#and no she still hasn't forgiven them

[ooc-miqojak]

Year 6: The Burning of Quel'thalas

The Second War was well under way, and reports had begun to pour in from scouts in the south - the Horde had allied with the Amani, and the bloodlust of the Orcs and the Amani combined had over-run the borders of Quel'thalas. Civilians were advised to retreat to the city proper, to seek refuge before the brutish onslaught of enemies both old and new, as they defiled the sacred forests of the High Elves.

The Elves had sent aid to Lordaeron - the Orcs were never supposed to have come this far north. It was unfathomable, at first.

But it was never enough for the Horde - never enough blood, never enough terror; the Amani kept coming now, further emboldened by Orcs wielding necromancy, and orcs on dragon-back. She hadn't known, then, what a 'Death Knight' was - no one had, but Gul'dan - and even then, the twisted creations weren't what they would one day become; and yet, they were no less dangerous to the people of Quel'thalas than the monsters that would follow in similar footsteps years down the line, to further defile her home.

The young noblewoman had been forced to flee, alongside everyone else - forced to seek shelter within the magical barrier protecting Silvermoon, and put her faith in the Farstriders, the Magi of Dalaran, and the brave soldiers of the Alliance that faced down the bloodthirsty berserkers who had routed around from the west, putting pressure on the last Alliance outpost left standing.

Her aunt had warned her away from the walls of the city, but the plumes of smoke from the forest beyond weren't something that Lilliana could just ignore. She'd grown up chasing the gentle, whispering winds of Quel'thalas - she'd sat among the rustle of gilded leaves, doodled the Springpaws from afar, watched the Dragonhawks swoop and dive and perform intricate mating dances every spring.

And the Horde was burning it all.

The forests of her people.

The animals, and the people therein.

They'd enslaved the most noble of races to commit an atrocity that the young woman couldn't - no, wouldn't - look away from now, no matter how it ached to watch the flames encroach, or smell the smoke on every breeze; she would commit the desolation of her people and her home to memory now, and forever.

She would never forgive the Orcs - nor their barbaric Horde - for what they'd done, if she survived this siege.

[anthromimicry]

so, i'm currently trying to make the content on this blog a little more easily accessible by including links on my pinned page to it, but in doing so... i realized it's been WAY too long since i've posted a character study or headcanon for misao. and thus, here's one for y'all today: the hunter that was responsible for the death of misao's mom, kaiyah? she got to meet them years later while she was traveling with the band of japanese pirates i've talked about before. specifically, at an old guesthouse or inn in korea, because they were making a stop there at the time. and the thing is is that misao didn't know that he was (yeah, it was a guy) the person who basically condemned her mother to death and even became friends with him while they were staying in korea. but of course, i'm not trying to say that it was misao's fault that she didn't know, because it absolutely wasn't; he, a man named chang jae-yun, kept his occupation a well kept secret and seemed to move around a lot though he was born in korea. it was only when jae-yun volunteered to teach misao how to use a bow and arrow that she realized that this was the same man that killed her mother. for, there was a particular identifying mark about the arrow that had been shot into kaiyah and that was that it had a special engraving on the top of it: one that looked like a leaf. which, she soon saw after they began to do archery and i swear to god, misao was so many conflicting emotions at once at that that it almost seemed like she was in shock to jae-yun.

but all of her emotions eventually boiled down to this extreme sense of rage in the end, because not only did she feel betrayed by him -- misao also felt like she was a fool for ever trusting him and that is certainly something she doesn't like. so, misao immediately confronted him about it and at first, jae-yun didn't seem to know what she was talking about. but then as soon as misao mentioned that kaiyah was a jorōgumo, like her, it all seemed to click and jae-yun actually seemed sorry for it (though he tried to justify it by saying that kaiyah tried to kill him, which might've been true, but misao didn't care at the time). but instead of this placating her like he thought it might've, it just made misao more angry and she would've killed him if it wasn't for reika (her girlfriend at the time) stopping her. so misao ultimately didn't take her revenge against jae-yun but she told him that if they ever crossed paths again, that she would kill him. and sure enough — that was the last time they ever saw each other.

[haveihitanerve]

Bruce sends his kids little notes using carrier bats. It first started when Dick moved out and he wanted to talk to his son but didn't want to call and then have dick hang up on him or decline, didn't want to see his message be left on read, so he bought a little circus bat and taught it to fly to wherever Dick’s scent was (ie he would hang a piece of dicks clothing up at one end of the cave) and built him a nest built of dicks old bedsheets and then tied a little note to its foot, just a little question about how the weather is in Bludhaven and if hes getting enough sleep and alfred misses him, nothing that can be seen as overbearing or forcing himself into his life, and the little bat flies all the way to Bludhaven and hangs on Dicks window and Dick sees it and memories slam into him full force because bats are batman and robin and he cant, not yet. So he doesn't open the window. Ignores him. But the little bat is anything if not as stubborn as the man who trained him so he stays. And after two days Dick relents because the bat hasn't moved an inch and is probably hungry, so he brings him inside and then he sees the note for the first time and opens it and then he breaks and the tears flow because Bruce cares and bruce still wants him. And dick spends time with the little bat and takes it on missions as Nightwing because they’re both nocturnal and then finally, dick attaches a little note to the bats leg and he flies off to bruce. And bruce sees the little bat on his window and opens it, when he spots Dick standing just below, smiling faintly. “Hey b.” 

Bruce gets a bat from the cave ceiling for Babs almost immediately after her accident with Joker because he has responsibilities but he cant leave her alone so he sends her notes everyday and hopes the bat is a good enough companion and when she becomes oracle the bat serves as an exchange of information and contacts and bruce still uses him to check up on her and babs rolls her eyes everytime, but its fond

And so then when Jason comes bruce finds another little bat hanging in crime alley and uses her as a therapy animal after he dies and trains her the way he trained Dick’s but the bat doesn't have anyone to fly to and bruce tries not to cry when he sends it out with notes and it returns because it has no one to deliver to… until one day it doesn't come back. And bruce is afraid and confused and a week later the bat is back, a new note attached to her leg and bruce takes it and breaks down and he gets to talk to his son again. 

Tim already comes with his own bat because Nightwing has one, but the little girl imprints on Bruce right away and Tim pouts but he cant really be angry, not when Bruce sends his bat over to him almost daily while hes in the batcave or his room or the tower with reminders to eat and sleep and coupons for coffee

When Steph arrives Bruce hates himself for firing her but he just cant right now, but he stills gets a bat from the cave and sends it to her and apologizes because he cant bring himself to leave everything unspoken between them and Steph actually adores it and every so often she’ll send him a note and bruce knows hes forgiven

For Damian theres no need for a bat because he lives in the house with Bruce, but then they have Goliath and well… he serves as a messenger when no one else can get damian out of the training area

bruce has never named the bats, thinking that was for them alone to do and he didnt want to get too attached because theres always a chance he pushed too far and his kids wont send a message back, but one day all his kids were hanging out in the living room together and bruce had just come up to join them when he hears dick say "hey wheres b? the movie's about to start?" and jason chucks a piece of popcorn in his mouth and goes "idk, ill send him a note." but tim goes "no i will!" and all together they yell "ROBIN!!!" and all their bats come flying from the cave and fly to their specific masters and Bruce cant fight the tears and when every little bat flies towards him and delivers their note he walks out into the living room and gives them the biggest hug

[woso-dreamzzz]

Arguments III

Hardersson x Child!Reader

Part of the Big Adventures Universe

Summary: You get put in the naughty corner

Magda watches as you rage but still don't move from your spot.

You scream and cry and throw your little limbs around but you do not move away from the corner Pernille has put you in. You stubbornly sit in it as you sob and screech and kick your feet out.

Magda has to turn away from your tear stained face and the little grabby hands you reach out to her when you catch her looking.

Pernille is still in the kitchen, cutting up some broccoli and completely ignoring the way you're screeching a few feet away.

"Pernille-"

"No, Magda."

"You don't even know what I'm going to say."

"I do." Pernille turns. "You're going to say to give her a hug and a kiss and tell her that it's all alright. Well, it's not and she knows actions have consequences."

A few minutes ago, you had gotten very angry. You'd woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning and had been clingy and whingy all day. You had to have attention on you at all times. You had to have one of your mothers holding you at all times.

You'd been like that when you got home as well.

Magda had been keeping you occupied with a game while Pernille started on dinner but out of nowhere, you pivoted to want Pernille's attention. She told you to wait a bit until she was done with her food prep.

You hadn't liked that and shrieked at her.

Pernille told you if you did that again then you'd go to the naughty corner.

You shrieked again and knocked all of Pernille's cut-up chicken onto the floor.

Pernille put you in the naughty corner.

Which was how you found yourself now.

"But don't you think she's been there enough?" Magda asks," Pernille, she's crying."

"She's crying because she's not gotten her way," Pernille replies dismissively," She's been in the naughty corner before, Magda. She knows that acting out like the means time there."

"Pernille," Magda insists," She's learnt her lesson. Let her out."

"Magda," Pernille says in the exact same tone," If we take her out of the naughty corner early, it teaches her that she can cry her way out of things. That's not a good example to set with her."

"She's crying!" Magda continues," She's crying and she's distressed and you're being heartless!" She whips a finger to point in Pernille's face.

"I'm being heartless?!" Pernille scoffs," Well, forgive me Magda, for not handing everything our child wants to her! You're being soft!"

"She's a baby! Our baby-"

"She's not been a baby for a few years! She's perfectly capable of learning that actions have consequences. You're trying to teach her bad habits!"

"You're being cruel, Pernille! You just set her down and ignored her! How does she know that you still love her, huh? How does she know that you've forgiven her?!"

"Don't question my parenting! I'm the one that disciplined her when you were away! Me! Not you! I know how to look after her!"

The argument continues and neither of them have noticed that you've stopped crying.

Your head moves like a ping pong ball between them as one starts speaking over the other.

You're not meant to get up out of the naughty corner until either Momma gives permission or you've stopped crying.

Momma hasn't given permission but you have stopped crying and you don't like the way Momma and Morsa are yelling at each other, looking seconds away from pushing the other like they do to people on the pitch.

You head over, wiping away your tears with the back of a hand.

You pull on both of their hands, silencing the argument as they both turn to look down at you.

"I'm sorry, Momma," You say to Pernille because that's what you've always been taught.

The naughty corner is time to reflect and think about your actions and why they were wrong. Apologies mean that you've thought about them and you know why you were put there.

Pernille falls to one knee and gently wipes the remnants of tears off of your face. "And what are you sorry about?"

"For not waiting," You reply," And for throwing the food on the floor."

"Uh-huh," Pernille says," Thank you for saying you're sorry, princesse. Me and Morsa forgive you."

