#and GASLIGHTING ME. CAN FISH NOT SWIM

[hana-bobo-finch]

I’m losing my mind, I looked up if poison ivy could drown (recent flooding that I was hoping might kill it off for me but apparently not, alas) and the google ai confidently told me, no, poison ivy won’t die when submerged in water, unlike fish.

unlike

hwat

[queers-gambit]

Never Make War in Anger

prompt: ( requested ) after being separated on the battlefield, your husband cannot locate you among the carnage, so he comes to rely on Nenya.

pairing: Elrond x female!wife!reader

fandom masterlist: The Rings of Power

word count: 5.7k+

note: a little burnt out so this isn't much at all. my apologies.

warnings: accidental LOTR Merry quote, purposeful LOTR Aragorn quote. i don't think there's foul / explicit language but i'm blind to it. gaslighting, marital spats, small angst, some spoilers, probably more hurt and comfort, brief breaking of the Fourth Wall, some blood, minor injury, happy but brief / abrupt ending, adapted and edited Poppy s2e8 monologue.

Despite the light The Rings of Power brought back to Lindon, it had never felt so dark than in this moment. You stood in the middle of your chambers, tears in your eyes and few dribbling down your cheeks while facing your husband - who was equally as emotionally distraught.

"What're you saying?" You spat. "That you intend to seek new living arrangements?"

"I need time, my star."

"From me?"

"For now, yes. Until this matter with the Rings is resolved, we'll only prolong this hurtful cycle against one another."

"So, your solution is to separate?"

"For a time - "

"How can that be your decision!?"

"How can you be so delusional!? These Rings are not what we think - "

"'Delusional'!? Oh, the nerve of you!"

"A poor choice of wording, but - where are you going!?"

"To live my delusions! By all means, Elrond, take all the time and use all the space you should need!" You snarled at your husband, storming away from the shared bedchamber as tears of frustration threatened to blind you. Rushing down the golden halls of Lindon, you relied on mostly muscle memory before nearly colliding with Commander Galadriel - who startled at your (rare) emotional state.

"Commander - "

"My apologies, my Lady," you rushed, trying to skirt around her in an effort to seek solace. But her hand extended to snatch your elbow, bringing you to a halt.

"My friend... If there's something wrong, I would hope you know, you might confide in me?"

You nodded, "Yes, my friend, I know."

"Then what's the matter?"

You did not intend to sound so condescending, but your scoff was now unrestricted as you sneered, "You've eyes to see with and ears to hear, surely, it is not a riddle."

"The Rings?"

"What else does my husband feud with us over?"

Galadriel sighed, releasing your arm only to drop her hand to yours and give a supportive squeeze. "I am sorry for the turmoil you experience at my hand..."

"I was as much at fault," you shook your head, "defending you to the King - going against Elrond... Surely, it did not help when Lord Círdan echoed us. Must've felt like everyone was against him - you, me, the High King, his - "

"He doesn't think we are against him - "

"Oh, no, merely that we are delusional."

"Well, that seems a touch harsh...?" You offered her a pointed look, making her gasp slightly, "Do not tell me - he has weaponized his words against you?"

"He's much practice."

"I will speak to him - "

"You would get farther talking to a tree, Galadriel... Just leave it be..."

You shook off her hand to make your escape, escaping the palace grounds and seeking solace by a quiet stream. You stared at the fish in the clear water, swimming in circles that your mind raced in; envious of the seemingly peaceful life the gilled creatures lived. You felt overwhelming guilt, hating that you were at odds with your husband, but hating the impending doom over Middle-earth more. The threat to humanity wasn't something you could morally ignore, but it wasn't something your husband could either; being why he was so adamant the Rings of Power were influenced beyond the pale by Sauron.

You argued the good of Galadriel and Celebrimbor and even himself outweighed Sauron's - by comparison - minuscule hand. Sauron was but a drop in the vast ocean of creation; and not even Sea Worms could overshadow the waves of benefit offered.

Elrond said the Rings couldn't be trusted.

You thought he was becoming paranoid.

When you refused to consent to his side, he proposed separation - thinking distance would give you both time to calm down. After demanding to know how he could've come to that decision, he accused you of being delusional; and, well, you know the rest, Reader...

Well, the separation never truly stuck because in the following days, High King Gil-galad dispensed Elrond's company; which resulted in Galadriel's capture and both the formation and deployment of the Elvish armed forces. At the helm, your husband, and amongst the ranks, yourself; along with kin, neighbors, and friends.

You soon rode to devastation and loathed the idea of riding away on such silent terms with your husband. So, you sought him out under the support of your closest companion and usual second-in-command.

"Elrond," you tried to speak to him before the final leg to Eregion; both mounted on war horses of great height and muscle. He was stood gallantly under one of the several surrounding trees, looking ever bit of a Commander as you had been appointed as in the decades past.

"Are you all right?" He asked stiffly, making your defenses go up automatically. The bustle of the preparing army drowned your conversation.

"Yes, I just... I do not wish to depart on such tense terms, husband."

He nodded, sending several curls bouncing as he readjusted his stirrup leather for a more suitable length. "All is forgiven," he eased.

"I don't remember apologizing."

Elrond sighed through his nose, looking up to meet your eyes for the first time with his thin lips set in a straight grimace you were unaccustomed to seeing. "Have you come to prolong this fight or make amends?" He asked tersely.

"Make amends for a fight I did not start?"

"Doesn't matter who started it, what matters is the means of our argument! The content behind it! The morals now in question and the foundations we base ourselves upon!"

"I'd have to agree," you snapped. "I came to offer words of parting and tidings before we ride into combat, but should this be the time we need to argue, then please, let us take it." Your horse snorted as if in agreement, tossing its head defensively. "You and I stand on opposite sides of the Rings, we will not see eye-to-eye on that, yet you hurled such distasteful words at me. How do you think we should proceed?"

Elrond sighed deeply, sounding dismissive, "With respect, beloved, we're about to charge into the unknown, right now isn't the time for our marital woes."

You scoffed, nodding, "Noted."

"Wait, I did not - "

But you had already spun your horse and encouraged the stallion to trot away. You passed the High King, nodding with respect before moving to the helm of your legion - still Commander of the Southern Armies, just not the active leader of this particular united devision of Elves. You surveyed your company with a small smirk, nodding in impression as your second-in-command rode to your side.

"What news?"

You accepted the helmet he handed over, nodding in thanks as you sighed deeply, "We march for Eregion, Erthon, there's no other news of discussion."

"Did you speak to Elrond?"

"Barely," you chuckled. "Come, let us not fret over such trivial matters such as my marriage. We ride to war today, my friend."

"To war then, Commander," he smirked, offering his hand for you to clap - which you did before the King called all to attention. You listened to the rousing speech Elrond wrote, not a single syllable sticking as your brain was far too occupied with the frustratingly trivial matters of your heart. However, when the first brigade of horses started after their commanders, you quickly followed suit as the procession moved out of the safety of camp for Eregion's aid.

It was a hard ride, but at long last, you gathered in ranks and charged at the opposing army; only to halt and wait for negotiations conclude, then charging (again) through the Orcish camp at Elrond's command. Your advantage was the use of horses, able to cover distances and barrel through both structures and bodies of your enemies. Yet horses still fell to the marshes and jagged arrows, to blunt axes and the ammunition of trebuchets. To enemies. To mistakes. To war.

Carnage surrounded you, whether your own forces or the Orcs or the beasts used in battle, death swept through all. You fought for hours, sun chipping away through the sky; losing sight of loved ones and loyal soldiers. "Elrond!" You sobbed in relief upon locating him across the field. You called his name twice more, catching his attention finally.

When he saw you, he called your name and hacked his blade to any surrounding Orc so he could move through the mud for you. "My love," he panted, reaching to take hold of you, "I-I think we need to retreat?"

"Are you asking me?" You questioned, holding onto him for balance; wincing when blood soaked into your boots.

"I think?" He sniffled, "There's too many of us falling, my love, I don't think we can - or should, I don't think we should - "

"I know," you nodded, reaching for his cheek.

"I'm not - I don't think I can - "

"Hey, look at me, look at me!" You had to shake his shoulders, holding him by his curls in a nonthreatening grip. "I know. But Elrond, hey, you command our forces, you command this army. Remember why we marched, what we're fighting towards, what this is all for. So sound the retreat if that's what must happen, or keep your soldiers fighting, but only you get to make this decision, my love; you're our Commander, we will listen to any command you give."

He nodded, tears gathering in his honied eyes. "I wish you weren't here, amongst this carnage; but I'm so grateful that you're with me," he muttered, foreheads finding each other in a show of silent affection. He pulled back, "About earlier - "

"Earlier wasn't the time, now certainly isn't either, my sweet," you laughed with a nod. "You need to go rally the others, I've got Orcs to kill."

"Stay safe," he pleaded, hands squeezing each other as you started to move apart.

"Stay alive," you replied, forced apart several yards, turning slowly when your husband called your name.

"I love you," Elrond reminded, watching your mouth pull in a smirk, opening to reply... Before his eyes widened when he saw the horse too late. It barreled into your back, knocking you into a muddy pit of active fighting to the desperate sounds of him crying your name.

"Commander!" Elrond heard behind him, but couldn't answer. He was viciously fighting towards where you fell; horse galloping away, but your body lost to chaos. "Commander, no! Please!" Erthon caught his middle, yanking Elrond backwards several steps only to shove both hands to his chest. "No! No, hey! You're needed at the front, Commander, they need you at the wall - "

"My wife just - "

"I saw, I know where she fell - I'll look for her, Commander, I swear. Please, you're needed! Go!"

Elrond had no choice but to flee. Erthon searched the field in vain.

"Commander?"

From the last of the group who had snatched you from the battlefield, you hacked the Orc's head from his shoulders with a furrowed lip, discovering Arondir where the fallen enemy once stood. "My friend," you mused casually, transitioning fluidly to use your bow and fire three arrows at distant Orcs before they could rush you. "While it is a joy to see you, I wish it were under better circumstances. Are you injured?"

"No," he sniffled, "are you?"

"Good. No, no, I am well enough. Are you currently under direct command?"

"No, my Lady. What do you need of me?"

"The people of Eregion need out of the city, I know the tunnels to get them to safety in the woods, but first, I need you to cover my way in."

"You can depend on me, Commander."

"I know I can, Aronidr," you smiled, clapping his shoulder. "Thank you, my friend. Find Commander Elrond after this."

Together, you and Arondir searched for the easiest path into the city, using aerial advantages to clear out the Orcs best you could. When your quiver ran dry, you thanked the solider of Mirkwood and scaled into the city under the protection of his watchful eye, skillful aim, and quick hands. Once inside, you crept around paths and alleys thoughtfully to get around any surplus of Orcs, happy to take out any stray few; quiet and calm as you navigated the city.

Checking where you could, it was a hard feat to discover any surviving Elves through the rubble and destruction until closer to the main settlements. When you found a group of few survivors, you encouraged them to follow you to safety and lead them through secret tunnels with dripping black blades. Nearing the end of the tunnel, you paused the group in the shadows to let you step out first; glad for it when a company of Orcs tried to ambush you, only to meet their brutal end. Though out of breath with minor injuries from the band of enemies, you still stood, victorious.

"This way," you directed, limping to lead into the woods. "Here, this way... Up ahead... C'mon, stay together, almost there... Step carefully, stay together... Just up there... This way, here, just up here, good, come, quickly now."

Up a subtle path of a hill, you trekked through wild foliage.

"Who goes there!?" A voice cried out in terror, making you halt the others. After a brief investigation through tree limbs, you discovered a small gathering of other refugees; all quivering in fear, looking at you with the hopes of salvation. "Who are you!?" A young man asked.

"Southern Commander of High King Gil-galad's Army," you named, twirling your twin blades in hand that sent a splatter of black blood to spray on near-by leaves. "Who brought you here?" You ask in return, lungs pinched.

"The Lady Galadriel..."

"Good," you nodded, waving your pack forward. "Stay here, stay hidden, I'm going to go back for others. When I return, we're going to move deeper into the woods to accommodate however many can be saved."

"You're leaving us!?" One of the Elleth's squealed. "But we are undefended, vulnerable! You leave us here for slaughter?"

"I understand your worry," You nodded to the young lass, petting her bicep. "But Lady Galadriel and I have both brought you here because it's safe. Safer than in the city, safer than wondering around - aimless and blind. Where we are is off the known path; on high ground, so it's not to be stumbled upon; and see those slopes?" You pointed to where you wanted them to see, "This wee place is slightly sunken, so it's hidden for your protection. Huh? Yes?"

You waited until she nodded in return to squeeze her arm in encouragement before releasing. There was a collective agreement to listen to you, letting the survivors gather tightly together before rushing back for the mouth of the secret tunnel. You spent over an hour searching for other survivors, gathering as many as you could and giving them cover and moving them out of the city; killing as many Orcs as you could in the process. Again, you moved out of the tunnel, checking for any enemy, finding none, and ushering the group into the woods. When you arrived at the others, you took a couple of the healthier Elves with you on the path further up to a more suitable, larger, still hidden cove for them to seek refuge in. They agreed to lead the others while you went back for more.

You only managed a few other trips before the Orcs fully sacked the torched city. You couldn't go back, even sustaining a stabbed thigh and arrow to your shoulder on your last escape; but while you couldn't save more Elves, you could help the ones you did. So, you ushered them further from the city, hiking into the mountains carefully with consideration to location and position of the enemy. Over ridges and fallen trees, around bends and away from the beaten path, you finally settled in a naturally protective cove to await others while providing medical aid to those who needed it.

Day broke. Durin didn't come. The city burned. Your tears wouldn't fall.

There were no more words. Elrond was past defeated.

Before night fell, he lost sight of his beloved wife just seconds after declaring his love - haunted by the cruelty of her being robbed the opportunity to reciprocate. As the fighting progressed, he had attempted to search the carnage - but war demanded his attention elsewhere. The urge to entirely give up was great, but the desire to punish any and everyone responsible for this pain overrode him; hacking, clawing, fighting into the night. Yet soldiers fell to the left and right, in front of and behind him; older, younger than he, friends, kin, peers, superiors, strangers, comrades alike.

There was an inkling they might've stood a chance when the sun rose, yet hope diminished when his emissary, Vorohil, returned with sustained injury and the message that Durin shut the doors of the mountain. Their forces had been decimated already, a lesser-than match in numbers to begin with, but without Dwarven aid, the surviving Elves were eviscerated mercilessly. No help was coming, and the Orcs were charging across the bloody battlefield for the last of them.

In the fresh light of a new day, Elrond's throat was seized in Adar's vice grip; lifted from his feet; the fight extinguished like a blown-out flame from his soul as blood and mud dripped from swirling armor. Adar's lips quirked, "Your wife put up... Such a fight, Commander," his hand tightened, crushing Elrond's windpipe. "And here you are, surrendering... You would so willingly let her sacrifice... Be in vain?"

Tears leaked from the corners of Elrond's eyes, glaring at Adar silently - though, it wasn't as if he could respond if he tried. Spying Nenya on a chain around Elrond's neck, Adar quickly disposed of him back into the mud, where the half-Elf did not move again until Orcs were taking few prisoners of war. Few, meaning Elrond, the High King, and Mirkwood archer, Arondir; after their Dark Lord Sauron commanded the Elvish leaders be taken alive and the rest be slaughtered.

Before interrogations or bodily harm could be inflicted, the Orcs were caught off guard by a Dwarven invasion rushing into the fallen city; giving the Elves an opportunity to rebel. Elrond watched Gil-galad and Arondir fight in tandem, debating for several moments if he cared enough to join their efforts, thinking all he had left to fight for was gone from these shores. Yet watching the Dwarves stream into the city posed as the kindling to light the fire Elrond needed under his ass to rise to his feet and defend his brethren and self; noticing what he thought to be a familiar Dwarf. Durin had not come, but still sent his forces as promised (but late); Elrond being informed the Prince was "in mourning", further confirming Sauron's dark hand had crept to different corners of the continent.

There was no victory. No celebration. No true relief, not even for survivors - the toll too heavy.

On his knees in the mud, watching Adar advance, mourning his wife and refusing to accept his Dwarven ally had abandoned him, Elrond bowed his head and silently demoted himself. Gil-galad saw this, could recognize the agony of defeat; neither saying a word as he assumed command, like a good king would. Now, Gil-galad ushered his people from the crumbling city just in time for a new wave of Orcs to begin razing it to the ground. Using the same hidden tunnels, the Elves found themselves isolated in the woods. Arondir had to keep personal hold on Elrond, who wanted to return to the city and search for his wife's remains for a proper funeral. He was assured you'd be recovered with the rest of the fallen forces, but it sent him into further distress.

The King and Arondir had witnessed Galadriel's fall from the cliff, being where they first thought to go. It was there Elrond found Nenya, holding it in hand as if weighing the weight of the world; and to him, he was. The Ring twinkled and chimed, begging him to be used; his sad, defeated eyes glancing at his fallen friend, debating what was morally correct. Did he turn and run to find the other half of his very being, a presumed corpse, or did he stay and heal Galadriel, who still, before him, had a fighting chance?

"We're losing her," Arondir worried to the King.

"The darkness is too powerful," Gil-galad worried. "I cannot save her."

"I can," Elrond announced quietly, sure of his decision, but feeling disappointed in himself. His eyes lifted to Gil-galad's, declaring, "We can."

