#and i want them to overpower me and win and make me their victim

[orkpup]

want them to beat the shit out of me honestly

[a-french-coconut]

Drew Tanaka (Part 7)

Piper is the last one to wake up, which gave Drew the opportunity to well prepare her speech.

Sorry for being a bitch even though you didn't deserve it.

Now she knows it's not the most eloquent but at least it is heartfelt.

"Good morning, everyone ! Nice day, right ?" Piper says happily, getting up from her bed.

"You're in a good mood."

Well that's going to make things easier.

But for the good old times, she'll allow herself one last jab.

"But you are going to make us late for breakfast, which means you get to make sure the cabin is clean and tidy before inspection."

She expects Piper to roll her eyes, to ignore her.

The girl just face monsters and divine beings, she shouldn't be bothered by some stupid remark like that one.

"I'm challenging you." takes her completely off guard, forcing an awkward laugh out of her.

"You can't challenge me-"

"But I can though," Piper smiles, "I've been on one quest, which more than you, and that means I'm eligible for the head counsellor position. Right Mitchell ?"

Drew glares at her little brother who nods shakily his head, mumbling a "right" before disappearing behind Lacy.

"I'm not stepping down McLean." She scoffs, crossing her arms.

"Not a problem."

She doesn't expect Piper to pull Katoptris out of her waist and point it at her throat.

"What-"

"A duel then," her sisters says cheerfully, "We can even do it now. Your reign of terror is over, Drew. Silena knew better than you and so do I. Love is about..."

Everything whites out.

Silena knew better than you and so do I

She feels the fury, the scorching inferno burning her throat, begging to be released.

You promised Lacy to be better.

Be better.

"That's why she has a hero in the end. Because she stood up for her friends..."

She crosses Lacy's eyes, her little sister looking at the scene horrified.

I'm sorry Lacy.

She lets the inferno consumes her, let all her rage and grief overpower any other emotions or rational thinking.

"So, what do you say ?" Piper finishes, a confident smile on her face as if she already won.

It's funny, really.

She thinks that now that she's been on a quest, she knows everything ?

Drew may have never been on one, that's true.

But she was there when Thalia's magic failed and they had to protect camp.

She was there when an army of monsters invaded her home and killed her best friend.

She was there when it was time to fight for Olympus, to fight for her life and the fate of the world.

Drew has never been on a quest, no.

She fought a war.

She punches Piper in the gut and disarms her, throwing the knife out of reach.

She takes her sister's head and smash it on the counter.

A sick crunch and then a scream.

"Duel in two hours," she calms says, "and go fix that broken nose, I don't want blood on the carpet, honey."

She takes her own daggers and leave the cabin in direction to the arena.

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

she was a hero

She angrily slashes the dummy's head off.

she stood up for her friends

She takes a spear and throw it with all her strength, the weapon piercing another dummy in the stomach area.

She's sweating, ruining all her makeup but she doesn't care.

Nothing get past the roar of the fire burning inside her.

She screams, screams until her throat is soar and all camp heard her.

Let them hear, let them know how much I hate their precious little victim turned martyr.

How ?

How can Piper dare talk of someone she doesn't know ?

She doesn't know the hurt Silena wrecked.

The people she got killed.

What does it matter that in the end, she finally understood she was in the wrong ?

It doesn't bring back Castor or Lee.

It doesn't patch up the broken pieces of her heart.

All it does is give Silena a glory she doesn't deserve.

Even in death, her sister wins.

Not this time, sister.

She waits on a bench for Piper to arrive, covered in dust and sweat.

Gone is her amour of makeup and remarks.

They will see her raw, a rabid animal snarling at a dead person, haunted by a ghost.

When she finally shows up, her nose is fixed, courtesy of Will no doubt, and she looks furious.

"How's the nose, McLean ?" Drew taunts, relishing in the familiar feeling of being mean, "didn't expect me to fight back, right ?"

Her sister doesn't answer because she doesn't need to.

In Piper's eyes, Drew is a mean girl with all bark but no bite. Or at least, that's what she was.

"Here are the rules," they circle each other in the arena, "it's single match until one of us surrenders or" Drew smiles with all her teeth," until one of us cannot physically continue fighting."

To her credit, Piper doesn't show any kind of fear.

"Annabeth, over there," she points to the daughter of Athena observing them from the benches, "will make sure we don't kill each other and be the referee. Understood ?"

Piper nods.

"Then let's begin."

"At the count of three, the fight will begin." Annabeth screams from her place.

"One !"

Drew grips her knees tightly, Piper doing the same.

"Two !"

Her sister's stance is sloppy, her feet too close, her side not protected.

"Three !"

Drew smiles, this is going to be easy.

"Fight !"

Piper lunges, aiming for her shoulder but Drew diverts the attack with one knife and slash her in the back with the other.

The white sand turns red as her sister hisses in pain.

"You should surrender now, no need to embarrass yourself." Drew calmly says, returning to a defensive stance.

"Why don't you attack instead of talking ? Afraid you're not good enough." Piper snarls.

"If that is your wish."

She fakes a jab at her left side before punching her with the hilt on her right knee.

She hears a crunch and Piper's leg gives out, her sister shakily standing on her good leg.

"See ? Be careful what you ask for." Drew snickers.

She hisses in pain when Piper strikes too fast for her to dodge, Katoptris slicing open her right forearm.

She quickly puts distance between them, fury rising at Piper's smug smile and at herself.

She should know better than being that arrogant.

"As fun as this is, I really want to take a shower."

Drew gets closer to Piper.

"Surrender."

"No."

"Your loss." She shrugs.

She closes the distance quick as a viper and plunges her knife into Piper's right thigh, carefully avoiding the blood vessel.

She doesn't want her to bleed to death, just beat her to the ground.

A hard punch to head leaves Piper unconscious.

"I win." She announces to the public, which means Annabeth and the few campers interested in the fight.

She hears Connor whistling in the crowd and Will groaning at the prospect of spending yet another two hours in healing Piper.

Sorry, Will. She thinks apologetically.

"Well, no chance in leadership then." Annabeth shrugs, "Fight is over, go back to your activities."

The campers evacuees the arena, except for Austin and Kayla that pick up Piper to bring her to the infirmary.

"Tell Will I'm sorry !" She yells in their direction, a quick thumbs up form Kayla following soon after.

See, Sil ? You don't always win. I'll make sure of it.

I know Piper didn't deserve that but remember ! This is a story from Drew's point of view. And that means that until they get along, Piper is not going to appear in good looks.

This story is narrated by an unreliable narrator.

[dark-side-blog3]

From "Phantom Blood" to "Stone Ocean", which JJBA part do you think would be the best to be isekai'd into, and which one would be the worst?

Thanks for sending in the question anon! I've been thinking about it all day and going down a bunch of historical rabbitholes to make my choices (which, after typing out several hours later, I realized wouldn't be much fun for anyone to read).

For me personally, I’d say the best one to be isekai’d into would be Diamond is Unbreakable (part 4), and I think the worst one would be Battle Tendency (part 2).

I give my reasoning below, with some heavy editing, which may make it sound a bit strange. I have a tendency to talk too much, so I've tried to edit it down. It's still a bit long.

++++++++++++++

I can't see any benefit to phantom blood, considering Dio is at full overpower with abilities we never see again in other parts, and everyone else would simply be too easy to force into backing off. Johnathan is easy to manipulate, so is a young Erina. Speedwagon can settle for less than he wants in a relationship if he feels Johnathan will judge him for it. And Zeppeli... Is kinda the only threat, but I can't really fathom what a relationship (platonic or romantic) would be like with him. In any case, not the best, but not the worst.

Battle Tendency has my ass beat. I do not run, I will not run, and what would even be the point when more than half the characters in this arc are superhuman/cyborgs? I can't outwit, lie, cheat, or gross out any of them and expect to survive. Even the ones that wouldn't kill me like Suzie Q just have an impenetrable state of delusion. I cannot win this one. Having a horrible time here. Dare I say, the worst time actually.

Because yes: Vento Aureo is all about the mafia having superpowers, and it's well established that they can be some crazy, creative fucks when it comes to torture and murder. And they should be the absolute worst, because organized crime can do way scarier shit than anyone can in Stone Ocean simply because resources and time aren't hard to get.

BUT! I think since there isn't a world war going on, with cyborg Nazis-- Which is a low bar, but such is life when you overthink-- is what makes Vento Aureo better than battle tendency.

And Stone Ocean is... Bad but tolerable. I'd just try my best to mind my own business, and crumple like a paper ball when someone pulls possessive/obsessive shit. It probably wouldn't even connect in my brain the characters are acting yandere, I would just assume they're doing standard prison things since I got isekai'd into the prison arc.

Now that narrows done the best choices between prt 3, and prt 4.

I'mma go ahead and say it: I'd prefer a small town in Japan to crossing countries and continents.

Diamond is Unbreakable has it all. Modern-ish technology, the original pop culture yandere herself, reliable access to medical care (good luck finding my very specific pills in the middle of a desert), and thankfully: A much smaller cast. Keeping track of all the characters in Morioh? Infinitely easier than keeping track of all the characters in Stardust Crusader. Even if we're including those one-off villains, and random background characters, a-la those twisted wonderland isekai.

Though considering JJBA is a franchise that's mostly manga and anime, it's not likely the multiple characters would become interested in the isekai'd victim, since the mechanics would be fundamentally different. A reader or a viewer isn't really a god, they're more of a prophet, if even that. Or just really good at cold reading someones personality. To continue this tangent just a smidge more, I think if you said you got isekai'd, the only people who would both understand what you're saying and believe you is Toshikazu, and maybe Koichi.

What the hell am I supposed to do being dragged place to place, or sitting in a house for three months? With the tech from the 1980's?

[the-critic-god-of-books]

One thing to think about when writing powerful protagonists or even overpowered protagonists, is that spectacle will only get you so far.

Stories are about conflict, and having every conflict be about the main character one-shotting someone is boring. there are 2 main options that you can go with: you can make the story a comedy like "One Punch Man" or You can get your drama from another source.

You can also do both like "The Eminence in Shadow" does

let me go on a rant about that real quick

You see the world of The Eminence in Shadow is a dark fantasy. It's on some Game of Thrones shit.

The Cult of Diablos: a secret organization that almost ended the world a few years back is moving in the shadows to gain more power.

Shadow Garden: a female-only group of mater rogues and assassins comprised of the victims of The Cult of Diablos (experiments gone wrong)

Diablos: A woman whose dead body is used by the cult to further their power. she works to escape and return to the real world. to fight Sid and a lot of other shit.

Other factions fight to maintain some sembles of normalcies in a world fucked to hell and back by Diablos.

and then we have Sid also known as The Eminence in Shadow.

Use Sid wants to be Batman but in our world, no matter how hard you work out or how much you train if somebody drops a nuke on you, you die. so Sid kills himself and gets Isekai'd (on purpose btw).

You see Sid has 2 powers

The power of The Eminence in Shadow (supper strength speed mastery of the sword supper good magic) that he kinda worked for

And

The Power of Plot (which he's not aware of ) you see Sid has Infinite luck. and things will always work out for him in the best meta way possible.

Sid makes up The Cult of Diablos when he tells the girls that: will later on create shadow garden, about it. Through sheer luck The Cult of Deablos is real.

You see this anime works through the same logic that Sid does "What would be the coolest thing that could happen if I was in an anime."

Everyone in the world is playing a political drama set in a Dystopian Dark fantasy. And Sid is a 14-year-old edge lord playing Dungeons & Dragons. Sid the comedic character just having fun does some weird cringe edgy shit and all of the serious well written characters have to deal with his bullshit.

You see Sid is the DM's little brother who we have to entertain till he goes to bed and he's playing as NotBatman in our Darkfantasy. and the world is funnier for it.

In Conclusion/ TLDR

The Story works because from day one you know that Sid can win any fight he wants to. and the story is not about fighting. The story is about "how will the characters deal with {black}"

if you want to have a story with an overpowered protagonist then make the story about how they affect the world around them not how many people they can kill.

[kayzero]

So I had an anxiety attack came up with a theory that if I put forth energy on January 1 then I will sow similar energy throughout the new year—for example, if I don’t sleep at all from midnight to midnight then surely this year I will have more energy in general. (My anxiety takes pleasure in consorting with my insomnia.)

In that spirit, because I want to actually write more Zero Win Game and just write more in general this year (there was an impressively small amount of words written by me overall in 2023), here’s…

A random fucking monologue by Akane that popped into my head while I was waiting for FF7R to download. It has now been an hour and a half since I started that download, and it gave me an estimate of about ten minutes.

…I’m pretty sure I can’t fit this into the Fragment where it originated from. “We have sixty minutes to escape or we all die but I guess we can indulge little miss Reversed Moon Arcana in one of her deranged fucking monologues.” I dunno. If you find yourself reading this aloud can you time how long it takes you?

Actually you know what, fuck it, I’ll shoehorn it in. It’ll be my own little Ice-9 lecture.

(Time yourself anyway I’m curious.)

“Akane, can you tell me what you remember from today?”

…

I remember…

Isn’t that funny? I remember. They said I wouldn’t, but I do, they said they’d be muddled, but they’re clear, I can see them so clearly.

They said they wouldn’t inject me, but they lied. They said it would make me forget—I guess they lied. They must have lied. I didn’t forget, I remember. I can see…

No. I can’t see them. I can’t see it.

I was looking at you.

But I can feel it. I feel it straining, fighting against me, getting stuck—it won’t turn, the wheel has to turn, the wheel always turns, the wheel can’t get stuck, it can’t stop, except when it does. Sometimes it does stop. The wheel stopped. And I had to push it to get it to turn again, WHY AM I ALWAYS THE ONE WHO HAS TO PUSH?!

I feel the moment that I push too far, but it’s not too far, it’s exactly far enough, I had to push you this, far, or else people would’ve just been hurt with nothing to show for it. I know it hurts, but I can’t just stop when it hurts, or else other people get hurt, everybody else gets hurt—so isn’t it better that I hurt just a few people, isn’t it better that I push you not too far, it’s never too far, it’s just far enough to change you forever, shatter your fragile humanity and make you something…

Less. A pile of ash that used to be a scared little sister. Then more. A functionally immortal being that can see and speak into the future, into the past, into a different present where someone was shot instead of spared, a proto-god that can see everything everywhere and everywhen… that used to be a scared little sister.

…Was she scared, do you think?

Her blood was warm when it hit my back, warm like an embrace, like the final embrace she’d ever give to anyone ever again in this timeline, and she gave it to me instead of her soon-to-be-grieving brother.

