riot-control-camp · 6 months ago
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OKAY NOT DONE TALKING ABOUT THE LITTLE GARDEN ARC
ESPECIALLY THE NARRATIVE PARALLELS BETWEEN ZORO AND SANJI AND DORRY AND BROGGY??? THE FACT THAT THOSE PARALLELS PARTICULARLY IMPLY THAT THEY HAVE A SPECIAL BOND THAT WILL LAST LITERALLY FOREVER???
THE VISUAL WHERE THE AUDIENCE REALIZES THAT THE MOUNTAIN RANGES WERE SKULLS?? PAIRED WITH THEM LYING IN THE SAME POSITION AS ZORO AND SANJI'S TWO DINOSAURS LEFT BEHIND ON THE BEACH?
average tumblr user notices single instance of symbolism, more at 11.
but usopp getting more moments of bravery!!! WE STAN HIS ARC!!!!! I LOVE HIM!!!
zoro getting to laugh and tease people this arc was beautiful, i love that stupid cunty bitch
sanji getting his part of the arc done through cunty trespassing, lying through his teeth, and beating up animals? FANTASTIC THANK YOU FOR MY LIFE (specifically thank you for that twisting move he did with his heels around the vultures head. how does it feel to live MY. D R E A M)
LUFFY WAS SO SHAPED. I WOULD KILL FOR HIM. HE'S SO FERAL.
and calling it now, nami is absolutely going to get malaria girl is the QUEEN of "it's nothing [2 episodes later it is in fact a resonant Something with excruciating plot relevance and emotional stakes attached to it"
almost simped for crocodile but miss all sunday was Right There MA'AM. MA'AM. RESPECTFULLY AND ASEXUALLY, TILL THE BED FUCKING BREAKS--
also he has a giant gold pet which i don't fuck with. also his rings remind me of redd white from ace attorney who is Unfuckable as he is a murderer of a mentor figure (other forms of murder have not detered me from simping in the past. in fact it is typically a point in a character's favor)
also oh my god tumblr makes so much more sense now that i am attempting to use it while high, my fluency rate and understanding of how every person on this platform is distressingly and hilariously comfortable assuming their experience is universal
okay but the still of the giant's weapon shards thrown over their head in victory? makes me insane, will never be over it cannot fucking handle it will be crying forever and ever
#oli oscillates#one piece#one piece little garden#however one thing i will say also is i read a zosan fic wherein sanji asked zoro when zoro knew he loved him#and zoro answered 'little garden' which after seeing this arc i sense that that is BULLSHIT#i feel like that's probably when he started FALLING#as there is DEFINITELY a shift in how zoro talks to him in that reuniting scene. like the vibe of that was different#but zoro would not. realize that yet??? i genuinely don't think#like#like they have only been a consistent crew for arlong loguetown and the laboon arc?? (not counting apis as she's anime filler#and i skipped it)#i think this is when zoro would start QUESTIONING why he cares so much about who wins between him and sanji.#why he's so desperate to be relevant to him. why he has to give as good as he gets#and i think sanji respectfully#IS NOT THERE YET. his character from what i understand at this point in the show is.#well the POINT of his delivery is that he has three faces. how he treats women how he treats men. and how he treats someone he fights#(the last of which is implied to be the “truest” version of him--the iron core that makes him worthwhile as a Good Guy Deep Down tm)#and consequently a member of the strawhats)#i would love to see how future arcs handle the interaction of those three dynamics or a more unified sense of self for sanji#because much as i am down bad nasty for him there's this profound like. i almost want to say insecurity in him that makes him feel--#very wet cat traumatized. he gives me “unloved as an early child and therefore has a fucked up sense of self or love as concepts” vibes#it wouldn't surprise me if he didn't fall until much later than zoro#anyways#mutuals forgive me for holding you hostage in the tags accidentally i have had the goofy silly
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dfcfanfics · 3 years ago
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Self-Improvement In One Easy Step Miraculous Prompt of the Day
Adrien sat at his piano bench, fighting the urge to slam his head down upon the keys.
It had been one of those days where _everything_ had gone wrong.  An awkward post-battle conversation with Ladybug as Chat left her feelings hurt and him apologizing, Marinette had seemed oddly distant at school, his father was being his father... and this tricky piece of Stravinsky continued to elude him.  Demonstrating his ineptitude at the latter would certainly send his father into another round of disappointment and criticism, and that might be more than Adrien could handle at this point.
"I wish that I could just... Cataclysm all the things that I don't like about myself.  All my personality faults, all my fears, all my worries... just remove them from the world and be done with them," Adrien muttered
"I'm kind of glad that you haven't yet," Plagg consoled him.  
He realized his error when Adrien turned to him with a calculating expression on his face.
"What do you mean... yet?"
~----~
“Hoo, boy.  This is a conversation I really didn’t plan on having today...” lamented Plagg, as Adrien dragged him to the sofa and glared at him intently.
“But we’re having it.  What did you mean by that?” Adrien insisted.  “Look, I’m talking with you about this instead of just transforming and trying to do it.  I am capable of some self-restraint.”
“Which is a good thing.  Because, uh, technically... you could remove that from yourself.  But I really really really really don’t recommend trying!” worried Plagg.  
Adrien listened to Plagg’s explanation with a profound sense of wonder.  
“Tinkering with your own self like this... or something bigger... it’s dangerous.  It’s tricky and easy to screw up.  And you don’t get takebacks when it goes wrong... and it will.”  
“You’re sure that it would,” ventured Adrien.
“Absolutely.  It’s like performing brain surgery on yourself, while looking in a mirror to know where to cut.  Except without the cutting-your-head-open part,” Plagg retorted.  “So many things can go wrong.  Like, imagine that you hate that you’re hesitant to do something or say something, right?  So you Cataclysm ‘hesitation and doubt.’  Then you go to cross the street the next day, and there’s no little voice telling you, ‘I don’t know if I can make it across without getting hit by a car.’“
“And... splat,” Adrien concurred.  
“The other thing is that the way Cataclysm usually works... on objects... that’s kind of self-contained,” noted Plagg.  “It draws a lot of energy from the thing that you’re Cataclysming as it breaks it down.  But if you’re destroying something conceptual... that power comes straight from you.”
“I could destroy an entire concept?” marveled Adrien.
“You could try,” smirked Plagg.  “It’s all based on willpower.  Like, you could Cataclysm a chicken.  You can’t just declare, ’No more chickens,’ and blow them all away at once because chickens are creatures, objects, right?  You’d have to do them one by one.  But if you said, ‘I Cataclysm evil,’ that’s where it gets nasty.”
“How so?” 
“For one, it would take out whatever you perceived as evil.  That’s a judgment call, based on your own morals and beliefs.  For another... where would it stop?” Plagg worried. “Imagine a wave coming out of you and passing over Paris, erasing any ‘evil’ it touches.”  
“Would it stop at a city block?  At the city limits?  Over all of France?” wondered Adrien.
“It would stop when you intended it to.  Or when it drained the last drop of life energy out of your body, and the spell ran out of juice and just fizzled right there.“
Plagg gave him the most serious look Adrien had ever seen from him.  “There’s a reason that all we tell hosts about are the basics of our powers,” Plagg admitted.  “That we tend to be given to young people who have built-in limitations.  A person with a will of absolute iron, using me... they could alter the entire human race in one shot.  Or pick one victim and just... mind-warp them into something unrecognizable, by destroying their capabilities to act or think otherwise.”
Adrien frowned.  “I don’t like the sound of that.  At all,” he agreed.
“You shouldn’t.  That’s epic villain stuff, right there,” insisted Plagg.
“But... in the right circumstances, with me limiting the effect as much as I can... it might be good to know that I have this in my toolbox,” ruminated Adrien.  
“You have to understand, there’s no ‘temporary’.  You can’t Cataclysm away your doubt for the next thirty minutes.  Once something’s gone, it’s gone,” Plagg emphasized.  “Unless it’s something that could grow back naturally.”
“Or, unless... someone with the power of Creation helped it grow?” 
Plagg covered his face with his hands.  “You don’t want to go there.  Don’t even tell Ladybug that that’s an option,” he wailed.  “Tikki would tear me apart.” 
“Seriously, though,” Adrien continued.  “If I break down something with the power of Cataclysm... something theoretical, something conceptual... and Ladybug uses that energy to reshape it into something better, to create a new and improved version...”
“I’m going to say three things,” Plagg shouted.  “One: don’t.  Two: don’t! And three, I’m going back to bed now before I get myself and the world in more trouble.”
As the tiny cat floated away, wobbling over to one of his favorite perches, all tht was running through his head was a single sentence:
I have a really bad feeling about this.
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sashastarlight · 3 years ago
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Angst, personal rant
Being able to buy myself food again when I need it is so nice, as exhausted as I am having an income again is just so nice. I’ve really been on the fence about if I’ll be able to handle two jobs at once. I’d love the extra income and connections and I would way more afford moving out, but I am just so scared of the physical stress causing migraines and that leaving me unable to do either job. x~x  Everyone just encourages me and sites my strengths which is great and all. I know I have the potential to be fantastic as a 1:1 teacher while doing my barista gig. Yet nobody really understands just how bad and invasive the stress migraines can be at the wrong time. It has been a lot better since I started my two antidepressants and HRT meds, I get them a lot less often. But it leaves me vulnerable to not having my meds and suffering really nasty withdraw that triggers into the migraines.  It really shouldn’t be a problem, but without health insurance it is. Especially since our whole medical industry is just crazy and all over the place and it seems like every doctor or therapist I get is bound to move their practice within the year, or jump to a different location. There is no feeling of security any more. I’m sick of refilling my meds becoming my primary job when I need to jump through 5 hoops and make 6 phone calls to get it done when all the stuff I’ve done pre-emptively just ends up not working and dead-ending because of shitty rushed app designs or non-communication somewhere in that whole mess.   I’m really thankful I can get the care that I can, and I am super thankful for reasonable sliding scale procedures when the cost of personal/private healthcare in this country is LITERALLY INSANE. Although, it just doesn’t help establish the security I need to work two jobs and move out and god I just want to move out I want out of this place so bad. Don’t get me wrong I love and cherish my family, but unless they seriously grow up about about our generation and get out of their toxic bias bubble they are never going to truly reconnect to me. Much love for all their attempts, and I want them to enjoy their retired life they have worked really hard for, but that is quite frankly the short of it. And the only answer I have is move out on my own. That or keep allowing their toxic unresolved mental health to degrade my own in exchange for more time to build my own financial security.  I just don’t know what to do and my best friend who I deeply love and cherish like a brother really wants me to step into this teaching role, he hopes it will really have a profound impact on me like it did to him. I feel a lot of the same things. He knows it will really help me get out of here to, and I know he is there for me every step of the way. But, if I stop my meds I know I won’t reach out to anyone until a week of damage is done. I try so hard to be self sustainable that when this one pin comes out I struggle against fixing it until I finally break down and ask for help, in the meantime I just have no energy and I ghost everyone in favor of getting through what I feel like I Need to get through. I feel like I need someone closer who I can’t ghost, who can notice I’m overwhelmed and just snap me out of it with a simple sentence or even a look, like it used to be... but I am nowhere near a place where I feel comfortable establishing a healthy relationship of any kind, and I would never want to try and start one with the motive of re-establishing that security at the forefront of my mind. Not to say dating or starting relationships with that comfort and security is a bad thing I just don’t want to go into one with any ulterior motives in mind and I am just not in a stable enough place yet. hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh rant over for now. 
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napoleoninrags · 4 years ago
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MY PLAN FOR HOW TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE AN ELECTION, TRUMP IS REMOVED, AND THE REPUBLICANS ARE GONE FOR GOOD
by Michael Moore
TRUMP HAS DECLARED WAR ON US AND OUR DEMOCRACY.
IT’S TIME FOR US TO PUT OUR LIVES ON THE LINE, IF NECESSARY, AND TO MAKE HIM THE LAST REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT OF OUR UNITED STATES.
Trump, right now, tonight, is up to some very nasty, scary stuff — stuff we can’t even imagine — and of course we can’t imagine it because we don’t think like Trump. Our brains are wired for love, empathy, solidarity, compassion, freedom, person, woman, man, camera, TV.
You know like I know that Trump has a devious, wicked plan to destroy this Election. We need to declare, immediately, that it is he and the Republican Party who have to go, for the sake of this country’s existence, they must be crushed and removed.
Trump actually has an arsenal of plans already in action to ensure he never leaves office. He has them all in high gear — some visible, some not. If you could see them all you’d be so stunned, you’d have to immediately convince yourself that there’s no way he can pull this off.
We are all caught in Trump’s Matrix, a mad web, the work of a psychopath-in-chief with tricks so devious that fascists of old, if alive today, would marvel at what Trump has accomplished.
For the next 11 weeks — and then for the 12 weeks between the Election and the Inauguration — Trump is planning nothing but anarchy, chaos, a call to arms of his angry white male followers and the complete destruction of our democracy. You think I’m kidding? You think I’m overstating the case? Do you want to take the risk that I might not be wrong? Most of you understandably chose not to listen to me four years ago when I warned you Trump was going to win the Presidency by taking Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. May I please ask that you now give me your serious attention for what I am about to say — because if I’m right again this time, there won’t be a next time. There will be nothing left for me to warn you about. There probably won’t be much left of me.
Here’s how Trump plans to end our right to choose the next President and Congress. It will happen fast. I am also laying out here a battle plan for us to defeat this takeover of our democracy. We must act now.
HERE ARE TRUMP’S 5 PLANS ALREADY IN MOTION:

PLAN #1: Create Chaos. Instill Fear. Fire Up the Base with Racist Vigor. Pandemonium Ensues.
CHECK. DONE.
PLAN #2: Suppress the Vote
•Dismantle the Post Office.
•Create 4-Hour-Long Lines by Drastically Reducing Number of Polling Locations.
•Throw Black and Brown Voters Off the Rolls.
•Stop Those Who’ve Served Time from Voting.
•Place 50,000 “Poll Watchers” at Voting Sites Around the Country to Intimidate Voters.
VOTER SUPPRESSION IN ACTION AS WE SPEAK.
PLAN #3: Postpone the Election. Place the blame on a “legitimate” national tragedy or emergency — massive deaths from the pandemic, a terrorist attack, an assassination, a deadly hurricane, a civil war in the streets, one or both Presidential candidates falling ill to Covid-19 — anything that reasonable people, even people who are opposed to Trump, will agree that “we just can’t hold an election right now! We just need to postpone it for a couple days, a couple weeks (a couple months... a couple years...)” Or perhaps he’ll just cancel the Election outright and see if he can get away with it.
TRUMP READY TO PULL THE TRIGGER.
PLAN #4: His September Surprise.
His October Surprise.
His November Surprise.
His January Surprise.
You think you can guess what it will be, but trust me, it’ll be far worse. We need to be ready. Stay on high alert, my friends. Millions of us will need to act on a moment’s notice. It’s the grim reaper of Democracy at our doorstep. We made the mistake of letting Trump get this far — why wouldn’t he now think he can get away with everything??
THE SURPRISE IS UNKNOWN. THAT’S WHY IT’S A SURPRISE.
PLAN #5: He Will Not Leave.
When Trump loses, he will declare the Election invalid, rigged, stolen — and he will refuse to step down.
So, what will we do then?
HERE IS OUR BATTLE PLAN TO REMOVE TRUMP AND THE REPUBLICANS:
1. Do Not Wait — Biden/Harris Should Start Running the Country Now.
We simply don’t have time to wait until January 20, 2021. Nearly 200,000 of us have already died from Trump’s reckless incompetence with the coronavirus. By Election Day it’s possible another 100,000 to 200,000 of us will have needlessly died. A total of 400,000 dead? That’s the equivalent of one hundred and thirty-three 9/11s! Or 532 planes being flown into 532 buildings. If something that horrific ever happened, and the President not only didn’t do anything about it, but tried to pretend it wasn’t all that bad - “it is what it is” - he would be run out of the White House by an angry mob of millions of Americans, lucky not to have his head put on a spike on the Key Bridge over the Potomac.
It doesn’t have to come to that. Biden and Harris should present to America a simple nationwide plan to end the pandemic — and then act on it immediately.
They should call a meeting of all the Governors and ask them what help do they need — and then find a way to get them that help, going around Trump and just making it happen. They should ask industry, in lieu of campaign contributions, to produce hundreds of millions of instant-result tests. They should call their Heads of State friends overseas and ask them to send all the PPE they can spare. They should get 250 million Americans to take the “Face Mask Pledge.” And they should promise the scientists in our top universities all the money and help they need once they’re in office. Ignore Trump. Treat him as if he’s irrelevant and get the job done.
2. The Republican Party Must Be Crushed and Destroyed. Trump Must Become the Last Republican President.
In the Michigan county where I live, the August primary this month set a record turnout for a presidential-year primary. In fact, more people this year voted by mail-in ballot than ALL those who voted in 2016 — by mail-in AND in-person combined. This is a highly encouraging sign for what we now need to do:
• We must create an historic massive turnout between now and November 3rd — a tsunami of voters the likes of which have never been seen, and may never be seen again. In 2016, 66 million Americans voted for Hillary Clinton. This time, though, we have to WALLOP Trump with an electoral concussion, a blow so profound he won’t know what hit him. This must be a defeat so crushing, so humiliating, a whooping of such epic proportions that he will be forced to leave 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with his tail between his legs on January 20th. This mammoth landslide must not only ensure that no president ever behaves this way again, we need to see to it that Trump is the last Republican president. The Election Day Uprising must put an end to this party of Trump enablers and traitors. They had a choice. They chose Trump over Democracy. They chose Putin and Netanyahu over fair elections and freedom for all. They chose the 1% over the 160 million working Americans. They chose the NRA over the massacred children of Sandy Hook. They chose to rig our elections, our textbooks, our economy. Democrats helped them along the way, and we’ll take the stick to them and fix that. The Republicans, though, chose to let hundreds of thousands of their fellow citizens perish from Covid-19 because loyalty to Party and to Trump was greater than their duty to the American people. For that alone, the Republican Party must be put out of business for good. Vote out every last one of them. Conservatives will have to form a new party, much like when the Whigs were sent packing in the 1800s. The Republicans must pay for their crimes.
• We must flip the Senate —- and not just by the three seats we need for control. We should shock the pundit class and, as the Republican Party is reduced to ashes, grab a solid 55+ seat majority. Colorado, Arizona, Maine, North Carolina, Georgia, Iowa, Montana and even Kansas, South Carolina and, yes, Texas (a state that is now 57% non-white) — are all possible Democratic Senate wins. Think about spending a weekend or a week helping out in one of these states. The Republicans will wish they had managed this pandemic better and had everyone busy back at work by now. All this “free time” should make for their undoing.
• Finally, we have to vote the local Republicans out of office, too. State Houses and Senates will be drawing the electoral map for the next ten years. We can’t let the cheating Republicans do this again. Do what you can to elect Dems in your state and local elections. The punishment of the Republican Party — a certified terrorist organization for having helped kill at least 200,000 Americans — is an imperative.
3. Who Would Be Willing To, If Need Be, Put Their Life on the Line To Ensure This Election Is Held and EVERYONE Gets to Vote? I Would. Would You?
These steps must be taken immediately:
• The Secret Service, the FBI, the Capitol Police and the Joint Chiefs of Staff must be called before Congress and swear under oath that they will guarantee that the election will be held, they will enforce the Constitution they swore to uphold, and if he’s defeated but refuses to leave, they will escort the former President of the United States out of the White House.
• Biden and Harris must put Trump on notice that if he does one more thing to interfere with the Election or issues one more threat to suppress the vote, they will turn him and his crime family over to the new Justice Department for prosecution.
• Every single one of us must be strong in our publicly-stated resolve that there is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON ON EARTH TO POSTPONE OR CANCEL THE ELECTION. That’s our unmovable and intractable position. No national tragedy, disease, threat or the melting of all of Greenland will cause us not to vote on or before November 3rd. Even if, God forbid, either candidate passes in their sleep between now and Election Day, the Election will continue — and the winner’s VP - or Nancy Pelosi - will become President on Inauguration Day.
• Let’s all pledge that, if Trump tries to cancel the election or if he refuses to accept its results, millions of us will go to DC and encircle the White House, a thousand deep, until he backs down, resigns or is removed.
• And, if you can, quietly make this commitment to yourself: “There are only a very few things I’d be willing to give my life for. This is one of them.” I know. That’s dark. And heavy. And awfully sad because it shouldn’t have come to this. But if we can’t even say that, then what good are we? If we aren’t willing to make that sacrifice, then America is already over and we might as well just fold our tent and see if Canada will take the non-racist, non-homophobic, non war-mongering ones of us who have manners and get satire.