Elrond pushed Nenya definitively onto his finger and knelt to the King's side. They worked together to withdraw Sauron's poison festering black and bubbling in Galadriel's open shoulder wound, Arondir watching with wide, tear-filled eyes in sheer awe. It was a strange sort of process, Elrond never having wielded such a powerful token before; doing his best to focus on the optimal outcome as Gil-galad chanted in both Sindarin and Quenya. Elrond's eyes shut, keeping his emotions at bay; hand trembling in exertion until the King decided enough was done for now and it was up to Galadriel to come back to the light. The half-Elf dropped back to the dirt, deflated and exhausted, looking to the two other Elves.

"What now?" He pondered. "Where do we go from here?"

Gil-galad had no answer, but Arondir's brows furrowed in concentration. "My Lords?" He asked from the other side of Galadriel's unconscious body. When the King and his Herald looked up, the archer nodded, "Is the Ring supposed to do that?"

On Elrond's hand, Nenya seemed to pulse like a beating heart. "My King?" Elrond asked, moving his hand closer, which made the light twitch. He jerked back, the light changing again; confusing the three. "It's... It's communicating, I think," Elrond whispered in wonder.

"Listen to it," the King encouraged softly, watching Elrond closely in fascination.

Slowly, Elrond lifted to his feet, hearing something distant that grew louder by a single degree. "It's twinkling," he narrated, the light steady now that he was stable. "I think it wants us to do something." It took a bit of assessment, but eventually, Elrond was able to decipher, "The light glows brighter when I hold it to this path, I think we're meant to follow."

"To safety, perhaps," Gil-galad agreed. "Arondir, how fairs your health? Are you able to carry Commander Galadriel?"

"Of course, my King."

"And Commander Elrond, you will lead us," the King directed, leaving no room for argument. He paused to help Arondir lift the injured Elleth, Elrond just having enough time to confirm their path before they were following after him.

It felt supernatural: depending on Nenya after leading such a hardcore smear campaign against the piece of jewelry. Yet even Elrond could not deny the drench of light he felt flood through him as he began to understand the Ring's language; now, effortlessly navigating the woods. Over ridges and fallen trees, around bends and away from the beaten path, Elrond pushed the branches from view to discover a protected cove dotted with injured, but surviving Elves of Eregion.

It was incredible, the sheer number of survivors, and few more milled about; obviously in better shape to offer aid and comfort to those not quite as put together.

From meters away, Elrond saw a flash of familiar armor and froze. He heard Gil-galad speak his name, yet could not react or respond as surely, his eyes played some devious trick. He stuttered your name in earnest confusion, wondering if by some stroke of fate, by doing good and choosing to save Galadriel, the Ring of Power then lead them here... To their people... Lead him back to you.

"The Valar are blessed," he told Elrond when he noted you in the slight distance, watching his Herald stumble forward with another call of your name.

This time, you heard him; springing up as if waiting for his return. In reality, you absolutely were.

Tears sprung to even the most stoic of dry Elvish eyes, witnessing such a reunion as one between two spouses after battle after-after a petty marital feud. You hadn't shoved anyone from your path, per se, but you hadn't exactly been polite in getting around them to sprint at full speed across the distance until there was simply no choice but to barrel into your husband's arms. There was just enough time to fit together like dirty puzzle pieces, where your arms magnetized around his neck, his around your waist, before crashing into the dirt.

You both helplessly sobbed, holding onto the other in suffocating fashions; an issue, if you both weren't so overwhelmed with post-war fantasia. Elrond sat up first, yet did not dare relinquish his hold on you for a fraction; maneuvering to fit you on his lap for a mutually easier hold. Your noses nuzzled ears, cheeks, and each other; hands caressing both unblemished and torn, bloodied flesh; hearts beat erratically, but in sync.

Nenya gleamed in approval with steady light.

"You're alive," Elrond gaped, at last finding his ability to speak.

"So are you," you breathed with sorrowful relief. "I was so worried, love, I - "

"You!? My star, y-you - you went down in front of me, I-I-I thought you were dead, injured at the very least. I tried searching; at different intervals, even, I tired searching for you. I sent Erthon after you, too, but you were - you were just gone! I could not find you - how? How did you - How did you escape? How did you survive?"

"My love," you breathed, foreheads kept together by either hand on his cheek, "I will answer you, but remember: we are alive, we are reunited, we are together. I need you to breathe."

"No, no," he refused, tears drowning him, this time lifting his hand to hold your cheek in anchor, "please, my star, do not try to pacify me now, I will have my moment, I am beyond the bounds of relief. I thought you died, my wife, I watched you go down and could not reach you, could not find you. All I managed to think of all night was my Rúmil, how we rode to war in such anger and were separated. We had all this missed time, spent being angry, and losing you on the field, I thought it was forever. Relief does not describe what I feel now, to hold you in my arms. I'm so sorry, my star, please - "

"I forgive you, for everything, anything, and nothing at once. So long as you extend me the same curtesy?"

He sniffled and nodded against you, quieting to just exist together as one. To recharge. To apologize without the words that are sure to come later. To relish in each other's still-warm flesh and understand that in order to vanquish this accursed evil from the land, there could be no more division, only solidarity. Softly, you answered Elrond's inquiries, explaining to him what happened to you; how you had spent the latter half of your fight tunneling survivors from the city, laying in wait when the city was sacked.

"And then, my love," you hushed, "there was-was-was this procession of-of Dwarves! A whole entire legion, all in formation, moving with incredible speed, if I may say myself."

He half-smirked in return, "Durin sent a company to our aid. Though, I wish it came sooner."

"It came not a moment before it was supposed to. Tell me, how is it you found us? Did Erthon find you first? We sent spare soldiers out to scour for survivors, few have straggled in." Elrond shook his head, retracting his arm to display his trembling hand between you. You gasped softly, admiring, "Nenya." Then, realization hit you, looking to Elrond with wide, bewildered eyes, "You used the Ring?"

"To heal Galadriel, then to find you," he nodded, tears returning. "We can argue about it later - "

"There's nothing to argue over, Elrond," you promised, catching his cheek to softly caress his skin with your thumb. "Thank the Valar you found it. Thank you for finding us... For finding me."

"In every lifetime, I would find you," he promised in Sindarin, foreheads naturally falling together again.

"Now," you sniffled, pulling back to survey the group, "our people grow by the minute... We cannot linger, we'll be found. We should move along, away from the city; by nightfall, these hills will be swarming with Orcs. But - " You cut yourself off, staring at Elrond with brows lowered in concern.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Your husband worried, but you only pinched his chin and directed his attention to the side.

"You're cut."

"Oh, uh, it's nothing - "

"No, it's not nothing, it's a cut. It's a cut, Elrond!"

"It's just a scrape."

"It still weeps!"

"There are greater injuries to those around us."

"That may be, but you are of the greatest importance to me, and therefor, should receive - "

"My love - "

"This will scar!"

"Then it scars," now Elrond chuckled patiently at your usual fretting, relieved for the familiar heat of endearment to his veins. "Let me a moment longer to bask in the glory that is my wife, I have missed her gravely," he begged quietly, taking both of your hands in his and bringing you close for a long awaited kiss; still sat in the dirt of the beaten path you would soon trudge to find salvation.

While usually a hopeless romantic, Gil-galad was forced to step forward, "I hate to break apart this moment." He waited until Elrond turned to meet his eyes, "But we need to move on, it's not safe to dwell here. We need refuge."

"We'll push on," you agreed softly, the King agreeing. You waited for Elrond to stand before offering your hands, making him snicker. When you stumbled from your stab wound, Elrond caught you quickly - all traces of humor wiped away.

"What happened?" He demanded, seeing your torn tunic used as gauze around your thigh.

"Got hit on the way out of the city, my love, nothing severe," you promised. "The Orc died - painfully - and I had it looked at already, it's bound for now. It will be cleaned when we can make camp."

"Good, all right," your husband accepted with a sniffle, looking around as the King was rousing his people to stand and begin their trek. "Where do we go from here? Where are we leading these people? Their salvation or doom?"

You were close to shrugging when your eyes caught sight of softly blinding twinkling light, pulling Elrond's hand to display. "I think we follow you, my love," you whispered with a smirk, sounding definitive, "to salvation."

Together, you aided refugees to their feet and down the southern path Nenya seemed to agree with. Eventually, your people streamed from the hillsides on their own, allowing Elrond to seek you out among the traffic and wrap his arm around your waist.

"Let me help you," he insisted when you tried to wriggle away.

"I'm not broken, my love."

"No, just stabbed."

You were ready to argue, but a particularly gusty puff of wind blew the unmistakeable scent of char into your nostrils; the trees clearing on a small, passing overlook to reveal billows of black soot. Plumes of smoke. The source of sprinkling ashes. You did not say anything, no words able to ever fill this mournful space; pausing to stare at the devastation and destruction you had both escaped. You held your husband's hand and leaned gently to his shoulder, mourning one of the greatest losses all of Elvendom would ever know.

With dejection, Elrond rounded from the sight and asked, "What're we to do now, my star? Where do we lead these people? How can we fix this?"

You swallowed thickly and shifted so you stood side-on, squeezing Elrond's hand. "You know, I don't think I've ever told you about when I was a child, after I lost my family... Before we met," you smiled gently, his intrigue piquing, turning to face you, "for a time, I was under the care of an Elf named, Faithor."

"What?" He asked in shock. "You mean, the warrior?"

"Hm," you nodded, "the very same. He was everything you've ever heard of and more, but that's not the point, the point is, when my family first perished, I struggled with acceptance. This made me... A devilish child, I'll admit," you shared a smirk, "but Faithor was patient, dedicated, and pragmatic. He told me that this world is so much bigger than any of us that sometimes, we lose sight of perspective; that the wind is always gonna blow against us, and sometimes, it'll simply be too strong and we just have to accept it. There's no changing the wind. That no matter how hard we fight, how much it hurts, what we wish and want and pine for, how much our hearts yearn," your head shook and voice teetered to a hush, "some things that break, cannot be fixed; what's lost, is lost forever. To put back together that which shatters," you gestured towards Eregion, both heads turning to watch Celebrimbor and Durin's tower topple, "cannot ever be made whole again. Cracks, even in porcelain, will leak, so... In these moments..." One hand held Elrond's, the other lifted to caress his cheek and encourage his attention back to you, "The best any of us can do is try and build something new."

Your husband's lips twitched slightly, offering a soft huff through his nose in appreciation. "C'mere," he mumbled almost inaudibly, tugging you closer while simultaneously stepping into your space. His arms came around you, taking a moment to bask together before he pulled back and nodded, the tears in his eyes never receding. "All right, starlight," he whispered, "let's go try to build something new."

"Together," you agreed, dropping a quick wink before latching back onto his waist and rejoining the thin stream of refugees marching the unknown path. You were stable enough that you and Elrond could walk at a slightly quickened pace alongside your people; encouraging some who lagged behind and assisting those who needed it along the way. Despite his good nature and inability to refuse to help others, Elrond never strayed (far) from your side the entire hike; the separation finally officially concluded - as if it never happened to begin with.

requesting rules and masterlist

TROP masterlist

[ellolovely-fics]

| closeout // iii. the wreck

pairing | jj maybank x childhood best friend! oc

warnings | cursing, negative self-talk, accidental bodily injury (aka JJ being his usual clumsy self)

word count | 5.1k

author's note | Again... this isn't proofread. My bestie is still in Italy rn so sorry for any mistakes or typos! I also... wrote a shit ton :') sorry for the essay lol. LMK what y'all think so I can gauge if what I'm writing is good or not LOL.

P.S. I don't know how to format texts so I'm so sorry if they read horribly :') i did my best.

closeout masterlist

previous // next

Hell. Literal hell. Nadine landed feet first, burning alive with secondhand embarrassment.

Everything was hot—her cheeks, her neck, the air. And her uncle just stood there, grinning like the goddamn devil.

She gawked at Mike, horrified, mentally begging the lord to strike her down where she stood. 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Why would he do this to me? Where is the door? WHERE IS THE DOOR?

But her body betrayed her. She froze in her spot, her voice coming out in a weak, apologetic little squeak.

"Guilty."

Mike's jaw dropped.

"Holy shit! I can't believe it's you!"

He came around the podium with a megawatt smile, his eyes bright, looking at her like she was a display at Ripley's Believe it or Not. Nadine's face continued to burn. "You look so different! Where's that little girl who got stuck in our fishing tackle trying to find baby mermaids?"

I did what?!

Nadine wanted to die. Right then and there. She felt like that kid in Sky High who melted into the floor in an orange puddle.

Oh my god. I'm going to murder Uncle Mar. Then, I'm swimming my ass to the mainland and calling it a day.

Mike must have clocked the look of abject horror on her face because his grin faltered. The over-the-top enthusiasm in his eyes dimmed. For a split second his brows furrowed, then his expression softened with understanding.

"Ah," he said, his voice dropping just a notch. "You... probably don't remember me. I'm Mike. Mike Carrera. I used to work on your uncle's boats when you were little."

"I—hi, Mike," she managed, her throat tight. The white-hot embarrassment faded just enough to make room for guilt. She hadn't meant to make him feel bad. "It's nice to see you again."

Mike's smile softened, still stunned. "Wow. What a crazy surprise! Where are your parents? Your sister? Are they on the island too?"

Uncle Mar swooped in before she could answer.

"Just our girl here," he said with a chuckle. "Rest of the crew's scattered all over—busy with work and such. You know how it is."

He shot Mike an easy grin—too easy—and she caught a guarded flicker in his eyes before he pivoted the conversation.

What the...?

"But hey, is Kie around? I want her to come out and meet little Nadi here. Then we're gonna order takeout from y'all, if that's cool."

"Hell yeah, man!" Mike said, already half-turning to head back. He didn't seem to catch whatever the heck Nadine saw and hurried around the bar towards the kitchen. He narrowly dodged a server coming in the opposite way. "I'll go get her now—and don't worry about the food. I'll throw in your usual and make something special for Nadine too. On the house." He winked at her. "Call it a homecoming gift. From my family to yours."

Nadine's heart warmed at Mike's words, and she watched him disappear through a door underneath a wooden ship's wheel.

Left alone with her uncle, Nadine brushed her sneakers against the hard, concrete floor, and nearly stubbed her toe. She tried to distract herself by counting the soda bottles in the fridge by the bar and admiring the giant ass fish hanging from the ceiling in the dining room. But it was no use. 

The flicker in Uncle Mar's eyes played in her mind on repeat.

But what was the use in bringing it up? It happened so fast, he could very easily say she imagined the whole thing. Gaslight and gatekeep, much like her parents did. She decided to bookmark it and put it in her mind's drawer for evidence.

He was safe from questioning... for now.

Instead, Nadine asked, "Uncle Mar, who's Kie?"

Her uncle offered her a reassuring smile. "Kie, short for Kiara. She's Mike's daughter. Same age as you. She just finished her first year at UNC down in Wilmington."

Her eyes widened. "No way! What's she studying?"

"Marine biology."

Nadine gasped. Marine biology? Ever since the fifth grade Nadine dreamed of becoming a marine biologist. All it took was one dolphin show at the Baltimore Aquarium, and she was hooked. But said dream fizzled out and died the second she took a high school chemistry class, but the thought of someone else pursuing the field made her heart sing.

"Okay, she's cool. Like - really, really cool," Nadine smiled. "How long have you known her dad for?"

Uncle Mar snorted, his response nearly getting lost in the cacophony of the restaurant. "Ah shit, probably twenty, twenty-five years? Known him since he was a kid. He grew up in the Cut and did work for us during the summer. Got promoted to full-time after he left school."

Nadine furrowed her brows. "The Cut?"

Uncle Mar quirked his lips. "South side of the island, where me and your pops grew up. It's where you and Bea are from too."

Holy shit.

Nadine's mouth flew open.

"Really?" she choked out.

He nodded. "Really."

The Cut. That's where we're from.

It was like finding a missing puzzle piece off the floor and fitting it perfectly into the picture. All those drawings Bea made, all those photos she picked apart and studied for weeks—all of them were from their life on the Cut.

Her mind jumped to one of Bea's drawings—the brown house with dark blue shingles. 

She opened her mouth to ask Uncle Mar more questions—was that house in the Cut? Did Uncle Mar still live there? —but from the corner of her eye, she caught Mike emerging from the kitchen with an excited grin.

Behind him was a tall girl with wild curls pulled back in a low ponytail, two perfectly coiled strands framing her face. She was effortlessly pretty—with a sun-kissed glow, an easy-going smile, and toned arms that peeked out from her cropped tank.

"Hey, Mar!" she beamed, not hesitating to throw her arms around him in a warm hug.

Then her eyes landed on Nadine.

Kie's smile didn't vanish, but it shifted. Her eyes narrowed, but not in a way that made Nadine shrink. Instead, it made her feel like a specimen under a microscope.

She arched a perfectly waxed brow at her.  "Uhm... hi?"

Nadine froze, brain short-circuiting. She managed a warm smile and an awkward, breathless, "Hi."

Uncle Mar, ever her savior, jumped in and introduced her on her behalf. "This here's my niece, Nadine. Nadine, this is Kiara, Mike's daughter."

Nadine kept her smile steady, despite the fraying nerves simmering underneath. "Nice to meet you, Kiara."

Oh my gosh - not me being socially competent. Mom would be so proud.

"Likewise." Kiara's brows furrowed as she tilted her head, eyes flicking between her and Uncle Mar in confusion. "I'm actually kind of thrown," she admitted. "I had no idea you had a niece."

