#Passing on information in ways people wouldn't even think to consider important

[phoenixcatch7]

Sqq gets kidnapped by demons and he's allowed to write one (1) letter to cq, but he's not allowed to even HINT at being stuck or kidnapped. Knowing this, he sprinkles in just enough demonic lingo to render the letter vaguely indecipherable to yqy (and pass muster with the demons as 'not code'), meaning he has to summon sqh to try and figure out what his xiao jiu is saying. Sqh takes one looks at this harmless letter and sees, as a line break, the more code sos.

[sweetcarrotsandroses97]

Summer | JJK

Hello Darlings!!!

Pairing: royal guard!Jungkook x princess!Reader, prince!Jimin x princess!Reader (ft. Yoongi & Hoseok)

Summary: In which you, princess of the Gyeongdong Dynasty, were in the middle of wedding plans. An arranged marriage that would guarantee your father's bloodline to stay on the throne.

Or in which you are assigned a new royal guard that swore to protect you with his life. Jeon Jungkook. That's his name. A name you could never forget. A name that, slowly but surely got engraved not only on your memories but also in your heart.

Love, politics, betrayal and desire. All in ancient history. A love that never should have happened, two souls that wouldn't be allowed to be together.

Warnings: angst, fluff, talks of arranged marriage, eating, love, historical au, forbidden love, betrayal, royal au, more angst (prepare yourself for it), ancient traditions. (I think that's all, if I forgot to mention something and you consider I should put it here, please let me know!)

Word Count: 9.4k

*A/N Hello everyone, thank you for giving this story a chance. This is my first time posting for Jungkook in here so I really hope you'll like this first chapter of my four-chaptered series. If you liked this, please let me know in the comments!! I'd also like to know your thoughts for the next part :)

*Banner made by me.

The sun was shining outside the big halls of the palace, the golden rays kissed the freshly cut grass and illuminated the place beautifully. How you wished you could go out there and sit under a tree, enjoy the warmth of the season and live without a care in the world.

However, you found yourself only wishing to do those things as your eyes stared out of one of the many opened windows of the palace, watching how the guards paced from place to place while the maids carried important things.

"Your highness, which silk would you like for your wedding dress?"

That brought you out of your thoughts, turning your gaze down to where one of the maids was presenting you with different kinds of silk but to you, they all looked the same. It was getting tiring having to decide so many things for a wedding that would be celebrated up until winter.

There was so much to do in such little time. And it was stressing you out not only because of the time but you weren't enjoying the preparations at all. This wasn't what you wanted, you didn't even know who your husband was going to be and that just wasn't right. If your father arranged your marriage the least he could offer was to know who your soon-to-be husband was going to be and get to know him as best as possible.

"I can't decide. I'll leave it to your professional opinion."

You said to the royal seamstress, she bowed at you and said, her eyes glued on the floor as you stood up from where you were sitting.

"I'm honoured, your highness."

A small smile graced your lips before you made your way out of the room, your dress trailing behind you as you left the place without another word.

A sigh escaped your lips once you were outside of your room, the sun kissed your skin delicately as you kept your gaze forward, admiring the beautiful gardens of the palace.

You still couldn't grasp the fact that you were going to get married in a couple of months. It was just way too sudden that your brain hadn't processed the information yet.

Every week, you were allowed to leave the palace for a day followed by guards and only able to walk around certain parts of the city. The people welcomed you with smiles and open arms each and every time you visited the city. You, the princess of Gyeongdong, were loved by the people and they couldn't wait for you to be their queen.

But since your engagement was announced, you leaving the palace was out of the map now. Your father couldn't risk something happening to you when the wedding was so close, furthermore, you were his only daughter after your mother passed away after giving birth to you, your father's princess as well as the kingdom's next ruler.

"Princess!"

You turned around at the sound of the voice of one of your closest people in the palace. The royal counsellor's son and a dear friend of yours, Jung Hoseok.

When he arrived next to you a smile was painted over his lips, he bowed down at you making you frown a bit.

"Stop it, I've told you many times before that you don't have to bow in front of me."

He chuckled, his hands behind his back as he straightened back up.

"Yes, I have. There are so many guards and court ladies that could see and that wouldn't be good for me, princess."

You sighed at his answer. He had said it time and time again but you just wanted to have a normal friendship, was that too much to ask? Maybe it was. At least for now.

"I'm sorry, you are right. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble because me."

Hoseok smiled and that made a small smile paint over your own lips. That was a power only he had, he would smile and it would make you smile too.

"It's alright, I can be sneaky when I want. Especially to the kitchen. They never know when I was there."

That made you let out a snort before laughing completely. Forgetting about proper manners or who could be watching you at the moment, you just lived that fragment of time. Enjoy it how it should be enjoyed.

"Speaking of..."

He continued, bringing his hands in front of him only for you to notice the small package covered with white fabric. You smiled widely at him.

"...I managed to sneak out some fish-shaped pastries."

You let out a squeal while Hoseok unwrapped the package and opened the lid for you to see he had bought your favourite dessert.

"Thank you, Hobi! I've been craving this since last week!"

With that, you took one and immediately began eating it, savouring the sweet flavour inside your mouth as you closed your eyes for a moment.

"Why didn't you just order for the maids to bring some pastries to your room, your highness?"

You sighed, swallowing the sweet treat only for then to say, your joyous face turning slightly sombre when the bubble of happiness was suddenly popped with reality.

"I am not allowed to eat anything like this, at least not until my wedding day. King's orders."

Hoseok's eyes widened in surprise at your words. Panic flared through his features as he came to the sudden realisation that he was disobeying the king's direct order. He looked around frantically, searching for people nearby that had witnessed him giving you the pastries while you continued to munch on another bite of the sweet treat.

The next thing he did, however, made your eyes widen as the remainder of the fish-shaped sweet was taken from your hand rather abruptly only for Hoseok to throw it in his mouth at the end. It all happened too fast you were left staring at your best with a dumbfounded face.

"Yah! Why did you d-"

You cut your sentence when you spotted one of the court ladies followed by a group of maids appearing in your peripheral vision. You quickly straightened your back while Hoseok hid the package he was holding behind his back, swallowing the remains of the pastry he took from your hands.

The court lady bowed when she stood in front of you, the other maids mirroring her actions. When she stood back up, she said, her voice cold and her attitude as strict as always.

"My Lady, His Majesty; The King, has requested your presence at the main hall."

You curtsided softly, a soft smile on your face.

"Thank you, I shall go there immediately."

And with that, you turned around and began walking along the large gardens with Hobi following you at a proper distance. When you rounded a corner and were out of the court lady's sight, you sighed. Hoseok caught up to you and you smiled at him.

"Thanks, Hobi."

Those whispered words made him smile, he looked back before saying.

"I should probably go back, I'll see you later, princess."

You nodded at him with a soft smile over your beautiful features and he bowed slightly at you only for then to fast-walk to the opposite direction from where you stood. You were left alone again and took a deep breath before you continued on your way to the throne room where your presence was requested.

"Her highness, princess Lee (y/n), has entered the main hall!"

The eunuch announced, you walked towards the throne with your hands clasped in front of you, your head low as you made your way across the place.

"You wished to see me, Your Majesty?"

You said, you gaze glued to the floor after you bowed at your father. He chuckled a bit, before saying.

"Princess (y/n), your fiancé, Prince of the Park family will be visiting us this autumn, the wedding will be held here, in the royal palace. I expect you to behave accordingly, dearest."

You bowed to him, not surprised at all with the news as you were already aware that the man you were going to marry was coming to stay at the palace, thanks to one of the maids who eavesdropped a conversation between two of the court ladies.

"I will do as you wish, Your Majesty."

He nodded, allowing you to retreat back to your room. The moment you were out of the main hall you let out a deep sigh. This was it. You were really getting married by the end of the year. You just hoped that the Prince of the Park family would be a nice person and would treat you right. Perhaps there would be no love in that marriage, you didn't expect it at all but the least you could get was the rightful place as his wife and Queen of Gyeongdong.

It was unfair, yes. Had you hoped to meet your only true love while being a child, of course but that wasn't your story anymore. You weren't a princess that needed to be rescued by a charming man only for then to fall in love. You had a duty with the kingdom, with your father and with yourself.

This marriage had to happen, even if you didn't totally approve of it. It was something that had to be done and there was no turning back.

"The Princess is getting married this winter."

The announcement made the royal guards look towards their superior as he stood at the doorway of the place they were having dinner.

"Her Highness is so lucky."

"She is marrying a Prince."

"Obviously, she is really beautiful."

"I wish I could get someone as beautiful as the Princess."

These and more murmurs could be heard in the room where all the guards enjoyed their warm food. But then, their superior, Captain Min Yoongi said, his voice back to its commanding tone.

"Yah! I didn't tell you all this for you to fantasise about your non-existent love life. This is important, the Princess needs to be guarded with more attention now that the wedding is close to the agreed date. Now, finish all your dinner and we will begin with the night's patrol in a couple of minutes."

With that, the captain left the place. Going back to his own personal quarters until it was time for the patrolling.

Meanwhile, at the guard's dinner table, the murmurs and comments didn't stop.

"They say Her Highness is marrying the Prince of the Park family."

"No, no, no, you heard it wrong. She is marrying the Kim's family first born. I heard they are the wealthiest family after the royal family in all of Gyeongdong."

You paced back and forth in your room. Tomorrow was the day that you usually went down to the city and left the confinement of the palace. But now, you were prohibited from leaving the royal grounds. The hot summer air entered through the opened windows and you stopped pacing. It would be of no use if you tried to convince the head court lady to let you go out.

She would immediately tell your father and that wouldn't do any good. Right now, you don't need any more prohibitions, what you needed was to get out of the place, just for a day. Clear your head from all the wedding plans and stuff that was forced into you.

You sat down with a huff, your skirts puffing out with your action. There was no-one that would take you out of the place tomorrow as they'd all fear the consequences if they got caught.

Perhaps I can beg father one last time. I'll beg on my knees if I have to.

With that thought in mind, you stood up from your crouching position and grabbed one of the lanterns in your room before you left the comfortable place and walked along the gardens, the lantern illuminating your path as you made your way to the King's palace.

-

"Your Majesty, Princess (y/n) has requested an audience with you. She said it was urgent."

Said the king's personal royal guard. He then told him after taking a sip from his cup of tea.

"Let her in."

The guard bowed and walked towards the closed doors, he opened the entrance way and you entered your father's room. Your head hung low. When you found yourself standing in front of him with the table with his dinner being the only thing between you both, you commented in a soft voice.

"Your Majesty, forgive me for coming here late at night but I have a request to make you."

The king sighed, putting his small cup on the table and giving you his complete attention.

"Go on."

You gulped, preparing the words you were about to say. It was now or never.

"I... I wish to go down to the city tomorrow."

You heard him take a deep breath and you screwed your eyes shut. Had you been, perhaps, too direct with your petition?

"We have already discussed this. I will not let you leave this place until you are married. Go back to your room."

His words made you feel hopeless, trapped in a cage. A golden cage. A lump began forming in your throat due to his harsh tone but you wouldn't back away that easily. Your father's eyes widened when you sank down on your knees, your eyes leaving the ground only to lock them with the man who raised you.

"Please. I beg you. I'm not asking you this as the Princess and future Queen of Gyeongdong but as your daughter. I feel trapped here, it's suffocating. I promise I'll behave completely when the Prince and his family come to the palace but I plead to you to let me enjoy the little time I have as an unmarried woman.

I promise I won't disappoint you, father. Please, don't keep me here like a trophy. Please just let me go out once a week. That's all I'm asking."

There was silence after you finished, a silence that was beginning to feel asphyxiating. There was no noise that could be heard, not even the rustling of the wind outside and you could swear that you'd be able to hear a drop of ink landing on the ground with how silent the atmosphere had suddenly gone.

"Go back to your room, (y/n). I don't want to discuss this any further."

You let out a defeated sigh, blinking back the tears that had gathered in your (e/c) eyes. Standing up, you bowed at your father and said before leaving the room.

"Goodnight, Your Majesty."

When you found yourself back in your room was when you finally let your tears go. The lantern you were carrying was left abandoned near the entrance way as you made your way to your bed setting. You didn't even bother to change from your dress and laid down over the soft covers.

You already knew that once you got married you wouldn't be able to leave the palace unless it was some kind of political matter that would require your presence otherwise you'd stay in the palace grounds forever.

And now, when you had the chance of enjoying the last remains of your time alone, your father prohibited it. The tears rolled down your cheeks as you curled yourself under the blankets, the tears were a reflection of your anger and sadness but mostly a feeling of hopelessness that had settled in your heart since the news of your engagement was announced.

You didn't know when exactly you fell asleep but when you opened your eyes again, you were met with your room illuminated by the early sun rays. You sat up and rubbed the sleep from your eyes, when you stood up you heard one of your personal damsels say from the outside of your room.

"Your Highness, your new clothes are ready."

Walking towards the entrance way, you opened the door and let the maid as well as two more women who always assisted her in dressing you inside the place you had slept last night.

One of the three women inside began arranging your bed setting while another one displayed your clothes for the day. You had to admit it was a beautiful dress with a deep blue purple and puffy skirt and a white top which had details in light blue. The silk of the dress seemed soft at the touch and you could swear it was as all your dresses were made with the best fabrics of Gyeongdong.

"My Lady, can we assist you in getting ready for today?"

The maid who had spoken not even five minutes ago outside of your room asked, her voice was gentle and she kept her gaze lowered. Her words triggered something inside you. What was the point in getting ready if no-one was going to see such fine clothes? No-one, other than the people at the palace saw you walk around the gardens so, was it really worth it using these clothes when all you did was stay inside all day?

No.

That was what you answered to yourself. It wasn't fair, it wasn't needed. It wasn't worth it. You were deep in thought as you let the three maids dress you up with the beautiful dress that was, indeed, very soft to the touch.

When you came out of your thoughts, you were sitting on the floor as delicate fingers ran through your hair, combining it and styling it properly. Just as the maid was about to put a couple of pins in your hair, another one of the damsels suddenly said, making you look up from your lap.

"Princess, His Majesty is coming here!"

You stood up, dusting off your skirts only for then to go to the door. The three maids followed you. When you opened the entrance way and found yourself in the doorway of your own palace you saw how your father stood in the garden in front of your door. Captain Min stood at his right as four other guards stayed behind the King.

You bowed, your damsels mirroring your action until you spoke in a clear yet emotionless voice.

"Good morning, Your Majesty. What can I do for you this early in the morning?"

The king let out a deep breath, you lifted your head and looked at your father, your hands clasped together in front of you.

"I am assigning you a personal royal guard,"

That instantly caught your attention, the look in your eyes changing to one of hope upon hearing that sentence.

"only with him by your side are you allowed to leave the palace grounds."

You had to bite down on your bottom lip to suppress the smile that threatened to grow on your face.

"First Officer Jeon,"

Your father named out and one of the four guards stepped at the front, kneeling in front of his king. From your perspective, you could tell he was tall and well built, you stood in the doorway without moving, expecting your father's next words.

"you are to keep the princess safe until the day you die. Her safety is in your hands. You must accompany her to wherever she wishes to go and never let her out of your sight. That is your duty as the princess' personal royal guard."

The man you came to know his name was Officer Jeon then said, his voice low and certain of his next words.

"I swear no harm will ever fall upon Her Highness as long as my heart is beating. I'll protect her with my life."

You swallowed at his words, the severity of his vow downing on you.

