t curl like the rest of your head. He has NO idea what you’re doing, like, completely clueless, but you look pretty doing it.

Simon Riley who genuinely thinks you’re the prettiest girl he’s ever seen. You’re hot with curly hair, with straight hair, you’d be hot with no hair - he really doesn’t care, he just loves you. That said, he does secretly have a soft spot for your curly hair. Something about the volume and the aura it gives you is so perfect. That’s his girl.

Simon Riley who lets you buy hair products with his money. He doesn’t care, he likes to spoil you, and he doesn’t understand what’s wrong with his 3-in-1 shampoo but he’s happy to indulge his pretty girl if it makes her happy.

Simon Riley who is GREAT at messing up your hair. It feels so nice and he always has to touch it, playing with a strand when you’re sitting on the sofa together or full on gripping it while you’re making out. He’s finally learnt that he can’t just rake his hands through it (once they actually got stuck) but that doesn’t stop him from constantly tucking your hair behind your ear or patting it when he has an arm around you .

Simon Riley who, failing that, loves to smell your hair. You tell him it’s weird but your products just smell so good!!! And they smell like you!! If you’re in the kitchen, he’ll hug you from behind, and (not so) secretly smell your hair as he mumbles something to you about something totally random or about how much he loves you. One or the other.

Simon Riley who hopes that your kids have curly hair just like their mummy. The idea of his girl carrying around a toddler with identical curly hair, in little pigtails or tiny braids, melts his heart. He’s a tough guy almost all of the time, he’d probably intimidate any other guy on the street by his size and general rough attitude but if you gave him a baby girl that looked just like you, he would be totally devoted. He’d even let her try to put pink hair clips in his short hair, or draw on his tattooed arms. The idea of watching you do your baby’s hair for them melts his heart.

Simon Riley with whom you once tried to do that cute couple thing where you draw each other, and though you did your best to make a realistic drawing of him, he drew you as a stick figure with loopy squiggles for hair and little hearts around you. He was really proud of it, too. Says he hopes your kids don’t inherit his artistic talent.

i don’t know how many cod girlies have curly hair but i do!!! i wish i had a man to buy me nice products tbh

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starryylies · 1 year ago

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Hear me out now… ghost has a voodoo doll of you and he uses it to tease you in meetings and when you’re home and he’s at base😻

BEING SIMONS OBEDIENT LIL’ DOLL

Ongggg I love you and I love this ask so muchhhhhh ongggggg and I know I say this in every ask but sorry for replying late 😭

my finals start on Wednesday and these days I’m just clearing out my drafts for my recent posts in so sorry 😭😭

That’s like a plot from the webtoon I love (act like you love me, it’s soooooooo good)

goin to a shady ‘spiritual’ market with you was the last in his wish list buy when you were sooo insistent on buying crystals and quartz he just couldn’t say no :((

It was a chance meeting really you were just going home when you saw,

A shop in the corner of the market adorned with beautiful gems and red coloured leaves, it had no banner but the mysterious aura of the shop lured you in

Going inside you guys found an old lady selling dolls and you just couldn’t stop to look at one of them.

A doll that looked exactly like you

The skin colour, the hair, shape of your eyes.

it was exactly you.

Well a mini you,

While paying the lady told simon to keep the doll safe

He nodded along not thinking too much of it

That day When you and Simon were sleeping he accidentally slept on the doll which led to you feeling squished a suffocated

Waking Simon up with the sound of you choking

He quickly got up to see what’s wrong and the minute he got up from the doll you were fine

And You noticed that

You felt crazy ar first for believing that.

But proving it to Simon was hard,

he didn’t believe it until you made Him tug the dolls arm through which he noticed the pain caused on the exact spot

god he felt crazy too but he believed you

And the thing is your horny mind came up with a crazier idea-

An idea that stated that he has the consent to control you through the doll for when he’s gone for deployments and when he needs to go to the base

And what’s more insane is that he agreed.

So this crazy arrangement really ended up being a success

Whenever si went out he would take the doll with him, he would purposely use the doll to his advantage to tease you just slightly

The slight brush on your tits during your lecture?

That’s Simon

The sudden touches on your sensitive spots?