"Well, believe it, kid."

Nadine quirked an eyebrow at her uncle's teasing. She looked back at Kie to further clarify. "My dad is his younger brother."

"Wait, seriously?" Kiara's eyes widened in shock. "You have a younger brother?"

"Uh-huh." Uncle Mar confirmed like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Thought you knew, kid?"

"No!" She sputtered. She looked between Nadine and Mar again in complete disbelief. "I thought you were one of those lonely-hermits-on-the-marsh types. I thought it was just you and the fish!"

Nadine couldn't help but giggle. Her Uncle, on the other hand, gave Kiara a deadpanned look. "Well, surprise, surprise. I got a sister-in-law and another niece too—that about rounds it out. Promise I don't have any other family members out there... I think."

"Insane," Kiara murmured to herself. She caught Nadine's eye, and they smiled warmly at each other.

Okay, okay. New friend on Kildare? You're doing amazing, sweetie.

"Nadine and her folks actually lived here a long time ago," Mike interjected, snapping Nadine out of her thoughts. "They moved to the mainland when you were about seven. Some sort of family emergency or something. Right, Mar?"

"Right."

Family emergency? Where did he get that from? Mom and dad were always adamant that the move was strictly due to economic opportunity. Did the locals know more about her family's departure than she did?

Nadine opened her mouth to ask Mike to elaborate more, but her Uncle beat her to the punch. Again.

"You got my favorite fish tacos in there, Kie?" Uncle Mar cried out.

Kiara blinked, but then she looked down at the paper bag she was holding in her hands and held it up for him to take. "Oh yeah! I totally forgot. We got packed you fish tacos and some crab dip. Hope you like it."

Oh my god. Crab dip. Nadine's stomach rumbled.

"I love crab dip," a voice moaned.

All eyes were on her. Mike and Kiara raised their eyebrows, then chuckled. Uncle Mar snorted.

Nadine blanched, horror washing over her: she was the one who moaned.

She moaned... in front of... strangers.

"Sorry," she choked out.

'I love crab dip,' she thought to herself bitterly. Nadine - you're so freaking stupid. Let's cease the talking. Indefinitely.

Thankfully, everyone else took her little flub in stride. "Best on the island," Mike claimed, his pearly whites gleaming perfectly. "And speaking of good eats, I wanted to invite you both to the cookout we're hosting at our house tomorrow! My wife, Anna, isn't in today, but she'd love to see you after all these years. We're throwing a little shindig at our place for members of the Island Club's Midsummers Committee. If y'all want, you can stop by and have dinner with us. If you want to, that is!"

Nadine instantly caught Kiara rolling her eyes, watching her smile morph turning into a disgusted sneer.

"Why the hell would she want to hang out with a bunch of bourgeoisie pigs on her vacation?" Kie muttered.

Nadine snorted before she could stop herself.

Based on Kiara's beaded necklaces, countless friendship bracelets, and her cropped tank with distressed shorts, she was probably the last person on this island to vibe with snooty Island Club patrons. But by the look of Mike's dark scowl, it was most likely a sore subject between the two.

Nadine grimaced and did her best to mask her previous laughter. She waited for Uncle Mar to swoop in and answer on her behalf again.

But he didn't.

He turned to look at her with a quirked brow, his eyes motioning over to Mike like he expected her to answer.

You're joking.

Nadine sputtered, glancing nervously between, Mike, Uncle Mar, and Kie. "Oh! Uhm..." Think Nadine, Think. "That, uh, sounds really nice! But I wouldn't want to intrude, especially if it's only for Island Club members only."

Mike shook his head. "Don't worry! It's not an official event, just a dinner after their planning session at the Club. Please stop by if you can. We'd love to have you!"

Nadine felt the walls closing in on her. She got lost in the glare of Mike's pearly white teeth and his expectant, hopeful eyes.

Oh sweet baby Jesus.

"Uhm, okay," Nadine cautiously agreed.

"Great!" Mike grinned.

Nadine's eyes darted to her Uncle Mar, who had a cautious look on his face. Oh shit. She probably gave Mike the wrong answer. But if her uncle was wary, he didn't say anything of it. Instead, all he asked was, "Who's gonna be there, Mike?"

Kie's dad took a second to think. "Let's see... we've got the Browns, the Porters, the Smiths, and the Dunleavys. Oh! And Bolton Marsh, the club manager. Only folks who can't make it are the O'Haras and the Camerons. The O'Haras are down in St Croix, and Ward and Rose are in Charleston for a gala this weekend. Why'd you want to know?"

Her uncle shot Mike an easy smirk. "Just wanted to know if Sam was gonna be there. He still owes me a fifty for our last poker game. Looks like I'm gonna be ambushing him at your place tomorrow night."

He's lying.

Uncle Mar's voice was too cheery, too amenable—especially for a man who hated spending time with more than five people at once. But why?

She would have to ask him about it later... if she remembered. 

"Sounds good, man," Mike responded. "Stop by any time after six. I'll go ahead and tell Anna the news. She's gonna be excited to see you, Nadine! It's gonna be great."

Kie looked at her dad and rolled her eyes. She stepped closer to Nadine and whispered, "Don't listen to him. Bring your airpods and avoid eye contact, or risk certain death by boredom."

Nadine nodded her head conspiratorially. She whispered back. "Heard. But if it gets too boring, I can bring my copy of Das Kapital so we can preach it to the masses."

Kie whipped her head to look at her with stunned eyes. Her mouth dropped open in a breathless laugh. Then, she grinned like a madman.

"I knew it! No niece of Mar's would be a snob. Thank God you're coming tomorrow."

Nadine watched Kiara's grin fade into something more mischievous, and for the first time since arriving on Kildare, she felt like maybe, just maybe, she was starting to get the hang of all this.

But as she and her uncle said their goodbyes to Mike and Kie and left the restaurant, a knot of unease twisted in her stomach. Nadine had made it through that entire interaction without completely embarrassing herself. But there was still something... off.

Uncle Mar's forced cheerfulness. Those guarded flickers in his eyes. His masked looks of unease. There was something else going on.

Nadine glanced back at the restaurant as they got closer to the truck, her thoughts swirling.

Less than an hour on the island, she managed to avoid making a complete fool out of herself and uncover signs of her uncle's conspiracy. What else was in store for her today?

Uncle Mar's voice cut through her thoughts. "You good, Nadi?"

She forced a smiled. "Yeah. I'm good. Just—uh—can't believe that I willingly said yes to a party."

Uncle Mar smirked at her, his top lip nearly disappearing. "Yeah. And to swanky, uppity party no less. Better not be moaning to them too! If ya do, lord help us all."

Nadine grimaced. Lord help us was right.

IMessage

Today 4:02 PM

You guys aren't gonna believe who I just saw

John B(eef)

If you say my dad I'm coming over

WTF no!!! MAR'S NIECE

John B(eef)

Holy shit

No effing way

She and Mar stopped by the wreck for lunch She's really pretty. LIKE supermodel pretty And she's super sweet too But can you believe that Mar has a niece???

John B(eef)

Oh god...

Yeah no definitely a shocker

I just found out about her like half an hour ago

JJ told me he's gonna have dinner with her an Mar later tonight

RIP

If she's as pretty as you say he's gonna be on her like a horny dog

Wtf EW

John B(eef)

Just saying it like it is 🤷

Ugh... I hate that ur right Poor Nadine JJ pls leave this innocent girl alone I like her Also why the hell didn't you mention her before??? Had me out here lookin DUMB AS HELL

John B(eef)

it's okay kie im sure it wasn't too bad

Also Pope hurry the fuck up

Ive been waiting for your dumb ass for ages

Yeah Pope how rude 😒

Pope 🤓

Sorry bro

Just finished cleaning

Coming

John B(eef)

slow poke 🖕

If Nadine needed a sign that she was leaving the north side of the island, she couldn't have asked for a better one than the 'No Fishing' sign defaced with 'Pogue Zone' in thick black spray paint.

After driving over the bridge, she traded in the sight of perfectly manicured lawns and sprawling emerald-green golf courses for dilapidated fish shacks, weathered mobile homes, and roads with potholes big enough to total a sedan.

The landscape reminded her of Virginia's tidewater region—quiet, borderline eerie, with endless marshes and looming pine forests. Some houses stood abandoned or condemned. Others looked one big hurricane away from crumbling down. For a while, there wasn't another soul in sight.

It was a ghost town. 

Then, life reappeared. 

A break in the trees revealed a group of fishermen along the water's edge, clutching onto their poles and nets. One of them looked up, spotted the truck, and cheered. Uncle Mar rolled his window down. 

"Marlon! Get yer ass out here!" one of them hollered. "We're havin' ourselves a little friendly competition! Loser buys a round down at Guffy's!"

"Can't today, Rick!" Uncle Mar yelled back. "I'm booked the rest of the week! 'Sides, ain't no damn competition! We all know ya can't fish for shit!"

Laughter rippled through the group. Rick flipped her uncle off with a grin. Uncle Mar returned the favor and kept on driving.

Nadine blinked. Signs of life were suddenly everywhere. Barefoot kids played soccer on the grass. An older man waved from his garden, his fist full of weeds. But Nadine's favorite was the elderly couple on their porch, holding hands. When Uncle Mar honked his horn, they smiled and waved, their hands still joined. 

Uncle Mar's voice was thick with pride. "This here's the south side of the island. The Cut. This is home."

Her throat tightened.

Home. 

After twelve long years, she was finally home.

But after all this time, did she really have the right to call it that? 

The thought lodged itself in her throat. She didn't know the answer. 

The concrete road turned to gravel. Then, the truck approached a fork, and Uncle Mar veered left.

Then she saw it.

A towering oak tree stood at the end of the lane. It stretched so wide that it swallowed the sky whole, and the leaves twinkled in shades of green and yellow, capturing the sunlight like stained-glass.

Her heart seized.

She and Jethy sat high up on the branches, their dirt-covered hands intertwined. They swung their feet back and forth in the air in tandem.

"Please don't leave, Nadi. Stay with me. You're my best friend. What am I going to do without you?"

A chill ran down her spine. 

Before Nadine could process any of it, the truck veered left again—this time, down a hidden gravel path between two flowering bushes.

Then she saw it.

Brown wooden planks. A screened-in front porch. Dark blue shingles on the roof.

The house.

Uncle Mar's house.

Exactly as Bea had drawn it. 

"No fucking way," Nadine muttered.

The truck rolled to a stop in front of a gleaming white carport. Dust from the gravel swirled in the air. But when Uncle Mar cut the engine and hopped out of the truck, Nadine couldn't move.

Fuck. It's been so long...

 The fact seared through her heart like a sudden stab to the chest.

Her eyes stung. She wiped the tears from her eyes before they fell.

Get it together, girl. You've got this.

After gathering her bearings, Nadine climbed out of the truck, shielding her face from Uncle Mar. Then, she scanned the familiar yard.

To her amazement, the demented ceramic frog Bea made in fifth grade was still nestled in the crooked flower bed. The glass firefly wind chime hung beneath the porch light, glinting in the sun.  And there were still lopsided step stones that led up to the porch.

Uncle Mar didn't change a thing.

Then, there was a growl—a threatening, horrifying growl.

From behind the screen door, a large brown dog bared its teeth menacingly from the shadows. Its dark eyes narrowed into slits.

Oh shit.

Nadine nearly pissed herself.

Uncle Mar came around the truck with her things and frowned. He pursed his lips to the side and let out a sharp whistle.

"Pan, heel! It's me! Calm yer ass down, boy!"

In an instant, the dog sat on its hind legs and went quiet, sheathing its sharp teeth and cocking its head curiously. At the sight of Uncle Mar, he let out a pleased whine, panting excitedly from behind the door.

Uncle Mar shook his head. "Sometimes I swear this damn dog's bipolar."

When he opened the screen door, Pan ran around his legs, his tail wagging furiously. He looked up at her uncle with starry eyes.

Uncle Mar paused, ushering her inside and putting her things aside. He sank to the floor and pet the dog behind his alert ears.

"This here's Pan," Uncle Mar said, scratching behind his ears. "He's three, and he's a Chessie. He won't do ya no harm, but he don't like surprises. Whenever ya come into the house, ya gotta announce yourself, or else he'll bark up somethin' fierce 'till he can figure out who you are." To prove his point, Pan yipped excitedly with a few barks. Uncle Mar rolled his eyes. "Once he gets used to ya he'll follow you 'round the house, but most of the time he'll be outside hunting birds and fish in the marsh. He won't bother ya 'less ya want him to. All bark and no bite, really."

Pan eyed her with curious golden eyes. Nadine knelt, holding out her hand. He sniffed it once, then allowed her to stroke his wavy coat.

"Hi, Pan," she whispered with a grin. "Thanks for not killing me."

The dog bared his teeth again—this time, like a smile.

What a dapper little lad.

Uncle Mar straightened.

"Ah shit—you take your allergy pill this morning?"

She blinked. "Yeah. Why?"

He didn't reply. He just nodded toward the door. Nadine hesitated for a second before stepping inside.

Uncle Mar certainly was a creature of habit—because nothing about the house had changed over the past twelve years. Salty, humid air still permeated everything. Colorful paintings of the island hung off the pine-panel walls, a familiar red rug covered the wooden floor, and the same entertainment center she stuck her nose into as a kid was still front and center along the wall.

Then, there was movement. 

To the left, a small, cream-colored form shifted under the golden light on the windowsill.

Nadine froze.

A kitty cat—the most perfect, angelic kitty cat she'd ever laid eyes on— was taking a nap.

"Oh my gosh," Nadine cooed.

Thank God I remembered to take my pill. 

Uncle Mar followed her inside, shutting the door after Pan. 

"That's Stelmaria," he told her. He quietly shut the door behind him as Nadine stepped closer to the little fur ball. "Twelve years old. Sweet as can be. Found her alone by the docks when she was a kitten. Think some crazy kook dumped her and took off." If her uncle wasn't inside, he definitely would have spit on the floor in disgust. "If you get closer, you'll see dark gray spots in her fur. 'Minds me of a leopard, thus the name."

She peered down and cooed again, jolting the little kitty awake. She blinked blearily, her head flitting back and forth, eyes a startling, cloudy blue—beautiful, but unseeing

She's blind.

Uncle Mar read her mind. "Lost her sight about a year ago," he explained. "Vet said it was a degenerative disease—ain't nothin' we could've done. But she hears just fine, and she loves cuddling. If you put your face close to hers and say her name, she'll nuzzle ya."

Nadine gently caressed Stelmaria's silky soft fur and brought her face close, saying her name like a prayer.

Instantly, Stelmaria's wet nose grazed her skin, quickly followed by her little whiskers. Before she knew it, the little angel nuzzled her neck along the edge of her jawline, purring gently.

Nadine's heart burst.

"You are the most precious little thing," she whimpered.

Pan whined jealously and padded over, nudging her hand until she pet him too. Then he plopped his head onto her lap with a content sigh.

She laughed with misty eyes.

"Uncle Mar... I'm never leaving your house."

Her Uncle let out a raspy chuckle. "I'll go ahead and put your stuff in your room. Door's right over there. You hang out with these two all you want. Just keep 'em outta the kitchen—I'm startin' dinner soon."

Nadine smiled blissfully. "Say less, Uncle Mar."

He paused at the door. "Ah shit, almost forgot. We've got a guest comin' 'round for dinner tonight. Don't ask who—it's a surprise. They might show, might not. Depends on their schedule."

Nadine waved him off. "Tentative dinner guest, got it."

He left her alone in the living room, and all thoughts about their potential guest flew right out of her mind. The rest of the world fell away. It was just her, Pan, and Stelmaria, and unlimited cuddles and kisses.

With John B and Pope still out of the house by the time he woke up, JJ walked a mile through the Cut in the dark. He had busted sneakers on his feet, an empty red fuel canister in his hand, a heart about to bust right out of his chest. It was disgustingly hot, and the fucking bugs were so bloodthirsty that his arm nearly fell off from all the swatting. But he didn't stop. He just focused on putting one foot in front of the other, choking down the urge to book it for the hills.

But when he made it to his destination, he froze.

JJ didn't know how long he'd been standing there. Thirty seconds? A minute? An eternity?

Ah, fuck it. He didn't fucking know.

He stared at Mar's house, taking a nervous hit from his blunt. The lights were still on, and the faint voice of Otis Redding played from the speaker Mar had out back. At least—he thought it was Otis Redding. He could barely hear it over the screaming cicadas.

We're at the house. I'm making dinner now. Stop by whenever you can.

JJ clenched his jaw so tight his teeth nearly shattered. He was sweating so goddamn much his shirt clung to his skin like glue.

Last time he was this nervous, he was standing in front of a judge with his hands cuffed behind his back. But this? It was just Mar. It was just dinner. It was just... Nadine.

His face twisted into a grimace.

Fuck. He'd rather be in the damn court room.

Twelve years. Twelve goddamn years, and he was finally going to see her again.

JJ took another drag—but it did jack shit. His heart still raced. His lungs still felt tight. He tossed the joint to the ground and crushed it under his shoe.

"Stop being a fuckin' pussy, man," he muttered to himself. "Can't run away from this shit now. Do it for Mar. Man up and tough it out."

He took one step. Then another.

Suddenly, he was halfway up the driveway.

His stomach flipped.

She was strapped in the backseat of her dad's car, tears streaming down her face. He was racing down the driveway, pounding on the window, screaming for them to stop.

