#I definitely sympathise with him right now

[patchwork-crow-writes]

66 - So Small

Don't stand so close, my sweet, for the heat of your skin might cause me to catch and burn away to nothing. Oh, that I could stand to look upon you for just a moment longer, but you shine so bright that I cannot see clearly…! There is nowhere to hide from the merciless rays of your attention - the darkness melts at your approach and between your warming hands I feel so small.

Don't look to me, my dear - your gaze might pierce my frail veneer and you'll see the insufficiency I disguise. For what succour might a shadow such as I provide to the very sun which casts it? I have no gifts to lay at your feet - you already gifted them all to me. You have so much more than I could ever offer and in the shadow of your greatness I feel so small.

Don't leave me here, my love - for I'm nothing without you, don't you see? What is a moon without its sun, or a sky without its shining stars? Though I fear the feelings you inspire in me, to feel nothing at all is more terrifying still. So abide with me a moment in this lonely cosmos, my brilliant light, though you are so big and I am so small.

______________________________

The Dark Menagerie No. 66

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[stevieharringtonwifeguy]

Trans Femme-Stevie where she transitions after graduating, so when Eddie holds the broken bottle in her face in the boathouse, he doesn’t recognise her right away…

oh my god!!! thanks for the prompt- this is a great idea!!!!! behold:

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Eddie isn't thinking when someone enters the boathouse he's hiding in. He isn't listening to what they're saying to each other, can't even hear over the pounding of his own heart and his shallow breaths that sound about twenty times louder than they actually are. And when something digs into his side, prodding at him under the tarp he's hid himself under, he definitely doesn't think as he leaps out of his hiding spot, pinning his attacker to the wall with a broken bottle to their throat.

Her throat. His attacker is a girl, apparently, with soft shoulder-length brown waves and pink lip gloss and big, scared-looking doe eyes. Great, he's on the run from people who will definitely think he murdered one sweet, defenceless girl (she was so sweet, and she didn't deserve to go like that), and the first thing he does is threaten another one.

He's still not thinking, really, when he vaguely registers someone else talking, a familiar voice- Henderson? The kid is saying something, something about trusting them, about how they're not here to hurt him- "I swear on my mother, Eddie."

The girl under his hands nods as best as she can with the bottle still pressed to her throat. "Yeah, swear on- swear on Dustin's mom," she says, voice strained and slightly familiar in a way Eddie doesn't have the brainspace to figure out right now.

Eddie looks to Dustin (and is that Band Buckley behind him? And his neighbour? He didn't even know they knew each other), his eyes wide and sincere. And he backs up from the girl. She immediately doubles over, clutching at her neck with a gasp of relief that has Eddie feeling even worse than he already did.

He sends an apologetic look to the girl as he curls back up into himself, mutters a sorry that has the girl waving him off. She shoots him a reassuring smile and a shrug like hey, been there. It would probably work better if she wasn't still rubbing her neck, and if Buckley wasn't patting her shoulder and sending Eddie a death glare over it.

"You're okay, Eddie, it's just me, it's Dustin- and you remember Max, right? Lucas's girlfriend? And that's Robin and Stevie, remember I told you about them? They're my babysitters. Well, Stevie is, Robin's just like, her... I don't know, helper?"

Buckley- Robin rolls her eyes at Dustin, which Eddie can sympathise with. Like, what the fuck, Henderson, he has literally never cared less about who is or isn't his babysitter. Eddie has no idea who Stevie even is, which is weird now that he thinks about it. She's got to be around Eddie's age, and there's only one high school in Hawkins, so he must have seen her at some point. And she is kind of familiar, but Eddie feels like he'd definitely remember seeing this girl around. She's really pretty, soft golden skin dotted with moles, and her shoulders had been firm with muscle when he'd felt them, like she did softball or something.

Actually. Eddie squinted at her a moment. Golden skin. Moles. Droopy, hazel eyes. Muscles. Stevie.

"Wait, Harrington???"

Stevie freezes up again, the same fear returning to her eyes that she'd had when he held a bottle to her throat. Robin glares at him even harder, Max joining in, and even Henderson seems a little defensive.

"Stevie, yeah," she says, voice cool. "Problem?"

Holy shit. "No! I mean- me too! But, uh, opposite."

Stevie's eyes light up, and everyone's jaws drop. "What, really? But- you've always been-"

Eddie nods. "Yeah, since middle school. Remember? I'd just moved to town and I had that buzzcut? My uncle was letting me, like, be a dude and I kind of overcompensated. Worst haircut of my life."

"Holy shit," Stevie whispers, voice full of awe. Eddie can relate.

They both sit for a moment, revelling in the mutual wonder of finally meeting someone even a little bit like them.

And then Dustin ruins it.

"So what happened with Chrissy, Eddie?"

Oh, yeah. He'd almost forgotten this was the worst day of his life.

[bongo-clash]

Peacock Au Part 2

Okay so!!! Part two of this post about the DPxDC eldritch Danny fic that I'm now calling the peacock au lmao!!!!

(Chapter two of the fic under the cut) (Edit: You can now find part 3 Here!!!)

-

When the feeling of being just slightly dispersed settles onto the outer layer of his skin while he’s lying in bed, Danny knows what’s about to happen.

The thing is, he’s in his pyjamas. Sure, he could just stay in his human form for the summoning- because he’s done it before and it went fine- but he never knows who it’s going to be, and being spirited away to some college students’ dorm in his pyjamas is embarrassing. And sure, having something appear in the circle in the first place is probably enough that they’re not paying attention to what he’s wearing either way, but he refuses to bank on that. So, with a sigh, he allows himself the transformation, his human appearance falling easily away. 

It always feels more natural to be a ghost during rituals, probably because they’re summoning a ghost and not a human, but still, it’s different. He feels that little bit looser, maybe even a little more himself, though he guesses being a bit more glow-y is just nice generally, and the space decals that tend pop up as part of his whole light-show-summons are a homely touch. On the other hand, it does make it harder to take stock of his surroundings when he finally fades into view wherever he is. He can make out vague grey walls and floors, but that’s about it. 

Well, that and the man in front of him. Blond, taller than him if he wasn’t in the air, somewhere past his forties, wearing a beige trenchcoat and looking oddly terrified. Danny can see his hands shaking just a little. Does he know this guy from somewhere?

“Uh, dude?” Danny calls, going for something light. It’s annoying being dragged from the comfort of his own home, definitely, but this guy doesn’t look like some cult member, and if he’s alone and this scared it might mean he really needs the help. Danny can sympathise with doing stupid things in stupid situations. “You good? You’re not looking too hot there.”

He knows he’s using ghost speak, but it feels weird to use English in a summoning like this, and fortunately, Danny spies a translation sigil wrapped around the inner centre of the circle, so he knows it should be translating right back to the guy in front of him. Very handy for language barriers, he’ll admit- and it’s working, too, if the reply is any indication. 

“I was told you could- you could help with the pits?”

His voice is gravelly, and he can’t tell if it’s because he’s nervous, doesn’t speak much, a smoker, or all three. Either way, probably not Danny’s business, and right now he’s just curious about what the man’s talking about. “Pits? That’s kinda vague, man. What pits?”

“The Lazarus pits to, uh, to be specific. There’s a huge one cropping up under Gotham that’s not supposed to be there, and the local- I mean, the locals are getting antsy about it. I… heard you could take care of ‘em.”

Lazarus Pits. He’s heard of those, Clockwork’s mentioned them a couple of times. They’re natural portals that open when enough energy is built up, and end up stabilising into the ground instead of collapsing to help seep ambient ectoplasm into the air. They don’t work as actual portals after that, but it’s vital to keep at least a few around no matter how corrupted they can get through human interference, because it keeps the balance of both realms steady. Having too many around isn’t a good thing, though, and especially not in populated areas. It can cause ecto-contamination, which is a lot more dangerous when you haven’t been around it since birth (or if you aren’t from Amity). 

Speaking of which, it certainly is stinking up the place, now that he’s aware of it. Or maybe that’s just Gotham, he’s heard a lot about-

Hang on. Gotham. Weird potentially magic dude. He knew he recognised him! That’s John Constantine! Danny’s heard of John Constantine! Sam’s got her fingers in enough credible occult spaces that they’re at least vaguely aware of some of his endeavours, but if he’s in Gotham then that probably means he’s doing something for the Batman and, wow, Danny totally would’ve tried to go more professional for this if he knew this was going to be his first encounter with the Justice League,of all things. 

Well, he guesses it’s too late now. At least the guy’s not being too weird about it or anything. “Man, yeah, I’ve totally got the smell stuck up my nose now that you mention it. Do you get that as well? Since, y’know, you’ve probably dealt with a couple ghosts.”

“Uh… no, I don’t think so. But can you fix it?”

Dang, the guy seems stressed about this. Maybe he just doesn’t like being in Gotham territory? He’s pretty sure he’s heard of Batman having a thing about magic. “Sure I can.”

“…Will you fix it?”

Danny figures that if they already know about his status through his Zone maintenance duties, and he’s going to be helping the Justice League, he might as well show off a little bit. Assenting with a hum and trying not to grin, he puts his hands to the floor, and lets his ectoplasm reach out to the source of the smell, sending a flash of light across the ground as it goes through. When it twinges back a response, he closes his eyes, and his energy curls around it, threading through like needles to seams, and pushes it shut with a gentle nudge. Luckily, it hadn’t been around for too long- barely fully formed and not even corrupted by human contact yet- it would’ve be a lot more difficult if it had. 

He lets his hands rise up again after a long moment, looking to Constantine for a reaction. He can’t quite gauge what the man is thinking. “Alrighty, that should’ve done it.”

“Uh… cheers?”

He’s about to say something along the lines of ‘no problem’ or ‘you’re welcome’, but then he remembers he should probably warn him about the aftermath so he doesn’t freak. “The pit shouldn’t come back again, but just as like, a PSA: you might see more shades than usual hovering around for the next while. It shouldn’t be too big a deal so long as you leave ‘em alone, though, so don’t worry about it.”

For all that Danny’s trying to be considerate here, Constantine doesn’t look very considerated. “Can I- uh, yeah, great advice. ‘Appreciate it. But, can I ask just, y’know, what you are? Or not.”

“…Dude, what d’you think I am?”He replies, thoroughly bemused. Isn’t this guy supposed to be one of the League’s paranormal experts or something? He really should be able to recognise a ghost by now. “I keep your Lazarus Pits in check. You know, the pits of the dead?”