It didn’t dry. I would’ve felt it if it did. They must’ve cleaned me up. How considerate of our kidnappers, to respect proper hygiene as they force us to kill each other. Don’t share needles! Don’t injest mysterious substances! Don’t walk around covered in the blood of your victims!

God, I can smell it. It’s weird that I can smell it, it’s weird that it’s so overpowering, ‘cause isn’t blood supposed to be odourless? It’s not the blood that’s so overbearing, not really, it’s the iron in the hemoglobin trying to do its duty of carrying oxygen throughout the bloodstream, and it’s the iron that reacts to the oxygen in the air, and there was so much hemoglobin, there was so, much, iron. But it isn’t completely overwhelming, blood is supposed to be odourless, after all, and there’s only so much iron, it only takes up so much of the blood that’s spilled.

You’d wish it was completely overwhelming. I wish it was, at least. Because then it would mask the other scents, the worse scents. The scents of human waste being released upon death—because that’s what you’re supposed to do when you die. When you’re alive, you’re so tense, you’re so clenched, you keep everything inside, you just hold it deep inside, and you never let it out, you can’t let it out, you keep it bottled up forever, no matter what, no matter who—but when you die, the part of your brain telling everything to tense up dies first, and every other part of you forcibly relaxes, and everything comes rushing out, and everyone will know what was hiding inside this whole time.

Assumably. It’s never really happened to me, relaxing is for other people to do once I’m done, not that I’m ever done, ‘cause I always have to push. I don’t get to relax, not even in death.

…I can hear it.

Pulling. Screaming. Tearing. Splashing.

Ends are always so loud.

A quiet death would be nice, I think. I’ve never experienced one before. It’s always loud. Useless pounding and roaring jets, futile arguments and falling axes, reminiscence and splashing water

Yeah… When I’m finally done… When it’s my turn to relax…

I just want everything…

To be…

……

I’m sorry, what were we talking about?

[halokarii]

///BSD Spoilers

In view of the last episode of the anime dropping tomorrow and the fact that this will likely be the finale of the DOA arc, I want to share something I have been thinking about for literal months now.

I think Fukuzawa dies in this arc and I want it to happen.

Listen, I love this man as much as the next person (I mean, one of his defining personality traits is that he adores cats - how can you not love him?!) but I still think that his death would bring many benefits to the plot of BSD going forward.

One, it would actually raise the stakes. So far Asagiri seems to be afraid of killing off his characters and at this point, seeing the tenth death bait of this arc adds nothing but some cheap shock value. Actually killing some characters that have a bigger relevance to the story (and aren't "just" antagonists whom the readers might want dead anyways) would raise the stakes for future arcs. It would show that no one is safe and make the plot armor that some characters have (*cough* Dazai *cough*) less noticeable. Plus, I think an arc as big and disruptive to the Bungou world as this one shouldn't just end with zero casualties. Like, yeah, the ADA has Yosano as their overpowered healer (by the way, where is she??) but it would just feel awfully convenient for her to just step in and undo all the stakes built up in the past several chapters.

Fukuzawa's death would end this arc on a devastating note (even if the ADA can secure a win overall) and emphasize how much this battle has shaken the very core of our cast and their support structure - the Armed Detective Agency.

Which brings me to my second major point. Fukuzawa's death would further the character development of several people. He has had a positive impact on so many characters, not only in the present like with Atsushi but also in the past with Ranpo and Yosano. All members of the ADA would be forced to grow through his loss.

Especially since many of them so far have predominantly been developed through flashbacks (eg. Ranpo, Yosano, Kunikida too if we count the first LN as a flashback).

Yosano and Ranpo would have to deal with the loss of a father figure, someone who quite literally saved both of their lives. Kunikida has been hinted as a potential successor to Fukuzawa since very early on in the manga and would regain a more active part in the story (since he has kinda been serving as Fukuchi's kidnapping victim for the current fight...). He would have to come to terms with what it means to be a leader and how he can deal with the fallout of the current situation while simultaneously handling his grief over his well-respected boss.

Tanizaki could receive some much-needed development.

Kyouka and Atsushi would have to deal with the fact that All Men Are Equal no longer assists them with controlling their abilities. They would have to re-learn how to handle them, at least partly.

Given that he survives, Dazai would face grief of a man who gave him a chance even though he knew of his past. Dazai and Fukuzawa haven't interacted much but he is the first person Dazai loses after Odasaku so this is bound to be interesting in some way.

My third point is that, let's be real, Fukuzawa's character arc peaks in this fight with Fukuchi. We know of his past with Ranpo and how he founded the ADA. We see how he went from being someone who preferred to fight alone to someone who leads a strong organization and supports others with his ability. We have learned of his past with his exes Mori and Fukuchi.

In my opinion, his story is finished, he has had his character arc. I think it would be very fitting for a character like his - a fighter in nature and yet someone who so deeply cares about others - to die in a battle to quite literally save the world.

The fourth reason is more or less speculating where the story will go next. After a long, tension and action laden arc like this, I think it would make sense for the next big story point to start with some form of "cooldown" where everything settles back into its New Normal after the recent events. As bad as this may sound, something like a grieving period for the ADA to mourn their beloved president would be perfect for that. The Agency has to build itself and its reputation back up from the ground after having been accused of terrorism. Also, I'm like 80% sure the events of the DOA arc happened in a week or two - let all of them have a breather.

Plus Asagiri needs time to build up the next big villain (given that Fyodor is defeated, which I really hope because as entertaining as I find him, I cannot bear to see him as the mastermind in another arc. It does get boring after such a long time).

A weakened ADA without its experienced leader could also potentially throw the city's balance off. Especially since Mori still has that deal with the ADA that one member will transfer over to the Port Mafia (food for thought, if Mori and Fukuzawa were the only ones who knew about the condition that Mori cannot pick Yosano but Fukuzawa dies - Can Mori just be an absolute asshole and pick her, now that no one could call him out?).

I was honestly a little bit disappointed after seeing Fukuzawa alive and well in the teaser. But the visuals as well as the title of the episode - Twilight Farewell - could potentially hint at the fact that both Fukuchi and him might die in the episode. And I could live with that just fine.

Anyways, thanks for sitting through this way too long post.

(And if anyone got scared reading this, don't worry, so far all of the predictions and theories I have made about BSD have always been 100% wrong. So writing this might just save Fukuzawa's life lmao.)

[obscureblorbos]

König NSFW Headcanons

This imagine was brought to you by: All of you sick freaks who REALLY liked an idea that should've stayed in my head. Love y'all <3

Contents: 18+, third person, gender neutral insert, primal play, knife play, size kink, D/s (on both sides)

A/N: srsly though holy shit i wasn't expecting so many people to like my post. like,, 500 NOTES?? that's the most i've ever gotten on any of my blogs. i swear y'all encourage me to write the most deprived things on this site

As I've said in my previous post, whether he Doms or subs depends on who wins. This can range from a typical struggle for dominance, to going out into the woods for a "hunt". The chase during the latter is the most fun part. Just the thought of it leaves him anxious to find his prey. No matter his role, though, he's jittery from start to finish

Often uses names like "hase" and "maus" during these activities

König roughhouses quite a bit in these scenes. As much as he likes subbing/bottoming, he does not intend on making it easy for his partner to achieve that part of him. Neither person is leaving the scene without at least 3 bite marks and a couple nicks.

Likes to cut off his prey's clothing and use it as makeshift restraints

He can sometimes get too excited and carried away, which is why he makes sure they both remember the safeword beforehand

For sure has a size kink. The man's almost 7 ft tall, so he towers over everyone. He loves how easily he can overpower his S/O with this stature alone. His fingers can reach places they probably couldn't, and he can switch positions however he likes — use them however he likes. The momentary fear that he might actually break them makes him shudder with taboo excitement. Don't even get me started on watching them struggle to take his length-

That being said, it gets him so riled up when his smaller partner can pin him down and take what they want from him. Straddle his torso and point a knife at him, and soon enough his gnashing and growling will fade into pathetic whimpering. At some point he learns to just give in and be their victim

Overall, there's something about the mutual "You're alive because I allow it" dynamic that really sparks a flame in him

König is the type to poke and prod at his partner when he's in a certain (bratty) mood. Like he'll genuinely piss them off sometimes, and when they finally tell him to shut up, he uses his large frame to corner them

"And what happens if I don't?"

Also really enjoys praise. Being called a "good boy" makes shivers run up his spine. Internally, he wants to drop to his knees and do whatever his S/O desires at the mere slip of those magic words, but usually decides not to in favor of playing hard-to-get

Curses in German in the heat of the moment

A mean top. He likes to tease and demean his S/O, and makes them earn everything he does to them. He gets off on his sub begging for his touch — telling him how much they need him

I say he likes to tease, but that's only half true. König enjoys the tension that comes from saying and doing certain things, and playfully getting himself in trouble. However, he does not have enough patience for orgasm denial or edging. He can only tolerate one instance before ramming into his partner, regardless of what role he was meant to be in

Words of affirmation are essential during aftercare — giving and receiving. He needs reassurance that his partner doesn't mean all the nasty things they've said and done — that there was no real hatred behind that. He's often on edge when it comes to being vulnerable at any capacity, so praise gives him some momentary peace of mind. He extends the same treatment to his partner, since his type of play as a Dom isn't far off from what he does in battle

[tobiasdrake]

Time for dinner in the most depressing place on... Earth? Are we on Earth? I'm not sure if it's Earth.

I mean. I hope so. Somehow I don't think it will be that easy though. Some of the Solstice Warrior stuff we've listened in on gives off a vibe.

"We win this battle and then pack it in, we can cancel Solstice Warriors and everyone gets to retire forever!" just seems unlikely, y'know?

Also Cap'n keeps cutting off Valtraid when he tries to say things and it makes me nervous.

I like the idea of becoming pirate adventurers with these people but there's an awful lot of Unspokens floating around in the air right now from just about every direction.

We just saw the Dweller's siren song in action. That's fun. *shudder* Man, I can't wait until the Eclipse gets here.

And by "can't wait" I apparently mean we're going now.

Captain seems to know an awful lot about this whole ordeal. I'm beginning to wonder if she's one of us. Erlina, is that you?

Whatever the case, she makes a valid point: Based on everything we've been told, the Dweller of Woe can only be fought during the Eclipse. Until that point, any attempt to resist her would be futile.

However, I have a counterpoint to make: I haven't walked on water yet and Zale still needs to recognize the inherent superiority of night over day, so our prophecies are still dangling. We can't fulfill our prophecies if the Dweller kills us. Therefore, we are functionally immortal right now and can do whatever we want.

Let's go make bad choices!

See, the great thing about it being a mind control spell is that we don't even need to overpower the Dweller. We just need to overpower the villager. Lock them in a shed or something and see if it ever wears off.

Granted, trying to navigate the spooky woods is an ordeal in and of itself. Especially since I spent all my money buying a papillote recipe back in town so I wasn't able to upgrade my gear.

Also, Maleficent's thorns aren't making it easy, either. I'm not sure if the Dweller knows we're here and is trying to stop us from intervening, or if these are her typical precautions and she, like, just loosens the thorns to let her allured person pass?

Either way, this forest is, like most forests, extremely susceptible to burning. So this is Zale's time to shine.

Fortunately, the Dweller forgot she ordered DoorDash and got distracted with something else, leaving her poor victim stranded outside the gate.

...so much for "We just need to overpower the villager". I guess the Dweller would have countermeasures in place for that. It's the obvious solution.

Well, shit. Our first chance at doing something genuinely heroic and we failed miserably. Maybe we are only suited to being pirates and robbers.

Pack it in, guys. We--

NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT. I will burn this forest down around your mansion. I will dig a tunnel under the barrier with a spoon if I have to. If the barrier goes all the way around, I will study rocket physics until I can build an engine under your barrier that launches your whole fucking mansion into space.

Absolutely not. No. Out of the question. You don't want to see how feral I can get. DO NOT.

Oh good, Captain Time/Space Assassin is here. Thank you so much because my mouth was writing checks that I have no idea if I could have cashed.

Cool. Let's save the introductions for later and first carry Garl somewhere and confine him. We're on a time crunch here before bad things resume happening.

Oh, you have an actual plan. That's great. I was going to wing it.

Hold up. Someone on this island has magic rocks that prevent the Dweller from being able to take you?

And the only reason people are forced to remain living here is that if you try to leave, the Dweller will immediately take you?

I have beef. Let's go mug an asshole.

Oh good, and there's some other fresh hell waiting to fuck us up. That's great. I love it here.

[campmurderparty]

blair & noah.

Another part of the ritual that he loved: watching their faces as they were thinking, entirely visible in their expression. It was almost as if he could literally see the cogs turning. How am I going to get out of this?, they were thinking. How could I hurt him before he hurts me?, they wondered. Well, Blair wanted to tell them, you won’t and you can’t. No matter how many times he had done this, no matter if the victim was a man or a woman, all their escape attempts failed, and they could rarely overpower him before he got them back. Sometimes they’d be able to get a punch or kick in; one even stabbed him in the calf with his own knife, but he’d win in the end.

It was a game. He was a god. God always won.

It seemed noah came to the right conclusion. “Good girl!” blair praised her teasingly, rubbing the tip of his nose against her hair. “Now that we’ve got that squared away, I might trust you enough to take my hand off your knee… but not just yet.” to demonstrate that, he put more pressure down, increasing their speed just a little. He had to watch the speedometer, make sure she didn’t try to capture the attention of some roadside cop even if she said she wouldn’t. Victims lied. Blair lied, too. He lied when he said he’d let them go and lied when he said he wasn’t going to hurt them. He lied about whatever he wanted and laughed when they realized the truth of it.

“Peter cetera?” blair repeated in disbelief, tone utterly mocking. “My god.” He cribbed most of his musical taste from his twin brother, Darby, his hometown’s resident metalhead. Typically, Blair was the more dominant of the two, but he let his brother take the lead when it came to whatever they listened to. The local record store was run by the only two other people in town with similar tastes in music and fashion—of course, the good people of Robichaux labeled them as satanists because they didn’t know any better—and they imported records from out of the state and sometimes out of the country. Until his brother suddenly changed in the seventh grade from the normal trailer trash kid that the twins had always been and delved into the metal scene, blair hadn’t given much of a thought about music. Whatever steve miller band record his parents played or soft rock like air supply played on the radio was just background noise to him.