That’s Simon too

God he loved teasing you.

Especiallyyyy when you’re at home,

Telling you to wait and be a good girl till he comes back.

On one particular day,

He had been at the base all day to train the new recruits and you were at home and bored :(

Out of nowhere you felt a sudden caress and pinch on your nipples with your clit being rubbed in circles simultaneously.

It felt sooo good,

until it stopped.

You felt so frustrated.

You had to cum :((

So how could you not touch yourself :(

But before you could start you felt a restrain on your hands.

You couldn’t reach your hands further than your waist now

Just then you a got a message from Simon

An image of you, well mini you it’s hands tied around it’s waist

And a small text saying, “told you to wait princess, be a good girl f’ me”

That sly bastard

Really, visiting that store was a blessing curse in disguise.

But maybe giving Simon indirect control to your body wasn’t half as bad especially for those days when he felt generous :)

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ai-art-thieves · 21 days ago

Note

Hey, am I overreacting or do some of the videos on the youtube channel @/FactsByBriggs contain ai generated images?

Here's the link to the channel if you need it: https://youtube.com/@factsbybriggs?si=QC-lGMhM9239_g5C

I don't usually tackle cases that are on youtube, but for the sake of investigating whether or not something is ai generated I'll do it.

(FUTURE A2T HERE: THIS IS GONNA BE A LONG ONE.)

Aaaaand right out of the gate I see AI.

However, I can't call this ai trash just because they generate art from ai.

The real deciding factor would involve a few things:

Does this channel tell people that some of the pictures are ai generated?

Does this channel credit any images they use online?

Are they using ai to mislead and/or farm content solely for monetization purposes?

Only one way to find out.

Ok, so right out of the gate, we don't see any links to images.

This guy also has a lot of socials.

....And a LinkedIn for some reason.

Let's put a pin on that for now.

What do the videos have to offer?

Ok. So we got an ai voice, an avatar that reeks of content farm garbage, and an image that has not been credited.

We're off to a good start. (in case you couldn't tell, that was sarcastic.)

What they didn't do is crop the url that is above, so we know the art got taken from somewhere.

Luckily, we have Google Lens.

That image is from @yuumei-art.

They took that image and did not credit where the image was from.

But, it gets better. IT'S NOT THE ONLY ONE.

There's even some where they even left the artist's signature! Not once, but twice.

And to answer your question, fellow anon, yes. They do use ai generated imagery as well.

This channel is generating images or taking images from the internet for their videos.

No, this is not me hypothesizing. This is what they are actually doing.

I know this because in one video, they use a stock image with the watermark still intact.

But let's take a step back for a mo'. We need to investigate that LinkedIn account.

I have no idea why they have this account here. Like, at all.

LinkedIn is a job hunting website, not TikTok!

The link they have goes back to their Linktree.

Another thing to point out is that they have a Kofi page.

Well, BuyMeACoffee.

Same difference.

There doesn't seem to be anyone supporting that page.

Looking at this channel some more, this doesn't seem to be a content farm.

It has the stench of one, for sure. But it's also responding to comments.

Feeling like I've hit a dead end, I dropped "Facts by Briggs" on google.

That's when I learned that Facts By Briggs actually has a tumblr page.

....It's just not advertised on the Linktree.

And they have their own tumblr domain.

....wait, tumblr domains cost 22 bucks (18.02 pounds sterling in the UK). Isn't Briggs struggling with financial stuff?

...Something's not adding up.

They reblog posts from a London Hip-Hop DJ and Rapper by the name of CANMKING.

I was going to let this fact pass. But...

And yes, he is a real guy.

But let's get back on topic.

What's even stranger is that Can isn't the only one of the usual suspects that replies.

ctkvi, the people that made an album cover for Can.

They too have a linktree and a tumblr domain.

They also do ai video and music work.

And upon investigating those guys...

"Instagram Growth Service"?

Ok, the LinkedIn accounts are starting to make sense.

Let's tackle that monstocity another day, because it looks pretty daunting.

As for the avatar...

Google Lens saved me again, and that led me to Adobe Express.

And lookie here!

It's Briggs!

