#brave than to have a character who is completely unable to feel fear i think

[rillette]

Sometimes I think the Guardians are so full of shit because how dare they try to fit people into specific emotional categories. Then I realise that we do it all the time bc we call so and so person "sad" or "angry" or "happy" "all the time" and suddenly I lessen the Shit Grade of the Guardians.

Currently it's at a 9.5/10.

As much as I love to shit on the guardians, that's not actually how the various lantern corps works! Keep in mind that I haven't read the War of Light and Blackest Night events, so all my knowledge of the other corps comes from wikias.

The Guardians of the Universe harnessed the power of the green light that fuels the central battery on Oa. They have the power to give out Green Lantern rings, but only green lantern rings. They aren't responsible for any of the other lantern corps. Green Lanterns are chosen because they have the ability to overcome great fear. They're also supposed to be honest.

As for the other lantern corps, the Indigo Tribe members in particular aren't chosen because they have great compassion, they're chosen because they lack it. They're a group of villains forced to constantly feel the emotions of every living thing in the universe in attempt to "rehabilitate" them. (The Guardians have nothing to do with this.) As much as i love to hate on Geoff for sucking shit, this does in fact go hard. And the Sinestro Corps members are chosen because they have the ability to inspire great fear in others.

So yeah! The Guardians suck for a wide and ever growing variety of reasons but this reason in particular is not one of them i hate to say it. i would still put them at a solid 10/10 on the shit scale tho

[stitching-in-time]

Voyager rewatch s1 ep13: Faces

I remember this one very well, it's definitely an interesting one, even if my feelings about it have shifted over the years. I don't like it now as much as I used to.

It's well directed, the actors do a fantastic job. The concept of separating someone's DNA to create two separate people is a little wild, but obviously it was meant to be an excuse for a character study episode for B'Elanna, so I'll go with it. It's an interesting story device for a character who feels caught between two worlds to have what they feel to be the two sides of themself actually talk to each other face to face, but I feel like the premise of that is actually kind of flawed.

Since B'Elanna's mixed species heritage is obviously meant to be a metaphor for mixed race heritage, I think it's iffy to have the whole crux of the story be that Klingons' and humans' differences are inately baked into their DNA rather than cultural, since the idea that people of different races are inherently different biologically was used to justify racist ideology in human society for centuries.

Secondly, I think it's too simplistic to make generalizations like 'her Klingon side is brave', and 'her human side is a meek scaredy cat'. Aside from the fact that it's incredibly misogynist to assume that human women are inherently meek and unable to control their fear (seriously? When women have to be on high alert, constantly vigilant, in risk assement mode just to walk down the street and go about our lives? Women are way tougher and braver than men will apparently ever realize) it's also not taking into account that both 'sides' of B'Elanna had the same upbringing, influences, and experiences, and would in all likelihood have the same response to any given situation. Are they really implying that only a Klingon woman would get angry and resentful and want to beat the crap out of people who cross her after being treated like crap by her own family and community? And that a human woman couldn't possibly feel or act that way? Are you kidding?

There were also a lot of weird little inconsistencies that bothered me; if the Klingons are the only species the Vidians have met that are immune to the phage, why don't any of the workers they've kidnapped have it?? Why didn't Voyager rescue any of the other people the Vidians captured when they had the forcefield down?? Especially that Talaxian guy that was helping them- Voyager crew really gonna be like 'thanks, bye, have fun being enslaved and harvested for body parts'?! And if that Vidian scientist was onto maybe curing the phage, maybe they should have captured him and taken a look at his work, because if by some chance Klingon DNA could have provided a cure, wouldn't it be in the best interests of everyone in the quadrant to not have Vidians marauding around killing people for their organs, to say nothing of curing them of a terrible disease? Isn't helping to cure plagues and stuff on distant planets what Starfleet is all about? (And was that a holocaust joke when the Vidian guard took B'Elanna away?! What. the. hell?!)

I'm sure they were trying to make an episode about accepting all the sides of yourself you don't like, but that's really hard when the assumption that her Klingonness is somehow a problem to be solved, is never challenged. The scene where B'Elanna talks about the racism she experienced growing up, and how she learned to feel ashamed of being Klingon, are truly heartbreaking, and sadly continue to be all too relevant in our society today. But it undercuts any message of acceptance by never actually having B'Elanna, or any other character, acknowledge that being Klingon isn't a bad thing in and of itself, nor is it something she has to fight or keep under wraps to be loved and accepted by anyone, including herself. That should have been the central message, but it was completely sidestepped, probably because a lot of her storylines end up being about having to control her 'scary Klingon side'. (Which honestly I think is also rooted in misogyny, since Worf never got told he was too scary or too Klingon by anyone around him, or tried to be less Klingon- in fact, most of his storylines were the exact opposite- trying to reconnect with his noble Klingon warrior heritage. Why is it noble for male characters to be tough Klingon warriors, but for female characters it's 'too much' and a 'problem' to be solved?)

The episode's ending basically outright said that B'Elanna can never be at peace being half human and half klingon, she'll always have to fight with herself. That's just awful, honestly. And from a psychological standpoint, very unhealthy. Othering and isolating parts of yourself that you don't like as separate from you is something that you're not supposed to do- it paves the way to dissociation and hinders healing rather than helping. (I have someone close to me who's struggled with Dissociative Identity Disorder, so I'm really sensitive when it comes to this subject.)

It makes me upset too that none of the characters B'Elanna talks to about any of these feelings reassure or validate her at all. Like, as a friend, you're always supposed to tell someone who's struggling with self-worth that they're good enough as they are, that they didn't deserve to be treated the way they were treated, and that they're loved and valued. How hard would that really be to have any of these characters say that?

I give Paris more of a pass for not knowing what to say when she drops this stuff on him, since they don't know each other very well at this point. He's lived a privileged Starfleet brat life and probably doesn't understand that comparing racism to a bad haircut is deeply tone deaf and unhelpful, but it's not surprising he would be awkward when someone who's really just his coworker at this point suddenly starts sharing deeply personal stuff. Chakotay, though, has been close friends with her for some time, and when she's tearfully telling him how she feels like she'll always be at war with herself, he doesn't say a damn thing, he doesn't put a hand on her shoulder, no gestures of kindness or encouragement, he just looks awkward and leaves silently like 'yeah, I guess you'll always be miserable! Bummer, nothing to be done!' Like, what?! No! No no no! That's just wrong, both from an in universe perspective- as her friend, he wouldn't be that cold- and from a story perspective- what a terrible thing to imply, that it's impossible to get to a better place or find peace with yourself after being mistreated. Why end the episode on such a negative note? I mean sure, they had the whole thing about how she needs her Klingon side, and it can help her in some situations, but that's still othering parts of herself and leaving her feeling just as bad as before. While Roxann Dawson was doing an absolutely fantastic job acting-wise with all of this, I feel like she deserved a better episode that didn't treat B'Elanna's existence as some kind of unfortunate, hopeless tragedy.

Tl;dr: While the acting was good, I don't like the dim view it takes of the possiblity of healing from a traumatic upbringing, or the implication that her mixed heritage itself is the source of her inner conflict, rather than the bad treatment she recieved because of other people's prejudice against her.

[hiramaris]

Dusk til Dawn

Part 2

Summary: Following Episode 9. And spoilers for Episode 10. 

Author’s note: As Episode 10 is just released I just want to say heads up for those who are not yet finished. Completing the game without spoilers really made a difference, and as much as possible I want everyone to experience that. And for those finished, I’ll gladly welcome you to my domain where MC took a different route.

Disclaimer:  I do not own Duskwood or any of the related characters. Duskwood is created by and owned by Everbyte Studio. This fanfiction is intended for entertainment only. I am not making any profit from this story. All rights of the original Duskwood story belong to Everbyte Studio.

Warning: Mentions of blood, suicide, violence, pedophiles, drugs, gun, murder, sex offenders, kidnapping

Gif by @Vivi_ZSC  

Every step you take feels quite heavy, but not in a way that makes it sounds bad. The nerves were getting to you, and it wasn't a feeling you were used to. You’ve faced a lot of life-threatening events in your life besides being constantly threatened by the man without a face. Still, the idea of facing Hanson all by yourself is becoming a more tempting notion than making a fool out of yourself in front of Jessy.

Yes!

You’ve been handling a case dangerous enough to get you either killed or put into prison, and you weren’t even deterred by it but the thought of meeting this girl in person had you feeling like a bumbling idiot.

Funny, you had been called many things, but being shy was not one of them. 

Lost in your own thoughts, you failed to notice Jessy leaning against the doorframe, a smile playing at the corners of her lips as she watched you with amusement dancing in her hazel eyes.

“Hello, Y/n.” 

Your eyes found hers, and that made her smile even wider. Out of instinct, you closed the distance between the two of you, wrapping her in a tight embrace. “Hey. Are you okay?”

She lets out a contented hum, her hands still gripping your arms tightly. “It just feels weird,” she said, her tone contemplative. “We’re waiting for a murderer. A murderer who threatened to kill us all. And yet,” she pauses. “I’m a lot calmer than I thought I’d be in a situation like this.”

“Give yourself some credit, Jess. You were always so brave, and I think,” you smiled and tucked a loose strand of hair on her ear, “everything that’s happened has made you stronger.”

“But I don’t feel like I’m any stronger,” she replied, leaning into you even more despite her expression falling into a frown. “It’s more like... as if I’d gotten used to living in fear.”

You pulled her close once again, all worries about how to act around her diminishing. “I’m sorry you have to experience all that. Just a little longer, Jess. Everything will be okay soon.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” You assured her.

“Thank you, Y/n. It feels so nice having you here with me.” She smiles at you, and you hope she knows how much happy you are being here with them— with her here. Even though danger is lurking just around the corner, you feel better knowing you’re with them, you can now do something, as opposed back then when you were just with your phone, helpless and unable to help and protect them from your enemy. “Come inside, I still have to finish reading all these files, and watch over the front.”

With a nod, Jessy gestured towards her room, which looks exactly like the one in Cleo's pictures you thought back then that it quite suited Jessy’s taste, apart from the color of the mattress which is black and white stripes. You wandered your eyes towards the pile of files on the bed. There’s also an L-shaped sofa on the right side, and a dresser just by the window.

“It’s so quiet.” Jessy muttered as you approached the window. 

“Yeah,” you murmured. You leaned forward, peering out to see outside, and damn, it was so dark out there aside from the light inside the house. You turned to her. “Do you need help sorting out those files?”

She shook her head, already settling herself on the bed. “Thank you, Y/n but I got this. Why don’t you take some rest first? Come lay here.” She pats her side.

You chuckled. “Now that’s quite tempting, Miss Hawkins, but resting is quite the luxury I cannot afford right now. I’ll be our lookout for now, while you do your thing.”

She rolled her eyes playfully, a soft laugh escaping her lips.  “you sounded like Jake just now," she teased. "Speaking of him, how are things between you two and the case?"

"He's off chasing a lead, so I'm still waiting for an update," You scanned the world outside with active eyes. Thankfully, your eyes began adjusting to the dark. You made sure to be as discreet as possible, just in case. You didn’t want to alarm him that you were here. You then turn your attention back to her, "Dan seems to be in his element, though. Smart move stationing everyone in different spots around the house."

She hummed in agreement, her eyes scanning the file in her hands. "I just hope he's not biting off more than he can chew. He can fight sure, but he’s still not completely okay.” 

“I’m glad he’s here though.”

"And we're glad you're here, too. Especially me, of course. It was a very pleasant surprise, Y/n." she admitted, making you turn to look at her. Her eyes were so captivating, and it felt like you have to use every ounce of willpower not to get lost in them. "But I'm worried about you. Hanson is clearly after you. To be honest, I felt better knowing you’re safe in your city, but at the same time I’m happy you’re here.”

You sat down beside her, taking her hand in yours. “Jess, I feel better knowing I’m near you. I won’t ever let something happen to you again. I promised you that, didn’t I?” 

“As long as you’ll be safe, too.” she intertwined your fingers together, and somehow, this feels so intimate, but not entirely unpleasant. It feels warm, almost like home.

You never had any expectations when you come here. Of course, meeting these people online is one thing, but meeting them personally is a whole other story.

And it feels weird meeting them like this, and you have never actually gotten a proper introduction with one another yet it feels like you've known each other for ages. You wish you could have met your friends in a different way, no kidnapping, no murderer. But the reality is cruel like that, and somehow, even if it feels wrong to think about it, without all of these happening, you will never get to meet them.

"Sometimes things happen in life that we can't influence," After a few moments of silence, she spoke again. "Even though we wish things would be different and we try avoiding them as good as we can."

"Yeah..." you agreed quietly. "I know."

"If anything should happen to me tonight," you frown, knowing where this is heading, "or to the others. Then I want you to know that it wasn't your fault."

Your grip on her hand tightened, "don't say that, Jess." You held a firm gaze at her, and she battles it with little effort.

"Y/n, listen. It's really important to me that you know this." she pleaded, her eyes held a deep sadness that tugged at your heartstrings. "Anything can happen tonight, and I want you to know this. You've done everything in your power to help us. We all know that. And in case things go south, it won't have been your fault."

"I—" You were about to say that it should have been you who should tell this, that there's no way you'll let anything happen other than all of you winning, getting Hannah and possibly Richy back.

Both of you whipped your phones when you heard a notification. And if you only knew what was said in the chat, you would have never opened your phone, to begin with.

As you read the message on your phone, your cheeks turned red with embarrassment. Typing a reply.

Cleo: I hope you two aren't smooching in there You: Huh? Cleo: You and Jessy Jessy: Sorry, Cleo but we don't kiss and tell 🤭 You: 😳

But Jessy beat you to it apparently, giggling next to you.

You tried covering your face with your hands but Jessy is still holding the other one and is laughing quietly at you. You're not embarrassed per se but it just made you flustered up to the tips of your ears.

"You should have seen your face," she teased. And she kept trying to catch your gaze and that only made your cheeks burn even more. You're sure the redness went down your neck. "Usually you were the more forward one between the two of us, it's a nice change." She was grinning triumphantly.

You scoffed, struggling to regain your dignity, "you just caught me off guard, that's all."

"That would have been believable if you weren't so red, Y/n."

"Right," you say, standing up but Jessy tried to pull you back down but you didn't budge. "I'm gonna go back to my station now."

"Hey, I was just joking." she pouted.

You chuckled. Did this girl really think she can make you mad?

You leaned down a bit on her eye level, "we can smooch up later. For now, we got a job to do." You flicked a finger on her forehead softly, and laugh on your way to your place by the window.

"You're a tease."

"I know." You winked.

Both of you went back to your respective tasks. On your end, it doesn't seem Hanson is getting here anytime soon. Suddenly, the thought of him triggered a memory you had yet to ask about. Without hesitation, you grabbed your phone and typed a message.

You: Will it be safe for a video call right now? Cleo: I think so Lilly: Why? What's wrong?

It didn't take long before Lilly started a video call. It's much safer than texting, at the very least with this, they can still be able to focus on their tasks. The only people on the call were Lilly, you, Dan, and Thomas. Cleo and Lilly were in the same area, so they used one phone, and the same went for you and Jessy. She brought the files and went to sit on the couch near to you. That way, she can hear, and she can also join the conversation.

"Alright, so Hannah visited the Pine Glade Festival's website not too long ago." You paused, looking if some of them is getting where you are heading. They all seemed confused, so you continued, "Tomorrow could be a very important day for Michael Hanson as it is also exactly ten years prior to the day Jennifer died. I want to ask if anyone of you see or went to the festival with Hannah ten years ago?"

"I'm pretty sure I was there," Cleo says with certainty. Lilly was holding the phone for her, while they take turns watching their area. "Just 'cause I'm there every year. But I definitely didn't go with Hannah as I'm always busy helping out at the festival. And there's never been a year where I haven't been busy."

"That's too bad..." You replied. But it could not be impossible that none of them remembers it, even if it's been a decade that had passed. "I want to find out how the accident happened. Hannah might have met Amy there. It could be important."

"I'm sure I went to the Pine Glade Festival with Hannah and the others at some point," Jessy mentioned, catching your attention.  "But there was also one year where I was really sick and couldn't go. I don't know if that was the one ten years ago or some other time. Sorry, Y/n."

"It's fine, Jess. Maybe the others—"

"Excellent question as always, Y/n." You don't even have to look to know it's Dan.

"I know," you replied with the same level of sarcasm. "Be serious. Dan."

"Like I can remember what happened ten years ago. I can't even remember what happened ten days ago," he complains and you only rolled your eyes at him.

"I remember." That made you perk up in attention.

"Excellent. Lilly, can you tell me every detail you could possibly remember?"

"Yes, I think I can. Oh, and Dan," she called. "You went there with me."

"What? Me?"

"Yes. You even got me some cotton candy and even let me ride the carousel."

"Yo sounds like me." He scratches his head and you grin. You're gonna note that for future reference, and it would stand perfectly beside his picture working in the florist shop with his pink apron.

"You even won a prize for me at the shooting range."

"Haha Dan, my man. What a strong guy you are." You quipped and Dan only flexed his biceps which made it only funnier as you don't see anything. Jessy only giggled at your antics.

"Hmm, I'm trying to remember everything that happened that day." Lilly mused. Suddenly, her eyes widened as if a light bulb had gone off in her mind. "Don't you remember, Dan? The prize was a small teddy bear. His nose glowed red when you poke his belly."

You saw the realization dawning on him. "What the fuck— wait, yeah I remember! Hannah asked me if I could keep an eye on you. And that's what I did, yo."

"Okay, great!" You say, turning into your usual interrogation mode. The others know you're unstoppable until you get satisfied with the answer you were looking for. "What were you doing when she asked you?"

He shrugs, "eating a hot dog? I don't know."

"Do you remember what Hannah was up to?"

"Not the faintest idea. She just turned up out of nowhere."

That grabbed your full attention. If she wasn't with Lilly or Dan, where the heck was she? Maybe she was hanging out with Richy and Jessy, but Jessy couldn't remember, and Richy was not there. It was feasible that she was with one of them or even both of them, but if not, then there was only one person left she could have been with.

"Did you see Amy with her?"

"Nah. Hannah was on her own. Lilly was riding ponies or something. She asked me to pick Lilly up there, and then she left."

"So, she was in a hurry?"

"I guess," Dan replied, scratching his beard as he tried to recall the details. "Hannah said she was gonna be back for the fireworks. So, I went to Black Water Lake with Lilly, but she never came."

"You're right, Dan!" Lilly confirmed. "You took me home after the fireworks. I remember that."

"Yeah, you were pissed. Had a real temper tantrum."

"That sounds like the Lilly I know." You laughed. "Can you think of anything else though?"

"Nah."

"Me neither, sorry, Y/n."

"Hmm," You hummed. You mentally note every little detail they told you. Suddenly, a question pops into your head. "I forgot to ask why didn't you wait for Hannah? Or even look for her?"

"Dunno. I had to bring Lilly home, didn't I? The fireworks begin really late. That's when the festival also ends and the drinking begins. That's no time for a little girl to be up and about."

"Dan has always been very vigilant when it comes to Lilly. Now we know why." Cleo mentions, popping slightly from Lilly's side.

"That's just how I am." He grinned.

"And you're sure that was at the festival ten years ago?" You probed once more. You got to understand what happened before.

"I remember not being allowed to walk to school on my own for weeks afterward," Lilly told you. "I'm sure that must have had something to do with the Jennifer incident."

"I see," you murmured, trying to make sense of it all. You were getting closer to solving the case, but there was still one piece of the puzzle missing. The bridge between the gaps. "Thanks you two."

"So," Jessy prompted from behind you. "Hannah met Amy somewhere at the Pine Glade Festival. And then asks Dan to keep an eye on Lilly. She assumed she'd be back for the fireworks."

"Yeah, that's right. Nice thought there, Jess." You agreed with a smile, proud that you both have the same line of thought. "Which she was not able to because of the incident."

"Hmm."

Jessy hummed thoughtfully. But you couldn't shake off the feeling that something was missing. What caused Hannah to drive for Amy? What happened back there to Amy? And you knew deep down Ted Madruga is at least involved in this case.

Turning to Thomas, who had been quiet for the most part, you inquired, "How about you, Thomas? Do you know anything?"

"No, I didn't know Hannah ten years ago or anyone from the group."

Oh, you didn't know that. But you do remember that Thomas mentioned meeting the gang at the Aurora when Phil took over ownership of the bar. Therefore, it was reasonable to assume that everyone had been friends for a long time, except for Thomas, who had only joined a few years ago, and yourself, who had recently become part of the group.

"Oh, well then. I've found out more than I expected." You announced. "I just need to analyze the facts and the timeline. Jake is also working on something."

"Well, if you don't mind, I'll divert my attention back to the window. I've got a feeling our legendary poultry is about to show itself."

"Right, thanks for the help, everyone. Be careful, okay?"