Okay, maybe a little rude on his side, but he thinks Constantine’s expression is a bit of an overreaction; he can see the sheen of sweat across the man’s forehead reflecting the light of the sigils. “Fair enough! Forget I asked- cheers for sorting out that pit, though. Uh, don’t suppose you’ll just let me go on my way or anything now.”

“Well, I mean, this was a favour for Batman, right?” He asks blithely, pointedly not paying attention to the way the man’s face keeps contorting. He swears Sam said he was more stoic than this. “I’m gonna go- ‘cause I’ve got things to do- but I guess if something comes up I’ll come to you? Or Batman, since this is his city and all. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know.”

Figuring there’s nothing left to be said, Danny lets the return sigil on the edge of the circle activate and punt him back home, wheezing a half-sigh and arching his back once the wispy image of wherever they’d been recedes. He probably looks exhausted after all that- no matter how recently formed the pit was, it still takes a little strain, and he’d just been about to sleep before he got summoned- but looking in the mirror on his wall for confirmation, he doesn’t find his usual face. Something twinges against where his spine should be, confirming its own previously unnoticed presence in the mortal plane. 

…He didn’t go ghost when Constantine summoned him, he used his true form. That must be why he looked so nervous that whole time! And, man, ghostspeak never translates over quite right in this form, either- the Ancients use a different dialect to original ghostspeak- the man probably wasn’t hearing what Danny thought he was at all. What if the only reason he wasn’t attacking was because he was terrified? What must Constantine have thought of him? 

Crap. He has to fix this. How is he going to find him?

[punkascas]

okay, so i don't want to, like, Start Something or whatever so we're doing a barely-tagged, separate post. i also realise this is mostly pointless because others have already said what i'm going to say, and did it better, with far more grace, and sound less like an asshole than i do.

but jesus louise helen christ, the weird fucked up ideas people have around abuse and personal responsibility and the effect of trauma. like as an abuse and csa survivor, it genuinely alarms me to read posts that use arguments i remember my dad making. like, i'm assuming most of this rhetoric comes from gen z — maybe that's inaccurate; maybe that's unfair. but right now i'm very much Having A Moment Here that the kids aren't alright.

no 22-year-old should be repeating the same awful, manipulative, logically and morally bankrupt justifications for violence and torture my dad says. like literally what's in the first two episodes of ofmd s2 is torture.

i love ed; he's an amazing character. taika is hella wowza top marks acting him. but like.

like.

torture, my dude. physical and psychological. trauma. harassment. that we see the lasting effects of through s2.

just. i. what??

so here we go, okay. have too many, zealously highlighted screenshots so i can dig into details.

cut to save your dashes. content warning for discussions of abuse and trauma (if that wasn't obvious), as well as spoilers for ofmd s2.

re: ed knew what he was doing was wrong and felt guilty about it at the time:

we have no on-screen, textual examples of this. not in the dialogue; not in the acting; not in the blocking; not in the cinematography or music. nothing.

knowing the crew are overworked and kind of traumatised by all the violence, ed bribes them with cake. because, as we know, cake like tea fixes everything. only ed wasn't even with them to share in the eating of the cake. he made izzy responsible for that. he doesn't give the crew a break; he doesn't choose less ethically-fraught prizes to hunt. there is not one scene of ed talking directly to the crew — until he points a gun at each of them.

we see ed crying (and drinking, and rhino horn-ing [way to help further extinction, man]) but it's always paired with shots or flashbacks that reference stede. ed is still all up in his feelings about stede, and ed confirms this when he tells frenchie the myth about albatrosses never needing to return to land. ed cannot go back, does not want to go back, because he was rejected. (like, stede is literally landed gentry, come on!) all he wants to do instead is stay at sea committing to this unhinged version of unstable, sadistic piracy.

but okay, okay. say we ignore all of that. let's say ed does feel sorry and guilty and ashamed of his actions. he knows what he's doing is wrong and unfair and cruel. that it's harming others. that it's particularly harming the dude that ed has, for better or worse, basically spent his life with (izzy; i mean izzy). ed… still continues to do the things! how far off are we at this point from the definition of malicious? you know action x hurts person b and then you do it anyway. is that honestly a better, happier, more ethically defensible reading of the character?

re: the crew didn't mutiny because they love ed despite his violent, sadistic actions.

mutinies were a thing, yes. but both historically and in the world rules established by the show, mutiny is disincentivised through threats, distraction via extra work, and corporeal punishment. we see both ed and izzy use all three of these to try to prevent the crew from disobeying orders. they didn't wait until the storm and izzy shooting ed to mutiny because they understood or sympathised with ed; they took the chance to kill him then because that was the first real opportunity they'd had. the reward finally out-weighed the risk given that ed was going to kill them all that night anyway.

again, we have no scenes, no dialogue, no visual or audio cues to tell us that the crew understands or loves ed — excluding izzy, obviously. fang could also be on that list, if you take into account his personality and his behaviour both in s1 and later in s2 in the fishing boat scene. but in the first two episodes, we only see the crew show trauma responses around ed. they talk about him but almost never to him. and when they do have a direct conversation with ed, it is either confrontation or head down, submissive, "of course, blackbeard; anything you say" placating. i'm so baffled where the show points to any sign of love from the crew towards ed before his "death".

re: ed can't be held responsible because he was suicidal.

uhm. no. hard no. a harder no than stede's brazilian cherry wood mast. fucked up people do fucked up things but part of being an adult is owning your fucked-upped-ness and not fucking up others while you work on unfucking yourself. children, children are not fully responsible for the impact of their actions on others when they're deep in their feelings, especially if they're feeling their feelings as a trauma response. this is because literally their brain cannot do that kind of control. it doesn't have that software pack installed yet. ed does have all the adult updates installed, even if he isn't running them at that moment. he has no right to take out his feelings on other people: to maim them, to psychologically torture them, to abuse them, to work them to exhaustion. to kill them. he does not get a free pass to do suicide by abused employees. (like suicide by cop but more indirect and passive and harmful.) talk about passive aggressive.

secondly, ed is not just passively suicidal and happy to find new risks that might end his life. he is very purposefully taking izzy with him (see: literally removing the bits of izzy that would help let him walk away from ed; the fact that ed becomes actively suicidal only once he thinks izzy is dead; the whole keeping izzy's corpse in front of his and stede's beach shack i mean inn — the codependence, she runs deep). ed is also putting the crew through the same risks, the same isolation, the same danger. both stede and izzy agreed that ed had gone full scorched earth policy. you don't get forgiven for the murder part of a murder-suicide pact just because of the suicide part. not to mention that no one (once again, you could potentially argue izzy as an exception) was good on a murder-suicide pact with blackbeard.

and then to say the crew felt guilty? i assume i'm misreading that. the crew. felt guilty. for ed's actions. that is, if not victim blaming and if not darvo, a very close inbred cousin of them. like hapsburg jaw inbred close.

re: ed healing and his view of himself as a monster.

to heal means, in part, to accept responsibility for the harm you've caused, whether it was intentional or not. it means making amends. it means building or rebuilding relationships where possible. it means putting the other person or persons' feelings and boundaries and need for safety above your desire for absolution or forgiveness. it means working through your own guilt and shame and anger (or whatever drove you to act the way you did) in a separate space, not with the people you hurt, but someone who can be a step removed, more impersonal and objective to help you reflect and face hard truths as needed. i say this as both someone involved in activism and community reparations and as an abuse survivor who has done nearly 30 years of therapy learning this in order to not hurt people. it's not ed's fault he's fucked up just like it isn't my fault i am. but it is on me, like it is on anyone, to make sure i limited as much as possible the harm i can cause to others because i learned some awful but very effective tricks at a young age to survive.

ed does not really do any of the above. he doesn't say "sorry". he speaks in generalised language. he complains about the cat bell (which he seems to wear only for one day, given the implied timeline with lucius and pete's engagement). i have a model ship on a stand that says "this is a safe space ship" as a joke because i work for the government and have written press releases that sound just like ed's "apology". where you take no responsibility and encourage "the culture" to move on.

so, really, my question becomes: ed sees himself as a monster. in s1, we had enough balance between ed's current actions and his referenced past actions to see this belief as likely untrue. in s2 though — i mean, is it? is that an unfair or inaccurate belief? i can understand how carrying that belief can get in the way of ed's growth and eventual healing but like. from an outside perspective of ed-the-fictional-character. he's not a "good" person. he's capable of and has done and continued to do horrible, cruel things. ethically, can you argue with that statement about him?

re: ed trying to destroy relationships because of his self-worth issues and instead the consequences of his actions proving that he's loved.

this is the point that made me go: right, no, i need to respond. i need to say my piece about this. izzy and the crew suffering ed's violent tyranny and then sticking around on the revenge anyway afterwards is not a sign of love. it is not showing love to bear pain for someone. it not showing love to let someone mistreat you, threaten you, hurt you, maim you. their actions are selfish and done to give them feelings of power and control over you. lying back and thinking of england to get through it is not love. it is absolutely a survival technique. but it is not love when you do it at the expense of yourself or others.

i also disagree that ed was trying to push people away or break his relationships with others. we know from s1 that ed is fairly blasé about whether crew members die. again, we don't see any friendly or intimate exchanges between ed and any of the crew to imply any kind of relationship there beyond "tools who accomplish ed's goals". the one exception, as always, is izzy. and as previously stated, ed seems bound and determined, in a very conscious way, to bring izzy into death with him. ed does everything in his power to make izzy want to kill ed, or at least agree that it's best if ed dies, and to want to kill himself so ed doesn't have to die alone. that isn't ed breaking that relationship; it's making it permanent in a really fucked up shakespearian way. the only relationship we see ed waffle between wanting to keep and wanting to push away is stede. after his corporate "apology" and the fishing trip with fang, all of ed's dialogue is with stede and a little bit with zheng until izzy's death scene. the crew loving ed just isn't a thing, at least not one we're shown. not from either side. ed's relationships are with stede and kind of, sort of with izzy (because he does manage to, if not fully break, do some major damage to that).

love did not save ed. ed wanting to live, because stede came back, because he didn't want to jump off hornigold's cliff in the first place, saved ed. izzy saved everyone else.

so yeah: that's it; that's the post. the rhetoric that abuse is love or that abuse can be "cured" with love or that trauma isn't lasting and serious and has impacts on people's daily lives is just. wild. wild.

and terrifying.

my dad was born in the 40s. why is anyone born in the 80s or later still defending this mindset? it honestly, truly freaks me out.

guess it's good i have a fucking therapy appointment on monday.