"Stop! Stop! Please don't go! You can't leave!"

Her hand pressed against the window. He put his on top.

"Mommy, please don't make me go!" Nadine cried as the car gained speed. JJ started to lag behind. "No!"

But he couldn't keep up. The car kept going, leaving him behind in the dust. 

Then, she was gone.

JJ spun on his heel like he'd been bitch slapped. Adrenaline flooded through his veins.

Fuck this shit.

He couldn't fucking do this. Nope, nope. No.

He could just walk back down the drive, hit the Chateau, text Mar some bullshit excuse, and drown himself in a six pack of beer. Sounded a hell of a lot better than... this.

But then Mar's face flashed in his mind—disappointed, frowning. He knew Mar wouldn't say anything but damn it all. He was counting on him.

JJ couldn't let him down. Not again.

And besides, what was it that people said? About ripping shit off like a band-aid?

Fuck.

JJ shut his eyes. He took a breath. Then, he turned around.

One step in front of the other, he walked up the gravel driveway toward the porch, getting close enough to see the black moths flying around the porch light.

Damn it, you can do this. Go in there, look her right in the eye, and pretend like you don't even fucking know her. Deny, deny, deny.

He finally made it. He tiptoed up the stairs, avoiding the places where he knew they creaked. He was reaching for the screen door with his heart beating out of his ears when he heard it.

A laugh. Light and airy. Unrestrained.

He dry-heaved. His brain short-circuited.

Holy shit. She's here. She's here. She's freaking here.

The realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. He jolted back.

C-r-e-e-e-k!

Ice ran through JJ's body.

Click. Click. Click.

Paws on hardwood, mixed with the tinkling of a collar.

JJ's breath caught.

In an instant, Pan walked through the open front door, stepping onto the pitch-black porch with a snarl. A growl rumbled deep in his throat as he approached him.

Oh shit. Oh shit, oh shit, oh SHIT!

JJ dropped everything. He knelt by the screen door, shushing Pan as quietly as he could. "Pan, Pan! It's me, man! It's JJ!"

It didn't work. A ferocious bark ripped through the air.

He flinched like he was in the trenches.

Fuck. It's too dark. He can't even see me.

"Damn it, Pan! Shhh!" JJ begged him. His eyes darted to the open door in a panic. For the love of God don't leave the backyard. "Do me a solid, okay? I swear to God, it's me. So please, shut up!"

Pan didn't listen. He barked again and again, each one more piercing than the last.

"What 'cha got there, boy?" Mar's voice sounded from the back.

Mother fucker.

JJ didn't wait. He bolted. Grass whipped his ankles as he tore across the front yard, Pan's frenzied barks calling after him. He scanned his surroundings—a bush, a hole, anything.

The oak tree! Thank fuck. He locked in, sprinting so hard he could taste blood in his mouth.

The closer he got to the giant oak, the more relieved he became. I'm gonna make it. I'm gonna make it!

Then, his foot got caught on a root.

JJ went flying.

He landed on the roots with a sickening thud, and the wind got knocked right out of him. He heaved for air, but he didn't stop moving. He clawed into the dirt and scrambled to get to the other side, ignoring the sharp scratches that scraped across his bare legs.

His back hit the other side of the trunk by the time Pan went quiet.

JJ held his breath.

One second. Two. JJ's heart raced. He shut his eyes and carefully peered around the tree to see what was going on.

Under the dim yellow light, Mar stood on the porch stairs, scanning the yard. Something in his hands caught his eye.

An empty, red fuel canister.

JJ jerked himself back. Even from here, he could hear the wooden stairs groan under Mar's weight.

Fuck. He was the biggest fucking idiot in the world. Mar knew he was here. Damn it! There was no running now.

JJ waited for him to call out his name, for the guillotine to fall on his head.

But there was nothing.

"It's all right, Pan," Mar said. "Ain't nothin' to be scared of. You just get on inside now."

The screen door shut, then the front door. JJ refused to look back. He wiped the sweat from his face with a dirt-covered hand before hightailing it out of there.

He didn't see Mar's text until he got back to John B's. He quickly read it over before tossing his phone aside. He threw himself onto the pull-out couch with a frustrated groan.

Thanks for trying, son. You did your best. Your food's in the fridge, and your gas is outside by your truck. Come get it tomorrow morning when Nadine and I are out of the house.

You can meet her when you're ready. I got you, kid.

previous // next

[onebraincell-itmiebcraft]

Okay time for the liveblogging of real life in order (liveblogging life SMP call that lifeblogging) I have never done this b4 be easy on me

Grian

I've already watched his perspective at like 5 in the morning but heyyyyy nothing wrong with rewatching with added non sleep deprived commentary but also not really memories of what I originally thought watching this too :^))

I remember being so stunned they called it real life and the anatomically correct heart 🫀tickled my funny bone heeheehoo hahaha

Thought when grian said replay 3rd life I thought they'd reenact it 😭

We live in a society taxes man (I could ramble about it)

GRIAN IRL FACE!!!

has anyone fell over btw?

No lie that B can BIG

Reminds me of slimecicle jshitt and traves VR Minecraft where Travis got progressively shorter what a laugh

Does Scott ever see his scream

Is it take the Mick or take the nick love that idiom

RENDOG!

Scar looks like a child doing that thing

Awww hug

ABUSE

scar take the headset off dzuh 🫀🫀🫀

Grian literally me balance issues

Yugioh????

I called it, scar would say he's American 😎

I'm eating dinner while watching this at the same time what fun w

Giran called solidaritygaming jimmy no way + he died first fr this time + loud "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Perfectly timed his mic peaking is iconic

Ha haa!

He ear him bread

Really putting the mine in craft for Minecraft

reminds me of secret life EP 4 and scar is sweaty

*scar noises*

How did scar drop his phone???

Check your wrist? More like check your a- (tom cardy référence)

I love the way VR makes you hit stuff goofy

Can you run in game if you irl

(watch him die)

Haha he died

Why Jim is he sabotaging him

Jim Jim Jim gym gym

Doesn't Jim die here oh LMFAO he does

Jimmy you are famous to me

(scout voice) Chicken

How did scar die???

I love how vr makes them expressive Jim pointing to village house is so funny

There's only one bed

Wtf is happening in top right corner in 9min 30 sec

Ayyyyy there's grian the maniac love the casual position of the arms

Last life you can join me moment

Egg

Grian gaslighting

Jimmy you wanna dance quote of the year

PvP is so silly

Skizz is fighting a losing battle Jim killed him icon

I love how grian and Jim's yells overlap there's probably something music theory there idk

Awww scar he's so funny

Go pick him up from daycare haha

Facing away from the camera we live in a society

OHHHHH impulse big smart man Jimmy's arm movements are so smooth it's solly

Jimmy immediately leaving for fish cocomelon brain I agree

Love the arm movements

Lol they actually like down

It's okay grian scuffed is worth celebrating

Has anyone layed on their side

Friend just texted me about my monologue what am I doing man I have an audition tomorrow

Anyway Minecraft vr

The lying down model inventory so goofy

Rewatching the bread scene no wonder tumblr loves it looks like Jim jam actually has a mouth 👄

Impulsesv guess the build sheep flashbacks

Best sleepover

Polyamorous tony (died)

Sleepover reminds me of crazy Christmas w/gem and pearl

Grown men learn how to close doors

Minecraft fatshaming grian smh my head

Man thought it was more than Joel there + o2 max(xing) scar love it (i use maxxing ironically) (it's such a stupid suffix to me linguistically funny) (I hate incels) (don't cancel me tumblr) (I love all genders)

Two steps: die, and die

Jimmy isn't on fire??

Casual "it burns so much!" Love it

Wait right Jim still has a wooden sword

Joel Joel Joel Joel you know that one part in waiting for Godot where they just go back and forth in saying aideu yeah

So silly

Jim saying get in British people man

"noffing" - joel is it a British thing

Love Joel screaming he's so malding

Just remembered how scary heights are in VR because I thought for a second "why don't they jump down? are they stupid?" (Meme Reference) (Didn't actually think that) ("Stupid" is kinda stupid but I digress)

Hole

Boob stroke

Does scar enjoy the swimming

Why *does* swimming cause motion sickness anyway

Why bucket scar (this is a bucket)

Brain eating amoeba

GOON SQUAD!!!

Love Grian's arm movements I really did thonk Jim was gonna win for the funnies

He says come here weirdly

The joy of killing

Is Jim punching

It's okay hiking simulation

Go Jim go what a gamer boy

I remember the triple dog door dugout is like... Gem's? Joel's? Uhhhh I fotgor

Concussion era

Fresh meat

I just love their dynamics

JIM STOP SOUNDING LIKE THAT it's like his eyes are 🥺 and his mouth is boowomp spongebob like he's got tears in eyes scrimblo sounding ass

Ohhh there's my favourite theatre kids

'orrible

Joel saying boys make me happy

Wait that can misinterpreted

Joel saying "boys" sounds pleasant to my ears

I remember watching this part and going GRIAN FIRST OUT HUH???

awww the funnies

Love the way gem says "we're the last Grians. Grians? Greens!" It's like... Spunky

Grian falling reminds me of my scuffed keyboard when it registers a button press as a hold and then I like never stop walking right *sigh*

The downward spiral by nine inch nials

Ascending is TRUE watcher lore

Oh the music is so cute

Bye scar! Bye Joel!

Okay never let me liveblog cook again i kinda listened to the vid instead of watching reading this does not make sense to anyone but me reference hell half formulated thoughts RIP BOZO HAHA

Maybe I'll like do it in 5 mins chunks for JJJJJJoel and the next ones onward I spent like an hour on this wayyyyy too long for incomplete sentences

End

[murder-cookie-dust393]

I saw the options for yandere drawings so I'll bite. What would a Yandere Lord Oyster be like? for either a Mermaid Y/N or Cookie Y/N

SCREAMING. IM NOT GONNA LIE- HIS JP VA MADE ME LOVE THIS MF MORE THAN I PROBABLY SHOULD

Tw: kidnapping, small mention of drugging, perhaps some gaslighting too?

Mer-Cookie(?) MC but make it not a fish…Like a smaller-sized whale. I’m gonna go with Beluga bcs I love Belugas.

I’m gonna guess because how colorful everything is the Mermaid Kingdom [Gem mermaids] are from like a warmer area of water. Maybe not tropical, but like Mediterranean-ish water.

Belugas can live in warmer waters, but they tend to live more up north. Let’s say MC was traveling with the rest of their pod, but due to a sudden attack by land-cookies, got separated.

Poor MC, not knowing where their family and friends are decides to swim along, trying to find a home. Even if it’s completely new.

They find themselves at a port where there’s lots of land cookies. Of course, MC is scared or angered, but with how exhausted they are from traveling, decides to find a resting place just under the docks. Very close to the land cookies, yet hidden enough.

Guess who dropped his prized pearl? That’s right, Lord Oyster.

Despite not wanting to get soggy, he had no choice but to dive in and try to find it within the shallow water. He spots it right under the dock, and he picks it up.

But what did he also see? A whale cookie of some sort. They’re fast asleep, with their clothes a bit tattered, and their tail sustaining a few injuries.

Lord Oyster doesn’t know why, but he just stares at them for a long while [given he won’t get soggy cuz of the pearl]. They seemed a bit hopeless, similar to how he was before he obtained the pearl.

He wanted to help them.

So he quickly ordered a few of his servants to make a small pool within his home, whilst he stood guard of the sleeping whale. He wouldn’t let them leave without his help.

After managing to haul MC into a tank on top of a cart, he quickly takes them to his mansion.

If MC is a light sleeper, let’s just say he put a little powder in the water to make them sleepy.

From there, he gets medics to take care of their wounds, while he nurses them back to health.

Initially, MC despised him, but slowly trusts him enough to be in the pool.

Lord Oyster is absolutely thrilled to hear their stories, and asks about their life. They reminded him of himself: so lost and lonely.

When MC is back and ready to continue on their travels, they ask Lord Oyster to let them out to sea…

But of course, he wouldn’t.

Instead he would pet their head, and hug them tight. Shushing them as if they’re a scared, defenseless cookie. “No, no, my sweet. You mustn’t leave yet. You are still vulnerable to the dangers. I will take care of you, I promise.”

He ignores every protest, pecking their head. “Don’t worry, I’ve commissioned a very spacious Aquarium to be built for you. You’ll love it, I promise.”

…

No wonder he never returned to White Pearl. It seemed his eyes have been blinded for someone else.

[weepinggothbagelfreak]

Funny things my friends said…

My friends, sometimes known as “The Tofu Bois” are some very funny people in my opinion…and I believe we say some very funny shit. I also think that this funny shit should be shared to the internet so that it may last forever!

“I turned one early to late” EXPLANATION: My friend was driving and turned on street to early

“The only thing your fucking, is stupid” EXPLANATION: My friend was tired of me complaining about being single but also doing almost everything o can to not be in a relationship

“I thought raw dogging was when you were really hungry and would eat a hotdog raw!!” EXPLANATION: we were camping and my friend ate a raw hotdog and called it Raw Dogging.

“I smoke bitches and eat weed” EXPLANATION: We we’re still camping and the campfire smoke was clearly getting into our brains….I genuinely don’t know how they fucked this sentence up so bad.

“It’s not Cheating if it’s with the homies” EXPLANATION: I made a joke about fucking my friend who is in a relationship…this was my defence

“There is not enough bathroom” EXPLANATION: I live in a one bathroom house and didn’t have enough bathroom for everyone

“You are cupcake races bottom!” EXPLANATION: We we’re playing a board game called cupcake race and my friend was getting absolutely fucked.

“Hey Ladies, Im sometimes dangerous but I’m always toast!” EXPLANATION: We we’re saying what kind of bread people would be and started to talk about toast���my one friend has a severe peanut allergy and so we said that peanut butter on toast was dangerous.

“They Yassified Snoop Dog!???!” EXPLANATION: BTS and Snoop Dog made a song together…

“On Mondays we fuck with foul legacy!” EXPLANATION: I was talking about Genshin Impact and the foul legacy transformation came up…I really like foul legacy.

“I’ll show you Titanic get in the ocean!” EXPLANATION: I genuinely don’t know why I said this….I think we were swimming.

“I think Andrew Tate could learn a lot from being fucked by a man.” EXPLANATION: I’m sure you understand.

“We Girlboss our way into Buckingham Palace…” EXPLANATION: The Queen Died.

“Gaslight, Gatekeep, Genocide” EXPLANATION: The queen died and we don’t want a king…

“I like my daily intake of milk bag!” EXPLANATION: the guy who said this is severely lactose intolerance

“I didn’t like the potato Famine, I like Potatoes!” EXPLANATION: We were sleepy and people just started saying things

“Eat a trumpet for a day and teach a fish to kid” EXPLANATION: I don’t know….he was sleep deprived from Camping

“With our anger combined we can move an entire Toyota Highlander!” EXPLANATION: A Toyota Highlander cut me off on the highway and all 4 of us in the car yelled at them and they moved:)

[harmonysixx]

Ok SO let me nerd out about my favorite game a little and add my own interpretations.

I agree with everything said, let Wind be a post-apocalyptic little guy!!! He deserves it

BUT. The water of the Great Sea being toxic is a popular headcanon and I can see why!! It's fun and angsty to imagine.

Personally, I always saw it more to be like the real life dead sea. Too much salt in the water for life to exist. So it's not like poisonous lethal to swim in it, but it wouldn't be healthy to sit in the water too long either. Only some creatures like the fishmen and gyorg and stuff adapted to the crazy salt levels. The zora adapted by simply saying 'ew too salty' and becoming birds.

After you help the koroks, they set out to different islands to plant trees. You need to help them by bringing them forest water and iirc they mention they've been doing this for forever, trying to keep the islands growing and healthy that way (please don't quote me on that, it's been a while since my last playthrough)

The people on Outset have pigs they clearly eat. Like two out of the three you catch in the beginning get eaten. Yeah. And there's tiny little crabs on the beach. Crabs are good seafood. Idk if they would eat seagulls...

Also I like to imagine they do things like agriculture. The grass you have to mow might be edible or something. Or they're growing crops we just don't see in the game. Or tropical fruit growing on the trees or something. But it's still not enough!! The population grows, the ocean still yields no fish, the sea level might still be rising and taking their very limited farmland, and that's why they need to set out to find New Hyrule (I still disagree very much with that name and just gaslight myself into believing it was Anjean's idea or something)

i know shit about wind waker and even less about fishing but PLEASE. takes your hand. we can't keep believing wind when he presents his hyrule as the idyllic seafarer's paradise. he doesn't know the DIFFERENCE. he's a child of the apocalypse just as much as any of time's successors he;s the heir to a kingdom of ruins!!!! there's no fish in his oceans. there's no life in his seas. his zora evolved into birds to get away from the water. does that not tell you something. the fishpeople learnt to fly. the population of the great sea is so SMALL and yet the fishermen still risk their lives searching for enough meat to feed their families because, as ganondorf says, "they are vast seas... they yield no fish to catch." nobody in the game ever gives link a fishing rod. NO FISHING ROD. in the OCEAN BASED ZELDA GAME. no fish motifs in the architecture no swimming for long periods no diving. wind has been born into a world that is unnaturally barren, and it's all but invisible unless you're trying to actually survive there, because the raw power of ocean remains. the tides rise and fall. the moon shines and the islands are peaceful and everything is dead. wind's timeline & the downfall timeline have a lot more in common than you might think. can you imagine the chain travelling to an ocean in another time and wind thinking he knows what an ocean is like. and he doesn't. these new strange oceans are full of fish, and coral, and strange creatures he's never heard of, turtles and dolphins and whales and seals and jellyfish. sharks and eels and stingrays and yabbies and clams and rockpools full of starfish and crabs and octopi. and this is what the ocean is supposed to be like?? hes a CHILD OF THE APOCALYPSE!!!!!! i want someone to take the awestruck wonder people give the downfall boys about fruit-bearing trees and shove it at wind

[gugf]

Here's a bunch of my headcanons for the main trio. It's either funny or edgy, no in between. Hope you enjoy!