4. Become an Election Defender.
Each of you should form an urgent action group - a rapid response team - in your neighborhood or town and do the following:
• Hold a daily protest at your local post office
• Picket the home of your local Postmaster (he/she may be on your side, so bring them some baked goods)
• Chain yourself to a local blue USPS dropbox if you can find one. Or chain it to something that won’t move.
• Sign up with the city clerk to be a poll worker on Election Day - especially if you’re young. Because of the pandemic, polls will be very short of poll workers. If you’re told they have enough help, then call the local Democratic Party and offer to be a “poll watcher”, the group of people from each party who get to oversee the voting to make sure there are no irregularities.
• Demand your city create more voting locations. Convince owners of arenas, theaters, ball parks, malls - places with large open spaces - to offer their facilities as polling places so that everyone gets a chance to vote.
• Canvas your neighborhoods over the next month to get people to fill out the form you’ll have them sign to get a mail-in ballot — and if they want to vote in person, let them know when the first day is so they can do that. Make a list of who needs a Covid-safe ride. The earlier the better!
5. The Uprising We’re In Is Only Getting Bigger. The People Will Now Call the Shots.
Why wait for the politicians to fix the mess of a country we’re in when they helped orchestrate the mess in the first place? Why don’t we just declare how we want to live — a new way to govern and function as a country — and we will finally fulfill the promise of the American Dream that has never been realized. Life, liberty, true equality, a sharing of the wealth, being good citizens of this world and kind stewards of a fragile Earth.
What have we learned from this pandemic? What we already knew: That employer-based health insurance can evaporate in an instant. Health care is a human right.
That being told “we can’t afford that!” (free college, free child care, free medical care - the things most advanced nations have) is total BS — the government CAN afford anything we decide we need!
We’ve learned that teachers, nurses, the mailwoman, farm workers, mass transit drivers and the minimum wage workers stocking the grocery shelves at 3 in the morning are our most important citizens and they need the respect and income they deserve immediately. 74% of the country now believes a guaranteed annual income is a great idea — fifty percentage points higher than when Andrew Yang proposed it 7 months ago!
We’ve learned to slow down, consume less — and that is what may be the path to saving the planet (when the 4% of its inhabitants [US] is no longer sucking up 25% of its resources and hoarding more than half its wealth).
We’re about to go elect more women than ever before — a time to turn the reins over to the gender that stands a better chance of getting us through the deadly viruses of Covid, Capitalism and Republicans(R.I.P.).
None of this will be launched by politicians. It will only come about through you and me taking action as part of the largest protest movement in our history — still growing, still going strong! — to end the racism, the abuse of the police state, the disgusting income inequality and the hateful misogyny that is going to come to an end in our lifetime.
America, post-pandemic, must become a very different place. Let’s make this happen. Doing the above will be the best cure for the trauma of these past four years.
Commit to being the change.
Organize your friends and family today.
Make your plan to campaign in a swing state Sept. or Oct.
VOTE AS EARLY AS YOU CAN—and take 5 people along with you!
We can do this. Trump - we’re coming for you. I’ll be in the first U-Haul truck that pulls up to your door.
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zalrb · 4 years ago
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I see you don't talk about Katherine Pierce a lot in your blogs, so if you were in charge of the script, how would you change her? Make her more sympathetic or crueller? Who would you ship her with or would you create a new potential love interest? Do you think she deserves a happy ending or hell? Would she befriend someone or continue to be loyal to herself? Will she continue to obsess over Stefan or get over him? Will she be redeemed or not? I just like 'What ifs.'
Oh yeah, I have quite a few posts on why I think the fandom and the show hype Katherine up way more than she deserves:
Finally, what anons kept asking me about, Katherine Pierce being the Queen of hell. I am going to admit something, I think the show and the characters gas Katherine way too much, she isn’t the baddest bitch of all, I don’t think the characters are toast because she’s running hell, I don’t even think she deserves to run Hell, she’s petty, it’s not like she has master plans that completely destroy lives, she just makes things inconvenient for the core group like *ugh* I mean I guess I gotta go fix Elena because she has venom in her system, like what were the major consequences of what she did in 5x15 to Elena? Elena didn’t see Damon for an entire episode and couldn’t sleep with him immediately. Getting Jenna to stab herself was rude but the major consequence of that is Stefan and Elena breaking up. She outted the Klaroline sex and it just fractured an already fractured relationship with Tyler. The worst thing she did was cause Jeremy’s death and that wasn’t even intentional, it was just like oh well … yeah, my bad, bye. Like she’s a mean girl on steroids, that’s kind of it, she isn’t like this Badass Villain that no one can top and OMG SHE RUNS HELL. I mean Rebekah caused just as much damage as Katherine did because they’re both petty.
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I would’ve had Katherine come to town and seduce him and persuade him to leave them for her when he becomes a vampire but for right then he just carries on an affair and it would’ve been some shit where like his wife makes a scene at a founders ball begging him to come home and calling him disloyal and he has her committed to an institution citing that she’s insane … Like if Katherine is going to be Carmen, then make her Carmen, make her destroy and devour men actually and not whatever the show has her do now
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The problem with the whole OMG KATHERINE OUTRAN KLAUS thing is that she actually didn’t do much, the show makes it seem like she did all this shit and is two steps ahead and it’s like, she changed her name from Katerina to Katherine and moved around a lot. That’s essentially what it boils down to. I also love that it took Stefan and Damon like an episode and a half to find out where she was hiding in season 4 because it was convenient to the plot but she outran Klaus for 500 years [...] every time she does something I’m more like, Katherine that was rude instead of Katherine that is FUCKED UP. She isn’t this diabolical, supervillain, amazing badass, One and Only Katherine Pierce the show makes her out to be
....
I never said that my opinion was law first of all and her being one of the smartest characters on the show doesn’t make her a smart character period, the bar is fairly low on TVD. Even Katherine possessing Elena’s body was ridiculous because it was unbelievably contrived and was really just guesswork, Katherine was basically about to die and then suddenly wakes up and Elena is at her bedside which she didn’t actually know would happen, like that’s not something she could’ve actually counted on, that was manufactured. And what does she do when she’s in Elena’s body? Try to get Stefan back? Seriously? And she’s supposed to be a badass? OK sure. She’s apparently the Queen of Hell and she’s so focused on Stefan and Damon? No world domination? No? We’re just going to be petty? OK, but she’s a badass though. Every time they’re like Katherine Pierce wins again it’s something like injecting Elena with werewolf venom, OK but Rebekah ran Elena and Matt off the road creating a situation in which Elena dies and becomes a vampire. Omg Katherine killed a random girl to get the moonstone! OK but Rebekah locked Elena, Stefan and Caroline in the school then compelled Tyler to turn into a werewolf and barred them from using their supernatural gifts to get away. The damage Katherine creates isn’t any more or more profound than the damage that the other villains create. We’re just supposed to think she’s unbelievably smart because she ran from Klaus and that isn’t enough for me.
....
“Because Katherine is a manipulative nasty little slut” so are we just not going to talk about Damon’s misogyny? Also, why are we acting like Caroline being turned is the worst thing ever when literally last episode Damon killed Jeremy? And last season Damon tried to kill Caroline and abused and raped her? AND he turned Vicki and sent her over to Elena’s house for fun? And he literally just compelled a guy to keep going at Tyler just to see what happens. Like Katherine is actually pretty low-key compared to Damon’s shit, guys.
“I have a doppelganger who is hellbent on destroying all of us.” HOW? Katherine turned Caroline, shitty, yes, but like that’s kind of she’s all done right now. She just went to the wake and pretended to be Elena for five minutes, calm down.
....
Caroline’s fear of Katherine is the only one that makes sense since Katherine suffocated her with a pillow
....
Why does everyone keep saying that Katherine lies? She doesn’t lie, she’s actually quite straightforward. Do this thing for me or I will kill this person. She’s not lying about killing that person.
So this is all to say that if Katherine is supposed to be diabolical, then I would make her diabolical.
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allyvampirelass29 · 4 years ago
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The Besiege of Bruce Wayne McQueen
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A NOS4A2 Review By: Allyssa J. Watkins
I didn't say you could get up I'll swing the hammer back Until you've had enough Your armor cracking, amidst your son's frantic call Tell me, Victoria Who's the Strongest Creative of them all? Bones breaking You cower before me shaking As I wield my blunt instrument without relent You've had your fun, Bad Mother I hope you've gallivanted to your heart's content I am the magic your beautiful boy has so long lacked Bruce Wayne best behave Or I'll break his mother's back Lost Boys belong in Neverland Consider me, his Peter Pan You don't care for him like I can Neglect and endangerment is the McQueen way, isn't it? You selfish fake C'mon Vic He's safer with his Uncle Manx You ungrateful Brat....... Just say THANKS!!!!
Three words. PULSE. POUNDING. PHENOMENAL!!!!!!! I write this wide-eyed and shell-shocked, a trembling wreck of electric emotion, the prevalent being pure, paralyzing BLISS!!!! DAMN, NOS4A2 you are SPOILING us!!!! Is it Christmas!? Last week I watched the glowing potential of the ascending firework disappear, and just as I lamented its predicted fizzle out, it SHATTERED the skies around me with an explosion of colours brighter and more vivid than anything I've ever seen, in a deafening ROAR!!!! HOLY SMASH!!! I LOVED THIS EPISODE, so much so, that I feel like I lived it, every death defying second, so ALIVE with the rawest emotion, the most terrifyingly beautiful villainy, my every sense heightened, and in this bloody besiege for one, Bruce Wayne McQueen, our spectacular cast shines BLINDING, giving their best, and most authentic performances of the series. Prepare yourselves for a Lake House excursion, you will NEVER forget!!!!
I LOVED how this episode sent us sprawling right into the action, and I was so so so wrong about the fantastic build-up of the suspense from last week going to waste, because it lit the fuse for one HELL of a firework display. Where last week didn't hit me quite hard enough, this episode STRUCK like LIGHTNING, electrifying every vein, and barely taken breath. The fight scene....... yes, you know the one, the all out, claws drawn, hammer wielding, haughty taunting, smoulder and slashing duel to the death was pure, screaming, POETRY!!! It's ART, the most electric, ENTHRALLING, aria of wit and savagery, it's the single most INTOXICATING scene, not just in an episode full of instant iconic images, but of the ENTIRE series.
Vic VS Manx, a faceoff fraught with revenge and raw energy, no special powers, no knives even, just hurling razor-edged words, fighting, grappling, scraping, nothing but an autopsy hammer between the two of them, was MESMERIZING!!! Charlie is a black, roiling wave of breathtaking rage, coming down on his worst enemy like hurricane thunder, with a ruthless, ferocity, such as we have never before seen. I loved every second, even as I fell apart at the seams, hand clasped over my mouth, trying not to scream. While some might say this head on collision lacked his usual finesse and refined showmanship, I must vehemently disagree. How clever of the writers to give us a Charlie driven to the verge, snapping, shaking off his gentleman's cape, to reveal his sharpest edge, and rawest fury, not to mention darkest intent. Charlie's done playing the game....... he's ready to win, to take the queen. Or in this case, the prince.
The juxtaposition of his elegantly brandished wit, and the brutality of his swiftly dealt blows, is pure, and utter genius, not to mention one hundred percent CHARLIE!!! I grinned like a lovesick schoolgirl when he told Vic, "I hope you have galivanted to your heart's content." I'm swooning, even as I write that, his dialogue was on point, as the kids say, as perfectly tailored to his elegant malevolence, his beautiful wickedness, as that magnificent chauffer's coat!!! Also, forgive me my shameless fawning, but can we TALK about his shiny, raven especially gorgeous HAIR during this episode!? Whether it's falling wild in his eyes, as he draws back his blood-thirsty hammer, or hanging in dark, feathery waves, as he smirks, leaning over his seemingly vanquished nemesis, Charlie's iconic silken strands were as deadly as his backswing, drawing my eye, and stoking my passion something fierce!
I loved how he laid it all out for her in his Malicious Manx Rhetoric, and one of the things I desperately love about Charlie, is how he can speak such vulnerable truth, even in the midst, of a rasping seethe. He explains it all, passes his sentence, this is why you don't deserve him, this is what I'm going to do, and why you can't stop me, even as he pounds the hammer against her back, oblivious to the protective armor, cleverly concealed in her biker jacket, due to some quick thinking, and a fun, surprising telepathic assist from the miniature McQueen. "No Mom, just play dead......" I loved all the nerves Charlie touched on, not just physical nerves, but the exposed, emotional ones as well. He knows how insecure Vic has felt, about the kind of mother she's been, her shortcomings, her fear about not being good for him, not able to love him like she should, provide for him, and Charlie exploits that to profound perfection. "You won't be able to ride away from your Beautiful Boy. He'll call you, sometimes, from Christmasland, and you will see...... He's BETTER with me!!!"
But the thing that shook me the most, was the bleeding truth of his words as he told her, "That's what you do, Victoria, you run. Even from the things that you LOVE!" WOW Charlie....... the depth, the piercing insight in that quote still gives me chills like mad, and it's a searing revelation. I also marveled at Charlie's outright admission of having been in love with Vic, which I'd always suspected, especially after Parnassus, but he's never just come out and said it, and definitely not to her face. "It's a dangerous game...... endeavoring to love Vic McQueen, I found that out myself with Craig, after you set us both on FIRE." I love how he snuck that in there, how he makes Craig and himself out to be HER victims, and I think Charlie's relationship status with Vic will always be, "It's Complicated," because while she holds a special fascination for him, most of her allure lies in the challenge. What he loves is the most about Vic is hating her. Hell hath no fury like Charlie Manx scorned.
You know what else, was just....... a THRILLING chill!? After giving her a good and proper thrashing, and tongue-lashing, Charlie's voice is a spiteful growl as he rasps furious, "Just say THANKS!!!" I could NOT breathe!! WOW........ What SPLENDID writing!!! It's not enough for Vic to lie there, and take her punishment, the punishment that in Charlie's eyes she so obviously deserves, but he demands her thanks as well, for taking her only child, reprimanding her wicked, wanton ways, sparing her from having to be a bad mother. "If you had a grateful bone in your body, you'd thank me......" Charlie has always seen himself as the hero of NOS4A2, saving children from their broken homes, and lonely lives, and if you told him point blank he was actually the villain, the antagonist, he'd scoff in your face. This idea that he's being generous, actually helping Vic, even as he enacts his ultimate revenge speaks volumes to that, and I loved it. He even tells her young son, with such soothe, "Don't worry........ She can never hurt you again."
That being said, I also loved how Vic fearlessly turned the tables on our handsome phantom, dropping the pretense of excruciating pain to strike hard, breaking Charlie's leg, and leaving a nasty gash across his lovely cheek, before reigning down hell on the Wraith. This was especially jaw-dropping for me, since I had written a scene eerily similar, over a YEAR ago, in my NOS4A2 Series, and it was such a giddy, breathless joy, to see it all play out, exactly as I had imagined it!!! I loved how Vic gives Charlie his insisted upon thank you, after making her move, even though, yes, I was a little heartsick, seeing that impossibly perfect face so drastically marred. The warm, happy, fuzzy feel of Wayne's childhood memories, interspersed with the impassioned violence was yet another INSPIRED, and poignant stroke of brilliance, and in my opinion made the scene even more powerful and intense. It also inspired a fascinating theory....... That Wayne is a Strong Creative, that can speak through his memories telepathically to his mother. There are several instances in, "Bruce Wayne McQueen," where our adorable title character floods his mother's mind with happier times, and words of wisdom. Yes, Vic is a powerful Creative, and this could very well be her own doing, but as she's never been one for sentiment before, something tells me Wayne is speaking to her, calming her down, keeping her safe.
This episode is a masterwork of action and suspense, a transformative audience EXPERIENCE. You're in the Wraith with Charlie and Wayne, sitting on the edge of the backseat, you're treading water, traumatized with Vic, as the bullets whizz past you under the surface, flinching with every shot Bing fires, and you're pressed up against the window with Wayne, hands on the glass, as his mother sobs her devastated goodbye, promising to find him, her stricken eyes so full of love, knowing she has to leave him, if ever she'll have the chance to fight again. It's so beautifully executed, every shot, drawing us into our creative heroes' journey with immersive cinematography. It's unique to any other episode that has come before, and stands out as a groundbreaking method of emotional storytelling.
I must say this though....... This episode was as close to achingly perfect as you can get, right up there with Sleigh House, a MAGIC that I never EVER thought anything in my natural life could touch, but as much enamour as I feel, there were a few slightly detracting flaws. I absolutely LOVED the shifts between different points of view, it may be an unpopular opinion, but I thought that was another daring risk, that definitely paid off. My issue however, lies in the repeated events from one person's point of view to the next. I felt that the needless repetition slowed down the breakneck action, throwing a kink in the timeline. There were more than a few times where I was like WAIT, did that happen before or after what we've just seen!? I appreciate that they were trying to give us a new vantage point to what we'd just witnessed, maybe even belabor the moment for dramatic effect, but it ate up valuable runtime, and undercut the flow in my opinion, as well as shortchanged the suspense, knowing full well what was going to happen, because we'd already seen it from another character's point of view! How much better to show a scene from one perspective, and then jump right into the consequent action with the change to the next? How much MORE would we have gotten to see!?!? Had they done that, then this episode would have surpassed even Sleigh House, my ultimate ideal.
Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy getting to see what happened in the car with the boys, during Vic's ride through the woods. I LOVED how Charlie, ever the paternal guardian, was so taxed by Wayne's vehement cries, and frantic banging on the windows, that he says, in true exhausted parent fashion, "Please Wayne, just a small nap......" There were times that the rewind worked, but most times, I just wanted to get on with the story. Another grievance....... What the HELL are the Wraith's windows made of!? Yes, I understand that this is a supernatural, sentient car, but SERIOUSLY!!!! No amount of force, be it from a swung wrench, or slammed autopsy hammer, or SPEEDING bullet, could shatter even one of the Wraith's windows. Yes, I know it added to the suspense, watching both parents try desperately, and still fail to free their son, but it detracted from the reality, suspending my suspension of disbelief. They should have been able to at least break ONE!!!
I was also a tad bit disappointed with The Hour Glass Man, how about you guys? The way Abe set him up to be this heavy hitter, this "Fixer," in the Dark Creative World, I was so excited to see his knife and how it worked!!! At the beginning of the episode, our calm, sharply-dressed secondary villain, uses an hour glass, not to stop time, not to rewind time, not to alter time, but....... to hypnotize the two feds long enough to assault the lake house, SHOOTING Chris McQueen in the leg, before turning the gun on themselves. Yes, it was only our first look, and I'm sure our man of unsolved mystery has more than a few tricks up his ironed sleeves, he isn't in high demand for nothing, but....... as he was supposed to be Charlie's ace in the hole, I had prepared myself for something truly mind-boggling, something more than just compulsion, an everyday occurrence on The Vampire Diaries. Even in his second go at Vic, he pulls a Manx, and just hits her with his far less supernatural SUV. I knew something was up, the way Charlie didn't veer, and try to run Vic off the road as she pursued him on her new motorcycle, firing shots into the driver side window. He let her ride alongside him, so calm, and I KNEW he was leading her into a trap, and leading me straight into my second disappointment with The Hour Glass Man. I don't know, even though it got the job done, and landed her in the hospital, him hitting her with the SUV just felt....... underwhelming, which this episode is definitely NOT.
The hidden hero of "Bruce Wayne McQueen," is by far Chris Freaking McQueen, who has redeemed himself in my eyes through his fearless fight, both to stay sober for his daughter, and to keep her from losing her son. Not gonna lie guys, I was HORRIFIED, when I thought the Feds killed him at the beginning of the episode, and for the longest time after he got shot I was like DON'T you dare FREAKING kill Chris, oh god, is Chris dead!? A question to which there is no answer until nearly the end of the episode. Vic, still treading water underneath the dock, shakes violently as she hears the gunshots go off a little too close, and I, myself, was scared as HELL, thinking Bing was firing straight down, having discovered her. A horrible moment, as the blood falls thick from between the wooden slats of the dock, directly onto Vic's forehead. And then....... Chris Freaking McQueen, like a gun wielding white knight charges the sick BASTARD, Bing Partridge, shooting him repeatedly, although, to our collective chagrin, does not kill him!!! Seriously. Somebody gut that Creepster Pervert like a fish!!! Chris even takes on Charlie all by himself, firing at the Wraith, as it speeds off to my complete and utter delight WITHOUT Bing Partridge leaving him behind, FINALLY!!! You GO, Charlie, time to sever ties with that obnoxious deadweight.
