#he treats her like an equal and recognizes her strength

[eggluverz]

Dan Feng's disciple! Reader x Dan Heng IL Synopsis Idea: She tried to stop them from taking him away from her, she really did. But Jingliu and Jing Yuan were quick to stop her. She spent so many nights alone... Until she saw him. The man she loved and would give up her life for. She's not letting him slip away from her this time. Thank you~~❤️

AFTER ALL THIS TIME

PAIRING. dan feng x f!reader; dan heng x f!reader

WORD COUNT. 3,741

SUMMARY. you were the great imbibitor lunae's disciple. he trusted you with his life and you with his. but when the time came, you weren't able to save him. what happens when you run into his reincarnation years down the line?

SOF'S NOTE. i had so much fun writing this!! i wrote it 2 days ago now but i just haven't had the time to post it t-t but i'm finally moved into my new place and managed to squeeze this post in <3 i rly rly enjoyed writing this so i hope y'all enjoy reading!! and special ty to the anon who requested this!! ^-^

The art of cloudhymn magic was difficult to master. Even as a high elder yourself, there were intricacies you could not figure out on your own. But you trained daily, practiced in seclusion, and read all the books passed down from the most renowned masters. 

Each day, your knowledge grew. Your natural talents aided you in perfecting your own personalized form of cloudhymn magic.

Still, Dan Feng noticed flaws in your execution. Movements that should be more precise, patterns that should flow more intricately. You noticed him silently watching you on the vast training grounds. He wasn’t much older than you, yet his magic was already intricately refined— The makings of a leader to the Vidyadharas.

He saw great power within you, he told you in passing as he took you under his wing. There was much you could gain from him, he promised. 

Years went by as you studied under Dan Feng. He has many supporters and people who looked up to him, but he only allowed you as his disciple. You were the only one who could rightfully address him as master. 

As he grew in his status as a member of the High Cloud Quintet and later the Imbibitor Lunae, you too grew in your mastery of cloudhymn magic. You were able to learn Dan Feng’s signature combat skill of deflecting iron, making arrows of most enemies fall flat at your feet. But your skill shined in the illusions you were able to create. Not even the Imbibitor Lunae was as skilled in that art as you. 

Your power grew and as such, Dan Feng recognized you as more of an equal than a disciple. Out of respect for all the teachings he imparted on you, you still called him master. There was no way you would reach your level of strength in this short amount of time without someone like him fostering your talents.

Along the way, you found yourself viewing him as more than your master. When he began treating you as someone who matched his power rather than someone with much to learn, you were able to feel confident in all your abilities.

One late night, Dan Feng took you to his sacred training grounds for a sparring session. He had just returned from a stressful battle and while the casualties were low, they were more than he felt comfortable with. 

“If anything happens to me, at least I will know the Vidyadhara will be in good hands,” Dan Feng commended as you blocked the tip of his spear from grazing the base of your neck. 

You quickly shifted your gears from defending to attacking, knowing if you let Dan Feng get too many attacks in, he would be almost unstoppable. Spinning your spear in your hands, you imbued the weapon with water and launched it directly at your master’s chest. 

A normal man would have fallen dead before even realizing you attacked him, but not the Imbibitor Lunae. He sidestepped, the scene appearing like a mirage due to his speed. 

“Nothing is going to happen to you, master,” you scoffed. “You’re the strongest Vidyadhara alive. Not even I could defeat you in battle.”

He hummed, tapping his spear to the back of your neck, signaling you lost this spar. “Battle is not the only way someone can fall.”

Wiping a bead of sweat off your forehead, you sighed, sauntering away from him and back inside his living quarters. “Continuously speaking of your self-proclaimed inevitable downfall is unbecoming of you, master. What would the people think of a disciple who follows someone without faith in his own ability to live?” 

Dan Feng chuckled softly. “A pitiful disciple, is what outsiders would say.” You nodded and he stopped you in your tracks, running his index finger against your jaw. His fingernail dug into the bottom of your chin to lift your head until your burning gaze met his sharp one. “But we never cared much about what outsiders think, did we?” 

You placed your palm against his chest, feeling the detailed fabric of his garments. They were thick yet light, a sign of great craftsmanship that only the highest of elders could afford. You allowed your hands to roam along his body before Dan Feng grabbed your wrist, his long fingers wrapping easily around its circumference. 

He smirked. “Wait until we’re indoors, my beloved.” 

“Yes, master,” you complied with a roll of your eyes before releasing the front of his outwear. You held complete respect for the Imbibitor Lunae, and you revered him as such. But those moments when it was just you and Dan Feng—just you and your partner—you weren’t one to shy away from meeting his biting remarks. 

This night, like many, led to moments of passion on the silken sheets draped over Dan Feng’s mattress. It was a mixture of love, respect, and the intense craving for more. 

Your master, the Imbibitor Lunae, a member of the High Cloud Quintet— Dan Feng was many things. But most importantly, he was yours. 

Until he wasn’t. 

No good thing was meant to last, Dan Feng once said during an endless night of reflection as he laid in bed beside you. Friendships, relationships, entire civilizations, built to be destroyed from the start. 

No good thing was meant to last. But he would fight his damned hardest to ensure they did. 

And for once, his hardest wasn’t enough. 

It was the middle of the night when your living quarters were barged into. You woke with a start and noticed Dan Feng quickly wrapping your robes around your naked body. 

The noises weren’t at the bedroom yet; you heard the thuds from outside and you immediately called for your strongest weapon. Noticing even the slightest of your movements, Dan Feng softly placed his hand on top of yours. Almost imperceptibly, he shook his head. 

Your eyes widened, wanting to ask what he could’ve possibly been thinking. There was a large group of men outside with hostile intent, did he not want to protect himself from an attack? 

“I am going to see what they need,” he said calmly, pulling you into his arms and leaving a kiss on your forehead. “Please, stay here for me.”

