#especially since she still feels no remorse for that behavior

[luxora]

The Glory -> {Highschool AU} -> Getting Jealous

Requested: No

Kdrama: The Glory

Genre: Angst. Fluff?

Warnings: Mentions of bullying. No remorse. Swearing. Violence. Possessive behavior. Some blood

A/N: I absolutely do not condone anything that was presented in the kdrama. No one should ever bully others. This is all purely fiction.

Moon Dongeun

Dongeun is no stranger of misery, especially given her role in the school courtesy of the actions of Yeonjin and her gang.

But this kind of misery was of a whole new different kinds, something that you were completely unaware of, which in her opinion, made it so much worse.

You would not describe yourself as an extrovert, but you were most certainly a lot more outgoing that Dongeun. Dongeun would say that she bordered more on the introverted side, but also she simply did not have the time to truly reach out to befriend any other of her classmates because of all her time constantly being taken up by Yeonjin.

It was still impressive itself that she managed to befriend you, although no one really knows of the friendship between the two of you aside from yourselves.

It is not like you didn't try approach her in school, but for a matter of your preservation and her own irrecoverable habit of self-isolation, she tended to avoid you like the plague until it was absolutely necessary to interact with you in a public setting.

She did not want Yeonjin or any of the others to realize that she had someone who made her experience at school more durable, because then they will use that against her.

You didn't deserve to go through with what she is going through. The thought of you possibly being hurt by Yeonjin or Sara, or even Jaejun, it literally made Dongeun sick to the stomach; hence why she proceeded to avoid contact as much as possible.

Ignorance was bliss in this case; however, in her current predicament, it was anything but bliss for Dongeun.

She silently stewed in her seat as she waited for you to join her for the project the two of you were to work on together. Group assignments were rather rare, but this time the teacher decided it would be most suitable to have a partner with the assignment, and so you took the opportunity to work with Dongeun, something which made her both happy and scared at the same time.

Deciding to work on the foundation of your shared assignment, the two of you agreed to meet in the school library to start your research, but while you were heading towards her at the decided working table, you got caught in a conversation with one of your other classmates, and the way the two of you were talking, Dongeun couldn't help but feel...frustrated by the interaction.

She barely gets to spend as much time with you as she would prefer, the two of you only meeting outside of school at odd times when Dongeun was in working order to go to your home, or when she was permitted to some kind of freedom where she would be unsuspected from others.

So in her mind, this project just gave her an opportunity to simply be with you without any suspicion - so the fact that her time with you was getting interrupted was bothering her, especially when she sees you laughing at something that the classmate said which she is not privy to.

Her hands tightened into a fists, a miserable ball lodging itself in Dongeun's throat as the passing seconds felt like hours, especially since you were not getting closer to her anytime sooner as you continued conversing with the classmate, continuously laughing at their words despite the library being a place of silence.

She had no reason to become so uneasy at all of this, as you were a talkative person naturally, but - the fact her time with you was being encroached by a bystander - it was bothering her and she did not like the fact that she was being left here to wait for you while you were only so far away from her.

Dongeun swallowed down the misery in her throat, attempting to get a control over her emotions, released her hand from its violent self-grip to try reapply herself before you eventually arrived to the table, not realizing that you had in fact finished up your conversation and was heading over to her in that very moment. Hence why she jumped when you voice was suddenly right next to her.

"Hey Dongeun!"

She snapped her head to look at you with a bewildered expression, prompting you to cock your head from the sudden reaction.

"Are you okay? Why are you so jumpy?"

"I-I.." Dongeun flustered on the spot before shook her head, averting her gaze from yours. "Sorry, its nothing."

"Are you sure?" You inquired, taking a seat next to her, placing your books on the table. She nodded. "Well, if you're certain."

Dongeun didn't say anything further as you began to open your books and started talking about the project, completely oblivious to the effect that you had concurrently had on her from both the interaction with your classmate and you being right beside her in a public setting which was to have no proper negative repercussions.

That feeling - not appreciate it - and now she was trying consider of what it truly meant to her own psych over the fact that she became affected from something so menial as a conversation with a classmate.

She must be going crazy - that was the only solution that she could really come up with.

While she is no stranger of pain, she did not revel in it. And she most certainly did not want to revel in that type of misery again. Only something tells her that it won't e first or the last time she will feel such a thing again.

And that is was scares her.

Park Yeon-jin

Ever since she was a child, Yeonjin has never been someone who likes to share her things. Perhaps it stemmed from being the only child, not having siblings to fight over the attention of her parents nor to negotiate and compromise over ownership of any material thing.

Therefore, going forward in her teenage years, Yeonjin still maintained the idea that whatever belonged to her was hers, and that was non-negotiable. Not even Sara was given the courtesy to have a taste of her own divinely pleasures because Yeonjin was the primary owner of items, first and foremost, and she didn't share.

And this segment particularly applied to you.

The scene before her was just pissing her off. Yeonjin tapped her fingers irately against her forearm as she watched you interact with with the older students, a shy smile on their face as they offered you a rose, courtesy of the Valentine event of which the younger years had to offer flowers to seniors they admired.

Yeonjin never found an interest in such a thing as she had much better things to do instead of chasing after some stupid male seniors. None of them had her interest and all the other older grades just got worse in terms of appearance, filling her with much disgust.

But nothing disgusted her more than the fact that you were blushing all because of the reversal roles between you and the older male senior.

Yeonjin didn't know why, but her blood was boiling over the fact that there was a blush on your cheeks, your own lips quirked in a nervous smile as you accepted the rose, head ducked down while the senior spoke to you, rubbing his neck nervously as you stood in place, head ducked down bashfully.

"Wow, he must be desperate." Hyejeong's voice cracked into Yeonjin's ears like nails on the chalkboard, her voice making Yeonjin's air stand up as she giggled mockingly. "To think he would go after Y/N of people. He must have lost a bet."

That better be the reason of why he would be approaching you in the first place. While Hyejeong continued to talk, Yeonjin kept her eyes locked on the two of you, her nails this time digging into her forearm as she watched with aflame eyes as the male senior reached for your hand, lowering his head so that he was on par with your height. He whispered something and Yeonjin could not help but fucking curse when you giggled again, nodding your head to something before lifting your head to give him a full blown smile.

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

"-must be putting out or something. Otherwise why else would he-"

Hyejeong has literally trodden on the last thread of her patience. Without hesitation, Yeonjin swung around and all but slapped the pathetic bitch across the face, prompting a loud cry out of her lips as she literally crumbled to the floor, the strength behind the slap knocking her entirely off balance.

The air in her chest was tight, a volcanic eruption threatening to burst as she heaved shakily on the spot, eyes narrowed dangerous at Hyejeong as she stared up fearfully at her.

"For once in your life, will you shut the fuck up?!"

"Miss Park, that type of behavior and language is completely unacceptable!"

Yeonjin didn't even spare a glance at the bitch teacher that had hurried towards the two of them scoldings and threats leaving her lips as she addressed Yeonjin. She instead glanced back in your direction, only to be found in the center of your attention as you stared wide-eyed at her, the rose in your hand being clenched tightly while your lips stood ajar. She noticed that your hand was no longer being held captive by the stupid buffoon beside you, instead it clenched to your side, clutching some the material of your school skirt as your continued to stare at Yeonjin.

Despite the circumstances of it, she couldn't help but inwardly preen over the fact that your attention was now on her. But then she remembered why it was not on her in the first place, which reinforced the fury which was already boiling in her chest. Instead of saying a word, she just flashed you a glare of promise, resulting in a feared expression crossing of your face.

She was going to get you back for this. Sometime today, she was going to find you and make you suffer the consequences for making her feel so fucking stupid and angry over a fucking flower.

You have fucking forgotten your place, and it is about time she reminded you just who you fucking belonged to.

You were hers. And no fucking Valentine flower must make you think that anything changes that. If she must kill that damn asshole, then so be it. You're hers - and she is going to make sure that you remember that.

Jeon Jae-jun

Jaejun didn't realize that he was bashing the bastard's head in until he was doing it.

There was a buzz in his ears while he kept slamming the idiots head into the desk, uncaring of the screams and shouts that erupted in the class as Jaejun gripped the guy's head tightly by the hair and kept slamming his head full-force into the wooden surface.

Even though he tried fighting back, it was of no use. Jaejun had him, and he was going to make sure that he received the full treatment.

He warned him. He fucking warned him that he was going to kill him if he kept flirting with you, and now he was going to fucking do it.

A sick pleasure erupted in Jaejun's chest as he saw the blood beginning to splatter on the wooden surface, but then the pleasure was halted when he felt hands on his shoulders as they tried to pull him away. He heard Myeong-o's sick snickers while he wrapped his arms around Jaejun from behind as he lifted him off his feet.

"Cut it out will ya? Ya are going to get detention!"

Detention was the last hing on his mind. Hell, even going to prison was the last thing on his mind. He knows that it isn't going to happen cause his parents will just pay them out, but that was not the focus at the moment. He needed to punish the fucker who thought it would be a good idea to try steal his girl - to try steal you.

"Let me go!" He roared, immediately wrestling in Myeong-o's grip as he attempt to lunge at the pathetic loser as he laid crumbled on the floor, clutching at his bleeding hear. "I'm going to fucking kill him!"

"Dude, just-"

"Fuck off!"

Jaejun slammed his head back and he connected with Myeong-o's nose with a sickening crack, a wave of pain washing over him as both boys stumbled on the spot, Myeong-o clutching at his nose while Jaejun clutched at the back of his head.

Dammit, that actually hurt.

But then Jaejun reconnected his gaze with the fallen student and then decided to forego his momentary pain to continued to job. He grabbed the student by the collar and lifted him up from the floor, staring at his blood smeared face with a snarl.

"I told you that she is mine! You don't fucking touch what is mine!"

Jaejun lifted his fist and slammed it into the student's face, causing an immediate splatter to erupt from the student's nose. They hastily tried to defend themselves but it was of no use, Jaejun just punched and punched and punched until his own knuckles were beginning to ache and burn, almost as if he split the skin or something.

Prompted by the thought, Jaejun lifted his hand to gaze at it. Blood was smothering it, but upon closer inspection, he realised that his knuckles were in fact split. He cursed.

How annoying.

The buzz in his eyes subsiding, but his anger still simmering, Jaejun stood up from the mess of the boy and then finally turned to you, your body frozen in your desk as you stared at him with horrified eyes. He blinked slowly before he walked towards you, no one else in the classroom daring to utter a word as he approached the front of your desk, his face expressionless.

You only stared up at him as he paused, looking at you with an eerily calm look before he reached out and grabbed your wrist, eyebrows furrowing when you flinched at the sudden touch. But then he realized that he had grabbed you with his bloody hand, making him curse.

"Damn, sorry Y/N." He released you briefly before grabbing you with his uninjured hand, pulling you up from your desk. "I need to go to the nurse. Come with me."

It wasn't really a request, and you didn't disagree with his statement when he all but tugged you away from the desk and the ordeal which had occurred. His grip on you tightened as he noticed the horrified stares.

He doesn't get what their problems were. He is just getting his hand fixed up and you were going to help him.

If they think that he was just going to ignore the fact of another guy trying to take what was his, then they were all idiots. You were his and he was not going to let someone take you away from him. He will beat every person's face in if that is what it takes.

You were his.

And he was going to protect what was his.

And you most importantly must not forget that, because he will go through hell for you. So you better be grateful, cause not every guy will be as protective as him. So you must realize that you have hit the jackpot. He is sure you'll thank him later, even show him some gratitude.