“You like chicago? That shit’s for old people, man.” his grip on his knife loosened just a little, head tilting as he started ranting. “You don’t know what’s up and coming then, I'm telling ya. Surely you know of metallica, right? They’re not my favorite but Ride the Lightning is one of the best albums that’s come out in decades, you gotta check it out. My brother liked Iron Maiden and shit but if I wanted to listen to a bunch of nerds talk about dragons and swords, I'd just go to some dungeons and dragons meetup, y’know?” blair laughed, delighted he had a captive audience. “Personally, I like this band called ministry. Their first album is some synth-pop bullshit, but then they came out with twitch and it was so much better. Darby said they were posers but…” he sighed, trailing off. It was hard to talk about his twin brother and hard not to talk about his brother.

He was getting distracted.

Suddenly, blair shifted his body and pressed the knife against her skin again. “Anyway! Who cares about that shit right now? Clever tactic, though, getting my mind on something else. You’re smarter than i gave you credit for.” he had to blame his distraction on anything but himself, so he decided that she was trying to manipulate him. “Too bad I hate smart girls.”

[peachs-soft-loft]

🐞Arataki Itto Tk Headcanons👹🗻

To celebrate me copping the great Arataki Itto, I wanted to share some my headcanons, cuz' the thought of this literal beast melting into giggles just SENTS ME!

warnings: NONE, this post is wholesome SFW goodness

(this is also partly insipired by angivariety's fic, Itto’s Relaxation Method, which you should check out, its some good fluff food)

Ler:

👹 This BOI is the BIGGEST LER, both physically and metaphorically. He has a vast knowledge of any and all street games, and is basically an older brother figure to the children in Inazuma City. Since he gets most of his candy and food from challenging people to duels and games, who's to say that he didn't win a few lollipops from a tickle fight or two

👹I would think that Itto would be a very touchy-feely type to start with, since he's used to brawls and wrestling with just about anyone who challenges him. So, he has no problem with physical contact. Itto seems to be the type that would already be giving out hugs and noogies to anyone he would give the label of friend to, poking and playful punches are kind of his bag.

👹 If Itto's soon to be Lee, were able to hide their giggles/smile fast enough after Itto's playful poking, then he probably wouldn't notice or just think that he accidentally poked/hit them too hard "Oh, bro you good? " or "That didn't hurt ya, did it? OHH my bad"

👹 If the Lee fails, and Itto hears a small eep of giggles coming from his victim or sees a small smile creep along his Lee's face, its game over, they are DONE!

👹 "Wait, are you ticklish?" would be the next question that would come out of Itto's mouth, which would be quickly turned into a mischievous smirk, while slowly getting closer to his Lee who would be slowly backing away until they hit a wall (literally.) allowing Itto to strike the classic one arm up against a wall pose (if you know what I mean).

👹 In a situation like this, it would be easier for the Lee to say "Yes" because going silent or even worse DENYING it would result in Itto either saying "Not talking, huh?" or "Oh, so you're NOT, well I guess you would mind if I did THIS!" then he would continue in the first spot he poked before but this time with the full intent of making his Lee burst into laughter.

👹 His tickles wouldn't hurt (duh), but they would definitely be the type his Lee would feel long after it's done. Frantic, going quick strokes in some places, while taking slow long drags in others (usually the death spots and with his nails), and a few squeezes here and there.

👹 His main tactic would be tickle hugs, second to the claw, spidering, or dragging his nail slowly. May drape the lee over his shoulder and attack their sides, so they can't escape kind of mean

👹 He can pin the lee down but if they're not actively fighting back, he'll let them squirm freely since he doesn't want to overpower them.

👹 Itto would DEFINITELY tease the heck out of his Lee, it wouldn't even be a question, still in a coy tone of questioning the Lee's ticklishness "Okay, you said that you're not ticklish, but you sure are laughing A LOT", or if the Lee managed to keep their giggles in for long he would probably say "Funny, I'm SURE I heard a giggle or two earlier, maybe I'm just getting old and hearing things, I guess I'm just going to have to keep going 'til find the right spot or you could just TELL me the truth." other than that it would be the typical "So, you're NOT ticklish, HERE, HERE or HERE? Got it!". He wouldn't talk in baby talk although he would be almost close to it

👹 If the Lee tried to hide their face, Itto would probably say "Uh, uh, no hiding, can't tell if you're laughing if you hide your face" or "Don't know why you're trying to hide your face, if you're not ticklish it shouldn't really matter". He would let the Lee laugh into his chest because YES

👹 Itto would stop/show mercy once the Lee admits the truth, or they look like they can't take it anymore. "Aw, see was that so hard?" or "Wow, you lasted a long time, I thought you were gonna pass out there for a sec" or if he saw the Lee was a potential love interest he would probably say "Your laugh's like music to my ears, sunshine. No need to hide it."

👹 Itto would probably strike again to cheer the lee up if they looked like they were down or stressed or if they started a tickle fight

speaking of which...

Lee:

🐞 Getting back at Itto would be pretty easy, since he's not really that smart (or at least as much as he thinks he is), the ler would be able to get him probably by tricking him to bend over by saying "Oh look is that a beetle on the ground" or "Oh, look some lucky/shiny mora". Another good moment to strike would be would when he offers up piggy back rides (which he does often), those would be moments where he would let down his guard the most, otherwise just basically running up on him would do well too.

🐞 "Hey, you trick-hihhi heheheh-HAHAH-HEYhahaha" he would giggle realizing this the start of a tickle fight he would continue to say "hehehe Oh heheh so hahah hahaha you wanna hahaha GO!" He would then try to launch for the ler or tackle them to the ground.

🐞 Itto is playful but stubborn, he has ALOT of stamina so he can last for a while, and being no stranger to wresting/brawls he knows how to pin someone down and how to avoid being pinned down at least for too long, still, he has a habit of not looking before leaping, one could outwit him, so winning is not impossible.

🐞 Itto's worse spots would be his tummy, especially the upper abdomen, the line from his neck to his belly button, underarms, and his horns (which many don't know about)

🐞 the fight would be a back and forth, but if the lee were mostly to go for his horns and upper abdomen, which are two areas that basically stun him, they would be on top most of the time (literally and metaphorically)

🐞 Itto's laugh when being tickled would be like his usual cackle, but when the ler gets him really good they can get a few snorts out of him.

🐞 Itto's biggest weakness would be raspberries and gentle tickles on his horns.

🐞"HAHAHAH TH HA THAT TI TI TICKLES HAHA HA LIKE HAHA FE HEHE FOR RE HAHE REAL! I-I-I I TH HE HE THINK IMMA HAHA GONNA *SNORT*!" Thats when the ler knows they really got him good, at this point he kind of almost throws in the towel, but he does make an effort to grasp the Ler's arms/hands, which a quick-handed Ler could easily avoid and go for his underarms.

🐞 Teases have no effect on Itto really, and he's not one to hide his face either

🐞 But the occasional goofy face works wonders on him actually

🐞 it finally ends when Itto says "HAHHAHA ALRIGHT HAHAH ALRIGHT HAHAHAH YOU GOT ME HAHAH, YOU GOT ME! HAHA, I SURRENDER! HAHAAHA!"

🐞 Itto, red in the face and out of breath would then say "Oh, you got me good, traveler" then would he try to get in one last sneak attack, but if the ler manages to avoid him, he would stand down.

🐞 if the ler were to be someone that Itto fancied, he would probably say "Make sense that the person I'm crazy about, would be the one to outmatch me"

🐞 Itto's not mad, he had fun but he's totally up for a rematch! (basically, GG YES RE, if you know what I mean)

🐞 BIG cuddler in aftercare tho, he'll try to get a few giggles out his ler/lee then but if the Ler got him good, he just wants head pats and hair strokes. "I won't do anything, OKAY! I swear, I just want lay here with you" May or may not get pouty if denied.

TL;DR Itto is basically the big tickle monster of Inazuma, and you CANT CHANGE MY MIND!

[extemely-thoughtful-person]

Twisted Wonderland Chapter 6, Parts 1-16 Review

Sorry for the wait. This post will hold a brief summary of all events taking place within the chapter, followed by my own thoughts, theories, and opinions. All of which will be placed under the cut for spoilers.

⚠️ Spoiler warning! If you have not seen the translations then I recommend watching them before reading. You have been warned!⚠️

(Note: the bingo board will or will not be featured depending on the current events. Just because the theories might not be true, I kinda want to see how off I was. For this purpose, the board stays up.)

Chapter 6 summary

So, to start off we turn to our lovely MC who is currently in the process of having another nightmare vision. The vision shows us of the first part of the Hercules movie with Hades attending Hercules's christening (it's like a birthday/baptism but it can't truly be called a baptism in this case due to this being with pagen gods). Basically, it's Zeus trashing Hades as always, and the vision ends with Hades saying that he wishes for Zeus to drop dead before leaving the party.

MC wakes up to a concerned Ace and Deuce who ask why MC was passed out. After MC gives a brief explanation of what happened, they get worried about Grim and contact Crowley. The Headmaster disregards MC trying to tell him about Mickey and commands that they lock the doors and windows. He then tells Ace and Deuce to go back to their dorm and Crowley summons the Dorm leaders for an emergency meeting.

Ace and Deuce decide that they should try and find Grim before the dorm leaders. But as they search, they overhear Crowley saying that Ortho Shroud already caught Grim. What's more is that he seems afraid of someone coming to their school (along with the reputation with Ambrose, but that's about to become another problem entirely.)

Fast forward to a few days after the capture of Grim at the end of the festival.

Vil calls the VDC group together for a meeting at Ramshackle dorm. He takes responsibly for his actions and also tells us a few interesting things :

Their final performance was flawed due the Overblot fight before hand

He told a bit about Neige's backstory which is a little sad. (He lives with his dwarf companions and has for most of his life. In other words, he's an orphan [as far as I can tell])

Rook knew the whole time when questioned by Vil.

Basically, Vil asks how the group would have voted had they known about Neige's predicament. Kalim and Deuce say maybe, but Ace holds firm to his performance because according to him, it's a competition of the stage, and not sob stories. Vil agrees with Ace.

Anyway, Vil insists on paying for the month of training that the group underwent. At first everyone refuses, but he holds firm and they all agree, and Kalim starts the act of donating the money to get the Ramshackle dorm repaired. Almost everyone else follows suit accept for Ace and Deuce. Deuce wants the money to support his mom, and Ace wants to keep the money for himself (but he does offer to get us lunch. Thank Ace!👍)

They start talking about redecorating the dorm, but then Rook is called out about their performance and his opinion on it. Epel feels betrayed because Rook said their performance was perfect, when in reality it wasn't. Rook clarifies saying that they're performance was beautiful, but not perfect. (As far as I'm able to get, but I could've gotten that wrong.) They make up in the end, and everyone is happy 😊.

And this is where the fun begins...

Immediately following a loud crash is heard from outside. Everyone is in shock as Vil quickly realizes that the magical barrier around the school has been broken by intruders. Rook tells everyone to look outside and then to get down.

The window crashes as the intruders break in to the Ramshackle dorm. They appear to be robotic looking humans, who the gang now have to face. The mysterious intruders target Vil and Jamil, and after a fierce battle manage to overpower and capture the targets. The first years try to fight them as well, but get badly injured and pass out. Ace tried to contact Riddle, but couldn't before hitting the floor.

Meanwhile at the horse riding club, the intruders are spotted coming in their direction. When they arrive, Riddle asks if they have permission to visit, and after a moment of guilty silence he deems them rule breakers and hazardous. All dorm leaders have the power to lift the magical fighting ban in the face of an emergency. Riddle does this and with Sebek and Silver, they fight the intruders together. Riddle seems to have everything under control but then gets beaten up and taken away.

Silver then notices that the intruders only took Riddle and no one else. This makes the pair believe that the intruders are targeting the dorm leaders. Sebek instantly figures that Malleus is in danger and both rush to Diasomnia.

At the dorm, they find Malleus is okay and Lilia gets a call from a distressed Kalim for an emergency meeting.

Meanwhile in the botanical gardens, Ruggie is looking for Leona but then the intruders break through the ceiling. Glass rains down but Leona saves Ruggie. The intruders show themselves and target Leona. At first the two are ready for a fight, but then Leona surrenders after figuring out two things: 1) the people are wearing a special armor made to deflect magic (or absorb it, idk) and 2) he recognizes the logo on their armor: S.T.Y.X.

Leona recognizes that they are more powerful and surrenders his pen, agrees to go with them, and tells Ruggie to look after Savannaclaw.

At another area of the school, Azul and Idia are in an intense game of Chess with Idia coming out as the winner. Then when the barrier is breached, the game gets disrupted. Azul is freaking out about the barrier but Idia seems more mad about the game. Then he asks Ortho to examine the situation. Ortho quickly gives the required info and Idia concludes that the intruders are Carrier Guards (translations vary from translations, it might be called something entirely different depending where you look. Don't take my word for it.) They break into the classroom where the club is being held.

Azul is ready to attack but Idia tells him that the best option is surrender. Ortho backs up his brother and Azul agrees to comply. The Guards then tell Idia that he's wanted at the S.T.Y.X. HQ. Idia complains about the Guards violence and asks what his parents are up to but all information is denied. Knowing that he can't win, Idia agrees to go, Ortho following him and Idia gets ready.

All subjects have been captured at this point, and at the Headmaster's office, Crowley is also being taken away by the Carrier Guards. Most of the staff are bewildered, but Professor Trein understands the situation and takes charge of the school.

The remaining students meet at the Headmaster's office for an emergency meeting and Trein gives everyone the short explanation: the Carrier Guards are from a non governmental organization called S.T.Y.X. who are known to have studied blot, and Overblots for a long time. It then makes sense as to why certain people were targeted. The veteran students then find out from Kalim and Rook that Vil Overblotted.

Meanwhile with the victims, Riddle wakes up and is greeted to the rest of the squad. They then talk in the dark as they wait to arrive to their final unknown destination. They are able to piece together that Idia might have some kind of relationship with the company. Vil later confirms that S.T.Y.X. is run by the Shroud family who a branch of the Jupiter Conglomerate (the people who own the Olympus Tech Company). The Shrouds are an important family that's just as rich if not more so than the Al-Asims but they deal in shady business and research which is why they aren't as well known. Riddle, Azul and Jamil were the most surprised by this.

They arrive on the Isles of Lamentation at S.T.Y.X. and are greeted by Idia, who as it turns out is the co-director of his family business and is currently in charge while his parents are away.

This is the end of parts 1-16

List of personal thoughts and analysis points

Firstly, I just wanna say that this chapter so far has been better than anything I could have been able to predict. Hats of to Yana for making this chapter full of pleasant surprises.

So regarding personal thoughts, a lot of people already said so much on the chapter that makes sense. I have a few things to say that no one else has said so far, but not too much.

