#BIG RED FLAG that he's suppressing

[meeko-mar]

Oh shiiiiii----

When you realize that in Izuku's mind, everything he feared, all the reasons he left UA on his own, the reason he went solo and drove himself almost to death...

Just came to fruition.

People are laying broken and defeated, wounded. and the worst is that Kacchan...KACCHAN is dead.

Y'all I am just saying, Mirio brought him back from going 1000% Feral with promises that they're actively working on Bakugou's situation...

But Izuku is definitely not okay right now.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Conservatives are fringe outliers - and leftists could learn from them

The Republican Party, a coalition between Big Business farmers and turkeys who’ll vote for Christmas (Red Scare obsessed cowards, apocalyptic white nationalists, religious fanatics, etc) has fallen to its bizarre, violent, noisy radical wing, who are obsessed with policies that are completely irrelevant to the majority of Americans.

As Oliver Willis writes, the views of the radical right — which are also the policies of the GOP — are wildly out of step with the US political view:

https://www.oliverexplains.com/p/conservatives-arent-like-normal-americans

The press likes to frame American politics as “narrowly divided,” but the reality is that Republicans’ electoral victories are due to voter suppression and antimajoritarian institutions (the Senate and Electoral College, etc), not popularity. Democrats consistently outperform the GOP in national races. Dems won majorities in 1992/6, and beat the GOP in 2000, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020. The only presidential race the GOP won on popular votes since 1988 was 2004, when GW Bush eked out a plurality (not a majority).

But, as Willis says, Dems “act like it is 1984 and that they are outliers in a nation of Reagan voters,” echoing a stilted media narrative. The GOP’s platform just isn’t popular. Take the groomer panic: 71% of Americans approve of same-sex marriage. The people losing their shit about queer people are a strange, tiny minority.

Every one of the GOP’s tentpole issues is wildly unpopular: expanding access to assault rifles, banning immigration, lowering taxes on the rich, cutting social programs, forcing pregnant people to bear unwanted children, etc. This is true all the way up to the GOP’s coalescing support for Trump as their 2024 candidate. Trump has lost every popular vote he’s ever stood for, and owes his term in the Oval Office to the antimajoritarian Electoral College system, gerrymandering, and massive voter suppression.

Willis correctly points out that Dem leaders are basically “normal” center-right politicians, not radicals. And, unlike their GOP counterparts, politicians like Clinton, Obama and Biden don’t hide their disdain for the radical wing of their party. Even never-Trumper Republicans are afraid of their base. Romney declared himself “severely conservative” and McCain “put scare quotes around ‘health of the mother’ provisions for abortion rights.”

The GOP fringe imposes incredible discipline on their leaders. Take all the nonsense about “woke capitalism”: on the one hand, it’s absurd to call union-busting, tax-dodging, worker-screwing companies “woke” (even if they sell Pride flags for a couple of weeks every year).

But on the other hand? The GOP leadership have actually declared war on the biggest corporations in America, to the point that the WSJ says that “Republicans and Big Business broke up”:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/republicans-corporations-donations-pacs-9b5b202b

But America is a two-party system and there are plenty of people who’ll pull the lever for any Republican. This means that when the GOP comes under the control of its swivel-eyed loon wing, the swivel-eyed loons wield power far beyond the number of people who agree with them.

There’s an important lesson there for Dems, whose establishment is volubly proud of its independence from its voters. The Biden administration is a weirdly perfect illustration of this “independence.” The Biden admin is a kind of referee, doling out policies and appointments to its competing wings, without any coherence or consistency.

That’s how you get incredible appointments like Lina Khan at the FTC and Jonathan Kanter at the DoJ Antitrust Division and Rohit Chopra at the Consumer Finance Protection Bureat — the progressive wing of the party bargained for these key appointments and then played their cards very well, getting incredible, hard-charging, hyper-competent fighters in those roles.

Likewise, Jared Bernstein, finally confirmed as Council of Economic Advisers chair after an interminable wrangle:

https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2023-06-16-team-biden/

And Julie Su, acting labor secretary, who just delivered a six-year contract to west coast dockworkers with 8–10% raises in the first year, paid retroactively for the year they worked without a contract:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/14/statement-from-president-biden-on-labor-agreement-at-west-coast-ports/

But the Biden admin’s unwillingness to side with one wing of the party also produces catastrophic failures, like the martyrdom of Gigi Sohn, who was subjected to years of vicious personal attacks while awaiting confirmation to the FCC, undefended by the Biden admin, left to twist in the wind until she gave it up as a bad job:

https://doctorow.medium.com/culture-war-bullshit-stole-your-broadband-4ce1ffb16dc5

It’s how we get key roles filled by do-nothing seatwarmers like Pete Buttigieg, who has the same sweeping powers that Lina Khan is wielding so deftly at the FTC, but who lacks either the will or the skill to wield those same powers at the Department of Transport:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/11/dinah-wont-you-blow/#ecp

By refusing to stand for anything except a fair division of powers among different Democratic Party blocs, the Biden admin ends up undercutting itself. Take right to repair, a centerpiece of the administration’s agenda, subject of a historic executive order and FTC regulation:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/18/administrative-competence/#i-know-stuff

Right to Repair fights have been carried out at the state level for years, with the biggest victory coming in Massachusetts, where an automotive R2R ballot initiative won overwhelming support in 2020:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/13/said-no-one-ever/#r2r

But despite the massive support for automotive right to repair in the Bay State, Big Car has managed to delay the implementation of the new law for years, tying up the state in expensive, time-consuming litigation:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/26/nixing-the-fix/#r2r

But eventually, even the most expensive delaying tactic fails. Car manufacturers were set to come under the state right to repair rule this month, but they got a last minute reprieve, from Biden’s own National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, who sent urgent letters to every major car manufacturer, telling them to ignore the Massachusetts repair law:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7bbkv/biden-administration-tells-car-companies-to-ignore-right-to-repair-law-people-overwhelmingly-voted-for

The NHTSA repeats the car lobby’s own scare stories about “cybersecurity” that they blitzed to Massachusetts voters in the runup to the ballot initiative:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/03/rip-david-graeber/#rolling-surveillance-platforms

The idea that cybersecurity is best maintained by letting powerful corporations gouge you on service and parts is belied by independent experts, like SecuRepairs, who do important work countering the FUD thrown off by the industry (and parroted by Biden’s NHTSA):

https://securepairs.org/

Independent security experts are clear that letting owners of high-tech devices decide who fixes them, what software they run, etc, makes us safer:

https://www.schneier.com/essays/archives/2022/01/letter-to-the-us-senate-judiciary-committee-on-app-stores.html

But here we are: the Biden admin is sabotaging the Biden admin, because the Biden admin isn’t an administration, it’s a system for ensuring proportional representation of different parts of the Democratic Party coalition.

This isn’t just bad for policy, it’s bad politics, too. It presumes that if some Democratic voters want pizza, and others want hamburgers, that you can please everyone by serving up pizzaburgers. No one wants a pizzaburger:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/23/narrative-warfare/#giridharadas

The failure to deliver a coherent, muscular vision for a climate-ready, anti-Gilded Age America has left the Democrats vulnerable. Because while the radical proposals of the GOP fringe may not enjoy much support, there are large majorities of Americans who have lost faith in the status quo and are totally uninterested in the Pizzaburger Party.

Nowhere is this better explained than in Naomi Klein’s superb long-form article on RFK Jr’s presidential bid in The Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jun/14/ignoring-robert-f-kennedy-jr-not-an-option

Don’t get me wrong, RFK Jr is a Very Bad Politician, for all the reasons that Klein lays out. He’s an anti-vaxxer, a conspiracist, and his support for ending American military aggression, defending human rights, and addressing the climate emergency is laughably thin.

But as Klein points out, RFK Jr is not peddling pizzaburgers. He is tapping into a legitimate rage:

a great many voters are hurting and rightfully angry: about powerful corporations controlling their democracy and profiting off disease and poverty. About endless wars draining national coffers and maiming their kids. About stagnating wages and soaring costs. This is the world — inflamed on every level — that the two-party duopoly has knowingly created.

RFK Jr is campaigning against “the corrupt merger between state and corporate power,” against drug monopolies setting our national health agenda, and polluters capturing environmental regulators.

As Klein says, despite RFK Jr’s willing to say the unsayable, and tap into the yearning among the majority of American voters for something different, he’s not running a campaign rooted in finally telling the American public “the truth.” Rather, “public discourse filled with unsayable and unspeakable subjects is fertile territory for all manner of hucksters positioning themselves as uniquely courageous truth tellers.”

We’ve been here before. Remember Trump campaigning against a “rigged system” and promising to “make America great again?” Remember Clinton’s rejoinder that “America was already great?” It’s hard to imagine a worse response to legitimate outrage — over corporate capture, declining wages and living conditions; and spiraling health, education and shelter costs.

Sure, it was obvious that Trump was a beneficiary of the rigged system, and that he would rig it further, but at least he admitted it was rigged, not “already great.”

The Democratic Party is not in thrall to labor unions, or racial equality activists, or people who care about gender justice or the climate emergency. Unlike the GOP, the Dem establishment has figured out how to keep a grip on power within their own party — at the expense of exercising power in America, even when they hold office.

But unlike culture war nonsense, shared prosperity, fairness, care, and sound environmental policies are very popular in America. Some people have been poisoned against politics altogether and sunk into nihilism, while others have been duped into thinking that America can’t afford to look after its people.

In this regard, winning the American electorate is a macrocosm for the way labor activists win union majorities in the workplaces they organize. In her memoir A Collective Bargain, Jane McAlevey describes how union organizers contend with everything that progressive politicians must overcome. A union drive takes place in the teeth of unfair laws, on a tilted playing field that allows bosses to gerrymander some workers’ votes and suppress others’ altogether. These bosses have far more resources than the workers, and they spend millions on disinformation campaigns, forcing workers to attend long propaganda sessions on pain of dismissal.

https://doctorow.medium.com/a-collective-bargain-a48925f944fe

But despite all this, labor organizers win union elections and strike votes, and they do so with stupendous majorities — 95% or higher. This is how the most important labor victories of our day were won: the 2019 LA teachers’ strike won everything. Not just higher wages, but consellors in schools, mandatory greenspace for every school in LA, an end to ICE shakedowns of immigrant parents at the school-gate, and immigration law help for students and their families. What’s more, the teachers used their unity, their connection to the community, and their numbers to get out the vote in the next election, winning the marginal seats that delivered 2020’s Democratic Congressional majority.

As I wrote in my review of MacAlevey’s book:

For McAlevey, saving America is just a scaled up version of the union organizer’s day-job. First, we fix the corrupt union, firing its sellout leaders and replacing them with fighters. Then, we organize supermajorities, person-to-person, in a methodical, organized fashion. Then we win votes, using those supermajorities to overpower the dirty tricks that rig the elections against us. Then we stay activated, because winning the vote is just the start of the fight.

It’s a far cry from the Democratic Party consultant’s “data-driven” microtargeting strategy based on eking out tiny, fragile majorities with Facebook ads. That’s a strategy that fails in the face of even a small and disorganized voter-suppression campaign — it it’s doomed in today’s all-out assault on fair elections.

What’s more, the consultants’ microtargeting strategy treats people as if the only thing they have to contribute is casting a ballot every couple years. A sleeping electorate will never win the fights that matter — the fight to save our planet, and to abolish billionaires.

If only the Democratic Party was as scared of its base as the Republicans are of their own.

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/16/that-boy-aint-right/#dinos-rinos-and-dunnos

[Image ID: The title page of Richard Hofstadter's 'Paranoid Style in American Politics' from the November, 1964 issue of Harper's Magazine. A John Birch Society pin reading 'This is REPUBLIC not a DEMOCRACY: let's keep it that way' sits atop the page, obscuring the introductory paragraph.]

[sh0tanzz]

I wish you would do a full post dedicated to toxicity or angsty shortcomings in relationships with the boys 🫠 I loved reading the toxic head canons ❤️

angst hurts my heart but !!

RIIZE RED FLAGS based on astrology~

hyung line edition ❗️

reminder this is based off of MY opinions of their birth chart placements + aspects and is not exact fact unless I knew them myself and I am not a professional astrologer

Shotaro

Vague - not exactly a red flag but he cares a lot about the things going on within his personal life but sometimes he might prefer to keep things to himself due to paranoia of how his s/o will react or if they’d use it against him..he might have a fear of betrayal that can make him be pretty vague and unable to tell his s/o a lot of things in regards to him which can feel secretive to someone who wants a relationship with open info

Intense - His Scorpio moon paired with his Cap venus leads to a need for loyalty as well as his moon/mercury aspect making him very observant of your words and even remembering things you said a longgg time ago which can be overwhelming and feel even persecuting to some. He might also be paranoid in the relationship of cheating or disloyalty.

Coldness- When he's upset he might have a tendency to be cold yet indirect. He has a scorpio mercury and when upset or protecting themselves they can say things that really hurt or could be pretty cutting. He also has a libra mars so he'd be pretty passive aggressive or indirect with his upset.

Eunseok

Nonchalant- (reminder that nonchalant means that a person cares but acts in a way that suggests indifference/disinterest) He can sometimes be too nonchalant and can make someone overall feel as though he has no passion in the relationship when really he does but just doesn't think you have to be lovey dovey 24/7 or he cant express his passion super well as times

Outburst- Eunseok has a cap moon and moon/saturn aspects paired with a mutable mars so he doesn't express his emotions well or bottles them up which can lead to him getting triggered at random and having a spontaneous outburst out of NOWHEREEE due to suppressed feelings which can be super problematic to some

Insensitive- it’s not on purpose or with malicious intent but Eunseok can sometimes not realize that though a situation isn’t a big deal to him to someone else it might be, he also can forget the more subjective side of things which can accidentally hurt peoples feelings

Sungchan

Sensitive - His pride is high and his reaction to things may be 3x more dramatic than the actual event that happened. When he's been hurt emotionally (whether it was intentional or not) he has a hard time letting go of what happened and might even give a silent treatment until he feels you've shown remorse.

Insecure - He cares a lot about what other people think of him and that can bleed into his relationships. He might act one way in public but another way in private which can make his words/actions seem insincere or disingenuous.

Internal struggles- Has a hard time balancing his feminine side and masculine side and what I mean is he is someone super emotional and feels his emotions very deeply but might try to cover that side of him up with a masculine facade which can bring tension.

Wonbin

Avoidance - He might refuse to acknowledge the red flags or obvious shortcomings/problems in the relationship or himself and may take a long time fully accepting or facing these problems as they are or has a weak approach in attempting to fix or acknowledge the problems. Idealizes a lot of aspects and tends to withdrawal when things don’t match his vision.

Procrastination- Once again, has a hard time facing things head on and takes a while to put action into something and avoids the messier more negative emotions that one must face in relationships; he could also take a long time to let the relationship reach the next more serious levels.

Stubborn- It's hard to change his mind about certain things..in arguments he'll try to pull a "lets agree to disagree" but it's a topic where you both need to be on the same page. He might even just straight up go mute in arguments if he doesn't feel like his opinion was valued enough.

[midnight-talescape]

𝒩𝑒𝑒𝒹𝓈 (𝒜𝓁𝓅𝒽𝒶 𝑀𝒾𝑔𝓊𝑒𝓁 𝓍 𝐵𝑒𝓉𝒶 𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇)

Kinktober Day 6: Dubcon + Frottage

I want this man so fucking bad and I don’t know why. He’s a buff angsty walking red flag workaholic dilf, who throw hands at a 15 year old. But fuck i want him to do unspeakable things to me. I will and am going to go feral for this man. I want him to [bleep] me and [bleep] [bleep] [bleep] [bleep] [bleep] and [bleep] [bleep] [bleep] [bleep] [bleep] and [bleep] [bleep] [bleep]…

Warning: grinding, a little very dubious consent, miguel whimpers, and other stuff, etc, etc you get the point not for kid

Genre: filthy filthy smut

Word Count: 2425

｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡

You knocked on the door to Miguel’s office before walking in, the report he asked for a neat stack in your hands.