Lee Sa-ra

You trembled against her body but it did not prompt Sara to move away from you. In fact, it only made her press herself closer against you. Despite your lack of success, you still tried to resist against Sara's hold on your wrists but it was of no use.

You were trapped. Sara has no intentions of letting you go, especially not after rectifying what she had been forced to bare witness to.

"...Did you like it?" She whispered carefully, her lips brushing against your jaw as she spoke against your skin. "Did you like him kissing you like that?"

You were not stupid, that was one of the reasons that Sara liked you in the first place. You had a bright mind and fitted well into the group because none of you were idiots. Well, with the exception of Hyejeong, but aside from her, the rest of them were exceptional in their own areas of expertise. Hers being art, of course.

So therefore, she knows that you getting into the situation cannot be fully your fault because you would know better than to make Sara jealous on purpose.

It was pulled off as some kind of stupid elaborate prank pulled by the boys. The stupid fools believed it would be a good idea to pull a water gun fight in the middle of PE, soaking all of the girls with water. Sara was annoyed in the first place, but nothing prepared her for the sight which occurred in the middle of the stupid prank.

A boy stealing a kiss from you.

You were just as soaked as the others, being separated from Sara during the whole scuffle, and yet you were the only one to get kissed by one of the boys, which resulted in a whole class reaction, girls cooing at the act and the boys guffawing and slapping the boy on the back for having the guts to do such a thing.

But your reaction was what had Sara hyper focused, because she knew immediately where your mind went because you immediately snapped your gaze to Sara, looking for her in the crowd before locking eyes with her, terror in your own.

You were scared of Sara's reaction, and its a good thing, because she is about ready to tear someone's head off, the first one being the bastard who stole a kiss from you.

But first - she needed to stake her claim on those very lips which were tainted by another.

"S-Sara, please." You quivered, voice soft and terrified as you froze stiff against Sara as she trailed her lips down the column of your neck. "I didn't mean to-"

"What?" Sara questioned, resting her lips against the point where your shoulder and neck met. "What didn't you mean to do? Did you kiss him first?"

The thoughts itself was barbarous because you were loyal to Sara. You were hers and you know how she is whenever someone gets too close to you for her liking. And you were a smart girl, so you wouldn't do such a stupid thing to get a rise out of her.

But still - she needed to make sure you were aware of your situation.

"N-No, I swear I didn't. I just, I-"

"Did you want my attention? Is that why you didn't push him away?"

"N-No, I-"

"Oh, so you don't want my attention?" Sara's voice dropped as she pulled away from your neck to look at you, her eyes swirling dangerous. You immediately panicked at the sight and began to resist against her hold on your wrists again.

"No! I don't mean that! I-I-I'm just sorry! I swear I didn't want it to happen Sara, You've got to believe me! Please."

You were sounding so desperate, your actions and expressions showing it so clearly that it made her heart flutter as she continued to stare. Her fingers tightened around your wrists, making you wince before she shifted both hands up until you were entirely stretched to your full length, trapped and unable to defend yourself as Sara all but leapt for your neck, biting down hard on the skin, making you cry out in the pain.

The taste of iron reached her tongue but Sara did not react to it as she remained frozen in her position, teeth in your neck like some wild animal. Your body quivered tremendously against her, little sobs beginning to leave your lips as you began to bleed, which eventually prompted Sara to pull away from you neck to gaze at you again.

Once your eyes eventually met hers again, she smiled, displaying a row of blood stained teeth - your blood - and a maniacal glint in her eyes.

"Before anything else, you are mine. Do you understand me?" Sara questioned, eyes not leaving yours as her free hand moved to trail a thumb against the bite wound on your neck, smearing the blood across the uninjured skin. "If I must do this all over your body, then so be it. If you ever let someone else kiss you again, I will lose my shit. You got that?"

You simply stood frozen before her, eyes gawking at her in horror, which irritated to no end. She pressed her thumb against the bite, making you wince immediately at the applied pressure.

"Do. You. Get. It?"

"Y-Yes." You whimpered out, tears forming in your eyes as you shivered in place, making Sara smile as she believed that you finally understood her whole intention.

"Good. Now don't move."

Sara closed the distance between you and kissed you, her tongue immediately meeting yours in a silent tango as she removed the taint with her own lips, your body supple under her own as she reaffirmed her possession over you.

Choi Hye-jeong

"What the hell is wrong with you!"

Hyejeong stormed into the bathroom with guns blazing, anger boiling all over as she stared at you frightened form, your hand to your chest as you attempted to calm it after jumping at Hyejeong's sudden entrance in the bathroom.

Fortunately there was no one else in the bathroom, but Hyejeong didn't care because all she wanted from you were answers.

"How can you be so stupid!"

She hasn't given you much context to understand the reason behind her anger, as hinted through your confused look, but then realization dawned on you, prompting an apologetic expression forming on your face.

"I didn't know what I could say-"

"You could have said no! Why the hell are you going on a date with that idiot!"

Never, ever did Hyejeong think that she was going to be in the situation that she would be jealous over someone asking you out on a date because she never thought it would happen. You did not talk much with the others; therefore, nobody had any reason to have a crush on you, much less ask you out on a date.

And yet she had to hear from a group of underclassmen that one of the boys in their class had asked you out on a date, to which you agreed.

She couldn't fucking believe it.

Hyejeong stormed towards you and grabbed you by the shoulders, giving you a firm shake before she cupped your cheeks in her hands, forcing you to keep your gaze on her.

"Why the hell did you agree to it!"

"I-I didn't know what else to say. I didn't expect it."

"It doesn't matter if you didn't expect it. The matter is that you should have never agreed in the first place! Why do you want to hurt me so much? Did you think I was going to be happy about this!"

Hyejeong could not exactly ask Yeonjin or the others for any advice on how to proceed about this. Yeonjin and Sara are two bitches who will easily laugh and humiliate both you and Hyejeong for being in such a relationship in the first place, while Myeong-o and Jaejun would be complete assholes about it.

The two of you were alone in this world together, being the only ones to understand the others struggle. So the fact that you agreed to go on the stupid date upsets her and hurts her - serving the same impact as a knife getting driven into her chest.

You looked at her mournfully, shaking your head as you reached out to touch her cheek.

"No Hyejeong, I would never want to hurt you-"

"Well you are by agreeing to go with him!"

Hyejeong pushed you away from her as if your touch burned her, angry tears escaping from her eyes as she roughly wiped at them ,glaring heatedly through the liquid wall.

"I can't believe that you would be so pathetic that you wouldn't be able to even say the word 'No' to some stupid underclassman!"

Hurt immediately bloomed from her words, your eyes reflecting it as you stared at her, making a pang of guilt shoot through Hyejeong but not enough to stop her venomous words.

"But I guess I shouldn't be surprised! You're a damn people pleaser who wouldn't know the difference between her mommy issues and daddy issues!"

Low blow.

An extremely low blow.

But in her moment of hurt, Hyejeong didn't care. She wanted you to hurt and she succeeded, tears forming as you took a step back from her, almost as if the words itself had slapped you across the face.

But instead of saying anything else, Hyejeong sneered before storming out of the bathroom, needing to build the distance between the two of you if she wanted to get an inch of semblance back to herself.

[darlingshane]

Burden

Carmy Berzatto & SIL!Reader + Past!Michael Berzatto x F!Reader

Summary: After Michael's death, you moved out of Chicago and took the kids to be closer to your family. A year later, you come back to see the Berzattos and on your last day you have a heart-to-heart with Carmy.

Content/Warnings: Angst, Grief, Guilt, Mention of Death and Suicide.

Word Count: 1,6k

A/N: Carmy calls reader Sis.

— You can read below or at AO3.

Being back in Chicago hurts more than you could have imagined. Even if it's just for a short visit, so your kids can reconnect with their aunt and uncle.

This isn’t the most exciting trip you’ve ever taken, but at the end it’s sad to leave this city behind once again. That feeling won’t ever go away. After all, this is the place where you met and built a life with Michael. This is where your two kids were born. And like in all good tragedies, this is also the place where your soul mate decided to abandon you when he took an early exit by his own hand.

A year later, you're still dealing with the aftermath of it all.

You moved to Minneapolis to be closer to your family mere days after your oldest daughter finished her school year. It was the right choice for all of you. But you all miss being closer to the Berzattos. You've always had a great relationship with most of them.

Natalie has been a great support, even in distance; even when battling with her own grief. She's the one you’ve talked to more often and the one who gave you that little push you needed to come visit.

It’s been a hectic week, especially since they’re reopening The Beef — The Bear — now, and they’re running against the clock to have everything ready for the launch next month. You haven’t stepped inside the restaurant since before Michael's death, and that’s something you can’t still bring yourself to do.

On your last day in the city, Aunt Natalie and Uncle Pete take your eight-year-old Madison and, god help them, your two-year-old Aiden for a fun day out while you hang back in the house.

You take that as an opportunity to pack everything for tomorrow and to finally get the guts to call Carmy to invite him for lunch and have some quality time with him for old times’ sake.

In regard to your brother-in-law, you’ve both been more distant toward the other than you used to be. He's become more reserved after Michael's death, and all your energy has been put on your two kids, and poorly handling everything else.

Back in the day, when Michael was still alive, you were the one to always call Carmy when Mikey stopped ditching his brother’s calls altogether. At some point, you ran out of excuses to give to Carmen on behalf of your husband's behavior. So, you’d just say – Just Mikey being Mikey.

Carmy and you knew that was bullshit.

Michael had a gregarious nature that remained unchanged until the last second. It’s hard to believe it was just a mask he put on to keep everyone happy, including you.

It begs to question what else you didn’t know about Michael, or if there was something different you could’ve done or said to change the outcome of that night.

Nothing has ever filled you with more guilt and remorse for not paying closer attention. It has also left you with a lot of anger the way he chose to leave you and the kids to your own devices. You know it's selfish, cause he had to be hurt beyond words to commit an act like that. The Michael you remember would have never done anything as such. It unnerves you that he didn't feel comfortable enough to come and talk to you. And you've exhausted your mind going over and over all the events preceding that day, searching for something that you'd have said that would have pushed him farther into that abyss. Something was off, and you should have tried harder to figure out what was going on with Michael. But in the midst of handling two young kids and your own job, you missed all the clues to Michael's secret affliction.

Regardless of that, Michael will always be the person you've loved the most, along with your children, and while the wound is still open and bleeding, you need to try to mend that relationship with Carmen before it's too late.

You're folding a pile of clean clothes and sorting them in your suitcase when the doorbell rings.

Swallowing that anxious lump in your throat, you open the door and greet him.

“Hope you don't mind, I ordered some pizza. I'm not much of a cook and figured you'd been so busy with… I didn't want you to…”

“No, that's fine, Sis. Pizza is perfect,” he's clearly nervous too when he takes off his jacket and hangs it on the back of a chair. “So they left you alone, huh?”

“Yeah. Aiden is probably driving them nuts. Do you want something to drink?” you gesture toward the kitchen.

“Uh, sure.”

Carmy follows you into the kitchen. He gets a soda, and you get a glass of water.

This is the first time you've seen him alone without Natalie or the kids around to interrupt. It feels a little awkward to be honest. Everything is still so raw for all of you, that locking eyes with Carmy's steel blue gaze feels like being stabbed with cold daggers. It's hard to look at him without seeing yourself in that same sea of despair.