Capturing Grim and how MC got back

Honestly, out of all the things I thought would happen but never wrote down, this is probably the biggest one. I had a feeling that Ortho, and maybe Idia would be involved with the capture of Grim, but I never said anything because I was kinda leaning towards RSA getting to him first. But basically, when and how Grim was captured did not surprise me in the slightest because I had an idea that this was what they were going to do.

Now who put MC back at Ramshackle is the real mystery. If it was Malleus, then it would make sense, but maybe he'd be worriedly and stick around until we woke up? If it was anyone from RSA, we would already be exposed, so it can't be them either, (unless... Secret RSA allie?). Ace and Deuce found us in the dorm so it can't be any of them. Ortho probably couldn't carry someone as heavy so it can't be him, plus the fact Ortho is equipped with medical supplies and could have treated MC's injury before leaving, but seeing as we were still untreated at the dorm, it definitely can't be Ortho. Anyone else from NCR would have informed a member of the staff about an injured student, and carried us to the infirmary, but Ace and Deuce had to call the Headmaster because Grim was on the lose, so Crowley would have heard sooner that something was wrong. This rules out almost everyone we can name.

So in conclusion, it could be one of three people:

It could be a mysterious RSA student who isn't involved with anything Ambrose related. (Chenya is the one that comes to mind here, but even he's still on the fence [figuratively and literally])

It could have been Mickey. Maybe he somehow left the Mirror, after all, he's the only one who knew about Grim's disappearance besides MC. And if it was Mickey, I think we would be in big trouble.

Someone else who we have not heard of or even seen before hand. A new character who we may get to see during this chapter. Namely, I'm thinking on the the visiting Fourth years we've been hearing so much about. Maybe they were in a hurry, and couldn't stick around for to long so they dropped us off at the Ramshackle dorm.

Neige's Backstory

He is based off of Snow White, so honestly, I didn't really know what to expect. It makes sense, but that raises the question: who are his parents? Why did they leave him?

There are too many questions and not enough information to figure any of this out.

As for the voting with knowledge, I still would've voted for Vil regardless of Neige's past. I simply liked Vil's work more than Neige. I get Vil explaining what happened to give us the clue that everyone carries a story, but still (yes!!! Totally nailed the first prediction).

Do I like Neige more than I did before? Not really. I'm not trying to be mean, and I understand he has one of those always-looks-on-the-bright-side kind of personalities, but I need to know more about him in order to change my opinion on him in anyway. (Personally, if the theories I've been making about him being manipulated are true then that would make him so much more interesting, but that's just me¯\_(ツ)_/¯).

The Carrier Guards (aka Charons)

This was my favorite part of start. I mean, most people were probably thinking "FBI! OPEN UP!!!" but personally, the thought going through my head at the time was "ALRIGHT!!!! WHO CALLED THE S.W.A.T TEAM??!!"

However, reactions aside, there is some interesting things we see with the guards. At first, I thought they were just people in armor, however weird little messages and scenes from the chapter suggest that these things are anything but human.

The first thing I've noticed was that with our first encounter, normally human would have more character to them. They would probably just break the door down, and even if they still did the window crash, they would try not to hurt anyone more than necessary. I'm not saying this because it's obvious, but more along the lines that, besides receiving orders and giving them, we haven't heard them say anything else. They are either lazer focused on their mission, or they were programed to follow orders.

During the second attack is where things get interesting. Did anyone else notice the animals strange behavior besides the Horse riding club? Silver said that they could be acting off due to the weather, but I think it's something else. One thing I can think of is something unnatural, otherworldly in a sense. The Charons gave off a strange aura that scared the horses, even from afar. Leona and Ruggie even knew something was off about them, with Ruggie saying that the Guards gave off a foul smell.

So that much mean that these Carrier Guards are more than just robots. Either the Isle of Lamentation have something that the Guards brought with them, or it's the Guards themselves. Are they animated for infinite power? Maybe they contain some kind of ghost? Perhaps they have people, but they under some kind of mind control? Who knows?

Idia Shroud (You absolute mad lad! 💖💖😀)

So this chapter has given us a lot of new information about Idia and his family. So let's start unpacking it by say one thing that most people haven't got yet: IDIA DIDN'T SEND THE S.T.Y.X HERE EVERYONE!!! He didn't even know they were coming!

So the next thing that I thought was interesting was Idia's reaction to the whole situation. He took it calmly regardless of how little he knew about what was going on. And there's more to his calm reaction than meets the eye.

Note that everyone else kind of panicked a little, with Azul being the most active, but Idia barley reacted at all, the only shock he experienced was the the chess board was messed up. But that had me questioning: why was Idia so calm?

Considering all the possibilities for his background, I think I've got a pretty good idea as to why. Most of which reminds me of an actual historical event that took place during WWII. The event in question is known as the Blitz.

For anyone who doesn't know, the Blitz was a time period during World War Two where the Germans bombed the city of London. Since the Germans couldn't conquer Britain on the water, they hoped to bomb the capital city into surrender (if memory serves correct). One of the things I remember reading about was the people's reaction to the Blitz, maybe during the first few weeks, everyone was panicking, but eventually for the survivers whenever they heard the siren they remained calm, and went to a bomb shelter. I'm not saying that the weren't afraid, but after it happening a lot, they learned not to be surprised, stay calm, and to do the safest thing and quickly get to safety. They had to be ready to go at anytime and they couldn't go back for anything they may have forgotten.

Now, I'm not saying Idia was alive during a war, but what I am saying is that he has been in situations like this one before. Where at the S.T.Y.X headquarters, you always have to be ready for an emergency, and you have to learn to expect anything to happen. Instead of trying to question it, you have to stay calm and do the best thing you can do in your current situation. Play your part quickly and accurately and you'll be fine. It all goes back to adapting to the situation. Regardless of how dangerous, you have to be ready for anything.

Idia has obviously been trained for situations like this due to his position. The first thing he did after getting over the brief shock was to ask Ortho to examine the situation. After he had enough information to know what was going on, he made his choices based on that knowledge. He didn't hesitate, he didn't stutter. He told Azul to stand down because as far as he could see, it was the best and safest strategy to deploy at the time. Basically, Idia's calm reaction was due to being trained for emergency situations. He was taught to not panic in times like this and to make tough decisions quickly.

Now, before I go on, just wanted to say hats off to Azul for putting the first years out of harm's way first! He has come so far since chapter 3 and we are all proud!!!😊😊

We learn about Idia's family and the position that they hold. And after the chapter, something inside me clicked with Idia. After rewatching the Chapter 6 preview at the end of Chapter 5, it hit different, in a sad way.

When Idia said that he can't go anywhere, he meant that he literally couldn't go not because he didn't want to, but because he can't. He already has a lot of responsibilities for Lamentation, to S.T.Y.X., and currently as a dorm leader. He's been piled up with different titles and talents, but that all comes with a steep price. He isn't as free as everyone else, he has a lot of things he needs to keep track of, and he feels alone because of it. No one, not even the dorm leaders to some extent can understand how much Idia has to deal with, and what that means for his life. His future is already fixed but not in the direction Idia wants it. He can't change his career easily because there is no one else who can do his job for him.

Which is why Idia cuts corners so much. He has a lot to do, so he has to simply it all or he would go insane. He already has anxiety which I'm starting to think is due to the immense amount of pressure that he deals with on a daily basis. Interacting with other people is a problem for him because of reputation, status and responsibilities. He doesn't want to make himself look bad and is afraid of slipping up in front of someone else. It's why he tries to avoid all the unnecessary troubles people bring.

Speaking of which, I've noticed a few things about him that back this up:

He doesn't Bet where he knows he has no chance (ex: Bean's Day)

He tries to simply things to where he can handle the problem (ex: Star Sending)

He will speak his mind in front of others, and not everything he has to say is nice (ex most of his interactions, namely the Ghost Marriage event)

People in general have their own problems that can't easily be examined. Unlike a machine, you can't pull apart a person a just fix them by tinkering with their brain. Idia can't easily understand others because unlike Robots, people are unpredictable.

Everyone else on the other hand don't know what Idia goes through so they don't understand why he is the way he is.

Realizing this has made me love and appreciate Idia even more. Not only is he relatable to me, but he does a good job of taking responsibility and preforming his tasks without complaining. He understands purpose and does everything he can to live up to what people need him to be.

But that also makes me feel sorry for him. I hope that during this chapter, we'll find a way for him to be able to do more of what he likes and find a future where he can be happy, though I have a feeling that he might have to learn to accept the future he currently has before him.

Ortho wants Idia to be happy, and maybe this is why. Ortho had done a lot to try and get Idia to enjoy himself. Even though Idia doesn't always want to do what Ortho thinks will help him, Idia does it anyway for the love of his brother. And seeing Ortho happy makes Idia feel good, because to him, Ortho is the one that truly matters to him. And they both love each other and are willing to go out of their way to keep each other safe. Ortho wants a future where Idia can be happy, and Idia only wants Ortho with him because he is the only one who truly cares.

Honestly, their relationship so sweet and I hope nothing bad happens to Ortho because it would affect both of them. Badly.

Okay, that's all I have for this part. Please see the pinned post for context.

See you next chapter part!!!🤗🤗🤗

Side note: Vil has a lot of experience with responsibilities so maybe he's the only one who might be able to get to Idia, even though Vil's responsibilities are more optional in his favor, so...🤷

[momoliee]

[cfc ch53]

It’s interesting how, a sex scene can hold so much depth and characterization

He yu, constantly being rejected and abandoned and outcasted ever since he was a child, built a strong ass armor around himself making it impossible for anyone’s words or actions to get through to him anymore. He no longer had expectations towards anyone and especially not his parents. He didn’t have friends at school and his brother was someone he’d rather avoid lest he be plagued by all that was stolen from him. This is why, eventually, he built a strong sturdy armor where he can hide and be safe from the whole world. The armor makes him more lonely, but it keeps him safe, keeps him from having hopes.

Then xqc came along and spoke to him the words he never expected to hear, never dreamed of receiving, but somehow they were the words he wanted, desperately needed more than anything? He gave him- hope.

Told him, you can enter society, be a part of it all, receive love, give love, basically convinced him that all that was taken from him can be given back. But only if he earns it. If he stops self harming, becomes a good boy, controls his emotions, maybe one day he will earn the right to be a part of the world he so longs for.

In the darkness that was he yu’s life, Xqc was a ray of sunlight breaking through. He didn’t break through he yu’s armor as the cliche romance novels like to say, more like, he yu willing let him in. He knew it would put him in a vulnerable position, have his fragile wounded bruised heart be on full exposure but he did it cause xqc was the only one who ever had the courtesy to make him know what hope tastes like.

He yu stopped resisting treatment (notice how before, he refused to be treated. He refused to take his medicine and refused to get better. He wanted to wallow away. Did he know that the previous patients died? If he did, then he probably wanted to end up like them too, so that it could end sooner). He started willingly getting treated by xqc, started looking at the world around him again, making friends (Xie Xue) again. Playing with the other kids again. All under the influence of one person. Instead of floating away in the never ending abyss that’s his illness, he started struggling against the current and trying to swim to the shore.

Even when xqc was leaving, when they ray of sunlight was slowly scattering away, he desperately held on. He didn’t hold it against him, in fact, he thought to himself, it’s already been a huge favor for xqc to come in and treat me and give me hope in the first place. Even if the bit of warmth in my life is no longer there, even if the only person who would take me to the amusement park is no longer there, at least he can go on with the memory of how it felt like? He can continue to hold his words close to his heart as he searches for the shore, as he tries to navigate this world and maybe become a part of it one day.

Turns out it was all a lie. The memories were all fake.

This wasn’t just a slap to the face. It wasn’t just a reality check. It was a check for his entire reality. That ray of sunlight wasn’t even real, it was just some makeshift flashlight. There’s no point in trying to swim through the abyss, cause there was never a shore to begin with. And the person he willingly let pass through his armor, was the one who stabbed him harder than anyone outside the armor. The person he exposed his heart to, was the one to held it in his palm and tossed it aside like it’s nothing.

Navigating the darkness within him was already hard enough. But it was alright since all he ever knew was that darkness. But when a light shines through before disappearing, being able to see then being plunged back into complete never ending darkness again, that’s cruelty. It’s harder than ever, because you once got a taste of hope, got addicted to it, then had the spoon mercilessly snatched away from you again. You’d start wishing you never knew what hope tasted like, start wishing you were never shown that ray of light, start wishing you never heard those empty promises in the first place. When you’re rolling around in the lowest of low pits, you can adapt as it’s all you ever knew, but when you get raised so high up, it hurts so so much when you come crashing down again.

Never moving forward hurts less than being forcefully snatched backward again. A person born blind is more than ready to accept his blindness than a person who became blind, than a person who was once able to see and then, not.

It’s cruel. Because you now no longer have to fantasize about being on the other side. Now you know how it felt like and that feeling was snatched away and now you’ll just have to go on living haunted by the ghost of it. That’s what xqc did to he yu.

And now all the pain and despair he yu once dealt with came back full force, except that now it was much much worse than before. He was no longer floating aimlessly in the abyss of his illness, he was now drowning.

So he yu, decided to swallow his abyss whole before it swallowed him.

He decided to become the victimizer, to lash out, to take his anger and pain and misery out. To show the world how hard it hurt him when it turned its back on him. To take back what was taken from him even if by force.

Xqc isn’t just the projection of all he yu’s pain and rejection and abandonment issues: xqc is one of the main, if not the main catalyst in he yu’s pain and rejection and abandonment issues. Xqc is the one who tied a ball to his dog tail then watched him run around in circles chasing his own tail, knowing he’ll never catch it.

Xqc is the one who hurt he yu the most, even more than the world. Because the world, even his parents, never gave him false hope, but xqc did. And that was xqc’s biggest sin.

And so he yu forcing himself upon him, hurting him, humiliating him, topping him, isn’t just a response to the latent lust within him. It’s also him trying to force his pain on the person who hurt him most, make the person who made him feel so ashamed of himself, feel the same shame and humiliation. Drag him down to the abyss with him. Him overpowering xqc will give him the delusion that he’s devouring and topping the monster within him. It’s a power play. It’s him being like, it can’t hurt me if I hurt it first, it can’t win over me if I tear it apart and make it my beast. This pain within him can no longer suffocate him if he held the pain by the throat and chocked it first.

It’s just so amazing, how meatbun’s sex scenes are never just sex scenes. How meatbun’s non con isn’t her protagonists being offenders or assaulters cause they can’t control their lust and desires. That’s a part of it yes, but not the whole picture.