Where this episode uncovers Charlie in his most heightened, dangerous state, raw and intense, Bing is portrayed at his detestable WORST, and my hatred for this hulking henchman was infinite. I HATE the way he is with Wayne, it literally made me sick to my stomach. Charlie is so sweet and gentle, paternal, and patient with our dear little Bats, doting upon him, and you can tell how excited he is to be his father, how this particular child, Vic's only son, is the second most important entry into Christmasland, after his own daughter. I'm still dyyyying from the way he said, "You and I have been dreaming about each other, haven't we?" How PRECIOUS!!! In counterpart, Bing is disgustingly abusive, grabbing him up off the ground, dangling him by his arm, threatening to shoot him, bite him, calling Wayne a, "pretty girl," (GOD, YOU SICKO!!!!) and I just couldn't stand it, I was so damn furious, I couldn't see straight, and I'm DONE with Bing, I want to put a hit out on that lewd, child abusing, BASTARD!!! It would seem Charlie is done with him too, leaving him behind to die, and I especially enjoyed that cleverly veiled threat in the car, Bing droning on and on about what he wants to do when he gets to Christmasland, and Charlie smirking with a coy mention of a special feast. Yeah...... I see what you did there, Babe. It's time to hang a Partridge, swinging from a pear tree.
Another thing I particularly loved about this episode, was that it had the unique symmetry of beginning and ending in the hospital, and in both instances, Wayne's birth, and the aftermath of his abduction, Vic loses him. Even as a newborn, after a harrowing C-section, Vic knows something is wrong, crying out to the nurses, as they do CPR on the tender little babe, and after only just bringing him into the world, Vic already has to face the threat of one without him. That was beautifully mirrored in the final, heartbreaking scene, when Vic, seeing her boyfriend, and father in hospital beds from her own, but no Wayne, realizes, with abject terror, her son is gone. Her worst fear, the ONE man she'd fought for eight years to protect him from, has taken him. BEAUTIFUL, heart-wrenching, devastatingly good acting from Ashleigh, the desolate sobs, as her mother holds her in her arms, the hopelessness, and fear in her eyes. It shattered me.
An all time high for NOS4A2, "Bruce Wayne McQueen," holds all the emotional drama, and high risk of a proper Season Finale, and we're only FIVE episodes in!!!! If it's THIS good, this early in the story, I can't even imagine what lays in wait, as the Wraith races away with a very special boy in tow. Hold on, Strong Creatives....... Our WILDEST dreams are about to come true.........
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madlymiho · 5 years ago
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Your inbox is open and I am here to fulfil my destiny and request a scenario for Zoro and his long term fem!s/o who has a thing for men in leather and asks him to wear it for her and get kinky and you know I am here for absolute sin 👀👅💦 (love you 💚)
Hehehe… Well, honestly, I seriously made a very dominant Zoro for this one! But you came for the absolute sin, right? 😏💚 Love you too! And I truly hope you will enjoy this nasty scenario ~
Inspiration for Zoro outfit, just here!
Words : 2990
Warning : NSFW
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Zoro scenario : Leather pants (read after the cut)
“Seriously, this?” Zoro asks with his eyebrows furrowed. 
He grabs the leather pants with a powerful grip, creasing the material between his strong fingers. He can’t believe he actually has to dress like this for a sort of obscur and blurry mission he definitely not understand completely. She told him several days ago that she needed his help, but he didn’t sign for a sado-masochist outfit when he said yes! She sighs and puts her book aside, standing back up on her feet while she skirts the bed and comes closer. 
“Yes, this! We have a mission Zoro. You need to wear these pants,” she answers, crossing her arms around her chest while she digs her eyes in his concerned and unpleased look. 
“What kind of mission requires to wear leather pants and suspenders? I don’t want to look like a clown! Ask Sanji to dress like this if you want to have a submissive around, but not me!” 
She clearly fights her sudden deep need to mock him, his last sentence still echoing inside of her mind, but she manages to remain absolutely impassible, snatching the clothes out of his hands while she heavily sighs and starts to walk away.
“Fine! Let’s ask the cook to help me on this one, since mister muscles is turning into a diva!” 
“Hey, stay here,” Zoro snaps, gripping her wrist before she can walk away. 
She knows he tends not to appreciate when she mentions Sanji and his everlasting habit to turn himself into a docile servant for her. Zoro isn’t jealous, but when it comes to the cook… A part of him can’t help but be utterly possessive toward her. He angrily snatches the trousers and the suspenders back from her hands, and throws her a deadly stare while he walks to the bathroom, accepting his fate and this odd mission. 
***
“Okay, I’m ready, now.” Zoro states while he walks back into their shared bedroom, slightly unconfident and flustered about his outfit. 
She’s looking at herself through the mirror, putting some mascara on her eyelashes while she wears her favorite red and revealing dress, her face almost touching the cool surface, her gestures slow and mastered. She’s focus on her task, not wanting to soil her cheeks with some unwelcomed makeup, when Zoro makes another step in the room, visibly waiting for her reaction. Aware of her boyfriend silent request, she eventually puts down her mascara on the table, and spins on her hips so she can face him and give him a review, but what she sees at the moment is clearly unbelievable. Zoro looks like an erotic god coming out from another world. The pants are slightly too tight for him, and they shape his muscular thighs way too lustily, along with the impressive natural bulge of his arousal. His outlined abs trace a line down his belly, which end with a delicious V pointing at his manhood, perfectly enlightening his hours of hard training. The suspenders cover his nipples, suggesting to have a look on his chest too, and somehow, she can’t help but be captivated by this show. She closes her mouth, perhaps to prevent herself from drooling like a dog waiting for a pile of bones in front of the sexual beauty of her partner. 
“Zoro…,” she eventually whispers, making a step forward while her fingers start to skim his arm. “You look…,”
“Like a clown, I know.” Zoro snaps again, even if he clearly sees that it doesn’t seem to be her opinion. “You like it, Name?” 
He feels her hand gently coming up, tracing invisible lines of his bare torso, as she eventually looks at him in the eyes and gulps, drowning herself in his intense stare. He perfectly recognizes the look in her irises, almost desperate, as she finally smiles and takes a step backward, as if she tries her best to muffle her arousal. Yet, Zoro can’t help but feel the need to tease her.
“We should go,” she says as she clears her throat, pointing at the doorway with a motion of her head. “We’re going to be late.” 
“Oh, really?” Zoro answers with a low and deep voice, that particular one which makes her shiver on her feet, even deeper inside. 
She looks back at him, and Zoro understands that she’s now aware of her boyfriend’s mood, and his profound desires to spend some quality time with her before they would head to their mission. She shakes her head and smiles, somehow turning him down, but it’s not enough to stop him. 
“I’m still waiting for you review,” Zoro continues, moving forward as she keeps avoiding his body, until she actually collides with the desk, and grabs its corners with a desperate gesture. “You do like it, don’t you?” 
She pinches her lips together, her throat deeply dry, while she finally nods, confirming his words. Zoro smiles, her reaction directly awakening his already tickling crotch, before he catches her wrist and puts her fingers on his chest. He guides her silently, letting her digits fondling his chest, skimming his abs with slow gestures. During the whole time, she keeps looking at him in the eyes, feeling how much he desires her right now. 
“Don’t play, we don’t have time…,” she tries to argue, but she immediately stops talking when he lets her fingers brush the V of his belly, bringing her at the edge of his most intimate part. “Zoro…,” 
“Why are you in a hurry, suddenly? You’re always such a teaser, but now you shut your mouth and you want to run? I don’t deal well with runner, you know it…” 
He knows it’s unfair to tease her like this, but he clearly doesn’t want to stop. She’s not protesting either after all, and she doesn’t even try to take her hand away from his body, so Zoro decides that she needs to learn her lesson, since she wanted so bad to have him in these leather pants. Suddenly, he presses her palm on his crotch, making her feel his erect manhood, as his other hand starts to play with the strands of her hair falling around her face, until his thumb comes up on her face and plays with her lips, putting a soft but real pressure on them. He’s up to something passionate, and she feels it. The way he devours her with his eyes is revealing, and somehow, she knows that she can’t leave this room without paying the price of wanting him in this kind of outfit. 
“Open.” Zoro orders, his thumb making its way inside of her mouth. “Don’t make me wait anymore.” 
From time to time, Zoro’s natural dominance explodes like a firework, especially during their steamiest sessions. He loves to control their throes of passion, and most of time, she doesn’t complain. She can’t fight his stamina, nor his erotic aura when he’s so full of desires. So without thinking, she opens her mouth, letting his thumb playing with her tongue, while he flushes his body against her. He catches her jaw with a strong hand, almost violently but without any harm, squeezing her cheeks as he smirks and looks at her rolling her wet muscle around his finger. He presses his hard arousal against her core, pushing with his thigh so she can allow him some room between her legs, their two bodies completely glued together. He digs his finger even deeper, his eyes never leaving her irises, dominating her with all his suffocating aura. 
“What kind of naughty little girl are you when I’m wearing this?” Zoro purrs, lifting her head a little bit by putting more pressure on her jaw, forcing her to put herself on her tiptoes, until he removes his thumb from her mouth to roll up her dress and presses it on her panties. “Let’s find out how much you want it.” 
“Zoro…,” she calls in a warm sigh, feeling the sweet pressure of his digit right on her damp underwears. 
“Sssh, don’t even try to argue,” Zoro whispers, as his other digits put aside her panties to grant him a proper access to her wet core. “Mh, looks like I won my bet. I know you only wanting me in those pants to have my cock inside of you after.” 
She moans, desperately, unable to control herself as he gently rubs his thumb on her clit, his other fingers playing with her entrance, teasing her intensely. Zoro is clearly in his most dominant mood, and somehow, wearing leather only increases his needs to make her beg for him. She knows it, tonight, he’s going to be even wilder than usual. 
“So, Name… Do you like me outfit?” Zoro asks again, his finger terribly slow on her clit, his eyes looking for her every reaction on her face. 
She moves her hips to chase her own pleasure, but he suddenly plasters his hand on them, holding her still until she eventually answers the question. He smirks, his index and middle finger brushing her entrance, drops of her wet core dripping against her thigh lazily. 
“Yes…,” she eventually moans, looking at him with despair and passion. “Yes…I…I love it, Zoro…,” 
He presses his thumb harder on her clit, yet, his interrogation isn’t over. He knows there’s something else, and he wants her to spit it. He wants her to admit that he didn’t really need to wear this tonight, and that she only did that because she has a thing for men in leather. 
“Now be a good girl, and tell me if I really had to wear this tonight…,” Zoro smirks, one of his digit entering her as he sees her face changing into an expression full of pleasure. Yet, he doesn’t move anymore, waiting patiently. “If you tell me the truth, I swear, I’m going to take you so hard and good, you won’t be able to walk tomorrow.” 
Once again, Zoro is that erotic god she can’t handle sometimes. The way he touches her tonight is far from his usual habits ; he’s slow, he takes his time to build this poisonous tension, knowing perfectly how much she desires him. He always loves to rush things and gets started almost immediately, but for once… He controls his pace, only building a greater frustration within her so he can unleash his real power right after she would admit that she had something in mind with these clothes. 
“Alright… I saw this outfit a few weeks ago and… Yes…,” She argues, feeling his finger starting to move inside of her to encourage her. “Yes, you didn’t have… But I… I like this too much, please, Zoro, stop playing with me!” 
Zoro gently laughs with his deep and broken voice, as he suddenly crashes his mouth on hers, his tongue seeking for her own, while he immediately pushes another finger inside of her, his thumb circling her clit with a vivid pace. She starts to tremble under his ministrations, her hands now unbuckling his pants and pulling them slightly down, so she can release his massive arousal and touches him as well. Yet, Zoro doesn’t let her get what she wants, and before she can have a grip on his cock, he suddenly spins her hips, gripping her nape with a strong and dominant palm to hold her in her new position, as he pushes his hips forward to press them against her rear and lets his fingers continues their work on her body. 
“No, no, no…,” Zoro hums in her ear, opening her core with a third digit. “You don’t touch me, silly girl. I’m the one in charge here, and you get what I give. Naughty lying girl like you should learn her lesson now.” 
He lets lose his grip on her neck and immediately grabs the strap of his left suspender to take it off, expertidly rolling the leather around her wrists, as he holds her hands tied behind her back. She groans, her core now more than wet, squirting under his furious pace. She suddenly cries louder, and way before Zoro can’t stop her, he feels her swollen clit getting tensed, and her fingers being squeezed inside of her. He bites her neck while he helps her to ride her first orgasm out, still touching her, somehow proud of him to play with her like this. He gently licks her earlobe, removing his hand from her sensitive area to grab his manhood and guide the head to her entrance, not even taking the time to pull down his pants entirely. He pulls on her wrists with his other hand, and uses his feet to bring her legs closer, ordering her to squeeze her thighs together while he rubs his arousal on her excited entrance. 
“I’m going to fuck you until you forget your name,” Zoro snarls, feeling her impatience, her body reacting delicious to his rubbing cock. “My girl who loves leather pants…,”
He plays with the suspenders restraining her wrists, sometimes drawing them towards him, adjusting his position as he suddenly slams his hips forward and enters her fully in one powerful motion, overwhelmed by the narrowness of her sweet slit. She gasps, her core deliciously tight and wet for him, before he moves his hips backwards, his cock entirely pulls out, before he thrusts back again. For a moment, he keeps doing this, mastering his pace but also his grip on her restrained arms, before he begins to pound harder, deeper, and faster. The slap of his leather pants starts to fill the room with lusty noises, along with their flesh colliding anytime he thrusts inside of her. She’s a real mess. She groans, and moans, and more than once, she even tries to open her legs a bit more, or to have some control on her body position, but Zoro makes sure that she can’t make a single movement, his cock buried in the depths of her sweet cave. He knows that he has enough stamina to make her sing for a long time, so gently, he releases her wrists after a moment, allowing her to grip the table before he pulls his cock out of her core, and spins her hips so she can face him. Once he has a proper vision on her messy face, Zoro kisses her sloppily, his tongue and teeth clenching with hers. He puts his hands behind her thigh and helps her sitting at the edge of the desk, shoving his cock back inside of her with a powerful thrust. She grips his one and only suspender, pulling on it to bring him even closer, her breathing erratic, as she parts her lips to catch some air. He loves her features, at the moment. Her gorgeous complexion, her swollen and redder lips, inviting him to have another kiss on them. Yet, Zoro prefers to dig his mouth in the crook of her neck, sucking harshly on her sensitive spot to leave purple and yellow marks, his hips moving fast and steadily, as his hand grabs her rear to adjust their position. He skims her body with his free fingers, until he comes up and brushes her lips, his head following his gestures, while he faces her again. 
“Good girl,” Zoro growls, taking her with sharp and powerful thrusts. “I want you to come for me again,” he slides his thumb against her lips, her tongue already licking the tip of his nail. “Suck it, and you’ll have it.” 
Immediately, she opens her mouth to let her tongue plays with Zoro’s thumb, while he growls harder, his pace becoming slightly erratic and uncontrollable. He digs his fingernails in her rear, his thumb deepening in her mouth, until he pulls it out and presses it between her spreaded legs, right on her swollen and already soiled nub. She rolls an arm around his neck as he starts to massage her down there, her mouth begging for a kiss. He’s more than willing to offer her, and when he begins to kiss her again, he increases his pace with both of his thumb and his hips, creating waves of shivers on her body, while she arches her back even more, moaning hard inside his mouth. He smirks, feeling deeply powerful at this particular moment, circling her nub until she eventually bursts into a deep growl, her inner walls squeezing his cock, as she reaches the Seventh Heaven for the second time. He parts his lips, looking at her blushed features and her lusty stare, pulling his cock out, his orgasm coming. He strokes himself a few times before he loads on her belly, covering her skin but also her dress with his seed, growling like a dangerous beast, catching his breath back when he’s finally done. 
“You really had to destroy my dress…,” she angrily whispers, her fingers caressing his sweating chest. 
Zoro doesn’t even try to hide his content, catching her wrist to put a kiss on the red marks caused by the leather. He knows he has been slightly harsher than usual, but he’s far from apologizing. He leaves a few kisses on her arm, coming up until he pulls on her neck skin with his teeth.
“I’ll buy you another one,” Zoro comments, his lips coming up to brush hers with slow and tender gestures. 
“You don’t have any money, loser…,” she pouts, looking at him in the eyes, yet somehow amused by the way he teases her. 
“I just need to sell these leather pants, and I’ll have some,” Zoro smirks, looking at her eyes suddenly looking down and watching at his pants and his exposed arousal. “What?” 
“Mmh.” 
Zoro raises an eyebrow, and she finally lets loose a long and fake sigh, shaking her head. 
“Don’t sell them, okay…,” 
Zoro laughs softly with his usual deep and broken voice, slamming his palm on her rear, his fingers digging in her soft skin as he comes closer. 
“Oh, I won’t.” 
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firebird-inkheart · 4 years ago
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A Child’s Understanding p.2
(Please check previous post for warnings)
{Previous}
The afternoon sunlight blinded him the moment he stepped outside. Ace flinched, squinting even as he turned his head. Behind him the strangers’ mocking laughter echoed harshly in his ears. His palms ached where his nails bit in deep; his skin was tough and calloused, yet in that instant it threatened to split apart and let his frozen blood flow freely.
‘Cursed blood,’ came the bitter reminder. ‘Devil’s, demon’s. Poisoned, unclean, festering―’
He jumped as the hands clamped on his shoulders squeezed hard. The pressure banished the loud and hateful voices to the back of his mind where they could only murmur their loathing messages. Ace let out a shaky breath.
“They’re wrong,” Sabo said sternly. “That’s the one thing that will never be true, alright.”
It wasn’t a question, but a demand that beget the acceptance of fact.
“... Yeah.”
But he had heard so many other ‘facts’ which were contrary to his brother’s that it made it hard to be convinced, let alone sound convincing. Sabo sighed and let his hands slide away. Before he could really register the missing presence of their weight an arm wrapped around his shoulders. They walked down the steps to put a little more distance between them and the Yew. The obnoxious voices grew just a little quieter.
“Remind me again, what was it Chante told you, exactly?”
He scowled and shot him a look; seriously, why was he asking? Sabo knew damn well everything Chante had told him. They all got the same lectures when Chante deemed it seriously important.
A thin eyebrow rose back in challenge.
“I can parrot what she said until I’m blue in the face but it won’t have the same effect as you saying it for yourself.”
Ace bit down on his cheek and stared at his feet. Chante often sat down with him to simply talk about things no one had bothered to talk with him about before. Things like his feelings and stern but strangely gentle reprimands for his behavior. About who he really was. The blacksmith was full of many profound thoughts, with perspectives he’d never once considered before. Her strong voice, the voice he had gradually come to see as, well, not exactly a motherly one― Ace wasn’t quite sure how he felt about putting that label on anyone in relation to himself ―but someone he could respect enough to rely on, floated through his mind.
“The navy’s sense of justice is and always has been dictated by what the World Government is afraid of. And the government is afraid of everything that doesn’t immediately bow and grovel at its feet,” she had said. “That fear has turned you into a casualty as a result and for that I am so, so sorry. But there’s something I want you to know so listen to me very carefully…”
“My worth is not defined by the judgement of anyone.” 
Sabo leaned in a little closer, the corners of his mouth twitching up. “Sorry, what was that? Didn’t quite hear you there.”
Ace looked up, though not without glaring, each word cutting on his tongue as he tried to cement some belief into them. “My worth is not defined by the judgement of anyone.”
He pumped his arm and Sabo joined him in agreement. “Your worth is not for anyone but yourself to determine!” He grinned, flashing his gapless glory. “But it sure helps to know there are people that value you all the same. Right Hon?”
There was no reply.
“Honyo?”
Cacophonic; the sound of glass shattering against something solid and heavy rang through the air, immediately followed by an uproar of deep swears and shouts and one utterly unholy shriek. The boys jolted, running back into the Yew, nearly tearing the doors from their hinges as they bulldozed their way through. 
Aya had dropped several dishes to reach for the nearest man and strong arm him into submission; the knife he had been reaching for clattered harmlessly to the ground. One of the strangers, gangly as he was, turned on the barmaid only to find his face pinned to the ground by the foot of one of the cooks that had come out to investigate the commotion. The others surrounded a manic, snarling, green haired little girl brandishing a broken bottle.
Two of the men lunged at Honyo and she jumped, tossing herself at the man with the bowler hat. The men collided in a heap and bowler hat guy screamed. The man’s hat went flying as Honyo repeatedly bludgeoned him with her crude weapon and the man himself fell back in his chair, sending them both crashing to the floor. 
“TAKE IT BACK! TAKE IT BACK, TAKE IT BACK, TAKE IT BACK!”