"Very well, stand up Officer Jeon. Princess (y/n), you are now free to leave the palace just remember the rules, I don't want you going out everyday or staying out until late at night."

You bowed once more, a wide smile over your lips.

"I appreciate your generosity, Your Majesty. I promise to follow the rules to the fullest."

The king chuckled and you straightened up, a gleam of happiness in your eyes.

"Very well then, I shall take my leave."

You all bowed as the king left, Captain Min Yoongi and the other three guard following him as they began discussing some plans of safety for Gyeongdong but your mind couldn't care about their strategies at the moment as the happiness of going out once more clouded any other thought that could cross your mind.

First Officer Jeon turned around, facing you. You smiled at him before looking at one of the maids that were smiling among themselves.

"Bring me my outer robe and small handbag, please."

"Right away, Your Highness."

The damsel quickly went inside your room to fetch the items you just requested, in the meantime you turned towards the man whose duty was to protect you at all costs. He was looking across the garden, perhaps he hadn't been this much in this part of the palace. You thought to yourself.

The summer outer robe in white silk was placed over your shoulders and you grabbed the bag from the maid's hand. You thanked her before skipping along the small steps until your feet landed on the green grass that covered the outside territory of your palace.

"Shall we go, Officer Jeon?"

You walked down the first steps of the palace, the main gate opened and you felt like you could suddenly breathe again. A sigh escaped your lips as you ventured through the gate and out of the palace, a golden prison.

Your personal guard was trailing behind you, keeping a proper distance between you both. You watched him from the corner of your eyes, approaching the city as you two walked towards it.

"You can walk next to me, you know?"

First Officer Jeon looked at the back of your head upon hearing those words.

"That wouldn't be proper of me, Princess."

You pouted slightly before you turned to face him while still walking backwards to the city. His eyes widened a bit at your action and took in how care-free you looked.

"But what if someone attacks me and you are standing behind me? You should always walk by my side."

A soft smile was plastered over your features while still facing him. However, he ignored what you said and commented, his voice a bit more distant than before.

"You will trip if you walk like that."

It was a statement rather than a possibility and that had you frowning up at him. If he was going to be like this then your little trips to the city and nearby villages were going to be a bit dull, at least until you got to your desired destination.

"I won't! I don't lik-"

But your sentence got cut off when, just as he predicted, you tripped with a small rock. You gasped when you felt your body being pulled down to the ground by gravity, the heavy skirts of your dress not allowing you to gain back your footing.

It was only when you felt a firm hand grasping yours and a pull over your body when you were back on your feet.

"I told you you would trip over."

Officer Jeon said, his voice cold and distant but you were able to catch a tinge of humour behind his words. A soft blush painted your cheeks when you realised he was still holding your hand in his surprisingly warm one.

Out of a sudden you felt shy, retrieving your hand from his grasp and taking a couple of steps away from him as you hadn't noticed just how close the two of you were a mere second ago.

"That... that was- it wouldn't... aish. I don't like for people to walk behind me, I feel like I'm being followed. Just... just do me the favour, could you? Just walk next to me, I promise you won't get in trouble."

He sighed, looking around before agreeing with a silent nod.

"And, thanks by the way. For not letting me fall down."

He bowed slightly, the both of you continuing your path down to the city.

"I was just doing my work, Princess."

You had to bite down on your lip to keep the smile from shining all over your face. He indeed took that vow to heart. You thought. Looking up at him, you noticed just how handsome your personal guard was and a warm sensation spread all over your body.

"So... tell me. What's your name? How would you like me to call you?"

Your question made him look down at you for a split second but you continued to watch him with curiosity. If he was going to always be with you, at least you could be friends?

"I am the First Officer of the Royal Guards, Jeon Jungkook. You can call me as you please, My Lady."

Jeon Jungkook.

You had to admit the name suited him. You blinked at him and said with a smile, more of asked him though.

"Is it okay if I call you just by your first name?"

Jungkook kept his gaze straight forward as he answered your question.

"As I told you, Princess, you may call me as you please."

You smiled at him, some silence falling between you both. It was a comfortable one and you just knew that you and Jungkook would get along pretty well. You could feel it.

"It's the Princess!"

A villager exclaimed when he caught sight of you with your royal guard walking by your side.

"She's back!"

"Her Highness has arrived!"

This and more exclamations were heard among the people that were suddenly surrounding you and Jungkook. You gave a sweet smile to all the people who greeted you and bowed respectfully at you, their Princess.

Jungkook was alert, keeping an eye on you while checking the place. The crowd began getting bigger and bigger and to him, that only meant the risk of something happening that could put your safety on the line was increasing.

He had never seen the people from the city so enthusiastic about someone, however he could tell you were really loved by Gyeongdong's citizens.

With a smile, you received the little gifts from the people all while Jungkookk never left your side. You could feel how tense he was when there were too many people around you but, even if you had only met him that same morning, you felt safe with him.

You knew that as long as he was next to you, no harm would come over you. It was strange but for some reason, he radiated that sense of protection.

Later that day, you sat under a wide tree located in the middle of the village, Jungkook was standing at your left side, his eyes scanning the area like a hawk. You opened one of the bags you were gifted that a kind, older woman had given you. A smile was painted over your face when your eyes landed on the fish-shaped pastries you loved so much.

Jungkook looked down at you as you giggled softly and began eating the sweet treat.

"You can sit down, you know?"

You voiced out after having swallowed the pastry. When you looked up you found him already looking at you.

"And don't say "it's not proper" you can sit down and still keep me safe."

Jungkook sighed, of course it was not proper for him to sit next to you however, your care-free spirit slowly but surely got to him and he was about to crouch down on the floor next to you. But how could he? He was just your royal guard, people could misunderstand his actions for wanting something from you which wasn't true. He had one duty and that was to protect you at all costs but it seemed you were making it difficult with your soft aura and kind spirit and it was just the first day with this new job.

"No, Princess. I must stay here, I have a place next to you and that is as your royal guard."

Now it was your time to sigh, you knew he was right but was it really that harmful to just try to be friends with him? Perhaps he viewed it that way but you couldn't help it, you had been so alone your entire life that it was only natural for you to try and establish some kind of relationship in terms of friendship.

"I'm sorry. You are right."

With that, you stood up, not feeling in the mood to stay there any longer.

"You don't have to apologise, Princess. It is, after all, my job."

Another sigh escaped your lips as you began walking along the path that led to the palace. Jungkook following you from behind and he couldn't help but think how his action ruined the enthusiastic mood you were in some hours ago however, he knew it was necessary to set the boundaries since the very beginning otherwise something harmful could happen between him and you, the lonely princess who was destined to be queen and possessed a big heart.

When you were back at the palace, Jungkook made sure to escort you to your room but as you were about to enter the place, you turned to him and said, a soft smile over your lips though not as wide as when the both of you had parted from the royal grounds.

"Thank you for coming with me to the city."

He bowed down at you, not saying a word. When he straightened back up he was met with the sight of you holding a small bag towards him.

"You can have them, you looked like you wanted some of them. I won't be able to finish them all anyway."

Jungkook took the bag from your hand hesitantly, his fingers brushing yours for a split second before the contact was broken.

"I appreciate your generosity, Princess. Rest well."

You smiled a little wider at him, your hands clasping in front of you.

"You rest as well, Jungkook."

With that being said you entered your room, sliding the door shut. Only when Jungkook saw that you had closed the door did he begin walking back to his own room.

He let out a deep breath as he sat on the floor, the little bag you had given him before going back to your room was still in his hand and he couldn't help but open the small package. Surprised struck Jungkook when he saw the fish-shaped pastries inside. Had he been too obvious when he looked at you while you ate them? Maybe he was.

A soft smile adorned his handsome face as he took one out and began eating it. He had never before met you in person, he had never before been in your presence and certainly not that close as today but he couldn't deny that the Princess of Gyeongdong was a kind-hearted woman, blessed with her mother's beauty and her father's intelligence.

As he finished the pastry, he couldn't help but think that his words were a little harsh to you. You were only being friendly with him but he was afraid he could get you in trouble for such indecencies. But if you didn't mind him being that close to you, was it really a problem?

He recalled all the times he had seen you. From afar. And you always looked to be quite lonely for the future queen of Gyeongdong. You were always immersed in yourself and, even in those countable memories he had of you before he became your personal guard, your eyes seemed to sparkle when someone talked to you, when someone, anyone, brought you out of your little bubble of loneliness.

You had been extremely happy that morning when you got to know he was going to be accompanying you to the city and Jungkook couldn't describe the way your eyes had lit up when you found out he was going to be around you until you got married, maybe even after that.

Perhaps there was still time to change your perspective of him, maybe he could get you to open a bit to him. Yes, he was supposed to protect you but that didn't mean only physical harm but emotional pain too. If what you needed was some company afterall, he was more than capable of giving you that.

He would try, he had to. Jungkook couldn't picture you, the sweet Princess, not smiling at all. It was one of your many beautiful qualities. And maybe, he could be the person you needed to bring you out of your self-absorbed world.

Besides, he didn't intend to be involved with you, not even in friendship. So, was there a problem at all?

One Month Later

It was early in the morning when Jungkook found himself walking towards your room. His own bedroom was close to yours in case anything happened. Well, as close as it was proper for it to be. He made his way through a path he now knew by memory as every day, for the past month, he had waited for you outside of your room only to never leave your side throughout the day up until it was nighttime and the both of you had to part ways.

Jungkook could tell that you were now more relaxed in his presence than the beginning, even if you had seemed okay at first when he practically was glued to you, now it was so normal to you that you even felt strange in those rare moments when he wasn’t with you. 

He also kept his own promise, he set the boundaries with you and the pair of you existed as just that, employer and employee. He was meant to protect, you were the one he needed to protect. That was it. Or at least that was what Jungkook told himself every night before going to sleep.

When he stopped by your room, he got surprised, nearly alarmed as you weren’t there and the door was opened. He cursed under his breath and turned around, already with some places in mind to search for you until he spotted one of the maids.

As he approached her, he noticed it was the woman who always helped you get dressed in the mornings, she also did your hair and makeup for the day.

"Excuse me, is Her Highness in the royal grounds? I just came here but she isn't in her room."

The damsel put down her basket that had in it clean, white sheets and replayed almost immediately as she could sense Jungkook's panic laced voice.

"She is in the practice grounds. Or at least that's what she commented this morning."

Jungkook thanked the kind maid before jogging off to the practice grounds of the palace.

The moment he arrived, he was met with a swishing sound across the air followed by a muttered curse. Peaking over through some bushes, Jungkook sighted you standing in the middle of the place, a bow in your left hand while the other held an arrow.

You were wearing a fine and beautiful dress with a white skirt and light pink top all made in expensive silk. Jungkook watched you shoot another arrow to the target mark, your eyes focused and you breathing even. Your posture could be improved but you had gotten the hang of it. He watched as you took a deep breath before letting go of the arrow and he couldn't help but watch not your actions but you.

He admired how beautiful you looked dressed in such fine clothes, with your hair styled to perfection and how you carried yourself. He watched how your left hand gripped the bow tightly up until your knuckles turned white, such delicate hands that he had seen holding unharmful items like a paintbrush or a book, were now holding a dangerous and powerful weapon, if used correctly.

As the arrow travelled through the air, time seemed to go in slow motion as he watched a couple of rebellious strands of hair fly slightly with the movement. But his trance was broken when the arrow landed a couple of feet away from the target mark, on the ground.

A frustrated sigh escaped your lips as you walked towards where other arrows rested. Ignoring the quantity of how many arrows you had already fired and now rested on the floor, you positioned the arrow in your bow and prepared yourself to fire it.

"You need to relax, Princess."

The sudden voice said from behind you startled you causing the arrow to fall on the ground before you even had the chance to fire it. A gasp escaped your lips as you turned around only to be met with Jungkook who approached your figure with calculated steps.

He was wearing his usual uniform in a deep shade of blue, a sword attached to a belt that hugged his waist but something about his presence that morning intrigued you.

"You scared me."

Was your statement once he stood at arms length. He looked down at you and you held his strong gaze.

"I apologise, Your Highness. I didn't mean to."

You relaxed and let out a defeated sigh.

"You have good skills but your posture can be improved."

At Jungkook's words you lifted your gaze, meeting his dark brown eyes with your own once more. He gestured towards your bow with his chin and asked, his voice gentle like a summer breeze.

"May I?"

You nodded, handing him your bow. The warmth of his fingers brushed yours and you had to bite back a smile. He crouched down and picked up the arrow that had fallen from your grasp a moment ago.

Jungkook positioned himself and you watched his every move.

"You are too tense while holding the bow, if your hold is firm but at the same time gentle it will give you stability."

You listened carefully to his explanations as your eyes were glued to him and for the first time since he became your personal guard were you able to admire him. Properly admire him.

Your gaze landed on his focused face, on how his eyes were put on the target mark and nothing else. Then, you travelled to his lips and marvelled on the way he was pulling back the arrow until it touched the corner of his lips softly. His jawline was defined as if it had been sculpted by the gods.

His broad shoulders carried years of training and you could see how his muscles could be traced even with more than one layer of clothing. His veiny hands held the bow and the arrow with expertise and you found yourself trapped in a trance in which only Jungkook existed.

He fired the arrow, hitting the target in its centre. You looked amazed at the clean shot he did and he commented, giving you back your bow.

"Would you like to try again, Princess?"

You nodded and took the bow. Jungkook walked where the rest of the arrows were and picked one up. He handed it to you and you took it softly from his grasp. You positioned the arrow and prepared yourself to shoot.

You silently gasped when you felt a large hand over your left one, the one holding the bow and it took you less than a second to realise it was Jungkook who was guiding you. You smelled his scent from behind you and felt the light pressure of his body at your back but it wasn't uncomfortable, on the contrary, you felt safe being this close to him. It was... Soothing, to say the least.

"You need to relax your hand a bit more."

Following his instructions, he smiled.

"Good, now take a deep breath. Straighten up a bit more and concentrate."

You did as you were told, closing your eyes and relishing in the comfort Jungkook provided. The warm feeling of his hand over yours was nearly overwhelming. The moment you opened your eyes again, the only thing you could focus on was on the target. Letting go of the arrow, it travelled through the air with a mute noise and landed directly on the mark.

A gasp left your lips and Jungkook let go of your hand just as you turned around and looked up at him. Your smile showed pure happiness, a happiness he was responsible for and for some reason, that settled a spark of proudness in his chest.

"I wasn't aware that you knew archery."

He lifted an eyebrow, almost in a teasing way.

"I am a royal guard, Princess. Of course I know how to shoot an arrow."

You laughed at his words. Stupid, of course he would know that. You scolded yourself inwardly, thoughts masked by a soft smile.

"Do you have any plans for today, My Lady?"

His question brought you out of your embarrassing state and you let out a sigh upon remembering what you had to do today.

"Not much really. I don't think I'll be able to visit the city today. The King ordered a seamstress to make a new dress for me, for my birthday ceremony."

Jungkook nodded, walking to a nearby bench only for then to sit down, all while keeping an eye on you as you practised your archery skills for a little more time.

"Isn't your birthday in autumn, Princess?"

You looked up at Jungkook while he kept his gaze glued to the front.

"Yes but the King prepares everything with so much anticipation as you may already know, the day I was born was when other events occurred at the same time like the Queen's passing and Gyeongdong's victory against the Jejin kingdom in the north."

He looked down at you only to lock his eyes with you and he was able to read the sadness behind your explanation. Jungkook couldn't imagine just how lonely your life had been, with your mother dying in childbirth and formally meeting your father when you were three when he returned from the war.