Sipping his drink, his attention is drawn to a picture that Sugar took of Aiden a few days ago, pinned under a magnet on the fridge's door.

“He's gotten so big since…” Carmy trails off, pointing at your toddler. “How are they doing?”

“The kids?” he nods at you. “They're fine for the most part. Aiden is easier. He doesn't…” you don't have to finish the sentence for him to pick up what you mean. He was still a baby when it happened and until he's older, you won't be able to explain what happened. “And Madison… She really, really misses her dad, you know? She tries to put on a brave face, but some days she doesn't want to talk. And every other night she ends up in my bed begging me to not ever leave her.” You place the glass down on the counter, turn around to face the window, so he doesn't see the tears streaming down your face. “Ugh, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't burden you with this. You have enough already with…”

“Don't apologize, Sis. God, I hate him for doing that to you and the kids,” Carmen says softly.

“You shouldn't. He was your brother. It was my fault after all. I should've… I'm sorry.”

“Don't go there, Sis. It was nobody's fault.”

“No, it was. I was supposed to look after him, and I failed. He just left one night… and never came back. And I should've seen. I should've known… ”

“Listen,” there's a pause and a sigh while he gathers the rambling of his thoughts. “I have no idea what was going on with him. You and I both know that he could barely talk to me. And these past few months, I've found out things about him that I don't completely understand. But if there's one thing I know about Michael is that he loved you and the kids more than anything, and wouldn't want you to blame yourself for what he did. That's on him. I'm not gonna let you do that, okay?”

Staring at the sink, you vaguely nod, and wipe your tears. Guilting yourself over Michael's death is something that's going to follow you always. Even if it wasn't your fault. There are things about that night that still don't sit right with you. Every day, you wish you could go back in time and scream at yourself to look closer, pay attention, and ask him to stay that night you saw him leave for the last time.

“He was so stubborn sometimes. I should've pushed him harder to talk to you.”

“That's not on you, either. I know you tried.”

“He was very proud of you, you know?” you finally glance over yourself to see his reaction.

Though you knew Michael was highly proud of his little brother, he never got to express that face to face, or even on the phone. Maybe telling Carmy what you know could help him a little.

“Was he?” His head heavily slumps into his shoulders as a response, as if he wasn't completely sure Michael cared at all. He said he did, – I give a huge fuck, – Carmy recalls his brother saying that eventful Christmas. But after that, things went stale again, and he was back to being the odd man out.

“He was incredibly proud of you, Carmen,” you reassure him. “Michael really, really loved you, and respected you so much.”

“Maybe he did, but he didn’t want me here.”

“It wasn’t like that. He… Michael thought you deserved much better than to end up with him stuck in that hole in the wall. His words,” you point out. “He thought you were artistic and talented, and having you working with him would've kept you from going to Copenhagen and working in the best restaurants in the world. He believed that you could do anything, and needed to go out and chase that dream for both, for you and him, and experience everything that he couldn’t.”

“He told you that?” He moves to stand next to you, bracing his palms on the counter.

“Maybe not in that many words, but yeah.”

“He could have done any of that, too.”

“Yeah, he could’ve. But that’s not what he wanted. He took his chances with what he got, and that was his path. Not yours, Carmy. I should’ve told you earlier, it’s just…”

“… Hard. Tell me about it.”

“I’ve missed talking to you. I wasn’t trying to push you away like he did.”

“I know, Sis. I know. You have your hands full. I wasn't expecting you to. I get it. You can call anytime, you know? If the kids are giving you a hard time, or you just need to talk… I’m not Natalie, but I can listen.”

“Yeah, likewise.”

You both timidly smile at the other, and the burden weighing on your shoulders lightens just a little.

[pruneunfair]

MILAOWM does villainesses right.

My favorite characters in a lot of manhwa tend to be the white lotus villainesses, and as much as I'm glad to call them my favorites this doesn't look good on the author since their protagonists were either too boring or mary sueish to care about or the villainess was just the lesser of the two evils.

So when My in laws are obsessed with me brought in Dodolea and Pereshatis step mom and sister, I was impressed that I couldn't say I even liked them remotely.

I'll Start with Dodolea, the princess who is obsessed with Therdeo to concerning degrees, she isn't much at first and it's easy to brush her off as just another evil woman to rival Pereshati, she's bratty and annoying when we meet her, right away you already see how different she is to Pereshati besides personality, because Dodolea shows up in a Gothic Lolita sort of look wheras Pereshati wore light spring dresses before becoming well integrated with the Lapileons. Which I interept as Dodoleas desperation to be Therdeos wife by wearing very dark and muted clothes which fail since they still stand out so much with all the accessories, revealing how much she tries too hard in her goals to be Therdeos one and only

But after the tantrum that could only be rivaled by Veruca Salt herself, that bratty personality is replaced with something far more sinister, when she shows up multiple times there's something so uncanny about her especially when she's laying on barely veiled passive aggressivenes to Pereshati,

but that all pales in comparison to what went down in chapters 64 and 66

At first glance, you'd think "okay she's laughing at him, that's a dick move but it's not so bad" but it's the fact that she knows Therdeo is uncomfortable by her presence and yet she relished in it, she even receives a cup that is very reminiscent of the one revealed to be used to drug Therdeo.

And in chapter 66, it's revealed she drugged him so she could assault him, which would have happened If Therdeo didn't wake up in time. So rereading chapter 64 is even more disturbing when you realize Dodolea is aware of her actions and how they affected Therdeo and yet she not only doesn't care but she LAUGHS! that's pure psychopath level behavior right there.

Dodolea even succeeds in aranging Pereshatis "death" after passing off Lapileon blood as medicine and if it werent for the whole time enigma, she would have succeeded with no ounce of remorse in those big ass green eyes.

Next are the step family, Reina and her mom Lilian who give a whole new meaning to Cinderellas evil step mom and sisters.

Lilian isn't just any evil step mother who mistreated Pereshati since day 1, she was actually very gentle with Pereshati growing up, to the point where I wonder if there was ever a point where she really did love Pereshati like a daughter

She goes so far in her act it's eerily convincing even her expressions don't look obviously feigned, they look and feel real

She even goes as far as letting her hand get burned by hot tea to really sell the act, let me repeat myself she INJURED herself to gaslight Pereshati and feign the role of the regretful stepmom

With such dedication it's no wonder Pereshati started to self doubt and believe that she must've been crazy, and honestly, I was convinced for a second that they were on their way to redemption.

And Reina, good god Reina! Even though I think she's the weakest out of the three on this list, she still pulls it off so well. Her emotions aren't all acts because some of them are real, the ones after the trial where her mother is being arrested and sent to a convent are so raw and real but even in her grief she's still trying to manipulate Pereshati, guilt tripping her while pleading with her to make everything better again

There isn't much to say on Reina but for the few times she's on screen, she's putting on such a show.

But you know what all these women have in common? I actually hate them, I want to see their downfall. That's how it should be with villains, you want to see them fail, to get their comeuppance, anything to give them Karma! In the past that intention never succeeded because most other authors only want easy to hate villainesses without any effort, just the same cartoony twirly mustache villains with a low IQ stat so they can be easily defeated, but here, not only do I want to see them fail their karma feels so much more satisfying since they actually felt like an obstacle that needed effort to defeat. That is what a villain should be.

[einsatzzz]

EINS! 🫶🫶💜🤎

Some questions for the twins!

Which canon character doesn’t respect your OC(Kana) whatsoever?

Which canon character does your OC(Kana) respect a lot?

Which canon character does your OC(Kurumi) not respect at all? Why?

Which canon character annoys your OC(Kurumi)?

I maybe wanna see Kurumi go a little apeshit on someone someday :x 👀

Thank you for sending these over Muffin! Sorry it took a while kdjdkdhdkdj

Which canon character doesn’t respect your OC(Kana) whatsoever?

One of the people with little to no respect for Kana would be Mukuro, for a justifiable reason. During the whole fiasco of Kokuyo Arc, one way or another due to an attempted possession, Mukuro thinks Kana is one of the prime examples of why the Mafia (and similar criminal organizations) should be destroyed. They certainly hate each other's guts (it wouldn't be too much to say that they'd want to see the other dead), despite having lots of similarities. It's really just that they're very different in this one aspect that matters a lot to Mukuro.

So far, I think the entire Kokuyo gang (except Chrome) dislikes Kana kdhdkdhdks

Which canon character does your OC(Kana) respect a lot?

For this one, one of these canon characters would be Yamamoto. They unexpectedly get along quite well and Kana likes how he just goes with the flow; if she lies about something, he just believes it and usually doesn't ask troublesome questions. Some of Yamamoto's behavior reminds Kana of Kurumi, incidentally Kurumi and Yamamoto's MBTI are both ESFP (makes sense). She also respects his natural talent both for the sword and as a hitman, as well as his stubbornness in not killing an opponent (even if his own life is in danger). She appreciates people who can hold on to their own ideals like that, even if she herself cuts people apart as easily as cutting grass with no remorse whatsoever. Despite all this, she has no intention of befriending him.

Which canon character does your OC(Kurumi) not respect at all? Why?

Hoho, a negative question for Kurumi. One canon character does come to mind and its Bluebell. This will be something from the Future Arc (though I don't mind revealing since its hilarious), but just from the first time they meet, something just did not click at all between them. This is an especially strange case for Kurumi, someone who loves-loves-LOVES cute people and cute things. She actually has no specific personal grudge over Bluebell or anything like that. And Bluebell is definitely a cute person. Yet, her overall vibe/demeanor and her arrogance reminded Kurumi of someone (not a canon character) very unpleasant a bit too much.

On the other hand, Bluebell hates her too lmao so the feeling is mutual 🫶 Please imagine two cute girlies smacking each other 🥰💖✨

Which canon character annoys your OC(Kurumi)?

Easiest answer is Naito. Easiest explanation is that he called her ugly so casually and in such a matter-of-fact type of way, it pissed Kurumi off instantly 🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭 But she still tries to not let her annoyance show too obviously, since having an angry expression won't be cute of her.

Also, hehe Kurumi going apeshit, huh? 😏😏 Maybe if something happens to Kana, all the human decency & cuteness will get thrown off the window 😆😆✨✨

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

My friend (who I'll call Kay) who plays TWST actually told me something very interesting but also pretty messed up. I might get some stuff wrong but hear me out.

You know how Trey pretty much never called out Riddle whenever he did something wrong because he believed that Riddle's the way he is because of his parents? Which is true but most (if not all) of Riddle's controlling behavior is Riddle's own choice.

Well, Kay said that had MC and ADeuce not stepped in, not only would this had continued (and most likely gotten worse) and Riddle got a job, married and became a father, he would be a carbon copy of his mother: mistreating his spouse and child, all the while being hailed as a respected mage in his homeland. And Trey would still not step in because he still believes that Riddle's the way he is because he's too busy feeling bad for Riddle and himself for not helping Riddle.

Of course, this is just my friend's theory and I highly doubt Trey would let something like that slide.