"You, too Sherlock."

~~~~

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[brandyllyn]

The Scoundrel’s Reward

Summary: You have been captured by a terrible monster! Is your rescuer the dashing pilot he claims to be - or is he a scoundrel in disguise? Alternatively: Poe Dameron and you goof around and have some fun one night in his quarters.

Part of the "Goofballs in Love" Series of One-Shots: The Scoundrel’s Reward, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Flexibility (noun), Give me my sin again, Writing on the Wall

My Masterlist

Words: 3K (Read it on AO3.) [complete] Rated: Explicit Warnings: established relationship. roleplay. consensual dubious consent. bondage. mild violence against droids. oral (f receiving). PiV sex. two people being dorks in bed.

-Privacy Locks Engaged-

Poe tilted his head as he looked at the small screen outside his quarters, trying to think of a reason the locks might be enabled. He had the codes, of course. They were his quarters after all. Had he done it before he left? He was pretty sure he hadn’t.

Had something happened inside there? Someone might have set the privacy locks in order to keep people out. A leak maybe? Or a repair? But that didn’t make sense, if that had happened someone would have contacted him. And he was pretty sure there was a special code for that sort of thing anyway. The privacy locks were for situations when you didn’t want people walking in on you. Hell, if you didn’t have the door code you just got an error message. But if you had the door code…

-Privacy Locks Engaged.-

He rarely used them. Once or twice when he’d come back after a mission and needed double digit hours of uninterrupted sleep. Once when he’d been deep into studying some new X-Wing configurations and didn’t want distractions. But usually he used them when he had you over.

You.

The only other person who had access to the room’s security system was you. He raised an eyebrow. Did this mean you wanted privacy? But if that was true, you had your own quarters you could be in - rather than his. He mulled the problem over more.

Generally he used the privacy locks when you and he wanted alone time. When he didn’t want to risk some friendly pilot or whoever beeping in to halt whatever fun things the two of you were doing in bed together. He considered the possibility. Maybe you were in his room doing something fun in bed. You had intended to see each other that night - maybe you had gotten a head start waiting for him.

-Privacy Locks Disengaged.-

When the doors slid open he stepped inside quickly, reengaging the lock behind him. The room was dark, shadows dancing along the wall from a single lamp with a sheer yellow scarf tossed across it. His eyes were drawn immediately to the bed, and the form lying across it.

You were wearing a sheer white robe, one he’d never seen before. Even in the low light he thought he could make out the darker shade of your nipples peeking through. Somehow more interestingly, you were tied up. Hands bound above your head. When he entered the room your eyes met his and then you winked before your face dropped into over-the-top fear.

"Oh thank the gods, someone is here to rescue me," you called out in a comically desperate voice. He felt his lips twitch. "Please, handsome stranger, save me from this foul beast."

"Oh?" Poe asked, leaning against the door with a smirk. "And who has captured you fair maiden?"

He heard a whirring noise and saw BB-8 roll to place itself between its owner and you, one port opening and the droid’s taser snapping in the still air. The droid beeped questioningly and he heard you whisper, "Yes now."

A series of low angry whistles came from the droid. Threats of violence as BB-8 rolled toward him, taser crackling menacingly. Poe took a step back, putting a chair between himself and the 'beast'. "Ah, I see," he nodded, "a most fearsome foe indeed."

BB-8 gave a pleased little spin at that and he heard you urging the droid back into character. Taking advantage of the distraction Poe turned to the wall, finding a discarded broom and brandishing it.

"Unhand her foul beast!"

BB-8 rolled backwards in alarm and Poe tapped the droid gently with the broom. "Take that!" Another gentle tap. "And that!"

BB-8 spun in place in confusion before rolling towards Poe. Thinking fast, he jumped on top of the nearby table, crouching low and continuing to tap at the droid as it circled around him. Poe threw his boots at the droid one by one, taunting it for being unable to reach him on the table. BB-8 called out increasingly silly threats until Poe finally leapt down and pinned it with a downward thrust of the broom. He squatted quickly whispering "Thanks buddy, go back to your dock now."

BB-8 trilled happily, returning to its charging station and powering down. Poe tossed his 'sword' aside and made his way to the bed, strutting and puffing his chest out in victory.

"Oh brave man, thank you for saving me," you called out, lips parted and eyes wide in adoration.

"It was nothing," he shrugged one shoulder, brushing the arms of his flight suit off. "All in a day’s work for a Resistance pilot."

A small gasp. "A hero of the Resistance? To save me? I am so fortunate." Okay, maybe you were being a little over the top now.

He sat on the edge of the bed, leaning forward and slipping his arms under you to help you sit upright. His fingers toyed with your bound wrists as they fell between the two of you. "It is I who am fortunate," his voice lowered an octave, "to have the chance to meet such a beautiful… princess?" He raised an eyebrow in question and saw you nod before committing to the line. "A princess far beyond the reach of a scoundrel like myself."

He heard you snort and thought for a second you rolled your eyes before he saw them widen into doe-eyed innocence. "Does this scoundrel have a name?"

"You can call me Commander," he said with a smirk. Oh you definitely rolled your eyes at that.

"What can I possibly do to reward you?" you ask, lips parted and eyelashes fluttering. Your bound hands shifted, resting high on his thigh.

"Oh I’m sure we can think of something," he tilted your chin up with one hand, thumb stroking along your lip. His hand trailed down, feeling the heat of your skin through the flimsy robe until he ran one finger around your taut nipple.

"You would take advantage of me?" Your breathy question makes his lips twitch. "Please sir I am at your mercy."

"Mmm," he hummed contentedly to himself, "I see that." He rolled your nipple between his thumb and forefinger, listening to the soft inhale of air and feeling the clench of your fingers on his thighs.

"Oh I have escaped from one monster only to fall into the clutches of another!"

Poe buried his face in your neck to stop the laughter from spilling out of him, reaching down and clasping the bindings around your wrists with one hand. Using them to pull you forward until you fell into his chest. "In my clutches," he grinned to himself, "I like that."

Your head is tilted to the side, offering your neck to his mouth and he took the opportunity without further prompting. His tongue seeking the places that he knew made you groan and squirm. "Please," the breathy moan from you made blood rush down to his cock. "Please don’t…"

"Don’t?" He whispered against your skin. "Don’t what? Do this?" Teeth sank into your shoulder and he heard you whine, felt your body arch into him. He pressed one hand behind you to delve into your hair, pulling slightly and exposing more of you to him. "What is it princess? Don’t what?"

You moaned again, the sound settling into his body. "You say you don’t want this," he murmured, tongue sliding along your jaw, "but I think if I slipped my fingers between those pretty thighs of yours I’d find a different story. Should I find out?" He glided one hand down to your thigh, flipping the flimsy robe to the side to expose you. "Hmm? Are you wet for me princess?"

He didn’t wait for your response, fingers forcing between your clenched thighs and just barely tickling into the slick heat he found. "Oh yes," his teeth nipped your ear, "that’s what I thought. You want this scoundrel to touch you."

"No," your breathy denial stirred the air between the two of you and he felt himself get harder. "I don’t want this. Not with you."

"Your body says otherwise," he countered, tongue tracing your ear. Quickly, he shifted his weight, laying you back down across the bed and stretching your bound hands high over your head. You struggled, body writhing beneath his. He grunted and straddled your waist, using both hands to secure your wrists to the head of the bed. From his vantage above you he gave you a considering look, biting his lower lip.

"Please," you pleaded, eyes wide on his. He leaned forward and pressed two fingers to your lips. Your mouth parted immediately, sucking them into the wet warmth. He groaned when he felt you lick softly at the pads of his fingers.

"You must be the Force’s gift to me for being the best pilot in the galaxy," he grinned and heard you snort. Giving you a disappointed look for breaking character, he used his free hand to flick your side and felt you squirm. He bit his bottom lip when you glared at him in return, nipping at his fingers. "Maybe I’ll use this sweet mouth of yours," he mused and the teasing look in your eyes was replaced by something more feral. More hungry.

He had said it as a joke, as a threat in the spirit of the rogue he was playing. But seeing the change on your face, the way you sucked on his fingers… He groaned, leaning forward to thrust his tongue into your mouth, using his fingers to hold your jaw open.

When he pulled away he saw your eyes were hazy, your tongue lazily circling his fingers. He smirked down at you, "Mmm princess, seems like maybe you do want this."

Your eyes snap up to his, jerking your face away from his hand. "Never."

"Oh really," he raised an eyebrow, shifting his body until he was straddling your thighs, running his hands lightly down your neck. With deliberate slowness he parted the robe, exposing your body to the air and his eyes. He swallowed, the sight of you never failed to cause his heart to skip a beat, his blood to pump faster. He ran a finger under your breast, hiding a smile when you arched slightly up to him.

His fingers tweaked your nipple, "Princess, I could have you begging for me."

"I would never beg for ahh," your protestations were cut off when he leaned forward, wrapping his lips around the sensitive nub and sucking it hard into his mouth.

"What was that?" He asked conversationally, laving it with his tongue before gently setting his teeth to it. "That almost sounded like begging."

He glanced up when you didn’t respond, saw your eyes squeezed shut, your mouth open in a silent gasp. He nibbled at your nipple, heard the keening noise you made and turning his attention to the other. Giving it the same ministrations, flicking the one not in his mouth with his thumb. His body shifted, his knee forcing your legs apart and he reached down to glide his fingers through the heart of you.

"Oh, at least one part of you is honest," he whispered into your skin. Slick heat coated his fingertips and he muffled a groan, moving so both his legs were between yours, holding you wide open to the exploration of his fingers. When they glided across your clit you moaned and he echoed it. "Mmm, that was closer, but not quite."

He shifted down your body, pressing kisses to your skin until he settled between your legs, situating your thighs over his shoulders. His hands clasped at your hips as he pulled you slightly, into his waiting mouth. The breathy little sigh you made was music - just the touch of his lips enough to pull that pleased little noise from you. He nuzzled you for a moment, his nose slipping between your wet folds and over your clit. Another noise, sharper this time.

Looking up he could see you spread out before him, the arms pinned above your head pulling your breasts up high. Your stomach was quivering and he ran a soothing hand over it at the same moment he gently licked against you.

"Poe!" you shouted and he nipped you.

"Nuh uh, tonight I’m just Commander." He thought for a moment, "Or 'Sir' if you want."

Your toes pushed against his hips and he had a feeling that 'Sir' was off the table. Ah well, it was worth a shot. Instead, he dipped his tongue into you, thrusting slowly into your tight channel.

"Oh… Commander," you panted and Poe rewarded you with a long lick up to your clit, flicking against the bundle of nerves and then moving down again. Taking his time, ignoring your breathy moans and the clench of your thighs around his head. Occasionally he turned his mouth to your inner thigh, running his tongue along the soft skin and gently biting. But he always returned to your heat, your soaking core.

"Sir…"

He closed his lips on your clit, massaging it with his lips before letting it go. "Oh that sounds lovely. Beg for me princess. Tell me how much you want me."

"I want…" you started but he was tonguing your clit again and all thought seemed to fly from your head. One of his fingers slowly slid inside of you, filling an aching need. "Please," you finally gasp and he thrust his hand up hard into you, flicking your clit with his tongue.

He gentled immediately, listening to your breathy whine. "Much better," he muttered against your clit. "If I give you what you want - what will you give me?"

"Anything," you promised recklessly.

"Oh I like the sound of that," he hummed in pleasure. "Will you let me put my cock right here?" He stroked inside of you for emphasis and you nod.

"Yes, yes, please."

"Alright then, since you ask so nicely." He didn’t tease anymore, just buried his face against you and drove you relentlessly into your peak. Holding you steady with one hand while he fucked you with the other. He relished your cries, the way your body rocked beneath his hand, even the curl of your toes into his shirt. He would never get tired of making you come. Never.

As you slowly drifted along the highs of your pleasure he sat up, pulling his shirt over his head and quickly shoving his pants off. By the time you were somewhat coherent his body was laying over yours, his mouth seeking yours out.

"Taste how much you want me," he murmured, urging your tongue to tangle with his. You moaned, arms straining against the bindings, wanting to wrap him in your embrace.

"Poe," you gasped and he nips your lower lip. "Commander," you correct quickly, "please, I want you inside me."

"All you had to do was ask princess," he whispered back, lifting one of your knees with his hand and sliding inside of you in one smooth stroke. You groaned together and he pulled away from you just as slowly, starting a smooth steady rhythm.

"Commander," you breathed and fuck but that shouldn’t be as sexy as it was. He was going to have a hard time ever concentrating during shift again with the memory of your sweet voice moaning his rank into his ear.

"Commander please, I need more."

"More?" He shifted slightly and fucked in to you hard. "Like this?"

"Yes," your reply was instant, your mouth gaping open and he quickly took advantage. Capturing your lips in a desperate kiss. His forearms were under your shoulders, hands cupping each side of your head. Holding you still while his tongue ravished you, hips snapping into yours. He relished the hot pant of your breath into his mouth, the moans he could capture. When your legs rose to wrap around his waist he lowered one of his hands to cup beneath your ass, urging you to meet his heavy thrusts.

"Are you going to come for me again princess?" He whispered the words directly against your tongue, shifting his weight so he could slip his hand between your bodies. When his fingers gently circled your clit you cried out - thighs clenching against his waist.

"That’s it baby," he pulled his head away so he could watch your face. "That’s it, come for me."

He could see your fists clenching, your arms stretched above your head, your back arching. Every movement was taut, beautiful, straining for release. He moved his fingers faster, picking the pace of his hips up.

You screamed when you came, a wordless cry that shot straight into his heart. He moved his hand away quickly, back to holding your head as he ground his hips down into yours. "Oh fuck princess," he moaned, your muscles tightening and releasing as your orgasm washed over you. "Just like that. Fuck you feel-"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off by your lips. Neck arching up to capture his mouth and he followed you back down. Lips pressed to yours as he lost his rhythm. Lost his senses. Lost his mind in the pleasure of your body.

When his brain began to function again he could feel your legs still wrapped around his waist, the hot puffs of your breath stirring his hair. He grunted when he pushed himself up, nuzzling your nose with his before placing a light kiss on your lips.

"I think that was a suitable reward for slaying a dragon," he said with a grin and saw your nose crinkle when you giggled.

"Wicked man," you sighed and he kissed you again, pulling slightly on your hair. You arched your neck into the touch, gasping softly.

"Very wicked," he assured you and trailed kisses down your neck. He felt himself slip out of you, heard the small noise you made when he did. He lightly ghosted his lips across your collarbone. "Now," he said, slowly sitting up and spreading his knees wide, your thighs thrown over his. "What inducement might you have for me to set you free?"

Your lips pursed for a moment, hiding a smile, and then you licked your lips. "You’ve already ravished me scoundrel. What more could I possibly give you?"

He raised an eyebrow and you winked at him. "Oh my dear princess," he cooed, running his hands up your thighs until his thumbs pressed to your center. "I can think of a few more things."

[lucyintheskywithxanax]

What Fun! The Apocalypse (PART 6)

Pairing: Wilhemina Venable x Fem Reader

A/N: my already poor health has been particularly bad and I lost a few thousands brain cells so probably this part could have been better. But I kind of like it as it is. I could, too, have been less cruel to Wilhemina, but I hate stories that are like, “it took exactly 2 seconds and a half for this character to overcome their trauma welcome to rainbow land”. This part may be the last part, or I may write more, idk yet. Thank you for your kind feeback and thank your for reading, lovelies. x

PART 1 // PART 2 // PART 3 // PART 4  // PART 5

Word count: ~ 7 000

Warnings: physical violence, self-harm (kind of?), ongoing battle btw me and English prepositions

You awoke, opened your eyes, and remembered. Today was the Apocalypse.

Everyone from Kineros Robotics who had been chosen to survive gathered in the lunch room at 8am, and waited there to board their respective planes. Most of the outposts were a long flight from California, so you and Wilhemina were to leave the place last. You had packed a small suitcase with a few of your belongings, objects you could not get rid of. You ignored the disapproving glare from Wilhemina. She was flying with nothing but her cane and a stock of painkillers for her back.

Wilhemina scanned the faces in the room. Everyone here was a longtime employee at Kineros, deemed worthy and clever enough to build and rule a new world. Pathetic, all of them. Wilhemina tapped her cane threateningly on the floor as a tall woman walked past her too close for comfort; the woman turned her head at the sound, slowly ran her eyes down and up Wilhemina’s figure, and smiled condescendingly.

Eyes were Wilhemina’s least favourite part of the human face. They were dull, and only reflected the stupidity of the brain. Eyes had stared at her and sneered and derided. Eyes had crinkled with mocking laughter and narrowed with disgust or judgment. They pried and pitied and wondered as they wonder at rare, exotic zoo animals. Other people’s eyes were only acceptable (safe) when lowered in fear or respect.  

But your eyes were different. Your eyes were kind. They were loving and caring. She could get lost in them and know she was safe.

The plane to Outpost 4 departed at 10am. The one to Outpost 2 departed at 10:30. By noon, Wilhemina and you were the only one left in the room. The mysterious Ms Mead had driven to Outpost 3 the day before, to make sure everything was ready. Wilhemina had met her and decided she was trustworthy. A robot. Her mind programmed to obey her. Her heart had jumped with excitement at the thought.

The plane to Outpost 3 was to leave at exactly 2:40pm, five minutes before a ballistic missile would hit the nearest city. At 2:20 you jumped down from the table you were sitting on and ran to the nearest bathroom. An employee, who was to stay and die and did not even have the slightest idea of what was about to happen, walked past the lunch room and shot Wilhemina a curious glance. She gave him her coldest, most condescending smile in return. Another man walked past, quickly and with his shoulders bent. Wilhemina caught a glimpse of his face. Her heart did something weird in her chest.

Now, that was simply impossible, her brain told her. His plane had left hours ago. Her eyes had tricked her mind, excitement and anticipation made her see things that were not real.

You hurried back into the room, your hands fidgeting anxiously, completely unable to stand still. “Let’s go,” you said quickly, “let’s go board our plane.”

“Wait,” Wilhemina said without thinking.

You stopped in front of her.

“Wilhemina it’s 2:25 we have to –“

Here it was again, the impossible shape, hovering on one side of the door. Something in Wilhemina’s mind whispered a warning. Her eyes shifted to your face. Protect her, urged the whisper.  

“I forgot an important file on my desk,” Wilhemina lied in a very calm voice.

“Are you kidding me?!” you exclaimed.

The shape moved and disappeared.

“It has all the names and information on the people who will stay with us at the outpost,” Wilhemina went on. “Go and get it. You walk faster than I do.”

“For God’s sake you must be kidding me,” you growled.  

“Go,” she ordered you. “You’re wasting time.”

You scowled at her, but stormed out of the room. She listened as your footsteps faded away. Then she straightened up, pulling her shoulders back, and her right hand clenched around the knob of her cane.

“Hello, hunchback.

Rory leaned against the door, his arms folded across his chest, a stupid smirk plastered on his face. Anger rose in Wilhemina’s throat.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” she snapped.

Rory’s smirk widened and he started walking towards her.

“Thought I should come and say hi. Long time no see. Honestly, I’m surprised you remember me. You didn’t seem to care much about my person last time we talked.”  He stopped a few inches away from Wilhemina, looking down on her, his eyes full of a triumphant, predatory light. “Last time we talked,” he repeated slowly in his drawling voice, “and you so rudely fired me. Now, I think that surely you have regrets. I think that surely you regret treating me so badly.” He raised a hand to caress her cheek, but she slapped it away.

“Don’t you dare touch me,” Wilhemina hissed.

He was too close, so close she could feel the heat emanating from his body, but she would be damned before she took a step back.

“Now, that’s not how one expresses regret,” Rory said.

Without warning, he kicked her cane over and sent it rolling on the floor and under a table. Wilhemina stumbled, regained her balance with a wince.

Rory grabbed her arm and leaned in. “Tell me,” he whispered in her ear, “can you bend low enough to blow me or will I have to break your back?”

“Go to Hell,” Wilhemina hissed, and spat on his face.

Rory’s knee came up and slammed into her stomach. Wilhemina crumpled to the floor, winded, and let out a cry as Rory kicked her side.

“Good news, hunchback!” he cried excitedly. “It’s the fucking Apocalypse! D’you know what it means?” Another kick. “It means –“ another kick, “there’ll be no police –“ another kick, “which means I can do whatever the fuck –“  another kick, ”I want to you.”

Wilhemina let him hit her. She had no way of fighting back, and even if she had, she wasn’t sure she would have. Every kick awakened the sneering voice in her head that reminded her just how monstrous her body was. How it was only fair she should hurt. How she deserved the pain he was causing her, and so much more of it. The pain she was feeling was the pain she had wanted to inflict on herself for so long, a punishment for being such a hideous, such a deformed monstrosity and now she could feel joy, there was joy in her heart and she was laughing –

“What the hell?!” came a voice, loud and angry and threatening like the growl of a storm. Rory’s kicking stopped and Wilhemina almost raised her head to beg him to continue, not to stop until he’d broken every single rotten bone.

“What. The. Fucking hell Rory!” you roared, flinging yourself at him and slapping him violently in the face. “How dare you, you fucking fuck!”

Rory stumbled away from you, his hand covering his cheek where you had hit him, too stunned to speak. His back touched the wall.

“Get out!” you roared. “Get out or I swear to God I’ll kill you.”

You watched him scurry away, then you ran to where Wilhemina lay curled up on the floor.

Laughing. She was laughing. Loud, painful laughs that shook her chest and tore their way out of her throat like shards of glass.

“Wilhemina? Oh God.” Your hands were shaking. “Oh God. Wilhemina, can you hear me?”

You grabbed her hand, but she jerked it free and moved it to cover her face. Her laughter still came out through her palm.

You stared at her, at a loss for what to do. Your heart was hammering in your ears but couldn’t drown out the terrible sound of her laughter. And above it all, like a red blaring light, rose a terrifying sense of urgency.

“Wilhemina,” you called, as bitter tears pooled in your eyes. This was all your fault. You had ignored Muff’s warning and put Wilhemina in danger because of your goddamn pride. You had thought you knew better than everyone else. Thought people were books, thought you could predict exactly how everyone would behave - thought that nothing harmful could come in the way of two people in love.

“Wilhemina, baby,” you pleaded through your tears, ”please, can you hear me?”

Hurry, hurry, hurry, blared the light in your head.

Something in your voice must have gotten to Wilhemina, for her laughter slowly died out. She nodded. You reached out for the hand that was covering her face, tentatively slipping your fingers between hers.

“Wilhemina, tell me where he hurt you? Can you stand up? Baby, I’m so sorry, we have to move, we have to catch that plane, we have to –“

Your voice broke. You dropped your head, sobbing out an “Oh God” as Wilhemina’s fingers tightened around yours.

She was already trying to sit up, wincing in pain and coughing out blood, so brave, so strong in the face of it all. You wrapped your arms around her waist and lifted her to her feet, and she cried out in pain.

“I’m so sorry baby,” you cried, over and over again, “I’m so sorry, we have to go, we have to catch that plane.”

She pointed to her cane and you hastily grabbed it, pressed it into her hand, slipped your arm higher up her waist to support her as you hobbled out of the lunch room and oh God, Wilhemina coughed out blood again. Tears and sweat rolled down her face as she pushed on, hurrying as fast as she could along too many corridors, the place endless, it was spreading endlessly everywhere and expanding by the second and you would never make it.  

Wilhemina’s knees buckled. She collapsed on the ground with a cry.

“Go,” she croaked between her teeth. “Just go.”

“Don’t be stupid,” you growled. You heaved her to her feet. “Lean on me, sweetie, just lean on me. I know you can do it.” You pressed a quick kiss on her cheek. “I’m not leaving you, you fool.”

A tiny part of you screamed in rebellion. Death terrified you. Run, screamed a frantic voice in your head, just run for your life, who cares about her you will both die. You shook your head violently, tightened your grip around Wilhemina. Uttered words of encouragement to her. Shut the fuck up, you barked at the voice in your head. The voice roared. You roared louder.

There was a loud, distant explosion. The walls shook all around you, and the lights flickered. Wilhemina groaned, but did not stop.  

You turned a corner, slammed your shoulder into a door and stumbled outside. There was something wrong with the light, a sick quality to it, it was too orange and too misty, but you barely paid attention to it, your eyes falling on the beautiful, shining small plane waiting for you just a few feet away. The pilot was standing in the narrow door, waving his arms at you and calling out.

“Come on, baby, almost there,” you growled, your heart beating madly in your chest.  Wilhemina’s arm spasmed. You gripped onto her tighter.

And then your brain took over. On auto-pilot you hobbled the short distance to the plane, half carried Wilhemina up the airstair, past the man as he hurriedly closed the door and shut out the light that was too orange, too misty, the light that was so hideously sick. You collapsed on the floor with Wilhemina in your arms, crying and laughing, and peppered her face with wet kisses. When you finally pulled away for air her face was very pale, blood drying on her lower lip and chin, but she offered you a small smile.

“You made it, honeybunch,” you panted, and burst into a laugh.  

**

The plane took off. You made Wilhemina lie down on a row of seats, then ran to the bathroom and dampened a hand towel. Your hands were shaking, your breathing was quick and shallow. Now that the exhilaration of victory and the rush of adrenaline were subsiding, something dark was settling in your chest like lead. You shook your head, scowled at your reflection in the mirror. Get a grip, you ordered yourself. Your eyes in the mirror were wide with fear and guilt.

Wilhemina had sat up while you were gone, but you made her lie down again and gently wiped the blood off her face with the wet towel. She was way too pale, her body too rigid, her jaw clenched tight against the pain. Your fault. Your goddamn fault for being such a fucking brag who thought she had some sort of superpower and could guess everything about everyone. You shook your head again, gulped back tears, and focused on Wilhemina.

“I don’t need this, Y/N,” Wilhemina said as you gently swiped the towel across her forehead - her voice was low and gravelly and her diction was weird, every word perfectly enunciated but coming out thick and heavy. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine,” you retorted, your voice breaking. “Wilhemina, let me – you’ve just been beaten up let me take care of –“

Your hand gently caressed her cheek; Wilhemina flinched, her neck tensing and curving away from you.

“I’m sorry,” you said, immediately withdrawing your hand. “Did I hurt you?”

“No,” she answered, almost a snap. It wasn’t fear that was vibrating through her, she wasn’t afraid of your touch, - it was something entirely different you couldn’t quite understand yet. She was glaring at the ceiling, her body incredibly tense, her eyes glassy and angry.

“Can I touch you?” you asked softly.

Wilhemina’s eyes briefly shifted to you, then back to the ceiling. One of her arms wrapped around her stomach and squeezed, hard.

“I need to make sure you’re not bleeding anywhere,” you explained.

“I’m not bleeding.”

“Where does it hurt the most? Wilhemina if there’s any wound we need to make sure and clean it bef –“

“There’s no wound,” she snapped. “A few bruises at worst.”

You paused, swallowing down your fear.

“Alright,” you said, raising both hands in the air – they were visibly shaking, so you quickly lowered them -, “alright. Just let me get you some water.”

She was still glaring at the ceiling when you came back, but you weren’t sure she was seeing it. Her eyes were burning with a kind of anger that had something terribly sad about it, something that made your heart ache for her. You unscrewed the bottle of water and offered it to her.

She took exactly one sip and handed the bottle back to you.

“Stop being so stubborn,” you said. “Drink some more –“

“I am being stubborn? Stop acting so stupid.“

“I’m not stupid, I’m worried about you.“

Automatically your hand landed on her ankle and your thumb stroked her skin. Again, she flinched, and her leg gave a kick.

“Stop it!” she snapped, her voice too high, her eyes meeting yours, desperate and angry, as her arm squeezed harder still around her stomach, her elbow digging into her ribs. “Leave me alone! I don’t deserve –”

She cut herself off, her jaw twitching once, her face hard and cold, that terrible, terrible feeling in her eyes expanding and expanding until it submerged her whole body. Her head fell back on the seat and her nails dug into her arm.

“You don’t deserve what, Mina?” you asked. Your throat closed up.

She had been laughing, when you had found her. Rory was kicking her with a crazed look on his face and she had been laughing.

“Talk to me,” you pleaded, your voice too thin.

“Why would I want to talk to you?” she snapped contemptuously, her voice laced with poison, but you could see right through her act.

This was an attempt to make you leave, because she could not stand tenderness and care right now. Every fiber in her body was rebelling against love and crying out for pain. She needed to open the gates and let the self-loathing engulf her, for she couldn’t win against it - as one has to dive headfirst into a wave that is so high and so terrifying and cannot be avoided. Sometimes, the only way out is through.    

“Alright,” your voice wavered, “alright, I’ll just sit here next to you, ok? I’m here if you need me.”

It was torture. Staying still as she hurt, and hurt herself, as you waited for her to come back to you, as the whole plane filled up with her pain and anger and it was a miracle it could still fly. You made small talk with her, anything to try and distract her. Your voice wavered again, three, four times. You had lowered the blind on the window nearest you to block out the sick orange light. Wilhemina kept glaring unseeingly at the ceiling. You talked, and talked, and talked, trying to drown out the sound of her loathing that you could hear like the scraping of stormy waves on a shingle beach. And on top of it all was that gnawing feeling of guilt. For you had caused this. Stupid, stupid you, blinded by your own pride.

Slowly, Wilhemina’s body started to relax. Her nails withdrew from her arm. You tentatively offered her the bottle of water again. She scowled at you, but she took the bottle and drank half of it.

The pilot’s voice came out through the intercom, telling you to prepare for landing.

Wilhemina sat up with a wince and fastened her seatbelt. She smoothed her hair and her clothes. You glanced at her, blinking back tears, your mouth too dry.

“Are you ok?” you asked. It was a stupid question, but it flew out of your mouth desperate and urgent before you could stop it.

Her eyes met yours, dark and completely unreadable.

“Of course,” she said.

A tear rolled down your cheek. You wiped it with the back of your hand, nodded.

“I want to address everyone at the Outpost as soon as we arrive,” Wilhemina went on.

You sniffed, offered her a broken smile.

“Ok.”

“They need to be perfectly apprised of the house rules.”

“Alright, you’re right.”

Another tear rolled down your cheek, which you quickly swiped away.

“Please don’t cry,” came Wilhemina’s voice.

“I - sorry,” you said quickly, wiping yet another tear. “I don’t know why I’m crying.”

As if your heart wasn’t breaking for her, as if you could ever forget the look in her eyes as she lay still with her nails digging deep into her skin.

There was a short pause, and then Wilhemina took your hand.

“I love you,” she said, as one says ‘it’s okay, I’ll be okay’.

You tried to offer her a smile, but it looked like a grimace, your mouth twisting as if it were full of shards of glass. You squeezed her hand, then raised it to your lips and pressed a long kiss on one of her knuckles.

“I love you, too,” you said, your voice shaking. You breathed in to add “I’m so sorry”, but breathed out wordlessly.

You squeezed Wilhemina’s hand again, swallowing down your guilt. You couldn’t bother her with it now that she was about to take on responsibility for the survival of the human race; you had to be a strong rock she could lean on, not a burden.

You sat on the seat next to Wilhemina’s and fastened your seat belt. Wilhemina raised the blind to peer outside. You turned your head away.

The plane landed, and the pilot came out of the cockpit. He was a tall, stout man with a kind face. You reached out to help Wilhemina get up her seat but she refused your help, shooting you a glance of warning. She stood up straight and proud without so much as a wince of pain, and walked up to the pilot.

He gave Wilhemina a smile and extended his right hand as if to shake to hers. He wore a thin, gold ring on his middle finger that looked very expensive.

“You’ll have to take that off,” Wilhemina said sternly. “Greys are not allowed to wear jewelry.”

“What are Greys?” you and the pilot asked at the exact same time. Wilhemina had not told you anything about the rules at Oupost 3. You had asked, more than once, but she had never answered you, and pretended not to hear you after the third or fourth time.

Wilhemina winked at you. “Our worker hands. “ She glared at the pilot, nodding in your direction. “Your job will be to serve her and the rest of the elite.”

The kindness faded from the pilot’s face.

“I’m not sure I like that,” he muttered.

Wilhemina’s cane tapped on the floor.

“Are you stupid?” she said, in a very slow, threatening voice. “You’re alive. Look around you. The world is no longer. Tell me, what exactly have you done to deserve surviving it?”

“I flew you here, lady,” the pilot grumbled. “You’d be dead without me.”

Wilhemina’s cane tapped on the floor again, louder.

“I’m making the rules here. You can either know your place and follow them, or take your chances, alone, in the nuclear winter.”

The pilot glanced desperately at you. You almost defended him. Part of you wasn’t sure this whole Grey thing was fair. But you could hardly imagine the devastating consequences of your challenging Wilhemina now, when she was finally in a position of power, when she trusted you to back her up. You had hurt her enough for the day.

“You better listen to her,” you said, forcing your voice to sound commanding. The colour drained from the man’s face.

You followed Wilhemina out of the plane – a thick fog was slowly swallowing the world, replacing the sick orange light with a pale grey that looked sicker somehow – and into the outpost. The place was no longer lit by electrical light but by hundreds of candles and every fireplace was alive with huge, crackling fires. You kept your eyes on Wilhemina, alert for signs of pain. There wasn’t any. As you passed a fireplace, the warmth from the fire briefly engulfed you, an unhoped-for comfort, a temporary balm to your heart.

Wilhemina turned left, and suddenly stopped. A small, stout woman with cropped black hair stood in the corridor, her hands crossed in front of her, her eyes two piercing lights ringed with black make-up. She bowed her head respectfully as she saw Wilhemina. Unconsciously you straightened your shoulders. A feeling, not exactly of authority, but of ruthless order oozed out from this woman. If you had to invent her a past, you would say quite confidently that she had spent years in the army as a high-ranked commanding officer.

Wilhemina introduced her as Ms Mead. The woman’s eyes slid to your face and she bowed her head to you, too, a quick, mechanical bending of the neck. She informed Wilhemina everything had been made ready as requested.

“It is so refreshing to work with someone who knows how to take orders and how to be efficient,” Wilhemina told her with an appreciative smile. She gestured towards the nearest door, a bathroom. “I’ll be a minute.”

Tap, tap, tap, went her cane, a cold, sharp sound; in the candlelight her hair was a deep red.

The bathroom door closed behind her. You counted five seconds before you turned to Ms Mead.

“Where’s the doctor?” you whispered urgently. You knew a doctor had been sent to every outpost, to make sure the survivors stayed safe and healthy.

Ms Mead shot you a glance that expressed absolutely nothing.

“Not here,” she answered in a robotic, toneless voice.

“What do you mean, not here?” you insisted, tiny sparks of fear flying up into your chest. Your throat tightened.

“He was supposed to arrive at 3, but he never did.” Ms Mead shrugged. “I guess we’ll have to do without him.”

More sparks, too many sparks. You almost screamed at her.

“My best guess is,” Ms Mead went on, entirely unaware of the frantic storm rising in you, “he decided to stay behind with his family. To die a useless death among his loved ones instead of taking on the honorable duty of caring for the survivors.”

“Some people are incredibly selfish,” came Wilhemina’s voice.

You jumped, turning around sharply as Wilhemina’s proud figure loomed up on your left side. “Ms Mead, gather everyone in the music room,” she ordered. “We’ll join them shortly.”

Ms Mead nodded and walked off. You glanced up nervously at Wilhemina.

“For the hundredth time, Y/N, I’m fine,” Wilhemina scolded.

You glanced up at her, scanned her face for any trace of pain, but it was completely blank. You glanced down at her hands. They rested on top of each other on the knob of her cane.

You glanced up at her face again. You figured she had no broken ribs, since she could move, and she was breathing just fine so probably nothing had damaged or punctured her lungs, but what if she were hemorrhaging, or what if she had broken something and was being very good at hiding it? That seemed to you very likely.

“Y/N?”

“What?” Your voice shot out too nervous, too aggressive.

Wilhemina’s face hardened. Tap, threatened her cane.

“We have no doctor,” you started. Your throat was so tight with fear it was a miracle your voice could get through.

“So I heard.”

“Wilhemina, someone needs to make sure you’re okay. And what will we do without a doctor? Oh God, Mina, and what about your back and what if –“

“None of that,” Wilhemina cut you off sharply. “Y/N, you need to calm down. I am fine.” She paused. When she spoke again, her voice was softer. “We survived the Apocalypse, Y/N. Now I need you to calm down, get a grip on yourself, and go and join the others in the music room. “

You closed your eyes, forced yourself to take a few deep breaths. I’m sorry, said your heart to hers, praying, praying it would hear, I’m so sorry.  

You walked into the music room in a haze, barely registering the hum of worried voices and the few “Hello”s that were thrown your way. You collapsed on an armchair in a corner and buried your face in your hands. Tried to focus on your breathing. Images and sounds flashed in your mind; Wilhemina’s laugh as Rory kicked her, that terrible look in her eyes, her nails digging into her skin. Your eyes flew open as one wakes from a nightmare.

A young, fashionable man wearing sunglasses with purple-tinted lenses was staring at you. He didn’t look particularly worried, just interested.

“Are you alright, dear?” he asked in a mellow voice.

“Never better,” you growled.

“Aw,” the man said, “I know how it feels. I was supposed to fucking die in L.A.. It’s a stroke of luck I’m here, a stroke of luck. That, and my friend Coco’s crocodile wallet.” The man sat down on a chair next to you. His musky, minty perfume tickled your nose – it was so out-of-place, this smell, reminded you of lavishness and exuberance and self-confidence. If Outpost 3 had a smell, it would be that of the smoke of a candle that has just fizzled out.

The man, who introduced himself as a hairdresser, kept on talking, but you stopped listening. Your eyes scanned the people in the room, one face after the other, features blurring into each other, your brain unable to register details and to make observations. Your hands were sweaty. Your eyes fell on the familiar face of the pilot. Before you knew it you had abruptly stood up and walked to him, the hairdresser’s mouth falling open in consternation, his eyes glaring at your back through his purple-tinted sunglasses.

“Hey,” you said to the pilot. He had watched you approach with weary eyes, his lips a thin, tight, angry line. He acknowledged your presence with a stiff nod. “I wanted to thank you,” you went on, forcing your mouth into a smile. “For waiting for us. You didn’t have to.”