And considering that its a part of the Adobe Express ecosystem, I can probably infer that the whole video is made on Adobe Express.

Along with some of the other projects that CANMKING has done.

"Riley Frankcap"

Yes. This man made another one.

Better yet, Can has a total of 6 accounts.

And they reply to all of his stuff.

ongawdclub is the oldest of the alts, going as far back as December 2021, but Can has been on tumblr since 2011.

...

Huh. Looks like this case does involve this fellow hellsite after all.

Ok that's enough rabbit hole digging for today. Also I've hit the image limit on this post. Needless to say, there's a whole lot to unpack.

TL;DR:

Yes, Facts by Briggs is a content farm.

Yes, it uses ai art. BUT...

It also uses images off the internet and doesn't credit artists.

Briggs himself is not an original creation, but an avatar that you can easily use on Adobe Express. It's probably how most of the videos were created.

Facts by Briggs has a lot of social media accounts, as seen on their Linktree, including one on LinkedIn and one on a Kofi-like site.

What Facts by Briggs doesn't have on the Linktree is a tumblr. One that has a domain. This goes against what was said in the Kofi, which states that they are struggling with money.

Facts by Briggs reblogs posts by a London hip-hop dj/rapper named CANMKING.

CANMKING replies and reblogs numerous posts by Facts by Briggs, along with five other accounts (reallysmalls, ongawdclub, needgoodgraphics, ctkvi, and rileyfrankcap (A news based content farm). Facts by Briggs also replies to posts made those five accounts. CANMKING is the oldest account out of the total seven, so we assume that the six are sockpuppets that astroturf his tumblr posts.

ctkvi deals with ai video and audio, and needgoodgraphics has a service that, and I'm probably guessing here at the moment, artificially boosts your instagram account by astroturfing it.

TL;DR for the TL;DR:

CANMKING is a rapper/dj from London who uses sock puppets, astroturfing, bots, content farms, and straight up kofi scams to gain success.

...and he made those content farm videos all in Adobe Express.

To prove it, I reverse engineered a Facts by Briggs video.

Mostly.... I know Facts by Briggs uses ai voices... but I don't want to make another account just to access the ai voice add-on. So I used the legendary "Why You Lying?" instead.

I only found one post that talks about CANMKING's scamming efforts, but they've only scratched the surface.

If any of you have any more info about CANMKING that's not listed up here, do let me know.

#case type: scam #case type: astroturfing #case type: sockpuppeting #case type: bot #case type: ai scumbaggery #long post #case: CANMKING

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phoward89 · 8 months ago

Text

Masterlist

Stepcest, Stepson!Coryo x Stepmother!Reader, Sub!Coriolanus, Soft!Dom!Reader, Crassus Snow x Younger!Reader

WARNING ⚠️ Coriolanus Snow is a warning in and of itself. Crassus Snow is a cold hearted asshole, but he's a hot asshole... Stepcest, Cuckold, older man/younger woman, arranged marriage, cheating, affairs, secrets, cussing, secret love child

Part 2:

Your son Cassian Xandros was the spitting image of his father; his grandfather too. But nobody knew that. Mhm… Everyone thought that Coriolanus was the big half-brother and that Crassus was the proud father.

And that's the way it's going to be.

It's best for everyone involved.

And after Crassus arrived to visit you in the hospital after you gave birth, he ended up ordering his son to go to the University’s library to study and to work on whatever class assignments he missed out on. Coriolanus begrudgingly did as he was told; leaving you and Crassus alone with baby Cassian.

Alone to bond as a family.

Ha! As if…You'd rather be bonding with Coryo and Cassian right now, but you're married to Crassus. So you're stuck having a family moment with him.

Crassus picked Cassian up from the bassinet Coriolanus had put him back in, only to cradle the newborn while taking a seat in the open chair next to you. Looking between you and your son, your husband asked, “Has your mother seen him yet?”

“No.” You shake your head. “But Coriolanus called her as soon as Cassian was born tho.”

Crassus didn't make a remark about your mother being MIA, but he did have a disapproving glare in his cold pale blue eyes. “Has my mother been here to see her grandson?” The war hero asks, assuming that Coriolanus would've arranged for Tigris to bring Grandma'am to the hospital hours ago.