He knew you suffered as a child even when you were the Princess and had access to whatever you wanted at any time of the day. A lonely girl with a planned future. He knew you were to become Queen in winter, the ceremony occurring the same day as your wedding day was scheduled.

"Have you ever met him?"

His question made you blink, parting your gaze from his penetrating brown orbs.

"No. I've never met the Prince I was promised in marriage. But I guess that's how arranged marriages work, don't they?"

A humourless chuckle followed your words and Jungkook could easily tell that you didn't want to get married, at least not in this way.

When the both of you arrived to where the seamstress was waiting for you, Jungkook stood in the farthest corner of the room making himself invisible as the kind lady began taking your measurements and explained to you what kind of fabrics you were allowed to wear for your wedding day.

You picked everything with a dull expression, already tired of all the wedding preparations. Your eyes drifted here and there toward Jungkook, secretly hoping that he would also look at you but his gaze was lost in the place. He kept his head low and never did he make it for you both to lock eyes, even when he felt your gaze over him from time to time.

-ambience-

"Hobi, are you alright? I haven't seen you for nearly two weeks!"

You whispered-shouted at your best friend. It was early in the morning, so early that the sun wasn't out yet, the sky was still dark and silence drowned the palace. You stood outside of your room still wearing your sleeping clothes, your bare feet touching the fresh grass as Hoseok had woken you at such an hour saying that there was something important he needed to tell you.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me, Princess. There's something you need to know,"

Even in the darkness, with the only source of light being a small paper lantern he carried in his left hand, you could see the seriousness behind Hoseok's words, whatever he was about to tell you was, indeed, important.

You signalled him to continue and he said, his tone low, words carried with the hot summer breeze of the early hours.

"I've been away for sometime because I travelled with my father to the North. As you may know, the news of your wedding with the Prince of the Park family had reached every town of the country but suspicious activity was reported to His Majesty a month ago."

Now that was definitely urgent for you to know. There was someone that was organising something. Something bad.

"That's where Jejin was situated before my father conquered it, isn't it?"

Hobi nodded, his usually cheerful eyes now filled with worry. Worry for you, his best friend. For Gyeongdong and for his family. The possibility of war had increased and if the problem didn't get solved not only the royal family would be in danger but all the innocent citizens of Gyeongdong.

"His Majesty suspects that a rebellious group is taking Jejin's place, trying to take the throne which also means stopping your wedding, Princess. The King also believes that the group is being controlled by one of the Ministers."

Your eyes went wide when you heard the last sentence. Was truly a traitor sitting in front of the King in his own palace? You looked around you, suddenly feeling insecure about being in your own room. You realised then that Hobi had spoken of such secret information outside of your room, in the gardens. What if someone heard?

"Let's go inside, it's dangerous for you to be telling me this in the gardens."

Hoseok shook his head, his worried eyes never leaving your figure.

"No, Princess. That would look suspicious if anyone had their eyes on us right now. I only came here tonight to give you fish-shaped pastries."

His words were whispered, even when in the silence you feared they could be heard. The next thing you knew was that he was giving you a package covered by soft fabric, just like every other time he had given you sweets. A forced smile was latched onto his face, trying to make this look as normal as possible.

You eyes the package and slowly took it from his grasp.

"Smile, Princess. I just gave you your favourite treat. Smile and go back to your room and keep smiling until you close the door."

His instructions were said between clenched teeth and airy words, all while keeping the gentle look on his face. You did as instructed though Hobi could tell you were scared, it was reflected in your eyes.

"Thank you for the pastries, you know how much I like them."

With that said, you turned around and walked to your room, your smile never leaving your face. Once in the privacy of your quarters, you sat down on the floor while processing everything Hoseok just said to you.

A traitor.

A traitor in the court.

Marriage.

Jejin.

Traitor.

Danger.

Possibility of war

A traitor.

Your mind kept swirling around those words, not grasping the fact that there was someone who didn't want you to become Queen, who didn't want your father's bloodline to stay on the throne.

You looked at the package Hobi gave you, something inside you telling you that what was inside it were not fish-shaped pastries. You untied the fabric and pulled out the box only to find a letter there. Without giving it much thought, you unfolded it and quickly recognised Hoseok's handwriting.

Princess, there wasn't enough time for me to tell you this but you need to be careful. Captain Yoongi informed me that you now have a personal royal guard to keep you safe, that's good. You can trust him, he is a good man.

You need to stay alert, don't trust anyone other than His Majesty, Captain Yoongi, my father, me and of course Jungkook. He'll keep you safe.

I wish I could tell you everything's going to be alright but I can't be sure, at least not now. You cannot be alone now, please. Stay close to Jungkook, it's for your own safety.

Hobi.

That letter was the last piece of information you needed for realisation to fall upon you. Whatever was happening was dangerous and it threatened your safety.

You felt a sudden urge to go to Jungkook, be near him. He made you feel safe and now, when things could get difficult, for some reason he grounded you from your own thoughts and fears. You could trust him, you knew that since day one. He was going to protect you and that night, you slept with the vow he made to your father about keeping you safe. You were aware that no harm would ever fall over you as long as he was with you.

However, little did you know someone had seen your entire interaction with Hoseok in the gardens. Someone hiding behind the bushes in the darkness of the early morning.

Jungkook rowed the small boat to cross the lake. You sat opposite him, your expression bored as you leaned over one of the edges, your arm supporting your head while your eyes were glued to the crystalline water.

You had barely talked since he went to your room that morning, the usual spark in your eyes was gone, leaving empty yet still beautiful (e/c) orbs behind. You didn't smile as brightly as before, your smile carried a sadness with it, a sorrow.

He wanted to ask you what was wrong, he wanted to know. A part of him needed to know. Jungkook didn't know why he was having such strong needs, such emotions. He was only meant to protect you, to keep you away from harm and that included any type of harm.

Suddenly, he stopped rowing but that didn't make you look up from your lost gaze in the waters.

"Princess,"

You hummed when you heard Jungkook speak to you though you didn't look at him, your eyes continuing to gaze down at the waters below.

"may I ask you a question?"

"You already did."

Was your response. It was dull, something in it ached in between the words. It wasn't normal of you, for as long as Jungkook himself could tell. He sighed, before speaking again.

"Are you alright?"

You blinked when he asked that as you rose yourself from your leaning position over the edge to finally look at your personal guard. Your eyes carried something he had never seen before.

Worry.

It was crystal clear, at least to Jungkook. You were worried about something and, for some strange reason, a reason he didn't know, it worried him too to see you like this. It physically pained him to see you, the care-free and sweet Princess in such a sour mood. Carrying such heavy weights over your shoulders.

You didn't say anything, you couldn't. You were scared, you were worried for the kingdom, for your father, for Hobi, for yourself, for your life. It was too much. Too much to process in a single morning. Too much information that it overwhelmed you to the point of tears watering your eyes.

"Is it something about what the counsellor's son told you this morning?"

You gasped at his statement. Jungkook wasn't going to deny it. Yes, he had seen your interaction with Hoseok that very morning, he had seen the way you smiled when he gave you a small package, even when the gardens were drowning in the darkness of the early hours of the day, he could tell you were smiling thanks to the small source of light that was Hoseok's lantern.

"You didn't have the right to do that. You are my royal guard but you can't invade my privacy like that!"

The way you raised your voice at the end made him mentally curse himself. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned that.

"I'm sorry, Princess. It was an accident. I didn't mean to spy on you."

You narrowed your eyes at him, somehow deep within you, you knew he was telling the truth but you didn't want to believe him, you didn't want to slide it off. He had invaded your privacy and that was out of the line.

"He went there to give me my pastries. You know I'm not allowed to eat them until my wedding day. Hoseok is my best friend but of course I don't have to give you any explanation of my decisions. You are meant to do a job so just... just do it. Stop trying to always make me happy, life is not like that! Stop it, just... stop it. Please."

Your words crushed his heart, not because of what you said to him but because they only proved his beliefs, something had happened, something that was hurting you.

"You only have to do what you were told to do. You don´t have to care for me, not in this way. You are asking if I'm alright and as you can see, I'm not physically hurt so stop caring so much, you don't have to do it."

The look he gave you the next second was enough for you to know that your words, even though they were cruel, had gotten to him. Tears brimmed at the corner of your eyes and you did your utmost to blink them back. Jungkook stared at you, his jaw clenched and you felt like he wanted to say so many things to you but he was refraining himself.

His eyes bored themselves into yours and in that moment you wished the water would swallow you completely so that you wouldn't face him.

That's good. You have to stay away. You have to stay away from me so that you can't get hurt. Please, Jungkook. Just back off.

You thought to yourself as you continued to watch each other. The atmosphere tensing.

"But... what if I care?"

A tear rolled down your cheek slowly. No, please don't say that. Please... He ran a hand through his hair and looked back at you.

"I care for you, Princess."

You closed your eyes, letting the tears freely fall down your cheeks.

"You can't."

Whispered words reached his ears. Making his heart shake with the need to hold you, promise you that it was going to be alright.

"But I do."

You opened your eyes, looking at Jungkook through blurry vision. His eyes were filled with tears and you felt an ache in your heart at the sight of his tears.

"You weren't supposed to. You were only meant to protect me, Jungkook. That's it, nothing else."

He sighed, his eyes lowering to your trembling hands resting on your lap. He had a sudden urge to hold them. To hold you. To comfort you.

"I know. Love is blind, Princess. No-one gets to choose."

You took a shaky breath, calming yourself a bit only for him to continue.

"I'm sorry, this is all my fault. I'll... I'll accept the punishment for my actions, Your Highness."

He lowered his head, ready to accept whatever consequences there were for his actions. In that moment, Jungkook realised you were untouchable, the forbidden fruit he had come to desire, an expensive and beautiful jewel he could never have.

"No."

At that, he lifted his gaze and looked at you who gazed at him with such hurt in your eyes it forced him to swallow the lump in his throat.

"You are not getting punished for this. No-one should. It... It just happened and I couldn't... I wouldn't be able to see you go."

A tear left his eye, rolling down his cheek while leaving a wet trail over his honey skin.

"I care for you too, Jungkook."

That was the moment the seasons changed. The warm days were over and both you and Jungkook knew that. It was forbidden, it was socially unacceptable, a disgrace.

You were engaged, the Princess who was going to become Queen while he was only your personal guard. Meant to protect you of any harm. But he was just that, a royal guard. A handsome middle-class man caring way more than needed for you, King Lee's only daughter.

He, as well as you, were aware that colder days were to come soon. And just like that, with simple words that revealed each other's heart, the summer days were over.

Four Seasons Taglist: @seokout

May 28/2023

Likes, Reblogs & Comments are really appreciated!!!

~Masterpost

[queenofmalkier]

In regards to the arrow removal, I think a lot of people are not considering the context in which Nynaeve made the decision. And I am here to defend my wife, obvy.

For starters - they're going to Egwene, who Nynaeve refuses to think of as anything but 100% FINE AND OKAY AND DEFINITELY NOT TRAUMATIZED. And Egwene can channel which means she can heal.

Nynaeve spent enough time in the tower to basically see the impossible compared to her knowledge of healing before. Suddenly a lot of her knowledge is irrelevant because the one power can fix things better than she can with traditional medicine. Nynaeve is stubborn, but she takes healing seriously. She'll always choose the best option.

That informs her decision. The most important thing is getting Elayne off the active battlefield and to Egwene for healing. The closest I can think of is Star Trek - you wouldn't treat a wound when in ten minutes it's going to be gone, you just need to get the injured person to the doctor.

(Side note but I don't believe she had anything on her to even treat a wound at the time, either, given the sul'dam costume.)

Now, I've gone through a lot of first aid training due to various jobs I've held, so I'm right there with everyone saying not to take it out! You do not take the thing out. Never, ever, ever. Pulling/pushing it out can cause more damage and more bleeding and no one but a medical professional should be touching that sort of injury. This is a modern approach though! Remember, context.

I've seen a lot of people talking about her breaking the shaft before pushing it through, but that would actually be worse. There's no way to cleanly break the fletching away, which means by tugging it through she'd be introducing splinters of wood into the wound. Also the breaking is in regards to arrowheads, not the fletching.

The fletching (feathers on the back) is not actually the dangerous part of the arrow. I've seen some people say it was a crossbow bolt, but either way, from what we were shown the arrowhead itself had exited Elayne's leg already. If that was the case, pushing the shaft through wouldn't actually be harmful to her. It would hurt like hell, but it wouldn't cause any more damage.

I tried finding some actual sources for this specific scenario, but unfortunately most articles are focused on removing the arrowhead and not the shaft (and were also paywalled, boo). The closest I found was information from U.S. Army Surgeon Joseph H. Bill who essentially catalogued American Indian arrows as a way to determine the best removal technique.

He advised not applying traction to the shaft due to the likelihood of the arrowhead coming lose and remaining in the body, but I couldn't find what he advised if the arrowhead had already passed through the body although I did find this quote "An arrow may be pushed out as well as plucked out."

I DID find this lovely gentleman giving a very in depth discussion on medieval arrows as well as removal techniques and some of those are shove it through and hope for the best. (He also mentioned that healing the infection was what doctors and healers handled rather than wounds which... wow. Remind me to never be a medieval soldier in case I ever get that longing.)

So, yeah. I trust Nynaeve was right about her approach to the wound, and I feel like this is a case of a modern audience not trusting her knowledge because of our own knowledge of how those injuries are approached currently. I do think the scene could have been improved (in that regard) if they had Nynaeve explain her thought process, but overall, we got the point: Nynaeve felt like an utter failure, she couldn't help her friend, she couldn't do anything with all her alleged power. What good is she to her friends?

[yonkokraven]

I was bored and made an AU, how would things change if the government stopped giving importance to the East Blue? What if two Opposing Marines disagree with the idea?

I introduce you:

The Scorching Crew AU.

warning: is an AU focused on Luffy x Uta + Ace and Sabo + strawhats. The world of One Piece will be touched on from a darker perspective, so, if you hold your stomach and know The Blue Lagoon: enjoy the introductory arc:.

-The world government ordered to keep a distance from the East Blue as it considered the chaos that was the rest of the world a higher priority, but there are two people (who would obviously never work together) who have their sights set on that sea: Garp and Akainu

-Garp doesn't trust Akainu one bit, not after Ohara, Aokiji was perplexed for days until he finally told him what happened: Children, families, everything fell under an attack by Akainu (except the well-known girl who escaped)

-Akainu does not talk to anyone, not even to his daughter, his mission is clear: eliminate all evil above and under the seas, and no matter how weak the East Blue is, he does not forget it: that's where Roger came from, and a little bit of information. known by now: that's where Xebec came from. He will not allow under any concept to underestimate that sea again and for another demon to terrorize the world.

-Garp goes more often to the kingdom of Goa, meeting Shanks at one of his stops warning him not to even think about approaching Luffy again, Shanks ignores him, the boy is happy when he is with him and when he is with Uta even more so.

-Reluctantly Garp sometimes stays, carefully watching Shanks' every word, and during one of his walks to visit Ace on the mountain, Luffy and Uta follow him.

-Garp doesn't find out, and goes to patrol other islands. Luffy and Uta run free through the forest (of course, Ben Beckmann wouldn't leave them unsupervised, always at a safe distance) and at one point, they meet Ace and Sabo in one of their escapes.

