#but also with her readiness to act immediately and without fear when something's happening or someone's in trouble

[shiningfennec]

Finally, a correct opinion and analysis!

The Big Four (Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragon) in the Hogwarts House colors according to my own hc’s! All finally done. I think we did them DIRTY back when this was really popular and I know we all hate JKR but I just really had to state this before I let it go forever lmao.

1. Hiccup Horrendoue Haddock III, of Burk. Ravenclaw. He definitely might be a secondary Hufflepuff, but his cleverness and craftsmanship skills always save the day, and when it’s all said and done his willingness to be open minded and understanding and see things from viewpoints he’s never even experienced comes from a very intelligent mind that asks questions and seeks answers and pushes the limits of all things known to find the new truth. He paved a way for a peaceful, better future and with it, all he ached to do was learn more.

2. Rapunzel, of Corona. Gryffindor. Trapped in a tower, she accepted her reality and sat in it. The only thing that could keep her busy was reading of a world she yearned for but stayed out of her reach, and her greatest wish was to go out and see things for herself. Explore. Experience. Despite her loyalty to Gothal, the call of the universe was too great and she heeded it. Even when she got back to her family and uncovered the most painful truth and ended up with an amazing man, all she wanted was to feel the grandness and size of the world and to explore every inch of it. Any captivity made her feel claustrophobic and I’m surprised she was ever able to stay in one place for more than a second. No wonder she moves around so often. Why stay here when there’s so much out there?

3. Merida of Dunbrough. Slytherin. Being under the control of anyone else made her go absolutely insane. She knew what she wanted, and she was willing to do anything to get it. Her thirst for freedom and power over her own life came mostly from a desperate need to make the world shift in her hands, reshaping it with her fingers to act and look how she wanted to. With no hesitation or questions asked, she worked hard and took the best first road to where she wanted to go, and she made a mess on the way. She cleaned it up and finally saw viewpoints outside her own, but that doesn’t change the fact that she took hold on her own fate and fought for what she wanted to no end, even when her mom was a bear and they had very limited time to undo the spell.

4. Jack Frost, Guardian of fun. Hufflepuff. His lively and kind heart was weighed down upon for centuries by loneliness. He risked everything to save his little sister, and lost. He wouldn’t change it for the world though, because she’s safe. His ties to others is what makes or breaks his very way of living. Not being seen was the most painful thing to him, and being ignored are him up completely. Having Jamie believe in him was the single best thing that had happened to him since dying, and it changed the way he saw the world entirely. He’s fun and kindness and energy and warmth and family, all on one heart that bleeds gold and everyone he touches feels like they’ve finally come home.

If you would like me to go into better depth on any of these headcanons (or the head canons of any other characters’ houses in these franchises) let me know! As well, I also have seasonal and elemental hc’s for these characters, so if you’d like something for that let me know. For now, remember to click for better quality and to have a great day!

[22ayla21]

Hi! How would the amphoreus husbands react to their wife dealing with morning sickness and fatigue for the first time?

Morning sickness

Morning sickness and fatigue give rise to suspicions that the wife may be pregnant.

The morning did not start as usual.

Mydei woke up from a barely perceptible movement next to him. Not yet fully awake, he reached out to his beloved by touch, but her place in the bed was already empty. He frowned. She rarely got up before him, especially without a good reason.

A muffled sound pierced the silence, coming from the next room. Mydei tensed and quickly stood up, walking barefoot on the cool floor. When he found her, he stopped in the doorway, watching her leaning against the edge of the sink, breathing heavily. A slight tremor in her shoulders, a tired look, a sickly pallor - he did not like all this.

Coming closer, he carefully touched her back, feeling how she shuddered slightly.

- Are you okay?

She remained silent, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Only after a few seconds did she nod, but Mydei could see that she wasn't feeling too well.

- Did something happen? - His voice became more serious. She tried to brush it off, but the look he gave her made it clear that excuses wouldn't work. Sighing, she reluctantly muttered:

- Just morning sickness... don't worry. - Mydei narrowed his eyes. He had too many battles under his belt to not notice the obvious. This was more than just fatigue. He looked at her carefully, calculating the possible options. Illness? Exhaustion? Stress? But then his gaze lingered on her stomach.

The thoughts came together into a single picture. He straightened up abruptly, his eyes widening.

- You...

She realized that he had guessed, and she bit her lip slightly. Something warm, but at the same time uncertain, flashed in her eyes. Mydei looked at her for a long time, realizing something that hadn’t occurred to him before.

Pregnant.

His heart skipped a beat, and he didn’t even immediately understand what he was doing. His hands gently rested on her waist, his gaze became deeper, warmer.

- You’re pregnant, - he finally said, as if checking himself. She nodded, and he felt something inside him turn over.

He had seen thousands of battles, fought the most terrible opponents, stood before death without fear. But now… Now this feeling was different. He would be a father.

Warmth spread in his chest, and he, without holding back, pulled her to himself, hugging her so carefully, as if she had become the most precious creature in the entire universe.

- Why didn’t you tell me right away?

- I wanted to be sure… - Mydei closed his eyes, took a deep breath, before gently running his hand down her back.

- Now I need to take care not only of you, but also of our child, - his voice was full of determination. - You won't have to endure this alone anymore.

She smiled, relaxing in his arms for the first time that morning. Mydei, who was always ready to take on any challenge, realized that this was the most important one in his life.

Anaxagoras was not a man who gave in to panic. He always acted rationally, with a cool head, analyzing the situation before jumping to conclusions. But when his wife once again barely had time to turn away to suppress nausea, and then tiredly leaned against the nearest wall, he realized that something was wrong.

At first, he simply watched. This was not an isolated incident - in recent days she seemed tired, yawned more often, sometimes put off things that she usually did without hesitation. And this nausea...

He crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes.

- You're sick, - he stated as a fact. His wife looked at him tiredly, as if about to object, but in the end she only shrugged.

- I'm fine, - she said, but her voice did not sound as confident as usual. Anaxagoras was not convinced.

He came closer, looking at her carefully. Fatigue, change of routine, nausea… He was a doctor, a scientist, an alchemist, but at that moment he didn’t even think about medical theories for a second. Instead, a single suspicion popped into his head.

He put his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to look at him.

- You’re pregnant.

She blinked. A second of silence. And then… laughter. She covered her face with her hands, shaking her head.

- You say that as if you were passing a sentence.

Anaxa frowned. He himself hadn’t realized that he had said it so… bluntly.

Pregnant.

The thought seemed to fill his entire consciousness. He wasn’t even sure how to feel about it. It wasn’t that he minded – it was just that, as a man accustomed to everything being in control, he hadn’t expected his life to change so suddenly.

His wife was still smiling, but now she was looking at him with interest, clearly waiting for his reaction. He sighed.

- Okay. - He tilted his head to the side. - So we should confirm it for sure.

She nodded, but he noticed a slight spark of joy in her eyes. Anaxagoras was slightly surprised by this. And suddenly he realized - maybe this really wasn't so bad.

Phainon had always been attentive to his wife, but lately he had noticed strange changes in her. In the morning she looked tired, sometimes she sat at the table for a long time, simply staring into space, and sometimes she even suddenly turned away, holding back nausea. He saw how she often pressed her palm to her stomach, how she winced from the smells that she used to love.

One morning, before the sun had risen, he was awakened by a quiet but distinct noise in the bathroom. Sleepy but alert, he immediately got out of bed and went to her. The door was ajar, and he saw her sitting on the floor, breathing heavily, her face pale and her eyes closed.

- You don’t look well, - he said, sitting down next to her and gently touching her shoulder. She tried to smile, but it was unconvincing.

- I’m fine, it’s just… - She paused, as if considering whether to say it. - I must have eaten something bad.

Phainon looked at her carefully. He knew her too well to believe such an excuse.

- You’ve been feeling this way for a few days now, - he reminded her, brushing a strand of hair from her face. - Tired, nauseous…

He paused for a moment, analyzing the situation, and then his eyes widened in guess. He slowly moved his gaze to her stomach, then back to her face.

- You… - He found himself unable to find the words. -It’s not a disease, right?

She bit her lip again, but this time a slight smile flickered in her eyes.

- I think I’m pregnant.

Phainon froze. Dozens of thoughts flashed through his head. He was the hero of Amphoraeus, a warrior accustomed to battles, strategy, calculating his every move. But now he felt lost, as if a new, unknown universe had opened up before him.

- Are you sure? - He could hear his voice shaking, not from fear, but from the emotions that were overwhelming him.

- Almost, - she nodded. - But all the signs…

Phainon exhaled, closing his eyes. Then, unable to restrain himself, he suddenly laughed. A low, warm laugh filled the room, and then he abruptly lifted his wife into his arms, spinning her around despite her quiet protest.

- Phaenon! - she cried, but he had already buried his nose in her hair, whispering something incoherent. He was happy. So happy that he couldn’t put it into words. He held her close, as if he was afraid that this would be a dream.

- You will give me a child, - he finally said, slowly lowering her back to the floor. There was so much tenderness in his eyes that she blushed.

- Our child, - she corrected, smiling.

He gently ran his hand over her belly, aware of the new life being born there. Their child. Their future. Phainon was not a man who lost his temper easily, but now he felt his heart about to explode with emotion.

- I will take care of you, - he promised, touching his lips to her forehead. - Both of you.

And in that moment, he knew his whole life had changed. But he was ready for it.

[acourtofthought]

I agree with your post that Azriel was an asshole in that scene 100%. But I think making it seem like Elain didn’t have a choice whatsoever in that moment is also why people keep saying the fandom infantilizes her. She was wrong too for thinking it was okay to do that especially when Lucien was there. Again I agree that Azriel acted like an ass there, but Elain wasn’t forced to do anything with him. Let’s start treating her like the adult she is in this fandom. If you want Azriel to apologize to Elain, then Elain should apologize to Azriel too because she was aware she’s a mated female and still chose to accept that kiss.

I actually don't agree with this take and it sounds like you're confusing infantilizing a character with what is you wrongly thinking a female somehow owes a guy something. A guy who, even if she's confused and secretly wants him, has not at this time been giving him any mixed signals therefore her actions were not in any way "cheating" or disloyal.

How was Elain in the wrong for exploring something outside of one likely super serious commitment after she just got out of a super serious commitment when she has currently made no commitment to anyone?

I LOVE Lucien, my heart breaks for Lucien but I also realize how much Elain has gone through.

Lucien lost Jesminda but spent the next how many centuries having casual liaisons with others. Yet for some reason people think Elain has to go from an engagement with Graysen immediately into a super serious mating bond which is a forever sort of thing. Somehow she has to accept her bond with Lucien RIGHT NOW because .....? Why? Why is she not allowed to have a hot girl summer before maybe deciding to explore the thing someone else decided for her. Make no mistake, I am all here for Elucien's story and the reluctant soul mates / arranged marriage trope but that doesn't mean she's not entitled to take time to herself without worrying about Lucien's feelings. Did you forget everything she's been through in the last two years on their timeline? Lost her entire life in the human lands, rejected by her fiance, forced to become a species she grew up fearing, had to stab someone, lost her father and on top of that everyone seems to expect that she focus on Lucien. Everyone but Lucien of course because he's a complete green flag which is why he is her endgame. But she's allowed to be a 24 year old girl processing trauma even if that means having a meaningless fling just to see if she's ready to get back on the dating horse.

Rarely does the fandom fault Nesta for all but confessing her love to Cassian, being willing to die by Cassian's side then turning around and (without any sort of discretion) sleeping with MANY other males, something he was fully aware of. I also do not remember Sarah having Nesta apologize to him for sleeping with others.

Elain did not set out to hook up with Az that night, she thought everyone was asleep. And yes, Lucien was in the house but as far as we know he was also asleep and not aware which means she was a lot more discreet than Nesta had been.

Elain does not need to apologize to Az for anything because Az was fully aware she has a mating bond. They both chose not to discuss her mating bond, Az never asked her whether she planned on rejecting it which means he was fine moving forward without those answers. And just because she has a bond doesn't mean she owes Lucien loyalty. Again, Nesta suspected Cassian was something to her yet she still went on to hook up with multiple others.

Infantilizing Elain is when others act like she's the only person who never had a choice therefore she HAS to end up with Az, that somehow ending up with Lucien isn't a choice because "we need to respect what she wants" as if she's not a fictional character whose wants can change from one book to the next.

Acknowledging that Az hurt Elain in that moment and not the other way around is what happened and I think if you somehow think Elain needs to apologize to HIM than that is you infantilizing a 500 something year old guy with communication issues.

Edit thanks to @zenkindoflove :- Here's your apology from Elain, anon: She opened her eyes, hurt and confusion warring there before she whispered, "I'm sorry." "You don't - Don't apologize he managed to say. "Never apolgize. It's I who should...." He shook his head, unable to stand the bleakness he'd brought to her expression. "Goodnight."

The 24 year old apologized to HIM when he called things a mistake after he was the one who left his hands on her neck then titled her head. And instead of saying, "It's I who should apologize, I'm so sorry" he just decided he couldn't handle telling her he was sorry.

[angel-sox]

the goat scene makes me so insane bc when you think about all of shauna’s guilt and how many times as the butcher of the group she has had to harm innocent people AS WELL AS the guilt she carries blaming herself for the death of jackie and her baby, other innocents she thinks she’s harmed, of course she’s terrified lottie will make her kill this poor goat, cause to her, lottie is the reason behind the hunts starting and her having to butcher javi (which the fact that he was the first to die at the hands of the hunt as the most innocent is so symbolic and tragic) and presumably many more of the yellowjackets.

i think this shows how despite how some ppl see shauna as this very violent person she DOES NOT want to hurt people. she is empathetic and caring, she isn’t like misty who is very logical and unemotional about hurting people. shauna is so enthusiastic in the hunts (i feel like she’s one of the ppl we see featured the most as going feral in hunts) bc she IS a very angry person. she was before the wilderness and everything she experienced with her grief has made her angrier, she needs somewhere to channel that and, unfortunately for her, she’s in the wilderness and is straight up handed this horrible place to put her anger.

i think when she kills adam and is trying to get coach killed in s3 it’s because she sees them as threats. she is a scared teenage girl and coach in her mind tried to kill her, but was also ready to let her die when she most needed the support of an adult, ultimately letting her baby die (which of course rationally, coach couldn’t have done anything to save the baby but shauna is grieving and confused and needs someone to blame so obviously it is safest for her to blame someone OUTSIDE of the group bc despite her anger towards the yellowjackets, she can’t TRULY act on it without further outcasting herself and putting herself in danger). with adam she thinks that he is the person threatening to tear her life apart and immediately goes back into that teenage fight or flight mentality and bc of her conditioning in those years it the wilderness her response when she’s in danger is violence.

I know this isn’t every example of shauna harming someone in the show but in all cases it’s to do with her grief and needing someone to blame for what has happened. Back to the goat though, shauna is given this caretaking task, when she feels like everyone she’s ever tried to care for she’s either ended up killing or harming (jackie, wilderness baby, javi, callie) so she immediately expects what she’s used to, being told to love something and then being forced to hurt it. this plays out less violently with callie but i think shauna was not a good mother to her when she was younger bc of her trauma with caretaking. i think in her heart she feels that she’s incapable of caretaking, bc it’s always gone so badly, which is why she distances herself from callie (i think subconsciously, we see her reaching out to her in the show but i think cheating with adam was kind of this self sabotage for her to make callie hate her and drive her away more). i think her reaction to thinking she has to kill the goat is really interesting and shows growth for her as she aggressively refuses to hurt it and is very sweet to it when she realizes she doesn’t have to. i think it represents her relationship with callie bc you can see how at the start of the therapy she kind of refuses responsibility to it and pushes it away (in fear of attachment to it) which is exactly what she does with callie, but then she thinks the goat could be hurt when it’s lost and she panics, which is what i think we’ll see with callie in harms way (excited for what she’ll do now she’s seen callie in contact with the necklace) and immediately goes to authority to tell lottie she will not hurt the goat, the thing is though, with callie there’s no one for her to go to to stop her from hurting callie, it’s only shauna making herself hurt her, which is why she has to stay in goat stage one with her, never letting her get too close because it would mean she has to hurt her

[mokokone]

Since you do demon slayer and mononoke, can I request a demon slayer reader x Kusuriuri/medicine seller. I heard that he's a kitsune, and I saw that kitsure are equated to demons. So, like the reader is trying to kill Kusuriuri's, but he always manages to escape her attempts (kinda like a cat and a mouse game), and it slowly starts to become a relationship (Maybe he saves her from a strong Mononoke, its up to you lol). Of course you don't have to do this, love your work! ♥️♥️

A/n: This was fun to write. Though I did have a hard time trying to fit Kusuriuri in the Demon Slayer universe. I honestly don't think he would fair against Muzan and his demons since they're basically still humans and Kusuriuri only fights against Mononoke. I am also not good at writing something like a Tom & Jerry chase scenario so forgive me if this doesn't meet your standards.

Anyway, I hope you like, comment, reblog (only if you want to), and enjoy!

Encounter - The Medicine Seller x DemonSlayer!Reader [ᴍᴏɴᴏɴᴏᴋᴇ x ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴ ꜱʟᴀʏᴇʀ: ᴋɪᴍᴇᴛꜱᴜ ɴᴏ ʏᴀɪʙᴀ ᴄʀᴏꜱꜱᴏᴠᴇʀ]

Your Kasugai crow had informed you hours ago to head west. You obediently followed its guidance, sprinting as quickly as you could until you arrived at the rural mountain village where a peculiar string of disappearances and murders had occurred.

During your investigation, you're informed by the residents that a mysterious man has been spotted roaming the streets after dark and leaving behind a number of strange ofuda (paper tailsman) on people's doors and was carrying a box on his back.

He had arrived like the wind, proclaiming to be a medicine vendor, and was last seen wandering down the old pine forest road.

Despite the fear that gripped the neighborhood, no one could say for sure who this mysterious man was or what his intentions might be.

You weren't too surprised. As a Kanoto-ranked demon slayer, you were certain that this so-called "medicine seller" is the demon responsible for kidnapping and killing people.

Though it's likely the vile fiend wasn't as powerful as a Kizuki member, you knew not to underestimate any demon─regardless of their rank.

After all, even lower-ranked demons could prove to be formidable opponents if not dealt with carefully. As you set out to hunt down the demon behind the gruesome acts, you made sure to prepare yourself for whatever challenges may come your way. With your trusted blade and unwavering determination, you were ready to face whatever horrors awaited you in the shadows.

When nightfall came, you opted to patrol the streets and wait for the man to strike so you could slay him. You had already instructed your crow to call for backup immediately in case things were to go wrong.