“No, but Coriolanus said that he'd bring her by to meet Cassian.”

“How? The sniveling brat doesn't have a car; he walks everywhere.” The stern man asks in a biting scoff. Cutting down his oldest son (like he always did).

“I know that, Crassus.” You dryly sigh. “I assume he meant to bring her by in a cab.” You logically supply while watching Crassus smooth his large hand over your son's wisp of pale blonde hair.

Standing up and placing the baby in your arms, he told you, “You need to nurse him; I'll go pick up my mother and bring her here.” The cold, giant blonde man’s mouth turned up at the corners with pride. “She'll be happy to know that our son looks like a true Snow heir.”

Before going to your penthouse to pick up Grandma'am, Crassus went to your childhood home to see your mother. He had a few choice words about her not visiting you and the baby in the hospital after Coriolanus called. Helenium’s your mother, she's supposed to visit you and Cassian, her grandson.

What kind of grandmother snubs their own newborn grandson?

“Crassus Snow, why am I being cursed with your presence on my threshold?” Helenium asked your husband, cigarette holder dangling between her fingers, after answering her front door.

Crassus, who was well over 6ft tall, towers over your mother as he dryly remarks, “That's not any way to speak to your son-in-law.”

Your mother wasn't in a mood to stand around and chit chat with your husband. Glaring at Crassus, your mother reminds him of why he's even your husband in the first place. “You're only my son-in-law as a favor to Javani, your dead war buddy and my late husband.”

Crassus didn’t find Helenium's remark to be amusing. He didn't go out searching for your hand in marriage. In fact it was quite the opposite.

“Hey, you're the one that came running to me for help; wanting me to find somebody to marry your daughter- somebody that wouldn't make her completely miserable, because General Byzantine kept harassing you about her.”

“That horrible man’s friends with Strabo Plinth, the richest man in the goddamn Capitol, so yes I wanted you to help me marry Y/N to somebody before Strabo came knocking on my door shoving a blank checkbook in my face while his friend gave me a pen and marriage contract to sign for my daughter.” Your mother told the man standing at her front door. A man that she couldn't stand the sight of.

A man that she absolutely, undoubtedly, without a doubt hated with every fiber of her being.

Shaking her head, she revealed, “I never thought you'd marry her yourself, Crassus.”

“Yes, well, Y/N is young and beautiful.” Crassus told your mother before revealing his true need for you with, “And, since I plan on running in the presidential race as soon as President Ravenstill either resigns or dies from his poor health, Y/N’s beauty will make for the perfect First Lady on my arm.”

“I'm not voting for you; I'll vote for your opponent.” Your mother tells your husband.

But little does your mother know that when the time does come to vote for a new president that she'll be voting for Crassus. That she'll approve of Crassus in the Presidential Mansion ruling over the nation of Panem rather than his young opponent.

And unknown to everyone, the next presidential election’s going to be very close and very very dirty…

“Yes, well, I'm not here to hash out my career goals or why we’re in-laws. I'm here to tell you that you need to go to the hospital to see Y/N and Cassian.”

Your mother took a long drag off her cigerette holder, only to look up at Crassus and blow a lungful of smoke into the direction of his face as he towers over her. “No, I'm not going tonight. But I'll see them tomorrow.”

Crassus narrowed his cold, icy blue eyes at your mother. “Y/N’s your daughter and Cassian's your newborn grandson, why aren't you seeing them tonight? As a grandmother shouldn't you want to see your own grandson?”

“I'll still be their mother and grandmother tomorrow, Crassus.” Helenium flatly reminds your husband. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for work tonight.”

“Javani would be appalled, ashamed, and disgusted by what you've become, Helenium.” Crassus told your mother, disdain dripping from his tongue, before pivoting on his heel and heading towards his car that was parked on the curbside.

“Mother, have you noticed a change between my wife and Coriolanus?” Crassus asks his mother, who's dressed to the nines in her fineries to meet her newest grandson, as she sits in the backseat of his car while he drives them to Capitol General Hospital.