-Ace is cruel to Luffy like in canon, nothing that Uta can't moderate with a couple of hits (and one just in case to Sabo). From a distance, Benn pieces together the coincidences. Garp walking to the woods every afternoon during his visit and returning hours later? At first the crew's bet was that he might have a brother or sister, but not another hidden grandson.

-Luffy and Uta at one point take them to Makino's bar, Ben is good at faking surprises, and he didn't tell the captain anything, Shanks' immediate reaction upon learning the name of Garp's other "grandson" was a laugh. It wasn't possible that some idiot named his son after the Pirate King's sword, right?

-As time passes, the villagers go home, Luffy, Uta, Ace and Sabo still stay, and the more time passes, the paler Shanks gets, he is an alcoholic, but not to the point of seeing his father figure in the form of a child... no, it's not him, Roger didn't have freckles. Was it possible?

-Uta is having a good time, so Shanks doesn't see anything wrong with her staying as long as she doesn't leave the village while he's gone (Yes, not only did she leave, she did the stupid thing of confronting a bear with the three other children)

-Some time passes, and while the four of them were having lunch peacefully among Shanks' crew, Luffy demonstrates his greatest talent: being someone with a bottomless stomach. Ace, Sabo and Shanks spit out their drinks when they see Luffy's arm stretching abnormally.

-The situation of the mountain bandits is very different, and Ace claims to hate Luffy, but when he almost cuts Higuma in half with a metal rod, that hatred seems like a ghost.

-Shanks loses his arm in the same way, and while his crew cauterizes him, Uta is there with Luffy apologizing over and over again for chasing the bandits.

-Ace feels conflicted, Sabo, Luffy and Uta sleep, He just enjoys the breeze, drinking some orange juice when Shanks sits next to him, Ace didn't say a word when Shanks talked for hours about Roger "He knows." the child thinks.

-Sabo and Ace stop coming to the village, Shanks says it's time to leave after his stump heals, and Uta for the first time doubts what to do and tries to hide it. Shanks knows, Benn knows, Yasopp knows, everyone on the crew knows.

-Luffy says that he will become strong and be the Pirate King on his own, Shanks smiles and says that when the time comes he must prove that he is strong for such a feat, giving him his hat as a promise to see him in the distant future.

-Uta stops before getting on the ship, she wants to go to the sea, she wants to go with her father, but why can't she keep walking? Shanks knows, and sits with her for a moment on the dock.

-He listens to her, and smiles, using Conqueror's Haki on himself to not cry when she tells him her perspective "You want to go to the sea, but you don't want to go with us" and Uta cries, hugs him and apologizes. Shanks knows this is the best choice, the grand line is not a game.

-as the redhead's pirates leave the port, Luffy takes Uta's hand without taking his eyes off the pirate flag "We will see them again." On the ship, the captain can't stand it, he sits on the steps and covers his face, his first officer and his crew sharing that bittersweet feeling "We will see them again."

Right?

-Garp comes back a week later, he didn't know what was worse, that he basically now had to take care of Shanks' daughter, or that Luffy was swinging around the town like a monkey with long limbs "Son of a..." Makino and The Mayor covers both children's ears just in time.

-Garp drags Luffy into the forest, one thing is a hyperactive child, another is a hyperactive child with devil fruits, better hidden than in the hands of slavers.

-Dadan didn't have a pleasant day, but when she saw that at least Uta understood some basic human behavior, she was able to fall asleep. (No one tells her that the girl already stole a couple of weapons from the gang)

-The Gray terminal event happens differently, Sabo was never taken back to the city, but he was involved in the fire helping other people go towards the forest (obviously not in the direction of his gold reserve, the house from the mountain or the village)

-Blue Jam does not forget those who try to rob him, as in canon, Ace does not back down, the mountain bandits repel the pirates, but Ace stays behind, Uta throws him a gun, and Ace shoots.

-Ace is covered in bruises, Sabo has his hands burned, including one forearm, Luffy and Uta luckily did not receive much damage. Dadan is furious with the four, but doesn't say anything when he sees that Ace didn't change his horrified face. Dandan is just there being a support for one of her unofficial children, singing him to sleep, like when he was a baby.

-Akainu sails through the East Blue, guarding the celestial dragon (as much as it irritates him to do so) burning every pirate ship he sees, novice or not.

-Upon arriving in the kingdom of Goa, Akainu observes the outskirts, the ashes of an obviously intentional fire, the bones of people who he does not know if they were criminals or not, he becomes enraged.

-Garp sails as fast as possible to Goa, only a day late and Akainu goes to the only island he wouldn't have to go to in the East Blue.

-Garp calls Dadan and Makino when they are within reach, he asks them to keep the children in the village, as far away from the Kingdom as possible, he will arrive in one day, but not to let any marine see Uta, Luffy and Ace.

-Dadan yells at the children to come down from the tree house... there is no response.

-The forest is very large, and the bandits divide themselves and walk carefully. "Please, not today," Dadan prays every ten meters.

-Sabo, Uta, Ace and Luffy leave satisfied with looting food from the city, very easy since everyone was focused on the Celestial Dragon parade.

-Akainu sees four children walking away with a couple of bags, and the presences along the forest seem simply irregular to him, there is no smoke to indicate camps, who is hiding there?

-Dadan obviously scolds them, explaining how dangerous it was for the children to go to the city with the visit of the celestial dragon, no one dares to answer when Luffy asks what a slave he is.

-Dadan takes them after dinner to the village through the forest, Makino has already prepared 4 temporary beds for the children in a safe place, but along the way, a chill runs down his spine. Why? If this path is safe...

-Dogra and the rest of the Dadan Family regroup and eat, Magra opens the door thinking it was Dadan, she did not expect that the last thing she would see was a man almost three meters tall.

-Dogra is the last, and can only cry while Akainu asks him about the children, Akainu eliminates him, but now his conviction changes, he would not save the children, or at least not all of them, after all, the daughter of a demon cannot exist.

-Makino and Dadan were talking when they saw the explosion, the forest mysteriously erupted that should never have happened.

-Akainu walks between the fire of the trees and the magma under her feet, she would get answers one way or another, and the girl would not be able to hide.

-Luffy is the first to wake up due to the murmuring of the villagers, accidentally stepping on Ace who instinctively moves his hand to hit Luffy but instead hits Sabo, Uta wakes up due to the argument, but when they see through the window, their home in the great distance being burned, they just remain silent until Makino enters "Take your things, we have to go"

-Makino and Dadan go to the only boat in the village, Akainu with his observation haki as he leaves the forest, feels the panic in the movement of the villagers "They are here"

-Luffy forgot something, he felt the night wind in his hair, and without bothering to warn anyone he turned back to the bar and ran to look for the hat. Uta follows him, Makino follows them.

-Fire and magma consume the windmills, the vice admiral's voice is clear: "where is Akagami's daughter?"

-The screams of the villagers can be heard from the port, Sabo can't stand it and goes to look for Luffy "he's our brother, Ace!" and Dadan tries to stop them, fails, but he follows them.

-Wrong direction, Sabo's eyes meet those of the vice admiral, the man's cold eyes contrast with the hell that surrounds him "Where is Akagami's daughter?"

-Dadan hugs Ace so he doesn't see his face, and holds Sabo while he trembles and makes the best lie of his life "to the northwest of the island"

-Akainu turns and leaves, Ace hugs Sabo, who is in pain from a kick from the vice admiral that burned his skin.

-They force Ace to stay with the mayor and Sabo, while he goes in search of Makino and the two remaining children.

-The fire blocks people's way, and makes them take secondary roads in the village, so when Luffy already had his hat, the path they had to use to get to the port was to use the Northwest of the village to go around it.

-The mayor evacuates the people, Ace carries Sabo, hoping that Luffy and Uta are okay.

-The vice admiral notices the girl's two-color hair, he does not doubt it, nor makes a mistake, he advances at a determined pace.

-Dadan runs to the bar, and remembers Garp's greatest advice "if Luffy can't sleep, throw salt water at him, sea water weakens devil fruit users to the extreme, but a little salt water is enough to put the user to sleep without harming him"

-Luffy, Makino and Uta surround the village, and Dadan runs through the place with a bucket of salt water, Luffy or Uta's minds do not remember well what happened, but they remember the sound of the thud.

-The vice admiral attacked, and Makino pushed the children in time, although some magma fell on her shoulder, the blow did not melt her thanks to Dadan's bucket of salt water, which hit the admiral's head hard and also wet his body.

-Dadan yells at the children to run and take Makino, while he throws a knife from the bar at Akainu "Not at my children, you damn dog"

-Luffy and Uta help her walk, and Makino does her best not to fall until they reach the small ship.

-The ship moves away, with two children, a woman dying towards the unknown.

-The news inevitably reaches the rest of the world, Shanks can't believe it, and immediately calls Garp

-Garp does not answer, he just looks stunned at the disaster that is the place where he grew up, Akainu did this, got on his ship and left.

-Ace yells at him, yells at him until he has no breath left "This is what the marines do!?" and Garp doesn't speak, he just listens and lets the words echo in his head.

-Uta and Luffy are hungry, they spend four days at sea, they are not sure if they see things or not, but something bigger than an island was swimming in the distance. Makino stopped breathing on the third day.

-The tides take them away, and on the sixth day, they see an island in the distance and the tide is suddenly calm.

-They land on the island and Luffy hunts, it is difficult for him, he is weak, the animals are bigger, he hits hard, again and again until he succeeds.

-Uta is next to Makino at all times, waiting for her to wake up, she doesn't speak when she touches her chest and doesn't feel her heart, she just cries, and she cries until Luffy comes back. They both cry until the next day.

-Shanks returns to the east blue, and on the shores of Logue Town, he mutilates Akainu

-Dragon arrived with a storm, Shanks with the rough sea, Shanks shouts at Garp, Dragon shouts at Garp, the mountain in ashes trembles in this encounter.

-Shanks doesn't think twice: Ace and Sabo won't stay there, Ace wants to look for Luffy and Uta, Sabo too, Dragon proposes something to cover more ground, but only Sabo agrees to go with him, and he will meet Ace again as soon as possible or even when they hear something about his brother and the annoying singer who is always with him.

-Garp does not stop them, Garp will also look for the children and one more thing: Take Akainu to hell itself, and if that is not possible, to Impel Down.

-Luffy and Uta recover over time, they eat little, but each other's company means they have to be strong. Luffy trains, Uta is not left behind, both do not mature in a certain way no matter how many years go by.

-The clothes no longer fit for both of them in the third year, and they are not going to dig up Makino to loot his clothes. They quickly get used to the improvised loincloths made from their old clothes.

-Uta bleeds one day, Luffy doesn't understand why.

-two years later, Luffy sees Uta walking with something in her arms "Where did you get it from?" She says something that seems simple "I felt a lot of pain one moment and the next it appeared" but there are no other humans on the island "Uta, is that a baby?"

-Ace became stronger, more than he should for someone his age, the search for the East Blue ended in a few months, now he and Shanks (now officially an emperor) were in charge of reviewing the West blue, Sabo and the revolutionaries of the North Blue, and Garp from South Blue.

-Ace heard Shanks' nostalgia about Roger on the way, and it is already routine for him to just stay silent and contain his boiling anger.

-Shanks' subordinate gangs gather at the entrance to the grand line with Shanks, and say that they have not found either of them, not even in the records of the Sabaody slavers.

-Ace does not feel comfortable in these meetings, a captain named Linaria (who did not even reach her 20s and already has a great reputation) occasionally approaches him and encourages him, praising him for his strength and reward, Ace lets her speak, his heart feels warm when he listens to her.

-Sabo is divided, the search and the revolution do not let him rest, the cruelty of the world changes him, makes him strong but takes a part of him.

-Shanks and Ace talk, Shanks tries to be as soft as possible and not break down while saying what he never thought would say "it's possible that they..." Ace doesn't let him finish and hits him, saying that he will swim even in the calm belt or to the territory of the emperors if necessary to find them.

-Shanks freezes and asks out loud "did no one in the fleet check the calm belt?" He asked his crew and subordinates.

-Ace calls Sabo, two years without speaking and Sabo only listens in silence "We only have the calm belt left"

-Luffy hunts, already accustomed to using the spears that Uta learned to make despite the usefulness of his fruit, Uta and he take turns hunting, someone must take care of Maki after all.

-A ship on the horizon approaches, the Night Butterfly Pirates disembark quickly, and its captain can't be lucky when she sees Luffy, Uta, and the little baby. "Call Shanks!" It's her quick reaction when she sees that Luffy doesn't let them get close.

-Shanks and Ace were tied to the mast after almost breaking the Red Force's rudder to fight to steer the ship as fast as possible towards the calm belt.

-Benn calls Dragon and Garp, Dragon takes a few minutes alone to cry with relief, Garp flies his ship over the Calm Belt from the south blue to the grand line immediately.

-Shanks cries, a mixture of sadness, relief and joy when he sees Luffy and Uta, although Luffy when nothing has changed says "I shouldn't see you until I'm the pirate king", the redhead bursts out laughing, but when he sees the little girl Maki almost fainted.

-Ace is no different, he hugs his younger brother and cries until he sees Maki, almost drowning his brother by squeezing Luffy tightly around the neck.

-Uta cries with relief once they are on the ship, and they exchange stories with Ace and Shanks, when the redhead heard that they named the girl Maki, in honor of Makino, he almost needed Benn to take his blood pressure, the children were there from the beginning, in this island completely alone, and somehow their personality didn't change much even with so much pain they both experienced.

-Luffy is surprised when Garp comes onto the deck of Shanks' ship, and he doesn't speak, he just hits him with an attack so precise that it defies physics (his arm curved and he redirected the blow to hit Garp squarely)

-Garp listens to Luffy tell him that if being a marine means doing what that person (Akainu) did, he will never be one. Garp doesn't debate, he has no right to force him into anything when he couldn't protect him, and simply says "I'm glad you're okay."

-back on the Grand Line, Shanks' fleet gathers in the New World, Luffy and Uta sing to Maki at the party.

-Ace tells Luffy that now he is a pirate, but Luffy is not, in fact he is the only one of the brothers not to have a reward, and tries to tell him to live a normal life, but Luffy says that he will be the pirate king , Uta also wants to be a pirate, and he won't change his mind.

-Shanks tries to reason with both of them, but manages to get them both to promise not to start their journey for four years, and Luffy agrees, saying that he wants to return to East Blue and start there.

-Ace tells him that the kingdom of Goa is no longer the same, and the villages around the island no longer exist after what the vice admiral did, that does not change anything for Luffy, he knows how to hunt, Uta too, and they will live with Dadan

-Luffy freezes when Ace tells him that Dadan died that day, and the house no longer exists.

-Shanks says that they will help him build a place and get them things to live there, Ace looks at him and Shanks looks back at him "this is not the time"

-Dragon can't go to East Blue, Sabo can't look Ace or Luffy in the face, so he assigns two apprentices to supervise them both (not really being there for the revolution, but to become strong)

-Shanks' carpenter finishes the cabin quickly, Ace says that he will stay a year to help Luffy and Uta, and Linaria says that she will wait for him at sea.

-Luffy is strong, Uta is the same, and despite having no idea what Haki is, he gives Ace a great fight every week.

-The guardians of the revolutionaries arrive, Zoro and Kuina, who perceive Ace's Haki and immediately join the training "join my crew" says Luffy after seeing each training session of those two with stars in his eyes.

•○•○•○•○•○•○•○●○●○●○

Well, this is the beginning of the AU (and we haven't even gotten to the Alvida arc) I haven't yet touched on how Luffy's other future Nakamas are, and the biggest differences, what do you think?