You nod. "Can I go play in my room?"

Pernille glances at the clock. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour. Don't start a long game."

"Okay!"

You hurry up the stairs and Pernille turns to Magda again, sighing.

"I don't like arguing with you," She says," But you've got to trust me. I know what works with her and what doesn't."

Magda sighs too, looking away briefly before meeting Pernille's eyes. "I don't like arguing either. It's just hard, you know? I don't like watching her cry and doing nothing."

One side of Pernille's mouth perks up. "It goes against every mum instinct you have, doesn't it?"

[anonymousicecream]

Close to Home (Minnie x M Reader)

It's been 5 days since you last hooked up with Hyomin. Throughout those 5 days, she left you back for Korea for a job, while you don't have any, so you decided to stay in Koh Samui for the next few days, before returning home to meet your brother who's currently on military duty.

Like any other days before, you spent the whole day tanning at the beach. Today however, was different. You were greeted by a familiar face.

"Well well well, if it isn't Jeon y/n." Minnie said, walking towards you. "Minnie. How may I help you?" You replied, trying to act your nicest towards her. "Save it. We all know you're not that kind and soft." She said, making you chuckle as you now move onto a sitting position. "Fair enough. How are they?" You asked her, fully knowing who you meant. "She's quite furious when she found out, but then she softened up and already forgot about it." She told you, before adding, "She still hasn't forgiven you though."

You groaned and threw your head back. "You know what? Follow me." You instructed her and got up, guiding her towards your villa. You entered your villa and she follows you, before you closed the door. "Is there anything you wanna say, or should we just get on to it?" She asked you.

You wasted no time and walked towards her, kissing her on the lips. She replied with the same intensity, wrapping her arms around your neck. You moved your hands around her body, starting from her neck and moving lower down her back before resting them on her hips. You squeezed her hips and ass, making her moan, allowing you to insert your tongue into her mouth. She replied using her tongue, making you groan as well.

As the kiss continued, you started guiding her towards the bed and once you got to the bedroom, you gently lift her onto the bed. You moved your kisses downwards, kissing her jawline and neck, leaving gentle hickeys on her neck and jawline, making her moan lowly. You moved your hands onto her tits, cupping them before you untie her bikini, exposing her petite but perky tits. You leaned in to suck them aggressively, making her moan loudly.

Not long after, you started moving downwards but before you could reach her pussy, she grabbed you and flipped the two of you over, putting her on top of you. She moved down to between your legs before removing your shorts and boxers, exposing your hard cock.

"Has it grown since I last fucked you?" She asked teasingly, before letting some saliva drop onto your cock, coating your cock with her warm saliva. She moved her hands onto your cock and started stroking it, lubricating it gently, allowing your cock to be very slick. It didn't take long before she moved her mouth onto your balls and started sucking each of them while still stroking your cock, now stroking them faster.

Not long after, she moved her mouth onto your cock, before inserting your cock into her mouth. Almost immediately, you almost came from her warm mouth. She wasted no time, hollowing her mouth and started sucking your cock, moving it in and out of her mouth. She starts hollowing her mouth even more, making her mouth tighter, which stimulated you more.

You moved your hands onto her tits, fondling them, making her groan onto your cock. It didn't take long before you grabbed onto her head, controlling her pace, allowing you to feel every inch of her mouth. She also took it as a sign to go deeper, and with your help, she starts allowing you to go deeper into her mouth, before bottoming out at her throat.

"You like that daddy?" She asks you, stroking your cock as well as lubricating it more with her spit, before continuing to suck your cock. "Yes, just like that. I'm close." You told her, controlling her to go faster which she obeyed. You started throbbing more in her mouth, which prompted her to stop sucking you. She grabbed her bikini bottoms, untying them, while you also help her, throwing them to the side before she starts humping on your cock, grinding your cock on her clit, not letting you go inside of her.

You started controlling her more, allowing you to hit the best part of her clit, before you reached your climax. You pushed yourself into her. "ARRGGHHHH FUCKKK!!!" Minnie moaned, before you thrusted once, cumming inside her. "ARGHHH FUCK FUCK DADDY!!!!" She moans, enjoying the feeling of your hot cum inside her. You couldn't stop cumming, especially from how tight she was.

After you came down from your high, she dropped onto your body, as you caressed her back, now just realizing your actions. "Minnie, I'm sorry. I should've not done that. I should've asked for permission." You told her, breaking the promise you made with a certain SOMEONE.

"No. It's okay oppa. I should've not triggered you by humping you. But in case you're wondering, I'm safe right now and I'm on birth control." She said, making you relieved. You took her hair and set it aside, allowing you to see her beautiful face. You leaned in to kiss her, making her face you as you now got face to face with her. She leaned in to kiss you but before she could do it, you heard your phone rang.

You groaned, before moving over to the bedside tho grab your phone, seeing your manager called you. "Ne hyung. What's up?" You answered the call. "Kith needs you for a shoot." Your manager told you, making you groan. "When?" You ask. "Greece, in 2 days. You'll leave Thailand tonight." Your manager told you. "Alright." You told him and hung up the phone, seeing Minnie laying down on the bed.

"I need to go now. I'm sorry. I'll try to make it up to you." You told her. "It's alright. But I should say, it'll be hard to make it up to me." She said, as she redressed herself into her bikini before pecking you on the cheeks and leaving your villa.

[merakiui]

OHSHC AU where reader breaks a precious arrifact from one of the dorms maybe all but instead of repaying the huggeeee debt with hours of labour she has to pay with her body and can’t refuse :)

every kink in the book is used as she’s pleading with the dorm leaders for mercy, crying about forgiveness but all they can hear is that her mouth is very wide open and needs to be replaced with a cock or gag </3 poor reader doesn’t have time to take birth control! and none of the students at nrc know what condoms are oopsies!! imagine savanaclaw in their heat … oh boy rip her pussy! she’ll never know a peaceful day until graduation but even then one of the dorm leaders might take her with them to spend forever with them

Omg yes,,, ohshc au, but it's freaky and full of sex because those scheming boys now have a girl in their debt and that opens so many possibilities. Their methods in dealing with you would all be different, of course, but in the end you're probably getting dicked down either way. <3

I think Riddle's punishments are probably more old-fashioned. If you can't fix whatever it is you broke, then you will write lines stating that you will be more careful, that you won't break anything again, etc. Or he'll make you write an essay detailing why exactly you're sorry, why you ought to be forgiven, etc. T_T really, these are just punishments his own mother gave to him in order to push him to do better in his studies. Riddle doesn't know any better.

He thinks differently when someone like Ace or Cater offhandedly and jokingly remarks how unlucky you must feel. Good thing their Housewarden isn't some pervert, otherwise he could totally force you to give him blowjobs whenever he wanted all under the guise of "repaying your debt." Riddle is appalled. He would never stoop so low! This is Heartslabyul, not Octavinelle. >:( still, the basic concept is just a little appealing. So maybe he's got a small crush on you, and maybe it would be easier to get you to spend time with him if you had no other choice. He makes you join him for tea parties in the gardens, for games of croquet, etc. His hope is that you'll warm up to him and not feel so rigid around him. orz

Leona probably doesn't care as much about the artifact as someone like Riddle might. It has no sentimental value to him personally, so why should he be worried? Besides, it was pretty old anyway. But that doesn't mean you can get off completely innocent. You're the reason he's got more work on his plate now, what with having to deal with the Headmage squawking at him about it. He allows you to choose between two punishments: either you become Savanaclaw's errand girl and do much the same work Ruggie does around the dorm, or you spend every night literally warming his bed (i.e. let him use you as a pillow if you're going to be good and still and quiet). If you want an easy way out, you'll choose the latter. Besides, his bed is comfortable, big enough for two. And as long as you aren't a pain, he doesn't mind. (You are definitely going to be warming his bed in other ways. The innuendo in his words is not lost on Leona.)

Azul...... of course he's slimy and sleazy about it. Oh, you poor soul. How is he ever going to get over this dear, priceless artifact that you have so carelessly broke? Jade is there to oh-so-helpfully inform you of its market price and what it could currently go for if sold. And Floyd's there to poke fun at the unfortunate predicament you've found yourself in. But Azul is a resourceful octopus. He makes a grand show of contemplating what he should do with you just to watch you squirm nervously, as if he hasn't already planned it out from the very beginning. He'll capitalize on your being a girl and have you work the floor in the lounge. There's always an increase in tips and sales when you're serving the customers, and why wouldn't there be? A cute, helpless girl in a school full of boys is an appealing sight.

He's irritating, but he isn't callous! Jade and Floyd are there to look out for you in case any of the patrons get it in their heads that they ought to appreciate you through touch instead of simply staring. Your uniforms change with every new event Mostro Lounge holds. Azul knows his target audience well because he also fits into that same group LOL. So maybe the sight of you in frilly uniforms is appealing. Sue him. >_< he wants you so badly, and luckily (with you being indebted to him) he has you all to himself. :) after hours are a very fun time at the lounge.

Kalim doesn't see what the issue is. He's not mad, so please don't cry!!! 🥺 you'll make him cry if you're not happy... Jamil is just about ready to pass out while he calculates just how bad this is. And here Kalim is, not caring in the slightest! T_T but Kalim is more sympathetic towards you, not the vase you broke. Besides, he can just get another one. :D no harm done at all! There really isn't any punishment to be had. If you insist on repaying your debt, Kalim tells you it's all water under the bridge.

Jamil is the only one who insists this is a good idea, and if Jamil thinks it's fine then Kalim agrees. So now you're sort of,,, there in Scarabia. Jamil puts you to work when Kalim isn't around, but when Kalim is there he spoils you rotten. The complete opposite of a punishment. There's definitely dubious shadows to this, though. For all of the delicious foods and alcohol you consume, you wake with hazy memories, only ever recalling you looked into the eyes of...something before you fell. Was it a snake? Maybe... but Kalim is always there in the morning to smother you in affection, so maybe it's not so bad.

You are Vil's newest pet project. He goes in with metaphorical fork and knife and cuts into you with his criticism, all of which is completely valid. You were clumsy when you broke that artifact. You weren't paying attention to your surroundings. You were completely oblivious, so in your own world. Epel would feel bad for you, but finally he gets to relax just a little bit now that Vil's eyes are mostly off of him and centered on you. Vil is going to put you through a reformation of sorts. You will come out of it your best, most elegant self! A wonderful improvement from your earlier carelessness. Only then will he forgive your previous transgression.