Crassus, unlike other Capitolites, didn't have a chauffeur. He prefers to be in control; like to be behind the wheel. General Snow doesn't trust a driver's judgment. In fact he trusts his own judgment over that of a hired hand.

“What kind of change, Crassus, dear?” Grandma'am asked, her voice a bit aloof, as she looked out the window. She looked like the epitome of a fine Capitolite lady, which in fact she truly was.

“Have you noticed if they've become closer as of lately?” Crassus asked, brow raised.

The middle-aged man had noticed for the last few months how his whinny, spoiled brat of a son kept looking at you with a certain- yearning? And the. He called you mommy, which was unsettling to Crassus to say the very least. The only instances he knew of where grown men call grown women who's not their mother ‘mommy’ is when that man's a sub with a kink.

Crassus wouldn't put it past his son to be subby, but a mommy kink? Yea…well…he supposes he can see Coriolanus being into that as well.

Lord knows that Crassus has the stamina of a race horse. That he's been taking libido suppressants ever since getting with you since he doesn't think you can handle his true nature, being so young and all. Plus, it's not as if your marriage is a love match. It's a marriage of convenience, so quick meaningless sex is the expected norm.

Isn't it?

Well, you never complained so Crassus figures you're fine with the very boring vanilla sex life the two of you lead.

If only he knew that wasn't the case at all. That you're fulfilling your needs elsewhere. And with his son: the sub…

“Coriolanus called Y/N mommy in the hospital while explaining that she let him help her narrow down the baby names.” The war hero adds in, to future accentuate his worries and questions for his proper Capitolite lady of a mother.

“Oh, Crassus, it seems like Coriolanus is finally accepting a maternal figure in his life.” Grandma'am waved off her son's concerns. The old woman was a typical grandmother who felt that her grandson was a spotless, precious, innocent, baby lamb in her eyes.

If only Grandma'am knew that her grandson Coriolanus is actually a wolf in sheep's skin.

Crassus shook his head, knowing that he wouldn't get anywhere with his mother. She was an old woman who was charmed by her grandson’s smile and proper demeanor. She'll never think that her grandson could have perverted thoughts.

Crassus on the other hand decided to keep a closer eye on his son’s actions around you. He already picked up on how Coriolanus looks at you, so doing his own little investigation on his son's feelings for you won't be too hard.

But Crassus thinks that his son doesn't have the balls to try anything with you. That Coriolanus would be too scared of the punishment (being cut off from his trust fund) that would befall him if he seduced you.

If only Coriolanus was truly that ball-less. But he wasn't. He had a pair since he successfully seduced you, his stepmother, to become his lover. His ‘mommy’ that rides his cock hard and fast; who bosses him around and indulges him in all of his fantasies.

“I suppose you're right, mother.” Crassus tells Grandma’am as a way to close out the subject he brought up. A thin, barely there smile tugs at the corner of his mouth as he tells his mother, “Your new grandson, Cassian, looks like a true Snow. Platinum blonde hair and icy blue eyes.”

“Oh, Crassus, I can't wait to meet him.” Grandma'am replies with the excitement Crassus expects from a normal grandmother. A reaction that your mother never showed.

Grandma'am Snow fawned over Cassian Xandros the moment Crassus placed him into her arms. The old woman smiled at your son, only to look at you and Crassus and say how proud she was that another Snow grandbaby was born. One that looked like a true Snow too, since the Snow looks are very important to upkeep in the family’s lineage.

You thought that the old woman was a bit extra for saying that, but to each their own.

Before Crassus and Grandma'am left to go home a nurse came into your room to explain that you and the baby would only be staying for a day since the labor went without a hitch. The nurse gave your husband the information about the date and time of your discharge so that he could be around not just to take you and the baby home, but to help you fill out the baby's legal paperwork.

So, that's why you're in your hospital room with your husband and a nurse as she asks the required questions that are on the form that will become your son's birth certificate. His legal paper proving his Capitol citizenship.

First the nurse asked the baby's name, to which your husband answered, “Cassian Xandros Snow.”

When the nurse asked about your name and birthday Crassus let you answer that yourself. And when the nurse asked your address, the cold natured man that you're cursed to call your husband answered for you with, “Road of Hope 26, 12th floor Penthouse.”