The main idea is to take the story to a perspective of a Luffy not only surviving, but slightly more alert to the events to come. Who will join his crew? How did Akainu's presence affect the East Blue Nakamas? What happened to Akainu?

I plan to answer it over time, I ask you if you can share and comment to see how much support the AU can receive

[astraystayyh]

I am unsure how to speak about Palestine. People keep telling me they fired first and my google searches are very bad

Hey, glad you sent in this ask! People who claim that Palestine initiated the firing view October 7th as an isolated event, when we cannot treat it as such. Oct 7 comes as a response to a 75 year colonization. Just like Hamas was founded in 1987 during the First Intifada- a series of civilian protests, where Palestinians threw stones at soldiers, and were met by a disproportionate and liberal use of force as described by a Humans Rights Watch report.

How could Palestine fire first when Hamas was created in direct response to the displacement and colonization that Palestinians faced? Hamas wouldn't have existed if Israel didn't murder, unlawfully imprison, torture and displace Palestinians. Oct 7 wasn't an isolate incident, every action implicates a reaction and every occupation leads to a resistance.

The west claims that Israel has a right to defend itself, leading in two months alone to the mass and brutal murder of 16.000+ civilians. But Palestine cannot defend itself against its colonizers (Just like Ukraine has done for example against Russia, a resistance backed by the American and European powers alike?)

I urge you to read about all the massacres Israel committed against Palestinians prior to Oct 7, so you'd understand better that Palestine did not fire first. Israel did not even exist prior to 1948 for Palestine to attack it.

And, let's be honest for a second. If someone comes into your home, forces you out of it, destroys it, murders everyone you know, denies you of your most basic rights, unlawfully imprisons you, tortures you physically and psychologically, destroys your land and hinders your agriculture and destroys your libraries and erases your culture, would you not resist? Would you stay silent? Of course not, and Palestinians shouldn't be dehumanized and killed for it.

Now for your second point, I'm glad you brought that up because western media is very very biased. To give you some examples, here is a Washington Post headline about four premature babies that died, decomposing on their hospital beds in Al-Nasr Hospital, in northern Gaza. They were left in the prenatal care after Israel threatened doctors to bomb the hospital if they didn't evacuate it.

"Four fragiles lives found ended"

Who ended them? Why were they in that situation to begin with? Who was behind their tragic murder? The journalist behind this post deliberately chose this title to avoid pointing the blame to Israel. In fact, the entire article doesn't directly nor clearly state the reason behind this slow and torturous death. When those four babies would not have died IF Israel didn't threaten to bomb their hospital, forcing everyone to evacuate.

We as journalists learn that the 5Ws are the essential key elements that form the basis of any article : who? where? when? what? how/why? Israel should be clearly denounced as the one responsible of those deaths, especially considering that it's a war crime underneath the Geneva convention.

Let's take another example. Pay attention to elusive langage and the way media skirts around words, using euphemisms to redirect the blame. Palestinians "die"- as if passing away due to natural causes, as if there wasn't a clear intent to murder them. Whereas Israelis are "killed"- deliberately targeted. This double standard already shows you that the media you're reading from is heavily biased.

We journalists also learn that headlines are very very important, especially on social media where most people get their information strictly by reading the headlines and sharing it, without bothering to check the entirety of the article. Now, here's an example of a misleading headline by BBC.

At first read this looks like confirmed accounts of rape. Anyone who reads it would think that it has been proven irrevocably, but let's look more into the article :

None of the rape accusations were verified, neither by the police or the journalists of BBC. All of these are alleged claims that have no tangible backing, and yet they were presented as factual in the headline, the most important part of any article that catches the attention of readers. By formulating the headline as such, BBC pre-establishes the premise that Hamas did rape women and that it has been proven. This is the information that most people would retain as they wouldn't bother reading the article. This is how propaganda starts and how false news are shared widely (remember the story of the 40 beheaded babies debunked by the IDF itself?)

Always look out for the langage and terminology the media uses. It is not coincidental, it is deliberate and it serves the interests/editorial line of the media. And you can speak up about Palestine by denouncing the genocide they're facing. If you can read about 16.000+ deaths, most of which are children, if you can see images of hospitals, refugee camps, schools, ambulances, houses, "safe routes" bombed by Israel and still be unsure of your stance, then i don't know what to tell you.

[armpirate]

The Only One || JJK || Ch. 19

Pairings: mafia!jk x fem!reader

Genre: smut, angst, mafia, contract relationship

Warnings: Prostitution, torture, blood, use of drugs and weapons

Summary: You've always wished for a better life. Every single day at work, you were hoping something would change. Although you didn't think that change would come in the form of one mysterious man and a contract.

His controlling and selfish behaviour only wanted to keep you away from any other man that wasn't him, and you only had to wait for him.

Too bad you really thought you'd be smarter than Jeon Jungkook.

Warnings: smut, oral sex (female receiving), handcuffing, dirty talk

Previous || Next

MASTERLIST

Jungkook came back to the party, getting through all the guests -that kept trying to chat with him. He knew none of those conversations were important, they would be empty words on how good the party was, or how long has passed since the last time they spoke to him. Most of the people weren't even invited directly by him, but more because of past connections with his father -or either of the other funders of the clan. He also saw Namjoon and Jin somewhere in the distance, chatting comfortably while they kept checking everywhere around them. He was sure they were probably looking for him, yet there he was, more worried about a woman that would never stop causing him trouble.

He ran his eyes over a lot of dresses and pretty smiles, hoping he'd find her among any of them. His body stopped for a second when he thought he spotted her, confirming it when her hair waved in the air while she walked. He felt relieved, a weight on his shoulder was disappearing, although it only took him to look next to her for that to completely change. The second his eyes laid on Sanhyuk, he wasn't able to process what was running over his body. And he knew what he was plotting when he realized how close to the stage they both were.

Meanwhile, she considered Sanhyuk's plan, as if it weren't a countdown decision, where Jungkook could show up at any given time. It was her freedom they were talking about, and it could either work perfectly, or it could be a big mess. She didn't know Jungkook entirely, but at least she was somehow familiar with him, while she knew nothing about the man in front of her -except the fact that he seemed to hate Jungkook more than she did, and he was sneaky and a dirty player.

All her thoughts and considerations were suddenly interrupted when she felt her wrist being grabbed tight, pulling her body without a previous warning.

—What the f...

Her whole body froze, and her blood stopped running through her veins when Jungkook turned to her. A familiar dark veil was tinting his eyes, and a thin line was formed by his lips when he turned to her. Just one look, and she knew it was better for her to keep mouth shut. But, unlike her, Sanhyuk knew he wouldn't have to deal with Jungkook later, and he seemed to love to pull some strings.

Before they exchanged a few words in Korean, he pulled her arm again, managing to hide her small body behind his.

—You really think you can do whatever the fuck you want, don't you?

He scoffed at the informal and rude speech, moving his eyes away for a fraction of a second, trying to control the increasing need to break his jaw with his closed fist.

—Because I can do whatever the fuck I want —he replied, moving his eyes back to him—. Don't forget whose territory you're in, and don't forget your place —he took a step forward—. And don't forget who you're talking to, I'm still older and superior than you. Have some respect —unconsciously, he tightened his grip around her tiny wrist—. I will destroy you if I have to. Stop trying your luck.

Forcing her to walk again, he made their way to the stage. It was hard for her to keep her stability and not stumble on her feet, or the steps. All that, just to find herself completely blinded by the spotlight that was aiming at them as soon as Jungkook hummed to the microphone, while her senses were completely gone under all of those strangers' eyes while she heard Jungkook speaking in Korean:

—Right here, and right now, I want to share something with all of you —he looked at her for a short bit, before his eyes went back to all the guests, reminding himself he was speaking in the name of his hotel for most of them—. I want to welcome to the Bora family a person that I will trust and protect with my life, and that I will help and guide on every step she needs to completely be one of us. As my companion, my reason and my strength —he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his body to whisper in her ear, changing back to English—. You're mine, doll.

Her heart started beating fast. And she wasn't sure if it was because of how close he was, or over the fact that he rushed to do what Sanhyuk was planning to do. While everybody was applauding for them, she could only focus on his irregular breathing. Jungkook was fighting with all his power against the sudden temptation of getting off stage just to punch Sanhyuk for trying to mess with his pride, and his power. But knowing that everything related to her was settled, he was able to breathe comfortably again.

Holding her in a more gentle way, his fingers tangled on her hand to guide her back off stage. And he was surprised by the way she just allowed him to do it. He wasn't complaining, but he wasn't expecting it from her. But Y/n was only waiting to be away from all those curious and attentive eyes, before she could finally stop in her tracks and get rid of his grip. That sudden emptiness in his fist made him turn.

—What did you do?

She knew the answer to it, but for some reason she wanted the confirmation.

—I claimed you —he raised his pierced eyebrow, turning his whole body to her—. I let everyone know you're mine, so anyone who respects me a little and wants peace won't fuck up with you —that smile meant everything, but good intentions—. You're lucky I'm in a good mood right now, so I won't even ask how the hell you got here or why the fuck you were with that leech.

His ego boost made his pride feel so high he could forget everything that she had done to push his buttons, or how Sanhyuk attempted to get her from him. Although all positive thoughts washed away as soon as he heard Namjoon's voice on his back. Lifting two of his fingers in the air, he called one of his men.

—Take her to the Royal Suite, and don't leave her alone —he demanded.

—What about Jihu?

—I'll deal with him later.

The man nodded, before grabbing Y/n and taking her away from there. While he just waited for his older brothers to push him back to the office they were in not even an hour ago.

—Did you go nuts? —Hobi started— What are you even thinking?

—Don't you realize how fucked up it is? —Jin continued.

—You introduced a stranger into the family —Tae added—, without even asking us. We had a fucking meeting not even fifty minutes ago.

—Kook, you don't realize how dangerous this could actually be for the family —Yoongi warned.

While the rest of them kept trying to get the younger one back to his senses, two members of the clan were especially quiet -something that surprised Jungkook, because they were the ones he expected to see ranting the most.

—Is she the girl that was at the party when the Choi family complained about you? —Namjoon finally asked.

He was silent, not because he wanted to let it slip, but because he was trying to put two and two together. He sighed loudly, letting his head fall back, when he saw that he was right after Jungkook nodded lazily -as if what they were discussing wasn't serious.

—You aren't going to say anything? —Jimin finally asked.

—I have nothing to say —Jungkook shrugged—. It is what it is. Whether she stays or not, wouldn't change a thing for either of you. She's not your problem, and I'm sure you all have more important things to worry about than this. She's under control.

—Sure... —Jin nodded— What will you do when you get tired of her? You know what happens once you're part of the family —Jin squinted his eyes, taking one step closer— And whenever you get tired of her, I doubt she'll have any reason to stay. Will you let her go after everything she's seen and heard? Knowing everything she'll eventually know?

—It isn't only our family —Hobi added—. That girl has seen a lot of faces today, she knows Sanhyuk, she probably knows our businesses. And also the fact that you claimed her in front of everyone just added her to a long list of people the Choi family will be aware of. The minimal mistake related to that girl could end us.

Killing her was never in his plans. He'd cut his finger before ever thinking of laying a hand on her. But Jin was right about that, and so was Hobi. If she had kept her out of the spotlight, things would've been as easy as they were before they stepped out there. But his rational side got suddenly blinded when he saw the possibility of losing her so close to reality.

It took him twenty minutes to get out of that conversation and be able to leave. And it wasn't like it was over either, he just directly shut them all off because they just kept repeating the same thing over and over again. And just like he said to end the discussion, that was all there was to it. Everything was already done, so they'd have to accept his decisions and deal with them -just like they were supposed to.

While making his way to the room, he started loosening up his tie, which was now hanging almost in between his pecs. He found her sitting on one of the arm chairs, arms crossed over one another while she looked away.

With a nod of his head, he allowed the person that had been looking after her to be able to finally leave so they could be alone.

—Are you going to sit there all night? —he finally asked, putting both of his hands inside the pockets of his slacks.

—Oh right, I forgot I'm officially part of your property —she finally looked at him—. Where do you want me? Just tell me and I'll do it —the excitement tone dropped, and seriousness was back at her face expression—. That's what you expect me to say now?

—If I said where I wanted you, you wouldn't agree —he tilted his head—. But for now, I'm okay with just getting you to agree to get in a car.

—Get me to agree? —she raised both of her eyebrows surprised— Why? You could always grab me over your shoulder and throw me inside any of those cars.

—Y/n, please...

He sounded tired. Not only was his voice a sign of his exhaustion, his whole body seemed to be close to collapsing any time soon. And so was she. Trying to deny the fact that she was going to throw herself over that huge bed was dumb.

That short moment of peace lasted long, surprising for the both of them, starting with her getting up from the chair to follow his steps towards one of those black airs that were always waiting for them both.

It seemed to be that way every day. She'd woke up with her batteries charged, ready to beat his ass and jump at his throat, just to be completely done by the end of the day and just let everything happen. As if she realized he was going two steps ahead of her, but forgot that the next day as soon as she woke up.

That was at least while he thought while he saw her body walking away from him, heading to the stairs.

—Are you going to sleep?

Y/n stopped when he asked that, and turned to him. She knew he wasn't trying to annoy her, nor that it was a way to control her. Jungkook was just genuinely curious, and his question also seemed to be an indirect way of asking her to stay.

—Why?

—Let's wave a white flag for tonight only —he took off his blazer, throwing it over the couch—. Have a drink with me.

She didn't remember seeing any alcohol bottles around the house. Not in the kitchen, and even less somewhere in the living room -but that house was too big, and she hadn't seen half of it yet.

And while her rational side wanted to decline his offer, her dumb and needy side was too biased by how hot Jungkook was looking in that exact moment. His hair slicked to the sides, hardening his factions, combined with the black shirt and the dark gray slacks were waking up something in her. Maybe due to the fact that she hadn't had any sexual intercourse since she landed in Seoul, maybe due to the fact that the man in front of her was way too attractive to ignore him.

Out of all the places, she didn't expect to end up in his room.

It was so different from hers. Filled with dark and gray tones, while hers was so bright she didn't know how she was able to keep her eyes open without them hurting. Too distracted looking around to be aware he was walking to her again with two glasses of a golden bubbly liquid.

—Are we celebrating that you think you tamed me?

Jungkook chuckled at her comment, sneaking his free hand inside his pocket when she took the champagne he was offering her. But she wasn't wrong. Out of all the problems that could come up, knowing no one would dare to battle an eye in her direction was a reason enough to celebrate.

—You intrigue me —he whispered.

That comment made her look curious at him, both of her eyes wide open while she waited for an explanation.

—One second, you're ready to do as I say, and the next one, you're ready to fight —he stepped closer to her—. You're one hell of a challenge.

Feeling the warmth of his body wasn't something she was ready for. And it was something that definitely made her feel nervous.

—Well... —she played with the drink— You keep saying you love to have things under control, so maybe the fact that you won't ever control me it's what attracts you so much —she tilted her head—. The idea of someone else having you in control, and not having to worry about decisions.

—You think so?

—I know —she took a sip from her drink—. You aren't sure if I will ever fuck you again, but you're so addicted to the challenge, to the edge I put you in, that you didn't even hesitate on claiming me before. You're not the one in control.

—You are? —he arched his eyebrows playfully, smirking softly— Show me, then.

Neither of them knew what turned around that night to transform an innocent drink into a declaration filled with bad intentions. Purposes that were going deeper than just having sex, purposes that assured what the other wanted and what fantasies they'd be willing to fulfill if they only gave in.