You and Vil get on like oil and water. That is, you don't mix at all. You are subjected to curses left and right because Vil is so strict. Suddenly, you can't eat certain foods and if you try to sneak them you find they've all been cursed (courtesy of Vil). If you try to slack on the work he has you do, even when you know he's not around, somehow word gets back to Vil. That creepy hunter always seems to know everything you do even when you're alone. It's troubling. Vil likes to think his heart is an iron fortress, so it's impossible to fathom when he falls for you first (and so hopelessly, at that)!

Idia doesn't put as much value in that artifact as he does in his own anime collection. If you broke something from his collection that was limited edition, he'd be far more upset (and then proceed to pull out the second one he got as back-up for this very specific moment). But this is an easy fix, really. He has the technology to make it good as new and, if that can't be done, he can always build a new one. Upgrades are important and necessary in some cases, especially when things get too outdated. It's a little awkward having a real 3D girl in his room all the time, though. >_< kick his ass in the twst equivalent of Smash and he's looking at you in a completely different light (hearing you trash talk him is so arousing; he's never been more hard).

Let's say the thing you broke in this case was a gargoyle. You're not sure how it happened, but it's headless now and Malleus is just staring silently at you. You can't read the emotions on his face, but with the way Sebek is shouting at you to get on your knees and beg for forgiveness you think you're about to be burnt to a crisp. It's so uneasy and awkward, and all you can do is apologize profusely, insisting you didn't mean to break it. It's Lilia who comes to your rescue: "Now, now, Malleus. You'll scare the poor child if you keep frowning so. Mistakes happen, do they not?" Silver also comes to your aid, adding that it wasn't your intention to break this gargoyle. It was an accident.

So now here you are, the second member of the Gargoyle Studies Club, accompanying Malleus for club activities while he teaches you all about gargoyles so that you can gain a better appreciation for them. It was Lilia's idea in the first place. He is Malleus's unofficial wingman. One way or another, you're going to find yourself alone in the woods with Malleus while Lilia is in the bushes belting out "romantic" love ballads from the old ages. T_T someone put peepaw to bed... at the very least, it lessens the awkward tension between you and Malleus, and it even gets the both of you laughing.

[janadoesstuffwrong]

No you don't understand this conversation occupies like half of my brain

Excuse me while I ramble incoherently.

Zuko pretty consistently thinks in terms of 'complete task = result'. (Capture avatar = Dad will love him; get gf food = gf won't be grumpy; light candles for date = date not sad etc.) In this case (following her threat) 'prove I won't hurt the others = Friendship with Katara'. He wants to be friends with all of them, not just allies.

He's done what he was told to, but it hasn't changed anything, what is he missing?

Zuko (and the audience) are under the impression that her anger with him is based in her protectiveness, her caution and her strong sense of morality... BUT THEN THIS HAPPENS

Katara turns around and lets him know EXACTLY what he's missing.

This is not about the others, it's not about him being a threat, it's not about Aang. Its about them! Him and Her!

The rug is pulled out from under our feet. And Zuko's. Katara won't forgive him because she did feel a connection to him, felt like she could trust him, and then he hurt her. Then after she's convinced herself that it was all a deception and doesn't matter, this idiot just shows up and reveals that oh, that wasn't a deception at all, that connection was genuine, but he still betrayed her. The others trusting him grates on her because SHE WAS THERE FIRST AND LOOK WHAT IT GOT HER!

I can't even put it into words how much I think about the line 'Oh, everyone trusts you now? I was the first person to trust you, remember?!'

She's reminding him that their relationship didn't start at the Western Air Temple, it started in the catacombs. Maybe Zuko thinks that who he was then is behind him, but Katara doesn't.

No wonder Zuko's next move is, okay, give me a new, specific task that will fix this problem. There must be something I can do to fix it. He tries by finding Yon Rha, but in the end it isn't his actions that lead to her forgiving him, it's her personal judgement and newfound closure.

I think realising that there's no easy task that can salvage their connection helps him move away from feeling like he can earn relationships from people. When he goes to his uncle (after talking to a certain someone might I add), he doesn't list what he's done right to prove why he should be forgiven (as he does when he joins the gaang), he just apologises and accepts that he might not be forgiven no matter what he does because its not something he can earn through performing services for people.

Altogether, this moment is so special because the show for once is willing to admit that the catacombs moment mattered to these characters and they haven't forgotten that.

Ugh they break my brain they really do.

[animeyanderelover]

Characters of your choice from JJK with a darling who has a tattoo of their ex please

Holidays, everyone! I finally have my holidays! I changed it slightly so that the darling has a tattoo of the name of their ex.

Tw: Yandere themes, toxic relationship, possessive behavior, obsession, delusional thoughts, clinginess, manipulation, controlling behavior, forceful behavior, death

S/o has a tattoo of the name of their ex

Fushiguro Megumi

💙You have never told him of your tattoo before, aware how paranoid Megumi tends to be. Perhaps that would have been the wiser choice yet instead he discovers the name engraved on your skin himself as you fail to cover the name on your shoulder in time as he accidentally walks in on you changing. Thick silence befalls the room as he just stands there, frozen as his eyes are glued to the black kanji signs on your skin. His mind repeats the name over and over again until he suddenly remembers where he has heard it before. His heart drops, a lumb of fear and insecurities forms at the back of his throat and his eyes widen frantically. You try to come up with something, anything to explain this to him yet he is faster. Suddenly he stands in front of you, arms seizing your shoulders as he asks you with a slightly raised voice why you never told him that you had a tattoo of your ex. Why?? Why would you do that?? Were...were they that important to you? What about him then?

💙He can't bear to look at you the same way as before after that for quite some while, not without imagining the name of your ex tattooed on your shoulder. It's like a marking that spells out that you once loved someone else and whenever he actually sees your tattoo, he feels something clenching deep inside his chest. His insecurities and paranoia increase as he starts wondering if you still harbor feelings for your ex. Going as far as carrying a tattoo of their name around is a pretty big sign of devotion after all. You find yourself having a harder time to calm him down, the tattoo on your shoulder triggering him whenever he catches a glimpse of it. It haunts him, torments him a bit and he has wondered a couple of times already if he has to threaten your ex as paranoia poisons his ability to think rationally and instead whispers into his mind that you might return to your ex. He knows that it isn't good for his sanity which is why at some point he begs you to remove it somehow. Please, it torments him.

Zenin Maki

💚​Maki has known about your tattoo for a longer while now, it's hard to hide something written on your wrist with black and permanent ink after all. She already questioned this decision of yours back then quite a bit because it's quite risky to get a tattoo of the name of your ex without any guarantee that they'll stay. All you could do back then was to give her a pitiful laugh as you couldn't help but agree with her. Back then this was still fine though but now it is a different story as she's grown rather possessive over you. The tattoo is an eyesore for her whenever she sees it and due to the visible spot you chose, she sees it multiple times a day. She lets out a scoff whenever her eyes find the kanji signs and her mood is almost always worsening a tad bit whenever she spots the name of your former lover. At least she is reasonable enough to understand that both of you have broken it up for good so she isn't as wavering and paranoid as Megumi. She knows that you don't have any feelings for them anymore.

💚​That doesn't mean that she hasn't completely forgiven you for your stupidity to get a tattoo in the first place. In fact she is scolding you more nowadays for your decision than before. Maki knows that you regret that mistake yourself but she can't help it sometimes, she is a bit mad and tends to express that with not so kind words. At the very least she notices that her words only cause you to feel worse so she tries to comfort you as good as she can everytime her tongue slips and she accidentally cuts you with her words. She makes it very clear to you though that she greatly dislikes that you have the name of someone else decorating your body whilst you're together with her and you can't even blame her for it. She would appreciate for you to somehow get rid of this tattoo and sometimes you have the feeling that her wish sounds more like a demand.

Gojo Satoru

🩵​It's perhaps not the best idea to let Gojo ever find out about your tattoo but how is that even supposed to work? The man is so terribly clingy and intrusive and despite his goofy facade, you have a feeling that he might react very badly to the sight of your tattoo. You try to figure out a way how to tell him as harmlessly as possible but you can't come up with anything. Maybe it wouldn't have made a difference in the first place. That's at least what you think as you try to wiggle free from his unusually tight grip, one of his hands lifting up your shirt as dull blue eyes stare at the name written slightly above your hip. Your breath hitches in your throat when those same blue eyes finally meet your own and you feel like you could drown within the abyss of the darkness swirling behind those beautiful orbs. A forced smile stretches his face as he asks you why you have someone's name tattooed on your body. Especially that of your ex.

🩵​You have a hard time convincing him not to go after your ex as your gut screams at you that something terribly will happen otherwise. You beg him to have mercy since both of you have ended the relationship years ago and you don't even have any contact with them anymore. You swallow heavily when his heavy and colder gaze rests on you yet still plead him to not do anything to them as you promise to do whatever he wants. Your wish is somewhat granted as Gojo doesn't harm them but he still wants to have seen the person whose name stains your skin at least once. Needless to say, he is disappointed when he sees your ex who is in his eyes a nobody but perhaps that reassures him a tiny bit. He can't help but torment and scare the poor soul though and they don't know even why. He organizes an appointment for you where the tattoo will be completely removed and only after that he seems to return to his usual self, happily kissing the now empty spot on your skin.

Kamo Choso

🩸​Choso is absolutely attached to your hips. He's needy, soft-spoken, careful and surprisingly considerate. If he wouldn't have been your kidnapper and creepy stalker, you might have appreciated him more though. There is something about him that sometimes just unsettles you and he himself doesn't even seem to notice when he's creeping you out until he witnesses your reaction. You don't even notice him until you feel his fingertips brushing against your skin and nearly jump out of your skin, turning bewildered around to see Choso staring at the same spot where your tattoo was only a few moments ago. He doesn't move as he now stares into empty air as if trying to process something until dark eyes finally meet your own. He swallows before apologizing that he just walked in on you without telling you anything. A few seconds of silence before you hear him asking you once again, this time in a slightly shaky tone, what that was he just saw on your back.

🩸​It's like Choso initially refuses to believe that a tattoo is something permanent as he rejects the thought that you will walk around with a name of your ex-lover forever engraved onto your being. You wake sometimes up in the middle of the night only to feel his hand rubbing against the tattoo as if trying to erase it himself, you notice the way his hands start trembling when he realizes that the ink doesn't fade away even a tiny bit and pray that he won't have a meltdown. Choso would never blame you for it but that means that his hostility is turned against your ex as he starts genuinely believing that they tricked you and manipulated your feelings, abused your kindness which is why you were fooled into getting such a tattoo. He never goes out to kill them though, only because you stop him though and successfully manage to coax him into not doing such a thing and instead he just clings onto you. He asks you anxiously more than once if there is a way to get rid of the tattoo and you know that it's probably the best way to preserve his sanity somehow.