The man with the large bow tie loomed over the screaming girl and struck, grabbing a fistful of hair― the little pompoms that held some of her hair up snapped from the force ―and wrenched. Hard.
Her head hit the table with a solid thunk!
The blood in his veins was all but screaming in his reeling mind as the last couple seconds finally caught up to him.
Bowtie man huffed. “That oughta teach you to settle do―”
“Get your filthy hands off her!”
He pitched forward as the boys barreled into him, their roars fierce and wild enough to compete with the Tiger Lord himself. Ace slammed a fist into the bastard’s head once, twice. Each hit was so powerful that his face bounced off the floor, leaving dark smears across the wooden surface. Bowtie man groaned and turned to jelly under his legs.
Sabo had rolled off the man and reached for Honyo as she picked herself up. She wiped the back of her shaking hand across her forehead― he saw red and his knuckles cracked loudly ―blue eyes shiny with fresh tears of pain and unadulterated fury. She readjusted her grip on the bottle. Sabo had barely wrapped his hand around her arm when she lunged.
A glint of light. A flash of silver. Ace didn’t have time to fully register everything as he leapt up, wrapping his arms around Honyo’s waist, and pulled her back. 
The knife in Bowler hat guy’s hand slashed through empty air, harmless.
“Take it back!” Honyo screamed again. “Take back what you said right now!”
“What the hell is your problem you little menace?!” Bowler hat shook harder than a leaf in an autumn breeze, brandishing his little knife in one hand while the other held a stained kerchief to a nasty looking gash on his balding head.
He could feel his grip slipping as Honyo struggled to reach out and keep attacking the stranger, her face alight with fire and fury. Sabo slipped his arms under hers and received an elbow to his face for his efforts. With a grunt the two managed to pull her back a couple more steps.
There was a long running understanding that pissing off a Roronoa was like inviting a storm into your house when you were better off leaving the door shut. But in that moment the only thing Ace could think as he and Sabo struggled to hold Honyo back, was that this was nothing short of a testament to the little girl’s strength.
“Us kids aren’t as stupid as you think we are!” she growled. “Adults like you that go runnin’ your mouths are the worst! You can’t just say another kid should die just because of who their parents are— It’s wrong and you better take it back now!”
His heart flew up into his throat and locked the air out. She had started a brawl because of― Because of that? Ace had never told Honyo about who his father was. He’d been too scared, was absolutely terrified right now, of the idea of her knowing and… and hating him. And yet… And yet she��
Bowler hat guy couldn’t seem to believe that all this ruckus had been because of his careless words either, his mouth hitting the floor for one short moment before incredulous chuckles filled the air.
“And what would a sniveling little girl like you know about what’s right and wrong? Don’t you know about the things that devil Roger did? Any kid of his would be just as bad― no, worse ―and shouldn’t be allowed so much as an inch of life!”
Ace ducked his head, twisting the fabric of Honyo’s shirt around his fists. Sharp eyes flickered down and back at the man, nostrils flaring. Pulling her arm back as far as she could get it with Sabo holding onto her, Honyo flung the rest of her weapon at the man and beaned him square in the forehead.
“Existing isn’t a crime you thick skulled bigot! It never has been and it never will be!”
His heart was being squeezed to death and filled to the brim with warmth all at once. It was too much. Dark eyes flickered up, startled.
“Existence isn’t a crime! Being born and living isn’t a crime! What should be a crime is people like you that go around saying children should die just because you’re chicken shit scared of their parents!”
A collective gasp raced around the room. Ace found it difficult to pry his eyes away from Honyo. For such a small kid she looked so big just then. She was rage and passion, a thin trail of dried blood smeared down her face from a small, bruising cut on her temple, and the shine in her eyes had finally broken free. Big fat tears rolled down her cheeks and dribbled off her chin. One fell onto his face.
‘She’s crying for… me?’
“That’s― That’s treason!” Bowler hat raved. “Treason against the World Government―”
And didn’t that seem to be the root of so many problems in this world. What a fool to admit his flawed thoughts stemmed from them.
The doors creaked, soft footsteps treading across the floor.
“I’ll have you reported! You hear me, I’ll―”
The presence that washed over him was familiar and warm. Often it reminded him of summer days spent lounging in the grass beneath the sun, where gentle winds would tease at stray strands of his hair and he would nap, content. But underneath all that was the warning of a blade that did not reveal itself for idle reasons. And it was being dangerously provoked at that moment.
“Now, what’s going on here?” Cheerful as always, as if he couldn’t bother with being serious; Ace had never felt more relieved to hear that voice.
“Poppop!” Honyo yelped, the same time the boys squawked, “Shin!”
Roronoa Shin came to a stop a few steps away from the disaster zone they all occupied, dusty blue eyes wandering over everything with faint curiosity. Absently he carded his fingers through his light hair and messed it up even more than it already was. 
When Ace had first met Shin he’d thought the man was a clumsy dope and wasn’t good for much despite his broad build.
That was one mistake he had been careful to never make again.
A small frown tugged at his lips. Shin shuffled closer to the odd formation of children― Honyo had stopped struggling now but there was still a feral glint in her tear filled eyes ―reaching out to gingerly cup his daughter’s face and examine her cut.
“So.” His voice was soft, a small, frightening smile replacing the frown. “Which one of you upstanding looking gentlemen hurt my baby bean?”
“That hellion is your brat?” Bowler hat was sweating bullets even as he blustered through with false bravado. “We were minding our own business when she attacked out of nowhere and for no good reason! If you think―”
Honyo surged forward causing Ace and Sabo to fall on top of her in surprise. “Liar! Liar, liar, liar, liar! You said a kid should die if their parent was a criminal and you still haven’t taken it back!”
Shin’s eyes twitched. He looked from his daughter to the man quaking in his just a little too nice boots. “My bean doesn’t start fights for no good reason. And that sounded like a damn good reason to me.”
Without looking back he said, “Why don’t you three head outside and wait just a minute for me, m’kay? I’ll take care of things from here.”
The blade had revealed itself and was baring its fang with a dangerous glimmer. Ace and Sabo scrambled to their feet, neither letting go of Honyo this time as they hauled her up, and made an immediate beeline for the doors.
Pleasant as ever, Shin returned his attention to the men, waving to Aya and the cook as if he was simply stopping by to talk as he usually did. They backed off, trading knowing looks. To the group of strangers, though, the smile he graced them with was as biting as ice.
“Now, let’s have a little chat, shall we?”
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danganronpa-21 · 5 years ago
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Naegiri Week Day 2: Puzzle
A short prompt today -- with no warnings! This is totally G-rated, wholesome snuggle fun for everyone. I hope you enjoy it!
_____________
Left side. Right side. On her stomach. On her back. Back to the left side, then to the right once again. Roll over onto her stomach one last time, and when that doesn’t work, she knows she better roll onto her back once more. 
This was Kyoko’s near routine procedure for falling asleep. Once upon a time she’d been the kind of person who could fall asleep in two seconds flat, but age and trauma had since played a nasty trick on her. Arguably among one of the most frustrating aspects of her post-traumatic stress disorder was her undesired transformation into an insomniac. It sent her longing for the nights when she was a teenager, and could fall asleep with a snap of her fingers. Sure, it was true to say that she had often been more exhausted from her work back then, but at least it put her to sleep. These days, she would be lucky if she could amass a good seven hours. 
On to her left again. She exhaled irritatedly, pulling the covers closer to her face. What was she doing wrong? It wasn’t like her mind raced, and the room had darkened. That should have been enough, or at least a little, to help her to sleep. Even the silence; it should have helped. The silence, it should have been enough as well. Enough to lull her into a peaceful sleep; where she considered nothing else but the sweet dreams that danced within her mind’s eye. 
Yet it didn’t. In fact, perhaps it kept her more awake. Makoto could take the blame for at least some of that. Most of the time, the night filled with his light snoring. Given that she was already such a light sleeper, it had been something that absolutely tortured her when they first moved in together. Every night she found herself listening to his obnoxious snoring, and for a short while, it bothered her. How was she expected to sleep when his sinuses were making so much noise? Some nights it would get so bad that she’d shake him awake, begging him to switch sleeping positions to one that wouldn’t be so loud. He’d typically oblige; although she noted his displeasure at being awoken. It made night time so much more difficult for the two of them.
But somewhere down the line, the couple had been able to get past it. It took a few months, perhaps a year, but… she’d found comfort in his night-time snuffling. Eventually she found herself tuning into the peaceful rhythm of the sound, and using it as an indicator that she was safe — and so was he. 
So now, that the room was deadly silent, now that she didn’t hear it, falling asleep became so much less simple. Especially because it meant that he must have been lying wide awake as well.
She rolled over to face him; only to find his back turned to her. It appeared he hadn’t wanted her to know that he was as alert as he was. “Makoto.” She whispered, “Judging by the absence of your log-sawing, I take it you are awake?” 
Within seconds he rolled to meet her, and when she saw his face, she couldn’t help but notice the darkness under his eyes. Yikes. It looked like there had been a few sleepless nights for him. Certainly more than there had been for her. When he blinked, he did so sleepily. She could even see jaw move to suppress a yawn. 
“Yeah,” He sighed, progressively giving into the yawn, “Unfortunately.”
She shrugged slightly; unsure of what should be said. Whether that was a product of her exhausted brain, or just general confusion, she didn’t know. All she knew revolved around the observation that she felt really, really tired. And that she really, really wanted to go to sleep.
“Should we get up?” She reached over to brush some of his fluffy hair away from his face. She smiled slightly as she did it, liking the feeling of his soft hair again her fingers. “Take a sleeping pill, perhaps?”
Makoto’s face twisted like he’d just eaten a sour candy. Though she tried not to, Kyoko found herself snickering. She rushed to cover it with her hand, hoping to hide her insensitivity.
“I always feel gross when I wake up after taking one.” He paused; his lemon-expression slightly fading. “B-But you can take one, if you want to.” 
She chuckled softly once again. Even when he expressed an opinion, he still desperately wanted to be considerate of her own. It was little things like that that made her feel that she was dating the world’s most adorable man.
“I am fine, thank you. I do not care for them much, either.” 
A grin tugged at the corners of Makoto’s lips, but he didn’t seem willing to let it fully show. Or perhaps, his sleepiness prevented it from blooming.
“Okay…” 
The words struck silence between the two of them for a couple of seconds; the pair of lovers doing little else other than staring into each other’s eyes. Then, rolling over onto his back, Makoto groaned suddenly.
“When did sleeping become such a puzzle?” He complained, throwing his arms into the air dramatically. They came crashing down just as quickly as they went up, and for a moment she worried she might get hit with them.
To this, Kyoko could only shrug. “I don’t think I could tell you. I used to be good at it.”
The luckster pouted, dissatisfied with his girlfriend’s answer. He couldn’t help but push a hand through his hair. He tended to do it when he felt stressed, but Kyoko couldn’t deny that she found it sort of attractive. Jeez, even when he was sleep-deprived, she found him to be undeniably arresting. Once upon a time, she might’ve been ashamed of that, but now she could embrace it. She didn’t hesitate to grin slightly at him when the act caught her eye.
“Is it almost like… there’s a piece of a puzzle missing?” 
The words sent his eyes darting over to her, almost as if she said something profound. She could see the crease in his brow, and assumed that he wanted to signal her to go on. Clearly, the words had struck some kind of chord with him.
“Falling asleep these days, does it not feel as if we have almost every proper element but… something?” She supplied, arching her eyebrow. Somehow, she struggled to convey her own thoughts, though she knew them to be sensical. Another issue with the sleep-deprived mind, she thought. “If you think about it, theoretically, we have every piece of our sleeping puzzle. The room is dark, and quiet, and we know we’re safe. The locks have been checked three times, and we’ve read our books, and climbed into bed together. We even had some tea before bed. There is virtually no reason for us to be awake right now, yet here we are.”
“Like something’s wrong, but nothing’s here. Nothing’s wrong.” 
“Precisely.” 
Sighing, she reached up to rub at her eyes. The lids on them were heavy, and for a moment she prayed for them to close. But that moment just as soon passed, for she realized that she didn’t want to leave Makoto awake alone. If they had to be awake, she supposed she could appreciate that they were awake together. Being oh so alert while her partner was dead asleep was always more of a challenge.
“Maybe we need to go see that psychologist again…” 
Ugh, no. Hard pass on Kyoko’s behalf. A couple weeks prior, the couple had had a  psychologist recommended to them by Kanon Nakajima. A doctor Ogura Osamu. According to Kanon, he was supposed to be a highly revered psychologist for those struggling with a variety of conditions. Some patients swore he even had a magic touch when it came to dealing with PTSD. However, when Kyoko stepped into his office, she found him to be nothing like what she expected. As far as she was concerned, this Doctor Ogura was nothing more than a kook with clipboard. The whole process of him trying to initiate the treatments she “needed” for her mind felt uncomfortable and invasive. Even after giving it a couple of appointments to settle, Kyoko reached the conclusion that he wasn’t for her. The thought of having him try to solve her insomnia problem would be like handing the “sleep puzzle” to a circus monkey. No thank you. Makoto could go on his own if he wanted to.
“I don’t think we have to.” Kyoko pressured gently, wriggling her way closer to her husband. Though she knew it probably wouldn’t help, she craved the feeling of his body close to hers. Snuggling up to her lover certainly couldn’t hurt, could it? She wriggled across the bed for a moment, until she decided she was finally close enough. Then, giggling to herself, she nuzzled her face against his neck. He didn’t even have to meet her eyes to let her know that heat rushed to his cheeks. “We can look for some online remedies… or ask our friends what they do.” 
He shook his head slightly, wrapping his arm around her to pull her close. She accepted without hesitation, wondering if maybe this really was what she needed to calm down. Safety, darkness, silence, and comfort. It seemed simple enough.
“I still think we should seek professional help.”
Her eyes rolled. “Oh, probably…” She hummed, “But for now, maybe let’s just try to finish the puzzle in some other way.” 
His eyes took their turn to roll around, but amusement and satisfaction dripped through his voice when he spoke. “Let me guess, you want to sort this out with a good old fashioned cuddle?”
A short, suppressed chuckle escaped from Kyoko’s throat, and she snuggled in closer. Hearing the cheerfulness in his voice, she pressed a gentle kiss on his neck. 
“How did you know?” 
His shoulders shrugged softly, and he pressed his own kiss to the top of her head. “Just a lucky guess.”
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alderferamarey1997 · 4 years ago
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Get Your Ex Wife Back Blindsiding Tips
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Can I Get My Ex Back Quiz Free
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gazingupatthemoon · 5 years ago
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Roses Are Red, I Am Not Sharing This Bed (1/1)
Found here at ff.net or A03
Summary: There are only two things Rey likes about Valentine's Day: chocolate and her annual Valentine's Breakfast with her friends. And the only thing that going to threaten that this year is Ben Solo and his stupid desire to be the most boring person alive. Well, not if Rey has anything to say about it. (or, Ben makes Rey stay late at work and one thing leads to another and they get locked in together. Uh oh)
Rating: M
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Rey has a love hate relationship with Valentine’s Day.
For one, she hates it because, the obvious, a day dedicated to love? Come on now. Maybe it’s because she never had anyone to share with it. Maybe. But she can’t help but feel like she’d still hate it. Hearts, and cupids, and everything drenched in red? Nonsense.
But then, there is the two aspects she can’t help but love about it. One, the chocolate. So. Much. Chocolate. It’s like Halloween all over again. She could drown in chocolate and go with a smile on her face. Two, annual Valentine’s Day Breakfast. Sure, she goes out to eat with Finn, Poe, and Rose practically every week, but this one is special. It started out with just her and Finn, years ago, when they had been two single, financially struggling youths who needed a roommate to afford the cost of living in the city. They had gotten drunk the night before the big day, lamenting on not being in relationships and also how much their jobs sucked (jobs, by the way, they still had to go to the next day). Hungover and slightly less miserable the next morning, they desperately needed greasy food in their stomachs in order to go on with the rest of the day. Maz’s Diner has never been more of a godsend.
And so it went on from there.
Finn and Rey just kept doing it, finding the tradition endearing, funny, and, most importantly, an excuse to actually do something on Valentine’s Day. But then Poe got involved. Rey loves Poe, don’t get her wrong. He and Finn had bumped into each other (quite literally) jogging in the park one day. (FYI, Finn’s jogging history lasted approximately a week before he threw in the white flag. Poe is still going strong). The rest is history. Love at first sight and all that. 
So Finn actually found someone else to celebrate Valentine’s Day with. Rey had been bitter for a number of reasons (she still is sometimes when she seems them together and so in love) but she’s happy for her friend, really. But she figured annual breakfast was off the table. Finn, bless his soul, balked at the idea. “We’ll just bring Poe with us!” He had decided without any room for argument.
And then came Rose. After putting up with Plutt’s shit and barely livable salary for what seemed like an eternity, Rey quit his auto shop. Poe promptly swooped into the scene, thrusting a number into her hand for another shop across town that was apparently looking for a new hire.
“Family friends!” He winked with that charming smile of his. “Mention my name and you’re good.”
Poe usually thought too well of himself for Rey to believe getting a new job would be that easy, but she was desperate. She could afford to be unemployed maybe one whole month before things would start getting dire. Finn still lived with her but he was at Poe’s more often than not, and Rey was dreading the day he’d finally up and leave for good.
So she called, and was greeted by the voice of a chipper young woman. “Solo Mechanics! Rose here! How can I help you?”
Suffice to say, she got the job.
Han Solo was a bit old and grumpy, and seemed like he had no desire to hire anyone during her interview. But Rose berated every gruff comment that passed his lips, and pointed out everything wrong going on in the shop every time he insisted that everything was fine. Rey liked her immediately. Honestly, she liked Solo too. His demeanor seemed more a front to her than anything, and besides, she responded much better to sarcastic people in her life. Just easier conversation.
Rose and her became quick friends. Rose did a lot of the paperwork and phones for the shop, but she also worked on some projects herself. She was bright, quick with her hands, and had a profound knowledge of the more technological side of cars and machinery. So when Rose had sighed and sadly complained of being alone on Valentine’s Day, Rey didn’t think twice of inviting her to breakfast.  
So yea, annual Valentine’s Day breakfast maybe one of her most favorite holiday traditions. 
And no one can ruin it except, quite possibly, Ben Solo.
Rey glares pointedly down at her grease soaked hands instead of the offending man in question as he all but shouts his head off at his father.
“You’re spending too much. You’re always spending too much!”
Ben is a sight to see on a normal day. It’s quite another story when he is angry. His massive form quivers with barely restrained rage, his already dark eyes turn near black, and he emits this air of tension that a person can actually choke on. The moment he had stomped his way into the shop this morning, Rey knew it wasn’t going to be good.
Han, for his part, didn’t look too intimated. He actually rolled his eyes at his son’s tantrum. “Ben, you’re overreacting.”
"Have you seen the numbers?"
"The numbers are fine."
"Fine is not good. Fine is fine. We need to be good. Or dare I even hope to say great!"
Rey finally glanced up, if only to send Rose a meaningful look. The other girl has put a hand to her mouth to suppress a laugh in return.
This happens at least once a month.
Though Rose is aware of financial state of the shop, it's not technically her job. It's Ben's. Apparently, it had been an attempt for more father-son bonding, or something like that. Leia never really painted the whole picture to Rey, just sparse details. Ben, who was shit at mechanics (Han's words), had a history in the financial sector so it seemed like the best thing for him to do. But really, it just seems more like an excuse for them to fight than bond.
Han waved a hand in the air. "I've been living off fine my whole life."
"Yea, don't think I'm not aware how well that's been working out for the family."
Rey even flinched at Ben's callous comment. Just another story she is not intimately aware of; the Solo family dynamics. They're not perfect, but who really was? At least Rey also thought of that excuse when Ben made his not so subtle comments. Family was family. It was more than she had ever had. But there is definitely some unspoken and unexplained unrest between them all, Ben being at the center of it all. Rose had even told her once Ben had dropped out of the picture for five years before showing up again. Something about some nasty fall out and a job offer half way across the country.
So yes, Ben Solo was definitely an enigma to Rey.
A real shitty enigma highlighting as the world's biggest ass.
Who, Rey is about to find out, is going to ruin her annual Valentine's Day plans.
Ben seemed to calm down, somewhat, after his blunt comment. He breathed nosily out his nose, and got his trembling down to a simple quiver. "Look," He began through clenched teeth. "It's not just that. There are receipts missing. We have expenses that have no paperwork to back them up."
Han, for his part, seemed to deflate a little as well. "You know I've never been good with that stuff."
Ben rolled his eyes. "Dad. You can't just spend things and not document it. This is a business, albeit a shitty one."