Y/n rested the glass over the small bar counter, standing so close to him that she could almost breathe his distilled breath. The hairs on his nape raised hurtfully when her fingers ran from his lower belly to his chest, ghosting his nipples over his chest before they were on the collar of his shirt.

She liked a little too much teasing him, eager for his reactions while their lips rubbed together as she unbuttoned his shirt delicately. And Jungkook thought he'd lose it when the tip of her tongue started tracing the line of his lips, focusing a little too much on the lip ring that hung on the right side of the lower one. Hands going lover over his body, crossing the safe line of his slacks just to tick her fingers way too close to the growing bulge in his pants.

—Now you'll be the one begging me to fuck you —she whispered.

And that was the last straw before Jungkook lost any kind of autocontrol, lifting her body as if she weighed nothing and making her gasp by the sudden change of position.

—So you want me to beg you —his voice said ironically, so raspy that it could cut her in half—. Fine —he nodded, laying her on the small counter—, but I'm going to eat you out first.

Her pussy throbbed at those words that triggered a dangerous amount of images, having her grinding on him just so she could get what she wanted. When she blinked, her upper body was already naked and Jungkook was getting ready to get rid of her jeans. Lifting her hips, she felt the fabric of her jeans and panties slide down her legs carefully.

Despite her nudity, Jungkook's eyes were fixed on hers, moving down her chin and throat to be fixed on a particular spot. His hand covered his initials on her skin, a wave of pride and possessiveness running over him seeing that mark after so long.

—My doll —he breathed, making her shiver with the way his breath caressed her the same way his fingers did.

And while she hated the situation, there was something so exciting, something that made her feel so powerful that she completely forgot what she fought for. That man was crazy for her, and she loved the twisted feeling of being so wanted by someone that controlled absolutely everyone that fell under his gaze.

He chose her.

And he made sure to let her know while his lips kissed every single inked letter, moving down her belly. His tongue ghosted her clit, moving over it before sliding the tip through her slit down her entrance. Her eyelids instantly fell, closing shut completely lost in the familiar sensation of being touched by him.

Cold air hit her heated spot when he opened her up with two of his fingers, mesmerized by her glittery folds that were asking for any type of attention. He started spreading open mouth kisses, groaning when he tasted her after licking his lips, only encouraged to sink his face deeper between her legs.

She lifted her hips as soon as his tongue reached her clit, circling it a few times before his lips closed around that bundle of nerves. She started feeling her body weaker, too focused on his tongue, and the contrast between the cold lip ring on her warm folds, to be able to keep herself straight. Looking for support, one hand plastered on the wooden counter, while the other was sinked in Jungkook's locks to keep him as close to her as possible. But that didn't keep him from getting up.

His lips and chin were shining down the intimate lights, taking a quick second to drink a bit of champagne before he bent over to kiss her. Her own metallic taste mixed with the bitter flavor of the drink made her moan during the kiss.

—Do you understand now why I got addicted to your cunt? —he kissed her chin.

Moving her body more over the edge, and making sure her back was well arched with a hand guiding her, he took her by surprise when he poured the cold liquid directly on her tits, making her jump surprised. Coldness only lasted a few seconds, before his lips made it disappear when they closed around her hard button.

She held onto him, eyes fixed on every move he made. How his eyebrows were slightly frowned while testing her, and how his head moved from one nipple to the other after pouring the cold drink again.

He had been deprived of her for way too long to not enjoy it.

Jungkook moved down again, too needy for her to move on from her pussy that fast. The moans, the way her hips grinded against his face, how her fingers tangled on his hair... Everything about her was a bomb that could end with his sanity. But even all of that couldn't compare to her continuously battling to command, pushing his head back while his lips were still connected to her wet core.

The naughty idea that came to her head when he poured the champagne over her breasts, made her clench, and the groan he made while eating her out was the only thing she needed to go ahead with it. She poured the liquid of one of the cups over her body, creating a golden river that ended where his lips were still connected to her. He thought that he was about to go insane after that, but he only was able to open his mouth and take as much of the liquid as he was able to -even if most of it dropped to the floor, with the sound of the drops warning of the mess that was being caused. After she emptied the cup over her body, Jungkook made sure to clean it all up, before he stood back up between her legs.

That time it was her that pulled him in for a kiss, their lips linked together in the messiest of the ways, sloppy moves where their tongues tried to gain control over the other. His hands found their way on the back of her knees, wrapping his own waist with them before lifting her up.

Both of them fell in the middle of the bed, with Y/n still straddling him while his hands and mouth tried to learn new things from every corner of her body. Y/n was drunk in pleasure, eager for more, desperate for him the second she felt his bulge pressing hard against his slacks.

Although among that heavy fog that clouded her senses, she was able to find her way back to her usual self when she spotted the handcuffs on the nightstand. A plan formed in her head, and it took her seconds to put it in action.

Grabbing Jungkook by his throat to stop his wet kisses on her neck, she sat on his lap. And if he was already down for her, the sight he was getting at that moment would've made him cum in his pants if she hadn't spoken.

—Hands up —she suggested.

He was so confused, but too into whatever was going down to disobey her. Moving his hands to the headboard, he saw her smirking while biting her lip before she bent to the side to get the handcuffs and shake them in the air.

Using the key to open them, she closed one of them around his wrist, moving the chain to the back of one of the wooden sticks, moving the other handcuff back out to close it around his other wrist. He had never been tied before, but he loved how she was ready to be in control and do absolutely everything she wanted to him. And he was ready for it, down for her next few words as she whispered in his ear.

—Now try calling one of your bulldogs to set you free.

And with those words being said, and a mischievous smile on her face, she hopped off the bed, taking all of her clothes from the floor while he just stared at her from the bed.

—Y/n, don't dare to leave me like this —he warned her as she stepped closer to the door fully closed.

—And what will you do? —she laughed.

Those were the last words she aimed at him, before opening the door with one hand while showing him the middle finger with the other.

While she walked fast through the hall, she sighed with relief. Although her steps started to slow down as she got closer to the stairs, realizing she had nowhere to go, she had no documentation on her power, she had no one to run to... She stopped before taking one step down the first step, sure that she didn't think any of that well enough.

Her own plaints were interrupted by something heated behind her, and a voice that would definitely cut her in half if it could.

—Didn't think it through?

Taglist: @kaiparkerwifes @sheylamc @amy2006jones

[spirithunts]

» — ⌜NAME & IDENTITY⌟ ,

ahri's name is, alongside the ymelo sunstones (aka her orb), one of the few things her family (or people) left her. while lore states the orb is the only connection she has to her past, it gives no explanation to how she was named — and given her name seems to be important enough to her she does not volunteer it immediately (i'll get to that), i don't think it was just something arbitrarily chosen, and is rather part of her connection to the vesani. how it was made known to her i'm still debating, although her tribe is the one with the power to store and pass on memories, and i imagine they could have left something that would relay that to her innately.

regardless! identity is an important aspect of ahri's story — the central one, even, considering her motivation revolves around learning about her past to find her place in the world and know who (and what) she is. even her struggle against her nature is deeply tied to perception of self and who she wants to be. her name is part of her identity, part of who she is, and part that is held somewhat guardedly.

the first reason for the importance of her name is that it ties her to her people, a people extinct, to which she has very limited means of connecting to. it was given to her (or so she believes) by either her family or those of her people who may have looked after her as a baby. it was the first thing she had, alongside the sunstones. when she was very small and growing up among the foxes, knowing she was different but having no closer kin, the name was who she was and what she was. she wasn't a fox; she was ahri. she had yet to find out what exactly that meant but it was who and what she was.

that doesn't change as she grows and comes into contact with the human world. it's her identity, even if she's still figuring out what exactly that means. and, as a predator, she would not have offered anything about herself, much less her true self, to the people she hunted. it became a guarded part of her because it was who she really was, and from the start that wasn't something ahri opened up about immediately.

even when she is somewhat trusting (enough to be deceived and attacked, in a fair trade), ahri doesn't simply tell people her name.

where one would expect someone to introduce themselves in response, she just skips that part and continues asking about the topic they had been discussing. all throughout the story, she doesn't tell hirin her name. in perennial, no one refers to her by name, implying she never said what she's called. and, perhaps the more significant example of this, she doesn't tell yasuo her name until they're already in bilgewater, even though they traveled together by ship from ionia for what was at minimum several weeks, at most several months and she had already hired him as a bodyguard early on (and even then, she doesn't tell him immediately, despite him pressing her for any information about herself).

this exchange happens when they first arrive in bilgewater, and as seen above, ahri is still reluctant to tell yasuo her name. she more easily suggests they part ways than offers him her name. when she does tell him her name, it's after she charmed the innkeeper and yasuo is questioning her about what did she do to the man (and when he figures she's vastaya and she stops trying to hide that). i'd say even then, were it her choice alone, ahri wouldn't have said it — but because he was already insisting on knowing about other things, she gave in and just revealed it.

on top of her ancestry and how connected it is to her sense of identity, i like to think it's something ahri has become extra careful with the more she learned about vastayan culture. nothing in lore states anything in particular about names, but the vastaya do have a whole 'words have power' thing going on, with how a declaration of belonging to each other is enough to form a bond between two people, even linking (albeit weakly) their magic to each other. i like to think that, because of that, names would also be seen as somewhat.. sacred may not be the word, but deserving of respect. what you call someone isn't trivial; their given name isn't just a word, it's tied to who they are. and, learning about that, ahri would be even less likely to tell her name to someone she doesn't trust. being vastaya is also central to the identity she's been building (it wasn't always, but it became significant to her and she came to identify with it), and their beliefs and customs would definitely play a part and influence how she acts even though she didn't grow up immersed in that culture.

the main point here is that 'ahri' has always been who she was and it was also what she was for the longest time, as she believed there was no one like her and didn't know anything about her people. it was what she was even when ahri didn't know exactly what that meant. honestly i think she still doesn't fully know, but it's still something she sees as central to who she is, and she doesn't reveal anything about who she really is to anyone if there's not a degree of trust. if she eventually volunteers the information to someone, it's definitely because she trusts them; so being called by her name is usually something intimate, though there are exceptions to that (such as the entirety of the ruined king crew knowing her name because yasuo says it).

i don't know what exactly is the point to this or if i even said everything i meant to say but. yeah. names are important to her and she doesn't willingly share her name unless she trusts someone.

[chordsykat]

Would it fall into spoiler territory to ask the what where when why and how about Eden’s super sheltered persona? Those ask prompts with Eden’s answers seeming so oblivious to the world has me curious! Of course, if spoilers they be, feel free to say no!

This is a whole can of worms, and you guys will learn a bit more about her as Dethkomic goes on -- so I won't spoil too much of what isn't already out there...

However, there are things that I can totally reveal right now, and especially as it pertains to how I wanted to develop her...

That said, I'll put a cut here in case even that amount of spoiler is too much. :)

When the past scenes in Dethkomic are taking place, Eden is somewhere around 10 years old, I'd guess. Charles' hostel manager, Emily, says this:

Most readers guessed correctly that she was referring to Eden. Also, extra kudos to those of you who pointed out the secret bio-weapon Lars Luder was developing goes by the name "Project Dragonfly", which indirectly references her - the dragonfly being her totem animal.

Eden was orphaned at a young age under mysterious circumstances. The letter in the panel above says "The sisters", implying she was under the care of some sort of Catholic-run orphanage/school at the time. I am not sure if it's important enough for me to explore how she came into Orpheus and Valentina's care, but if you recall these panels from earlier:

...Dr. Necrophagist was fresh out of college then, and it seems Project Dragonfly had perhaps been abandoned, according to Charles' informant. And he wouldn't lie.

...unless he was trying to throw him off the trail... Which, hey - Orpheus seems to have managed to find himself as one of the girl's primary caregivers these days. Sure that's just a coincidence, though... right? Regardless, Lars Luder having a vested interest in the prophecy would seem to imply he's wise to the idea of Eden (potentially) being a piece to that particular puzzle. And as you'll see in the coming pages, he was right to think so.

Luder is one rich bitch, and he funds Eden's upbringing up to (and past) the day he dies. While alive, he seems to throw his whole existence (including his family) away on pursuing things like magical girls with super powers, insane experiments, and recruiting armies of people to become his followers. It's quite ironic, considering who he turns out to be, actually.

But then, that's a story for a few updates down the line. And Eden grows up in various institutions until coming fully under Orpheus and Valentina's care. By then, she's not only been revealed to be magically endowed as a healer, but a gifted guitarist, too. Orpheus finds himself as obsessed with The Prophecy(TM) as Lars once was, and you know the minute he finds out all of that research has been pointing to Dethklok playing a pivotal role in it all, he is going to start hatching a plan to get close to them. Luckily, a certain opening act just happens to be looking for a replacement guitarist so they can continue their tour with the boys, right around the same time.

All that said, Eden's not really treated as anything more than a convenient way to gain access to Mordhaus. Had she not shown any skill on the guitar, in fact, it's likely Val and Orph would have dumped her and moved on to trying to get Dethklok's attention, by themselves. They're clearly not impressed with her healing magic the same way Lars was, and by the time they all pack up for Mordland, it's probable they're not betting on her being connected to the Prophecy at all.

So you have this girl who has grown up with no real parents, passed around from place to place, possibly experimented on, treated like a lab animal, definitely sheltered away from much of the outside world, and suddenly given an amazing opportunity to not only tour with the biggest band in the world - but for the first time ever, have real friends and a life of her very own outside of four sterile walls (and the very occasional visit to the park and, I'd wager, out-of-doors at large)? I mean, there's culture shock, and then there's untangling indoctrination, and then there's what Eden's going through - which is kinda like finding out water is wet for the first time. :D

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: All of the girls in Baen-Shee play this sort of opposite-but-equal part to their reciprocal member of Dethklok. Eden and Toki may be the most up-front of them all, I guess. They're both the youngest members of their bands and are in a band for the very first time - both have a sort of "secret badass" thing going on - both have some real trauma to work through when it comes to things like isolation, rejection, the world at large and profound loneliness. Even the thing with Toki "killing" things and Eden healing them is the same, in a way. They both speak to the same "entity" (death). Their messages are just different, is all.

The author, too, admits to taking Eden as more utility than person, sometimes. Remember the Baen-Shee quiz? This answer to this question is "the Eden one":

Anyway, I'm guessing that was more than you wanted to know. :) Actually, it might be none of what you wanted to know, hehe. Either way, it was fun to sit down and write about Miss Nightwish for an hour, and I'm always happy to spout on and on and on when you guys want to know more about my characters. I very much appreciate the question, Anon, and I promise - there's SO much more to come. :)

[okthatsgreat]

Thinking about lgowab again and I'm wondering, which of your current Dangan OCs would be part of the AHL?