You didn't survive in the Demon Slayer Corps for this long without a good reason. It was your duty to protect the innocent and rid the world of evil, no matter the cost. And you were more than willing to fulfill that duty, even if it meant putting your own life on the line.

Thus, the hunt was on!

At first, nothing out of the ordinary happened, and it was so quiet that you had to fight to remain conscious. Luckily, your time on Mount Fujikasane forced you to always remain on your guard while on missions.

Suddenly, the tap of wooden geta caught your attention, and when you snapped your head towards the sound, you saw a man with a purple bandana tied around his head and carry a strange box on his back.

The box reminded you of the one your friend Tanjiro Kamado uses to carry his little sister Nezuko.

His skin is very pale, his ears are pointy, and he has sharp canine teeth and dark blue eyes. His hair is dirty blonde and he is dressed in a vibrant kimono. Red markings outline the outsides of his eyes, with teardrop shapes underneath. He appears to be smirking, but it's actually because of a purple mark on his upper lip.

He, in fact, didn't appear to be human at all! Surely he must be the demon going around murdering people.

You gripped your katana tightly, the adrenaline coursing through your veins as you stared down the strange man before you.

Before you could even think twice, your body reacted instinctively, fluid and precise, as you lunged forward with the intent to behead the perceived demon.

"I have you now, demon!" you declared, voice laced with a mixture of determination and a hint of bloodlust as you unsheathed your nichirin blade.

 It was a game of cat and mouse, with you relentlessly pursuing the stranger, driven by your conviction that this man was a demon that needed to be vanquished.

The stranger, however, seemed unfazed by your aggression, and with a brief glance, he turned and fled, disappearing into the shadows of the surrounding woods. Without hesitation, you gave chase, your feet pounding against the forest floor as you pursued the fleeing figure.

 As the chase continued, the stranger seemed to effortlessly weave through the dense foliage, his movements fluid and graceful. You, however, refused to be deterred, your determination fueling your every step.

 "You can't run forever, demon!" You shouted, your voice echoing through the woods.

 The stranger remained silent, focusing on his escape. You could feel the frustration building within you, your desire to catch the elusive figure growing stronger with each passing moment.

 Suddenly, the stranger took a sharp turn, disappearing behind a thicket of trees. You followed suit, your katana raised and ready to strike. But as you reached the clearing, the stranger was nowhere to be seen...

"Wh-what?" You quickly scanned the area, your senses heightened, searching for any sign of the fleeing demon.

"What is this demon you speak of?" Said a voice from behind you.

Startled, you quickly swung your sword back. However, the stranger skillfully intercepted your strike, effortlessly catching the blade between his index and middle finger.

"I'm afraid you must have me confused with someone else." With a quick flick of his wrist, he makes you lower your katana, and you can't help but snarl.

"I am not a demon, but a medicine seller," the stranger continued, his voice calm and soothing. "I am simply passing through," he tells you.

Despite his reassurances, you couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that lingered in the air. The stranger's words seemed too good to be true, and his demeanor was too composed for someone who claimed to be innocent.

You scoffed, unable to contain your skepticism. "Yeah right. Are you seriously expecting me to believe that?"

The stranger's smile remained unwavering, and his expression betrayed no hint of offense at your disbelief. It was as if he had anticipated your reaction and was prepared to face your doubts head-on.

You stepped back, putting some distance between you two, before gripping and raising your katana once more. "With that appearance, anyone can see you're not human," you add, and you launch at him again.

The medicine seller was quick as he countered your attack with a weapon of his own. His blade was sheathed, with the saya (scabbard) being unlike anything you've ever seen. The hilt had the appearance of a komainu that's commonly found in Shinto shrines. And you could swear it clicked its teeth at you.

That's not normal.

You hesitated, unsure of what to make of this eponymous stranger who seemed to be more than meets the eye. However, you were finding it hard to believe his words.

"I understand your doubts, little demon slayer," the medicine seller said, his voice soft and suave. "But I assure you, I'm no demon, just a medicine seller, and my intentions are of no ill-will." He reassures.

"Besides, you should know not to ever judge a book by its cover."

"I..." You balk. "I don't trust you," you muttered, eyeing him warily as you tightened your grip on your own weapon, ready for any sudden moves.

The medicine seller merely chuckled. "Trust is a luxury not easily afforded in our line of work," he replied cryptically, his tone still gentle. "But rest assured, I am here to help, not harm."

Despite his reassurances, you couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that lingered in the air. The Komainu hilt seemed to mock you with its silent gaze, adding to the mystery surrounding this enigmatic figure before you.

"However, if you wish to kill me, then I am afraid I'd have no choice but to defend myself," he warned, his eyes never leaving yours.

In one swift movement, his weapon clashes with yours, knocking you back some. You attempted to use your Wisteria Breathing technique to counter his attack, but he was already one step ahead, effortlessly dodging your moves with a smirk on his face.

You couldn't help but admire his agility and skill.

As your little fight of keep away continued, you couldn't help but wonder about the true intentions of this enigmatic man.

Was he truly here to help, as he claimed, or was there more to his story than met the eye?

The way he moved with grace and precision was a clear indication of his expertise in combat, making it clear that you were facing a formidable opponent.

Frustration started to consume you as you observed that he showed no intention of drawing his sword or harming you in any way.

"Are you affiliated with Kibutsuji Muzan?" you inquired, seeking clarity.

"Muzan...?" The medicine seller tilted his head, looking puzzled.

"Y'know? The Demon King?" You prodded, trying to jog his memory.

"Hmm, I never heard of him," he responded. "Is he Mononoke?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Oh wow, perhaps he is telling the truth about not being a demon, especially considering his unfamiliarity with Muzan.

You stopped attacking him and took a step back, feeling a mix of both relief and confusion. The medicine seller's genuine expression and lack of recognition of the name Kibutsuji Muzan made you question your assumptions.

Maybe he truly was not connected to the demons in any way. As you observed him closely, you noticed there wasn't a rank or number etched in his pupil, indicating that he's not a member of The Twelve Kizuki.

Despite his bizarre, non-human appearance, you couldn't help but believe him as you took your sword and sheathed it. The medicine seller, seeing this, puts his weapon away as well, tucking it into the obi of his kimono.

The tension in the air dissipated slowly as you considered the possibility that the medicine seller was not your enemy after all. His demeanor, now that you had stopped attacking him, was one of peaceful contemplation.

"So, you're not a demon?" You inquired.

"As I said before, I'm a humble medicine seller just passing through," he restated.

"Are you the one responsible for putting those strange tailsmans on people's doors?"

"Yes," he answered in earnest.

"Why?" You prressed further, wanting to understand his motives.

"To protect people from mononoke," he explained. "They're vengeful spirits that feed off negative emotions, do things like possess individuals, and make them suffer, cause disease, or even death."

"Oh!" You're surprised at this, as the medicine seller continues.

"I use my knowledge and abilities to fend off the mononoke until I can learn the spirit's shape, truth, and reason. Only then can I unsheathe my blade and kill the spirit." He said, gesturing to the seemingly sentient sword in his obi.

"So, you're like me but a ghost hunter?" You asked, now both intrigued and amazed, as stars twinkled in your eyes.

The medicine seller chuckles, "Sort of."

You felt a wave of relief wash over you as you realized that the medicine seller was actually not a threat. The initial fear and tension that had gripped you just moments ago now seemed like a distant memory.

"That's so cool, Mr. Kusuriuri-san," you commented, and he smiled at the name.

Soon, you felt a twinge of guilt for attacking him earlier as you lean forward and bow. "Please forgive me, Kusuriuri, for trying to kill you," you apologized.

"I was quick to judge you without knowing the whole story," you added, feeling a sense of regret for your actions.

But the medicine seller simply chuckled and reassured you that he held no grudges.

"It's okay, little demon slayer. It is a common reaction when faced with the unknown," he reassured you, his tone gentle as always. "You were simply doing your job. I understand it's your solemn duty to protect humanity from this Muzan and his army of demons."

You blushed upon feeling his hand pat your head, a gesture that conveyed both approval and reassurance. In that moment, you felt a surge of gratitude towards him for his understanding. It was a reminder of why you had taken on the mantle of demon slayer in the first place—to safeguard the innocent and uphold justice in a world threatened by Muzan and his demons.

It seems both you and Kusuriuri share a common goal. You, a demon slayer, and he, a mononoke hunter, both seek to rid the world of dark forces that threaten the balance.

"So, what are the mononoke you're hunting, Kusuriuri-san?" You soon asked him.

"They are ikiryō (live spirits) and are the restless souls of the villagers who have been slaughtered by the demon you've been summoned to seek and destroy." He tells you.

"Really?"

"Yes," Kusuriuri nods. "The demon is their truth, but unfortunately, my abilities are futile against such a fiend. So, I'm in need of your aid, demon slayer. If you kill the vile demon, only then can I vanquish the ikiryō, so that they may find peace." He explains.

As you mulled over Kusuriuri's words, you realized the fate of the village rested in your hands, and the lives of the innocent villagers hung in the balance.

And so, with determination coursing through you, you smiled before agreeing to lend him your aid.

"Thank you," Kusuriuri murmured as he then informed you where the demon was hiding.

You were ready to confront the demon and bring peace to the restless souls.

[kyshiwarrior]

WORD VOMIT RE: Jet's attitude towards his decisions.

another reason i wanna kiss whoever wrote and directed jet's episode is the fact in the cartoon, jet was absolutely hyped about blowing up the dam and knew deep down it was bad because he shielded the gaang from it even if he was upfront with the freedom fighters and confirming with the duke that innocents would die but thats the price --- but still later smiling and saying theyre going to have a great victory over the fire nation after sokka is taken away.

in the liveaction, the cockiness jet has is when he's amused the gaang thinks they're slick for trying to sneak in, when he's helping them sneak in because he thinks its amusing and a helping hand, and the face of a threat: when the fire benders are found waiting for him in the forest to kill him for spying on them and hes ready to fight them back. Then, he's smiling at the camp when he's announcing who they are and what their goal is: freedom and protecting their home because no one else has their back.

Outside of this, Jet is very somber and expresses a lot of stress. For example, when he stops Katara from making herself known too early when Sai is talking to the spy then when Katara confronts him. What really stood out to me was when Katara walked up and Smellerbee was exchanging a look with him. They both looked really stressed and uncomfortable before she even came around the corner, but then especially. The look Smellerbee gave to Jet really said a thousand words, like they've been having a lot of discussions about involving her in their mission and an almost 'I told you so.' (sidenote: they did a wonderful job with nonverbals). Jet immediately puts his foot down about it not being the time then also not denying what he was doing when confronted. When he explains why he’s doing it, even as he smiles a little when saying they know how to take out the trash, its spoken with so much ire because he’s doing what he feels he needs to — and it hurts its your own people that let you down. He smiles because he’s in pain and overall feeling of ‘This is what happens when these people think they could get away with it. They have us to reckon with.’

What was significant to me was the lack of ego. This was someone who had full understanding that what he was doing wasn't something to boast about, but a building frustration tying with "IF NOT US, WHO?" What Katara didn't understand was the difference between herself and Jet, what defines being 'the good guy.' Jet was someone so acutely aware of his lack of privileges and the fear that drives the 'hard decisions' for the sake of collective. Hard decisions that put the very people you're trying to protect at risk because they were in the wrong place and the wrong time, but more would be at risk if they didn't act immediately. It's ugly, messy, imperfect -- and Jet is aware. He is not excited about any of this. Instead, he's pissed he feels he has no other choice because no adult after his parents did anything to help him. So it's all up to him, to him. ((cartoon implied these attitudes but I still spent years trying to get it through jet anti’s heads ))

And assassinating a KING and almost effortlessly succeeding is ... quite something. Impulsive, but pretty impressive. Sad, too, that it would be so easy. Everything Jet had to say about Bumi in this universe was true. Bumi lost his nerve, he was surrounded in privilege, he wasn't doing anything to really stop the corruption, and he fell into despair. Sure, Aang got through to him. Sure, Sai changed his ways and drew away from his treason with risk following. Sure. But we know what's going to inevitably happen, unless they decide to change it: Bumi happily lets Omashu get overtaken by the Fire Nation and orders all his guards to "do nothing" without any explanation. We better see Jet in Season 2 talk about his perspective here because the changes they did have me buzzing with theories. He would be livid and seemingly 100% right about King Bumi. ((Unfortunately, he is also destined to die before finding out about Bumi's plans to take Omashu back the day of the solar eclipse, but it doesn't matter because Jet would not have forgiven him for that terror.))

Anyway, they did a great job humanizing him while making him a foil to her. In the original, Jet was Sokka's foil, but I think it works so well to make him Katara's -- as they both become the most vocal and impulsive social justice activists. So seeing them fight and discuss what it meant to be a 'traitor' and 'unforgivable' was fascinating. They were actually able to have two separate discussions on the matter -- one where Katara confronted Jet to call him a traitor and when Jet confronted Katara to call her one in return.

I love how in the original, Sokka was able to prove he is a good leader in his own way by showing empathy for all and not willing to risk innocent lives ever, which gets Aang and Katara's respect after so much ridicule and comparisons. In contrast, I also love how they decided to go an alternate route because with Jet's impact on Katara that had such a lasting impression, this change did their dynamic justice. It sets up season 2 very well in how they'll engage with each other again.

I also love how Katara is able to reflect on Jet with criticism, but also understanding and a moment of gratitude. It feels a lot better than his simple flattery followed with manipulating her for her powers, and audiences feeling unsure how much of his flirting was genuine. Mind you, helps her story and establishes trust issues around being used (factors into her other plotlines), but it's such a disservice to Jet in return. I'm a big advocate of 'you don't have to completely demonize and ruin a character for the sake of uplifting another, the other should be able to stand on their own.'

[beetlejuse]

Instead of thinking abt Some Guy, whats one Cassunzel headcanon you've got that you haven't really had a chance to talk about ☀️🩵🌙

hehehe ok this one does actually involve talking about eugene a little bit, and it’s also more of a whole post-canon AU than just a headcanon, buuuut a friend and i have a cassunzel fankid that we’ve been cooking up in secret. i like to yap about them and my thoughts for an AU surrounding them but im gonna throw this under a cut because i think it’s gonna get long

so the kid is not actually either of their offspring, they are a distant cousin of cass’s (on gothel’s side). the rough idea is that cass figures there’s no way gothel doesn’t have more children scattered around the seven kingdoms, so on her big gay post-canon journey, she goes off looking for her family. she ends up finding this toddler who is being neglected in a way that cass finds disturbingly familiar, and she ends up adopting the child and taking them along on her adventure. cue first-time single mom shenanigans

back in corona, rapunzel and eugene have gotten married, and the question of children has been raised there as well. eugene wants kids and is ready now, and there is also some pressure from parties outside of their marriage to produce an heir, but rapunzel is very deeply uncomfortable with the ideas of pregnancy and motherhood. this is happening for lots of reasons, some of which are obvious— the gothel of it all, for one thing, and also rapunzel’s mom had a famously difficult pregnancy and rapunzel fears for her health now that the sundrop’s gone. HOWEVER, the elephant in the room, i think, is that rapunzel is a lesbian. she is repressing the shit out of it because she is so so so in love with cass, but she feels like she can’t act on any of those feelings because she doesn’t want to hold cass back, she thinks cass doesn’t need her anymore or doesn’t want anything to do with her, etc— so rapunzel is basically barely holding herself together trying to play the roles of the princess and eugene’s wife. eugene can tell something is very wrong and it is putting a strain on their marriage. and this is only after a year or two of being married btw.

it is not too terribly long before cass brings her child (who’s name is kit btw) back to corona. this is probably the first time she and rapunzel have seen each other since cass left and they are both very different. rapunzel is in a very dark place. cass is a lot more confident and at peace with herself, but also very worn down by caring for a toddler alone while being lowkey homeless. the reunion is awkward and stilted but they quickly fall back in to spending a lot of time together. it’s really good for rapunzel to have cass back because cass has always been the only one who truly understands rapunzel’s discomfort with being royalty, marrying a man, etc. they get gay and adulterous with it 🙂‍↕️

cass is initially only planning to visit corona for maybe a week or so and then be on her merry way with kit, but she ends up overstaying this by a lot. this is obviously largely because she and rapunzel are having a full-blown affair, but also… rapunzel has really taken a shine to kit. she immediately slips in to a parental role without cass asking her to, and also, kit really loves rapunzel too. this ends up destroying her marriage with eugene. eugene is obviously hurt when he figures out that he’s being cheated on, and also that it was never that rapunzel didn’t want kids, it was just that rapunzel didn’t want kids with him 🙂‍↕️ NEW DREAM DIVORCE YAY ‼️🎉🥳

none of this is really set in stone (me and the other creator of this AU who has done WAYYYYYY more legwork developing kit have some differing ideas about everything, and this is less than half of it) but what happens next is extra fuzzy. perhaps everybody is somehow just cool with the new lesbian royal family ? perhaps rapunzel abdicates the throne and runs away with cass and kit to start a new life somewhere else ? who can ever be sure. i mainly just like the idea of cass and rapunzel raising a kid together because they both have so much baggage re: motherhood and gothel and i think taking another one of gothel’s offspring under their wing could be very healing for them both. i also like the idea of rapunzel and eugene breaking up because i feel like it gives rapunzel a lot of agency that i feel TTS sometimes pulled away from her— TTS spends a lot of time asserting that rapunzel is a free spirit and she wants to explore and always be growing and changing and traveling, and i just didn’t really feel satisfied with the way that all falls away at the end. i really don’t think she’d be happy marrying eugene, i think eugene represents a past that i like to think about her moving forward from

thank you for coming to my yap session 🙂‍↕️

[sincerely-sofie]

Okay i just got another idea like right now after reading this post once more (it's the fourth time, i love it so much).

I kinda can't stop thinking of how the child will grow. How will the others (Grovyle, Dusknoir, Celebi, Kip, Cresselia, etc...) act with him? Is he some kind of Darkrai clone or does he have exclusive features (physically or/and with his ability). What kind of person will he want to be or will be? And the question I should have ask before anything else: What is his name.

Also what will be the gender of the child because i say he but if the child really comes from Twig and Ark he can be anything in a way (like, they could be a boy or a girl from Twig but they also can be a neutral gender from Ark)-

Personally, i imagined the idea of the child having similar power and physical body as Ark but with some feature of Twig. They could control the few powers they have of Ark perfectly without trying (they even could be able to not put people around them in nightmares when they fall asleep) but would easily lose control over their negative emotions (Anxiety, Sadness, Anger, Fear, etc...) especially with their personality near of the one of Twig (or even worst than Twig on some point).