***CONTENT WARNING: this post discusses themes of generational trauma and familial abuse!!***

I mean, that’s assuming Riddle doesn’t Overblot from rage and die from it before graduation, right 🥲 He was already in that downwards spiral before Yuu, Ace, Deuce, and Grim called him out for his tyranny…

The “what if” scenario being proposed here reminds me of this theory that someone else posed; basically, it suggests that maybe Mama Rosehearts also had a similar childhood as Riddle, so her treatment of him is her perpetuating what was imposed onto her in her girlhood and feeding into generational trauma and a cycle of abuse. Of course, this theory is mainly speculation rather than based on concrete evidence (since we don’t actually know a ton about Mama Rosehearts), but it’s still an interesting concept to consider 🤔

One point I’d like to clarify is that it isn’t outright stated that Mama Rosehearts mistreats her spouse (although it could definitely be inferred) or in what she ways she mistreats him. Riddle says in one of his Groom-for-a-day voice lines that he wishes the Queen of Hearts would impart the secret to a happy marriage with his own parents, implying that his mother and father have a rocky relationship. Many popular fan interpretations for Papa Rosehearts is that he is meek and cannot stand up for himself (similar to the King of Hearts), but to be honest, Papa Rosehearts could be just as toxic as his wife is; we don’t know for certain.

In any case, that would have been a sad and dark path for Riddle to go down 😔 Having the public image of a respectable and talented mage with a perfect family while that same family is falling apart at the seams behind the scenes… yikes. The more optimistic part of me’s like, “No way would Trey stand for that!! He’d hit a breaking point eventually and do/say something to Riddle!!” … But the less optimistic part of me’s going, “That’s a tough situation to be in. I don’t know what I’d do if I were Trey.”

When I really think about it 😔 I think Trey would not find the courage to intervene (at least not on his own). This isn’t to say that he’s a bad person, but I’m just thinking realistically. It’s difficult for someone—anyone—to stick their nose into another family’s “business”, especially while dealing with the intense remorse that Trey probably is. And the more Trey puts off telling Riddle (which, let’s be fair here, he already has been doing), the easier it will become for him to keep perpetuating those excuses, the more guilt will rack up from him not acting or saying anything before. It’ll get worse and worse, probably to the point where it starts to wear at Trey’s own mental health and wellbeing 🥲 He needs a hard push from an outside force maybe Chenya to really spring into action, because Trey is also in need of a good telling-off 💦

[dearinglovebot]

Do you think Claire, Owen and Maisie have signs of sociopathy? Considering some of his morally questionable actions. I think that they are more neutral characters and that they seek a good that really benefits them and their acquaintances more, which I don't really consider that bad.

I’d say, sociopathy is a very misunderstood disorder that gets unfairly stigmatized as a catch-all term for bad behavior. it’s a very specific name for a very specific set of neutral behaviors that have to last a period of years, since childhood, without other explanations. their behaviors all have different explanations and don’t particularly fit the criteria.

maisie acts impulsively in fk because she is a child who just experienced a very traumatic night. she feels too much empathy with the dinosaurs to let them die, and doesn’t realize the consequences of what she’s about to do because she’s 9. in dominion, she’s still a traumatized child who is going through puberty. she’s not a bad kid, she’s just 14 and that’s what teens are like. especially if they think they’re genetic freaks of science with nobody who loves them. she’s actually pretty normal for a kid who went through all of that.

owen acts as the voice of reason throughout the movies. he’s always saying “don’t send those guys in without guns” “this plan is stupid” “don’t release the dinosaurs because they’ll kill people” which is really the opposite of morally gray. he feels explicit remorse for his research on velociraptor training in fk. he is distinctly aware of how things will impact others and is usually trying to minimize damage.

claire is the only one who’s particularly morally gray in any meaningful way. her actions can pretty much all be chalked up to PTSD symptoms though. if she’s reckless, it’s because she’s trying to atone for what she did wrong before. if she puts people in danger, it’s usually an impulsive accident. she’s a control freak with untreated PTSD that leads her to acting irresponsibly. there’s a line of logic behind all of her actions that comes down to either fear or guilt.

[minusgangtime]

Apocalypse bios:

“I am no pretty princess..”

Ella

Status: healthy/dirty

Behavior:insecure

Info: for the most part,she’s managed to avoid the infected,even when she went outside,however,one day,she got attacked by a corrupted infected,it resulted in them grabbing her crown and shattering it on her head. She wears a bandage on her head,she has some minor head trauma and it can cause her to forget things easily,she never bothered to ask for another crown cause she didn’t wanna bother anyone,so she just accepted the fact she needed to “grow up” her dress is still torn up and dirty from when she escaped.

“DONT COME NEAR ME!..”

Leo

Status: infected (corruption: second stage)/docile

Behavior: paranoid

Like his sister,he was able to avoid the infections for a while,however,when Ella got attacked,Leo did too,unfortunately,he got scratched on his face under his hair,and but on his arm. The infected got Leo to the 2nd stage infected before the siblings escaped. Leo now only resides in his room,only coming out for food before taking it too his room. He only talks to others through papers he slides under his door and refuses to let anyone in,not wanting to danger or threaten anyone..

“Do my sibwings not wove me anymore?..”

Elly

Status: healthy/docile

Behavior: very sad

Info: elly in her early days of the apocalypse spent most of her time with her siblings or the other kids,even when her fellow kids got infected,she tried being optimistic,however,after Ella and Leo got attacked,they thought the best thing for her was for her to stay with the kids full time,so they stopped letting her near them,despite the letters they gave her,she was very confused and sad,not knowing what they meant,to this day she cries daily,thinking her family doesn’t love her anymore,and so,she has gained fleshy/reddish eye bags.

“Don’t worry,I know what I’m doing.”

Lapis

Status: healthy/docile

Behavior: average

Info: lapis,ever since she began helping gather food and supplies,has been GREAT at her new role,she’s excellent at sticking to the shadows and avoiding infected,even when she’s forced to fight,she uses her legs to kick them away before using her cat like agility to leap to safety. Behavior wise,she hasn’t changed at all,probably one of the only mentally stable members of the kitty crew,being able to stay organized and calm,even when put into a corner,literally and figuratively.

“I may have one eye,but it sees through all your bullshit.”

Zack

Status: healthy/hostile

Behavior: sarcastic

Info: much like lapis,he didn’t do much for months,but when he did,he proved scarily good at his job. He took charge of defending against infected,whether it was with guns,knives or even his beat fists,he was really good and pushing against infected. When dealing with infected,he shared 0 remorse,the opposite is the case with his family,thanks to the fact that “people that cannot be trusted” is plain to see,when not fighting,he tries to get close to his family,although he can come across as a bit sarcastic at times,the love he feels is genuine,even towards his family who were infected,he’s the one who remained all the zombie infected to take their magic shots so their infection doesn’t get worse,ESPECIALLY herb.

“I feel..so weak..”

Emerald

Status: infected (zombie infection: stage 2) docile

Behavior: depressed

Info: sometime after herb got her magic shot,emerald went out to get her some support flowers,however,going alone was a grave mistake. He came back with the flowers,and a bite mark on the back of his neck..he had been bitten by a zombie thanks to him not being able to use his crutches fast enough..he got the magic shot and he uses it daily,he never uses his crutches anymore cause he doesn’t feel like going anywhere anymore,he just stays in his room all the time,in a constant state of being so hungry,but not wanting to say anything..

“Firing in the hole!”

Xavier

Status: healthy/docile

Behavior: focused

Info: Xavier spent most of his time in the apocalypse observing the infected and their behaviors,he eventually entered the battle scene as backup after he requested shelby and lavender make him a arm canon,his canon shooks magical blasts but took a few seconds to charge,that’s why he’s backup,he helps out with battles but to him,it’s too much of a risk to be in the front line. He usually eats and drinks much more to TRY to keep his body healthy,like lapis,he’s one of the only mentally stable members of the kitty crew.

-mod shelby

(More bios yay :v)

[voraciousvore]

The Half-Blood Giant (27/51)

Chapter 27: Meat

Hunter was ensnared by a conflicting tangle of emotions that he couldn’t even begin to parse. His resentment towards humans and his bitterness over being punished were overshadowed by the fact that he had almost killed someone. He was remorseful, but also confused. Hector should have been furious at him for nearly drowning him in the fountain when he couldn’t swim, but he had only shown clemency. Hunter failed to understand his behavior, especially when he had been so quick to defend his girlfriend in a hot-headed, obstinate confrontation. Above all, he was corroded with guilt, not just because of Hector but because of how he treated that tiny human girl. He knew he had acted unfairly and impulsively. She didn’t deserve to be the target of his wrath. She was innocent; she couldn’t help being human, any more than he could. 

His emotions were further complicated by his hunger. He woke up ravenous, and as he passed by the human dorm, he imagined ripping off the roof and stuffing fistfuls of humans in his mouth. He wondered what they would feel like if he swallowed them alive, fighting for their lives as they were forced down his throat into his belly—probably amazing. He had to physically stop himself from bending over to seize a biker as she pedaled past his shoe. He needed to eat. 

Since Hunter was on edge from being around other people, and his senses were further sharpened by his hunger-fueled predatory instincts, he was hyper-aware of his surroundings. He observed that he was getting hostile stares from other giants, and the humans were even more wary and skittish around him than before. He realized word must’ve spread of his misdeed in class yesterday, when he snatched up his smaller classmate.  

At least everybody was avoiding him, especially the humans. He got in line for breakfast and made a mountain of pancakes, biscuits, and ham on his tray. When he went to go sit down at his usual spot, he was immensely annoyed to find another student in his seat. He slapped his tray down on the table and glared at the comparatively scrawny giant. 

“This is my table. Get out of my seat and go somewhere else!” he snarled. The other student looked up at him, glanced over his burly, broad arms, and turned white. He hastily grabbed up his things in a rush and hustled off to another table, muttering an apology.

Hunter sat down with a smirk on his face and started to eat. Finally, he got relief for his famished belly. He wolfed down his whole breakfast with gusto, focused entirely on the taste and texture. He supposed the cafeteria food wasn’t that bad. At minimum, his mind was taken off of eating humans, or the stares of the students around him. Hunter didn’t feel like he belonged here; this place was all wrong. 

He finished his meal and stood up to put away his tray and go to class. As he sauntered through the cafeteria, he noticed giant students staring at him, whispering to their classmates nearby. He volleyed back a searing glare to anybody who looked his way, and their eyes dropped away with discomfort. Hunter sneered. He hated being the center of attention, but he did enjoy putting losers in their place.  

He had to sit near the humans again. Hunter was satisfied to see them tremble under his frigid gaze. The teacher glowered at him and he smirked back. His hatred and arrogance were beginning to overwhelm his guilt. He really didn’t do anything wrong, after all. For some reason, he was reminded of his grandpa’s war stories about slaughtering human soldiers, and he felt vindicated. He was right. They should fear him. 

The bell rang, and Hunter went to his next class. This time, he sat near the humans on purpose, just to watch them squirm. His breakfast digested quickly, as he was still a growing boy of exceptional stature, and he was already getting hungry again as he inhaled the intoxicating scent of his prey. As his mind wandered, and he tried to justify his violent behavior to himself, he spied a small human man scurrying into the classroom. He was clearly an adult, too old to be a student. He called one of the human students away with him and left. Hunter thought this was odd, but didn’t think much of it. 

As his belly processed its contents and emptied, Hunter counted down the minutes until lunchtime. The class was dragging on forever. The human student that had left class, a diminutive nerdy boy with glasses, returned, looking nervous for some reason. He climbed the stairs to the human desks and surveyed them, as if lost. Hunter observed him through his peripheral vision curiously, cupping his chin in his hand. 

“Is there… a human student named Hunter here?” the boy asked timidly. Hunter’s eyebrows shot up. The other humans looked at each other blankly. 

Hunter leaned over the humans. “That’s me.” A shudder ran through all of them, especially the kid who uttered his name, and all their terrified little faces turned up in his direction. 