Mahito

🔷​Good luck in general with Mahito because that is a recipe for disaster anyways. Mahito's perception of love differs greatly and is much more twisted and warped than anything and in his eyes he wouldn't even label his feelings as love. He likes to view you more as a sweet experiment, an interesting specism he just likes to spend time with whilst poking and tormenting you to gauge all of your reactions. The best you can do is try to endure it without giving him too much of a reaction because the bastard loves seeing you respond strongly to anything he does. Unfortunately you don't react quite as level-headed as you would like to have when he notices the dark ink on your legs and suddenly yanks you towards him, his hands roughly holding your leg, unimpressed by the way you're kicking and hissing at him. Cold fingers brush over the lettering on your skin, mismatched eyes curiously go back and forth between your eyes and the dark ink on your thigh before he asks you what this is.

🔷​He's genuinely interested to hear your reasons why you would decide to have the name of your ex tattooed on your skin and it is hard for you to tell if he is angry at all about it or not. He's definitely mocking and degrading you though as he labels you stupid for doing something like this despite never having known if they would actually stay with you. His fingers are still tracing over the tattoo and when he suddenly falls quiet for a while, you realize that he's thinking about something. Then he suddenly asks you if you just feel better if you have someone's name on your body which successfully makes you feel like you belong to someone. You're offended by his words but he doesn't give you time to answer as a grin suddenly flashes across his face, his grip tightening as he says with an excited tone that he wants to see his name on your skin too. You can't do anything but watch as your leg deforms in a grotesque way before returning to it's normal form. Your previous tattoo has disappeared and instead the kanji signs now read Mahito's name. Do you want more~?

[chosetherose]

"The Alchemy" = Karlie's POV of how she's going to take Taylor from Travis?

"I haven't come around in so long

But I'm making a comeback to where I belong"

Karlie showing up at the Eras Tour! Taylor didn't spend long enough with either of the beards for "so long" to make any sense as being about them. How do you make a comeback when you're barely a thing to begin with? Karlie's comeback was headline news though.

"So when I touch down

Call the amateurs and cut 'em from the team

Ditch the clowns, get the crown"

Her football fan baby ("fly like a jet stream") is touching down and coming to sweep away the understudies, users, narcissists and clowns. King of my Heart coming to reclaim her crown! We can only hope 🙏

"Cause the sign on your heart says it's still reserved for me"

Taylor can rewrite history all she wants, but Tratty was never a thing and no-one with a brain can buy the idea that he was the love of her life ten years ago, while Kissgate was happening right in front of him. Peak Kaylor era. When we all saw with our own eyes how she looked at Karlie! But, no, it was Matty all along! Sure, Jan.

Meanwhile, even the "anyone but Karlie" Gaylors who hate her can't deny Taylor has been writing songs about Karlie for a decade now. Even they think she's not over her. So who "still" has Taylor's heart and could make a comeback? Mmhmm.

"I circled you on a map"

Flashback to Taylor highlighting Kaylor-related towns on the weather map in the Lavender Haze music video. Uh-huh.

"Who are we to fight the alchemy?"

Alchemy is the process of turning things into gold. Are we really going to sit here and pretend this isn't Ms Gold Rush, Ms "it's like your eyes are liquor, it's like your body is gold"? Are we really going to pretend Karlie hasn't been gold coded since the beginning? But no! This is about Travis! Totally! Does your blindfold fit snugly enough, babe, or do you want me to tighten it some more for you? 🙄

"Hey, what if I told you we're cool

That child's play back in school

Is forgiven under my rule?"

The child's play is the bearding. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. It's getting so old to never grow up. Karlie is saying it all means nothing.

"These blokes warm the benches

We've been on a winning streak"

Her British beards have just been keeping Karlie's seat warm. While she and Taylor have privately been on a winning streak.

(Seriously, the construction of this song makes no sense if you believe it's about Travis. How could she have been "on a winning streak" with him, while "these blokes" were present-tense warming the benches? Or are we supposed to believe they're just waiting on the sidelines for Taylor to get back with one of them? Even though things are so great with 🚜 and she's said multiple times she doesn't want that? So . . . how is any of this working, exactly? What benches are they warming? Are we SURE the "we" is Travis? Hmm?)

"He jokes it's heroin but this time with an e"

People are so distracted by this "dig at Matty" they can't see what's right in front of their faces. Heroin with an e = heroine. As in, the female hero of a story. The joke is that the one to "save" Taylor won't be any of these jokers dressing up as kings. It's a woman. A HEROINE. Not a hero.

And then we get a football metaphor everyone will assume is about Travis, even though Karlie's love of football is well-documented. Do we really think Travis cares more about the beard he's made his meal ticket than he does about winning a trophy? Yeah, right. The days of wasted celebration with no Taylor in sight really give that impression. The thirst traps he was liking on Instagram while "dating" Taylor really show he only has eyes for her. Totally.

Meanwhile we have a million songs where Taylor tells us all her obviously-Karlie lover ever wanted was her.

I can't see The Alchemy any other way than as a Karlie comeback song. Bring it home, Karlie! We're all rooting for you! Go! Fight! Win! 🏆

Wow, Anon! I love this take! Lots of food for thought.

[undying-love]

Interesting comments made by Francie Schwartz

"Paul still hasn't come to terms with the way his relationship with John foundered after John chose Yoko after a life being John Beatle. Which explains, in part, his tendency to distort the role he played in his estrangement from the first great love of his life."

"I think it was as close as he could come to expressing his great envy of Yoko. The truth is Paul McCartney has been twice widowed. The first great love of his life was John Lennon, and the second, Linda."

"That Paul started painting after John's death is no coincidence. That competition, the clash, the ebb and flow of *that* relationship, was so central to Paul's being, the only love that comes close to being a reasonable comparison is his marriage to Linda and the births of his children."

"For a reason to hold a grudge [against Yoko], think about the possibility of this: She took John from him. And she didn't particularly want to share John with his "ex significant other" on certain levels."

"Paul hates Yoko for stealing the love of his life away from him. No, not Linda.... John! Paul has never forgiven her for that."

"When John and Paul split up (think of them as a couple for a moment) their second mates had to stand by them."

Note: Francie commented all of this in the old beatles forum rec.music.beatles

[bifairywife]

can you imagine how much pain nimona felt having to be constantly reminded of gloreth?

"i swear on gloreth's name." ballister said this to the director when he got captured but there's a chance that nimona overheard it when she was later shown to be in the cell with him. why has gloreth been so glorified in so many centuries that one's innocence is sworn upon her name?

"what in the name of gloreth" as if gloreth had the answers, why do people even need to name drop her?

when people exclaim "oh good gloreth" when gloreth has brought nothing good in nimona's life.

when the news end with "good day and may gloreth guide you always." guide people to what? to assume the worst in someone that's different than them when their parents pointed it out? to never clear out a wrong even though they knew what's the truth?

when nimona pretended to be ambrosius and the director said "may gloreth forgive you." deep down there's a big chance that after all these years, nimona still hasn't forgiven gloreth.

yes, she and gloreth were children. the flashback may be short and if we base it from there... maybe the tale of gloreth has just been a great exaggeration the entire time. there might have been a possibility that more things happened after that flashback with a grown-up gloreth hence the statue. but the fact stands that nimona's story was never righted for the past one thousand years. she never stood a chance after gloreth.

[worriedvision]

Forgery - chapter 3

Gender neutral reader, part 2 here.

--

Alhaitham and Kaveh decided to host Tighnari and Cyno, both of them intrigued by the alleged accusations and the opinions of those in Sumeru seeming to be opposites. Typically, Fontaine was known for being the best with finding out whether someone was guilty or not.

Kaveh takes a look at the writing, seeing if there was a sign of outlining prior to writing with ink, but Alhaitham had a more... original way of looking.

Picking up the paper that was yours, he sniffs it. Seeing everyone recoil at his actions, Alhaitham shrugs.

"I have a hypothesis, but this depends on the ink that is accessible in Fontaine." Alhaitham begins, taking a second sniff to get a clearer scent. "This is one form of evidence used to prosecute _, yes? Well, this ink smells like ink that isn't accessible in Fontaine."

Sensing no change in willingness to listen, Alhaitham continues. "There is a type of ink used by criminals that is designed to ignite upon contact with water. The ink is typically connected to the Fatui, however some treasure hoarders also use this. It is banned from Fontaine, to the extent that even the Fortress cracks down on it."

"...how do you know how the ink smells in comparison to other types?" Tighnari asks, tilting his head. "Are you confessing to a crime?"

"Calm down, I happened to study this topic in the Akedemiya. I still have the samples, if you wish, you can take the ink in question to use as evidence."

"...In case that wasn't enough, I can also see evidence of tracing. It's a very clear marking - I'm beginning to see why those you've asked so far are not in agreement with Fontaine's judgement."

"Thank you both. I think we have enough evidence to suggest forgery, now we just need to find the best way to make it interesting enough - as well as convincing enough for Monsieur Neuvillette - to reverse the sentencing." Cyno states. "perhaps I could use my jo-"

"No. Your jokes aren't appropriate in this case." Tighnari replies.

"Ah, I forgot how dramatic Fontaine is..." Kaveh sighs.

"Well, out of the four of us, who would be best? I'm no entertainer, Cynos dry humour isn't going to help..." Alhaitham begins, looking at Kaveh as he begins to think.

"...What?" Kaveh huffs, seeing Tighnari and Cyno both now looking at him. "I can't afford this - I have rent to pay!"

"I'll pay for your trip." Cyno responds, Kaveh humming in thought. "I'll also account for a few more days, just so you can look around Fontaine. Meals, drinks, I'll pay."

"...Very well then. Shall we start writing a script?"

--

"Please, I want to visit Sumeru!" Sigewinne huffs, Wriothesley knowing immediately why. "I really really want to see what plants they have Their medicinal properties are phenomenal according to books!"

"You can't go, we only have you as a medical person here!" Wriothesley sighs, before fluffing up her hair. "Besides, I wouldn't be able to protect you from-"

"Oh, you know they wouldn't harm me." Sigewinne frowns, clenching her fist. "I'm fed up with you insisting they were guilty. They didn't even have time to even write that many letters - most of the time they were helping me in the medical station."

"Yet they can have an accomplice."

"An accomplice who happens to have their exact handwriting?" Sigewinne raises a brow, Wriothesley clearly only realising the flaw as she walks away.

Wriothesley wanted to see if you were harming people in Sumeru - perhaps you were going to be a danger, and he would need to take you back to Fontaine and lock you in a room with little to no access to what every other prisoner has. Sigewinne hasn't forgiven Wriothesley or Neuvillette for the quick and, according to her, illogical solution.

So, he requests a week off to travel to Sumeru with Sigewinne to keep her safe as well as keeping an eye on you.