The pilot pursed his lips. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have,” he grumbled, but there was no hostility in his voice. His fingers started playing with a loose thread on his coat. “I guess I’m just too kind for my own good.”

“Um,” you pretended to consider his words. “I think the world would have fared better if there had been more kind people in it. You know, people who take the trouble to wait those extra five minutes to help others, instead of running for their lives.” You tried for another smile, and this time it came more easily.

The pilot glanced up at you suspiciously, but the kindness was returning to his face. “What’s going to happen, now?” he asked after a pause.

“I don’t really know.”

“The man who boarded the plane just before you did said such improper, rude things about the redhead, and even though she didn’t give me any reason to like her, I don’t think folks should –“

“Excuse me,” you cut the pilot off, your heart suddenly freezing in your chest, “what man?”

“Young fellow, the one sitting over there. He appeared out of nowhere saying he’d missed his transportation to Outpost 2 and he begged me to let him in, I couldn’t just leave him to his death.”

There was not a single drop of blood left in your veins. Your heart was steadily pumping ice, biting, burning ice that froze every thought and every emotion in your brain except anger – and the anger spread. It spread everywhere, sprang from your body and crashed against the ceiling and the walls where it crystallized into sharp, fang-like icicles.

Rory had not seen you yet. He was comforting a crying young woman when you reached him, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and half jerked him up on his feet. His eyes met yours in surprise as you growled into his face, “Boarding this plane was the worst mistake you ever made.” Rory tried to draw away but you tightened your grip on him and leaned in closer still, your breath ghosting his lips. “I swear to God, Rory, I’m going to turn your pathetic life into a nightmare and there will be blood.”

A loud tap cut you off. Both Rory and you jumped. Wilhemina had just entered the room, standing proud and dominating, her complexion warm in the candlelight, her eyes very dark. She had changed into a black Victorian-esque dress that brushed regally over the floor, with a high collar of intricate white lacework hugging her graceful, long neck. Her hair no longer was in her signature high ponytail but wrapped up into a perfectly centered, sophisticated bun. She looked so strong, so imposing, so perfectly in control of everything down to the dust that danced in the candlelight, that your fingers loosened their grip on Rory’s collar. You stepped away from him. Not in fear, not in defeat, but rather as a young predator respectfully makes way for the alpha that silently crawls through the grass towards the defenseless prey grazing in the shade.

Wilhemina’s gaze fell on Rory. Her eyes were as bottomless and terrifying as the inside of a cave sunlight never reaches. For Rory it meant there would be no peace, no warmth,   no salvation. Another tap of her cane, and Rory flinched. Actually took a step towards you for protection.

Wilhemina walked up to him, her upper body gracefully swaying from side to side as it always did, her gait as nonchalant and powerful as a big cat’s. She stopped a few inches away from Rory and rested both hands on the knob of her cane.

“Welcome,” she breathed in his face, “to Outpost 3.”

You grinned. In the dark building with devastation outside the doors and despair within you grinned, warmth like that of a fire in a cold winter night spreading down your body and wrapping soothingly around your heart. Wilhemina’s eyes briefly shifted to yours. Oh, she would be alright. You lowered your head, staring down at the ugly floor to hide the pride and relief that painted themselves all across your face and twinkled in your eyes. Caught in the eye of a tornado this woman would be alright and with the flick of her fingers bend the howling winds to her command.

Rory’s body looked like it had lost several inches and pounds. Probably part of him had fled in fear. He gulped, tried to maintain eye contact with Wilhemina, failed, stared down at his feet as heat flooded his face.

“Unless I’m mistaken, you’re not on my list,” Wilhemina went on. Her voice was melodic, as if she were about to break into a song. “Take him to the cell,” she ordered a giant of a woman who stood in the doorway. The woman grabbed Rory and dragged him out of the room. His eyes shot a frightened look your way before he disappeared, the darkness swallowing his pale and quivering form.

A hush had fallen upon the room. Everyone stood rigid with their eyes lowered respectfully or inspecting a piece of furniture or the ceiling or their own fingers. You saw the hairdresser glance up at Wilhemina, curious and intimidated, his gaze lingering no more than a second on her face before focusing back on the cuff of his right sleeve.

Wilhemina tapped her cane on the floor and briefly introduced herself in a firm, authoritative voice. Her eyes coldly scanned the room as she talked, explaining what the Cooperative was, how hard they had worked to save the human race, how grateful the survivors should be, how humbled. Before explaining the house rules she reminded everyone that survival required order and strict obedience. She would be ruthless, she assured them sternly. Anyone who broke the rules would be kicked out of the building or immediately shot.

You frowned at that. Death seemed too extreme a punishment. Just as the thought crossed your mind, an old woman voiced it in consternation. Wilhemina’s gaze fell on her and a cold, condescending smile grazed her lips.

“It would be too extreme in the world we used to know,” she said very slowly. “But here, we are the last vestige of the human race. Error and insubordination simply cannot be tolerated, not when they could result in the complete eradication of our species.”

Hierarchy is the key, Wilhemina went on. In Outpost 3, everyone would know their place. Here she paused to unfold a piece of paper and slowly read out the names of “the Elite” and of “those who would serve them”, the Purples and the Greys respectively. You nervously shifted your weight from one foot to the other. Hushed whispers were exchanged before another sharp tap of Wilhemina’s cane commanded silence.

There would be no leaving the building. Greys and Purples alike would be on a strict timetable. Each Purple would be attributed a Grey to serve and obey them. Here a few voices rose in protest, but quickly died down. Good manners and proper dressing should be observed, for appearances did wonders on one’s morale. There should be no indulging in improper activities, and no unauthorized copulation.

Your jaw dropped open at that.

“Excuse me?” the hairdresser exclaimed, his voice louder and clearer than all the others which chimed in angry protest. “It’s already Hell down here, no need to make it worse!“

“Now that’s bullshit,” you heard yourself growl.

Wilhemina’s eyes met yours. “I said,” she enunciated, “no unauthorized copulation.”

Oh. Your shoulders relaxed. You bit down on a smirk. You swore, Wilhemina’s mouth twitched just so, as if she, too, were holding back a smug smile.

After that, Ms Mead was ordered to show everyone to their rooms. You lingered behind as the others crowded to the door, voices grumbling and shoulders bending in defeat, like a pack of children gathering for class after recess. Wilhemina watched them leave, and then she turned on her heel and disappeared in the corridor.

You followed her, assuming a nonchalant expression, sticking your hands into your pockets. Wilhemina walked into the bedroom she had chosen for herself and you on your first visit of the Outpost. You glanced right and left, then followed her inside.

As soon as you closed the door, Wilhemina sat heavily on the bed, her shoulders sagging, and closed her eyes. You kneeled in front of her, peering up worriedly at her.

“Are you okay? Are you hurting? Wilhemina, are you okay?” you inquired urgently, your hands coming up to cup her face.

A soft smile slowly spread over her lips, and her eyes fluttered open. “I’m fine, Y/N,” she answered, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

You scrambled up to your feet and sat on the bed next to her, pressing your shoulder to hers, reaching for her hand.

“You should lie down,” you urged, ”have some rest. You did so much, Mina you did so good.”

She closed her eyes again, and shook her head.

“I don’t have time to rest, Y/N. I need to make sure everyone is settling in properly.”

“Let me do it,” you offered, pushing your palm to hers and lacing your fingers together. “I can do it. You lie down and I’ll see to everything.”

She let out a sigh and rested her head on your shoulder.

“I’m grateful for the offer, Y/N, but you have no idea how this place is to be run. Besides, it’s not your job.”

Her head was pressing more and more heavily on your shoulder. She looked so exhausted, so vulnerable in contrast to her earlier show of strength and power that you felt fear clench at your throat once more.

You wrapped one arm around her shoulders to support her and she let her body sag against your side. She buried her face in the crook of your neck and let out one shaky breath that tickled your skin.

“Where did he hurt you?” you asked in a whisper, nuzzling into her hair.

Something wet rolled down your neck. There was silence, broken by a sniffle and then Wilhemina’s voice, barely audible, “My stomach and ribs feel like they’re broken into pieces.”

You squeezed your eyes shut, breathed out angrily through your nose and gently stroked your thumb over her shoulder, back and forth.

“Let me have a look?” you tried softly.

She shook her head. “It’s not pretty.”

“I don’t care,” you retorted, the words leaving your mouth confident and strong.

Wilhemina pulled herself away from you as if she meant to stand, but she stayed on the bed, making no effort to straighten her shoulders. She sighed, lifted one hand to pinch the bridge of her nose.

“I really do have to go,” she said. She opened one eye to look at you. “You can play the doctor tonight when my day is done.”

You watched her as she stood up and scrutinized her reflection in the mirror, smoothing her left hand over her dress, tilting her head on one side then the other, tugging at her right sleeve that rode up her arm.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there,” you whispered, so low you thought she could not hear you, but her eyes met yours in the mirror. The next words left your mouth coated with such sadness and so heavy with guilt it was a miracle they made it all the way to Wilhemina. “I’m so sorry I didn’t take Mutt’s warning seriously. I was wrong about Rory, and I put you in danger, and I can’t -” Your voice trailed off. You closed your eyes, unable to hold Wilhemina’s gaze, and gulped back tears.

For a few, agonizingly long seconds, there was only silence. Stupid, you scolded yourself, not for the first time today. Stupid, stupid, stupid. You had sworn to yourself you would not burden Wilhemina with your useless feelings of guilt, sworn you would keep them to yourself. You kept putting her in uncomfortable, dangerous situations and you –

There was the sound of Wilhemina’s cane, the rustle of her dress, and then you felt warmth on your cheeks as her hands cupped your face.

“It wasn’t your fault, Y/N,” you heard her voice, soft and loving. You opened your eyes. Wilhemina’s brow was slightly pushed up, her eyes were big and very brown and God, how you loved her eyes. You leaned in, as if to dive into them. “Please don’t hold yourself responsible for anything that happened today.”

You were about to protest, but you closed your mouth at the last second and kept the words captive. No burdening her, you reminded yourself sharply. She already had so much to carry. So you gave her a smile instead, hoping it looked convincing; it must have, for Wilhemina let go of your face and drew away.  

You watched her walk slowly to the door, pressed your lips tightly closed as another apology violently slammed against them, desperate for a way out. No burdening her. Wilhemina stopped in front of the door, straightened her back and shoulders, and took a deep breath. She stood as regal and powerful as you had ever seen her, the candlelight dancing in awe on her hair.

She put one hand on the door handle, offered you a smile like a bouquet of flowers, opened the door, and walked off.

[sweetestlamb]

Touch My Heart

Summary: The heart wants what it wants. 

Author’s note: I tried really hard to accept the ending of Mr. Queen and I was able to find enjoyment in watching the characters that I had grown to love but after deep consideration, I can’t truly accept what happened to Bong Hwan, it’s just too cruel despite knowing how homosexuality is viewed in Korea. If that was the plan he should have never been made to fall in love with the King and they should have merely been friends working together for the greater good. no romance if it was going to be thrown away in minutes. If they wanted to include hot make out scenes then make it known that Soyong is taking control of her body and this is not what BH wants, but he’s taking the backseat in those moments. Let it be known that they are both in there but the romantic feelings are solely from SY. Don’t let BH wrestle with his sexuality and accept that he loves the King only to leave him with nothing back in his world, he grew from the experience but at the cost of what? His sanity. Anyway, yes I changed my mind. I The couple I fell in love watching was BH and Cheoljongie and that’s probably the only couple, I’ll write about. Maybe when I see more of SY in the spin off I’ll grow fond of her, but to me Cheoljong’s heart belongs to BH and just because SY loves him doesn’t mean she deserves him, the same way Byeong-In didn’t deserve her. 

A month goes by, the most splendid month she's ever spent in the palace. Walking around the castle grounds, there are always jubilant faces; servants greeting her with wide grins instead of the fear she used to evoke, she smiles back now instead of trying to thwart their happiness. It feels like someone has lit a torch in her once pitch black life, what she thought was a pointless existence now suddenly has a meaning and purpose. 

And it's all thanks to him, this mysterious man from the future. Jang Bong Hwan. When she jumped into that lake she had expected death, and nothing more. She didn’t have a plan, she just didn’t want to suffer anymore. Everywhere she turned there were locked doors and there was no way out.  Suicide was a sin but she would gladly accept her punishment, living her life was worst than any hell she could imagine. 

But rather than death she was locked in the deep crevice of her mind.

Seeing and hearing all but unable to say or do anything, a vegetable in her own body. But fright melted away to admiration, this strange man was brave beyond belief; standing up to those who had made her existence a living hell. Despite all the step backs and their many attempts at his life, their life he hadn’t given up finding new ways to fight back every time. Without even trying he had accomplished her one desire in life-to be the owner of the King's heart. She watched in awe as the icy barricade erected around his heart became to thaw, no match for the fiery force of the time traveler.

She watched as they fell in love and although it was her body, they were his feelings. Feelings that had taken time and effort to grow, it was torture to not be the one experiencing that. Then like a gift from the heavens she was back, restored to her rightful place. When she'd awoken to the King's tearful eyes, his mouth wide and twisted in pain she knew she would do anything to make him happy. This was her second chance and she wouldn't waste it.

Everything had changed while she'd been away. Everyone had changed.

Court Lady Choi and Hong Yeon looked at her at times, curious eyes unblinking. As if they were waiting for something, but she didn't know what. She was behaving as the perfect queen, listening the Court Lady's every complaint without agitation, they should have been happy but instead they kept looking confused and longing like there was something that wasn’t quite right. She futilely tried to convince herself it was simply her imagination.

However, it was not solely them. The King was the worst, they shared a bed every night and in the beginning she'd been elated at this occurrence. Until about a week ago, when he'd asked her a question she couldn't answer.

"My Queen, there is another word from your dictionary I need help understanding. What is the meaning of this?" He crawled closer to her, shifting the silk bedding beneath them. Once she got over the pleasure of having him so close, fear set in. 

His finger was underneath a word, she'd never seen before in her life.

Fraud.

She tried to sound it out mentally, taking his syllable separately but it still sounded foreign and she watched his anticipation dissipate as he awaited her reply. He continued to stare intensely at her, his brows furrowing as the seconds dragged by.

"My Queen?" The tone of his voice unsettled her, he looked desperate for a reply and dread settled in her stomach. She wasn't who he thought she was and the look on his eyes made it evident, knowing the truth would irreversibly change their relationship.

So she did something unthinkable.

Clutching at her stomach, she feigned pain watching him push the book aside to grab her, wrapping her in his embrace as he rubbed her back. Whispering soothing sounds into her hair.  She pressed her face into his neck, miserably. This was the life she'd yearned for, why were things still not as they should be?

She'd fallen asleep, too shamed to allow him to hold her that night. He hadn't tried to change her mind, rolling over and turning his back to her. It felt like they had moved back to step one. 

She'd kept her distance following that incident, needing a moment to process her thoughts without her love for him clouding her mind. He hadn't tried to visit her either, instead sending letters to check on her and their unborn child. She felt the wall being built and she didn't know what to do to stop its insurrection.

Sneaking away without her court ladies noticing she went for a late night stroll, hoping to clear her thoughts of the King, Her luck must have been running out because instead she stumbled onto a conversation that was not meant for her ears. 

Her intention hadn't been to eavesdrop but she couldn't walk away, it piqued her interest too much.

"The King seems different these days, wouldn't you agree?" The usual jovial voice of Special Director Hong was serious as he asked the question, using a cloth to clean a long gleaming gun as he stared up at the King's brother.

The prince stopped sharpening his sword for a moment to consider the question, after a long pause he nodded in agreement.

"Yes. He seems troubled and he has not been visiting her highness. Each day he sighs while holding a strange book. He seems lost.".

"What do you think could be bothering him? He has everything he's ever dreamed of. The kingdom is doing better than ever and he's expecting a child. This should be the happiest moment of his life."

The Prince sighs shrugging before replying in a hushed voice, "I've not seen him like this since he learned that Hwa Jin was not the one from the well. He acted this way then too."

It feels like a dagger through her chest, stumbling back she rushes back to Daejojeon hall with her heart in shambles. What am I doing? She feels nauseous at the comparison, she was fooling the King and she doesn’t know how much longer she can continue this farce. 

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

To say the Queen is acting strange is an understatement, she is acting like someone completely different. He waited for her to drop the honorifics, thinking she was teasing him and this was meant to be a joke but she didn’t, instead she she began acting like a proper Queen and easily following the suggestions of her Court Lady to both of their dismay. What was wrong with her? Had she hit her head and forgotten that she was meant to be a loveable headache and not a soothing summer breeze? 

She's still the same beautiful woman, looking at her evokes the same lust and admiration but speaking to her confuses him; in that she no longer uses words he cannot understand and her behavior is that of a trained Queen. He’s confused but her lack of confusion. She's being extremely consistent and he's never been more perplexed and thrown off kilter in his life.

He finds himself yearning for something he cannot name. Looking at her in the hopes he'll find what he's looking for and instead of a mischievous grin or an arrogant smirk, he's always greeted with the same serene smile. It's pretty but it's not the smile he's grown to love these past few months. It reminds him of the Soyong he'd met during that rain shower, someone he didn't know but found appealing.

They haven't slept together, despite sharing a bed. All of his advances have gone unnoticed, where as before it simply took them being in the same room to ignite a flame in both of their loins. Once he'd followed the Queen into a pantry, hearing her grumbling about nosy head chefs but once she noticed his presence, it only took seconds before they were ripping at each other's clothing. They'd been missing each other all week and he was practically starved for her. It was clear the feeling was exceptionally mutual.  He'd taken her against the wall, hard with her egging him on and whispering pure filth in his ears.

"Fuck! Yes right there, don't be gentle. Fuck me until I can't walk, come on harder!"

He had no idea what that word she said meant, fuck but he was powerless against her commands flipping her around to pound into her from behind, a position that she had taught him. She  wailed rocking back shamelessly  to meet his harsh thrusts, the sound of her nails scratching the wall making his skin hot. Skrrrrrrrr. They slammed into each other until his legs were tense from the position and she wordlessly took over, separating them with a loud wet squelch before pushing him to the ground and riding him like a wild stallion. He had watched helpless as she bounced on top, her breasts jumping freely as she shoved him deep inside of her tight grip. When they were finished, he was dazed and breathless. She'd looked at him with barely opened eyes, slowly licking her lips looking like sin personified before patting his cheek.

"I needed that. Thanks for screwing my brains out." She barked slipping off his softening cock, he watched mesmerized as his spent dripped from her precious place. 

More words he didn't fully comprehend but her satisfaction was obvious and that was all he needed. He'd preened under her, feeling himself swell again at her words.

She raised one eyebrow at the sudden press of hard skin in her thigh.

"Come visit me tonight. We need to make up for lost time."

They had made love until his cock couldn't get hard anymore and she'd collapsed next to him, splayed with her breasts bitten red and his seed leaking from her well used hole.

Something had changed but he couldn't place what it was exactly. He tried brushing it off but it gnawed at him until he couldn't hold it in and he'd broken down and asked her about the Queen's dictionary. He'd purposely chosen the word knowing exactly what it was. His Queen had used it several times to describe the corrupt members of the royal court. They'd all been frauds, living a lie wolf in sheep’s clothing. 

He thought that would put his mind at ease but instead it had been the opposite; her hesitation solidified his fear, there was something afoot and he had to know what it was.

He sighs stroking at the book, he always keeps by his side.

"What am I missing?"

Before he can get too lost in his thoughts the head eunuch enters the room, bowing all the way.

"Your majesty, the Queen has come to visit you."

He looks up at the announcement, his usual excitement doused by his doubts but his heart does lurch at her arrival. His Queen did not care about propriety, coming to this chambers at such an indecent hour was a great sign. That was more like the Queen he'd grown to love. Maybe he had been overthinking and there was nothing amiss after all. 

"Let her in." He straightens up, moving the scrolls to the side to give her his full attention.

He watches as she bows gracefully, before sitting down. Far away from him. A ball forms in his throat, he'd gotten used to sharing his space with her; and sharing his table during their late night talks. She didn't appear to have any intentions of joining him at the surface despite the constant occurrence of that happening the months prior. He tries to but he couldn't keep the disappointment off his face.

"My Queen what brings you here so lat--"

"I'm not who you think I am." She interrupts, staring down at the floor instead of looking into his eyes. Strange again, she was typically so good at maintaining eye contact at times even unnerving him. 

He tenses at her exclamation, mouth falling open in shock. What did she mean? Who else could she possibly be if not his Queen?

"What are you saying? Are you feeling sick?"

She ignores his inquires, "You've noticed. That I'm different. I can see the way you look at me, the way everyone looks at me, like you're all waiting for something. I'm not that person."

He tilts his head, trying to understand her meaning but he can't decipher what she's trying to say. He tries to reconcile the two versions of the Queen he's come to know, the wild untamed Queen he fell in love with and this poised and tactful Queen he was a stranger to. The two don't make sense in his mind.

"The person you fell in love with..."

He stares at her intensely almost scared to hear the rest of her sentence but knowing he must, his biggest fear was living a lie and not having control over his fate. Holding his breath he impatiently waits.

"That wasn't me. Do you remember what I said to you the day after I woke up?"

He storms his memory trying to recall her words oh so long ago. Then it hits him, those crazy words coming out of her mouth.

I'm really a man. From the future.

He had paid her no attention than, barely wanting to be in her presence much less listening to her tall tales about something that couldn't be true. She was clearly a woman and the second claim held no possibility at all. But they'd had conversations later too about those same ideas, right in the spot he was sitting now.

She'd taught him about things he could only dream of- democracy, voting, people born with spoons, even people who loved others who shared the same sex. He'd been confused about the last one but she had explained it simply, "Love is love. Who cares what they have between their legs?" Worded in such a manner, he'd found it impossible to argue with her. Love was indeed, love. 

"Are you saying that this was true? How can that be? You are here right now. Who are you then?"

She sighed finally looking at him, face cloaked in sadness.

"I'm Kim Soyong, the person you are in love with is Jang Bong Hwan. He was controlling this body after I jumped into the lake. He's the one that helped you and he's the one that was willing to die for you."

He gasps leaning back in his chair, before bringing up a hand to cover his face, scrubbing wordlessly at his skin.

"I know this is shocking but I couldn't lie to you anymore, you kept looking for him and it's clear I'm not the one you want." Her voice is soft, barely a whisper and guilt spreads at her assessment- she's right and he's guilty that he can't deny it.

A sad smile fills her face, "Don't feel bad. You didn't do anything wrong. I should have fought harder to have the life I wanted, I thought death was my only option but I should have chosen to live. I didn't love myself enough to fight."

He's suddenly transported to that night by the lake, her eyes glowing with tears as she begged him to love her, to understand her. He hadn't been able to see that moment clearly then, assuming it was a command and that she was another evil member of the Kim Clan. She'd loved him but he couldn't see it then too blinded by his thirst for vengeance. 

But he sees it now. Clear as daylight.

"I'm sorry."

She seems paralyzed by his unexpected apology but before she can cut him off he continues, "I'm sorry I couldn't understand you. I was too blinded by revenge to see you that you were a victim too. I should have tried to understand you." He owes her at least that much, but he can't say that he wishes things were different. It would be falsehood. If she hadn't done that unspeakable act of throwing herself into the lake he would have never met Jang Bong Hwan, the man he loved.

It was selfish but he wouldn't have changed anything, it was all worth it for those fleeting moments they spent together.

"Is he gone now? Back to where he belonged? Is he....happy?" He's broken at the idea that he'll never see him again, they never even got to say good bye. Was he alone now with no one to comfort him? Did he struggle to fall asleep too? It hurts that he will never know.

"I think so."

That has to be enough then, he has to accept things for what they are. It was against the rules of time that they crashed into each other's orbit, fates hand had taken a wrong turn and this was the Queen he was supposed to be with, he understood her now. He didn't hate her. He could grow to accept her and his fate and move on, he had to. 

But his heart rips remembering her- no him wrapping the scarf around his neck, the first time he saw the embroidered CJ and how it brought him to tears. His grunts as he carried him from the well and let him hold him until he fell asleep. His face as he'd reached for him after the explosion, the distress and panic. How was he supposed to forget any of those moments? How was he supposed to go on living without Jang Bong Hwan? 

"Thank you for telling me."

"That's not all I came here to tell you."

His head spins, nervous about what other information she could possibly have to tell him. He still hasn't processed this, both that he's been in love with a man and that he'll never see this man again.

"I want to give him my body."

All the whirling in his brain shuts down at her utterance. Finally, his mind is silent.

"What?"

She repeats with more confidence, "I want to bring him back. I want to give him back this body."

He stifles his glee at the suggestion, knowing that he can't allow her to do such a thing. This was her body, her life, how could he allow her to throw herself into the lake again? He was a better man now, he wouldn't stand by as she took her life, not this time.

"No. I can't let you do that. My happiness is not worth more than your life, I will get past this I promise you. I will stop looking at you with expectations, I'll accept who you are." He will grow to think of her fondly, she's the mother of his child he will make space for her in his heart.

He watches as a single tear streams down her cheek, "Can you promise that you'll grow to love me, the way you love him?"

He's frozen at the question, he stares wide eyed at her. Immediately knowing the truth, avoiding her eyes as he stares at his palms. He can't make that promise when his heart only beats for one, he stays silent knowing that his silence speaks volumes.

"Would things have been different if I hadn't been from the Kim Clan?” She asks him again, the question that had tipped her over the edge and he feels all the regret and guilt in his body and this time he answers honestly.

"Yes. They might have, I could have accepted you better. But I love him now, I wouldn't change anything because it all brought me to him. I can't apologize for how things went." He knows those aren't the words she longs to hear but he can't give those to her, he can't accept her feelings.

"Maybe in a different universe, we could have been something more." She says heartbroken, face wet with tears now. 

Maybe. But he doesn't want to find out. He wants this universe with the one who holds his heart.

She bows before standing, "I've made up my mind. I'm doing this for myself as well, I can't live my life as a shell. I want to find my own happiness too."

He watches as she walks out the room, never looking back.

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

He doesn't understand her full intention until days later, he watches puzzled as Hong Yeon, the Queen's most loyal court maid comes barreling towards him. Her face is red with exertion and something that looks like terror. He feels the same emotions coming to life in his body as he watches her pant and struggle to speak. 

"What's wrong? Speak! What happened?" He commands, impatiently waiting for a reply. 

"Your majesty, it's the Queen." She cries, a cascade of tears falling from her eyes and he doesn’t wait for any clarification before he bolts off to Daejojeon hall, hoping that he's not too late. He couldn't afford to lose anyone else.

[brazenautomaton]

Fixing Afterlives: the Shadowlands

This is my “fixing stories” for WoW’s latest expansion, Shadowlands. Due to overwhelming popular demand, by which I mean @shieldfoss and @bhikshu I’ll go into why this is dumb and how they could have done something instead of choosing to do nothing.

I will work under similar constraints to my Heart of the Swarm rework. I magically became Creative Director of WoW just for Shadowlands, so I cannot alter any of the plot of BFA or Legion or anything that came before. The concept art is done and asset creation is proceeding and I can’t change the overall structure or aesthetics of anything, just how the story is implemented. 

Minute one, what you need to do to make this expansion work is sit down and figure out what it’s About. Now, a MMO expansion doesn’t really need a driving central theme, though it can help, and it’s allowed to be “a bunch of stuff that happened” because it needs random-ass side plot bullshit going on. But the tagline is “Brave the Beyond”, this is the AFTERLIFE, this is where we go when we die and the world of the soul -- we need to be dealing with things bigger than us, bigger than the concept of us. Fundamental and About something because they are mythic incarnations of what kind of life you can live and what kind of world exists. 

We’ll still have an About in the traditional sense though. It doesn’t have to unify everything, but it’s good to have a bit of a through-line to define the main conflict. And also, there’s a certain point where characters need to stop saying “The Jailer… speaks true…” and fucking tell us what he says and WoW passed it long ago. Our About is a central question about the Jailer, and the broader notion of Hell represented by the Maw: “Is it possible for someone to do something so horrific that they deserve infinite punishment?”

And it’s funny, you know, you see JJ Abrams talk about the “mystery box”, and when he explains it, it makes perfect sense: a mystery that is central to the story but is never answered because it represents infinite possibility until it is revealed. And told in that way, that makes sense, that can be very good! Except Abrams never does that, he always ends up having to reveal the contents of the mystery box which by his own logic can never end in anything but disappointment. So I can’t say we will have a mystery box, but we will have a central mystery that we know will never be answered: what did the Jailer do to deserve the Maw? All we know is it is incomprehensibly horrible. Like our mortal minds would literally be unable to process it, even trying to understand it would harm us. So this isn’t “nah he’s bad trust us” we need characters who DO know to really, really sell it. Emotional reactions of anger and revulsion and helplessness, and absolutely nobody whether opposed or allied with the Jailer can deny his evil or say it wasn’t that bad. When you ask Devos about it, Devos shudders in fear and disgust, but says it doesn’t matter. If the question was “how bad was the Jailer’s crime” then we’d need to know what it is; if the question is “is it possible to have ANY crime bad enough to warrant his punishment” then we don’t.

Minute two, you need to know how the Shadowlands works. Because they made it just another continent and that doesn’t make any sense at all. What kind of candy-ass warrior afterlife gives you one life and then your soul is destroyed? How does it make sense for characters to call you “mortal” when they die just as hard and in fact you are superior because you haven’t used your extra life yet? Fuck how are necromancers a thing in Maldraxxus, if your soul is obliterated when you die in the Shadowlands WHAT ARE THEY CALLING BACK?

So none of that bullshit. You don’t die in the Shadowlands, at least not without a lot of work. Souls are anima, and the tide of dead souls flowing into the realms of the Shadowlands is a flow of anima, because everything is anima. Anima is the force of significance and permanence.  Anima is what makes up shadow and substance, things and ideas. Anima is the weight of being About something, anything. You don’t die in the Shadowlands by having your body stabbed to death. You will continue to exist, slightly weaker. You die in the Shadowlands when there is nothing left to the concept of “you”. When you are utterly forgotten and what you are is “nothing”. This is how we get those Unraveling Soul Fragments in Torghast: they are souls tortured so much there is no longer a self there, just a concept of misery. That’s extremely, extremely evil. Is it possible to commit a crime so heinous it deserves infinite punishment? If not, is there a crime so awful that it would be unimaginable to inflict it even on its perpetrator?

We also have three major antagonists we need to know.

One of them is Sire Denathrius, who is just fucking perfect the way he is, we love you Denny.

One of them is Sylvanas Windrunner. Sylvanas needs to stay in character: an absolutely remorseless piece of shit with no sense of right and wrong but who does productive things because they benefit her and who is extremely cunning to know how to work an angle to her ends. She’s too smart to get lied to by the Jailer and she’s too smart to go Full Evil but not only is anything less than that completely fair game, she doesn’t get why you have a problem with it. She has allied with the Jailer because there is one thing she absolutely wants to do and only she can do and she can only do with the Jailer: she wants to break him out because in doing so the hold of the Maw is shattered and now anyone can escape. The Maw stops being a prison once the Jailer escapes. And she wants that because she knows she’s got a one-way express ticket to the Maw when she finally runs out of extra lives. She knows she is a selfish, terrible, murderous, monstrous person. Does that warrant infinite punishment? In her heart she is convinced it does, so she’d prefer to make the question irrelevant before she has to find out. She is sympathetic to the pain she is inflicting on others, because it is like the pain she has felt. But she won’t stop. She knew she endured it, so you can take one for the team.

The Jailer is super super super super evil. If we remake him to be obviously in pain and lashing out in fear, he won’t WORK. He needs to be ominous and menacing and say “your soul is mine” and that kind of shit. We will be able to generate sympathy for Sylvanas, we shouldn’t try to do it to the Jailer. He is the victim of the ultimate injustice, but also perpetrator of the ultimate atrocity. He’s not sorry at all. The fact that he has raised a philosophical question about the nature of punishment is just a nice side effect of him saying things to people to get what he wants, which is to break out and inflict tyranny and suffering. Sylvanas is not tricked by him into thinking he only wants freedom, she has a plan that has his true motives in mind. What dimension do we give him so he won’t be flat while still being completely one-dimensionally evil? He resents you. He doesn’t lash out and scream his emotions and say it’s not fair that you have what he was denied freedom. But he resents you. A little ribbon of resentment threaded through his speech to you. He’s subtly insulted by the fact you exist. He doesn’t merely relish your suffering, he relishes your failure, your realization of weakness. He doesn’t pull an Azmodan and say “okay well NOW this trap is inescapable despite you escaping the last twenty!”, he knows you’re probably going to break free of things and escape. But he doesn’t care that this trap didn’t catch you, catching you would just be a bonus. He cares that he hurt you and made you feel inferior and the inevitable doom encroaches just a bit more on you. That is the source of his sinister satisfaction and confidence. He doesn’t announce an ambush and say “now you will never escape and your soul is mine,” he announces it by saying how weak and stupid you are to fall for it.

His victory is inevitable because Death is inevitable. He doesn’t care what temporary victories you earn; he doesn’t bother trying to convince you they are only a setback. He’s going to have you eventually and you’re going to suffer on the way. What a fucking dick.

[jacksons-goddess-gaia]

Wolf Rider~ Got7 Werewolf x Reader Chapter 1

❖ GOT7, Jinyoung x reader

❖ Series, Angst, Fluff, Werewolf AU, Alternate Universe AU

❖ TW: Blood, Gore, abuse, knives, guns, alcohol, kidnapping, violence, non major character death, and torture

❖ wc: 3488

❖ Tag List: @atiny-piratequeen @atiny-dazzlinglight @queen-of-himbos @angel0taiyo @storytimedragon @gettin-a-lil-hanse @kimnamshiks @wonderland-obsession

❖ Masterlist ❖

. ⋅˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ ⋅˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

I would love to hear what you guys think <3 

. ⋅˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ ⋅˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

You huffed, gritting your teeth as you dragged yourself across the floor to the cage. The big black wolf growled low in its chest, though, it seemed less from warning you and more out of concern for your wellbeing. Nails tearing as they dug into the concrete floor, blood dripping down your leg as the movements caused your wounds to reopen. Your brow furrowed with pain, the tear-stained pathways cutting through the layer of dirt and grime that marred your beautiful face. 

But you ignored him, dragging yourself to the edge of the cage, finally reaching the wolf who had been your companion in this hell hole for the last few nights; though how many nights had come to pass you didn’t know. 

They had brought him in after you, jeering at him for falling into their hands so easily.  When his sight landed upon you slumped against the wall he had broken loose. You had been fading in and out of consciousness at that moment, so you had only vague memories of him tearing apart three of the men as he placed himself between you and them. You had blacked out not long after waking up to an injured wolf watching you with helpless whimpers. 

One of the men had dragged you to your feet, shaking you in his face, a knife pressed to your neck. The man's voice rose, yelling something about “her getting it” if he didn’t act like a good boy. You were too delirious, unable to understand how he expected the giant creature to understand him. As you opened your mouth to voice these doubts you could see the nearly human-like desperation and fear in the creature’s eyes as he whimpered, snarling as you were struck harshly in the stomach making you drop to the ground heaving and gasping for air. More words were exchanged as someone barked orders before you were dragged back to the other side of the basement they were keeping you in, throwing you into the wall to crumple down upon yourself in a heap upon the dirty floor.

Since then, you only saw them when they moved you. You would be forced upstairs and allowed to use the bathroom before they shoved you into a van riding to their next destination. Once there, they would throw you into the basement or shed with him, forcing him into his cage again with a simple threat towards you.

As if he understood, he never put up a fight ensuring your safety as he limped into the cage, injured, starved, and aching.

Many times you had protested this, protested the horrid chain they kept on the giant iron collar around his neck. The blows they delivered to him or the kicks and beer bottles they chucked at him and his cage. But he never reacted to them, not until they’d turn their torment upon you. It was one such game that had ended with your leg as it was now when you protested their taunting towards him with food. How you had become so brave in the face of your captors and imprisoners you knew not, but fury filled your veins with each word or action against the beautiful creature. 