[thelov3lybookworm]

You Think I Wanted This? (Part 2)

Part 1

Summary: The wedding day has arrived.

•○●⛦●○•

A/n: Ehehe im so excited for yall to read this aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh

anyways, enjoy!

•○🌑○•

If there was one word that could describe the situation around the palace, it would be chaos. But ten times worse.

The time was flying by, and it was getting incredibly hard to keep herself from screaming in frustration. The anxiety building up in her, the worries... it was hard to focus on anything.

The wedding would take place today in the great hall in just a few hours, and Y/n could not stop the tremor in her hands.

The only thing that comforted Y/n was the fact that Cam was now present with her, in the Palace, having returned from Basgiath during the leave granted before his second year.

Due to being the son of the king, he had been granted some leniency so he could attend Y/n's wedding.

That, and the books Y/n was forced to read, being a healer.

All alone in her room now, all she could do was read through the boring texts again, because that was the only way she could stop thinking about the inevitable ruining of her life.

A knock startled Y/n, and she glanced at the small clock she kept on her desk, frowning when she realised there was still, at the very least, an hour until the maids came to get her ready.

Standing, she called out. "Yes?"

"May I come in?" The voice was unmistakably female, with the confidence of someone far older an experienced than the owner of the voice should have been.

Y/n walked over, opening the door a crack to find Violet Sorrengail waiting, her hair in a messy braid hanging over one shoulder.

Y/n blinked, then opened the door wider, letting her in.

"Sorrengail, what brings you here?"

Violet took a deep breath, letting the door fall shut behind her before speaking.

"Did you ask to be married to Xaden?"

Y/n blinked, taken aback. "Xaden? Why would I want to be married to him?"

Violet sighed, frustration evident in the dark circles under her eyes and the tension in her shoulders. Now that Y/n looked closely, she looked like she had not showered or had a meal in years.

"I- you were staring at him that day like- like you wanted him, and then right after the king announced your marriage and..." Violet took a deep breath, looking like she would have a panic attack any moment. And despite the fact that this girl was involved with Y/n's soon to be husband, that they had something going on, maybe even feelings involved, all Y/n felt was pity for her.

Y/n sympathised with the girl, but there was nothing Y/n could do to comfort her than give false words of hope.

"Look, Sorrengail, there is nothing I can do. I am sorry, I truly am, but I can't put a stop to this wedding, if that is what you are here for."

"But you didn't even try!"

Y/n crossed her arms, rubbing between her brows, realising Violet had been trying to hold in her emotions all along and she was not here for a friendly chat over tea.

"I know the consequences I would have had to bear for objecting, and the wedding would still have happened because no one goes against the king's words."

"You are his daughter! He would have-"

"And you are a grown woman, who, I hope, understands what consequences are. So I am not going to sit here and explain to you what would have happened if I'd done what I wanted to two hours before the betrothal takes place." Y/n glanced at the clock to make sure she had the right timing before turning towards the door, reaching out to clutch the handle.

"You didn't even try." All anger had dissipated from the rider's voice, and the tears in her eyes made her look like she was ready to fall to her knees and beg for Xaden to be freed.

Y/n clenched her eyes shut, knowing if she watched Violet cry, she would do end up doing something very stupid, and that something was definitely going to get her killed.

"I am sorry Violet, but there is nothing I can do other than to tell you to return, go to someplace that brings you peace, and stay away from the palace for atleast two days."

The fire of rage again lit up in Violet's eyes, and she stomped forward just as Y/n opened the door for her to leave.

"Fuck you." Violet cursed, and Y/n did not bat an eye at the words as she clicked the door shut behind her.

With a sigh, Y/n returned to her desk.

Not long after, someone again knocked on the doors, though this time it was the servants arriving to get Y/n dressed up all pretty for the ceremony.

Y/n let go of her textbook and let the attendants fuss over her, the mannerisms of a princess that had been drilled into her since she was born keeping her from complaining everytime they pulled her hair too harshly.

Kept her quiet even when the corset was too tight.

Kept her quiet even when all she wanted to do was cry and ask what the purpose of all this was.

•○🌑○•

Violet's pov.

The crowd was silent, watching the bride walk down the aisle who only had eyes for the groom. Some of the held appreciation for what the girl had managed to achieve, some held scorn in their hearts for her getting married to the son of a coward and betraying the kingdom.

Her eyes remained unwavering, her long hair running down her straight back, hands clutching at the small bouquet of flowers.

She was beautiful, Violet had to admit.

The groom too stared at the bride, his hands folded neatly behind his back, and though his expression remained neutral, his eyes spoke volumes about his happiness regarding this marriage.

At least the two of them knew nothing could come out of this marriage, and no one would be disappointed after the outcome turned out to be hatred.

The moment the bride took her position at the podium, the priest started speaking.

After long minutes of droning, the bald priest finally asked the question that the groom, bride and Violet all dreaded.

"Do you, Xaden Riorson, take Y/n Tauri, to be your wife?"

Violet's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the tense Lieutenant, who, if possible, tensed even more as he answered.

"I do."

"Do you, Xaden Riorson, swear to be loyal throughout this marriage to your wife?"

At that, Xaden jerked, his head turning a little towards where Violet was standing, but then he stopped himself and stared again at his to be wife.

"I do."

The princess blinked in confusion, and her eyes slowly swept the crowd as she searched for something.

Violet moved, trying to conceal herself behind the pillar she was standing next to.

Of course, the two girls met eyes before Violet could be successful.

Violet watched as exasperation and pity filled Y/n's eyes, and Violet lifted her chin in confidence she didn't feel.

"Do you, Y/n Tauri, take Xaden Riorson, to be your husband?"

Violet watched as the princess swallowed and spoke, no other sign of hesitation or anxiousness in sight. "I do."

"Do you, Y/n Tauri, swear to be loyal throughout this marriage to your husband?"

"I do."

The lack of hesitation almost made Violet feel bad, because the certainty that dripped from the princess's voice told Violet that even if Xaden continued to pursue Violet behind close doors, the princess would stay loyal to him.

Almost.

"I now pronounce you two married. You may kiss the bride."

Violet held Y/n's stare until Xaden was right in her face, and then she closed her eyes, and let him kiss her.

Violet turned away, walking out of the huge doors and making her way to the flight field near the palace.

She knew she should have heeded the princess's advice, but she couldn't stop herself from seeing him get married by her own eyes.

Even if the bride was not who Violet wished.

•○🌑○•

@artists-ally @riddlesb1tch

Xaden Taglist: @sidrapotter @anniiittttaa @pirana10 @harrystylesfan2686

[beenbaanbuun]

Hey bunny! Sorry for bothering you when I'm sure you're in the middle of perfecting the addams!matz fic, but I have a kinda specific request I'm not sure I'd trust anyone else with.

I've been feeling kinda low on the self esteem/body image scales, but whenever I look for comfort fics I find that a lot of them cater towards chubby or curvier readers, which is great! I'm really happy that authors are doing that... but as someone who has the figure of a crayon, and is insecure about not being curvy or "feminine" enough, or worse that I appear child-like, it kinda just serves as a reminder some days T-T

So would it be too self indulgent to request a comfort/body worship fic with either Mingi or Yeosang with an s/o who's not curvy and is insecure about it?

No hard feelings if that's outta your comfort zone tho! I geddit ^^

Have a good day bunny, hope you have nothing but happy, snuggly, cozy vibes <33

~Lyra

i get where you’re coming from completely!! i feel like as a curvier girl i’m very lucky because it’s fairly easy to find fics catered towards me. i guess due to my own ignorance i haven’t really taken notice of a lack of fics that don’t cater to me but now you point it out i can see that it’s definitely true! i hope that i can write this perfectly for you because i feel like everyone should have fics that include them!

so i’m under the impression that mingi does not give a fuck about body type in the slightest

i mean we’ve all seen his fan calls - the man flirts with anyone regardless of body type and he’s so real for that!

but despite your boyfriend’s love and affection, sometimes your own brain gets to you a little

and sometimes the time you spend picking yourself to pieces in the mirror increases to a level that’s become concerning to mingi

he’ll catch you from time to time, just standing there and running your hands over your form

and, sure, he may be a little oblivious sometimes, but he isn’t dumb; he knows that it can’t be anything good

it’s not really a surprise when the two of you are getting ready for a date night and he catches you doing the exact same thing

he doesn’t say anything as he crawls on the bed, choosing to relax as he waits for you to finish, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t worried

still, even with him wondering whether or not you’re okay, he can’t help but admire how pretty you look in that dress

the way it elegantly hugs your body, stopping at mid-thigh to reveal just enough of your pretty legs to draw him in, but not enough to send him feral

well, even more feral than usual that is; you could be dressed in a pair of ratty old pyjamas and that man would still find something to make his dick twitch

“mingi,” you say after a short while of him admiring you, “do you think i look alright?”

his brow furrows and he scoffs in dismay

he’s almost offended in a way because how dare someone say something like that about his girl?

then he remembers that you are his girl and the fact that you’re saying it should probably be more cause for concern than offense

“you look better than alright, princess,” he says, “you think i’d be sat here undressing you with my eyes if i didn’t?”

you send him a glare through the mirror

“that’s not the point, mingi,” you grumble, “i know you think i’m hot but…”

“but what?” he asks, voice thick with worry, “you’re not worried about what other people think of you, right?”

you begin to shake your head, although you feel like your denial isn’t necessarily true

so instead you shrug, and with a sigh you tear yourself away from the mirror so you can go and sit on the edge of the bed next to mingi

he budges his legs over, making space for you to perch yourself on the mattress

“i mean i guess so?” you say, “i just… i don’t want people thinking i look like a child or something, y’know?”

mingi doesn’t know - the last thing he thinks of you is ‘child’, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t try and sympathise

he shifts one of his hands from behind his head to rub against your arm soothingly

“i don’t think you look like a child,” he says, “i think you look like my girlfriend; my very pretty, very sexy girlfriend, very mature-looking girlfriend.”

and while you appreciate his words, you can’t help but feel like they don’t mean much coming from him

it makes you feel bad, of course, but your boyfriend telling you you’re hot just doesn’t fill you with confidence about what everyone else thinks

“you don’t count,” you pout, “you have to think i’m hot.”

you don’t see the way mingi rolls his eyes before shoving himself into a sitting position

he shuffles his way over until he’s right behind you, close enough to swaddle your upper half in his overly-lengthy arms

he squeezes tight, just how he knows you like it

“i don’t have to think anything,” he kisses the spot just below your ear, “i think you’re hot because i have eyes and i can see that you’re hot.”

you can’t help but giggle as he nuzzled his nose into your neck, puffing out blasts of warm air against the sensitive skin

he always could find a way of making you laugh, even if in this situation, you’d personally class it as cheating

“well,” you say through your giggles, “i also have eyes and my eyes say the opposite!”