I hope i'm not disturbing/annoying you in anyway. I just really love your content and i'm really curious about how you see/imagine things about the PMD lore or your PMD AU. Anyway, have a good night/day, take care of you, stay hydrated, don't forget to eat and rest or there will be consequences 🔫

it's 1AM and i'm still up but do what i say, not what i do-

Neluj

You’re not bothering me whatsoever! It’s always a treat to receive your asks and see all of your ideas and perspectives… also I will regularly open my inbox to plan my next posts and see your reminders to actually take care of myself and always go “OH SHOOT I HAVEN’T EATEN YET TODAY” and bolt into the kitchen to scarf down some leftovers, hehe.

First off: The baby is a girl! Ark proposes naming her Opal for absolutely no reason in particular, and Twig sees no reason to disagree with the name, so that’s what the baby is called from thereon. Pal and Pally are common derivatives used by Twig.

I’m working on a piece that will show how everyone will react to her, but it’s not ready yet, so I’ll just give a teaser: Celebi is completely blindsided by the baby’s appearance— she had no idea that something like that was going to happen in this timeline, and it’s a pretty big event to have missed whenever she peeked ahead in the timeline before now!

I haven’t decided entirely on what Opal’s personality will be as she ages, but for now, she’s pretty much your average baby— minus the crying. She is eerily quiet and barely vocalizes at all, to the point Twig gets worried about her learning to talk— and she promptly says her first full sentence immediately after. She’s very particular about food as well as material textures, and is prone to getting overwhelmed by bothersome sensory input, especially loud and clamorous noises. This isn’t something that she will grow out of, though she will collect a lot of strategies to help manage and minimize her overwhelm as she ages.

As for abilities…

[smilingformoney]

For The Love of Books

III. Afternoon Delight

Sinclair/Betty (OC)

Summary: Betty tries her best to get through tea at the Bryants', and later that night, Sinclair has a strange dream.

Read on Ao3 or below the cut:

While Sinclair went to get ready for tea, Betty introduced herself to Mei-Li, the housekeeper, and offered her some help getting things ready.

“Have you worked for the Bryants long?” Betty asked as she sliced up the bread for the tiny sandwiches.

“Oh, for about five years now. They moved in here just after getting married, then hired me.”

“You must know them pretty well, then.”

“I suppose.”

“And do you like them?”

Mei-Li hesitated before answering. “Sinclair’s always very nice. Natalie isn’t unkind, but she doesn’t really talk to me except when she needs to. But Sinclair always says hello and talks to me.”

“I’ve known Sinclair for about a day, and already I know that if there’s one thing he’ll do, it’s talk to you.”

Mei-Li laughed. “Yes, that’s true.”

“So is he really nice then? I keep getting some terrible fear that he’s going to turn out to be pretending just to lure me into some trap. It’s a silly idea, I know, but —"

“No, he’s lovely!” Mei-Li insisted. “He can be a bit oblivious sometimes, but he’s harmless. He’s just easily distracted. But he has a positive energy about him, you know? He’s been a little down since the summer, of course, but he tries to keep his spirits up.”

“What happened in the summer?”

Mei-Li paused, realising she’d slipped up. “Oh - well, that’s not for me to say. He and Natalie may seem like the perfect couple to company, but they’re people and people make mistakes. They’re working through it, though.”

Betty paused, considering. Mistakes? What kind of mistakes? And who’d made them - Sinclair or Natalie?

“Thanks for your help, Betty, but I’ve got it from here. Natalie won’t be happy if she sees someone helping me. There’s some magazines and today’s Times in the conservatory if you want something to read while you wait.”

“Great, thanks Mei-Li.”

Betty found the newspaper in the conservatory and immediately opened it to the puzzles page. She found a pen and immediately got stuck into the crossword.

“I’m on time for once!” Sinclair announced as he bounced into the room. “Are you proud of me?”

Betty looked up at him with amusement. “Are you often late?”

“Oh, constantly. But I knew you were all alone down here, so I came as quickly as I could.”

“I’m not alone. I’ve been talking to Mei-Li.”

“Oh, you have? Lovely! She’s wonderful. I literally could not live without her. We were here for about a week before we realised we needed a housekeeper. We simply couldn’t keep up with the estate ourselves. We’ve got a gardener, too. Ricardo, lovely chap. Doesn’t speak much English but he tries, bless him. He also acts as captain when we go out on the boat, which is a godsend, because I don’t know the first thing about boats.”

“You said you didn’t own a boat!”

“Oh, no, it’s not ours. It’s his. He does river trips and the like when he’s not gardening. Maybe we could go out on the boat later!” He glanced out the window, where a dark stormcloud was looming on the horizon. “Hmm, maybe not. Do you like boats, Betty?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never been on one.”

Sinclair gasped. “Never?! Well, I’ll have to take you soon. It’s much nicer in summer, of course, but just bring a warm coat and the autumn air’ll hardly bother you. We could go for a walk and a picnic too! Is that the crossword you’re doing?”

He sat himself down next to her, and Betty got a whiff of his cologne. He smelled like bergamot, which suited him perfectly. He was also dressed in dark brown chinos and a blindingly white shirt. It wasn’t buttoned all the way to the top, leaving a bit of chest peeking out, and Betty was a little disappointed not to see any chest hair poking out. Was he naturally hairless, or did he wax?

She mentally slapped herself. Stop thinking about a married man’s chest hair, she told herself, oblivious to the fact that Sinclair, in that very same moment, was trying very hard not to glance at the modest amount of cleavage that her V-neck t-shirt was showing off.

“Ooh, four down, gained independence from the Soviet Union this year, seven letters, third letter L. That’s Belarus,” Sinclair said confidently.

“No, the last letter’s A, see? It must be Moldova.”

“Of course, silly me. So many new countries this year, it’s hard to keep track! What’s the latest? Tajikistan, wasn’t it?”

“Armenia. I think Turkmenistan will be any day now, too.”

Sinclair looked at her, impressed. “You’re quite smart, aren’t you, Betty?”

“No, I’m very smart,” she said teasingly. “But you don’t have to be smart to read the news. There are new countries popping up left and right lately, it’s difficult to not know about them.”

“Some people have more important things to worry about,” said Natalie from the doorway, and Betty wondered how long she’d been standing there, watching them. She hoped she hadn’t seen her eyes wandering down to her husband’s chest, because that would have been awkward.

“Nats!” Sinclair grinned as he looked up to see his wife standing there - if there was any awkwardness, he was completely oblivious. “Come help us with the crossword!”

Please don’t, Betty begged silently.

“Oh, you know I hate the crossword puzzles, Sinclair, they make me feel so stupid. I hardly think this new friend of yours will enjoy it either.”

“I love the Times crossword, actually,” Betty interjected. “I do it every day. I haven’t had a chance to do today’s yet as I’ve been with this one all day.”

“Oh, no! I never wanted to separate you from the crossword!” Sinclair gasped. “You should have said, I’d have brought the paper with me and we could have done it at breakfast!”

Natalie frowned and looked between the two of them. “You had breakfast together?” she asked haughtily.

“Oh, yes, and it would have been lunch too but I talked her ear off all morning - you know what I’m like - then we went for a drive, then by the time I’d stopped talking about cars it was teatime! So we haven’t had any lunch either, I’m starving. In fact - let me go see how Mei-Li’s doing with the food.”

“Oh, don’t start eating before we even have company!” Natalie complained as Sinclair stood.

“Nonsense,” he replied, “we have company. Betty’s here. Mei-Li! Any sandwiches I can nick before tea?”

He disappeared back into the kitchen, leaving Betty and Natalie alone. Betty quickly buried her head back in the crossword again, anxious not to look her new friend’s wife in the eye. It was silly, because the woman wasn’t psychic, she wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at Betty that she was developing a crush on her husband. But even so, she could feel Natalie’s accusatory stare from across the room.

“Sinclair tells me you’re a new friend,” Natalie said stiffly. “You met at a bookshop in the city?”

“My bookshop, yes,” Betty replied, glancing up only briefly before going back to her crossword. “I’ve not opened yet, but he saw me setting up and came to have a look. I’ve not been able to shake him since.”

“Hmph. Yes, well, that’s how Sinclair makes friends. Picks someone out and doesn’t leave them alone. Usually people he finds ‘interesting.’ What’s so interesting about you?”

“I don't know. I think I’m pretty boring, but I imagine most people think that about themselves. Maybe ask him.”

“Yes. Maybe I will.”

Betty was never any good at reading people’s tone of voice, but she got the impression Natalie was suspicious of her. She looked up at her just as Sinclair came back in, scoffing a sandwich, followed by two men and two women, who were then followed by Mei-Li, who was carrying a tray of tea.

“Everyone’s here!” Sinclair announced proudly. “Everyone, this is —“

“Elizabeth,” Betty said quickly. She folded up the newspaper and set it aside to make room for the tray of tea. “Elizabeth Bennett.”

“Right!” Sinclair agreed, fortunately catching on, although he looked at her quizzically. “Elizabeth, this is Arthur and his wife Tabitha, and this is Oliver and his wife Penelope. And this is Natalie - and I’m Sinclair - and that’s Mei-Li!” He added with a grin. “And you’re Elizabeth. That’s everyone! Sit, sit, everybody, don’t be shy now.”

To Betty’s surprise, Sinclair made a beeline around the table to sit next to her - entirely on the other side of the table to Natalie. The other two couples sat either side of the table between Natalie and Sinclair. If they saw anything amiss in Sinclair’s behaviour, they didn’t show it.

“Did you finish the crossword?” Sinclair said sadly, looking around for the paper.

“Oh, no, I just put it aside when you came in.”

“Right, we don’t want to get tea on it. We’ll finish it afterwards. Mei-Li, the sandwiches, please! I’m starving, are you starving, Be - Elizabeth?”

“Ravished,” she admitted. “Didn’t you hear my stomach growling in the drive over?”

“It was probably drowned out by my stomach growling. If I don’t get my three meals a day, plus snacks, I simply waste away.”

“That’s not true, Sinclair,” Natalie said. “I keep telling you you need to start that diet. He always says tomorrow,” she added to Tabitha next to her, “but tomorrow never does come.”

Betty looked at Sinclair. He wasn’t even slightly overweight. If anything, for his age, he was quite skinny. “You don’t need to go on a diet,” she said. “You look great.”

“See!” Sinclair exclaimed, pointing at her. “Elizabeth doesn’t think I need to go on a diet. I think you just got yourself a promotion to new best friend, Miss Bennett.”

“Why, thank you, Mr Bryant.”

Sinclair grinned, then his eyes lit up as Mei-Li brought in a tray of sandwiches and started laying out plates for everyone. Betty watched carefully. She knew that rich people had weird rules about table manners, so she was going to copy what everyone else did, and since no one was reaching for any food or tea, she kept her hands to herself, though she desperately wanted a sandwich. She could also feel Natalie staring daggers at her, and she didn’t want to give her any reason to call her out for any faux-pas.

Food, it seemed, was the only way to shut Sinclair up. He groaned with pleasure when he bit into his sandwich - a sound which Betty was definitely going to remember for later, as she wondered whether Natalie ever made him moan like that. Probably not. Natalie was probably the type of housewife who never wanted sex with her husband, and only did it out of duty.

Betty tried to ignore the images that were running through her head, but once her mind got fixated on picturing something, she often found it difficult to stop. She couldn't help imagining Sinclair on top of her, his body pressed close to hers as he made those same moans. If she could ever make him moan like a sandwich could, she would have succeeded in life.

She dared to glance up at Natalie as she helped herself to a sandwich. Natalie paid no mind to Mei-Li pouring tea for her - her sight was set straight on Betty, her gaze sharp and accusatory, as if she knew exactly what was going through Betty’s mind.

Betty decided it was best not to engage. She tried to shake the images in her mind by listening to the conversation at the table, but she discovered that all anyone had to talk about was the latest gossip about people she didn’t know. So she kept quiet, not wanting to embarrass herself or Sinclair by saying the wrong thing.

Noticing she was being quiet, Oliver - or it might have been Arthur, Betty wasn’t sure which was which - turned to her and said, “So, Elizabeth, I understand you’re a new friend of Sinclair’s. Don’t worry, you’re not the first to get swept up in his tide - ‘Clair makes friends everywhere he goes.”

“Not true!” Sinclair insisted through a mouthful of sandwich. He swallowed, then continued, “I only make friends with interesting people. It’s not my fault if there are interesting people everywhere!”

“So where did you two meet, then?” Oliver or Arthur asked.

“Elizabeth’s opening a new bookshop in town!” Sinclair announced with excitement. “It’s on Cornelia Street, you know where the old record shop used to be? I went past on my lunch yesterday, saw the lights on and simply had to pop my head in and say hello.”

“More like you barged in and told me the entire history of the building before I’d had a chance to ask who you were and what you were doing in my shop,” Betty responded, earning a round of laughter from everyone at the table (except Natalie).

“That sounds like Sinclair!” Penelope (Tabitha?) chimed in. “Next thing you know, he’s carrying you off to all his latest social events.”

“And does your husband know you’re here?” Natalie asked curtly. “He must be concerned if you’re going off with a strange man so suddenly.”

“Oh, I’m not married,” Betty replied, forcing herself to look at Natalie and smile politely.

“Then who owns the shop? Your father?”

“No, I do. It’s mine.”

“Oh,” Natalie said with evidently dispassionate surprise. “I didn’t know you were allowed to own your own shop.”

“Of course I can. Women are allowed to own property, if that’s what you mean.”

“Yes, but all women?”

“What do you mean, all women?”

There was a sudden tense silence around the table. Even Sinclair was quiet. Natalie glanced around, her red cheeks visible even under her thick layer of foundation.

“I mean –”

“Let’s go for a walk!” Sinclair announced suddenly, standing up and clapping his hand decisively. “Yes, a nice stroll in the autumn air before the rain comes will do us all good. Get your coats on.”

Desperate to get out of the awkward situation, Natalie and the two couples got up as quickly as they could and went to find their coats. Betty, meanwhile, not having brought a coat, was left still sitting with her cheeks burning.

Sinclair plopped himself back down. “Sorry, Betty, she didn’t mean to imply anything. Natalie’s not as - ah - well-read as you and I, you see, and –”

“It’s not about being well-read, Sinclair, it’s about having bloody manners,” Betty replied bitterly. “If a person says they own a shop, it should be a reasonable assumption that they’re allowed to do so.”

“Yes, well… she didn’t mean any harm, I promise.”

“Whatever. Can you take me home after this walk, please?”

“Alright,” Sinclair agreed sadly. “But I want your company the entire time, please. And I promise to try my best to shut up. I still want to know so much about you!”

---

Sinclair hadn’t been lying - he really did try his best to shut up and only speak to ask questions. But as they meandered down by the river, he couldn’t help pointing out interesting things he saw.

“Oh, look at that little family of swans! Did you know a group of swans is called a bevy? Oh, sorry, I interrupted you again, didn’t I? You were telling me about your name.”

Betty really didn’t mind Sinclair interjecting with his facts, but she continued, “There’s not much more to tell. Mum was an Austen fan who married a man named Bennett. She saw the opportunity and took it.”

“And when did you start going by Betty?”

“I was always Liz or Lizzie growing up. If you ever meet my parents, you have to call me Lizzie, or they’ll go mental. They hate Betty. But when I started working at the library I knew everyone would see the connection so I thought I’d try a variation on my name that’s not so common.”

“Your parents hate Betty?!” Sinclair said with a gasp. “That’s an outrage! I’ll have to tell Mr and Mrs Bennett that Betty is a wonderful name for a wonderful lady. I won’t really, of course, I’ll be very respectful when I meet them. If I meet them. Do they live nearby?”

“They’re in Cornwall. They moved down there when Grandad retired so they could be near him for emergencies. But they love it down there, they’ve turned into proper country folk, I don’t expect they’ll ever come back to London.”

They reached a small bridge and slowed to a stop as they waited for the rest of their party to catch up, who were very far behind.

“Come on, slowpokes!” Sinclair called jovially. Then, quieter, he said to Betty, “I hope they don’t hurry up, actually, I like it just being us. If I’d known I’d meet you, I’d have never planned this tea and we could have had all day together. Are you free tomorrow as well?”

“Not tomorrow, I’ve got a lot to do still. Maybe next weekend?”

“Next weekend? Impossible, I’ll miss you too much. I’ll come and visit during my lunch hour. We can go somewhere different for lunch every day, and I won’t hear anything about paying, you can pay me back with a book if you must. But I believe in spending money, not hoarding it, and I like to spend it on friends. And you’re my friend, so I want to buy you lunch.”

“I won’t argue with free food,” Betty said with a laugh. “And you’re free to treat my shop like a library. I’ll even give you a membership card.”

“Ooh, I can be the first certified member of - wait, what are you actually going to call it?”

“Well, Grandad’s shop was called For the Love of Music, so I thought I’d call it For the Love of Books.”

“That’s a great name!”

“Sinclair!” Natalie complained as she and the others caught up with them. “Do you have to walk so fast?”

“Sorry, Nats, there’s just so much I wanted to show Betty!”

“You’re spending so much time with your new friend, don’t forget your wife’s here too!” Natalie put her arm around his waist as she spoke as a clearly insecure attempt at marking her territory, as if Betty was a threat. “Come on, darling, let’s walk together.”

“Oh - yes, alright,” Sinclair agreed, and Betty could tell by the tone of surprise in his voice that she never asked to walk together.

As the couple led on ahead, Sinclair’s pace significantly slowed now to match Natalie’s, Betty tried to eavesdrop on them, but Tabitha apparently decided now she wanted to chat, and so Betty found herself trying to believably feign interest in talk of coats and shoes while also listening to Sinclair and Natalie’s conversation.

“…just need to be careful, that’s all,” Natalie was saying. “She’s young and not … might start to think she belongs here.”

“She’s my friend … have to feel threatened …”

“I don’t … her type get violent when they’re upset …”

“What do you mean, her type?”

“You know … all over the news … barely know her.”

“I like her.”

“You like everyone.”

“That’s not true.”

Their conversation faded as Betty’s pace slowed until she was lagging behind the group, suddenly feeling a heavy weight over her. By the time she got back to the house, Natalie and the others were already sat in the conservatory laughing about something, and Sinclair was stood outside, waiting.

“Didn’t wait for me, I hope,” Betty said half-heartedly.

“Of course I did. Do you still want me to drive you home?”

“Oh - I dunno, it’s pretty far. Maybe Mei-Li can drive me…”

“Nonsense. I promised I’d drive you home and I will.”