--

Kaveh wanted to get a better idea of who you were before defending you. He decides to spend some time talking to you, and to his relief you did seem to match up to Sumeru's idea of you. He could tell you were hurt by the accusations, and when you asked if you could be there for the court date Kaveh declines.

"But why? I want the chance to see Sigewinne again." You protest, Kaveh smiling sympathetically.

"Yes, however from the publics perspective in Fontaine there is a chance your presence would give the prosecutors something to latch onto." Kaveh explains.

"I want to reassure you that I will do my very best to ensure these crimes get lifted from you."

[strangerxperv]

Eddie or Steddie x fem reader, brat/sub reader and dom!Eddie or Steddie! Maybe some overstimulation punishment and aftercare? 🫠

Eddie is a hard Dom whereas Steve is a soft Dom. Steve loves to spoil you and admittedly that has turned you into a brat. Something Eddie both loves and hates. He doesn't always want to be the "bad guy" but at the same time seeing you cry is too good to pass up.

They tie you up to a chair with a vibrators stuffed in both holes. A wand at full speed trapped to your stiff twitching clit. Nipple clamps pulled down and attached to ropes that hold your legs. Each jump pulls your tender tits and you cry fat tears. The chair is facing the bed where Steve and Eddie play.

Part of your punishment is not being touched by the boys. Forced to orgasm over and over as the duo fuck each other. Steve is on his back while Eddie rides his throbbing erection. Steve's hand gently jerks Eddie girthy cock but neither man looks from you.

They can't with how loud you are. With how pretty you beg for forgiveness; Even though you don't remember what you did. It's the reason they left your mouth free, to hear you beg.

Beg for their cocks. Beg for their love. Beg to cum. Beg to be forgiven. Beg to be set free. And finally beg to be done. You can't cum anymore and you're so tired but you aren't done till they are. You'll be forgiven when Steve fills Eddie with cum and Eddie splashes Steve with his.

Eddie is riding Steve so ferociously his hand remains still so Eddie can fuck into it. Steve's long dick is angled to punch into his Gspot with every bounce. It feels so good to be full of his boyfriend while punishing his bratty princess.

Steve coos at you, "Just keep cumming, princess. We're almost done." And he can feel as his full balls pull up to signal that soon Steve will fill the fluffy headed boy's ass.

Eddie groans, "Don't wanna cum yet. She hasn't learned her lesson." Still they watch you.

"Don't be stubborn. She's been so good and I really want to cum in your perky ass. Wanna feel you cover me in your kids."

"PLEASE!!" You cry out in desperation, "Please, I want you cum. Please cover me in your cum!"

It makes Eddie laugh so hard he stops fucking himself on top of Steve. "You think you deserve our cum? No. Absolutely not. I want this," His slim waist swirls as he grinds his ass into Steve, "the next time you act like a stupid spoiled. Fucking. Brat." The last three words are punctuated with Eddie dropping himself onto Steve.

Your needy begs are what cause Eddie to ride Steve faster and all the harder. Steve watches as Eddie throws his head back and his dark eyes roll. Mouth open in a finally shout as his pretty pick tip twitches.

White splashes onto Steve's tummy and up to his chest, some even reach his lips. The sight makes Steve's balls pull up and he gives a last thrust into his boyfriend. His cum sprays and fills Eddie till it drips onto the sheets beneath them.

Eddie gingerly dismounts and lays onto the bed while to rest. Because he's truly tired from his full body orgasm and vigorous riding. Steve rises from his position to tend to you.

He turns the wand off and gently unclasps your nipples. Steve's hands make quick work of your ties so he can turn the two vibrators off. He picks you up easily and lays you into Eddie's arms.

Grabbing a warm wash cloth he cleans you then Eddie and covers you both with a blanket. Snacks and water are grabbed from the kitchen for the three of you. Finally, he climbs into bed to hold you with Eddie and whisper praises in-between sips.

[mewtwoandme]

Imma be honest, once the siv's past comic ends i hope people don't end up being on jeo's case (at least not too much) abt the way he treated siv

As much as fun it can be giving jeo shit, specially for being a asshole to siv without knowing her circumstances, i don't think is really fair bc siv is kinda guilty of the same mistake he made (not understanding jeo's situation and not only almost killing lakota, who jeo said was a friend of his, but also almost killing jeo and then saying she was disowning him). In the end, both of them let their emotions and past trauma cloud their judgment and it caused them to make mistakes.

Not saying either of them were right or wrong for the way they reacted but i think this is the type of situation where is better to admit they both messed up and move on than try to turn into a discussion of who was more wrong here.

Sorry for long ask, that just has been on my mind recently

Yeah, Siv more or less had already expressed how she was wrong to him and how she was willing to start over, even without his forgiveness cause all she wants to do is try to be better. With Jeo, it just takes more time. He still hasn't forgiven her, but there have been times he was genuinely nice to her. All that matters is that he's trying too.

I think after this reveal, he'll really start to self reflect on himself a bit. Speaking of which, there is something I'd like to add in before Blu is born that I thought of last minute with Jeo, cause it might be necessary, but we'll see.

[thisgirlnamedblusy]

Holy moly, your last story had me feeling feelings.

The sentence about the unborn baby being jealous got me thinking tho, what if their kid inherited some of Donna's possessive traits, like always wanting to be by y/n's side, much to the chagrin of poor Donna, who hasn't been able to cuddle reader at night without a (sometimes two) little body wiggling into their bed. And as their daughter grows, she kinda sees Donna as a threat, someone who takes her moms attention away. Donna doesn't rightly know how to deal with the feeling of love for her child, and annoyance at not having reader for themselves.

UNTIL one day when reader and child is taking a walk through the forest, and a couple of men comes up and threatens them, only for mama Donna to turn up and rescue them. Both Donna and her daughter have a revelation that day: Donna from how scared she would be if anything happened to both her love and her child, and daughter from how she now sees Donna as her mama too, who would always protect and love her. And they make an unspoken pact about protecting reader always xD

You don't have to write this if you don't want to, I just got the mama Donna brainrot lol

Thanks for feeding us starving queers some quality Donna content

Yesss!!!! Thank you for your words, and for your request! I'm glad to read you enjoyed that one!!! I hope you like it and sorry about the language mistakes!!! :))))

A long road to motherhood

Pairing: Donna Beneviento x Fem! Reader

Warnings: G!P Donna (implied), slightly dark themes, Donna's POV

Word count: 7,112

Summary: How I can be jealous of my own daughter?

N/A: Sorry about the language mistakes!!! Requests are open!!! This is a sequel to this one!!! I love you all!!! :))

As they say, time heals wounds.

After almost losing you, after seeing how life became more and more distant from your sight, I was able to get you back.

A miracle, the sign that my sins were forgiven, I couldn't say what exactly it was. I have always thought that coincidence doesn’t exist, even when I met you, a bad deed that was rewarded, a trip to hell of having you immobile in a bed. I could never forget the two weeks when I almost lost you, when my whole world almost collapsed, because of me.

But no, life stopped torturing me, you woke up, you woke up wanting to make me feel good, to forgive me, to continue loving me as I didn't think you did.

If I had to keep a memory in my mind, only one, I would choose the moment in which I turned my head and saw your eyes open, your sweet look from that stretcher, life shining in your eyes again, looking at me.

I made an effort not to torture myself, to not let the nightmares make my nights impossible. It could be because I was still mentally ill, I couldn't separate myself from what life had given me, but I had to be strong. It was no longer you and me. There was someone, someone much more important to care for, someone to fight day and night for with my demons, with my jealousy, with my stupid and sick way of being: our daughter, Giovanna.

Born from my mistakes, from my pathological possessiveness, that girl represented everything pure that was missing in my life. My family, our family had been formed thanks to the biggest mistake of my life, thanks to that horrible afternoon in which I took what I thought was mine.

Luckily, the girl kept me away from your screams of terror, from the way you resisted my actions. Little by little I began to forget it, especially when I saw that childish smile in the girl's eyes. She had no hard feelings. If her birth was a mistake, it would be the best one in my life.

Maybe not the way she was conceived, but I could feel proud of the change that little Giovanna Beneviento made in our lives. I almost lost you because of my selfishness, but I got you back because... Well, I couldn't say why exactly. Maybe you forgave me, maybe you never could. I didn't know, with you it was impossible to know.

The years passed, the girl grew up and with her everything we had formed by chance, because of me, settled into routine, like a new way of living, of caring, of loving...

“Asleep,” you said amused, entering the bedroom, closing the door, wearing that smile on your face, the one I didn't think I deserved.

Luck smiles on the wicked, it smiled on me, the luck of having you, of having you and our daughter. I was not worthy of such honor, such light that had appeared in the darkness of my life.

“She’s alright?” I asked, getting under the covers. You nodded, motioning with your thumb, joining me.

“Yes, she's with Angie,” you answered, kissing me quickly. I frowned, with an amused look.

“That doesn't answer my question,” I whispered, kissing her shoulder, thanking with my lips that you never left, that all my flaws seemed like just an illusion to you.

“Well, I told her the story of the princess and the eel, it is her favorite,” you said with an interesting look. I shook my head, laughing at that attitude you had, that attitude that didn't disappear even in your worst moments. I didn't deserve you.

“The princess and the frog,” I corrected, narrowing my eye, with a sinister smile. You laughed, disapproving of my correction with a wave of your hand and a tired sigh.

“No, no, Donna,” you whispered, with a mocking tone. “You heard me correctly. Eel.”

“What difference does it make?” I asked curiously, admiring your imagination, your ability to make Giovanna fall asleep every night with those made-up stories. Only you could do it.

“Oh, I'm glad you’ve asked me...” you whispered, darkening your voice, making me pay more attention to you. “Well, when the princess kisses the toad, it becomes a prince, right?”

I nodded, listening to you with curiosity, trying not to let my eye go to the scar on your arm, the one that showed the worst two weeks of my life, the ones in which I was on the verge of losing you, because of me.

“Well, in my story, when the princess kisses the eel, the prize is… an electric tickle attack!” you said loudly, attacking me mercilessly, running over my body with your restless hands, making me laugh involuntarily.

“(Y/N)...” I said, grabbing your wrists to end your torture.

“Do you like my story?” you asked, climbing onto my lap, with that shine in your eyes that made me tremble, get excited. You were so perfect, so sweet... So... Fiery.

“Is that the end?” I asked, hugging your body, keeping it close to mine, rocking it. You pretended to think about the answer, which came in the form of a tender, but hot kiss on my lips, one that made me sigh.

“Well, that's the all-audiences ending,” you purred in my ear, forcing my hands to scratch the fabric of your pajamas as a result of the subtle but perceptible movement of your hips against mine.