“Miguel, here are the rep-“ you began before pausing and taking in the scene in front of you,

Miguel’s eyes were dazed and his body flushed as he looked up at you panting.

“Oh you’re here…” he groaned out as he saw you, his eyes focusing on you with an animalistic desire,

Seeing the state he was in you ask in a slightly confused voice,

“Are you- are you in a rut right now?”

As a spider person, you have seen many things in the last few years, but you were certainly not expecting to see your boss overcoming with lust today.

Miguel let out a noise of confirmation as he tried to ignore your pheromone which seemed to tempt him to do some very unprofessional things to you.

Sighing you begin looking through your jacket before walking toward Miguel.

As you walked toward him, Miguel's mouth began to water as the smell of you began to engulf him.

He pulled you into his arm, his mind filled with lust and the need to mark you as his. He doesn't give two shit about professionalism right now, he want you. He want you right now.

Unfazed you tilted his face up,

“Calm down big guy, now open your mouth real quick.” as he opened his mouth you quickly popped a suppressant into his mouth, before handing him a glass of water, “There, is that better?”

Letting go of you he quickly gulped down the glass of water, the suppressant giving him back his control.

…until he looked at you again.

The desire to mark you as his was overwhelming and none of it made sense. You were a beta and your scent shouldn't even be that tempting for him. He shouldn't even want you in his rut.

But oh god he wants you…

Your scent was unlike anything he smelled before, it was dark with a hint of sweetness. As if to tempt him to do unspeakable things to you.

And he does.

He wants to bend you over his desk and fuck you silly. He wants to hear you scream out his name like it's the only thing you remember. He wants to fuck you against the window where everyone can see him claiming you, to slam his cock down your thro—

“-guel? Hello? Back to earth, Miguel. Are you feeling better?” you ask snapping your fingers in front of him breaking him out of his train of thought,

As far as you were concerned he was only acting weird because of his rut, and it's over now you fed him some suppressant.

How wrong and how naive you were….

Miguel stared at you for a beat, his eyes burning with a primal urge. He leaned forward, his body almost pressing against yours.

“Mhm,” he murmured, his breath warm against your neck. The scent emanating from your body… you were just too tempting. Why couldn’t he have you?

Miguel’s claws extended from their sheaths, and his teeth extended to their full size. He had all the animalistic instincts of his spider nature… all the bloodlust… the need to devour you…

Hearing his confirmation you nodded your head and began again,

“So about the anomaly in univer- Miguel, I just fed you a suppressant, what the fuck?!” you groaned out as you felt Miguel grind against you,

Miguel’s eyes flickered, the need for you was driving him mad.

His arm wrapped around your waist as he pressed against you, his body rubbing against you for relief,

“Just let me do this, please, and then we can finish your… your report.” his voice desperate as he pleaded with you, his eyes red with lust and needs,

“I hate it when you plead with me, you know I can't say no,” you sighed as you pinched your nose bridge before continuing “Fine you can grind against me or something. I will just read the report to you out loud and when I'm done you go take another suppressant”

“Okay, okay, thank you, Cariño” Miguel said, his teeth grinding against each other,

He wasn’t happy with this arrangement … but he had no choice. He will take what he can get for now, maybe you will let him do more later if he plays his card right…

As you begin to read the report, ignoring the way he grinds against you desperately, Miguel’s voice is low and seductive next to your ears.

Your voice faltered for a second as his breath hit your ears, and it was beginning to get harder and harder to ignore his whimpering as it seemed to get louder.

As you speak, Miguel can’t help but squirm. His grinding becomes more intense with each word spoken, eventually becoming aggressive and frantic. His eyes are filled with lust, his expression desperate for relief.

It wasn't enough. It would never be enough…

He wanted more…

He wanted you.

“Miguel, are you listening?” you asked your face starting to flush from the action,

“Yes… I am,” Miguel said through gritted teeth,

His eyes were glazed over, his breath coming in rapid and heavy moans.

He tried to keep his focus on the report, but you were too tempting. Your body, your pheromones… your scent… they were driving him insane. His primal urges were growing stronger by the second. His body was shaking with the urge to push you down and have his way with you, but he kept it together… just barely.

As you were closing your report, ready to get away from here as fast as possible. Just as you were about to leave, Miguel grabbed your neck and pushed you back toward his chest.

With a snarl, he bit down on your scent gland and began injecting his pheromone into you as he forced you to stay still.

You tried to struggle and get away as your face flushed from the sensation of someone else pheromone coursing through your veins. You let out an unconscious moan as your body flushed and reacted to the pheromone.

Miguel’s body grew more eager now that he had finally injected his pheromones into you. You were in his grasp now. And he wasn’t letting you go that easily.

As Miguel’s pheromones flooded through your body, he began placing kisses on your shoulder and neck. Licking and biting to mark you as his.

You were his… and his alone.

You leaned onto his body, panting as you tried to calm down your feverish body.

Miguel smiled against your neck, nipping your shoulder again. You were so… soft… and so… tasty. You were all he needed right now and all he ever would need.

You glared at him your face flushed before saying,

“Get off of me Miguel, what the fuck was that?” you froze for a second as you felt something wet on your ass, “D-did you just came on my ass through your suit?”

Miguel grinned as you mentioned the cum dripping down your suit,

“Yes, of course. But can you blame me? You are so irresistible after all~” Miguel pulled you toward him again, “I think I want a little bit more of you, darling.”

Miguel’s claws wrapped around you, pulling you tight against his body. Tilting your head up he pulled you into a deep kiss. His tongue slid into your mouth as he kissed you. He wanted to mark you… he wanted all of you… he needed you…

He kissed you in a way nobody else could—with the primal hunger of a spider, and the love of a moth to a flame. And in his eyes, you were both—you were his soulmate, his prey.

When you guys broke apart a string of saliva connected the two of you, your face was flushed and your eyes were wet with tears.

Kissing away your tears he whispered possessively,

“You’re mine, mi amor. I will mark you, no matter what it takes…”

In your daze state, you said possibly the worst thing to say at this moment,

“Y-you can't mark me, I'm a beta no one can mark me…”

Miguel heard your words and it just made his mind snap. His lips grew into a dangerous smile.

“Not permanently, no…. But what's stopping me from fucking you till you can't walk, every day till you’re covered in my cum and scent?”

Before you can object he pushes you onto the wall and pierces your neck again injecting his pheromones into you.

Your body reacted almost immediately, weakening and growing more sensitive. The fact that you weren't meant to be marked just meant you’re body wasn't prepared for the side effect of the pheromone, becoming more sensitive than it would have if you were an omega.

Seeing the way you’re body reacted to his pheromones this time he grinned as he whispered into your neck,

“Maybe I’ll keep you like this, your body always hot, always craving my touch… always mine.”

You shooked your head trying to object but your mind began to fog up as you were forced into a heat.

As he forced you to stay still and injected you with his pheromone, he began to shred your suit, he was ready to mark you as many times as he needed to, to make it clear that you belong to him.

As he caressed your body with his rough hand he looked at your face and smirked,

“What if I keep you trapped in a heat? Your mind would be all fogged up, and you’d be desperate to have me every second of the day…”

Miguel's voice dripped with malice and his eyes were cold as ice.

“You’d be a mess without me—and your body would go crazy after a while… you wouldn’t even be able to walk, that’s how much you will need me.”

Your eyes widened in terror as he said that, and you tried to push him off. The logical part of you is telling you this is bad and you need to run.

But that logical part of you is slowly getting tainted by the lust that is fogging your mind.

“Just imagine it…” Miguel murmured, his voice hoarse, “You wouldn’t be able to think straight, every time I come near you, your legs would practically give out… you’d only be able to think about me. Just the thought of me would force you into a heat.”

Miguel leaned in and kissed you, a rough snarl on his lips.

“Imagine how much you’d crave me… how much you’d need me.”

You growled as you bit down on his shoulder trying to get him to let go of you, as he felt you bite down on him Miguel let out a loud moan,

“Just let me fuck you, mi amor...” As he said that he hooked your legs around his shoulder,

With a grunt, he slammed his cock inside you, and your back arched upward as your eyes widen. Almost immediately you can see a bulge in your stomach as he begins to pound into you.

Despite how wet you were from the pheromones his dick was too big for you and you let out a choked sob as your body tightened around him.

Miguel let out a rough chuckle, as he heard your pained cry. His hands slid down to your thighs, his fingers massaging the skin.

“I bet you’d go crazy with need every time I touch you after I'm done with you… Your body would be on fire, your mind so foggy that you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself until I filled you up once more.”

Miguel turned his head to the side and bit down on your leg, his fangs digging into your leg as he forced his way into you.

“And imagine what it would do to your body,” Miguel continued, “Your legs, practically shaking when you hear my name… your ears going red whenever I enter the room. Growing wet just from how close I am to you….”

Miguel’s tongue slid out as he lapped at the blood seeping out of your bite mark, the rough edges of his tongue grazing along your skin.

“You’d be desperate just to be close to me, your body craving every inch of my touch.”

You let out a loud cry as he hit your sensitive spot and came onto his cock as he thrusts into you.

“F-fuck you…” your eyes dazed as you pulled him into a kiss,

It's too late to turn back, might as well enjoy it…

Grinning Miguel kissed back viciously, his tongue filling your mouth as he suck on the tip of your tongue.

Carrying you in his arms, he begins to walk toward his sleeping quarter in his office. Each step of the way cause you to let out a sob as his cock plunges into you deeply every step of the way there.

By the time you guys finally reached the bed your body was glistening with sweat and the part you guys were connected to was sticky with your fluid.

Groaning Miguel twisted your body so now your back was facing him, drawing a loud moan out of both of you as his dick grind against your wall.

Pushing your face into the bed, Miguel chest press against your back as he fucked into you like a animal.

Your hand gripping the bedsheets tightly as your cry and moan was muffled by the bed. Wrapping his arm around your waist and pushing down on your belly bulge he snarled into your ears,

“I'm going to fill you up and mark you, Cariño. I will lock you up and fill you with my cum till it's dripping out of you…”

With that, he bit down on your scent gland and started injecting his pheromone into you as he spilled his cum inside you.

You screamed into the bed as your body wrecked with a violent orgasm.

A few minutes later Miguel pulled you into his embrace, his dick still inside you as you sobbed onto his chest. Miguel kissed your shoulder as you tried to calm down.

“P-pull out, I-im full…” you cried out,

Miguel chucked as he said,

“Can’t, my knot hasn't deflated yet.”

You let out a loud whine as you heard him say that. As Miguel waited for you to calm down he whispered in your ears,

“We're not done yet, an Alpha’s rut can last for days…”

“W-what?”

[golvio]

Still thinking about the stark contrast between the general grim, highly-restrained stoicism of TotK Ganondorf’s human form compared to the exaggerated, rapidly shifting moods of “Yippee! :D Whee!! :DD Wahoo!!! :DDD *does a cute little backflip*” and “YOU STOP RUINING MY FUN RIGHT NOW OR I WILL THROW A BIG DIVO TEMPER TANTRUM AND WRECK EVERYTHING!” of his Demon King form.

Guy’s pretty obviously repressed as hell, and I think that’s one of the reasons he always goes off the rails the second he gets a chance to step out of his ceremonial One Special Man role. However, the fact that what he’s repressing feels so…childish, even the violent parts…I’m wondering if the guy ever got the chance to be a child when he was actually little.

Maybe he got yelled at and punished for making simple inexperienced baby mistakes the way Zelda was because he was under similar pressure to Fix Everything and symbolically parent all his adult subjects/family members as a Symbol of Hope that could soothe their fears and anxieties on-demand. (Not to mention Buliara’s mom raised a bit of a red flag about authoritarian parenting styles being common in Gerudo military families). Only instead of just suppressing everything and standing perfectly still and quiet in public while floundering in private like Zelda did, he got extremely skilled at convincing the people around him he was the mature, unflappable, strong, comforting, and eternally available collective cultural father-figure who’d guide them out of the hard times they were trying to hammer him into.

Only…that wasn’t real personal development, only the illusion of development. He encased his true personality in the superficial shell of the sexy manly-man hero that everyone wanted him to be. The second he was able to emerge from that shell without anyone being able to punish him for it, that inner traumatized little jerk immediately started lashing out in revenge at the people who held him to such an impossible standard in an effort to finally feel in control of his own life. It’s like a former child star melting down upon entering adulthood after being denied agency and independence by the studio they’re contracted with and their financially profiting family for so long, only with magic and the forsaking of one’s own humanity involved.

That underlying theme of metamorphosis throughout the game, echoed in Kotlin’s “dream,” could’ve been capitalized on here. The people loved the shiny gold cocoon the weak, helpless larva formed, begging it to never emerge so they could enjoy its beauty forever. But he knows, he knows that if he never breaks open the shell encasing him, he’ll die before he ever gets the chance to unfurl his wings. The form they love is incomplete, shallow, temporary. He’ll die if he can’t discard it. He would rather be alive and horrible to behold than dead and perfect. The people will hate what emerges from their jewel, but in this new shape he can sting and bite back, so let them hate him.

But, also, just…could you imagine if we had a chance to meet The Cocoon and the people who worshipped it, saying how much they love their king while knowing absolutely nothing about him, only to find out he had his own “secret sanctuary” much like Zelda did? Somewhere we could glimpse the soft, hungry insect of his soul that yearned to break free? What we’d see in the pieces of his secret joys scattered around and the scratches of his notes would be something ugly, bitter, childishly self-centered, yes. But in there would also be real passion, real feeling, a real life desperate to finally live that would make the handsome shell brandishing a sword feel hollow, uncanny, and downright off-putting by comparison.

[mlmxreader]

My Best Ally | Aragorn x gn!reader

『••✎••』

↳ ❝ “You will never age for me, nor fade, nor die.”With Aragorn please ❞

: ̗̀➛ Aragorn has an alliance with the general of an army, although it isn't just politics

: ̗̀➛ blood, injury, war, violence

•───────────────★•♛•★──────────────•

There was no surrender, and there was no way that withdrawal would work either; the flap of the coat of arms flew high above you, displaying a great red dragon with claws as big as mountains and teeth as harsh as sunlight. There was only one thing to do - drive them through the hills, and out of your lands.

Just as your ancestors had done for years, it was now down to you to follow in their footsteps; it was down to you to ensure that the white flag with a red cross never took over. You would die before seeing your countrymen perish to those dogs.

Drawing your sword, you turned to your men, and took a harsh breath.

"This is the killing field!" You bellowed. "This is where we show them no mercy! Ride with the wind!"

They cheered, although you clenched your jaw in a vain attempt to stop your heart from hammering in your chest; with an absent hand, you reached up and touched the small chunk of metal around your neck.

The small necklace that Aragorn had given you, inscribed with an old elven saying, was always around your neck when you went to battle.

The men fell into line in their respective battle positions; cavalry at the front, archers at the back. All wearing bright red armour made from dense dragon scales.

They were never fearful of what may come, knowing that if the battle was lost then those bearing the white and red flag would take over everything; they would flood villages and ban the language, outlaw and violently suppress the culture and traditions. They would not allow the land of the dragon to flourish and thrive.

Your men could not afford to be scared.

"Ride them down!" You called out, getting up on your horse with a huff. "Hunt them until the last man!"

It was true that your battle tactics were always less than merciful; you always left one man alive to go back and warn his countrymen, and he was always on the brink of death.

If he refused, his horse would be sent back, dragging his body as his shoulder blades were forcibly pushed up and out of his skin, and they would always find rats feasting inside his stomach.

You were very good at breaking the enemy's will.