A few members of the High Cloud Quintet—Dan Feng’s closest friends that easily became yours as well—were staying at the guest chambers at the Imbibitor Lunae’s invitation. At the commotion outside, Jingliu came in with a groggy look on her face, tired from being woken up, but not an ounce of surprise in her. 

Dan Feng nodded to her and a silent Jing Yuan that filed in behind her. “Jingliu, Jing Yuan… Make sure she stays out of harm’s way.”

“Of course,” promised Jing Yuan, a soft smile painting his lips despite the sad look in his eyes. 

As he spoke, the doors to the bedroom burst open, a trio of Vidyadhara Preceptors breaking down the defenses you and Dan Feng had set. Your spear was in your hand in an instant and you tightened the knot on your robe with your other hand. 

Dan Feng stood straight in high alert, though his expression remained as one of nonchalance and arrogance. “Can I help you?”

Without a single moment spared for niceties, the Cloud Knights charged in to grab the Imbibitor Lunae. The Preceptors sent chains of rope instead of metal to wrap around Dan Feng. Your eyes blazed as you immediately called upon your cloudhymn magic. Water danced around your spear in sharp droplets, and you pointed it directly at the Head Preceptor. 

He narrowed his eyes in your direction. “Stand down, or you will face the same punishment.” 

“That’s only if you can beat us,” you laughed with disdain. Despite the big group, you were certain you and Den Feng had the ability to hold them off together. 

“Don’t,” Jingliu called out, gently placing her hand on your shoulder. “We can’t help him anymore, Y/N. Not after what he did. Don’t get hurt in the crossfire.” 

You knew what Dan Feng had done. For Yingxing. And you both knew the crime he would have to commit to help his best friend, but you never imagined the punishment would be so severe. A crowd of Cloud Knights and even a group of the Vidyadhara Preceptors here, together, all to subdue the Imbibitor Lunae. 

But it didn’t matter the crimes he committed or the consequences he may have incited through his actions. None of it mattered because he was your Dan Feng. Your master and your lover who you would protect with your entire life. 

Unfortunately, Dan Feng seemed to know that, having gotten Jingliu and Jing Yuan here to hold you back.

Before you could move, Jing Yuan held your arm back and prevented you from using your spear. Your eyes widened in shock. 

“Jing Yuan…?”

“I’m sorry, Y/N. It’s too late for Dan Feng, but not for you.”

The Cloud Guards briefly turned their attention towards you and the members of the High Cloud Quintet. Their swords raised as they noticed the fire in your eyes. 

Dan Feng snarled when he saw their focus on you. “If you hurt her, you will all pay,” he warned, his voice a low growl that would’ve made an ordinary man quiver. He began to move his arms in a way that could only be described as the start of a cloudhymn spell and in an instant, all eyes were on him. The ropes tightened, restricting his movement in a way that caused immense pain. 

“I love you,” were Dan Feng’s last words as he was forced out of his own estate. “Take care of yourself, my beloved.”

“Why do you speak as if you’re going to be gone?” you cried, refusing to believe someone as strong as your master could be subdued even by a group as large as this. “I’ll come get you—!”

You felt the sharp point of a sword on your neck as you summoned your spear. The nick was only a warning, but it was enough to draw blood. Your eyes widened and you stilled under the mercy of Jingliu’s weapon. 

“I’m sorry,” she said. “You cannot.”

Feeling helpless and pathetic, all you could do was fight to not lose consciousness as Jingliu swiftly knocked you out. 

Your eyes drifted open and shut, your hand that was wrapped around your spear instantly loosened and the weapon that contained so much power fell at your side like a dull needle. 

The next time you woke, you were at your own residence. You had left this place to have a sanctuary with Dan Feng. Your sanctuary that was invaded, attacked, and taken from you. 

You went back on forth between two states of mind. One was complete and utter numbness at the loss you suffered. The other was uncontrollable pain and sadness. 

You spent your days and nights crying, refusing to see a single soul. You turned your meals away even when your loved ones begged you to take a bite. There was a hole in your heart at the thought of your master’s punishment. 

In your eyes, Dan Feng’s own best friends betrayed him, betrayed you. And after that night, you knew you would never want to be in contact with any of them again. 

To save a life, to save a friend who no longer regarded Dan Feng in the same light… You never could have imagined the punishment would be forced reincarnation. 

Uncontrollable sobs racked through your body, throat hoarse from the amount of crying you’ve done for weeks straight. It wasn’t only forced reincarnation, but also torture and imprisonment you knew he was facing. 

You had the strongest Vidyadhara alive as a master, yet you failed to learn enough to save him. When it mattered most, you couldn’t help.

Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and months turned to years. Those thoughts ate you alive before you were able to finally continue on with your life. 

You were no longer a Xianzhou resident. You refused the help the Vidyadhara with any advances in medicine and combat, keeping any profound knowledge of cloudhymn magic that Dan Feng shared only with you to yourself. The Preceptors couldn’t be trusted with anymore power. They had made themselves and enemy to you. As did the Cloud Knights, and inadvertently, the Cloud Knight General himself. 

Still, you tried not to let the hatred consume you. Vengeance would only breed insanity. Your mind would be consumed with sorrow and pain and you would never be able to heal. 

Dan Feng wouldn’t want that. 

You had to continue to live, for the both of you. 

Using your privilege as a Vidyadhara, you were able to travel around to different planets with relative ease. There were so many things to experience, such beautiful things to see—when you weren’t tangled in constant politics and battles. Your only wish was that Dan Feng was here to explore the universe with you. 

There were places where he didn’t need to have the pressure of the world on his shoulders. He wouldn’t be Imbibitor Lunae. He wouldn’t be a member of the famous High Cloud Quintet. Instead, he would just be Dan Feng, and you would get to explore the world as such. 

You wondered if his transition into the modern world would have been as smooth as yours. As you reminisced about your past, a nostalgic smile formed on your face. 

As you walked around this new city, you stared up at the flurries of pink and purple in the sky. The scenery was amazing here. With vast bodies of water and a bustling area of commerce and entertainment on the shorelines, you couldn’t help but look around in awe. Amidst your sightseeing, you felt yourself run into someone, dropping the map you held in your hands. 

