#and. i think maybe this is it. yes the abuse i went through was awful. thats kind of the whole thing about abuse

[theygender]

Yeah sure growing up abused may have left me with permanent scars on my psychological state that I'm still working to unpack, but on the bright side it gave me the ability to give a thoughtful in depth analysis of Roald Dahl's Matilda and all of its adaptations

[c0ld0utside]

May i please request a merman (that has legs on land) that adopts a raccoon/possum hybrid kid

Went with the raccoon hybrid. I am so sorry these are taking me long.

Warnings: Mentions of family death, poaching(?, would people hunting mers count as that or??), mentions of dysfunctional family dynamics/abuse (not too in depth), technically kidnapping...all the fun yandere stuff.

Let's get into it.

-

Jupiter was a lonely, broken mess since he lost his pod. His mate, his parents, his siblings, his pup…gone. His tail was wounded terribly as well- to the point where using it felt like getting stabbed and cut all over again. He mostly just hid in a small hidden cove, eating the little fish that wandered in and the small hermit crabs he could snatch off the beach. It was his routine for days. Wake up, lie in the spot for hours, eat a little to get rid of the hunger pangs, lie back down, fall asleep. 

That is until one day he wakes up to the scene of a runty little racoon hybrid trying to catch a hermit crab. It’s a mess- the younger scrambling around and tripping over themself in the sand, pausing to look over at Jupiter to make sure he’s asleep. He quickly shuts his eyes, keeping them relaxed and letting out a deep sigh. Don’t mind me, fast asleep. Snoozing away…

He feels some sand land on him and flinches, but forces out a snort and shifts. Jupiter hears the little rascal giggle softly, then fall silent. Opening up and eye and peeking over his shoulder, he can see the crab making its way over to him. He doesn’t want to scare the pup- cub- but he doesn’t want them to starve, either.

Quick as a flash, he rolls over and snatches the hermit crab, ripping it out of it’s shell and offering it to the younger.

///

You let out a startled squeak at the movement, stumbling backward as the mer offers you the poor tiny crushed crab in his hand. In all honesty, you were just after it’s shell; A beautiful Murex that wasn’t too large or small. The mer frowns, red-brown fins lowering against the side of his head slightly. His scales reminded you of the dunes at sunrise and sunset- warm tones of red, orange and yellow with some brown. The mer chirps at you, starting to pull himself closer before freezing and backing into the water. …Okay. Strange. 

Confused hazel eyes stare at you, and he offers you the crab one more time. You shake your head, looking over at the shell instead. He seems to understand then and sinks deeper into the water. There’s a beat. Two. Then he moves forward again and offers you the shell. He’s like a wave- not knowing where he’s going or what he’s doing. Back and forth. Unsteady. 

“Thank you,” you say, the words coming out eager. You turn the shell around in your hands, thumb rubbing against the dull points and the rings. It’s a little yellow and pink from the sand and the salt. “It’s beautiful.”

The mer chirps at you again, expression softening in awe. Your ears flatten on your head and your tail twitches. “Can I help you?” Yes. You absolutely can. He just needs to get himself together first. 

His frills flare when you step away and he lets out a pleading sound, fingers digging into the wet sand. At first you think he’s hissing. Then he finally gets the words out. “Sssssstay,” he rasps, voice weak from lack of use. The actions have you retreating further when you finally notice the still-healing and scarring cuts on his tail.

Oh.

Maybe he’s asking for help? Well in that case, you just so happened to know about a certain coastal market that should have some ointments. “Wait here,” You tell the mer. “I’ll go get something that can help.” You scamper off to the markets and try to ignore the clicks the mer makes. 

The fastest way to the market is also the way that leaves you with the most scrapes and bruises. …You cut straight through the woods on a forgotten path and tumbled down a few short slopes, rolling right into the market. Ignoring the raised brows and looks you’re getting, you slip into the crowd and at least forty-five minutes later manage to lose the angry shopkeep with some ointment and a towel in hand. There was an awkward moment where you thought you got busted and played dead for a few seconds though you shove it into the back of your mind and press on. Right. Strange merman is more important. 

The trek back was exhausting to the point where you collapsed in the sand. Sand which was burning hot already…for some reason. You quickly scrambled back up with a yelp, running into the water to cool off your legs. Mere seconds later, the mer resurfaced, chirping urgently at you. “Agh-! Yeah, yeah, hi again.” You mutter as the mer moves closer to you. “I got you some stuff for your tail.” He takes the ointment you offer him and tilts his head at you before snatching the towel as well. “Hey! That was for me-”

You trail off as the mer crawls out of the water, quickly wrapping the towel around himself as he stands on wounded legs. Since when could merfolk do that? You had no idea. 

[...]

Months have passed since then and you find yourself returning to the cove, giving the mer (who’s name you’ve learned is Jupiter) some company. Most days it’s boring- helping him regain his voice and bringing him necessities. “Little one, please, you shouldn’t have to be doing this for me,” Jupiter murmurs as you set some clothes down on the beach. “And I already have clothes! This is too much.” He insists. “You can’t wear the same thing over and over again,” you point out. “And you need to practice walking. Now hurry up and get yourself dry so you can try those on.” Huffing a laugh at your bossiness, Jupiter drags himself onto the sand and grabs the towel. “[Name,]” he calls as he wraps it around his waist, “Do you have a family of your own?” You pause. You and your family had a complicated relationship. You all loved each other to some degree but physical and verbal disagreements along with weak, unstable bonds with your parents and siblings pushed you into leaving way earlier than most hybrids of your kind. You still had a nasty bite scar from your eldest sister. 

“Yeah. We don’t get along much, though.” You say, deciding on telling him everything and nothing. The sound of shifting fabric mixes with the lapping of the waves and the breeze in the trees. While you wait, you decide to look for shells again. “So you left?” He asks in disbelief. “Yeah. Shocking, am I right?” You reply, tail twitching in slight irritation. “But you’re so young,” Jupiter comments sadly, finishing getting dressed and pulling a shirt over his head.  “I’m not that young.” You scoff. “Then why are you so tiny?” He asks, tone so sweet it’s condescending. “Because hybrids of my species are small. Why are you so large underwater?” Jupiter hums. “Fair point. You can turn around now.” You shake your head. “Can’t, I think I just found a shell.” You pull a whelk out of the sand. “Scratch that. Definitely found a shell.”

“Oooh, that one’s nice.” Jupiter comments, peeking over your shoulder. He falls silent again. “Where did you put all of the other ones you found?” He asks. “There’s a harpy that I trade some of them to. I kept the ones I liked the most in a hollow but someone stole them.” You answer, making him frown. “It’s okay. I’m used to it.” You reassure, though he catches the smallest hint of bitterness in your tone. Which brings an idea into his head.

“I know a safe place for you to put them,” he offers, knowing exactly where to go. Jupiter had found a nice cave on the cliffside, one that was hard to leave unless you were a merfolk or an avian. That certainly caught your attention. “Show me.” Pleased by your eagerness, Jupiter helped you onto his back and swam off to the littoral cave. He didn’t mention that you would be staying there no matter what you said. It was a hard decision, yes, but you’ll understand in the end. Call him paranoid, but this world was so dangerous! Especially for a small thing like you. But it’ll be okay now, and he’s already made it all comfy and cozy. And it’s not like you’ll be staying there all day. That’d be cruel! No, no. He’ll take you out to go swimming and hiking and beach combing. Jupiter will even bring you back some books! Getting the hang of walking on land was the best thing he ever did in his opinion.

Now he can make his own little stall at the market. Now he can sell the shells you don’t want to keep for actual money, buy himself some fishing nets, and go on from there. What would you need the money for? No need to worry. Papa will take care of it all. He’ll buy you all the comforts you’d ever want.

[starlightsams4]

Suns Trauma (Old Moon)

(I’m just gonna add a TW here if I get really pissed or heated up this is a pretty sensitive topic for me and it just pisses me off, also sorry if this becomes a bit of a vent )

ALSO TW FOR TOPICS OF ABUSE 

It infuriates me how much Sun's trauma gets overlooked. Honestly. This rant is mostly about the abuse he endured from old Moon because it disgusts me how easily people dismiss that kind of suffering. Old Moon was a TERRIBLE brother. He called Sun names, threatened to kill or hurt him, blamed everything on him, and put immense pressure on him. He even physically abused him. And yet, people just ignore this. It’s worse then it sounds— Having someone you trust completely threaten you, call you stupid, and actually hit you sometimes is AWFUL. It HURTS. Especially when it’s from someone you love!

I get that Moon had his own issues and needed someone to talk to and let anger out on, but dumping all of that on one person is not healthy. And let’s be real—Sun didn’t have anyone else to turn to. He only had Moon. And Moon had no idea what he was doing. Sure, Killcode influenced him, and he had built up anger and stress too, but Killcode never directly hurt Sun. That was Moon. Moon abused Sun.

And yet, people are more concerned about Lunar’s abuse, which, yes, was terrible, but remember: Lunar was with Eclipse for about a year, maybe less. Eclipse slapped Lunar only once if I right and called him names (also I think he threatened him a couple times). I’m not saying Lunar’s abuse wasn’t bad—abuse is abuse, and it’s always horrible. But Sun was punched, yelled at, threatened, and called names FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS (edit, it was confirmed Sun and moon were made 9 years ago. So athst around 7-8 years of abuse.). And somehow, Sun’s trauma gets ignored. It pisses me off. Lunar atleast had support too after the Eclipse situation. IT REALLY IS THAT BAD TO HAVE SOMEONE YOU LOVE CALL YOU NAMES AND THREATEN TO HURT YOU. It’s not something to shrug off! And this is only a fraction of what Sun went through.

(I am honestly finding out how much I kin sun by typing this WTF 0.o)

edit: it was just confirmed sun and moon were made 9 years ago. Meaning sun has suffered almost 8 years of moons abuse

[gamerwoo]

[Tales from the Pack] Jeonghan: Sold (Part Five)

Characters: Jeonghan x female reader

Genre/warnings: werewolf au, fantasy, fluff, angst, reader is referred to as ‘blue’, mentions of death, mentions of human trafficking, lots of mentions of abuse, reader's been through the wringer lmao

Word count: 4,559

Summary: If Jooyeon and Baekhyun never went snooping around the black market, they would’ve never discovered the human trafficking ring and wanted to help. They would’ve never discovered you inside one of the many cages full of people, and Jeonghan would’ve never went against the alphas and demanded they help. But for you, Jeonghan would do anything, even if it means bringing back trouble from a past he never knew about.

Previous | Next | Sold Masterlist

He felt guilty metaphorically keeping you caged up at the house, but Jeonghan wasn’t taking any risks with you. The market was off limits for you – no exceptions. Maybe he could find one in a different region of the Capitol, but at that point, it seemed basically pointless to even go because of how long the trek would be.

However, you seemed perfectly happy as is. You loved going outside and watching his brothers chop wood or weed the garden, or whatever their chores for the day were.

“Why don’t you pull your weight, Hannie?” Mingyu would call, shirtless and sunburnt with sweat dripping down his skin as he stood upright with an ax in one hand.

Jeonghan would stay standing in his spot behind you, his arms around your waist – you learned he was very touchy, but it made you feel safer somehow – as he watched his brothers with a shit-eating grin, “No, I have to look after Blue.”

Even though you said you were fine with the name Blue, Jeonghan kept trying to think of a new name for you. He didn’t want to have Blue stick with you because he felt like it would just keep that awful part of your life attached to you. He was going to give you a better, happier life, and Blue would be left behind with it. 

However, Jeonghan still didn’t have any answers about your past. He didn’t want to ask too many questions, but he wanted to know everything about you. Not just because he wanted to get to the bottom of this strange fear of yours, but just because he really did want to know everything about you.

Meanwhile, you were always hyper aware of your surroundings now knowing that you lived in a house with a bunch of humans. All of the humans appeared to be female, so you thought that maybe you’d stand a chance if you had to fight one off. But Jeonghan was always by your side, and had already promised you that he was significantly stronger than any human. Wonwoo had handed you a thick, old, leather book with a soft smile. He told you there was a whole section on werewolves that you could read about, so you were working on that. It did confirm, though, that Jeonghan’s promise was true.

One of the humans – an intimidating-looking girl with short, dark hair – seemed all too eager to volunteer to fight Seungcheol as proof, but he tiredly sighed and shooed her away. 

Still, you stayed on your guard.

There was one girl that kept walking up to you and striking up a conversation. Jeonghan said her name was Jiaying, but everyone just called her Jia. He said she was half werewolf, but appeared mostly human other than her ability to find her way into people’s dreams. You had yet to decide if you trusted her, but so far, she was nice.

Did you think she could still turn on you in a second? Yes. 

…Until you realized she was blind.

Despite your mixed feelings toward Jia, you still felt uncomfortable around so many humans. So you didn’t mind that Jeonghan took you outside often. He never brought you anywhere toward civilization, but you still enjoyed it. In the few days you’d been there, he’d brought you on little walks through the woods, had taken you to see streams where a couple of his brothers that would tag along would fish, a few clearings, and he even brought you to a waterfall that was absolutely breathtaking. You both figured that the less time you spent indoors was for the better – but for different reasons.