Duck:

- unironically considers himself "not like other birds"

- his family are literally a bunch of normal ducks living in a pond with whom he constantly quarrels

- has been scammed on every single existing fraud. yes before each of them he said "i know all their tricks! i'm completely sure they won't fool me again!"

- neurodivergent vibes are STRONG

- gay and homophobic

- ignorant as fuck but a proud individual

- curious but at the same time really really stubborn. If he doesn't want to believe in something he completely closes eyes on any evidence until something undeniable (probably traumatic) shatters his perception in the end. this and his arrogace makes him really easy to manipulate

- if Yellow is Red's inner child, and Roy is his inner adult, I'd like to think that Duck is more like "friend he always wanted to have"

- haptophobic, even if he doesn't know about this yet (yes, this hc is entirely based on his and Steak interactions in dhmis 5)

- thinks that Red is the only one who truly understands him, to all creatures prefers to spend time with him. (even if by design)

- surely loves Yellow in his own way. Often tries to teach him, but it's not quite working out. (Fuck, I only now realised that his usual attitude to Yellow could be him mimicking his own family relationships)

- has no clue about how violent the world can be to him... (well soon he'll know, soon he'll know...😢)

- doesn't really like Roy, because he is too touchy

Red:

- his attitude is basically could be described as an adult living in a world created by a child

- at this point doesn't really take Yellow and Duck somewhat seriously, it's more like older brother and his younger siblings dynamic

- depression and a mid life crisis (even if i headcanon him being like 20)

- "yes, guys, like, everyone had that thing that you are constantly being stared at by some weird dude who always ruins the weather and you with your imaginary friends boy and duck need to stay at home again, right guys?" ..."you're fired"

- self esteem problems

- he and that guy from Swim And Sleep Like A Shark could well be the same person. like, both have red hair, like horses and have very similar pattern of speech. btw birthday on the same date. also i like to think about him as being a sort of early prototype of Red's character

- somewhat likes being the smartest person in the whole Clayhill, even if it could be annoying sometimes

- the chillest one because knows for sure that he is not in danger

- gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss

- at this point if he sees Roy anywhere near his house, he'll move to the forest without any warning

Yellow:

- he is definitely the most innocent of the bunch, but this totally doesn't mean that he is incapable of violence

- everyone is so mean to me..... 😞🍑 (but they are)

- animal lover, but the pets he allowed to bring home are usually really small, and die after like, a week. Duck and Red say that "it got homesick so it ran back to the forest". even if it's a fish.

- i like to think that he is sorta idolizes Duck and thinks he is the smartest person in the entire world (he's not)

- spends most of his time with him, because they both are really naive and always get dragged in some traumatic adventure. but unlike Duck he has an age excuse

- has A LOT of scarfs and hats. Duck's hobby is weaving so this things need to go somewhere. to this day no one knows what Yellow does with all of that

- has no pride at all. give him a candy and he will immediately forgive you, even if you violently slaughtered his pet rat in front of his very eyes and laughed about this in his face

- literally has no mother. she never existed in the first place. also he is technically older than his dad, because Roy appeared the last of them all

- very easily excitable. shake keys in front of him, and he will be happy for the whole day

- "where's my dad?"

[all-about-seggs]

┗ Love- Lies- Bleeding

Pairing - Geto Suguru x Virgin!reader

Word count- 4.8 K

Warnings - Gaslighting, Corruption kink, snuff (not graphically depicted) and then reincarnation, cunnilingus, fingering, unprotected vaginal sex, adding blasphemy kink just to be safe.

A/n- Geto isn't a yandere here but it's Villan! Geto we're talking about so I think his actions are pretty in line with his current canon! Personality. Though a bit delusional. This is by FAR the longest thing I've ever written.

The gray cobblestones stretching across the shrine clicked against your thick wodden sandles, the quaintness of the place only making it seem unnaturally loud. It's was a regular autumn morning, which soon turned into noon as you felt the bright sun shining right on top of your head.

Having finished your morning tasks you were returning to the main shrine where the senior priestess would give you further things to do. Just the thought of more work non stop made you sigh at your monotonous shrine maiden lifestyle but as you lamented you heard footsteps behind you, the sound of which same as that of your own.

"Hey!.....", You turned around to see your little sister huffing as she catches up to you,

" y/n! He's here again!," The implications of her words made your face heat up, sure you were still a bit green and naive, but you made sure to discreet when it came to 'looking' at that one particular man that always seem to stand out among the hoards of faceless people you saw visiting the shrine everyday.

"How many times have I told you not to phrase it like that! You'll get me in trouble with the priestess!", Scrambling to get yourself together you retort sharply.

"Oh come on! Youre the one who used to stare at him from a distance like a lovesick teenager! Atleast now you're talking to him like a normal person", In terms of liveliness the sound of your back and forth was the only thing the place had.

"Watch it! If someone hears you we'll both get scolded", gently warning her again you find yourself turning back to where she came from. The other part of the premises where the peculiar man would be standing, as usual, in all his serene beauty, on the brigde overlooking the small lake.

A man in traditional Japanese cloths that you rarely see anyone wearing these days came to your shrine everyday, without fail for the past month. Everything from his attire to his elegant long hair left you in a trance and your eyes would naturally follow him.

Something about the fact how he'd always come here but never to pray or wish striked you as odd so at first you just observed and even before completely wrapping the situation around your head you two started sharing numerous conversations of the huge world that was right outside but so far away from your reach, his words fuelled the budding curiosity in your heart, the vastness of which made your trips to the lake, the most refreshing part of your otherwise monotonous daily routine.

Even if all you did was talk, a 'supposidly' demure maiden working in a shrine, skipping on her duties and rushing to the other side of the ginormous area to see a man felt almost elicit, scary even when you consider the consequences that would come if you were to get found out. The charisma his every action held was beyond resistance and you soon found yourself enraptured by the male despite everything.

"This is so pointless" you huffed, smiling out of self pity to hide the more frustrating emotions twirling within you.

"Yet you do it everyday", with a small nudge from her elbow you made your way straight to the lake, forgetting about your obligations as a shrine maiden, the responsibilities, the restrictions and all inhibitions put upon you in the name of god.

With quick steps you soon found yourself at the base of the curved brigde,

"Good afternoon Mr. Geto", your greeting came out in a rush, trying to ignore the warmth of your face, but your attempts at hiding your flustered state didn't go unnoticed by the man in front of you.

" Seems like you've been having quite a hectic day", smiling in his usual serene way Geto gracefully turns his head in your direction.

" Not any more than usual", calming your erratic heartbeat you slowly close the distance between the two of you and stand beside him on the arch of the bridge.

" It's really nice here", He remarked, his eyes sweeping across the tiny fishes swimming near the surface of the lake. You stared at him for a little while before finally asking the one thing that drew you to him the most.

" I always wondered, why do you come here everyday if you don't even want to go to the main shrine to pray?. Surely it's not just for this scenery."

" Hmmm? Pray for what?", Not particularly moved by your question he quizzically tilt his head.

"Well.....you know, the usual, success in job, finding a significant other or maybe even something materialistic? Although I doubt you're interested in the last one", you laugh a little to take the edge off your slightly personal question.

"Dreams come true through steadily applied efforts not praying", with his sage like appearance, his words didn't came off as a shock.

"Not the best thing to say to a shrine maiden but I guess it's somewhat true", Quipping back you just looked at him with a smile, silently revelling on your familiarity with each other.

"What about you? You never look like you're having fun while working here.... As if you're the one who's not satisfied with you're job" His voice took a more serious note and asked the question you always tried to push away but for the first time, you felt safe. Safe in talking about things what most people around you would call blasphemy.

"Yeah well, I wouldn't say it's my life's calling. It's basically following the ideals that has been written by others and just blindly following them day in and day out", just as you finished your sentence you realised how shallow and sad you just sounded but the slightly widened eyes of Geto was what made you mentally kick yourself before you hastily try to smooth things over.

" But! It's not that bad! Once you get used to-", after a few lighthearted words to clear the heavy atmosphere that was building up you were cut off with one long finger hovering just above your lips.

" It's okay, you don't have to worry about being judged with me", not touching your lips he quickly retreats his hand back,

"It's only natural to question your ideals and beliefs when you actually start thinking about them, it's a proof of growing up. I can say it was the same for me as well, I had thought I'd spend my whole life sequestered in 'that' place but...." His gaze takes on a far off quality as his words fade.

"What changed then?", Without even knowing why, you urged him to continue.

"Well, I grew up and realised mine were just idealistic views, far from practical."

"Wait! How old are you now?!", Unable to ignore your budding curiosity you went on,

With a soft flick to your cheek he snorted in amusement, his low baritone made you recognise your own rudeness as you rub the non existent pain off of your face.

"It's not polite to ask strangers their age, regardless of their gender, young lady".

"I'm sorry! It's just, your answer...... Was kinda vague so...." Trailing off, the fact that he didn't owed you any explanations dawned on you making you stop. But the sudden halt in your unabashed questioning didn't go unnoticed by the long haired man so he continued, as if reading your thoughts.

"Everyone's entitled to act idiotically every once in a while but you sure are abusing your privilege", he went on, after a few words of sass.

" It took a while but, I soon discovered my true feelings about the world I lived in and how I wanted to change it", The unshakeable conviction of his voice reverberated through your ears and there seemd to be more to the hint of darkness in his downcast eyes, but further questions left your brain as you felt genuine resolve through his words.

Before you could process what's happening, Geto pulled you in close, resting his hands on either side of the brigde railings, caging you inbetween the low wall and his body.

"How about we run away to a better world together?", not waiting for you to protest he spoke. The words falling from his lips were casual enough to make you overlook the outrageousness of their meaning and your oddly intimate position did nothing to stop your brain from short circuiting.

"The decision is yours y/n but I'll be waiting anyway," his voice seems to trail a little before he bends down, his thin lips ghosting over your right ear, " you see, I hate it when even the good gets destroyed along with the bad", with that he quickly pulles his body back, letting you have your personal space again.

"I'll come back here at 8 'o' clock tonight",

After announcing that smoothly, he turns his back away and walks off to the exit, leaving you gob smacked at his confusing words.You watch him saunter off, still to awestruck to move when you finally take a note of your own unsteady breaths and face that radiated heat rivaling the sun atop.

" Who would- even go along with that crazy idea", your meek words get lost in the now empty place but the longing in your eyes to see what lied beyond your conservative lifestyle was as clear as the autumn sky hanging above.

You turn your back on the place and jog off in an effort to escape your own complicated feelings on the matter. His casually spoken words clawed at your heart, an entire different life was just one step away and it was shocking to even you how much trust you were subconsciously putting in every single word he says.

The conflicting thoughts in your head kept you busy the entire walk from the bridge to at the door of the only home you had known for so many years and never once your feet held such hesitation as you entered the building to continue the tasks you had left behind for the momentary change you craved so much.

The evening passed by in a flash, the thumping of your heart only getting louder with each passing hour. You just got out of your bath and were getting ready to help with dinner when you heard two voices coming form one of the senior priestess's room

"I saw her talking to a man, he didn't looked like a -", their words weren't clear but one thing was. Their topic of discussion was you.

"No he was wearing a hakama", it was getting harder and harder to breath with every second. If they were to tell that to your other supervisors then it would become very difficult for you to live here.

"So he could be from a neighbouring temple, maybe just asking about something general?"

"But weren't they standing too close?"

Listening in from behind the door all you could make out was that they clearly saw you and Geto, but one thing was certain. You were about to be very strictly reprimanded for just having curiosity.

Before you could even think up of some excuses to get yourself out of this mess the previous offer of his night time rendezvous flashed in your mind. It got you thinking, if you were going to be made to stay under supervision for a while anyway then the least you could do was to meet Geto one more time so as to let him know that his idea was indeed crazy and that life wasn't that easy for you to give up on everything you've done until now just on a whim.

You couldn't exactly get to a proper conclusion, sure leaving seemed like the better option but the fact that you'll be heavily dependent on Geto for everything didn't sit will with you either. It's not like you had any other skills or connections and even if he said he'd take you with him, you weren't fully ready to trust him on that. Why would you? It's not like you two were connected or related in any way.

The meeting time was approaching fast and since it's dinner time soon most of the girls would be around the dining area to help. It was the perfect opportunity to slip out unnoticed and come back after explaining things to the kind person who brought a few extra colors in your dull life.

Shakily you made you way to the back door, knowing full well you're about to commit another offense.

In a few minutes you reached the bridge, it was empty right now, indicated that your are ether early or that maybe Geto was actually just messing with you and oddly enough you felt your stomach drop at the thought of the second option.

But before you could overthink out the negative options you sense eyes on your back and whirl around to see a happy looking Geto strutting towards you.

" I take it you have decided to entrust yourself to me?", Greeting you with his self assured words he smiles amicably at you.

" Actually- I've decided to not leave", you say, with both sadness and regret in your voice.

He listenes to you in silence, his face doesn't look convinced no matter how much you explain but he never interrupts you until you're finished.

" So, Is that what you really want? To rot in a place which binds you to unnecessary obligations?", He blankly says, after you're done.

"It's only natural to lose something in order to attain greater things y/n", steping in your personal space again he peers at you face, his eyes were slited enough to hide their true intentions yet leaving just enough space for the moonlight to give them an otherworldly glow.

His beautiful face just centimetres away from yours and before you can finish he grabs you by the chin and delivers a mind blowing kiss.

This wasn't good for your heart. Your previous resolve was melting, just like the rest of you. Geto quickly slipped his hot tongue inside your mouth, exploring every nook and cranny of it.

"Why are you going so far?", You ask, still not entirely convinced.

" Because we are the same, that's why I know what you want and I can give that to you. So trust me okay?", A few seconds pass as you both stare into each other, when you finally heave a sigh of defeat.

" I do want more than just a life of modesty,", having changed you decision yet again you look up at the man in a renewed resolve.

"That's my girl!", Almost excitedly he envelopes you in a warm hug,

"Well y/n? How exactly do you want to celebrate your new found freedom? ", giving his words a suggestive tone he leaned forward to press his lips against your ear, placing light kisses up and down its lobe.

A surge of heat runs through your confounded heart, voice raspy as you reply " Ofcourse I want to do it with you", the snickering above you made you realise the innuendo your words held,

" I meant the celebration! It as in the CELEBRATION OKAY?!", Frantically, you push against his chest to break your embrace, trying to explain the simple meaning behind your previous words but even so, you'd be lying to yourself if you said that the thought of sleeping with him never crossed your mind.

The unmarried virgin criteria you had to fulfill in order to be a shrine maiden was in the past now. So you couldn't find any reason to hold back now.

" I'd be an honor," Geto's melodious voice reverberated through the entire room and you whip your head upwards to look for the confirmation you needed.

With minimal amount of words Geto took you to a near by cottage, saying he atleast wanted your first time to be in a proper place. You thought he was staying at just a room in that cottage but it turned out he had rented the entire place.

For you, it was quite a luxurious thing, while it was something you'd love to revel in, you had other, more important matters to give your attention too.

With a soft click, Geto opens the bedroom door and ushers you in, you breathing coming out irregular, and you were almost shaking in both excitement and nervousness.

What if he doesn't like how I look like naked? Would he like it better if I had shaved? Wait- I hope I'm not wearing my ugly panties today!. While you were freting the small details, the long haired man quietly made his way towards the bed, where you sat, buring his face at the crook of your neck as his arms wrap themselves around you.

"White suites you",His voice rumbled in your ears, his tone as smooth and sweet as honey when he slipped his hand inside the collar of your top, parting the neatly tucked fabric until your chest was exposed. The sudden contact with the air and his hands made your nipples perk up. He fondles them a little while kissing up your neck and shoulders.

Slowly he undos the cloth belts that tied your red hakama to place and eventually you feel them loosen up and then down to the ground, leaving you in just your open white kosode.

Being so exposed in front of a man and that too for the first time made you instinctively cover your chest and crotch, but it was pointless really, because even your hands couldn't hide the dampness of your panties from the sharp eyes that seems to look straight through your meek attempt at modesty.

"Come on, show me everything", his eyes met yours, all attention on you and it was almost disconcerting how vulnerable his eyes made you feel.

Felling a warm rush of blood to your face, you slowly loosen the grip of your hands around your body, letting Suguru pry them off until they rested limply on your sides. Slowly you lie down flat on your back, shyly looking away.

"Getting embarrassed is fine, but there's no need to hid yourself, It's only natural to want to look at your lover's body",He says it with such low, sweet, seduction that your toes curl in response, the word 'lover' ringing in your ears sent your heart in a frenzy.

Slipping the rest of your garments off of your shoulders he gently kisses your ear, licking the contours of your jaw and all the way to the hollow of your throat. His mouth nibbed at the skin beneath as his smooth tongue caressed the marks it left behind.