“Oh!” you gasped in surprise. “I wasn’t looking at where I was going. I apologize.” 

“I wasn’t looking either,” the stranger said in response, picking the paper map up for you before the wind could sweep it away. “Here you go.”

As he handed you your belongings, you finally managed to get a good look at his face. Surprised by what you saw—what you felt—you accidentally dropped the map once more. 

The man gaped at you before hesitantly reaching down to pick up your map once more. This time, he held it instead of giving it back.

“Would you like your map back?” he asked slowly, this expression unsure.

The memories of the past slammed into you as you looked into his turquoise eyes. The bright green burned into yours. This man in front of you did not have the characteristics of a Vidyadhara. He did not don horns, a tail, or sharp ears like he once did. But there was no doubt in your mind— This was Dan Feng. At least, the person that emerged from Dan Feng’s forced reincarnation.

Tears started flowing down your face as you wondered what to say. Should you even say anything? You didn’t want to lose him again, but you wondered if the man in front of you would even want to get to know you. Dan Feng was a high elder, a powerful one at that. This man must’ve had some dreams about his past life— What if they were bad? What if they were all of the punishment? The crime? What if no part of him remembered you?

As you stood there, stuck in your thoughts, you noticed the stranger staring at the horns on top of your head. Then, at your tears. 

Without saying a word, he seemed to understand. “I’m not him.”

Your breath caught in your throat and you felt choked up. You knew that. Of course a reincarnation wouldn’t be your Dan Feng. But would it be close enough? 

Shaking your head, you scolded yourself internally. This man is not Dan Feng, he said so himself. And it would be twisted to project the qualities of your lover onto him without even getting the chance to know him.

“I know,” you said sadly, a disdainful smile on your face. “I just…sensed some of him in you.”

He nodded, a guarded look on his face despite the tilt of curiosity from his neck.“What were you to him?”

You smiled sadly, clutching the map in your hands and relaxing again. “His disciple. A close friend,” you said. You gazed into his eyes with an unwavering look. “His partner.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

He hesitated for a moment, looking around the area. You were at the beachside with patches of sand, grass, and pavement lining the ground. “Would you like to sit somewhere and talk?”

Deciding it would be rather tiring for you to stand and talk all day, you agreed with his suggestion. Silently, you walked over to the sand with Dan Feng’s reincarnation in tow and took a seat. The ground was warm and soft as you ran your fingers through the rocky granules.

As you watched the waves crash against the shore, you felt your body relax. Cloudhymn magic often   well with the element, and you found you had a natural affinity towards it yourself. 

After a few moments passed, you figured that, since he wasn’t Dan Feng, it would be rather rude of you not to introduce yourself. “I’m Y/N, by the way.”

He gazed out into the water before turning his head to you. “Dan Heng.”

Although you attempted to hide your amused grin, you felt the corners of your mouth lifting upwards. “Creative.”

He shrugged, fighting off a smile of his own.

“So, Dan Heng… Do you remember anything about your past life?”

“Some things,” he admitted, resting a palm on the sand behind his back. “None of them are good.”

You frowned. There was no doubt you blamed the Preceptors for that. Dan Feng lived years and years of life, love, and even sorrow. But for his reincarnation to only know him as something negative? That didn’t sit well with you. 

“Although, I have to wonder,” he continued, gazing at you with an inquisitive look in his eyes, “if he was capable of love and partnership, could he be more than the arrogant criminal my memories have painted him out to be?”

You softened. Any hatred he felt towards Dan Feng wasn’t his fault. And he was certainly struggling as Dan Feng’s reincarnation. 

“He was certainly more than a criminal,” you promised. “More than the Imbibitor Lunae, even. Dan Feng was a real person who experiences emotions and feelings, like any other.” 

Dan Heng’s brows furrowed, but he said nothing. 

“If you want to learn more about him, I’ll always be here for you to ask.”

“And if I don’t?” 

You smiled sadly. “As much as that pains me, it’s your right. Each Vidyadhara can choose how much of their past they want to remember or embrace— Or if they want to start anew completely.”

“I do.”

A long exhale escaped your mouth as thoughts of your past filled your memories. You made no mistake— The man in front of you was not Dan Feng. Dan Feng was deceased, and holding on to any hope would only be futile and lead to more main. 

Instead, the man in front of you was Dan Heng, a reincarnation of Dan Feng. A Vidyadhara who deliberately chose to not incorporate his past life into his current. And that was okay.

“I am remorseful,” you admitted. Dan Heng nodded in understanding. “However, I am comforted knowing his reincarnation is here, and he looks happy. Dan Feng would be happy for you.”

He laughed quietly. “I find that hard to believe.”

You gave him a look. “You don’t know him like I do.” 

“Yes, you’re right.” 

Dan Heng sighed in contemplation, conflict evident in his expression. You weren’t sure what exactly what he was thinking, but you sensed deep turmoil within him. It was only natural, you assumed, after something he had such conviction for was shaken at its very foundation. 

“Do you want to board the Astral Express with me?” he asked hesitantly. 

You blinked at the sudden question. “Pardon?”

“Sorry,” said Dan Heng, clearing his throat. “That was impulsive.” He paused before continuing. “From talking to you, I gathered that maybe you’re being held back by your past, too.”

Your eyes widened in surprised. You didn’t except him to be so blunt. Perhaps he had some similarities to Dan Feng after all. 

“If you’re lost or want a place to call home, maybe you can pay it a visit,” he offered nonchalantly. “We travel the universe and occasionally assist some planets. I have a feeling you’d like it.”

The Astral Express? You wondered how a place like that would be. For so long, you’ve been traveling alone, avoiding the Xianzhou and even some Vidyadhara who might know of your existence as Dan Feng’s disciple and lover. 

A part of you longed for a social connection again— A place to belong. 

After some thinking, you asked, “Do you want me there?” 