“yeah, but i don’t trust your eyes,” he kisses you, wet and sloppy and soft, against where your shoulder meets your neck, “they’re connected to your brain and me and your brain aren’t the best of friends.”

his hand move until they’re flat against your ribs, thumbs smoothing over the fabric of your dress

he almost wished the dress wasn’t there at all, wanting to feel the skin to skin contact, but he hardly thought now was the best time to ask you to strip

“you love my brain,” you counter, “my brain is me and you always tell me you love me!”

he smiles; you feel his teeth brush against you

“true,” he says, “but your brain is also mean to you, and anyone who’s mean to my baby is my enemy, okay?”

it’s a silly argument, but you can’t help but nod along in agreement

“good,” he says as he feels you give into his compliments, “now we have two choices; we either go out on the date, or we lie here and cuddle. it’s up to you, princess.”

you know which one he’d prefer; the way he’s stuck himself to you back like a limpet is enough evidence of that

but you can’t quite decide for yourself

one one hand you’re already dressed and made up, plus the fact that you’ve been wanting to go to this place for ages now and tables are really hard to book

on the other, taking the uncomfortable shoes off and crawling into bed next to your overly-clingy boyfriend seemed just so tempting

perhaps the choice isn’t that hard after all, you realise as you lean over - boyfriend still very much attached to you - to grab your makeup wipes

“pick a film, then,” you instruct as you take one out of the packet and begin to rub at your face, “and make it a good one!”

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

Ask Me Anything -- Keldin Sands

What were your initial thoughts upon being woken up and told you're the captain now?

For a solid week, I was dead certain that I was dreaming. I mean. I went to sleep under the assumption I’d be waking up in orbit around Hylara, then suddenly I’m waking up in the medbay but we’re still years away and the crew isn’t there and instead there’s these new people and the captain is Doctor Aspen Greaves? And then everyone’s like, oh, actually you’re the captain now? Yeah, I definitely assumed this was a coma dream. It took me a while to accept otherwise.

To be honest, even now, if I do suddenly wake up in orbit around Hylara with Captain Reimann there, I won’t be entirely surprised. I’d definitely be relieved.

Are you concerned that there are also colonists planted on the Courageous by whomever planted the crew members to sabotage/experiment on the ship?

Oh, yes. If that wasn’t a serious risk, I wouldn’t have been recruited.

Do you feel like the stressors of the many situations are getting to you?

I’ve been overstressed since I woke up from chronostasis. At this rate I’m just doing my best to keep the ship in one piece and the crew from degenerating into a violent stress-crazed mob.

When you first read Kinoshita's notes what did you think of former Captain Reimann's admittance that he also had a loved one aboard the ship? Did you sympathise with him?

Well, I went through proper channels and got clearance, and he smuggled someone aboard the ship against the rules, so I’m not sure how well he expected that to pan out. I mean. I do sympathise in that his loved one died; he had no reason to expect that. But he should’ve obeyed the rules, they’re there for a reason.

Do you regret taking the offer to be placed on the Courageous?

Yes! This is NOT what I signed up for!

Are there any Tarandran customs, or holidays you hope to continue on Hylara?

I don’t know how taxation will work on Hylara – I imagine that we’ll be working with a central planned economy for at least the duration of my lifetime so taxes won’t be a thing – but I intend to find some way to continue to celebrate the Yeartithe. It’s a beautiful little celebration done in Tarandra once per year, where families and friends gather for a party and exchange small gifts in thanks for the value that they provide each other. People are assured of what value they bring to the family and the community, and children are encouraged to think of their potential and showered with praise about what strong an asset they will become. Once everyone’s gotten their valuations straight, they’re ready to submit their taxes to the government as a final gift and acknowledgement of mutual value between themselves and Tarandra itself, the largest of their communities below humanity itself. It’s a wonderful celebration of individuals, families and communities, and how we help each other and bring value to the whole. Even if the economics are wildly different on Hylara, I hope to maintain enough of the celebration to keep the spirit.

It’s also a very popular time of year for marriages, adoptions, and sorting out inheritances, because doing so at the very beginning of the financial year makes next year’s Yeartithe so much simpler.

How did you meet your husband? Did you propose, or did he?

He’s a painter. My house needed painting. We got to talking when we were sorting out a shortage of Pigment XV-1994 and whether we should wait a month for resupply or just bite the bullet and go with Pigment XV-1983 instead. Ket looked me right in the eye and told me that I’d be staring at the walls of this living room for years and I didn’t need to settle for second best, snatched the pen out of my hand and rescheduled the painting for a month later on my wall calendar.

Three months later I told him he was right, I wouldn’t need to settle for second best, and I asked him to marry me. The Sands’ were a much more high profile family than the Yorlas, so convincing his family wasn’t hard; I bought him into the family with a three year free property lease for his mother that I borrowed off my grandmother in exchange for a concession on some unrelated complex family issues, and we were married by the end of the year.

If you hadn't joined the Javelin Program, what would your dream life have been?

Probably a peaceful life of designing spaceship engines and sipping tea with Ket in a Pigment XV-1994 coloured living room.

What made you fall in love with your husband?

I’m a stubborn guy, and so is he. We were always there to second-guess each others’ decisions and not let the other one get carried away with something that, in hindsight, would turn out to be very stupid. It’s a valuable asset to bring into a family or a business.

Do you miss Tarandan? What is the one thing you'd bring from there if you could?

My husband! Haha, I know, that’s a coward’s answer. The real answer is the food. The food on this ship is as good as the crew can make it, but it’s always a bit unfamiliar. It reminds me how far from home I really am.

If I could bring anything from Earth, it would be the sunset. I hope that when we build the environmental domes on Hylara, they’re transparent, or at least have windows. I want to sip coffee with Ket while watching the sunset again.

How do you imagine your first sight of Hylara?

Boringly, I expect it will be a long-distance image from the onboard light telescope, followed by an analysis from our Kleiner array to check whether Earth’s long-range data on the exoplanet is correct. We’ll want accurate data on Hylara as quickly as possible. At that distance, it’ll just be a dot in space.

Earth said that there’s a chance that there might be water oceans. I hope they’re right. It would be amazing to see oceans when we get close enough.

What are your hopes for the kind of society you guys will build when you get to the planet?

As stable and prosperous a society as we can. It’s going to be a lot of work. I don’t agree with the selection of colonists – an 80% criminal population is a horribly unstable start, and the non-criminal filtering process wasn’t all that great either. Being able to get these people all working together in a society where all of our needs are provided for and nobody’s going to steal or abuse or kill each other will be a massive challenge.

Fortunately, it won’t be my challenge. My job is to get us to the planet; the establishment of the colony can fall into more professional hands.

Did you have any pets before you left?

I had a small flock of pigeons a few years ago, but I handed them off before being selected for the program.

What do you think of Aspen now that you’ve met them, as opposed to only having read their books?

They’re… not what I expected. In writing, they’re much clearer, more direct, more certain. In person, they’re quite changeable and difficult to understand.

I think I just need to get to know them better.

What will you do if your husband doesn't make it?

I don’t know. I promised him I’d keep going. That was the promise we made to each other before going into chronostasis – if either of us had to keep going alone, we would.

But I can’t do that if he dies here. Too much is riding on my shoulders right now. If he dies, I’m going to be in a bad way for a long time, so that can’t happen until the ship and the colony no longer rely on me.

What was the worst bet you ever lost?

Oh I don’t gamble. Gambling is a mug’s game. I’ll take small ‘bets’ on the ship occasionally to help promote crew cohesion, but since the point of those is the social cohesion and not the stakes, merely taking them is a win.

[momobani]

Distraction - &TEAM K - 1.2k

warnings: smut (MINORS DNI!!!), afab reader, oral (fem receiving), fingering, established relationship 

a/n: while i’m busy, i thought i’d bring something out of the vault that’s been sitting around completed. enjoy <3

Boredom doesn’t begin to describe how you’re feeling right now. You had a lot of work to do, your schedule horrifyingly full despite it being summer time off for most people. You’d rather be doing anything else than dealing with your uni work. 

You sigh loudly, plopping your pen down on your desk and leaning back in your chair. You could use a break although you’d been working less than an hour. 

“Something bothering you, babe?” You hear behind you. 

You swivel your chair slightly to find K coming toward you with a plate of freshly cut fruit. You smile at his sweet gesture when he puts it down on your desk and gives you a quick kiss on your temple. He leans on the armrests of your chair while you look up at him. 

“It’s just hard to keep going.” You confess, a frown making its way to your lips. “It’s not exactly the most interesting content.” You elaborate. 

“I’m sorry it sucks, baby.” K sympathises. “Can I do anything?” He asks, leaning in so you’re nose to nose. You sneak a quick kiss on his noise and shake your head. 

“It’s okay, I need to deal with this myself.” You say. “Thank you, though.” 

“How about a little motivation?” He hums. “A little reward for making it this far?” 

You’re sceptical for a moment - there’s a mischievous glint in his eyes and you’re not sure what he has in mind.

“Alright, if you’re offering.” You raise your eyebrows, almost sure this was going to end up in a prank. 

Except it doesn’t. 

Before you even finish your sentence, K is on you, kissing you deeply. Your brain takes a moment to process but your body responds immediately to his touch. You cling to him as he leans down to your level on the chair, practically towering over you while you make out. He breaks the kiss to get on his knees in front of you for better access and you spread your legs to accommodate his large frame. 

You’re panting slightly from the kiss as you watch K run his hands up and down your legs, squeezing gently on your bare skin. Your pyjama shorts come off momentarily and he throws one of your legs over his shoulder while propping the other over the armrest of the chair. 