You wanted to protect him, as he had tried you. Protect him and free him from this horrible place even if it costs you everything. Thus why you provoked the man to turn his attention from the wolf to you despite the fear pounding in your chest. 

His blows had nearly knocked you senseless, your lunch leaving your stomach and blood blossoming in your mouth as he split your lip and bruised your eye. Nothing compared, however the agony that seized you when he drove the knife deep into your thigh. This, at last, had drawn a scream from your lips as he had wanted, though it also drew a roar of rage from your friend and he threw himself against the bars of the cage.

This brought down the others to the room, they punished the wolf first, much to your cries to leave him alone. Watching you attempt to claw your way forward to them to stop them, the man laughed twisting his knife in your flesh before ripping it free. Your yells of agony whipped the wolf into a frenzy biting and throwing himself against the bars. Despite their attempts to keep him at bay with the electric probs and whips, it wasn’t until a man you didn’t recognize arrived that everything calmed down. Though beaten and injured the wolf never ceased his low growl at him, especially as he came near you; through your tear-filled and swelling eye, you couldn’t make out his face hidden by a mask and glasses. 

The next few minutes you were bandaged, the cage was left alone finally and the man who had damaged you so badly had been killed. Shot by their boss before your very eyes, yet you felt no better. It seemed touching the merchandise as he called you was off the table.  

You were once again left alone with a tray of food, saving your dinner you dragged yourself across the room.

“Here eat this.” You murmured to your protector offering him a kind smile as the horse-sized wolf just watched you in befuddlement. As your hand slipped through the bars you never wondered if he’d bite you. In fact, had he so chosen so, his giant jaws would have easily snapped your arm off in one bite.

The plate of cold sandwiches was barely a morsel for him and probably unappetizing, which seemed true as he tried to use his nose to nudge it back to you. But you shook your head.

“If we’re going to get you out of here you need your strength.” you urged him pushing it back closely. For some reason you didn’t feel the need to treat him like a normal animal, something inside you just believed he’d understand you. And as he rolled into a sitting position you knew he had. He snuffled you once through the cage and you smiled at the small whine of gratitude before he munched down on the sandwiches. Gosh, he looked so cute taking teeny tiny bites as though attempting to hold back in front of you. You giggled at the sight of a monstrous predator eating with manners. Grabbing the bars of the cage you hauled yourself up grimacing with pain as your leg seared with agony. 

His sharp eyes missed none of it, stopping to look up at you, a low rumble of what you took to be concern leaving his chest. Leaning against the steel bars of his cage you grinned at him offering your hand up for him. Deep intelligent brown eyes glittered as he leaned forward to sniff you again softly before butting his head beneath your hand, eyes closing in bliss.

Never before had you felt such warmth, such deep connection with any other being as he put his head against your hand, his broad head rubbing against you and the bars of the cage. 

Enveloping you in soft fur; the smell of pine trees, ocean, and mint hit you all at once. Your eyes fluttered shut as you found yourself leaning into him through the cage. Your arms were wrapped around his broad head and neck, face buried in his neck as you squeezed between the bars. From his earlier tantrum, they had bent, nearly enough for you to slip through completely if only you would turn your body slightly, not nearly enough for him though. However, that thought slipped your mind as a wonderous world of peace and happiness filled your mind and soul. 

So much so you never realized the wolf's neck had suddenly become much smaller until a pair of arms wrapped around you.

Jerking your head up you were shocked to come face to face with the most handsome man you had ever laid eyes upon.

“Hello, Kitten.” had it not been for that warm fuzzy feeling still permeating your every sense you might have screamed at the naked man before you, looking at you with the most tender gaze. As though he had found all the stars in the sky and each was more beautiful and delicate than any creature known to man.

“Wha-” his thumb brushing over your lips sent shivers of pleasure down your spine; a shuddery gasp leaving your throat, tingles racing across the skin from his touch. The feel of his warm hand against your cheek nearly lulling you into closing your eyes, a tiny smile twitched at his lips.

“I don’t have time to explain right now. But I will, first I need you to close your eyes and hold on until I tell you to open them ok?” he murmured his face so close to yours you could feel his body heat radiating off him. You nodded before realizing suddenly you were sitting inside the cage, the bars you had been leaning against bent apart and nearly torn from their spots. The man looked pleased with your compliance, giving you a real smile that took your breath away. He was more beautiful than the moon as he grinned. “Good girl kitten. Now, remember to close your eyes and don’t open them no matter what.”

At his urging you complied, a fluttering feeling bouncing around your chest at the nickname and praise. The more sensible part of you wondered where he’d come from, not to mention what had happened to the bars or how you had ended up inside. But the feeling of his muscled form in your arms quelled all thoughts; within a moment you found yourself lifted up into the air upon something large and fluffy before the wind whipped your face.

Splintering wood crashed in your ears, and bounced off your skin. Men’s yells and the sounds of furniture and bullets flying caught your attention, but you squeezed your eyes tight, burying them in the soft fur beneath you as you surged forward into an unknown world of conflict and noise.

Minutes later you were out in the rain for only rain could it be soaking you in an instant, yet you felt no cold. The being beneath you radiating enough heat that you merely felt a coolness in the wet of your jacket and hair, wind wiping your face. The sound and feel of feet pounding against earth and tree surrounded you. The smell of rain mixing with that piney, mint-scented ocean spray you had smelt earlier. Only one word coming to mind, as you held on tight bounding through the endless night and far away from your prison.

__________________________________

A hair-raising howl broke you from near sleep hours later. Still perched upon his back you had nearly passed out, however, the howl had you springing awake. And accidentally breaking his rule too. At the sight of three giant wolves running alongside you eyes focused upon your form, you couldn't resist it. A scream ripped itself from your throat as you toppled from his back. 

Hitting the ground at 40 miles an hour hurts. Hitting the ground in a forest doubly so, however hitting the ground from six feet up in the air, already severely injured was just pure agony. You toppled, rolled, and bounced before skidding to a stop covered in mud and nearly faint from pain. It felt like your leg had been ripped open all over again.That with the new cuts and bruises littering your body it was no wonder you laid dazed for a moment. Upon opening your eyes, the ringing dimmed in your ears and you wished you hadn’t opened them, to begin with. Three large wolves running straight at you. Lifting your arms over your face you screamed jumping with fright as soft wet black hair engulfed you. Pain richotted through your body as you were jostled, a horrible roaring snarl of a bark thundering above you. Seconds later all the sound ceased and you found warm strong hands lifting you up dragging you into a strong muscled chest.

“Kitten? HEy-HEY!” the hands trembled as that handsome face from before appeared above you, more afraid than before as he held you close. Long fingers pushing your wet and tangled hair from your face as you shivered from pain and cold.

“Kitten-”

For some reason the sight of his gorgeous brown eyes dark with worry and care, chiseled features dripping with rain, you broke down. Tears flooded your eyes as you tried and failed to speak. This combined with the chill quickly settling into your bones scared him more. He dragged you into him hiding your face in his shoulder.

“Shhh, it’s ok I’ve got you. Shhh.” he cooed in a pleading tone as the warmth of his bare skin seeped slowly through to you.

“Jiny-”

“You’re dead after this Yugyeom, dead.” The furious rumbling growl leaving this tender man surprised you as did the sound of three other apologetic voices. His tender voice returning, you could feel his lips move against your hair. “I’m going to carry you, it's just up here, just a few minutes I promise, hold on Kitten.”

Gritting your teeth you tried to suppress the scream of agony as he lifted you into his arms.

“I’ll carry her-” but the concerned voice merely received a snarl in return, his grip tightening around you. You were just conscious of a light ahead when you finally slipped into unconsciousness. 

___________________________________

Warmth, soft comfortable warmth was the first thing registering to your senses. Its soft pillowy texture brushing against your skin like a caress. A warm pine fresh smell mingling with ocean waves filling your senses with relaxation as your muscles tensed and stretched. Slowly you opened your eyes to a wonderful golden light streaming in through off white sheer curtains. You were snuggled down into a ball surrounded by fluffy pillows and a soft duvet comforter. The room was definitely masculine, dark blue linens and carpeting with modern minimalistic furnishings. The men's suit jacket draped over a chair nearby enough to confirm this was a man's room.

In your attempt to sit up to better address where you were, pain came crashing down upon your soft kingdom.

Everything hurt in some way and degree, though nothing more than your thigh. Gingerly as every move hurt you slowly pulled yourself up into a sitting position. A horrifying discovery awaited you, someone had bandaged your wounds but upon doing so changed your clothes.

Panic set in as you hurriedly checked beneath the man's shirt and to your horror realized the underclothes were also not your own. Before you could truly send yourself down the road of totally freaking out, you wracked your brain. Taking deep breaths you recalled all that you could of the escape. You could bring up everything of your escape up until losing consciousness with fierce clarity, afterward though was a muddle. 

Feint images as though through some thick haze came and went, chunks of time missing between the snippets of light. Blurred faces and a familiar voice fading in and out, pain, warmth, and a woman's scolding voice. Words of comfort and a hot bath then nothing.

The relief was foremost in your mind as you recalled the woman who had tended your injuries and bathed you. She must have been the one to have changed you, and while still embarrassing it was much better than the idea one of the blurry-faced men to have been the one. Your hair was dry plaited and smelled softly of lavender, a soothing and comforting smell. Taking in your surroundings more calmly now you could hear the low rumble of voices broken intermittently with laughter from somewhere outside the room's door.

Knowing there was no way your leg would support your weight to the doorway you gathered your courage together, checking to make sure the shirt was covering you, you swallowed before tentatively opening your lips.

“H-hey…” You wanted to shake your head at your weak cry barely loud enough to be considered talking let alone a call to reach whoever was out there. 

Thus all the more surprising as the door opened with a bang like a canon. 

“Kitten?!?” Before you knew what had happened the most handsome-faced man was before you eyes wide with concern, curved lips turned down in worry.

“Okay you’ve got to tell us is Kitten really your name?” At the cheerful, if dubious voice the man growled, turning his face away from you to glower at the smiling man.

“None of your business Jackson-”

“It’s Y/N. Y/n L/n.” His head spun back at your tentative voice expression softening.

“Y/n…” He marveled, and oh did the sound of your name on his tongue send burning heat to every part of your body, toes curling as a breathtaking smile crossed his lips. “Y/n l/n...it's beautiful it suits you.”

Color flushed to your cheeks causing you to wince breaking the spell his gaze had upon you as your eye throbbed.

“Knew her name wasn’t kitten. You owe me five bucks Bammie!” Cackled the boy by the door to another thinner young man staring at you curiously.

“Shut it.” Growled Jinyoung at them but his worried eyes never left you as your fingers felt at your swollen and tender eye.

“Don’t.” He murmured, long beautiful fingers reaching out and pulling your hands away from your face. His touch sent tingles of warmth through your skin banishing any residual pain as his warm fingers gently soothed the offending area. He was like a prince, so caring and perfect, every feature crafted by artists. A black shirt tucked into the front of his jeans hiding the muscled physique you had come only too close to and admired.

His well-put-together attire and beauty suddenly made you feel underdressed in the oversized long sleeve, and small PJ shorts hidden beneath the blankets.

“How bad is it?” You asked, for some reason suddenly even more embarrassed at your battered and bruised form in front of his princely self.

“Not bad-” but his beautiful voice was cut short by ��Bammie’.

“It's like half a panda.” At his words, Jackson smacked him, while your jaw fell open in horror.

“See there's a mirror there!” Not seeming to learn his lesson pointed to the full-length mirror off to your left. Your Prince wasn’t fast enough to grab your face to stop you from looking at the open closet door. The sight was horrifying, your bottom lip was swollen and split, a shadow of a bruise and scrape over the one side of your jaw but your right eye and the area around it was deep purple and under your eye swollen. 

You couldn’t resist the gasp sweater paws flying up to feel over the injuries.

“OUT!” Jinyoung snarled, while he chased them in his fury slamming the door behind them, you threw off the covers. The shirt just barely reached past the microscopic shorts, revealing the massive and blood-stained bandages wrapped tight around your thigh as well as another wrapping around your opposing calf. Both tinged red with blood, the rest of your legs speckled and blotched with scrapes and bruises. You could feel your arms were not much different. 

“I’m so sorry.” Coming back to your side he looked down at your injuries with a face of guilt-filled agony. “I should have stopped sooner, warned you I just wanted to get you as far away-I’m so sorry.”

Looking over your injuries you shook your head.

“You told me to hold on and not to look, I messed up. This ugly-”

“You’re not ugly.” his voice was stern eyebrows instantly bunching together, he looked as though you had insulted him rather than yourself.

“I look-”

“Beautiful.” You would have laughed and told him not to try and make you feel better only the seriousness of his gaze as he looked down at your hands gently taking yours in his, had you at a loss for words. “A Princess.”

Then your heart exploded as he lifted your hands to his lips placing a soft kiss upon your knuckles.

“P-prin-” You couldn’t contain your spluttering as he turned that charming expression back on you. 

“Without these…” His fingers brushed over the bruise with the gentlest of touches. “You’d be brighter than the moon. A goddess.”

“I- '' unable to meet the flustering intensity of his gaze, or know what to do with the blissful sensation of his touch you backtracked. Inhaling slow and deep you braced yourself for your next question. “So you’re a werewolf, right? Because that's the only thing that my mind can come up with for everything that's happened. Outside of hallucinating or insanity. ”

Sobering up instantly at your words he nodded, eyes watching you warily the dark brown swirling in thought. 

“Are you scared?”

[jiikyu]

Taste of Marigolds In Bloom

Herb of the Sun — Or Marigold was often used during the Middle Ages as a love charm. Carrying one of these brightly colored flowers was thought to bring love.

Though be warned for they are also poisonous.

Chapter II. Fate has lead you down a path of hardships, you should be grateful to have found someone so faithful to stay by your side.

∘◦ ✿ ◦∘

All characters are 18+

Yandere!Mirio x Fem!Reader(AΩβ)

Y/N = Your Name

F/N = Your Full Name

E/C = Eye Color

H/C = Hair Color

Warnings: Yandere / Unhealthy Behavior / Delusions

First Chapter Here❦ Next Chapter Here❦

∘◦ ✿ ◦∘

Turning the last page ends as another disappointment.

The blank sheet staring back at Mirio leaves a seed of uneasiness to sow and grow. He ignores it. Instead blue eyes fall to the soft glow of the clock on the nightstand of his bedroom. The digital numbers a leering reminder that he should be asleep.

2:34 AM

The Alpha nonchalantly flips the book to a close, letting the pages flutter together softly before falling shut. Pushing the U.A. Yearbook aside a tired sigh leaves him as he leans across the surface of the desk, scarred forearms resting against the cool polished wood. Mirio had been unsuccessful at finding you amongst the pictures of the past.

And he had been so eager too.

The way back to the hero dorms the blond all but shouts a rapid ‘Hello’ followed in-session by a ‘See you later!’ to a rather startled Tamaki. Once home, Mirio rummages through the back of his closet for the albums and — Nothing. It just really put a damper on his mood.

He just wanted to see your smile.

Only a handful of hours have passed since your meeting and, well... He hadn’t quite been the same since. The light flutter of his heart had yet to cease.

Even as he told Aizawa about the incident with Eri it just wouldn’t stop beating.

Mirio kind of hopes it never does.

∘◦ ✿ ◦∘

A week.

A full week drags by without Mirio catching so much as a glimpse of you. But it’s okay, it would take a lot more then a measly few days to shake his faith.

And when it does finally happen, oh boy, is he stopped dead in his tracks. Deep pools of blue glue to you the moment you fall into his peripheral vision.

To Mirio — When the butterfly kisses return they only validate the swirl of thoughts and emotions that have refused to leave him since your meeting. Swarming his chest just as they had when he first saw you. Protecting Eri. Wings knocking against his ribs in a sickly sweet kind of way.

Thoughts that maybe, just maybe, the two of you had been meant to cross paths.

He spots you seated in a corner of the open U.A. library. Seated by a window the sun bathes your H/C locks in a warm glow, deep into a textbook with a scribble filled notebook by your side. So preoccupied you don’t even notice his staring. It’s all becoming very clear to him how important your studies — How important heroism is to you.

To someone of the untrained eye it probably wouldn’t have been obvious, but he takes notice. Had seen the way you, a small quirkless Omega, protected Eri... Something about it all had stolen his breath away.

But it hadn’t ended at that.

A single tear.

Never before has Mirio been overtaken with the desire to sweep someone off their feet. Never before has he been consumed by the need to run his thumb over someones cheek, catching any tears that dare to spill further. Instead, the Alpha did the only other thing he could’ve, used his scent to calm an Omega. And you had responded.

All of this has been on loop in his head for the past week and here you were sitting alone in the study, in the flesh.

There’s no time to waste, he’s wasted so much already.

“Y/N!”

When your eyes leave the block of text you had been oh so concentrated on you’re met with warm oceanic irises.

“Mirio-?”

You barely have time to register the blur of a waving hand before you realize the blond has already taken the unoccupied seat to your left. He’s fast!

You probably look dumbfounded, E/C eyes wide but you’re quick to collect yourself. But actually, you’re happy to see the enthusiastic blond again.

“I was wondering if I would get see you again, this school is enormous.” His voice is just as lively as you remember and that signature aroma of ocean with the faintest hint of citrus reaches you again.

It’s oddly welcoming.

“Yeah it’s a maze here, I’m still getting used to it myself.” You’re ashamed to admit that you’ve gotten lost more than once already.

“You know, Eri told me how nice you had been to her. Just the other day she asked me if I had seen you at school.” You notice a change in his expression, the smile never leaves him, it’s so slight you’re not even sure it happened at all. “She’s awfully shy and for good reason, the poor girl has been through more than most. So she struggles to open up with people but, I guess she really took a liking to you and I just want to emphasize how important that is.”

And how much that means to me.

The image of timid Eri asking about you is enough to melt your heart and the fact that you were able to leave an impression sends you over the moon. And it shows when a shaky warm smile overtakes you. “Thank you for telling me. Please tell her I said hi, that she’s very brave and that — I miss her too.”

Your smile has Mirios heart doing flips and he has to remind himself to take a breath. If his head wasn’t screwed on he’d probably lose it!

“Don’t worry, you can trust me to pass on the message.” The chuckle that escapes the Alpha rumbles in his chest, large hand running through his sunshine blond locks when he says. “Hey who knows, maybe one day you’ll see her again and you can tell her yourself.”

“Yeah maybe.”

“Wait — Come to think of it, what grade are you in Y/N?”

You pause from your thoughts. “Senior, why?”

“Senior? I’m just surprised is all, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you on campus before.” Or the acceptable way of saying: You’re not in any of his yearbooks.

“Oh, that’s because I transferred from Tagara this year.”

Ah. Of course! It clicks and he wants to scold himself at his own foolishness.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why the sudden transfer? You know, since this is your last year.” Mirios voice is one of genuine curiosity.

...

You fidget with the pencil at your fingertips, unsure how to answer. The conversations between the two of you so far have only been positive experiences. You might even go as far to say that his words have helped uproot some of your insecurities, though the roots are dug deep and no one single conversation could ever undue the years of self doubt tying you down.

But this man, who radiates like a beacon of hope, is someone you could see yourself trusting — And before you know it the words you were unable to find escape on their own accord.

“To be honest U.A. has always been my dream school. I knew I never stood a chance without a quirk... But every year I would submit a request for a transfer and every year it would be declined.” You’re not sure what it is that compels you to open up with someone you would basically consider a stranger. Maybe it’s the dusty library air getting to you or maybe it’s the way Mirio looks at you with complete and utter focus.

You’re not sure.

“Then they opened up a business course that was attainable for people like me.” You remember opening up the letter and the tears of happiness that blurred your vision. Even now, sitting in the U.A. Library it’s still so unreal.

“It’s cheesy but... I like to think it was fate that sent me that Acceptance Letter.” One last shot at a dream.

Fate.

Mirio’s starting to believe it was fate as well.

“I think so too.”

His words break you yet again.

This time you’re not surprised to see that sincere smile, when you’re so used to facing judgment.

Mirio has yet to falter. Not once.

And your pulse drums loudly against your ears for reasons other than fear.

∘◦ ✿ ◦∘

One day you just sort of realize it.

That with Mirio around life feels a lot more fast-paced. It’s a speed you haven’t quite adjusted to yet, but if you’re being honest with yourself it’s a change that is growing on you. Growing on you fast as weeds.

Maybe that was just a side effect of being around someone so earnest and gentle.

After the first time you two ran into each other you had exchanged numbers and slowly but surely Mirio was becoming a constant in your life.

You had learned a lot about him.

One very key thing being that he had his quirk stolen.

[thesightstoshowyou]

Search and Rescue

Chapter 1

Featuring my Monster OC Kaith x F Reader

Warnings: Mentions of blood and minor character death

Here’s something a little different! Let me know what you think <3

~~

            It is your scent that first draws him; floral, a hint of cinnamon, and the acrid tang of adrenaline. Silently leaping from tree to tree, he follows his nose. He tracks you to a small clearing encircled by a ring of trees.

           The light is dying quickly, the sun having just set behind the mountain. Though, he’d smelled you long before now, your scent blown to him on the chilly breeze susurrating through oaks and pines. Pacing, unable to leave the safety of his cave until the sun had fully set, he thought he might go mad.

             Your boots crunch on crisp foliage as you slowly shuffle about, shining a flashlight onto something on the ground. Light illuminates violent red splashed across an outcropping of rock. He can smell it; coppery, tangy with fear. It is blood from the other human that came this way a day before.

            Insatiably curious, he tilts his head to the side and leans over a branch to get a closer look at you. He has seen no humans for decades and now two in the span of two days. He forgot how good they could smell.

             Your hair is pulled back away from your face and tied at the base of your neck. The slowly rising moon gives your smooth skin a lovely sheen. He bets it tastes just how it looks: Soft and supple. He leans a little closer, interested in the way your clothing clings to your hips.

             An icy breeze rustles the trees, knocking more yellow and red leaves from its branches. You shiver, hiking the blue outer layer further up around your neck. You turn and he is able to read the blocky white letters on the back of the garment: Search and Rescue. Ah, so you search for the male that wandered through this clearing yesterday. Alas, your search will end in vain. You will find no further trace of the young man.

             “Team Five to Team One, over. I found...what looks like blood, over.” You speak into a black square attached to your coat. Crackling static is the response. You frown. This is apparently not the reply you wanted.

             “Team Five to Team One, can you hear me? Over.” More crackling, then silence. He hears your heart rate pick up, the frantic sound sending a shiver down his spine. Unable to resist, he intentionally cracks the branch under his clawed foot.

             Your heart stutters as your head snaps in his direction. You search the trees, pretty eyes wide and anxious. Suppressing a devious chuckle, he ducks behind the tree trunk just as you shine your flashlight in his direction.

             When you bite your lip and turn your attention back to the blood, he silently moves two trees over. You give an uneasy glance over your shoulder before starting for the trees. The direction you walk is the same the young man took yesterday. It is unwise for you to continue on that path.

             What does this human speak? The writing on your clothing is in English. With only the slightest second of hesitation, he speaks, “I would not go that way, if I were you.” You whirl around, eyes wide in fear, heart hammering.

            Perhaps he should have let you enter the trees. However, he enjoys the way the moonlight illuminates your skin and how your heart sounds pounding against your chest. He is not ready for his fun to end.  

             “W-Who’s there?” you ask, voice cracking. You have a firm hold on the knife at your belt.

             “A…friend,” he replies simply. His voice, deep and scratchy as it is, must be quite something to hear coming from the dark. You visibly tremble. Poor thing.

             You hone in on the direction of his voice. He moves again, further to your left before the beam of the flashlight falls on the empty branches. Only a few leaves are displaced, fluttering to the ground to join their brethren. You take a small, tentative step toward his tree.

             “Are…are you Matthew?” you ask in a tremulous voice. He guesses this is the name of the missing human. It is a silly thing to ask, but you must be desperately trying to rationalize the situation. Your ears must be playing tricks on you. This can’t be real. These are the thoughts he can almost hear.

             “No,” he replies with a rasping chuckle. You quickly twist in the direction of his voice, gasping breath tearing from your throat. He can see the exact moment you realize you are not dealing with anything remotely human. He had moved a great distance without making the slightest sound. Your pupils expand, your pulse flutters like a trapped bird, and the scent to adrenaline fills the clearing. You do not use the flashlight, surely terrified of what you will find. Delicious.

             An anxious thought strikes him then. He shifts, his own nerves prickling on the back of his feathered neck. The scent that oozes from your pores is strong and will carry on the chilly breeze. It will attract something that will not be good for either of you.

             You step back on quivering legs. You ask, rather bravely, “W-What…what are you?” He hums quietly at your question.

             “I am…me.” He isn’t sure how to answer your question because he himself does not know. He doesn’t remember parents or family. He just is.

             “Are you t-the one that did this?” you question slowly, pointing to the congealed blood splattered across the ground. You hold your breath, awaiting his answer. He lets the silence drag and stifles another chortle when you tense, your knuckles white around the flashlight.

             “No,” he finally responds before moving around to the tree directly behind you. You release the breath, but remain just as tense.

             “Um…do you know who…or w-what did?” Just as you ask the question, he catches the scent he has been dreading. It moves quickly through the trees toward you, toward him. He glances down at you, so unsuspecting, so vulnerable.

             He could save you, possibly, but that would put him at risk. The creature flying through the trees is stronger and faster than he could ever hope to be, but he possesses the ability to completely mask his scent. Perhaps he can hide you as well?  

             Yet, why is he even considering it? He had watched the young man perish yesterday without so much as batting an eye. Why are you any different?

             His body makes the decision for him. As fast as lightening, he bolts from the tree, snatches you off your feet, and leaps back up into the branches. He claps a clawed hand across your mouth to quiet your terrified scream while wrapping you in giant, feathered wings. He must pin your writhing body to his own and threaten you with a long claw at your throat so you will still and be silent.  

             Shushing you, he peers into the clearing. As if on cue, in stalks a hulking creature. It walks on four feet equipped with fearsome claws. A long tail whips back and forth as it sniffs the ground with a toothy snout. Muscles ripple under brick colored skin as it paces through the foliage.

             You have gone ramrod straight in his arms. You must hear the beast prowling around on the ground below you. Your heart hammers so loud. He hopes the creature will not hear it.

             The creature sniffs at the blood coating the ground, its handiwork. Then it lifts its bulky head to sniff the air. Little by little, it edges closer to the tree.

              He tenses, every muscle pulled taut, prepared to flee if necessary. He will have to leave you behind if he wishes to survive, which would be too bad. He enjoys your sweet scent and how your skin radiates warmth.  

             With a huff, the creature turns away and sniffs the air. He smells it too; musky body odor and cigarette smoke. Perhaps it is from the other humans whom you were trying to contact earlier, Team One. There will be no way to warn them. It is regrettable, but inevitable.

             As quick as it had come, the beast disappears back through the trees. After a full minute, he finally relaxes and removes his hand from your mouth. You tremble in his arms.

             Gingerly, he sets you on the branch and scoots away, folding his wings along his back. Cocking his head to the side, he waits for you to speak. His image must be a great shock to your poor little nerves.

             “Y-Y-You saved m-me,” you stammer after several seconds of wide-eyed scrutiny. With a trembling hand, you reach out to ghost your fingers across the giant bird skull that is his head. Realizing he is tangible and not a figment of your imagination, you snatch your hand away as though it has been burned.  

             “What is your name, little human?” he asks, leaning forward minutely. He resists the urge to brush away the strand of hair that has caught on your parted lips, lest he startle you and send you toppling backwards out of the tree. Your whispered name is barely audible, fear and awe constricting your throat.

             “I am called Kaith.” Unable to resist, Kaith scoots forward a fraction. He is drawn to the warmth and alluring scent of your skin. You grip the branch tighter but do not try to move for fear you will fall.

             “Kaith,” you repeat and his feathers bristle pleasantly at the sound of his name in your mouth. Then, he is struck with sudden inspiration.

             “I fear the creature may return. We must flee the area,” he lies. He wants to move you somewhere he can touch you without risk of you tumbling to your death.

             “But, my team…” you object, turning to look through the trees. Kaith shakes his head.

             “No time.” He reaches out and pulls you to his chest once more. With a rustling of feathers, he extends of his enormous black wings and leaps from the branch, gracefully landing on another tree further into the forest. You wrap your arms around his neck, gasping and burying your face in the feathers of his shoulder. From this new position, he can feel your pounding heart beat against his chest, something that makes his own heart flutter with excitement.

             Surely, you will provide hours of entertainment.  

[tianqius]

Jang Hanseo, my personal thoughts.

As the puppet of his brother that would eventually be cast aside, Hanseo took a leap of faith to fight against the puppeteer and the strings that tied him up. While he used to be a coward that would run away with his tail tucked between his legs, he matured into a young man who could stand for what he wished for and what he believed was right. Overall, his character leaves behind a message that left many thoughts for me to ponder and write about. Buckle up, and hopefully enjoy.

(PSA:

This will be less wordy than my previous draft, which tumblr ungratefully destroyed. It's okay. You are saved from my wordiness.

PSA 2.0

This is somewhat of a character analysis. It pretty much is. I'm not perfect at character analyses, so hopefully you get what I'm trying to say. If not, my bad.)

Jang Hanseo's first impression on me wasn't that memorable. He appeared somewhat snobby, much like typical CEO rich men, but he lacked confidence. It was almost like he wasn't the one pulling all the strings - like someone was pulling his own.

Almost immediately after, he's revealed as a puppet of the real figurehead of Babel - although their identity is not revealed until a few episodes later, his interactions with his puppeteer highlight his cowardice and weak attempt to stay on their good side. His cowardice makes up the foundation of his character.

When Hanseok - the puppeteer - is revealed, his relationship with Hanseo can be examined with much more depth. Hanseok has obviously caused Hanseo to fear him, in order to prevent him from acting out of line. But Hanseo still has some bits of resilience left in him, even after Hanseok thinks he's smoothed it all out.

Hanseo is seen voicing his wishes to be free from his brother multiple times. Of course, he is afraid of what his brother might do to him, or he's fearful of what he might lose if he turns away from his brother's side. Even so, he shows enough resilience to want to break free from his brother's control.

Hanseo finds an ally in Han Seunghyuk, a friend who resembles him when it comes to cowardice. Hanseo probably knows but doesn't acknowledge that Seunghyuk is not enough to break free from his brother, but he still follows his advice and acquires the necessary means to take his brother out once and for all.

Although Hanseo has the determination, he lacks the confidence. He does a shabby job of injuring his brother, which is nowhere near a successful kill. He doesn't have the confidence to kill his own brother, which can be seen in his hesitation throughout their hunting scene. A part of him still considers Hanseok part of his family. It holds him back, which is why is he is unable to kill Hanseok that day.

His failure only makes his brother more aggravated. Hanseok is now aware that his puppet's strings are starting to become loose and thin, to the point of breaking. He reins his brother back in, using the tactics he's always used, and decides he needs to come out from the shadows.

Now, Hanseo might think that he's finally been tossed aside as a puppet. But deep down, he realizes that he's nowhere near safe yet, because he's under his brother's radar, and who knows what Hanseok might pull in retaliation for his stunt during their hunting trip. While Hanseok might talk sweetly and make him believe that he won't be harmed, both brothers know that can be changed in an instant.

Even with Seunghyuk on his side, Hanseo knows that he needs something else to grab on. His final straw.

Vincenzo Casanova Cassano.

When Mr. Consigliere intereferes with Hanseok's intitiation ceremony, Hanseo looks at him with awe. He knows that Vincenzo is the enemy of his brother, the enemy of him, but he needs to find a method to keep himself safe and free from Hanseok's iron control.

Seunghyuk's suggestion to meet Vincenzo is the lifeline that Hanseo grabs onto with his dear life. He won't let go after this.

While their first meeting is unsightly and particularly rude on Vincenzo's behalf, Hanseo most likely believes that Vincenzo is the only way he can be free. He even offers to deliver his brother into Vincenzo's hands, to which the mafia man says he doesn't interfere within family matters.

Even so, Hanseo does not give up. Instead, he becomes one of the moles that Vincenzo wisely utilizes. In some instances, his quick thinking got Vincenzo out of some sticky situations - particularly the situation with the INTERPOL. Hanseo's actions reflect his decision to follow Vincenzo and support him, which is something he may not have even done with Hanseok.

Hanseo's bond with Vincenzo is special. He regards him as a brother, someone he feels much more comfortable with than his actual brother. His bond with Vincenzo allows him to shrug off the strings that his brother placed on him, and he starts to grow out of his own shell. He begins to spread his own wings, and become more confident in his character.

When Jipuragi reunites with Wusang in court, Hanseo makes clear whose side he's on. Seated next to his "Vin hyung", he flaunts his relationship with the Italian lawyer to his associates and a very peeved Choi Myunghee. He's happy to be by his side, and he doesn't regret it one bit.

(I found this interaction between Vincenzo and Hanseo absolutely precious. They're just two brothers looking out for one another.)

To the very end, his loyalty towards Vincenzo never wavered. Even as Hanseok promised to spare Hanseo if he just followed his orders, Hanseo ignored his brother's potentially false words and retaliated - he's ready to be finally free. He knows that once he goes down this road, there's no turning back.

As Hanseo calmly says, he "will make a choice that [he] won't regret". (This is my favorite quote ever. Not even gonna lie to you.)

In his tussle with Hanseok, Chayoung becomes one of the injured. With quick thinking, Hanseo sacrifices himself and fights with Hanseok for control of his gun once more. He sets himself up as the sacrifice so his brother won't harm the other two, which is completely unlike his character thus far. Hanseo has always feared his brother and his abuse, but he now places himself in the way of bullet in order to protect Vincenzo and Chayoung.

In the end, he takes the bullet. He's free from his brother, but at what cost? His own life. It's an ending that Hanseo knows was coming.

Hanseo's character has always had to make very difficult decisions. Whether it was to follow his brother's orders, betray his brother, suck up his pride and plead to his brother for a second chance, follow Seunghyuk's advice, or even take to Vincenzo's side, Hanseo has had multiple decisions that affected his growth as a person. If Hanseo hadn't taken the leap of faith to follow Vincenzo and break free from his brother, he might've been stuck at the strings of his brother's doing for much longer. He might've died at his brother's hands as nothing more than a pawn waiting for its removal, rather than die in his attempt for freedom.

Hanseo is a character that endlessly struggled for what he wanted, and some might say he died in vain. He would probably disagree with that. While he still feared his brother, he didn't let that fear overtake him; he looked death in the eye as he was willing to sacrifice himself for his loved ones' sake. He no longer cowered in fear; he bravely stood for what he believed was right.

All in all, Jang Hanseo was not a character who died in vain. His story of redemption leaves behind a reminder to viewers that struggling may be necessary to move onto a life that is much more fulfilling; you don't always get the easy way out. Hanseo was scared, he was always scared of his brother, but he also summoned the courage to stand against his own brother, simply because he wanted to be free. He was strong enough to fight against his brother, rather than sit by and let him do what he wanted.

Hanseo didn't die with regrets. He was happy to finally be free.

[dawninlatin]

Happy Halloween

Part of the Manorian Teacher AU

Words: 1782

AO3 Link

Masterlist

Summary: Manon and Dorian celebrate Halloween together for the first time

Dorian Havilliard was finally beginning to understand that Manon had been serious when she’d uttered the words I don’t play Halloween. This was the first holiday they would spend together, and Dorian knew he’d be in for a rough month when his girlfriend had woken up on October 1st, a disturbing smile on her face, and declared the day to be the first of Halloween.

Manon was slightly terrifying on any given day, but Manon during the spookiest month of the year…Dorian suppressed a shudder at the thought of how she practically buzzed with giddy excitement.

And how his girlfriend, it seemed, went all out with everything.

Stepping into the kitchen, which had been transformed into the lab of a mad scientist, Dorian filled the giant bowl standing on the counter with candy for any trick-or-treaters that might dare knock on their door.

Normal people usually went with one theme when decorating their home, but theirs looked like a haunted mansion, a new theme in every room. Their garden was now a graveyard, the downstairs bathroom could have passed for an asylum, the living room was a murder scene, the hallway was filled with your average spider webs and skeletons, and in the kitchen, there were jars filled with very realistic eyes, creepy, rusty instruments hanging on the walls and vials with green smoke coming out of them. Manon had assured him whatever she was brewing was perfectly safe, «just don’t, under any circumstance, ingest it.»