“Yes— As Dan Heng though,” he reminded firmly. “Not Dan Feng.”

You laughed in amusement. “Good. I’m interested in getting to know your new life, Dan Heng,” you said, extending your hand out for him to shake. “Thank you for inviting me in.”

He took it gently, his hand lingering on yours even after the handshake was over. “Maybe you can tell me more about Dan Feng once we arrive at the Express. The parts that aren’t so bad.”

The look on his face told you he was genuine. You smiled. “I’d love that.”

Understanding passed between the two of you as you sat there in contentment. The wind whirled around you and the steady sound of the waves soothed your soul. 

“I want to learn about Dan Feng’s life,” concluded Dan Heng, unwavering. “Still, I think it is best if we look forward to making new memories of our own more.”

You nodded in quiet agreement, eyes never leaving his. 

The past was something you held near and dear to your heart. Dan Feng was someone you would always love and respect. But perhaps the future would have more in store for you, if you only allowed it. 

And as Dan Heng smiled his small smile and offered you a hand up from the sand, you thought, This time, you would. 

[tiny-tini-imagines]

Hey, I saw your post and just realised you're new here🖤.

I saw that you take requests so I was wondering if you would mind to write some headcanons about the fellowship members and how they would react to a female fighter from our world. (Maybe refuses to wear dresses and is very emancipated) Hope that's understandable & thank you 🖤

Re.: Thank you for your request! Never thought I'd actually get an answer xD. I tried my best and hopefully its what U wanted.

Headcanon Request - Lord of the Rings

incl.: independent female fighter, fellowship

(added: character art, what they would say to them, or about them)

Aragorn:

Respectful: Aragorn recognizes her capabilities and respects her as a fighter, acknowledging her contributions.

Gravitas: He conveys his seriousness through his tone and demeanor, showing her that he considers her an important member of the group.

Empowerment: Aragorn empowers her by entrusting her with important tasks and responsibilities, boosting her confidence.

Guidance: He provides guidance by sharing his extensive knowledge of the world and offering advice on surviving in challenging situations. He's secretly protective (just as he'd be with Arwen)

Comradeship: Aragorn actively involves her in decision-making and treats her as an equal, fostering a sense of unity and camaraderie.

"Your strength and determination are truly remarkable, my friend. In this fellowship, we stand together as equals, comrades bound by a common purpose, and I hold your skills and character in the highest respect."

Legolas:

Curiosity: Legolas' curiosity leads him to engage her in conversations about her world, learning from her experiences and perspectives. (based on reciprocity)

Admiration: He frequently compliments her combat skills and courage, demonstrating his deep respect for her abilities, especially since she's a human

Grace: Legolas appreciates her fluid movements and agility in battle, often complimenting her grace under pressure. (however he always keeps an eye on her, although he knows it's not neccesary

Friendship: Through small gestures like sharing stories (and defending her in battle - if ever needed), he builds a strong and trusting friendship, sometimes showing her how she can do better

Teamwork: Legolas actively collaborates with her during fights, highlighting her importance in their team dynamics.

(same "who can kill more?" competition as with Gimli)

"Your grace in battle is as awe-inspiring as the dance of the leaves in the forest, my friend."

Gimli:

Skepticism: Gimli's skepticism is rooted in his initial doubts about whether she can keep up with the group, which he gradually overcomes. (get's actually impressed by her)

Curiosity: His curiosity about her world leads to lengthy discussions, and they bond over shared interests and differences. (He'd often talk about his folk, and would rave about dwarves)

Loyalty: As she proves herself, Gimli becomes fiercely loyal, actively supporting her decisions. If a man ever appears who doubts her or doesn't take her seriously, he is immediately at her side

Surprising Friendship: Over time, his skepticism turns into a deep and surprising friendship, marked by trust and camaraderie.

Mutual Respect: They both earn each other's respect through their actions, setting aside prejudices and working together effectively.

"Aye, lass, ye've a fire in yer heart that matches the forges of Erebor. I doubted at first, but now I see - ye're a true warrior, fierce and capable, and I'm honored to fight beside ye."

Gandalf:

Wise Mentor: Gandalf recognizes her potential and takes her under his wing, teaching her about the world they traverse and imparting his wisdom.

Guidance: He guides her in decision-making, fostering her growth and helping her adapt to the challenges they face. (However he keeps an watchful eye on her, unsure about her intentions)

Empowerment: Gandalf instills confidence in her abilities, believing that she can contribute significantly to their quest. (Thinking that she might have another point of view/ sees things and details that the others don't notice or think are seemingly unimportant)

Trust: He trusts her judgment, showing it by relying on her insights and respecting her choices.

Strategic Ally: Together, they strategize and plan, viewing each other as indispensable allies in the pursuit of their goals.

"In you, my dear, I see a spark of inner fire, a potential yet untapped. Embrace your strength and let it blaze like a beacon in our dark journey, for you have the power to change the course of this quest."

Boromir:

Initial Skepticism: Boromir is initially skeptical of her abilities and her commitment to their quest, as he worries about her impact on the Fellowship's safety. (Believing they'd have to protect her)

Gradual Trust: Over time, her actions and determination gradually earn Boromir's trust and respect, and he slowly starts to see her as a valuable member of the group.

Protectiveness: Boromir develops a protective attitude towards her, ensuring her safety during dangerous situations (offering to train with her to improve her combat skills, however shes the one to beat him in a battle)

Mutual Respect: As they share the trials of their journey, Boromir and her come to respect each other's strengths, skills, and dedication to their common cause. He'd open up to her (when alone) and talk about Gondor and his fears

"Your strength is undeniable, but in this perilous journey, remember to heed wisdom as well, my friend."

Frodo:

Protective: Frodo feels responsible for her safety and wishes he could protect her in dangerous situations, although it is absolutely not neccesary. He might feel guilty to, however she is quick to sense that and makes sure to tell him, that he should not worry about her

Trust: He trusts her unconditionally, evident in his reliance on her during crucial moments and his openness about his concerns and fears. (He only trusts Gandalf and Sam more, however Aragorn might share the same level of trust with her)

Friendship: Their deepening friendship is built on shared experiences, mutual trust, and unwavering support for each other.