"Watch it," Han gruffed. "Look, I'm sure they're around. We can look-"
"You're leaving in an hour for your trip," Ben reminded him, none too gently. "And Mom will leave you for the fifth time if you're late or make her miss the flight."
A Valentine's Day gift from Han to Leia, a trip to some sunny beach in Florida. Rey had helped him book it herself.
Han scratched at his head. "Shit, forgot about that. Well, when I get back-"
"I need it this week," Ben interrupted again. "Today, actually. The appointment with the tax guy is tomorrow."
"Well can't you reschedule it?"
"It's the only slot our free times coincided."
Rey was now the one to roll her eyes. Of course, Ben Solo would only be free for the foreseeable future on Valentine's Day to do taxes. The comment didn't surprise her at all.
"Well then what do you want me to, Ben?" Han snapped.
"Act like an adult for once in your life-"
"Listen, I'm your father-"
"I could count on one hand how many times you've actually acted like it-"
This was going nowhere good. Rey had seen enough of their blowups to know this. Even Rose was cringing in her seat. Han and Ben could get vicious with each other within seconds, and the collateral damage was always the worst.
"I'll do it!" Rey shouted before another vicious word is said. "I'll help look for the paperwork!"
Han's face immediately broke out in a smile, his relief palpable, but Ben's is a whole other story. Surprise, at first, but it quickly contorts into obvious annoyance. Too bad such a handsome looking face can be scrunched up so grossly.
(Not handsome Rey. Get it together)
Though Rey tries her best to avoid Ben since her time working here, it's surprisingly hard to do so. He keeps his trips to the shop minimum, and yet even then they always wind up bumping into each other. There was the time Rey got grease on his pristine white button down. When Ben had bumped his foot into her tool kit, sending everything scattering onto the floor. Rey not giving in receipts on projects she worked on in the time span Ben deems acceptable. Ben "accidentally" deleting Rey's info on the company website he maintains with Rose.
What makes it worse, though, is when they interact outside the shop.
Despite Han's initial reluctance towards Rey, he warmed up rather quickly. Which meant being invited to the house, meeting Leia, spending hours of time together outside work. It's a sense of family Rey hadn't felt since making her small one with Finn. This family, unfortunately, includes Ben Solo. Who isn't there for all the weekly dinners, but the time he is acts unbearable towards Rey.
There was the accidental dropping of a moat of gravy on Ben's lap. The ongoing saga of who sits on the loveseat (since they will not, by any means, sit next to each other or squeeze between Han or Leia on the couch). Ben conveniently not hearing Rey knock on the door or ring the bell whenever the others are outside and he's in the house. The never-ending war for Chewie's love (yea, Ben has history with the oversized dog, but Rey is definitely much sweeter on him).
Comments on her being a dirty mechanic.
Comments on him being a stuck up white collared jerk.
You get the picture.
So, Rey understands the horrid look Ben is sending her way. It's usually the way he looks at her. But for once, he could possibly be a little more appreciative. It's not like she had to volunteer her time to help fix whatever mistake Han created. She could have easily let the two kill each and walked out the door once the clock hit 5 o'clock.
A look of indifference would even be acceptable.
She doesn't feel even a smidgen of bad when she openly glared back.
Han ignored their heated starring contest. "Thanks, kid. That'd really help."
"Does she even know anything about paperwork?" Ben scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. His very large chest, Rey has noticed more than once. She wished he'd stop wearing such tight shirts. Who the hell did he think he was?
"She," Rey seethed. "Has the ability to read, thank you very much."
Ben smirked nastily. "Well, I had actually been wondering about that, but that wasn't what I had been implying. Do you know where the old man keeps them? Deciphering his nonsensical lingo? How to cross reference them with the main account-" "If you do it, it can't be that hard." God, did he think she was an idiot? Fixing cars doesn't mean you failed out of high school.
Ben doesn't fall for her easy bait. "Rose would be better."
The dismissal and rejection, in one fell swoop, has red beating beneath Rey's cheeks. She wanted to scream at Ben Solo. Hit him over the head. Watch his obnoxiously large body collapse onto the ground.
Rose scurried quickly onto the scene at the mention of her name. "I can't!" She exclaimed, not before sending an apologetic look Rey's way. "My sister Paige is visiting tonight, I have to pick her up from the airport."
Rey had forgotten the other Tico sister was coming to town. Rose had just asked last week if it was okay if she could come to their Valentine's Day breakfast.
Rey hadn't really considered Rose when she had (stupidly) volunteered her help, but something in the back of her mind had hoped the other woman wouldn't let her suffer Ben Solo's company alone.
Now she was truly screwed.
"Looks like you're stuck with Rey," Han grinned, not really sounding sorry at all. "Though I'm sure she's going to regret it more than you. Rose, mind driving an old man home so he doesn't miss his flight and get thrown out by his wife?"
"Sure! But didn't you drive today-"
"I did, but I'll leave the Falcon for you, Rey. Who knows how long you'll be here tonight."
Rey didn't own a car, but did quite well with buses and trains. But Han was always trying to wheedle free rides her way, to which Rey was grateful but didn't need the pity offers. Even if it was the Falcon, the vintage car Rey immediately fell in love with on sight.
"Han, you don't have to-"
"Kid, it's yours. Not like I need it where I'm going. Leia has us getting some damn rental. Keep it till I get back."
It's possibly the most generous offer he's ever forced on her, and Rey's throat wells with unexplainable gratitude.
"Besides," he murmured closer towards her, "See it as a thank you for dealing with my son."
The way Ben's shoulders tense makes it obvious he heard his father's words. Rey convinced herself that she doesn't feel bad. She absolutely doesn't.
Rose and Han leave with a couple more goodbyes then it's just Rey and Ben.
Alone.
"Well, might as well get this over with," Rey announced when Ben didn't make another move.
He's doing his usual brooding, looking all ominous and agitated, and starring anywhere but at her. Her words barely even seem to have an effect, for he just keeps on standing there.
Rey is about to ask if he's having a stroke when Ben sprang to life and dashed off towards Rose's desk. "Ill check here." He threw over his shoulder.
Rey rolls her eyes at his hulkish back. He wanted to keep to opposite sides of the room? Fine by her. _________________________________________________________________
Almost two hours later, Rey has nothing to prove for her hard work save three crumpled up receipts, two unfinished(?) itemized lists, and an aging piece of paper that she cannot make heads or tails of save the dollar amount of $350.00 scrawled on the bottom.
Han's handwriting truly does need its own decoding system.
It doesn't seem like Ben has done much better. Anything they find they put on Rose's desk, so Rey can't help but notice he was adding barely as much as she was.
"This is ridiculous," Ben scoffed at the second hour mark. He's using his long arms to swipe under a cabinet, but is only succeeding at collecting dust balls.
Rey could have gotten a good laugh at how grimy his nice shirt was getting, but Ben, unfortunately, had the foresight to roll up his sleeves.
(Stupid good looking body)
"How does this place even function? We haven't found half of the paperwork we need."
Rey blew out a sigh and collapsed onto a chair. "Beats me. But we've searched this place from top to bottom."
"We obviously have to look harder-"
"It's almost 7 o'clock!"
"You're the one who volunteered to stay! Now you're backing out?"
"I didn't think we'd be here till midnight!"
Ben rose up from his squatted position on the floor and fixed her with a look. "First off, sweetheart, midnight is hours away-"
Sweetheart.
Rey has heard Han say it to Leia millions of times, so the first time it had past Ben's lip aimed at her, Rey had been thrown for a loop. She remembered the red on Ben's face, because it must have equally matched her own. She had accidentally used oregano instead of basil in some sauce Leia was cooking for dinner (which, really, was not even the worst mistake that could have happened) when Ben pointed out the misstep with the offending "Sweetheart" glued to the end. They starred at each other painfully after the utterance, until Ben hastily, and nastily, made some crack about her lack of cooking AND reading skills.
So, unlike his parents, Ben did definitely not mean sweetheart in endearing way when he said it to Rey.
Rey nearly snarled. "I know how to tell the time you jackass!"
"You can read and tell time, I'm learning so much about you today," Ben drawled. "Secondly, if we don't finish this tonight, then we're back here tomorrow morning, early."
That made Rey lose her anger fueled momentum. Tomorrow morning was breakfast. Her annual Valentine's Day breakfast. She was not, repeat, not going to give that up to be trapped here again with Ben Solo.
"Absolutely not!" She protested, hopping up from her seat. "I have plans."
Ben eyes drop down to the floor. "Of course, you do," He murmured so quietly, Rey wondered if he meant for her to hear him at all.
But Rey can't worry about whatever is going on Ben Solo's head. Breakfast was at stake here. The thought made her frantic. She began to dash around the shop, pushing things to the side and squinting into dark crevices. "Fine, let's stay late. Look harder, whatever it takes-"
But Ben wasn't moving. Now he looked at tired as she felt mere moments ago. "No, maybe you're right. It's getting late."
"What? No, you never admit I'm right. C'mon, Han must have stuck them somewhere!"
"Rey, there's a very good chance the old man tossed them and they're rotting in some dump right now. Actually, I'd bet money that's just what happened. Tomorrow morning we can do a final sweep, just in case, but-"
"No!" Rey's voice exploded. It echoed loudly in the shop, a tooth grinding sound that even made Rey cringe.
Ben's mouth closed slowly, whatever other excuse he was going to say dying within, and instead he just simply stared at her. Not glared. Or grimaced. Or even pinned with cold indifference. A simple, curious stare.
It made Rey squirm.
"Is your date that important tomorrow morning?" He asked softly after another agonizing moment.
"I…" Rey steels herself for how ridiculous things is going to sound. And maybe it is stupid. How could she explain it? A dumb get together with her friends on a holiday she has no right to celebrate to begin with? Ben Solo wouldn't get it. How could he? He grew up with family, and traditions, and never having to second guess if tomorrow was the day he'd end up alone again. Sure, she's not celebrating Valentine's Day in the traditional sense with no relationship to speak of, but it's a cherished date of how she and Finn grew close, then Poe, and then Rose.
It's a yearly reminder that she not alone, that she has people who love her.
And Ben Solo would not just understand.
Tears, foolish, foolish tears, burned behind Rey's eyes. She turned quickly away from Ben, giving him nothing but the sight of her back. "Yes," She grit out. "It is."
It's silent again, and Rey can't bear to turn around and see if Ben is looking at her in that open way again. Because then she'd really break. Then she'd really have to face how childishly-desperately-she is holding onto this small thing.
"Fine," Ben said, again so softly. "Let's keep looking." _________________________________________________________________
It's 9 o'clock pm by now.
And really, there's nothing to show for it.
Rey found one more wrinkled paper, but for whatever charges Han had written down, it totaled to a meager 20 dollars.
Ben had come up with nothing else.
Somehow, the whole sticking to separate sides of the room thing ended, for Rey and Ben now sit a few feet away from each other, both on the concrete floor and shifting through shoe boxes Han had stored away in his office.
"He's a slob," Ben growled, picking out a dirty burger wrapper and starring at it as if it was diseased.
"Makes you wonder who raised you, huh?" Rey snarked, throwing a loose penny into the pile of other misplaced change.
Here's hoping she could scurry away with that later.
Ben scoffed. "No one, that's who."
Rey looked at him pointedly. "Why do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Say those things? Do you know how much it hurts them?"
Ben frowned down at his shoebox. "Why bother explaining myself to you? You've already decided how you feel about me."
"Because how you act!" Rey argued. How on Earth was he trying to make her feel guilty about this? He was an ass, therefore, she treated him as one. Was that not simple enough? "How you treat everyone around you, especially me!"
"How I treat-come on, Rey. Your mind was made up about me before we even met."
"What are you even talking about?"
_________________________________________________________________
"Ben Solo?" Rey echoed. She gently squeezed the mug of tea more tightly in her hands, enjoying the warmth seeping through her skin.
Heat has been a bitch at the apartment and the Solo's house is nice and warm.
"Leia and Han's son," Poe whispered. He shot a quick look out the window, confirming the couple in question are still outside collecting food from their garage refrigerator. "Kind of the black sheep of the family."
"Why?" Rey asked, her voice dropping as well. She's seen pictures of the so-called son, but has yet to meet the man in person. Apparently, he is coming over today and Rey is more than a bit curious.
She's only a human. She's noticed the young Solo is good looking.
"Up and left to work for some asshole out in California who was running for office. And by asshole I mean like corrupt-movie-villain asshole. Ben and his parents never got along, he was the troubled kid, you know? I was probably the closest thing to a friend he had and there were some days I couldn't stand him. So, him leaving just was the final nail in the coffin."
"Really?" Rey couldn't imagine anyone running away from their family. She'd kill for one, for Christ's sake.
"Yea. After making Han and Leia miserable for who knows how long he came back. The ass he worked for got caught for some shady shit by the feds. But even when he's back he's still a prick to them. I've seen Leia crying more than once over him."
Making Leia cry? Seriously? She was the sweetest, if not formidable, woman Rey has ever met. "Sounds like a monster."
_________________________________________________________________
Guilt licked up Rey's spine as Ben quietly retold the story.
"You…heard that?"
She racked her mind for any hint that Ben had been anywhere in the vicinity when she and Poe had that conversation. But she specifically remembered seeing him appear in the backyard, glumly greeting his parents as they made their way back from the garage.
"I came through the front door," He shrugged. His eyes were fixed on some yarn he had discovered, his large fingers absently running through the knots that had formed. "Heard you and then…just, didn't want to deal with Dameron's bullshit. So, I went back the way I came and came through the back."
Rey must look like a gaping fish. She doesn't know what to say. Sorry? A part of her feels like she owes him one, but a larger, more stubborn part denies the urge. She feels the heat under her cheeks, even an uncomfortable warmth at the back of her neck, and Rey hates that Ben Solo has done this to her. Because he's an asshole. He's always been an asshole. Maybe she slipped up, a little, but didn't he eventually prove her right about the person he is?
"Ben-" Rey finally managed to strangle out.
"Don't," He snapped. His eyes rise from the yarn to level her with a glare. "Whatever it is you're about to say, just don't."
Rey hadn't the slightest idea what she was going to say but his refusal to hear it-whatever the hell it would have been-has her angry. "What the hell is your problem?"
"I told you-"
"I never met you," She interrupted before he could go any further. "And okay, I took a friend's story at face value, because Poe is my friend, and I made a judgment. Shitty on me, I get it. But it's not like you proved him wrong!"
"I don't need to prove anything to anyone." Ben growled.
"Then why bother!" Rey exclaimed. She should shut up. End this stupid conversation and stupid quest for long gone receipts. Leave the shop, go to bed, and go to Valentine's Day breakfast. Forget Ben Solo and the way he looks when talks about his family, the way he sounds, the pain and anger, and why Rey just doesn't understand but some ridiculous lunatic part of her does and she can't just-
"You come to dinners! The shop! You work here, for Christ's sake. You continuously put yourself in the vicinity of people you supposedly hate and I just don't get-"
"Why would you?" Ben cried. He jumped up from the floor and Rey hastily followed him, intimated enough by his height when they're standing that she doesn't need to gawk up at him while sitting. "You never bothered-"
"You never gave me a chance-"
"You never gave me a chance, Rey. Monster, remember?"
"Ben, I said it was shitty of me. But it could have been overlooked or forgiven or forgotten or-"
"People my whole life expected things of me." Ben seethed but anger no longer laced tightly around his words. Now, she could see the vulnerability of his eyes, the quiver of his lip, and the pure desperation that plunged his voice into a deep tone she'd never heard pass his lips. "The son of a politician and retired solider. Uncle in the White House. I was supposed to be someone. To do great things. It was always too much to bear. It was like the only time anyone paid attention to me was when they were checking in on my grades or future aspirations. Never there for just me, though. Just Ben. So I needed to get away. Needed to be my own person. And I…I…"
Rey knows this part of the story. California. The corrupt Snoke. Whatever wonderful life Ben had imagined being destroyed within five years and sending him back home.
But Ben had stopped talking now.
"Why come back then?" Rey asked softly. Because they had gotten this far, why stop.
"Because I…Christ I…" Ben swallowed thickly. "I needed my family."
Rey's heart broke at his words. For the first time in her life, she felt the urge to hug Ben Solo. To let him nuzzle into her embrace, let the tears stuck in his eyes streak down, and whisper words of encouragement, kindness…love.
But it didn't seem like Ben wanted that. For he didn't move closer to her and Rey, too afraid herself, wouldn't risk a step either.
"You can't change the past," Ben began again, taking in a shallow breath. His hands clench at his sides, restless for something out of reach. "I know I did things wrong, but so did they. And…and it's a lost to be forgiven just like that. But they're….I'm…" He swallowed again. "Trying" He finished.
A simply word meant for all involved.
Trying.
Rey wondered if she should begin to do so to.
"Let's go," Rey sighed, tired all over again. She needed it. Ben needed it. Enough was said tonight that they'd didn't need to suffer in each other's company anymore. At least, that's what Rey figured. "This is…we're not getting anywhere."
Ben quietly nodded his head and moved past her. He retrieved his things from Rose's office and Rey did the same from her own employee locker.
They both met awkwardly at the back door.
"I'm sorry," Rey blurted out before she could think better of it. But for what, she's not sure. The failed attempt to get the receipts? Making him confess so many personnel things? Being, as usual, a thorn in his side?
Ben, as well, seemed to be as unsure to what forgiveness she was seeking. But he doesn't question her. Thankfully (or unfortunately?) he didn't. He just nodded and placed his hand on the doorknob.
Funny thing is, it doesn't turn.
_________________________________________________________________
"Rose, what the hell?"
"Oh my God, Rey, I am so, so, so, sorry!"
Ben had his arms across his chest, starring at Rey with a hint of annoyance.
Rey, on the other hand, is openly fuming. She might crush her cellphone in her fist right then and there.
"Rose, this can't-no, just no, this can't be happening. There's no way I-we-are locked in here all night and that-"
"Rey, it's a new system!"
This does, unfortunately, register in Rey's mind. They had gotten a new security set up last week when Han swore they were missing some parts. Rose was given the task, and that was really the last Rey heard of it.
"I'm always the last one at the shop!" Rose continued desperately to explain. "And typing in a code wasn't working, for some unknown reason. The stupid thing wouldn't save it! I'd always have to put a new one in! And I've been on the phone with the company ten times, I swear, and they said they were going to send someone down but they're booked the next few weeks-"
"Rose-"
"Using facial recognition just made sense-at the time. And-and I forgot today that you'd stay late-but Rey! The whole thing locks down at 8 pm. What are you still doing there?"
Rey wanted to groan aloud. So she did.
Ben raised one his eyebrows at her.
"We couldn't find what Ben wanted," Rey explained. "We didn't know this place was a ticking time bomb ready to trap us."
"I know, I'm sorry! I should have warned you regardless. Christ, I feel like crap."
"Rose, can't you just-" But Rey knew the answer before she could even finish.
There isn't any airport in their town. The closest one was a three hour drive. It's why Han and Rose needed to leave so quickly today. Rose had specifically gotten a hotel room for the night knowing once she picked up Paige it would be too late to drive back.
They were stuck.
"Rey, I'm sorry. We're leaving bright and early tomorrow-"
"I know, I know."
It was a small consolation, knowing at least she wouldn't miss breakfast. Rose had said she was heading straight there once she and her sister made it back in town.
"Rey-"
"Rose, it's…fine. We'll just make do."
Make do.
All night.
In a locked auto shop alone with Ben Solo.
Fantastic.
_________________________________________________________________
"What are you doing?"
Rey had made camp on the shop's ancient couch, something apparently older than Han itself. But it was soft, if not a bit smelly, and its patches made it all the more endearing to Rey. Worn and loved, as all things should be.
And she was definitely claiming it before Ben's monstrous form could.
There was the paper-thin mattress with lumps the size of rocks in the back Han usually slept on when Leia kicked him out (which, fingers crossed, hadn't happened for a good year).
But instead, he had disappeared into Han's office while Rey got comfortable, only to come back with a large bottle of brown liquid.
"Whiskey," he simply said.
Rey scrunched her nose. "You're going to drink?"
"Sure, why not?"
"Because-" Well, she supposed there wasn't really a good reason not to. It would certainly make the time go faster and sleep come quicker. Make this whole nightmare just come to a much-needed end.
During her silence, Ben had the audacity to plop down beside her on the couch. The furniture groaned a bit and Rey squawked in indignation.
"I am not sitting on the floor," He proclaimed and opened up the bottle.
"You are so-"
"Be nice or I won't share."
Well, he had her there.
_________________________________________________________________
Ben hadn't bothered with glasses, so the two are taking turns swigging down the whiskey.