Not playing, indeed.

One would think having Aelin Galathynius as a friend for most of his life would make him immune to anything spooky, since Halloween practically was a religion to her, but compared to Manon, it was all child’s play. No surprise those two had gotten along so quickly.

Throughout the month, they’d watched more horror movies together than Dorian had his whole life, and every day, Manon found new, creative ways to scare him shitless.

Dorian often wondered how he hadn’t had an actual heart attack yet, with all the ways she’d managed to make him scream in horror, whether that was by jumping out from behind doors or placing severed limbs in the fridge. Not even work was safe, since they were both teachers at the same high school.

He couldn’t help but look a little forward to tomorrow, when it would all be over, their lives back to normal. Of course, he would never tell Manon that. As much as he hated being scared, the look of complete and utter glee on her face whenever she managed to scare him made up for it.

It wasn’t that Dorian didn’t like Halloween, either, they just had completely different views on how to best spend it. His ideal Halloween meant watching a cozy movie like Halloweentown or A nightmare before Christmas while shamelessly eating a ridiculous amount of candy. Manon’s motto seemed to be the more macabre, the better.

But instead of complaining, Dorian looked forward to Christmas, when he would guilt her into partaking in every cheesy, fluffy tradition there was while feeling the joyous spirit of Christmas. He could already picture how hard Manon would roll her eyes at all the Hallmark movies he planned to show her.

After filling up the huge bowl of candy, Dorian stepped out into the hallway, placing it on the console table next to the door. Hopefully he would get to eat most of it by the end of the night, since he doubted anyone were brave enough to walk up to their dark, old house. He sure as shit wouldn’t have been.

As he passed the large, full-length mirror, Dorian couldn’t help the satisfied look on his face. He’d done an excellent job with his costume this year. A sheer blouse, a pair of high-waisted black pants, golden jewelry, golden dust highlighting his cheekbones, pointy ears, a tail, all pulled together by the goblet of wine he was holding. The one good thing about Halloween was that it allowed him to dress up as his favorite book characters.

He shifted his gaze downward for a moment, adjusting his clothes, and when he looked back up, he let out a yelp at the creature standing behind him in the mirror. Thunder crackled outside as Manon leaned her head back and laughed manically.

She was a truly horrifying sight to behold with her wholly white eyes and bloody grin. Her white hair was smeared with what could only be described as gore and her throat looked to be slit. She looked like a nightmare, and judging by the satisfied smirk on her face, she knew it too.

«You ready for some scary movies?» Manon asked him, giving his costume a nod of approval. Absolutely not, Dorian wanted to say, knowing she’d saved the worst movies for last.

Instead, he took a shuddering breath and said, «Can’t wait.» His voice was tight, shaking slightly. The look Manon gave him made him want to turn the lights on and hide under a blanket.

-

They were only fifteen minutes into A Nightmare on Elm Street, but Dorian was already clinging to Manon, his face buried in the crook of her neck. How could she be so calm right now? She seemed to be enjoying it, even.

Someone knocked on the door, and Dorian jumped, his heart racing. It’s just trick-or-treaters, he told himself. Definitely not a psychopath killer.

«Fucking finally!» Manon exclaimed as she paused the movie and got up, heading towards the door. Dorian was torn between wanting to run out and protect her from the killer that was surely waiting behind the closed door and begging her to not leave him alone.

Calm down you idiot, he told himself. What kind of killer knocks on the door?

Then it hit him, all blood draining from his face. It would be a genius move to just knock on the door if you wanted to kill someone.

As he was about to run into the hallway and hide behind his girlfriend as she dealt with the threat, he heard the door open, followed by the sound of giggling children. Manon’s words from earlier, when he’d asked why she loved Halloween so much, echoed in his mind: «I get to scare little children while looking awesome! What’s not to love?» The more he got to know this woman, the more she amazed him.

After a moment, Manon said something he couldn’t make out, but he could hear the kids scream as they ran away, then the door slamming shut once more. The sound of Manon’s evil laughter filled the eerie house as she stepped back into the living room. «I love Halloween!»

-

Dorian was sure he’d never been more relieved when the movie finally ended and Manon turned the lights back on. That relief was quickly replaced by dread though, when a loud thump sounded upstairs.

«What was that?» Manon asked, casting a worried glance at the ceiling.

Dorian eyed her suspiciously, knowing she was surely the one behind this.

«Why are you looking at me like that?» she hissed when she noticed his accusing stare. «This isn’t me, I swear!» His face paled at the truth he could hear in her voice.

«It’s probably nothing, right?» Dorian tried to hide the fear in his voice with a nonchalant chuckle. Their house was old, so it was normal for it to make a lot of scary noises. Although…

«That came from the attic, right?» Manon whispered from her spot next to him, her breath hitching as they heard another thump.

«I think so,» he said, swallowing audibly.

«Maybe we should check it out…»

Dorian shook his head. «Fuck no! The one thing I’ve learned from all those movies you’ve made me watch is to never check out weird noises.» No way was he stepping foot into the creepy attic. He’d avoided it as much as possible since moving into the house a month ago.

«Fine, then I’ll do it,» Manon declared, giving him a nasty glare. Yet he didn’t miss the way she rose a bit reluctantly, her voice shaking.

When she was halfway across the room, Dorian let out a defeated sigh, quickly trailing after her. He didn’t want to find the source of the noise, but he most definitely didn’t want to be left alone either.

He made sure to keep close behind her as they carefully treaded up the stairs, the howling wind making the entire house shake.

As they reached the top, Dorian put on a sweet face and gestured to the door. «After you, darling.»

Manon scoffed, rolling her eyes, but she didn’t move to open the door leading into the dark attic, either. Almost as if she was…hesitating.

«Don’t tell me you’re scared, Blackbeak?»

«No,» she claimed, but he could hear the fear in her voice. «ButifwedieIloveyou,» she blurted and opened the door.

Dorian knew the thought of something scaring Manon should have made him turn around and run for his dear life, but he was also eager to see what happened next.

Manon lifted a shaking hand to flick on the light, Dorian holding his breath. As her eyes fell upon the source of the noise, she let out a high-pitched shriek and ran into Dorian’s arms.

The shock of hearing Manon Blackbeak shriek erased all trace of fear lingering in him, and as he peered over her shoulder, into the attic, he leaned his head back and howled with laughter.

For there, in the middle of the floor, was Abraxos, trapped under a white sheet, a knocked-over box next to him. «Meow,» he said, as if in greeting.

Dorian pulled up his phone, snapping a picture of the little ghost. Then he turned around and took another, of Manon, who now stood at the middle of the landing, arms hanging limp at her sides, a mix of fear and confusion on her face. He should have felt guilty for laughing at her, but revenge tasted so sweet.

Her frightened look quickly turned into one of rage as she noticed what Dorian was doing, his laughter dying at the murderous glance she threw him. «Meow,» Abraxos said once more, unknowingly stopping Manon from killing Dorian with her eyes.

After freeing the poor kitten, Dorian turned towards a glaring Manon and said, unable to hide the amusement in his voice, «Is a harmless kitten all it takes to scare you?»

Her face broke into a terrifying grin. «I wouldn’t look so smug if I were you. There are still a few hours left…» Then she just turned on her heel and began walking down the stairs, glancing over her shoulder. «Happy Halloween, Dorian.»

A/N: Remember when I said I'd have lots of time to write? Yeah, me neither...

I am very sorry for not updating anything, but I barely have the energy to keep up with school these days, so things will take time:(

Feel free to leave feedback if you want to! It's a huge inspiration to keep writing<3

Taglist: @fireheartdreamerstarborn​ @bookishwitchling​ @ladywitchling​ @kit-12​ @onfma​ @ireallyshouldsleeprn​ @sayosdreams​ 

I keep a separate taglist for each ship, so let me know if you want to be added to this or any other:)

[godkilller]

I'm not sure how to go about this, but after reading the interaction between Aizen (KEIKAKUDORI) and Rangiku (DOKUHAI). I had to wonder what the interactions would be if Aizen met Keiko. I don't know if this is an idea any of you would be interested in and I don't know if asking all 4 (3) of you would be appropriate, just a thought - and sorry if I ask you too much.

          out of character. ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT !! THE GIN IN ME FOUGHT ANSWERING THIS FOR SOME TIME NOW BUT I MUST RELENT. At last. Gin fought the good fight.

          So, if @keikoh ever met @keikakudori, Gin would absolutely lose his shit first and foremost. Keep his daughter away from Aizen, please. @dokuhai’s Rangiku is going to have to hold Gin back from physically sending Aizen into space with the power of his punch for so much as looking at his daughter. Overprotective father? Overprotective father. But in fairness, it’s Aizen, is Gin truly being ‘overprotective’ or simply protective? One should never assume it’s utterly harmless to even merely chat with the man. Aizen has an insidious way of uprooting or entangling people with a few choice words alone, don’t give him a conversation’s chance less you believe yourself immune to his sly ways. And chances are you’re not immune. Even Gin, at the end of the day, for all of his silver-tongued ways and manipulation mastery, fell prey to what Aizen wanted from him.

          Gin wants his daughter to live a life freed from that stain, even if it means ignoring her questions / a self-fulfilling prophecy of avoiding Aizen as a topic so much so that she seeks out answers on her own. Which is exactly the scenario that would have to happen, albeit still incredibly rare to actually unfold in Keiko’s favor considering Aizen’s locked in Muken and she’d have to be granted permission to visit. Gin being a reinstated captain lifted of all his restrictions post-Blood War means he would sense, know, and be able to act upon feeling Keiko heading towards Muken. You know he’d show up in a fucking blink if he felt that. You just know. Carts her back home by her ear. Tells her something about how “making stupid life decisions surroundin’ that man must run in my blood” -- and she’d have to be sneakier about it.

          But what is an Ichimaru if not a lil sneaky gremlin, right?

          Keiko is fearless, or even when fearful is determined to appear and act bravely. Internally, if she ever was to meet Aizen? Keiko would be understandably nervous, if not afraid, knowing from stories that this man almost destroyed Karakura Town and nearly killed her dad. But she’d want answers, namely ‘why’ questions as to what Aizen wanted, why he did what he did, why her father joined him, what Aizen and Gin did. Things Gin hasn’t told her, hasn’t elaborated on, out of his own fear and lack of communication that he’s still working on to this day. She’s generally going into this meeting wholly uninformed, save for rumors and whispers from the Shinigami population who were present during the Winter War, and even then? What happened between Aizen and Gin that day’s almost completely undisclosed. She’ll ask what happened, why, how, and what Aizen thinks now. Things that would make for a very interesting discussion if Aizen dared to humor her.

         There aren’t very many others, if any, who know what went down that day. Even Rangiku only came in at the tail end. Tatsuki and friends perhaps know an important slice of the picture, a notable moment in which they exclaim ‘hopefully they kill each other!’ whilst escaping Aizen’s focus because Gin intervened. From outsiders perspectives, Gin shows up, the kids run off, Aizen’s reiatsu drops dead, and then comes slamming back down a few minutes later. Gin’s cut down. Ichigo arrives. It’s easy to fill in the blanks with rumors as to why the two had a ‘falling out’ as Tatsuki and co. observed after Aizen defeated Gin.

          That’s as much as Keiko knows, and it frustrates her, because if anyone asks her about it, all hushed like gossip, all uninformed as she is, shouldn’t she know more about her own father? When people bad-mouth her dad, or bring up that he’s a war criminal, wouldn’t it be nice to know more than them? Gin’s betrayal of Soul Society and then his subsequent betrayal of Aizen aren’t just small moments to not know about. The traitorous trio’s rebellion against Soul Society’s one for the history books, and then one of the main reasons Aizen was both unable to destroy Karakura Town, as well as why he’s now immortal, is tied directly to Gin. Keiko may even seek out @njnth’s Tousen, who survived and became an outcast after the events of the Winter War, for answers. Gin wouldn’t keep her from him, either, because he knows that Tousen wouldn’t be malicious in his retellings, nor would he really want to linger on the past during his own healing. They’re both, for lack of better wording, recovering victims of abuse and trauma -- the topic won’t be carried along lightly. Gin knows and respects Tousen for keeping his answers to Keiko’s questions short and not... harsh.

          And Keiko would respect Tousen enough to know not to overstep. She wouldn’t hound the man. He’d be like an uncle to her. She’d be gentle. She’ll bring him snacks and sit out with him by his humble abode and I’m sure Tousen’ll get some deja vu with the days in which he sat with a young newly made Third Seat Gin, though as he’s said in canon about children, unlike her father, Keiko would be a pure soul.

          Speaking of souls and purity, I also have a headcanon that since Rangiku was canonly a Soul King piece host, and Tokinada's clan was all about finding those hosts and 'breeding' them etc. etc.  ( that’s a very rough description and I’m still a newbie at this other Bleach content )  in CFYOW ... -- anyways, with all of that said, it's implied that bearing a piece of the Soul King is a genetic-driven “gift” of some sort. Bearing a piece isn't promised, but it's heightened for people with higher reiatsu. So Rangiku's child would have a higher chance of housing a piece of the Soul King due to her genetics and Gin’s combined reiatsu with hers, etc. which is also what's within Aizen's hogyoku -- and it'd make for an interesting moment of, for lack of better wording, 'soul recognition' between her and Aizen and the Soul King / soul piece within the Hogyoku that Aizen harvested from Rangiku. The piece of Rangiku which is within the Hogyoku which Aizen became one with.

          It’d be a very interesting meeting with that subtle factor of understanding linking them together, indeed. If Aizen noticed such a pull, perhaps, then Keiko best be prepared for answering some of his questions, too, and we all know how much of a slippery slope that can become.

          TL;DR ... Keiko has the potential to open a huge can of worms, and she’s going to be grounded for a whole year once Gin finds out.

[azaffranist]

Frozen 2 deleted/early content

On the road to F2 there were tons of leaks and I saved as many of them as I could in the fear that Disney would delete them (because they loved to shut down whole websites because of that back in the day). As a result I have a lot of pictures saved on my phone and looking back on them... some don’t sound quite right because it’s definitely not what I saw in the movie. So here’s everythinggg I have. I did my best to organize stuff a bit but there are so many things it was... hard. Feel free to add more stuff in reblogs, replies and such!

Something to note is that we won’t take into account the “officially” released deleted content, which would include everything that’s in the Blu-ray, because basically everyone already saw that (Home, I Seek the Truth, Get This Right, Unmeltable Me, the Secret Room scene, Hard Nokks, etc). Generally, we won’t be analyzing deleted scenes from the official trailers, either, because of this very reason. Something “official” that we will consider, though, are the deleted clips animators have been releasing on Instagram and other sites, because those aren’t that popular.

Before starting here’s the link to all the deleted F2 lines I could find as well as some other additions. The post itself has even more links to other posts containing deleted content so have fun clicking on links. 

Last thing to mention, none of the merch photos here are taken by me. I got most of them from the leaks channel of the Arendelle Kingdom server during 2019. If any image in this post belongs to someone here and you want to be credited please let me know and I’ll edit the post.

This post is long. Like really, really, lagging-my-browser-as-I’m-writing-it long. So grab some popcorn and get comfortable or just take a look at what interests you.

So without further ado, let’s get started!

Deleted Artbook Content

One of the most exciting leaks we got were definitely these sample artbook excerpts. None of these pages made it into the final artbook, though.

This piece definitely belongs in Iduna and Agnarr’s backstory, in which the Northuldra leader wasn’t an ordinary man but a shapeshifter.

The biggest picture in this page points to yet another version of Iduna and Agnarr’s backstory. It’s possible to deduce Bruni hadn’t been fully developed yet or created at all since the fire isn’t pink.

The one on the bottom right seems to be an earlier version of the “forest freed” scene in the final movie, or maybe it happened in another moment altogether.

The most interesting of the three, though, is this one. Nothing in the movie points to the existence of a place like this. It’s interesting to note that this peculiar house looks very similar to Iceland’s “elf houses”, tied to the myth of the Huldufólk, “hidden people”, who were said to be small and live in a parallel world, being able to make themselves visible at will.

These are definitely the inhabitants of the Enchanted Lands, who look completely different than in the final movie with their long cloaks, hoods and staves. They look like mages. Were these the very first concepts of the Northuldra, or another group of characters altogether that ended up being scrapped? Only Ahtohallan knows...

Even though the tree and the vegetation illustration is in the book, there’s one missing and that one is the bottom left. One of the most popular theories in the fandom regarding that illustration is that it was an Arendellian military camp tied to the expedition to the Enchanted Lands. I think what we got in the movie is a watered down version of a much more violent and sinister endeavor to invade the Northuldra. The above mentioned deleted scene of the battle of Arendellians agains Northuldrans is proof of that.

This one shows the Arendellian gang and most likely Mattias looking at the walls of a cave with drawings on it depicting the Nokk among other things that I can’t quite make out. I’ve heard people say that an earlier version of F2 involved the gang encountering Mattias in a volcanic cave and that’s where this scene would go, but I don’t know if those are rumors or there’s an actual source. If someone happens to have knowledge on this topic in particular please let me know and I’ll update the post.

_________________________

Incomplete Frozen Fan Fest books and their alternate scenes

As I’ve mentioned in another post, Frozen Fan Fest happened on October 4th, 2019, and it was the official release of the movie’s first merchandise. We were all super excited to look at the storybooks and read the ending!

Except there was no ending and the books ended abruptly right before Olaf’s death, completely skipping over Show Yourself.

You hear that? “Elsa bravely dives into the Dark Sea”. We know the Dark Sea scene was shortened and that’s more proof.

This section of a Frozen 2 storybook explains how it went a bit better. After Elsa was defeated twice by the ferocious waves she climbed up some giant rocks and dove back in. Only Ahtohallan knows how that would be effective in this situation and not a waste of strength, but hey, I’m sure it looked super cool and I’d be down to see it.

”Elsa trudged through terrible winds and thick snow”... um... she didn’t? This might’ve been created when Show Yourself wasn’t a thing yet and her path through Ahtohallan was just that, trudging through terrible winds and snow, and not an inspiring song about self-love and finding yourself. I wonder how that scene would’ve looked.

Maybe we can find something relating to that “unused” section of Ahtohallan in a book called “Anna, Elsa and the Secret River”. Basically Iduna tells them that there’s a secret river out there and after the lullaby Elsa and Anna go nuts and try to look for the river outside. Seems like it was all a shared acid trip because next morning they seriously consider it was a dream.

Maybe here they didn’t realize they were in front of a river, because “Glaciers are rivers of ice” and this is what that Ahtohallan Elsa ventured into originally would’ve looked like? The white river doesn’t know...

This is by far one of my favorite ones. I wouldn’t exactly describe post-Show Yourself as a moment of calm and peace. Maybe peace but definitely not calm. Then it says that the signal meant that “she managed to cross the sea”. That’s a really weird way to describe “horrifying ice statue of colonialist grandpa killing an innocent native man”. I don’t know if they’re hiding the actual plot here of if they hadn’t yet worked out all the details of SY and the moment Elsa found the truth.

Anna has her cloak on as she finds the truth. Readers have no idea what this enlightening truth is because the ice statue is indistinguishable.

As it shows here, the original Iduna being Northuldra reveal was going to happen in a different way. I’m glad we got that final version... Because wow, Elsa and Anna are completely unable to connect the dots here. Anna was smart enough to figure out what to do after receiving Elsa’s message, c’mon! This should’ve been piece of cake...

 Iduna called Elsa “Little Snow”. This points to an alternate All is Found scene and we’ll talk about that more in depth later.

Same scene. Translation is: 

“While tucking the little princesses in, Queen Iduna sang them a lullaby about a far-away river called Ahtohallan, which holds all the answers about the past.

“Does Ahtohallan know why I have powers?” asked Elsa her mother.

“If it exists, it definitely knows that and much more,” answered the Queen.

So in this earlier version, Elsa has always asked herself if Ahtohallan had the answer to her powers... Doesn’t this make Show Yourself work even better? Here she always looked for that answer and she’d learn that she is the answer. I wonder why they took it out because it makes a lot of sense and would give buildup to Show Yourself.

Here what really matters are the squares with text. Olaf never ran through moss or became covered in it. Olaf never looks down a brook to be met by Nokk’s gaze from below. Maybe it’s an alternate When I’m Older?

And relating to that particular piece of merch:

Seems like in an earlier version, the Nokk was associated with waterfalls.

Everyone shut up there’s SWORD ANNA here. Found in a coloring book. I don’t speak Italian but Google Translate says: 

“Anna is a brave one: she does not hesitate to draw her sword to defend her sister Elsa and her friends from any new threat.”

GOOD FOR HER! This is definitely from the version we were shown in the teaser, when Anna wielding an actual sword and slicing someone with it was still a thing. Man, how I wanted that to happen...

_________________________

Alternate fully animated scenes found in animators’ posts

After the release of Frozen 2, animators started to post scenes they had worked on and showing the process behind them. Some of them were deleted, are different in the final movie, or have a completely different score accompanying them.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Adam Green (@agreenster) on Apr 6, 2020 at 5:31pm PDT

A completely different dialogue during the boat scene. Pretty heartbreaking and it’s even more buildup for TNRT, when Anna was left by literally everyone she loved in the planet.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Trent Correy (@trentanimation) on Apr 14, 2020 at 8:50am PDT

Apparently, for whatever reason, Gale was going to appear in the castle first.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Trent Correy (@trentanimation) on Mar 29, 2020 at 10:51am PDT

Olaf’s revival was going to be way different, and this implies that his death might’ve been different, too. Maybe his snow just dissipated and didn’t go anywhere? Maybe instead of being neatly placed by a waterfall, it fell all over the Enchanted Lands? I have no idea.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mariusz Furmanczyk (@mariofurmanczyk) on Mar 21, 2020 at 7:11pm PDT

I absolutely LOVE this one, okay, and I have no idea why they’d leave it out. Turn your sound on and listen to the much more tragic alternate score. But more importantly, pay attention when she turns to solid ice: just like in F1 with Anna, her last breath is visible. Beautiful parallels, poetic cinema, and I’m hurt and confused and I want it in the movie. Excuse me while I call the police.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mariusz Furmanczyk (@mariofurmanczyk) on Feb 26, 2020 at 5:47pm PST

Here the only change is the different score as she unfreezes. I love it so much. It’s so tragic, heavy and powerful. You can basically hear the fragility of Elsa’s fate as the ice breaks and she falls. Help. Here, here, and here, you can see other glimpses of this beautiful alternate score. Once again I’m calling the police and telling them Disney hurt my feelings by leaving this out.

I’ve hit the 5 videos limit already, but here is a link to an animation by jdublish. The change isn’t the scene itself but the completely different siren call Elsa hears. Much more ominous and creepy and I also love it, even though I have to admit the final siren call sounds catchier and more iconic. Also, kids under five won’t start crying of fear when they hear it.

Then there were also plenty of changes in the Elsa vs Nokk scene and we got to see one. Thanks to @justlookatthosesausages for pointing this out and letting me use her gif! The original video was set to private for some reason so I can’t post a Youtube link, but this is @justlookatthosesausages‘ gif:

Elsa struggled way more in the original version. Go to her post to see a comparison with the final version.

And now the awaited All is Found alternate scene! Thanks a lot to @lovewillthaw-j who helped me collect all the scenes. 

First two scenes from the trailers: the Official one, Elsa looks up and Iduna gazes at the northern lights.

The Japanese one, in which Iduna kisses Elsa’s hands. @catloafs pointed that out after F2′s release so thanks!

And the last two were found by @antoineharrakblog, so thanks for that! Here and here.

BUT there’s no need to click a bazillion links because @lovewillthaw-j‘s post reconstructs in a single video what the original scene would’ve been like. Go watch it!

UPDATE: Additions by @antoineharrakblog​. Thanks a lot!

Here we can see that originally, as the elements fled and Kristoff held Olaf, he yelled, “Wow, you’re heavy!”. Don’t know why this would be removed. Maybe they wanted to keep the scene serious? Maybe they needed to shorten the movie so that it didn’t exceed 100 minutes and cut little jokes like that?

 And here, showing Elsa seeing how Iduna saved her father, there’s some deleted dialogue: “Get the prince out of here!” “King Runeard, what did you decide?” in addition to a much more tense score in general.

_________________________

UPDATE: Screencaps of deleted/alternate scenes

Thanks a lot to @antoineharrakblog for bringing all of these pictures to my attention! Multiples screencaps have appeared in different magazines or books that clearly didn’t make it to the movie.

Anna never makes that movement in the final movie. There’s more proof of an alternate/extended “Elsa and Anna talk” scene.

This is another one. There exists a lower quality version of this picture which I can’t find right now, but it shows that Anna and Elsa are sharing kransekake in this particular scene (the particular food that we can see at the beginning of OFA).

These are all part of the All is Found scene we’ve been talking about. In the final movie we can see that All is Found serves as a sort of “bridge” between the past and the present, as it transitions from Iduna singing the song to Elsa to Elsa in the castle, reminiscing. But originally, Iduna finished singing All is Found in the past. There’s proof of this here. 

_________________________

UPDATE: Novelization deleted content

This information was provided by @theupsidedownpyramid​ so thanks a lot! There are some really interesting deleted scenes in the novelization.

In this one, Elsa felt the urge to release her magic after hearing the voice at the end of All is Found.

In the novelization Mattias and Yelena’s (or Yelana? Disney will never decide) relationship was a lot deeper than what was shown in the movie.

For more information and a more thorough analysis, read @theupsidedownpyramid​‘s reblog!

_________________________

Miscellaneous

So there’s only one image in this section but believe me, it’s so worth it. 

An animator casually mentioned that there was going to be a head kiss scene. Process it. Can’t? I can’t either.

_________________________

Wow I’m TIRED. I must’ve missed something but that’s all my brain can handle as of now. Thank quarantine for giving me the opportunity to work on this post all day.

Disney committed war crimes when they deleted some of these scenes. I have only one question: Why in the world would they do that? And more information might see the light of day in the future. I’ll never get tired of trying to piece together the convoluted puzzle that is the original Frozen 2.

I will update this post if I remember something else or if someone else has more content to share. Let’s reconstruct F2 together to visualize that movie Disney deemed too cool for us!

UPDATE: Into the Unknown: the Making of Frozen 2 Documentary finally has a concrete release date, June 26th. Let’s hope we can see more stuff then!

[chiimmchiimm]

❝𝓈𝑜𝓊𝓁𝓂𝒶𝓉𝑒 !¡ 𝒿𝓀❞

The god Ares the Olympus had become too small, envious of his brother Hefesto for having found his soul mate can not help but think how lonely he really is. Everyone feared him for being the god of war, not everyone would be so brave to love being the bearer of destruction and violence. Destined to suffer decades of loneliness, he is pleading with his brother Apollo to speak to him about the land. The sun god stunned by his brother’s sadness tells him about a girl born to a king whose rumors dictate that her beauty could rival the goddess Aphrodite. Desperate Ares pleads with the god to follow the story. The god of war is so in love with her that when he first sees her he can’t help but think that he had found his soul mate.

𝒫𝒶𝒾𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔: Jungkookgod x (female: Lina) 𝒢𝑒𝓃𝓇𝑒: smut, fluff, angst, one-shot, greek god au. 𝒲𝑜𝓇𝒹𝓈: 25 k 𝑅𝒶𝓃𝓆𝓊𝒾𝓃𝑔: +18 𝒲𝒶𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔: dirty vocabulary, insults that only the gods understand, rather macho insults, Greek artifacts, real duties, sexual attraction, violent assaults, blood, sexy scar, beatings, idialization for love, unrequited excess love (at first), sexy tunics with everything in the air, strange spells, fights (the protagonist is the god of war that you expected?), jealousy, a lot of jealousy, enemy, envy, theft of women, situations of frustrated love, war, desperation to be loved, Greek vocabulary, hormones gods through the clouds, sex everywhere, tongue kisses, rough sex, female fingering, teeth marks, loss of virginity, female oral, male oral, scratches on the back, spectacular body, abs out of this world . 𝒜𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇’𝓈 𝓃𝑜𝓉𝑒: Honestly, I always wanted to make a short story for members with the theme of Greek gods because soon they are not tremendous gods fallen from the sky? I adore Greek mythology and if this part goes well I am thinking of doing a series with all the members.

Life on Olympus was full of joy and gladness everywhere, the gods enjoyed immortality with humble decorum. Each and every one of them was responsibly involved in their duties from the first magenta ray of dawn to the blue-white night in the moonlight. Happy Without any regret. Being a god had many advantages. Obtaining the free management of their life almost always gave them full satisfaction, they could enjoy passionate sex, the stoic feeling of love, and all the food and wine available. However, there were always two sides not the same coin. They could do their work without limits, exhausting to the extreme all their deepest desires in humans.

That was the problem in question.

Humans were easy to win, most gods were revered and idealized for what they were, superior supernatural creatures in any term. Each season. Every day. They were prayed for by every mortal who prided himself on wanting his favors. Some prayed to Hera for good harvests that year, others to Aphrodite for luck in the love or fertility of new offspring. Another matter were those who anxiously wished that the most cruel and bloody god would hear their prayers. Ares received hundreds of demands, some from ambitious men who wanted blood for the sake of territorial accommodation, others however, for other severely more noble matters. Just as humans were too influential, they were also too spiteful. If any of their requests did not come to fruition they would destroy the altars angrily for having been ignored. The god of war who was very proud punished anyone who tainted his good name and work.

Everyone loved the good gods, and everyone, everyone, hated Ares for his thirst for destruction. That fear of being benefited by his anger was what kept more than one away. No one wanted to approach him for fear of being reciprocated with fury. His character was known to many as the fairest, but also the most explosive. His own royal brothers not to be spattered by the fire that came out of his eyes kept away focusing on their work.

This was how he became completely alone. The gods ignored him. There came a time when the only voice he heard was the one originating in his head. The humans had stopped praying to him for worship just to do it when they wanted his enormous favors from God.

His heart was emptying more and more. A great dark pit as deep as tartar was built dangerously over time. To the point, of having taken away the taste of his life in paradise. The only satisfaction he had was when he punished a criminal and sent him to his uncle Hades. But all that light was shallow, a blanket covering his true ambitions.

And is that the god was sick of being alone.

"Humans are impatient for this year's crops, Demeter," the all-powerful god of thunder commented briefly. The woman, beautiful as a rose petal in spring, tossed her long blonde hair, then nodded with innate elegance.

"I have already started to melt the northern frosts, brother." I assure with a smile almost as dazzling as his the god Apollo sitting in one of the gods' chairs. Every day, before Jimin the Moon God, will rest definitively to give way to the lucid awakening of the dark blue sky, the gods gathered to make sure that the functions were well attended. There had not yet been a time when the gods had escaped from their labors. Exercising the role of god of gods, Hoseok or Zeus as he was well known to mortals, he made a small reminder to his children and brothers that they all fulfill their obligations.

"I trust Apollo will help you carefully," Hoseok said, capturing the enthusiastic attention of the sun god.

"You know father that I love to heat the atmosphere."

"Yes, but be careful nephew lest you evaporate my beloved seas," his Uncle Jin, or vilely human-named Posidon, gracefully exposed from his relaxed position in one of the armchairs next to Hoseok.

Giving a knowing smile to the rogue's double meanings, Taehyung shifted his gaze to his other son, Yoongi, the god of fire.

"I will keep fires away from tall wheat grasses."

"And I will see to it that the productivity of mortals is increased to increase the number of children born." The goddess of love, Julia spoke sweetly, sliding her thin and soft arm to hook it on the body of her husband Yoongi. Hoseok nodded in agreement with the extensive collaboration that had been present. If everything went as he really wanted, in the end they would be in a good year. All the joy seemed to vanish almost as fast as a leaf blown by the wind. Hoseok couldn't help but notice Ares's position so low. Accustomed to his comments on the foolish decisions of humans, seeing him in silence, with his mouth closed, absent from the conversation because he was engulfed in his deep unsatisfied desires, had caused the god great sadness.

“Jungkook?” When his father spoke his name so tenderly the god came out of his thoughts. His brothers watched him in sorrow, his face turned pale these days, taking with him his rosy cheeks so charming. "A great war will soon break through. I trust that you will know how to condemn tyrants and save clean souls."

"Yes, father." I speak out of obligation. He had been tortured in a dark solitude for so long that he had almost forgotten what it was like to hear someone else's voice, and darkly what the tone of his hoarse voice was like.

The meeting passed peacefully for a couple more hours until Jimin passed through the two large columns, breaking into the main discussion room. The gods quickly dispersed to attend to their labors. Ares got up slowly, almost without strength from the little desire he had to start the day when he knew that again, he would be alone again. Hoseok tried to hold him back with some silly topic of conversation in which the older god asked him how life on earth was, if there were many fights and many trials to carry out. Ares, making full use of his intelligence, discovered the true intentions of Zeus, so it did not take him long to leave. He knew deep within his chest that although his father's intentions were pure, he should not forget that he was the eldest god and that therefore, if Jungkook told him that lately he had been evading his functions, the god would get angry and shout at him for what he was doing. irresponsible it was in his carelessness.

Ares under the stairs of the Olympus with decay. Not even the enthusiastic light of his brother Apollo made him change his sad face. Even more so when he saw from afar the love scene of Hephaestus and Aphrodite. Ares sighed resigned drowning in his own envy. Even Hephaestus, a one-eyed and toothless being, had found his soul mate. So why was he not so lucky? He was the most handsome god on Olympus. All the goddesses wished they had him between their legs. His manhood was highly known to everyone. But there was a detail that overshadowed all its virtues. He was Ades, the god of war and brutality in battle. No one really stopped to know its interior. They always judged him in the worst way, carving him out to be a naturally evil being who enjoyed the cries of his war victims. He was so much more than that and he wanted to find someone brave enough to cross those borders.

“What bothers you so much, Jungkook?” Apollo listened, concerned by the look so dark in his lowered eyes. The gloom seemed to take its toll on an invisible cloud that gave it no rest. Even, overshadowed by the intense blinding light Tae was exposing with his natural light, he was unable to illuminate his sad soul.

"Nothing, Tae."

"Remember that I see everything," Apollo recalled, trying to cancel the negative vibration his brother breathed. He touched his forehead with his finger in a small touch so joyous that Ares felt a little better.

"Have you ever fallen in love?"

"Yes, many times." More than I can count on my hands. In fact ... - I ended up closing my mouth slowly as the cloud of bitterness grew. Apollo shrugged his shoulders in distress at the shadow that consumed his body. "Is that why you left your work aside and you want to fall in love?"

Jungkook's cheeks turned to their usual pink color feeling almost indebted for his time not attending to them. Luckily, Tae was not rebuking him, what's more, the Sun God played a small smile softened by finding the true reasons for his pain.

"Jungkook, you have really stupendous goddesses behind your robes. I wouldn't worry about that."

But Ares huffed annoyed.

"They don't seek to occupy my heart they only care to occupy my bed." The fire was drawn with fury in his eyes. Apollo was the protagonist of how his jaw clenched. From the tension of his broad shoulders. And from the veins marked by its strong and compact arms.

"And what are you looking for?" Jungkook felt a little better, in confidence with the Sun God, because he knew that he didn't ask for malicious reasons, he knew that his question had come out with the sole intention of giving him some support.

"Someone brave with character but cautious. I am looking for someone with a pure heart who is unconditionally given to me. A pale woman who does not want me because of how big my cock is, but because of who I am." he recited the list so nostalgically feeling much better when he spread it out loud. Feeling at peace taking her out of the heart at last. But suddenly, the emotion faded again like flowers in winter. Her red-hot heart froze again when she fell silent in reality. "But I know that there is no woman in the world who can accomplish such things."

"Actually ... if there is," Tae mentioned rather thoughtfully. Making an effort to find the words he would say next knowing that it would depend on Jungkook returning to his former self. "There are rumors about the land of a girl born to a king whose beauty is worthy of being compared to Aphrodite. She is so famous her beautiful body as is her fair and benevolent character. Personally I have never seen her but if you want I can tell you where she goes every day to refresh herself. "

It was at that moment that Ares's heart beat again. More than ever. Its bitter shadow was replaced by a wonderful aura so attractive that every god became a spectator of its great strength. Apollo continued his duties after telling Jungkook the exact coordinates of the pond where the girl took a break a day. The god ripped off a piece of cloud to climb it and thus get down to earth without being seen. On the way he met his mother Hera, who could not stop smiling at seeing him so full of hope.

He decided to wait in heaven to avoid any encounter with a mortal. This was no time to entertain yourself with stupid requests. I wait and wait patiently lying on his cloud watching the mortals walk without being aware that the god of war was watching them. The place where his brother had directed him was quite spacious, full of exotic vegetation, plants and shrubs full of blue flowers that harmoniously combined with the crystal clear water of the pond. Jungkook rested his head on one hand feeling increasingly bored. Hours had passed since his arrival and he had only seen an old man pass by carrying a huge basket on his head and two girls playing chasing a frog. Tired of waiting, he almost gave up on his purpose. He felt sad again. The heart began to suffer a blizzard storm that gradually began to freeze it. Snorting in exhaustion, he stood on the cloud again. But just before returning to Olympus, a pure laugh as the divinity itself hit her ears causing her to search for the desperate sound.