You charged with the cavalry, herding the enemy lines into a small circle so that they were completely rounded up with no escape; you liked to watch them beg for their lives with fear in their eyes as they dropped to their knees.

As they surrendered, you gave the order, and they perished.

But while the rest of your men stood tall as they marched home, you did not; you gave word to your right-hand, telling him to look after the group, before heading towards the woods.

You left your horse at the edge, and felt relief wash over you the second you stepped onto the mossy ground.

"Aragorn!" You called as you wandered down to the little bridge, taking a seat and letting your legs dangle over the edge as you waited.

He was never very long, always running out of some of the bushes before smiling and letting out a quiet laugh. "You lived."

"As always," you nodded, waiting for him to sit down before you rested your head on his shoulder. "Good thing about dragonscale armour - you don't get killed."

Aragorn laughed softly, although his eyes soon caught the spatters on your armour. "Did you get hurt?"

"It isn't my blood," you whispered. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come to see you before-"

"It's alright," he murmured. "You seem tired."

"It seems the more they try to take our lands, the more tired I become," you started, "it's difficult, disgusting work... slaughtering them like cattle... but we are only trying to stop them from destroying our land."

"I know," Aragorn nodded slowly, letting his hand rest on your thigh as he cleared his throat. "One day, they will sings of you."

"I sure hope not," you laughed quietly. "I do not want to be remembered."

"You have no choice," he mused. "You will never age for me, nor fade, nor die. I will never let you be forgotten."

"Now you're just rubbing it in," you joked.

He gave your thigh a little shake as he hummed. "You know, the woods are whispering again."

"Really?" You asked. "What is it this time?"

"They say that there is a war coming," he explained, "and that your lands will have to unite with the rest of Men in order to save the world."

"I would do it on one condition," you admitted.

"Which is?"

"It would be under your banner," you told him plainly. "You have my alliance, Aragorn, just as you have my heart. If you want my men, you will have them - but only under your banner."

He nodded slowly. "I hope it does not come to it."

"As do I," you breathed out. "But you know as well as I do that the woods are not wrong. Can't you feel it? Something... brewing."

He nodded slowly, chewing at the inside of his lip. "I feel it. But where there is anxiety, there is hope."

You extended your hand to him. "If you shall ever need an ally, promise you will call upon me."

He held your hand tightly, kissing your knuckles. "Always. You are my ally in every way, General."

You nodded curtly, daring to smile at him. "And you are mine, Ranger."

He smiled back, licking his lips. "Shall we walk?"

Slowly, you stood up with him, and linked your arm with his. "I might be a little slow, today..."

"I'm aware," he whispered. "You are fresh from battle, I wouldn't expect differently."

"Thank you," you told him softly. "Really, Aragorn, thank you."

"Anything," Aragorn insisted. "Anything that I can do for you, I will, always. You are, after all, my best and favourite ally."

[sugarcherriess]

Let’s Play House

[ Boyfriend’s Dad!Sunghoon x Fem!Reader ]

Plot - You know how it goes: If you’re not satisfied with your boyfriend, go fuck his dad!

Warnings - Aged up Sunghoon, mean dom Sunghoon, age gap but both are of legal age, spanking with belt, choking, oral (m!rec), name calling, throat fucking, squirting, hella degradation, sadomasochism, brat taming, pain kink, biting, breathe play, cum play, humiliation, slut shaming, corruption kink sorta.

“What the hell were you thinking?!”

Sunghoon’s voice carries through the room, unwavering and angry, as he opens the door with enough strength to send it violently hitting the wall. His sudden appearance and outburst make you jolt a little in your place, heart hammering in your chest.

“You think this is funny? Groping me in front of my son? Your boyfriend?” He snarls, quickly making his way to you on the bed.

Sunghoon grabs your face with his right hand and squeezes it to make you look at him. In this angle he looks strangely big and terrifying. Like a predator about to devour its prey.

“Well? I don’t have all day to wait for an answer,” his growl vibrates through your entire body.

He’s right, he doesn’t have all day. But the longer he stares into your eyes with that fire in him, the smaller your courage gets.

In the end, you settle for a little shake of your head telling him no, you don’t think it was funny. But that never stopped you before and definitely won’t in the future. Even Sunghoon knows that.

“You’re absolutely pathetic,” he snarls at your meek response, harshly shoving your face to the side.

He’s unbuckling his belt when you turn back and touch your cheek to sooth the ache his fingers left behind. You eye him from your lashes, timidly waiting for his order. Your only goal was to wake the beast, the rest he can very well do on his own.

“Your fucking legs can’t stay closed for one whole minute can they? Need a fat cock to keep you wide open right?”

A sarcastically raised eyebrow makes you melt under the weight of scrutiny and your legs open as if lured by a siren’s call.

Sunghoon is a siren in disguise, you think. He seductively beckons you in his trap and once you’re in, all you feel is the darkness of his energy swallow you whole. He’s irrevocably intoxicating, hence your little to no hesitation in tainting the sanctity of your relationship.

Before you known it, he’s grabbing your calf tight enough to bruise it.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with your useless cunt? Get on your fucking knees.”

Carefully sliding down the bed, you’re adamant on not losing eye contact with him. Knowing Sunghoon, the subtle challenge will asses like a red flag of defiance in his brain and piss him off. You would love a pissed off Sunghoon scrambling your insides right now.

Just as you hoped, Sunghoon burns up with your brattiness. He came to your room with one agenda in mind: to fuck your brains out and put you in line. He’d be damned if he let you get away with disrespect.

Your hair is in his hands before you can blink and he’s using the leverage to pull you onto his cock entirely. You gag and choke on him, eyes rolling up and mouth spurting spit as you try to accommodate his girth.

He doesn’t give you any moment to adjust before roughly thrusting his cock into your throat. He can feel your wet walls pulse and twitch around his length and your hands try to push him off you.

His cock stretches your lips so wide that they start buzzing with pain. A cruel smile overtakes his features at your evident struggle. You were the one to provoke him in the first place.

Sunghoon dives headfirst into the pool of suppressed sadistic tendencies as he makes it harder for you to regulate your breathing. Two fingers are pinching your nose shut before you know it– hindering any and all sorts of breathing. He allows himself a few viciously calculated thrusts, watching your wide eyes look up at him in fear, feeding his ego, before pulling you off.

You wildly catch your breath, gulping as much oxygen as you can at a time while wiping off the mess of saliva and precum off your mouth. disregards your jittering and rolls your body onto your hands and knees.

The sharp strike of the belt against your skin reaches your ears before your butt takes in the searing heat spreading across your cheeks. Your tears don’t wait for the second one before your body is racking with pitiful sobs. Still, Sunghoon lands a second strike to your crimson cheeks, and a third when suddenly he’s entering your cavern to the hilt in one slide.

His pace is unrelentless from the very beginning. With every smack of skin you get pushed up the bed and your butt ignites with even more pain.

You’re reaching behind you to grab his hips and try to push him off you but he grasps your wrists in one palm, using the other to wrap around your throat and bring you upwards.

Your sweaty bodies rub against each other while you pants against each other's skin. Trying your best to flee from the penetration you try to wiggle once more but he only tightens his grip on your throat, bared teeth sharp on the juncture of your neck.

“Every time I fuck you it’s like I’m fucking a virgin,” he growls in your ear, “You’re so fucking tight for me every damn time.”

You pitifully moan, clenching around him unintentionally to cope with the rapidly budding pain

“Does it hurt?”

You mewl in shame, unable to articulate exactly what it is that you feel.

Sunghoon is quick to press against your pulse point in warning. A verbal answer is what he wants, not garbled noises. You know better than to leave him waiting.

“Y-yes,”

“Good,” his snarl makes you cower in fear.

A hand in your hair pushes you back onto the bed, shoving your face into the mattress.

“I love fucking you like a cheap whore,” he pants, grinding deep into your g-spot.

He doesn’t care if you're crying, if you can’t hear him because your brain is drowning in pleasurable pain.

He doesn’t care if he’s breaking you open when you act like a brat.

“You deserve to be used like a ragdoll,”

He pulls out of you right then, making you arch your hips and display your swollen pussy for him.

Two tugs of his hand on his length are enough to send his body reeling, cum spurting out in strings over your pussy and your back. Some of it drips down your thighs and he scoops it up to paint your pussy with it.

“Stupid slut,” his reprimanding reaches deaf ears.

You’re still coming back to your senses when he shoves your panties in your face, fully dressed and ready to leave you there in a puddle of your combined fluids.

“Wear your panties and take my load back to your boyfriend. Maybe humiliation will straighten you up,” he snarkily comments, picking up his belt and leaving you to wallow in shame.

A/N - I couldn’t decide who to give this fic two so i made it a twinfic for Sunghoon and Changmin from The Boyz under the title “Doll House”. Hope you enjoy!

Taglist - @thinkaboutzusworld @chewryy @parkhonnie @from-xero

[esha-isboogara]

what your favorite jojo character says about you !

these are my takes on what kind of person you are based on your fave ;)

jonathan- you’re way too good for this world and i will protect you with my life!! you always choose the “nice” option when you’re playing an rpg/otome. i bet you cry during movies. you’re a dog person but you’re not annoying about it.

speedwagon- you’re either the kind of person that has a waifu unironicly or you’re too afraid to disagree with other peoples opinions. you were for sure bullied in school for liking anime and never really recovered .

joseph- you think you’re the funniest person in the room but in reality have the sense of humor of a middle school boy and everyone thinks you’re annoying. you have no idea how to act in public

ceaser- you most definitely get bitches.

jotaro- you’re either too horny for your own good or youre the kind of person who automatically chooses the most basic mc because it’s the safest. you probably never outgrew your emo phase and i guarantee you read lots of hardcore smut in middle school.

kakyoin- you use the word milfs way too much. it’s actually kind of annoying. please shut up. on the other hand you know how to dress!! for some reason every single kak stan knows their way around fashion. your probably an avid markiplier enjoyer.

avdol- you had a crush on zuko in middle school and i bet you carry a lighter everywhere. you don’t smoke or anything you just carry it to carry it. you’re like super mature for some reason and you are the brains of the friend group most likely.

polnareff- you’re a bit dense but we love you anyways. you have zero clue how to express your emotions. please stop letting people trauma dump on you :( you don’t deserve it babe

iggy- shut THE FUCK up

josuke- you are the coolest person on earth. you have no flaws. you are a god.

okuyasu- you’re the dumb friend. i’m sorry to tell you like this but someone had to. you make up for your lack of brain cells with your big heart <3 i bet you know lots of random facts about uselessness things as well.

rohan- you’re the biggest bitch i have ever met/pos. you definitely had a devianart phase that you only outgrew because you got bullied or met some scary ass people on there. you’re kind of a weirdo but that’s what gives you your spice.

koichi- you act innocent and kind but you’re a bitch too/ also pos. i bet your AO3 history is full of insane amount of hard smut or hurt/bo comfort.

giorno-you’re either a dope ass person who’s actually super genuine and everyone wants to be your friend. OR you’re a super annoying anime fan who says shit like “but can he beat goku though”.

mista- you’re a stoner. i have not met a single fan of this man who does not smoke. you either smoke before every little thing you do and mention it to every single person on this planet. or you’re down low about it and just kind of go about your life.

narancia- you are still a child. you didn’t really mature correctly and i bet it’s because of some traumatic event that happened during childhood that forced you to grow up. please go to therapy i will be your therapist. also liking sharp things and setting things on fire is not a personality trait.

fugo- you’re a red flag but in a good way(?)you always try to see the best in people even when it’s clear they are the worst person on earth. you definitely have anger issues because you suppress your feelings until they explode out of you. you give really good hugs i think.

abbacchio- you either want a big titty goth gf or are the big titty goth gf. you never left your emo phase and you definitely had a behavior problem in high school. please stop dying your hair every month it’s going to fall out soon.

bruno- you’re most DEFINITELY the mom of the friend group. everyone comes to you with their issues but you’re too afraid to put your issues on someone else because you don’t want to burden them with your feelings.

jolyne- you are most DEFINITELY lgbqt emphasis on the L. you most definitely have issues with one or both of your parents.

hermes- COME OUT OF THE CLOSER PLS!!! we all already know you like girls just admit it we are going to love and accept you no matter what.

foo fighters-autism

[acrossthewavesoftime]

top five things YOU have written 🫵🫵 that you're ok with sharing ofc :3

That's a very difficult and interesting question, thank you! :) I don't really know if I can pick five and rate them in a set hierarchy. I like many things I write, shorter and longer, finished and unfinished, so here are 5 that come to mind:

I don't write for it very often, but what I write, I enjoy writing a lot. The early 19th century AU which I came up with for @nordleuchten in which a few generations ago the Stuarts managed to produce some sort of heir, making the Hannovarians bog standard German provincial rulers instead of British monarchs. The man you know as George III and his heir, Prinz Georg stand to inherit the throne as it is expected that the Stuart line will come to an end in their lifetime. Georg is pretty much good old Prinny, who however decides to take drastic measures when he finds that being patronised by his dad as a grown man has become insufferable. He decides to take an alias and join the British navy, because what else cries freedom so much as watching romantic sunsets at sea? In the act of leaving clandestinely, he is caught by one Karoline von Braunschweig, a beloathed cousin acting as his mother's lady-in-waiting. Georg takes to life at sea like a duck to water despite the fact that it turns out to be nothing like what he imagined, and becomes a celebrated hero of the Napoleonic Wars. Hijinks ensue when his cover is blown, his brother Ernst tries to take over the succession, and he realises he doesn't actually loathe Karoline, quite on the contrary, really. Karoline meanwhile has to explain a big belly away, and George sails for a place called Trafalgar... It's all delightfully off and the real George and Caroline would probably disapprove, but sometimes, certain AUs are not meant to be very accurate, just a little silly.

Less silly and as far as my research goes, as close to history as possible, my story on Henry Clinton and Mary Baddeley. I have written so much about the two already, it's almost a novel. I am fascinated by the mutual respect, suppressed affection and surprisingly good documentation there is. Theoretically, their relationship is a communist party meeting worth of red flags; a power dynamic between employer and employee, a substantial age gap, Mary being very much reliant on Clinton's protection from beng sexually harrassed by an officer in her husband's regiment and him falling in love with her while she was pregnant with her husband's child are just the most obvious ones. Regardless of all these things, both, given time, found love. Let's hope I will finish it one day so we can have the big budget adaptation i'm dreaming of ever since learning about the two...

I have a similar thing going for the Graveses, which is a little more light-hearted in that both Mrs and Mr Admiral were two very outspoken people, with Margaret in particular passing judgements on people in her letters worthy of Jane Austen novels. There is some tragedy in that they met at a point in their lives where they both seem to have still been processing the death of a beloved loved one, and both helped raise a child that was not their own. Given their eventful lives, bubbly family and their very loud personalities, however, I think this one writes itself a little easier.

A Stuart AU in which Maria Beatrice d'Este, now Queen of England, has had enough. Identifying, in her mind, her husband's unchanging licentious ways as the reason why God takes all her children from her young, she decides to commit regicide when she realises she is pregnant once more, in order to protect this child at least; because if James is dead, he can no longer commits acts displeasing God, right? The flaws in her logic aside, she makes this last desperate attempt to suffocate James, the husband who has abused her for so long, both physically and mentally, in his sleep with a cushion, but fails as he wakes up. Fleeing England in the middle of the night, Maria Beatrice manages to find a passage to the continent and makes it to The Hague, where the Prince and Princess of Orange now have a political scandal on their hands. What ensues is an intense triangular situation in which everyone is faced with ghosts of the past; Maria Beatrice, who never wanted to get married and have children, is faced by the involuntarily childless Mary who would do everything to be a mother; William by his own conduct towards Mary when they were newly-wed, which he finds himself reminded of by some things Maria Beatrice recounts of her marriage, fearing he may have mistreated Mary, and all three of them by the question of who will one day be James' heir, Mary, or the baby, if it turns out to be a boy, Maria Beatrice is about to have? Includes such memorable scenes as the one in which William feeds a toddler potential pretender a waffle while engineering his ascension to the throne during a council meeting (hey, the waffle-thing at least is based on an event and person during his own childhood, so).