“Is there an alternative ending?” I asked with a low voice, impatiently putting my hand in your pants, keeping your gaze, which drifted to my lap while you nodded.

“Yes, but it can't be told,” you whispered, reacting to my touch with erratic movements of your body.

“Maybe you can show it to me,” I said, with a smile close to your lips, noticing your nervous breathing, your desire to love me once again, to let yourself be loved, this time for real, that time without arguments, without terrible ideas going through my head.

“Maybe I can,” you whispered, melting into me in a passionate, hot, wet kiss, dancing with my body, caressing my hair, my back, comically fighting with your pajamas so they would disappear from our path.

 “Mom, mom!” a shrill voice sounded behind the door, causing you to move, to turn away from me with scared eyes.

Small steps approached the bed and with the strength that a 6 year old girl could have, Giovanna climbed up to meet us.

“Gio, what are you doing here?” you asked, your face blushing. “Why did you get up?”

“I've had a nightmare...” the girl murmured, looking at me out of the corner of her eye, with a strange feeling that made me raise my eyebrow.

“Oh, a nightmare?” you said, taking the girl in her arms. “You just fell asleep, darling.”

“Yes, but I had the nightmare,” she said, looking away. Was she lying?

“Oh, poor Gio, the evil monsters again?” you asked with a tender voice, placing the little girl between the two of us.

I couldn't help but sigh tiredly. It might seem like a tender moment, a moment when our daughter needed that coveted motherly love. Well, it could be like that, but I knew it wasn't.

When she was born, she was a good baby, who cried like a normal baby, who let herself be rocked, who fell asleep in my arms. That changed over the years. Somehow, as if she had noticed the absence of her mother in the first moments of her life, she could no longer live without her.

Always with you, the girl was always with you, she cooked with you, she bathed with you, and, of course, she slept with you.

The nights stopped being a small bastion of intimacy between us when Giovanna had enough capacity to reason. Sometimes I thought she did it on purpose, to annoy me. She couldn't think that way. I really was trying not to think that way.

“Yes, mom...” the little girl sighed, causing another hug from you and a look of helplessness that you gave me over your shoulder. “Can I sleep here?”

“No, tesoro,” I said, taking the girl in my arms, in a furious outburst at that interruption.

I wouldn't have acted like that if it hadn't been the countless times it happened. “Come on, let's put you to bed.”

“No! I want to stay with mom,” the girl protested, breaking free from my grip, crawling comically across the bed to reach your arms. You laughed, shaking your head.

“(Y/N), tell her something,” I said, showing clear displeasure at the situation. My patience grew as the girl did, but lately it was slowing down, maybe too fast.

You shrugged, hugging our daughter, who seemed to be having another of her usual tantrums.

“Oh, come on, Donna, poor thing. It's okay. She can sleep with us,” you said, giving in to the little girl's emotional blackmail, to those fake tears that ran down her cheek.

“It's okay if it were the first time, (Y/N)” I said, sitting on the bed. “She has to learn to face her fears.”

“Mamma mean... Mom, mamma is mean...” Giovanna said, hanging on to your pajamas, looking at me with eyes that I wished I had never seen. They seemed full of hatred, irrational hatred. Why did she remind me so much of me?

“No, don't say that, honey, mommy Donna isn't mean, she cares about you,” you sighed, cradling the little girl in your arms.

I laughed nervously and crossed my arms, shaking my head. Despised by my own daughter, was this the punishment that awaited me for my horrible acts?

“Well, then she has to let me sleep with you,” the girl said, without bothering to look at my face.

“She's going to do it, right, Donna?” you asked, looking at me. I couldn't do anything else. I had to nod in defeat, for my own daughter.

“Oh, okay,” I huffed, getting under the covers.

I looked at the girl, the girl looked at me and did something that made me sit up again. Her face radiated the sweet taste of victory, sticking her tongue out at me mockingly.

“Hey!” I protested, annoyed by that unpleasant gesture. “(Y/N), the girl stuck her tongue out at me.”

“Oh, come on, stop it and let's go to sleep,” you said tiredly, turning off the light on the table, enveloping the room in the deepest darkness.

I wanted to protest again, to punish Giovanna for treating me that way, but I did nothing, as always. I just crossed my arms again, pressed against the edge of the bed.

Silence finally reigned in my head, and in my ears. Frustrated and nervous, I thought about everything that was happening, about my daughter's unfair attitude towards me. You said that perhaps she had inherited that possessiveness.

 I trembled to think that it could be that way.

Of all my flaws, that was the worst. Just thinking that my daughter could become someone like me... My entire body trembled with terror at that idea, my stomach clenched as I imagined it. Giovanna had inherited almost all of my looks, that wasn't a bad thing. But that her mind worked like mine, that she thought she had to have you to herself...

No, that was something that horrified me, something I tried to ignore in each and every one of her tantrums.

With my eye open, thinking about that possibility, I spent part of the night, well, until a small foot hit me in the face, snapping me out of my own personal torture.

“Mamma, move, I don't have room,” the girl protested, causing me to grunt, pushing her small leg away with an angry gasp.

“You have plenty of room, Giovanna,” I said with a serious voice, perhaps too serious for such a young girl. She didn't seem to care and she continued kicking my body until she forced me to fall off the bed with a thud.

“Mamma, you fell,” my daughter whispered, with a malicious tone, with a tone I hated hearing.

A mocking laugh reached my ears. It wasn't the girl. It was you, (Y/N).

Did you really find it funny that my daughter looked down on me like that? My dark mind lurked in my thoughts, but I was stronger, at that moment I could control my impulses, although I didn't know for how long.

“Do you find it funny? Your daughter kicked me out of bed,” I said furiously, suddenly getting up from the floor.

“No, no, not at all,” you said, not knowing how to hide the mockery that appeared in your words.

I sighed again, running a hand through my hair, shaking my head.

“You know what? You can stay there, I'm leaving,” I said furiously, grabbing one of the cushions from the bed, leaving the room, stopped by your mocking hand on my wrist.

“Come on, Donna, stop acting like a child and go back to bed,” you said, your voice tired. I opened my eyes wide, offended by that reproach.

“Do I behave like a child?” I asked, with my hands on my hips. “Tell your daughter, she hasn't stopped until she kicked me out of bed and...”

“Donna, stop it,” you scolded me, leaving me glued to the wooden floor. “I don't know which of the two is more childish, really...” you sighed, turning around, letting me go.

I opened my mouth to say something, but my insides were churning furiously. I knew I was right, but I couldn't help but feel that it was internal rage, an uncontrolled rage that clouded my disturbed mind was the reason for all your suffering. I would never hurt you again, (Y/N), ever again.

“Buoa notte,” I whispered before disappearing down the hallway, walking towards the office.

Lying back on that old sofa, I thought about whether all of that was really a punishment, if the happiness I felt from having you next to me, from having a family, was just the illusion of reward, instead of a macabre game of hell itself.

“Hello, hello, hello, exiled again?” a familiar, too familiar voice asked, Angie, who entered the office with an amused step.

“What do you think?” I asked, settling down on that horrible sofa, looking away from that annoying doll. “If you did your job well…”

“What job?” the doll asked, jumping into my stomach, with a maddening voice that I didn't need to hear.

“Giovanna has had nightmares again,” I commented in a low voice, forcing Angie to get off my body, turning around, trying not to stick the wood of that sofa that little by little was becoming my new bed.

“Oh, I didn't know,” she muttered, climbing up again, just to annoy me. Why would my own conscience want to annoy me? It seemed like everyone was against me, as always.

“You didn’t know? You sleep with her,” I said incredulously, suspecting something I already knew. Angie shrugged, shaking her head from side to side. “Piccola bugiarda…”

“Don't blame her. She wants to be with her mother,” the doll said, downplaying the fact that my daughter was a little liar, something admirable at her age, but equally irritating.

“I'm her mother too,” I protested, sitting up, saying out loud a truth that my own daughter seemed to deny from the moment she said her first word, from the moment she decided not to separate from you.

“That's quite obvious,” Angie murmured, making me roll my eye and cross my arms, pressing my nails into my skin.

“But it seems like I’m not... Giovanna doesn't see me as such,” I said with a lower voice. “Cazzo, Angie, I can't even spend a moment with (Y/N) alone...”

“Oh...” the puppet sighed, forcing me to look at her. “I don't think you're jealous of your own daughter, Donna.”

“What? Of course I’m not,” I said immediately, separating that possibility from my head, the possibility that had been tormenting me for some time.

“Well, it seems like it,” Angie rebuked, earning a strong push from me to took her off the couch.

“Don’t say nonsense. I'm sure it's a phase or something...” I muttered, grabbing the cushion to channel my anger into that piece of fabric instead of losing my nerve.

I hadn't lost my mind for too long, I wanted you to be proud of me.

“Well, well, what you want is to be alone with (Y/N) to make more babies to get on my nerves,” the irreverent puppet commented.

I huffed tiredly. Of course, Angie was part of me. She was just as possessive and jealous as me, as Giovanna...

“You don't understand,” I said in a dark tone, looking away from her. “I adore our daughter but I would like to have time for (Y/N) and me and… Besides, I'm afraid of…”

“Of what, Donna?”

“I’m afraid of Giovanna being like me”

That night I barely slept. The erratic thoughts in my head wandered freely thanks to the lack of your body hugging mine, your heat dissipating my demons. No, I couldn't be jealous of Giovanna, I couldn't feel hatred towards the person I loved most in the world. Or maybe I can, I didn't know, I was incapable of controlling everything that was going through my head, I was incapable of not seeing myself in my daughter's hateful glances.

“Good morning, darling...” your soft voice, your caresses on my hair woke me up from my recurring nightmares, some in which my old self took control of my actions, some in which I hurt you, again. “Have you been able to sleep?”

“Yes, well, I'm used to that horrible couch,” I murmured, yawning, sitting up to return those precious caresses, that kiss that I wanted to give you to calm my senses.

“Donna,” you sighed, with a sad look, lack of that fun that always guided your life. “Come on, don't be mad.”

“I'm not mad,” I said defensively, bringing my knees to my chest. “How did the little princess sleep?” I asked, unable to prevent irony from coating my words.

“Well, well, it seems like she doesn't have nightmares anymore,” you commented, oblivious to the mockery of my question, or rather, wanting to be oblivious to it.

“Yeah, sure,” I said, shaking my head, with a fake smile on my face.

“Don't be like that with Gio, she's a little girl, it's normal that she wants to be with her mother,” you explained, never ceasing in your attempt to calm me down with your caresses.

 I wish it had been that easy from the beginning, I wish your love could have put an end to my jealousy.