For a moment, the boy was at a loss, until he finally managed to squeak out, “B-b-but Mr. Pablo is meeting with only the human students, not giants…” 

Hunter sighed. “Come with me, pipsqueak.” Without warning, he scooped up the tiny teenager in his palm and stood up. His classmate yelped out of shock but didn’t dare to make another sound as Hunter trudged outside the class. “Now, what’s this about?” 

The teenager fumbled with his glasses, panicking in Hunter’s palm. “Y-y-you must be m-m-mistaken, the h-human counselor is only s-s-seeing humans…” He was stuttering and shaking so bad as to be almost indiscernible. 

Hunter huffed again. “I am part human,” he confessed. The kid froze up with shock. Hunter leaned in, bringing his classmate dangerously close to his colossal lips and teeth. “You better not tell anyone, or else I’ll eat you. Understand?” The human, speechless, nodded frantically. 

“Good.” Hunter paused. “Where am I supposed to go?” The boy pointed down the hallway. He was unable to hold his arm steady. 

“The door down the hall on the right, with a hole cut out of the bottom corner,” he quavered. 

Hunter nodded curtly and hesitated, fixating on the helpless creature in the palm of his hand. For an ugly moment, he considered popping the student inside his mouth and swallowing him. He’d be the perfect little snack to tide him over until lunch, and he smelled tasty, almost like a hot dog. The boy’s eyes filled with moisture behind his glasses and he let out a soft whine of fear, as if he knew what the giant was thinking. Hunter sucked down the saliva in his mouth and mercifully allowed the boy to go, lowering his hand to the floor. The boy scampered out of his hand and back to the safety of the classroom as fast as his legs would propel him. Hunter felt a small stab of anxiety as he contemplated what he almost did. He didn’t want to dwell on it. 

He headed over to the human counselor’s office. Pedro, from within, felt the ground vibrate with his approaching footsteps but had no idea what was coming. He assumed Hunter was a human like the others. He thought whatever giant was clomping by would keep going, but the seismic rumbles stopped outside his door, the huge shoes casting shadows through the crack under the door. Pedro stiffened as he was stifled by the sinister, gloomy aura emanating from the other side.  

The giant teenager didn’t bother to knock and thrust the door open. Pedro’s heart jumped into his throat and a heavy blanket of ominous dread settled over him. Though he’d never laid eyes on this giant before, he knew right away who he was. He’d heard his exact description more than once from the scared humans whom the giant had bullied. All his features, from his dull reddish hair to his green eyes to his intimidating musculature, matched perfectly. Why was he here now? He couldn’t possibly have good intentions; Pedro’s pulse spiked as his heart began to hammer against his ribcage. He was defenseless if the giant had a hostile objective in mind. 

Hunter scrunched his nose with distaste. “A broom closet? Really?” He squinted down at the diminutive desk and chairs by his feet. “Pathetic.” 

Pedro turned white as a sheet but tried to remain outwardly calm. “Can I help you with something?” 

“You summoned me, or so I thought,” Hunter replied, his eyes narrowing with barely withheld belligerence. “I’m Hunter.” 

“Oh, there must have been a mistake. I’m only meeting with humans,” Pedro explained shakily. 

Hunter huffed loudly, thoroughly irritated with this same talking point being parroted to him over and over. “I am human,” he insisted with exasperation. “Well, half-human. To my great misfortune.” His voice seethed with vile spite. 

Pedro’s jaw dropped. “No, that can’t be possible...” he murmured. “How...?” 

Hunter flashed him a rancorous look for his impertinence before shaking his head. “My father is a giant, but my mother is a human. Don’t ask how, I don’t even want to know myself. I already know too much about the weird intimate stuff they do right in front of me. Gross.” Pedro thought it wise not to inquire further on this point. Hunter stepped into the closet and shut the door. His bulk filled most of the space. Pedro normally felt his office was too spacious, but now he was suddenly overwhelmed with claustrophobic anxiety. Hunter labored to lower himself into a sitting position in the cramped space. He ended up folding his legs in such a way that his enormous shoes fenced in Pedro’s desk on either side. He leaned over the desk, engulfing Pedro with his shadow, surrounding the small man with his gargantuan mass. 

Pedro started to pant with alarm as he realized he was hemmed in on all sides, like a cornered little mouse in the paws of a cat. Hunter could do whatever he wanted to him, and he wouldn’t be able to escape. Hunter bled off a malevolent aura that suffocated Pedro and weighed him down with a crushing force. He couldn’t move and struggled to even breathe. 

“Well?” Hunter boomed, snapping him out of his stupor. 

Pedro fumbled to recover and unglue his tongue. “Uh, yes, so...” He swallowed the lump in his throat with some effort. “I’m just here to address any concerns you might have, or if you need someone to talk to about your experiences...” 

Hunter scratched his chin and glowered. “Yeah, actually. I have a lot of complaints about this crappy excuse for a school.” He shifted his position in the tight closet with discomfort. His back was starting to ache from straining forward. Without asking for permission, he plucked Pedro out of his seat and lifted him up so he could talk to him while lounging against the wall instead. Pedro squealed and flailed as he dangled high off the ground in front of Hunter’s face. Hunter sneered, enjoying the man’s reaction. His belly audibly grumbled, making Pedro shiver at the baleful rumbling. The giant’s face grew serious. He was distracted with the human’s strong, appetizing scent permeating the space. 

“First off, the food here sucks,” Hunter proclaimed, spurned to the topic by his empty stomach. “I can never get enough to eat because it’s not very filling, and I’m always so damn hungry. Plus, it doesn’t help that I’m surrounded by humans that smell so tasty all the time.” He blinked and bit his lip, realizing he had let slip too much. Pedro gaped at him in horror at the implication of his words. Hunter’s stomach growled again, like the vocalizations of a famished beast. The giant imagined curling his tongue around the human, scooping him into his mouth and toying with him, swallowing him whole with a satisfying flex of his throat. He licked the saliva off his lips. 

“That’s another thing. Too many stupid humans at this school,” Hunter complained, trying to move on to another topic. “I hate humans. Worthless little creatures.” By this point, Pedro was too scared to argue or point out Hunter’s hypocrisy. His mind had gone completely blank with terror. All he could comprehend was the enormity of the giant all around him, how small and helpless he was pinched in the giant’s fingers, and the gurgling of the deadly void within that massive body that clamored for him to get inside. 

“And I hate everybody at this school. Everybody keeps staring at me like I’m some sort of freak.” An unexpected sharp pain contorted his features. “I guess because I am.” He shook it off and scowled. “I just want to be left alone. I don’t want to be here anymore. Or anywhere. I don’t belong anywhere. I hate everything. I hate myself!” His voice rose as he became more impassioned. Pedro wished he could say something, but his jaws were cemented together with tension. Hunter’s uncontrolled wrath, when he was held prisoner in the giant’s hand, terrified him. He flinched as Hunter’s huge stomach gurgled noisily again below him. Hunter stopped his tirade and stared at the human intensely. Hungrily. 

“I wonder what humans taste like,” he said softly to himself. He was sorely tempted. He was just so hungry. Hunter wasn’t done with his impossible growth spurts, but he didn’t have his father here to cook for him all the time. The human’s scent was all around him, so tantalizing, his flesh beckoning. His mouth watered as his lips and teeth parted in anticipation. Pedro turned deathly pale at the sight of the dripping darkness within as Hunter drew him in closer. 

Just then, the bell sounded off to signal the beginning of lunch. Hunter stopped. The sound had returned him to his senses. He gulped and set Pedro back down in his chair. “I need to go,” he muttered, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. He struggled to stand back up and rushed out the door, shutting it behind him, the vibrations nearly knocking Pedro out of his seat. 

Pedro sat at his desk in a stunned silence, unable to move. As the unsettling interaction sank in, he trembled uncontrollably and hugged his arms tightly around his body, as if trying to defend himself. That student had awakened in him a primitive, animalistic fear that he’d never experienced before with such raw potency. In that moment, he hadn’t felt like a person, with thoughts and feelings and a soul; he had the self-awareness to realize that, to the hungry giant, he was nothing more than a living piece of meat. 

Chapter 28

Chapter 1

[night-unfurls-its-splendour]

The Cullens Dark Triad Test Results

from least to most dark based on this questionnaire (answers were a collaboration between me and my sister).

The Dark Triad is a trio of sub-clinical negative personality traits associated with a likelihood for criminal behavior.

So naturally I decided to try and apply this to the Cullens by taking the Dark Triad test and answering the questions as best as I thought they applied to the individual members of the Cullen family and here are the results!

Lighter than Average

#8 Carlisle

Based on his representation in the books Carlisle has low expectations of others in regards to his own interests. He chooses to live his life in service to others in his own estimation. He has a strong sense of morality and a strong conscience and believes in honesty in most situations, but makes exceptions in regards to keeping his nature and that of his family under wraps. His morality is also flexible due to his sense of justice (as in the case of Rosalie and her vengeance).

#7 Esme

Esme is like Carlisle in many respects. Her morals are a lot more flexible than Carlisle's, though. She has a much stronger sense of justification in, for instance, murders of convenience. She is single-minded in her priorities and she will do whatever is necessary to maintain her family unit, which leads to a fairly high level of machiavellianism.

#6 Emmett

Emmett has an extremely low sense of remorse and morality. He shows little to no regret for the human lives he's taken, and is perfectly comfortable with others in the family bending the rules, hence his high psychopathy reading. This is balanced out significantly by his lack of concern for his own interests (His concern is almost always for the members of his family), and his honesty and lack of guile.

Darker than Average

#5 Bella

Bella your average girl, really is pretty average. I would say she doesn't think of herself as a bad person, but she does, and fairly often, especially in Eclipse. She calls herself selfish and manipulative, and she's been doing it since the first book. That said, she has a low rate of narcissism, and she usually feels bad when she knows she's done wrong by others.

#4 Edward

Edward's results were way more average than I think we were all expecting, and honestly, I love that for him. He's an interesting case because he feels remorse every damn day and is constantly minding his morals, but then goes ahead and ignores them anyway. His machiavellianism is his highest problem point, but for all that he's not particularly deceptive. He has a nice, low narcissism rating, but we all know that's just because of his self-loathing which is a problem unto itself.

#3 Jasper

Jasper is truly a paradox within this scope. His general apathy is at odds with his empathic abilities. We know he regrets when he kills, but it's not precisely remorse, and it's mostly regret on his own count because he has to feel the emotions of the person he's killed. So he winds up with quite a high Psychopathy reading. Nothing more or less than we expected from our best murder boy though. He, like Emmett, is balanced out by lower narcissism and Machiavellianism ratings. Jasper, though shrewd, is still a soldier, not a schemer.

#2 Rosalie

I know Rosalie's actual narcissism is hotly contested, and there's a lot of resentment toward Smeyer for ramming this personality trait home like a tent peg (even in Rosalie's OWN NARRATIVE VOICE), and I actually played it down slightly as I answered these questions. Even so she comes out with the highest level of narcissism of anyone in the Cullen family. While meticulous, she's rarely deceptive: when Rosalie has a thought, she speaks it--loudly. She's openly cool with murder though, and even takes pride in being damn good at it.

#1 Alice

I'm not the world's biggest Alice fan, but even so, I answered these questions as objectively as was within my power and she STILL wound up being the darkest fucker in this messed up family (though I'm sure if I changed one or two answers, she would probably tie with Rose). Alice, love her or hate her, is objectively very manipulative. You can admit that she usually employs manipulation because she genuinely believes that her desired outcomes are the best ones for everyone, but that's still very troubling. She frequently lies to those closest to her, for their protection, but she always rationalizes it. Her other problem point is narcissism. Alice becomes extremely disagreeable if anything prevents her from seeing things to her desired conclusion. Again, she usually does this with the best of intentions, but it leads to her behaving in controlling and other, similarly concerning ways. The good thing is, her sense of morality is fairly stable (she's generally not on Team Murder).