Rey coughed each time.
Ben barely hides a smirk each time she does.
"What's California like?" She asked after another embarrassing sputter.
Ben tensed beside her.
"I mean," Rey's tongue felt immediately thick. "I wasn't asking to be rude. I-uh, I'm just curious. I've never been. It's looks…" Beautiful, she had wanted to say. But her tongue felt too twisted to get it out. She took another swig before handing the bottle over.
Ben relaxed, somewhat, but still eyed her a bit warily. "It's overrated."
"Really?" It seemed like a ridiculous notion. "But the beaches-"
"If you hadn't noticed by the color of my skin, I'm not much one for sun."
"But…all that blue!" Rey continued to argue. "It must be something!" Endless seas, bright skies, the smell of fresh air, and vibrant colors that seem too good to truly exist. How could anyone ever deny such an image?
Ben wiped at his mouth after a long sip. "It's something all right. It was a place to escape, not some pipe dream I had since childhood. I would have run to Alaska had it been an option. Hell, even out of the country but I had sat on my ass getting a passport."
A sour Ben Solo dressed in all black on a beach in California had Rey shaking and coughing up loud, broken laughs. "Only you would willingly run away to somewhere that would make you miserable."
Earlier, that might have caused another fight between them. But now, even Ben couldn't hold back a soft smile.
"I liked my apartment." He added shyly, catching a noiseless moment between two of her googling noises. "It was quiet. And mine. The first thing I really got for myself."
Rey calmed herself down to regard him and the soft, genuine admission. Eventually, she found herself retuning his smile. "That seems nice. That's going to be me soon."
Ben looked at her questioningly.
"Well, he hasn't out right said it, but Finn will be moving out soon. He and Poe have been together, for like, ever and he can't want to be strapped with me for much longer."
"You don't sound too happy."
"I am!" Rey argued but she knew how she sounded. Weak. Fake. Barely holding it together. The alcohol was stripping away her attuned ability to hide behind a mask. "I mean, I am-I'm happy Finn and Poe have each other. I don't wish that away."
"But?"
"But…" Rey sighed, her head falling back onto the muddy couch. When the dark colors of the ceiling began to swirl, she closed her eyes. "I'll be alone, again. I guess I should be used to it."
Ben was silent beside her.
"I-I just thought. I don't know, it was stupid whatever I thought. That Finn was going to stay with me forever? That's ridiculous. I know that. I do. But now-now that it's actually here…and happening and I-I…"
Her throat dried and shrank, and Rey could barely continue to speak let alone breath.
"He's moving out of your apartment, not your life." Ben whispered close to her ear. "It's going to be okay, Rey."
"I know, I swear-"
"Do you? It's okay to break down. To let it all out. A lesson I wished I learned a little earlier."
"Ben," Rey laughed and turned to face him. Oh, was he close. He must have shifted during her little tantrum, his leg now brushing her own and his breath blowing softly onto her cheeks. The shop's aging lamps cast their faces in a dark glow, an eerie yellow with just a tinge of green, but Rey could see just see how deeply brown his eyes were now. How they seemed to smolder as they stared down at her. Too burn.
She stared, suddenly forgetting whatever it is she was going to say. "I…" Her tongue darted out, sliding against her dry bottom lip.
Ben's eyes dropped down to it, following the motion slowly.
"I'll be fine," She finally whispered out. Her voice felt as dry as the rest of her. "I will."
His eyes slowly crawled back up her face, reuniting with her gaze. "You have more than Finn, you know."
Rey should have looked away or put some distance between them. They were drinking, and alone, and this was bound to end up nowhere good. But those eyes. She couldn't look away from them. And the way he was speaking to her, so hushed, so intensely.
Ben took her silence as reluctance.
"You're not alone." He repeated again, louder and firmer.
The small increase of volume had her straightening up, ever so slightly. If anything, the movement only made her slide closer to Ben. Their shoulders pressed against each other now.
Rey whispered back, "Neither are you."
And this was it. The moment they would kiss. She'd seen the movies. Read the books. Hell, she had her own fair share of in real life moments. Stories being shared. Voices hushed. Faces angled. Liquid bravery coursed through their veins and all Ben needed to do was lean his head down just a bit closer.
But it's not what happened.
An indecipherable look crossed Ben's features and before Rey could even process what it was, he was pulling away. The couch groaned, seemingly just as pissed as Rey, as he rose up, all but running away from her and towards the back of the shop.
"I need to use the bathroom," He called over his shoulder.
The door slammed shut behind him.
"What the fuck?" Rey hissed into empty room.
Because what the fuck?
It's her own fault, she supposed.
What was she thinking, Ben Solo wanted to kiss?
Sure, they had climbed over some walls tonight. Bared some parts of their souls and connected in a way they never really had the chance too since meeting each other.
But that didn't erase the past. Hadn't that been what Ben said? Maybe they could forge some kind of friendship after tonight, but it wasn't like a shared bottle of whiskey and some whispered confessions was going to speed them past go and straight to kissing.
It was only four-five-six(?) hours ago they hated each other.
Rey rationalized all of this as she sat alone on the couch. The now very, very empty couch without a certain man's hulking presence. But that didn't stop her from continuing to chug down the bottle. Or quell down any of her anger. Or have the sting of rejection lessen.
Because now it was near midnight-or one? Rey couldn't read the clock right. But whatever, it was Valentine's Day. Great. She had gotten rejected on Valentine's Day. One of the exact things she specifically tried to avoid during this damned holiday.
And rejected by Ben Solo no less.
Her knuckles were white, twisted around the neck of the bottle when Ben reappears.
He's shuffling on his feet, and his hair looked like he ran his fingers through it about fifty times. He's looks wrecked, to put it bluntly, and Rey wonders what hell trouble he could have gotten into in a bathroom the size of a shoebox.
His eyes breezed past her to land on the bottle. "You're still…drinking?"
He sounds so very confused that Rey bristled, misinterpreting his tone for judgment. "Is there a problem?"
"Ah, no-that's…do what you want." He finished lamely. His eyes are now everywhere but her. "I guess I'll head to bed now."
"So early?" Rey snipped. "What a lightweight." She's being mean, and it would probably be best for both of them if he did just go to bed. Certainly for Rey who just wants blood at the current moment and will probably regret this come morning.
Ben frowned down at his feet. "It's late."
"If you think after tonight I'm coming in to work tomorrow-"
"Well, I have a meeting tomorrow."
"A tax meeting on Valentine's Day, how romantic."
Oh, that got him to finally look at her. Glare, more like it. "As if it's any of your business what I do or don't on Valentine's Day."
"I could care less!" Rey agreed with a shout. The liquid in the bottle sloshed along with her. "But I'm here tonight because of you and your stupid receipts!"
"You volunteered-"
"I was doing it for Han-"
"Well God bless you and your love for Han-"
"Christ!" Rey snapped and hopped to her feet. Bottle still clutched firmly in hand, mind you. "Here we friggin go again. You and your God damn comments!"
Ben ran a hand through his hair. Tugged it so painfully, actually, there was no way some of those luscious black strands were not getting pulled out. "What the hell do you want from me, Rey?"
"Man up and drink with me!"
Oh yea, because that was the right thing to say at a time like this.
_________________________________________________________________
"This is fucking ridiculous."
The volume of Ben's voice implied he wanted to have kept the comment to himself, but he and Rey were sitting way too close for her not to hear.
For the sake of her sanity, and for this stupid game she had started, Rey chose to ignore it. "Pick a damn card."
"This is meant to be played as a group, Rey."
"We can play Kings however we want to play Kings."
"Rey…"
"Drink," She commanded, pushing the bottle towards him.
Ben looked at her incredulously. "I didn't even pick a card!"
"You're complaining. New rule, you complain, you drink. So drink."
His lips (plush, damn lips) thinned into a line. But he took a swig without another word, slamming the bottle a little loudly back onto the ground.
"Good, now pick a card please."
Ben sighed and flipped the one nearest to him. "Five"
"Guys!" Rey chirped.
"Me? Again?"
Rey motioned toward the bottle.
"Looks like you're just trying to get me drunk."
"Yes, thank God, now you get it."
Ben shook his head and tipped his head back.
Rey definitely did not watch the way his neck bobbed as the liquid slid down.
"Your turn."
Silently, Rey flipped a card and immediately smiled. "Well you just got lucky, Solo. You just got a date."
"Rey, that means we're going to be drinking every single turn."
"And the problem is?"
Ben rolled his eyes.
"Come on! You just scored yourself a date on Valentine's Day! Much more exciting than your stupid tax date."
A lovely red colored Ben's cheeks. "It's not a date. And maybe you should slow down for your date tomorrow."
"Oh yea, because me being hungover will put a big stop to those plans. Now your turn, let's go!"
Ben's brow furrowed, and Rey could clearly see a question forming behind those expressive eyes. But whatever it was, he thought better and stopped himself. Still blushing, though, which was interesting. It was hardly anything but a fun tease she had delivered him, why was he being effected so? Rey almost asked that question herself when Ben turned up a new card. "Jack"
Rey grinned. "Never have I ever."
"Of all the childish games-"
"Three fingers up, let's go! I'll go first. Never have I ever, been out of the state."
Ben's eyes narrowed. "Cheap shot. Alright, never have I ever, had a date on Valentine's Day."
"How dare you. We are currently-"
"Not dates, not because of this stupid game. You know what I mean."
Rey huffed and, even though she didn't need to yet, grabbed the bottle of whiskey. It was getting much, much lighter. Not a good sign for this night. Especially with this next awfully embarrassing admission, "Well, jokes on you, we're both losers." Worse, her own situation was keeping her from mercilessly teasing Ben for never having a date.
Ben's mouth slid open, then closed, and that innocently, stupid, confused look graced his features once more. "But you said you had a date."
"Well yea but not a date-date."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It's not…" Rey huffed. "Every year me and Finn go out to breakfast for Valentine's Day. We were poor and single and hungover and it was fun so we just kept doing it. So now Poe and Rose come too, and it's kind of a tradition, and I really didn't want to miss it before when you threatened to let this stupidity spill into tomorrow morning."
The dull tick-tock of the clock, hung crookedly over Rose's office door, followed her slurred explanation. A tick-tock that thumped too loudly in her head, possibly even her heart, but why? She didn't say anything important. Not really. And yet it sounded like she did. Ben was looking at her like she did. Like her rushed and drunken explanation of a silly breakfast was actually admitting to…to…
To what?
To-
"Oh." Ben said simply. Just that. Oh.
God, she must be more drunk than she realized. Making up looks Ben was shooting her. Making up that there was something between them. That she said something that actually meant something deeper. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He had rejected her once, did he need to do it again?
"What a self-sabotaging move, Solo," It was a hasty and obvious attempt to redirect the convo. Pathetic, too, in Rey's own opinion. "Trying to take me down while admitting you've never had a date. Not exactly suave."
"My turn," Ben said instead. "Never have I ever-"
"Wait, it's not your turn-"
"Not had a crush on one of my coworkers."
"A double negative? Seriously Ben? That's so stup-" Oh. Oh wait.
What had he just said?
Coworkers. He didn't have a crush on one of his coworkers. No- wait, right, double negative. So, Ben did have a crush on a coworker. Which were-who were-ah, "Rose?" Rey blurted out, confused and more intoxicated by the second.
"What? No, God Rey, not Rose."
"Well not Rose, then-" Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Her. It was her. She was the only other option. The only other coworker.
Ben Solo had a crush on her.
Rey starred dumbly at his ridiculously handsome face. Which yea, she was going to admit to that now. Because he just said he had a crush on her. And if he could admit that, then she could admit how hot-God damn hot-she found Ben Solo.
And she was starring way too long at this point.
"Rey?" Ben asked.
"I'm processing."
"Oh. Um, is that��good?"
"No. I mean, yes. I mean, I don't know, I'm processing!"
"Look, if it's easier-just forget it. I'm drunk. I'm sorr-"
Rey's hand shot up, covering his stupid (no, perfect, she was calling it perfect now) mouth. "Don't you dare apologize. Explain first."
From beneath her palm, Ben mumbled, "Explain?"
A tingling wave of pleasure swept up Rey's arm and down her spine, the feel of Ben's lips moving against her skin too good to believe. She wanted the sensation elsewhere. Everywhere. On her lips, her neck, her-
Rey gasped. Out. Loud.
The image of Ben's head buried in her chest, between her breasts. Her hands in his hair, grabbing those black locks herself, feeling how soft they were. Finding out why he liked to run his fingers through them himself so friggin much.
"Rey?"
She swallowed thickly and pulled her hand back like Ben was an oven and she was a foolish child who didn't know any better. "I…" The images wouldn't stop. Ben mumbling against her skin, deep, husky words in between sloppy kisses. Shit, her nipples were hardening underneath her shirt. Which was nothing but a dumpy white tee, dirty from a day's work and sweat covering a bra that desperately needed to be replaced and held absolutely no cushioning. So if Ben was to look, oh yea, he would see the effect he was unintentionally having on her.
"Are you okay?" Ben asked, completely oblivious to her struggle. He even leant forward, reached toward her with a hesitant hand-
With a squeak, Rey slipped backwards with an embarrassing plop right down on her rump. "Fine! I'm fine!"
Ben frowned but withdrew his hand. "Okay. I just-look, forget it, like I said."
"No!" Rey cried. Because that was absolutely the last thing she wanted to do, even if she was acting like a confused mess right now. "I don't want to-look, just…I thought you hated me? Don't you hate me? The way you act…"
"It's not as if you treat me any better."
Rey crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not the one who just admitted to having a crush."
"Fine. Just fine, you got me there. I," Ben breathed loudly through his nose. "Look, what we talked about before. The conversation I overheard between you and Poe? Shockingly, it sent me on edge. And, shocking yet again, I lashed out. Then it was like I couldn't stop. Because of course you gave as good as you got, why wouldn't you the way I was acting? I even admired you then when you were biting my head off. And I-shit, I'm really pouring out my heart here, Rey. We got so far down that road it was like I couldn't turn around even though I wanted to."
The picture was so clear. Rey didn't understand why she hadn't pieced it together herself before Ben's confession. Because why wouldn't the hurt boy turned still healing man trust anyone new in his life? Especially some stranger, who had never even met him, and had called him a monster? Why would he be kind? Or trusting?
It wasn't so simple. Obviously. He wasn't blameless either nor was she completely guilty.
And apparently the ball was in her court of where this night was going to head.
"It's my turn," Rey said finally, holding up her two fingers.
Ben's lips curved downward. His whole demeanor seemed to sag.
"Ben," Rey prompted, nodding toward his hand. "Please."
Weakly, he raised his two fingers.
"Never have I ever kissed a Solo."
His eyes snapped up towards her.
She was too shy to do anything but grin in return.
Silence ensued for a moment, and it had Rey ridiculously thinking that maybe she had got something wrong. But then, "Is that a statement, or a challenge, sweetheart?"
Funny, that was the first time he ever used that nickname in a non-mocking way.
Rey wondered if he had always wanted to say it to her like this. She didn't have to time to ask, or even ponder, because she leant forward without another word and Ben happily met her half way.
It was tentative, at first.
Both were still a bit unsure, and perhaps a bit too drunk. Ben was gently moving against her lips, navigating their shape before settling on her bottom one and sucking softly. Rey gasped when she felt the tug of his teeth, and it was all he needed to slip his tongue inside.
Hands were suddenly at her hips, dragging her across the concrete floor and making a mess of their forgotten King's game. Rey moaned when Ben lifted her onto his lap and right against the seam of his pants.
Her hips rolled without a conscious thought, and now Ben was the one groaning.
"Rey," He whispered, pulling back to look at her. "You don't know how long I-"
"Me too," She gasped, arching against him. Ben was now meeting her movement with thrusts of his own, as well as she could manage on the hard floor. "God Ben, me too."
His hands gripped her waist, directing her to go harder, faster against him. "Fuck," He hissed, looking down to watch them move against each other. "Sometimes I didn't even need to come here, I just wanted to see you."
She closed her eyes and leant her head back, surrendering to the sensations ravaging her body. Ben immediately took it as invitation to suck happily down her neck, his tongue lavishing her skin as he gave quick nips here and there.
"You were infuriating," Rey breathed when he latched down a particular spot that had here seeing stars. "Fuck, you're still so fucking infuriating."
Ben let go and gripped the back of her neck, pulling the hair back there to angle her lips toward his. "You fucking love it." He growled before catching her in a brutal kiss.
Their movements were getting too sloppy, too fast. Rey was helpless to do anything but chase the pressure that was nearing its edge. She let out a whimper when her legs began to tremble and Ben gripped her ass with kneading hands.
"Cum for me," He ordered, again sucking her bottom lip into his mouth, "Fucking cum for me right now."
Yes, it was right there. His hands. His voice. The feel of his cock, covered by his pants, but large and thick enough to create delicious pressure against the seam of her own jeans. She drew down just a little harder, felt his lips bite her neck again in what must be leaving a mark-
"Ben!" She cried and it all exploded.
"Fuck Rey," He groaned, bucking up harder. She was nothing but air now, weightless and buzzed, but felt him use her body for his own release. "So perfect, so good. Fuck, fuck-"
A brutal groan escaped him with one more thrust, and then they were both still and panting.
Sweat dripped down between her breasts (which shit, he hadn't even got to explore) and Rey could feel her hair, loose and knotty, beginning to stick against her neck. Her knees were also starting to hurt, and she couldn't imagine the effect the floor was having on Ben. But he seemed content to just hold her tightly against him, his face buried in her neck while he took in deep breaths.
"Ben," Rey whispered, taking the still moment to card her fingers through his hair. And oh yes, it was everything she'd ever dreamt about. She was definitely never going to stop doing this whenever she could. "I must be hurting you."
"Worth it." He mumbled, still not moving. But his thumbs began to stroke circles on the skin peeking out between her shirt and pants.
She giggled, the sound soft and sweet and so very, very welcome. Ben's lips even curved into a smile at the sound of it. "We could do this somewhere more comfortable."
"If you're suggesting that piece of rock in the back-"
"The couch, tighter fit but more comfortable."
He finally pulled back to look at her, his face so calm and care free it must have been the first-time Rey had ever saw him like this. "I don't mind the fit."
She rolled her eyes. "Of course, you don't."
As they both got up and settled down onto the couch, Rey more or less having to drape herself over Ben (though no one was complaining), one more question occurred to Rey before sleep finally took over.
"Ben?"
"Hm?"
"Never have I ever brought a date to my Valentine's Day breakfast."
His hand stroked up her back, resting in her hair to gently massage at her scalp. She practically purred like a cat, nuzzling her face into his chest.
"Well, let's see what we can do to change that."
_________________________________________________________________
"So you found them sleeping? Together?" Finn hissed, leaning towards Rose.
The girl nodded her head esthetically, stealing a glance over at the couple in question. "I thought I was dreaming. Or maybe one of them was dead. Or like, it got so cold they needed body heat or something. I had to get Paige out of the car to make sure I wasn't hallucinating."
Maz was currently giving them, well, more Ben, a harsh talking to about visiting her more often. Rey was gazing adoringly at Ben, who was standing like a chastised child, as Maz rambled on. And they were holding hands.
Like, seriously, holding hands.
Poe took a sip of his mimosa. "Never thought I'd see the day Ben Solo got a girlfriend."
"Never thought I see the day Rey got a boyfriend!" Finn countered.
Paige smirked. "Seems like they're a match made in heaven then."
"More like hell." Poe mumbled, earning him a biscuit at the head from Finn.
"Well," Rose picked up her menu, beginning to absently flip through it. "Maybe this means less blow ups at shop. I could do with a more stress free working environment. And Han and Leia are absolutely going to freak."
Poe took on a devilish grin. "You're going to eat those words, Tico. There's certainly going to be more of something at the shop. A different kind of yelling, if you get my drift."
Finn slapped his boyfriend on the shoulder. "You're disgusting."
"Love you too. Happy Valentine's Day!"
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cherichoate · 5 years ago
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Peter Pan: Quotes that Reveal the Characters
About Mr. Darling:
“The way Mr. Darling won her was this: the many gentlemen who had been boys when she was a girl discovered simultaneously that they loved her, and they all ran to her house to propose to her except Mr. Darling, who took a cab and nipped in first, and so he got her” (1).
“It was dreadful the way all the three were looking at him, just as if they did not admire him. "Look here, all of you," he said entreatingly, as soon as Nana had gone into the bathroom. "I have just thought of a splendid joke. I shall pour my medicine into Nana's bowl, and she will drink it, thinking it is milk!” (12-13).