Your body temp is rising in anticipation, a faint ache starting to make its presence known in your core. K holds your eyes captive with his while he leans down to ghost his lips over the flesh of your thigh, kissing lightly and making his way closer to where you want him. You lick your lips, conscious of your growing desire. 

You’d been quite busy lately so you hadn’t gotten to spend too much time together and it had been a while since you’d found yourself in a situation of this calibre. It only made you want K’s touch more but you knew better than to ask him to hurry; if you did, he would definitely draw it out just to be annoying (his favourite hobby). 

He finishes with a quick nip on the skin of your inner thigh before bringing a thumb to trace shapes over your underwear. You shift slightly, trying to get more friction but it only makes K smirk up at you. 

“I’ve barely touched you and you’re already squirming.” He observes smugly. “Whatever will I do with you, my dear?” He asks rhetorically. 

You pout slightly. “Forget I did that?” You say hopefully. K considers it for a moment.

“Nah, but I’ll be nice today.” He says, moving his thumb and starting to work your clit over the fabric of your panties. You’re not sure what he means, he’s always nice, but you’re in no position to complain. 

You sigh contentedly as K strikes up a steady pace, continuously teasing you until all you can think about it him ripping away the remaining layer on your body. Your squirming gets more obvious and K chuckles at your impatience. 

“Look at you, baby, are you that desperate?” He asks but doesn’t wait for an answer and grasps at the waistband of your underwear to slide it off you. You assist by lifting your hips, so grateful that he wasn’t going to play the cat and mouse game today. “Now be good and stay still.” He instructs. 

Your legs spread of their own accord again, displaying your dripping folds to the man in front of you. He drinks you in, eyes growing hungry as the corners of his mouth quirk up and he dives in, mouth attaching to your pussy. His tongue swipes up and down your folds to you clit and back, tasting you with a satisfied hum as his eyes close and he savours the taste. 

The image fries your brain and you’re left mouth agape, fighting for your life because your soul left you body as soon as his tongue made contact with your skin. You keep your eyes open, watching as K’s eyes find yours while he starts to fuck you with his tongue, a zap of pleasure shaking you to your core. You can’t help but melt into the chair, deflating into the cushion as your boyfriend keeps tonguing at your hole. 

His hands roam your legs, kneading and gripping onto you for stability while his mouth works miracles on your cunt. You find yourself sighing and gasping gently, hips starting to grind into his face by themselves even though he told you to stay still. He pulls away, as if to give you a warning look but you don’t pay attention because all you can think about is how good he’s making you feel. 

For a moment, K stills your hips, his large hands gripping your legs to stop your movement before lowering his head down to your pussy again. He chooses your clit as the next victim, attaching his mouth and sucking lewdly, tongue somehow making its way into your hole again - how big is his mouth anyway? But the thought doesn’t land because the action makes you squeak loudly, back arching into K.

He makes you into a whiny and incoherent mess easily, adding a finger to your needy hole and pumping it in and out steadily while he continues to pleasure your clit. You’re beyond voicing anything except whimpers and moans, a mixture of profanities and K’s name all over again until you feel your walls start to tighten incredibly. 

He must feel you’re so close because he picks up the pace of his finger and stills his mouth over your clit, letting his tongue do all the work. In a matter of seconds, you come undone, body shaking with the strength of your orgasm, mouth hanging open and throat dry as you gasp loudly.

Your brain feels like mush now, as you start to calm down, K’s finger slowing down and gently pulling away after a few moments. You notice his lips are swollen and his mouth and chin are all wet but he’s grinning up at you. 

“Like your reward?” he asks cheerfully. You, on the other hand, are blissfully on another planet but you nod automatically. 

“Yeah,” you croak. “I did. Thanks, babe.” you manage before feeling the full weight of your exhaustion. 

“Let’s get you to take a nap, you don’t look so good, sweetie.” K suggests, already lifting you out of the chair. 

You suppose you were getting a bonus reward from your very caring boyfriend. 

~

a/n: thanks for reading, feedback is always appreciated <3 just a little something because i'll won't be updating my series for at least 2 weeks.

*copyright 2021- © momobani

[thesunfyre4446]

OMG I cannot take this anymore, I’m so tired of expressing my opinions on team black and getting backlash for it. TB supporters need to learn to not be so aggressive when it comes to defending their “Innocent” team. I’m not a green supporter either but I find myself sympathising more with those characters because I feel like they have reasons as to why they are what they are.

When I’m watching the show, I find myself disliking Rhaenyra. She constantly complains about being a female but yet she never does a thing to support her cause. In the books, I’ve heard she disinherits Lady Rosby and Lady Stokesworth on account of their genders and gives everything to their younger brothers. I did read the passage on which it says this and it was said that both girls were never named heir but they were the firstborn and is it not Rhaenyra’s movement to show that women can rule?

Back to her not doing anything about it, she does things, not a lot but the stuff she does do is extremely damaging to her image yet she still acts on them impulsively; Going to the street of silk with Daemon which leads to her marriage with laenor WHICH leads to her bastard children. Had she just not gone and not interacted with Daemon, she could have picked what man she got to marry, it didn’t necessarily have to be love but she could of picked one that could perform their duty and she could be friendly with. She could have done this because her father was allowing her to pick which was rare in those days and just further proves that Visery’s would ignore the customs for her.

I truly do agree with Viserys when he mentions that Jeaharys would have disinherited her and I don’t think Rhaenyra realises how lucky she is to have him as a father. She abandoned him for 6 years, knowing he was dying of an illness and only comes back to beg him to get out his bed and put himself in pain to defend her which he does because he loves her. Adding onto this, Rhaenyra expects to come back to kings landing and everyone to just follow her just because she was named heir, she didn’t stay there to prove her worth or anything. She left it for the greens to manipulate and take over and she is mad that she has no allies there when she’s the one the went into hiding. She’s been named heir for around 20 years at this point, most of the men that swore to her are dead and like they said in the show, most of those oaths are stale now.

The greens are definitely more politically savvy than the blacks which is how they gained so much support, had Rhaenyra stayed in the court and worked on making allies and proving her worth to the realm then maybe the Dance wouldn’t have started. Her hiding away in dragon stone also definitely helped the greens to take the throne because had she been in kings landing then she could have known straight away that her father was dead and the greens would have had a harder time getting the throne, but she left it open for the taking and gets mad when it is taken.

Forgive me for all this, I’m just so incredibly annoyed right now.

i completely agree with you, anon. some TB stans are just impossible to talk too. i usually love it when people with different opinions that mine leave comments on my posts, but i've gotten soooo many disgusting and disturbing messages calling me names, being racist, being incredible misogynistic towards alicent and just being very weird and aggressive.

idk it's very weird how personally TB stans take the criticism towards rhaenyra and daemyra. i mean, daemon gr00med and choked her - a lot of people are obvs NOT going to support this couple and find it very problematic.

i'm not a huge rhaenyra fan too . her character is kinda boring for me, she's giving me an overprivileged-rich-soccer-mom vibes. and yeah she def was not politically savvy (part of the reason i dislike her lol) and made a lot of mistakes. i think that rhaenyra is def a product of viserys's bad parenting skills. he never prepared her to rule, always justified and defended her mistakes (i mean, how are you going to grow as a person when your daddy defends everything you do no matter what?) and he gave her a false sense of security.

[sunlightmurdock]

For Old Times Sake | Pt. 2

Just a short Drabble on the events that occur after Part 1 takes place <3

Warnings: Some angst, strong language and violence. Straight domestic bliss + fluff at the end.

…

“Just drive to the Hard Deck.” You had said. “He can’t cause a scene there.” You had said.

Rooster thought back to you saying that as he now stood with his back to his truck, the only thing standing between him and getting his ass kicked was you.

You were standing between him and your father in the middle of the parking lot, trying to mediate.

“Bradley, could you just wait inside?” you sighed, “I just need to talk to my dad.”

“You move one inch, Bradshaw, and I’m gonna knock you on your ass.” Maverick spoke past you, pushing against your hand on his chest. Bradley pursed his lips, nodding slowly and pushing his hands into his pockets. He was suddenly painfully aware of the fact he still wasn’t wearing a shirt.

“Yes, sir.” Bradley muttered, avoiding your gaze as you shot him a glare.

“Dad!” You scolded, “Just… calm down. This - look, this isn’t a big deal.”

“Not a big deal? Not a big deal,” Maverick pushed your hand off of his chest, pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a step back. He began to pace as he considered what you had just said. Rooster considered making a run for it, instead just letting out a sigh and leaning back against the car. “It’s not a big deal that a kid I practically raised has been sleeping with my daughter?”

Rooster sighed quietly, that was a cheap shot. Even if his dad was alive, Maverick would still want to kick his ass right now — showing up to a couple of his baseball games as a kid in place of Goose didn’t change that.

“How long as this been going on?” Maverick seethed, stopping in his place finally.

“Just once.”

“Only twice.” Rooster answered at the same time as you. You closed your eyes, sighing softly. You didn’t even have to turn to look at him to know he was wincing at his mistake.

“Well what is it? — Once or twice?” Maverick’s voice was beginning to raise, making Rooster all the more nervous. He glanced back over his shoulder, relieved that those inside of the bar hadn’t noticed what was happening outside yet.

“Alright,” You breathed, taking a step away from Rooster and towards your dad. “If I explain you have to promise not to freak out.”

Maverick scoffed, “I don’t think you’re in the position to be making bargains. Just spit it out already.”

“We slept together in high school one time, that was it, until-“

Your father wasn’t listening anymore. Rooster’s eyes widened at the change of expression on Maverick’s face. He considered running again, more seriously this time. He didn’t like that look.

“High school?”

You winced, knowing that that yell would’ve definitely been heard inside.

“Dad, let’s talk about this somewhere else, please.” You sighed, pushing your fingers up into your hair.

Maverick lurched forwards, going around you. Bradley stumbled as he leapt out of the way, grabbing your arm and holding you in front of him. He knew your father wouldn’t lay a finger on you, even when he was this mad.

“High school? Are you fucking kidding me, Bradshaw?” Your father snapped, “Under my roof? I trusted you to look after her!”

“It wasn’t under your roof!” Bradley answered, like that would make things any better. You looked back at him, exasperated. Your father seethed.

“What was it? - In the car again? — yeah, what a fucking gentleman!”