But that was why Jeonghan should’ve expected that he’d wake up one morning to an empty bed. He’d slept so soundly beside you that he didn’t even feel you get up, so he was immediately in a panic despite sensing no danger.

“Where’s your–” Jihoon didn’t even get to finish his sentence when he saw Jeonghan sprinting down the stairs, before the taller wolf was racing out the front door, barefoot. 

“Y’know, if he stopped for a second, I could’ve told him where she was,” Junhui mentioned casually as he poured himself another cup of tea.

Jihoon simply shrugged, not bothering to go after his brother, “Eh, he’ll find her.”

Sprinting, Jeonghan followed the pull to you. He ran through the forest, easily ducking and dodging and pushing passed branches and twigs. He didn’t care if he didn’t sense danger. You were missing. That was dangerous enough to him.

After what felt like forever to him, – it was only a few minutes – he could finally see some light through the trees. It was a clearing he had brought you to before. It was mostly just tall grass there, but there were a few little groups of yellow, blue, and purple flowers here and there. But he still couldn’t see you.

He broke through the trees into the clearing, and he paused to take in his surroundings and really see if he could find any visual clue as to where you went. But that was when he saw you.

Toward the middle of the clearing, Jeonghan could see someone lying face-up in the grass. He could just barely make out the highest points of your body over the grass, and he let out a sigh of relief. And as much as he wanted to scold you for doing that to him, he forced himself to remember that you were stuck in a house with something you were afraid of, and you didn’t really have anywhere else to go to get away from it. 

Plus, it had only been a few days, so now really wasn’t the time to start scolding you. Maybe later on in the relationship he would start nagging you a bit more.

You saw him out of the corner of your eye as he walked up to you. You were watching the clouds slowly roll by in the sky, and you only glanced over at him before going back to the clouds.

You really appreciated Jeonghan. You felt a weird connection to him ever since you first laid eyes on him, but he had really shown you over the last few days that you could trust him. He made you feel safe, and those odd feelings you felt before were only getting stronger. You didn’t know what you’d do without him. You owed your entire life to him because if it weren’t for him, you probably would be dead or who knows where.

He sat down in the grass beside you. He had looked you over quickly before he sat down just to make sure you were completely unharmed, but once he realized you were, he felt like he could relax.

What a way to wake up, he thought.

“Why’d you leave so early?” he decided to ask, wanting to whine about how you didn’t tell him but figuring that might come across as a bit too controlling – especially considering where you were only a few days prior.

“I’m not stuck in a cage anymore,” you sighed peacefully, letting your eyes close as the sun warmed your skin. “I’m enjoying every minute of my freedom that I can. That, and…the human thing.”

He nodded with a chuckle of his own, “Right. Well, I’m glad you can stretch your legs now.”

He laid back, looking up at the sky with you. He suddenly felt your fingers wiggle under his hand and wrap around it, so he did the same, his heart fluttering. A content rumble came from his chest, and he heard you giggle. You definitely heard that.

“How do you feel lately?” he wondered, still looking at the sky. “Better than before, I hope.”

“Still a little scared, but…I feel safe with you,” you decided to admit.

A soft smile spread across his face, “I love to hear that. I only want you to feel safe.”

A nice silence fell between the two of you as you just enjoyed each other's company and how nice it felt to hold hands. You just liked being close to Jeonghan, and you hoped he felt the same. He must’ve if he was around you all the time, right?

“Can I ask something?”

Your eyes opened to look over at Jeonghan, “Of course.”

If he made you feel safe, maybe now was a good time to ask about your fear. Maybe he could get some more information on you and where you came from.

“This might be a little silly to ask, but…if you are a human, why are you afraid of them?” he asked slowly, turning his head to meet your eyes.

Your eyes focused on the grass the the small flowers speckled between the two of you instead, your thumb nervously rubbing over Jeonghan’s skin as you let out a soft sigh, “I guess it does seem silly…since…none of you seem to be afraid…”

“It’s not silly, darling,” he promised you. “We all just want to understand so maybe we can help. But don’t talk about it if you’re not comfortable.”

Something about Jeonghan calling you the pet name made your heart flutter. Nobody had ever called you a sweet name like that. But because you weren’t looking at him, you wouldn’t see the small smile that spread on his face because he heard your heartbeat change.

“Obviously, I was born to humans,” you began after a moment of wondering how exactly to explain everything when you didn’t quite know everything yourself. “I don’t know much about my mom because she died when I was a baby, but my dad was the one who killed her.”

You heard a soft gasp leave Jeonghan’s mouth, and you glanced up to see shock on his face, but he quickly tried to compose himself. You continued regardless.

“Nobody knows why he did it. So I was sent to a children’s home since he went to prison. I don’t remember much, but I don’t remember anyone really being nice to me. I was the youngest for a while, and some of the kids said the people who ran the home hated me because I couldn’t take care of myself for a long time. A lot of the kids there showed up at an age where they could be forced to be self-sufficient.”

“You were just a baby,” Jeonghan interjected, disgust in his voice. “How could someone run a children’s home and treat children that way?”

You scoffed, “You’d be surprised. So, yeah, they were just really mean people, and the kids were really mean.”

“Weren’t any of them nice?” he wondered. “There had to have been some kids who didn’t bother you. You weren’t the youngest forever, so maybe some of the younger kids didn’t bother you?”

“Some didn’t bother me, but I didn’t trust them. One girl was… I thought she was my friend, but then she started doing mean things to me with the others. She was always standing with them just staring at me and just…letting them do it.”

“But you got out eventually. You had said you were on the streets at one point.”

You nodded, “Yeah, you can only stay until you’re 18. The workers often reminded me they didn’t keep track of any of my information when I got there, so they didn’t know my name or my age. They just knew when it was around the 18 year mark and kicked me out. I only stayed because I at least had a roof and a bed. Then on the street, I had nothing, and strangers went out of their way to be mean to me. One person might toss me some change every now and then, but another would always steal it or beat me up for it, so it never really mattered. It didn’t matter if one person was kind because the majority would ruin it.”

Jeonghan was starting to get why you were so afraid of humans now. Your life seemed pretty horrible, and it was all because of ways humans treated you.

“And then one day, some grabbed me in the middle of the night and put something over my face,” you continued, “and then I just…woke up in a cage. And that was it.”

It took a couple beats of silence before Jeonghan breathed out a, “Wow…”

“Yeah…” you nodded slowly with a tight-lipped smile.

“I’m…so sorry,” he said softly. 

You took a deep breath and let it out, looking down at your hand still intertwined with his, “One of the people in my cage used to say ‘everything happens for a reason’ and they’d repeat it all the time, over and over. I think I started to believe it.”

His eyebrows furrowed as he studied you. Why would you possibly think that? What could’ve been worth going through all of that.

“What do you mean?”

“Well… If I didn’t go through that, I wouldn’t have met you, I guess,” you mumbled shyly, suddenly feeling self conscious about the words coming out of your mouth. You weren’t sure you’d ever said anything so…mushy to someone.

And while Jeonghan didn’t necessarily agree that sort of abuse was worth it, he was too giddy from your words, and leaned over to press a soft kiss to your forehead.

“And the rest of your life will be the happiest life anyone has ever lived,” he promised. “I’ll make damn sure of it.”

-

“I found one.”

Jaemin’s head whipped around to see Sanghun entering the den, a small smirk on his face.

“Seems to be the only live one left,” he added on.

Most of the people in the cages were killed or succumbed to their injuries before the pack got there in the morning. But for the last few days, Jaemin’s pack had been tracking down any scent they could pick up, trying to find lost mates. Most leads went cold, trailing off into nothing as their scent had faded. Others led them to dead bodies that had dragged themselves into the woods before passing. But then, there was a scent that Sanghun had picked up on that wasn’t too far away from the market, and he would get strong whiffs of the scent in waves.

That led him straight to you.

“Who is it?” Jaemin asked.

Sanghun shrugged, “She doesn’t seem to know anything about herself. Doesn’t even know her own name. They just call her Blue.”

“Who’s ‘they’?” Haru asked with a scoff.

To that, Sanghun’s smirk widened, “Oh, you guys are gonna love this.”

That piqued the other four’s interest, all golden eyes on the second oldest now.

“Looks like some other wolf imprinted on her.”

Their eyes widened, excitement on their faces. They loved nothing if not a challenge.

“There’s another surprise, but I’ll let you see that one for yourself, Jae,” he continued. “I think you’ll need to step in to lure this one in.”

-

“What’re you guys doing here?”

Cooper opened the door to Chris, Minho, and Jisung. The latter looked absolutely horrified, like he’d seen something one would only see in their nightmares. Minho seemed mildly concerned, while their alpha looked tired but still a bit worried. It gave Cooper a weird feeling in her stomach that she didn’t like.

“Where’s Blue?” was the first thing out of Chris’s mouth.

Cooper’s eyes widened as she slowly asked, “Why…?”

“Don’t be anxious,” Minho sighed. “If you start acting anxious, his’ll get worse.”

He gestured to the youngest of the trio, who glanced wide-eyed between him and the female wolf in the doorway.

“Can we come in and talk?” Chris asked. “There’s something…concerning we think everyone should know about.”

“Yeah, of course,” Seungcheol appeared from behind Cooper, gesturing for the three to come inside.

The beginning of the conversation already had some of the pack coming to see what was going on, but Chris’s question had the rest of them gathering in the living room where Seungcheol had decided to bring them for this debriefing. Some of the mates followed and gathered with the rest of the pack, while others were either napping or decided to decline the invitation. They were sure they’d hear about it later, anyway.

“Okay, now,” Chris began calmly, “before anyone–”

“We think the pack found us!” Jisung blurted.

Minho rolled his eyes, and Chris let out a sigh.

Seungcheol’s pack seemed confused by what he meant until Seungkwan asked, “Wait, the one Blue was sold to?”

“We don’t think they found any of us,” Minho quickly clarified. “We think they found out the mates are missing.”

“How would you know that?” Jihoon asked, eyes narrowed as he studied the younger pack.

“Because some of us like to go places we shouldn’t be going,” Chris said pointedly.

“We were in the area,” Minho clarified. “Obviously, we were curious, so we made 100% sure that nobody was around. We were safe. Don’t blow a gasket, old man.”

Chris put his tongue in his cheek but said nothing, eyes rolling instead.

“The place was totally ransacked,” Jisung continued. “They offed the rest of the guards, and it was obvious what kind of creature had done it. Plus the place just reeked of werewolf. So they’re definitely pissed.”

“We need to get Blue back here,” Soonyoung stated, suddenly sitting up from where he was leaning against the doorway, arms uncrossing as he looked to see if anyone else was as worried as he was. “We have to tell Jeonghan.”

“Soonyoung, I get the urgency, but–”

“There’s no but!” Soonyoung exploded, cutting off Seungcheol. “Those wolves could be out there right now and it’s her and Jeonghan versus who knows how many!”

“But,” the eldest alpha continued like nothing had happened, “Blue’s been caged up for who knows how long. Let her enjoy the last of her freedom for today, okay? Jeonghan’s always on hyper-alert with her. He knows the situation well enough. We’ll set a curfew after they get back, but just let them stay out for now.”

The room suddenly went from a calm meeting, to chaos. Everyone ducked their heads and covered their ears, sharp pain going straight to their eardrums. It felt like everything was shaking from how loud the shriek was. They were pretty sure they heard a second scream that was much less awful but still loud.

After a moment, it was silent except for whoever was still screaming. Jisung’s shriek cut off just a second after, his eyes opening wide after being squeezed shut.

“What the fuck!” he exclaimed.

“I think that’s our cue to go the fuck home,” Minho said, standing up.

But Seungkwan had already booked it out of the room and straight to the stairs. Jiwoo could be heard crying from Danbi and Mingyu’s bedroom, with a groggy Danbi trying to soothe her.

“Excuse me,” Seungcheol said as he stood and followed Seungkwan.

“If that’s not a sign to go find them, I don’t know what is!” Soonyoung shouted as he followed after him.

Seungcheol found Seungkwan already in Eunjin’s room, sitting on the bed beside her while she sat up straight, staring wide-eyed across the room.

“What was it?” he asked her softly, arms around her as he gently rubbed her arms up and down. “Take your time, okay?”

“Someone… A woman…” she mumbled, eyebrows starting to furrow as she slowly came back to the current plane. “She’s been around, but…she's getting more…aggressive.”

“Aggressive how?” Seungkwan wondered.

“She’s crying harder,” she told him. “She’s crying for her baby.”

The two alphas – who had been joined by Seokmin, Jihoon, and the three visiting wolves that Jihoon had invited up – looked around at each other, wondering what that could mean. The only baby in the house was Jiwoo, but she was a toddler now, and her mother was very much alive and well.

“Alright, who has dead parents that cared about them? Because it’s definitely not mine,” Soonyoung asked, looking around at everyone in the room. “So I’m safe. Rest in peace to whoever–”

“Shut up,” Jihoon grumbled, whacking him in the stomach to shut him up.

“Do you really think that’s what it is?” Seokmin wondered slowly, sounding a little worried.

“Soonyoung, go outside and do something,” Seungcheol told him. “Wait for Blue and Hannie to come back.”

Still clutching his stomach, Soonyoung walked out of the room, grumbling profanities toward Jihoon for hitting him.