About Mrs. Darling:
“Mrs. Darling was married in white, and at first she kept the books perfectly, almost gleefully, as if it were a game, not so much as a Brussels sprout was missing; but by and by whole cauliflowers dropped out, and instead of them there were pictures of babies without faces. She drew them when she should have been totting up. They were Mrs. Darling's guesses” (1).
About Wendy:
“Wendy's favourite time for sewing and darning was after they had all gone to bed. Then, as she expressed it, she had a breathing time for herself; and she occupied it in making new things for them, and putting double pieces on the knees, for they were all most frightfully hard on their knees.”
“When she sat down to a basketful of their stockings, every heel with a hole in it, she would fling up her arms and exclaim, Oh dear, I am sure I sometimes think spinsters are to be envied!’” (55-56).
About Peter Pan:
"Eventually Peter would dive through the air, and catch Michael just before he could strike the sea, and it was lovely the way he did it; but he always waited till the last moment, and you felt it was his cleverness that interested him and not the saving of human life. Also he was fond of variety, and the sport that engrossed him one moment would suddenly cease to engage him, so there was always the possibility that the next time you fell, he would let you go” (28).
“He would come down laughing over something fearfully funny he had been saying to a star, but he had already forgotten what it was, or he would come up with mermaid scales still sticking to him, and yet not be able to say for certain what had been happening (30).
About James Hook:
“His eyes were of the blue of the forget-me-not, and of a profound melancholy, save when he was plunging his hook into you, at which time two red spots appeared in them and lit them up horribly” (38).
“He was never more sinister than when he was most polite, which is probably the truest test of breeding; and the elegance of his diction, even when he was swearing, no less than the distinction of his demeanour, showed him one of a different cast from his crew” (38).
About Tinker Bell:
"Tink," said Peter amiably, "this lady says she wishes you were her fairy."
Tinker Bell answered insolently.
"What does she say, Peter?"
He had to translate. "She is not very polite. She says you are a great [huge] ugly girl, and that she is my fairy.
He tried to argue with Tink. "You know you can't be my fairy, Tink, because I am a gentleman and you are a lady."
To this Tink replied in these words, "You silly ass," and disappeared into the bathroom” (20-21).
“Tink was not all bad; or, rather, she was all bad just now, but, on the other hand, sometimes she was all good. Fairies have to be one thing or the other, because being so small they unfortunately have room for one feeling only at a time. They are, however, allowed to change, only it must be a complete change. At present she was full of jealousy of Wendy” (35).
About the Narrator:
“You see, the woman had no proper spirit. I had meant to say extraordinarily nice things about her; but I despise her, and not one of them will I say now. She does not really need to be told to have things ready, for they are ready. All the beds are aired, and she never leaves the house, and observe, the window is open. For all the use we are to her, we might well go back to the ship. However, as we are here we may as well stay and look on. That is all we are, lookers-on. Nobody really wants us. So let us watch and say jaggy things, in the hope that some of them will hurt” (115).
“Now that we look at her closely and remember the gaiety of her in the old days, all gone now just because she has lost her babes, I find I won't be able to say nasty things about her after all. If she was too fond of her rubbishy children, she couldn't help it. Look at her in her chair, where she has fallen asleep. The corner of her mouth, where one looks first, is almost withered up. Her hand moves restlessly on her breast as if she had a pain there. Some like Peter best, and some like Wendy best, but I like her best. Suppose, to make her happy, we whisper to her in her sleep that the brats are coming back” (116-117).
* I chose to include quotes that seems to reveal the character of the narrator because there is much in the narrator’s voice that reminds me of Peter Pan.  In one breath, the narrator insists that there was little redeemable about Mrs. Darling.  He goes so far as to say, “...I despise her.” Yet, in the next breath, the narrator, as fickle as Peter, insists that between Peter, Wendy, and Mrs. Darling, “...I like her [Mrs. Darling] best” (117).
Deeper Character Analysis: Peter Pan
Peter Pan is, as it should be, perhaps the most enigmatic character in the book, Peter Pan.  Not only is he a character full of contradictions, he seems to be the embodiment of both innocent (yet impish) children and loyal dogs, eager to forgive and forget an injury inflicted by a person he is fond of. And yet, the one person that children universally love and forgive most is the one person that Peter begrudges: his mother.  Still, the need for a mother is there for Peter.  His primary justification for tricking Wendy into going with him to Neverland is to provide a mother for the Lost Boys--a mother who can tell them bedtime stories.  Peter displays naivety and innocence in his acceptance of what it means to be given a kiss and in his reaction to having lost his shadow. Like a little boy overwrought by the loss of something important to him, Peter cries over the loss of his shadow (even though he denies he’d been crying when Wendy tries to console him).  In contrast to the image of innocence, Peter seems to have no concept of guilt when he injures or even kills another. The narrator says of Peter Pan:
"Eventually Peter would dive through the air, and catch Michael just before he could strike the sea, and it was lovely the way he did it; but he always waited till the last moment, and you felt it was his cleverness that interested him and not the saving of human life. Also he was fond of variety, and the sport that engrossed him one moment would suddenly cease to engage him, so there was always the possibility that the next time you fell, he would let you go” (28).
Like Mark Twain’s clever, mischievous Tom Sawyer, Peter Pan’s only desire is to shed himself of responsibility and to enjoy adventure, even though it may be at the expense of others.  One can imagine Pan gleefully standing by and watching as Tom tricks the gullible neighborhood children into white-washing Aunt Polly’s fence in his place.
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seashelbytravel · 5 years ago
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Grettings from the future:
Sunday June 9, 2019
Current location: Kho Lak, Thailand
Traveled from: Ranong, Thailand
Travel date: 6/8/19
From Koh Tao, we took a ferry boat back to the mainland. John joked about it being my opportunity to act out the scene from TITANIC. I regret not doing it.
This time we laid out on the upper most deck, on the ground right up front. No one cares in Thailand.
Our first and most loved/memorable experience was in a small beach down that I won’t name because some people don’t want the world to know about their home, and I respect that. I will write the full experience, but we bonded with a pizza shop owner, who taught me the basics of meditation in Thailand.
Being on the ferry was my first opportunity to practice what I learned. It felt so ....nice. Simplicity is best when describing meditation (prayer). You have to do it for yourself and let your experience just be yours.
Mine is almost always divine, if I can just listen to my breath, and not my mind. The mind (mine for sure) is like a wild toddler that will throw a tantrum once you tell it “I’m not going to pay you this attention, you’re screaming at me, but I do love you”.
The divinity that comes with peace of mind (even if it’s a few moments of thoughtlessness) is profound, and I’ve barely scratched the surface I think.
Off the ferry, we hopped on the back of a motor bike and were taken to the mini bus station.
Chumpon (the port city) is a little dicey. It was the first city where John and I encountered being treated like “stupid Americans” P.S I FULLY understand why all other countries think we are stupid. We have our heads so far up you know where, that we aren’t even truly concerned with world events, beliefs, etc. Even those of us who are concerned, like myself, aren’t given the full scope of what’s actually going on. A larger generalization, but unfortunately it’s true.
We took a mini bus to Ranong Thailand. It’s a beautiful little city tucked away in the mountains. John tells me they average 8 months of rainfall. When we pulled in, school was letting out, and man.... all those little kids were so cute, and sweet! There were a ton of food vendors waiting for them, and they all got their respective treats (fruit smoothies, ice pops, coke, you know.). It reminded me of getting out of school and being picked up with gummy life savers by my Mimi.
I miss her very much. Being here without distraction has opened me up to grieving grief I didn’t even know I had pint up. That’s the thing about grief. You can exercise the hell out of it, but it’s always there.
She never wanted me to cry, and I only cried three times when she finally passed this last summer.
Even sitting here now, I’m not crying. Grieving for her is warm and lovely. And a true “Wow, I miss you and your HUGS”. She gave the best ones.
There are blue (and other colored) butterflies all over the place in decoration here.
She loves butterflies and called little girls butterflies.
Anywho, we found a nice hotel and a place to do laundry (Hallelujah!). For real. When we pulled in, I was in day two clothing and reeeked. John’s pants were torn and he was also in multi day clothing. We. Were. Nasty.
Guess what? The couple who helped with our laundry even had A DRYER. We bought some clean clothes so we could wash the dirty. John got me a shirt that said “Sometimes the happy memories make us the saddest”. It was pink, and very fitting for me, and very sweet of him.
We showered, put on the clean clothes, and dropped off the dirty.
I went to journal out front and met a hilarious man from Indonesia. He is traveling by bike with his wife and his brother, across SE Asia. He pretty much convinced me to move to Indonesia without ever going.
John and his family joined at the same time (just about) and the conversation grew.
They love QUEEN so boom: instant bonding moment.
Upon learning that I am an actress and John a musician (both trained) the business ideas started flowing.
It’s funny, in American people scoff at you when you have an art degree. Here? It’s treasured and honorable.
He told me to make a movie for children in Indonesia. Where all the parts are played by kids.
I’ve been joting down ideas since.
We walked down for dinner and, wow is Ranong gorgeous. We ate at this hip little place. There was a sweet waiter working who literally asked his friend if he could take out table. They were so excited to be around Americans.
It’s funny, the same crappy American pop songs play at every “hip” place here.
I want to show them the good stuff.
Our food was delicious but reaaallly spicey for Shelby. Still delicious. But, I needed a soda water and a rest, so I went back to the hotel.
We went to sleep and woke up with the plan to go to the hot springs (Ranong is known for this).
We went to a spa. The sweet receptionist didn’t understand that John was trying to order us both the same thing (a traditional Thai massage, and herbal exfoliation) so, I get ushered into the women’s side, and he the men’s.
Long story short. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing and didn’t monopolize fully on the hot spring aspect of things.
This is a funny story, I’m laughing about this: Then, I ended up getting the herbal exfoliation, which was essentially a glorified rub down of all of my body except for my bottom private area. Did you catch that? My BOTTOM private area was the only spot not rubbed down by this sweet old Thai lady. Needless to say, I have the softest skin, but also, hello! Wasn’t expecting that one. But oh well I honestly didn’t care.
Then I thought “Yes! time for my massage”.
Nope.
I was done and waited in the lobby an additional hour, until I was so confused that I just asked the lady the timeline. She didn’t understand and led me up to a beautiful room where John was receiving the most awesome traditional Thai massage.
Lol.
Mine will come later. Although, I was a little disappointed to not get one there specifically.
He felt really bad, but I didn’t want him to. He had never received a massage before. Ever. What a perfect place for your first pamper experience.
He got me some grilled banana (Hi. I’m a little sick from this, this morning, err a little more than a little, but not enough to keep me in bed). I was chowing down, and John took one bite and made a face and threw them out. I felt weird about them too, but accepted the snack anyway.
Shoulda trusted my gut, because it’s mad at me now.
We ate Thai pizza, talked more about Anthony Bourdain, and hitched a ride the the bus station.
It’s crazy, you really have to watch your bags (even with them on your back) at all times. I now know how to scope out advantage takers.
I didn’t mention this before, but my debit card disappeared in Bangkok. And our hotel never called back when John inquired about it.
Thank God for technology because it ended up being a semi easy fix.
The bus trip was long and rough. Something like 5 hours for 70 miles.
We are here in Khotak. Finally on the coast and it’s pouring. I’m praying for sunshine 🌞 queue “Let the Sun Shine”.
But, like I said, I woke up and got sick in the middle of the night, and a little this morning. Currently drinking tea and eating toast. I’ll take some activated charcoal and I’ll be good.
I encourage you to Google Earth the places we are staying. Im obsessed with Google Earth. It’s one of my hobbies, if that qualifies.
All photos belong to John Philip Sessions.
Photographed: The ferry ride from Koh Tao Island
Love you guys, thanks for tuning in ♾
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isaflynns · 6 years ago
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Character Development Questions | Writing Task
What is the biggest change in your character’s life since you’ve started playing them? Maybe they met someone, maybe they went through a life-or-death experience.
This question is virtually impossible to answer. More than any character I’ve ever played, Isabella has changed. When I first started writing her, I had no idea she’d grow into what she is now. Besides the short hiatus I recently took, and a few weeks here and there, I’ve written Isabella consistently for almost 2 years now, and it’s inevitable she’s changed in that time.
It’shard to pinpoint one big change, because she’s really changed gradually, but I’ll use this as an excuse to talk about the last Big Thing in Isabella’s life. And that is (disgustingly, still, months later) the Farmhouse. Who’s surprised? Nobody, honestly.
Not only was the Farmhouse was a big deal because it was dramatic and angsty and horrific, but it was such a dramatic departure from the typical dynamic of Edward and Isabella up til that point. Isabella had stalked Edward for ages before it, and been obsessed with him for so long that it’s ridiculous, but the Farmhouse was just an explosion of all that madness. It was a switch in a dynamic which had been, until that point, abusive from Edward’s side. He was her killer, her abuser, her gaslighter, and she was the victim. But the Farmhouse flipped that. It messed with the gender roles there, given that Isabella’s a woman. We often joked, at the time, that it was ridiculous. Isabella looks like a dorky librarian. She kidnapped and held a man hostage? Yes, dear reader. She did.
This was Isabella at her most insane, most delusional, most irrational. I’ve never driven a character to that place. Sure, I’m known for writing bad guys (or, at least, I’d like to think I am) but I’ve never actually had a sane character who’s gone insane before. The Farmhouse period was Isabella so completely removed from reality, and so sick, and so not herself. It was a chance for me to really go creepy, to have her stabbed in the stomach and not even change her dress, to have her listen to old-timey love songs on repeat, to have her slip so far from the neat, well put together, intelligent, woman she was. She was Isabella without any of her warmth, just the cold, clone, side. And I had so much fun with that.
I could talk about the Farmhouse forever, and I’ll bet everyone’s sick of hearing about it, so I’ll stop now. That, without a doubt, is the biggest transformative moment/period in Isabella’s life recently, possibly ever.
Which person has changed your character the most? A lover, a friend, a mentor, an enemy? (This can be a person within the RP, or someone from their past!)
Again, this is a hard question. Arguably, Hugo Strange changed Isabella the most, seeing as he’s responsible for her creation, for her change from Kristen Kringle to Isabella, but that feels like a cop-out, because Isabella is her own person, separate from Kristen (though it’s taken her a very long time to realise that).
I could talk about Edward, because Isabella and Edward practically come as a package deal, but I’ve already spoken about him. I’ll do it briefly, because it’s a crime not to. He, without a doubt, has had the most influence on Isabella. He helped her on her initial criminal journey, willingly or not, and he played a huge part in her first snap of sanity (when she murdered a security guard and drowned him in his own blood. Cheery.) I’m not saying that’s Edward’s fault, but he definitely had a hand in it. He could see she was slipping, no longer the person he fell in love with, but he did nothing to help her. Then, of course, we have the Farmhouse fiasco I mentioned previously. 
Another character who changed Isabella a lot, or at least whom you can measure her sanity by, was Oswald. You can measure how “with it” Isabella is by her relationship with Oswald. At her worst, Oswald was her mortal enemy, her object in the way of Edward, her romantic rival, intent on stealing “her” Edward away. At her best, Oswald has been her friend, and her criminal partner. He’s been her confidante, and her ally. Isabella’s sane times had coincided with her friendship with Oswald, and at her darkest, most insane times, she’s hated him. So, to stop myself from rambling any more , he’s definitely had a profound effect on her.
Has your character changed in positive ways? Have they found strengths they never knew they had? Or have they changed in negative ways – learning harsh truths about themselves they would rather have not known?
I’d say that Isabella’s actually changed in positive ways. If you use the Farmhouse as a benchmark for her last Big Drama (as I often do), then she’s only gone up from there. She had a temporary slip, where the Riddler tricked her into getting shot in the face by Oswald, but, besides that, she’s improved dramatically. She’s been in and out of Arkham, which actually helped her overcome her obsession. She’s held down her job she enjoys, rebuilt a lot of ruined friendships (namely with Harley and Oswald), and become a picture of health.
While she has learnt a lot of negative truths about herself -- her selfishness, her terrifying potential lack of empathy, her madness, her obsession -- she’s actually overcome all of those things. She’s accepted them about herself, accepted what she is capable of, and chosen not to let that win. Whether her actions in the Farmhouse were a result of clone programming (as I choose to believe) or just insanity, she’s not let that darkness back out again, and she has done everything she can to be more like her old self. And she’s actually glad she knows those things about herself, so she knows what she’s like at her worst, and she knows what behaviours and triggers to avoid.
Without a doubt, she’s changed more positively than she has negatively. She’s embraced her more Kristen-like, thoughtful, and maternal side, and actively tried to be a better person. Even after the many physical, mental, and emotional traumas she’s been through (least of which is the immense personal body horror she’s witnessed being inflicted upon herself), and that’s nothing if not positive character development.
How would you the writer, like to see your character change in the future?
Right now, I’m just glad to have Isabella back as a muse. I missed her terribly, and I’m really excited to see where she’ll go from here on out. Now she’s a “good” person, I intend to keep her this way. I can’t imagine she’ll ever slip back as dark as she did in the past, though the possibility is always there. I definitely want to explore her friendships, as she’s always been a pretty solitary character, by the nature of her personality. It would be great if she had more people in her life who knew she’s a clone, and if she got involved more with the “superhero” side of things.
She’s still got a tendency to be a judgemental bitch, and that won’t ever go away, so it would be interesting to balance her rather cold, uppity, side, with her maternal and kind side. For as “good” as she is now, she’s still got a judgemental streak, and arrogant side that I wish I could blame on the Riddler but really can’t. It’s always fun to play that less “nice” side of her. That includes, actually, her clone side. I love exploring her inhuman nature. I’m always up for some truly nasty body horror threads. At this point, there’s virtually nothing Isabella hasn’t been through, physically, but I’m sure I could always do more there.
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dragonshost · 6 years ago
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Queasy Beginnings
A belated birthday gift for @indraaas!  Sorry this took so long!
Pairing: LaxLu
Rating: T
Word Count: 2,074
Summary: Laxus meets a rather strange girl on the train one day, and finds that they have something in common.
On FFN
On AO3
(below cut)
Overcrowded trains were the bane of travelers.  Normally, Laxus wouldn’t deign to use the metal contraptions – his motion sickness notwithstanding, he also couldn’t handle so many people pressed so closely together.  Springing for a private cabin was an option, but there was little point when the ride back to Magnolia was so short.  And he did like the praise he could overhear for Fairy Tail’s – and his – strength. Though now he was wishing he’d just ridden a lightning bolt back to the guild after all.  It was faster, and less nauseating.  Thanks to his enhanced hearing, the press of sound in the crowded train car was already making him a little queasy. Once they were no longer stuck at the station, his motion sickness would kick in as well.  Laxus had already paid for his ticket, however, so there was no way he was leaving now.
The dragon slayer stared resolutely out the window, hoping that the hyper-focus would calm his insides down a little.  Inside his head, he repeated the mantra of, “Don’t vomit, don’t vomit, don’t you dare vomit and make a fool of yourself.” He was so intent, that a few minutes before the train was set to depart, he failed to notice the approach of another passenger.
“Um… excuse me,” a timid, feminine voice asked shyly.  “Do you mind if I sit across from you?  Most everywhere else is full.”
Laxus jolted in his seat, whipping his head away from the window to fix a glare at the blonde girl wringing her hands in the aisle.  She flinched, but remained where she was, a determination behind her brown eyes that undercut the rising red of embarrassment in her cheeks.
The train had indeed filled up a great deal, Laxus noted.  His intimidating aura had scared away the other passengers from his general vicinity.  Which made this girl more daring than the rest, he supposed.  All the same, he didn’t want company, and she looked like a bimbo.  Probably not smart enough to be intimidated like the rest of the car’s passengers. She looked talkative, too.
He opened his mouth to tell her to shove off, when suddenly the train gave a lurch – Laxus’s stomach soon following.  Closing his mouth with a snap and no longer trusting his voice, he gave the girl a curt nod.  Dealing with her seemed the lesser of two evils.
As the train pulled away from the station, Laxus redirected his gaze out the window again.  His forehead pressed against the cool glass, he struggled to hold onto the contents of his stomach.
The girl, meanwhile, slid gratefully into the bench across from him.  She gravitated towards the window as well.  Mercifully, she remained silent for a long while – allowing Laxus to concentrate on his breathing.
But good things rarely last, and eventually she broke the silence out of what Laxus could only assume was profound boredom.
“Nice day out, isn’t it?”
Laxus grunted, hoping to shut the line of communication down before it could be established.
She became quiet, but it lasted only for a few moments.  “So… where are you headed?”
“Magnolia,” he managed to respond around the bile rising in his throat.
His participation in her small talk seemed to spur her on, as she perked up considerably.  “I’ve heard that’s a really pretty city.  Work, pleasure, or heading home?”