[wevegottogetaway]

Thanks fo’ saving my ass tonight

I got so much going on with uni, but I couldn’t resist. If you too are queen/king of procrastinating uni work, you have my deepest support! Hope you enjoyed x

TW: none (except fool language)

Part 2    -    Part 3*

Office parties have never been y/n’s cup of tea, the idea of enjoying yourself in the very place people usually count down the hours before they can leave, is rather ludicrous in her humble opinion. Alas as the boss’ personal assistant, she not only had to plan and organize the whole shebang but her presence was also required, supervision purposes and all that. The only solace sweetening the deal for her was that she’d be in charge of the catering too, and y/n learnt very early on that good food and greater booze could make any boring work function at least tolerable.

Now that the festivities are in full swing, conversation flowing almost as heartily as the champagne in the guests’ eager mouths, y/n thinks she did quite well. The vast open space of the office is decorated with taste, the music set at the perfect level as to not overpower the boring chitchat bouncing off its walls, and to her greatest delight, the catering company she hired has truly outdone themselves. All in all, everybody seems to be having a grand time, and y/n decides that’s reason enough to officially relieve herself of her supervisor’s duties.

As she scans over the assortment of canapés, mini-quiches, crudités and other mouth-watering ambrosias, y/n fails to notice the tall figure casually approaching her. She’s in the midst of pondering whether she should try the humous or a cream cheese and salmon toast first, mouth salivating and stomach growling in appetite, when a raspy voice interrupts her inner battle, "I see m’not the only one who’s here just fo’ the food".

Her eyes pop off the delicious hors d’oeuvres to the sight gracing them next and she doesn’t know which is the most appetizing. Because standing a few feet from her is Harry, vibrant smile and pretty dimples on show, as he leans over the verrines platter to pick the best-looking one. He’s wearing an olympic blue floral suit on top of a scandalously unbuttoned transparent shirt, a bold number that would grant anyone else looks of surprise and confusion but looked absolutely divine on his broad frame. Besides, after two years working at the office, everyone had gotten used to his unconventional fashion choices by now.

Y/n quirks an eyebrow in curiosity as she dips a cucumber stick in a bowl of humous, before quipping, "not a big fan of these things?"

Harry lets out a small chuckle in a ‘no kidding’ way, and attaches his emerald eyes to hers, "they’re kind of a drag, if m’bein’ honest."

She smiles at his admission, realizing they both share an aversion for mundanities, "I know right. Like, why party here where everyone has to be on their best behavior when we could be down at the bar without the boss gallivanting around?" she cries out in exasperation and not for the first time, Harry thinks she’s quite possibly the most endearing thing he’s ever seen. His smile widens the tiniest bit at her passionate rant, "my thoughts exactly. Do we even know what we’re supposed to celebrate?" The question makes her laugh, she wouldn’t have known either if not for her involvement in the affair, "well as the person behind this all drag," she give him a pointed look at his jeering choice of word, "it would be weird if I didn’t."

Harry’s face falls at the possibility of having offended her, but his uneasiness quickly dissipates when she starts laughing at him. "M’sorry, that came out wrong," he tells her before letting out a giggle of his own and y/n revels in the moment. The idea of interacting with him beyond the usual ‘here’s the presentation for today’s conference’ or ‘do you have the quarterly report ready’ is rather intoxicating for her already feeble nerves. "Don’t worry, I take no offense, I’m just as bored as you are," she reassures him with a smile, "the party is for a new potential investor, something about wooing them with some ‘corporate fun’. S’a load of bullshit if you ask me".

Harry nods at the explanation unimpressed, his boss’ intentions being the least of his worries. Aside from being the classic douche every manager typically insists on being, the guy has always made his distaste about him pretty clear, so Harry would rather focus on more interesting things. Like how beautiful y/n looks right now, her hair tied up in a loose bun at the top of her head, leaving a few strands to fall around her face. "You look amazing, by the way," he brings himself to say, though he thinks his compliment doesn’t even do her justice.

Y/n looks down at her own outfit then: a knee-length red dress composed of a skater skirt and a backless top that only holds with a couple pressure buttons clasped behind her neck. Her cheeks warm up to match the color of her apparel, betraying the timidity she’s always fallen victim of whenever he happened to be in her vicinity. Y/n’s never been one to shy away from her feelings or trip over her own words when facing her crushes, but there is something about Harry that teleports her right back to her sheepish 13 year-old teenage self. Also, she’s not too keen on office romances and the drama that usually ensues so she’s always made sure to stifle her blossoming attraction and keep their relation work-appropriate. Surely that must account for most of her awkwardness, doesn’t it?

Her eyes trail back to his face and her response comes in a shy euphemism, "thank you, you clean up quite nicely yourself." It’s enough to quirk Harry’s lips in a bashful smile, their  complexion evidently on edge as they tread uncharted territories. Professionalism has always regimented their interactions with kind but polite rigidness, neither of them quite inclined to cross that invisible line, but tonight seems to challenge that.

Tonight, Harry is resolute in his infatuation, no longer inhibited from social construct but driven by a quest for knowledge; anything that will help him decipher her carefully shielded crux. Tonight, he endeavors to scrape the edges of her rough diamond to expose the gem encapsulated inside, peel back the stoic layers of her exterior to find her unapologetic and intrinsic nature. Tonight, he is thirsty for secrets and confidential disclosures, and he won’t leave until he’s drained it all out of her. Unless she tells him to fuck off, obviously.

Harry keeps the conversation going as he browns the buffet for a new delicacy to snack on, "so, what would you be doing if you didn’t have to be here?" He wants to know everything, the present and the past, the good and the bad, the superficial and the substance, the messy and the orderly, but he figures he should start by what she likes to do in her own time. The things that loosen her up after a tense week at work, the things that will make her eyes shine with passion as she relates them back to his curious mind.

The question reaches her ears as she takes a sip of her drink, "mmm," she smiles around her glass before placing it back on the table, "-that’s easy. Playing pool with the gang at Gibson’s." Her answer spills without hesitation, a heap of follow-up questions already brewing up in Harry’s brain, but the foreign name is what beckons his attention first, "Gibson’s?" he echoes with a faint rumple pulling the skin between his eyes. Is that the name of a friend? A boyfriend? Out of all the questions he’s contemplated, y/n’s relationship status never crossed his mind. He’s always assumed her to be a single woman, the evidence of a significant other never present in her language and demeanor.

A wave of relief washes over him at her elaboration, "it’s a bar couple blocks from my place. It’s been my friends and I’s HQ ever since we all met." The sentiment has her eyes sparkle at the remembrance of all the happy memories the place hosted, and Harry stores the information in his mental list of all y/n’s soft spots.

"Sounds rad, so you play pool?" he inquires with enthusiasm. He’s been knows to play a game or two in his youth, though it’s been a hot minute since he’s felt the weight of the cue in his hands as he sinks ball after ball in their respective pockets. He remembers the elation of it all, the adrenaline coursing through his veins at each successful strike, and his heart flutters at the thought of ever sharing a game with her; she seems like the competitive type in the most entertaining way possible. Before his thoughts can spiral into much filthier realms, like bending her over the table mid-game when his own skills prevail and she turns into a sore-loser, y/n’s voice rings him back to reality.

"Uh uh, correction," her expression suddenly turns in false seriousness before she proves him right about her competing tendencies, "I win at pool." Her eyes are so full of confidence, a spice of mischief sparkling in their corner, she would have no difficulty persuading anyone of anything that passes the threshold of her mouth. Harry certainly doesn’t doubt her mastery of the bar game, but it doesn’t stop him from challenging her in a slightly elevated pitch, "oh is that so?"

Y/n only grins at the banter, not at all fazed by his taunting remark, "maybe you’ll have to find out for yourself." She reaches for another snack, not taking her come-hither look off his handsome face, and Harry revels in her flirtatious advances, a smug smile taking possession of his lips as he surfs of the same wave of seduction. "Is that a challenge?" he philanders back, fueling the sensual back-and-forth they seem to have embarked upon.

"Not much of a challenge if I know I’ll win," y/n replies with cheek, her self-assurance once again burgeoning like sexy wildflowers sprouting from the ground underneath Harry’s feet, wrapping around his ankle and growing along his body to twine around his spellbound heart. He absolutely loves her unfaltering aplomb, finds it undoubtably sexy but he can’t let her know that just yet.

"Cocky."

"Confident."

They both chuckle at their repartee, enjoying this ping-pong of quick-witted banter they’ve never found in anybody else before. It’s like their intellects were meant to collide in galvanizing forces, the encounter of two fiery psychs too brilliant to one up the other.

Harry is mesmerized by their connection, if he knew sparks would fire this bright, he would have made a move ages ago. "Fuck, you’re something else," he shakes his head in incredulity before confessing, "definitely not what I expected."

Y/n’s chest tingles at his comment, a rivulet of liquid glee leaking through her arteries to pump her heart and her ego full of bliss, "Oh so you expected something, did you?" She punctuates her teasing with a thousand-watts power smirk, and Harry finds it strikingly alluring.

Not about to let her have the upper hand however, a burst of smugness crosses his features as he boomerangs her earlier allurement back to her, "maybe you’ll have to find out for yourself." It earns him a deep jazzy laugh rooted in her tummy and a tinge of pride swirling in his own. He wants to pry laugh after laugh from her belly until her last giggle, only relenting once the muscles in her chest are aching from unbridled joy.

Y/n sighs in content before taking a bite out of a mini-tartlet as she considers how to proceed in this much too flirty conversation. "So what would you be doing tonight, if not for this stupid party?" she returns his first question before realizing,  "-wait a sec, what are you doing here if you hate these things so much? My presence was mandatory but yours isn’t."

"I’ll have you know I was coerced into coming too," he quips back in a fake defensive tone, hand pressing to his chest, "Mike from accounting begged me to tag along, he just broke up with his girlfriend so I didn’t have the heart to tell him no." The selfishness of the gesture softens her heart in a goo of adoration, but she can’t let him know that just yet.

"Softie."

"Chivalrous."

His comeback has her giggle, a rejoinder already tiptoeing at the edge of her lips, "see, who’s cocky now?" Her eyes are full of jest and lightness, somehow taking the weight of the party off his shoulders. Turns out, food and booze are not the only remedies for boring work functions, y/n’s company is just as effective if not more, and that’s with the guarantee of a hangover-less comes next morning. Harry is truly happy he decided to make an appearance tonight, a sentiment he definitely didn’t foresee for the night. The realization has him faintly shaking his head in amazement, his lips letting out another whispered "something else" softly enough that it doesn’t quite reach her already inflated ears.

"So did you have any plans tonight?" She reiterates the question not wanting to ever stop talking with him.

There are probably a hundred exciting plans he could have conjured up to come off half as intriguing as she seems to be, but instead he decides to go the honest route, "nah, I would have probably crash on my couch, this week’s been pretty hectic." His truth is confirmed by the faded blackness tinting the skin below his eyes, a proof of hard work and long hours under the heedlessness of a greedy superior. Y/n knows it all too well, having had firsthand experience with her boss’ jackassery. That’s why she directly inquires, "boss giving you trouble?"

Part of Harry is eager to steer the conversation back to more pleasant waters but he guesses talking a little bit about work was inevitable at some point, especially since they both share palpable distaste for their superior. "The maniac keeps giving me last minute reports like I’m expected to work all night along on his bullshit projects," he explains dejectedly before running his hand through his luscious curls in sign of frustration. "Barely finished in time fo’ the party tonight, I had to slip in his office to put the file on his desk, that fucker had already left."

Y/n listens attentively, her chest tightening in empathy at the recollection of his misfortune. She’s very familiar with the embittering feeling that comes with working your ass for someone that barely registers your efforts and dishes the office hours before you can even dream of clocking off. She’s faced the same scenario time and time again, including tonight, when she’d come up to lock the boss’ office hours after he left to get pampered for the party. She barely got time to make the double commute to and from her place, much less spend hours getting dolled up. She does remember the odd file on her boss’ desk though, "oh I was wondering what that blue folder was about, he never usually leave unattended paperwork on his desk."

Harry starts nodding in confirmation before stopping dead, eyes widened in distress, "wait, did you just say blue?" he asks in urgency.

Y/n frowns at his sudden agitation, her mind reeling to try and visualize the state of the surroundings she left several hours ago. She’s pretty positive she saw a blue binder laying there, not that she knows the ramifications of that simple fact, "yes I think so, why?"

The dire nature of the situation becomes painfully obvious as Harry’s face turns into a mess of  dread and panic, "oh shit, oh fuck, no no no," the words keep tumbling from his mouth in a ramble of nerves. "So stupid, m’so fucked" he keeps muttering self-admonition in quiet anger, hands griping at the root of his hair.

Concern is starting to fester in y/n’s guts as she takes in his disheveled state, "Harry, Jesus, take a breath, tell me what’s going on," she steps closer to him, one hand softly holding at his biceps as she tries to connect their gazes.

Once his eyes plug into hers, pupils blown out in turmoil, he finally calms down enough to word  out his mishap, "s’not the right file on his desk, I only use red binders for the reports." Spinning around out of her hold to shout his stress back to the wall in a loud "fuck!", Harry’s mind is caught up in a swirl of possible excuses to give to his boss, all sounding more ridiculous than the other. He can’t think of way to fix his mistake and escape the inevitable berating coming his way comes morning.

Fortunately for him, y/n is not about to let this happen, "it’s okay, we’ll fix this," she encourages. "What’s on his desk right now?"

Harry looks back at her then, not totally convinced that this all mayhem is salvageable. His boss is never going to tolerate this minor negligence, especially once he finds out the irrelevant material mistakenly slipped amongst his work. "My 14 year-old niece’s english project" the answer comes out as a question, a hint of self-deprecating humor lacing through his words. "Bloody hell, he’s gon’ have my head fo’ that one."

Harry is adamant in his doom, but if anything, y/n is not a quitter. "No he’s not. He hasn’t seen it yet, right? You said he was already gone when you brought the file."

He takes a long breath, "I suppose not."

"Guess it’s a good thing I have the keys to his office then, yeah?" She smiles proudly as a beacon of hope shines on his conflicted face. The forest green of his eyes seems to breath back to life in an endearing revival, effectively tugging at y/n’s heart’s merciful strings.

"Fuck, you’d do that fo’ me?" his shoulders loosen up in relief, the tension slowly simmering down to a gentle buzz, as he envisages the possibility of an illicit break-in. Well, as illicit as it may be, considering they have the keys. Still, best they don’t get caught snooping in the boss’ office, for both of their sake.

"Of course, silly. No questions asked," y/n answers with a smile, and her willingness to put herself in potential trouble, warms Harry’s heart from inside out.