“But your friends -“

Sinclair waved his hand dismissively. “Boring. I’d rather be with you for the next hour. Either you stay here with me or I drive you home. Which will it be?”

Betty rolled her eyes, but she smiled. “Drive me home, then.”

---

Something must have seriously been going on in Sinclair’s head, because for the first twenty minutes of the drive, he didn’t say anything, just listened to the radio. Betty watched the world go by out of the window, the houses getting gradually smaller as they got closer to the city.

“Sinclair, how long have you and Natalie been married?” Betty asked eventually, breaking the silence.

“Twelve years.”

The answer was short, concise, and very much not like Sinclair at all.

“Do you love her as much as you did then?”

Sinclair glanced at her, frowning. “Why?” he asked.

“I’m not the same person I was twelve years ago. Are you the same person you were? Is she? How do you know you’re going to love who somebody becomes?”

“I suppose you don’t. You can only love who they are in that moment, and when they change, you change together and fall in love with every version of them… or you don’t.”

“And do you love this version of Natalie?”

“Are you asking me if I love my wife, Betty?”

“Do you love her?”

“Yes.”

“Do you like her?”

He hesitated.

“I don’t like her,” Betty admitted. “I don’t think she liked me very much either.”

“You got off on the wrong foot. I’m sure she feels bad for mistaking you for staff…”

“She didn’t apologise.”

“No.” Sinclair’s knuckles tightened on the wheel slightly. “Natalie doesn’t like to apologise.”

“We were going to have dinner tonight.”

“We were.” If Sinclair noticed the change of subject, he didn’t mention it. “We still can. Why don’t we have dinner at yours? If you’re not tired of me yet.”

“I could never tire of you.”

Sinclair chuckled. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he warned her. “You’ll find me very difficult to get rid of.”

“My place is a mess, I’m still half in boxes. Another night?”

“Alright. Another night.”

Betty smiled. The sun had set, she was sleepy from all the food, and they still had half an hour left, so she closed her eyes and let herself drift off to sleep.

---

“Oh, Sinclair!”

“Mmm… Betty…”

Even though he wasn’t quite sure how they’d got there, Sinclair was nevertheless enjoying himself. He thought he must have pulled over somewhere, one thing led to another and now they were in the back seat of the Alpha Romeo, making out sloppily. If there was anyone nearby, Sinclair didn’t care - he was enjoying himself too much. Betty had finally found out she could shut him up by smothering his mouth with hers, and she was taking full advantage of it.

Her clothes were off. When had her clothes come off? Never mind, because she looked gorgeous, her hair blowing in the breeze thanks to the open-top car. She sank down onto him with ease, and Sinclair let out a moan of satisfaction. She bounced on him so perfectly, her head thrown back in ecstasy, her breasts at just the right height to bury his face in them, nipples hitting his cheeks with each bounce.

She felt good - so damn good - and her moans were delectable. Sinclair held her tight around the waist and thrust upwards into her, desperately chasing his high. He wanted her to cum around his length, to mix her juices with his as he came inside her. He was close, so close, and he mumbled her name against her skin as he felt his cock readying itself to explode. He looked up at her, one nipple caught in his mouth - tasting strangely like cotton - and his orgasm ripped through him as he woke, his moan muffled by the corner of the pillow that was in his mouth, and Sinclair felt a sticky, warm sensation against his stomach as his seed spurted out. He clenched his eyes shut, not wanting to face where he was, trying desperately to hold onto the image of dream Betty’s ecstatic face. But it was fading fast, and trying to recall the details of his dream was like trying to hold water in his palm.

He lay there panting for a few seconds, then opened his eyes and saw, with a sigh of relief, that Natalie hadn’t come to bed yet. He was alone.

He reached over to switch the lamp on and was finally able to see the mess he’d made - his own sticky cum on his stomach, still dripping onto the bedsheets. He swore under his breath and got up, trying not to let any more fall onto the sheets, then dashed into the ensuite bathroom to clean himself up.

As he sat on the toilet, dabbing at his skin with a hot towel, the details of his dream began to come back to him.

He’d dreamt of Betty. Betty in the car, kissing him… Betty naked in the car, fucking him. Fuck, he’d dreamt of her riding him and rubbing her breasts in his face at the same time.

“Stop it, you,” he admonished his cock as it twitched at the memory of the dream. “What are you doing, dreaming of her? She’s not your wife. She’s fifteen years your junior. She is not your wife. You’re a goddamn pervert, Sinclair.”

Never mind that she’d touched his knee in the car yesterday and sent sparks flying in his loins, or that she listened to every word he said like it was gospel, or that her eyes sparkled and lit up when she laughed.

“Still not your wife,” he reminded himself. “She’s not Natalie.”

It was just a dream. Dreams meant nothing. He’d once dreamt he was trapped inside a giant marshmallow and had to eat his way out; that didn’t mean he wanted it to happen. Okay, maybe that would be fun. But people dreamed about random things all the time! It didn’t mean he wanted to act on those feelings.

But the orgasm had been very real, and despite his best efforts, Sinclair couldn’t get the dream out of his head. When Natalie finally came to bed, he pretended to be asleep, as if being awake would give him away. He reached out to put an arm around her, but she rolled away as soon as his hand touched her waist, and so he was left to lie there in his own shame until he fell back asleep.

The next day was food shopping day. Natalie never came, but Mei-Li did, as she knew better than either of them what was and wasn’t in the cupboards. What Sinclair would do without her, he had no idea. He had once done the shopping on his own when Mei-Li was ill, and received a barrage of complaints from Natalie when he came back with a lot of sugary treats and nothing they actually needed. As if he could be expected to know what was in the cupboards when he wasn’t at home!

They had a routine now. Mei-Li gave him his own list and let him loose down one half of the shop; she, not needing a list with her brilliant memory, took the other half. They met in the middle, Mei-Li with her half of the shopping and Sinclair with his half plus whatever fun treats he’d found along the way.

In the cereal aisle, Sinclair caught sight of a woman from behind around the same height as Betty, with similar hair, and for a second his heart skipped a beat when he thought it was her. But then he noticed her clothes and realised she worked there. She turned, and sure enough it was a completely different woman who just looked like Betty from behind.

“That’s not Betty, of course it’s not Betty. Betty doesn’t work at Waitrose. She probably doesn’t even shop here. Or does she? No, of course not, she lives in the city. She doesn’t commute an hour a day like I do. Her commute is about thirty seconds. That must be nice, to be able to get up five minutes before work. I’d probably find a way to be late anyway. I hope she’s alright. Maybe I should call her. No, don’t call her, Sinclair, that’s a stupid idea. What would I even say? ‘Hello, Betty, just checking in. Had any weird dreams last night? I did.’ No, Sinclair, do not tell her about your dream. Definitely don’t tell her you had a wet dream. What are you, twelve? Oh, great, I missed the corn flakes. Stop talking to yourself, Sinclair!”

On the drive back home, Sinclair asked Mei-Li if she believed dreams had meanings. She said sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. Sinclair didn’t find this very helpful so he decided the best thing to do was to go and see Betty on his lunch break tomorrow, then when he saw her he’d remember that he didn’t actually fancy her and it was just a meaningless dream.

There was absolutely nothing that could go wrong with this plan.

[crownedinmarigolds]

Donut, Cry, Shaved Ice for Noa

Fearful, Mousetrap, Fire for Khloe

Masks, Crown, Jeans for Parvati

Paperclip, Rainbow, Love Letter for Kolya

slcknasty asked:

eye, volcano, knife for noa! Ah thank you guys for asking!! I'll post my answers under a break because this will be long!

🍩😢🍧👁🌋🔪 - Noa

😰🪤🔥 - Khloe

🎭👑👖 - Parvati

📎🌈💌 - Kolya

~ Noa Hidalgo - Vampire the Masquerade OC - Clan Giovanni 🍩DONUT - favourite sweet treat? Noa no longer partakes in sweets after her Embrace, though it feels extremely indulgent to partake in blood while it's fresh from the vein! Inheriting the painful Kiss from her clan, which makes drinking from kine almost impossible without killing them, she normally just drinks from bags or second-hand, so it feels like an extra treat when it's a warm sip. Before her Embrace, Noa liked chili candy powder like miguelito. 😢CRYING - what makes them cry? do they cry easily? Noa actually is very easily moved to tears, though it's usually through acts of goodwill rather than things that are sad. Receiving acts of genuine kindness or thoughtful gifts really do move her deeply. 🍧SHAVED ICE - do they still have any objects from their childhood? what significance does it have to them? what would their reaction be if they lost it? Noa was not able to rescue much from her childhood home when the Sabbat raided the family compound, so really all she has left is a locket she was wearing at the time of her Embrace, and an heirloom dagger her father had gifted to celebrate her becoming a Kindred. These items are more precious than jewels, and if anything were to happen to them, she would stop at nothing until they have been returned to her possession. If someone had stolen them, she would destroy them, simple as that. There's not much left of the Hidalgos that she knows of, and any attempt to destroy their legacy will be met with equal destruction. 👁 EYE - what colour are their eyes? do people notice their eyes? is there anything special about them (shows emotion easily, literally magical...)? Noa's eyes are deep brown, nearly pitch black. By all means, a normal eye color, especially where she's from, but coupled with her stoic and watchful expression could easily unsettle someone if gazed at for too long. When she activates her bloodline abilities that tap into necromancy and the handling of spirits, her eyes go completely black - sclera and all - which of course is INCREDIBLY creepy. 🌋VOLCANO - how bad is their temper? is it a slow boil, or a instant explosion? Noa is for the most part a slow boil temper. She has a high tolerance for a lot of things - mistakes aren't so bad, especially if the person who made it is earnest and trying. The thing that would set her most is blatant disrespect. Unfortunately, she isn't explosive immediately, she was taught to take things on the chin in the moment and to plot your revenge in secret. So those who would openly mock her or not heed her words should watch their back, lest they want to wake up to a sunrise. She may seem fine at first, but trust, she won't forget the slights made. 🔪KNIFE - how do they react to injury / misfortune befalling their loved ones (significant other, family, friends)? do they put themselves at blame? Noa absolutely would blame herself if any injury were to fall upon those she loves most. She loves and gives her friendship so rarely, and those she would count as family - blood or no - are under her umbrella. It is a failure of hers, she believes, if something were to happen to them. She would take it upon herself to nurture them back to health, to care for them, to exact revenge for them, the works. ~

Khloe Osborne - Vampire the Masquerade OC - Clan Thinblood 😰FEARFUL - when scared, do they go into "flight" or "fight"? Khloe wants to flight so badly, but Khloe also has people that need protection. Gritting her teeth, clenching her jaw, she would try and use her quick mind to fight, even if she's ready to puke. 🪤MOUSE TRAP - what will always lure them into certain danger? a loved one in danger? a promise of something they are always searching for? Khloe is very content outside of her coterie. Give her a cozy haven and her computer and she's fine. She was raised a humble Methodist and is incredibly happy to keep things simple and safe, so there's not much that's material in this world that she could be lured with. But she loves her boys so much, and if anything were to happen to them she would absolutely be pulled out to help them. She would and has killed for them, and if the Sheriff of Atlanta has her friends on a stage ready to publicly execute them for their crimes against the Camarilla, you bet your ass Khloe is coming in hot with alchemy and fire bombs to rescue them. Which unfortunately is probably what they want. 🔥FIRE - do they have any self destructive tendencies? what habits do they have that hinder them from becoming their best self? Khloe before the accident was a bit... not cowardly, but certainly not a go-getter. She let things kind of flow by, not chasing after much and living safely but not very satisfactory. After the car accident she was given another chance, so now she's living like YOLO, finally grasping at the things she really wants in this world... though it's lead to some pretty world shifting events. Saying yes to the obsessive Nos, actively seeking her Sire even when they went to great lengths to hide themselves, attacking the Sheriff of Atlanta, etc. Her need to no longer deny herself will probably get her hurt, one way or another.

~ Parvati - Vampire the Masquerade OC - Clan Ravnos ���MASKS - do they act differently around certain people? what's different between the way they act around friends, family, strangers, etc.? Parvati to nearly everyone appears fierce and stoic, a quiet and ruthless predator who doesn't speak and would kill the instant you're annoying. Parvati is a Brahmin Ravnos, which means she has Auspex, which grants her telepathy. She can read minds, and speak within others' minds if she so chooses, though she often does not. If she speaks aloud, it's often to match with Harri during meetings, who will purposely bring her into the conversation. With Harri in the room, she smirks, she smiles slightly, she speaks, and when he's passionate and her mind is filled with his thoughts, she feels the same. She is shameless especially with him. Harrakhty gets soft Parvati, warm Parvati, a caring one, and when they have a child together, the baby gets a mother who is good to it. 👑CROWN - what does your oc want to be remembered as? why? Parvati hasn't thought much about being remembered, being as old as she is. She has lived long past the thought of caring about what happens after she goes. Though, there are two ways her path could go that she would be satisfied with if she must choose- sitting on a blood and gold throne along with her husband as king and queen of the reborn world, as Lord Set had promised. Or, her daughter ruling alone as the queen of the new world. 👖JEANS - what is their go-to outfit? Parvati is often dressed to the nines at the behest of her beloved Harrakhty, who believes aesthetic affects the kine the most. When she's not put into gorgeous outfits, she prefers to be nude, or in a robe if she must receive company with Harri. ~ Kolya - Vampire the Masquerade OC - Clan Assamite/Banu Haqim 📎PAPERCLIP - a random fact. Kolya is a nickname of his actual name - Nikolai. He was born a Yugoslavian/Serbian Jew, and when he was a very young boy, his mother was a resistance fighter with many Nazi kills under her belt after his father had been sent to a concentration camp. 🌈RAINBOW - what advice would they give to their younger self? Kolya would probably tell his younger self to take his mother and get as far away from Europe and Russia as he possibly could. Then he would remember the good times they had and the people he would never meet, and wonder again if that's the right choice. Then he may say to his younger self to beg that beautiful American woman to take him back to the states with her rather than do any operations behind the Iron Curtain. Then he would probably just tell him to die next to her rather than accept the promise of that goddamned vampire. 💌 LOVE LETTER - do they like love letters? what kind of messages do they leave for their partner? Kolya is a romantic man, but he's simply lost his will to be it after losing his partner, having to fight wars and other various conflicts, etc. He has no correspondence from the woman he loved before his Embrace because they were operatives on opposite sides of the war, and they couldn't risk exposing the other if one had been compromised. He would write mountains of poetry to her if he could, but as far as he knows, she's gone forever, and that just takes the poet right out of whatever soul he has left.

[casspurrjoybell-28]

Alpha's Temptation - Chapter 13

*Warning: Adult Content*  

The next morning I make the resolution that I have to get up and go to school. I'm only making it worse by staying in my room all day with no social interaction.

As I get ready, pulling on some black skinny jeans, my mind replays the events of yesterday. How Daemon got so close to me and lifted my face, dark brows furrowed in some emotion I can't place.

He wasn't acting like himself. Had he really been... concerned for me?I know I'm being stupid for even considering that. There's no way Daemon cares for me.

But when I remember how it felt in his arms for the brief second he caught me, how safe I felt against his chest, I wish it was true. But those are just silly thoughts.

My friends are crazy enough to see Daemon as a romantic prospect for me but I'm certainly not. I do my best to shake thoughts of Daemon from my mind and grab my bag and go downstairs.

Lucien is able to drive me today, thankfully. I don't necessarily want to face the guy I tried to hit with a baseball bat and also cried about my test grade in front of.

I nearly fall asleep in the car on the way to school, still feeling extremely exhausted by the emotional turmoil I went through during the weekend.

I'm still feeling anxious about the nightmare and have already slipped back into the habit of picking at my nails until the surrounding skin of my cuticle is all bloody and torn. I just try my best to avoid thinking about it.

Because if I think enough about what went down in my stepfather's basement it'll put me back there, to that horrible experience and I don't want to feel that terrible fear ever again.

I have to distract himself. It's the only way I can get through this. Lucien briefly suggesting going to talk to the school councilor about 'whatever it is' that's bothering me but I immediately refused.

I don't want anybody to know. They can't know. If I just pretend like it never happened then it'll go away... right? When I get to my locker I find a frazzled-looking Lylah waiting there, shouting out my name when she sees me.

"Ash," she says, throwing her arms around my neck, sending me stumbling back onto the cool metal of the lockers.

"Um, hi?" I say.

She pulls back, giving me an incredulous look.

"Hi? Hi? Is that all you have to say for yourself? You've been AWOL the entire weekend," she exclaims, pulling out her phone and scrolling through the multiple calls and text messages she left me.

"Seriously? We thought you were dead," Wren seems to materialize next to us, making us both flinch.

"Hoe. I swear to God..." Lylah fumes, making to jab at him but he expertly dodges it, as it seems like something he does often.

"Sorry guys," I apologize, nervously grasping the back of my neck. "I turned my phone off and literally was just sleeping the entire time," I lie, though the lying in bed motionless part of it is true.

"So you were so tired you didn't go on your phone even once?" Lylah raises a skeptical eyebrow.

"Basically..?" I shrug, cursing myself for how obvious I sound.

"That's insane, Ash. I couldn't survive like, one hour without my phone," Wren says, scrolling though his phone at an alarmingly fast rate.

"Clearly," Lylah rolls her eyes at him before turning back to me. "Well I was just worried about you. Everything's okay, right?"

I nod, forcing a smile.

"Yep. Everything is fine."

"Good. But if you ever ghost me again..."

After getting a lecture from Lylah about the importance on communication, I head to my first period. It's algebra so it kind of sucks but we just have to do a simple worksheet so I just try to get it done as quickly as possible.

As I'm finishing up the last problem I feel like someone's watching me so I look up, finding a guy a couple desks over looking at me. When he sees that I caught him, he flashes me a sheepish smile, flashing pearly whites. 

I smile back shyly, blushing a bit because he's pretty cute. He's got curly brown hair and caramel skin and soft hazel eyes ringed by dark lashes.

I don't know why he was looking at me but it's a nice change because attractive guys usually treat me like I'm invisible. Or like I'm an annoyance, in Daemon's case.

Ugh, did I just admit Daemon's attractive? Anyway, I think the guys name is Jay. He's always surrounded with people so I'm guessing he's pretty popular.

Lylah and Wren have mentioned him before too, saying he's one of the hottest guys at our school. I think there's also something else about him but I don't really remember.

I get back to my work, trying to figure out what the hell x equals so I can finish this damn worksheet. My next class is Wolf Studies and it's kind of like a health class and it's mandatory.