The nurse nodded and scribbled down the address before asking what your occupation, to which Crassus answered with house wife. Looking at your husband, the nurse asks, “Father's full name, please.”

“Crassus Xanthos Snow.”

You blinked your eyes, shocked to hear that your son's middle name was so similar to your husband's. You didn't even realize it when you discussed it with Coriolanus. Did your lover know that your baby's middle name would be so similar to Crassus'? Hmm…

Then the nurse asked Crassus his birthday, but his answer had you reeling more than the discovery of his middle name. When you heard the year of your husband's birth you quickly did the mental math and came to the startling conclusion that he's younger than you initially thought. Crassus isn't 60, but he's only middle-aged. Crassus is in his mid-40s.

Yea, he's much younger than you thought he was.

So why did both your mother and Coriolanus let you believe that he was old?

And since he's essentially a DILF, why does Crassus pop blue pills; why is your sex life the bare minimum?

Nothing makes sense.

Argh.

Why couldn't you be married to Coriolanus right now? Things would be so much easier if he was your husband.

And talk about the devil…

Coriolanus strolled right into your room, bouquet of white roses in his hand and a smile stretching wide across his face; baby blues flashing manically. And then when he saw you sitting on the edge of the bed, fully dressed with the baby cradled in your arms and his father sitting next to you all while a nurse asked the question of, “Father's occupation?”, the younger blonde man’s smile faltered.

“Military.” Was Crassus' curt reply to the nurse, all the while Coriolanus was asking why he wasn't told about your discharge. A question to which Crassus answered with a clipped, “Y/N’s my wife, not yours. And Cassian's my son; your baby brother, so you have no need to know about such things.”

Turning to you with tears brimming in his icy eyes like shiny diamonds, Coriolanus’ lower lip quivers as he asks, “Mommy, why wouldn't you call me about your discharge? Didn't you want me here to help you?”

Oh boy…

Not now. Not here in the damn hospital room. What the hell's wrong with Coryo? Is he crazy? He can't just go around calling you mommy in that subby tone of voice: the one he uses when he wants something from you whether it be in the bedroom or out of it.

Oh gods…

Coriolanus, your step-son, is acting up right now in front of both his father and the nurse. Oh, how you wish the floor could just swallow you up right now.

The nurse looked flustered, as if she was intruding in a family moment she shouldn't be a part of. Meanwhile, your husband's brows furrowed, as if the wheels inside of his head were turning.

Locking your eyes with Coryo's cerulean ones, you mustered up your soft dom voice and told him, “I have your father here to help me, Coriolanus. Crassus took some time off work to bring me and the baby home.”

Crassus' face was stern and his voice was low and cold as he told his young doppelganger, “Son, you need to be in class; not here tormenting my wife while she's being discharged with our newborn.”

“I told Dr. Gaul about mommy and the baby; she said I was excused from class to bond with my new mommy and baby brother.” Coriolanus countered his father in a bratty tone while placing the bouquet of white roses on your bedside table.

Oh gods, how you wanted to slap the boy with the light blonde halo of curls across the face. What the fuck’s wrong with him? This isn't funny. This isn't a game he's playing and breaking the rules with, this is your life.

You're married to Crassus; Coryo knows that, but here he is acting bratty and dropping hints here and there that you two are a little close.

The nurse seemed very uncomfortable by what was going on in your hospital room. So much so that she seemed a bit skittish as she flipped the paper on the clipboard to reveal the discharge papers. Before Crassus, you, or your brat of a step-son could say another word the nurse shoved the clipboard and the attached pen at your husband while saying, “Just sign, initial, and date the marked areas of the discharge papers please.”

Crassus nods at the nurse, only to pick up the pen and start marking up the papers in the prompted areas. Never looking up from the vast amount of paperwork, he sternly says, “Dr. Gaul's class is a tough one and one that's passing is required for Military Strategies majors. You, son, being a double major in both Military Strategies and Political Science, can't afford to skip a single day of her class.”