"Y/n, you’re an angel, a life savior," he grabs her shoulders in each of his hands, his gratitude painted all over his soft traits. "Fuck, I could kiss you right now." The words fly out of his mouth without him realizing their significance after spending the last ten minutes coming onto her. And well, y/n isn’t too opposed to the idea either, and she thinks she might hold him to that promise in retribution for her saving grace when the time and space works better in their favor. "Alright Casanova, let’s get your ass out of this mess," she grabs her purse form the table and takes his hand to guide him through the cluster of people milling around the office space, eventually reaching the row of elevators across the room.

As they stand waiting for their lift to come, Harry starts fidgeting with nervous energy, feeling like a kid who’s about to get caught trying to steal straight from the cookie jar. "Shit, alright, we have to be discrete if we want to pull this off," he tells her, not taking his eyes off the room in case someone would look at them and read their plan straight off their guilty-looking faces.

"Says the guy in the flashy suit," y/n immediately counters, in an attempt to revive the playfulness of their synergy. The night was going swimmingly before the whole ordeal, and she’s convinced this foxy little adventure can only add to the appeal of an evening full of surprises.

Harry’s indignation at her dig teeters from his pouty lips, "hey! It’s not that bad." She giggles at his poor rebuttal, and as the doors of the elevator open, they quickly take a few steps inside.

"Harry, that suit is so loud, it could break the sound barrier," y/n teases as she eyes the crowd of people frivolously chatting away, while waiting for the door to close back.

"Thought I cleaned up nicely," he cheekily throws back her words from earlier, letting them resonate within the small confines of the elevator as they make their way up to their boss’ office.

She turns to face him then, a smile spreading on her supple lips, "don’t get me wrong, you look wonderful, just nowhere near decent for a secret spy mission."

Her words have him beaming back at her in a second, his mind fixated on her compliment rather than how impractical it is that his clothes are flashier than the Queen’s; in his defense, neither are y/n’s. "Damn, just got upgraded from nice to wonderful, this night is actually turning around," he chirps as the door open to the deserted hallway of the top floor.

"Alright, more action and less flirting, Styles," y/n playfully chides him. "Go get the right file, while I open his door, we should be quick in case he decides to bring the tour and his special guest up here." She sends him off with a tilt of her chin in what she knows to be the direction of his office, and Harry complies with ease and starts backtracking a few doors down, "yes ma’am."

While he’s gone to fetch the correct document from his office, y/n rummages through her purse to find the key of her boss’ office and unlock the door. Once she’s inside, she makes her way around the imposing mahogany desk commanding the space, and finds the imposter file sitting innocently on the polished wood. For pure curiosity’s sake, she starts leafing through its contents and lets a small chuckle as she takes in the endearing work of a young aspiring writer.

Her reading is interrupted by Harry’s hurried strides when he joins her in the room. "Here’s the damn report," he flings the folder on the desk next to his niece’s, red clashing with blue, mocking him for his slight negligence. As he absorbs the sight of y/n’s face engrossed in the teenage’s fiction, he moves slowly behind her, getting a glimpse at his niece’s whimsical words over her shoulder, before his eyes settle on the bare skin of her back.

Y/n welcomes his sudden proximity, has stranding on end as she feels the soft puffs of his breaths against her neck. "Your niece is quite the writer, does she always come to you for advice?"

She ignores the shivers running down her spine, and gulps when Harry’s voice greets her ears in a deep quiet hoarse, closer than she excepted, "usually, yeah. I was the one who got her into writing, so it’s kinda become our thing, I guess."

She smiles at his softness, "that’s really sweet," and draws in a long breath in a vain attempt to calm her jitters. She can almost feel his presence on her skin though they’re technically not touching, her fingertips tingling in anticipation.  

Another frisson travels through her when he responds with a low "mhm," his nose slightly grazing behind her ear, taking in her beguiling fragrance. Jasmine and vanilla, fresh and soft, exciting and comforting at the same time; it suits her perfectly.

"Harry-" she doesn’t know what to follow the whisper of his name with. Careful? Not here? Please don’t stop? At this point, she wants nothing more than to succumb to his affections, regardless of their improper whereabouts.

Harry brushes the back of his index down the smooth skin of her back in a featherlike caress, "thanks fo’ saving my ass, tonight," he murmurs into her ear, before laying a small kiss behind it.

Y/n is exulting under his tender ministrations, her eyes closed to enhance the feeling of his touch. "Anytime," she breathes out as her head tilts backward, a hand coming behind his neck in a silent plea not to let go, and Harry smiles against her skin at her receptiveness, goosebumps of his own blossoming across his body.

His next words are out of his mouth before he can think, "mmm, I owe you a big one," his playful persona resurfacing now that the situation was handled. They snort in unison at the double-entendre, and Harry slides his free arm around her waist to bring her closer to his chest in silent remittance. Y/n doesn’t mind though, she kinda likes this boyish side of him, but she can’t let him know that just yet.

"Gross."

"Hilarious."

Their ping-pong of wisecrack is back despite the tension permeating the air. It’s the kind that speeds heartbeats and moistens palms in lustful anticipation, the kind that curtails people’s breath as their lungs fill up with voluptuous aphrodisia. "Will you let me kiss you? Show you all my gratitude? I really wanna have a taste, love," he pleads for her permission, and y/n is too consumed by desire to deny him, "have it."

In one swift move, he spins around and latches his eager lips onto her. Passion ensues, hands roaming all over each other to find the perfect hold; the back of a neck, the lapels of a suit jacket, a few strands of hair, the curve of an exposed ribcage, it’s all intoxicating but there is always more to explore. Their tongues are caught up in a heated tango of their own, swirling around each other to quench the thirst of passion, licking their lustful way around their mouths.

At one point, Y/n finds herself pressed against her boss’ desk, one leg around Harry’s waist as he attaches his hips to hers in a heated embrace that leaves them breathless upon parting. He rests his forehead against her temple as they both process the intimate exchange, not ready to burst out of this fairy bubble. "Fuck, been waiting to do that for a while," he exhales with a smile, still incredulous at the evening’s proceedings, and the girl nestled in his arms.

"Same," she agrees and gently cups his face to bring his eyes back to hers, barely believing the adoration and warmth swimming within his lovely olive irises.

Harry’s heart feels like a ticking bomb about to implode, the sweet taste of her lips already providing him with a fix he didn’t know he was addicted to. "One more," he demands against her mouth before diving into another searing kiss. This time his hands explore more meticulously, scavenging for other soft spots to add on to his mental list. The dimples in her back right above the curve of her ass seem to rival the area at her side right below the swell of her breast, but Harry is pretty sure he’ll find more sensitive spots in the near future. Hopefully.

Once again, the need for oxygen compels them to part way, but neither of them make a move to separate their tangled limbs. Y/n is reveling in the moment she’s been daydreaming about for months, "so good," she keeps whispering sweet nothing against his lips while rubbing her nose against the bridge of his.

Harry clears his throat as he regains his bearings, realizing that there are still very much in the middle of their boss’ office, a place they are not supposed to be in, doing stuff they’re not supposed to be doing. At least not here. "Let’s get outta here, yeah?" he brushes a strand of hair that fell in front of her face, "you can kick my ass at that game of pool as promised, and I’ll tend to yours once we’re back at my place, what’dya say?"

And well, how can one say no to that?

➪ Masterlist

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Hi! I have a second request if that’s okay! (Let me know if it’s too much or too detailed!). Can I please request a Demetri x Newborn vampire!fem!reader where when Demetri, Felix, Jane, and Alec come to Seattle to see Victoria’s Newborn Army, Demetri sees Y/n from where they’re standing, and she’s all huddled up in the corner, scared as can be because she just woke up from her vampire transformation and is now a newborn, but she has much more control than the others and she’s absolutely terrified, so she hasn’t left her corner, not even to feed. Demetri can sense that she’s his mate, so he goes to her and is able to coax her out of her corner because she also feels the mate pull, therefore immediately trusting him, and he brings her with him back to Volturra. Aro would be so excited that Dem found him mate omg. Also do you think they would tell her that she’s the only vampire that they left alive?

So this one got away from me a bit to and I totally added in a character purely because I wanted to in the moment, but here we go, a day earlier than planned! 

Little Rabbit ||Demetri Volturi x Female Reader||

Part 2: Still Learning

Warnings: Descriptions of violence, a bit of gore, nothing you wouldn’t expect from the Volturi to be honest. 

Words: 5603

Summary: It was supposed to be a simple mission; newborns break the law, newborns deal with the consequences. It was a sentence they’d carried out multiple times before with flawless execution, but this time there’s a problem…what on Earth is Demetri supposed to do with you? 

There were laws for a reason.

For centuries the Romanians has subjugated humankind, and after the Volturi had overthrown them, it became clear that making humans forget they ever existed would be for the best. Humans were weak and stupid yes, but they were also very angry; angry at being used as slaves and breeding stock, angry they had been mistreated and lost loved ones to Romanian cruelty. Angry humans meant rebellion and the Volturi would most certainly win that war. They couldn’t afford to decimate the human population, not when it would cause infighting amongst their kind with too many competing for a limited food source. So they had, for centuries, cultivated the myths that became popular fantasy tropes in human media. Slowly but surely those who remembered the Romanian cruelty died out, and their stories died with them, warped into fiction by carefully placed rumours and some flamboyant acting certain people had been quite happy to engage in.

In the 21st century vampires had become highly romanticised. There was a mystery about them that was glamourous, sexy, addictive. It was a form of perfection that was unobtainable – or so it was supposed to be. Vampires were most certainly still graceful, flawlessly beautiful in a way that screamed inhuman, but they were nothing like the movies made them out to be. Your last night as a human was a bit of a blur and only seeming further away by the minute. There was a street shrouded in darkness, with a flickering streetlight that did little to illuminate the concrete beneath your feet, and a breeze, something cold. The only thing you clearly remembered from that night was Riley, and that was only because he was one of the first things you saw with your new eyes when you awoke for the last time.

He was still as pretty as your murky memories dictated when you saw him the second time round, but now you were so much more sensitive to things it was easy to pick up on the more sinister aspects of his personality your human-self had simply ignored, too dazzled by this pretty man with his silver-tongue. He’d set you on fire, literally, and the burning just hadn’t stopped. It had once been a whole-body ache, nerve endings blazing and muscles twitching as you tried to outrun an internal kind of agony that scorched away your very soul. It was a futile attempt because only one thing would ease your suffering…not that you knew it. At least, you didn’t seem to.

From their perch in a multistorey car park the Guard had been watching the newborn’s make a mess for the past ten minutes. It was something straight out of the grisliest horror film, though the majority of screaming had died to wet gurgles now as the victims of their reign of terror drowned in their own blood. Most were feeding, some were fighting. A metallic screech rent the air and Felix smirked slightly as another newborn went down, his arm twisted off while he howled in agony.

“They’ve already drawn too much attention.” Demetri muttered, eyes narrowed in distaste at the scene. His stare had been drawn back to you on many an occasion. There was something…different, not quite right. The feeding frenzy was clearly affecting you, your body leaning forward in a desperate attempt to get you to feed while your mind simply refused to let you move, yet you were so obviously suffering. He couldn’t fathom why you hadn’t joined them yet when your hand was clawing at your throat, like you hoped you could rip the fire out of it maybe. You were quite obviously the deer in the headlights of the group, the least experienced, the youngest, and he felt a pang of sympathy for you. Did you even know what was happening to you right now? Had you fed before? Your body knew what it wanted and what to do so why weren’t you simply following your instincts?

A body landed in front of you, the head caved in from another’s fist, and he heard you whimper despite the distance. It made his stomach twist, brows furrowing deeply as a strange sort of longing to go to you arose in him. He was beaten to it by the ringleader, the man obviously in charge of it all with much more control and experience. He watched him crouch before you, the way you recoiled setting a fire in his gut that urged him to move move move.

“You…you’re confusing.” He admitted, head tilting as he regarded you. Demetri’s lip curled upward, body tense. What if the ringleader moved before he could get to you? You were hardly a soldier, not a fighter at all; you were curled up in the corner afraid of your own shadow, they didn’t have a place for people like you in a newborn army.

“W-what did you…d-do to me?” you rasped, your throat dry and on fire. Demetri heard the pain it caused you to so much as talk. To think of the amount of pain breathing must have caused you…

“I told you already there’s a way to make it better…we’ll find you someone to drink.” The ringleader promised, glancing over his shoulder. His eyes were alight with fury, a cold kind of anger radiating from him when he saw the state of the place. Fires were springing up now, the dangerous proximity of the flames making him cringe. You immediately scuttled away from the scene and Demetri was moving before any of the others could stop him. Maybe his gift was going haywire, but your tenor had to be the brightest, most beautiful thing he had ever come across, and it had a life of it’s own. Usually the tenors were cold, something he could manipulate at will in his mind, but yours? Yours was warm and vibrant and instead of him doing the pulling it was you pulling him. Following you was instinctual, as easy as breathing.

He’d never seen a vampire trip over their own feet before.

You were like a little rabbit, skittish and terrified. Your senses told you you were being followed but you hadn’t seen your pursuer yet, though you were almost sure it was Riley coming to drag you back to that awful house you’d woken up in. It wasn’t even a home really, the rotting foundations of a cabin long since destroyed was not your old, cosy apartment. Could you even go back there? You weren’t sure anymore. Even as far from the main high street as you were now it was so loud, every sound crystal clear and the few lights so bright it should have hurt your eyes.

The smell of salt was overpowering at the docks, the waves crashing against the pier and something electric in the air that sizzled on your tongue but did nothing to soothe the burn in your throat. Once your knees had hit the floor, jeans tearing in a way your skin no longer could, you had scrambled behind the cold, metallic wall of a dry dock. Hands pressed to your ears, you prayed for this nightmare to come to an end.

“Oh young one…there is no need to suffer.” His voice was as smooth and sweet as honey, spreading warm and thick through your body from the moment it hit your ears and relaxing some very tense muscles. Still, you didn’t know this stranger and all vampires were made to be charming, weren’t they? Look at Riley…he’d stolen your life with a single sentence. The person before you was a man though, not a boy. His features were far more refined, sharp angles that could cut glass and a piercing, knowing stare behind eyes the colour of red wine. He was crouched before you, head somewhat tilted so his throat was exposed enough that should you swipe a hand out, you could easily decapitate him. It was almost like he was submitting to you, trying to show he was no threat.