Basically we learn about Alpha, Beta and Omega dynamics as well as stuff about our wolf side. It's kind of embarrassing though because the teacher also talks about sex and reproduction.

When I walk into class the teacher announces we're going to be talking about mates. Some people look excited, others look like they could care less. I don't know how I feel about it.

I mean, a mate sounds nice. But Alpha Ferix has told me so many times I'll never have one. I find myself believing it...The teacher tells us to get our notebooks out to takes some notes then starts his lecture.

"As some of you may know, mates are very important in out society. They are our wolf's other half, the person that we share our everything with. That being said, it is not always obvious when you meet your mate. Some even reject their mate but that only happens in rare cases so you young-ins shouldn't worry about that." 

I fidget with my paper nervously. That seems so sad to me. To be able to find your soulmate only for them to reject you.

It's a sick thought. But if someone had a mate like me I'm sure that's what would happen.

"If your Inner Voice hasn't awakened, which is your wolf speaking to you, it won't be there to help you find out who your mate is." the teacher continues... "This is often the case for young Omegas because if they haven't had their first heat their wolf does not to speak them. But even so, many un-awakened Omegas can still feel the connection despite that and will usually choose to spend their first heat with an Alpha of their choosing...."

I kind of zone out after that, tuning back in to see only a few minutes have past. Damn, time goes so slowly when you're waiting for class to end. 

"And in conclusion, mates will ultimately bond, marking each other. This helps them to share themselves with each other more deeply, even sharing a private mind-link. They will be able to sense each other's emotions but this is not to say that unbonded mates cannot feel each other's distress. It is possible to feel it through protective instinct. Now, take what I say with a grain of salt because every mate situation is different. It's not always going to work out exactly like this and your mate won't be without their flaws..."

Hypothetically, just hypothetically, if Daemon were my mate and even unbonded mates can feel each other's distress, could that mean he came that early morning on Saturday because he felt my distress over the nightmare?

No, it's silly and I know that can't be the case. And anyways, Alphas can sense usually when something's wrong. It doesn't only have to because of their mate. 

I shake my head, wondering why I choose to delude myself like this. I don't even like Daemon. I mean, I don't think I do. But him being my mate?

That's ridiculous. But I can't help but feel curious about it. Daemon is so cold. I kind of wonder how he would be like with his mate. 

The bell interrupts my thoughts. I grab my bag and walk out to the hallway. I really hate the hallways.

The chatter of the students is overwhelming and people always bump into be and jostle me around. 

"Uh, hey," I hear someone say but I don't pay attention to it because it's probably someone passing by who's talking to their friend.

"Hi? Ash?" the voice continues and I look up with wide eyes at the alpha who's approached me. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were talking to me," I say, flustered.

Jay chuckles, looking kind of embarrassed as well.

"No worries. You probably didn't expect me to talk to you so suddenly."

"It's fine," I smile with reassurance. "What's... up?"

I feel kind of awkward. I don't know what to say and I don't want to make a bad impression to a popular guy. In case he'll choose to target me like Trent does.

"You must have noticed me staring at you earlier in first. I wasn't trying to be weird or anything, I was just curious," his face is kind of getting red and I wonder if he has a fever.

"I didn't think you were weird, uh, just friendly. What were you so curious about?"

Jay runs a hand through his curls, looking kind of nervous.

"You. I thought y'know, we could be friends..?" he says it like a question and I'm surprised.

He wants to be friends with me? Me? Why..? But I don't want to be rude when I realize he's anticipating my answer.

"Friends? Really? That's nice of you," I blush and I see his grin widen.

"So you're down?"

"I mean, yeah but may I just ask why?"

Because seriously, I am so confused right now. Is it normal to just go up to class loner and declare you want to be their friend?  

"Well, because you're mysterious, always scribbling away in that little notebook of yours. I wanna know more about you."

I'm embarrassed he pointed out my habit of drawing whenever I have free time. I'm not even very good at it.

I can never draw the other eye and the people I draw end up looking like deformed stick figures. I didn't know he would notice me doing that though.

"Oh but I'm just doodling most of the time, nothing special."

"Hey, hands down, the best art comes from doodling. That's what Ms. Blanca says right?" Jay echoes the words of my art teacher. 

"Yeah, she does," I agree as we continue walking down the hall.

This is nice. An unexpected but not unpleasant surprise. And he wants to my friend. How great is that? 

"You have art next, right? Me too. Let's walk there together from now on."

I nod shyly.

"S-sounds good," I hate that I'm stuttering like this again but I get really nervous in front of new people.

But Jay doesn't seem to mind. And now that I'm taking to him I notice he's actually in a couple of my classes, so it'll be nice to have someone because Lylah and Wren aren't in any of my classes.

"Thanks Jay. It's nice to have a new friend." 

"Jay?" he questions. "That's not my name."

I gape in embarrassment.

"It's not? I didn't mean to be rude. But I really thought..."

Jay starts laughing, a mischievous look on his face.

"God, you look like a deer caught in headlights. I'm joking, obviously."

"Wait, so your name is Jay?" I ask skeptically.

"Technically it's Jason but everyone just calls me Jay."

I pout, crossing my arms.

"Then why did you scare me like that?"

Jay just grins down at me.

"Because it's fun to tease you."

It's fun to tease me? Did I hear him right? What could be fun about that? Jay notices the visible confusion on my face and just shakes his head.

"You wouldn't understand unless you're me," he smirks, opening the art classroom door for me.

[s-creations]

He Took My Place - Chapter 1

Wukong was so close to winning. To finally defeat the Lady Bone Demon and end this absolute nightmare. Not ready for her to get an advantage Wukong was not prepared to face.

((AKA: What if MK was possessed by Lady Bone Demon.))

This is based off a comic from Twitter, by @weaponizedbird Also here on Tumblr! @birddlord Link

Fandom: LEGO Monkie Kid       Rating: Teen and Up Audiences       Relationships: Shadowpeach, MK&SunWukong,      Warnings/Additional Tags: Everyone’s going to be here at one point or another, AU, What if MK and Wukong swapt places,  but not in a good way, Shadowpeach, I will continue to make this a pairing for my stories, Hurt/Comfort, will have a happy ending, based on artwork.

Wukong was fully aware of the situation presented before him. Knew the Lady Bone Demon had sunk low enough to claim an innocent child as a vessel. Using an innocent soul as a shield, but the golden monkey couldn’t think about that. It would haunt him later. But if Wukong wanted this to end for good, he’d end this with innocent blood on his hands. He was impulsive, it was a quality (hindrance) to his personality. Act first, think about the full consequences later. This whole trip was a testament to that aspect. And now he was staring down the worst of the outcomes. 

 Wukong could only hope the little girl couldn’t see what was happening. That for her…it was just going to sleep. A peaceful passing…

 “Do you feel as if you can justify these actions?” LBD’s voice hissed out, both in pain and to sound intimidating. “Taking an innocent life, so easily? I thought heroes were supposed to keep everyone safe?”

 “Don’t you dare,” Wukong bared his teeth, “You’re aware of what you’re doing. If you thought you were going to make this a difficult choice for me, you’re wrong. You need to be stopped. No matter what.”

 LBD glared, no doubt feeling as if her final plan was falling apart. More so when Wukong’s grip around her throat tightened. The moment of defeat passed quickly as, eyes flashing to something behind the Monkey King, the poisoned smile returned. “No matter what, you say. What if a person you were so connected to stood between us?”

 “You mean more than they already are? You’re a constant danger, nothing you say is going to change my mind.”

 “I suppose my actions will have to speak for themselves…”

 Wukong wasn’t able to spew out his question when a familiar cry was sounded. Coming from behind him, a good distance away, but one that sent a chill over the golden monkey. More than what was already there. Because Wukong had only heard that sound once and, this time, it sounded more painful. 

 Dropping Lady Bone Demon without a second thought, Wukong turned. Golden Eyes flashing as they scanned over the barren land and it didn’t take long to find what he needed. Stomach sinking hard.

 Miles away from where the mech stood was Nezha and MK. Wukong could only assume they had followed him (after he told them not to) and they had remained back to see how the Monkey King would handle this situation. But the distance didn’t change the fact that they were both in immediate danger. Wukong felt numbing fear overtake him as he saw a familiar sigil formed behind MK, who was trapped against it. The teen’s body glowing an eerie blue, the light pulsing as it was seen traveling through him. Mouth opened with an agonizing scream pouring out, eyes wide, changing from the warm brown colors to icy blue. 

 Nezha stood to the side, frozen in no doubt fear and the unknown. Not knowing how he was supposed to help with the teen in pain.

 “KID!” Wukong started moving before realizing he was leaving Lady Bone Demon free. Calling his cloud and darting down, eyes focused on MK. The sigil disappeared before the Monkey King was anywhere close, the teen starting to drop. “I’m coming, just hold on!”

 MK was fully collapsed to the ground, Nezha still off to the side with his eyes wide in fear. Wukong couldn’t be bothered to worry about the prince, reaching out to the teen who had started to move slightly. “You’re going to be okay kid, I’m right here!”

 Hand reached out to grab MK’s shoulders as the teen was now back on his feet. “MK? Hey, kid, say something! …Anything?”

 No reply, MK’s eyes closed still. 

 “...Talk to me MK, what did she do to you?” Wukong looked down at his hands that were still resting on the teen’s shoulders, realizing that frost had started to form on his fur. Heart hurting as a horrible truth of the situation entered his mind. “...MK?”

 The worst was realized. The teen now standing tall, MK finally opened his eyes, revealing full icy blue light encompassing them. His face was blank, no emotions showing as the veins on his face and neck started flashing a faint blue. Similar colored mist escaped from MK’s mouth when the teen breathed out.

 “Kid…MK, no-”

 “Thank you, Monkey King, for such a wonderful idea.” Lady Bone Demon laughed, eyes narrowing on the distraught Wukong. Who’d still not let the kid go. “You created such a wonderful successor…why not make him my perfect champion?”

 Wukong let out a low growl, shaking with growing rage. “Just when I thought you couldn’t sink any lower…”

 Letting out a yell of absolute rage, the Monkey King turned, fist formed to attack LBD once more. Only for MK to finally move, standing between the golden monkey and skeleton demon. Wukong realizing that the teen was doing nothing to even defend himself, that MK was planning on taking the full force of the attack. The golden monkey only had a few seconds to change the direction of the blow. Having to follow through so it landed off to the side, but didn’t spare anyone from the force wave that was created by it. Nezha and Wukong being pushed away from MK and LBD.

 Wukong was shaking furiously. Both from anger and absolute fear in knowing he could have just killed MK if he had not responded fast enough. The stupid laugh sounded again, Wukong’s eyes narrowing to the skeleton demon. Who was overly pleased with herself as she floated right behind MK. “You absolute witch!”

 “I thought you wanted to stop me, Wukong, no matter what. No matter who stood before me? What’s changed, dear Monkey King? Have you lost your bravado now that your dear successor is under my command?” LBD’s voice was sickly sweet, reaching out to place a hand on MK’s head. Who was unmoved, face still stoic. 

 “Don’t you touch him!” 

 “Wukong,” Nezah whispered out, “We need to leave.” 

 “I am not leaving-”

 “What exactly do you plan on doing, Wukong? Attack your successor? You didn’t seem that fond of the idea a few moments before.”

 “Keep your mouth shut or I swear-”

 “Wukong, we need to leave now!” Nezah reached out to grab the Monkey King’s arm, holding the other back from doing something stupid. “We need to fall back and create another plan.”

 “I’m not leaving MK behind, not like this.” 

 “We don’t have much of a choice. If we don’t leave now-” Nezha was cut off when a solid punch landed on his cheek. The prince was knocked away a few feet before being slammed into some rock rubble. 

 Wukong, eyes wide, was focused on MK. Who took the prince’s place when MK landed the punch easily. Eerie blue eyes turned to face the king. “Kid…”

 That was all he could get out before having to block MK’s next attack. Dodging the next and able to grab the teen’s wrist. “MK, listen to me, you need to stop this! This isn’t like you!”

 The teen didn’t reply. His free hand landed an uppercut on Wukong’s gut. The Monkey King let out a guttural cry as he was knocked away, gasping for air quickly in time to block the next attack. “K-Kid, stop… Fight back, you’re better than her!”

 “Please keep talking, this is so entertaining.” Lady Bone Demon laughed again, eyes gleefully following the fight. MK clearly going all out while Wukong refused to raise a fist. “I’m missing that determination from you Wukong. Worried about hurting your successor? Surely you trained him well enough that he could take any attack you deliver.”

 “Do you ever shut up!” Wukong shouted back. 

 “The irony is amazing…”

 Wukong wasn’t able to reply to that, MK grabbing the front of his garments and throwing him to the ground. Perhaps it was the fact that he wasn’t prepared for the sudden shift or that he was holding back to not hurt MK. Whatever the reason, the harsh landing caused the air to be knocked out of Wukong. The few seconds he remained still allowed MK to slam his foot into his mentor’s chest. 

 “M-MK…” Wukong choked out, hands reaching up to grab MK’s leg. Eyes widened as the teen raised his fist, building up a collection of energy to deliver another harsh blow. Only to be knocked away by the prince, Nezha making sure to push himself and MK further away from Wukong. “Nezha-”

 “Get out of here, now!” The prince called out, doing what he could to keep MK away. The teen’s face finally showed emotion. That of anger and frustration. 

 “But-”

 “You’re not in the right mindset to fight right now. You’re handing yourself on a silver platter to the kid and her if you keep this up.”

 “You’re not in the best condition either!” Wukong attempted to argue back. 

 “I’m well enough to give you an out. Now go! Find the fire and your friends!” Nezha was knocked away once more. MK, with his path cleared, made his way back to his mentor. 

 Wukong took a step back, mind racing, trying to land on some sort of plan- does he flee, does he fight, how was he supposed to help MK? -when the ground suddenly disappeared. The golden monkey let out a short noise of surprise as he sunk into the shadows. The last thing Wukong saw was MK’s possessed face looking surprised before all the Monkey King saw was darkness. Just as he was getting used to the floating free fall, gravity returned. 

 The landing was hard and disgustingly dirty, Wukong sitting up in the large puddle of mud. Letting out noises of discomfort as he stood. The Monkey King shook off the caked mud before looking around. He was in a dense jungle, in what section of the world, the golden monkey had no idea. The area was filled with the noises of different animals that called his place home. The sky was a brilliant blue, a stark contrast from the icy blue Wukong had just left. 

 Frustration built up, the nearby tree getting the full end of that emotion. “Take me back, now, Macaque.” 

 The nearby shadows twitched, soon forming the familiar black-furred monkey. The Shadow Warrior cautiously inching closer. “No can do.” 

 “Do not play with me, get me back there now! I’m not leaving the kid-”

 “And what would be your plan after that, huh?” Macaque growled back, “From where I was watching, you were getting your butt handed to you. You didn’t even try to fight back. So why would returning be a good idea?”

 “You aren’t allowed to make that call.”

 “I am when you’re acting like an idiot. But please, explain to me what you think you’ll be able to do if you go back.” Macaque crossed his arms, frowning as he watched Wukong struggle. Clearly trying to give some answer, but unable to land on one. Or at least one that sounded logical. 

 The Monkey King merely let out a growl and turned away from Macaque. Getting out of the mud finally before walking off. “I don’t have time for you. I need to-”

 He wasn’t prepared to be tackled to the ground. Recovering quickly to pull Macaque off his back, both pushing before Wukong was pinned to the ground. 

 “You can’t even fight me right now!” Macaque argued, “You’re just going to make things worse if you go back.”

 “I don’t care!”

 “Yes you do… I get it, this is not what either of us want right now.” 

 Wukong let out a snort, looking away. “You, concerned? Please-”

 “Just shut up and listen. You’re tired, you were already in not so great shape before you went to fight the Lady Bone Demon, and you’re holding yourself back if you won’t even try to land a punch. We need to find the rest of your weird little family group and come up with an actual plan. Together, not on your own.” Macaque waited when there wasn’t a reply, hoping that he’d actually got through to the other. Only for Wukong to let out a low growl before trying to break free again.

 “Let me go!”

 “Wukong, stop.”

 “I need to get to MK!”

 “You can’t-”

 “Shut up!”

 “Stop fighting me on this!”

 “Let go!”

 “Wukong just think about-”

 “I need to fix this!”

 “You need to calm down!”

 “It’s my fault!”

 That gave Macaque pause, anger turning into shock but not letting Wukong up. “What are you talking about?”

 “I was an idiot,” Wukong continued, “I just thought I would be able to pull off another stupid stunt. I’d just take the fire and run, leaving everyone behind while I took Lady Bone Demon down. Keep them safe. Keep…Keep the kid safe…”

 Something shattered in Wukong upon saying that. Letting out a choked breath, shutting his eyes tightly trying to keep him somewhat together. “I told him not to follow, and he did… I wanted him to stay as far away from that place as possible… And now…” 

 Macaque remained quiet, not wanting to interrupt, hoping this was good for the other to get out. Becoming slightly scared when Wukong let out an absolutely animalistic cry of anguish and anger. Quieting down after a few seconds, baring his teeth while tears started to fall. Macaque let out a slow breath before pressing their foreheads together. Startling Wukong enough to open his eyes once more, looking up in absolute desperation. 

 “It’s not your fault.” Macaque said calmly.

 “H-How is it not?”

 “You did what you could.”

 Wukong let out a weak laugh, taking another shaky breath. “That is such a lie.”

 “Okay, fine, you were an idiot. You kept fooling people into thinking you had a plan when really, you were just throwing together what you thought would work. Then, when your ‘grand plan’ didn’t work, you went off to face your enemy. Hurt and still with no plan. You let your defenses down, allowed Lady Bone Demon an upper hand, and MK had to pay for it. Is that what you want to hear?” Macaque was half expecting for Wukong to go on a rampage after this. But was surprised when the golden monkey fell limp, eyes looking away. 

 “...Why are you here Macaque?”

 “Making sure you don’t do something stupid.”

 Wukong snorted at that. “Little late for that.”

 “It’s going to be ‘late’ when you decide to not do anything about it.”

“So what, you’re going to be my conscious now?”

 “If I have to be.” 

 “Your track record isn’t the best. Why in the world should I trust you? Why should I believe you’re not just throwing me off so Lady Bone Demon can do something.” 

 “You’re just going to have to trust me.” 

 “I’ve dealt with too much right now to just down right believe you.”

 “Ugh, fine, but you asked for this.”