“With you, of course,” I murmured angrily, squeezing my fist tightly, a fist you grabbed, undoing its shape before it hurt me, again.

“Don't have a hard time, my love. You know what Giovanna is like, she's like…”

“Like me,” I interrupted, making you sigh intensely and lower your gaze. That was what you were going to say, it doesn't matter if you denied it.

“Yes, but not in the way you're thinking,” you said, lying, I could see it in your eyes, you were lying.

Liar

“I need to take a shower,” you commented, leaving aside that interesting and dangerous topic of conversation. “Why don't you give the girl breakfast? So you spend some time together.”

“She’s going to to bite me,” I murmured, unintentionally earning another of your tender laughs, another of your quick kisses on the lips, caresses and kisses I never deserved.

“Stop protesting and act like a mother,” you said amused, leaving the office.

I growled, uncovering myself and going to look for that little monster.

“Come on, Giovanna, drink the milk...” I said, tired of the girl's obvious refusal.

Already dressed, I prepared to fulfill the task you gave me, bathing the little girl and giving her breakfast. To say it was easy was a dirty liar. It was not.

Giovanna's protests grated in my ears. She loved her mother, she loved you.

“I don't want to, where is mom?” Giovanna asked, in a childlike posture, crossing her arms and dodging each of my attempts to bring the glass to her mouth.

“Mom is taking a shower, come on, obey,” I said, already tired from that infernal bath, from the kicks and punches of protest from my daughter, from our daughter. If she didn't look so much like me, I'd think she was just yours.

“I don't want to,” the girl said, looking at me proudly. I snorted, getting angry.

“Giovanna...” I hissed threateningly, sternly. She shook her head. “Come on, don't make it more difficult for me.”

“What have you done to mom?” she asked, leaving me stunned, leaving me breathless because of that horrible accusation.

“What are you talking about, tesoro?” I asked incredulously at those words, at that question. Did she remember she existed because I forced you to? It didn't seem possible.

“Mom's not here, I'm sure it's your fault,” the girl repeated, without looking at my face, gracefully avoiding my attempts to get her to eat breakfast.

“Don't talk nonsense and have breakfast at once,” I said tiredly, ignoring that horrible accusation.

“I don't want to, I want mom to come,” Giovanna said, kicking in the chair, threatening with another tantrum.

“I told you... Mom is taking a shower,” I whispered, losing my patience. “Eat breakfast or I won't let you play with Angie.”

Apparently, the threat of punishment had an effect. The girl clumsily picked up the glass, drinking some milk. I sighed in relief, but not for long. With a mocking sound, the milk in her mouth shot into the worst possible place, into my face.

I blinked in shock at this evil act and tried to ignore the boisterous laughter of the Angie doll, who seemed to be writhing on the floor, amused at my expense.

“It's over, you're punished,” I said furiously, grabbing the little girl's arm, who protested with an exaggerated scream.

“Let me go! Mom!” the little girl yelled, disconsolately calling her mother, calling you, her savior.

“Stai zitto, Giovanna,” I said furiously with a dark voice, but maintaining my composure, wiping my face.

“Lasciami in pace!” she screeched in response, moving erratically.

“Io sono la tua mamma, ascoltami, Giovanna...” I whispered, stopping that protest as best I could, being totally incapable.

“Tu non sei la mia mamma, sei una stupida!” she screamed, insulting me, making it clear that she didn't love me, that she only loved you.

That was a hard blow for my fragile mind, too hard.

“Hey, hey...” your voice resonated to calm that bloody battle, appearing from the hallway with a gaze fixed on the girl, with a frown. “What's going on here? If you're going to fight, at least do it in my language, will you?”

 “Your daughter, (Y/N), that's what's happening,” I said furiously, unable to get rid of the strong accent that anger made me have. You approached, shaking your head, running a hand through my hair.

“What happened to you? Has a cow fallen on your face?” you joked, making the girl laugh in amusement, being picked up by your protective arms.

I didn't know what to say, I simply tried to fight against my wounded heart, against the tears that threatened to slide down my cheek.

With a growl, I walked away from you, quickly, ignoring your calls.

“Donna! Hey, Donna! Come here,” you shouted, calling me. I turned to look at you, but I could only see the girl's triumphant eyes, ones that almost made me lose control.

I ignored your screams, going down to the basement, running quickly towards my room, containing the rage that was beginning to build up in my fists.

Furious, I kicked a chair, kicked the bed, and pulled my hair. The situation was unbearable but... No, I couldn't lose my mind in front of you, of our daughter. I couldn't go back to being that evil woman who ruined your life, the one who forced you through her deranged mind. I didn't want it to come back, but I couldn't stop it.

“Maledizione!” I shouted, releasing all my anger in a punch that hit the mirror of the old dresser. Blood flowed from my hand. The pain was intense, but not compared to the damage to my delicate, sensitive, sick heart...

How to deal with the love I felt for you, and for my daughter? How to handle those horrible feelings that haunted me? I loved Giovanna. I loved her more than my own life, even if she didn't feel the same way.

Jealousy, possessiveness, yes, there was no longer any doubt, it was my fault. Giovanna was born for that reason. She came into the world because of my pathetic and crazy obsession with keeping you by my side. Just as it happened with me, it happened with her. My desire not to lose you, to keep you close to me had passed to Giovanna, turning her into my reflection, into an adorable version of the monster that I considered myself to be.

The situation was getting out of control. I should never have been a mother, I didn't deserve it. I didn't deserve to have you by my side. Your words, the love you said you felt for me were no longer enough.

That was my punishment for keeping you. That was my punishment for all the harm I did to you, creating something wonderful, a beautiful daughter, only for me to be nothing to her, just a nuisance, a threat that stood between her mother and her.

I looked at the blood that flowed from my knuckles, that blood that reminded me that I was still a human being. I shook my head, I buried it in my arms and there, in the solitude of my room, far from my family, far from the most important things in the world for me, I cried inconsolably.

“Quando ci vuole, ci vuole, mm?” I repeated that phrase looking at myself in the broken mirror, demanding a bit of fortitude from myself, gaining enough strength to get up and return to your side.

No matter how hard the path was, my duty was to walk along it. That was my penance.

“You shouldn't treat mommy that way, honey... She loves you very much.” Your voice caught my attention, making me hide before revealing myself again.

“She doesn't love me, she just wants to take me away from you,” the girl said, sobbing. That made me squirm again, but I managed to stay calm.

“No, that's not true, darling. Donna would do anything for you, for us… Remember how she made you Mrs. Freckles? She's your favorite doll, right?” you asked, giving Giovanna that doll, one that I made her when she was three years old, when she didn't hate me.

“Yes...” Giovanna said, hugging the doll tightly. That was the closest I'd come to her to give me some love the last two years. I cried again thinking about it.

“Besides, you don't remember but... Thanks to your mom, you're healthy and strong now, I'm sure you didn't know that,” you commented, with a soft voice, cradling the girl, calming her tantrum.

Giovanna shook her head, curious.

“I don't remember,” she said, with her hand on her mouth, in an adorable way. Well, at least it made me smile.

“Of course not, you had just been born and I... Well, I got very, very sick... I couldn't take care of you, but do you know who did?” you asked, with a voice similar to the one you used when you told her a story.

 The girl shook her head.

“Donna, your mommy, she took care of you until I got well again. She fed you, changed your diaper, sang lullabies to you to make you fall asleep...” You explained, making the knot in my stomach grow stronger. I didn't want to remember those two weeks, I didn't want to.

“Mamma Donna?” the girl asked, lowering her gaze.

“Yes, honey, she was very kind to you, you should be a good girl and return her favor, don't you think?” you said, with a softer voice.

The girl seemed to think about it, but finally, just as I suspected, she shook her head.

“Go to play with Angie, okay?” you said when you looked at me out of the corner of your eye, when you realized my presence. “Then we could take a walk in the forest, would you like to?”

“Yes, yes, a walk!” Giovanna said, excited about the idea, running around the room, passing by me without even looking at me.

“Donna, darling,” you sighed, walking slowly towards me, looking down at my wound, still bleeding. “Oh, my love… Have you hurt yourself again?”

I nodded, trying not to look at her, feeling ashamed, feeling that I was the monster you seemed to fall in love with once again.

“Gods, what have you done? Come, let's heal you,” you sighed, with that look you had when my mind went crazy, something that hadn't happened for too long.

Slowly, with a sad look, you bandaged my wound, not wanting to say anything, looking at me from time to time, with pity, thinking you had lost me again.

“Giovanna said I wasn't her mother,” I murmured while you worked on my wound. You looked at me, sighing, closing the bandage around my hand, holding it in yours.

“Don't pay attention to her, she's a little girl. You know that children say a lot of nonsense,” you commented, lifting my chin so you could see my face damaged by crying.

“It's not nonsense,” I said, furious again.

"Of course it is. Giovanna loves you, even if she doesn't tell you, I know,” you said in a soft tone, trying to convince me to abandon that shameful jealousy, that lack of your love that girl was forcing me to feel.

“You think so?” I said, turning around, looking on the coffee table for one of the many drawings my daughter made and showing it to you superbly. “Where am I here?”

“Oh, well...” you said, taking the sheet of paper, looking at the figures of Giovanna, Angie and you. “Oh, look, here you are,” you said smiling, pointing to a small black figure in the corner of the paper. I raised my eyebrows.

“There are lint in this house bigger than that black stain,” I said ironically, becoming defensive again.

“That black stain is you,” you joked, nudging me. I looked at you with a burning gaze, making you step back.

“Exactly, I'm just a black stain in our daughter's life, and in your life,” I murmured, looking away.

“No, that's not true, you know I love you very much Donna. You know that I...” you said, almost begging for me to listen to you, too late.

“I have to work on my dolls,” I said, getting up from the couch, rubbing the bandaged wound on my hand. “Thank you for healing me.”

“Donna, honey, wait...”

Nothing you said could be enough to calm the tide of my dark thoughts.

Just a black stain, a monster that wanted to separate my daughter from her mother, that was me in that family, nothing else.

“We'll be back before it gets dark,” you said, kissing me on the cheek as you said goodbye, heading out the door. “Come on, Gio, give mommy a kiss,” you ordered the girl, who was tugging impatiently at your dress.

“I don't want to,” the girl murmured, taking refuge between your legs. “Come on, mom, come on.”

You looked at me, apologizing for her, I shook my head. Not even Angie stayed with me.

With nothing better to do, I leaned on the porch railing, watching you walk away, letting my mind think that this might be the last time I saw you. In my hands, I held the black veil with which I used to cover my face, imagining a fleeting hope that would allow me to go with you.

I'm just stupid, like my daughter said. I didn't deserve the fantastic family I had. I never did it, it was all my fault.