I'm currently writing a little something quite light-hearted featuring Louise de Kérouaille and exploring her perspective on her relationship with Charles II, which I find quite delightful.

If any of you want to know something else about the stories (since I don't post them to AO3), feel free to ask. :)

[withlovewriting]

All I Ever Knew, Only You 1: Bye Bye, Benny

Chapter One.

You were riding your bike to the sound of ‘It’s No Big Deal’, And you’re trying to lift off the ground on those old two wheels, Nothing ‘bout the way that you were treated ever seemed especially alarming till now, So you tie up your hair and you smile like it’s no big deal.

Summary: Hawkins was your typical quaint, mid-western town where nothing ever happened. People were born here, lived their entire lives within the town limits and eventually died here, peacefully in their sleep. But one cold November evening in 1983 would change everything. 

Despite a child with psychokinetic abilities, and ravenous monsters that lacked faces, stranger things had definitely happened in the small town in Indiana. One of them being your reluctant and slightly imposed friendship with Hawkins High’s own King Bee, Steve Harrington.

Characters: Steve Harrington x Non-descriptive F!Reader (eventual)

Words: 4,983

Chapter Warnings: Strong language, alcohol abuse, child abuse, mentions of possible mental health disorders, typical season 1 mean-girl Steve and his little gang of assholes. An offensive term to specific religion, i guess. Also apologies, first chapters are awkward and just plot building but there ya go.

Series Warnings: Strong language, mentions of underage drinking, mentions of drug use, canon-typical violence, mentions of alcohol abuse, mentions of possible mental health disorders, child abuse, slow burn, kinda enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, I like to call it ‘two idiots who begrudgingly befriend each other only to realize... ‘wait a damn minute...’, eventual sexual content, canon-typical time-period bullshit. 18+. Minors DNI.

Next Chapter

Masterlist

(art)

Chapter One: Bye Bye, Benny.

Your legs moved faster than ever before, calves crying out in pain as your lungs burned, feeling like you hadn’t taken a proper breath in forever. But you still continued to push forward, dodging the oncoming vehicle and pedestrians as best you could. A car slammed on their breaks, horn blaring through the bustling streets during the late evening causing you to wobble slightly, hands gripping the handle bars of your bike so tightly you were sure you’d be able to pull them off completely.

Once you had regained your balance, you held up a hand, a silent sorry to the passing car as the driver shouted obscenities that you didn’t have time to be offended by. Just as you passed the coroners office, a loud whoop, whoop sounded behind you, the red and blue lights lighting up the ever darkening evening.

Shit, you mumbled to yourself, head darting around to watch as the officer stuck his hand out of the window, flagging you down. Well, you were definitely going to be late now.

Stopping alongside the side walk, one dirty converse perched on the curb to balance yourself, you waited as he slowly approached you, taking his sweet time. Of course, it wouldn’t be Callahan, the man gullible enough that you could easily spin a tale and get yourself out of this quickly, or even officer Powell, the man much more commanding than the former yet still not as assertive — or nosy — as the man in the unsightly beige uniform that was walking towards you.

“Kid, do you know how recklessly you were riding?”

Tilting your head backwards, face scrunched up slightly, you tried to suppress the annoyance that was bound to seep through your voice, “Hop, listen-”

“You almost caused two separate road traffic accidents, and don’t even think I didn’t see you almost wipe out Mrs. Lloyd.”

“Hopper, I-”

“I should take this damn thing off you, throw it in the junk yard where it belongs. Looks like this piece of shit is falling apart.”

“Are you gonna give me a ticket? Because if you are, can we speed this thing along and maybe save the whole responsibility talk for next time.”

Raising a brow, Jim sent you an incredulous look, “Next time?”

Rolling your eyes, you finally released the pent up, frustrated sigh, “ You know what I mean.”

Mumbling under his breath, Jim took off his slightly off-color hat before gripping his leather belt, hands firm on his hips, “Look, kid. You’re on a bike, which means you’re not gonna win any fight you decide to pick that day with a car. You might not give a shit, but I could really do without the extra paperwork. So stop riding like you’ve just robbed a bank.”

Nodding along with the man, you hoped your silent agreement would make this exchange go by at least a little quicker.

“I’m giving you a verbal warning, alright? If I have even one more complaint about a delinquent teenage cyclist bowling over old ladies in the street, I’ll personally arrest you myself and make you fill out the complaints paperwork. Got it?”

“Got it, chief.”

You couldn’t help but imagine how boring his job must be — especially since moving back from New York — to even bother with a cycling non-incident.

“Now, grab you bike and throw it in the back, if you’re in such a rush my car will get you there a lot quicker than that rusted piece of junk.”

Doing as he said, you then joined him in the car, the man glaring at you until you remembered to buckle your seat belt. Eventually, he pulled away, and you directed him towards Oak street.

“So, hows your Mom doing?”

His comment was meant to come off as flippant, uninterested in your actual answer and just trying to fill the silence. But you’d had your fair share of interactions with Jim Hopper since he crawled back to Hawkins in 1979, as had your mother.

He’d vehemently deny it if he was ever asked, but Jim Hopper — in all of his gruff, cynical glory — had a soft underbelly. He didn’t care about much any more. Not his job, not himself, nor any family, but in the few months he’d had some kind of relationship with your mother, he had unwittingly taken on a role in your life that had been missing for so, so long. So, what did it matter if he checked in every now and then?

Shuffling uncomfortably, you peered out of the passenger window, hoping he wouldn’t push too hard, “She’s fine. Got a cold, at the moment, so…Can’t exactly make it into work right now.”

“You’re covering for her again? You really shouldn’t be out late, and especially not on a school night-”

“She’s not well, Hop. A lecture won’t pay the bills.”

Despite reading between the lines, Hopper shut his mouth, even for just a moment before changing the subject, “No car tonight?”

“Mom forgot to get gas after work last night.”

“I thought she was too ill to work.”

Squeezing your eyes shut, you couldn’t have been more happy to see the shitty, run down bar you’d be spending the next couple of hours. Barely letting the man come to a full stop, you hopped out of the car before struggling to pull your bike out of the trunk without scuffing the police vehicle,

“Thanks for the ride, Hop.”

As if it took him a moment to realize you’d even exited the car, he quickly rolled down his window, “You’re not even old enough to be in there-”

It was safe to say your ride home from covering your mother’s shift wasn’t as fast paced, or exciting, as your previous journey.

You felt exhausted after a long day working at the arcade, revising for a stupid chemistry test that Mr. Kaminsky seemed determined to make half of the class fail, and then rushing like a mad man toward The Hideout, a long 6 hour shift bussing tables for old men who seemingly had boundary issues when it came to teenage girls. If it wasn’t for Thomas, the owner, you might’ve had another run in with the chief, certain you’d of stuck a fork through one of Mr Hanson’s wandering hands.

Turning down Morehead Street, you were almost relieved to be home. Almost.

All you wanted to do was shower off the smell of stale beer and greasy burgers and flop into bed. This wasn’t exactly how you’d wanted to spend your Sunday.

Your heart pounded in your chest, the lurking feeling of uneasiness crawled up your throat, the familiar, yet uncertain apprehension causing you to slow to a stop outside of the large, blue house that sat at the other end of your street. Hauntingly intimidating, the formidable house had sat abandoned since before you were even born. Children would often dare each other to play ding-dong-ditch, especially around Halloween, but nobody to your knowledge had actually made it much further than the path that led toward the rotten porch stairs. It had been boarded up since before you could remember, and nobody seemed all that bothered to disrupt it, the memories of what happened there more than two decades ago settled like the dust that was sure to line the floorboards inside.

Despite the desolate appearance in the daytime, the house only looked even more daunting in the shadows that lingered in the night, crawling their way over the house to leave it in almost total darkness.

Swallowing down the lump of uneasiness, you placed your foot back onto the pedal, ready to push off when you heard something. Your head swiveled back toward the large house, eyes wide and inquisitive, certain you’d heard voices.

Maybe the teenagers of Hawkins had finally become brave enough to step forth into the house, or maybe it was the ghosts of the slain family. Either way, you weren’t hanging around to find out, cycling home a little faster than before as you willed yourself to not peer back at the house for one last look, too worried about what, or who, you might find staring back.

Leaving your bike in the front yard — it was Hawkins, after all and the only thing more boring than the teenagers in this town, was the workload, or lack thereof, for the police — you quietly made your way up the creaky, half-rotten porch steps, all too aware of the television blaring so loudly from the living room that you could hear it from outside.

After taking a moment to prepare yourself, you finally pushed the door open, silently grumbling about how your mother always left it unlocked, regardless the time of day. Creeping toward the archway leading to the living room, you caught sight of your mother slumped on the sofa, eyes heavy from more than just sleep, but somehow still conscious. Stepping into the room, you called out for her, hoping she’d hear you over the loud laughter from whatever bullshit show she was half-watching.

“Mom?”

Her head turned, eyebrows raised as if she was surprised anyone had entered the house at all, before her glossed over eyes narrowed, pointing the empty bottle in her hand in your direction, “Where the hell have you been?”

It took everything in you not to release a frustrated sigh, telling her that you had in fact been covering her shift in order to guarantee you’d be able to keep the heating on this month. Winter in Indiana was a bitch and you were certain neither of you would survive another year without at least a mildly-warm house.

“I was working, Mom. C’mon, lets get you to bed-”

“Were you late? Cause you know they dock my wage by a whole hour if you’re even a fuckin’ minute late.”

Swallowing the lump in your throat, you shook your head, avoiding her eyes, “No, Mom. I wasn’t late. I-”

“Fuckin’ liar!” Standing, your mother wobbled on uncertain legs much like a newborn foal as she stumbled toward the telephone, where the answering machine blinked a devious, betraying red. Your mother almost looked too happy that she’d caught you in a lie as her clumsy pointer finger pushed hard at the button, playing the message out loud,

‘Rebecca, this is Thomas. You’re late for your shift, again. You better be on your way, I swear to god, this is the last fucking time. And you better not send your kid, again. I’m sick of it, Bec. So unless your face-down in your own vomit somewhere, you better be in work within the next 10 minutes, or- Oh, hey sweetheart-’

Bottle still in hand, your mother floundered toward you, nose scrunched in annoyance and distrust, as if you’d lied to her about something so much worse, like smashing up the car, or god forbid, pouring one of her beloved bottles down the kitchen sink.

Thankfully, by the time she reached you, she’d not only half forgotten what she was mad about, but wouldn’t be able to work out which one of you she saw to swing at. So instead, you took her gently by the shoulders, ushering her toward her bedroom. She collapsed onto her bed face-first and rather ungraciously her fingertips still gripping the empty bottle as if her life depended on it, and by the time you’d placed a throw blanket over her body, soft snores were already escaping her.

Despite your mother now being out cold, you still closed your bedroom door as quietly as possible, the fear that you’d manage to wake her up too ingrained in you to do anything but.

Keeping the light off, you sprawled out onto your own bed, deciding to forgo the shower and overflowing laundry basket that had been calling out to you most of the week.

Deciding to shower when you awoke in the morning, you didn’t have a choice but to drive your mother’s old Fiat Brava to school, knowing you’d be late otherwise.

Grumbling at yourself for not finding time to do the laundry, you dug deep into your drawers, trying to find something both suitable for school, knowing half of the clothes were creeping up on being too small for you. But money was sparse in your household, and an oversized jacket that you were yet to grow into had sufficed so far.

Pulling out a blue blouse that you absolutely knew was too small, meaning you would be pulling down the sleeves all day in an attempt to stop them ending up halfway up your forearm, you knew it would have to do. 

Leaving with barely enough time to fill up the coffee pot in hopes your mother would be drawn to the bitter smell rather than the temptation of the alcohol cupboard, you remained just under the speed limit, gnawing at your lip for the entirety of the drive.

School was dragging by, every minute feeling like an hour, and you knew clock-watching wouldn’t help, the gentle tick, tick, tick lulling you into a drowsy mess as you tried your best to keep your attention on your school work.

Making your way toward your locker, ready to dump half of your books out and enjoy your free period sleeping in the library, you saw Barb staring off down the hallway, her eyebrows pulled together as she watched Nancy turn the corner in a hurry.

“Everything OK?” You asked, causing her to jump slightly, head whipping toward you.

Relaxing as she realized it was you, she released an annoyed sigh, “It’s like he calls and she goes running. Literally.”

“You mean Harrington?”

“She’s still denying they’re even a thing.”

Your eyes remained in the direction of where Nancy had disappeared to, the hallways clearing out as people prepared for their next lesson, “Nancy’s a smart girl. She knows what he’s like.”

“That’s what I’m worried about,” Barb sighed, pushing her glasses to sit a little higher on the bridge of her nose, “He’s gonna use her, and dump her, and she’ll end up hurt. Just like every other girl he’s dated.”

“Dated is a very loose term,” you joked, Converse heel digging into the hard floor when Barb didn’t quite appreciate the joke, “He’ll get bored eventually, alright? He always does. But Nancy’s not an idiot. I highly doubt she really thinks he’s gonna be the love of her life, or even her date to prom if his reputation is anything to go by.”

When Barb remained silent, her top teeth worrying at her bottom lip you sighed, “Hey, if he hurts her, we can always key his car. Or set his hair on fire. God knows it’s got enough product in it to go up like a bonfire.”

That, at least, caused a smile to pull at Barb’s lips. Feeling satisfied that you’d at least kind of cheered the girl up, you left your friend with a reassuring pat on the shoulder before making your way down the long hallway.

Pushing the bathroom door open, you came to a halt almost right away, body colliding with the same person you’d just been shit talking for the last five minutes.

“Watch where you’re going-”

Scoffing at the boy, you pushed him away slightly, “This is the girl’s restroom, nimrod. You watch where you’re going.”

Rolling his eyes, Steve lent back against the wall slightly, hands grasped at his hips, “Nice shirt, but I think you’re shopping in the wrong age department of the Goodwill.”

“Says the person wearing a polo. Mommy pick it out at the GAP?”

Your stand off would’ve continued for much longer, had the second bell not have rung. Grabbing his yellow gym bag from the floor, he brushed past you with an annoyed glare, “It’s a vintage H R Robinson’s.”

God, he was such an ass.

Word about Will Byers’ disappearance had spread around town quicker than the time Mrs. Hunt’s husband had been caught balls deep in his receptionist at the local car dealership.

After returning home, your mother was nowhere to be found and to say you spent your night pacing around and doing absolutely anything to take your mind off the fact she was gone, was an understatement.

Your laundry was washed, dried and shoved back into your drawers, homework finished in record time and by 9pm you were certain you were a chemistry master. At least, you would’ve been, had any of the information stuck in your brain, instead using your notes as nothing more than a distraction.

So when the sound of shoes kicking up rocks and unsettling the gravel on your driveway roused you from your light sleep, you felt your heart finally settle back down to a normal speed as your mother carelessly stumbled down the path, slamming the front door shut behind her — still not learning to lock it — before making her way to her own bedroom.

Peering at your clock, the illuminating numbers spelled out 4am, causing you to release a long sigh before rolling over, hoping that you wouldn’t sleep through your alarm, less so for the fear of being late to school, and more-so for the fear of your mother’s hungover wrath if it woke her up instead.

Shoving a few books into your locker, you felt too mentally drained to even bother with the chemistry test, and if it didn’t count for half of your grade that semester, then you probably would’ve skipped.