 “What are you-” Wukong tensed when hands cupped his face gently, not fighting back when lips covered his easily. Tail giving away his emotions, thumping against the ground with happiness, as hands reach up to cling to Macaque’s arms. Letting out a slow breath when the Shadow Warrior pulled away, Wukong’s fur puffed up. “Uh…”

 “More where that came from Peaches.” Macaque smirked at the golden monkey’s dumbfounded face. Laughing when a blush erupted upon hearing the nickname. 

 “You’re cheeky.”

 “Oh, just slightly.”

 Both jumped hearing a loud roar sound close by. Looking up to see a large, red dragon seeming to be made of flames. Remaining in the sky for a few seconds before disappearing. The area had fallen quiet due to it. 

 “What the heck was that?” Wukong asked. 

 “You should recognize that flame. It’s the Dragon Girl and, if I’m correct, Redson will be with her.” Macaque answered. Climbing off and offering the golden monkey and hand up. Which Wukong took, letting out a small grunt and he stood. 

 “You found them?”

 “The fire wasn’t hard to track, to be honest. Redson did his best to keep them hidden, but that fire is hard to really hide away now that it’s been reforged. So, we’re gonna grab the kids, find the rest of your family, and think of a plan.”

 “Rather level headed thinking.”

 “Someone has to, because everyone is such a mess right now.”

 “Try everything is a mess.” Wukong huffed, rolling his eyes. Attempting to remain casual as a familiar arms was draped over him.

 “Hey…”

 “...Yeah?”

 “You okay?”

 The golden monkey frowned, pressing his cheek against Macaque’s. “No…I’m rather numb. I just…I’m worried about the kid.”

 “MK will be fine, we’ll get him back.”

 Wukong let out a deep sign and nodded. “Okay, let’s get everyone.”

[lestwritewhilewaitingforajobcall]

Tamed Seas - Poseidon x Reader

(A/N)

This is the very first post I’m making on this equally new account and also the very first time I am ever using a second person POV for the reader. Let me know your thoughts!

The following story is just for shits and giggles. I do not own any of the characters, they are the property of Shinya Umemura and Takumi Fukui and Ajichika. I also do not own you, the reader.

Warning: Swearing from my disclaimer.

Tamed Seas

Poseidon x Reader

They were never allowed to stare.

If Poseidon never looked anyone in the eye, deeming them unworthy of even a simple gaze, then anyone other than himself were equally unworthy in looking at his wife.

Just before the meeting had started about a decision to be made on humanity’s fate, Poseidon had entered in his full regalia, his wife walking alongside him. Of course, such a prestigious couple deserved such a special entrance, as Hermes, per Zeus’ request too, played his violin most ceremoniously, a proud smirk on his face upon seeing the royal feet step perfectly on the red carpet he had immediately placed upon knowing of their arrival. Zeus’ older brother held a record of never attending meetings, much more any simple get-togethers unless they were of real utmost importance such as this one.

Shiva’s eyes grew at the sight of the couple. Even though Poseidon’s wife had originally been a mortal who had ascended to godhood, you were glowing and looked as ethereal as Aphrodite. Was he seeing things? He blinked and leaned forward in his seat. The last time he saw you was at the announcement of your wedding, then after the ceremony he never caught a glimpse of you ever again and only heard stories of your new and impressive conquests. Were you always this godlike?

As if reading his thoughts, he gulped upon finding himself at the receiving end of Poseidon’s cold and stoic stare. He shrugged his shoulders. Man, he had heard rumors of his sudden protectiveness towards his wife, but he never expected him to be this overly protective. He was merely trying to figure out if his wife was always glowing like this or not. Both figuratively and literally.

Alright, maybe he was checking you out a little bit.

Unlike the god of the seas, his wife greeted Zeus, and all the familiar gods with a warm smile. It had been ages since you had seen them all together, and the sight brought a sense of nostalgia to the days where you had first earned their favor, then their respect, and then their friendship. Although your story might not be as mighty (and as physically taxing) as Hercules’ was, you considered those ‘young’ days to also be one of your best apart from getting married to the man god who you had given your heart for and will continue to love and cherish for the rest of your life. Since you became Poseidon’s wife, you had not had much time to do leisure outside the palace, and correspondingly after heralding the title of ‘queen of the seas,’ you had taken it upon yourself to help your husband in matters concerning his own kingdom and the vast seas themselves.

“Master Zeus—” Zeus threw you a knowing look. “My apologies, Zeus, it’s such a pleasure to see you again!”

“Same here, little lady! Judging by the frequent calmness of the Atlantic Ocean, I trust you and my brother are faring along quite well?” The father of all gods chuckled, then wiggled his gray eyebrows. “Why, I must say, me and most of the other Olympians have been waiting for some new gods and goddesses to rule alongside us, if you know what I mean! Ehe he~”

Characteristic of your husband, Poseidon simply scoffed before muttering how gods such as themselves need not gossip. Blue eyes never left the Hindu god however, and unbeknownst to his wife, he lingered closer to you than usual whenever the both of you were in public.

This time, Shiva had had enough. He was sure he only looked at the direction of Poseidon’s wife only once, and admired you only once as well, yet he was being skewered by the god’s gaze for longer than what he had intentionally allowed. As if he had openly claimed you as his! He was the god of destruction for heaven’s sake, and would not allow this sacrilegious act, regardless of whoever he had to settle the score with. If it was with another prominent deity, then it would be a lot more fun. Golden eyes narrowed daringly, an equally challenging aura oozing from his form and startling the nearby gods.

“Lord Shiva, are you okay—”

“(Name). How many times do I have to repeat myself? You have no need to refer to other gods with honorifics.” Your attention whipped to your husband, who to your surprise, held a familiar, challenging stance. Unbeknownst to you but the other gods especially Aphrodite, Poseidon simply matched the challenge of the Hindu god. “You are the wife of the seas. All the other gods are beneath you, as they are beneath me as well.”

Upon hearing this, Shiva gripped his concrete armrests too greatly and it crumbled to dust under his strength. Pumped at where this interaction seemed to be heading−the thought of fighting, he stood up, arms on the ready to cause destruction. Despite being in the middle of the crowd and quite far away from the center of the stadium where the couple stood, he caught glimpse of the famous trident he would never be caught dead wielding. Now this was getting interesting!

“My rules are simple: you disrespect me, you die,” He pointed at Poseidon, which the latter found disgusting enough to scrunch up his nose.

“Should we put a stop to this, Lord Zeus?” Hermes asked behind a white gloved hand. Not exceeding any expectations, Zeus laughed after a stroke of his beard and clapped. He always was one to find entertainment in alike situations, especially after the fact that this was the only time, he and all the other gods had really felt Poseidon riled up. The expression on the god of the seas’ face remained calm but it was betrayed by the suffocating, dominating presence he emitted from where he stood.

“And after you die, your wife would become firsthand witness of realizing how your title betrays your strength,” Shiva stretched, but halfway through noticed Poseidon’s quick work of his trident. He took a stance and prepared for the parrying move.

Amidst the unexpected battle that was soon to happen, to everyone’s surprise, a whistling sound echoed along the tension-filled stadium. It was a tune most foreign to the gods, all except one. From your lips, a beautiful melody poured out as a soft gentle breeze seemed to have begun to blow. It was an old tune you had learned from one of your many lifetimes in the mortal world,

And the very same one you had sung to Poseidon that had sustained him in trying moments.

Poseidon came to a full stop, his muscles unmoving as he listened and slowly, put his trident down. What was he thinking? He should not have been swayed by a foolish taunt committed by a foolish god. He was perfection incarnate. His wife would never fall for a foolish antic, so why did he? Now he was both angry and confused with himself. How could he have allowed himself for even a moment, for others to see him angry over this? What even was this?

Without the need to look at you, relishing in your fine tunes reminded him of the initial catalyst to his reaction and an answer to his question. Whenever matters concerned his wife, his emotions, which he learned were out of his control, seemed to defy all rational logic, which, even at the very beginning of your courtship, bypassed his ego. Of course, despite these strong feelings, the one thing Poseidon had control over were his actions. Therefore, he had always had a grip on how he presented himself. Although it was still a slow progress to figuring out this foreign feeling with his wife, the only other being he deemed truly worthy to allow into his life, anyone else will never have a chance of being privy to this side of him−a sentiment that thankfully, his wife shared. Though he never admitted it, he was confused and left mulling over for some time when you had also told him before that you had meant a different thing.

“…Foolish. Gods have no need for wars, we are perfect beings ourselves. You are not the reason for my presence here and are not worthy of my time and attention.” Another long silence fell, finally broken by Poseidon, ignoring the mix of surprised and fearful stares. His legs started carrying him towards the direction of one of the high stage boxes in the stadium. “Come, (Name).”

Shiva, who had his fists out and ready to fight, blinked twice in confusion before grunting, scratching the back of his ear violently in frustration. “You Greek gods have always been boring! And here I thought I’d finally be able to cause some destruction again, this time in Valhalla…”

Other than the Hindu god himself, none would ever understand if he had riled up the Greek god on purpose for the sake of his own entertainment or, perhaps, for something more personal. Zeus, meanwhile, followed the sight of his older brother walking quietly alongside his wife. Aphrodite nodded her head in his direction, affirming his suspicions. He would never fully understand the concept of love, but hey, he did get the message that all would be damned if so much as a single hair went missing on (Name)’s hair. And it seems he was not alone in this thought, as despite Shiva’s aggressive taunting, he also managed to peak into the gravity of the god of seas’ feelings towards his wife.

After Shiva had been calmed down and more gods piled in along with the Valkyries, Zeus set his meeting in motion. From the stands, Poseidon and his wife occupied the two seats that closely resembled their thrones. Eagerly sitting beside the god, (Name) grinned. Every day she had to sit close to her husband or even at times on his lap, she always felt like her body fit snugly against his.

Blue eyes stared uninterested at the spectacle.

“Dearest?” Poseidon turned his head and met your gaze. Any dark smudges had disappeared beneath his eyes, and his mouth that was carved into a seemingly permanent frown softened. His lips went from a thin line to a gentle curve.

“Thank you.”

No more words needed to be said. Poseidon knew what you were thanking him for, and he responded by closing his eyes as though he was swallowing every ounce of serenity that emitted from you. And the taste was sweet…

Above the angry retaliation of the gods regarding the verdict of Ragnarok, Poseidon enjoyed an elusive peace. Even if it was just a simple moment like this, he set his features in calm lines and his shoulders sank−a truly rare sight, a special secret between himself and his wife.

“I don’t care about this. I am eager to go home.” Poseidon whispered under his breath.

A chuckle left his wife’s lips. “We’re going home soon, don’t fret.”

[ladyartemesia]

TEASER: Kim Seokjin and the Mean Omega

Pairing: Nerd Alpha Kim Seokjin x Popular Omega Reader

Genre: A/B/O • Enemies to Lovers • (Sorta) College AU • Best Friend's Brother AU (Who is surprised? No one?)

Teaser Word Count: 3.6K

Teaser Warnings: A/B/O sexual dynamics • suggestive content

Rating: Explicit (18+) (Teaser is PG-13)

Summary: In the modern world, alphas are almost unheard of so why even bother learning about them? After all, as a spoiled (but reasonably kind-hearted) omega who is used to getting whatever she wants, you have better things to do. However, when unexpected circumstances throw you in the path of (extremely) nerdy and (probably?) shy Kim Seokjin, you're shocked to discover that he won't be wrapped around your little finger as easily as all the rest. Bringing that infuriating geek to his knees quickly becomes your personal mission in life... But it turns out that Kim Seokjin is not what he appears to be and the mean omega who eats beta boys for breakfast is about to get way more than she bargained for...

Author’s Note: This story would not be here without the love, support and friendship of my incredible support system. You talk with me, you laugh with me, you listen when I’m crying, and you read my chaotic drafts when I am ready to pull my hair out of my head in frustration. I love you all. @ppersonna @xjoonchildx @untaemedqueen @lemonjoonah. ALSO thank you to each and every one of you who encouraged me to post this story. This fic is dedicated to all of you as a token of my love and appreciation. Your support keeps me writing. Never doubt that for a second.

“...due to discriminatory anti-alpha policies in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, alphas were nearly eliminated from the general population…”

You heaved a weary sigh and rolled your shoulders—stretching the buttons of your high-end Oxford shirt to their limit. The beta sophomore to your right whined audibly and you smirked.

“...despite efforts to restore the genetic balance of designations, alphas currently comprise less than one percent of the population…”

Your back arched slightly as you crossed your legs, letting the absurdly short hem of your skirt ride up even higher. The poor boy you were tormenting shifted miserably in his seat.

How was he supposed to focus on a Human Biology and Designation Studies lecture when the living breathing embodiment of every sweaty undergrad’s fantasies was twisting her fingers in her hair and wrapping her pretty pink tongue around a strawberry lollipop right there in the middle of class?

“...unlike betas and omegas, alphas possess enhanced strength and the ability to compel other designations with their voice. Unmated alphas especially were often baselessly feared and distrusted...”

You knew exactly how you affected boys like him. You were a shameless tease who relished their attention and the power it brought you. Who needed drugs when driving a man mad with desire was a rush more potent than any high?

“...and that’s all for today so please read pages 450-466 in the text over break and remember to turn in your essay on scent and consent in intimacy—”

That poor sophomore looked like he had finally worked up the courage to speak to you, but you were already out the door and tearing down the hall toward your beautiful (and entirely platonic) counterpart, Kim Taehyung.

“Do you think Professor Moore is unaware that class is over at 3:25 or is he just torturing us for science?”

Taehyung shrugged, falling into step beside you with practiced ease.

“I mean I would torture you for free so it’s hard to say.”

The corner of your mouth quirked up at his characteristic dry humor, but the irritation at being held in that sweltering lecture hall for an extra ten minutes had frayed your temper.

“It’s the last class before spring break, I’m sure he was on some sort of twisted power trip.” You dug around in your purse for some chapstick, ignoring Tae’s amused snorting, “Alphas barely exist anymore and none of us are likely to meet one. Why bother learning what they can do?”

Taehyung tilted his head in amusement.

“You might be surprised.”

The final party before the beginning of spring break was always a laid back affair.

Many people had already caught planes to their various destinations, but your flight was scheduled for early tomorrow morning—leaving you with some time to kill.

Taehyung pressed his newest experimental concoction into your hand within minutes of entering the house (a surprisingly neat bachelor pad owned by two seniors, Jung Hoseok and Min Yoongi) and then darted back to the kitchen to craft more questionable alcohol potions like a deranged party warlock.

You had just found a comfortable place on the couch and were contemplating whether sampling your best friend’s mad scientist elixir would be worth the probable damage to your body when—

“H-Hello...”

It was that sophomore from your Designations Studies class. What was his name again? Jungwoo? Jinwook?

“Jungkook,” you smiled, delighted to have remembered before it became awkward. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

You motioned to the empty cushion next to you and the man in question scrambled over like he’d won the lottery.

“I—I know we don’t know each other well, but I noticed you were absent during Professor Moore’s lecture on intimacy and scent consent so I—” he blushed deeply, “I wrote the essay for you—and I brought a copy on my flash drive if-if you want it.”

Your heart melted immediately.

“Oh my gosh Jungkook, that is so sweet of you!”

Your gaze darted over his muscular form and thick brown curls.

Sweet indeed.

“I don’t want to miss out on the learning though,” you pouted, placing a hand on his tattooed bicep. “Can you explain it to me?”

Jungkook nodded vigorously even as his wide eyes fell to where your fingers were sliding slowly over his chest.

Scent consent was a pretty basic and universally known concept, but you really were touched by the handsome sophomore's consideration.

Why not give him (and yourself) a little reward?

“Um so basically if two people are involved in...intimate activities—”

You leaned forward to nip his ear lightly and he whimpered.

“Like this?” you asked innocently.

“Y-Yes. Like that.” He gulped. “In an intimate situation consent or refusal can be smelled. The scent of refusal or reluctance in intimacy is strong, unmistakable, and has a high chemical potency.”

“Is that so?” you drawled, sliding over onto his lap. Jungkook’s eyes rolled back into his head and you bit back a grin.

He was adorable.

“Uh-huh—it—oh my gawd,” (you were nibbling on his ear again) “it can immediately block sexual arousal and performance in the other partner. Meaning, if consent is not present, then it becomes difficult or—ahh” (his voice began to waver under your continued attention) “—or even impossible to continue with intimate acts.”

Your hand slid up to his cheek, bringing him closer till your lips were almost touching.

“Then what does it mean if I’m still so turned on right now?”

“It means,” Jungkook shuddered—nearly delirious with your scent, “that I really really want you.”

Across the room, Park Jimin chuckled as he watched you seduce his enthusiastic friend.

Jeon Jungkook was such a sweet kid.

Hopefully he wouldn’t get too attached.

“Wow... Some people are genuinely born blessed I suppose.”

Jimin turned to see Jung Hoseok eyeing the dimly lit corner where you and the eager young sophomore were exploring each other.

It was a rather...provocative spectacle. Not quite raunchy (you weren’t truly an exhibitionist)—just insanely sexy.

Jimin’s gaze lingered on the smooth curve of your thigh where Jeon Jungkook was currently holding on for dear life.

Lucky bastard.

“Ah you know how she is,” he sighed. “That boy isn’t going to get any farther than anyone else.”

It was relatively common knowledge that you liked to mess around but rarely—if ever— fully hooked up with anyone.

Jimin asked you about it once during a drunken game of truth or dare and you had just shrugged, mumbling something along the lines of avoiding STDs (which—to be fair—was at least part of your motivation), but the truth was a little more complicated than that.

In terms of experience, you weren’t a virgin, but... you hadn’t actually had sex in years.

You loved the chase, the foreplay, the build-up—the game of cat-and-mouse between two people who were attracted to one another.

But the final consummation was always so…

Wildly unfulfilling.

Every encounter left you frustrated. Empty.

Grumpy—even.

So you stopped bothering with it all together. (That was what sex toys were for after all.)

At the end of the day you were perfectly content being labeled a tease—it meant that people tended to know what they were (or rather weren’t) getting into when they rolled the dice with you.

Besides…it hadn’t even put a dent in your throng of admirers.

You were sunny, spoiled, indulgent, almost universally adored—

And you loved every minute of it.

“You know…” Hoseok took a long sip of his drink. “I always thought she would end up with Taehyung, but it’s been three years.”

Like you, Kim Taehyung was a trust fund brat and it was only natural that two beautiful and absurdly privileged people would gravitate to one another. You met at a freshman pledge party and had been an inseparable (and formidable) dynamic duo ever since.

The undisputed king and queen of campus.

Yes—maybe the two of you were a little self-absorbed at times, but it was hardly your fault that people tended to instinctively cater to the force of your combined looks, wealth, and charisma.

And it didn’t hurt that neither of you were ever intentionally cruel or unkind.