Of course these results are based on my perception of the characters: yours could be wildly different. I encourage anyone interested to try this for themselves, I'd love to see some contrasting results!

[jainaism]

Jaina's moments in Dawn of the Aspects

(after the purge of Dalaran but before The Isle of Thunder)

All that would have been too much for many creatures—dragons included—but in addition, Jaina had had to deal with both her part in her father’s death and her failure to save Theramore from eventual destruction at the brutish hands of the Horde.

We are two of a kind, Kalec thought as he beheld her.

He kept his expression neutral as she focused on him. In contrast, Jaina smiled gratefully, as if Kalec had granted her a special favor in finally responding. That only made him feel worse. “I was beginning to worry about you.” Her voice was rich and melodious—at least to Kalec—but tinged with past pains and regrets.

He marveled that she had the wherewithal to continue as she did, despite her grief for all those slain in Theramore and her remorse over what she had planned to do against Orgrimmar with the stolen Focusing Iris. Of course, that was also why he both admired and felt a bond with her. “I appreciate your concern, Jaina, but I am fine.”

“Are you?” She leaned closer, almost seeming able to touch him. Her gaze bored into Kalec, who felt as if the mage could read into what passed for a dragon’s soul. “You aren’t sleeping enough. I can see that. You’re driving yourself too much. All this work can wait a little longer—”

“It has to be done,” he blurted out too quickly. He was as surprised as she looked by the obvious bitterness tingeing his words. Jaina recovered almost immediately, compassion replacing the surprise. The compassion only made Kalec more abashed.

“How are you?” he asked in a deliberate change of subject. “How fares the Kirin Tor?”

Despite understanding just what he was doing, she allowed the change. “We still struggle to keep things together, but we’re doing it. You know as well as I do how things have turned upside down since your last visit. I’ve been forced to make some changes I don’t like, but they’re necessary.”

When Jaina did not elaborate on those changes, Kalec did not press. He wanted very much to help her, but what could he, who could do nothing for himself, do for her? Perhaps it is time to end this, the dragon decided.

Jaina Proudmoore left her meeting with the Council of Six with the subjects of that convocation only briefly still her focus. Her thoughts quickly turned to a more personal matter, one that had intruded more than once during the gathering.

Kalec. Even before his recent odd—no, unsettling—behavior had begun, he had filled her thoughts more often than not. Jaina still vividly remembered that kiss just after he had asked if he stood a chance not only with the other magi but, more important, with her. She had answered him by lifting her face toward him, and he had responded as she had long hoped. At that moment, all had seemed right with the world.

But since his troubled departure, things had gone awry . . . and now this had happened.

While Jaina knew that she could not take time away from her duties for a personal matter, Kalec was still the former Aspect of Magic and thus privy to many of the secrets gathered by him and his predecessor—especially his predecessor—over the countless millennia. A wealth of magical power that could potentially wreak havoc upon the world was under his control, control that was slipping more and more with each passing day. It behooved her for that reason—so the archmage convinced herself—to find out what was wrong with him.

But he cuts contact off each time I try to find out more. Simply reaching out to him was not enough. If she wanted to find out what was actually happening, the archmage had to take a different course of action, and in her eyes, there was only one course. Suddenly eager to return to her sanctum, Jaina picked up her pace. She already had a plan formulating, one that made absolute sense to her. And one that Kalec would probably not like in the least.

part 1/?

[pleasantspark]

Forever & Ever - Chapter Four (…Baby One More Time) Frieza x Fem! Frieza Race OC Genre: Horror/Romance(?) Tropes: Yandere Part of The F&E Series Warnings: Possessiveness, Frieza (Because he's a whole ass warning in of itself), Sexism, Forced Gender Roles, Misogyny, Internalized Misogyny, Stalking, Implied Offscreen Death, Death, Yandere Behavior, Canon Divergent, Impossible Logic, DBZ Logic, Forced Pregnancy (Offscreen), Abusive Relationships, Gaslighting, Toxicity, Implied Sexual Assault, Actual Sexual Assault (Depicted under the cut) AUs Utilized: Frieza Redemption Arc AU (Separate Arc, a COMPLETE different whatif) Frieza Race Overhaul Doc Used! Please check for it here: x A/N: Although it's not sexual assault (graphic at least) it's still something that the victim does NOT want, keep in mind, I write macabre and dark things, just because I do DOESN'T mean I am a labelled Proshipper, people can write dark things and also be a good person, dark stories and macabre things shouldn't be offlimits or seen as weird in your writing because some things on the internet seems too extreme, if you don't like it, then you can skip it. Also, I am aware Frieza's personality isn't a yandere as the story suggests, but the thing is, he's not meant to be one, at first he was but as the story progressed, he's far from a yandere, but a complete and utter sociopath and psychopath. That feels no remorse for his actions and would continue to hurt others, a far more extreme personality then his canon. I plan to have atleast 6 more chapters, since I only have little ideas planned, but I assure you, Cooler isn't going to be written off as a one time character, he's planned to be reused, and this series has a good ending. Enjoy.

Cooler walked down the hallways.

He couldn't believe it, he just couldn't.

After nearly a decade he decided to speak to his brother and meet whoever decided to become his Stockholm Victim.

It was quite puzzling to understand how someone of Frieza's type can find someone willing to be his mate, let alone someone not crazy. Cooler was tense as he walked down the halls and into the entrance of his ship. He exited, and heads down to where the meeting was taken place.

Scanning the area, he saw Frieza exit his ship, Cooler could sense something off about his brother. He watched as Frieza walked with Dodoria and Zarbon. He turned to face Salza who kept a smile on his face, but it was clear, his nose turned up at the sight of Zarbon.

"Hello, Brother." Frieza said in that obnoxious voice he oh so hated.

"Frieza." Said Cooler curtly and disdainly.

"Let's not waste anymore time." Frieza turned his back towards Cooler, and Cooler mustered the energy to not try and strangle his brother. He just opted to stare daggers at the back of his brothers head.

Oh how he wanted to kill him.

It's been six hours since Frieza locked her in this room, he said he was going to take care of "business" and by the time he returned, he wanted her to "accept him" she was not feeling the feelings required that Frieza wanted from her and she much rather kill herself then fall for him.

Then, he arrived back, after hours and she felt scared. The tyrant looked at her. And kneeled to her height (Which wasn't needed as he was equal height as her, but I digress.)

"You had all these hours to think of what you want and it's about time I take what I want." Frieza sneers.

Orion knew what he wanted, and she wanted to refuse. To scream, to resist, but he vastly overpowers her in every way. Frieza walked up to her and made out with her passionately she pushed him off and Frieza pulled back and made out with her. Orion whimpered and wanted to scream, Frieza groped her body especially her breasts and tweaked her nipples.

He ended up spending the few minutes groping her and after he did all that, he pulled away his eyes lingered over her small frame, it was definitely clear to him of her female form. She was most certainly a female in every sense of the term.

He viewed her as below him, below the males of his race, and only viewed her as a way to expand the race. Even after she gave birth to their child, he wouldn't stop at trying again and again. He knew that one child wasn't enough. He needed multiple. He needed females as well. If they were to expand their genetics beyond just them.

Orion was quivering, she didn't want this at all. She was sobbing, Frieza found this to be annoying.

"Oh, shut the fuck up." Frieza snarls, he cupped a hand under her chin.

"Be glad I decided to keep you as mine, most of our own kind will just pimp you out and dump you on the side of the road or even auction you off to slave trades. This is a better option then those." Frieza hisses.

That didn't help with her situation at all, and she wanted to sob even harder. But Frieza's grip on her chin only tightened and he released her roughly as she fell back.

"Now be a patient little doll and let daddy play with you. Dress you up, and rearrange you." Frieza coos, and his hatch* opened up.

Cooler stared at the back of Frieza's head, as he was chattering with Zarbon about plans with the Saiyans, while Cooler has a disdain for them, he never vocalized severe hatred for them much like his father and his brother. While his mother never really cared for those affairs. So he much rather chose that over hearing those unhinged racist rants his father went on against King Vegeta and his kind.

Cooler past by various portraits of Frieza which only consisted him and no one else, there was not any pictures of their family, with how King Cold treated him he expected for a hint of their father on the walls, but Cooler suspected he only viewed their father as a pawn in the game he was playing.

Cooler didn't expect for him or their mother to be on the walls, given their history. So he didn't seem surprised that his brother didn't include him.

But he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised that Frieza didn't include any of them, Frieza's raging narcissism knew no bounds. He was just that full of himself. That the only thing he'd rather have on the walls is himself.

"Father, what is wrong with Frieza?" Said a younger Cooler, looking at the incubation bedding occupying Frieza's small form in, King Cold briefly looked up from the documents he was reading before staring at Cooler.

"Frieza's in critical condition, Cooler." Queen Frigid said. Cooler didn't understand.

"Critical Condition?" Cooler questioned, he never heard of that before.

"Yes, that means he needs attention, medical to be exact, he was born really early. Way then he should have." Frigid said.

"Is he supposed to be that small?" Cooler's nose scrunched up.

"He's premature. He's small, small little icijins that are born before they are supposed to end up being small." Frigid said.

"Will he be bigger?" Cooler asked.

"Yes, he'll eventually grow." Frigid said.

Cooler pressed his face up to the glass that housed his little brother. Frieza looked normal upclose for a icijin he was very small and quiet. Hooked to an oxygen tank and seemed to be so fragile.

He at first didn't seemed thrilled with the aspect of being an older brother, but the thought grew on him. He could teach his brother things their father taught him. Leading, reading, astrology and... More things. He was exited.

Cooler found himself walking through the hallways of where Frieza kept his prisoners.

"You keep your wife to be where your prisoners are?" Cooler asked.

"Yeah, wouldn't you want her to not leave?" Frieza asked.

"...That's not a good idea." Cooler mumbled.

"Anyways, we're here, Cooler. You better not try anything." Frieza snarls.

Cooler just rolled his eyes.

Cooler watched as Frieza ripped the heads off of his expensive Collectibles in abject horror. They costed over 600 Galactic Space Credits. He was collecting them to sell them later on. Frieza knew how much they meant to him and did this. He kept the little figurines in their casings and boxes. He made sure the casings were locked in a box with a padded lock.

His father must have given Frieza the key after Frieza pestered their father for it, his heart hurt. He was happy with those figures, it was something their mother and him mutually bonded over. He couldn't do anything with Frieza to snitch on him. So he stomped out his room, and headed to their father.

Upon arriving in their parents room, he knocked loudly and rather roughly causing King Cold to grunt and swing open the door.

"What? Can't you see me and your mother are busy, boy?" King Cold asked.

"Dad, I need to speak to you." Cooler said, trying to keep calm. King Cold grunts and sighed.

"Fine, you have 6 minutes." King Cold opened the door, and he saw his mother sitting on her bed with a concerned look on her face.

"Dad, why did you give Frieza the key to my locked box with my Figurines?" Cooler asked.

"Because he wanted to look at them, he wanted to see what they looked like." King Cold responded.

"He destroyed them!" Cooler said.

"It's not that big of a deal, Cooler we can just get-" King Cold began.