While the rest of the pack tried to think of what the significance of this ghost woman could mean, Minho tried to lighten the mood and Jisung’s anxiety by smiling, lightly jabbing him in the arm and saying, “Hey, well we’re both probably safe, right?”

-

You and Jeonghan spent most of the morning in the field, up until he heard your stomach growling. He squinted up at the sun, blocking the brightness of it with his hand as he let out a sigh.

“It’s about lunchtime,” he noted. “We should head back.”

You got up without complaint, rejoining hands once you were both standing, and walked leisurely back to the house.

The two of you just did a lot of talking. After your little backstory, Jeonghan questioned your relationship with Saoirse, wondering if it was a friendship. When you explained it was more that she was just the nicest one out of all the humans there, Jeonghan then questioned if you were upset by her death if you weren’t really friends at all. That was something you couldn’t stop thinking about now. Were you upset about losing an almost-friend, or were you just uneasy knowing that someone you knew had died?

Jeonghan kept your mind occupied on the walk, though. He talked about different flowers, berries, and plants you passed, teaching you about them “just in case” as he had said.

“All the mates know survival things, for the most part,” he explained with a shrug. “Obviously, Jia wouldn’t really know how to tell things apart. And we’ve tried to teach Eunjin, but her mind is…hard to keep on track.”

Jeonghan had already gone over who the girls were. He knew you knew Kyung and Cooper were werewolves, and that Ari was a werecoyote so you trusted them. He could tell you were less wary around Jia simply for the fact she couldn’t see. You’d also shot up in bed a couple times saying you dreamt of her, but Jeonghan asked her to cool it with that because it seemed to make you more tense than anything, wondering why she then came up to you the morning after the first time it happened saying, “Wow, you’re really pretty, Blue.”

He told you Danbi was Wonwoo’s sister, insisting that basically meant she was like a werewolf without being one. Soomin was a ‘sort-of’ witch, so you shouldn’t worry about her, either. Yeji was some sort of hybrid, but he intentionally left out the curse part. Eunjin was obviously a banshee, so that’s technically not human. Jooyeon was a thief, so to others in town, she was actually considered a parasite rather than a human, and Suvi was just a harmless kid.

You knew he was reaching, but you always let him babble about them to try and convince you not to be afraid, anyway.

Once you’d reached the house after your little survival lesson, you saw the back door open. Seungcheol was standing there, waiting for the two of you with his arms crossed. To you, it seemed like he was mad. You wondered if he was upset with you for leaving without telling Jeonghan.

But with Jeonghan’s heightened senses, he could see how worried Seungcheol looked. Whatever he was going to say, it wasn’t good.

“Blue, why don’t you go with Cooper to the dining room for lunch?” he suggested with Cooper already on standby, waiting for you. “I need to talk to Jeonghan quickly, and I don’t want you to miss out on first call for the mates.”

You looked at Jeonghan, then at Cooper. You knew she wasn’t necessarily the bravest out of the werewolves, so you didn’t feel quite comfortable having her be the one to guard you while Jeonghan was busy.

“Can I go with Kyung instead?” you asked.

Cooper’s cheeks turned pink as she vanished from in front of you, and you heard Seungcheol sigh in annoyance.

Instead of looking at you, Jeonghan shot Seungcheol a sharp look as he opened his mouth. But he was cut off by someone else.

“I got it,” Soonyoung said, still offering you a friendly smile despite what happened with his mate. “C’mon, Gyu made stir fry.”

You decided Soonyoung was safe to go with since Jeonghan had told you he was an alpha, so you walked with him to go get lunch. You sat between him and an empty chair, with Suvi on the other side of the empty chair, but you decided not to make much of a fuss this time because you didn’t want to upset the humans. 

Soonyoung put a plate in front of the empty space on his other side before he placed one in front of you with a smile. Once all the mates had food, then the boys dug in and grabbed their own servings. Multiple times, someone would mention to leave enough for Seungcheol and Jeonghan, and Minghao even had to take some from Mingyu’s plate once to put back on the serving platter for the two missing wolves.

About halfway through lunch, the two walked in. Jeonghan sat beside you in the empty seat, but you began to get worried maybe there was a ghost there because Soonyoung seemed to be hugging and holding hands with something that wasn’t beside him as he picked from their plate.

You didn’t ask about his conversation at the table. You waited until he brought you to the backyard to get started on his chores to ask.

“I don’t know how to tell you this…” he began slowly.

Your stomach sank, and he could tell how worried you got.

“There’ll be a few…restrictions now,” he told you.

“Like what?”

“You can’t...really…go wherever you want anymore. You should stick close to the house. And you can’t stay out for too long, or too late. And you should always be with one of the wolves, okay?”

When he looked at you, he looked almost pained to tell you. He looked sorry. You weren’t sure why. You didn’t even know why he was worried to tell you that. It wasn’t even anything bad.

You just shrugged, “Okay.”

He looked surprised, “Are you sure? I don’t want to tell you what to do, but it might not be safe considering everything.”

You scoffed, “This is still way better than where I was before.”

“Someday things will be easier, and you can do whatever you want and go wherever you want,” he smiled. “Promise.”

“You sure promise me a lot of things in the future,” you joked.

“Yeah, because you’ll still be stuck with me then,” he grinned as he wrapped his arms around your torso, holding you to him like he was trying to hold you captive, but his grip was far too light.

“That sounds more like a threat than a promise,” you laughed.

“Some consider it both.”

[thechaoticplayer]

The Confident Student Council President 🔞

Author's note: had this sitting in my drafts for about 2 weeks... giggling and twirling hair- this didnt come out exactly the way I want it but I guess I'll cope + ratio

Summary: your stupid ahh male friend asks you to get the shoulder pads (that he forgot) for football practice. however, you werent expecting the student council president to be inside, the man you've been crushing on for quite some time now...

Contains: x reader, Dom! Ver Vermillion, him being super demanding and sweet at the same time, this was inspired by his fucking shower stream (I WAS SCREAMING), theres a bit of plot, praise, smut yet again it's not even a surprise anymore

VER VERMILLION was something to admire. In class, he had a sense of authority to him, but never abused the power he was bestowed with. He was very gentle but stern, like an mature older brother. Ver had no problem putting someone in their place, and it put you in awe of him. You quietly watched him from afar. Noticed every tiny detail about him.

Ver's hands. They're so pretty, but with a single gesture, he could make the whole room silent.

Ver's voice. Calm and low, still somehow heard over the ruckus of the classroom. When he raised his voice in the slightest, everyone knew to shut up.

Ver's smile. He was constantly smiling. A soothing smile that put everyone at ease. He could easily charm anyone within a 10 feet radius with his smile alone.

Ver's face. Sometimes an expression of relief, of slight irritation, of slight happiness. You wondered what expression he'd make if you littered his face with kisses. then you quickly shook the idea out of your head, because it was highly unlikely of ever occurring.

Everyone knew who Ver Vermillion was. Hardly anyone knows you, never the less know of your existence. You were content with that, because you could never be someone near as popular as Ver. Besides, you weren't anything much, just another valedictorian who gets asked the answers to questions.

Speaking of which...

A classmate leans over to your desk, where you sit scrawling down notes. "Psst. Hey."

An internal sigh. "Yes?"

He glances at the teacher before looking back at you. "Do you have the answer to number four?"

"Yes. Right here." You point to your sheet and angle it to him, where he stares for a good moment and nods.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Back to being ignored again. Not that you minded.

Your attention shifts back to the council president. He was nearly in every single class you had, which you were grateful for. It was nice to observe him. Not in a creepy way. Thatd be weird.

Ver speaks with a student to his left, a small smile on his face, eyes twinkling mysteriously. You pondered what went on that head of his. He had to deal with students almost all the time. How did he deal with it all? Especially the annoying ones. God, what a pain in the ass.

You didn't realize you were staring at Ver until he glances in your direction, eyes locking for a split second. Fear and embarrassment flash through your body as you jerk your head back down, as if you weren't awkwardly staring at the man not too long ago. This happened frequently, to your dismay. Always staring and always caught. No way to escape the council president.

Did he think you were a freak for doing so? maybe.

You didn't look up the rest of the class period.

With a swing of your bag, you hold the bag on one shoulder, adjusting the strap to your liking. You push in the chair and weave through the stream of people out the classroom. You were on your way to meet with a close friend of yours, the only person you considered a "friend" anyway.

He was doing his football practice today, which you usually always came to. You had nothing else better to do anyway. He contrasted your introverted side, him being such a people pleaser. It wasn't a surprise that others began to ship you two together. But you two were just friends. Nothing more. Besides, you had eyes on someone else. And your friend knew that. Constantly teasing about your red cheeks everytime you were in close proximity with Ver. Each time earned him a "shut up!" And a punch to the shoulder.

A small bzzt vibrates in your pocket. With another series of buzzes to go with it. You paw through the one hundred millions of things in your pockets before pulling out the desired object. Your screen lights up to reveal texts from... well speak of the devil.

Hey uh... ik ur on ur way to my practice, but could you get my shoulder pads for me?

I totally forgot abt them

Hurry up coach is gonna kill me

How the fuck did this kid forget one of the most important things of playing such a violent sport? Space cadet...

You respond with a quick "yea" before scurrying off towards the direction of the boys' locker room. You actually had to shove past a couple of people, which you hated to do because that's being an asshole, but you also didn't want your friend to get yelled at by his strict coach.

You halt at door, furtively searching around the place before just rushing inside. You don't need any speculation on your plate along with huge packets of work. Upon seeing no one, you sneak inside.

Now which locker has his stuff in it? You quickly tap out the question and send it. You look around frantically, the "delicious" scent of sweaty men in the air. God, they need some damn air freshener.

You open each locker and judge from the sport bag which one was his. He wasn't answering, causing the anxiety to rise steadily. You really didn't want to get caught in here.

Deciding to calm yourself, you pause and recollect your thoughts. Clearing your mind, your ears pick up the sound of running water. Confused, you approach the sound. Did one of them forget to turn off the faucet? But it sounded more of a shower on, and as you approached, steam exited out the doorway of which you presumed was the showers.

You scratch your head. Who would be in here? All the boys are already outside. Who the hell would be showering right now anyway? One of these football heads must've left the shower on.

You peek inside, squinting through the steam. That has to be some hot water. You peer through the some to see a lean figure under the shower head. The steam clears a bit and your eyes widen.

Rivulets of water roll down his skin, spiraling down from his chest, down his abs, to his thighs, down his sculpted calves. He raises his arms up to run his fingers through his hair, his back muscles rippling with the motion. His arms aren't extremely muscular, but you could tell he worked out. You only could see him from the back, as your gaze traveled further down, your face felt extremely hot and a hundred million thoughts went through your mind.

Ver Vermillion.

You were... spying on the student council president. in the shower.

Oh god. In the shower. He was so...

Fucking hot.

You skitter back, almost slipping on the tile and banging your head against the changing stalls. A hand pressed to your mouth to keep you from screeching. Emotional moment. very fucking emotional. Suppressing your urge to scream on the top of your lungs because oh my god? Thousand hundred question marks?

You hurry back to the locker area, ramming your shoulder hard into a locker after taking a turn too fast. You hiss in pain, rubbing your shoulder.

"Hello?" Ver's voice calls. You curse yourself. "Is someone there?"

Nope nope. You're Casper.

You run into the other hall of lockers as the sound of water slapping tile approaches. You cease breathing through your fingers, your heart like a jack rabbit in your chest. You press your back into the metal, wishing you could just melt into the locker.

"I know you're in here. I can feel the prescence of a soul."

Sheeeeesh... was there anyway of escaping this? you eye the only exit, the only one you entered through. If you sprinted, would he be able to make out your face? He'd probably wouldn't even recognize your back; you weren't anyone extremely memorable or anything.

"Don't even try to run. I'll catch you," Ver says, voice light. "Might as well show yourself."

You sigh, concluding the fact you could not escape unscathed. You edge closer towards the corner of the wall, peering over to look at Ver.

A hand clutching the towel around his waist, he watches you reveal yourself with a flash of surprise and was that recognition? before it was replaced with a stern look.

"Would you like to tell me what you're doing in the boys' locker room?" Ver questions, seemingly not minding the fact he was practically naked. Way too confident to be okay with the presence of a female in his midst. which was very attractive. But not the point.

Your cheeks burn. "...my friend, who is on the boys' football team, forgot his shoulder pads." You tried not to stare for too long.

You shift your weight from foot to foot as he raises a skeptical brow at you. "Why couldn't he get it himself?"

"He's already on the field," you answer lamely. "Plus his coach... is mean."

Ver walks and pauses in front of you, holding a hand up near your chest. You stare, confused. He seems to be studying something before closing his hand. "You aren't trying to be deceitful. However..."

"Yes?" You swallow, the heat becoming unbearable. You could feel the heat resonate off him. A throbbing ache between your legs cause you to squeeze your legs together.

Ver's eyes darken, the hand now cupping your chin. "I can feel your desire. for me."

Hellllloooooo?

Your breath catches, unusable to look away from his startling gaze. "Uh..."

"You've been watching me. You always seem to be looking out for me without knowing. That small box of mochi, my favorite... that was you, wasn't it? And the line of students trying to ask me questions were suddenly cut in half, stating that their questions were answered by someone else." Ver observes your facial expression and you can't help but break eye contact. "I see."