The doors at the end of the corridor opened, the cool November wind slipping in behind a head of brown, scraggly hair, and you felt your heart plummet. Closing your locker, you heaved your half-empty messenger bag over your body and made your way towards the boy,

“Hey, Jonathan.”

The boy peered back at you, a strained smile on his face as he struggled holding everything in his hands and attempting to pin one of the papers to the board, “Oh, hey.”

Taking the papers from under his arm, you tried to send him a reassuring smile, “I, uh… I heard about Will. He’s a smart kid… He’ll be back soon, he’s probably just… hiding out, you know.”

Jonathan’s smile grew meeker, “Yeah… Yeah, I’m sure he will. It’s just not like him, you know? He’s not the kind of kid to just run off.”

“Yeah,” you nodded, eyes peering down at one of the many sheets you held for him, the boy’s smile wide and genuine. You didn’t know, though. You felt like you barely knew Jonathan, let alone Will. The eldest of the siblings, you’d met during your quick stint working at the cinema down town. You had similar music taste, bonding over your disdain for the popular kids in school, and he’d even taught you how to properly change the pump for the buttered popcorn. Your job there had only lasted a few months, but your friendship with Jonathan had lasted a lot longer. But it wasn’t like you two sat around braiding each others hair.

He was quiet and meek, whilst you were indifferent and aberrant. At least, that’s what your mother had always called you. You had perfected the art of acting like you didn’t care, and Jonathan seemed to not care at all. He kept to himself, and that’s how he liked it. You had bulldozed your way into his life, pouring flat half-cups of Coca-Cola and stale barely buttered popcorn and given him no real chance but to accept your sudden appearance. He took it in his stride, at least. But he remained quiet and shy, nonetheless.

“Hey,” a small, familiar voice called from behind you. Turning, you both send Nancy a small smile. Handing the papers back to the boy, you gave them space to talk, ready to make your way towards Kaminsky’s classroom in hopes of looking over your notes one last time.

Barb, however, had another idea, her arm halting you mid-stride before you could pass, “How is he?”

Before you could answer, you could hear the snickering of the three people to your left, “Yeah, hows he doing? Heard guilt can really tear a person down from the inside, out.”

Watching as Tommy’s face broke out into a large grin, the boy finding himself all too funny, your eyebrows pulled together in confusion, “What the hell are you talking about, Hagan?”

“He’s talking about the rumor that your boyfriend over there had something to do with his brother’s disappearance,” Steve explained, his eyes still set on his girlfriend, “Might wanna be careful. I wouldn’t be in any rooms alone with him.”

Scoffing, you crossed your arms over your chest, eyes darting toward Jonathan, Nancy, their eyes soft and sweet, and then back to Steve, an insolent smile tugging at the corners of your mouth, “I think if anyone needs to be worried, it’s you, Harrington.”

Steve’s dark eyes darted toward you, and you made a point of looking back at his girlfriend, eyebrows raised as the smile broke onto your face. Deciding you’d had enough, you strolled down the hallway, ignoring Steve’s confused calls of your name.

“Absolutely not,” you shook your head, sucking in a deep inhale of smoke, trying your best to aim it away from your friend as you blew it out, “The last thing I intend to do tonight is go to a lame-ass party at Harrington’s house. I’d rather fry my own eyeballs.”

Barb pouted, her eyes widening as they silently pleaded with you, causing you to turn your attention to the cigarette between your fingers,

“You have to come, please. I really, really don’t want to the the 3rd wheel tonight.”

Rolling your eyes at the girl’s dramatics, you sucked in another deep breath, the smoke burning your lungs slightly, “You won’t be a 3rd anything, Carol and Tommy will be there, too.”

“Ugh, 5th wheel, then. Please? I really don’t want to spend my entire evening there alone.”

“And I don’t want to spend even a second of my time there, at all. Why don’t you just tell Nancy no, for once? Put your foot down? I mean, she’ll be swapping spit with Harrington all night either way.”

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Barb send you an exasperated sigh, “You know I can’t do that.”

Your hand halted mid-way to your mouth, cigarette burning right down to the end, leaving you only faintly aware of the slight pain, but your eyes were focused on Barb. Of course, you knew Barb couldn’t — and wouldn’t — let Nancy go to this party alone. And you knew why, too. But that didn’t mean you had to be dragged along too, did it?

Dropping the butt of your cigarette onto the floor and crushing it with your worn sneaker, you frowned, forehead creasing as you sighed, staring off into the distance, “Oh my god, fine. I’ll go. But only for an hour, and then I’m out.”

Barb had never looked more grateful, pulling you into a strong hug and thanking you a million times.

Unable to not smile back at the girl, you shook your head, “Who even has a party on a Tuesday night?”

The plan was for Barb to pick you up at 8pm, along with Nancy. The girls had told their parents that you would all be studying at the library before sleeping over Nancy’s house. It was only a half-truth at best, and one that needn’t be repeated for your own mother.

Around 5pm you drove out towards Randolph lane, deciding to grab some burgers for yourself and your mother, hoping that it would at least sober her up whenever she wandered in that evening. Grumbling, you realized you still hadn’t topped up on gas, and decided that after you’d hit the gas station before heading home, hoping you still had some change in the car.

Pulling into the parking lot, a frown pulled at your features, dipping your brows towards each other. The lights were shut off, and as you approached the door, you almost bounced right off it, realizing a little too late that it was locked. Jiggling the door handle a few times, you knocked on the glass. Sure, Benny could’ve closed up early… But Benny never closed up early. Not even on week nights. He was always open for the evening rush normally fueled by hungry teens and loitering pre-teens.

“Benny? You in there?” Rasping your knuckles against the door one last time, you huffed, annoyed that your plan of an easy dinner and been thwarted. Before you turned to return to your car, something through the darkened window caught your eye.

It was definitely a figure at the table, but not quiet sat… More-so slumped. Backing away from the window a little too quickly, you stumbled off the deep curb, falling backwards onto the concrete. Eyes wide as you pushed yourself back, you managed to heave yourself up before taking off across the road, heading into the gas station.

The bell rang as the door bounced off the wall, hinges squeaking as the owner, Earl, turned his annoyed glare in your direction, “Careful with the damn door-”

Upon seeing your panicked face, Earl quickly made his way around the counter, brows pulled together in a frown as he held his hands out, “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

“I think… I think something’s wrong with Benny-”

“Benny? Benny Hammond? I saw him yesterday, he’s fine-”

Shaking your head, your eyes whipped back toward the diner, “No, I… I don’t know. I came to get dinner, but it’s closed, so I looked through the window and I think… I think I can see him.”

Earl’s eyes darted between yourself and the diner, concern and skepticism evident on his features, “Right. I’m gonna go check it out, you get on the phone to the Sheriff. But I swear to God kid, if this is some stupid teenage prank-”

Perched on the wall just outside the diner, your leg bounced erratically as you waited for Hopper to return from inside. He’d arrived within 30 minutes, Powell to his left and Callahan to his right, and a face stormier than a rain cloud.

It didn’t take 10 minutes after his arrival for the fire department and ambulance to turn up, backdoor open as they carried out a stretcher.

“What happened, kid?” Hopper’s once dour expression had melted away, smoothing out into something slightly softer, though his frown remained. Maybe, after so many years, his face was stuck like that, you wondered.

Shrugging, your teeth worried at your bottom lip for a moment, “I came to get dinner. The door was locked and… Benny never shuts this early.”

Nodding, Hopper scribbled something down on his notepad before turning his attention back to you, swallowing uncomfortably at your tremulous voice, “Then what?”

“I thought it was weird… Knocked on the door a few times, but I didn’t get a response. So I looked through the gap in the curtains and… I don’t know. I saw someone leaning over a table. I didn’t know what was going on so I went and got Earl. He said to call you guys.”

“Alright. Look, I’ll have to take an official statement, but that can wait until tomorrow. Why don’t you-”

Before Hopper could finish his sentence, your attention was pulled away by the door opening, the familiar bell above it ringing like it always did. Two paramedics rolled out the stretcher, a large white sheet stretched across a white, zipped bag. A body bag.

Feeling your stomach lurch half-way up your throat whilst your heart dropped the other way, you couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath, body all but toppling off the wall and thankfully into the arms of Hopper.

Sure, he’d seen a lot of shit during his time in New York, but they had all been strangers and that seemed much easier to disassociate from and get the job done. But Benny… Well, they went way back. They were friends.

Despite Hop’s insistence to not look, you couldn’t help but turn your head, watching as they loaded the stretcher into the ambulance and carted off toward the morgue.

The last suicide in Hawkins had been in October of 1961, and despite not even being born then, you knew all too well about it. It had been your Grandmother, after all.

Crazy old Colette, the town had so lovingly referred to her as. Lost her husband in the war as well as her mind and never got either back. And, of course, instead of helping, the town simply ignored and gossiped, watching as she wandered around town at all hours, jittery and talking to herself, shouting that the ‘end was nigh’.

What was strange, however, was your family weren’t particularly religious. Your mother only worshiped the God she found at the bottom of a bottle, and you couldn’t even guess the last time you’d stepped inside the town’s chapel. Sure, Hawkins had it’s fair share of bible bashers — typically the overprotective PTA moms and their husbands who would frequently break their marriage vows whenever they headed out of town — but your family weren’t exactly known for their love of Jesus Christ. Or any other higher being, for that matter.

You had frequently wondered if that was the start of your mother’s downward spiral, the loss of her father and consequently her mother too, her drinking only exacerbated when your father headed out for a pack of Embassy Gold cigarettes one evening and apparently got lost on his way home, ending up in Georgia, or Colorado, or wherever the hell he was now.

Worse than that, however, was the torment that maybe whatever had caused your Grandmother to lose herself was hereditary, trickling down through the generations of your family right to the very bottom.

To you.

[wrotelovelytears]

Big ole Treat

Jupiter Bashing

You can apply all of these to your Pisces, Jupiter and/or Sagittarius placement, unless otherwise stated

🦊Where Jupiter is in your solar return can show where you have the most expansion.

🦒Check the houses Sagittarius and Pisces are at too for extra bonuses you may be receiving

🐿Jupiter 6th house may experience more bloating/ a larger waist area. May also see more health problems and work opportunities come up

🐿Jupiter 10th house may experience stronger bones, more public relations too

🦊Jupiter's expansion isnt always positive. You can find where Jupiter is in your chart where you struggle to not be as egotistical.

🦊Jupiter ruled folks tend to have inflated egos.

🦊Jupiter conjunct rising makes people want to listen to what you say, even if they don't agree, they listen because you come off wise.

(●｀･(ｴ)･´●) (^(I)^) (●｀･(ｴ)･´●)

🦊Planets that oppose your Jupiter are actually planets you want to suppress the most. They don't feed into your ego in the same way as a conjunct/trine/sextile one would.

🦊 I know many astrologers say Jupiter is where you experience the most protection, I don't fully believe in that. Let me explain why: Jupiter is a teacher (like Saturn and Pluto, even Neptune), you can't be protected from what you don't know, nor can you just know what you don't know. I feel like Jupiter more so likes to give you rewards for things that you know are bad for you not being seen out. The only thing is you have to experience it having certain effects on you to know first. That's the protection given, after experiencing something (typically once, could be more), you know what isn't and is good for you. You aren't willing to put yourself through the same situation (like Saturn does you), you aren't willing to know the red flags and try to bypass them (like Neptune) and you actually have to be in the experience to be able to back out (unlike Pluto when you don't repeat something after its know to be bad).

🦒Long story short Jupiter doesn't auto block anything for you, it lets you become aware of it and make the choice to pursue it or not. If you don't, you get rewarded.

🦊Jupiter can be seen as the grandparent planet. Where ever it is in your chart can hint to how your grandparents act (especially with you) AND prominent placements/ attributes they have.

🦒It can also be what they passed on to you. 

🦊Jupiter, like Pluto, is another planet of extremes.

  🦒Jupiter is a Gas Giant, a planet mainly ,if not completely, composed by gases.

  🦒 We all know Zeus right? He's also linked to this planet. And if we know one thing bout Zeus is that everything he does is big and bold.

🦒If positively aspected, more good luck (and even karma) comes your way. If negative, more negative luck (and karma again)

(●｀･(ｴ)･´●) (^(I)^) (●｀･(ｴ)･´●)

🦊This planet should also be heavily linked to karma (juju, vibes), due to not only being a guru (teacher) but also how you live your life

🦊Jupiter easily gives people fame, it also easily takes it away when doing the wrong things

🦊Pretty sure this planet is what gives people a moral background.

🦒The house it is in shows how you imply those morals

🦒The sign shows where you imply it the most.

🦊Jupiter being exalted in Cancer just makes sense. Cancer is driven by instinct (like all cardinal signs) and emotion/intuition (like all water signs). Its also linked to the physical comforts we seek out (stresses or otherwise).

🦒Zeus had a better relationship with his mom (Cancer energy), than his dad (who ate him), and yet it still had some faults.

🦒I think I'll go as far to say that Jupiter can be linked to maternal grandparents and your mothers lineage. The things you gained from not only your mom but her whole bloodline, but the things you will gain and add to your family tree.

(●｀･(ｴ)･´●) (^(I)^) (●｀･(ｴ)･´●)

Jupiter's Persona

🦊Where Pluto is in your JP chart  can show the shadow attributes of your Jupiter. It can also show the part of you shown when you are under the weather

🦊Where your Venus is placed can hint at not only the sign you get along with and experience the most growth from but

🦊Saturn's placement in your JP chart is where you learn the most about other's limits in terms of giving

🦒It could also be the place where you get tested the most with your beliefs

🦊Empty house(s) in a Jupiter Persona chart not only shows where you don't focus the most energy towards, but find it easier to be pessimistic

(●｀･(ｴ)･´●) (^(I)^) (●｀･(ｴ)･´●)

(If you learned something new or would just like to support me you can leave a wittle tip via the tip button or one of the links in my masterlist. You can also purchase a reading from me via my masterlist as well.

Ko-fi: nymphdreams 🧸)

[bubbles-for-all-of-us]

Wildflower

Previous chapter / Next chapter

a/n I was planning on posting this tomorrow but I just couldn't wait. Join the struggle bus.

Azriel x reader / Eris x reader

***********************************************

When a seed of doubt is planted, it flourishes under any conditions. That was an undying truth. That night, you fought as you'd never fought before. That was the first time even Azriel's shadows were cold toward you, and they were never cold toward you. They were always there for you. "I just don't get you anymore. You shut me out. I feel alone when I'm with you," you said, staring at Azriel's blank face for what felt like an eternity. But he remained stone cold, "I'm not mad that you went out to help Fayre's sisters. I'm mad that you didn't think about telling me."

You knew well that the whole house could hear you. A part of you wanted them to. Maybe someone would finally realize that you were drowning. When you finally did break the silence of the man you loved, you hoped you hadn't. "Nesta is Cassian's mate. He felt it today", you two were done with the second round of face-to-face screaming, well in reality you did most of the screaming, and were now sat in different parts of the shared room. "Well, good for him. How come this is important now? ", "It's just... three sisters and three brothers. Two already mated", at that, you couldn't suppress a laugh, "Tell me that you're joking, Azriel", but he sat as firmly as before, looking through you. He was deeply lost inside his mind, you could tell. After years, you could tell when he was down under. And he was down under bad. 

"So it's the third bitch's bed that you checked out then?", you laughed but Azriel wasn't too keen on it, "Don't call her that", you gritted your teeth as you stood up, "Oh, you're even defending her now", "She's a decent woman. She doesn't deserve your snarl just because you're an insecure creature," you stilled at his words. Azriel had never used your fear against you. Fear of losing him to some other. The truth was that you had given him everything, and he had your fragile heart in his hands. And he's been tossing it everything but gently lately.