"You can't get me new ones, Dad!" Cooler argues, "They were limited edition! You couldn't get them ANYWHERE else!"

"Limited edition?" King Cold asked.

"You knew how much I spent my time talking about it, I always talked about it at the table, Berryblue told you about it, and Mother did too!" Cooler said.

"Cold, why did you give the key to Frieza?" Frigid spoke up.

"I assumed Frieza had good intentions." King Cold said.

"You knew his intentions were not good, remember all the books we've given to him only for them to be completely destroyed within a week or so?" Frigid asked.

"Frigid, please, they are books not rare figurines. We could replace them." King Cold defended.

"Is that your way of thinking? You can replace those books, but once a figurine that I spent nearly all of our money on is destroyed by our undisciplined spoiled brat breaks that is limited edition, then I can't rush to the store to replace it. King Cold, you fucked up badly." Frigid said, Cooler wanted to break down in tears, but tried to remain calm.

When King Cold refused to respond, Frigid rose to her feet. "Cooler, wait in the docking bay, I have to discipline your brother." Frigid said, Cooler nodded and headed to the docking bay.

Needless to say, after that incident, Cooler and Frigid went to the store to by 10 Figurines which totaled over 900 GSC. And after that Cooler left the key with Frigid who made sure to not tell Cold where she kept the Key nor did she tell Frieza and gave it over.

Cooler still had those Figurines, realizing they were special and held a priceless memory.

Once they arrived in the room, Cooler noticed a female Frieza Race chained to the wall, she seemed to have a dead on the inside look, she seemed to not want to be here.

"Cooler, meet my soon to be wife." Frieza said. With an almost proud look.

"..." Orion barely looked at Cooler. Cooler's heart hurt for her.

"I'll be right back, you better not try anything funny. Dodoria and Zarbon come with me." Frieza commanded. The two elites followed their superior outside, leaving Salza and Cooler alone with Orion. It was an awkward silence before Cooler broke it.

"I'm Cooler, your soon to be brother in law. It's nice to meet you." Cooler said kindly. Orion didn't respond, and Cooler felt weird talking to her then after a few minutes passed, she responded.

"H-Hi, I'm Orion." She said.

Cooler was taken aback by this response, and smiled. "Nice to meet you, I assume you're having my nibling, huh?" Cooler asked. Orion nodded sadly.

"...It's okay, I promise you it's going to be okay." Cooler said, he knew it was false, when you're with Frieza, it was most certainly not going to be okay. But he felt like she needed some words of encouragement to atleast have a peace of mind in a hell beyond her comprehension.

"If you say so..." Orion quietly responded. Cooler sighed and smiled.

"I promise you, I really promise. I can get you out of here, out of his clutches, and I'd do anything to ensure you're safe, you got my word." Cooler said.

Orion looked up, hope was in her eyes, and for once...

Cooler felt hope too.

<Last Chapter >Next Chapter

*Hatch: a place where a Frieza Race's genitalia is stored.

[incarnateirony]

I hate the visual metaphor that just cascaded in my head about what's so sombre about this shit.

It was a Digimon metaphor.

There might have been a day we were both Champions. Hell, she was probably greater than I was, or at least at the time I convinced myself of as much. At some point, life hit, things changed. She de-digivolved and became more vulnerable like getting smacked down to Rookie. I had capped at Ultimate and fought to protect that Rookie even from its own foolishness until I ran out of energy and fell back myself, but at the end of the day, one of us warp digivolved, and the other decided to shrink back until it's appealing like an In Training or Baby form about to convert back to an egg, appealing to rights of novice excuses for conscious behavior as an elder practitioner, et all.

Jesus I hate how much sense that makes

She would reflexively argue herself in circles about it. But there used to be a catch and release rehab woman with a passion for horses and combat, who gave up finding alternate ways towards those passions even when encouraged to follow them when physical inability hit, and since then just wholly tried to disappear into roleplay, but never with a reflective study of what was written out, especially never focused on herself. Now there's a big bald crazy cat lady with a house full of smelly bird cages she keeps stuffing more full trying to literally recapture lost pasts.

Even if her old Athena was a shadow, it was an Athenian shadow. Now, that's unable to help her from the rest of herself, an inverted and empty moon that refuses to be full. And so she can never contend in what she would call magic. Because she is definitionally nothing by it. actually, by it, she's me. So I get it, I'm fighting with myself whether by gnostic argument or all my stolen shit that she pines over unconsciously that makes this so doable, what's new? I get to kick this shadow off the block like the others.

And literally all she has to do is be honest with herself enough to process reality, delete things she knows should be deleted and not clung to, empty out bibles of recreated histories and trash them, clear out the altar until relearning her own center to find her own way, not vaguely say you're on a wrong path, double down, and rearrange trinkets without observing them. Jesus. Why is this woman so eternally bullheaded.

And I don't believe jack schitt until she gets over her ugly ass ego enough to apologize, because after all this shit, there is no way she genuinely reviewed what the fuck she has caused and done without feeling the slightest remorse. That, or she's truly soul dead, and like one carpet color away from turning into a serial killer. Honestly I'd be more likely to put my chips on the latter at this point. That bitch died inside a long time ago. Now she's just. Carrying out motions and attacking things like an angry ghost while ripping out her hair still alive. But lucky for the vultures in the neighborhood, she's marrying the ones circling the smell of her death, so they inherit all that meat when it's done, I guess. They're the ones that led her to her own self induced spiritual slaughter.

Fucking jiggly ass ursula does not get to crawl out of it this time to fuck up my life again in 3 months or a few years once everyone forgets what a rotten infested cunt she is. It's fucking over. The signs are, quite literally, anywhere, and will reflect in practicing communities, and she will continue to have to turn away and turn away and ignore it and pretend not to see or hear or understand until it consumes her, and we both know it.

Crackbear 2 is honest, at least. She really thinks she's the center of the universe and has right to attack whatever she wants. And, in the spirit of that inverted archetypical sisterhood, my answer is the same to both: It always infuriated you that you could never control what you claimed.

Anyway god bless her majesty. Again, I say, ah Nuit, how I love thee.

[bigbullj]

Vol.3

Vic left in a hurry, leaving behind an aura of awkwardness and anxiousness. Miss Deepika let out a sigh of relief and asked for our opinions about the whole situation. We expressed our concerns, and for the most part, we felt the same way she did. We finished up and left soon after.

Outside, we met Vic. Though we tried to understand him, we still felt uneasy talking to him. However, he seemed remorseful when he apologized.

But that wasn't the case at all. He started calling Miss Deepika all kinds of names, showing no empathy or remorse whatsoever. He was not sorry for what he did; he only felt sorry that he got caught and that his scapegoats had exposed him.

To be honest, I didn't engage much in his conversations. I just made sounds to respond to his nonsense. I didn't pay much attention to him until the exams began.

When we went our separate ways and the time seemed good, I went to my phone and listened to a few tracks, reflecting on things and the circumstances that led to my situation. Above all, one particular friendship consumed my thoughts. Even though it wasn't my fault, I felt like a fool for caring. I cared about my friends, even though nobody seemed to feel the same way. It became the only thought in my mind.

I met Adya in high school. We both had Computer class together, and even though I don't remember how we met, it felt like we were close. We had a science project together, but we didn't have many common interests. However, her open and outgoing nature, coupled with her witty discourse and love for hip hop, made her stand out. We were good friends, although I wondered if I was as great a friend as I hoped to be. We bonded over music, and she loved discussing Netflix shows, especially her favorite at the time, Riverdale. Although the three of us—Adya, Ila, and myself—were not a trio, I always enjoyed spending time with them, talking about relationships and mundane aspects of the world. Even though I didn't involve myself in the high school drama, I predicted it would eventually affect me and shape my personality.

I should have taken my dad's advice: "It's better to be alone than be in the company of bad people." His words haunted me daily, and they continue to do so. But back to the story. It was the freshers' welcome for the new junior students, and it felt surreal to be in their presence. I wanted to do something nice for them since we had gotten to know them in the short time they spent with us. As seniors, we wanted to put on a performance for them. It was after the Sessional tests, and a sense of relief washed over us. However, that changed on a certain Monday when I came into class, enjoying my morning as usual. One of my friends, Alex, from the Arts stream came to me, and I jokingly said, "Don't beat me up." We both laughed, although his laughter seemed restrained.

He then hesitantly told me that there were rumors going around the school about Adya having a crush on him, along with another friend of hers. He wondered if I had told anyone about it. I answered truthfully that I hadn't and that I knew about the crush but had kept it to myself. I asked why he was asking this specific question, and he explained that a certain rumor was circulating, suggesting that I had been spreading the news about Adya's flirtatious behavior with multiple boys. I adamantly denied it, stating that Adya was my friend. I asked if she knew about the rumors and wondered how she was feeling. Unfortunately, the bell rang before I could get an answer, and I had to wait. Those first three classes felt like the longest of my life. I pondered whether I had really gone around telling people and questioned my naivety in engaging in such conversations. Had I always been that kind of person? I doubted myself, and my self-doubt fueled my insecurities. I felt like I wanted to disappear and hoped to see Adya as soon as possible.

Finally, it was time to meet her. I rushed to her and immediately told her it wasn't me. However, she didn't seem convinced and kept asking repeatedly if I had actually done it. I tried to talk and reason with her, but the teacher entered the classroom, interrupting us. For a brief moment, I saw the way she looked at me, and it became clear that she didn't believe me and couldn't trust me anymore. After the class, I couldn't even remember what we talked about. I just felt a deep sense of shame enveloping me. I knew I hadn't done anything wrong, but it felt like attending a funeral.

I tried asking people for their opinions, including my good friend Kit, who was somewhat like an uncle to me through family connections. He was always a larger-than-life figure, and everyone adored him. I asked him what he thought about the situation and whether he believed I had spread the rumors. I don't know why I asked, but I wanted an answer.

Since he was classmates with Adya, he explained that the rumor seemed to have originated from a group of girls in Adya's class. They wanted to add drama to her life, and I was the perfect scapegoat for their game. He continued, saying that those girls had started the rumors because Adya was pretty and outgoing, and they wanted to ruin her reputation and humiliate her. I felt horrible, like a dead fish. I couldn't do anything to help the situation, and I couldn't even say anything to Adya because I still believed it was my fault and my gullibility that had caused this. I distanced myself from her, sat further away in class, kept my head down when we sat close, and rushed to finish practicals so I could escape to the teachers' lounge. This went on for months. Eventually, the rumors subsided, and everything appeared normal again. However, I could never have that friendship with Adya again. I valued that friendship a lot, and I didn't speak to her for a long time. I did have some conversations with her during the science fair, but I was angry at her for reasons I couldn't explain. I couldn't handle talking to her or even looking at her. It weighed heavily on my heart, and I could only hide behind a smile. I couldn't even express how I truly felt, and I wondered if she would ever know. Part of me hoped she never would, as I couldn't turn back time. All I could do was look back at it with bittersweet memories

[asoulofatlantis]

The game basically telling us Vita will be back as on Anguis eventually...

Duvalie and McBurn as well.

And this is the game telling you that you are to exspect Cedric to be still babysitted by Shirley next time we see them... not that I am complaining XD

And now we are ready for Riveri! I am looking forward to playing the localized version of it.

A few more words about CS4 tho.