"I can explain?" You whisper quietly, your skin flaming at his touch.

"You can, and you will. You see, I've been watching you as well. I've caught on to you, so I decided to watch you. Always helping others, without wanting anything back. Willing to do anything to help me because..." Ver pauses. "Why?"

"Because..." you falter. Might as well spit it out, right? You gulp again. "Because..."

His eyes bore into you, and it wasn't helping. Maybe he didn't need to know after all?

"Why don't you show me?"

"...What?"

"Show me why."

You stare at the council president. What exactly was he asking? Then it clicked. Oh. But... you couldn't dare to-

Could you?

Just this once. Life is short, right? and he's so close...

You slowly rise onto your toes, closing the distance between you and Ver. Before your nose touches you stop suddenly, the anxiety and nervousness causing you to halt. What if this was a mistake? what if he didn't want to kiss you? what if this isn't what he meant at all? What if-

A small groan exits his lips as Ver grabs the back of your head and pulls you close until his mouth finds yours. Your eyes widen with a gasp and he takes the opportunity to slip his tongue inside your mouth.

You whine softly, letting go of all the worries and throw your arms around him tightly. Ver groans once more, his hands gripping your hips as the hot make-out session continues, inappropriate wet sounds echoing through the room.

You stutter backwards and your back hits the locker and continue, tongues dancing together as Ver tugs on your shirt. You pull away, pulling the shirt over your head, and smash your lips against his once more.

Ver's hands roam all over your torso, sliding up your waist to your back, unclipping your bra but not removing it.

He breathes against your neck, "Is this what you want?"

"Yes," you reply, just as breathless.

"Are you sure?" Ver gazes into your eyes, searching for the affirmative.

You nod, leaning to his face to nip at his bottom lip.

He explodes.

Ver throws the bra away with a low growl, biting your neck and eliciting a quiet moan from you. You unbuckle your own pants, the pants dropping down to the floor as Ver sucks love bites all over your delicate skin. One hand fondling your breast, his thumb lightly skimming your tit and a stammered breath escapes you.

"Your tits are already hard," Ver notes, pinching one of them and making you squeal, flushing horribly. "I wonder if..."

A finger presses itself against your clothed cunt and you whimper, holding onto his shoulders tightly. Ver sighs, rubbing circles on your sensitive area.

"I can feel how soaking wet you are... this whole time, you wanted me this bad?" He chuckles quietly, enjoying the way your legs quiver in anticipation. "I'll show you how much I want you too."

His finger slides underneath your panties and meets your clit. You gasp, biting you lip as the council president works his magic on your wet pussy, his ministrations causing you to whimper. Ver kisses your neck, mumbling praises against your skin.

"You're doing such a good job..." Ver whispers, two fingers inside you now and you moan. He pumps the two in and out quickly, his long fingers almost kissing your g-spot and it makes it harder for you to hold yourself up. "Good girl..."

You whimper louder. "Please..."

"Please what, sweetheart?" Ver purrs, somehow increasing speed and your moans increase in volume. "Are you going to cum?"

You nod quickly, the ache growing tenfold. But then he stopped. You open your mouth to ask but when he rips your panties. You squeak in surprise as he hoists you up, your legs instinctively locking around his hips. Ver's towel audibly drops to the floor.

Ver's tip nudges against your hole. He looks at you. "May I?"

"Y-yes," you stammer, burying your face into his neck.

His tip nudges into you, entering completely and bottoms out, groaning. You moan loudly, your walls clenching around his hot cock. He filled you up completely and tears blur your vision slightly. Ver stretched you out deliciously, and he started to thrust in and out.

His nails dig into your hips as he slots his hips up against yours, grunting in your ear and leaving sloppy kisses all over you. Ver kisses you deeply, swallowing your noises as your juices stick between your bodies. You felt extremely warm all over.

His cock drags in and out your walls, pressing against the spot repeatedly. Pleasure racks your body. You rake your nails across his back, toes curled as the council president rams himself into you. The metal door groans against the movement.

"Shit..." Ver mumbles with a small groan. His dick throbs hard inside you as you clench around him. "I'm so close baby, s' close..."

A small whine as the only response you give as you squeeze your legs around him, the only indication of your incoming orgasm. He speeds up, panting hard.

"Cum with me, sweetheart, cum with me," he speaks in one breath.

You nod, lips parted as you lean your head back against the locked. "Yesyesyesyes-"

His seed ribbons inside as your own cum squirts all over his cock, a soft and drawn out moan in your hair as his hips stutter against you. Your legs limp as your chest rises up and down quickly, sweat shining on your skin. It felt awfully sticky down there, but you didn't mind one bit when Ver looked up at you with a soft and affectionate gaze.

He brushes the hair plastered to your forehead away and says softly, "you're so beautiful, you know that?"

"I..." You blush, leaning into his touch. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Let's clean you up." Still inside you, probably because the man didn't want to pull out just quite yet, he carries you to the showers to wash you up.

THE NEXT DAY...

Ver smiles at you from across the room and you wave, blushing hard. The both of you were officially dating after the... well. Burst of sudden confession you two did.

Your friend, however, was extremely awkward around you and Ver. He was constantly avoiding yours and the president's gaze for some odd reason. You have been meaning to ask him, so you lean close to him.

"Hey, you've been acting weird. What's up? Is it because I didn't get your shoulder pads and got in trouble?" You tease with a small smile.

The tips of his ears go red as he stares down at his desk. "About that..." he clears his throat. "I... did try to get them but..."

Realization hits you in the face like a brick wall. Your entire skin takes on a pink hue. "You-"

"Yeahhhh. I should've stayed put honestly..."

"Oh. My. god."

"Not that I care or anything. Go get some girl, I guess."

"Please shut up."

"Sounds like you two were getting into it pretty-"

You punch him. Hard. A yelp of pain satisfies you and Ver looks over at you two, startled. you smile sweetly.

Greatest two days of your life.

[uptoolateart]

The Miraculous Child

So, in 'Representation', Felix talks refers to ‘the miraculous boy’ a couple times. He also calls Adrien’s conception ‘a miracle’, meaning Adrien too is ‘miraculous’.

The second I heard this, it hit me that the title of the show has had this extra meaning from day one. If we look right back to the start of the series, it has been a story about children and adults, especially parents, some a little overbearing (like Tom) and some neglectful or downright abusive.

The message I take away is - life, bringing a child into the world, is a miracle. Science tells us how it works, but the fact that it works is almost like magic. Yet, there are people out there who fail to see this and don't value the gift they've been granted.

There will be people reading this and thinking, ‘Yeah? So what about Chloe?’

I hear you.

Audrey is a terrible person, and Andre is no better. When he hauls her off at the end of ‘Revolution’ and says he needs to correct his mistakes, he just sends her away with her mother. He’s washing his hands of ‘a problem’, just like he’s done with everything else, e.g. when he resigned as mayor. He walked away from responsibilities, after creating a mess for the people who voted him into office. Likewise, he walked away from his responsibilities as a father.

Does that excuse Chloe's behaviour towards others, especially Marinette? No. Does it explain it? Yes.

So, let's talk about choice, which has been mentioned several times in the series. Chloe has a choice to become just like one of her parents...or to become something better.

Because, if you think about it, at some point in time, Audrey and Andre and even Gabriel were all children. And children aren't just born nasty. They learn nastiness as they grow up. To become who they are today, they had to have started out in a similar position to Chloe, for example. They represent the potential future for their children.

If we saw them as kids, we'd probably see them being mistreated by the adults in their lives and we'd all sympathise with them and hope for their redemption. But we're seeing them as adults and our instinct is to say oh well, too late, they're just awful people. In fact, they could redeem themselves at any point, as demonstrated by Nathalie's turnaround in Season 5. It's just that, the more awful things you've done, the more you have to atone for. Gabriel would have to do a lot - maybe even have a brain change - to be redeemed. But you see my point.

So, at the end of 'Revolution', we see Chloe at a crossroads. She's on that plane, annihilated by her mother, and hiding by herself in a corner. She browses her contacts and hovers over Sabrina's entry...and her face crumples like her heart is breaking with regrets. Oh, it’s sad.

But she passes over Sabrina and moves onto Marinette. She makes one last attempt to bring her down. It’s an act of desperation – redirecting her own suffering onto another, trying to keep control over things when she’s completely out of control of her own life.

Marinette finally puts her in her place, and we see Chloe fall apart in a real way - for the first time ever. I don't know about you, but I found that very uncomfortable viewing. It was a relief to see Marinette stand up for herself, and it needed to happen...but Chloe's despair was also painful. I think all of those were emotions were intended.

Let’s set Thomas aside here. I don't want to get into debates about what was said on Twitter. He’s not the only writer for the show, anyway. I am just speaking about my personal perception of that scene. Chloe gained heaps of sympathy, after she’d been appalling all season, which was pretty powerful.

The fact is…Chloe needed to be put in her place. But that doesn’t mean she deserved everything she went through. Even so...sometimes these moments are necessary and revelatory. They can be the catalyst for great change.

What I mean is – if you're in denial about your position, redirecting your pain onto others, sometimes you need that wakeup call. You need to hit rock bottom in order to start climbing back up into the light. So, when Chloe fell apart, it was painful...but I also saw it as her potential turning point. As long as she maintained her delusions to escape into at school, it was impossible for her to transform - because she refused to see that there was any change needed. But when you have nothing left…that’s when you might begin rebuilding yourself.

Every episode in Season 5 has had multiple meanings. Looking at 'Revolution', when Chloe was akumatised, she trapped her victims in a maze, going round in endless circles (revolutions). Notably a lot of them were adults.

I think if this had happened early on in Season 4, Adrien would have been trapped morosely in that loop with the others. We saw this kind of thing in 'Guiltrip'. So, it spoke volumes about his growth as a character when he was the first one to seek a way out of Chloe's maze. He immediately used his cataclysm and broke a hole, escaping and letting everyone else out. Metaphorically, what he did was break the cycle. If we think about cycles of abuse, this is what the next generation always has the chance to do - to revolt against the past.

it's interesting, then, that when we got to 'Representation', we saw Cat Noir completely lose it with his father. He needed to let it all out...but he was in danger of going too far...and deep down, he knew it. His worst nightmare was of losing all control, to the point of letting his rage destroy everything he loved. Unconsciously, he's well aware that he runs the risk of becoming like his father. However, his complete breakdown, begging his father to take his miraculous to make it all stop, tells us he won't become like his father - because his conscience is too strong. He wants to break that cycle.

Felix has also done some bad things - but he's begun the journey of redeeming himself and changing. He too is trying to break out of that cycle so he doesn't become like his father.

Kagami is embracing her passionate side, rejecting the coldness and isolation her mother has attempted to breed into her, no doubt due to her own upbringing once upon a time.

And I think there’s definite potential for Chloe to do the same. There’s no reason for anyone to remain caught in these patterns. The trick is to recognise the pattern is there in the first place - because you can’t break free of something if you don’t know you’re imprisoned. At the end of Revolution, I think Chloe finally saw her prison, saw that she was already trapped in her own maze, going round in circles. Now it’s up to her to pull an Adrien and cataclysm the bars that hold her in.

Because like Felix said, over and over – each child is miraculous simply for existing. And miracles should be cherished.

PLEASE NO POST-REPRESENTATION SPOILERS IN COMMENTS :)

[yallemagne]

I'm never going to be able to work on Orice in this state. Let's talk about Jack Seward. I have so much. Soooo so much to say about him.

Warning: I am going to be looking at Jack and his motives and attitudes, and I am going to be treating him like any ol' guy that you could find in the world. I'm not gonna take "it's just a fictional story, it's not that deep". I am a writer. It is that deep. This post is critical of Jack for reasons other than the obvious fact that he abuses his patients. Don't proceed if you don't want that.

And additional warning: if you ship Lucy and Jack and are going to get mad at me that it isn't book canon, you can take it up with Bram Stoker instead. This warning will seem petty, and it is. I have been yelled at simply for engaging with canon in a way that goes against other people's headcanon, and I will not tolerate that here.

I'm thinking about men and their entitlement. I don't like the idea of the story ending with Jack and Arthur being gifted two nameless, faceless trophy wives. One can explore for themselves in writing how those two got hitched and construct developed OCs to be the wives... but the truth is that the reason why those two got married is that Bram looked at two bachelors who had no women of their own and said: "that isn't a happy ending". The idea that these two men went through this entire story fighting for women, and neither "got the girl"? That's preposterous! Hence why Bram hastily adds that the two are married seven years later. I take full advantage of the vague wording -- of the fact that it is not technically confirmed that they are married separately to two women -- because the idea that these men were just given wives because that is what is expected of men gives me a weird feeling in my stomach. Or maybe I just need to eat, but oh well--

There is also the problem of Jack's entitlement in particular.

Just look at his marriage proposal. I analyzed it back then. He comes to Lucy, telling her how much this prospective marriage will do for him, how happy he will be, how she will be fixing his life, his problems. Nothing about what he has to offer. All he has to offer is himself and, it goes without saying, his wealth... but that's a given since she doesn't have her own income nor control over her assets-- he NEEDS to be able to provide fiscally for her. That is the least he can offer. But that's all that he really brings to the table. What he talks about during his proposal is all the things Lucy has to bring to the table, all the things he expects of her, and she hasn't even said yes!! Of course, she cried, hot damn.