You felt pathetic as you cried for him not to go afterward. To not leave you. That you were sorry. That you were just tired. And Azriel's words did well to calm your inner fear. The words were just the ones you wanted to hear, but something lingered. Something that weighed on you two for a while. You both felt it. You were alone together. Together but alone. Even if you slithered back into bed together, you could tell that sex was just a bandage you two used to smother things over.

The fact that no one was mad was another red flag the next morning. Rhys greeted you with a smile. Suggesting that you two should have breakfast separately from everyone else. "Is everything with you and Az okay?", he had asked shortly after you finished the food. "Yeah, just a heated disagreement. We're perfectly fine now," and if he couldn't tell that you were lying, then you were sure that he had a nice inside scoop on the argument from Asriel himself.

"I'm sorry for being harsh on you lately," you wanted to intrude, but your brother lifted his hand ever so slightly, "It's taken a toll on you. You're my family, and I neglected you", taking a hold of his hand you looked him in the eyes. "I understand; you have it pretty rough. I don't mind being on the back burner for a bit if it helps", Rhy's eyes were sad still. You knew he probably blamed himself for your fight with Azriel and the fact that you two were falling apart. He was always supportive of your relationship with the shadow singer.

"I love you, Y/N/N", you moved to lean into his embrace, "I love you too, grumpy pants". Rhys swiftly moves to tickle your side, making you let out a giggle, and a smile as big as yours appears on his face. "I got you this also," he said,  pulling out a little bottle, and you know instantly what it is. Your childhood pain remedy. The cure for the high lord's children's illness. A lovely blue bottle.

"I thought it would take the edge off. Let you sleep it off", "Thank you, but no." Yet Rhys didn't ease off. You swiftly stood up, taking the bottle from him. "I'll inform you when I'll take it," you reasoned. Even if you knew there was no way you'd take it, you had to give him hope to get him off your head for now. It reminded you too much of your father. The sick things he did to hide you away from the world, from your own family. 

You saw Azriel just as you were coming back to the house. Rhys was still by your side as you sped up a little to wrap your hands around Azriel's tall frame. He returned the gesture only after greeting Rhys. Their gaze lingered but you chose to ignore it. Oblivious. Just be oblivious. "Hey. Where have you been?", you asked him ever so gently. Leaning in to kiss him as you were once again hit with the strong scent of another female. Biting on the inside of your cheek, you smiled at him anyway. He left shortly after you fell asleep last night. You felt him wiggling out of your embrace. Leaving plenty of space for your thoughts to linger.

"Cassina had my hands full all morning. Sometimes I think he takes pleasure in torturing me", you hummed at his response, still clinging to him but that didn't last long. He unwrapped your arms from around his torso, telling you that he wanted to take a shower before a meeting with Rhys, and with another kiss, he was gone. You felt your eyes starting to burn as he walked away. Not here, not now, you told yourself. Don't give them the satisfaction of seeing you like this. Looking at the potion in your hands, you didn't even notice Cassian walking your way.

That big smile of his was probably brighter than the sun today. How did he always seem to be in such a good mood that you were unaware of? "By any chance, you've seen Azriel? Fucker disappeared into the thin air," he muttered into the embrace, and you felt the taste of blood in your mouth as you bit through your flesh. "Nope, looking for him myself. If you find him, tell him I said hello".

You decided to walk down the city street after that. Thank goodness Cassian never questioned anything and simply let you go. You needed to be alone for a bit or to be in the company of somebody who wasn't in the inner circle. You found yourself at Madja's clinic, just watching her help out citizens. Jumping in to help yourself at times. You were helping her clean up after the day's work when you remembered the bottle in your pocket.

"Utilize it, will you," you were never a fan of them as a kid. Well, you were only given them while you were little and when the whole fiasco with Eris happened. But those times were enough to make you go stiff at the sight of them, "Oh, dear, I hope you didn't drink that," your entire body froze, "Why not?" "This is a strong sedative. We only make them for special purposes, and the individual on them needs to be closely monitored. It knocks you out mentally", gaps in your memory, you thought. Maybe that's the reason for it. They wanted to keep you calmer after everything and overused it by accident.

"Would it wipe out one's memory if overused?", the healer shook her head, "Temporary loss of memory maybe, but it's unlikely", well then, you thought, here goes my hope of any clarity. Any bit of hope to unravel this piled-up mess. "While you are at it, would you mind bringing this back to Rhys?", Madja handed you a pouch that, for some reason, she was handling carefully. "What's that?", "Ah, some mixture of Fea bane", she said in such a casual voice as if she had done that for ages. As if this request by your brother didn't weird her out. What's high lords need of this world be? Rhys has other ways of controlling and dealing with his enemies. Unless he's trying to buy it all so no one else can.

"Why would Rhys need that?", "I don't question my high lord, he mentioned a need to keep someone at bay. It's not a first-time thing, child", of course, it's not. Droopy after tea. His eyes big like crows watching you as you slumped down on your bed or sofa after tea with him. No, maybe it was a coincidence. He wouldn't. Your Rhys. When you were little, he vowed that he loved you more than life itself. What changed? 

Leaving behind the bag, you stumbled out of the clinic. Bracing yourself against the corner of the building. The ones passing by offered you a sympathetic look here and there that you tried to return. They were your people as well. Once were. Yet you felt so out of place all of a sudden. Blinking a couple of times, you could only think about one thing and one place. Where else would you go? You simply had no other place to go.

"Eris!", you barked as you stormed into his cabin as if you owned it. "Eris!", your voice echoed through the empty room. You began your search for the same amber-colored bottle that the male of the Autumn Court had the last time you were here, ripping the shelving unit doors open one by one. Surely a genuine glass of liquor would help the case. At least take the edge off of it. One by one, you looked through every nook and cranny, but it's like fate decided to toy with you just a little bit more.

"Where on the cauldron of love would you keep such things?", you muttered to yourself, angry tears picking up at the corner of your eyes. "May I know what's the reason behind you being here?", you turned towards the voice so quickly that you didn't notice the door above you, resulting in you banging the top of your head against it. Your hand immediately went to rest on top of the painful area.

"How bloody clumsy can you be? You'll wreck the whole place up", Eris's voice was harsh and cold. You couldn't blame him; if you were to find someone like that in your room, you would probably have them hanging by the throat of the balcony at the house of the wind. But his harsh voice sent you down on your knees. You were so done with today. You bit back at yourself as you felt the little droplets fall down your cheeks, so much for keeping the tears to yourself. "Did you hit it that hard?", you felt Eris's hand on top of yours, gently lifting it so he could see if there was a wound that would need to be treated. He must have crossed the room at the sight of your first tears. Your lower lip quivered as you met his eyes.

Worry flashed through them. What a strange emotion to see on his face, you thought; it almost made his face look unfamiliar. He never expressed such emotion, and yet here it was. You were seeing them with your own two eyes. "You need to tell me what's all this about, sweetie," Eris sank to the floor beside you. "From the look on your face, I would say that the world is ending". You wanted to chuckle or at least grin at him, but you couldn't. Your brain was going into overdrive. Nothing made sense, and for some unknown reason, every single part of your body was calling for Eris. Your instincts told you to run to him out of everyone.

"What if everything's a lie?", you muttered, making Eris frown. "Is this a riddle, because I hate to disappoint you. I've never been good at them," you only shook your head. "I think Rhys has been poisoning me—adding Fea bane and whatnot to my food and drinks to keep me under his control—and I," a lump in your throat thickened, and you nearly choked on your own words. You felt a hand on your back, drawing patterns slowly to keep you calm enough to finish your story. Familiar - your body sang to you.

"And... Azriel...", Eris stiffened at the name of the shadow singer. The two were never friends. Eris loved to tease Azriel because he knew that his actions and words affected the ever-so-cold male, and Azriel never had the patience to stand by. "He's been coming home reeking of different females. He denies it, but I know... and he keeps on going about how he wants to find his mate, but...", you ripped parts of the sleeves that were covering your arms off. Revealing something that you swore to never show Eris, "He doesn't even want to wait for me to get these off so we could see if we're not mates."

You felt Eris's whole body run cold as if the fire that warmed him from within had vanished at the sight of your hands. You knew they were ugly, but you never thought someone would be affected that way. Feeling small and fragile, you moved them closer to your chest, lowering your head. "You... they are still on your hands?", "Well, you see them, don't you?", you bite back as another wave of shame washes over you. "But I thought, Rhys, he had taken them off. I thought he had a long time ago," "He doesn't know how, he's been trying," but Eris's expression changed completely as he shook his head slowly. He knew something. You could tell that he did. He knew something you didn't.

"Eris," you pleaded, "What is it?", running his hands through his thick hair, he turned away from you for a moment before facing you again. "You won't believe me anyways", but you shook your head, "No, you don't get to leave me with a scrap, tell me! I demand it!". You two are facing each other now. Direct confrontation. The hesitation was all you could sense. It was dripping off him. As if he was scared. Scared that whatever he was going to tell you was going to break you completely. "Rhysand has enough power to take them off himself. They yelled to magic," you backed away from him slightly, saying, "No, he tried everything. He got Helion involved. They tried it all."

Eris came to reach for you, but you only backed away more as your fingers threaded through your own hair. "Y/N, Helion made them. He would need to only blink, and they would be off your hands.", "No, you're lying. You're just saying things." In the frenzy that overtook you, you didn't even notice as your back hit the table that held different mixtures that banished healers must have been making. Turning, you lashed your hands through them all. Whipping the table clean with a scream from deep inside you. Windows rattled. Then an overwhelming amount of fear hit you, making the whole room spin. Eris was talking, but you could barely make out the words he was saying. In reality, you didn't want to listen. You were tired of listening. Clenching your fists like the last time you closed your eyes. Bring me to the liars you told yourself; I want to see their faces as I shatter their world to pieces.

********************************

Taglist:  @highlady-ofillyria @starrstrucked @lahoete @esposadomd @percyjacksonspeen @powerfulpantera @bionic-donut @azzydaddy @marigold-morelli @meritxellao @mis-lil-red @piceous21 @atz-diary @shamelessdonutkryptonite @baebeepeach @sarai-ibn-la-ahad

[vemuabhi]

Kidd by your side

Annyong Haseyo! This is for the Green Flags Collab hosted by @suyacho​ please check it out! I hope you like my piece for your event! 

Pairing : Eustass Kidd X Reader

Word Count : 1.2K

Genre : Fluff, Romance

Summary : A cute romantic Fluff drabble, where you and Kidd go to Prom with a small hustle but still made it work.

Please read the story. I suck at summaries.

Please support me if you like my writings. copyright © vemuabhi

Picrew

"But The heels look so pretty Nami~", the orange haired girl sighed as she heard your pleas.

"Okay, fine. Wear them. But let me warn you they hurt"

"No problem!!", you held her hands in yours, "I will bring them back safe"

Finally you didn't have to spend money on your footwear. Getting the blueish black coloured prom dress was like a gods gift to you, finding it in a thrift store.

Luck was on your side. You held your head high as you left Nami's place with the heels.

Prom was just few days away. Now was the time for you to meet your date for prom. The man had two left feet so you had no choice but to teach him some moves making sure that both of you don't fall to ground on the main day.

"Hey man", you raised your hand to high-five your boyfriend which he returned as he pulled your hand making him to stumble forward into his arms.

"So, what moves do you wanna teach me miss", he smirked causing you to blush at his antics.

"Kidd, that sounds a bit-"

"Dirty", he ended your sentence.

"Whatever", you huffed as pushed him away, "Let's see how far we have come"

"Eager to be in my arms again, aren't we", he grinned at you.

You rolled your eyes as a smile still held your lips. "Smooth talker, how about we show some smooth moves, shall we."

He placed his right arm around your waist pulling you closer and stepped back making you step forward. His left held your hand. His crimson eyes had the glint of confidence in them. Well, he had been practicing dance with you for some days so naturally he got cocky. But... but the confidence made him... made him freaking hot. He swayed and pulled you around with your hand still in his. Your free hand had stayed on his shoulder.

"You watched youtube videos on how to dance", your statement made him to slip a gasp from his red lips. His eyes widened; cheeks turned the shade of cherry like his hair.

"Wha- tha- you!", he ended his sentence by stepping on your foot. Yeah, it wouldn't be the usual Kidd if he didn't step on your foot once at least during the session.

"Argh! Jesus", you hopped while Kidd walked beside you ready to catch you if you fall.

"Shut it. I didn't even step that hard", he was clearly suppressing his laugh at your situation.

You both sat on the bench. "Here", he handed you a water bottle.

"So...", your gaze shifted to the scarlet. A muscle ticked in his jaw as he continued, "4 days to go... right".

Ah... was he cute or was he damn cute. This big buff scary-ass looking man was such a romantic nervous mess in reality.

You snapped. You didn't even know how you pulled him by his collar and connected your lips with his which he didn't complain.

You put on your dress and looked into the mirror Infront of you. You thought luck was on your side. But yeah... the moment you put on those heels.

Every step made your toes to scream for help. Thankfully Kidd was already waiting to pick you up.

"Eustass!", you gleamed as you looked at the man, the Kidd, the Buff, who wore grey suit with navy blue shirt underneath it.

His cheeks turned pink as he spotted you. His eyes looked different. His lips parted as you stopped in your tracks.

'Ah! Stunning he is', you thought. His hair was slicked back enhancing his sharp features even more.

Who said that his scars were scary? You could only admire him as he looked without any flaw to you. Except your administration was stopped as your ankle hurt because of the heels just when you took your step towards him. You looked back at your heels. 'Damn! But they look so pretty', you thought as your muscles cried their pleas.

"What happened?", his question made you to look at him again. This time he was beside you already.

"Nah, its nothing, lets go handsome", your words made him to click his tongue in embarrassment because you always make him blush when it should be the other way around.

"Your... dress also looks... nice", after fiddling with his jacket he offered his hand to you.

"You wanna hold my hand so badly~", your wink didn't help with his racing heart while your legs shook with pain under your dress.

Kidd kept glancing at you throughout the time you almost covered up your pain.

Even after getting down from his vehicle, you struggled to walk. Kidd kept holding your hand and stayed by your side while you walked, way too slowly than usual.

'Ah! Its over for me', your legs cried as the host announced that dance was starting soon.

"Wait here", you saw the red hair go into the crowd while you stayed behind still seated on the chair in the corner. No one really sits here, especially the people who have their prom dates. You remember the last time you sat here was the time when your date bailed on you last minute. That day you drank orange Juice as if it was booze.

'Ah- sad old times, at least now I have Kidd', you smiled to yourself then a cold touch on your shoulder made you to shiver.

"Why are you smiling to yourself?"

"Thinking about you, so smiling", he rolled his eyes as you took the can of orange juice from him.

"You know...", you tilted your head towards him as his leg kept shaking anxiously, he continued, "you could.... I mean... we could leave if you are not feeling well".

"I'm okay. Why did you think that?"

"Its just that", he gulped, "You... you were limp-", he was interrupted by the song which started to play. People started to dance to the song.

You got up. Took his hand in yours and tried to walk towards the centre, but no. Your legs gave out. Just when you were about to fall, strong arms stopped the fall.

"What is bothering you!", he exclaimed. Kidd got serious. "You are literally limping. Do you think you hid it well?"

"Ah, sorry Kidd", you said as you placed a hand on his cheek to calm him down. "My heels are killing me".

Kidd's serious features turned into more of a confused one. He knelt down and lifted your dress up.

"So, all because of some dumb heels. You dumb idiot concerned me as i felt it was a serious issue. This makes me dumb for worrying", all the while he removed your heels, while you held onto him to keep your balance.

He took the heels and got up. While he went to place the shoes in a corner, your legs found peace from being freed with them.

"You seem relaxed now", he spoke with a smirk on his lips as he placed his arms around your waist.

"It feels so good~", your happiness was so clearly visible which made him to chuckle.

"Let's dance now shall we", he said as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear and lifted you up. He placed your feet on his making you gasp.