“I’m sorry, Mav,” Bradley sighed, stepping out from behind you and towards your father. “It wasn’t like that though. She was my best friend, you know that.”

You looked between them, sympathising with the genuine look on Bradley’s face for just a moment. Just a moment, before your father’s fist smashed into the side of his eye socket.

“Dad!”

“Holy shit, Mav’s beating up Rooster!” One of the pilots called out from the doorway to the bar behind you, making a group of them rush out in time to see Bradley picking himself up off of the floor.

“Dad, stop!” You complained, pushing your father back and standing between him and Rooster again. Rooster pressed the base of his palm into his eye, squinting at Maverick. You already knew he was going to have a black eye tomorrow at the awards ceremony.

“Is that Mav’s daughter?” You heard one of the pilots ask from behind you.

Maverick seemed to have gotten it out of his system now, breathing heavily as he stared at Bradley, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Why is this the first time I’m hearing about this?” Maverick whispered angrily, now more aware of the growing crowd of his colleagues on the front porch of the Hard Deck.

Bradley rolled his eyes. He had apologised, he had taken a hit — he wasn’t sure how much further he was supposed to let Maverick go. So, he bit.

“I mean,” You cringed as Bradley began to speak again. You just knew from the tone of his voice that he was over this conversation and ready to put Maverick back in his place. “Is there ever a good time to tell a man you took his daughter’s virginity?”

There was a lingering silence. Broken by someone that Bradley would later introduce you to as Hangman, a fellow pilot, as he giggled, seemingly thrilled by this confession, “Holy shit, Bradshaw.”

Bradley moved out of the way as your father lunged for him again, successfully dodging this time, even with his left eye beginning to swell shut.

“Alright, that’s enough,” You stepped forwards, grabbing your dad by his wrist and looking him in the eye, deadly serious. “I mean it, Dad.”

“Don’t, Y/N — I’m mad at you too.”

“I don’t care.” You retorted, rolling your eyes at the macho act your father was putting on. You had seen that man cry at the movie My Girl more times than you could count. Maverick furrowed his eyebrows, taken aback by your bluntness. You hadn’t spoken to him like this since you were an angry teenager.

“Frankly, dad, I could fuck the whole navy,” The pilots behind you found this particularly hilarious. Bradley chuckled softly at your side. A few hoots came from the crowd until Maverick glared at them. “And it still wouldn’t matter what you think. Because I’m not sixteen anymore. You missed your chance to be mad.”

Maverick opened his mouth to retort, interrupted, “You could put him in the hospital and it wouldn’t change the fact I slept with him.”

“Twice.” Rooster added, his lips quirking up slightly, still amused by your earlier comment. You elbowed him, driving the crook of your arm into his bare ribs.

Maverick was silent for a moment, swallowing hard and glancing at the audience that had formed. He straightened up, keeping his chin high. A muscle in his jaw ticked.

“Are you done?” He asked gently.

“For now.” You answered. Rooster looked between the two of you. It had never been more evident where you got your stubbornness from.

Maverick nodded, glancing between the two of you, “Well. I’ll see you both for dinner before the ceremony tomorrow, and you can explain to me what the fuck you two are thinking.”

You sighed softly, knowing that that was as good as it was going to get. So, you agreed and ended your little show in the parking lot. The next day, you and Bradley did attend the event together.

Bradley picked you up from your hotel in the Bronco, handed you back your freshly cleaned shirt. You had met your dad at a restaurant of his choice near the waterfront.

The three of you got through dinner by pretending. Bradley pretending he didn’t see Maverick’s flash of guilt when he saw the purple and swollen mess that Bradley’s right eye was. Maverick pretending he didn’t want to dive across the table and hit him all over again each time Bradley draped his arm around your shoulders. You pretending like you didn’t know exactly what they both were doing.

You made it through the next few months of your relationship with Bradley the same way. All details of your relationship were on a strictly need to know basis regarding your father — he didn’t need to see PDA, or hear about your lovey dovey dates.

Your name was also a banned topic at work. After Maverick had once heard two of the pilots talking about how jealous they were of Bradley, the rule began that the next person to say your name in his presence would do 500 pushups.

Things with Bradley just worked. For a few months, he drove up to LA on all of his days off, or you flew down to San Diego whenever you could. Then, after thirteen months of just dating on the weekends, your office gave you the opportunity to move down there, and that’s when you began living together.

Your father didn’t take that one well. However, he did take the news of you two moving in together much better than he took the news that followed that step. Bradley hadn’t even wanted to be there when you told him, he was so worried. He had stood in the doorway to the living room as you had told your dad that you were pregnant, ready to bolt at the soonest possibility.

Yeah, your father hadn’t taken that news well at all. But, they say that people humble with age and for Maverick, that was definitely true. He might have given Rooster somewhat of a hard time, but he was more than there for you for your entire pregnancy.

On the day that your child was born, Maverick and Rooster had hugged each other so tight, both of them shedding tears during their first time holding them. After that, Grandpa Mav and Rooster were pretty close buddies again.

….

Tag List

@20th-centu-fairy-girl

@nattygee

@blendedcookiez

@em2213

@blindedbyyourgrace17

@vensidia

@wwwpxper

@imhereimqueerandicannotdrinkbeer

@sparrows-corner

@worldsoldestpizzaslice

@needf0rspeed

@saltyturtlejudgeflap

@auggie-16

@666abby6666

@fantasy-addict354

@a-sweet-little-fangirl

@filteroppsidonthveone

@nqberries

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@ahhmeils

@sydneejean

@lizziespiddiepriddie

@thedeviltohisangel @levylovegood @lovingonshawn @impossiblebagelcowboyfreak @americaarse @pleasedontblameme @sl13-ce @inglorious-imagines

[diazsdimples]

Fuck It Friday!!

Tagged by @theotherbuckley @wikiangela (go check out her new Christmas fic!!!) and @steadfastsaturnsrings please go read all their wips right now!

Today I have a bit of Buck and Eddie's first meeting for the Single Dad's AU!! This bit is a work in progress and will probably be tweaked a bit so would appreciate some feedback (please be nice lol, it's been a long week)

Snippet under the cut (it's a bit long but what's new!)

Buck’s standing outside Carrie’s classroom when he notices the new guy.

It’s not weird, okay, but Buck knows all the parents of kids in both his daughters’ classes and he’s positive he hasn’t seen this guy before. He wouldn’t forget someone so perfectly handsome quite so easily.

The man looks a little apprehensive as if this is the first time he’s done pick up before (and maybe it is, Buck doesn’t know the guy and he’s not about to judge), and Buck instantly remembers what it was like for him when he picked Carrie up from her first day of school. All the moms had flocked him like hungry chickens and grilled him about why he was there, who was his kid, where was his wife, questions that he got all too often as a single dad, but it didn’t make them any easier to answer.

He figures, if this guy is going through half of what Buck went through on his first day of pick up, he’s gonna need a friend.

Buck takes a breath before making his way over to where the guy is standing. He’s hot, that much is blatantly obvious. He’s not overly muscular but the muscles he does have are beautifully toned as though carved painstakingly out of marble. He’s got a light dusting of stubble on his jaw and his hair is fluffy and is styled into what Buck reckons the guy hopes looks like a casual quiff. His hair and eyes are both dark, like melted chocolate, which is unfortunate because that is exactly Buck’s type. In summary: he’s a fucking god.

Buck can definitely be normal about this.

He clears his throat nervously before taking another step closer.

“First time at pick up?”

The guy’s head flicks up so fast Buck swears he can hear it click. “What was that?”

“Is this your first time at pick up? I just – I haven’t seen you here before, not that I’m keeping track but I know most of the parents here, so I was just curious when I saw you and –“ Buck swallows. He’s rambling, like an idiot, and the guy is looking at him with an expression that looks to be a mixture of confusion and amusement, as if he can’t quite figure out if Buck’s a threat or just some dumbass that won’t shut up.

“Sorry, I swear I’m not weird, I’m just –“ Buck holds out his hand. “I’m Buck. Well, Evan, but everyone calls me Buck.”

A wide grin spreads across the guy’s face and Buck heaves a sigh of relief as he takes Buck’s hand, shaking it firmly. His hands are warm and calloused, a sure sign of a man who’s good with his hands. Buck tries very very hard not to think how good he might be with his hands.

“Eddie,” the guy replies, his teeth flashing as he smiles, “Eddie Diaz. Yeah, first time at pick up. Yesterday was actually my kid’s first day here but my Abuela got him.”

Buck leans against a pillar and him and Eddie quickly strike up a conversation. It’s clear the poor guy’s frazzled as hell, Buck learns quickly about how Eddie’s new to town (to be fair, Eddie doesn’t provide all this unprompted, Buck’s asking him a load of questions and Eddie indulges him with answers), how he’s been struggling to find somewhere for his son, Christopher, and how he’s trying to navigate life as a single dad. Buck can certainly sympathise.

“Yeah, I get you, when Carrie and Lily’s Mom died, I had no idea what I was going to do, but we worked it out. They’re such great kids -”

A flash of recognition passes over Eddie’s face. “Wait, you’re Carrie’s dad?”

Buck pauses, mid-sentence. “Uhhh, yeah?”

Before he has a second to breathe, Buck’s being pulled into a bone-crushing hug, and it knock the air out of him. He makes a surprised “mmfff” into Eddie’s shoulder and he pats his back, a little bemused, until Eddie releases him.

“Sorry,” he says gruffly and Buck swears he sees the slightest hint of a tear behind Eddie’s eyelids. “It’s just – Christopher told me how she stood up for him in class yesterday and he was so happy, he’s never had a friend like that before. You’ve done an amazing job with her, man.”

Buck can’t help but swell a little from the praise. “Yeah, she’s a great kid, I’m so lucky she’s mine you know. And she told me all about Christopher yesterday, she’s so excited to have him in her class. Apparently, he’s her new best friend.”

Eddie laughs loudly at that, the noise warming Buck’s chest and spreading through his fingers. “Yeah, well, that’s seven year olds for you.”

(No pressure) tagging @daffi-990 @hippolotamus @rainbow-nerdss @loserdiaz @malewifediaz @thewolvesof1998 @jesuisici33 @theplaceyoustillrememberdreaming @housewifebuck @disasterbuckdiaz @callmenewbie @cal-daisies-and-briars @wildlife4life @spotsandsocks @smilingbuckley @fortheloveofbuddie @nmcggg @fruitandbubbles @watchyourbuck @fionaswhvre @evanbegins @buckbuckgoose @bucksbackwardcap @aspecbuddie

[amykiriwosdefenselawyer]

Some thoughts on Kiriwo's psyche

I know Kiriwo's backstory wasn't meant for us to sympathise with him but I still do.