Demetri couldn’t stand to see you so torn apart by pain and fear. His heart was physically tearing in to, unable to beat yet breaking in his chest. Your wide eyes were pure black, the pupil practically invisible and swallowed by your hunger. He could only imagine how bad the burn must be by now. The moment you had locked eyes with him though it was very obvious to a man of his age and experience exactly why he had followed you, why your tenor was so irresistible to him. The world settled. Hell, it might have crashed and burned around him but he wouldn’t have noticed, not when you were looking at him like that. He had craved many things before in life, lusting for blood and flesh and all the luxuries his immortality could offer, but he had never felt a craving quite as intense as the desire he felt simply to ease your pain. It was everything to him in that moment.

You winced, the sound lancing straight through his ears and making him frown sympathetically. Despite your pain you were still dangerous. Newborn’s acted more often than not on impulses and animalistic urges. He would have to be careful with you.

“I-it burns, th-there’s s-something in – in my throat.” You gasped, hunching over a little. Demetri nodded his head.

“I expect it does. Do you know what is happening to you right now?” he asked. You swallowed, as if that would help. Your hands moved up into your hair, gripping at the roots like they were a lifeline as you curled up even tighter.

“I don’t – he said – I can’t think!” you seemed to surprise yourself when you hissed and Demetri felt the ache in his chest intensify. Your distress was palpable to him and his fingers twitched, his desire to reach out and hold you to him intense.

Mate. Mate. Mine. Protect what’s mine.

“No need to think cara mia, let me do the thinking for both of us.” he suggested, sniffing at the air and listening past the crashing waves to try to find you someone, anyone, to drink from. His nose caught it first, the sweet scent of blood rushing through human veins, and then it was his ears. Laughter erupted somewhere just North-West of your position, and even if the location wasn’t precise it would be enough to get you fed, calm you somewhat.

With an audible thunk your head hit the wall behind you, denting it slightly. Your eyes were so hopeless when they met his own he was sure you would cry if you could, your mouth twisted into the ugliest pained grimace he never wished to see on your face again.

“It won’t stop.” You whispered. You sounded so tortured. Demetri knew the feeling well enough, he had been a newborn once to and the thirst was intense, unbearable, enough to drive a person insane. He shook his head, extending a hand to you.

“It can stop, and it will if you trust me. I can make the pain go away.” He promised. He kept his voice soft, hoping not to scare you further, but you still eyed his hand like it was a trap waiting to be sprung. Gulping, your hand trembled as if it wanted to reach out, and Demetri prayed you’d take it, that you’d see he had no ill intentions. He really did just want to help. On some level you knew that. His eyes weren’t like Riley’s. Riley’s were as hard and cold as rough-cut rubies but this man…this man had eyes like rose blossoms, gentle and tender as they watched you suffer, like he really did wish to just take your pain away. His hand hadn’t wavered and neither did his patience despite your indecision. You wanted to reach out, your hand itching to do so, but you couldn’t escape the lingering feeling of hesitation. The last time you trusted a stranger you had literally died after all.

“He promised the s-same thing.” Your breathing hitched as another river of fire shot down your throat and twisted your gut. You were starving, so very hungry, but you weren’t sure how to stop the pain. How were you ever going to eat anything when you had the world’s worst acid reflux right now? The man in front of you looked pained for a moment, as if your words had truly hurt him. How could you ever question his intentions towards you when he was so different to Riley? This man radiated an aura of safety, of calm. It was a relief just being near him after the mayhem in your life you had experience from the moment you awoke with a freckled, red-headed boy staring down at you with a sneer. You weren’t sure who he was but you’d knocked him away from you so hard he’d smashed through a wall – Riley had twisted his head off with ease when the boy lunged to attack you in revenge.

Your new life had been nothing but death and agony since you opened your eyes, but this man was different. He was a breath of fresh air, a promise of something better. He brought some calm to your turbulent thoughts.

“I am not him,” he said finally, “Breathe in for me, tell me what you smell.” His instruction was simple and would do you no harm, so you obeyed. The salt stung your nose but filtered in between the bitter and the fish was something far sweeter. You mouth pooled with what you thought was salvia, body tensing as you dragged in another lungful of that scent. It had saturated the air back at the car wreckage to but you’d never quite pinpointed where it was from, only that it made you ravenous and delirious with need.

“What – what is that?” you gasped, eyes opened wide while you inhaled like an addict getting their fix.

“Do not torture yourself now, the more you breathe the more it will burn. That is food cara mia, sustenance. It will put out the fire in your throat. I want to take you to it.” He coaxed you from against the wall like he was luring a wild beast out of its cage, his movements slow and cautious, non-threatening. You let him this time. The smell was too good, impossible to resist. You had to have it and he was promising to give it to you. Besides, you were apparently super-strong, you could fight him for it, right? No, no maybe not, the thought made you uncomfortable, you didn’t want to hurt this kind stranger. His hand was warm against your own, the skin smooth as silk and sending a jolt through your body. You didn’t want to let go of him ever. In the time it had taken you to blink you were on another side of the dock, your saviour stood behind you now with his hands on your shoulders.

“What-“

“Shhh, breathe in again and follow your nose,” He instructed, lips dangerously close to the shell of your ear. You wanted to follow the order but his breath was as fresh and warm as sweet mint, ghosting across your skin and making you shiver involuntarily. He chuckled against your hair, low and wistful. “Let nothing distract you, not even me.” He whispered. You had unconsciously leaned back into his touch and you missed him immediately when he stepped back just a little to give you some room to think. Breathe. He’d asked you to breathe. Inhaling deeply through your nose, you caught that intoxicating scent once more. It was a heady smell, befuddling all your thoughts, and your body moved to follow it without question. You needed more. You were somewhat aware of the stranger following you, his footsteps slow and casual in comparison to your own that were hurried, impatient to find the source of the smell. You didn’t understand when you turned a corner and found yourself on the main high street, immediately blinded by the streetlights’ glaring at you from every direction and assaulted by the thudding bass and buzzing chatter from all around. You fell back into the shadows with a wince, cringing into the brick work of an old pizzeria.

“I don’t understand, I – there’s nothing here.” You groaned. Your throat was trying to tear itself apart. The stranger peered out of the alleyway for a brief moment, hummed thoughtfully and drew up his hood. His face was even more beautiful like that, shrouded in darkness while the amber glow of the streetlights’ simply made the shadows of his cheekbones longer.

“Be patient, there is time enough to learn.” He promised you, and with that he was gone. Your jaw dropped open, unable to fully comprehend that he had just…left you there. Why? Had you done something wrong? What if…oh no, what if he’d led you straight back to Riley? Maybe he worked for her. You whimpered softly, not wanting to know what was going to happen next when he reappeared without warning. A woman lay unconscious on the floor near his feet, and he held a young man out towards you by the back of his shirt, body dangling limply. Your eyes widened.

“What are – what…what…” you couldn’t get your sentence out properly, the sweet smell invading your nose once more. Demetri knew the second he lost you to the frenzy in your mind. Your eyes were no longer trained on him, no longer filled with horror at what he’d done, but laser-focused on the pulse point that was no doubt thrumming in your ears by now. You watched him not as a threat to your safety but as a threat to your food, and Demetri simply tossed you the man like a lion tamer would throw the predator a steak before stepping back a bit. The mess was to be expected and only confirmed his suspicions that this was your first feed. Your teeth didn’t quite cut at the right angle nor at the right point, but you made sure not to waste anything, readjusting your bite to ensure the burst vein spouted the saccharine liquid into your mouth and not past your cheek.

His own desire to feed grew stronger as he watched you indulge but he forced the feeling back. He had to focus on you for now. Your grip was far too tight on your prey and he heard the bones snap before the man folded like a ragdoll, his spine shattered under the force of your fingers as his flesh grew pallid, the colour drained straight from it. The sound of your frantic gulps slowly died away, and when his veins ran dry you let him drop with such utter disgust on your face Demetri couldn’t help but chuckle. Your head snapped first one way, then the next, your thirst not satiated enough to allow you to focus on him for too long when there was another living, breathing human in the alleyway with you both. He inclined his head towards her and you edged forward, wary of him now.

“She is for you, go ahead.” He invited. For a moment longer you stared him down, trying to figure him out, and Demetri admired you fully. Half-crouched, Y/H/C hair in wild disarray around your face, you looked dangerous but oh so tempting, the predator in him itching to pin you down just to see what you might do. Your skin was flawless, glowing in the half-light cast from the streetlights’ beyond the alleyway, but you were covered in blood to. To anyone looking in you might have been the ghost of a murder victim perhaps, flawlessly encased in immortality and violence. The crimson liquid had soaked your shirt, your skin stained with it and lips a more vivid shade of ruby red than even Heidi’s extensive array of lipstick’s could have achieved. He was enraptured with you from the very start as you fell on your second victim of the night. He gave the man a quick once over, listening for a heartbeat just to be sure. When he found nothing, he removed any sort of valuables or possessions that might identify the corpse and threw them into the dumpster to his right, waiting patiently to do the same to the woman you were currently entertaining yourself with.

Part of him had expected the comedown after the euphoric high of your first feed, but another part of him had hoped you would be alright. Still, as you simply held the broken body in your arms, the quiet sense of horror that dawned in your eyes was enough to make Demetri move to intervene. You gripped her tighter, not wanting to let the body go, and he gently had to pry your fingers from her bruised skin.

“We – we have to…I didn’t mean…it was…” you struggled, eyes vividly red now as they stared into his own with so much guilt and grief it shattered his resolve for a moment.

“Would you like to close her eyes?” he asked. You nodded mutely, hand trembling slightly as you reached up and gently slid the delicate skin over glassy, vacant irises. It seemed to give you some small semblance of peace at least. “Does your throat still burn?” he asked. Swallowing thickly, you shook your head. Demetri nodded, satisfied he had looked after you well enough tonight. “Good. I will ensure these two are…buried…somewhere nice. Will you wait for me here? I promise you I will explain everything in full, help you understand what is happening right now.” He vowed, his free hand gently touching your messy chin while he hoisted the dead over his shoulder with the other. You gave another numb nod, because where were you supposed to go? You were a murderer now, a…vampire. You really hadn’t believed Riley when he told you, you realised now as the shock set in. The deaths of those two just to feed you…you should have been sobbing perhaps, on your knees and praying for penance maybe, but you just…couldn’t. It felt so good to finally be free of that agonising burn, the taste had been sublime, euphoric even, and you couldn’t regret it even though part of you knew you should. Still, it didn’t change the fact two people had lost their lives and the evidence was all over you.

You weren’t sure how long you stood there alone, silently longing for your newfound friend to come back and tell you what to do next while you stared at the blood drying on your hands and shirt. It was an odd feeling, to be so lost in a city you knew so well, but you truly had no idea where your place was anymore. How could you walk the streets knowing you had killed two of the people who were once so like you? Could you even go back to your apartment? You were a murderer, there’d be investigations and…what if you ate your landlord? You winced a bit at the thought, the old woman was too kind for that kind of fate.

“What is wrong with me?” you whispered.

“Nothing is wrong with you at all cara mia, you are perfection in every way.” The smooth voice you had longed for returned and you grimaced as you faced him.

“But I killed someone.” You protested.

“As have I, and many others like us,” Demetri pointed out neutrally. You looked distressed again and he stepped forward to place a hand at the small of your waist. “Come, this conversation can wait until you have cleaned yourself up. We have a-“

“I want to go home.” You squeezed your eyes closed and Demetri evaluated you for a moment, trying to gauge whether or not you could handle a trip home.

“Do you live alone?” he asked.

“No, well, yes, but –“

“Focus, young one, the question was simple, do you live alone?” he repeated gently. Your head was a mess, he could almost hear the gears of your mind turning. Few people mentioned how hard it was to adapt to the new speeds your mind worked at when you were turned, but Demetri understood your thoughts were spinning one to the next in a rapid cycle that made it easy to distract you.

“Yes.” You said finally. He nodded his head, satisfied with the answer.

“Then lead the way.” He gestured for you to go first, following close behind as you instinctually led him through the streets. Home would be familiar, comforting, he just hoped it wouldn’t be too much of a test for you to get some new clothes and a shower. You were utterly silent, lost in your own head and almost entirely unresponsive to any of his questions as you led him at an inhuman speed down the street. It was late enough and you were moving so fast he doubted anyone would notice the pair of you so he let it happen, but you didn’t seem to be aware of the speed you were moving at either. Demetri was slowly compiling a mental checklist of all the things he’d have to teach you and get you used to. He had only gleaned one key piece of information from you by the time you reached your apartment, and he’d been replaying it over and over in his mind ever since. Your name was Y/N, and you considered it a small miracle that the keys to your apartment were still in your pocket.

The stairwell lights were loud and bright, and by the time you’d put your key in the door you were desperate to be out of the highly stimulating environment, letting your new friend in. He’d told you his name now to, and you were enamoured with everything about him now, the package complete with a nice little bow. Demetri looked confused by the scratching sound for a moment before Sulu burst around the corner of your sofa and darted straight for your legs. His excited little yips were so loud in your sensitive ear’s, but he was familiar and comforting, he was home. Demetri stopped you before you could scoop up the little beagle puppy. You looked confused and he smiled apologetically.

“I think you have no concept of just how fast or strong you are right now Y/N…if you carried on going just now you might have put your hand right through him,” he informed you quietly. You winced, making a conscious effort to go slow as you reached down to pet him instead. Demetri watched you take extra care to stroke your hand over his fur, seemingly losing yourself in the smooth texture for a moment. It calmed you, he realised.

“Hey boy, I’m home. I’m sorry I was gone so long, are you hungry boy?” you whispered. Demetri watched you go through a careful routine of mixing dry and wet food, placing his small bowl on the floor. He crunched it like a dog half starved and Demetri wondered just how long you’d been gone.

“Go and shower. I can watch the dog.” He promised. He sat on the sofa, watching the little pup playfully eat his way around the bowl while the water ran behind him. Every now and then he heard you sigh softly. The dog looked quite content with a full stomach, pattering about his home confidently until he came to Demetri. Animals didn’t typically like vampires so to speak, but the pup was perhaps too young to have sensed anything out of the ordinary and came straight up to him, head tilting as he snuffled about his trouser legs. Demetri frowned, trying to shoo him away slightly, but the pup merely thought he wanted to play, tail starting to wag as he lowered his front to the floor and lunged for his hand with an excited little yip.

You hadn’t been expecting Demetri to be having a tug of war with your dog when you stepped out of the shower, a fresh change of clothes on and your hair wet but still, no matter how much you’d frisked it with a towel, flawless. Vampirism had some perks at least. Sulu growled playfully, tugging with all his might, and Demetri growled back, a wicked grin on his face as he held the toy still with minimal effort. Your eyebrows rose.