Lucy herself lamented how good and noble men are and that women don't deserve them! And it is because of that general attitude that Jack listed all the blessings he would reap from the marriage but never focused on how Lucy would benefit-- because it's thought that all a woman needs is a man! That women are lucky to have a man regardless of circumstances! This is why I'm so damn happy that Lucy listened to her heart and chose the man that she loved regardless of all the pressure being put on her by two others. She knows herself in a way Jack doesn't know either of them.

Do I think Jack is an awful person for this? No. But I also don't think he was proposing to Lucy for the right reasons. I'm not entirely sure he was really in love with her. I know he thought he was, but with how shortly they knew each other, I believe he saw Lucy as a pretty face with good marriage prospects. And that's exactly how Lucy sees him! Just a pretty face and a good prospective marriage candidate-- but she's not in love with him. Lucy knows that love isn't the only thing that makes a marriage, but it's still very important to her. If she can find a man she loves who loves her back AND can support her? Woo! And she did with Arthur! Meanwhile, I think Jack doesn't feel love so much as fascination. That's not a bad thing, it doesn't make him bad.

Rolling this back around to the idea of just giving him a wife in the epilogue. That's part of why there's a sour taste on my tongue thinking about it. Men feel entitled to marriage because it is one of the expectations put on them -- they need to find a woman and keep her, and she needs to be a good one. She needs to make his meals to his standards, clean up after him, provide him with children, clean up after them. She also needs to love him and express that love through the previously mentioned chores and sex. If a man doesn't have this, is he really a man? Can his life ever be happy?

Jack wasn't happy with his work. He was in a very unhealthy place, and instead of addressing the issue, he thought bringing in a woman to dote upon him would brighten the place up. Like buying a new piece of furniture to make a dilapidated house feel more homey.

I think Jack is worthy of love, but the problem is that, like most men in this patriarchal society, he believes he is entitled as a man to receive it from any woman he chooses, and I don't think he ever has that worldview shaken over the course of the story. Hell, I think he kind of had his worldview validated! The happiest he ever was in his own home was when Mina made him tea, and he could pretend for a moment that she was his wife. That's cute for a fictional character. But imagine if you were a married woman and your male friend fantasized the reason you were nice to him was because you wanted him. Not so cute.

In a post-Dracula story where Jack gets a nameless, faceless bride, I don't see him ever leaving the asylum. No, instead, he stays, and he wonders why being married hasn't cured his depression. He wonders why his wife seems unsatisfied with him constantly working and neglecting her when one of the things that attracted her was his high position. God forbid she tries to drag him away from his work-- he needs this job to feel like a man!

In a post-Dracula story where Jack has instead married Arthur (yeah, not a legal marriage, but gay couples have always had ways of being together), I see him in a better place. I see him with a man who knows and loves him, who recognizes that the esteem that the insane asylum brings Jack is not worth his unhappiness, and who can actually get through to Jack because Jack respects Arthur's opinion as a man! I see Jack finally self-reflecting and eventually rejecting his faulty belief that a woman would "fix" him.

This is a lot, Jesus.

[horsetailcurlers2]

do you have any headcanons about reginas upbringing with cora and/or her relationship with the king? i know it can be a sensitive topic on here but imo theres no way they both didnt abuse her in some way shape or form

yes i very much do and they are all objectively awful and sad. i’m a bit hesitant to answer for a couple of reasons. the first reason is that i definitely have an idea of what she went through in my head but to write it out is very different than to just have it in the back of my head when i think of or read anything about her character. the other reason is that my headcanons aren’t anything new. they’re all things lots of other people have thought or written about. however, i do have thoughts so i will try my best. TRIGGER WARNING for child abuse, marital rape, and mentions of eating disorders.

-cora was abusive. hands down, there is no ifs, ands, or buts. even from what they show in the show (it’s an ABC sunday night family show. when it comes to the especially dark topics, they are usually vague or just stick to heavily implying things), we see her manipulating and gaslighting her daughter, being extremely controlling and critical, and physically restraining her in aggressive and violent ways. i think cora was definitely physically abusive- she often used magic instead of her hands because she rarely wanted to mar regina’s beauty.

-i can see her doing things like restraining regina when she was very young if she ever “misbehaved”. i have an image in my mind of little regina being tied to a chair and forced to endure hours of etiquette lessons. cora probably would direct painful bursts of magic at her if she ever misstepped. she’s definitely struck regina before- probably mostly slaps. but she probably would heal the marks with magic (besides maybe the lip scar but i don’t have one solid headcanon about how she got that)

-regina definitely grew up hearing the philosophy that children should be “seen and not heard”. she rarely got to do anything childlike. maybe she was allowed to play with dolls or indulge in dress up games if cora was in a good enough mood to ignore her for the day, but cora probably started telling her she was too old for things like that when regina was around eight or nine.

-regina was probably also very isolated as a child. she rarely socialized with other children outside of rigid balls and parties. she spent most of her days with private tutors or learning how to be a “proper lady”.

-image is extremely important to cora. the only thing cora truly valued about regina is her looks. this has resulted in an complex about her looks even in adulthood. the regina we see in the show is clearly a person who values her appearance. even as the evil queen, she presents a very carefully curated image to the world. if there is one thing that cora has beat into regina, it is that appearances matter. she rarely likes to be seen without makeup and she is very particular about her outfits.

-i also think this contributes to a complex about her intelligence. her mother was always belittling her and calling her a “stupid girl” and her so called husband never had any interest in hearing what she had to say about anything. this is part of why magic is so seductive to her- she can prove that she is more than just a pretty face. (i also have dragon queen headcanons about mal being one of the first people other than daniel to be interested in her intellect)

-i also believe that cora was probably cruel to regina about her darker complexion and would make her wear light makeup and powders and avoid staying out in the sun for too long. same thing with her hair- she taught regina to dislike her natural curls. she always had to iron them out straighter or reshape them into more “perfect delicate ringlets” (like snow’s hair), or hide them with braids. this all feeds into a fucked up whitewashing thing cora definitely perpetuated.

-and her body. especially as she got older, cora was very strict about what regina’s body was supposed to look like. she was supposed to be beautiful and desireable to male suitors, which in cora’s mind= thin. cora would control what regina ate on a daily basis and essentially had her on a starvation diet. i definitely headcanon regina as having issues with eating just based on a few comments she makes in the show and one line in “regina rising”. even as an adult, regina can still hear cora’s voice in her head when she eats or looks at her body in the mirror. to cora, regina’s body has always been a commodity and it has to be maintained like one. this is a very very hard mentality for regina to shake.

-i have very complicated feelings about henry senior. on one hand, he was the only loving presence in her life for a very long time. on the other hand, he was never strong enough to protect her- not from her mother’s abuse and not from being sold off to a fifty year old man. i think that although he was the thing she loved most, she also resented him a bit deep down. (side tangent: i think regina has a deep seated complex about single fathers because of this. like, look at her issues with jefferson, hansel and gretel’s dad, and owen/greg’s dad. it’s almost like she is punishing them all for not being able to protect their children). and he felt a lot of guilt about never intervening until it was too late and she was consumed by darkness- i think he was in a way resigned to his death. he didn’t fight that hard against her killing him because he felt like he was finally making a sacrifice for her happiness or he was paying some sort of penance.

-the king. ughhhhhhh. okay i have made a few posts before about how creepy king leopold is but let’s just state it very plainly: that man raped her. what business does that man have marrying an 18 year old stranger? she looked visibly distressed when he proposed. there is no way he thought she was super into it. “snow needs a mother”?????? one that is barely eight years older than her?? when she has a perfectly good nanny taking care of her. no, that man has a thing for young girls (just look at eva in those flashbacks) and he wanted a beautiful young wife to warm his bed.

-this is horrible and dark, but i believe regina’s wedding night was her first sexual experience. as much as i would have liked daniel to be her first time, there’s almost no way she would have gotten away with it when cora kept her on such a tight leash.

-he treated her like an ornament. he dressed her up and paraded her out to balls and parties only to ignore her all night and dote on his daughter. if cora treated her like a commodity, then leopold treated her like a doll. something to entertain snow during the day and to entertain him at night.

-snow of course was ignorant to all of this darkness until many years later. she thought she had a very happy childhood with her father and stepmother. this is part of why she has such a hard time reconciling her kind and loving stepmother with the cruel and evil woman who wants her dead.

-regina learns early on not to refuse him. that it is easier and less humiliating if she lets him have his way. i can’t even describe how awful and traumatic i think her wedding night was.

-i really don’t know if he would have been physically abusive in other ways. i think he had an inflated ego and probably bought into all the people calling him a “kind king”. he thought that he had a right to her body and she was the one out of line for not happily obeying him. but i wouldn’t be surprised if he got physical with her in other ways, considering the way he canonically locked her up in her room and read her diary.

-his is the one murder she will never regret.

-she likely had long lasting trauma surrounding sex. after the end of her marriage she is so consumed by her rage and thirst for revenge. she gorges herself on the freedom of finally having control over her own body for once in her life. this is a big part of why she goes so crazy as the evil queen.

-i personally think that regina never really thinks of her marriage in terms of what it was. like, she knows she hated it and leopold was awful and disgusting. but she never attributes the word “rape” to it al until many many years later. she still has it ingrained into her mind from her mother and her husband, that she was his wife and it was just her duty. she doesn’t even fathom that it’s possible for a husband to rape his wife. i think she eventually goes to therapy or one day she is watching something on tv and they talk about marital rape and something just shifts within her. suddenly she feels so vindicated. she can finally put a name to it. for years, she thought she was being dramatic and that rape was something that happened with strangers and not within a marriage bed. it is both terrifying and incredibly cathartic to finally name what she went through.

ugh i’m sorry to end on such a sad note. regina has gone through way too much (obviously this doesn’t absolve her of all the evil she has done, but it definitely explains a lot of it and nobody should have had to go through all that).

[opinated-user]

they did remove LO. that's the story according to Courtney. that they didn't want to deal with LO living under the roof any longer so they paid her to move out and got her a new apartment all on her own. so all the times this "anon" thinks they're being the smartest person in the room asking "why didn't they remove you", they missed the memo that yes, Courtney does say that they did. any "inconsistency" related to that question has been answered already. "why would your parents that you yourself have said many times have denied their abuse over you would deny the abuse that you were commiting against another child" is a valid question now? LO has filled her mouth to the brim saying that her parents would just lie their way through ever aknowledging that she was abused, that they were abusive or that something wrong was going on with LO that needed help. this is consistent with Courtney's version of events in which they also denied the abuse he went through and prefer to do absolutely nothing, keeping up the same toxic and abusive environment that they were all living in before stepping in for the safety of any of their children. "why would they refuse to remove a child when they already removed another and cover up something so awful". same as the previous one. because as the toxic and abusive parents that literally all three of you (Cameron included) agree that you parents were, something i hope we can all agree on anyway, obviously they weren't going to do what was due in order to avoid more toxic situations. if they did, they wouldn't be toxic and abusive parents. if they were capable of doing what was right, maybe you'd have a better chance at life. but you didn't so you didn't get it and now we have this. because toxic and abusive parents do prefer to submit their children to horrible bad conditions for them before ever admitting they did anything wrong about the way they were raised. LO has talked about this being a core thing on her interactions with her father. Courtney only added her mother as being guilty of the same thing. you're both saying the same thing. the only difference is that Courtney is saying it to defend that the two of them went through a less than ideal childhood, while LO is clinging with all her might to the notion that Courtney never went through anything bad at all because she refuses to concede not even that, because in her head only she gets to be the only victim. nobody else has ever suffered anything, it's always just LO.

there, i addressed your "inconsistencies" and it was all thanks to the power of thinking about it for two seconds. now address mine.

[dear-kumari]

Getting my meanest criticism out of the way rn

Arthur I'm sorry that your parents died but did your childhood poem about mourning them have to be so long. Like it looks shorter in the transcript than it felt while listening to it, but 14 verses is still an awful lot. I like the adolescent amateur quality of it, that's fine and expected, but you can't be carrying around all 56 lines of that in your head along with the best of Robert Frost. Give John the abridged version, please, this is probably really awkward for him

Ep 20 is just so, so heavy on the cloying sentimentality between that and the cute animal death that I do think I nearly dropped the show because of it. I went from binge-listening to taking several weeks to get through it (though I resumed my binge immediately after). It's supposed to be the emotional culmination of their journey but came off as manipulative and contrived to the point of cringe. I hate to sound unfeeling, but the whole time I was like can you guys try to strategize about confronting the King instead of reciting eulogies and crying. Or strategize while crying, that's fine, just — something. Anything. The show is about their emotions, yes, but it's also ostensibly about surviving horrors and outwitting powerful forces. Kayne cuts the latter out of the equation almost entirely by handing Arthur the special object he needs for the climax and essentially telling him what to do with it. And then Arthur does it! He spends more brainpower puzzling out what he's supposed to do with the dagger than considering that maybe he shouldn't go along with the desires of the mass murderer he just met. He says the predetermined nature of their journey makes him feel powerless, but the only thing they try to do differently is head deeper into the city. Arthur is a defiant atheist whose big "fuck you" to an actual god is … to attempt to follow the advice of another, more powerful god, by slitting his own throat. Awesome.