Her jaw dropped in so much beauty. Apollo said that her beauty could be compared to Aphrodite. Ares thought that there was no possible comparison because no one would ever overcome the light from his smile. Hypnotized by the sensual dance that his pale legs did when walking, the god fell again to the cloud to continue admiring the woman. He soaked in her features as delicate as honey, as soft as the summer breeze. Her wonderful brown hair waved to mid-waist. The dress was loose but it stuck so well to her curves by the movement of the wind that it intimately marked the silhouette of her perfect body. Ares swore he had never seen so much symmetry together, not even in Aphrodite. There was no one to match its natural beauty.

Ares was so in love with her laugh that he was about to commit the stupidity of showing himself. Luckily, the raucous scream of a crumbling old woman stopped her daring.

"Lina! Do not run so much girl that the legs of this old woman do not give for more!”

The woman came down the hill, carefully crushing her feet on the ground with her hands lifting her skirt to avoid getting caught. Jungkook sighed in love when he finally discovered the beautiful girl's name. Lina smiled at the old woman on her way to the pond. The fish came out to greet her with joy. Even the animals came to greet her. There was such a pure aura around him. So clean.

From that day on, the god came down every morning to observe her. I saw how he enjoyed splashing in the water. How she wet her dress and didn't care at all. Weeks. He could even swear that months had passed since their meetings. His life had returned to how it was before. Zeus had seen his son laugh, comment, joke again and could not feel happier. The only one who knew about his recent crush was Apollo. It was him who recounted all his feelings, how good it did him to see her even from afar. On one occasion, he told the sun god that he wanted to woo her. To come down from his hiding place and declare himself. For obvious reasons Apollo was surprised by Ares's devotion to a girl he had only seen from afar. But Ares insisted again. I place her above every goddess or mortal, no one could match her bright smile. That day, Ares confessed that he had found his soul mate. That he knew it was her and that he would do whatever was in his power to hand over the world to her if she asked him to.

One summer day, he went down as usual with his cloud at the agreed time. Jungkook patiently waited for it to appear. For the first time, the god felt nervous. The butterflies in his stomach fluttered uneasily at his suspicious delay. Jungkook felt sad when the sun went down and did not appear. Jimin climbed to the top of the sky darkening every corner of the garden. The shadows had disappeared almost as much as his good humor. I worry. In all the months he had been observing her, he never missed his appointment. Her chest clenched as the possibility that something had happened to her became more and more likely.

“Lina!” The old woman's desperate voice made him move quickly to the other end of the cloud. Ares smiled, recovering his hopes of seeing her before returning to Olympus. Her smile fell as fast as it formed when she heard his sobs come out in despair. The girl ran down the hill without looking back. When he fell to his knees on the edge of the pond, Jungkook knew that something recorded had happened. Inhuman impulses to want to comfort her almost caused her to come down from her cloud. The sobs turned to crying as she ducked her head, burying her face in her arms. Jungkook kept his eyes open with his heart in his hand.

The old woman came to her side, recovering the air she had lost in the race. With his hand on his chest he sighed. Afterward, I drop to my knees to accompany Lina.

"My sweet girl ..." whispered affectionately as Mienytss reached out her old wrinkled hand to caress her head. Lina buried her head in her legs for comfort. "You knew this would happen sooner or later when you came of age."

"But not with him, lullaby," she murmured hoarsely. Even though her words were muffled by the old Jungkook's skirt she was able to hear everything. Her shoulders pointed upward as she felt outrageous rage. Now that he knew that the girl was crying because of someone, he could not help generating in his mind the multiple scenes of violence that he wanted to eagerly execute.

Lina, who for a moment had taken off her face to torment her with her bloodshot eyes, had gone back into hiding as she felt vulnerable before the old woman's gaze. Ares's nostrils expanded accordingly. He forced himself to calm down because otherwise he would make himself known in the worst way and he didn't want to scare her. Instead, he remained impassive waiting for the girl to reveal the name of her next outfit.

"I know it is difficult to accept but your duty to your people is ...

"I don't want to marry him." I don't love him, lullaby. "She cried, torn by pain and rage.

Jungkook widened his eyes in fury. His teeth clenched exhausted his sharp jaw. He got so mad that he ripped a piece of cloud and threw it to the ground in such a way that I ended up knocking down a tree, scaring the old woman and the girl.

Anger controlled his actions, it was no longer him. Her face was so red. Flames gushed out of his black pupils dimming all the goodness. A great gray cloud was deposited on top of the castle at the request of the same god.

People were paralyzed when they saw the man fall from the sky. His fall was such that on landing he left a large hole in place. The mortals who had already recognized his outfit were submissive. Some ran away from the god, others fell to their knees impropering his forgiveness. The only one who did not know what was happening was the king who watched as his subjects fled the place like headless chickens.

The two majestic gates shot out as Ares entered the throne room. The king opened his eyes when he recognized the red helmet that Jungkook always brought with him. He fell to his knees, standing before his throne. The king continued to pray until Ares's feet were placed before his eyes. The man looked up fearfully regretting when he saw the dark bowls that covered the place of his eyes.

Ares, lost by the thirst for revenge, lifted the man by his load, adjusting his fingers tightly on the spine. Afterward, he gouged out his teeth and growled violently causing the king to almost faint from fright.

"Lina is mine, you son of a bitch," he roared so loudly that if the king was not being supported he would have flown back. The man put his desperate hands to Ares's fingers to no avail, knowing that he would never match the strength of a god, much less when he was angry. "It's mine, do you understand? Mia!"

"Father?" A faint voice sounded from behind the god. "No!"

Lina ran to Ares when she understood the scene. With his hand to his mouth and nerves on the surface of his skin, his small fingers wrapped around the god's fingers so that he would free his almost dead father. Jungkook, who had been choking on his own smoke, reacted when he first felt the softness of Lina's fingers. He released the disoriented king, letting him fall to the ground. Lina came down to her father's passed out body. He ran a hand through his hair tripping over his crown. The old tears that had dried on her cheeks were now bathed in new ones that had begun to emerge. Then, the girl turned furiously at the god standing in front of them.

"Who are you, damn it! Why did you try to kill my father?" The growl that came from his sweet peach lips was nothing like the sweet voice he had grown accustomed to hearing. Jungkook was stunned, becoming increasingly ashamed of what he had done. I swear that he would scold himself harshly when he reached Olympus for allowing himself to be controlled by the wild instincts of his nature. Lina's eyes carried so much hatred that the god was speechless. No one had ever had the courage to look him directly in the eye. The others shied away from her fearful gaze, but she, she was searching for her. Jungkook's heart skipped a beat even though it wasn't the best situation.

"I ..." Her hoarse voice came out. Lina had the urge to close her eyes when her wonderful gravity soaked deep into her heart. The god looked like a scared puppy creating a great contrast to the previous raging man. Then, Lina much more lucid than before, managed to see her outfit. His golden robe. His red cape. When he saw the helmet. The symbol of the front of his armor. She widened her eyes in fright, knocking to her knees.

"I am sorry. I am sorry, Ares. I did not know. I did not know it was you. Forgive me, forgive this simple mortal who did not know how to venerate your great blood. Please, spare my old father and my life!"

Jungkook was stunned when the girl began to kiss the ground in front of her feet. Anger galloped away, transforming into pure sadness. Lina implored his forgiveness with such fear. At the time, he would have ignored her prayer and ended his life without hesitation. But things had changed so much. Now his heart was falling apart defeated by the sadness that caused him to see her so afraid of his presence when he felt the opposite.

Lina, hearing no response from the god, leaned her back further to rest her forehead on her hands clasped in the marble.

"Please spare my father's life in exchange for mine! Kill me but let him live!"

Kill her? Jungkook thought terrified. If he did, his soul would consume so much sadness.

"I am not going to kill your father." Ares assured him with a serious frown. He would not deny that that had been the main reason he had broken into the palace, but he would never dare do anything that would harm Lina, although that would mean swallowing the poison that consumed her inside. The girl raised her head, hoping to be reciprocated with such kindness. Grateful to the gods for having spoken to the god of war and having lived to tell the tale. Lina, naive to everything, could not realize the look that Ares was giving her. Her heart burned with flames as the thought crossed her head. I knew it was wrong. He knew he was taking advantage of the fact that he was practically throwing himself into her will. But he had spent so many months observing her from a distance that, having her close, he did not want to separate himself from her anymore. "I will spare your father's life but on one condition."

Lina craned her neck at the god fearful of his request. With drunk eyes of fear. Everyone knew how cruel the conditions of the gods were. There was always a high price to pay as his favors were not free. Lina swallowed violently accepting her fate.

"You will come to live on Olympus with me."

Tears choked the depths of the old woman's wrinkles. Standing up releasing her devastating screams. He couldn't believe that his beloved girl was leaving her home never to return. The king lay so defeated in his bed that he could not go down to say goodbye to his daughter.

Ares watched the scene impassively from his cloud at the foot of the castle. With her neck stretched out and her eyes fixed on the girl who was also crying in her caretaker's arms.

"Goodbye my sweet old lady," was the last thing Lina threw before turning around. The sadness took its toll on his now muted tone. The old woman, as a last hope, caught the fabric of Lina's dress causing her to stumble severely and then look at the god with desperate eyes. Ares did not take pity on his old heart, the centuries of loneliness had to be rewarded and his own satisfaction would not be denied. When the babysitter's sour fingers finally released, Lina's dress resignedly accepted the farewell. She regretted not hearing her sweet laugh again that lit everything in the castle. He would pray every night that love and affection would not be stolen from him in the same way. Just like the daylight overshadowed by the dark night, Lina approached the god. Despite the seriousness in his eyes, Ares felt like the happiest god in the world. He extended his hand to help the girl tackle her cloud, but she, spiteful for having forced him to leave her family, ignored her good gesture by turning her neck the other way. Ares was greatly humiliated by his contempt but happy that he had achieved what he longed for so much he decided to let his act pass him by.

That was how with a wave of his hand he indicated the cloud to lead towards his next destination. Lina watched withdrawn as the old woman's body diminished in the distance until it became a small spot on the horizon. She sighed reluctantly, realizing that the castle would no longer be her home from now on. That her life now belonged to the god of war. And that his decision would have changed the groove of his destiny.

As the other clouds rose, they increasingly occupied the space. After passing through a heavenly mist they reached the gates of Olympus. Lina spread her eyes attracted by each sun pore that illuminated the beautiful stops. Her nanny had told her endless stories about Olympus, but her stories could never be compared to real life. It was a dream place. Full of vegetation everywhere. Without further ado, the large white structure of the mausoleum was quite impressive.

When Ares came down, she followed him still soaking up the beauty of the place. Living here would not be so bad, he thought when he managed to visualize in the background a golden fence that housed the entrance to a garden that from afar already invited to visit.

“Jungkook!” A female voice called out from afar, catching the attention of the newcomers. A tall, strong, and beautiful woman wherever she looked came in front of them. She wore a white dress worthy of her wonderful sculpture with a large gold pendant covering the upper part of her body. Her brown hair pulled back into a braid. Her head wearing a helmet almost as golden as her pendant. Lina intended to bow down to pay her respects to the goddess of wisdom but found it inappropriate.

"Yun." Ares greeted calmly. The goddess kept her crystalline green eyes in an awake gaze. Ares, surprised by the despair his brittle voice conveyed in contrast to his subdued character, raised an eyebrow waiting for the goddess to finally say what she had come to say.

"Zeus requires you in the assembly hall."

"Tell father I'm busy. I have to install my partner and teach her what her future home will be like." When Ares turned to Lina, he gave her a friendly smile. However, Athena seemed to have other plans for the god. Lina felt quite uncomfortable when perceiving the eyes of the goddess in her. I notice his gaze filled with compassionate contempt, but contempt after all. Athena was known for her great mettle and intelligence, which is why she could not understand how Ares had taken the audacity to invite a mortal to Olympus where the entrance to any non-ancestral being was prohibited. Athena, however, did not hate humans. On the contrary, he loved all the sciences that they had invented, he adored the so playful gadgets that some had managed to create. Moreover, she was one of those who supported, along with Aphrodite, that relations with mortals will be increased. Because as a good goddess she couldn't deny how much she had enjoyed his sexual company. But he kept thinking that Ares's innocent action would have consequences not only on Olympus, but on the world. And the great goddess knew she was not wrong in that regard.

"Jungkook, this is not a game." If you don't go, then Zeus will come looking for you and you know as well as I do that our dear father is not merciful to those who make him wait.

Of course he knew. Zeus was fair and a name but also a being that you did not want to disturb. Ares frowned at Lina with an apology. Athena raised her neck up high when Lina rejected the hand Ares had tried to place on her shoulder. She was vilely annoyed by Ares's consent in the face of her disrespect.

"Okay. I'll go. But I can't leave my newcomer alone alone."

"I will escort her to your home," Athena offered with all the humility she could process. It wasn't easy for her to lower herself to her level, either, but she did, which Ares appreciated with an enthusiastic smile before leaving the mundane and goddess alone to march into the pantheon.

Ares entered the assembly hall with the smile standing out on his beautiful face. On the contrary, Zeus lay quite annoyed sitting on his throne while listening to the complaints of the other gods. When Jungkook broke into that thick atmosphere all the gods stopped their discussion to focus on him.

"I hope you have a good explanation, god of war." Zeus demanded under the cold tone he always used when something disturbed him. His blue eyes narrowed on the strong figure of Ares waiting for him. The other gods took their corresponding seats.

"I have it," Jungkook assured using the same ice cream from his father.

"Mortals on Olympus but when have you seen such impudence in these centuries?" Commented Iris, the goddess of discord, quite affected. Her large black dress gracefully covered her feet giving her a much more terrifying posture. Except for Ares, of course.

"She is not the first mortal to set foot on Olympus, Iris. I suggest that you calm down, lest you bite your tongue and poison yourself with your own bitterness." Jungkook's comment horrified everyone. No one in their right mind would dare insult the goddess herself of anger and evil if she wished to live to see another dawn. Iris widened her eyes more than furious. I rest my hands on his chair to push himself to his feet.

"I swear by my divinity that this mortal will perish painfully while she is still alive," Iris threatened with all the force of her evil. Ares approached the goddess in strides with bloodshot eyes and then shouted:

"As your hideous harpy hooves touch my wife's hair, I swear to the gods that I will swallow your own blood."

“Enough!” Hera yelled furiously appearing out the door. Jungkook was still facing Iris, giving him his characteristic death gaze that would be the nightmare of millions of mortals and gods. When the great mother goddess tenderly placed her hands on her son's shoulders, he pulled him away from Iris. "It is not time to start a war between the gods," the goddess whispered in her ear using the motherly tone that calmed her tantrums when she was a boy.

"Bringing her has been a completely irresponsible act," Zeus rebuked the God, standing up to reach him and his mother. "I demand that you return her to the place where she belongs."

"Never!"

"Jungkook!"

“No!” The god of war cut short with fury. Zeus felt a real panic when he recognized the opaque gleam in his son's eyes. "I love her and I want to spend eternity with her, even if I have to give up my life and leave Olympus, I will not leave her."

The gods breathed out in shock at Jungkook's future promise. Hera, fearful of her son's impulsive decision, watched her husband desperately. But Zeus still held his posture as stiff as rock.

"If that's what you want," Zeus commented defying Ares's courage. Hera turned pale almost falling defeated to the ground to beg her husband not to allow her son to leave. "I will give you until the summer solstice so that you can make him fall in love with you. If he does not, I will strip you of your divinity and not you'll never see her again. "

"If that's what you want," Jungkook growled softly, clenching his teeth almost as hard as his jaw. Zeus raised his eyebrows feeling winning, believing himself the wiser of the two.

Accustomed to a spacious but limited room, suddenly finding that great room was a surprise that left her speechless. The goddess of wisdom had accompanied her to a grand mansion leaving her in front of blood red doors. As she left, Lina couldn't stop processing the goddess's rejection. He hadn't bothered her with words, they hadn't even talked just walking. But I judge his tense shoulders and his tightly stretched neck every time in innocent carelessness brushed his arm as he walked down the narrow white-tiled path.

The young woman had been able to delight in her well-kept garden. The vines climbed the upper wall of the mansion giving it a welcoming air. It did not seem the home of a being destined for destruction, but quite the opposite. Even the furniture was fine and in very good taste. Undoubtedly, the one he liked the most had been the arch that adorned the entrance to the room. This is how he had found that lost part of the house. Everything was open, there were no doors and the walls were not part of its structure. The mansion was huge, extremely spacious. He had heard from the mouth of many villagers how outlandish the gods were, of course they were rumors without evidence since it was known that no mortal had climbed Olympus for centuries. But, at last, he was able to verify it. However, if what he saw was true and his senses were not deceived by the contradictory feelings that shadow his heart, living here without anyone's company could be considered torture.

A large bed covered with white sheets occupied the largest space in the room. To his right was a small table with a gold candlestick. To his left another of equal conditions. But without a doubt, what sucked much of the space was the large wardrobe guarded by two large oak doors. Curiosity had stung her stomach, preventing her from resisting approaching even if it was to admire the beauty of the drawings that devoured the entire structure. Another stab, perhaps more intense than the last, began to sting the tips of his fingers until he took the courage to open the doors.

"Virgin from heaven," I breathe out. Her fingers tightened on the doors because of the vertigo that began to control her emotions. There were no outfits per se, there were only armor, excessive amounts of armor and many, many weapons placed on the far walls. She slammed the door shut, her heart about to pop out of her mouth. I swallow hard from the early dryness of her throat. Closing her eyes, images of mutilations, battles, humans screaming in pain of pity flooded her little head. I push away all those thoughts by shaking my head. Her cheek was glued to one of the doors feeling secret relief when her skin found a welcoming cold. It was there when his eyes opened that they were hypnotized by the night light. The white rays caressed his entire body as he allowed himself to be led to a large balcony decorated with two white canvases as he passed the entrance. Her gratifying smile came true as she watched the moon gracefully strut high up into the sky. He looked much bigger from here than from his window in the castle.

"It's my favorite part of the house," announced a sweetened voice from behind. The girl jumped scared by her erroneous beliefs into her loneliness. The truth is that Ares had spent time watching her with a loving smile until he took the audacity to be noticed. Of course, it wasn't his intention to suffocate her, but they had to talk. "Is the house to your liking?"

Lina was silent for a couple of seconds before answering.

"You are a god, you shouldn't care about the opinion of a mere mortal." She was aware of his bad tone, too, of his poisoned gaze but he didn't care. He would rather die now than spend eternity with him. Jungkook suppressed a sad face after sensing his contempt. Of course he cared if it hadn't, he wouldn't have even bothered to order Pageo to fit everything for two.

"You are more than just a mortal to my Lina."

But she ignored his sincerity, his gaze true to her heart and rolled her eyes in a stressed sigh. Of course she didn't believe him, when had a god been seen to care about such a mortal? To them mortals were but the sheep to lead. Lina never thought it was special. She was always too low, too pale, too blunt. No man was really interested in her. All men saw in it were the great lands they would inherit and the great riches they would enjoy. She was never a beautiful girl in the eyes of others. Her waist was small compared to the servants who haunted her rooms. She was not worthy to bring heirs into the world for her moderate thinness. Her long legs did not fit the short legs that men loved. Everything was wrong for her. For Jungkook everything was perfectly fine. But her bad experience had tied a blindfold in her eyes that managed to cover the look of love with which the god looked at her every time.

Lina closed her eyes when a heavy sigh came from her reddish lips. She brought her trembling fingers to the clasp on his shoulder to give way to his nakedness. As the garment gathered around her ankles the cold night air hit her body, bending it slightly. Jungkook opened his eyes when his pale skin filled the whole environment. I gulp nervously as I swept her entire naked figure with desire. His neck screamed to be marked with his teeth. Her sweet clavicles marked to be kissed until she fainted. His eyes were caught without help in his chest, the view was wonderful, they were beautiful as he liked they were not large but they were not small either, they were the perfect size so that his palm fit in them. Without a doubt, the main attraction in those sweet strawberries were the two nipples that were raised awake by the cold contrast of the air. Jungkook growled excitedly. His teeth cracked hard from his desire to close elsewhere. When he reached his navel his tongue came out of his mouth in response. But her hypnosis ceased immediately when a gust of wind rose and Lina's body began to tremble with a crash from the drop in temperature. Jungkook shook his head realizing how low he had fallen to take advantage of her like that. She had stared at her wonderful body for so long that she hadn't realized how scared she was. Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows in embarrassment. Ready to end the show, he approached her to retrieve the dress from the floor and put it back on her body. Automatically, Lina opened her eyes overwhelmed by the old heat sensation of her garment. He tilted his head in confusion at Jungkook who had decided to look away at the moon.

"Don't do that again ..." he said, in a recorded tone that raised Lina completely. His tone echoed with both warning and danger. The young woman's cheeks were cruelly attacked by the heat and then she finished putting on the dress as it was before. Deep in her heart she felt rejected, humiliated. He thought that Jungkook had been angry for not being able to show him what he really liked when he had actually done it because he could not stop looking at her and above all, because if he repeated himself in the same way he did not know if he could control himself as he was hardly doing now. Lina bet to divert her gaze also but towards the room to avoid uncomfortable encounters. A long period of time passed in which both tried to assimilate what happened. Jungkook was the first to seek eye contact to find her staring blankly at the bed. Then, he muttered worriedly, sweetening his voice again. "Are you tired?"

Lina heard her heart race as the deep contrast of her voice landed in her ears. Far from appearing intimidating, in his opinion, the god enjoyed a sensual voice that pleased him, although it will be difficult for him to admit it.

"Answer me, please," Jungkook asked taking a step in his direction. His eyebrows were drawn in a sad gesture.

"Yes ..." I whisper shyly. Despite his brief intervention, Jungkook was relieved.

"It's all yours," added Jungkook low. Lina glanced confusedly at her spot in front of the railing. The moonlight so beautifully brightened her tanned skin that the girl had to suppress a sigh. He could be evil but he couldn't deny that his attractiveness was worthy of being a god. "Sleep in it if that's what you really need."

The young woman nodded in a small gesture before traveling to the bed. Her shoulders tensed as she watched Jungkook chase after her. However, the confusion drove her to raise her head in surprise when she saw the god pass by to walk towards a large black leather sofa just behind the bed.

Without giving it much importance, although quite grateful to him, she opened the sheets and got into bed. I almost fell asleep when I felt the softness of the fabric will hug your limbs with passion. She let her face rest on the feather pillow and closed her eyes, letting herself be carried away by exhaustion.

Stunned by the inconsequential light that passed through the large window, she begins to wake up. Her little bellies moan in her recent reverie process. Your body begins to produce smooth movements taking the sheets with them. Opening your eyes closes them again immediately after being shaken by the clarity of the bright sun. Then he stands up, placing his fingers through her hair to clear his gaze.

At first, he is scared because he does not recognize the room. However, when he manages to fully awaken his mind and his neural connections connect with reality, he remembers who the bed is and the reasons why he has come to it.

He growls lazily falling back dramatically. Turn your face to the right to find a sundial on top of one of the small tables that rest on the sides of the large bed. It is at that moment, when he manages to discern a wooden tray resting on it. As he sits down, his eyes widen in surprise as he looks at a white dinner plate carrying a small wheat omelette and a large golden goblet beside him. Lina tilts her head in confusion. Approaches to food slowly. When the delicious smell of fresh food rises up your nose, your stomach rumbles in response. Her cheeks flush from the intensity of the sound coming from her body. He takes a fine silver fork, punctures the pancake and puts it in his mouth at once. Her lips close and she moans with pleasure when her tongue first touches the sweet taste after hours without tasting food. He takes the cup, brings it to his lips. A white liquid moves through the hustle inside it. When the liquid runs down her dry throat, she has impulses to moan loudly. He recognizes the liquid as milk, but it was not just any milk, he knew that flavor very well, it was baca milk. Her favorite from when she was little. There was a time when he drank so much milk that the royal roof rack had been without it for a long period of time since then his father had forbidden him the liquid in his meals. It had been years since he tried it but he would never forget its sweet and creamy texture.

As he placed the glass back on the tray, his attention was captured by a small note of paper strategically left in one corner of it. Picking it up, he realized who it belonged to.

Please eat, it's been a long time since you did and I know your body needs energy. I didn't want to wake you up this morning because you looked tired. I hope you slept well, really. I have left you clothes I hope it works for you.

He lifts his head to look at the chair he pointed to in the note, realizing that there was indeed a long white dress on the back.

I had to leave but I will be back at lunchtime. There is a hot tub where you can cool off. If you feel it too hot, please turn the handle to the left to make it colder. You can go out to explore the surroundings but please do not leave the house.

Attention, Jungkook.

I purse my lips, saddened by so much verbiage. I am grateful that he had taken the trouble to find something for her so that she could change, even when I verify the existence of the golden bathtub as well. But he really didn't understand why, after giving him so many freedoms, he will end his note demanding that he not leave home. His house. In fact, she acknowledged that she was a bit stunned by the way she expressed herself. I mean, he's supposed to be the god of war, shouldn't he be colder when he talks? Instead, she looked like a sweet and virginal maiden.

Well, be that as it may, I would not reject the idea of ​​a hot and relaxing bath.

...

From afar, high up in his thick and large cloud, he observed a small quarrel between two peasants. Apparently, one of them had stolen a goat from the other and the affected person demanded its immediate return, which the other refused. I support the elbows and deposit the chin on the back of the hand. I sigh bored. Tired. He really hadn't slept well, although he doesn't regret it. Seeing her sleep had been so much more rewarding than the dream itself. He just couldn't resist. When he least expected it, he found himself admiring the serene expression on her face in the moonlight. So beautiful and innocent. A nostalgic smile went up her corners as she remembered her cute, shrunken pose in sleep.

"You're crazy." A voice in the familiar tone woke him from his reverie. Jungkook observed to the side, bumping into the sun god who looked at him with a knowing look. "You have kidnapped her and to top it all you have taken her to your house."

Jungkook rolled his eyes as he rolled his eyes away from the peasants and got up to stare directly at Taehyung's eyes.

"You're not the best one to give me moral lessons, brother," Jungkook recalled through a sarcastic whisper. Taehyung opened his nostrils allowing himself to be knocked down by his brother's annoying provocations.

"No, that woman has definitely driven you crazy." Tae assumed pinching his fingers on the bridge of his nose. "I just hope what Yun has told me is not true."

"It is," Jungkook agreed, downplaying it.

“What!” Tae yelled madly. His eyes expanded accordingly. Her mouth practically open for not giving credit to Jungkook's nonsense. "Jungkook, reconsider. You can't send everything to hell for a woman you don't know." Jungkook turned his gaze again to the peasants who had started clumsily sticking together. "You really have no fucking idea what it is to be mortal. Of all that aging entails. Living an ephemeral life with an end in hell."

"I don't care," Jungkook replied suddenly redirecting his determined gaze towards Tae. His seriousness was too devastating for Taehyung. Because he knew that he did not say all this on a whim. He said it because he really felt it.

"Jungkook ..."

"I don't care, and do you know why? Because I'd rather live a mortal life with Lina a thousand times than live an eternal life being a prisoner of my own loneliness."

It was the last thing Jungkook said before leaving leaving Tae's mouth open.

...

He ran a hand down his outstretched leg to remove the soap. The hot bath was so relaxing. She held her wavy brown hair in a small makeshift bun at the top of her head. I clean her legs, her breasts, her armpits, her entire body. A relaxed smile welled up on his wet red lips as he rested his neck on the small stand. The cold of the material vibrated at the nape generating a pleasant sensation.

Lost in the depths of her bath, Lina was not aware that her eyes were not the only ones observing her body. Hyulin, the god of burials, wore a hypnotized smile. His initial purpose had been to look for Jungkook to tell him something about some mortals, when he did not find him, he decided to leave there, encountering the wonderful scene of a woman more beautiful than anything else enjoying a quiet bath. When Hyulin saw how her pale legs were rinsed with such sensuality her feet were embedded to the ground. In an instant, his hand slid down her belly and into the confines of her pants. Gimio, noticing how his erect member reacted to the cold touch of his fingers.

Hyulin was so focused on the girl that her ears failed to warn her of the loud slam. Nor, of the figure so extremely annoying that he was approaching in strides.

“What the hell do you think you look at, asshole!” Jungkook roared, ruled by fury. His reddened ears almost as much as his bloodshot pupils. He grabbed Hyulin by the neck, holding him in midair without much effort.

"Nothing ..." Hyulin lied, frightened by the death gaze of the other god. Jungkook did not have to use his naive to find the correct answer, since it was the same language of the man who betrayed him by clumsily stumbling.

“She is my wife, by what right do you dare to look at her with your filthy beggar eyes?” He shouted, letting himself be carried away by her explosive nature about to fatally hatch. His nostrils were widened by his irregular alteration that also shook his chest like a typhoon. The hand clung more and more to his spine, leaving him little by little without the entry of air.

“Jungkook?” A voice as pure as sunlight sounded from behind him. Jungkook closed his eyes tightly at receiving her so scared. His heart broke into pieces when he turned around and saw her there, cowering in her own body as she executed a completely terrified look.

Noticing that the mortal's eyes were lost, specifically the way her fingers closed dominance on Hyulin's neck, Jungkook responded by releasing it as if the god's skin burned, when in reality, it had been fear the girl who had lit a bonfire on his body and caused fear in him.

Hyulin coughed on the ground as he clutched his fingers to the strangled area. Jungkook stood still before his completely fearful expanded eyes. When Jungkook took a step in her direction Lina responded by backing away from them. He reached out a hand in front of his body to demand that he keep his distance.

"Stay away," she said. His temple lip as his hoarse voice created a great atmosphere of tension in Jungkook's chest. He obeyed her, frowning in pain at being rejected with such fear. "I don't want you to hurt me ..."

"I would never hurt you, Lina." He had sounded so sincere, with so much nostalgia that the young woman's heart was for a moment softened. However, a scandalous cough at her feet put her on alert again. Then, he thought. If she had reacted like that with an equal, what kind of atrocities could he do to her?

"You already did when you took me away from my father."

That said, Lina shook her head disappointed. Afterwards, he left there leaving him with a broken heart.

...

Another day dawning in that extravagant bed. Another day that he was still in that place against his will. He managed to realize that unlike on other days there was no tray on the little table as usual. Lina thought that Jungkook had grown tired of her contempt and had punished her by leaving her hungry, she thought, until when she got up she led the way to the large dining room, finding him sitting in front of a white table where there were two sets of silverware.

Jungkook raised his head from the plate when he noticed her presence. Her eyes lit up accordingly. The dress fit her so well. White was his color. The gold of his belt matched so well with the auburn hue of his eyes and his loose wavy hair. Jungkook's corners rose in a lopsided smile. Then, he slowly got up from his seat to drag a chair over and offer it to him. Lina stared at the object from a distance, suspiciously. But despite the doubt, he required something to fill his stomach with so he decided to push his scorn aside at least until he finished feeding.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked. Lina, who until then had kept her mouth shut for focusing on chewing, gave him a hateful look. Her fists closed into fists after receiving her tone, which in her opinion was false, very concerned. I disturb you that you will be so hypocritical. She was so engrossed in searching for the reasons why she despised him that the blindfold kept her free of his sweet smile and his eyes marveled at her presence.

Lina threw the tray to the ground causing Jungkook to jump in the chair. The broken sound of the plate and the glass caused a strong disaster. Without further comment that on the polished magenta carpet had spread a stain for milk.

"Don't pretend you care!" I will not allow you to treat me well when I know that deep down you don't want to!

Jungkook frowned, he was starting to get fed up with her behaving like a spoiled child. He always drew his own conclusions by setting foot on the same mistake over and over again.

"If you didn't mind I wouldn't have kept you with me!"

Lina widened her eyes in shock.

—Import you? You are a god! Your kind only cares about themselves! You're no different from them! ”Their screams only fueled the tension of the environment. Jungkook gripped the ends of the table tightly to calm down. But the vein in his biceps declared just the opposite.

"If I had been like them, the first night, when you undressed on my balcony I would have taken you to bed and fucked you so hard that you had only one dick to obey in your miserable mortal life!" Jungkook sounded gone. It was not he who spoke but the rabid force of his god nature. Lina was speechless at his statements. The cheeks inevitably turned red from hearing such a dirty vocabulary. A low cramp upset her belly causing her to have to squeeze her legs to ease the pain that had unconsciously begun to vibrate in anticipation. Jungkook felt it. Jungkook felt the nervous path of his saliva as he swallowed. The trembling of his body as he formed a mischievous lopsided smile as he took the audacity to run his body up and down without shame. "Is that what you really wanted, that I would have fucked you until you knew who you are?"

"No..."

"No?" Jungkook repeated in the same innocent tone as he took off from the table and approached her slowly as if he were his prey and he was a hungry predator. Lina had her back to the table when Jungkook managed to get in front of her. He was close enough to brush her feet and suffocate her with his breath. As far as not daring to touch her creating a need in her to close the distance that she did not know she had. Jungkook's gaze screamed so many things, despair, desire, love ... the warmth of his eyes was so attractive that Lina was hypnotized. Dominated by the sensuality of her smile that increased over time. Jungkook suddenly laid her palms on the table on either side of her body, leaving her cornered. Lina held her breath when she felt him slowly lean towards her lips. The first reaction he had was to turn to the opposite side causing his bellies to draw a daring smile when colliding with his cheek. Badly assuming that after his rejection Jungkook would give up, he left his weakness unprotected. Then, he felt her cold, wet lip on the shell of his ear. "Then why do you squeeze your legs like a desperate whore who longs to be filled by a cock?"

"Get away." Her sob was stopped when she bit her lower lip. Jungkook froze immediately. I lift my head and look at her seriously. Lina narrowed her eyes helplessly causing a great feeling of guilt to settle in Jungkook's chest. When he felt a heavy gasp at first hand, he stopped leaning on the table and then took a prudent distance.

"Sorry, I don't know what happened to me." It's just that… "he sighed, closing his eyes frustrated." ... you drive me crazy. "

Lina suppressed a gasp again feeling calmer now that Jungkook lay much calmer. Her shoulders fell with her mood. He had ruffled his hair by letting a few stubborn strands cover his forehead. He looked wilder, but also more desperate. At some point, Lina had stopped digging her nails into the table and straightened up to get a little closer and make him see that he was okay. But the anguished look Jungkook sent him was completely paralyzing.

"It's been so long since I felt so attracted to a person that when I've had you so close I just ... I couldn't control myself. I ask a deep and sincere apology."

"It doesn't matter," she said. Lina frowned in embarrassment in order to make him feel a little better by taking iron out of the matter but Jungkook didn't look at her from the moment he decided to turn his eyes to the ground.

"No, it does matter." I scared you, sorry.

"You haven't really scared me, you've surprised me but not scared me."

Jungkook looked at her again confused, now meeting a Lina who desperately avoided his eyes.

“Why should I surprise you, you're a beautiful woman?” He seemed so sure of himself that Lina hesitated for a moment to believe him or not. Finally, when he snorted a sarcastic laugh as brief as he let his most dangerous fear see.

"No, I'm not," she commented in a thread of deep sadness. Jungkook perceived how his light was gradually extinguished by his negative thoughts. The god denied with such fury that Lina looked at him almost instantly.

"You are the most precious woman human existence has created," he said. Jungkook possessed the deepest gaze he had ever seen. He watched her with such delicacy and so much love that she succumbed awkwardly to him. His rosy cheeks furiously took on a scorching hot red upon hearing the compliment of what is probably the most attractive man she has ever seen in her short life. She was so flattered that for a minute she forgot that he was a god and therefore did not have to seek her liking. Jungkook smiled. Not like before. This one had a much closer and more welcoming air. Then, he felt so good around him that he had to tell her the promises of his broken heart. "I had always heard that the expression of beauty is inside but I never knew how to understand it until I saw you for the first time in that lost pond. Your smile radiated so much light that it suddenly ignited my dull heart. You looked so pretty, so innocent When I least wanted to realize going to see you had become my favorite activity. A single smile from you and my day was improving infinitely. That is why, that afternoon when I saw you cry I went mad with fury, I wanted to know that I did so much to you damage so I can destroy it so that I would never do it again. I admit that I let myself be carried away by the situation and that the one who ended up paying for my fury was your father. But I will never apologize for falling in love with you. Because that fact is from The only thing I know I will never regret. "