Soon he latched his lips onto on of your nipples, his teeth grazing the hardened tips pulled a few moans out of you, his long hair tickled your skin wherever they fell and it took everything in you to stop yourself from grabbing onto them.

Moving lower, he soon reached your pussy, already dripping with arousal. You felt his breath on your folds as spreaded them with one of his hand and gave the smooth space inbetween a long lick.

Sucking on your clit with fervor, his arms around your hips traced it's dips and curves as he delves deeper into your moistened sex. Your moans were inevitable at this point, the feeling his mouth in the most intimate part of your body was making you shiver in ecstasy but as soon as he brought his hand near your hole you felt your thighs clench.

"Don't worry I'll only use one finger at a time to get you all nice and ready for later" Gentle reassurances flowed naturally out of his mouth as he covers his fingers in your slick before spreading your pussy more.

His digits push past your folds and buries themselves deep into your throbbing pussy, the sensation of being penetrated both new and arousing. Geto slowing moves his finger in and out as his tongue latches on to your clit again.

The sensations of being licked and fingered together intermingled in your body, bringing you closer to your release in no time. Although it was a good thing you didn't wanted to end it so quickly. He was undeniably good with his hands, knowing when exactly to add another finger or when to curl or rub them inside.

Maybe it's because it was your first time but the onslaught of your orgasm leaves you shaking and moaning wildly in the most unladylike ways you have ever acted. It was embarrassing how much you ended up enjoying while Geto did all the work.

Though he pushes you to your limit you can't help but want to watch his every movement, anticipation building inside you when he raises his head and props himself on his knees to get a better look at your blissed out face. You let out a sigh of longing as he bought his glistening digits to near your face as a proof of you how good he made you feel.

" I'm glad you like it honey", his voice dangerously seductive, he licks his fingers just as erotically, making you embarrassed.

" Let's move onto the part where you cum on my cock now shall we?", His crudeness may have been shocking but right now all you cared about was the cumming part so you let him manhandle your throbbing form until he properly lines himself up against your hole.

Suguru didn't removed his cloths fully, just loosened his hakama just enough to whip his member out.

" Deep breaths now y/n", his gentle guiding eased your mind, and so you relax your body to take him in because even if it's your first time, you were pretty sure he was big enough to make anyone ache.

A warm tingling pain tears through your core which soon mealted into something more euphoric, unbearably good even, making you cry out in ecstasy. He filled you up to the brim and you wondered how bad it will ache tomorrow. As soon as he bottomed out in you, the entire aura of the person about you changed and the room felt like it dropped a few degrees in temperature.

It was not what you'd expected as your first time. Not the painfully rough speed he started with. Not the large hand around your neck that threatened to cut off your air supply. And certainly not the cold, detached look in his face.

Even when your breathing was getting shallower by the second you still writhed in pleasure. It was alarming as to how much you were willing to entrust your entire self to Suguru who was nothing if not composed, keeping his hand firmly around your neck while thrusting his member in and out of your pussy, fucking you like some sort of rag doll.

Long gone was the mild mannered person you looked up at with heart eyes, maybe he was just different in bed, that's what you wanted to tell yourself but the lack of consent and the level of his roughness kept you from doing so.

He eventually let go of your neck, only to flip you on your stomach and shoved his cock inside from an even deeper angle. He didn't let you tap out until you came twice, with your third orgasm approaching just as fast.

The sumptuous heat from his body lingers on yours for sometime even after he pulls himself out

And you felt that the longer you stayed in his embrace, the more darkness seeped into you which would surely make you go numb eventually

You wanted to ask Geto what was happening but a few broken screams were the only thing you could make out, everything was sudden, how the pain made your vision go white to then pitch black and as your consciousness left your body all you could hear was Geto's calm voice.

" Next time you wake up, well be in a better world"

The few rustling sounds of fabric brought you back to the waking world, the dark blue skies outside with flashes of gold inbetween told you it was just the crack of dawn.

You slowly prop yourself up in a sitting position to look around the unfamiliar room.

You catch your reflection in the nearby window next to your bed, you looked the same save for the few indecipherable marks here and there.

" Good morning y/n", Quickly looking at your right, you see Geto just walking out of the bath, his mascular form only covered by a thin cottan kimono.

He was behaving normally, as if the events of last night didn't happen. So normally that you were starting to think you may have hallucinated the whole thing.

Walking towards your sitting form, Geto bends down to cup your jaw and layers his mouth on yours, the scent of his shampoo tingling your senses almost made you forget about everything else.

He breaks the kiss, gazing at your downcasted eyes, the heat from your face made him chuckle.

"Quite an innocent reaction considering all the things we've done", he smirks triumphantly at you, his eyes a mix of dark but intense passion. All the things huh. You thought. Your mind was still in a haze and it was talking longer to process your words and thoughts.

"What happened last night?, I can't remember everything properly", you were expecting straight answers, that how did you passed out or where you exactly were right now but Geto seemed to go off on his own tangent.

You were just like my past self,", were, he said. As if you're something else now. The man in front of you was changing his colors faster than you could comprehend his words and it was terrifying you.

"That's why it's my duty to show you everything that life has to offer, the entire extent of it. As long as you stay by my side.", Not paying an ounce of attention to your shocked state he want on,

" The people you were staying with before were only going to confuse you further, that's why I had to take you away".

"You are the most free and safest at my side, darling. But if you still want your preistess life back then, I'll be your god and you can spend the rest of your life worshipping me instead"

Of course, he didn't saw you as an equal who could stand beside him, you weren't even his lover, just someone below him who he needed to worship the ground he walked upon in. But even so, the fear you experienced just a few minutes ago dissipated, bringing back the curiosity that was at its height whenever he was around.

"Were you lonely?",Geto's eyes trailed up and down your face which halted in their track after hearing your words which oddly resembled pity.

" What-", the previously composed and slitted eyes expanded a little before his expression abruptly shifts, turning serious, making you flinch under its sharp gaze, the animosity that surrounded him contrasted with the previous tender kisses and touch.

With his one large hand he grabbed your face from the base of your jaw, painfully lifting it up until your entire body was a few centimetres above the surface of the bed.

" Listen up y/n, I didn't brought you here to dote on you and the only reason I wiped out your silly little shrine because I can't stand hypocrites who spread false teachings written by equally hypocritical people. It was your job to worship things you couldn't see before and now you have to do the same job for someone you can see. That's. All."

"Ofcourse, leaving isn't an option.I've turned your body into a reincarnated curse. If any of the Jujutsu tech people caught you roaming around, it'll be instant exorcism for you." He lets go of your face and sits next to your form, Geto was quite for a while, giving you time to sort out your own feelings on the matter.

You knew what was happening now. Inbetween those conceited words flashes of the warm blooded man behind the god slipped out and you had to resist the overwhelming urge to comfort the person who just confessed to have burnt down the shire you were living in just until a few days ago. Maybe your thought process was altered just like the rest of you body, or maybe you were always this crazy too.

The source of your sympathy was unknown but the twisted obsession of his was provided you with more solid answers.

Your meeting, the conversations, how you eloped together. All of it made sense now. He wanted to save you from the oppressive state of the place you had spend most of your life in, ofcourse he would. He was thinking of you in ways no one ever had. He loved you in ways no one ever will, or could for that matter.

And you,

You loved him too. You had to.

[kevindayisafrog]

Little Kevin and Riko in France where they steal adopt Jean

(idk if the French is right..I barely speak English)

TW - Riko being a little bully and Tetsuji being a gaslighting prick

“Stay here and don’t fucking move”, Tetsuji pointed a finger between Riko and Kevin before disappearing through the large wooden doors of the mansion. “I’m bored”, Riko kicked a stone and watched as it bounced across the grey stone slabbed porch, “let’s look at their garden”. Kevin watched as Riko hopped down the porch steps and walked around the side of the house with his head held high as if he owned the place. Kevin looked behind him at the doors that Tetsuji just went through and back to where Riko had just gone, feeling torn. He let out a little whimper and ran down the steps after Riko, scuffing his polished black shoes against the gravel driveway. “They have a pond!”, Riko shouted across the large freshly mown garden and waved to where he was sat by a deep crystal clear pond. Kevin walked over and sat next to Riko on the small stone wall that was lining the pond. “Wow, look at that”, Kevin leaned forward and pointed at the water as a silver koi fish swam past creating small ripples in the water. “I’m going to have a house like this one day”. Kevin turned to Riko and followed his gaze to stare at the large house. Well, it was more a castle than a house; dark green ivy ran up the back of the house and small slithers of grey brick were visible through the leaves and vines, whilst large bay windows caused the ivy to twist and turn to avoid covering them. “How much do you think it costs?”, Kevin asked, leaning back on his hands and kicking his legs against the wall. “I don’t know, probably hundreds and thousands”, Riko replied as he turned to look into the pond, “but once we become pros we’ll be able to afford it”. Kevin let out a small gasp and dropped his head against his shoulder to face Riko, “are we going to live together then? I hope the master doesn’t come, he scares me”. Riko let out a huffed laugh and shook his head, “why would he come with us? We’ll be adults, we won’t need him”, he paused to watch the water before adding: “and of course you’ll come with me, you’re my pet. You have to be with me always”. Kevin frowned and looked back up to the house, letting out a little sigh and imagining his own house where Riko wouldn’t be with him. He imagined a large cottage like the one he lived in with his Mom with a small white picket fence and a massive garden where he can let all of his pets out to play. He’d have a massive bedroom where he can store all of his favourite things, like his history books, and an Exy court in his basement where he can practice whenever he wanted. “Is that a shark?”, Kevin turned his head to face Riko, mind still deep within his thoughts, and followed the other boy’s pointed finger to the water. “I can’t see anything, Riko”, Kevin whispered as he squinted his eyes. “Lean closer then, I swear there was a little shark swimming around”, Riko pushed Kevin’s head a little closer to the water and tried to hold in a laugh. “Wait, I think I see it!”, Kevin laughed and leaned in a little more. “Go and kiss it”, Riko laughed before grabbing the back of Kevin’s shirt collar and pushed him into the deep pond. He let out a cackle and fell off the pond wall onto the freshly mowed grass, his hands clutching his stomach as Kevin whimpered from the water. “That wasn’t funny”, Kevin whined as he dragged himself out of the pond and onto the grass, “my clothes are wet and the Master is going to get angry”. He stood up and tried to shake some of the water out of clothes: out of the brand new suit that Tetsuji made them wear for this ‘business’ visit. “He is going to be so annoyed”, Riko laughed as he stood up still clutching his stomach.

“I’m going inside”, Kevin muttered as he squelched his way back around the house to the porch steps where Tetsuji was stood with a lanky boy. “I told you to-“, Tetsuji started, before taking in Kevin’s soaked clothes and Riko’s grass stains. He clutched the young boy’s shoulder tightly with a cold expression, “get in the car”, he growled. Riko and Kevin bowed their heads in fear and ran towards the car, climbing into the back seat together. “If you two want to act like children then I’m taking you off the team and sending you away. Good luck trying to find someone who will look after you as well as I have been doing”, Tetsuji climbed into the front seat and slammed the door behind him, “get in the back” he shouted to the boy who was lingering outside his door. Kevin watched as the lanky boy from the porch climbed into the back seat with them, quietly shutting the door behind him. “Boys, meet Jean, he’s going to be our new addition to the team. Riko, don’t hesitate to make him feel at home”, Tetsuji’s lips curled into a cold smile before he started the car and started speeding out of the long winding driveway. “Hi, I’m Kevin, nice to meet you”, Kevin stuck his hand out towards the boy who was curled in on himself. “Bonjour, Kevin”, Jean shook Kevin’s hand without looking up from his lap, “je ne parle pas anglais, désolé”. Kevin looked over his shoulder to Riko who shrugged and let out a quiet laugh. “I..I don’t know what you said but it sounds fancy”, Kevin dropped Jean’s hand and grinned widely. “Um….m-merci?”, Jean looked up at Kevin and, much to Kevin’s delight, let out a small hesitant laugh. “I think that we’re going to be good friends”, Kevin whispered before resting back into his seat and watching the scenery go past through the window.

[startledstars]

the problem with atheistic materialism

(the idea that everything is a consequence of matter, including life and consciousness)

is that you need to gaslight yourself constantly

when you see the similarities between a nebula and a human iris

when you wonder how the apparent (not actual) size of the sun and the moon are the same

when someone calls you right when you’re thinking about them

when a problem you lost sleep over seemed to fix itself and you didn’t have to lift a finger

when you see a school of fish swim in perfect unison, then notice the same unity in a flock of starlings or a herd of zebra

there are two possible answers:

there is no higher order. these are all just coincidences but your mind is wired to see patterns or connections, even where none exist (this is where gaslighting comes. you’re taught to invalidate your own perception of reality.)

there is order to this world, but it spontaneously arose from chaos. Similarly, life originated from... uh... non-life? Primoridial soup? in a single cell, and over billions of years, those single-celled organism became more complex multi-cellular organisms, and on it goes.

Both ideas, if followed to their natural conclusion, lead to an incoherent worldview. If your mind is the result of a mindless process, how can you trust your thoughts? And, if the process that created the human mind is random, why are people driven to find order?

More importantly, can you find any real-life examples of order arising from disorder? A messy room only gets messier unless someone cleans it. Piles of wood and metal do not spontaneously form houses; someone needs to organize the materials with intent.

And are there any actual examples of life coming from non-living things? Scientists have recently created “living” cells from scratch. But these cells would not exist without the scientists (living beings) constructing them.

So, why does logic suddenly go out the window when you look at the natural world? In all other instances, when you see an ordered structure that serves a specific purpose, you can reasonably assume that it was made by independent agent (a person.) You can also assume that the creator is intelligent, capable of choice (because they chose to make the thing), and had access to the energy/resources needed to assemble the structure.

The object did not create itself. Also, the creator’s existence, intelligence, and other qualities are not dependent on the object; houses exist because of people. People do not exist because of houses. But, the beauty, style, and craftsmanship of the creation can hint at the personality of whoever made it.

The natural world is the ultimate example of an ordered structure. Every organism in an ecosystem seems to be designed with a plan and purpose. Flowed need bees and vice-Vera. Wolves eat deer; in the absence of wolves, deer overpopulate, overeat, and starve. The same principle applies to individual organisms. Your organs each have a specific purpose and are designed to work together to keep you alive. Even the appendix has a purpose, though scientists took a while to figure it out. Scale down to the molecular level- how hydrogen and oxygen combine, and combine again to form snowflakes. The order in nature is undeniable. Each new example shows me there is thought behind this creation; the same loving attention to detail and devotion to beauty that you’d find in artists, combined with the precision, utility, and vision of a master architect. When I watch a peacock fan its plumage, I find myself thinking, “someone put a lot of thought into this.” Its the same thought I get when playing a good video game, reading a compelling story, or even using my phone.

That’s the long and short of it: as you study the world, both natural and man-made, you are forced to make a decision about your beliefs.

It’s all random and any patterns I see are just coincidence. This universe is all that exists.

There is order, but it came from chaos. How? Idk but this universe is all that exists.

There is order. From all other examples of order I know, an external force is needed to create order. This universe is not all that exists.

More and more scientists (many of whom are material atheists) are starting to wake up to the third point, and they don’t like it.

Francis Crick, one of the men accredited with discovering the shape of DNA, was so convicted by the order, structure, and complexity of this molecule, he couldn’t believe that it was the result of a mindless process. So, he decided The Aliens must have done it. (But then, where did these aliens come from? How were they created? What scientistific evidence does this theory have?)

I don’t have enough faith to believe all of this “just happened” no matter what Bill Nye or Neil DeGrasse Tyson or Richard Dawkins or Stephen Dawkins try to spin it. Nothing is impossible, but I prefer to work with probabilities.

[nonobadcat]

Yandere All For One x F! Reader

Rating: Explicit - for readers 18+ only

Entire Story TW: Rape/Noncon/DubCon, gore (non-reader directed), All For one too many kinks to count them all. Highly mentally and sexually abusive relationship. This story is absolutely not for minors and readers should consult the warnings/tags at the top before reading.

Read the entire story at: Archive of Our Own

This chapter's TW: Dub-con fingering/oral/PnV, phone voyeurism, office kink, going commando, gaslighting, totally absent aftercare.

As soon as your period was light, your husband resumed his urine stick stalking behavior. Armed with exactly three tests, Shigaraki got on the phone to consult your OBGYN after her long weekend off. He told her about the anovulatory cycle and asked when next to try for a baby. Ever loyal to the man that saved her child’s life, the witch immediately threw you under the bus and informed him that the first day of bleeding would be about day one of the new cycle.

After the consult, your husband sat at the breakfast table with his cell phone, thumbing through the data.

“...and since you seem to have the twenty-eight-day cycle, our next best chances will be this weekend starting Friday.” He waved at the pink calendar in front of him.

You didn’t even look up as bowl by bowl you set his breakfast in front of him. Today’s menu was cold silken tofu, grilled fish, Niigata Koshihikari rice, and miso soup. Shigaraki had been advocating for hotel bread with jam but you compromised with sweet tamago. As the last dish appeared in front of him, he frowned and stared up at your thin-lipped expression.

“You don’t seem very excited,” he stated in a flat voice

You rolled your eyes up to look at him. “You don’t say.”

Shigaraki frowned and stared at you. “Oh?” His tone was harsh, almost pointed.