Empathy: Frodo's understanding of her struggles (as a woman) fosters a strong sense of empathy, and they confide in each other about their personal challenges. (him as a hobbit/ her as a woman)

Courage: Both exhibit courage in their own ways, inspiring each other to persevere and face adversity head-on.

"Your courage reminds me that even in the darkest of times, the light of friendship and determination can guide us through."

Sam:

Respectful: Sam respects her independence and appreciates her combat skills, addressing her with deference and showing admiration for her capabilities.

Trusting: He trusts her judgment and decisions, often turning to her for guidance in challenging situations.

Friendship: Their friendship flourishes as they share personal stories, trust each other implicitly, and develop a profound bond during their journey. (it's also a bit like a mentor - protégé relationship)

Loyalty: Sam's loyalty to her is unwavering, always putting her safety and well-being above all else. (He'd instantly worry if she would not eat something and insist, even if it was just a bite)

Kindred Spirits: They connect on a deep level, understanding each other's motivations and providing emotional support when needed.

"Ye've got a heart as brave as Frodo's, and I've seen it in action more times than I can count."

Merry:

Curious: Merry's curiosity about her world leads to inquisitive conversations where they exchange stories and knowledge.

Supportive: He is supportive of her choices and actions, often backing her up in debates and ensuring she feels included.

Friendship: Their camaraderie transforms into a genuine friendship marked by laughter

Encouragement: Merry frequently offers words of encouragement and praise, boosting her confidence and morale unknowingly

Wit: Their friendship is sprinkled with witty exchanges and playful banter, creating a lighthearted atmosphere (that she actually treasures)

"Blimey! You've got a spirit as fiery as a dragon's breath, lass! I reckon you'll give even the bravest of us a run for their money on this quest!"

Pippin:

Playfulness: Pippin's playful nature adds a touch of levity to their journey, lightening the mood when things get tough.

Friendship: Their friendship deepens as they share adventures and form lasting memories together. (He'd occasionaly offer her his pipe, but she'd politely decline)

Loyalty: Pippin's loyalty is unwavering, standing by her side through thick and thin. (She's often the one to watch out for him and safe him from dangerous situations)

Admiration: He admires her determination and independence, often expressing admiration for her spirit.

Growth: Their experiences together lead to personal growth, making them more resilient and capable adventurers. Pippin learns a lot from her, might get a bit more serious

"Y'know, I've never met anyone quite like you, lass. Your spirit's as fierce as the fire of the Shire's finest pipeweed! And I reckon that's saying something, coming from a Took like me!"

[burntsaltsblog]

Shiny New Toy

(felix catton\reader)

chapter four

details: a saltburn inspired short story.

content warning: profanity, explicit sexual content, and mentions of abuse (physical and mental)

warning for this chapter: this chapter depicts explicit sexual content. if you are not an adult, DO NOT READ!!! the aftermath of physical violence (da) is also contained in this chapter.

MNI 18+

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼ ✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼ ✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　

The first thing I registered was the cold, hard floor beneath me. It did little to comfort my injuries, but it was the only proof I had that I wasn't dead. And that was surprising, considering the last thing I remember was Eric preparing to slit my throat. 

A myriad of voices rang from somewhere nearby. I vaguely recognized them, but I was already gripped by the darkness, which promised to drag me back to a peaceful slumber. 

"Damnit, Farleigh. I specifically told you and Venetia to keep an eye on her."

"I did! It's not my fault she wandered off."

"And why the fuck didn't you follow her? Christ, mate, this is exactly why I needed you to watch her."

"Well, she's your fucking toy. Why the hell weren't you watching her?"

"Don't call her that. It's not like that this time, and you know it."

"Oh, do I? Because so far, it is. Tell me, Felix, when will you grow tired of treating people like objects? Because I-"

"Enough. If you say one more word, I will personally ask my father to withdraw his invitation for you to spend the summer at Saltburn. Where will you go then, hm? You'll have to shack up with one of the teachers here you've blown."

"Fucking hell, will you two shut up? Your bloody bickering isn't going to help us find Iris. I'm going outside to check the yard. Farleigh, why don't you come with me? You, little brother, can search the rest of the house."

Silence filled the air before footsteps vibrated in different directions. A door squeaked before someone above me said my name in anguish.

"Iris? Jesus, what happened?"

Warm hands braced my upper body and rolled me onto my back. It took immense strength to crack my eyes open, but I was glad I did because I saw the one person I wanted more than anything.

"Felix?" I whispered through bloodied, cracked lips.

"It's me, darling. I'm here," he said, falling to the floor and pulling me onto his lap. I whimpered quietly and buried my face in his chest, inhaling his calming scent.

Felix consoled me, tightly wrapping his arms around me to ensure my safety. "Shh, it's ok, love; I've got you."

"Damn, what happened to your face?"

I weakly craned my neck to see Farleigh and Venetia standing in Marcus Ackerly's bathroom doorway, looking equally shocked and disturbed. I suppose Eric did a number on me for people to regard me in such a way. 

"Shut it, Farleigh," Felix uttered lowly, coming to my defense. "I'm going to take her to my room so you two can return to your previous activities."

Felix stood with me, still cradled against his chest, and murmured words of comfort as my sore body protested against the sudden shift. 

"Feel better, Iris," Venetia said as we passed her and Farleigh, still hovering by the door. A small smile graced her face, but Farleigh's remained unreadable. I smiled feebly in return before relaxing against Felix as he carried me away from them and out of the house.

The walk to Felix's dormitory was quiet, and I anxiously studied his expression. It was one of stone as he tensed his jaw and ground his teeth.

"Felix?" 

His face immediately softened as he looked down at me, concerned. "What is it, darling? Does something hurt?"

Technically, everything hurt. But I didn't want to say that out of fear that I'd worry Felix even more.