Neglect fucks children up heavily, but it's often overlooked. He was treated as useless due to something he couldn't control, it would make perfect sense if eventually a child's subconscious normalised and internalised that, and decided that if everyone was going to look at him with hate or disgust or worse, pity, he might as well give them it.

Kiriwo responds so positively to praise, of course a neglected child would do that and run to the first parental figure who'll give them something. Knowledge, guidance. Now Baal practically raised him, and we all know Baal is basically the Andrew Tate of the demon world. Notice how Kiriwo talks about Baal in too-high regard, even though the latter gives him just the bare minimum and objectively is definitely not the best person to him?

Evil cycles are essentially stress-induced, right? Makes me think all of these origins supporters are just extremely traumatised, and Baal leads them to believe it's normal rather than deeply ingrained disordered traits.

Maybe Kiriwo was genetically predisposed to have a higher chance of returning to origins, similar to how mental disorders can be inherited or have a higher rate of being triggered to develop, but good parenting can outweigh bad genetics. He didn't receive that, and this makes me want to cry and scream and hold him in my hands like that scene with his mom who was supposed to at least be there for him rejecting him, a child, in front of the family for something he couldn't control in the slightest, made me want to commit murder to that entire egocentric ass family.

It's also clear this is why he's so obsessed with Iruma. Iruma was also neglected, but he has a good support system now. I think he knows Iruma is what he could have, or might have become, and his subconscious must be interested, if not perhaps jealous, and cling on, somehow. It's such a good psychological dynamic.

[moonlightdancer26]

You know how people say Harry and Draco suffered the same? I don’t like that I actually like the concept of them being complete opposite.

Like we know Draco is. Rich spoiled pureblood who from a very young age knew where he belonged, who he represented and what he wanted.

Unlike Harry who grew with nothing of that, not even a single friend.

Even the headcaon of snape being Draco godfather is like a slap to Harry’s face, like not only is this kid experiencing parental love but his godfather is present and cares for him to the point of putting himself in deaths arms to protect him, and maybe to be a little angsty Harry is jealous, because the first thing his godfather did was go after the murder instead of taking care and making sure he’s ok and keeping him with him instead of letting rage get the best of him and getting himself in Azkaban.

Moral of my babbling is, I love those panels, the comparisons and envy, for even Draco sometimes envy Harry for things Harry wouldn’t even consider a pleasing.

Oh believe me, as a thriving Draco fan, I’ve seen that claim many times before. Though I gotta say, I may be a fan of Draco, but I am a DEFENDER of my boy Potter. 🙏🏼

I don’t believe their upbringing or trauma is in any way comparable. Draco’s issue is that he was misguided and was pretty much primed to hate muggleborns. A lot of people like to say “oh but Sirius was raised in the same way and he didn’t turn out like Draco” as a way to say there’s no reason to sympathise with Draco, but the difference between him and Sirius is that Draco was loved. His family adored him, he was spoiled rotten and his parents would kill for him, so he would obviously look up to them and share their beliefs. Sirius, on the other hand, hated his parents and was abused by his mother (and his father, I reckon his father was rather negligent, which is a form of abuse), so he definitely took it upon himself to position himself as far away from their beliefs and opinions as he could. Again, there’s no excuse for being a blood-prejudiced hoe like Draco, but I don’t think it’s wrong to say “hey, maybe if his loving parents were actually good people and didn’t believe in pureblood supremacy, he could’ve lived a regular life and became a better person.” Anywayyy sorry for getting off-topic but it’s probs been like 2 years since I talked about Draco on this blog 💀 I feel like only my old followers know how much I love him because of how rarely I talk about him now lmao.

Back to the main point, I also agree with you, I just enjoy the idea of Draco and Harry being opposites whilst sharing similar parallels but being too blind in each other’s hatred to ever realise it. I can see some similarities between them, but let’s face it, they’re more opposites than they are twins.

and maybe to be a little angsty Harry is jealous, because the first thing his godfather did was go after the murder instead of taking care and making sure he’s ok and keeping him with him instead of letting rage get the best of him and getting himself in Azkaban.

That’s true ig 😭 I honestly have mixed feelings on the idea of Snape being Draco’s godfather, I personally believe it kinda ruins their relationship, bc I think Snape cared for Draco simply because 1. he (Draco) was the son of someone who took Severus under his wing, and it was Sev’s way of expressing gratitude 2. he saw how misguided Draco was and, considering how misguided Sev was at Draco’s age, he felt obligated to protect and assist him [+ Draco pretty much had no one in HBP; his father was in Azkaban, his mother was at home, and Crabbe and Goyle were no good. He lacked a parental figure in his life who could point him in the right direction. Severus also never had that when he was growing up, so I can’t help but think that Severus, as an adult and a Professor, wanted to be there for Draco and saw a part of himself in him because he knew what it felt like to have no one]. And it honestly just seems like a cliche trope, but I also like imagining a scenario where Lucius asks Severus to be Draco’s godfather and Sev is so moved by the offer that he couldn’t even bring himself to respond 🥹

Moral of my babbling is, I love those panels, the comparisons and envy, for even Draco sometimes envy Harry for things Harry wouldn’t even consider a pleasing.

1. I will definitely be using “Moral of my babbling,” tyvm 2. Same, I can imagine Draco harbouring resentment towards Harry for having such genuine friendships and so many people at Hogwarts who care about him.

[agnezluf]

The Golden Forest

Plot : 9.5/10

The yandere : 8.5/10

Artwork : 9/10

Author and artist : Yun Sori

If you love fantasy romance, then this one is a must read. I was surprised to see the quality of the story and art, especially the story. The plot is so coherent, from the beginning to end (from what I gathered via novel spoiler), with a lot of foreshadowings that makes sense when the twist is revealed in the end.

The characters are all compelling and written with depth and motivation. The author cleverly invented a myth and built a lore that is original and interesting. In fact, it is so good that the manhwa is the one rare case where I don’t mind if the FL does not end up with the yandere.

The yandere here is one of the ML. He is manipulative and obsessive. I see that he loves the FL, but his distorted view on life purpose and sense of duty always clashed with his desire to be with his love/ obsession. His duality makes him a tragic villain that I can sympathise with. But after what he’s done and willing to sacrifice just so he can ascend, I can see that his love and obsession for FL is not enough. Hey many of us love yandere men because of their undying devotion, right? But as a character, I love that he is not just a one note, instead, he is absolutely flawed and human.

If the above is not enough to convince you reading this one, perhaps the artwork could do the job? I mean look at how pretty the design is:

Or this:

This manhwa is based on a novel, however it is not translated yet. I wish we could have EN translation too, because from what I heard, the novel is more rich in nuance and subtleties. Hope someone will pick it up!

The manhwa is still ongoing, but the amount of chapter is quite meaty. You definitely can start now!

- Agnezz

[archiveikemen]

"Black Wedding" Story Event: Chapter 2

Jude's Route

I do not own any of the Ikemen Series content being uploaded on this blog, everything belongs to CYBIRD. Please support them by playing their games and buying stories. Not 100% accurate, expect mistakes.

read this before interacting with my posts

The cultist led us to the room we would be staying in throughout our stay.

Kate: W-What was that just now…

I asked Jude in a low voice so that the cultist couldn't hear me.

Jude: What? That was the best method.

Jude: You should be grateful we didn't have to waste our time acting all lovey dovey.

Kate: That’s… true. … Thank you.

Jude: You’re welcome. Good luck with being a masochistic pervert.

(Ggh…)

Jude mocked my reluctant expression of gratitude and turned to look coldly out of the window.

Jude: This whole vows of love thing sickens me. I’ll have this mission ended as soon as possible.

Following Jude’s line of sight, I looked at the sunny courtyard outside the window.

It appeared that there were a few couples staying in the premises as well, and they were all smiling at each other.

(... They look so blissful.)

Kate: All of them are here because they love each other so much that they want their love to last for an eternity.

Kate: If couples are really being murdered… I will never forgive the culprit.

Jude: Hah, amazing sense of justice you’ve got there.

Jude: I can’t believe you sympathise with those people who think love and vows can be made to last forever by the power of some guy.

Kate: I don’t believe that love will magically last an eternity just by holding a ceremony, making promises to a superior being, and reciting vows to the people around us.

Kate: But… I think that’s why people make promises to each other.

Kate: Whenever they feel like they might break the promise, as long as they still have the memory of them making that promise together, they’ll gain the courage to keep going and not give up.

Jude: Hah… how beautiful.

Jude: Those who break promises, break them. And those who don’t break promises, they’ll never be able to break them even if they die.

Jude: That’s the way things are.

Just then, there was a knock on our door, and two laymen showed up.

Cultist: I’ll show the two of you around the interior of the establishment. This way.

…

The cultist demanded that Jude and I follow him into the hallway, and so we did.

Kate: Wah!?

My leg got caught onto something, causing me to fall instantly.

Kate: Ouch… it hurts…

(I think my leg got stuck on something.)

When I looked back, all I saw was the cultist standing there, looking surprised.

Jude: Do you like the floor that much? Get up.

Kate: Wha…

Cultist: Your girlfriend fell, and yet you didn't try to catch her or at least be concerned about her…

Cultist: Are you two not truly in love, as we expected…?

Jude: She loves pain. Right?

(Ugh…!)

Jude: I like that frustrated look on your face. Can I see more?

(It’s quite unfair that he’s the only one who doesn't have to put up an act, no…?)

His grin widened when I looked up at him, so I surrendered and got back onto my feet.

(I wonder what was it that my leg caught onto… no way.)

(Did one of the cultist trip me on purpose?)

I glanced at Jude.

Jude: …

Eyes resembling a pair of amethysts stared coldly at the cultist behind me.

It confirmed that Jude was thinking the same thing I was.

(If they're doing this to ascertain that we “love” each other…)

(They’ll definitely do it again.)

…

Kate: Cold!

My hunch was correct.

We were eating alone while the cultist was away.

The waiter’s hand “slipped” and I had water dumped onto my head.

Waiter: Oh, my apologies, Miss Kate. Please, have a towel.