“I’m Dr. Gaul's star prodigy.” Coriolanus boasted with a charming smile. “She even says that once I graduate she'll be offering me a position as an Assistant Gamemaker right underneath her.” He added in, wanting to prove that there was nothing to worry about when it came to his studies with Dr. Gaul.

That woman gave you the creeps. And she says that Coryo's her star prodigy…

What the hell?...

“I thought after graduation you're signing up as an officer in the Peacekeepers; going to 2 for a couple months of quick training before receiving your commission?” Crassus asked Coriolanus, his brows arched, as he handed the clipboard back to the nurse.

“You decided I was going to follow your career path, but after talking to Dr. Gaul I've decided that I'm going to become a gamemaker.” Coriolanus told his father in a tone that screamed entitled brat.

“I'll go scan this into the computer and print out a copy of the birth certificate, then you'll be ready to go.” The nurse rattled out before rushing out of the room. Poor thing just had to get away from the Snow family before she cracked.

Father and son didn't even pay the nurse any mind. She left to scan the paperwork, good for her. Crassus and Coriolanus were too engrossed in their pissing match to care what the nurse did.

“You think you know better then me, son, but you're just a sniveling boy trying to play at being a man." Crassus told his son in a low biting tone that expressed his frustrations. Giving his son a hard, stern look, the older Snow said, "Now, you'll call off these silly notions of gamemaking and enlist as an officer in the Peacekeepers.”

“I am a man, father, and I'm not going to waste my abilities in the military like you did. I'm going to become a gamemaker and then I'll become a politician." A sneering smile crossed his face as he announced, "The best politician in all of Panem.”

“You're a bit too ambitious for your own good, aren't you, Coriolanus?” Crassus rhetorically asked his firstborn son- his deep voice stony and cold.

“And you're not ambitious enough, father, otherwise you'd be more than a minister of some military department.” Coriolanus hurled out without thinking. His bratty boy behavior was on full display right now.

Was he showing out because you're with Crassus, filling out paperwork for baby Cassian. You know that Coriolanus wants to be the one by your side when all of this important stuff is happening, but it's no cause for him to get jealous and become an unbearable brat.

Coriolanus is nearly 22 for Christ's sakes!

He needs to stop being a jealous brat. You're married to Crassus, his father, so he doesn't own you. Coriolanus has no claim over you. All he has is the same as you, the stolen moments in his bedroom during the dead of night.

Crassus' voice was a low hiss that reeked of danger as he gave his son the warning of, “You don't know a damn thing about my ambitions or my career son. So, I advise you to go to class before I throw you out of this room.”

“I have a right to be here-” Coriolanus began to protest, only for you to cut him off with the order of, “Go, Coryo, before things get worse between you and Crassus.”

The young platinum blonde's shoulders slump upon hearing your words. Are you siding with his hateful father over him, your lover and baby daddy? If Coriolanus wasn't so turned on by your bossy tone, he would've objected to your order. But he loves it when you tell him what to do in that soft dominant way you have.

It always sends a twitch straight down to his cock.

Hopefully later tonight, once the baby's put to bed and his father's asleep, you'll be able to take care of his hard, aching cock for him.

“Okay, mommy, I'll be good and go home.” Coriolanus told you, a hint of a smile on his face. A face that was so similar to his father's, only that his features were more youthful.

“Get your useless ass to class, Coriolanus. There's no need for you to be home so early in the afternoon.” Crassus snapped at his son, who was walking out of the room.

Turning to you, Crassus said in a neutral voice, “I have the day off to help you and the baby settle in at home, but I'm afraid I'm needed back at work tomorrow.”

“Don't worry about it, Crassus. I'll be fine.” You assure your husband right as the nurse entered the room with your son's birth certificate along with the paper of his stamped footprints on it.

“I wasn't worried about it; I was telling you so you wouldn't expect me at home cooing over you and the baby whenever I have more important things to attend to.” Crassus told you in a low, bland tone that hinted that he didnt view you or the baby as a priority in his life. That his work was worth more than you and your baby.

If only you were married to Coriolanus. He clearly values you and the baby more than his work.

Or at least you think that he does.

In time you'll find out that Coriolanus’ ambitions will turn him into a monster. A monster some deems worse as his father.

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