RRRGAGHA MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME WHAT AN AWESOME QUESTION THIS IS omgg............ my brain has just activated

i think the great part of ahl and also what makes this question so difficult is the fact that the members of ahl are few and honestly quite random LMFAO. reason for recruitment often flounders depending on who they need at the moment, and it is pretty difficult to seek the team out without running the risk of getting caught ................. there is also certain criteria that you need to pass to be actively sought out !!

that being said i think the one person i am certain would be part of the ahl in that universe is erin HGKDFS. she checks off a lot of the boxes.......... great actress, big presence that can assist with morale, an important figure for marketing without being THE spokesperson of her season and able to provide insider information. not to mention she's extremely bitter and angry towards the company and searching for some kind of outlet to express that. i think if she got caught on a bad day she would easily throw her life away to join something like this without thinking

yoshito would not be sought out i dont think HGJDFKG. i don't think mika would either ............ at the point of them leaving the simulator they arent necessarily needed (in the way other people were) and also they are way too close with danganronpa. the ahl would NOT be willing to risk being found out just to recruit them gfhdjkg. i am debating whether or not ryobe would also fit in this box but also even if he WAS approached i dont think he'd accept…. i think he'd take the business card and throw it away after a week of contemplation lol. he's upset at the company definitely, but far more frightened and depressed at the time he hypothetically gets approached

rie wouldn't accept if she was approached and honestly she might even go so far as to snitch ....................... she adapts to her role in the company very quickly upon leaving the simulator and does what she can to survive and keep her season relevant. if she saw a way to get ahead that also harms the "dangerous radical group" that she had been warned repeatedly about then she might take it!!! naomi would not accept and i have my doubts she'd be offered in the first place just because she's under a lot of pressure from danganronpa and considered pretty volatile ghdfjkg. if team dr ever found out she was involved in an organisation like this and started pressing her for answers she would CRACK

i could see sae accepting honestly, but she wouldn't be super involved. billie would NOT be approached ever. andi is a hologram

[margridarnauds]

How did you name Kitrye?

Signed,

Someone who is considering playing as an elf but doesn't know how to name an elf.

You have no idea what you did by asking this because it's one of those examples of me vibrating for months to explain why I made a choice I made.

A lot of the DND books that are focused on a given race will give you example names to work with, but, personally, that isn't an option I've ever taken. A little known Thing with me is that, when I'm naming characters, I am pretty much always very, very specific. Even if it's information that won't come up, naming a character is a big part of characterization for me.

So, I went here -- Not as canon as I'd have liked, but, given it's DND, it's as canon as I could get. And I looked at various options, but "Kitrye" was what I went for in the end, because it meant "Half." And it worked on multiple levels, first was that it highlights the sort of person Kitrye's mother is, that she would just give her the name "Half", second of all that it's something that other Drow can note and comment on if they want (even if Kitrye can ALMOST pass as a relatively pale full Drow, her name + eyes give her away), and third of all that it highlights the theme of duality that was always meant to be embedded in Kitrye's story arc. I went through a couple of designs for her in the early game, including one where she would have half white/half black hair, which was meant to be a very, very imperceptibly slight nod of inspiration to the goddess Hel from Norse Mythology, which ultimately ended up in her current design, which lost that idea of black/white duality but still has a lot of black highlights in it despite looking very silvery on the surface. I wanted to add a lot of death motifs to her at the beginning as a way of underscoring her eventual role, though most of those ended up getting cut, but the idea of duality still stayed, especially since most of her outfits feature strong contrasts between dark and light elements. (The third bonus was that it was something that was pronounceable AND something that could hold its own in a world of Quinthels, Liriels, and Malices -- just foreign enough to seem distinctively Drow, just short enough to be pronounceable and recognizable as a name, with possibilities for nicknames as well.) I knew, from the beginning, that I wanted her to be a strong contrast to Raphael, so it made sense that her duality, her mixed nature, would be front and center when naming her (in a way that it ISN'T with him -- one of them kind of intentionally hides it and sees it as a weakness, the other doesn't.) I go back and forth on whether I'll ever give an explanation of the name in a fic, because a part of me thinks it's really, really important to her, another part of me thinks it's great to leave it as something that you have to dig for.

And, from that point on, it was a matter of shopping for which house she ought to belong to, since that's central to Drow society. I toyed with a number of options -- never the most prominent house, House Baenre, since Minthara already belongs to that one in-canon, but somebody who would, ideally, be in a place of nobility and privilege while also being out of the spotlight, someone who there was just enough canon on that I had something to work with and just little enough canon that I could be very flexible with, say, matron mother names, timelines, etc. And House Symryvvin, 18th on the house ranking, but once holding some lore that said that they might be the REAL rulers of Menzoberranzan via their hyper-devotion to Lolth...it was perfect. Like, it meant that (1) Kitrye wouldn't be a celebrity, even if she had some amount of power, she is not coming from a place of HYPER privilege, even if it's still a place of privilege and (2) There was a justification for how she was allowed to be born in the first place, because she's a Symryvvin and people might have still been too scared to challenge her mother's decision.

For Mallathalra, I followed a similar pattern (minus the surname issues since I'd already selected that) -- since she actually was chosen by the family and adopted, I wanted something that was slightly more ornate for her, so I chose "malla", meaning "honored" or "honored one" and "thalra", meaning "encounter", for something that is VERY ROUGHLY intended to convey the idea of "honored encounter" -- her name is more outwardly complimentary than Kitrye's, it actually had effort put into it, but there's a double-edged sword in the sense that she very literally does not have an identity outside of the family. They found her, they adopted her, and now she couldn't even remember her birth name if she wanted to.

In a lot of ways, it would be easier to go to a Drow name generator or to take one of the suggested names from the guides, but I'm honestly really happy I didn't, since it gave me a much clearer idea of the characters by going the dictionary route.

For an elf, you have this dictionary, if you want to take the approach I did. The 5E player's handbook has these suggestions:

[indigos-shits-and-giggles]

i wanna hear abt wes!!!

Okay SO Wes is this very anxious, standoffish guy who recently moved to Hatchetfield from Clivesdale and it's generally seen as just... nice but very weird by the other citizens in Hatchetfield. Like, for some reason he rarely ever gives out its actual name, leading to his acquaintances giving it a lot of creative nicknames. Even its closest friends only know him by just Wes, and if someone annoys him enough it'll just pull an Odysseus and claim his name is Nobody. It's generally just very paranoid and rather cagey about certain bits of information about himself, even around people it DOES know and trust.

So, why the hell is it like this?

Well, waaaaaayyyyy back in the day when Wes was like four and its older brother, Ridley, was eight, he and its family actually used to live in Hatchetfield! In fact, Wes and Ridley were born there and probably have a touch of the Gift but that's not important right now. However, their parents had gotten tangled up in some pretty nasty cult bullshit and decided they needed to leave right the hell now, because they didn't want their kids getting stuck in that stuff too. So, they moved to where they knew no one would follow: CLIVESDALE.

Their childhood in Clivesdale is pretty chill all things considered. The first year or so was definitely a bit to adjust to, but Ridley made sure to look out for Wes whenever he could. Naturally this kinda led Wes to look up to him a little because, hey, Ridley Very Fucking Cool and adventurous, and he never backs down from a challenge.

However, they still got family stuck in Hatchetfield, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins, so naturally the second Ridley turns 20, he gets the bright idea to go back to Hatchetfield for a few weeks, maybe a month depending on how much he enjoys himself, just to shoot the shit with some family and get in some much needed adventure. See, he's heard some pretty neat rumours about Hatchetfield, and because thing has long since gotten stale in Clivesdale, he figured it'd be a nice change of pace.

So, Ridley heads down to Hatchetfield, writing Wes letters every other week with photographs and illustrations of all the things he's seen, the people he met, stuff like that. It seems to be going fan fucking tastic for him, until...

The letters stop.

As a month goes by, Wes tries to not think too much about it. It's always had a problem with anxiety and being paranoid, he wouldn't put it past itself to be stressed out like this for no reason. Maybe Ridley was having too much fun, or maybe he's still sending letters but they're just getting lost in the mail. But then, another week goes by. And another. Two whole months pass and Wes STILL hasn't heard from Ridley. He's called him a gazillion times, sent him letter after letter, care package after care package, but it just doesn't know if Ridley's getting them, or if Ridley's even alive.

So, Wes and his family calls the police and files his brother missing. For a moment, Wes considers trying to march down to Hatchetfield to look for Ridley himself. Only, at this point it's 16, he still has its parents to worry about and tell him what to do, and it hasn't even learned how to drive yet. Also, the Nantucket bridge is hardly ever lowered, he'd have to wait 'til the perfect moment to sneak across.

So, he waited. Waited until it'd would be old enough to move out too, waited until he could finally have the freedom to find its goddamn brother again. At first, it felt like he was waiting forever, but when he got old enough, the exact same age Ridley was when he first left, Wes is finally ready to leave. He packs his things, scrapes together what little change it can, and moves into a shitty, shitty apartment in the tiny town of Hatchetfield.

Somewhere along the way, he finds a bunch of unsent letters written by its brother, journals filled back to back with notes on all the cool shit Ridley found there. But as Wes continues reading, he realizes with a start that Ridley, adventurous, curious Ridley, may have gotten himself into something he really shouldn't. Yeaaahhhh, Ridley managed to piss off both the Church of Starry Children AND CCRP (despite their parents' attempts to make sure that wouldn't happen), and both were more than ready to make this guy "from" Clivesdale disappear. And of course, Wes is destined to follow the same exact fate as his poor, older brother, the one it looked up to the most.

But don't worry! Ridley's still alive, in a way. Sure, he... may not be entirely human anymore. It's hard to tell if there's any of him still left in the broken, shambling husk that roams the Witchwood. But he's there, waiting for Wes to find him.

[kalu-chan]

I should go sleep but there's apparently an itch only Servamp can scratch right now so I'll tend to that first, and y'all have to hear me ramble. Also, spoilers. And rambly, it's past midnight. I'd out a read more but, I'm on my phone, sorry.

I really, really wonder who put Kuro there in the alley. Is it someone we know? Someone we have yet to meet?

The most immediate guess would be Tsubaki, but I highly doubt that. He is trying to revive Sensei, yes, but I don't think he's been part of the whole plan; he seemed to devastated when Kuro killed Sensei, and in general, his whole demeanor doesn't scream "I am in on all of this" to me. He wants Sensei back, and also he's angry af that Sensei died in the first place. Additionally, if Tsubaki had known about Mahiru's planned involvement, he'd have informed Sakuya to stay away from Mahiru.

Like, Tsubaki's Whole Thing is Loyalty and Not Betraying His Subclass. Which explains his anger at Kuro (for betraying the Creator alongside just killing him), but more importantly, he would not have allowed Sakuya to get hurt like that. He would've made sure none of his Subclass befriend Mahiru.

So, Tsubakyun is out. So are Freya, Ildio, and Hyde, because they voted against killing Sensei, which would have foiled the whole plan. Lily is also out, or else he wouldn't have been Broken like this, because he would've worked with Tsubaki in general. Jeje... Is technically on Tsubaki's side right now, but he doesn't seem to enjoy it much, so I'm gonna go ahead an claim it's not him, either; he's just going along with Mikuni (who is out because he's less than 100 years old, and because I suspect he only chose to join Tsubaki later on, bc otherwise he wouldn't have made Jeje kill a Melancholy Subclass). Gear was waiting for Kuro, so he's out, too.

It could be someone new, but considering how close we are to the presumably final showdown against Tsubaki, it'd feel a little late to introduce someone that important completely new. Unless, I guess, the plot has Tsubaki succeed at least partially, so that Sensei is at least somewhat revived and he takes the Main Villain position, but even then... Eh.

Which leaves us two main options.

1) Hugh. He's the only Servamp with no clear "alibi", and a lot of his stuff was planned from the start, hence the lack of contract with Tetsu (which, Hugh, bro, you SENT THAT KID INTO BATTLE AS A NORMAL ASS HUMAN!). Plus, while the rest of the Yes-Group wasn't too thrilled about being a vampire (Jeje wanted Kuro to KILL him, Lily iirc also said he didn't ask to be saved in an earlier flashback, and Kuro grieved his village and had no control over his powers), Hugh seemed pretty chill about it. Though he really SHOULD have reason to have issues - Gear says things "stabilized around the third Servamp" (and Jeje clearly still has problems, even though I still think that Mikuni's mom was lying about being influenced by Jeje without even having a contract, his former Eves are a different matter), so considering Kuro and Jeje, Hugh should have Issues, too (maybe that's another reason to not form a real contract). So maybe Sensei offered Hugh a way to Solve those issues in exchange for Hugh playing along with the plan. The hands didn't look like Hugh's, but he has more than enough Subclass that could've put the kitty there.

b) A human family. Someone's ancestor could've made a deal with Sensei, kitty Kuro would've been passed down through the generations, until someone could place Kuro there. Probably someone from C3, that is a family business for most people anyway, and well, the organization founded by Sensei asking the Servamps to kill Sensei, would just make sense if other parts of the plan were also in their hands. Then the question is just which family. We can probably exclude the main-ish ones (Tsurugi's, Yumi's, Jun's, Shuuhei's). I don't remember much of C3, really gotta reread (and get my heart ripped out again...), but I'd also say Toma's family is not involved, there's enough going in without that, despite Toma's bonus plan.

But well, excluding some doesn't answer the question if who it could be. Sendagayas, maybe? Indirect ties to C3, and it'd explain why Hugh ended up there instead of anywhere else, but I honestly can't imagine Tetsu's parents to be involved there. I forgot how much we know about Izuna's family outside if her and Shuuhei being childhood friends, I think, so I guess they'd be an option - Not Izuna herself, of course, but maybe a parent or an older sibling. Would also help getting her and Freya back into the story, Tanaka Strike! (I miss my wolf lady)

Idk I'm just throwing thoughts at Tumblr to see if they're al dente, i have no idea which is more likely.

[ray-talks]

2/15/24

today's restriction was alright.

i was unable to purge, because my friend came over but we didn't eat a snack, which was relieving. there is something that bothers me about this at the same time, but i don't think i have a right to voice it, because it is not my personal information to give. whatever i say that is relative to myself is fair game, but information related to a separate person is not fair game. it would supply a level of complexity, though, and it is something that i am wrestling with. the conflict i feel is about whether i should prioritize myself or them. but i do recognize i am choosing myself in the end -- so perhaps, it is wrong of me to act like i am unsure of which to choose, it's just that i feel guilt over my rather immoral, self-serving decision.

speaking of immorality, there has been something that has crossed my mind multiple times. sometimes i see someone who is unusually and extremely skinny, and it makes me wonder whether this is their natural body-type or if they have an eating disorder like me. obviously, since i don't interact with people and have zero intentions of getting close to someone, i'll never find out. this leads me to think which reality would i rather it be. my conclusion is that i would definitely prefer it to be a natural body-type. this is not simply because i would rather it be true that someone is not struggling with an eating disorder. but it's because if they did have an eating disorder, it would mean they are doing a much better job than me, and that makes me envious(?). that is a blatantly horrible way to think. like who would be envious of someone with a severe mental disorder? i mean, yes, it is probably clear that i am not a good person.

my thinking, though, is that what is important to me is self-control and discipline, rather than any belief that skinniness is attractive and that i want it for that reason. so it is of little meaning to me if someone is naturally very skinny. it's not like they had to work for it and i am not upset that they fit a specific beauty standard while i don't. and even that is shaky, because i wouldn't necessarily argue that the people i am referring to are the beauty standard, because there is a point that someone can be too underweight and begin to not be considered attractive. even if i do feel envy over someone's natural body-type, it comes from a place that body-type is what i associate with positive markers for my goal, and i wish i was there. regardless, what i am getting at is that it is more valuable to me to have the drive and dedication to take their goal to an extreme. when i see someone else who is able to do that -- it makes me feel inadequate and that i am not passionate enough, that i'm not trying hard enough. today i saw someone state they fasted for 25 days, while i have no way of verifying if what they said was a lie, it made me sad. and because i am a bad person, it was not because i felt sorrow that this person must be a terrible headspace, but because i have not accomplished that. i haven't been able to test myself to that extreme. i've never had the opportunity to, but i would be scared to discover that perhaps i don't have it in me.

i want to know that i can push myself. know that i'd do anything to accomplish my goal. know that i can have such strong control over myself, that i could override basic survival instincts. and if i could do that, i could do practically anything. this knowledge would satisfy me greatly, letting me be able to pass away with my heart at ease. that is what i essentially crave. i'd be able to achieve such good self-control in life, and then at the end of it all, i'd be able to commit that most ultimate form of self-control, which is to choose to die.

that's my ramblings for today. if i come off as deeply unwell, i apologize. if you have read this far, i wish you a good day.