Kate: … Thanks.

(Ugh… my wet shirt clinging to my body is making me uncomfortable.)

Jude: Hah, nice figure you’ve got.

Mister Jude “I enjoy exposing her uncouth side to the public” Jazza laughed, clearly enjoying himself.

(Both this organisation and Jude… they're the worst of the worst.)

Right when I was brimming with resentment towards him—

Jude: …

Another waiter who was serving Jude tripped, and the water in the glass he was carrying fell onto Jude.

(What the…)

The only sounds that could be heard in the pin drop silence were the glass rolling on the floor and the water dripping from Jude’s hair.

(You need to have guts of steel to splash water onto Jude like that…)

Waiter: Goodness gracious! I'm so sorry!

I held my breath as I watched to see if Jude would lose his temper at the waiter’s very obviously forced apology.

However, unlike what I had expected, Jude gave the waiter a magnanimous smile.

Jude: … It's fine. Moreover, it’s not as if you did it on purpose, right?

Jude: Having something slip out of their hands by accident is a mistake everyone makes.

Waiter: T-Thank you…?

The waiter backed away, perhaps getting uneasy because of how calm Jude was.

Jude: … What’s your name?

Waiter: Uh.

Jude: Your name. Tell me. … Nevermind.

Jude: My hands might slip the next time we meet… forgive me when the time comes, yeah?

Wait: … I-I’m truly sorry!!

The waiter gave an apology that sounded more like a shirek and scrambled out of the room.

(... Poor guy.)

I clenched my fist over my heart as I watched him leave.

(Even so…)

Kate: … In what way is this supposed to ascertain our love?

When I was puzzled by the inexplicable situation we were in, Jude snickered.

Jude: They were expecting something erotic to happen.

Kate: What…

I stared at the man sitting next to me, startled.

Jude: All that talk about love and some other beautiful things, but at the end of the day people are merely hypocritical beings that follow what their body wants.

The sight of Jude cussing with his hair dripping wet made my heart race in an instant.

(...? What am I thinking—)

Jude: What’s with that stupidly honest and lewd face?

Kate: That's not… it’s because of the weird things you said…

It was true that my heart leapt for an instant and my eyes shifted about.

When I looked away, Jude closed up the distance between us.

Jude: Feeling frustrated because you’re horny?

Kate: …

I shuddered when I felt his breath against my ear.

Jude: … Are you really the type of woman to get turned on when being cursed at?

Kate: No…

Jude: You denied it, and yet you’re turning red.

The shame, chaos, and something else he made me feel with his mocking sent a shiver down my spine.

Jude: Hah… you’ve got the potential.

Cultist: … Ahem!

Kate: …!?

I suddenly heard someone clear their throat, and turned to see the cultist standing in the doorway.

Cultist: Um—... you are allowed to move on to the final check. This way.

Kate: Huh?

Jude: Thanks a lot.

(You’re saying that even our bickering got us some approval?)

(By any chance, is this what Jude was trying to incite…?)

I gingerly looked at him and sure enough, he had a haughty sneer on his face.

Jude: Isn’t this a good thing? Worth showing your sultry visage for.

Kate: I did NOT show anything…!

…

Cultist: The final check is to pick a dress.

(Wow…)

The room was filled with colourful dresses, I was spoiled for choice.

(Woah, every one of them looks amazing…)

A jet black wedding dress caught my eye.

It stood out amongst the white dresses…

(Considering that Jude is my groom… I think this black dress would be the most fitting.)

My heart suddenly started pounding ridiculously loudly the moment I imagined myself in that dress and standing by Jude’s side.

(W-What…?)

My heart was pounding so loudly but even I didn't know why.

(Maybe I’m just nervous… something dangerous might happen during the wedding ceremony. Yes, I’m sure of that.)

I found it absurd that I was getting nervous upon imagining myself having a wedding ceremony with Jude, even though it was only for a mission.

Cultist: The bride will take the card with the number that represents her chosen dress. The card must not be shown to anyone.

Kate: … I understand.

From the basket held out to me by the cultist, I took the card labelled “13” that represented the black dress.

Cultist: And now, the groom shall guess which one the bride chose.

(Huh.)

Cultist: You are not allowed to peek at the card, nor exchange signals.

Cultist: If you truly know the bride well, you will know what the bride would want.

(That’s not possible.)

A drop of cold sweat trickled down my spine.

(I doubt Jude knows what kind of dress I’d like…!)

Jude: This one.

Kate: Huh…?

Without hesitating, Jude pointed at the black dress.

Cultist: Bride, please show the card you selected.

I showed the card with the number “13” written on it.

Kate: How… how did you know?

Jude: It’s the power of love.

Jude said with a smile that looked more like he was making fun of love.

(He figured it out by observing my eyes and facial expression… I’m sure that's what happened.)

I rationalised in my mind and calmed the strange feeling I was having.

Jude: So? What’s the result of the final check?

Cultist: … You passed. You have been granted permission to vow your eternal love in the presence of the Founder.

Cultist: Will you hold the ceremony tomorrow? Or—

Jude: Tonight.

Jude: We’ll hold the ceremony tonight.

Jude: She doesn't have the patience to wait till tomorrow morning.

[luv-gin]

How would Minato react to his fem!partner preparing a spa day for him after work as headcanons? Something like food ready to eat, a bath with some good soap/bubbles/candles, his favorite book or tv show playing, a massage afterward, and literally the cuddliest weighted blanket for bed?

[I did this last weekend for my own partner and dude straight up turned into a human puddle. It was not easy dragging his 6' puddle body around to the next room since I'm only 5' 😆]

cw. cute couples‼️

❥︎ working as the hokage was an extremely tiring job. i mean, taking care of the entire village was no simple ordeal and could cause a lot of (understandable) stress if not handled carefully and so you sympathised for your partner who’d come home late and exhausted. 

❥︎ minato was definitely surprised when you greeted him at the door with a kiss and a cheeky grin. you worked quickly on removing the outer layer of his clothing so that he only remained in his shirt and trousers.

❥︎ i see minato as the type to follow whatever his partner does first and then ask questions later so he’d comply with your actions, confused on what the rush is all about when he you finally arrive at the bathroom and he’s greeted with the sight of a bubble bath prepared and candle lit around the bathroom.

❥︎ you’d leave him in the washroom to enjoy his relaxing time without your interrupting and prepare so food for him after handing him to read his favourite book while he soaks his body in the warm water.

❥︎ minato is literally already so touched by this and all you really did was prepare him a bath and play some tunes in the back.

❥︎ after heating up the food, and taking out the things you prepared that were placed in the fridge to keep them cool, you’d knock on the door to ask him if he’s done and he’s reply with a “yeah” after draining the tub and cladding himself in a soft, fluffy towel.

❥︎ “follow me, my dear.” a soft chuckle escapes his lips as you take his hand in yours and lead him to your shared bedroom where you have prepared for him his clothes that consist of a new set of pyjamas. he’s definitely confused on why you’ve done all of this but is only quite used to going along with your randomness. you’d tell him to change before coming to the kitchen.

❥︎ once he’s there, he’s surprised by how much of his favourite is placed on the dining table and he starts to feel a bit of nervousness creep into him as he begins to believe that he might’ve forgotten your anniversary but he was so sure that it was in a couple of months.

❥︎ obviously you got a little worried with the silence and thought he disliked it but he was quick to notice your expression and so he pecked your cheek, pulling you in by the waist to thank you. a smile would settle on your face and you’d pat his chest and tell him to hurry now before the food gets cold.

❥︎ minato would make sure to not leave the table unless he’s finished most of the food as a way of thanks and would absolutely insist on helping you with the dishes (you’d obviously say no but man’s the hokage and he takes his dishes seriously so to avoid jail you let him wipe them dry and put them away).

❥︎ once the two of you were done, you brushed your teeth and then sat minato on the bed as you pulled out a tray carrying all of your skincare products.

❥︎ needless to say, minato practically clear skin except for the little stubble growing on his face due to his busy hours in the office.

❥︎ minato enjoyed doing skincare with you, he would often do it whenever he was free. it was great time to ask you how your day was and have meaningless conversations as you’d engage in some gossip. (being hokage also meant that he has a shit ton of information on everyone so you’d pry the details out of him whenever you felt bored)

❥︎ he especially enjoyed it whenever you had masks on your faces and you’d have to wait for them to take effect so you’d like back in bed, with your head resting against his left arm as he uses his right one as a pillow for himself. the comfortable silence you’d sit with soft music playing in the back never failed to make him feel so relaxed and content with his lover by his side.

❥︎ after washing off your faces and applying all the creams and toners, he’s ready to get into bed (which i don’t blame him, after a long time of stressing followed by relaxing activities i’d be out in a second) he’s surprised when you force him to sit in front of you with his back to you.

❥︎ by now, the question is definitely at the top of minatos tongue but it fades along with the knots on his back, neck and shoulders as you begin needed the tensed muscles that formed over the constant peering at papers and the signing of them. you worked your way down to his muscled arms and waist before repeating the massage once more. you could tell you were doing a good job by the way he’d sigh and groan and soon enough his eyes were fluttering open with much effort.

❥︎ an endearing smile would work it’s way on your face and you resist the urge to squeeze him but you softly tap him awake and he gives you a tired smile and a forehead kiss before offering you a massage despite his worn out state.

❥︎ obviously, you’d softly flick his forehead and pull his down with you before you plop on top of him with a content smile on your face.

❥︎ “was today my birthday?” he asks out of genuine curiosity, he wasn’t one to care about his own birthday so it wouldn’t be odd for him to forget all about it.

❥︎ you notice his eyes are closed and so you verbally answer him with a no and enjoy the little frown between his brows “i decided to give you a treat since you work so hard for us, mr hokage.”

❥︎ with that, he forces his eyes open and you can see the sincere gratefulness on his face as he pulls you closer to him and gives you a meaningful kiss.

❥︎ “thank you, my love.” he’d say and you feel yourself heat up slightly, it was nice to feel appreciated especially when he was a man that held so much power and so you made sure to pamper him the same way he still does despite carrying much pressure on his shoulders.

❥︎ “no need to thank me, honey.” you place a soft kiss on his nose and giggle as he scrunches it slightly.

❥︎ “goodnight, my dear.”

❥︎ “goodnight, sweetheart.” with that, minato sleeps soundly with his favourite blanket draped atop of him.