You dried your hands on your apron before untying the bow. As you went to take your seat, Shigaraki stood and pushed in your chair. His large fingers curled over the wooden back, grasping the varnished surface with tense pressure.

“My dear, that’s a very rude thing to say when your husband has gone to all this effort.”

The hackles on the back of your neck stood. You hunched your shoulders, eyes refusing to meet his. You placed your hands in your lap, letting them knot together and grip each other for comfort. “You’re just going to get overeager and hurt me again. It’s not something I really look forward to,” you murmured.

Silently, Shigaraki released the chair and set himself back in his seat. His meaty fingers found his chin and he cocked his head at your comment.

“Well, I suppose if you behave for the rest of this week, I would be willing to make an arrangement with you.”

You raised your head.

The blond lifted a single finger. “You can choose one of the positions we use on Saturday.”

You cringed. “One?” The hairs on your arms rose. You rubbed at your skin, trying to drive off the eerie feeling. “How many times were you planning on having sex on that day?”

There was a beaming, toothy smile in response.

You shot him lip curled a look of disgust and grabbed up your chopsticks. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”

Shigaraki mimicked you and took up a bite of the sweet rolled eggs. “My dear, you know I don’t need to make a deal with you at all for this. I can just make you say yes to whatever I want instead. ”

You stopped eating, the rice hanging mere centimeters from your mouth. Instinctively, your hands flew to your neck, but, as promised, the collar wasn’t there.

Shigaraki twirled his finger in the air. “Now that I understand your body better, it’s a very simple matter for me to get your consent… eventually.” He rested his elbow on the table and shot your dusky bedroom eyes.  “How long do you think you could last this time? You were pretty far gone after that hour and a half in the car.”

You slammed your hands down on the table and flew to your feet so fast the chair fell over backward. As it clattered to the floor you glowered at the man in front of you. Your head hung low as shadows fell in your eyes. “Don’t you understand this is the same problem as last time!” you hissed through gritted teeth.

Shigaraki crossed his legs and fanned his fingers together.  “Quite the contrary, I’m planning on being quite gentle with you. After all, you enjoy it so much,” His crocodile grin widened. “Right, puppy ?”

You winced.

Shigaraki’s smile turned sour. “Where did this negative attitude of yours come from? It’s quite obnoxious.”

Where did the negative attitude come from Dar-ling? Oh nowhere really. After all, you got that bitch a breeding schedule. Bitches love breeding schedules. Really makes ‘em feel humanized.

“You’re the one who said you weren’t overly rushed…” You reached across your body and grasped your upper arm to still the angry tremors.

Shigaraki shook his head and rose to his feet. As his towering form came closer, it cast your body in shadow. You looked up and the annoyed grimace on his face made your heart skip. He crossed his arms and stared down his nose at you.

“This is for your own sake,” he stated firmly. “It’s abundantly clear you need a child to keep you occupied when I’m not here or your behavior becomes moody and self-destructive.”

You don’t know when your spine came back. Maybe it was after you’d successfully gotten him to delete the pictures. Maybe it was because he kept insisting he wanted you to do what you wanted. Maybe it was because you’d simply forgotten who you were talking to.

“What makes me moody and self-destructive is that you isolated me from everyone just to make me like you! Well news flash, Dar-ling! I did like you! I do like you!” Your open palm spayed across your chest. Fresh tears started to build in your eyes. “But you make it impossible when all you do is control me! You say you want me to be confident and then you step all over me. Are you so deaf that you just can’t hear what’s coming out of your mouth or are you so delusional you think ANYONE could be happy being trampled under you like this?! Why do you think your little brother ran away!?”

Whatever made you do it, it was a very poor life choice.

Read the rest at Archive of Our Own

By the way: I'm going through and adding those that have liked previous chapters and who have some confirmation in their bio that they are not a minor to the tag list. If you want off, please tell me.

If you want on you'll need your age in your bio or to send a comment/DM to me saying that you are 18 or older. I don't need/want your exact age, I just need you to confirm you aren't a minor in writing.

@shigashigashig @shig-a-shig-ah @weo0o @feral-creep @raygard-elvets @awkward-confused

@dokoni-mo

@the-lady-writes-what

@all4one

@avelaste

@diowithagun

@yeunsstuff

@river-to-swim-forever

@lizthewitchh

@0-ddball

@catalystgaming27

@cityscapingly

@imdatingyourdad

@gxmblinqueen

@villaincxmdump

@yandereloveraw

@seijohmilktea

[bananaapplewaffle]

Vignettes [Set 2] [Octavinelle]

That's a Trade Secret (Part One) | Azul - Ceremonial Robes

...starting off bad

Floyd speaking facts

(my dog is moving in her sleep)

Floyd what? agog?

man ion even know

GLUE BITCH

oh

oh no

so this is where this meme comes from...

198 IN ONLY A FEW DAYS??

WHEW

DON'T BULLY HIM AND HIS SQUISHY BODY

WHAT

MANS JUST GOT A SHEEN???

oh no

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

That's a Trade Secret (Part Two) | Azul - Ceremonial Robes

....

"When you first brought me that vile-looking viscous blue-green gel..."

BITCH THIS IS BLUE MAGIC SLANDER

OMG Y'ALL SQUEEZED HIM OUTTA WALKING

MY MANS WAS STUCK SWIMMING

Happy Birthday [,Azul!] (Part One) | Azul - Birthday Boy

bloop

birthday boy time!

oh an interview!

BY ME?

I JUST SUDDENLY RUN THE SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

oh? Azul has a big family?

mafia~

awwww

WHEW

HAD TO CLEAN THE PLATES TOO

Awww ran by the mother

oof

the way he said step-father...

NOT HIS STEP-FATHER MEETING HIS MOTHER WHILE SHE WAS GETTING DIVROCED

oh okay he likes him

i guess???

and witch grandma!

Happy Birthday [,Azul!] (Part Two) | Azul - Birthday Boy

girl not us talking about the damn dishes

girl i don't feel like that's unwinding but go off i guess

THAT'S IT???

aw nah, he's about to pop off in this last part

Happy Birthday [,Azul!] (Part Three) | Azul - Birthday Boy

Oh? A coin collector

reminds me of james from pokemon and his bottle cap collection.

goodness gracious let's move away from business

awww look at the coins and fancy dishes

...

wait why did it end like that?

That's... Unfortunate (Part One) | Azul - Ceremonial Robes

Jade, step on his foot.

WOAH

...

Jade, go apeshit.

oh thank goodness

PERIODT

TREY KNOWS WHATS UP

TALK SOME SHIT, JADE

That's... Unfortunate (Part Two) | Azul - Ceremonial Robes

DON'T BULLY GRIM RIDDLE

I mean you were kinda right, Trey

Jade does keep his mouth shut way more than he shou;d

he should pop off

as a treat!

GOOD GOD

HE GOT THEY INFO INFO

OH GOD THE BINDERS

Place Your Foot Here (Part One) | Jade - Dorm Uniform

oh girl

the fucking ploy that we having going on here

This is funny af since it's coming straight after the one above

THE GASLIGHTING

THE LYING

Rook: I don't believe this, but I am here for the drama~

you're so screwed

Jade is basically Sebastian Michaelis

but with a unpredictable twin

so really all of this could be happening

and Floyd is taking care of the real deal

EPEL'S COUNTRY ACCENT MY BELOVED

Place Your Foot Here (Part Two) | Jade - Dorm Uniform

THE FUCKING DRA-MA

"I am managing perfectly fine without you as well, in case you were worried."

"I wasn't."

"I see."

WHEW

GOD DAMN

THE FUCKING RUSE THEY ARE PULLING HERE

HE DOES HIS FUCKING RESEARCH

THEN BEEN LOOKING FOR A REASON BITCH

Place Your Foot Here (Part Three) | Jade - Dorm Uniform

bloop

GOD DAMN

THE GASLIGHTING ONCE AGAIN

(the baby's ears are twiching aaa)

the fake smile is becoming of vil

DAMN DAMN DAMN

STUPIFIED

Rook has to of seen something and said

"That ain't none of my business."

ALL OF THIS FOR A ADVERTISMENT?????

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

GOD DAMN

THE FUCKEN SHADE

all y'all fishes is fake

This Should Come in Handy (Part One) | Jade - Camo

bloop

MANG NOT YOU BEING LIKE

"it whatever"

but i guess this means you kinda trust our abilities

MANG NOT YOU GOING FUCKEN MUSHROOM HUNTING DURING BEANFEST

GIRL WHAT THE

GIRL WHAT???????????????

is that how you get out of playing, Idia?

I love Idia's little cower thing its cute

GIRL HELP WE'RE IN DARKNESS

WAIT

NO NO

HE SAID UNHURRIED GAIT

NO THAT WAS BULLY FOR

"I know that trashass run."

This Should Come in Handy (Part Two) | Jade - Camo

BACK IN DARKNESS

DLASKDL;SAKDASKD;AS

GIRL NO

NOT JACK SNIFFING HIM OUT

UNO DOS TRES CUATRO

(can y'all hear the Matt vs Boyfriend Animation?)

AS;LDKASLDKAS;LDK;LASKDL;ASKDLSA;DKLAS;KDLAS;

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Y'ALL BROKE SOMETHING

"I'm afraid we'll have to take the L, as it were."

Here lies, Alie.

GRL NOT TO FUCKEN LEONA

But also that man won't give a fuck tbh

Oh? They grew up in the deep northern seas?

...why didn't they get Idia?'

OH SHIT HE FINNA COMMIT MURDER

This Is The Pits, Man (Part One) | Floyd - Labwear

oh no baby is not feeling shit today

Crewel you should have known the moment he didn't say shit that he was on some shit

somebody get Jade

wait wut?

there is no older or younger twin?

girl a 50 page apology eassy?

apologize to these nuts

GIRL NOT

*epic sigh*

damn my mans is not feeling it today...

oh no!

damn a nap do be fixing things

This Is The Pits, Man (Part Two) | Floyd - Labwear

gasp!

my idiots!

Deuce, you can't come for Ace when all you can do is color change them to black. Ace is at least changing the colors to multiple different hues.

oh no!

NOT ACE THROWING DEUCE UNDER THE RUG

...i mean id do it to

BUT THATS NOT THE POINT

awwwww!

That's just Floyd, Deuce.

Yeah, No, I'm Good (Part One) | Floyd - Ceremonial Robes

we're playing music!

please stop using the word exotic with the brown skinned characters

girl this school ain't got no curriculum

you've got history, alchemy, and pe.

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

THE TWEELS AND AZUL HAD A LITTLE BAND

Yeah, No, I'm Good (Part Two) | Floyd - Ceremonial Robes

bloop

girl not the otter pun

girl not the lucky emblem

(can you tell it late and i wanna go to sleep but also want to finish this?)

WELL

NO FLOYD YOU CAN'T JUST YEET THE DRUM

okay he yeeted the drumsticks

party rockers in the house tonight moment

Twisted Ramblings

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: The Rebellion of Adrien Agreste, ch. 16

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Kagami Tsurugi, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Luka Couffaine, Lila Rossi/karma, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/aneurism, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi, Plagg & Tikki

Characters: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Lila Rossi, Jagged Stone, Plagg, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine, Penny Rolling, Anarka Couffaine, Rose Lavillant, Juleka Couffaine, Kagami Tsurugi, Alya Césaire, Chloé Bourgeois, Wayhem, Nadja Chamack, Nathalie Sancoeur, Sabine Cheng, Tom Dupain, Tikki, Fang, Principal Damocles, Caline Bustier, Ms. Mendeleiev, original minor character, Alec Cataldi, Lila Rossi’s Mother, Sabrina Raincomprix, Roger Raincomprix, Mylène Haprèle, Le Gorille | Adrien Agreste’s Bodyguard, Nino Lahiffe, Nooroo

Tags: Lila Rossi salt, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Teenage Rebellion, Swearing, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Crack Treated Seriously, Lila Rossi’s Lies Are Exposed, Cuddling & Snuggling, Luka Couffaine Needs a Hug, Paparazzi, Parentification, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Gabriel Agreste Needs an Aneurism, Uncle Jagged Stone, we’re all queer here, the spirit of punk is sometimes just being allowed to be yourself, Kagami Finds Her Groove, punk rock fashion, Savage Kagami, Marinette protection squad, Good Parent Sabine Cheng, Good Parent Tom Dupain, Protective Kagami Tsurugi, Protective Luka Couffaine, Bisexual Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Pansexual Luka Couffaine, Sharing a Bed, Pet Names, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Instagram, Bullying, Social Media, Anxiety, Makeover, Hugs, will cure your acne, Face Punching, Bad Ass Juleka Couffaine, Rumors, Protective Juleka Couffaine, Protective Adrien Agreste, Lawyers, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Holding Hands, accountability, mental health, Jagged Stone’s well-paid pet shark, How to Make the Evening News, Sexy eyeliner for days, one fish two fish Lila is a screwed fish, How to have fun and piss Gabriel off, Fuckery, sweet litigious karma, Alya sugar, lawyer shark doo doo doo doo doo doo, Schadenfreude, Bad Ass Alya Césaire, Gaslighting, abuse denormalization, Jagged likes his lawyers like he likes his pets: toothy af, Blood in the Water, Everything you didn’t know you wanted and some things you did, Gabriel Agreste is shark bait, Denial, Consequences, Principal Damocles salt, caline bustier salt, the impotence of Gabriel Agreste, snarky Nooroo, lies and the lying liars who tell them, Lila’s brain is a narcissistic hellscape, Lila’s mind is built like an Escher piece, Alec Cataldi salt, Adrien Sugar, wholesome salt, Fu Salt, Kwami Shenanigans, Nooroo is a little shit

Summary: Kwami Omake

Notes: This is the last chapter already written, and next week is finals week at my institution, so I won’t have time to write more just yet. I’ve been getting in snatches of paragraphs for a different fic (for The Untamed), but I now feel more motivation for this fic. Some crap went down a few months ago and made writing for ML hard for a while. As it turns out, wonderful people creating fanart for it is inspiring af.

AO3 link

Chapters 1-2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15

------------

Tikki was almost falling asleep after the excitement of the morning when suddenly Plagg was in Marinette’s bag with her. She only barely managed to stop from letting out a startled cry.

“Plagg!” she hissed, glaring. “If my holder—”

“That’s why we need to go talk somewhere else, Sugarcube.”

Plagg was, at least, keeping his voice down. Small favors.

She scowled. “We’re not tempting Mme. Mendeleiev again. It was bad enough last time!”

He rolled his eyes. “Ugh, fine. We stay in the walls and floors until we find an empty room.”

“You had best hope there isn’t an Akuma Alert while we’re gone.”

It was unlikely, given that Marinette hadn’t had a chance to purify the Akuma Mme. Mendeleiev had captured. She likely wouldn’t even notice Tikki was gone, as Alya was sticking to her like glue, still occasionally crying when her guilt overflowed.

They did have to have a conversation—their holders had managed to get rid of the threat of the liar, but there were other issues to address. Namely the way his holder’s father was likely to react to what was happening as it continued. It wouldn’t do for Chat Noir to be on lockdown, after all.

They were able to make their way to the locker room and into an empty locker without any issue.

“Have you been reading the news?” Plagg asked once they had ascertained they wouldn’t be discovered. “Good ol’ Gabe tried to fire Lila a second time. Forgot he already had, I guess.”

Tikki frowned, not sure whether that was a good development. “So he’s irrational over it?”

Plagg snorted contemptuously. “When’s he not irrational, is more the question. Just more so than usual. My kid deals with way too much shit from that man.”

She was well aware of that, having heard enough through Marinette, who had always wondered how to help—both Adrien and Chat Noir, at that, since she was aware both had awful home lives but had no idea they were the same home life.

In many ways, Gabriel Agreste’s latest act of assholery was a blessing in disguise if it finally made Plagg’s holder snap and actively seek help. The boy was far too passive, and it was nice to see him finally put his foot down.

That it had involved an attempt to force him to date his “muse” the Liar was beyond the pale and more than a little creepy, in Tikki’s eyes. Sure, in some centuries their holders and all their friends would be married with kids by now, but allowing kids to grow more was a civilized move and a boon of modern society.

“If he likes her so much, he can date her,” Plagg commented.

Tikki had to suppress a smile at how in tune he was with her thoughts, truly her other half. “It’s illegal now.”

“Like Gabe cares about illegal,” Plagg scoffed. “The man’s a moral abyss. It’s shocking Adrien is such a good kid given his sire, but I guess it’s a good thing he’s had little involvement in his life beyond donating sperm.”

“Plagg!” Tikki frowned at him; that was taking it a bit far. Or at least she hoped it wasn’t that bad. “I hope you don’t talk like that around your holder.”

“I wish,” he muttered. “But no, the kid still hopes for his dad’s approval. Though from recent events that might’ve waned a bit.”

That was probably as good an opening as she was going to get.

“Recent events that might compromise your holder’s identity. His dad is obviously a loose cannon, and while it’s good the Liar was taken out, we need to counsel our holders to get the rest taken care of and their lives stabilized. Otherwise Hawkmoth could win.”

“Yeah, I know. But no Fu.”

Tikki already knew all the arguments he could bring up there, and she agreed with them. The man had trauma, certainly, but he kept making mistakes based on them that were hurting the kids. She had expected he would mentor them, not hide in his massage parlor and expect them to learn to swim on their own.

“Agreed. He’s prone to panic and bad decisions.”