“Are you that determined to beat a puppy?” you asked finally. Demetri glanced at you, brows furrowing slightly before he nodded and pulled Sulu in closer, his claws scratching against the wood. You winced at the sound but felt your heart melt a bit when he scooped him up with a chuckle and scratched at his tummy.

“You put up a good fight boy, but I am better.” He murmured. Good with animals and gorgeous? Was there anything this man couldn’t do? You sat beside him, wary when Sulu immediately padded over to your lap. You’d found him abandoned on a street corner in a box with a few siblings and immediately taken them all to the nearest vet, the costs be damned. They’d managed to rehome two of the five in the box, one of them being your Sulu, but you’d never heard what happened to the others sadly. He was cuddly from the get-go, desperate for contact apparently after his abandonment, and so far he had been fairly easy to train. You didn’t want to hurt your baby boy and Demetri seemed to sense it, watching you awkwardly hold your hands above his small body while Sulu tried to nudge his head into your palm.

“I don’t want to hurt him.”

“You won’t if you are gentle enough,” Demetri promised you, “Very gentle now.” You managed to settle into a rhythm as Demetri spoke, explaining exactly what had happened to you that night. There were times you couldn’t quite keep the outbursts in, your frustration bursting through. Why you? You had a good life! You tried to be good and kind and had dreams and it wasn’t fair that Riley had chosen you that night. Sulu skittered form your lap into Demetri’s in those moments, but the man never held them against you, simply letting you rant and nodding along sympathetically while he explained the laws, the Volturi. You shivered, knowing deep down if he hadn’t decided to help you he would have been your executioner instead of your friend.

“So what now? I…” Don’t want to leave you. It was on the tip of your tongue. You felt lost, adrift on an endless sea. You had no clue how you were supposed to cope with all of this without someone more experienced showing you the way – your throat was already starting to burn again. It all seemed so hopeless when you’d been alone in the shower, everything crashing in on you and drowning you all at once, but Demetri was a lighthouse that held you steady and guided you to shore. Demetri tilted his head.

“You come home with me.” He said simply, like it made the most sense. Somehow, it did. Demetri was somewhat surprised at how willingly you simply packed up and left, pulling some emergency cash out form somewhere and leaving it in an envelope for your landlord. The only slight problem was Sulu, but he didn’t let you worry about that for long. Sulu wasn’t particularly sure about the plush carpets of the Volturi’s private jet, but he quite enjoyed running around on the tarmac while you waited for Demetri to return from his duties, whatever they may be.

“Why would you not tell her, she has a right to know.” Alec pointed out as they strolled back across the grass languidly. Demetri hummed.

“She does, but right now she is overwhelmed, she needs a chance to settle before I tell her of our bond. In the meantime, it will not stop me caring for her as I should. Please, all of you, be kind, you know how hard this first year can be.” He sighed, looking almost imploringly at the twins. He knew he could trust Felix with you (mostly, maybe…okay he’d have to keep any eye on that situation) but the twins were a little more…unpredictable. Jane rolled her eyes slightly.

“You say that as though we intend to sabotage your happiness.” she quipped, but her voice was as dead as the grave. Demetri saw through it; he had known them long enough. Apathy was the twins go to but it always conveyed something more if you bothered to look beyond the surface. He gave her a grateful smile and she diligently ignored it, but the unspoken agreement had already been made that they would stand by their friend when they reached Volterra.

“Oh there is one more thing.” Demetri started. He never got chance to finish his sentence before Alec opened the door to the jet. The smell of blood hit them instantly and Sulu bolted straight for Demetri, recognising his scent and excited to see him home. You were stood amongst the ruins, looking a little bashful and covered in blood once more. The pilot was at your feet, contorted and drained.

“Oops?”

Sulu had left little bloody paw prints in his wake but had quickly scrambled back towards you once he’d bumped into Alec’s threatening aura. The boy turned to look at the tracker, his expression devoid of emotion but his eyes alight with mischief.

“I cannot wait to see the look on Caius’s face when we get home.”

[crazygalore]

ASA EMORY ( THE COLLECTOR ) GENERAL HEADCANONS

- Since we know he is an entomologist, which is a very unique and rare profession, we can ascertain Asa must be pretty sought after by local colleges. He probably works as a curator/researcher for a natural history museum ( which makes sense, given how he organized his personal “ collection “ ), and also as an associate professor at a college in his area.

- Basically I’m saying hot college professor Asa. And you will pry this headcanon from my cold dead hands.  

- Entomology is a branch of zoology, so it’s quite a specific field of research, which makes me think he probably has a doctorate in the field.

- He is NOT an exterminator, but poses as one to win his victim’s trust. Also cause it’s inconspicuous. Possibly because he loves insects, so he dislikes people who try to hurt them. So posing as an exterminator is: 1) ironic as fuck, given his profession, and he knows it, 2) convenient as hell, cause people automatically trust him, 3) his way of protecting insect lives.

- His combat skills are too advanced to be self taught. And he’s a very good marksman, as well as a remarkable strategist, on top of the fact that his makeshift traps are very ingenious. So I am pretty convinced that at some point he served in the army. Either as a young man, before he pursued his interest in entomology, or sometime after getting his degree. Regardless, I am pretty sure he did it only because he wanted to hone his skills before starting up his “ collection “.

- The kinda college professor on whom the students crush constantly. He finds it amusing, but never flirts back.

- Obviously has PTSD after what his father did to him and their family, and still has nightmares about it. The “ collection “ is both an extroversion of his madness and his way of coping with the trauma. In a way, Asa is a victim-turned-abuser: He reenacts the abuse he suffered as a child - but whereas he had been powerless as a kid, he has now assumed a position of power over his own victims. 

- Either he was born with a form of tapetum lucidum, or it was a result of his father’s “ work “ on him.

- Though he is ruthless, remorseless and glacial, I think what makes the difference between his victims and other people is that they are subhuman in his eyes. In other words, for whatever reason, some individuals are insects in his eyes.

- For some reason I imagine Asa being a furnace of a man, always warm - just perfect to cuddle up to. The kinda guy who’s a bit underdressed in the winter, because he doesn’t feel that cold.

- Though we know he can be sneaky, stealthy, silent and deadly, when he does use his voice, it commands everyone’s attention. It’s gruff, raspy, and even booming at times. The kinda guy who can silence an entire classroom with a commanding “ QUIET DOWN “, and whose laughter is thick and contagious.

- Asa’s a bit of a neat freak. He keeps his private “ collection “ in good condition, he is an impeccable curator, and his lectures are very organized. Similarly, his personal hygiene is on point at all times. He smells of soap and expensive cologne, and even if his clothes aren’t the fanciest, they are always clean.

- Has learned calligraphy just so he can label his “ specimens “ more elegantly.

- He’s a big strong guy, who can easily overpower his victims when necessary - but on the other hand he gives the bestest bear hugs: warm, a bit crushing, but they make you feel the safest you’ve been. 

[ikeromantic]

Hide and Seek

A le Comte de Saint Germain story. Spicy fluff at approx. 1600 words. This was inspired by a comment @raymiazaki made on my Ikemektober prompt fic Rose

The trees were tall with broad trunks and high branches. Part of an ancient forest that stretched into the hills behind the mansion. Le Comte often enjoyed peaceful walks here, away from the hum of activity in the mansion. Today his trip was less reflective, but infinitely more amusing. 

“Ma cherie, aren’t you old to be skipping?” 

She was a little way ahead of him on the path, gleefully kicking piles of fallen leaves. “You’re never too old to skip,” she giggled. 

“I’m afraid I might be.” 

“Is that so?” She stopped and waited for him to catch up. When he did, she looped her arm through his. 

Comte could tell by her mischievous grin that she was planning to do something. He wasn’t at all surprised when she tried to hop into motion, which would have tugged him forward. Would have if he were a human. 

She held nothing back in her attempt to pull him into skipping, but his arm was like an iron bar. After a moment, she gave up. Her lips curved down into an adorable pout. 

“I will have to do something about that face you’re making.” Comte was struck again by how childlike she could be at times, and how that appealed to him. She was by no means a child - she was a writer, a professional in her world. But in moments like this, there was a naivete to her that was magnetic for him.

“I hope you don’t plan on spanking me. I heard you threaten Arthur . . .” Her mouth was still bowed but her eyes sparkled. 

Comte laughed. “For you, I have better medicine.” Then he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up, level with his face. 

“What? Comte, put me down!”

“I think not.” He pulled her close and kissed her. He intended it to be a light kiss. Just enough to make her smile. But he’d barely pressed his mouth to hers when she threw her arms around his neck. Her playful tongue darted between his lips, teasing. Of course, he couldn’t let it end there. 

Several minutes later, with both breathless, they leaned back, regarding each other.

“I see you’re smiling now, ma cherie.”

“Am I? Hmmm. You have good medicine, monsieur.”

He laughed and set her down. “Come, my dear. We are almost there. I’d hate to let Sebastian’s efforts go to waste.” He took her hand and led them on.

Sebas set a picnic for them in one of the high meadows. It was a rare spot where the soil was no good for the deep roots of trees. Instead, light, sweet smelling grass grew here, and wildflowers. A perfect place to take a lady for a picnic, if a bit of a walk.

“It’s funny. I know I should but I don’t really feel hungry.” She smiled up at him. “At least, not for food.”

Me neither, thought Comte. But he didn’t say it aloud. Ma cherie was still new to the idea of vampires and startled easily. Like a doe or a wild rabbit. Something of his thoughts must have shown in his expression though, because she swallowed and looked down.

“Do I frighten you,” he asked.

She shook her head. “N-no. Not exactly. It’s not fear.” 

Comte waited for her to continue. He could tell her heartbeat was racing through the press of her wrist where their hands met. If this wasn’t fear, then what?

“I - you have to promise not to laugh.”

He nodded, schooling his expression to solemnity.

“It is kind of exciting. To be around you.”

Comte’s eyes widened. “Exciting? I will have to remember that.” He stroked the inside of her wrist with his fingertip, enjoying the flush of her cheeks in response. 

“I can tell you’re laughing at me on the inside,” she sighed. 

“Am I going to have to kiss you again?”

She looked up at him, her expression chagrined. “That’s not much of a threat. Might as well say, stop sulking or else I’ll give you what you want.”

Which was more or less true, Comte thought. But if she wanted a threat - he smiled at her, letting his sharp canines show. It was a young vampire’s trick. Something those new to the power and thirst did to enjoy the shiver it brought to their victims. A primal fear. For a man of his years, it felt silly, but had the desired effect. 

Her eyes went wide and she stopped moving. There was a slight tremble in her legs. 

“Something wrong?”

She licked her lips. Swallowed. “N-no. Just, when you look at me like that, you look so . . . hungry.” 

“And if I am?” Comte smiled wider. He could hear the shudder in her breath. Smell the tang of fear beneath her perfume. Fear and desire.

“I’m not scared.”

He took a step closer to her. “No?” 

She flashed him a grin, defiant despite her natural apprehension. Then she ran. It was not what he expected her to do. He stood there on the path, listening to the crunch of fallen leaves under her feet. After a few breaths, the sound faded. 

“Come back, ma cherie! I was only teasing,” he called. 

“No!” Her voice echoed in the empty space between the trees. Muffled by the leaves and obscured by the wind. 

“If you don’t come back, I’ll have to come find you!”

“If you can!” Her laughter was wild and carefree.

This reminded Comte of his younger days. Stalking his prey through forests or back alleys. Toying with them. Only, with her, the ending would be so much sweeter. He started in the direction she’d run. 

She was a silly girl. Surely she knew by now that his senses were more acute than a human. Surely she didn’t expect to stay hidden for long. Even had he not been looking for her, the alluring smell of her clean skin with that delicious frisson of fright and lust would have pulled him to her.

Comte walked silently across the forest floor, instinctively stepping around dry leaves and fallen branches. He knew he was getting closer. There was a rocky outcropping with a large fallen tree - she was probably on the other side. Her scent was so strong that he had no doubt he was right. And she was holding her breath. Clever.

“Got you!” He leapt the tree trunk, expecting to surprise her. Instead, he surprised a pair of silk stockings. They hung from the tree branches, swaying with the breeze. 

Her laughter hovered just at the edge of his hearing. Comte picked up the stockings and stuffed them in his pocket. “Ah ma cherie, that was almost too clever. But I will find you. And when I do . . .” He felt a thirst for her that was almost overpowering.

This time, he stood still and silent. Listening. It was hard to pick out the sounds of her movement from the ambient forest. Creaking branches, scurrying squirrels. Birdsong. There - a footfall,and another atop fallen leaves. Comte grinned. 

Moving at unnatural speed, he dashed toward the sound. She would not escape him this time. But he could see no one as he got close. He checked behind each tree, tense with excitement of the hunt. In a leaf pile nearby, he finally found ‘her.’ Or rather, he found her shoes. 

His darling was proving to be difficult prey. Comte’s eyes took on a bright, golden shine. This little game of hers was more fun than he expected. 

Comte went slowly now. He knew his quarry had to be close. She would have tossed her shoes to make the sound, so how far could she throw? He scanned the shadowed spaces under low-hanging branches, circling the spot where he’d found her shoes. 

“Ma cherie? I know I am close. I can hear your breath, each - little - frightened - gasp.” He chuckled. In truth, Comte only heard one slight exhale, but it was enough to assure him he was on the right track.

There was a rustle of cloth to his left. He stopped, eyes narrowed. Thick brush grew in tangles beneath an old tree. The branches were low and thick with gold and red leaves, colors muted in the shadow of the canopy above. And there - the edge of her red dress. So adorably cunning to try to hide behind the bright foliage.

Cautious and silent, he closed in on her. Comte’s own breath was a bit ragged, and his heart raced. Driven by anticipation of finding his darling. Pulling her close. He could already taste his victory, the sweetness of blood and kisses, her moans his song of triumph.

He reached into the dense leaves, his fingers brushing the soft fabric. “Now I really do have you, ma cherie,” he growled.

But there was nothing beneath the dress to grab. Only fabric, left hanging in the branches. Comte pulled the dress out. It was still warm from her skin. 

A scarlet leaf drifted down from the tree, brushing his shoulder. 

Comte looked up.

“Does this mean I win?” She sat in the crook of a branch, wearing nothing but her corset and panties. Light and shadow danced across her bare skin. Her smile was wicked. 

He held his arms open and she dropped confidently into them. “Mmmm, ma cherie, I’m afraid you’ve lost. I found you. And now I plan to claim my prize.” He pulled her close, his fingers already working loose the corset lacing. 

She shivered. “I’m pretty sure that means I won.” Then she was kissing him, as hungry for his touch as he was for hers.