“Look, Donna, what a kick... It's incredible...”

“Do you think we should paint the room? It's a bit dull for a girl, or a boy...”

“I want to see what it's like...”

As I looked somewhere I didn't notice, I remembered those moments, those horrible moments of your pregnancy, horrible, yes, but also tender, adorable. I was to blame for your suffering and your smiles. The harm that little Giovanna did to you was the first of my punishments.

I sighed, letting a tear fall onto the wooden floor, shaking my head, denying myself the truth of a terrible thought. You would be much better off without me.

“Donna, Donna!” A shrill voice derived that horrible thought from my head. My Angie doll appeared from the trees, clumsily running towards me.

“Angie? What's going on?” I asked, shaking my head as I ran to pick up the puppet, who was panting comically from that impromptu run.

“(Y/N), (Y/N) and Gio are in trouble, you have to help them, quickly!” the doll shouted, pulling the fabric of my dress. I, scared by that phrase, calmed the puppet by shaking it so it would stop babbling.

“What? In trouble?” I asked scared, with my body trembling with fear.

“Some bad men have trapped them in the forest, you have to do something, run, run!”

Frightened by that revelation, I put the black veil over my face, lowering the doll to the ground. My gaze darkened.

Nobody touches my family.

“Okay, take me there, Angie,” I whispered.

The doll nodded and led me by the hand into the depths of the forest.

“Do you want to stay still, you damn brat?” A deep voice reached my ears. This horrible vision appeared behind some bushes.

Two men, probably from the village, were holding my daughter, holding you in the same way while you kicked, trying unsuccessfully to get out of their grasp.

“Ah! Damn! She has bitten me!” The fatter one yelled, protesting against Giovanna's surprising attack against his hand.

“Let my mom go, you silly! Let her go!” the girl shouted, now in the arms of that evil man.

“Damn child!” the other man shouted, trying to keep you still.

“Gio!” you screamed, watching how the girl kicked tirelessly. My whole body burned with rage. “Let her go, you asshole, she's a child!”

“I will if you give me what I want, young lady,” the bandit murmured.

“I already told you that we don't have money!” you screamed again, growling, fighting with the hands that went to your neck.

“I think so, look at that girl's doll, it must be worth a lot of lei...”

“No, Mrs. Freckles!” Giovanna yelled, when that vermin snatched her doll.

“You're screwing up quite well... You don't know where you've gotten yourself,” you growled, your eyes burning with helplessness.

I couldn't take it anymore.

“Mamma!”  Giovanna  said when I, with a calm, threatening step, appeared from the shadows.

“Ah!” the fat man shouted, receiving a well-deserved kick in the crotch from my daughter, something that made me smile.

“Damn... What the hell...?” the man murmured, now moaning in pain, while I picked up my frightened daughter in my arms.

“Oliver, look who she is...” the man holding you said, pointing at me, who was trying to comfort the little girl's crying.

“Oh, shit...” the fat man sighed, eyes wide open, kneeling in the snow. “Lady Beneviento…”

I didn't say anything, I just sighed, cradling my daughter who, for once, clung to me disconsolately.

“Donna,” you whispered, with a triumphant smile.

“Greg, I think you should let the girl go,” the kneeling man said. His friend, unfortunately for him, didn’t seem to pay attention to him.

“Are you stupid? She can't hurt us, she's just a nutcase,” his partner said, with a crazy look, putting a knife to your neck. “Don’t, don't move or the girl dies.”

“Greg, no...” the fat man said, pulling on his partner's clothes.

“Are you a coward or what's wrong with you?” this Greg guy snapped, smiling in a horrible way, holding the sharp blade to your delicate neck. “One, one step back, you doll psychopath…”

Of course, I didn't obey.

“Don't insult her, dude... Don’t do it...” his partner lamented, closing his eyes and bowing his head.

“Get up, now we have the control. She won't do anything if she doesn't want the girl to get hurt,” that stupid man said, making me laugh. “Give us everything you have if you don't want us hurt her. I will do it, I swear...”

“No, you won't,” I whispered, extending my free hand toward them.

“Ah! Snakes!” the fat man shouted, rolling on the ground. “They are everywhere!”

The girl looked at me smiling curiously, just like you, who was no longer trembling.

“What do you say, Giovanna? What do you think can scare that stupid guy so much?” I asked amused, looking into the scared eyes of the man who was still holding you.

“Mmm,” the girl murmured, changing terror for amusement. “Coccodrilli!”

“I like it,” I said with a dark look, walking towards that man who was threatening you. His eyes changed to ones of terror, especially since his partner continued to struggle with his hallucinations.

“No, no, wait, wait,” he said, letting you go and putting his hands up. “It, it was a misunderstanding, I... Ah! It has torn off my arm!” He said horrified, when he finally succumbed to my powers.

You ran to my side, into my arms, with a smile of relief, the three of us watching that pitiful spectacle together.

“They’re everywhere!”

“It ripped off my leg! Help!”

I approached them slowly, putting a hand on your shoulder, holding little Giovanna in my arms.

“The next time you mess with my family I won't be pious,” I threatened, giving as much fear as I could, being that monster I hated so much being, to protect my family.

“That’s right!” the girl said “Fools!”

The rats fled at last, leaving a small moment of tension behind them.

“Gods, Donna, you showed up,” you whispered, removing the black cloth from my face, kissing me quickly and then our daughter. “Gio, are you okay?”

“Mrs. Freckles!” the girl screamed. I lowered her to the ground so she could run towards her doll, now with a broken arm.

“Don't worry, honey, Donna will fix it,” you said, you now being the one holding the girl, as expected. “Come on, let's go home…”

The way back was silent. Your hand in mine expressed gratitude, love, what I didn't think you felt for me. Even Giovanna's distrustful look seemed to change, looking at me embarrassedly over your shoulder, as if she were sad, or sorry for something.

The next day the routine continued, but not before talking at length about that incident. Miraculously, Giovanna didn’t seem to have nightmares that night and, surprisingly, according to you, excited by my bravery, you allowed me to make love to you, for the first time in many months.

That small release seemed to mark the beginning of a new stage, or maybe it was just that the girl was too sleepy to want to annoy me. I didn't know.

Like every day, I worked on my dolls, well, that time, on poor Mrs. Freckles, repairing her arm in silence, with the only sound of the workshop clock keeping me company.

A tug on my dress distracted me. I hadn't heard her, but my daughter had entered the workshop like a silent breeze. I assumed she wanted to check the state of Mrs. Freckles' injury.

“Mamma...” she murmured, with her head bowed. I sighed, smiling, pretending that I had no hard feelings, pretending I didn't care about her attitude toward me.

“What do you want, tesoro? She's almost fixed,” I murmured, looking at the doll again. The girl tugged at my dress again, now catching my attention.

Giovanna didn't say anything. She just moved her hands up, opening and closing her fists with a sad look, asking, surprisingly, to be held in my arms.

I, without hesitation, obeyed her silent request, sitting her on my lap while I fixed her favorite doll.

“Will she recover?” she asked, observing my work. I smiled sincerely, nodding.

“Of course,” I said, amused. “Mrs. Freckles is very brave, don't you think?”

Giovanna nodded profusely, with a hand on her mouth, a hand that I slowly withdrew, so I could see the precious daughter I conceived.

“You are also very brave,” she murmured, as if something was stopping her from saying that. I stopped sewing, looking at my daughter's sincere expression. “You saved us.”

“I only did what I had to do, tesoro, protect my family,” I said with a slightly serious tone, accommodating the girl in a more comfortable position.

“I have a gift for you...” Giovanna whispered, taking one of her little hands to the pocket of her dress and taking out a sheet of paper.

I picked it up slowly, frowning when I saw one of Giovanna's drawings. Mysteriously, I seemed to be the protagonist.

“Look, mamma, it's you, see?” she explained, pointing to my dark figure in the  middle of the drawing, rising triumphantly over two evil bandits. “Look, that's mom and me, smiling because you saved us.”

“Giovanna, it's... Amazing...” I sighed, trying not to get too excited, looking over and over again at the surprising details of that drawing.

“You will always protect us, right?” she asked with a low voice, as if she was also about to cry.

“Of course, tesoro,” I said, wiping away a tear that finally ran down her cheek. “Mom and you are the most important things in my life.”

“And will we always be?” the girl asked, a little more worried.

“Always, my love,” I said, with a smile.

“Won't you let them hurt mom?” she asked again.

 I shook my head.

“Never,” I said, with a more serious tone. Giovanna smiled and, with an unexpected gesture, jumped into my arms, hugging me tightly, with an affection that I could never imagine or deserve.

“I love you so much, mamma...” she whispered with a tender voice, finally making me emotional.

“I love you too, my beautiful girl...”

[cinnamonest]

Was thinking if there're any yans that'd want to get married asap, because y'know, when girls use the reason that '19 is too early to get married,' they're just trying to get out of doing any real work or struggle and are looking for an excuse to sleep around (actual comment I read from an irl man, btw) But ooooof, they discover darling is waaaayyyy past her prime atp!! She's practically close to hitting the WallTM . I mean, yes they still think about her and yes they'd still pay her to fuck them, and yes, it's very unfortunate she's let so many men run her over and hasn't done achieved anything meaningful in her life, line getting married and serving her husband and enduring the marriage if things get "rough", but that's exactly why he's as generous and kind as he is!!!

ASFjdsKfjwa;fdashfhD ANON I never thought I’d read the phrase “the wall” outside of angry middle aged men on twitter the way I did a double take 😭😭

This specifically has like Ayato/Diluc vibes to me, I feel like even in a modern setting they’re still coming from wealth/nobility and you know how the elite class loves their young marriages, so it’s just what both are conditioned to as being normal.

But you’re so right and I love the thought of some delusional guy with a crippling savior complex lusting after some woman, convincing himself she should be grateful he wants her so bad and that she has some degree of due blame and shame for a perceived fault.

After all, you’re like, what, over 20? Basically a hopeless spinster. Probably desperate to get married, got baby rabies, all that stuff, not to mention probably insecure and jaded and calloused — all things that should be bad, but for him, it sparks these sorts of intricate fantasies and urges.

To correct you. To save you. You poor, misguided thing. Maybe you were too focused on pointless things like a career, not knowing that such a thing is worthless for you.

Or maybe you were just too shy. Or too picky. Whatever is wrong with you or however you screwed up, it’s okay, you can be forgiven for your wrongs. Sure, you’re resistant at first, in the same way a stray cat picked up off the street might initially hiss and scratch, a defense mechanism out of fear, nothing more. But with enough persistent affection — healthily balanced out with a firm hand where needed — you’ll come around in no time, and he knows you'll very happily and naturally fall right into the role he wants from you.