Much as he didn’t want to talk to this teenager, he felt compelled to for the sake of the guild’s image. “Heading home.”
The girl fell silent.
Finding her sudden reticence strange after she’d been the one to provoke the conversation, Laxus spared a glace at her.  Her hands were curled into fists on top of her legs; her gaze was fixed on them, and her entire frame shook slightly.  After a few deep breaths, she looked up and gave him the fakest smile he’d ever seen. “That’s great!” she said.  “What’s Magnolia like to live in?”
Curiosity was getting the better of him now.  “Pretty ordinary,” he told her, his eyes narrowing.
She nodded as if he’d said something profound.  “Ordinary is good,” she stated.  “I’ll keep that in mind.”  Then she let out a laugh that trembled a little too much to be convincing.  “I’m on a journey, myself.  But once I’ve gotten my fill of that, maybe I’ll check out Magnolia, see if I want to settle down there.”
The confession interested Laxus more than it should have.  She looked at little young to be traveling alone and talking about settling down in the future like an old bachelor.  Then again, given his grandfather’s penchant for taking in strays, he wasn’t too surprised.  Younger children than her had found their way to Fairy Tail and in far worse condition. Mirajane’s demon parts and Erza’s missing eye sometimes worked their way into his nightmares, even after all these years.  Not that he would ever dare admit it aloud.  And certainly not to their faces.
He decided to just come right out and ask the girl.  “How old are you?”
An icy stare met his question.  If she wasn’t so blonde and fully clothed, he would have assumed that Gray was sitting in front of him.
“What?” Laxus asked in exasperation.  What was her problem?
“That’s something only creepers ask,” she informed him bluntly.  The effect was somewhat ruined when someone knocked their suitcase into a booth, making a loud metallic sound that had the girl jumping in surprise, and her eyes darting about frantically for the cause.
Laxus rolled his eyes, and then immediately regretted it as his stomach performed somersaults at the sudden additional motion.  He breathed out heavily through his nose in a futile attempt to put a clamp down on his insides.
She must have taken it for a sigh, because she focused on him again and let out a huff.  “I just turned sixteen a few days ago.”  The girl rolled her eyes at him.  “Which, for your information, is a perfectly normal age to be emancipated in Fiore.”
It was, but the fact that she used that word specifically was raising alarm bells in Laxus’s head. He had never claimed to be good at interacting with other people, and yet he was finding it surprisingly easy to read between her lines.
Maybe because he’d been there.  His grandfather had had no right to boot his old man out of the guild, but it wasn’t as if Laxus could claim that Ivan was a doting parent or even a halfway decent one. He remembered well tiptoeing around his own house and jumping at the slightest noises.  The thought of leaving and never looking back had occurred to him more than once growing up.
And it was rapidly becoming apparent to him that that’s exactly what the girl across from him had gone through with.
She wasn’t clued into Laxus’s silent epiphany however, and she remained stuck on the issue of her freedom. “Besides which, I’m a wizard.  I’m more than able to take care of myself.”
Laxus outright snorted at that.  Wizards? Being competent?  The thought was laughable.  Especially if one used the Fairy Tail guild as a reference.  “If you think wizards are capable of looking after themselves, you’d be pretty disappointed by a lot of the ones I know.”
Interest sparked in her eyes, and she leaned forward.  “You know a lot of other wizards?!”
Puzzled, he stared blankly at her.  “What, you haven’t met any before?  Even though you are one?”
“My mother taught me everything I know,” she said softly, the hint of a soft smile playing at the corners of her mouth.  “But she passed away… a long time ago.  Most everything else I know comes from reading Sorcerer Weekly magazine.”
Pretty sheltered life, then. “Well, now you’ve met one more. I’m a wizard, too.”
“Really?!  That’s awesome!” she declared.  “Are you in a guild?  I’ve been thinking about joining one to earn some cash once I run out of pocket money.”
Laxus considered it. She didn’t look very strong to him. But looks could be deceiving. Freed certainly didn’t give off an aura of lethality, but he definitely wasn’t someone you wanted to run into when he was in a bad mood.  “I am in a guild.  Did you have any in mind?”
She tapped her chin with a fingertip.  “I was considering Phantom Lord.”
He physically fought to restrain a snarl at the rival guild’s name.  “They’re a strong guild,” he managed, begrudgingly.  “But they have a nasty reputation.”  A deserved one, too.  Laxus may have had some problems with the riffraff that now saturated Fairy Tail, but there was a difference between doing some… internal housekeeping, and what Phantom Lord was capable of.  Their master was completely unhinged.
“I was also considering Fairy Tail,” she told him.
“What kind of magic do you practice?” Laxus asked her instead, avoiding talking about his guild.
“Celestial spirit magic.”
He wasn’t familiar with that one.  Must be one of the less common ones.  “What’s that involve?”
Reaching down for her belt, she drew out a keyring and displayed the gold and silver keys on it. “These are gate keys for summoning celestial spirits.  I open their gates and they assist me in fights or whatever else I need.  Not all of them are combat spirits, but a few are. Gold keys are more powerful than silver.”
That really was an uncommon magic, and not to be trifled with even if it was a holder magic. Laxus nodded appreciatively at the impressive collection of keys, three of which were gold.  “How do you get them to do your bidding?”
“I make contracts with them,” she explained, returning the keys to her belt, which Laxus now saw also held a coiled leather whip.  “So I guess you could call it a business arrangement.  But they’re also my friends.”
Laxus wasn’t so sure about the usefulness of being friends with one’s magic, but the business aspect made some sense to him.  “So what, do you have to do anything for them in return?”
She nodded. “Sometimes.  Cancer mostly just wants to style my hair, and Horologium needs his clock winded every once in a while.  It’s pretty manageable for the most part.”  Then she winced.  “Except for Aquarius.  She just wants to wash me away…”
“They sound weird,” Laxus commented.
With a shrug, she couldn’t help but agree with him.  “You’re not wrong there.  I love them more than anything, all the same.”
A chime sounded throughout the cabin.  Now arriving in Magnolia, the automated voice said over the intercom.
“I guess this is your stop!” she said cheerfully.  “Thanks for letting me sit with you.  Honestly, I was feeling really queasy when I boarded the train, but talking with you helped keep my mind off it.  I really appreciate it.”
Oh that would have been bad, Laxus realized.  If she had given into her stomach and started heaving, his sensitive nose would have forced him to begin hurling alongside of her.  Though now that he thought about it, his own motion sickness hadn’t been nearly as bad as normal.  Odd.
He grunted in response.
She stuck her hand out to him.  “I’m Lucy, by the way.  I don’t think I introduced myself earlier.”
Laxus eyed the proffered limb warily.  After a moment’s hesitation, he reached out and shook it.  “I’m Laxus.”
They fell silent as the train pulled into Magnolia station.  Laxus nearly heaved a sigh of relief once the motion ceased.  Lucy’s prattling had eased the worst of his queasiness, but it hadn’t eliminated it entirely.  He stood up, grabbing his bag.  Then he paused, and then turned towards her slightly.  Laxus wasn’t sure what was prompting him, but he felt compelled to say something all the same.
“Good luck on your journey, Lucy.  Maybe if you get strong enough, we’ll cross paths again.”
“I’d like that,” she told him.
He hesitated a moment longer.  “Oh, and uh… Happy birthday, I guess.”
A genuine smile spread across her lips, much prettier than the fake one she’d given him before. “Thank you, Laxus.  You know… I think you’re the only one who’s said that to me this year.  Good luck with your guild.”
Laxus wasn’t sure how to respond to this, so he just nodded and took his leave of the train.
Lucy, huh?  Strange, strange girl.
Somehow he didn’t mind her at all.
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sallyember · 4 years ago
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Love, hate him, but do not ignore Michael Moore about #45 !
#wemustwinblue2020
“MY PLAN FOR HOW TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE AN ELECTION, #TRUMP IS REMOVED, AND THE REPUBLICANS ARE GONE FOR GOOD”
by Michael Moore
“TRUMP HAS DECLARED WAR ON US AND OUR DEMOCRACY.
“IT’S TIME FOR US TO PUT OUR LIVES ON THE LINE, IF NECESSARY, AND TO MAKE HIM THE LAST REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT OF OUR UNITED STATES.
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“Trump, right now, tonight, is up to some very nasty, scary stuff — stuff we can’t even imagine — and of course we can’t imagine it because we don’t think like Trump. Our brains are wired for love, empathy, solidarity, compassion, freedom, person, woman, man, camera, TV.
“You know like I know that Trump has a devious, wicked plan to destroy this Election. We need to declare, immediately, that it is he and the Republican Party who have to go, for the sake of this country’s existence, they must be crushed and removed.
“Trump actually has an arsenal of plans already in action to ensure he never leaves office. He has them all in high gear — some visible, some not. If you could see them all you’d be so stunned, you’d have to immediately convince yourself that there’s no way he can pull this off.
“We are all caught in Trump’s Matrix, a mad web, the work of a psychopath-in-chief with tricks so devious that fascists of old, if alive today, would marvel at what Trump has accomplished.
“For the next 11 weeks — and then for the 12 weeks between the Election and the Inauguration — Trump is planning nothing but anarchy, chaos, a call to arms of his angry white male followers and the complete destruction of our democracy.
“You think I’m kidding? You think I’m overstating the case? Do you want to take the risk that I might not be wrong?
“Most of you, understandably, chose not to listen to me four years ago when I warned you Trump was going to win the Presidency by taking Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
“May I please ask that you now give me your serious attention for what I am about to say — because if I’m right again this time, there won’t be a next time. There will be nothing left for me to warn you about. There probably won’t be much left of me.
“Here’s how Trump plans to end our right to choose the next President and Congress. It will happen fast. I am also laying out here a battle plan for us to defeat this takeover of our democracy. We must act now.
“HERE ARE TRUMP’S 5 PLANS, ALREADY IN MOTION:
“PLAN #1: Create Chaos.
“Instill Fear. Fire Up the Base with Racist Vigor. Pandemonium Ensues.
“CHECK. DONE.
“PLAN #2: Suppress the Vote
“•Dismantle the Post Office.
“•Create 4-Hour-Long Lines by Drastically Reducing Number of Polling Locations.
“•Throw Black and Brown Voters Off the Rolls.
“•Stop Those Who’ve Served Time from Voting.
“•Place 50,000 ‘Poll Watchers’ at Voting Sites Around the Country to Intimidate Voters.
“VOTER SUPPRESSION IN ACTION AS WE SPEAK.
“PLAN #3: Postpone the Election.
“Place the blame on a ‘legitimate’ national tragedy or emergency — massive deaths from the pandemic, a terrorist attack, an assassination, a deadly hurricane, a civil war in the streets, one or both Presidential candidates falling ill to COVID-19 — anything that reasonable people, even people who are opposed to Trump, will agree that ‘we just can’t hold an election right now! We just need to postpone it for a couple days, a couple weeks (a couple months… a couple years…).’
“Or, perhaps he’ll just cancel the Election outright and see if he can get away with it.
“TRUMP READY TO PULL THE TRIGGER.
“PLAN #4: His September Surprise.
“His October Surprise.
“His November Surprise.
“His January Surprise.
You think you can guess what it will be, but trust me, it’ll be far worse. We need to be ready. Stay on high alert, my friends. Millions of us will need to act on a moment’s notice. It’s the grim reaper of Democracy at our doorstep.
“We made the mistake of letting Trump get this far — why wouldn’t he now think he can get away with everything??
“THE SURPRISE IS UNKNOWN. THAT’S WHY IT’S A SURPRISE.
“PLAN #5: He Will Not Leave.
“When #Trump loses, he will declare the Election invalid, rigged, stolen — and he will refuse to step down.
“So, what will we do then?
“HERE IS OUR BATTLE PLAN TO REMOVE TRUMP AND THE REPUBLICANS:
“1. Do Not Wait — Biden/Harris Should Start Running the Country Now.
We simply don’t have time to wait until January 20, 2021. Nearly 200,000 of us have already died from Trump’s reckless incompetence with the coronavirus. By Election Day it’s possible another 100,000 to 200,000 of us will have needlessly died. A total of 400,000 dead? That’s the equivalent of one hundred and thirty-three 9/11s! Or 532 planes being flown into 532 buildings. If something that horrific ever happened, and the President not only didn’t do anything about it, but tried to pretend it wasn’t all that bad – ‘it is what it is’ – he would be run out of the White House by an angry mob of millions of Americans, lucky not to have his head put on a spike on the Key Bridge over the Potomac.
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“It doesn’t have to come to that. Biden and Harris should present to America a simple nationwide plan to end the pandemic — and then act on it immediately.
“They should call a meeting of all the Governors and ask them what help do they need — and then find a way to get them that help, going around Trump and just making it happen. They should ask industry, in lieu of campaign contributions, to produce hundreds of millions of instant-result tests. They should call their Heads of State friends overseas and ask them to send all the PPE they can spare. They should get 250 million Americans to take the ‘Face Mask Pledge.’ And they should promise the scientists in our top universities all the money and help they need once they’re in office. Ignore Trump. Treat him as if he’s irrelevant and get the job done.
“2. The Republican Party Must Be Crushed and Destroyed. Trump Must Become the Last Republican President.
“In the Michigan county where I live, the August primary this month set a record turnout for a presidential-year primary. In fact, more people this year voted by mail-in ballot than ALL those who voted in 2016 — by mail-in AND in-person combined. This is a highly encouraging sign for what we now need to do:
” • We must create an historic massive turnout between now and November 3rd — a tsunami of voters the likes of which have never been seen, and may never be seen again. In 2016, 66 million Americans voted for Hillary Clinton. This time, though, we have to WALLOP Trump with an electoral concussion, a blow so profound he won’t know what hit him. This must be a defeat so crushing, so humiliating, a whooping of such epic proportions that he will be forced to leave 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with his tail between his legs on January 20th.
“This mammoth landslide must not only ensure that no president ever behaves this way again, we need to see to it that Trump is the last Republican president. The Election Day Uprising must put an end to this party of Trump enablers and traitors. They had a choice. They chose Trump over Democracy. They chose Putin and Netanyahu over fair elections and freedom for all. They chose the 1% over the 160 million working Americans. They chose the NRA over the massacred children of Sandy Hook. They chose to rig our elections, our textbooks, our economy. Democrats helped them along the way, and we’ll take the stick to them and fix that.
“The Republicans, though, chose to let hundreds of thousands of their fellow citizens perish from COVID-19 because loyalty to Party and to Trump was greater than their duty to the American people. For that alone, the Republican Party must be put out of business for good. Vote out every last one of them.
“Conservatives will have to form a new party, much like when the Whigs were sent packing in the 1800s. The Republicans must pay for their crimes.
“• We must flip the Senate —- and not just by the three seats we need for control. We should shock the pundit class and, as the Republican Party is reduced to ashes, grab a solid 55+ seat majority. Colorado, Arizona, Maine, North Carolina, Georgia, Iowa, Montana and even Kansas, South Carolina and, yes, Texas (a state that is now 57% non-white) — are all possible Democratic Senate wins. Think about spending a weekend or a week helping out in one of these states. The Republicans will wish they had managed this pandemic better and had everyone busy back at work by now. All this ‘free time’ should make for their undoing.
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“• Finally, we have to vote the local Republicans out of office, too. State Houses and Senates will be drawing the electoral map for the next ten years. We can’t let the cheating Republicans do this again. Do what you can to elect Dems in your state and local elections. The punishment of the Republican Party — a certified terrorist organization for having helped kill at least 200,000 Americans — is an imperative.
“3. Who Would Be Willing To, If Need Be, Put Their Life on the Line To Ensure This Election Is Held and EVERYONE Gets to Vote? I Would. Would You?
“These steps must be taken immediately:
“• The Secret Service, the FBI, the Capitol Police and the Joint Chiefs of Staff must be called before Congress and swear under oath that they will guarantee that the election will be held, they will enforce the Constitution they swore to uphold, and if he’s defeated but refuses to leave, they will escort the former President of the United States out of the White House.
” • Biden and Harris must put Trump on notice that if he does one more thing to interfere with the Election or issues one more threat to suppress the vote, they will turn him and his crime family over to the new Justice Department for prosecution.
” • Every single one of us must be strong in our publicly-stated resolve that there is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON ON EARTH TO POSTPONE OR CANCEL THE ELECTION. That’s our unmovable and intractable position.
“No national tragedy, disease, threat or the melting of all of Greenland will cause us not to vote on or before November 3rd. Even if, God forbid, either candidate passes in their sleep between now and Election Day, the Election will continue — and the winner’s VP – or Nancy Pelosi – will become President on Inauguration Day.
” • Let’s all pledge that, if Trump tries to cancel the election or if he refuses to accept its results, millions of us will go to DC and encircle the White House, a thousand deep, until he backs down, resigns or is removed.
“• And, if you can, quietly make this commitment to yourself: ‘There are only a very few things I’d be willing to give my life for. This is one of them.’ I know. That’s dark. And heavy. And awfully sad because it shouldn’t have come to this. But if we can’t even say that, then what good are we? If we aren’t willing to make that sacrifice, then America is already over and we might as well just fold our tent and see if Canada will take the non-racist, non-homophobic, non war-mongering ones of us who have manners and get satire.
“4. Become an Election Defender.
“Each of you should form an urgent action group – a rapid response team – in your neighborhood or town and do the following:
“• Hold a daily protest at your local post office
“• Picket the home of your local Postmaster (he/she may be on your side, so bring them some baked goods)
“• Chain yourself to a local blue USPS dropbox if you can find one. Or chain it to something that won’t move.
“• Sign up with the city clerk to be a poll worker on Election Day – especially if you’re young. Because of the pandemic, polls will be very short of poll workers. If you’re told they have enough help, then call the local Democratic Party and offer to be a ‘poll watcher,’ the group of people from each party who get to oversee the voting to make sure there are no irregularities.
“• Demand your city create more voting locations. Convince owners of arenas, theaters, ball parks, malls – places with large open spaces – to offer their facilities as polling places so that everyone gets a chance to vote.
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” • Canvas your neighborhoods over the next month to get people to fill out the form you’ll have them sign to get a mail-in ballot — and if they want to vote in person, let them know when the first day is so they can do that. Make a list of who needs a Covid-safe ride. The earlier the better!
“5. The Uprising We’re In Is Only Getting Bigger. The People Will Now Call the Shots.
“Why wait for the politicians to fix the mess of a country we’re in when they helped orchestrate the mess in the first place? Why don’t we just declare how we want to live — a new way to govern and function as a country — and we will finally fulfill the promise of the American Dream that has never been realized.
“Life, liberty, true equality, a sharing of the wealth, being good citizens of this world and kind stewards of a fragile Earth.
“What have we learned from this pandemic? What we already knew: That employer-based health insurance can evaporate in an instant. Health care is a human right.
“That being told ‘we can’t afford that!’ (free college, free child care, free medical care – the things most advanced nations have) is total BS — the government CAN afford anything we decide we need!
“We’ve learned that teachers, nurses, the mailwoman, farm workers, mass transit drivers and the minimum wage workers stocking the grocery shelves at 3 in the morning are our most important citizens and they need the respect and income they deserve immediately. 74% of the country now believes a guaranteed annual income is a great idea — fifty percentage points higher than when Andrew Yang proposed it 7 months ago!
“We’ve learned to slow down, consume less — and that is what may be the path to saving the planet (when the 4% of its inhabitants [US] is no longer sucking up 25% of its resources and hoarding more than half its wealth).
“We’re about to go elect more women than ever before — a time to turn the reins over to the gender that stands a better chance of getting us through the deadly viruses of Covid, Capitalism and Republicans (R.I.P.).
“None of this will be launched by politicians. It will only come about through you and me taking action as part of the largest protest movement in our history — still growing, still going strong! — to end the racism, the abuse of the police state, the disgusting income inequality and the hateful misogyny that is going to come to an end in our lifetime.
“America, post-pandemic, must become a very different place. Let’s make this happen. Doing the above will be the best cure for the trauma of these past four years.
“Commit to being the change.
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“Organize your friends and family today.
“Make your plan to campaign in a swing state Sept. or Oct.
“VOTE AS EARLY AS YOU CAN—and take 5 people along with you!
“We can do this. Trump – we’re coming for you.
“I’ll be in the first U-Haul truck that pulls up to your door.”
MICHAEL MOORE
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http://michaelmoore.com
Love, hate him, but do not ignore Michael Moore about #45 Love, hate him, but do not ignore Michael Moore about #45 ! #wemustwinblue2020 "MY PLAN FOR HOW TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE AN ELECTION, #TRUMP IS REMOVED, AND THE REPUBLICANS ARE GONE FOR GOOD"
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