Just... habitually thoughtless.

(Though not when it came to each other. If anything your friendship was one area where you were both a little more human.)

Jimin shook his head.

“Nah that’s never gonna happen.” He tapped his nose. “They’re scent-crossed.”

Hoseok’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

Scent-crossed pairs didn’t smell sexually attractive to each other.

Like. At all.

No matter how physically or visually appealing an individual might be, it would be near impossible to form a sexual or romantic attachment to them if you were scent-crossed. Alphas, betas, and omegas were all subject to their noses first and foremost in the realm of attraction.

You and Taehyung smelled like comfort and home to one another...

But you were more turned on by a crisp cup of apple juice than you were his scent and the feeling was quite mutual.

He might as well have been your actual brother.

“That explains so much.” Hoseok snorted as he watched a drunken Taehyung do a flying leap on top of both you and Jungkook.

“Why is sunlight so offensive?” you croaked, dragging yourself and your luggage toward the boarding ramp next to an equally miserable Taehyung.

“The next time I book a flight before 9 AM, please shoot me,” he grunted.

Your parents were celebrating their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary with a month-long European cruise so your best friend had graciously invited you to spend two glorious weeks of spring vacation at his family estate.

The invitation had actually come as somewhat of a surprise because—for all your closeness—Taehyung was uncharacteristically tight-lipped about his family.

Not that he was deliberately withholding information per se… It was just that he never really brought them up beyond an occasional passing comment.

The one time you did ask him about them directly he sighed and said—

“We’re very close, but… I suppose we’ve just gotten used to being very private.”

There was clearly more to the story, but you were confident that Tae would share it if and when he was ready.

“My parents are in Seoul opening a new branch of the company. They took my little sister with them and my older brother has his own house so it will be just us.” He snuggled deeper into the first class seat directly next to yours. “We’ll hang out by the pool and chill during the day, then hit up some of the new clubs or whatever at night.”

“So… No one from your family will be there?”

Perhaps the invitation was not so surprising after all.

“Nope. Just you and me and thirty acres of ocean front property.”

You grinned.

“Perfect.”

“Whose room is that?”

The two of you were lugging your bags down the main hall of Taehyung’s expansive mansion when a strange hint of...something caught you right by the nose.

Your friend turned to find you frozen and staring curiously at a familiar door near the balcony.

His eyes widened, but you were too preoccupied to notice his momentary concern.

“That’s just Jin’s room.”

A firm hand wrapped around your wrist and dragged you away, but your eyes stayed glued to the source of the mysterious scent until you were around the corner and out of sight.

Your suite for the next two weeks was right across the hall from Taehyung’s. There was a whirlpool, a full bath, a balcony, and an ocean view that would rival the cover spread of any travel magazine.

Tae headed for the shower (to ‘wash the airplane off’) immediately after showing you the room and you were thinking of doing the same except…

Your mind kept going back to that door and the hint of scent you detected.

There was something… different about it.

It was faint—and far from fresh (which made sense considering that one of the few things you did know about Kim Seokjin was that he hadn’t lived in this house for years).

But still…

The need to smell it again pressed insistently at the back of your mind.

Suddenly the sound of Taehyung singing raunchy lyrics in the shower carried over through the walls and you found your feet moving almost of their own accord.

What Tae doesn’t know won’t hurt him, you rationalized, making your way down the hall toward Jin’s door. Besides—it’s not as if I’m going to steal anything…

You just needed to find that scent again.

By the time your fingers closed over the knob every one of your nerves was strangely—acutely—alert but nothing could have prepared you for what was waiting behind the door.

Oh. My. Gosh.

“What a colossal nerd.”

The room was covered floor to ceiling in Nintendo memorabilia.

Bright primary colors assaulted your eyes from all directions in the form of action figures, posters, pillows, and every other conceivable merch variety known to man.

In the center of the suite stood a large king-sized bed covered in a custom black couture toile-style Mario-verse bed set (that looked every bit as expensive as it was geeky) and a mountain of high quality Nintendo character plush toys.

Everything was simultaneously luxe and nostalgic—a rare combination of sophisticated aesthetic balance and childlike indulgence.

And the scent was there.

It was faint and covered under layers of cleaner and air fresheners, but still lingering just below the surface—too weak for you to get a really good whiff, yet potent enough to torment you.

You moved forward unconsciously toward the strongest source of the hypnotic smell—the strangely inviting expanse of Kim Seokjin’s mattress.

Suddenly the urge to climb—no crawl—across the bed itself and roll around in it like a kitten in catnip gripped you out of nowhere.

“What the hell?” you muttered, rubbing absently over the mating gland at the base of your neck.

Something very odd was going on with your body.

Your restless gaze zeroed in on one of the stuffed toys piled atop his pillows. It was a cute little mushroom man your brain recognized as a Mario character named ‘Toad’.

Take it.

Your mouth dropped open in shock.

You need it.

“Am I going insane?” you wondered aloud.

You have to take it.

Muscles in your hand began to twitch involuntarily. You bit your lip.

Bring it back with you.

Several minutes later a freshly washed Taehyung wandered over to your room and found you sitting perfectly still on your bed while staring off into space.

His head tilted in curious concern.

“Everything ok?”

You started a bit at the sound of his voice, but recovered quickly.

“Never better!” you chirped—almost too brightly. “Let’s go get some dinner, I’m starving.”

Then you grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hall toward the kitchen—shutting the door before he could catch a glimpse of his brother’s stuffed Toad doll stashed underneath your pillow

“...a critical water main rupture in the city’s New Market district early this morning has forced several residents out of their homes as flood water swelled up to nearly two feet. The governor declared a state of emergency and ordered hotels around the city to accommodate the displaced citizens. Crews are still clearing the water and assessing damages. We expect—

“Hey!” you shouted through a mouthful of cereal, after Your best friend switched off the television, “I was watching that!”

“And what you should be doing is getting ready for the pool.” Tae snatched your cereal bowl and dragged you by your shirt collar toward the stairs. “It is the first morning of our vacation. I’m not trying to waste any time. Now go.” He shoved you forward, smacking your ass for good measure.

You swatted back at him half-heartedly as jogged back up to the room where you enjoyed a surprisingly restful sleep last night.

Kim Seokjin’s door glared at you accusingly as you shuffled past—unable to let you forget that you had kidnapped it’s little mushroom man in an unexplained fit of kleptomania, but that was a problem for your future self.

The you of right now was going to zen out in the Kim family's premium glass-enclosed indoor pool (it was still a little chilly for the outdoor pool) with her best friend and bask in the simple joys of good company and no responsibility.

...Or not.

A few minutes later you bounced into the living room wearing a simple black tankini with a cute floral cover only to find Taehyung on the phone with his head in his hands.

“Yes, sir. I understand… I...I know this is my responsibility...”

That didn’t sound good.

After a few more tense moments, Tae hung up and collapsed backward into the couch with a heavy sigh.

“That water main break you heard about on TV this morning was the last straw between the province and its current contractor. They called an emergency meeting for new bids.”

Your heart dropped as you sank down beside him.

“Your dad wants you to go...doesn’t he.”

Taehyung nodded miserably.

“He can’t leave the Seoul opening on such short notice and managing government construction contracts is part of what I’ve been training for. This could be huge for our company.”

“Well...why doesn’t your brother go?”

“Jin is the brains behind most of our patented gaming and tech innovations. He wouldn’t even know where to begin with this sort of thing. Besides,” his lips quirked up in a rueful grin, “my brother doesn’t have the patience to stroke entitled geriatric egos for hours on end—which is likely what I’m going to have to do.”

The two of you headed back to Taehyung’s room where you helped him pack some suits and toiletries for his trip.

Naturally you were disappointed but...this was a great opportunity for your best friend to prove himself in his chosen field and you both knew it. In fact, he was already starting to brighten a bit.

“The meeting is about a hundred miles north of here. My dad’s secretary already handled the flight and hotel room.” His eyes darted around the suite to see if he was forgetting anything.

It was clear he was nervous, though you were sure he didn’t need to be. Kim Taehyung was a trust fund brat, but he was also talented and deeply passionate about his family’s company.

Someday this would be the norm. The two of you were stealing time in college, determined to live a little before the expectations of your powerful families transferred fully onto your shoulders.

It was becoming more and more clear, however, that your carefree time was slowly running out.

Mother had already spoken to you about potential marriage alliances and your father expected you to intern with his Vice President this summer just as your elder sister had...

Taehyung’s voice suddenly interrupted your bittersweet introspection and you couldn’t help but smile at how grown-up he looked in his suit and briefcase ensemble.

Everything was going to change, but not quite yet.

“They estimate negotiations should take around a week or so…” He walked over and pulled you into a tight hug. “There should still be some vacation left for us when I get back.”

“Hurry back then,” you mumbled grumpily into his chest and he chuckled.

“I will.”

Taehyung had been gone for less than twenty minutes when you decided that the best use of your time would be to eat more snacks.

The last thing you expected when you skipped merrily into the kitchen was to find it occupied by a shaggy-haired homeless man in glasses.

Your first instinct was to scream which caused the homeless man to drop the apple he was biting right onto the floor where it rolled around for a small eternity before coming to rest at his ankles.

Your second instinct was to grab a butcher’s cleaver from the nearby knife block and wave it chaotically at the intruder while shouting something along the lines of—

“You’ve made a huge mistake! My boyfriend is the biggest, meanest mafia boss in Seoul! Leave now and he might let you live!”

The homeless man continued to stare at you with a mixture of confusion and shock, but made no move to run away in terror like you were hoping.

So you tried again.

“Didn’t you hear what I said?! The last man who touched me drinks his steak through a straw now! Do the smart thing and leave before my boyfriend comes down those stairs and it’s too late!”

Infuriatingly, the homeless man was still not fleeing for his life and frankly you were starting to get frustrated. You drew in a deep cleansing breath and were prepared to issue another grandiose threat when he finally spoke.

“I’m sorry, miss. I... think there’s been some sort of mistake. Who is your boyfriend?”

There was no rational explanation for what came out of your mouth next, but it rolled off your tongue so smoothly and you didn’t even flinch.

“Kim Seokjin.”

For the first time in your entire exchange, the intruder looked truly alarmed.

Now that’s more like it.

“You’ve heard of him I see. He’s a dangerous man and my body belongs to him.” You slammed the cleaver down onto the countertop with a (hopefully) menacing slash. “Kim Seokjin doesn’t like when other men put their hands on what belongs to him.”

There was a long, unpardonably tense moment of silence…Then the stranger slowly reached forward and picked up a mobile phone from the table in front of him.

His eyes remained locked with yours as he pressed a quick series of buttons, brought the phone to his ear, waited a few seconds and said—

“Taehyung… Would you mind telling me why there is a half-naked, knife-wielding omega in our kitchen claiming to be my girlfriend?”

Hello! Please comment on this post if you would like to be added to the taglist!

You guys were all so wonderful, and encouraging, and excited that I literally got this teaser out in three days! If you like what you read so far, please let me know! I cannot put into words how meaningful and valuable feedback is to me. I truly treasure it! It fuels my creativity and keeps me writing. I would love to hear from you!

[dddytoji]

my pet

notes: naoya x fem!reader x toji // this is my first time writing a smut and my first jjk work as well so please give me any constructive feedback! (shout out to my best friend for being my editor and helping me out with this self indulgent one shot!) please enjoy! :)

word count: 4,438

warnings: 18+ NSFW; dub con, degrading, insulting, misogyny, pet play/master, slapping, spitting, pegging, cock sounding/stuffing, naoya x reader x toji, etc

You were going to a regular family dinner with your fiancé, Naoya Zenin. You were seated waiting for Naobito and Naoya to begin dinner. "Well we're just waiting on one more person for tonight's dinner." Naobito stated with a bit of distaste. He took a long sip of his sake. You peered at Naoya who looked irritated at the idea of whomever it was would be sharing a meal with the rest of you.

"I'm getting tired of waiting so let's dig in, we can't just wait on him." Naobito said, beginning to eat his food. You waited for Naoya to also have his first bite before you proceeded to eat as well. "She's such a good wom-" Naoya began before he was interrupted by the door sliding open.

"Ah, pardon the interruption." The man said walking in and seating himself right across Naoya with a small thud. He was a very well built man. Your ears burned red from seeing the way he was structured. He was more attractive than Naoya, if you so boldly admitted to yourself. "Oh, is this lady Naoya's wife to be?" The dark haired man questioned as he ate his food.

Naoya seemed more agitated, allowing Naobito to answer instead. "That's correct." Quietly, you ate your food keeping your eyes glued to the dinner in front of you. "I'm Toji, what's your name?" Toji asked you as you looked up to meet his eyes for a moment before answering politely. "Y/n," You spoke back, noticing how his face was rough with a certain gentleness when seeing it clearly.

"You need not speak to my fiancé so directly." Naoya responded staring at Toji with hooded eyes, the tone of his voice underlined with anger. "Eh? Well then how am I to speak to her?" Toji asked puzzledly, pointing his chopsticks at Naoya. Naoya replied, "Through me. She is a woman after all and mine at that."

Toji let out a hard taunting laugh. "Toji!" Naobito yelled, taking another drink of the sake bottle now in his hand. You jumped at the sudden loud voice. "Fine, fine," Toji sighed with his eyes now hooded, "but she's not even yours yet what makes you think she'll last long enough to actually stay with you. She doesn't even know if you're even capable of making her c-'' Toji was cut off by Naoya who gripped his shirt collar.

"Naoya," You spoke, grabbing his sleeve lightly, "please do not lower yourself to his level." Naoya removed his eyes from Toji's and glared back at you. Glancing back at Toji he shoved his chest and he let go of his shirt. "You're right," Naoya spoke with a distasteful tone as he glared at Toji, "I shouldn't lower myself to the level of gravel like him."

Toji scoffed a smirk playing along onto his handsome lips, "Seems like your woman knows how to restrain your leash." Chuckling, Toji shoved more rice into his mouth.

"If anyone has a leash on any one, it's me on her." Naoya responded back, taking a drink of the rice wine in his cup. Your ears burned with fury listening to Naoya speak about you in that form. You were no one's leashed pet, especially not his. You weren't even his wife yet and he already speaks of you in this way? Audacity. That's all he had. You were only obedient enough to be respected and not get insulted.

You kept up a gentle and sweet act in order to live a peaceful life in this stern household. "Naoya, I am no pet to be owned." You replied back to him in a calm and stoic tone while looking straight ahead. "She's got a point there." Toji agreed, while swallowing the food in his mouth.

Naoya turned your head to him by grabbing your chin forcefully. "No woman, especially you, shall speak to me in that manner. If I say you're a pet, then you're a fucking pet." He spat at you angrily while pushing your face away from him while releasing your jaw.

Taking a deep breath you stood up from your seat, "If you'll excuse me, I have finished my meal and will be heading back to my quarters." You announced, exiting the room without a glance back at the men sitting at the table. Toji was slightly shocked at the scene that just happened in front of him. The black haired man glances at Naoya to see his reaction.

"Pathetic woman." is all Naoya says out loud as you leave the room still being in earshot of you. You balled your fists hearing his comment.

Naobito who is also a bit shocked speaks up, "Well I think I'll be taking my leave as well." The head of the clan leaves the room with a bottle of sake in his hand.

"Go fucking apologize," Toji barks to Naoya with a bitter tone. "No, why should I? She's the one who's acting out of place." Naoya retorted, taking another drink from his cup. "You're gonna go apologize, cuz I said you are." Toji gritted out, Naoya glared at him angrily.

• • •

You had just arrived at your quarters and slammed your bedroom door shut. You were infuriated that you couldn't say anything. "What I would do to have that man on all fours in front of me." You said bitterly through gritted teeth. You began removing your kimono, annoyed at the fact that you had to wear these damn things daily.

Opening your closet door you are greeted by more kimonos and only slip on dresses to sleep in. You spotted the black box on the bottom corner of the closet. Maybe some self-pleasure would relieve my frustration. You shook your head against the thought and just grabbed the black slip-on dress.

Walking over to your vanity you removed any residue of the day's stress. You got yourself changed and ready for bed. Finally letting your hair down, you settle yourself into a futon that was placed on the ground in the middle of your room.

As you try to put your thought-full mind at ease to get some sleep, you hear the entrance door slide open then shut. Shuffling noises are heard then right after the sound of footsteps creeping to the door of your room hit the wooden floor boards.

Sitting up immediately you go to grab your robe hooked near the door as you slip it on you hear, "I'm coming in, woman." You hear Naoya's voice echo with a dejected sigh. The door slides open, revealing Naoya standing there with his arms crossed.

He's a bit shocked seeing you standing in front of him in only your open robe and your slip dress on. His face flushes and he looks away, "Put something decent on, woman."

"Woman?" You question. You were now at your wits end with him for the night. "Eh? Do I have to wear something decent in my bedroom? You came here at an indecent time, Naoya." You angrily spat poking his chest.

He looked at you now in disbelief that quickly morphed into anger. He grabbed the wrist of the hand poking his chest. "I guess it seems like you don't know your place tonight," Naoya hissed, walking you back into your bedroom getting closer to the futon that laid on the ground.

"No, it seems like you don't know yours." You mocked knocking him down to his knees and lifting his chin to look up at you. Through the faint bit of moonlight seeping through your window, you were able to see his appalled expression.

"Why you-" Grabbing his cheeks and squishing them together, you stopped all other words ready to come out of his mouth.

He grabbed your wrist with both of his hands. Before he could do anything; in a swift motion you removed the robe's waist tie and tied it around Naoya's wrists. You were surprised that you managed to tie his wrists as quickly as you did.

Holding his wrists above his head, "Tonight, I'll train you on how to be a good little bitch for your master." You growled out, releasing his face and pushing it away. "You crazy whore, let me go." Naoya swore in anger, his entire body trembled in rage as you stood looking down at him.

Pulling him down by his wrists that you were still holding, you made him land on his elbows with a thud to the ground. You laughed menacingly, walking towards the closet and pulling out the black box in the corner. "You think this is funny? You fucking cunt!" Naoya screamed at you as you walked back over to him.

You used your foot to lift his head, "It is, especially when this is how we'll be experiencing our first night together." You smiled innocently. Opening the box and emptying the contents; some toys, bottles of lube, and condoms came falling out.

Naoya looked at you stunned in fear after seeing the contents of the box displayed on the ground. "You dumb worthless wench! What do you think you're gonna do?!" He howled, anger seething through his expression. You bent down to grab his face and slapped him.

"A dog does not speak unless ordered to." Naoya's anger made his body quake. The fact you dared to speak to him in that form and to even slap him was unacceptable and ludicrous.