This isn't even about the poem anymore but while I'm here, I don't like Kayne. He's not fun, he's not funny, he's not a particularly threatening villain and he fucking killed my little meow meow. The fandom take on him is basically Bill Cipher for adults, which is cool, but canon Kayne doesn't live up to the hype. His "carrot and stick" for Jorthur are too good and too bad, respectively, to be true, making it yet another case of raising the stakes way too high for the audience to truly care. He's also a trickster who straight-up lies rather than one who cleverly exploits loopholes, so it's not like it'll be that surprising when he doesn't honor his deal with them.

I mean, there is an actual kernel of genius in how Kayne is this kinda Christian-themed evil God (omniscient, daughter is "Lilith," jokingly answers to "Jesus Christ," encourages Arthur to listen to his Christian FIL and sacrifice himself) who is essentially offering the protagonists Heaven if they obey him or Hell if they fail. If Jorthur actually learn to see him as an abusive bullshitter with empty promises/threats of eternity ("this too shall pass" taken so far as to break the established eternal cosmic mythos RGU style), I will happily admit that that's a cool deconstruction of the existential dread at the heart of Lovecraft. I think they're just gonna luck into beating him with the Blackstone tho, or maybe he'll win bc he's the author self-insert and Jorthur will get their "happy" ending too, idk. Whatever happens, I don't think I'll stop finding him annoying. Just like that dumb orphan's shitty poetryyyy okay sorry I didn't know how to tie the post together after all that

[iamthecomet]

Princess Mountain 2k23

But make him sloppy, Com. Sloppy princess in a pretty flower crown.

This is all your fault. Credit for the earth magic idea goes entirely to @kroas-adtam.

He's having a hell of a time figuring out whose hands are where. He thinks Dew's still kneeling between his legs, the hands on his thighs are warmer than usual, dry, as they stroke up over the muscle and squeeze. And judging by the taste of clove cigarettes, the fingers petting over his tongue, belong to Swiss. He could open his eyes and make sure, but god they feel so heavy. His head has gone hazy and soft. There's cum slicked in the crease of his hip that he's pretty sure is his own, he can feel it drying in the hair on his belly too. He drifts under their gentle touch until Dew's hands--they have to be Dew's--slip higher. He feels the press of two fingers as they slip easily into him. Mountain's eyes snap open. Dew's on his belly between Mountain's spread thighs. His movements are languid as he shifts. And it takes Mountain a second to realize what he's doing. He's--oh--he's dragging his fingers through the cum that's leaked from inside of him and is pushing it back in. Mountain shudders with it. Dew's eyes are glued to his own fingers. Mountain comes back online. He pulls his head away from Swiss' fingers with a slick noise. His lips slick with drool. Swiss drags those wet fingers down Mountain's throat, over his collarbone, and down to circle one of Mountain's nipples. He's sensitive, impossibly so. He feels his cock give a feeble twitch, exhausted, just like the rest of him. "Wasn't Aeth here?" "He went to get his princess some water," Swiss says. Mountain feels his face heat. Some part of him wants to hide from this. But what's the point. He's spread open, leaking cum on Swiss' comforter, with two of Dew's fingers in his ass, pressing in lazily. "You always make such a mess," Dew whispers, there's very little of his usual teasing in it, it's almost reverent. And despite the fact that the mess Dew's playing in isn't technically Mountain's, it gets the reaction Dew wants anyway. Mountain's stomach clenching, another kick to his suddenly re-hardening cock. Dew bites softly at the inside of Mountain's thighs as he swirls his finger through the mix of his, and Swiss, and Aether's spend dripping from Mountain's abused hole. "You want more already, huh?" Swiss asks, he cards his free hand through Mountain's hair, brushing his fingers around the base of one of his horns. "Three of us not enough for you? Maybe we should call Rain? The girls? Get everyone to treat you real good? You can just lay back and take it." Mountain hisses. If anyone asks, he'll tell them it was because of the way Dew's teeth are digging a mark into his thigh, and not from Swiss' words. It will be a lie. The door opens softly. Aether slides into the room, bottles of water in his arms.

"Are you back with us, princess?" Aether purrs as he sits the side of the bed opposite Swiss. He runs his cool fingers over Mountain's ribcage. Mountain nods, "yeah." "So fucking pretty, isn't he, Aeth?" Swiss' voice is a whisper. It's tinged with uncharacteristic awe. "Gorgeous," Aether murmurs in the same tone, he holds Mountain's gaze. Mountain wants to look away, the shame burning in his gut right along side his arousal makes him want to bury his face in Aether's chest and never come out. He doesn't. He focuses on the feeling of Dew's fingers still sliding in and out gently. Of the press of his sharp teeth to a new spot on Mountain's thigh. Decidedly physical sensations that take his mind away from-- "...don't you, princess?" Aether asks him. Mountain swallows, he missed the lead in to the question, he has no idea what Aether's asking him. Aether just smiles at him as Mountain flounders. "I said," he starts again, "You take it all so well. Don't you, princess?" "I--yes?" Swiss chuckles, he leans close, running his nose up along the side of Mountain's face. "You do," Swiss confirms, "so fucking good for us." Dew hums in agreement, dragging his teeth and tongue away from Mountain's thigh. "Should take a picture of him like this, Aeth. Show him just how pretty he is." The heat rises higher in his face. Mountain starts to slip again under the gentle press of their hands.

Dew's being distracting now, his fingers reaching deeper to curl upwards. He's hard against his hip, pulsing in time with Dew's strokes.

He sinks into their words, their touches. Suddenly, he's bombarded with the smell of wildflowers. His eyes snap open, and he moves to sit. He's so rarely loses control of his magic around others. But he can feel it now, the ebb of it in his veins. He knows what happened, knows he's sprouted flowers in his hair, circling his horns, and probably around the perimeter of his head.

Swiss barks out a shocked laugh. He strokes his fingers through Mountain's hair, around the base of his horn. Mountain feels a small tug. And then Swiss is spinning a vibrant blue flower in front of Mountains eyes. "Look at you now," Swiss grins, "gave yourself a crown and everything. I guess you really are a princess." Mountain whines. Humiliation tugs at his gut. Dew's fingers pause, shoved deep inside of him. Aether puts a hand on his chest and pushes him softly back down to the bed. "It's ok, princess," Aether says softly. He cups Mountain's jaw in his hand. He strokes his thumb over Mountain's lips and he immediately parts them, letting Aether press in just enough to bump into his teeth. "Just lay back and let us take care of you."

[tinytinybumblebee]

Today on “I’m exhausted hearing awful takes on astarion” as a trauma survivor myself I think astarion struggles to show weakness in the sense of recovery… like now that he’s free of Cazador, he’s supposed to be strong, independent, always knowing what he’s doing and who he wants to be. And for the most part that’s true, he is all those things, but when ghosts of his past come back to haunt him he feels shame in being someone vulnerable again who needs care. He hides it and bottles it up for such a long time but…

Then Tav comes along, his partner but also cg, and when the dam finally breaks they’re right there reassuring him that he is competent and capable and independent, he’s fought for his freedom and won and no one can deny that. But sometimes he needs coddling and that’s okay, he can be both strong and in need of protecting and support, they aren’t mutually exclusive (because a lot of people treat them like they are and as a survivor myself I do value my independence and not being coddled, but put simply and people don’t think about this with Astarion I’ve noticed, sometimes you just need to crumble and need to be needy and that’s not a sign that you’re recovering wrong or relapsing or anything)

Tav assures him he can be weak and need things if that’s how he feels, that being in need once in a while doesn’t invalidate everything he went through. And maybe he needs to regress that night. And it’s gonna be ok while he does.

Tav sits down with him, assuring him he’s going to be big again soon, but for now he should relish being little and not feel ashamed at all for needing cuddles and bottles and diapers and pacis. He’s still allowed to need things even if he’s won over his abuser. And the baby bat can be happy and get lots of cuddles and treats knowing no one thinks less of him and his beloved Tav will be there for him—he’ll pay them back somehow later and find a way to support them when they need him, but for now no thoughts baby bat. Give him headpats and kisses. Wrap him up into a little baby bat burrito. Put him in comfy safe diaps and be there to change them, and put him in all kinds of pretty clothes (tbh he would look so cute in “classic” baby gear like bonnets or mittens/booties you can’t convince me otherwise)—the entire camp has a whole “spoil Astarion” day because he deserves it and shouldn’t have to always force himself to be strong.

(sorry for the ramble he is very precious and dear to me and i’ve seen so many bad takes on aspects of him that dishearten me as someone who relates to him jddhxndvnd sorrry)

Yes yes YES to this all nonny!!! You got the most galaxy mind for tiny Astarion aaaaaa this poor vampire wants to be the perfect example of a survivor who has made it through without a care past the revenge he wanted- he doesn't want to be seen as some weakling, he doesn't want to lean on others!!

But, in small steps, Astarion is able to let his walls become thinner, allowing Tav and those he trusts in when it comes to his regression aaa♡♡♡

[devouringcalamity]

For the record: I didnt stalk anyone. I hadnt thought of him in years before I decided to try and find out what he was up to these days. Lying to me repeatedly about how special to you I'd be and how all I needed to do was cut your name was coercive when you were trying to prey on the fact I got attached. But honestly I don't blame you for that. I blame you for acting like either of you are fucking victimized by me briefly entering your lives. I didnt manipulate your gf into doing anything. I didnt fucking sexually abuse her good fucking lord. If thats what I did then imagine what you fucking actually lying and coercing me into harming myself for you to get a kick from is, especially in the context of preying on my attachment to you, its just more fucking abuse. But no, sending anonymous messages to see how she'd react is not, in fact, abusive. Especially considering I told her and stopped after. No i didn't send messages for years. No didnt do half the shit I even said I did because despite the fact I seem real easy for falling for your fucking extremely obvious (to the point I labeled each fucking obviously guilt trippy manipulative message, because it was so obvious it made you look like you were doing it on purpose to be hot or whayever or that you were fucking stupid) despite the fact I went along with it, I'm not fucking stupid. I know you loved thinking I was an evil evil girl, oh no I did sooo many bad things. And you, of course, got off on it. Especially because you told me from the start you had a fucking philia for criminals and paraphilic offenders. So I embellished things that were misunderstandings into assault so you'd, one, feel bad for me and tell me its okay, two, so you'd think I trusted you, and three, because for a whils there you got off on it. So unfortunately no, I'm not a rapist or a pedo or whatever other awful things you said. No I never intended to let you replace my bf, for days I've been letting him know every lie that I tell you so he can laugh as I paint him as some offending pedophilic abusive monster. Its funny, cause its such an easy lie. Cause you cant ever ask for proof. So, unfortunately, I don't have the shit you think I do, and I didn't do what I said. Sorry to spoil the fun. But it serves you right. I never did get any money or real good attention from you so it wasnt too worth it. But all I lost was what, a random BPD attachment I knew was unhealthy? I mean I hoped maybe you'd go back to giving me the attention you gave me before, but oh well! No great loss. So to summarize. No I didnt do the shit youre accusing me of, yes you're an abusive manipulator, yes I lied to you to seem even worse to make you take control, yes you failed to even do that in a way I wanted, yes you failed to get revenge, and yes I will leave you both the fuck alone. This was profoundly unfun once you decided to be a fucking freak about me telling your gf you were a bad partner because you were almost bragging about how she'd stay with you no matter what abuse you put her through. Oh and blocking you in a BPD moment. So after that, I really did lose attachment. And you failed to actually make it fun for me. So why the fuck must you always pretend youre the victim, when this all started with your actions hurting your gf, and me implying you were in the wrong. So sorry. So sorry I told her you cheated and were a pedo, even though you thanked me. So sorry that made it okay to coerce and abuse me. So sorry I tried to see if she'd be more interesting. So sorry I lied about being a rapist and a pedo to make you hard and to get you to consistently reassure me and tell me how good of a person I am and how you're just as bad. Sorry that me trying to tell your gf about your abuse was enough to warrant you blowing up our friendship and then deciding to plot out my suicide and to ruin my life. Sorry I believed you when you said I was special and you just meant it in a pseudo intimate relationship way, and trusted youd changed. But yes I'll leave you the fuck alone. Remember this all happened because of your actions.

Considering you deleted all the incriminating messages i cant show more concrete “proof” of your degeneracy; but theres no reason for you to be scared ill report you if all your little pedophilic offences are fake.

The sexual abuse you did was coercion under the basis of withholding information, its also just freak behaviour in general.

Anyways, you cut deep enough to get a scar and thats really all i wanted, its more sad you did it, despite being “so aware” of what im doing.

[dragon-creates]

5+1 AU Characters as Taylor Swift Songs

I got bored yesterday and my ADHD + my swiftie brain decided to put together what says would go together with the characters of my fic. This was mostly done for fun but if you know the meanings behind these songs, I'm going to enjoy feasting on your suffering 😈

Here's the link to my fic here if you haven't read it yet.