"I will not stomp on your feet this way and you can relax more now", he flexed his monster strength while giving such a beautiful dialogue. What is he?

"Okay dear, don't drop me now", you kissed his coat which was close to your face and even that made him blush.

"Dumb! I... I wouldn't drop you", he flustered before he swayed with you in his arms.

Well Kidd was on your side at least.

Thanks for reading!

copyright © vemuabhi

Likes, Comments and reblogs are always appreciated.

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Picrew

[blackstarchanx3new]

FSR rambles PT

PART. 3 BABY OF BEING CRINGY ABOUT MY OWN AU

LET'S GOOOOOO (Big send of too this chapter, holy shit)

Lol so like: One thing I didn't wanna do was suppress how much Zelda meant to Shadow Link's character arc for the sake of Vidow "Working".

Shadow Link does love Zelda FYI our mans is Bi. Idk if you noticed...but this whole comic is just polycule central there's no shipping wars, you can ship everyone basically. X'D

Zelda was a huge role in Shadow Link's character development to being a good boy, so it's only natural he's attached to her. (This will also be shown in the next chapter...Hehe)

Also the way his emotions around Vio are so charged that the best way he can put it to words is Vio is "Really cool" is like, so dumbly sweet. Bro can't properly even word how much he adores this man.

Shadow Link has made it no secret he wants to be buds with Vio for reals this time, and he's also 100% not interested in helping Gannon. So...There really ISN'T a reason Vio and him should have the same issues Vio was worried about. Thus, he tries to sooth Vio's fears.

*cough cough cough* gay. Shadow Link's so anxious about asking.

Lol so I got a "Writing rule" for Vio...He ain't gonna cry till I crack him completely like an egg. X'D He will get very close tho: Like this moment.

The way I put blush on the nose area specifically indicates someone's like, close to crying or is crying. I just like this face particularly because there's so much shit going on in that head of his.

The start of the hug is so damn awkward (Intentionally so)

These panels mean so much to meeeeeeee-

Everything about em

The hug, Vio's so close his face is squished (He's so adorable.)

Shadow Link doesn't immediately hug him back he's stunned.

Hehehehe. Vidow go brrrrr..

This entire page is just: PAIN.

Shadow breaks the hug to show him the book.

The wording leaves it so ya can't help but think he hoped the introducing of their friendship would change Vio's mind about being Link again...That his words earlier were just mad ramblings and not how he actually felt. But with a clear head Vio verbally says he still wants to be Link again.

Lmao bro tries not to crack again aaaaand fails.

The book is one about healing magic...What kinds are in there I wonder. ;) A refrence...to a past Selda game mayhaps?~

Also this frame of Shadow Link full blown ugly crying while pretending to be fine is so hilarious to me idk if it comes off as sad or funny but it's kinda both to me. X'D

Mans is crying for him and Vio at this point.

Vio putting the book down in favor of comforting Shadow Link is just kinda one of those things that like, if he had ignored Shadow Link the reader would have noticed, but him being like, decent is smth that isn't nearly as "noticeable" (Like, ya typically notice a character being shitty WAY MORE than you notice all the subtle things they do that are just, kind.)

Also Shadow still wants to be helpful even though he's like, sobbing his eyes out. X'D

He also tries to hide from Vio lmao. Vio saw the water works bro.

Quite a few things:

Shadow's still toxic, just a little. X'D He WANTS Vio around, he misses him like crazy and does not want him to leave, AT ALL. This is very obvious lmao.

But he's also at the point where he knows he can do better than just screaming and throwing tantrums like he did as a kid. But his true feelings about how betrayed he feels Vio still wants to be Link are STILL THERE. Even if he chooses to try and hide them.

Also funny detail: Vio blushing was a lowkey gag because of the whole "They're both attracted to red flags" joke.

You could also take it as him being scared shitless, which he IS.

While he can't take back snapping at Vio, he certainly realizes his mistake very quickly and apologizes. So that's SOMETHING at least. (Considering the type of person he was before, a relapse or two is expected lmao.) I think him still having a certain level of anger management issues makes his character overall more interesting.

I like to think the only reason Vio gave him any patience for that, was because Shadow Link has been nothing but patient and there for him all night and he knows Shadow is emotional as fuck.

As Vio gave him shit for the fight with Blue earlier showed, Vio doesn't tolerate Shadow's crap when he's just being a violent shithead.

Hahaha. Remember when Link outright stated Vio wanted to be Vio and not Link. :) Link sure is a way more reliable narrator than...idk...The guy who lies...

*Whispers gently into your ear* Vio's not being very truthful here...

Notice: He only. ONLY brings up "Logical" reason...not his actual FEELINGS on the matter... He SAYS "I don't want to be Vio"

WHY. WHY!? TELL US WHY VIO!!!

He does have a reason but he's not tellin' lmao.

So, in the book it's not really...SPECIFIED where Shadow Link came from? Like I think all it says is "Gannon drew him out of the dark mirror"

...THAT IS SO UP FOR INTERPRETATION AND BRINGS UP SO MANY QUESTIONS:

Did he have a life in the dark world and was just, TOLD to do Gannon's bidding? His line of "I'm your living reflection in the dark world" MAYBE supports this idea...??? KINDA?

But my issue with that is: Shadow Link gives NO indication he has had a past in the dark world, like...at all. Nothing. No mention of family (Which...Reasonably wouldn't he have a dark version of Link's father???) He's the ONLY PERSON who's implied to be FROM the dark world. Also...The dark mirror isn't REALLY implied to be a PORTAL... The seal on Vaati and his demons was, but Shadow Link wasn't freed from that, Gannon "Drew him from the dark mirror" to release Vaati...So uh...HMMMM His also distinct lack of his OWN name kinda makes me go ???? Like...His NAME is Shadow Link...Like that's not a nickname. That's his NAME. (Like this just weirds me out because of a cannon "Reflection" of Link: in Ravio. Who like...HAS HIS OWN NAME???? ik Ravio isn't from the "Dark world", he's from Lowrule, but point still stands this is odd.)

Suffice to say, there's just not enough info here to draw a conclusion for me? So I gotta make shit up. X'D Shadow Link was created out of Link's Shadow by Gannon in FSR. This is also the reason he resembles a Gerudo male. Cause Gannon said "Mm yes, my evil Link sona will have my heritage. UwU"

Shadow link realizing he almost made Vio cry is so funny to me.

Vio looks so fucking pathetic there. lmfao.

Shadow's words only hit again like Link has stated: Shadow knows Vio

Whether intentionally or not: what he says hits Vio like a ton of bolders.

He's very hesitant to keep talking though because he doesn't want to hurt Vio either.

It's like, he's AWARE he's telling Vio this shit because he WANTS him to stay, but you also can't deny Shadow's at least CORRECT in a lot of his statements. How far should he push that though? Hmm.

His "Oh my god you're an idiot" face is hilarious. Shadow's like "You still don't get what I'm laying down dude??? REALLY!?"

*Explodes*

Lmao. That panel before they kiss is basically my favorite in the entire comic rn. X'D

Shadow pulling away and squishing Vio's face is also a favorite. Vio's just cute and squishable.

Vio stating the obvious: That his mental breakdown wasn't Shadow's fault. (Wasn't really anybody's fault it was inevitable, especially with the curse/Dark Link active)

Lmao. Vio's kinda dumb as bricks sometimes too. X'D

Shadow Link's fucking deadpan stare while Vio rants is so hilarious to me. Also the direct quoting of Vio instead of paraphrasing making his statement sound even more stupid.

Also fun dialogue thing: You'll notice the characters stutter or like, pause weirdly, Because I like writing dialogue a little more realistic. Like Shadow Starts off as "I-was" instead of like "W-was" like he thought of saying smth completely different at first or his mouth moved before his brain did. X'D

Their banter is fun, Vio's his sassy self. Shadow giving him all the kisses we desired...

Okay ngl this page hurts me X'D Like. Ouch. All of it hurts.

Because of how Link kinda abandoned Shadow Link (Even though he was always there) Shadow is OBVIOUSLY very hesitant to let go. It's super obvious Vio doesn't wanna let go either.

Also Vio kissing him back surprises Shadow. X'D He's still bamboozled Vio is receptive to his affection oof... (Would like to show him getting more comfy with it as the comic goes on like "Holy shit, nah he's not playing around with me he fr-")

They mean so much to each other. QuQ

Okay to make you laugh in these very serious panels: Because Shadow's floating Vio's standing on his tip toes.

On that note, can't wait to see yall for the next chapter, whenever I get around to it. X'D

[hobisfavoritespritecan]

Got Something of Mine, Harrington?

Billy Hargrove X Reader x Steve Harrington

You decide to take Steve up on his offer to hang out in hopes that you can rekindle the part of you that still believed in love. What happens when your ex decides to show up and claim you're his?

⚠️ Warnings: mentions of blood, swearing, possessive behavior, toxic relationships, insecurity, past trauma, sexual innuendos, and angst ⚠️

(This is a choose your own adventure type layout, so whether you're rooting for Steve or Billy, you'll be able to read what joining their side would ensue)

It was only supposed to be a fun night with Steve. He had asked you to hang at his place once he saw that you had finally broken up with that shitty boyfriend of yours, trying to provide you with comfort and a good time. Steve was handsome, sure. But he had made his move a bit too fast after things had gone south with Billy. His charming smile and light touches had drawn you into all that he had to offer and who could say no to how sweet he had been? Exchanged glances from opposite ends of the room and notes passed back and forth, it was only a matter of time before Steve waltzed into your life and tried to sweep you off your feet. You only wished the circumstances could've been different.

Steve lived in the upper end of Hawkins; the richer and snobbier folks in town who listened to baseball games on the radio and held monthly barbeques. The houses were all lined up in a nice row with a patch of grass in between them with white picket fences and gardens that belonged on the front pages of magazines. Steve's house was further down the cul-de-sac and was the only one that had a lawn so big that a fence would look obnoxious around it. A bright blue house with white shudders and a white door to match, it looked picturesque and almost fake as though it were made out of clay. Apparently, the Harringtons had big hair and even bigger egos.

Knocking on his front door, you nervously tap your shoes against each other as you wait for him to open it and let you in. You took a couple glances around the perimeter of his house, still not fully used to being out on your own. Your dress was slightly provocative, but it was one of your favorites. Your ex had refused you the right to show it off to anyone other than him, one of the many bullets on the long list of his red flags chalked up in your mind. You had never been able to wear it out before, so this would be the first time anyone had seen it. The thought of Steve complimenting you on it filled your stomach with butterflies- dating again was going to be fun.

"Hey! There you are!" Steve opened up the door and smiled. The warm yellow light streamed down from the foyer and onto the front steps you were standing on. Almost immediately, the night felt more inviting and friendly as you basked in it, taking note of how wonderfully it shone onto the pavement below. Only when Steve shifted towards the frame to lean against it did you notice how he looked tonight. He was wearing a nice black button up with dark jeans. His hair had been tossed into a perfect spiral and you could smell the fresh products he'd used to style it. He looked really nice. A happy feeling took root in the pit of your stomach and encouraged you to follow him inside.

"Hey!" You said, throwing the enthusiasm back at him. As he led you towards the kitchen, you noticed just how nice the interior of the Harrington household was. It totally matched the modern exterior as there were abstract looking paintings hanging everywhere and the walls were painted grey. His floors were freshly cleaned too, sparkling tiles that refracted the light throughout the room. The entryway connected to the very yellow kitchen that was decorated with floral paraphernalia. Stepping further you noticed a picture of Steve hanging on the wall from middle school and you suppressed a laugh at how ridiculous it looked.

"Oh no! I forgot to take that down." Steve laughed and covered up the picture with his hands, giving you a dorky apologetic look. You laughed too, finding his impulsive embarrassment to be cute.

"It's okay, I think little Steve would be pleased to know that his hair gets better once he hits highschool." You said, earning another laugh from the boy in front of you. He pushed his hands into his pockets and a wave of expensive and good-smelling cologne filled your senses. If you had any doubts about being out tonight, they were gone now as you realized the awkwardness was mutual.

"May I set your jacket down somewhere?" He asked, reaching for the leather that rested upon your shoulders. You smiled, shrugging the heavier fabric off and allowing for him to grab it.

"Woah." He said, taking in the dress you were wearing.

Instant panic filled your vision as you realized you probably went overboard with the outfit. He was dressed so casually yet so elegant that you forgot that you went straight for something a little more formal than what one would wear drinking a couple of beers and sitting by the edge of a backyard pool. "Oh! Sorry, I know it's a lot I just haven't done this in a while and I got excit-"

"-Its perfect." He said, looking at you from top to bottom and then back to your eyes as the corner of his mouth turned up in a suggestive but polite way.

There was an unusual but comfortable silence for a moment before he cleared his throat and motioned his head towards the back. "The pool is behind the house. If you still wanted to go swimming."

You held out your hand for Steve to take and gave him a quick nod. "Absolutely."

He grinned at you and allowed you to lead him outside the kitchen door towards the inground pool. Night had fallen not too long ago and the stars shimmered down on the water below them, the lights from the inside of it reflected the small waves all over the deck. It was pretty and calming and you couldn't help but run your hand through it a couple of times, testing out the temperature. It was fairly warm considering how the night had started to cool down.

"I'm going to grab a couple beers. Would you like one?" Your date asks, smiling down at what you were preoccupied with. You looked back up at him and noticed how pleased he was with your sudden infatuation with the water grazing your fingertips. His eyes were bright and happy and his posture was awkward but confident and you were unsure how those adjectives could exist at the same time for the same human.

"Yes, please." You said, going back to the water and waving your hand around. Once Steve had left, you decided to take off your dress and shoes since your swimsuit was underneath. You had chosen a red bikini for this particular occasion, grinning at the mischievous idea now that Steve had confirmed your dress wasn't too revealing. You decided to wait with your feet in the pool and allowed yourself to take a deep breath and enjoy the silence of Hawkins. The crickets chirping and the cicadas were the only thing to be heard for miles and it was perfect. You could get used to this.

Except you wouldn't be able to. You tried so hard to let things go and to do what's best for you only for that plan to backfire every time you put your mental health first. It was impossible to let yourself go and enjoy just one night free of anxiety and intrusive thoughts. You knew from the moment you heard the Camaro pull up to the front of the house that everything would be ruined; of course you couldn't have started a relationship with anyone new when Billy still believed you belonged to him.

Jumping up and sprinting towards the door, you run inside to see Steve standing with two beers. "Uh is everything okay?" He asked, staring at you with concern. He seemed shocked to see you run in only for him to become somewhat lost when he looked at what it was you were wearing. "Damn...uh...okay we can go there." He said, not taking the cue from you that your rush to the kitchen was because you wanted to warn him what- or rather who- was coming. Your eyes widened in fear and you looked to the front door which was abruptly opened by the devil himself.

Swinging on its hinges and hitting the wall with a forceful hit, the front door was thrown back so harshly that if there was any confusion about who was visiting so late at night it was gone now. Dark red button up with a similar leather jacket to the one you came in with and black jeans, he looked just as terrifying and handsome as you remembered. A cigarette was placed between his lips and an earring shone from his left ear. He smiled that horrible shit-eating grin as he leaned against the doorframe and took a drag of his cigarette before stomping it out on Steve's pretty floor tiles. "Got something of mine, Harrington?" He asked in his gruff and raspy voice that was all too familiar to you.

You looked at Steve in fear and saw that his eyebrows had furrowed and his jaw clenched. He set down the beers on the island before crossing his arms and looking to you and then to Billy. "What the hell's going on here?" He asked, moving to your side; his stance instantly became defensive.