Plagg looked briefly startled, but grinned. “Ah, always knew I’d create a rebel out of you, Sugarcube.”

She rolled her eyes affectionately. “I trust our judgment better, is all.”

“Been waiting a few millennia to hear you say that!”

He preened, and Tikki fixed him with an unimpressed stare.

“‘Our,’ Plagg. I know better than to trust yours alone. The dinosaurs, Atlantis…”

“Yeah, yeah. Make a few mistakes, everyone reminds you of them forever.”

Thankfully he knew better than to argue or mention her own. She hated reminders of her own failures, particularly the one that had gone beyond its target and through the millennia to the present. Tikki hadn’t expected the creation of abnormal cell growth to take on a life of its own… but maybe that was why she so rarely let herself lose her temper.

Plagg yawned widely, as though putting on a show to distract her, knowing she needed it.

Stinky Sock, always being so observant, making himself likeable.

“They’ll all be at Pigtails’ place tonight. We can plan more after we know their plan, right?”

Tikki hid a smile. “Let me guess. It’s naptime?”

He smiled. “You know me so well.”

She considered for a moment.

“Mind making a pit-stop along the way? I can purify that Akuma so my holder doesn’t have to worry about it.”

“Ooo!” Plagg brightened. “I wonder if that teacher has any of that delicious magic cheese…”

“Ugh, Stinky Sock. You and your cheese!”

Still, she felt the anxiety of the day start to ease at his antics as she led the way to the science room.

As it turned out, there was cheese, and a very pleasant teacher who actually apologized for trying to capture them and wished them luck fighting Hawkmoth. She even had a cookie for Tikki.

Life was good.

[synth-dahl]

H2O: Just Add Water, Season 2, Episode 14, Get Off My Tail

Things my girlfriend and I thought during this episode

- Gah, these girls supporting each other gives me life, telling Emma that she’s a hard worker and deserves that promotion, Rikki consoling Cleo about her missing Lewis, etc.

- You know, Rikki brings up a good point, Cleo and Lewis can still be friends even if he’s got a new girlfriend, but also by that same logic, he can have a girlfriend while still being friends with Cleo, but they refuse to recognize that.

- Also, why are they acting like she’s never around Lewis anymore? I know that there are obviously times between episodes, but they still see each other a lot, and Lewis being with Charlotte has never really stopped them from seeing each other anyway, considering that he abandons Charlotte at the drop of a hat if Cleo needs him. It’s more like they never do regular every day stuff together, it’s always a mermaid crisis or something.

- One thing I’ve always liked about Rikki is her loyalty to her friends

- Everyone says that Charlotte is acting toxic towards Lewis, but on the same note, Cleo is the one who is constantly resetting the boundaries of their friendship. One minute, she wants to hang out with him, the next she wants space, and the second he wants to be with someone else, she’s upset that he won’t make time for her. Not to mention the way Lewis is always lying  and gaslighting the frick out of Charlotte.

- How is dumping a person but still expecting them to be there at your every beck and call any better or less possessive than anything Charlotte has done?

- Ugh, Emma has been at the cafe for over a year, she really should’ve gotten the position. She’s got seniority and a proven drive to get things in gear

- Once more, the Rikma is strong in the episode, which is hilarious since the majority of this one is Rikki mentioning how much Emma is actually into Ash. “Hey, Emma, cute hat!” (bi finger guns)

- I do like Rikki, but the second Cleo does recognize that she needs to accept that he’s moved on, which she does, Rikki turns it into a, “No you don’t, because you’re better because you’re not like other girls” thing. Which... I get saying because Cleo was feeling vulnerable and having self-image issues in that moment, but she should’ve been encouraging her to move on

- Not to mention Rikki was the one advocating for Cleo to break up with Lewis, and telling her it was a good thing. Instead, they made it into another batch of girl hate, and it honestly makes me want to cry. When she mentions that Charlotte’s nothing because she’s not “special,” and she’s “ordinary,” you could easily switch out that out with something more mainstream, “She only likes cheerleading and shopping, but you’re special and different because you like comic books and video games, so why would he like her?”

- I’m really glad we’ve for the most part grown out of that phase as a society. It’s still there, but I’m glad that we’re recognizing that it’s bad.

- It’s just... let him move on. If he’s got another girlfriend, so what? I’m sorry Cleo, but you did break up with him, and repeatedly told him you didn’t want to get back together. It’s not the girlfriend’s fault if she’s dating your ex when you want to get back together. And if you honestly feel like you can’t hang out with him, then that’s something you should be talking about, both with him, and with Charlotte.

- Yay, Lewis is finally fishing! Also, how is that snorkel working underwater? Snorkels are used with the tube above water so you can breathe, how is it being used underwater? My girlfriend and I have been losing our shit over this

- Lewis, you are literally lying to Charlotte. You’re lying to her. I know you have your reasons, but she doesn’t know them. She just knows you’re hiding something. And you’re lying to her about spending time with your friend, which you don’t need to do. You just need to tell her that you and Cleo are still close friends, and you were catching fish with her. No one is going to be asking, “Oh, she was swimming because she’s a mermaid, right?” No, instead you lie to her about it, because it involves Cleo and that would make Charlotte upset.

- Again, if everyone would just sit down and talk, this could all be avoided. The fact that they’re mermaids does not be included. Just talk about your feelings, dangnabit

- Does Ash have permission from Wilfred to make all those changes to the cafe? And does he not see the problem with balls flying everywhere in a cafe that sells mostly liquid? And how did Emma not see that major problem in the making?

- And Cleo, walking up behind them to say you had fun yesterday in front of Charlotte because you knew it would upset her? Yeah, that was on purpose, and you have no moral high ground. That was just as petty and passive aggressive as the stuff Charlotte’s said. Congrats, you got your revenge.

- And Lewis, no, while you don’t have to tell Charlotte what you do with every second of your day and who you hang out with, when you knowingly leave out that Cleo was with you because you know it’ll upset her, you don’t get to act like you’re being smothered when she does get upset when she finds out you lied to her. You knew what you were doing. Either break up with her, or tell her you’re going to be hanging out with Cleo because you’re still friends. I know you have to protect their secret, but not everything has to be about the fact that they’re mermaids.

- Charlotte would not be so insecure about the relationship if Lewis wasn’t always lying to her, especially since the lies concern his ex so often. Considering that most of your relationship has been lying about what you’re doing, it really makes sense for you to break up with her, it would be the kindest thing to do.

- Actually, Charlotte should be the one to dump him

- No one can tell me he doesn’t genuinely enjoy being around her and with her. Whenever the other characters aren’t around, it really does feel that way. And I don’t think it has anything to do with Charlotte being normal or whatever like Cleo was saying. Lewis never had a problem with Cleo being a mermaid. Not to mention that it’s not like Lewis has ever really gotten upset that their secret has interfered with his life, he’s just always there for them.

- I’m going to cry so many times throughout this season. But the worst part? It’s that all of this does not have a satisfying conclusion. They don’t make amends, the girls don’t grow or learn from this. Charlotte apologizes to Lewis, but not to the girls, who also don’t apologize to her. They don’t recognize that maybe they had a part in how she acted. If this season actually ended with the characters learning and recognizing with each other that how they acted was bad, I wouldn’t be as upset as I am. Instead, I’m left with catty characters who are awful to each other and don’t resemble the people I thought they were, who don’t grow from their experiences

[tripstations]

Here’s All the Best Stuff to Do in Mykonos and Santorini

Very lame, but I’ve always been kinda afraid of traveling. It’s not a fear of flying, but more that I was born in another country and, as such, overseas travel means a dramatic family visit weighed down with stress, guilt, and 20+ hours on a plane to Asia (where even as a 9-year-old, I was already on some shit about compression socks).

All this to say I don’t feel anything when people quit their jobs to travel the world, and follow zero travel Instagrammers. I’ve gone my entire life without ~seeing the world~ (couldn’t afford to study abroad so my personality doesn’t hinge on four months I spent in Paris, sorry!) and honestly, I would’ve been fine with that forever.

But when I got an invite to tour Mykonos and Santorini on a hotel-hopping trip with Katikies Resorts and Clubs, even *I* was like, HOLYSHITYES. After all, Santorini has been called the “Instagram Island” and when one of the top ten most Instagrammable hotels in Greece (where even Justin Bieber has stayed) invites you on a dream summer vacay, you don’t ask how they got your e-mail—you just GO before they change their minds. Anyway, here are all the fun things that impressed me the most.

First up, don’t even think about leaving without the following:

Butterfly Dress

Reformation thereformation.com

$278.00

Wide Brim Straw Hat

Sensi Studio modaoperandi.com

$295.00

Ultra Jungle Cat-Eye Sunglasses

Crap Eyewear crapeyewear.com

$79.00

Face Crème Night Time/Anytime

Cece Top

Sommer Swim sommerswim.com

$69.00

Jane Bottom

Sommer Swim sommerswim.com

$69.00

Rosemead Dress

Reformation thereformation.com

$198.00

The Bigger Carry-On

Away awaytravel.com

$245.00

Alegra Slip

Sommer Swim sommerswim.com

$219.00

Biore UV Aqua Rich Sunscreen SPF 50+

Mavic 2 Pro

DJI Mavic 2 dji.com

$1,499.00

1. Party it up at all the Mykonos clubs before going to Santorini.

If you are like me two weeks ago and have no idea how to distinguish between different Greek islands, trust when I say you’re gonna wanna do Mykonos first and then Santorini. Why? Totally different vibes. Mykonos is club central—the energy there is extremely horny, and you’ll want to get hedonistic and loose there first before calming down and sightseeing in Santorini, where everyone is coupled up. Everyone is also super hot (still thinking about you, hot passport control guy, imy), friendly, and funny.

Book Now Katikies Mykonos

In the wedding party of my dreams, we rent a bunch of private villas in Mykonos, go to Elia beach, and lounge around our private pool (IDK what’s up with the pool industry in Greece, but it seems like even two-bedroom vacay villas have ones the size of McMansions) before hitting up the two main hot spots: Scorpios and Nammos. If you’re a night owl, you will THRIVE in Mykonos: Parties usually don’t “start” until 2 a.m., and they easily last until 6. Lindsay Lohan may or may not be there.

2. Go shopping in Mykonos town.

The long, winding streets of Mykonos town are filled with little shops and scenic nooks and crannies perfect for ’gramming. Take a day to explore by foot, and add in time for a leisurely lunch and dinner.

During lunch at Kazarma, our waiter mentioned that the historic building used to be owned by Mantos Mavrogenous, a bad bitch who kept a cache of weapons and cash in the building during the Greek War of Independence. Yes, she wound up dying alone, broke from spending all her money on the war effort (for which she was never repaid), and yes, we stan.

3. Take the ferry and bop over to Santorini.

The ferry takes around four hours (compared to the one-hour flight) but offers a much more scenic route. They usually stop to pick up passengers in Naxos, Paros, and Ios, and you can go on the deck to scope out the different cities. Didn’t have time to see any ruins on your trip? The Portara is easily visible from the ferry deck and dates back to 530 BC.

When it’s time to dock in Santorini, you’ll go down into the bowels of the ferry to collect your luggage before disembarking. It’s very much like you’re in Star Wars shipping off in the belly of a giant spacecraft before the gates open and SUN! SANTORINI! JK, you can’t see anything yet because you gotta go up the cliff and settle into a hotel for that Insta-famous Santorini view.

4. Stay in a traditional cave house and appreciate the architecture.

Fun fact: All those cave-like homes you see on Insta (hyposkapha, if you want to be legit about it) are because the islanders kept getting their shit rocked by pirates in the 16th century. As a result, they had to build upward on the most precipitous cliffs they could find.

Carina Hsieh

Book Now Kirini Santorini

This is why Santorini looks and feels so different from other warm would-be-beach towns. There’s no way of just walking from your hotel to the shore—all the resorts are on top of literal cliffs. I stayed in the Kirini Santorini (Carina at Kirini! LOL invite me back pls) and it was *chef’s kiss* in terms of views.

This drone video I bribed Konstantinos Sigalas, Katikies’ social media executive, to take will help you see what I mean.

5. Go on a caldera cruise.

I’m sorry to report that my stupid ass saw a bunch of photos of the ocean in Santorini and was like, “Oh, it’s definitely like a beach town.” Folks, it ain’t!

Few beaches are accessible by foot in Santorini, so the best way to take advantage of that crystal blue Aegean is by boat. We chartered a Riva yacht (v bougie) to take us around the island and stopped where the water looked the dreamiest to pop in for a swim.

On the boat, Sigalas shared this hot blogger tip for getting the best Insta eye-candy shot: Shoot video on your phone, scroll through the video to find the perfect still, and use a screenshot of THAT to get the perfect photo. Very important: you’ll need to go into “Settings —> Camera —>” and adjust “Record Video” to “4K at 60 FPS” for the most high-res stills.

Book Now Caldera Cruise, starting at $1,600/for two passengers

6. Go swimming in the hot springs.

During your caldera cruise you should also ask the captain to make a detour to the hot springs. You’ll know you’re there because the water goes from deep blue to turquoisey-green with orange sulfur on the rocks of the inlet.

Do: Bring a pool noodle. Sorry to everyone who got tired swimming into the inlet, but our captain immediately sized up our wine-drunk asses and was like, “You probs want these.” And we did!Don’t: Wear white in the hot springs. The sulfur will fuck this up. Don’t: Wear any jewelry in the hot springs. Again, sulfur.

A fact I tried very hard to contain during my trip is that I’m the world’s pickiest eater. My definition of seafood means fish sticks from those microwave meals with the penguin, and avoiding vegetables is a firm 1/16th of my personality. But Greece, where the produce and fish are so fresh, suddenly made me the biggest tomato stan on earth, and I would step into the ring for second helpings of whatever sea creature is placed in front of me.

It also helps when everything is deliciously cooked. The restaurants are so exclusive that you usually have to be a member of the Katikies Club to dine there—although this year they opened Mikrasia (with locations in Santorini and Mykonos) and DePaul Restaurant to the public. Santorini Mikrasia has only six tables and it’s generally recommended you book a spot a few weeks in advance. The Mykonos version has more tables but is also v fancy — resident chef Angelos Bakopoulos was on Greek Master Chef. Both restos also won the FNL awards in 2018 (the Greek equivalent to the Michelin Guide).

While a lot of Santorini is Greek Orthodox, Fira town (the capital) has a Catholic church and a monastery where the Vatican would store Greek wines to be shipped to the Pope. Recently, the monastery was bought and turned into Katikies Garden. It’s the most family-friendly of the Katikies clique because there aren’t as many steep stairs. (Seriously! That’s why Santorini doesn’t have a ton of kids running around! What if they fall!)

While everything else in Santorini feels exactly like you’d picture it from postcards and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (sun-drenched, everything bright white), the streets of Fira have a Venetian feel. Even the building’s colors reflect this: There’s a lot of beige and pink as well as rounded archways and courtyards that feel hella Italianate.

It’s all very subtle, but the best way I can describe it is like you suddenly look up and gaslight yourself into wondering if you’re still in Greece. You are!

I’m a pretty tough spa critic (I like my massages how I like my breakups: rough, hard, and with me begging for five more minutes). Yet no treatment has ever compared to the one I got from Nicole at A.Spa. No joke, I physically felt her clear my sinuses through my back at one point. Magic.

Stop by Venetsanos Winery for a tour of the first industrial winery on Santorini. If you’re the opposite of claustrophobic, you can squeeze your bod through one of the old underground wine storage tanks and finish off your day with a breathtaking view of the caldera as you sample a bunch of delicious wines.

Contemplate the meaning of life as you stare off into the Aegean and wonder when your husband will return from Greco-Persian war.

Then, consider taking a second mortgage on the house you do not own in order to stay in Greece forever. Or at least come back next year.

If you can’t make it to Greece just yet, here’s what to buy instead:

Three Cents Pink Grapefruit Soda

Three Cents thewhiskyexchange.com

£1.25

This is the status soda of Greece. Every bar/restaurant worth visiting is stocked up on this pink stuff, and it’s in all the delicious cocktails. I may not know food, but I know my carbonated bevs, and this is GOOD. 

Oia in Santorini by Kadio Kolymva

Armos amazon.com

Super thin and stocked with tons of fascinating tidbits about Oia and Santorini. If you don’t wanna bug the hotel staff with hundreds of iterations of, “Wait, explain how they carved out all these rooms out of rock without power tools again?” like I did, this book will sate you in the best way. 

Donkey Milk Face Serum

Body Farm Greece hercules-shop.com

€32.00

Thank me later when Donkey Milk becomes a Thing in the U.S. One of the women I traveled with picked up this serum on a whim, and for the rest of the trip everyone was fascinated by how great it was. Also, Cleopatra is said to have bathed in donkey milk, so there you go. 

Korres Pure Greek Olive Body Set

You may have heard of Korres here, but I’ve got news for you. There are secret Greece-exclusive products that are WAY better. One of the women on our trip was on a mission to restock her daughter’s collection of the Olive body lotion she’d picked up the previous year, and after trying it, MAN DO I UNDERSTAND THE URGENCY. 

Carina Hsieh Sex & Relationships Editor Carina Hsieh lives in NYC with her French Bulldog Bao Bao — follow her on Instagram and Twitter • Candace Bushnell once called her the Samantha Jones of Tinder • She enjoys hanging out in the candle aisle of TJ Maxx and getting lost in Amazon spirals. 

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