What I can certainly say about this game, is that it isn’t exactly the best among them and after CS2, probably the worst of the overall Cold Steel Saga. The first half of the game was exhausting if nothing else and often annoying. The reasoning behind new Class7 being pushed was stupid at best. The game had any chance to use better explanations that weren’t putting original class7 in a bad place, but they chose to do otherwise, which was not exactly an intelligent move. Especially not when you are more fond of original class7 and less fond of new class7. I think that was overall an issue of this game too. Despite the fact that new class7 was constantly forced on you, they failed you take them time to make you grow more fond of the characters, you hardly see any character development from them (Altina aside) throughout the game - which can granted be do to not much time passing in this game, but as they didn’t feel as likeable in CS3 already as they should have, CS4 should have put more effort into making them more likeable. Instead, we get Juna absolutely disrespecting original Class7 and their feelings or situation while they are all mourning the less of their friends and family members. Kurt might have faced Cedric in the end, but it never felt like a real conclusion for them, given that Cedric ran away and Kurts purpose and role is still as lost as it was before and so is the one he wanted to be close friends with. Musse did return to Class7, but it was not like she really wanted to leave in the first place, she managed her plan and then went back to desperately search for an alternative because she didn’t like her own plan and to top that off, her whole calculation-power that was put so high at first turned out to be nothing but a lot of luck, given the many events in this game alone that she could not foresee that could or would have turned the tides quite a lot. Ash has come back to new class7 fairly fast as well but if anything, he is the one of them who actually grew a bit, as he understood his own mistakes and was feeling remorse and all that and you can see with him that he is a bit more honest with himself and about his feelings. The growth everyone claimed new class7 went through, is only truly visible in him. Altina is a different story of course, but Altina was different already in CS3, simply because we knew her from CS2 and her evolution since then took some time and some heartbreak and so was only truly visible after we lost Millium. However, her strong attachment to Rean stayed the same all the while, just like Musses annoying and agressive flirting with Rean. So since no one really moved forward, despite the game trying to make you think they did, it is hard to change your mind about them. I mean... why should you? New class7 aside, there are some plot holes, weird plot points and some other questionable choices in the game that also make it harder to bear. For example: In the beginning it is said Agate is missing later he is just there and no one comments about it. And why do we talk about the taste of ale? Did we really have to play a card-game AND some crossbellian-version of Tetris as a minigame? (Yes, you don’t have to do them, but there are waiting great rewards for you, useful rewards, IF you manage to find and win against all the players...) Did we really need all those bathing-scenes? ^^’ To be fair tho, CS4 has some of the greatest moments and scenes in the Cold Steel Saga. And as I have said time and time again, no game has ever drawn that many (and strong) emotions from me. Be it being really pissed off about Junas behavior at the beginning, being proud of how far certain characters have come, being happy to be reunited with some of the characters or the immense joy upon seeing the golden ending. Also some sadness here and there, of course, given how we face the deaths of Rutger and some others - so much about nobody dying in this game.

So I guess in the end. This game is slightly better then mediocre good.

But it has Rean and it has Class7 and Olivert and Erebonia and Shirley and I am pretty sure I will return to this game once more eventually. Although I have to admit I need a longer break from it this time. I feel like I played this game every year for 3 years now and its not good enough to replay it every year ^^’

Our next curse of action will be beginning the Remake of stories of seasons “A wonderful life” and interrupting it to play through riveri.

In the meantime, I will play some of my lazy games. Like Sims 4, Universim, Two Point Campus maybe or Planet Zoo.

See you soon!

[dishtothedeath]

Highly Emotional People || trial 2.3 || yukari || re: liêm

Yukari nods when BB speaks up. She turns to his direction and mouths a quick thank you before turning back to pay attention to the rest of the trial. She hadn't bothered emptying her pockets or showing her shoes. There was no need to question her or even some of the people she sat with. The killer was impulsive, panicked even. They were remorseful. They were strong. More than a few names came to mind but she didn't get a chance to accuse...

Little Liêm broke his silence to speak and created a heavy weight in the room. His behavior during the investigation had been written off as... as an understandable response to being exposed to something horrific. He hadn't learned how to swallow fear and let it become something to nurture your body and strengthen your bones. He didn't know how to hide away your tears as they were much too valuable to shed in front of anyone. He wasn't aware of how easy it was to detach yourself from the earth beneath your feet and be above everything.

So now here he was. 

Providing a gentle confession to a violent act of stupid, misplaced "kindness". 

Yukari has to take pause, feeling a little too present in the world. Should she label what had happened as kindness? Was that really what it was? The weight of it all is sinking further into her skin and making her feel connected to the world again. 

And yet she has to smile. There were cameras. There were eyes. There were still expectations to be met and obligations to be fulfilled. 

"Oh dear..." She begins softly as if testing the waters that Liêm blooded with Charybdis and Masaji's deaths. "I thank you for giving us this... answer. It must have been difficult to hide it for so long." She's gentle as she looks at him, as she speaks to him directly. She told him he was magic to help him calm down before trial. How funny!

Yukari looks away from Liêm to address the others. 

"It... seems we have part of our answer. I still think... we should be careful how we vote in regards to Charybdis's death." It wasn't a murder, at least not how she understood it. And to call it as such felt like an insult to Charybdis especially now that they understood a bit of what had happened.

Before she bothers to sit back, Yukari looks to Fergus. She quickly mouths something before turning to face Haruki directly for the first time since the trial began. 

[biglisbonnews]

Why Are Black Women Still Playing Into Chris Brown's Misogynoir? At the announcement of Chloe Bailey’s collaboration with Chris Brown, the star’s fanbase made it clear they believed the feature on “How Does It Feel” for her forthcoming debut album, In Pieces, was a poor decision, considering Brown’s history of abuse and assault. Now, with In Pieces out in the world, the question remains still: why choose Brown for the song?While fans debated whether or not the collaboration was a forced effort by Bailey’s label to produce a radio hit, the song did not engage well with mainstream audiences and landed at #10 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100. As if an unsuccessful collab wasn’t enough, Bailey’s controversial choice has added her to the list of Black women that have worked with Brown since his altercation involving former-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.Normani, Tinashe, H.E.R., Cassie, Ella Mai and Brandy have collaborated with the male artist since the incident, and other Black women like Kelly Rowland, Ciara, Jordin Sparks and Lizzo have publicly celebrated Brown’s career.As Rowland was awarding Brown with Favorite Male R&B Artist at the 2022 American Music Awards, she swiftly shut down the crowd’s displeasing reaction to the announcement by telling the audience to “chill out.” Rowland’s response led to her doubling down on her comments during a brief interview with TMZ, stating that Brown deserves “grace” and “forgiveness.” She also went on to say we’re “all humans that come up short.”In the same week, Sparks enlisted herself in the ongoing saga of defending Brown by insisting that the controversy surrounding his past actions shouldn’t even be a conversation anymore. “People deserve to be able to grow and learn and be able to live their life without things hanging over them. Everybody deserves that... him especially,” Sparks said to TMZ.Brown has repeated this same rhetoric that his past actions aren’t deserving of the continuous slander that he receives, and he even recently went on a tirade on his Instagram stories voicing that he receives more backlash than other notable white celebrities that have been accused of abuse. Between Brown’s cries for deflection and the familiar public compulsion to redeem an abuser, this tactic isn’t new within the Black community.A notable number of Black male artists that have committed abuse have continued to reap the benefits of their fame with an unwavering amount of support from a dedicated fanbase. An unsettling number of R. Kelly’s die-hard fans were Black millennial women excusing his predatory behavior and insisting that Kelly was another Black man being mishandled by the criminal justice system. This is the same rhetoric that Brown has used in his aforementioned Instagram stories, which seems to offset any sign of remorse for his endless list of problematic behavior. Perhaps the nostalgia of being a fan of Brown’s discography has allowed some to minimize his actions to a “mistake,” specifically in regards to Rowland and Sparks’ statements. But regardless of the amount of streams and adoration for 2000s chart topping hits like “Kiss Kiss” and “No Air,” no platinum single is a valid excuse for his violence toward Black women.It seems as if the history of Brown’s problematic behavior has not watered down his popularity, since he is still referred to as a rare talent in the industry and praised for his choreography. Although some may argue that Brown’s alleged violence began and ended with Rihanna in the late 2000s, he’s had a series of offenses in the last decade.In 2017, his ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran was granted a five-year restraining order after sharing that he physically assaulted her, threatened to kill her and her friends and pushed her down a flight of stairs, among other violent text messages. Four years prior, Brown’s probation officer reported that the artist was kicked out of rehab after throwing a rock through his mother’s window. That same year, Frank Ocean claimed that Brown and “a couple of guys” (according to Ocean’s now-deleted tweet) attacked him while issuing homophobic slurs. Last year, a woman sued Brown for $20 million for drugging and raping her on a yacht. As of March 2023, an anonymous woman claimed that Brown physically assaulted his ex-girlfriend Ammika Harris while they were on vacation in Tulum.His history of violence hasn’t always remained physical, and it eventually transferred into a harmful online presence, including his 2016 tweets that mocked Kehlani’s suicide attempt as a “sympathy ploy.” In the last four years, Brown has received multiple accusations of colorist behavior toward dark-skinned Black women, not to mention the texturist lyrics in his 2019 song “Need A Stack.” The Lil Wayne-assisted track was one of 33 on his ninth studio album Indigo, and the third verse clearly directed a harmful narrative toward Black women and their hair with the lyrics: “Only wanna fuck the Black bitches with the nice hair.”Shortly after the controversy around these lyrics, Brown doubled down on them in the comment section of a post on Instagram blogosphere The Shade Room. With all of these wrongdoings being public information, what exactly is the reason behind Brown’s neverending redemption campaign?Perhaps Brown’s status as a former Hollywood heartthrob in the early 2000s led to the parasocial relationship that his fanbase of Black women (also known as Team Breezy) has developed. Prior to his relationship with Rihanna, Brown was undoubtedly a common crush among preteens alongside other R&B artists like Omarion and Bow Wow. In your teens, forming an adoration for an artist can lead you down the path of forming a parasocial relationship with an artist, which could result in developing unhealthy morals separating the art from the artist. For those that held a neutral perspective on Brown’s altercation with Rihanna or accepted her forgiveness of Brown, some of his fanbase may have chosen to overlook the rest of his violent offenses.In an article for Refinery 29, writer Hanna Phifer suggests that internalized misogynoir seems to be at the root of the problem as to why Black women cannot fully separate themselves as Brown’s collaborators and fans. Somehow, the aforementioned colorism, texturism, homophobia and misogyny do not completely rid the internet of celebrating Brown’s backflips and musical accolades. With all of these factors under consideration, it's difficult to determine why Brown is deemed as a saving grace for a Black pop star’s rise to radio fame, especially at the cost of being alienated by your fanbase. Considering that there’s an abundance of talented male artists in the R&B realm, fans are left wondering why Bailey didn’t opt for an artist that doesn’t have a history of being an abuser. Just weeks after she announced her song with Brown, others pointed out the disappointing similarity in TDE rapper Doechii’s announcement for a collaboration with fellow Florida rapper Kodak Black, who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a teenage girl in 2016. Her song, “What Is It (Block Boy),” has already been accompanied by a solo version without Black’s presence on the track, but the damage is already done.The harm of not holding abusers accountable for their actions will more than likely not be forgotten by these artists' fanbases. It’s predictable that an incoming Black pop star will repeat this tired cycle of collaborations — but we can hope more artists will be transparent (like Cookiee Kawaii on working with Tyga) about their part in harming survivors and victims.Photo via Getty https://www.papermag.com/chris-brown-chloe-bailey-2659738777.html