Billy, however, stood calm as ever as if he didn't just barge into a classmate's house at almost midnight. His hair had been slicked back on the sides into the mullet he usually wore it in and his sunglasses were among the mess of golden curly locks as they sat atop his head. He checked you out and whistled before turning to your date with a disgusted look. "Getting naked for another man, baby?" He asked, taking notice of the suimsuit you had on. Your blood boiled. It wasn't fair for him to do this. Not after how he had treated you by forcing you to go to parties of people you hated just so you could sit on his arm and look pretty. Not after he had denied your attempts at trying to love him via physical affection and only wanting you when he felt like it. Not after you had seen just how horribly he treated the kids Steve loved so dearly.

Standing next to Steve, you felt him pull you behind him as he moved to stand in front of you. He rolled up the sleeves to his shirt and looked Billy dead in the eyes. "Got a problem with that Hargrove?" He asked. The minute the words left his mouth you knew he was dead. Not only that, but he had just paid the bill for his coffin and nailed it shut.

Billy laughed and placed his hands in his jeans. "Yeah, I've got a fucking problem with that."

It was as if a switch had been flipped and Billy's confident and fake friendly demeanor changed as he charged towards Steve, pushing his chest forcefully offering to fight over you. Steve pushed back and spit down at the floor.

"Guys. Stop. Billy, you broke up with me a week ago. Fuck off." You said, now becoming more confident and standing in front of Steve to try and save him from your ex.

"So? That was last week. I say you're mine this week." He smiled and shoved you to the ground, pushing you into the picture of Steve. The glass frame shattered and you tried to brace your fall with your hands. This turned into being the worst course of action possible and you were left with deep open gashes along your arms and hands.

"Look what you fucking did to my girl, Harrington." Billy said, walking over to the island and taking a swig of one of the beers. Steve shoved himself into the intruder, punching his face with all of his might and a crack resounded throughout the echoey hallways of the Harrington residence. Billy recoiled slightly, putting his hands up as a trickle of blood ran down from his now broken nose.

"Looks like you've got some fire in you after all, King Steve." Billy said with another fake smile before throwing Steve to the ground and stomping on his hand. You heard his fingers crunch under Billy's boots and he winced in pain, yelling out a curse word before forcing himself back up, clutching his bruised fingers and staring daggers into Billy's eyes.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Steve angrily shouted and grabbed a decorative plate out of one of the cabinets in the kitchen, holding it ready at his side to chuck at Billy's head if he needed to.

"What's wrong with me is the fact that you're trying to fuck my girlfriend." He said, moving in towards Steve and wiping his blood on the back of his arm. He put on his tough guy persona with a stance that would instantly turn away even the best of fighters.

"I. Am. Not. Your. Girlfriend." You said, standing up. In the time that Steve and Billy had been arguing, you had enough time to evaluate that your wounds weren't horrible. You had a couple cuts on your feet to match the ones on your hands and arms but other than that, you were fine. You would tell Billy off even with detrimental wounds if it meant saving Steve.

"What was that?" Billy asked, putting a hand behind his ear and pretending as though he couldn't hear what it was you were trying to tell him. So, you told him again.

"I said that I'm not your fucking girlfriend."

Nodding and pursing his lips, he grabs Steve by the collar and throws a punch to his stomach which sends him hurtling to the floor. He grabbed at his abdomen in pain before picking up the plate and chucking it at your ex. It hit him square in the head and you saw a gash starting to form above his eye. Blood dripped down from said gash, travelling down his temple and working its way towards his neck.

"Whoo!" He said, feeling the rush of adrenaline that came with fighting for you. When he had broken up with you -although he would never admit it- it was because he felt as though he wasn't good enough for you. Every word his father had told him had started to take root in his mind and swayed his decisions over whom he felt he was worthy of. But oh, he loved you so much. He wanted the best for you but he never knew how to express it. He wanted more nights like the one where he first opened up to you while the two of you were in his bed, staring up at the posters on the ceiling. He wanted to hold your hands again and remind you of all the reasons he saw you to be the most beautiful human being. It wasn't fair that you had to put up with him, he knew. But there was no way on earth he would ever let you end up with a guy like Harrington.

"Billy, Stop!" You yelled, trying to grab onto his arm only to be shoved out of the way once more. Steve had gotten another plate and threw it, this time missing Billy and sending it hurtling towards the wall behind the two of you. The ceramic shattered and joined the mess of the picture frame.

"I'll stop if you agree to come with me." Billy said, holding Steve by the shirt again with his head facing towards you. He couldn't lose you again. Not this time. Even with all of the thoughts that had driven him away from continuing to be with you, he knew that you were his only solace. And he knew he needed that back more than anything else.

...

(At this point in the story, there are two alternate endings, one where you side with Steve and one where you side with Billy.)

...

Choice one: Billy

You glanced towards Steve with the best apologetic look you could muster. It wasn't his fault that he had ended up in this situation and he had tried his best to defend you. It wasn't fair to him for this fight to continue so you did the best thing you could do to avoid the situation from getting more out of hand. Even if it meant Steve would hate you.

"Okay." You said, agreeing to your now boyfriend again.

"That's what I like to hear." He said, removing his hands from Steve and sauntering towards you, harshly grabbed your arms so he could see how badly you were hurt. He did a once-over before he took off his shirt and wrapped it around the arm that was bleeding heavier than the other one. Then, without a word he snaked his arm around your waist and led you out the front door towards his car that was parked haphazardly out front.

You turned your head slightly to see if Steve would follow you but he didn't. Part of you was thankful that he didn't since it would only lead to another unnecessary fight. The other part of you wished he would.

"Don't look back at him." Billy said, tone firm but less harsh as before. "You're mine."

Everything felt like it was crumbling around you. The night you spent with Steve and the relationship you were thrown back into was enough to get your heart racing even faster than before. You could feel some sort of anxiety attack take over every other emotion of yours as you tried your best to push it down and not to show Billy. His shirt was still wrapped around your cut and you could feel some of the blood start to soak through the fabric, trying to keep your mind on the sensation and not the events of tonight.

Getting into the car, you take your usual place in the passenger seat, eyes downwards. You let everything play through your head over and over until it was just too much and you could feel tears threatening to spill out over your cheeks.

"Hey." You heard your boyfriend say, placing his hand on your thigh when he saw that you were crying. His entire demeanor changed once again and it was starting to play tricks on your mind as you didn't know what side of him was real and what was for show. He was always like this.

"Hm?" Was all you were able to respond with, shoulders slumped.

"I love you. You know that, right? I wouldn't let you end up with some shitty playboy like him." He said, running his hand alongside your face and collecting your tears as he went. He was being so gentle now, you wondered if you had made up the entirety of your date.

"He-He's not like that."

Revving his engine, Billy puts one hand on the wheel and places the other around the back of your seat.

"Sure." Is all he says as he pulls out of the driveway and down the road to his house where he knows he'll be able to watch you. Just as you were about to turn the corner to leave the cul-de-sac, you caught a glimpse of Steve Harrington- former King of Hawkins High -standing outside on his front doorstep with a beer in one hand and an ice pack in the other.

Oh how you wished you could've stayed with him.

...

Choice Two: Steve

"In your fucking dreams, Hargrove." You said confidently, grabbing a knife off the counter and pointing it towards him in a threatening manner. "I'll slit your throat if you touch him again."

Billy grinned and let Steve fall to the floor as the boy clutched his stomach in pain. Walking towards you, he smiled with an antagonizing gaze. "Oh yeah? Is that a promise, girly?"

"Call me that one more time and I'll run you over in that shitty Camaro of yours." Not knowing where this spunk was hidden within you all this time, you held up the blade to your ex boyfriend in a menacing way, looking towards Steve who was still wounded on the floor. 

"Damn!" Billy said, leaning against the wall and watching your date on the ground taking his deep breaths to alleviate some of the pain. "You're feisty today."

"You fucking ruined my date. What did you expect? A kiss on the lips and full compliance?"

He glared down at you with such intensity you thought he was going to kill you. You'd only ever seen that look once and that was when he had the fight with his dad in front of you. That day you had seen what Billy truly lived through and that memory alone was what allowed you to keep persevering through your relationship, convincing yourself that anything he did to wrong you was because he didn't know any better. Because he had gone through so much pain. Crawling over to Steve, you lift him up off the ground ever so slightly as you pull him into your lap to assess the damage. He wasn’t in horrible shape, but he definitely couldn’t take another hit to the abdomen and still feel well enough to attend classes the next day. 

“(Y/N). Move away from him please. You’re only making things more difficult.” Billy said, leaning down to your level and staring you directly in the eyes. Things were different this time. His usual puppy dog gaze wasn’t enough to get you to fold and bend under his will, giving into whatever he so desired. The times when you would hold his face in between your hands and whisper sweet nothings into his ear even after he had treated you with a disrespect you didn’t think to be possible. The last time you would ever see this side of him again would be tonight. 

In a firm but stern voice you glare at him with the same unshakable intensity. 

“No.”

And with that, Billy nodded and placed his hands in his jean pockets, getting up and straightening himself out. He looked sad in a way, seeing you on the floor with Harrington whom he’d hated so much until this moment. Billy didn’t lose easily, but he trusted you. If you decided this guy was enough to satisfy you in the ways he never could, he would finally leave you be.

“I loved you, (Y/N).” 

You felt frozen in time, not able to say anything else to the man before you. He was just a stranger who held a lot of memories, someone whom you would always share stories with but someone whom you would forget as the days dragged on. You wanted so badly to reach out for his arm and to urge him to stay, to allow him to come waltzing back into your life. But you knew you deserved better. You knew he deserved better. 

“Thank you.” You said, as you heard Steve’s door slam shut for the last time that night. Then, you attended to Steve’s wounds as you wondered what would’ve happened had you rekindled the relationship you had with Billy. 

And you knew deep down that you made the right choice. 

[ashbrat488]

Foul Play - Chapter 2

September 2019 (flashback)

Millicent flitted around her room nervously, inspecting her skinny jeans and blue blouse. Earlier that morning, Henry Cavill had asked her out to a pub, and she couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness. He was the first person, let alone a guy, who had shown her any attention since the term started. With his attractive appearance, from the mess of brown curls on his head to his captivating blue eyes, he had a way of making most girls in school weak in the knees with his cocky grin and charming chin dimple. And yet, he seemed genuinely interested in her, the strange American girl.

Slipping on a pair of comfortable flats and grabbing a sweater and her trusty cross-body purse, Millicent made her way down the stairs, only to pause when she heard her father's voice coming from the office.

"Milly? Where are you going?" her father called out.

She stopped in the foyer, letting out a sigh before turning to face him and approaching the doorway. "I'm going to a pub with some new friends."

Her father sighed, a mix of conflicting feelings evident on his face. While she was technically an adult, they were still in the process of establishing their father-daughter relationship. "Okay. Just make sure you have your phone and call me if you need me for any reason..."

Millicent nodded, a grateful smile on her face as her phone dinged, indicating the arrival of her car. "Thanks, uh... Darren."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. Have fun," he said, his own smile forming as he took in her happy demeanor, perhaps for the first time since she had arrived.

She turned on her heels, walked towards the waiting car and slid into the backseat as the driver pulled out of the large driveway and onto the road.

***

Millicent entered the crowded pub, spotting Henry sitting alone in a corner booth. A nervous smile played on her lips as she approached, sliding into the booth beside him. "Hi," she greeted, her voice tinged with nervousness. Henry pushed a cold pint of beer towards her.

"Got you a cold pint... that's how you Americans drink them, right?" he asked, his own smile matching hers.

She nodded, offering a small shrug. "So I've heard. I've never had a beer before, though." Millicent took a hesitant sip, her face contorting into a grimace at the bitter taste of the golden liquid.

Henry chuckled, finding her sweet innocence endearing. He watched her place the beer down, considering whether he should get her something else. "I'll get you something different if you'd like."

She shook her head, determined to embrace the experience fully. Millicent took another strained gulp, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and suppressing a small burp. "Sorry," she mumbled, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Henry's grin only widened.

There was an undeniable charm about her, Henry thought, as he reached out and tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear. Millicent's big golden amber eyes locked onto his, causing him to clear his throat and retract his hand. No, he needed to stay focused. His task was to haze the innocent, mousy American girl, not to develop feelings for her. "So, what brings you to London, Millicent?" he asked, trying to redirect his thoughts.

"Milly, please," she groaned, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "I hate Millicent. I'm half convinced my mother hated me. You haven't even heard my middle name yet."

Henry laughed, enjoying the small frown that formed on her face. Millicent took another large gulp of her beer. "Milly it is," he agreed, sipping slowly on his own drink as he flagged down a waitress for refills.

"Well, my mother passed away a few months ago, right before I graduated from high school. I had the opportunity to come here and attend college, so..." She shrugged shyly, meeting Henry's gaze.

"Oh," Henry sighed, a pang of guilt washing over him. "I'm sorry about your mom."

Millicent shook her head, finishing her beer and pushing the empty glass away. "I don't want to talk about that."

"Sure," he chuckled, deciding to change the subject to something more lighthearted.

***

Millicent emerged from the bathroom, her steps unsteady as the effects of the beer coursed through her veins. The unfamiliar sensation of being drunk left her disoriented and vulnerable. She shook her head, trying to regain her composure and not wanting to embarrass herself in front of Henry. As she scanned the pub, her heart sank when she realized he wasn't in the booth anymore. Instead, she spotted him standing with a group of guys near the bar.

"Henry," she said with a hopeful smile, reaching out to place her hand on his arm as she approached him and his friends. However, he immediately pulled away, his rejection felt by everyone in the group. Millicent's confusion deepened. Weren't they just sharing moments of laughter and flirtation?

"Millicent," he teased, wrapping his arm around the shoulder of an attractive blonde girl who seemed to embody everything she felt she lacked. His grin widened at the disappointment he saw etched on Millicent's face, while the rest of the group reveled in their own amusement. "What do you want?"

"I... I..." Millicent's voice faltered, her words failing to find their way out in the face of the overwhelming humiliation.

"Y-you what?" the girl on Henry's arm sneered, her condescension dripping from every word. Millicent felt tears welling up, the sting of hurt intensifying.

Henry stepped away from the group, his gaze meeting Millicent's with a mix of remorse and defiance. He couldn't ignore the pain he had caused, even as he chose to bury it deeper. He observed the tears streaming down her cheeks, a heavy weight settling upon his heart. "You thought I would be interested in a mousy little American girl with her nose always in a book?" he taunted, his words laced with a cruel edge. Despite the bravado, an undercurrent of guilt tugged at him, a recognition of the damage he had inflicted. "You were just a game, a dare," he confessed, nudging his friend before turning back to the blonde girl and engaging in a final act of callousness, the collision of their mouths sealing his betrayal.

Millicent stood alone in the middle of the pub, her world crumbling around her. The echoes of laughter and the departing footsteps of the group filled the void, amplifying her isolation. She wiped her tear-streaked face on the back of her hands, a mix of emotions washing over her. The blend of alcohol-induced sickness and the profound sense of betrayal left her feeling hollow, wounded by the realization that she had been nothing more than an object of amusement.

***

Darren observed Millicent as she settled into the car, her voice on the phone conveying a sense of distress that tugged at his heart. "Are you okay, sweetheart?" he asked, his concern evident in his voice.

She shook her head, her movements mechanical as she fastened her seatbelt. Tears streamed down her face as she stared blankly out of the side window, lost in her own thoughts and emotions.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Darren offered, his voice gentle and understanding.

Once again, she shook her head, this time with greater urgency. The pain she was experiencing seemed too raw, too overwhelming to put into words at that moment.

"Okay," Darren replied, respecting her decision to remain silent. He understood that sometimes words were inadequate in capturing the depth of one's emotions. "If you change your mind, remember that I'm here for you. We can talk whenever you're ready."

He started the car, the engine's hum enveloping the silence between them as they began their journey home. The weight of unspoken pain hung in the air, but Darren's presence and unwavering support offered a glimmer of solace amidst the turmoil.

Chapter 3