“You were watching me?” Lina repeated, lost in receiving so much information at once. He was trying to hold each word tight. Every gesture after opening his heart without fear. A small smile formed on his lips. Far from feeling harassed, a feeling similar to sweetness began to develop in her chest. Knowing that the man had been watching her for a while made her a little nervous but at the same time inexplicably more secure. Finding out the real reasons behind his enormous anger had made the prospect of the god walk in another direction. After all, he had done everything to protect her, despite the fact that, as he says, he did not use the best ways.

"If you gave me a chance you would make me the happiest man on the face of the earth." He confessed lost in valleys of unbridled emotion. Lina raised her eyebrows hesitantly as she was upset with her heartbeat. "Would you give me that privilege?"

...

The brightness of the sun welcomed a new day in their eyes when they opened. He stretched lazily on the sheets growling as the muscles began to move. Jungkook was not at home. He thought about it when he straightened up and didn't see him in the room. The sofa where he slept every night seemed to be intact perfectly ordered with the cushions in place. I just confirmed it when in a quick look around the house I found it completely empty except for him.

She sighed disappointed. Today was a month since he had gone to live there. Not meeting him was becoming an increasingly unpleasant routine. But he understood perfectly. Every night, they talked a little about how the day had gone. She told him about the new things she discovered around the house, such as the large fountain that was in one of the lost gardens on the right wing. And he, about how annoying mortals were getting lately and what it meant to receive more work than unusual. He felt bad for Jungkook until he remembered that he was a god and that it was supposed to be his job.

The only bad thing about not having time to rest was that he left very early and returned late at night. Lina was starting to get bored of walking corridors she had already discovered on her old farms. An idea came to her mind when she turned a corner and managed to be stunned by the great intensity of light coming from a window. The eyes were drawn to the beauty before him. A great green meadow full of flowers so vast that not even the end could be seen. This is how she found herself walking out the door after several weeks of being confined. I take a deep breath, feeling his lungs thank him. When her sandal finally touched the stone grid at the entrance, she was tempted to return.

"You can go out and explore the surroundings but please don't leave the house."

She felt bad remembering that she was disobeying Jungkook's orders but then the sun blinded her again for a few moments forcing her to cover her eyes with her forearm. As if fate were tempting her, as she returned her gaze to the meadow, she seemed to feel much more alive. Jungkook does not have to find out that I have gone out to tour the place a little. She thought innocently.

For each step that took more grace was left of the vegetation in the garden. Her mouth had been open for a long time, caring little that a bug would hang in her. I have never seen such a beautiful place, not even your beloved pond could be compared to such a beautiful place. Tall trees with large fruits in their tops. The leaves of the flowers seemed to greet me, shaking each time I passed. It wasn't until she managed to spotlight a large herd of blue flowers that she started running with the enthusiasm of a little girl. His laughter infected the environment. I swear to see the trees get greener.

Gimio adoring the flowers with a loving smile. I bow my head to soak up all the detail of the curious flowers. She frowned when she was lost. He had never seen that species, not even, in the flower book that Nana had given him on his sixth birthday.

"I see you like my bullet petunias." A gentle voice broke in behind her making her turn with a start. A woman dressed in a robe full of flowers was greeted with a loving smile. She had an aura so calm and serene that Lina reciprocated without thinking.

"They're beautiful, I've never seen them before," she confessed. Drawing the goddess's gaze to the bluish petals.

"That's because they only exist here. It was a gift from my sister Demeter when I married Zeus. A unique flower that only grew in my garden."

"It is certainly an unforgettable detail," Lina said. She felt a little nervous at recognizing the woman's identity but her aura kept her in an overly pleasant state of calm. Hera nodded in complete agreement. He took a couple of steps and stood next to the girl.

"I'm glad you finally spoke." Hera's comment made Lina take her eyes off the flowers and direct her towards the goddess. "You know, I don't like to see my sad son."

"Neither do I ..." Lina whispered, thinking aloud not realizing that Hera had heard her wish until she heard the goddess's mischievous laugh. Lina widened her eyes in surprise at his loose tongue. Flames began to form from his cheeks in the form of an intense blush. It was the first time that he had accepted her liking towards Jungkook out loud, and to top it off, he had just confessed it in front of Hera, and much more embarrassing his mother.

"I already knew that. Actually, it wasn't too far-fetched to think about it knowing that Jungkook had you withdrawn at home doing god knows what." - Hera said. Her insight was accompanied by a small mocking laugh as she noticed the heat on her face increase.

"I'm a virgin, ma'am. I swear to you that Jungkook and I don't ..."

"Don't tell me, ma'am," she scolded. His loving cry almost left her in the place of fright. "I know that you are a virgin, your aura is still white. But apparently your mind is not so much, I deduce ..."

The poor girl definitely couldn't be redder. She had become so nervous that the neural connections in her small, groggy head had stopped working. The atmosphere followed a gentle course of silence until strong footsteps caught the attention of the goddess and Lina.

"Iris, my dear, any problem?" Hera asked. His serene countenance had strained because of the newly arrived woman. Lina stared curiously at his aggressive beauty feeling a little envious of the curve of her hips.

"No, mother," she clarified. But something she was saying to Lina that was not entirely sincere. More, when his grim-black eyes began to run through her with blatant contempt. "I just wanted to meet the mortal who has driven the god of war mad."

"Iris, you better be going I don't think Jungkook likes very much knowing that you are close to Lina" Hera said. Her advice rang out with a warning behind, leaving Eride a little surprised. However, he smirked at the goddess before turning to Lina with a bored look assuming it wasn't worth it. After a forced nod, the goddess returned to the path in which she had arrived. Lina had at some point raised her neck realizing that she was upset and somehow, returning the same contempt that she had given her. Hera's joke back to reality. "She's always looking for war. I'm sorry you had to meet her."

"It doesn't matter, Hera. Truth is, she's not the first goddess to look at me like I'm little less than a grain for being mortal," Lina recalled wistfully. He still couldn't shake the tension that Athena refuted from his mind.

"Oh Lina. My sweet and innocent girl. That daughter of mine is not upset because you are a mortal." Hera said. Lina frowned when the goddess touched her chin showing skepticism, "Well, in part yes, honey. But what really bothers her is that Jungkook has chosen you and not her."

"Are you saying that as if she ..."

"Yes, Lina." She's jealous, "Hera confirmed in a weary sigh as if irritated by her daughter's strong character." Maybe she isn't the best to tell you this but I think you should know. "

"Please tell me." Lina asked curious to know more.

"Jungkook has not been a very chaste god in these centuries. Really, I don't think there is a goddess on Olympus who has not passed through his bed, except for me of course. However, Eride has a great obsession with Jungkook rather insane. She believes that he is her soul mate but, darling, I am the goddess of the family and believe me when I tell you that my daughter will never find her if she doesn't change her attitude. "

“Soulmate?” Lina asked, lost in so much information. Hera nodded seriously.

"You see, honey. The gods have many lovers, infinite sexual relations and many, many relations. However, we only truly fell in love once."

"Is that the soul mate?" True love? ”Lina asked, confused by the diverse laws of the gods. I had heard the myth of the soul mate in the mortal world before thinking it was just that, a tale to help children sleep. Which sums up his surprised reaction when he realizes the truth of the matter. Just a moment. She thinks, "Why would she be jealous of me? I am not Jungkook's soulmate."

"Honey, you'd be surprised to know how curious the soul mate world is."

...

She kept her eyes open concerned about Jungkook's strange lateness. He had his palms together holding his head so that it did not touch the pillow, after a while in the same position he had begun to heat up his cheek too much. In a quick glance at the hourglass, he realizes what time it is. Worries again, Jungkook usually didn't take that long. Lina purses her lips in an embarrassed pout. By zeus, he was really concerned about a god. Whose most remarkable characteristics are its immortality and strength. Nothing can happen to him because he's a fucking god. Quickly remembered.

A noise at the front door makes her suddenly nervous. When she sees her great figure come fully into the room from the mirror in front of the balcony, she closes her eyes like a little girl who fears being caught in her fachoria. He doesn't know why he does it, he just acts. He settles into bed to resemble a deep sleep state for when he comes close to kissing her forehead. However, nothing happens. Wait and wait but nothing happens.

Open one eye to find the situation but just see Jungkook's serious face. Then, she falls like a fool into her own doubt. He is upset, it shows from the tension that covers his shoulders under his armor. Leave the sword resting on a piece of furniture while you go to the bathtub. He feels an emptiness in his heart when he passes by without kissing his forehead. That, although it seems a gesture as simple as nothing, he had become accustomed to the warm sensation that his lips leave when he deposits a sweet kiss on his forehead every night. Something disturbed his mind. He seemed uneasy as he sat on the edge of the bathtub. I stretch a finger to touch check the water temperature. He sighed and got up again. I intended to say something but the words stuck in my throat when the top of his armor fell to the ground. The muscles of his strained back greeted me with open arms. His thick and strong arms for the first time in my sight. It was an image worthy of being engraved on a painting so that it will last for eternity. He had never had the privilege of seeing a half-naked man but despite his inexperience, he knew, the moment Jungkook turned and his abs reflected against the artificial light of the candles, that no man could match him even in the most remote dream . His jaw fell prey to such attributes, falling by itself. Underneath the sheets her legs were squeezed tight to ease the tickling that had begun to accumulate at her bottom. It was so illusory to think that just showing off her tanned skin would leave her so affected. Jungkook placed the helmet on top of a piece of furniture. Then, she brought her hands to her hips to proceed to lower her military skirt. Lina caught her bottom lip before closing her eyes tight. Deep down he knew it was wrong to spy on him that way. He knew it wasn't, but when the bath water shook from the weight of a body on top, his eyes widened anxiously again. His legs rubbed with need at the scene of a Jungkook moaning as he dropped his head, exposing his wet neck. Her Adam's apple was so attractive and thick. His breathing increased in such a way that he had to cover a moan, sinking his mouth into the pillow.

Jungkook, who until then had been absent, snapped his head up toward the bed. His eyes narrowed to improve eyesight in the dark. Silence flooded the room again. Jungkook reached out to brush the hair off his face and then refocused on his deep relaxation again.

He did not know how long he had been lost in the bathtub but he would swear that it could be perfectly confused with eternity. Now, dressed in white silk pants, he started on his way to the black sofa. He would like to say that the bath had improved his mood, but that would be lying. Things on earth were getting more difficult. A great war was coming just as Hoseok had said a couple of weeks ago. He kept receiving offerings. His head was full of prayers and future pledges of loyalty. Mortals always got heavy when they wanted the favors of the god of war because if you enjoyed the honor that his blessing granted you there would be no defeat on the horizon.

“Have you arrived later than usual today?” A terribly sweet voice sounded behind him causing the god to immediately stop arranging the pillows. Jungkook's shoulders strained from receiving so much tenderness after being subjected to violence and bitterness all day. Without a doubt, a contrast that improved any relaxing bath.

"Yes," Jungkook clarified, clearing his throat to clear his hoarse tone. "I've received many offerings lately."

"Is that bad?" Her curiosity marked by intrigue lovingly punished the ears of the god. Lina had decided to sit on the bed with the help of her arm to support herself. He kept the sheets glued to his chest as his open eyes sent worried glances at Jungkook's back.

"Yes, when they are excessive. That means that you are going to see a battle where many people are going to die," he assumed with too frightening sincerity. Jungkook continued with his task of tidying up the sofa. Lina for her part, had let out a gasp surprised by the comfort in her body. Jungkook didn't look affected, what's more, he seemed to hate talking about it.

"Today I have met Hera," she said. The fear was palpable in his gaze because he knew what his reaction would be. His head had started working to try to change the subject and that was the first one that came to mind. Of course Jungkook gave up everything he was doing in that instant. A pillow slid down her fingers until she fell to the floor. Then he turned to her with a disgusted look.

"I told you not to leave the house," he chided. Lina averted her eyes too intimidated by his strong scolding. Jungkook, desperate for an answer, strode to the bed, standing a few inches from the foot of the bed.

"I'm fine," she growled complaining like a girl who didn't like receiving punishment when she hadn't actually done anything wrong. Jungkook laughed sarcastic, exhaling pure irony from his mouth. Then, he grabbed a strand of her hair tightly and ruffled it in frustration as his eyes swept over her body.

"I see." He replied coldly. There was no life in his words but a rather dark emptiness. "But tell me, is there something else you have done that has prohibited you? I don't know, let me think. Have you met another goddess? Or no, much better Have you met another god? Have you let him touch you? Have you allowed other hands to touch you? Tell me who he is so I can ... "

“Jungkook!” Lina yelled hurt at all those meaningless assumptions. Humiliation blossomed within his chest as his gaze hardened to the point that he no longer had chestnut irises but empty, red sockets in the place of his eyes. His shriek seemed to bring his feet back to earth because his dark gaze immediately turned into a loss.

"Go to sleep ..." said Jungkook. His eyes lost in the infinity of his feet. Lina noticed how her shoulders dropped level when perceiving so much sadness in her puckered face. He opened his mouth to say something but Jungkook insisted again. "Just ... Go to sleep, Lina."

"Jungkook." She called out to him with sighs bathed in sadness. But he kept his head down on his way to the sofa. Lina tilted her head slightly when she saw him sit and moan uncomfortably. It felt so selfish to enjoy such a comfortable place knowing it was someone else's. Jungkook ended up lying down, then covered himself with a magenta blanket. Her back was still tense, not knowing if it was because of the uncomfortable furniture or because of her recent discussion. "Are you going to sleep there?"

"Where can I sleep if I don't?" Jungkook replied with a wry mockery. He removed his body to face himself. His hand causally held her head. Then he raised an eyebrow intrigued by her sudden interest.

"You can sleep here if you want," she suggested quite shyly.

It had sounded so low that for a moment she thought Jungkook hadn't heard her, but she pushed that thought from her mind when a small smile tightened at her sweet corners.

"Do you want me to sleep with you?" Jungkook asked with significantly improved humor. She licked her lips, leaving them moist and quite juicy in Lina's sight. Who could not help but warm his cheeks under his watchful eye.

"After all, it's yours. I'm just the girl who has selfishly occupied your bed ..."

"You haven't answered me, Lina." Jungkook said, lowering his voice to a tone a little lower than normal. Lina gulped nervously when she was startled by panic and her damn lopsided smile. "Do you want me in your bed?"

Knowing that his words might be misinterpreted, he decided to slowly nod. But Jungkook complained unsatisfied.

"Say it with your words, baby," I scold fondly as I wrinkled my nose. Her face threatened to explode with embarrassment. And yet, he couldn't recall a single moment when he could have felt so hot. The nickname had been spoken with a dangerous touch despite the honey in his voice.

"Yes, I want Jungkook ...

...

She squeezed her eyes shut as the sunlight completely consumed her sleep. She tried to move to stretch her stiff muscles but a large hand gripped her waist holding her still. Then, she was aware of the large hot mass just behind her. The large sculptural chest that clung to his back as if it were his second skin. And the hot breath that fell on her ear, making her feel so relaxing. Her stomach was suffocated by the focus of heat emitted by her hand placed on the area of ​​her belly, becoming an overly overwhelming hug. I reiterate in his attempt to free himself causing Jungkook to tighten his grip. I listen like a sleepy moan still wrapped in the deep worlds of sleep. Jungkook growled in his hair, burying his head in the hollow of his neck. Lina threw her ass back to knock him off hitting a fairly long frame. He opened his eyes when he realized he had just ground against his huge cock. Jungkook dipped a growl deep into his neck, firmly grasping his hand on his belly to keep it from bothering him further.

She timidly moved her arm to nudge him but froze when she felt Jungkook's hand slide slowly down, down, specifically in the area of ​​the junction between her thighs. With so much movement the dress had risen in such a way that it had ended up accumulating around her waist leaving the way free for her to pass the palm of the curve of her hip. The young woman suppressed a gasp when Jungkook touched the skin of her belly with the tips of his fingers to finish placing the open palm above her navel.

"Jungkook ..." she called between pleas, using a thread of voice to get his attention. Jungkook's chest swelled accordingly, imprisoning her further. Innocently, he had thought that it had all been part of a dream-dominated maneuver. But when she felt the edge of Jungkook's smile, she wasn't too attached to that theory.

"Shh ..." Silence over his ear. Her body rose against his to close the distance. Lina gasped at the so relaxing sensation that her suggestive caresses marked. She even ignored for a moment her viral need to breathe when she felt the tips of her fingers caress the waistband of her panties.

“Mail from the gods!” They shouted from the balcony, throwing a package of immense dimensions. The roar of crashing to the ground woke her brutally from her reverie. Jungkook cursed under his breath as he got out of bed. Lina suddenly felt helpless roaring a need for his body heat. With flushed cheeks I stick my knees to his chest and grab the sheets covering half of his face. All this while still observing Jungkook. He looked almost like a divine apparition looking so handsome just awakened when she had tousled hair and a puffy face. He had not been able to notice their semi-nakedness wearing only white cloth pants. His torso seemed much more spectacular now that he could appreciate it in the sunlight. His arms were stretched as he grabbed a book with the old cover reflecting its greatness with a pair of dilated veins in the area of ​​his forearm.

"Fucking shit," he roared as his eyes read something hastily. He did not take his eyes off the book, rereading the content in case it had been a mistake caused by fatigue. But when he reread the sentence, he ended up sending his hopes to hell for what was left of the day.

"What is it?" Lina asked. Too intrigued to remain silent. Jungkook looked at her quickly with an irritated sigh.

"The Offering Request Book." Jungkook replied quite annoyed. He hated that book with all his soul. He could perfectly spend the whole day reading the stupid wishes of mortals and he would still have hours to go from the first page. Could it be that they had gone crazy, or what? Jungkook thought pissed off. Overcome by anger, he closed the book abruptly, then tossed it on one of the tables. Then he sat wearily at the foot of the bed, his resigned gaze embedded in the book.

"Today is Sunday, don't you have a single day off?" Lina asked, quite indignant with the fact. Jungkook watched out of the corner of his eye as his lips pouted, tempting him to pinch his cheeks for teasing him so sweetly.

"Desire has no day on the calendar, Lina." Jungkook said, showing a little more reason to fulfill his obligations. The bed creaked beside him as Lina moved behind him with her knees resting on the mattress.

"But you've been away all week, I've hardly seen you." Can't you save it for another day? ”She suggested. Jungkook's ears snapped back, turning back to meet his desperate gaze.

“Are you asking me to put my obligations aside because you want to spend the day with me?” Jungkook asked incredulously. He was tempted to bite his tongue to see if he was still dreaming. Lina's cheeks turned deep red when she managed to realize what she has just proposed without being aware.

"I would perfectly understand that it is your duty ..."

"What?" Jungkook breathed, surprised by his sadness. "If being with you is the only thing I want right now," he snorted, feeling much lighter at once. "Trust me when I tell you that I would send everything to hell for spending a single day with you. Just tell me where you want to go and we will run if necessary.

"Well ..." she cleared her throat embarrassed by her contagious enthusiasm. "When I was a child my father always took me to a small theater in the town square," she confessed through a nostalgic smile.

"I'd love to go," Jungkook replied simulating the same smile. Lina nodded in agreement with her raw cheeks.

Tasting the sunlight directly after being locked up for several days had undoubtedly made her feel like pearls. Just like the first time he took a deep breath to fill his lungs with the rich oxygen. Lina was waiting for Jungkook in front of the doors while the god entrusted one of her brothers with her tasks, she thinks she heard that his name was Taehyung. Despite being in constant contact all day with one, one could not get used to the environment charged with gods. Taehyung radiated so much light that he knew in that instant that he was Apollo the Sun god. He managed to realize that this light not only came could be reflected from outside, but also came from within. He had been very kind and compassionate as he gave me a small bow in greeting imposing how little he cared about the difference in lineage.

"I think we can go now," Jungkook announced making an appearance. Lina stopped looking at the vast meadows of Hera's garden to turn to the god. Immediately, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Jungkook, you can't go like this," she said with slow laughter. His hand sweetly covered her mouth while inside her palm she bit a tempted lip. Jungkook, for his part, frowned as he visually reviewed his characteristic armor.

"It is my favorite armor," Jungkook said, plunged into a world of confusion.

"It is already very pretty. But, how do you think mortals will react if they see the god of War walking through his plaza so belligerent?"

"Oh," he groaned realizing that the girl was absolutely right. Too much chaos would undoubtedly ensue that would draw the attention of any god, including his father, which he did not want at the moment. Lina slightly increased her laugh as she saw Jungkook's wide eyes. From one moment to the next, the god snapped his fingers in a cloud of dust that covered him, then, when it completely dissipated, Lina slowly raised her eyebrows after seeing the outfit she was now wearing. It was nothing more than a white tunic of too fine origin but his wide arms managed to pronounce themselves by the sides and his chest was marked divinely. His tongue almost fell out of his mouth, forcing himself to calm down to avoid such embarrassment. "Is this going well?"

"Perfectly," she says, accompanied by a stutter and a rather uneasy nod. Jungkook smiles pleased at having made such an impression on her. Then he covers his arm around the girl's small waist to force her to walk towards a makeshift cloud at the end of the trail. In the course of the trip, he manages to discern the black figure of a woman leaning against an oak tree who observes them evilly from afar. Lina narrows her eyes to increase her visual acuity, so her neck is firmly raised with warning when she recognizes the goddess who was watching them as if she wanted to attack them. I briefly look at Jungkook who, absent from everything, had not blurred his smile. He didn't know what went through his head at that moment when in a movement he decided to wrap his anatomy around one of Jungkook's arms. The god was more than receptive giving his waist a squeeze sticking their bodies more. Consequently, Eris breathed pure fire through her mouth while digging her nails wildly into the apple she had been eating until then. He cursed pure oaths full of vengeance towards Lina but she completely ignored the goddess focusing only on the so relaxing heat radiating from Jungkook's body. He knew that they were nothing more than empty words invoked by his poison that he did not want to ingest.

Soon after, they ascended to the cloud of the god and descended gracefully to the earth. Specifically, behind some hidden bushes just next to the entrance of the town.

Lina could not describe the feeling that began to settle in her chest when, as she entered the town, feminine glances began to run through Jungkook's body with too much suggestion. Those women were completely attracted to the mortal-looking god, unable to take their eyes off such wonderful human sculpture. There was everything. From women well into maturity to young girls who were no more than sixteen. Jungkook felt the tension reflected in the shape of his grip with which he decided to give her a small intrigued look, Lina slowly denied so Jungkook decided to continue with the journey without insisting again.

Upon reaching the small square, nostalgia began to approach her, seeing a much smaller image of her running around enthusiastically while patiently waiting for the show to begin. The atmosphere had not changed much since the last time he had the privilege of attending, the laughter of the children remained just as vivid since then.

A beep made by a man with a kind of trumpet sounded giving the announcement that the function was about to open.

“Run, you have to get a good place!” Lina shouted excitedly as she tugged on Jungkook's arm. The god let him drag him to a free spot on the gravel floor. Sitting down, Lina clenched her fists, bit her lip, and trembled all over her body, transmitting too much despair and joy. Jungkook swept his body with a funny smile.

"Oh, welcome, my beloved gods!" Come! Sit down! ”A man with a rather comical look suddenly stepped onto the stage. Jungkook wrinkled his nose when he recognized the outfit so poorly made that he wore symbolizing Zeus. He carried a beam of cardboard stuck to the armor of the same material. Next, an elderly, old woman appeared just behind him, wearing a rather worn white robe. It was obvious that it was a satire for how the man's belly protruded through the armor and how the woman seemed not to know how to walk but Jungkook had tensed. Seeing her parents being portrayed so poorly had struck a chord with her.

"It is a play, Jungkook, they are not mocking, they just want to make the children laugh," she murmured near his ear to reassure him. Jungkook's shoulders dropped, relaxing as he understood the situation. It was true, because the children's laughs did not stop ringing. I bend his knee to support the forearm and thus manage to settle until the function will last.

A thin man could not but entered with great airs of the stage. Jungkook raised an eyebrow in amusement as he recognized the symbol on the artificial armor.

"Oh, Brother Poseidon, what a pleasant surprise!"

"How nice or eight quarters I come to complain about your daughter's scoundrel!"

Suddenly a woman the height of a pea entered the scene.

"Don't listen to this face stud asparagus just wants to confuse you!" The woman shouted, waving her arms exaggeratedly. The children's laughter exploded accordingly. Lina also let herself go, even Jungkook had to suppress a laugh. The show progressed without any problem now that Jungkook had been able to let go and be shaken by the barbarities of the actors. The main theme was the fight that took place between his uncle Poseidon and his sister Athena to achieve the sovereignty of Athens. Although they did not follow to the letter what really happened.

A skeleton man but in sight was that not with many lights he entered the stage with airs of greatness leaving the false gods speechless. Jungkook raised his eyebrows surprised to see himself represented so well compared to the other gods. Of course, he changed his mind when the man opened his mouth.

"I want blood!" The false god shouted with euphoria. The children stood up with their voices and began to scream supporting him in his fight. Lina started to panic when she caught a glance at Jungkook's jaw clenching furiously.

"But what does this fool say about the boat?" Asked the false Athena, slapping her forehead with her hand. The children stopped screaming to fall dead with laughter. Everything seemed to be going well until the false-quality feather of the fake Ares began to burn without explanation. Lina managed to realize what was truly happening when she watched as Jungkook focused his bloodshot eyes on the poor mortal.

Stunned by the dire consequences that could ensue if this continued to manifest itself, she grabbed Jungkook's hand and pulled him off the stage as quickly as she could. They ended up in a lonely alley behind the market.

"You can't use your powers here, Jungkook!" You almost burned that poor actor alive! ”I cry desperately so that he will understand the consequences of his actions. Jungkook was still clenching his jaw with his fists clenched dead in anger.

"I am not like that! I do not enjoy blood in battle! I am also in charge of judging the stupid mortals who die in war! Shit I don't just dedicate myself to violence! I cannot understand how ... "

"I know," I whisper directly to his face. His breath gently caressed her mouth as the girl's delicate hands caught her cheeks. Jungkook came down from the sky and rose at that precise moment. "I know that you are not like this. That you only fulfill your duties as a god. But you must understand that this is not Olympus and you cannot use your powers like this against mortals because it is not fair . "

"You are too good for me ..." Jungkook seduced, capturing a deeply attractive look in her eyes. He tilted a complacent smile as he felt the trembling of his hands as he placed his larger ones on top. After a flattering sigh, Jungkook began to lean his face towards hers, not taking his eyes off her pink lips. Lina had closed her eyes and brought her face closer, feeling the touch of her lips in a chill. He would have been carried away. He would have let himself be killed ...

But a loud roar confused with a malevolent laugh completely distracted them from their reverie.

“Is that the reason you refused to marry me?” A thick, rather familiar voice made Lina tense as she looked up in fear at Jungkook. Not by Jorge, of course, but by the vein that had begun to be marked on the neck of the god. When Jungkook peels off the wall to face the fat man behind him, Lina pales. Jungkook is immediately stopped by a small hand on his forearm.

"Don't fall for her game, let's go ..." She held back an anguished gasp. He was aware that Jungkook was glancing at him. "... please."

"Yes, bitch, go! Just how did you run away not to do your duty!"

A dismembered growl shot out from Jungkook's chest as he turned to grab the man's neck to stamp it on the wall to his right.

"How dare you speak to him that way? Not a hundred like you together would be worth enough to be worth it."

Her nostrils were forcibly dilated in order to maintain the stability of her irregular breathing. It hadn't cost her anything to carry the man's heavy weight, which surprised Lina with overwhelming horror. He realized in that instant that if Jungkook wanted he could reduce it to nothing with just a little squeeze.

"Jungkook, let it go," she asked in a persuasive tone. But Jungkook did not take his eyes from bloody eyes in the half-closed of his enemy. I'd make him eat his words so I had to tear his tongue out and sew it up again. Lina, her mind blank, wrapped one of her biceps urgently. So long and hard under his touch that he almost gasped in admiration. Hector's lifeless moan brought her back to the situation. "Prove to me that you are not what everyone thinks you are. Forgive your life and I will know that you are not as evil as others paint."

Jungkook's eyebrows slowly relaxed to stack in a straight line after uncrossing his frown. I lower my neck and watch her. The hopeful light that shone within her pupils said two things: that she believed in him and that she appreciated him. Perhaps that was the reason why he decided to release Hector. Maybe that was the reason why he stopped in front of Lina to smile at her with love.

“Don't you believe all those things about me?” Jungkook asked in a desperate but much calmer tone now that he was not under the control of anger. Lina mimicked her smile and slowly shook her head. Jungkook did not need words, since, with that gesture, he had no doubt that he was telling the truth. Feeling the luckiest in the world, he put aside the hasty sound of moans from shortness of breath. He could only notice her and no one but her. Her heart was pounding fiercely at the recent confession, which confirmed her suspicions that he hadn't lied.

“What kind of devil are you?” A hoarse voice cut through the space between them to run over Jungkook's ear. The god looked down at the human spoil that was dying on the ground for a little air. The shadow on his chin grew, giving him a much more terrifying appearance.

"Go away, Héctor, and don't come back here," Lina said abruptly to prevent the dispute from rising again from its ashes. The man scrambled to his feet and regarded her with contempt.

"If you think this is going to stay here ...

“Go away before I regret having spared your pathetic and shitty life!” His scream was with such a long impact that Hectos's hair stirred. The man opened his eyes in fright, turning around to run down the alley. I would have let him go unpunished. It was his intention. But two seconds after his departure Jungkook managed to hear a curse to the gods adding to the annoyance they had caused the god to use his powers on a human for the first time in centuries. I raise my hand and snap my fingers instantly making a fine rat tail appear on its huge behind. Lina widened her eyes in surprise but the laugh she exhaled was so strong that she completely forgot about the bad gesture she had just made.

"Who did what?" Commented the goddess Hera, laughing with emotion. Lina continued to rake the dirt as he accompanied her in feeling. She left her work for a second to wipe her hands of dirt on the dress.

"As you hear it, Hera." Very big and curly.

"God, my son, what ideas does my son have?" The goddess, too tempted, left her strawberry pick to sit on a white stone bench and rest a bit and improve her posture to keep laughing. After a few seconds of silence flooded by the sound of the birds singing, the goddess watched as Lina rummaged in the ground to plant a seed that would give a strawberry plant in days. Lina, noticing Hera's strange muteness, turned her head to blush just later. "I gather that your relationship is getting better and better."

"I am not going to deny that in these months I have managed to get affection for him, but Hera I still see in Jungkook the person who distanced me from my loved ones," she commented under her breath in a tone infused with anguish and nostalgia. It had been quite a few months since his arrival at Olympus and therefore for quite a few months that he had not heard from his father or nanny. He did not know how his command in the kingdom was going if he had had a problem or if he continued to maintain the diet that he said was absurd but kept his old heart away from suffering some malignant disease.

"I understand ..." whispered the thoughtful goddess. "You miss the life you led before." But what about the life you lead now you don't like? "

"I don't know," she confessed, quite confused. She did not live badly, that is, Jungkook treated her with affection and respect, always trying to provide her with everything she wanted but the material world perishes without an emotional world to bond with. Lina at this time had developed a very strong feeling for Jungkook but did not know if it was negative or positive.

After spending the entire afternoon helping Hera in her garden, she told him to take a few strawberries for dinner. Lina accepted the delighted offer and much more after being informed that by chance that was Jungkook's favorite fruit. The god had been taking her to incredible places that she never dreamed of knowing. Now it was his turn to return the favor a little.

I place the cutlery in line with the cups and napkins. He had prepared a fruit cocktail that far from bluffing had come out with a spectacular pint. Lina sat in her usual seat while waiting for the clock to strike nine at night. Time the god had promised to arrive that night. And he did not lie. After the ding-dong of the clock the doors were opened with a heavenly air giving way to Jungkook who smiled in surprise when he ran into the table so well decorated.

“And this?” Jungkook asked, lost in the planned details of the table. Of course, his eyes stopped glad when he saw the fruit bowl, more specifically the strawberries crowned on top.

"I still haven't thanked you for taking me to the Alps," she said, clasping her hands in her lap to squeeze them nervously. Jungkook frowned in amusement and then shook his head in denial.

"I did not do it to reward me. However, I must say that I will not reject this wonder. My God, they are my mother's strawberries!" Jungkook shouted excitedly at last recognizing the smell of the red frit. Lina laughed, tempted by her childlike behavior.

Soon after they began to have dinner. The dishes did not take long to be emptied by the excruciating hunger that both possessed. However, that brief period gave them enough time to have a little chat. After finishing a session of laughter for a Jungkook joke about his wet uncle's hair. I snap my fingers, suddenly bringing up a floating orchestra that soon begins to play classical music. Lina raised her eyebrows tempted as Jungkook rose from his chair and offered her hand to invite her to dance.

She didn't know how long they had been holding each other but since the first chorus of the first song Lina had let herself go, resting her cheek on her chest. Jungkook's hands spread apart, one squeezing her waist to attract her and the other holding her hand firmly. Jungkook breathed in his hair, the sweet smell of honey led him to a kind of trance from which he did not want to leave. He squeezed her tighter, he needed to feel her small body melt into his. Lina formed a nice little smile as the warmth of her body hugged her tighter. After finishing the song, an invisible force seduced her to come out of her hiding place and she will raise her head towards Jungkook. The god leaned his neck to brush against their noses making the girl close her eyes. It was all so wonderful. When Lina's eyes opened again, she met Jungkook's dark eyes that desperately clamored for his attention. From the first time in a long time it felt like I was in the right place. There, in Jungkook's arms seeing how he leaned more and more towards his lips. When they were brushed, he pointed out that they were kissed for the first time, a rather familiar melody that made Lina come out of the trance and watch the lost floating instruments.

“What's wrong?” Jungkook asked worried about the tension that began to build up in the shoulders of the girl who had not taken her eyes off the instruments.

"That song ..." she began to speak but was forced to stop by the saliva accumulated in her throat that forced her to swallow. "That song was played by my father to calm me down when I was little."

Jungkook widened his eyes aware of the serious mistake he had made. Feeling guilty for being responsible for stealing his joy.

"Sorry, Lina, let me remove it."

"No!" She cried desperately. Jungkook let his heavily suspended arm drop. "Please don't take it off ... That song reminds me of him."

The atmosphere of love vanished as Lina walked to the table with her back to Jungkook. The god watched from a distance as she reached out to touch a half-empty glass.

"You miss him, don't you?"

"Yes," he agreed. Then he turned and gave her a sad grimace with his lips. Jungkook was lost in the marble floor when his discomfort led him to the darkness of the depths of his mind.

"What if I told you that you can see him again as many times as you want?"

Lina raised her head excitedly.

“Is that possible?” She asked with all the innocence in the world. Jungkook nodded with a bright smile. "Then she would be the happiest woman in the world."

To say that suffering the state of happiness was not pleasant would be telling lies. The next day, Jungkook had arranged a cloud to bring him down to the mainland, more specifically towards my father's castle. In the course of the trip he had not been able to stop admiring the wheat fields that decorated the surroundings. He smiled as he remembered how many times he had lost himself in that tall grass. As expected, people reacted with surprise when he saw her come down from that spongy structure. Soon after, he found his father sitting in the throne room.

Lina intended to get closer but stopped abruptly when I catch the heavy air from the atmosphere. His father was sad, he noticed it in the decline of his shoulders and how his smile had completely disappeared to exchange it for a weak grimace.

"Hello, Dad." His voice hit the old king's ears as if it were an apparition. Instantly I lift my head like a new spring. Her hands hugged her mouth in excitement when she saw the figure of her daughter at the doors.

“Lina?” Asked the old man lost in emotion. When the girl nodded in a smile, the man knew that it was not a mirage, the fruit of sleepless nights. It was real. His daughter. Her little girl was there. The king came down from the throne to run towards his daughter and thus melt into a hug so needed for the months without seeing each other. "My sweet girl ... I've missed you so much."