"I was wondering why you looked so mad. Did I do something wrong?" 

My thoughts were spiraling out of control, and I wondered if I was burdening him too much. After all, he was taking me back to his room, so I had, without a doubt, ruined his night. I'm sure he would much rather spend his evening with a woman who hadn't just got beaten to a pulp by her crazy ex-boyfriend.  

"No, sweetheart, you didn't do anything wrong," he assured me. "Someone fucking hurt you, and it kills me that I wasn't there to protect you. I should've been there to protect you."

"No, don't blame yourself, Felix. You were busy with Ollie-"

"Exactly, I was busy entertaining the pathetic fantasy of a fucking lunatic and not staying with you like I was supposed to," he growled.

"What are you talking about? What happened with you and Oliver?"

"It doesn't matter now," Felix responded briskly as he kicked open the door to his room. 

He delicately sat me on his bed and put an arm on either side of my legs, caging me in. Felix's head dipped between his shoulders, and he took a moment before speaking to calm himself.

"Iris," he started lowly, almost inaudible. "Who did this to you?"

When I didn't respond, he lifted his head, and our gazes clashed: earthy brown against forest green. 

"Who did this to you? Who fucking hurt you?" His anger was rising, and I knew the only way to subdue him was to give him the answer he wanted. 

"Is it who I think it was?" he pressed. "Was it that piece of shit who wouldn't leave you alone?"

"Yes. It was Eric," I faintly confirmed as tears blurred my vision. My throat threatened to close, but I forced myself to continue.

"He was mad about the text. He'd been watching us all night, and then when he saw I was alone, he chased me into the bathroom and cornered me there, and-"

"Fuck," Felix swore harshly under his breath. 

I wanted to say more but refrained when he dropped his forehead to mine. 

"I need you to know how fucking sorry I am, darling. I never intended to abandon you like that. I should've known that Eric would try to pull something like this." 

Regret had infiltrated his voice before the tone became more confident. "Over my dead body, will that asshole ever come near you again." 

"Felix, please, don't talk like that," I begged, shrinking away due to the topic of his death. It was something I found too utterly painful to comprehend.

"I'm sorry, love. But I'm serious; he will regret ever touching you."

"What are you going to do?" I asked, nervous that Felix would try something stupid and risk his safety. Eric wasn't worth it. 

"Don't worry. I'll take care of everything," Felix mumbled as he traced a bruise on my cheek. 

To signal that the conversation was over, Felix stepped into his bathroom. A moment later, he reappeared, holding up a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a small towel. "I'm gonna clean you up, ok?"

I nodded my head, earning a smile from Felix. He doused the towel in alcohol before coming back to stand directly in front of me. "This might sting a bit. Just squeeze my hand if it hurts." 

Biting my lip, I grasped his empty hand and was comforted by his touch.

Felix began working carefully over my face. I did my best to mask my discomfort, but when it became too much, I squeezed his hand, and he promptly leaned down to kiss my head before whispering, "You're doing so well for me, love. I'm so proud of you."

He finished cleansing the gashes on my face before moving to my hands, arms, and legs, which were covered in minor cuts due to the broken glass from the shattered mirror. 

"Almost done—just a few more minutes. I gotta make sure these don't get infected. I need my girl healthy." 

My girl

The simple phrase had butterflies erupting in my stomach. They flew widely around, and I knew there was no chance of me calming them down. 

"All done," he announced, giving me one of his gentle smiles, which I'd grown to love so much. 

"Thank you. For everything. If it weren't for you, I'd still be passed out at Marcus' place." 

Felix's face hardened, and I knew he was recalling what it was like to discover me bloody and bruised. 

"When I found you, for a moment, I thought I had lost you forever. I can't even begin to describe how fucking terrifying that was. The mere idea of losing you is something I can't bare. I need you, Iris. I need you."

His eyes were frantic as they searched my face—for what, I'm not sure—but his stare added an intensity to the air and charged it with something neither of us fully understood. But it was enticing and intoxicating.

Felix held my face between his hands, and I reached up to cover them with my own as I promised him softly, "I'm here, Felix, and I'm ok."

He tenderly kissed my forehead, and his hands, almost hesitantly, settled on my waist. He paused for a moment to analyze my reaction before placing another kiss on my temple. Gradually, Felix worked down until his mouth was under my jaw. In a daze, my head lulled back, giving him access to my neck.

It didn't take him long to find my sweet spot just below my ear. He bit down briefly before darting his tongue out to soothe the area from his assault. I moaned breathlessly and gripped his shoulders, needing something to stabilize myself. 

Felix's hands dug into my hair, pulling at my scalp and eliciting a whine from my throat. "Felix, please. I want you."

He withdrew his face from where it was settled in the crook of my neck and appraised me with blown-out pupils. "Are you sure? You've been through a lot tonight, love and-"

"Felix, I need you." I interrupted, echoing his words from earlier. My desperation oozed off me as I stared at him, wide-eyed and pleading.

Felix was quiet for a moment before he nodded and traced a finger over my bottom lip. "Ok, sweetheart. I'm gonna take care of you. I'm gonna take care of my girl." 

He leaned in and brushed his lips over mine agonizingly slow. I tilted my chin up, attempting to close the small gap between us, and he chuckled under his breath.

"Such a desperate girl."

Before I could reply, Felix firmly pressed his lips to mine, causing my thoughts to evaporate. My tongue slipped easily into his mouth, resulting in him groaning lowly. The sound traveled right to the spot between my legs that throbbed with immense need. I wrapped my arms around him, bringing him closer. But even with Felix tightly against me, I still craved more. I drew back just enough to grasp the top button of his shirt. "Off," I commanded. 

With a lazy grin, Felix stepped back and nimbly unbuttoned his shirt. He took his time shedding the material, and my eyes drank him in each second he revealed more of his toned chest. 

Once his shirt hit the floor, Felix reached for his belt buckle. The clang of metal caused my legs to snap shut and my thighs to rub together in search of friction. Felix raised a brow at me. "My needy girl looks like she's going to cum just sitting there."