Pomni/Penny: Mirrorball

And I'm still a believer, but I don't know why. I've never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try

I thought this song best fit Pomni/Penny due to her complicated relationship with her dad and how that affected her as a person, always trying to do her best despite what's thrown at her, even if it hurts her in the process and she doesn't know why.

Jax/Jack: This Is Me Trying

Could've followed my fears all the way down And maybe I don't quite know what to say. But I'm here in your doorway I just wanted you to know. That this is me trying

I mean, I think its kinda obvious (cough cough chapter 5 cough cough). Jax/Jack went through a lot as a kid before he moved in with Winter and the Alvarez's and yes while he's hurting, he wants to heal but as ya'll know, relapses happen. But he'll always keep trying.

Riley: Karma

Karma's gonna track you down. Step by step, from town to town. Sweet like justice, karma is a queen

I had fun with this one. As ya'll know, Riley is quite protective over those she cares about (she's also an FBI agent so if you hurt Penny you probably won't be seen the next day). Riley is always gonna make sure that those who decide to fuck around are gonna find out. After all, karma is a bitch.

Winter: 22

You don't know about me but I'll bet you want to. Everything will be alright if we just keep dancing like we're 22

Ah Winter, my sassy lesbian queen. Winter has always been fun to write due to how positive and fun she is. Teasing Jack, being lovey dovey with Riley and hyping up Penny as well. She would be one of those people who throw the wildest parties and dread cleaning up the next day, but doesn't care as long as she and others are having fun.

Amber: Tolerate It

Lay the table with the fancy shit. And watch you tolerate it

Amber, mother of two and the ex of the man that everyone in discord wants dead. This reflects what her marriage to David was like and her releasing how awful he was after they divorced. Amber is a strong and protective mother bear, but she was hurt first emotionally to become that strong. Sometimes there will be moments will break, but she always picks herself back up for her girls, David forgotten at the back of her mind for their sake.

~okay let's focus on some duo/trio songs~

Pomni/Penny & Jax/Jack: Wildest Dreams

Say you'll remember me. Standin' in a nice dress. Starin' at the sunset, babe. Red lips and rosy cheeks. Say you'll see me again. Even if it's just in your wildest dreams

Come on, are you really surprised? It's the title of the last chapter and basically this fic's theme! Even if they don't realise who each other are, there memories stay in their dreams and their shown just how beautiful their love was!!!!

Riley & Winter: Paper Rings

I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings. Uh-huh, that's right. Darling, you're the one I want

Let's go! Let's go lesbians let's go!!! The yuri deserve a nice lovey dovey song. These two are just so sweet with one another and the reason why Jack and Penny got together (much to Riley's disappointment lol) and they deserve all the happiness. And yes this song was in their wedding playlist.

Pomni/Penny & Riley: Safe and Sound

No one can hurt you now. Come morning light. You and I'll be safe and sound

This song is definitely a parallel of Penny and Riley's sisterhood, especially growing up with David still in the picture. Riley doing her job as an older sister, shielding her little sister whenever David wanted to target her with his verbal abuse. Riley hates every fibre of her father's being, it only got worse after he involved Penny in the car accident. No matter what, even as adults, Riley will always protect her baby sister from everything...until the day she couldn't.

Winter & Jax/Jack: The Best Day

God smiles on my little brother, inside and out. He's better than I am I grew up in a pretty house and I had space to run. And I had the best days with you

This was how Winter viewed her and Jack when he moved in with her family. Jack is and always will be her little brother, even if they aren't blood related. She and her family give him the life he didn't and the space to thrive, and neither she or Jack would trade it for the world even after all these years.

Pomni/Penny & Amber: Bigger Than The Whole Sky

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. You were bigger than the whole sky

Hehe ya'll gonna hate me for this one. But yeah, after Penny went missing, it hit Amber like a freight train. Penny was her baby, she watched her daughter go through hell and back, and helped with her healing, watched her fall in love, comforted her through her heartbreak and the next day she disappeared, and no one can find her. She grieves her daughter every day, as though she truly passed away. She and Penny had a relationship like no other, there's nothing stronger than a mother's love for her child.

Riley & Amber: Dear Reader

The greatest of luxuries is your secrets. Dear reader, when you aim at the devil make sure you don't miss. Never take advice from someone who's falling apart

While Amber loves Penny, never once did she neglect Riley or see her problems as inferior. She loves both her babies more than anything. But she can tell that Riley has gone through a lot, watching her father grow apart from her and seeing her little sister get hurt over and over again. This song is kinda reminiscent of chapter 3 (with Amber reassuring Riley that she's not wrong to feel upset with her dad), but also Amber teaching Riley what she knows and so she doesn't make the same mistakes as she did.

Amber & Riley & Pomni/Penny: Never Grow Up

Oh, darlin', don't you ever grow up. Don't you ever grow up. Just stay this little. Oh, darlin', don't you ever grow up. Don't you ever grow up. It could stay this simple

Let's end it off bittersweet with our three girls. This is reminiscing over her daughters, more so the good moments of their childhood (David isn't in these memories which isn't a surprise). It kind of hits Amber when she sees her girls all grown up and living their own lives, just how far they've come since they were kids. She gave birth to them, helped them take their first steps, cried at their first words, dropped them off both at their first days at school, teasing Riley over her first crush on a girl, comforting and spending each day Penny was in hospital after the accident, letting them cry in her shoulder over David leaving, reassured Riley that she wasn't abandoning Penny once the older of the two left for college, helped Penny overcome her eating habits, watched her girls fall in love. It leaves her tearful and proud of how much they've grown.

I hope you guys enjoyed this, and keep an eye out for my next funnybunny fic on ao3 and tumblr called 'Royally Screwed'. It's a royal AU based on the ideas and art of one of my friends on discord and I hope ya'll like it when it comes out!

[polyhexian]

You touched on it a little in eventually!au already, but since I am a huge fan of angrily coping hunter, do you think there's ever a time where Hunter uses his past trauma to get back at Jasper after they get to the human realm? Like when he's made at him for not saving him before, for always fighting him, for forcing him to go back to Belos empty handed, and he just starts spitting out things Belos did to him for failing. Like just a list of like "snapped every bone in my left arm for failing to get blah blah magic item. Speared me through the collarbone when [random wild witches] escaped.." ect ect, just to make him really feel that much pain? And then how would Jasper take it, because obviously he's been through so much under Belos (maybe worse?? arguably??? if we're gonna rank abuse) but for him I imagine hearing Hunter going through that is a thousand times worse than like. Whatever he went through. I imagine hearing that would just be awful for his emotional state, especially if he's already not doing so hot.

Ohhhh god yeah. He does it briefly in one of my eventually vignettes where he's pushing him like did you know this, did you know this, and jasper is just sitting there listening and answering him honestly. Yes. Yes. Yes. I did know. But also like when hunter looks up he's choking back tears but trying desperately to keep it together.

I think jasper feels both that hunter needs to be able to feel and express this anger, and also... He deserves it. He has to submit to it as penance for what he's done. He failed to protect Hunter and that was his job. It does not matter that he was trying to save him. It doesn't matter that he fully dedicated his life for a decade and a half to rescuing him. It does not matter that he DID save hunters life. Multiple times. All that matters is that it was his job to protect his son and he didn't. Every ounce of pain hunter experienced because Jasper couldn't save him IS his fault. And especially that he hurt him himself or that he sent him back to get hurt worse.

Hunter can yell and scream and jasper will just stand there and take it. He's trying to claw his golden guard persona on, because he needs to stand here and take this, he can't break down, he is not the victim here and he won't act like it. But his son is here and yelling at him and he just CANT be anyone other than jasper, hunts dad. He just stands there with his eyes on the floor and his hands in shaking fists, crying and desperately trying to keep his voice level and stop himself from choking on air. But just. Yes. Yes. Yes. Over and over. I knew that was happening to you

"Did you know one time he yanked my arm out of its socket and made me put it back in myself? When I was eleven?" "Did you know he used to choke me if I spoke out of turn?" "Did you know that any time I didn't finish my tasks I wasn't allowed to eat? For DAYS?" "did you know one time he crushed my arm and shattered every single bone in it?" "Did you know during my training mission on the knee I got frostbite in every part of my body and would have died if I didn't get healed at the end?"

And jasper just. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. I did. I did know those things. I did know that I sent you back to that. I know that happened because I stopped you from completing your mission. I know.

He won't make any excuses. He's probably not even going to apologize until Hunter demands to know why he isn't apologizing and it's just. I don't want to you to forgive me.

[poisonousdelights]

PARTIES: @poisonousdelights & @contemporarybardess TIME: Beginning of March WHERE: The Sugar Pot SUMMARY: After Isa brings a sweet treat in for her coworkers her and Elora begin to talk about some uncomfortable topics. Elora lets some things slip about the shop and it's owner and soon after wishes she hadn't opened her mouth. WARNINGS: Alludes to substance abuse tw and drug abuse tw. Also alludes to parental death tw.

For as many times as the customers at The Sugar Pot had made her feel like a worthless human being, there were just as many times where Isa’s coworkers had made her feel the exact opposite. Alistair finding out the true nature of her incarceration had been the very thing to seal her love for the people that she worked with, the man having taken it in stride and not let it color his judgment of her. It was the acceptance, the way that he made her past seem like no big deal, that had made her walk into work the next day with her head held high and a renewed sense of pride. 

So, of course she brought cupcakes.

There were half a dozen cupcakes from the Bread Cemetery in hand when she made her way behind the counter, a mental note in mind to hide away the chocolate for her boss and another for Tommy when he inevitably walked through the door that day. She did it almost immediately before she forgot and the two ended up with nothing later on. But the rest, the rest of them were free game. Isa opened the box as she walked up to Elora, a bright smile on her face as she held it out to her. “Pick one. Or two, I don’t mind. We just have to save one for Melody.”

Another day at The Sugar Pot, and another day of serving up smiles. At least, that’s what Elora would always say when she was on the job. In truth, customer service sucked. It definitely wasn’t awful, and her coworkers definitely made the experience much better. Sure there was some shady business done in the back which Elora largely ignored. She just had to keep head down and tell herself that Alistair always had a good justification for what went on back there.

As she locked eyes with Isa, carrying a container of cupcakes, her eyes lit up immediately. 

“These are for us? That’s so sweet of you!” Elora said to her coworker before happily grabbing her favorite, red velvet. “Any particular occasion? Or just having a bit of a sweet tooth?” she asked, flashing a coy smile. 

“Ahhh, of course. Melody works hard here, we definitely can’t leave her without one. These look great by the way, where did you get them?” 

Immediately, the stop by the bakery and the spent cash that she probably should have held onto was worth it. The joy that just the sight of the cupcakes had brought to Elora was everything she had needed to tell her this was a good idea. “Maybe a bit of both. Definitely the sweet tooth but a small celebration for a victory I didn’t think I would ever get.” Isa was going to be tight lipped though. Even if Melody and Alistair accepted what had happened, that didn’t mean her coworkers would be comfortable with her situation if they didn’t already know. “Also, Alistair is a good man and I thought he deserved a cupcake. I didn’t want to play favorites though.”

She beamed at the mention of Melody’s work, nodding her head vigorously. “ Yes, yes she does. And she does such a good job. This place is perfect, don’t you think?” Maybe Isa was laying it on a little thick but she couldn’t help it. She felt like the shop was sent to her as some sort of savior, especially now that she wasn’t constantly worried that her boss would fire her over a charge that she didn’t deserve. “Oh, the Bread Bakery. You haven’t been? If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat because those are delicious.”

Elora nodded when she mentioned celebrating a victory as well as Alistair. Elora didn’t know much about Isa yet, but she was curious about the victory she was talking about. As for Alistair being a good man, she already knew the darker underlayer behind Alistair’s kind demeanor. She knew his help always came with a price. But instead, she opted not to say anything quite yet. 

“Ah, well if I can benefit off of Alistair’s kindness even more, then I’ll happily do that! I’m sure he’ll love them.”

Elora took a bite of her cupcake and looked around the store, taking in the splendor of the meticulously decorated store around them. “It definitely is! Melody is a miracle worker, I swear. She really knows how to make a place feel nice and home-y.” 

She’d ordered a few things from the bread bakery from time to time. She also knew Lil from her adventures in the haunted house. They had even offered her a job when she first came to town, which she turned down for another opportunity that didn’t pan out. Thankfully Alistair had stepped in and given her a job when she had needed it. She noticed he seemed to have a habit of doing this. “I’ve been there a few times, actually! Great place, never tried their cupcakes though. Glad to see they’re just as good as the rest of their baked goods. Really nice people that own the place too!”

As Elora finished her cupcake, she decided to finish getting everything set up for when customers start coming in. “So, I take it you like it here so far? Customer service isn’t too frustrating for you? ‘Cause I’ll be honest, I have my moments sometimes” she said, followed by a laugh to imply she was joking, even though she wasn’t. She hated customer service. But she also had bills. 

“I don’t know how she does it all with having Tommy as well. Superhuman, I guess.” Leaning against the counter, arms stretched out over the top, Isa couldn’t stop the realization that it was actually possible to be a superhuman. Hell, she could turn into a snake, there was no telling if Melody could shift or not. Though she wasn’t quite sure how shifting could help someone run a store so the comment was a little skewed. 