"And I, Daddy," I cry helplessly, hiding my face in his father's chest. The man began to gently caress her head to make sure, again, that the presence of his daughter was not the result of his imagination. Then I grab Lina by the shoulders so I can see her better.

“Has he set you free?” Asked the old man, yearning for hope. Lina smiled, exchanging it for a serious grimace. When he shook his head, his father's joy disappeared from the window. Feeling her daughter's tears run down her rosy cheeks, she raised her fingers to remove them. "I would give my life to exchange with you, my child."

"Don't suffer, dad." The girl wrapped her hands around her father's wrists to reassure him, "He treats me very well. What's more, he let me see you."

But the foolish king ends up turning his back on his daughter. The deepest part of him could not bear to hear how happy she sounded when she said that this selfish god made her happier than he, his own father.

"That right shouldn't be done as a favor." He roared against the god. Lina furrowed her eyebrows in embarrassment. Her heart had turned black and her jovial voice had been transformed into a much rougher, more threatening one. Lina raised a hand to touch her father's shoulder, however, some doors were thrown open and a soldier looking quite distressed entered them.

"My king the red soldiers ... Princess Lina."

Lina reacted with a nod. However, even though the soldier's posture had calmed down a bit in his presence when his eyes went back to the king they tensed again.

“Daddy, is something wrong?” She asked, quite concerned, interspersed with confused glances between the soldier and her father. The old king watched his daughter with a forced smile before commanding the soldier to shut up with a look full of warning.

"No, my life." But her denial had sounded so tense that Lina didn't believe her. "Nana is in the kitchen, she goes looking for him, I'm sure she'll love to see you."

It was the last thing he said before leaving the doors in the company of the soldier.

...

It had been a day full of activities. The nanny, as expected, had received him with great joy in a maternal hug. He had spent practically his entire visit in the kitchen drinking tea and eating nana's cheesecakes. Between bite and sip they had been engulfed in a conversation about what their life on Olympus was like. He told her about Hera, a very tender goddess who treated her as her own daughter despite being mortal. He told him about Taehyung, who later explained that it was Apollo but that he had asked him to call him by his mortal name. And of course, the most talked about topic was Jungkook. He had had to reassure him because the moment he named the god he began to hyperventilate. She told him that all these months Jungkook had managed to win her heart, that they were very good friends and that he treated her very well. She was still blushing from the look so mischievous that the nanny showed her in the talk.

Now, already on Olympus, he was walking back to his home. Entering through the door, Taehyung was unexpectedly found in the middle of the room.

"Hello, Lina." Tae greeted warmly through a small bow.

"Hello," she replied with the same enthusiasm as the god. After the introductions Lina could not help looking for another god with her eyes but stopped doing it when she realized that Taehyung was alone. "And Jungkook?"

"He's not here." His voice came out fast and compulsive as if he was trying to avoid something. However, she didn't pay much attention to it, since, she assumed it to the shyness that the god still felt for her. "How has the visit to your father gone?"

"How?"

"Being all day above heaven you are used to seeing everything that happens on earth," Taehyung explains with a shrug.

"I understand ..." I pursed my lips and raised my eyebrows. "Well, actually, it went very well."

“You missed him, didn't you?” The god's voice changed suddenly, sounding understanding. Lina broke the smile by walking on topics that plunged her into a feeling of longing.

"Much."

"The summer solstice is approaching a time to spend with the family," said the god so vagini. Lina looked at Taehyung carefully. He did not know it but in reality it had sounded as if that phrase had wanted to say it but it had been difficult for him to pronounce it.

“What?” She asked with a sarcastic laugh. He did not understand her sudden curiosity. His curiosity was accompanied by something more than innocence but he could not decipher what it was.

"I'm sorry if my question offended you. I'm just curious to know how you feel about having the option of choosing to be someone else. You know, choosing what you want to be tomorrow without the guidelines to follow that are governed by your nature."

"Oh. Well ..." he was speechless at his attack of sincerity. Her mind had suddenly gone blank. "... I would choose the previous life ..." Her voice sounded so sincere that her heart thumped. His heart was not the only one that was pounding because behind a wall at the entrance to the bedroom was a heartbroken Jungkook. Her eyes closed in pain. I had hoped that in those months ... But no. She still wanted her life from before. I preferred never having met him. Willing not to mistreat himself anymore, he went out onto the balcony, unaware that the girl had not finished talking. "... but that was before all this. During these months I have changed a lot. My perspective on the world was not the same until I really lived. It will sound silly but I don't want to leave as much as before. I don't know, I suppose I've found a habit in my life now. "

"I'm glad to hear that." Taehyung spoke sincerely. Both smiled absent all the evil that would come later.

When fear coupled with anger create an explosive mix. Every god that crossed Jungkook moved out of his way in a hurry. The god frowns so intensely that his eyes will pop out of their sockets at any moment. He couldn't stop blaming himself. Of hating himself for being so weak before a woman. Listening in the first person as he rejected it had been completely devastating. He no longer cared about anything he might long for before.

He broke in with his strong figure in the assembly area where his father, mother, uncle and sister were discussing something that the god did not mind interrupting.

“Zeus!” He shouted with such anger that the gods turned to him immediately. The god of lightning went down a few steps to position himself in front of his son. They both frown, punishing themselves with inhuman hatred. One for his aching heart and the other for having been stopped in a real fight of words. Hera touched her desolate chest when Jungkook after relaxing his depressed features fell to his knees before his father. With her head down so as not to see him because of the vengeance of not having been able to prevent some tears from leaking down her cheeks.

"You were always right. You always were ..." Jungkook repeated dead while alive. His tone without force hit Zeus in such a way that his bad mood quickly dissipated.

"What are you talking about, my son?" He replied with the same lost nostalgia. He raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth slightly, finding himself enveloped in an aura consumed by sadness.

"She will never love me ..." he confessed with a broken voice letting the melancholy slowly drown him. After a brief silence Jungkook gained enough courage to direct his eyes to his father's. "She hates me."

Zeus instantly looked away from his son to turn around to focus on his wife's impressed posture. Hera with her heart in her fist made the same journey to stand in front of him.

"I have come to receive my punishment," Jungkook said in a voice as dark as sad. Zeus blinked nervously just before his arm was terribly shaken by a desperate Hera.

"Zeus, you can't ...

“Is that what you want?” Zeus asked as a last resort to appeal to his conscience. But Jungkook didn't take that time to think but rather to find more reasons to accept his mistake.

"It's what I swore," he sentenced with all the pain in his soul. Zeus had his chin raised. He stay quiet. It really was the first time that something left him speechless. When I lift a hand and place it on top of her head Hera widened her eyes hysterically.

"Zeus no .... No! Athena! Poseidon! Please stop this madness!" The goddess turned to them for help finding an unemployed Yon as or almost more affected than her mother. Jin, on the other hand, had decided not to intervene, as something happened between father and son.

"From today until the end of time I take away your condition ..." the god closed his lips again, not wanting to finish the sentence. Within his chest he still harbored a small speck of hope that cried out that his son would regret his decision, that he would get up and that a few days later the matter would be more than forgotten. But unluckily for the god, Jungkook, had inherited that stubborn part of his family branch by keeping his knee firmly against the ground. "From god."

"Zeus not for God's sake!" Cried Hera, totally overwhelmed. Divine light welled up from Jungkook's body to fade shortly thereafter revealing dark skin whose only difference was that it was no longer impenetrable. Jungkook felt his body try to fail forward because of the weakness that amazed him all at once. He felt as if his structure was not as strong, as if his muscles had begun not to help him up.

"You will be provided with a cloud to bring you down to earth," Zeus commented through a harsh tone that only hid how bad he felt at the time. He had an anguish that bent him forward. Jungkook didn't even look at him before heading out the doors. Hera sobbed so loudly that Zeus closed his eyes as the goddess's footsteps began to sound as he followed Jungkook out.

"Jungkook!" No! Please, no… ”The screams had gone from torn to hoarse as a result of the tears that had begun to cloud her vision. She begged him to stop her walking but he ignored her for the good of both of them. Finally, as a last resort he ended up collapsing to the ground on his knees and grabbing one of Jungkook's legs. When she felt her mother's cold fingers counteract with her warm skin, she had a devastating shiver.

"Mother, get up," he demanded annoyed, lifting his mother from the ground quite embarrassed. The goddess desperately denied before trying to get hooked again. Jungkook shook her shoulders to wake her up. "It was my decision." His roar left her paralyzed, still, shattered as she watched her son climb onto a cloud. Jungkook stared at the floor of the mortal world making him swallow by pure inertia. The empty knot that settled in her stomach made it difficult for her to breathe an increase in dimension when she directed one last glance at Hera. "Goodbye, mother."

"Jungkook!" Jungkook! ”The goddess screamed, kicking the ground in a fury but it was too late. The cloud had moved far enough away that she couldn't touch it. Plunged into a deep pain that would be forever etched in her soul, I ignore everything around her. Not seeing when one of his children approached.

“What's wrong?” Taehyung's sweet voice shakes her violently causing her to raise her head in despair.

"Where's Lina?" Asked the needy goddess.

"In the mansion but what ...

"There is no time for explanations. Your father has committed an unforgivable injustice ...

The goddess quickly rose from the ground and began to run towards what until that day had been the home of her now banished son.

“Lina!” Hera's desperate screams bounced off every corner creating a heartbreaking atmosphere. Lina, who until then had remained on the balcony admiring the sweet view of the clear sky, had been scared to hear that someone urgently needed her.

“What's wrong Hera?” She asked disoriented when she saw Hera with tears in her eyes and a confused Taehyung behind.

"Do you love my son?"

"What?" She replied, lost in the abruptness of her tone. He managed to perceive true urgency in his face, leaving her even more out of place. Then, noticing Taehyung's sad appearance, his chest managed to alter in such a way that he began to fear the worst. “Has something happened to Jungkook?” Despite the stability of his voice, it could be judged how his extended expressions reflected the clear concern. After the silence of both, Lina was shaken by a feeling of madness. "What happened? Speak!"

"Zeus has taken away his god status," said Taehyung, who had listened to the quick story his mother had told him before breaking into the mansion. Hera covered her face to silence the tired sobs from so much trembling. Lina heard her heart stop at that very moment.

"Why?" Overwhelmed by the new devastating news, her breathing increased leaving her dizzy for a couple of minutes.

"Because Jungkook believes that the deal has been broken," Hera muttered under his breath, immediately taking Lina's gaze that until then had remained in Taehyung since he spoke.

"What deal?"

"At the beginning of winter, he and Zeus reached an agreement if you did not fall in love with him before the summer solstice would come, he would give up his life," Taehyung explained in great detail with all the regret of his soul. Hera nodded corroborating the facts as she approached Lina.

"Now I need you to tell me if everything that has happened has been the result of deceptive confusion."

"I have to speak to Zeus," Lina said hurriedly. Hera saw that gesture as the light that still shone within hope.

After breaking into the meeting room with the name of Zeus, being violently acclaimed by the mortal, the god did not take long to make himself present. When he saw her attacked with his wife and son, he rolled his eyes. She wanted to regret her son's farewell in solitude. What she needed least now was that her sensitive state was a dispute with a mortal.

"I see you've already been told the story."

"You made a mistake with Jungkook." If what he really wanted was to take revenge on me, he should have done it directly with me, ”she demanded, letting herself be carried away by the stress of the situation. Zeus furrowed his eyebrows offended by his tone so altered that it hit his headache hard.

"Who are you tasteless mortal who dares tell the god of gods what to do?"

"I am the mortal who loves her son." I finally confess the greatest secret kept within her warm heart. The hall of gods was filled with shocked screams being a few, those of Hera, Taehyung and Yon the only ones who showed a pleased grimace.

"I don't believe you," Zeus roared in response. He turned his back on her, unable to keep his gaze so cold that the mortal stared at him in fury.

"It's the truth." But she roared louder from the depths of her being.

"I am old and wise you will be used to deceiving your kind but you will not entangle me." Zeus's voice sounded firm, quite hard even though inside he had not been able to prevent his heart from jumping briefly.

"It is no wrong."

“Have you forced her to come?” The god abruptly turned to Hera to rebuke her passionate behavior. Although, in reality, what was correcting him had been the fact that he had gone to beg for help from a mortal, and especially the mortal who had caused Jungkook's departure.

"I came on my own." When Lina spoke bravely Zeus's eyes locked on her again.

"You're late anyway, the evil is already done." Although he was dying of pain, he was not entirely uncertain. I just wanted to see how that conversation played out.

"You are Zeus, let me doubt it." Lina assured with a laugh almost as sarcastic as her smile. "If the problem was my stay, it can be solved by sending me back to earth." But Jungkook does not have to pay for this and you do not have the right for gods' sake to take away his power.

"Would you be willing to go back to your house and forget all this?" Zeus repeated, keeping his composure, being quite difficult to suppress the surprise that had come over him when he heard her so sure.

"I would be." The courageous gleam in his eyes gave Zeus the last confirmation he needed.

"This is my deal, I will return Jungkook's powers on the only condition that you leave Olympus forever."

"I accept it."

Zeus, as with Jungkook stopped for a few seconds so that Lina will show her true nature. But seeing that the woman didn't utter a single word and then her chin was slightly raised, I just nodded. I raise my right hand and snap my fingers.

Lina, dead inside, looked at Hera for a few seconds before looking at Zeus and turning to leave. Unlike Jungkook, this time, Hera did manage to stop Lina. Taking him by the hands to give him a squeeze that simulated true gratitude. Lina opted to give him a longing smile before redirecting her way out.

The loud slamming of the gates was entirely outrageous.

"I admit that I have been surprised by your courage and I must say that my son will be stupid but also very lucky."

Lina frowned, turning her eyes from the closed doors to the god who had approached and activated a much softer smile.

"Thank you, Zeus," she said. He nodded to show her respect.

"Call me father," the god answered back. Unlike his previous tone this time he had used a more peaceful one. Lina opened her eyes when I decipher the meaning of her words. "As far as exile is concerned, I think it would be quite a petty action to separate two souls who love each other." I hope you make my son happy and when he returns from the war ...

“What war?” Lina suddenly stopped at the god, frowning hard.

"Didn't Jungkook tell you?" Wow, I don't want to sin with my long tongue but ... Apparently a novice prince has threatened your father's kingdom, Jungkook must be helping with his troops right now. Although from that hours ago I suppose he will be back ...

Lina runs towards the doors to open them desperately on her way to the mansion with her heart in her hand. Everything begins to make sense. Jungkook's mysterious meetings with a group of humans. The golden armor that I had never seen him wear polished and put on at first standing out among all as if he would soon wear it. His father's nerves as he looked at the sword carefully placed in the case of his armor. The soldier's hustle. Everything had been in front of her these weeks and yet he had focused so much on her that she had gone blind. Perhaps it was concern that manipulated her feet to make them move faster. The only thing he knew faithfully was that when he opened the doors of the mansion and saw his broad back, he put his hands to his mouth.

As expected the startle of the doors hitting the wall surprised Jungkook turning disoriented until a much smaller body and much softer hands surrounded his neck, it was at that moment when he could say that he had come home.

“Lina?” Jungkook's voice came out concerned, low at the closeness of their bodies. God's arms delicately held her waist to hold her in place. Lina, tiptoeing to reach his neck, contracted her face from the hollow of the shoulder to look at him. Jungkook was overworked when he saw how her beautiful green eyes were drowned in tears. He brought his thumbs to her cheeks to clean them, making the girl emit a small sob.

"Why did you do it?" She said, exhaling a hoarse sigh that penetrated the depths of her being. Jungkook relaxed his features in surprise when he understood her sadness. However, she did not imitate his melancholic smile, on the contrary, at that moment the corners of Jungkook rose forming a small but so emotional smile "You ..." but I ended up being controlled by a small spasm from crying. "You no longer had your powers. You were no longer a god. Why did you fight knowing that you could die?"

"Mortal or god. Life or death. What difference does it make? I would give everything I have and don't have so that smile never disappears." There were no more accurate words to explain the whole swirl of feelings that roar in his chest. Jungkook kept his hands firmly pressed to his cheeks as he saw the sweetest look ever produced as his sad and desolate aura changed to one with an air full of hope and love. I hear her heart beat a thousand times an hour, observing every beautiful detail of her face, trying to decipher the look her sweet eyes showed. "Lina, I ..."

But his lips were quicker in that battle to speak. Taking him by surprise the girl pounced with enthusiasm towards those soft bellies. He managed to feel a chill from head to toe when he finally fulfilled his most desired wishes. When she felt Jungkook's lips not quite begin to move, she stopped, looking away, terrified that she had been seized by his impulses and not thought that maybe he had been too hasty. Opening the eyes he had closed when his lips collided with hers, he found dilated irises that had taken the form of black spheres. Lina couldn't help her mouth from looking slightly open when his wild gaze cursed her. With highly rapid breathing falling in hot waves on her lip, drying her sweetly. The blood drained from his face completely as Jungkook pressed his neck forward to stamp his lips with hers in a lustful kiss.

She immediately opened her mouth letting her tongue enter anxiously. Soon, the hands squeezing her shoulders had grown into small fists in her hair, causing strands to escape from her hands. Jungkook's palms marched his way down the curve of his butt to settle at the start of his thighs. He lifted one of them to stick it to his leg while lifting it minimally towards one of the columns. Her back curved forward being cornered by his firm chest. The palm that encircled her thigh with her hip had begun to lift the fabric of her long dress uncovering her sweet leg. It didn't take long for his hot fingers to go through the gap, working ardently toward her bottom to knead it. Her broad knee clenching at her sweet spot as her other hand slipped to one of her shoulders to eagerly pull the fabric down. The fabric cracked but none cared. Jungkook peeled his lips away in a wet snap to start giving wet kisses across his jaw. His hands clenched into fists as his knee finally sat on the wall. Fascinated by his ease at holding her, he groaned heatedly as the moisture from her crotch began to trickle down the edges of her panties rather than stained.

“Tell me what you want, baby?” With her lips slipping vilely over his pulse, she was terribly intimidated when an almost shallow kiss caressed the junction of her neck. He lifted his leg, driving the tip of her knee into her swollen clit making a needy moan come urgently from his lips.

"I want you ..." I whisper in an agitated howl when I hear the fabric of her skirt tear up to above her navel. Jungkook made a curious sound with his mouth as he slid the hand that had been on his behind into the panties. The nails immediately grasped the biceps of that arm urgently, causing a smile to form on his skin.

"You have to be more specific, there are many things I can do to you right now ..." he commented with an air of comfort as he let his skillful fingers touch the porcelain skin of her vagina. Unconsciously, Lina spread her legs wider to let him pass but Jungkook didn't move, just squeezed so he would notice where he was. With a kiss on her cheek she buried her mouth in his ear to whisper hotly. "I can urge you with my fingers or I can also eat your little kitten until you scream my name, since you would love it and fuck me too. But ... Do you know what I want to do? I want to spread your legs and fuck you against the wall while you cry because your little pussy will not be able to bear the size of my big cock. "

"Yes, yes ..." I whimpered in response to the harsh words that savagely hit her ear. His nails dug deeper into her forearm, making a deafening growl erupt from the back of her throat. Her body came to be supported only by her knee as she brought her hand to his neck to propel her into a quick kiss, full of tongue and despair. As they parted, Lina swore that if Jungkook kept smiling like this, he would end up in an orgasm as soon as he started. I bring her thumb to her bottom lip to drag it down and squeeze it with lust. His pupils black as he reveled in the swelling and redness of it.

"I've never fucked a virgin before, I promise I'll take care of you," he murmured in a conciliatory tone, his hand on her chin, tilting her head in a sweet smile. Lina nodded slowly in response. His lip bounced when he released it. Jungkook bowed his head and caught her lips again, this time, with a tremendously sensual slow kiss. Palms firmly on her thighs, I lift her up quickly to take her to the bed to lay her down. Lina closed her eyes as she moaned in shock when Jungkook's hands tore at the little attached fabric of her dress leaving him naked. we are going to spend tonight ... "I announce dry with eyes wandering around every curve, every piece of bare skin. His huge palm began a shallow journey along his body, stopping just at the convergence point of his legs. His thumb delicately rubbed her red clit as her lopsided smile came out again. Lina tilted her head back when she heard his deep voice full of lust again. "Are you going to let me taste your virgin pussy, baby?"

"Jungkook ..." she complained, she felt a not soft bite on her inner thigh. Jungkook laughed pleasedly giving another in response to the other thigh leaving a red mark that would later be impregnated with purple. Everything reached its peak when he felt his flat tongue pass superficially across his lips. The girl's hand ran to tighten her locks in excitement prompting Jungkook to repeat the smiling gesture. With her hands resting on the inside of her thighs, she spread her legs wider to improve access. He ran his tongue again, but this time he was parting his lips with his fingers to savor her dripping hole. Lina swore to die of a spasm when she noticed how his mouth absorbed all her essence, moaning satisfied soon after. The finger that had been dancing around her clit had been slammed into her hole, earning Lina a loud scream. The sensation was not entirely painful, it was just a small annoying intrusion that was gradually pushed aside by the anxious tongue that caressed the crack. When her moans began to stabilize Jungkook stuck out his thumb and inserted two fingers. Lina groaned loudly at the pressure pulling at her roots. Jungkook kissed her clit to reassure her. The fingers took a while to start his movement, giving him the necessary time to get used to it, soon he began to ask for more between moans, despair, spread his legs more ... Until she was blessed by a third finger. The pressure was still there, yet it wasn't as bad as she'd imagined the pleasure overshadowing everything else. Soon after, a rather overwhelming balloon began to accumulate in her lower abdomen. She did not know that she was just aware that she urgently needed to free herself. Jungkook felt the need for her moans increasing the movement of his tongue over her clitoris followed by the sticking out of his fingers. "God, god ... Jung-koook!" God!

"Come on, you dirty little run for me."

His words were all it took to explode a loud scream of pleasure. A strong cramp ran through her body from head to toe leaving her paralyzed. Her stomach rising and falling from exhaustion. His mouth parted as he breathed out heavy air. His eyes half closed with the feeling of calm that had clouded his vision. Jungkook took advantage of that moment to remove each part of the armor. The quick movement made Lina look forward agitated. I gulp at the heavenly image. Her tanned skin filled with muscles taut from the pressure. Her wonderful pecs with pink nipples that evoked madness. He followed a downward path down his sprawling arm until he was breathless when he saw what his hand was drowning. Long, thick and big his cock was beautiful, worthy of a god. The tone of its exquisite skin but with the red tip with precum accumulated at its tip. He reached out to touch her but his exhaustion was such that he could only slide the tips of his fingers across his chiseled abs.

She groaned disoriented when she felt the weight of her body crush his. I bring my palms to his broad back, delighting in the softness of his skin. A wet kiss on her neck to distract her from what's truly important. The tip of his cock ran through her folds to lubricate her previous orgasm. The feeling, far from being rough, seemed soft, a little cold but pleasant. His hands hooked to her waist to place her under his heavy body. Lina, her eyes half-open focused on the magenta light of sunset, smiled briefly until excruciating pain began to settle inside her. He closed his eyes tightly. Gimio hurt with her nails digging accordingly and her legs closing against his waist. Jungkook reassured her with small murmurs in her ear until the pain became secondary after a while. The pressure of the nails left her strength, the complaint in her voice stopped being heard.

"You can move ..." she announced in a weak but sure voice. Jungkook stroked her thighs reassuringly before moving her hips. Jungkook growled pleased with the pleasure, covering Lina's small moan. Jungkook moved again, tearing a louder moan from her. Finally, taking enough courage, she turned her head and collided with her nose. He groaned again with his mouth open as he felt her deep thrust. She brought her legs up and gently squeezed his back, bringing a smile from him as he noticed her recent emotion.

"So tight ... fucking tight ... oh fuck." He growled in satisfaction at her moans. I attack his mouth with emphasis a brief moment before moving away from his lips and lunging a little harder. Lina squeezed her back, throwing her head back, exposing her neck for Jungkook to kiss the point of her pulse.

"Faster ..." he yelled when his hips were thrown forward along with his. Her movement was so deep, so fast, so sensual. I had never felt so much pleasure. He felt that his throat would ache tomorrow but he couldn't help but scream every time Jungkook hit his hips enthusiastically.

"That's ..." he roared loudly in his mouth as his nose wrinkled and his forehead sweated from the heat. Lina moaned, roared, cried whatever sound she was going to expel through her mouth had stopped being controlled. "What a good fuck it is taking my cock so well." He reached up to squeeze her tit hard while he fucked her harder. Lina moaned as her tongue went to wet her erect nipple. A hard impulse caused both of them to moan with pleasure and they looked at each other with an ecstatic smile. Jungkook kissed her lips like an animal before separating and colliding their foreheads. He put a finger into her mouth on the spur of the moment, the same one he inserted into her vagina earlier, allowing her to savor her own scent. Afterward, he began to massage her burning clit with force. "I want you to wet my cock again before I come, understand?"

Lina nodded agitatedly closing her eyes and moaning her head back. Jungkook growled in disapproval, violently grabbing his neck to force him to look at him.

“Use your fucking mouth!” He roared loudly, ramming him too enthusiastically. Tomorrow she probably couldn't walk but she didn't mind moaning louder and spreading her legs wider. "If that?"

“Yes, Jungkook!” She replied in a sharp cry, overwhelmed by the tension building up again. Jungkook's finger began to rub harder, soon bringing her to a much more devastating orgasm. He called out her name one last time before dipping his cock in her scent. Jungkook dropped to his knees. He placed his palms on her hips, not letting her rest as he let her head drop with pleasure. Lina moaned in pain from over excitement but did not stop. She let him continue to lash out at her as hard as he wanted using her to reach her orgasm. Two more deep thrusts and Jungkook ran to get his cock out of her. I jerk her violently against her stomach until jets of sperm finally came out wetting her entire belly. Jungkook slumped forward, letting himself be carried away by exhaustion. Lina hugged him, ignoring the sticky moisture from her stomach. Afterward, Jungkook came out of the trance by lying on one side. He caught her by the waist to place her on top of him with his leg above her pelvis.

"You know what?" She commented enthusiastically, sending him a bright look. Jungkook lovingly inhaled her hair before pressing her small body against his.

"Than?"

"I love you too," she murmured in a low tone as if she was reciting a secret that she just wanted Jungkook to hear. He raised his eyebrows playfully making her laugh.

"You know what?" Jungkook asked, pursing his lips as he groaned thoughtfully.

“What?” Lina's laughter made him want to live.

"You smell like semen, baby."

“Jungkook!” She yelled shocked as she raised her hand to hit her stomach. The god laughed at Lina's red cheeks, not being able to hold her very tight.

"Oh, yes, yes, come here."

[justawayninja]

Why IDW Starscream deserved his redemption arc (Pt. 2)

Pt. 1: A small hint of ‘goodness’

Pt. 2: The different IDW Starscreams

In the last part I talked about how the original G1 cartoon left us with a hanging question about Starscream’s moral capacity for ‘goodness’, the possibility of a little ‘something more’. 

In this part, I want to talk about: actual, ‘good’ traits of Starscream. 

Obviously, Starscream is a well-established bad guy of the franchise, whatever the continuity. 

The traits most easily associated with him are also largely, if not all, negative. Traitorous. Cowardly. Self-centred. Egotistical. Brash. Opportunistic. And that’s only what distinguishes him from the other Transformers villains. Add on the standard Decepticon ‘values’ of ‘cruel, ruthless warmonger’ and a sadistic penchant for violence and murdering people... 

Yeah. Not a good guy. Tick. 

But just because a person has bad morals or values, does NOT invalidate any of their strengths, competences, or positive traits in general. Just because they use their strengths to further a bad cause does NOT mean those traits are now invaluable, or useless, or ‘evil’. 

Writers who are able to take this into consideration, who can recognise that not all personality traits need to be portrayed as purely ‘good’ or ‘bad’, are writers who can create interesting, perhaps even likeable bad guys - despite, or even because of their badness. 

And, here, I would argue that, for most writers of an IDW G1 Starscream, there is an acknowledgement of Starscream’s actual competences and ‘positive’ traits - even though interpretations of these ‘positive’ traits do differ somewhat between writers. 

And if we are able to build on these interpretations, we will find ourselves with an image of Starscream that feels much more hopeful, and is certainly much more nuanced and complex than... others. (*cough cough John Barber cough*)

(Spoiler alert: Transformers: All Hail Megatron, Transformers: ‘Til All Are One, The Transformers (2009))

Shane McCarthy’s Starscream (Transformers: All Hail Megatron, 2008-2009)

Without outright portraying Starscream as a character worthy of moral redemption or sympathy, Shane McCarthy’s Starscream is one of the more positive portrayals of the character. 

While this Starscream exhibits the same petty, almost childish competitiveness reminiscent of the original G1 Starscream - getting very riled up when Skywarp suggests he’s unable to inspire as much fear and destruction as Megatron could - he is also highly competent. 

Firstly, he challenges Megatron with valid, meaningful criticisms of his plans after conquering Earth. He correctly points out that Megatron has lost his sense of purpose, and his vision for the future. They are questions to which Megatron has no answers.

And once Megatron failed to step up to the bar, Starscream organises a coup which poses an actual threat to Megatron’s position as leader of the Decepticons.

If it wasn’t for the Autobots’ arrival, I believe the Starscream VS Megatron coup could at least have a 50-50 chance of success. Not only did he manage to sway a significant number of Decepticons to his side, but he also surprised Megatron by taking over Devastator, Megatron’s then most powerful soldiers and the only Combiner team (I believe). 

What’s more, his capabilities and power are openly acknowledged and respected by Megatron. 

This respect for Starscream is something which very few later IDW writers choose to incorporate into their interpretations of Megatron. Many, instead, favour the more G1-esque Megatron-Starscream dynamic of bickering and insulting with a darker twist which borders abuse. (In later parts, I will also explore how re-interpretations of the G1 Megatron and Starscream dynamic affects the interpretation of both characters). 

And, indeed, there is something honourable about McCarthy’s Starscream, who, in issue 12 of All Hail Megatron, chooses to save Megatron from the Autobots so that he may earn his leadership of the Decepticons. 

Granted, I think this happens more out of plot convenience, so that Megatron can continue as the leader of the Decepticons in later series. But still, this has important implications for our understanding of Starscream’s character - and Shane McCarthy’s Starscream is a respectable character, even if he is on the ‘wrong side’. 

Mike Costa’s Starscream (The Transformers, 2009-2011)

The first thing Mike Costa’s Starscream does is... Throw Shane McCarthy’s Starscream’s sense of honour out of the window. Almost immediately, he’s torn between keeping Megatron’s husk alive and repairing him to function, or snatching Decepticon leadership during the power vacuum and killing Megatron off in the process. Which makes you wonder why he saved Megatron in the first place. 

But despite the inconsistency, Costa’s Starscream forms an interesting, tragic character. Although his Starscream does not necessarily exhibit competence or positive strengths in the same way as McCarthy’s Starscream, he certainly experiences and goes through feelings which readers can be sympathetic towards. 

One of which is guilt. 

This is Starscream in issue 13 of All Hail Megatron, shortly after lying to the other Decepticons that the Autobot’s Matrix of Leadership has chosen him as a leader. It’s a valid political move, using religion to aid your support.  

But here, you get the sense that this a Starscream who does not enjoy the deception. He does not blindly rejoice in power, and he feels no joy despite finally obtaining what he has desired for so many millions of years. 

Instead, he is filled with fear, paranoia, doubt, feelings of inadequacy, and a horrible, horrible sense of disappointment. 

This is a Starscream who recognises his own incompetence. 

In contrast to the original G1 Starscream, who is something of a bumbling fool too happy to self-indulge in his power for his own ego rather than actually using it to practical purpose, this is a Starscream who is finally confronted with the realisation that he cannot lead, cannot fulfil his grand ambitions in the way Megatron could. 

And it crushes him. 

This is NOT a fear that would occur to a shallower, simple-minded character who cared only about titles, egos, and their own glory. A Starscream like that would never even consider it. 

Because both McCarthy and Costa’s Starscream are legitimately, and reasonably, disappointed in Megatron’s reign. Both aspire for power not for the sake of power, but for a higher purpose. 

The Decepticon cause. 

And if we remember that, in the IDW-verse, the Decepticons are depicted as activists responding to genuine oppression who gradually lose their way in bloodbath and war, then Starscream’s determination to remember and return to the original Decepticon ideals definitely highlights something more than ‘just’ a sadistic, self-centred, sociopath. 

(Of course, there is no guarantee that Starscream’s own visions of the Decepticon ideals haven’t been skewed by war and bloodshed. The important thing is that he still remembers that their brutality should serve a purpose, which most other Decepticons rarely ever consider). 

Costa’s Starscream is tragic - tragic because he must face the reality that he is the reason that he cannot achieve his dream. Because he is not Megatron. Because he lacks the charisma. The ability. The determination. The strength. 

And that is something readers can sympathise with. Dreams being crushed. Ideals turning to ash. Fantasy morphing into bitter reality. This is the story of Costa’s Starscream - a broken idealist, someone who could have been something better than Megatron, but ultimately wasn’t. 

Mairghread Scott’s Starscream (Transformers: ‘Til All Are One, 2016-2017)

Scott’s Starscream offers a very interesting, brave interpretation of his character - because it is her Starscream, after all, who takes the journey of redemption. 

A lot of it comes down to the mechs Starscream is mainly surrounded by, as Supreme Leader of Cybertron. Bumblebee, Windblade, Ironhide, Wheeljack, and delegates from different colonies. Autobots, or else people who never knew him as the ruthless Decepticon Second-in-Command he once was. He has a chance to start with a clean slate. 

And this is when things get interesting. Whereas most Starscreams pretend to have compassion, and sympathy, and morality, in order to profit from the latest scandal or betrayal, Scott’s Starscream is the complete reverse. (Particularly in TAAO).

Similar to Mike Costa, in TAAO, we see a Starscream who plots and schemes not because he necessarily enjoys behaving this way, but because when everything happens exactly the way he wants things to, when he has a chance to start completely anew with his legally established power, he realises that deception, violence, and manipulation are all he knows. 

It’s what he expects of himself, and what others expects of him. 

Look at that expression. That is NOT the expression of someone who is proud of what he has done, or the expression of someone who feels no remorse. It’s bitter. It’s ironic. It’s a look of self-loathing. 

Scott’s Starscream has given up on himself. He carries on the despair of Costa’s Starscream, albeit with a subtle difference. Because while Costa’s Starscream despaired over the realisation that he cannot fulfil his dream as leader of the Decepticon Empire. Scott’s Starscream despaired over his inability to do good, to be a better person. 

Scott’s Starscream, in short, has a conscience. 

At some point, his plotting and scheming have become farcical. A ‘mask’, as Bumblebee puts it, which he can no longer put down. 

This can be seen most clearly when he releases Chromia from prison. Note how all his ‘official’, surface excuses for freeing her are all to do with establishing his own political power and influence. Entirely self-serving, as most people would expect. 

And yet, when Chromia sees through all of this, and asks him for the real reason, he answers with this: 

Unlike most other carnations, the self-serving, power-hungry Starscream had become the mask. Underneath it all, is a true Starscream who is attempting to atone, in some way, for his earlier faults (such as convicting an innocent Badgeless). 

It’s funny how things can work out sometimes. How an innocent, almost naive faith can produce the greatest change in a way which violence and power never could. 

Scott’s Starscream lives a tragedy, much like Costa’s Starscream, his story full of the could-have-beens and the sadness of someone who has lost themselves in the painful turns of war and its deceit. But it is in Scott’s Starscream where we see the greatest possibility for goodness - an awareness of right and wrong, a feeling of guilt, doubt, and conflict. And it is Scott’s Starscream who ultimately, chooses what would have been otherwise unthinkable for any other Starscream. He sacrifices himself, his ambitions, and his dreams - so that the world can do better without him. 

To summarise, while most writers show Starscream to be manipulative, deceptive, and conniving - they rarely depict him as someone who enjoys these betrayals. What’s more, he is not usually depicted as self-centred purely for the sake of being self-centred. Self-preservation, and the need to come out on top, are certainly a large part to his motivations, but they are never his sole motivations. They are usually accompanied by a genuine ambition to fulfil a certain ideology or vision of leadership, visions which are ultimately hampered by his own insecurities and inadequacies in the face of overwhelming responsibility. From this, we can see that IDW’s Starscream is a fairly nuanced, complex character, who is much more morally grey, much more competent, with a much greater capacity for good, than the G1 counterpart from whom he is inspired. 

........ Aaaaand then John Barber came along with Robots in Disguise, smashed a sledgehammer into all those subtleties and character development, called him a ‘sociopath’, and created the least likeable, redeemable version of IDW Starscream possible. 

Which brings me on to Part 3: Barber’s Biased Starscream