I pouted at him and reached my hand out." I wanna to do it." 

Felix stared at my fussing nature before approaching me so I could touch him. "Ok, baby. You can do it. Be a good girl and unbuckle my belt."

I ruefully smiled as I wrapped my hands around the brown leather, tugging it away from his waist. I then made quick work of unzipping his jeans and dragging them down his thighs before he took over and kicked them off so they joined his shirt's place on the floor. 

My eyes grazed Felix's body in silent reverence. I was convinced he wasn't a human but, instead, a Greek God carved meticulously from stone; he had no flaw in sight. I lightly raked my hands down his chest before he took hold of them and placed them in my lap. I was momentarily confused before he began fiddling with the hem of my top. Then, his intentions became clear. 

Felix pulled my shirt over my head, and he immediately gaped at my breasts that were spilling out of my bra. He wasted no time in ripping it off and tossing it aside. 

"Beautiful," he murmured before he leaned forward and used his tongue to swirl over my right nipple.

"Oh my God," I breathed, raising my hand to curl around Felix's neck, urging him to continue. 

Felix dragged his tongue along my chest, between my breasts, and down my stomach until he reached the top of my skirt. 

"Stand up, love."

I groaned in protest before Felix harshly twisted one of my nipples. My core pulsed painfully as my eyes widened in surprise.

"Let's get one thing straight," Felix said, placing a hand under my chin so I had no choice but to meet his stern gaze. "When I give a command, I expect obedience. Do you understand?"

With glazed-over eyes, I nodded my head. Felix observed me as he ran his tongue over his lips. "That's what I thought. So be a good girl and stand up."

"Yes, sir." 

The words left my mouth before I realized it, and Felix's face darkened. "Fuck, I knew you were perfect for me." 

I rose to my feet, never breaking eye contact with him. He grabbed my hips, turned me around, and placed a hand on my back, pushing my upper body down. My cheek met his soft comforter as I felt my skirt ride up.

"I think this is in the way," Felix drawled as he eased down the zipper of my skirt and pulled the garment from my body. I turned to see his reaction as he took in the black lace panties I wore, the only clothing I had left. 

A string of curses left his mouth before he delivered a sharp slap to my ass that left behind a stinging sensation. I buried my face in his bedding and pushed my hips back.

Felix pulled my panties to the side, and I felt cool air hit my pussy. "You're fucking drenched, and I haven't even touched you yet," He said, running a finger through my slick folds. "Is this all for me, sweetheart?"

My arousal began dripping down my legs, and I moaned when I felt his tongue begin to lap it up. He licked up my legs and stopped right at my glistening entrance.

"Felix, please," I whined.

"I know, darling, I know," he mumbled, placing his hands on my ass and spreading me open. A soft cry left my mouth at being so exposed, but it was apparent I loved it due to the juices that ran from my pussy. 

Felix's tongue drew tight circles over my clit, and I couldn't stop the whimpers that left my mouth. He eased his finger past my swollen lips, and I clenched around his thick digit. 

"Fuck me, please, I begged. 

"If you want me to fuck you, you need to first cum on my face, Ok?"

Felix's words made my brain short-circuit, so I only nodded in response. He tutted at my reaction before withdrawing his finger and slapping my pussy. "Use your words, darling. What do you say?"

"Yes, sir," I cried.

Seemingly satisfied, Felix lightly pinched my sensitive bud between his fingers as he started fucking me with his tongue. I gripped his sheets tightly as if they were my lifeline. 

"So good," I mewled loudly. It occurred to me that I should probably be quiet on account of the other people living in this building, but the faster Felix's tongue worked in and out of my pussy, the less I cared about who heard. 

"Are you going to cum for me, love?" Felix asked, replacing his mouth with his fingers. Two of them eased into my sopping core and curled down, hitting a spot that had me practically sobbing my answer.

"Yes, sir."

Right as I came, Felix introduced his tongue back into my opening and fucked me through my climax. His thumb roughly worked my overstimulated clit as I gushed all over his face. Felix wasted no time in lapping up my juices, and I couldn't miss the way he groaned in appreciation when doing so. 

"Such a good girl, cumming all over my face, just like I told you to."

Felix's tongue lazily traced my entrance, but my overwhelmed state caused my legs to give out. I was thankful when he caught me.

"It's Ok, darling. I've got you," he said soothingly as he picked me up and gently laid me down on his bed. My head hit his pillow, and I gave a small sigh of contentment.

"Oh no. Don't get too comfortable, sweetheart. I'm not done with you yet." Felix said, leaning over me. His gold chain dangled in front of my face, and I watched it slowly swing back and forth, entranced. 

I snapped back to the present when Felix's fingers wrapped around the waistband of my panties, dragging them down my legs. He threw them over his shoulder, keeping his eyes on me. 

"Do you know how long I've thought about this? Having you naked in my bed, looking up at me with those big eyes, just begging me to ruin you." 

"Then do it, Felix. Ruin me."

My reply had him peeling his black boxers off of his body and revealing his cock, hard and already leaking pre-cum. He stroked himself a few times before reaching across the bed and searching his nightstand's top drawer. He pulled out a small, silver package, but I plucked it from his hold, surprising him.

"No, I want to feel you," I whispered.

Felix hesitated. "Are you sure? I know we're both clean, but-"

"Felix, I want to feel you, even when you cum. Especially when you cum."

My face heated at my admission, but I'd used my fingers to fuck myself too many times, thinking of Felix driving into me, raw and deep, before cumming right at the edge of my cervix, claiming me completely.  

"Jesus," Felix breathed, closing his eyes. "You're going to make me cum before I'm even inside you."

I bit my lip as I watched him spread my legs and stare at pussy, hopelessly clenched around nothing.

"What a pretty cunt. All wet and swollen. Just begging to be stretched with my cock."

Felix lined himself up at my entrance, nudging my clit and causing me to whine impatiently. I bucked my hips, silently pleading for him to fuck me.