"Untie me you stupid whore before I decide to kill you!" Naoya cursed glaring daggers at you. You slapped him again across his face then again, and again, then again one more time.

"YOU FUCKING SLUT! UNTIE ME RIGHT NOW SO I CAN KILL YOU!" Naoya was furious at this point. You stood up and kicked his side hard enough for him to land on his back.

"I told you, I will be training you on how you should obey your master." Reaching for the collar and leash that was mixed on the ground with the other toys, you sat on him pulling at his blonde hair to lift his head from the pillow making it easier to place the collar around his neck. you smiled in love with the view of seeing him under your control.

"Get that shit off me!" Naoya demanded. Grabbing his chin you brushed your thumb pad across his bottom lip. "Now, Why would I do that? You look so good with it on. Like a proper pet." You leaned closer to him enough to let his lips brush yours.

Grinning, you whispered lowly in his ear, "The way you look right now turns me on so much." You proceeded to give him a soft kiss on his jawline. Swallowing hard, Naoya looked at you with his rage filled eyes. Awaiting what else you'd do, and how far you'd think of going.

As you slide yourself lower on him, your womanhood sat directly on his dick. Undoing his top you opened it exposing his well-built chest. Now sitting on his dick it hit you, that he was aroused.

"Well look at what we have here my slutty pet? Looks like I'm not the only one enjoying this." You grind your womanhood down on his growing bulge making Naoya's breath hitch in his throat.

You positioned yourself in between his legs with his legs on either side of your hips. "This shit is not turning me on you fucking slut." Naoya said insultingly. You removed his pants and then traced a finger on the outline of his underwear where his bulge stood out. Judging By the tent in his underwear alone, you could tell that the blonde man was huge.

"Calling me a slut when you're the one whos leaking." You poke at the tip of his dick where a small wet spot has been created from precum. Naoya had no retort for what you said, all he can do is grit his teeth in anger as you pull off his underwear. His cock springs up, the night air hitting his exposed member. You run a finger from the base of his cock to the tip.

You are just a tad bit shocked at how large his cock is. Maybe this was what he traded for instead of having a decent personality. "Well, just know I'm not nice enough to let you cum anytime soon." You commented as you reached for some lube and the beaded sound laying on the floor.

Naoya shook his head seeing the metal beaded rod in your hand he already assumed what your intentions were. "I'll make sure it doesn't hurt too much, darling." You scoffed at the word ‘darling’ leaving your lips. After having lubed up the sound you stroked Naoya's cock with your free hand to get him to relax.

As soon as he seemed more relaxed you spread the opening of his cock and started placing the beaded sound into his opening. Naoya's eyes widened, filling with tears at the foreign object being inserted into his cock. "FUCK! YOU INSANE PSYCHO BITCH!!" He bellowed out as you slowly pushed the sound into him.

After a few more curses and muffled cries, it was fully in. "Now, that wasn't too bad." You gave him a gentle smile. You stroke his dick gently feeling it twitch in your grasp. Naoya looked at you with fuming glossy eyes.

Tracing your fingers up and down his abdomen you felt just how toned he was, maybe not as buff as another certain Zenin but nicely toned. Your fingers slowly went to tease his nipples rubbing them in a circular motion.

Naoya lowered his arms down to move your hands away, "I'm not a woman! Do not pla-'' Before he could finish you pulled on the leash attached to his collar yanking him towards your face.

"If its only a place to tease women, then why is your dick twitching like a dog in heat?" You breathe out amused. Taking that moment you grab his face spitting on him. Standing up you removed your robe along with the slip dress leaving you only in some black lace-trimmed panties.

Naoya's face began to burn a crimson red, this was the first time he has ever seen your body naked. He had never seen you so exposed and bare like this, he hated to admit how much he loved the way your body looked lightly lit by the moonlight. You placed yourself back in between his legs once again grabbing the lube, you poured it on Naoya's cock letting it flood down between his ass.

Using one hand to stroke his dick while your other hand slid in between his ass. He froze sensing your second hand's action. "Don't you fucking dare you lowly whore!" He barked, his eyes widening in anger as you smirked and proceeded in plugging your index and middle finger in him. "I already let you stuff my dick! You damn lunatic!!" Naoya fumed as you resumed.

"You have no place to talk when you're g-spot is literally in your ass bitch." You sneered going further in him and spreading him out. As you began to pump into him with your fingers spreading him in the process. He muffled his moans and whimpers by biting his lip.

You let go of his dick and slapped it. "I never said not to make noise, bark for your master, disobedient bitch." You commanded as he let out a sharp gasp. He gritted his teeth, closing his eyes as you added another finger.

Proceeding to pump into him faster, making him arch his back and causing his breathing to become erratic. "S-Stop please!" He moans out, finally you had managed to hit his prostate.

"Call me master and I might consider your request, useless dog." You growled at him, pulling out your fingers. Naoya shuddered at the release of your fingers from his now begging hole. You were about to grab your strap on when you heard a knock at your bedroom door.

Frozen in place for a second, you placed a finger to your lips signaling Naoya to keep quiet, "May I ask who?" You called out as you glanced at Naoya to make sure he kept his mouth shut. Surely he wouldn't want to get caught in this situation.

"Uh, it's me Toji, I wanted to make sure Naoya didn't upset you more than he already has," Toji responded from the other side. Your mouth formed a small 'o' as you glanced back at Naoya. A smirk forms on your pretty plump lips. Naoya scowled at you and at Toji's response.

"He hasn't upset me further, but please come in." Naoya shakes his head furiously, obviously he didn't want to be seen below a woman nor did he want Toji to see his woman exposed. "Alright, I'm coming in." Toji slid the door open slowly, his head peered into the room. The dark haired male was in shock after witnessing Naoya and yours position on the futon.

"Would you care to join us?" You proposed a bit of a gleam in your eyes. Toji froze for a moment but then proceeded to walk in without saying a word, closing the door behind him. He gripped at the edge of his shirt and pulled it over his head making his way over, revealing his buff and sculpted build.

"You're into this shit!?" Naoya questioned as he saw Toji approaching you from behind. "Did I order you to speak?" You questioned, slapping his cock. Naoya flinched at the action inhaling a sharp breath.

Toji chuckled looking down at Naoya, "Seeing you getting treated like dirt by such a pretty lady, kinda tickles my taste." Toji sank onto his knees behind you.

"I'm gonna do what you haven't and fuck your woman," Toji smirked taking your breast into his hands, you could feel the rough callouses on his hands as they groped your breast. You sensed the bigger man's muscles flex against your bare back.

You bit your lip as you felt his hands roam your body. Naoya's body shook with enmity, "Get your fucking hands off of her you fucking bastard!" He demanded trying to sit himself up.

You grabbed the leash and pulled him up as close as possible to your face, "You're going to shut the fuck up and watch your master get her cunt fucked." You hissed cupping his face with your other hand. Kissing his lips roughly Naoya returned the kiss back with the same roughness. Ending the kiss you pushed him back down onto the futon.

Toji continued to explore your body with his hands. He let soft kisses touch your nape, slowly making his way to your left shoulder. His left hand was groping your right breast while his right hand wandered down inside your black panties.

"Wow, you're fucking wet," Toji breathed into your ear his deep voice causing goosebumps to rise on your skin. His fingers quickly found your clit and he began to massage it in a circular motion. He was gentle with his motion, but going at a steady pace just enough to make your body tremble with enjoyment.

You let out soft moans as he let his hands pleasure and unwind you. "On all fours pretty lady," Toji commanded, you followed his orders and positioned yourself on all fours. Your face was now in front of Naoya's throbbing cock.

The blonde man watched as you were bottomed out by Toji, this view infuriated him. He hated seeing Toji as the one you were submitting to, Naoya's frustration grew by each tortuous second. Toji proceeded to remove the garment inclosing your soaking pussy. The chill night air hitting your womanhood made you gasp softly.

Toji laid on his back his head in between your legs underneath you. You let out a moan as soon as you felt Toji's tongue start to lap your soaking pussy.

Naoya's dick began to twitch again hearing your moans get louder. It was making him more eager to have you touch him. "Fuck." Naoya exhaled.

"Tastes so fucking good," Toji moaned between each lap of his tongue gripping your thighs. He used his fingers to enter your hole, "Loosen up for me, princess." Gasping loudly, you gripped the sheets of the futon as his fingers began to pump in and out of your pussy.

You let your body move on it's own, fucking yourself on his thick fingers. "Y/n! Fuck please." Naoya breathed out desperately. Your mouth opened as you began to tongue Naoya's cock not wanting to deprive him too much.

In reality, you wanted to take Naoya's full cock in our mouth, but since you were in the midst of training this misbehaved dog, maybe another time.

"I'm going to cum!" You screamed as you came all over Toji's fingers, your legs trembling from the sensation. The dark haired male made sure to clean up all of your spilling juices with his mouth.

Toji repositioned himself on his knees and pulled you up by your arms so you were on your knees again. "Can't believe Naoya hasn't had the pleasure to enjoy your taste." Toji smirked and looked at Naoya, he grabbed your chin so he could kiss you.

"Taste yourself, my lady." Toji bit your bottom lip making you open your mouth allowing his tongue to explore the inside of your mouth. Pulling away you smiled innocently seeing Naoya's flushed face due to him being probably mad or frustrated, whatever it was you liked the expression.

"I have to give my pet the rest of his training and if he takes it well he can fuck his master's cunt next time too." You grabbed the strap on and put it on yourself, making Naoya flip and position himself with his ass up.

You proceeded to grab the lube and spanking paddle, placing the lube on Naoya to make it easier on yourself and him to slip in. Naoya was surprisingly being very complacent now, maybe seeing how Toji satisfied you made him want to do the same.

While you prepped Naoya, Toji removed his pants and underwear, tossing them to the side with the mess of clothing scattered on the floor. The heavenly carved man used his hand to pump his throbbing hard cock, getting it ready to fuck the life out of you.

"Time for some training bitch." You said sliding the attached dildo into Naoya. You hear his muffled gasp, you used the paddle to spank the blonde male's ass. Naoya jerked his head to the side at the shutter of pain coming from his ass. "Your master wants to hear her slutty pet moan, so refrain from keeping quiet." You ordered spanking him again.

Finally you were fully taken in by Naoya you then began pumping into his plump ass. You started at a slow enough pace to let Toji insert himself inside you.

You felt his cock fill you up. He was big and his girth filled your tight pussy. Your walls clenched around his cock almost about to cum from him just entering you. Toji gripped your waist, "No cumming this easily, my lady." He hummed into your ear.

Snapping back your head nodding at his command and you happily continue thrusting into Naoya. Picking up the pace Toji met you with the same rhythm while his left hand was placed on your neck gently squeezing the sides with his fingers and thumb.

His right hand squeezed and groped your left breast; with your hand on Naoya's waist to keep your pace steady. Naoya's grunts and moans echoed through the dimly lit room as you begin to hit his prostate.

"Please stop!" Naoya whimpered as he starts to feel the immense pleasure from having you fuck him. Toji's grunts and moans get louder filling the room as well. "Please, please! I hate you! You fucking piece of shit woman!!" Naoya cursed through waves of pleasure.

You used the paddle to reprimand him for cursing. You're able to see the tint of his ass get redder with the little bit of moonlight peaking in, it was a full moon out tonight and your body and mind were in bliss.

You kept thrusting, hitting Naoya's prostate repeatedly, "I wanna cum! I wanna cum! Let me cum please!" Naoya pleaded out to you. Now you just had to see his expressions, imagining it when it was right in front of you wasn't sufficing. Toji kept his rhythm as he was also close to his peak.

Your smooth hand grabbed Toji's wrist to stop him as you halted your movements into Naoya. Pulling out of the blonde man, you flipped him over on his back. His face flushed and wet with tears, his eyes sparkling with wetness making the sadistic side of yourself excited.

Seeing him in that state made your pussy get wetter than it was already. Toji felt you squeeze around his cock at the view of your fiancé looking like a pathetic animal. You grabbed Naoya's cock and removed the beaded sound slowly from his flushed-pulsing cock.

With each of the beaded rod sliding out Naoya panted and moaning once it was fully extracted from his huge cock. "Please make me cum, Master." Naoya whined while looking at you completely bottomed out.

Your face blushed as you repositioned yourself back into Naoya. Toji started again as well once you got to a good pace. Picking up the speed of your thrusts, you were ready to make his dick unload the cum he had been building up.

Naoya was now shamelessly moaning and grunting as you were hitting his sweet spot repeatedly. He arched his back to feel each thrust you did. Deciding  to add to his pleasure you pumped his cock in your hand, making him throw his head back at the blissful feeling.

Toji kept thrusting into you, hitting your g-spot and making you throw your head back in satisfaction as well. Moans cascading out of your mouth a symphony. Your panted as your walls clenched around him as you were getting close to your orgasm.

"I'm cumming!" all three of your pleasured voices mixed at once as you reach your climax. Removing yourself from Naoya, his cum squirts all over his own chest.

Toji pulls out of you, cumming on your back all the while your legs tremble as you cum as well. "I fucking hated this," Naoya grunted out breathing heavily. You smirked at your fiancé and questioned him, "Wanna get your brains fucked again, you dumb crybaby pet?"

[opinated-user]

WHY does Lily think people get off to hurting female characters? There's "beat them to death with a fucking rock because they're vile human beings who get off to the suffering of women and non white people." from her last video but there's also her freakout from her video on The Legend of Korra where she says that 1. only Korra is shown being beaten up in the series (a lie if you watched even a handful of episodes) and 2. the only reason she gets beaten up in fights instead of coming out without injuries is because the writers get off to it.

I don't know how to explain it to her but sometimes bad shit happens to characters and no one is masturbating to it. It is, in fact, extremely unusual for anyone to masturbate to or be aroused by these things. So why does she keep acting like this is NORMAL?

Anecdotal evidence for my point: even super misogynistic men I know were incredibly uncomfortable in my Public Speaking class when I talked about a subgenre of porn, ryona, that's currently getting banned off of most websites. In ryona porn, the sex does not make up the majority of the video, beating up a woman does - and even the fucking INCELS in my class looked ready to vomit. There are very, very, VERY few people who get off to violence and suffering. I won't say they don't exist, but even people who hate women are usually not into it and even people who are in favor of consensual rough sex are repulsed by the concept of beating someone up being an arousing thing in and of itself.

For once it's not projection since there's no ryona in Lily's Sankaku faves, but that just makes me more confused, not less. Where the fuck is she getting this from?

this is going to be pure especulation from my part, full tinfoil moment... but i do think that she's projecting. remember all the times we spoke about how LO always had to slip something abusive on whatever relationship she's writing and then tries to gaslight the audience into thinking that it's wholesome? well, the modern example of that is clearly whatever is happening between G and CLO but before that was stockholm. i know that when talking about that series most people immediately jump to Rainbow Dash being written as an offending pedophile but there's actually a b plot that is the whole reason why the story is called stockholm: that of Ascentia and Twilight. their conflict is that twilight is horribly agressive with ascentia, slapping her around, raping her multiple times, kicking her, and she does it publicly and never faces any consequences for it because Ascentia has developed stockholm and the physical abuse is what she has come to expect, so twilight essentially is encouraged by the narrative to keep abusing. the other day i was talking with someone about stockholm and they showed me a post where the co-author, Nintengogal55, talked about a particular scene that was so extreme that actually brought her to tears.

Okay, this other one was for a shot we currently haven’t released yet. Without going into too much details, it involved the CMC and it was so awful. I would read all of my original fanfics from ten years ago than ever write or read that again! I didn’t just hate how the scene became, I felt physically uncomfortable reading it and writing it. It wasn’t just uncomfortable, it was painful. All throughout Stockholm, the worst I ever felt was sad. Now sad, I can handle that perfectly fine. Even the descriptions of the domestic abuse, while unnerving, weren’t graphically written and didn’t affect me that badly. Yes, Ascentia terrified me in the story, but I can also handle fear. But physical discomfort from writing/reading something so terribly uncomfortable and painful? No way. I was, honestly, on the verge of TEARS. Thankfully, Bhaalspawn understood and offered that we make it less…like that. It turned out so much better after that. I am forever thankful for his compassion and letting us re-do that scene. <3

it was LO's idea to make that scene. i don't know what scene was, i don't want to imagine it, but if it had such a strong reaction on the co-author, who already was up for the most disturbing aspects of this story then it had to be graphic, it had to be visceral and it had to be a especial kind of awful. the CMC are a group of literal children on the story so this scene, whatever it was, it would have involved children going through something so graphically horrible that the co-author couldn't handle it. in stockholm there's a lot of reference to the abuse that ascentia goes through. she winces she has to sit because twilight literally made a tear on her ass, she gets an arm broken so it has to be put on a cast and there is a scene where twilight goes feral on her, breaking her nose and her ribs. ascentia goes through hell and in my opinion it's not made any better by the fact that it's "off screen" because we still read about the results of that extreme abuse. to what i have been told, something similar happens on her fanfic previous to stockholm. on the ones where she introduces Matt Ryder (her self insert, remember that) there's many one scenes where Meg (only Meg, never Matt) gets abused as well and it's treated like a joke or a minor thing not worth paying attention. you could say that LO back then was trying to imitate the "humor" of FG by constantly bashing Meg, her favourite character, but considering that she just kept doing that with later works? i don't know. broken champions, the fanfiction that LO wrote about anevay and only shared for a server? the exact same thing happens, although for one the abuser of anevay wasn't her love interest and those abusers are cartoonisly evil before they get punished. but the fic still spend so much time describing all the different ways in which anevay was tortured, raped, branded, mocked and broken down. one scene could have been enough, but it happened so many times i had to skip entire parragraphs because it was making me so uncomfortable. someone could potentially say that was a survivor of abuse venting about their experience and using a fictional character in order to live through something horrible and get the desired comfort at the end. i can see that point of view. fiction can be a great tool for therapy that way. but it just hit me right now, as i was reading your ask, that could also just an excuse. why else would she keep sliding abusive dynamics into her "wholesome" works? why does she keep accusing others of specifically "getting off" to scenes of women suffering or being beaten? there's a lot of abuse and rape on her sankaku account, so why this kind of interest would be out of place? see the thing in common between all these characters (CLO, ascentia, meg, anevay)... these are all characters LO claims to care about and love. LO multiple times directly says that she makes anevay suffer the worst just because. i believe she's projecting and we can see that on her writing more than on her porn accounts. i'll admit i could be seeing something that's not really there and there isn't any real evidence for what i'm saying, but i believe there's a coherent pattern here and it makes sense with all we know about LO.