[edamba]

5 BENEFITS OF DOING A PHD IN MANAGEMENT

A PhD in Management can help you achieve your professional and personal aspirations, regardless of whether you're considering a career in academia, attempting to advance in your present job, or looking to solve new management difficulties.

Although earning a PhD in management is not an easy task, the advantages of doing it can be significant. It is the greatest level of education that is available and is regarded as a sign of commitment and knowledge by companies.

Below can be regarded as the 5 benefits of doing PhD in Management -

Research

Research is the core component of a PhD. With all that motivation and training, one will become very good at it without a doubt. It would help one to:

Take on unanswered questions.

Identify the information that might be required to answer those questions.

Choose the best methodology to gather and analyze the data.

Having the capacity to present your results efficiently and effectively to a relevant audience.

Craft a business play that requires strong research skills in designing and development as well as the business’s marketing and operation.

It takes tremendous knowledge to identify a new market and audience. With a doctorate, you can train potential employees of the company on how to conduct outstanding research.

Public speaking

As a PhD scholar, you would need to present your ideas to a substantial knowledgeable audience where you would be questioned and critiqued on your decisions and the outcome of those decisions.

Throughout the course of their study, one may also have to communicate with a diverse group of people with differing levels of expertise and perspective. They will gain confidence in handling knowledge dissemination through this process, which will also improve their public and professional speaking abilities.

In business and management courses, it is important to teach students how to conduct themselves professionally in public. In a professional situation, this will assist many people in clearly expressing their ideas and opinions.

Become a better thinker

The best PhD in Management teaches you how to produce information instead of just encouraging you to consume it. You will develop new levels of critical thinking by moving past passive learning, which you may then apply in new and interesting ways in your field of study, organization, and profession.

Boost your salary and job expectations

It only seems fair that if you have a special set of skills, your pay should reflect that. PhD graduates often earn more money than people with master's degrees in all fields. Additionally, the knowledge you acquire while earning your degree may make you aware of opportunities you previously wouldn't have considered.

Adaptability

A PhD in Management will really put a person's adaptability and flexibility to the test because practically everyone will encounter difficult circumstances while working on their thesis. Adaptability is the key to being a successful professional and moving forward in the world of business and management. These skills, which PhD candidates naturally possess and that they have acquired rather than learnt, will be passed on to the employees and will significantly add to their skill set, which will be beneficial to both their professional and personal lives.

Therefore, PhD in Management graduates are more prepared for the business world than even holders of standard MBA degrees. PhDs possess valuable abilities such as resource allocation, time management, flexibility, data analysis, and result interpretation.

A PhD in Management is a wise choice if you want to advance your career and establish yourself as a recognized expert in your field. Entrepreneurs can confidently start their own ventures, while intrapreneurs can advance in their business ahead. Join the academic PhD community today where knowledgeable researchers and instructors nurture a vibrant fusion of ideas, thoughts, fellowship, and discipline.

[starborn-souls]

Thinking about Mikhails (Hiltruds dad) brainwashing/memory loss from his point of view, because like. It wasn't a one and done deal, it was a process that lasted all of 15 years ((roughly)) and one that he became aware of as it was happening.

Like. It was having your world turned upside down by war; watching the citizens of the land you've lived in for centuries fleeing becasue of it, because of an invading military intent on 'liberating' it from those currently in power. Your brother, your mirror image in every way, except the ones that don't count, is with you, but he's ill, he's dying, and you both know it. But it doesn't keep him from helping your people get out, get someplace safer. Knowing that the resulting liberation will just be 'under new management'.

There's a silver lining to the clouds of smoke and gunfire. Because there's a child like you, not human, that seems achingly familiar in a way you simultaneously can't place and can't help but already consider your own. And while she's deathly ill, and far more injured than any child ought to be, immortal or not, you know she'll recover. You see the quiet determination, the flickering fire, in her eyes that you know is hers.

You're a relic of what came before. And like a trophy of war, you're taken from your home. But you're allowed to take your daughter with you. Nobody else knows how to care for her after all, and on deaths door or not, something tells you she wouldn't let you leave without her anyways. You haven't seen your brother. You're scared to think about what could've happened. You just hope he's alive at the very least. That he didn't pass on alone.

You're questioned for information you don't have; accused of being someone, something, that you aren't. You stay strong, you don't let them force you to your proverbial kness. But still you feel the weakness taking you. The fatigue. You don't feel quite like yourself. But you ignore it in favor of staying physically alive, of protecting your child from the truth of what's going on. She's too young after all.

He died in the night without a trace. All you have left of him is a journal and an old jacket. At least it's something.

They begin to ask more of you, gradually. It becomes harder to hide the injuries from her, eyes far too observant for any child, especially as the years pass and she grows older. But still, you manage, and the smaller moments make it worth it. Make the times away easier to get through.

But as the years go on, things become fuzzy. At first it's the little things. Where you left the room key, if you put the candle out, if you had already put her to bed. But then it's resigned obedience. Following orders without the passive aggression, without question. Speaking their language despite how foreign, how wrong it feels to come from you. And you answer to the name they gave you now.

And it only goes downhill. Because it turns into not just forgetting minor occurrences, but events. Locations. Names and faces that used to be so precious to you. Who the jacket came from, what you used to be called.

What her name was. The one you gave her all those years ago. Where you found her, if she was your child or just an orphan you took under your wing out of the goodness of your heart.

You know she's important, but you don't know why. Don't know the history. Not anymore. And you don't know to hide it from her.

You don't mean to crush her heart, you really don't, but you do anyways. Because you don't know anything else, don't know who she's asking for, who she's calling 'father'. Even though you know you should.

Enough time passes, and while oftentimes you forget there was ever somebody that was lost, you get your daughter back. Learn to care for her again as if she's your own. Because she is. You just forgot for a little while.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

You’re the only person I know with similar thoughts on the whole Mordecai Mitzi Atlas Enigma. I don’t really have any extra insight on that, but I do have wild speculation about the future. I think Mordecai might at least attempt to meet up with Drago or even call the feds on Lackadaisy (provided he escapes his current situation without too much suspicion). He dismisses Gracie’s idea of sicking the feds on Marigold, but the first thing he tries to find out when the Savoys arrive are where Gracie meets up with Drago. If Mordecai was just going to hand the info over to Marigold I don’t think he’d be in such a rush . He might see big raid as a way to further doom Lackadaisy financially and convince/force Mitzi to retire without too much bloodshed.

oh for real, lackadaisy's one of those "go figure, liking something a lot &/or for a long time, and just never really seeking out / participating in any online discussions about it, like even searching out Posts" matters lol including not posting about it too much myself, but now the glitter jar being shaken up / revisiting the entire comic with as much sagacity as i've ever had = enriching times. that is to say, i have zero idea what Ideas are or aren't really out there in terms of the biggest mysteries, which i kind of divide up as [rocky & freckle's big secret] and [marigold's big secret: thorn in its side & who even runs the place] and [mitzi & mordecai's big secret] with the lattermost seeming most mysterious to me....but i'm definitely interested in what ideas other people have, since i sure don't expect to have the keenest most accurate theories about it, and with anything, anyone might have noticed some detail you didn't or interpreted something in a different way that provides some new potential context. paying especial attention to like, exactly what characters say when they're speaking Of this matter, since like yeah sure otherwise going "hmm i'm not sure i understand what this means / this doesn't quite fully make sense to me or perfectly align with something i'd assumed was the case" is so Usual i might overlook it

i think the same about how the fact mordecai's asking Who gracie meets up with and Where means that's the most important info to him right now / that's what he thinks is his lead here. and that, yeah, he's not simply doing the extra detective work for marigold's sake, and he's also more interested in figuring out the source of marigold's agitation / resolving important things he thought he knew than he is in feds being told that marigold killed atlas....i've definitely considered whether drago's investigating marigold as a way to go after mordecai actually, but if anything i'm sure he'd actually be after marigold through some investigation of one particular person, being a prohibition agent after all rather than any detective after a guy for a bunch of murders or anything. plus drago sure does seem interested in marigold specifically, but it still might be something else / not Just that....like, why Would they get someone out of prison who they wouldn't think could help them that much, and who's then proceeded to not be able to pass along any usable information....great question. also good to have reminded myself of some other loose ends where we left off, like that zib's meaning to cut his losses with lackadaisy, is held in jail, and has had this passing introduction with drago, whose schedule sure seems to imply he keeps meaning to meet up with people that mordecai keeps being tasked to kill, namely gracie and presumably his lawyer

but fr like what can we expect mordecai to do with this information....seems like he need only ask for A Name if he only plans on investigating the guy himself, but what's he gonna do with a potential Meeting Time/Place....killing him, or even interacting with him, would be a bold move anyways, all the more so Without this being directed by marigold. and maybe he just plans to have an anonymous, mysterious exchange with him, supposing he's not worried about being recognized by sight or anything, could break out the ezra alias again....he could also just look out for drago from a distance to know what he looks like, maybe tail him a ways, but like, what would that really tell him. and why should mordecai be so motivated and taking such risks already / pretty evidently going a bit rogue & doing this for his own purposes rather than just gunning for marigold employee of the year, but only be willing to go This far & leave things off here. and i'm definitely interpreting mordecai's Rushed Secrecy here to be about the savoys being fellow Marigold Employees rather than like, him just not wanting to have to discuss this with them so that he can talk with them less lol. and the savoys are evidently paying attention to things too (and, again, i doubt they'd really fully buy that oh mordecai's just having fun) and who knows, maybe they'd actually be like "oh right on" about solving this mystery so that they're not so in the dark about what marigold's up to, either

and, also, why Should marigold be so mysterious about things? like, if this is all about "yeah this federal agent is too ambitious and won't take a payoff so we're uh. killing people about it" it's like, why shouldn't that be disclosed. not like such transparency would ever really be necessary, but that apparently this work is Newly mysterious; i.e. mordecai might've at least been able to Guess why he got such assignments prior, if not being told the Why....and there's also the question of why he's Newly teamed up with the savoys, since "because there's not enough for them to do otherwise" is something of an underwhelming explanation, though maybe i'm forgetting a detail or two there. what Things Had Changed before atlas died, but also Now, such that marigold's taking out loose ends? seems like the latter could be about drago being around and investigating marigold, but what of The Former, e.g. whatever asa warned atlas about....atlas Would have been aware that running a speakeasy Could be investigated by a federal department. though it's also possible asa didn't really warn atlas of fuckall and he's only referring to increased investigative scrutiny Now. i'm also supposing that mitzi might be right in that mordecai could be overthinking everything lol / there's not Necessarily a connection between his confusion re: marigold and anything concerning their mysterious shared secret knowledge of atlas's death (and mitzi's mysterious culpability), or not a direct one, anyways, and mordecai's just ending up proactively investigating marigold's investigation just to ensure like "oh whew so it Didn't have anything to do with My [mysteries]"....mordecai Reading Into that brunch exchange also Does give him a reason to talk about it to mitzi, which lets us as readers be introduced to the knowledge of That Mystery; we'd have no clue about it otherwise, except that the gossip is that mitzi Might've killed her husband

also Ooh Yea the emphasis on trying to go "no but for real everyone retire" at mitzi & everyone else at lackadaisy, and in his working for a rival* maybe presuming that if they get in the way / start being more Successful again, that could mean it becomes his job to start shooting at them, which he might be willing to do but certainly doesn't seem eager to / wouldn't actually relish it. i definitely buy that raiding their armory was such a Nudge of a [retire, btw] from marigold rather than mordecai carrying out a grudge, like how i also buy that mordecai Was reasoning with viktor to [retire, btw] by kneecapping him on his way out lmao, rather than spite, or his absolutely not caring if viktor dies; but mordecai Also not being willing or able to take on the responsibility to try to absolutely ensure that no one could possibly get hurt. his talking about I'll Surely Do A More Thorough Job to mitzi about if he's sent after lackadaisy again isn't warm and Obviously Amicable, but like the "if he really hates mitzi & wants her to have every last problem in the world, why make the remark about fixing the car windows; it's helpful advice, not criticism for its own sake" element, i imagine it's more of a warning than a threat, sort of his own personal brunch with mitzi by having this car chat, trying to preclude more bloodshed.

and who knows how he'd approach things if he Is tasked with causing problems for lackadaisy again. it could be a case of like, Wanting to make sure it's him who's in the position to do that, because Someone Else wouldn't potentially be trying to minimize casualties. but even so, i don't think he'd be fully able or willing to Really put it all on the line to make his absolute priority protecting lackadaisy....and for sure, maybe making an actual treasury department raid happen would be a death blow for lackadaisy. just also the question of like, if he could even manage that lol, again the questions of if he Could talk to drago....who already is apparently disinterested in dealing with lackadaisy, though not so re: marigold. and again wondering what kind of a loose end zib's gonna be / already is atm....what can he get up to in jail. and is he also going to be like, well i'm no longer working at lackadaisy but i'd rather everyone didn't die / instead retired or whatever

*also, still kind of a question like, Why did mordecai join marigold....could be a matter of a) not having options besides the work he's doing now but b) not wanting to stay at lackadaisy b/c of the Situation re: atlas. Or c) being involved in atlas's death b/c he may only have this line of work available But he doesn't want to be stuck at this one place forever...? might be a bit unlikely....gracie seems to be assuming that mordecai thinks marigold killed atlas, even though it Also seems like mordecai's really tipping his hand about like "i know how it really happened btw" but maybe it's only so obvious b/c we as readers have had more context for that already....but i just doubt that mordecai is feeling super loyal to marigold / doing this all just to insulate them or something, yeah. which gracie must also be assuming if he's offering to tell drago that marigold killed atlas. which also now makes gracie quite the loose end for mordecai himself, if this guy's gonna be out here having assumed that mordecai's just positioned himself as a spy within marigold to like avenge atlas or what have you. though, in turn, at this juncture it might be a wash whether gracie resents mordecai specifically or marigold overall more....interesting that he may even want to help mordecai further, beyond the fact that mordecai has his life in his hands, because as he says, his uncle died in the course of setting himself up as an informant for the feds, and he's telling mordecai about it only because that way it might mean more than nothing....which, now that i'm thinking about how it's plausible gracie doesn't die or anything, it's Also possible mordecai tries to have gracie operate as a triple agent here; meet with drago himself, but be working with mordecai....maybe they're kindred spirits in terms of like [raise your hand if you Haven't half accidentally killed someone] or something. though if he's stashing gracie in the veritable oubliette of some lagering caves (which, how's he know they were there??? feasibly marigold does, but i'm still wondering like What's Going On In All Those Caves over at lackadaisy and whether some discovery or other around there created some Situation re: why atlas died. just very relevant and ripe for mystery, drama, symbolism, etc. like with the rivers) with a leg injury, he doesn't seem in the best position to be sent to stroll into a meetup. but who knows. gracie, mordecai, maybe the savoys: the rogue marigold detective agency (all with their own motives)