Thinking back to her experience at the bakery, she had to agree with the other girl. The people there had been nothing but nice if not a tiny bit strange. Or maybe the shop itself was a little strange. Either way, Isa enjoyed it. It was better than boring. “I heard you’re supposed to stay away from their bagels though. Not sure why but someone warned me against them before I even walked in the door so I just…didn’t get any. Not that I was there for them.” And nothing had seemed too off about them when her gaze had lingered on them a little longer than they should have. If people were warning against them though, she imagined the staff was used to a side eye or two toward the display. 

Elora couldn't have known how uncomfortable her question would make the lamia feel. Her smile faded a little as she thought back to how some of the customers could treat her, sure that the other was unaware of this because they didn’t work together too often. She started to pick at the ends of her fingers as nervous laughter bubbled to the surface. “It’s the worst part of the job, honestly. It wasn’t my first choice but…this place was the only job I could get when I was applying.” There were no indications of a joke as there was with Elora, but she shrugged it off as if it didn’t hurt to have people constantly glaring in her direction, some even refusing to let her help them. “I’m not well liked in this town. Which is why I owe a lot to Alistair.”

Elora couldn’t do much other than nod in agreement. She had never been a fan of children and the task of raising one always seemed like a massive undertaking she really wanted no part of. Melody did indeed seem almost superhuman in that respect.

Elora cocked her head at Isa’s comment about the bakery’s bagels. “What makes the bagels so bad? And why do they keep making them? Seems hard to mess up a bagel when you get so much else right.” She then shrugged her shoulders and continued setting up the register for the day. She hadn’t been inside the store very often, usually just to pick up an order very briefly. She wondered if there was more to the store than met the eye. Then she realized that of course there was more to the store than met the eye. That described pretty much every store in Wicked’s Rest, including this tea shop! 

She could see Isa immediately become uncomfortable and felt a pit of guilt boring into her gut. She had clearly struck some sort of nerve, even if she was trying to play if off. She didn’t know much about the other woman, but she seemed kind enough. She couldn’t wrap her head around why so much of the town would ostracize her like that. 

“I get it. I had a hard time finding a place to work too. I had a good one lined up, but it unfortunately fell through, and money was running out quick. Thankfully Alistair was able to take me in too. I don’t have any formal education, grew up way off the grid, and no other marketable skills. You can imagine that would make finding a job nearly impossible.” She then looked over at the girl, who so kindly brought cupcakes in for the other employees. “I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t be well liked. I know we don’t know each other all that well but you seem very kind to me! Some people in this town are just…well..assholes. And others are really cagey and standoffish, for good reason I guess. What’s important is that the people who like you are the ones who matter. And so far it seems you at least have me and Alistair. 

“I don’t know. Something about them being haunted and assaulting people? It was weird.” And she wouldn’t admit to keeping an eye on the baked goods the whole time she was getting those cupcakes. Isa didn’t truly believe things could be haunted but she’d enough weird things to think something else could be going on. Like a spellcaster playing a ‘fun’ joke on unsuspecting people. That’s what they did, after all.

It was a surprise to find that Elora had trouble with the job hunt as well but she supposed that she shouldn’t have been too shocked. Alistair really did take in the strays, didn’t they? They had said as much when they had discussed her own employment with her but it hadn’t registered until Isa heard Elora’s story. It only made her happier to be working with someone who cared so much for others that they would give second chances to those who needed it. “I guess we both owe a lot to them, huh?” She was also curious though, and not shy when it came to bringing up what she didn’t understand. “What does ‘off the grid’ mean? Was it bad?”

Her lips pressed together when Elora brought up the fact that she didn’t understand, confirmation that she had no clue about her past. The rumor mill must not have reached her yet or maybe this shop was immune to it all. She took a moment to think about whether she wanted to get into it or not. The last thing Isa wanted was for her coworker to feel uncomfortable with her but eventually she would hear it from a disgruntled customer who didn’t know how to keep their mouth shut. The best thing would be for Elora to hear it from her, right?

“So, a lot of people think I did something awful that I didn’t do. I mean, I went to prison because of it, they found me guilty, but I never did it. I wouldn’t have…” She sighed softly, her last moments with Ruth popping into her head. “I wouldn’t have hurt her. But they think I pushed a friend of mine off of a water tower one night.” She stopped there, not wanting to relive the night anymore than she had to. “Just bad circumstances, really.” At least Isa had Alistair, and Maggie. Maggie was all she would need in life. But…hopefully she could still have Elora on her side too. 

After everything she’d endured over the past year or so, Elora could do nothing but roll her eyes at the notion of the bagels assaulting people. 

“Killer pastries, color me shocked!” she said sarcastically. She was surprised the tea leaves in the shop weren’t sentient and bloodthirsty. Still, she found herself morbidly curious about visiting the bakery just to see if those claims were true. At this point she found the idea charming rather than terrifying. 

“Well hey, if you say you didn’t do it, I believe you.” She said thoughtfully. People in this town tended to assume the worst in people. Oftentimes these assumptions were correct, but could still lead to some false beliefs of guilt. 

“More than anything else, I believe Alistair is a good judge of character. In spite of their own…complexities. If they believe you’re a good person, then so do I!””

The girl’s sarcastic response did help relieve some of the tension that Isa was now feeling as the conversation geared towards her uncomfortable past. She gave a hesitant laugh, still waiting for the shoe to drop but somehow it didn’t. It amazed her that she was starting to meet more and more people around this town that didn’t hate her for the things that happened to Ruth and she couldn’t help but feel a little choked up 

But she pushed it back knowing it would be a little strange for her to cry in front of someone just because they said they believed her. It wasn’t something she was able to do the night before but at least she’d been online when she was talking to Alistair. Needless to say, her heart and good mood soared to new levels. “I appreciate that so much, Elora. I can’t believe how…accepting everyone is at this shop.” And she couldn’t. It was the weirdest thing to go from being so hated to being so accepted in the span of twenty-four hours. 

But something did catch her attention. Isa wasn’t as focused on her own issues once Elora brought up their boss and their issues. The curiosity got the better of her. “What do you mean when you say complexities?”

Regardless of what Isa may or may not have been guilty of, Elora was hardly in a place to judge. She thought back to her old colony. Her friends, her father and mother. Their images ripped through her brain again, sending shockwaves, causing her to tense her face and clench her fist a bit. She composed herself quickly thereafter. Now was not the time for another breakdown. 

“We all have skeletons in our closet. Nothing’s black and white, I think anybody here can tell you that. What really matters is what you’ve done since your past.” she said with a casual shrug of the shoulders. “Besides, the official record doesn’t tell even half the truth most of the time. If you say you’re innocent, then I believe it until I have a reason not to.” 

Elora paused a bit at Isa’s question, not sure exactly how to proceed. Her first meeting with Alistair told her all she really needed to know about them. She had just assumed that Isa was at least somewhat filled in on what they really does behind the scenes. But now it seemed that the woman was oblivious to that, that Alistair was simply a kindly blind tea shop manager handing out jobs to supernatural orphans. 

“You know…complexities. Their…” Elora contemplated lying, which she was horrible at.The only time she’s able to convince people of anything other than the truth is when she compels them to believe it. And she was certainly not about to break her “no powers unless absolutely necessary” rule for something relatively minor such as this. “Well you know, Their little shady side business they run in the back.” she said simply, hoping the other woman would leave it at that.

She saw the way Elora had disappeared somewhere else, somewhere that wasn’t as nice as the tea shop with their cupcakes and the beautiful aromas floating through the air. There was definitely something upsetting about the place she had gone judging by the look on her face but Isa wasn’t going to push it. It was uncomfortable enough talking about a bad instance in the past when everybody already knew about it, she couldn’t imagine being coaxed into talking about her secrets when she was new to town. But something did happen. That much was confirmed when the other girl spoke up once more. “Yea, I guess we do. Just call this the shop of misfit toys.”

It was so refreshing and the lamia was so relieved until she saw Elora hesitate to answer her question. What could the kind person who had given her a second chance at laugh be doing that could qualify as a complexity. Frowning while she waited for her coworker to keep going, Isa allowed so many things to run through her mind. There was so much she was learning about this town that she hadn’t previously known about so the wildest thoughts kept coming to mind. 

“Shady side business…?” Oh, that did not sound good. Oh, no…what kind of shady side business? “Please tell me they’re not doing anything illegal.” Because she was still on probation. If her probation officer came by and found out her boss was doing something that could land them in jail she would most certainly head back there herself and Isa really didn’t want to have to quit her job. No one else would take her. “What exactly are they doing?”

“Shop of misfit toys is pretty accurate! I feel like the jack in the box with the broken spring.” Elora said with a smirk. She knew that she didn’t have many other opportunities for employment, same as Isa, so was grateful for what she could get. And, after all, Alistair and Melody were very good to her. 

“Oh well um…” Elora hesitated at Isa’s question. Illegal seemed like an understatement for what went on in that back room. “Nothing very bad, honestly.” Depended on your outlook. “You know he was a pharmacist before he lost his sight, right? Well he’s still in the business of healing people. Just uses more unconventional means to do it, sort of like herbal remedies!” Sort of like them, but also nothing like them at all. “It’s a tea shop after all, we have plenty of material. And no, I don’t think that counts as illegal since it technically isn’t practicing medicine.” Another half truth. Murder certainly wasn’t practicing medicine. 

“I’m just, yknow, not into all that new age healing shit. I’d much rather rely on more traditional medicine, but to each their own!” She looked over to Isa, hoping she hadn’t caused her too much worry. “Sorry, didn’t mean to freak you out too much!”

“Only if I can be the boat that won’t float.” It was a joke but a halfhearted one at that. It’s how Isa felt sometimes, always drowning. Or at least struggling not to sink below the surface. Suddenly she was wondering how this happy conversation had turned so depressing.

Even as Elora tried to explain what she meant, the lamia had a gut feeling that the explanation given wasn’t exactly what was going on in the back. It was plausible, yes, and Isa had no problem with Alistair trying to heal people but the shakiness of Elora’s words made her doubt their truthfulness. It was all very sketchy but she wasn’t about to come right out and say that. 

Maybe it was better that Isa knew nothing about it all. Maybe that’s how it should be since she was already in trouble with the law around here. If she stayed out of whatever Alistair was doing in that back room then she couldn’t be seen as an accomplice, right? But then there was the explanation that was given and how Elora made a point to say herbal remedies. Why did that sound like something she needed to look into? No, she didn’t have any ailments herself, which she was very thankful for, but it all gave the impression that her boss might know where to start when it came to her unique issues. Spellcasters used that stuff, right? Maybe they could point her in the direction of a market where she could run into some…

“No…you didn’t freak me out too badly. I’m still on probation so being involved with a business that’s doing illegal things wouldn’t have been a good thing. But it makes sense.” She still looked doubtful as Isa gazed up at her coworker but she hoped that Elora would believe that she’d dropped the subject. She had, at least for now. “I shouldn’t be worried, right? It’s just herbs?”

Elora couldn’t help but feel as though her explanation was rather shaky, but Isa certainly didn’t lead on to that  suspicion as she breathed a  sigh of relief. Alistair the herbalist she recited in her head. It had a nice ring to it, she had to admit.

“Yeah, you know Al.” Why did she call them Al? “Always looking for ways to promote his tea and healing properties. But yes, completely legal herbs only. The fun ones you have to go under the bridge in Deersprings at…uh, nevermind. You’re on probation, probably not a good idea to tell you.” 

Elora couldn’t help but grow increasingly curious about the nature of her alleged crime, but knew better than to pry. Some skeletons are better left in their closets, locked away safely where nobody can set them free.  Elora began to feel that the long the conversation continued the more likely she was to let something slip that she wasn’t supposed to. She decided to cut the interaction short by making herself busy. 

“Oh wow, I just realized there’s a whole case of jasmine tea leaves in back that I haven’t stocked yet. I should probably get on that. Okay, back to work!” She said, halfheartedly clapping her hands, hoping that would be enough signal to end the conversation and get back to work.

“Fun herbs?” Oh how she missed fun herbs. One day, a day when she was no longer being held back by an angry man who didn’t like her just because he had to test her every now and then, she would be able to let loose and enjoy those fun herbs once more. Maybe she’d go to…Al, as Elora called them, then since they apparently knew where the good stuff was.,,if that's what they were actually doing. Isa wanted so badly to believe that but deep down she somehow knew that there was more to this that Elora wasn’t telling her. It made her nervous but what else could she do?

For some reason she also thought that her coworker was keeping secrets about herself as well. She wasn’t one to pry into people’s business, Isa always wanted to extend that courtesy since she wanted that respect in return, but she couldn’t help but wonder what was going on there. Elora was new to town but in her experience the newbies were the ones with the most sordid pasts. She had said she was a misfit toy, after all.

Both of these suspicions seemed more plausible when Elora tried to scurry off, most likely to get away from a coworker who didn’t seem too convinced about the legality of this business. It only made her more curious about it all but the lamia decided to keep quiet as she nodded. “You know what? I told Alistair I would clean the dispensers so I should probably get on that.” She gave a halfhearted smile before she turned to start on her task but her mind was racing with what this could all possibly mean. What was Alistair really doing in that back room? How did Elora get involved with it all? And was she possibly in danger of going back to prison because of it? 

Fuck, she hoped not.