Finally, he entered me in a long thrust; I turned my head from side to side as unintelligible words left my mouth. I knew his size was impressive, but nothing could have prepared me for how my walls stretched to accommodate him. 

"It's Ok, sweet girl. I know," Felix said as he circled my clit, giving me pleasure to combat the pain.

"You're so big," I cried, breathless.

"But you can take it, darling. You can take it for me."

Felix's praise caused me to squeeze around him, and I watched his face tense. "So fucking tight, "he groaned. "So fucking perfect for me."

After being able to take all of Felix without much discomfort, he slowly drew out before thrusting back in. My back arched, and he took the opportunity to pinch one of my nipples. I mindlessly moaned and wrapped my legs around his waist so I could take him deeper. 

Felix soon found a steady rhythm in which he fucked me. Our cries clashed in the air, and through my hazy vision, I threaded my hands in his hair, dragging his mouth down to mine. Our tongues danced together in a passionate kiss, and it only drove me higher toward my inevitable orgasm. 

"I'm close," I gasped.

Felix smirked, driving into me harder. "Yeah? You gonna come around my cock, sweetheart?"

I openly wept as Felix wrapped a hand around my neck, applying pressure to just the right spot. 

"God, you're just fucked dumb, aren't you? My girl only knows my cock and nothing else."

"Please," I cried. It wasn't a descriptive word, but Felix understood what I needed.

The pressure around my neck increased, causing a light-headed sensation. Felix pressed his other hand on my lower stomach, causing my eyes to roll back and my mouth to hang open. 

"That's it, pretty girl. You're doing so well. You're gripping me like a fucking vice."

Felix's words drove me over the edge. My cry was guttural, and I clenched around him, causing him to omit a low groan as he reached his own climax. He thrust in one final time, coating my walls with his seed in thick, hot ropes. 

Eyes closed, I fell into a satiated state. My body was numb, yet I could feel every single nerve ending. I was barely awake as Felix pulled out, whispering soft words of praise the entire time. "You did so good for me, my love. I'm so proud of you."

As I registered his words, a faint smile crossed my lips. I glowed under Felix's compliments. 

I heard him walk around his room before feeling him spread my legs. But this time, it was to clean me up with a towel. 

Eventually, a blanket was draped over my body, and Felix pulled me against him in a warm embrace. I rested comfortably on his chest; his steady heartbeat was the perfect lullaby that lulled me to sleep. 

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼ ✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼ ✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　

chapter index

chapter one

chapter two

chapter three

[arc-misadventures]

Kingdom of Lunaris au: Could we please have Glynda’s meeting with Jaune whereshe decides to join him and it’s decided that she shall be his Queen?

Accession to the Throne

Glynda: This… None of this was what I was expecting…

Wojtek: And, what were ye expecting?

Glynda: Last reports I received were that this place was just a mineshaft that found a rich dust vein. That only a hundred, or so people lived out side in a small village.

Wojtek: And, ere ye are, in da midst of da, Kingdom of Lunaris! All started by a man who was once yer student.

Glynda: Mr. Arc has always been a leader, but to turn this place into a kingdom, with him as his king in a fortnight… As a teacher I hoped for him to become the best, Huntsman he could possibly be. But, to give that all up, and become a king… I don’t know how to handle such information.

Wojtek: How any one should; one bit at a time.

Glynda: Wise words indeed. It’s just… This place has a highly functional economy, a military force that puts, Atlas to shame. Underground farms that are so well maintained, and operated, that you could stay trap inside for a century, and never go hungry. Wealth, an abundance that all are treated equally. A Hunter Academy filled with promising young students I have never seen the likes before. I could dare say this place is perfect.

Wojtek: Ha! Dare say you may, but not all is well. Da oder kingdoms do demand upon us, grain, and Dust. Why, because we’s ave it, and dey want it. Da, Grimm still besach our walls, and our mines with dere accursed presence! And, above all, da King stands alone…

Glynda: Alone? But, I thought he had plenty of… Concubine’s at his side. Why does he stand alone?

Wotjek: Aye, he may have concubines; an heir to da throne is someding we need not concern ourselves with. For one among dem may be capable of baring da weight of da crown. But, what we lack is a queen. A queen capable to stand besides ‘em.

Glynda: A queen? But, why can’t one of his concubines… Ugh, I hate referring my students in such a manner. Why can’t they become his queen?

Wotjek: Dey may each be strong in dere own right. But, none of dem ave da strength, nor da wisdom it takes to wear da crown. It shows dere strength dat dey recognize dis demselves. But, it does little to ease our worries…

Glynda: What do you mean by, ‘They don’t posses the strength, nor the wisdom to wear the crown?”

Wotjek: To bare da burden of da crown, one must ave unyielding strength, unwavering courage, and wisdom beyond der years, and must be an unwavering leader in der own right to bare the weight of da crown. Dos three have not the strength nor wisdom to bare it.

Glynda: What do you mean?

Wotjek: Yang Xiao Long, da Aideen Xifeng, of Clan Azar Blades may bare strength, and power like a raging inferno. But, her fire can easily become a raging wildfire if kept unchecked. Nor does she ave experience leading oders into battle. And, she could not bare da weight of a life that is lost under her command.

Glynda: I always thought her temper was one of her greatest weaknesses. If kept unchecked it could get her killed, or someone else. And, you are right, there are reasons we never gave her command of her own team, we knew she couldn’t handle the burden it places upon someone. But, what about, Blake Belladonna? Her father is, Ghira Belladonna, surely she bares some strength of leadership.

Wotjek: Da baying cats whelp?! Ha! She has not da head for leadership.

Glynda: What do you mean?

Wotjek: Blake Belladonna, da Enver Feichín, of Clan Duibhin, may see more in da dark den others, but she sees little upon her mind.

Glynda: You’re talking about how she can easily become tunnelled vision on something. To the point where she ignores resting, and eating in some desperate need to obtain her goal.

Wotjek: I was not aware she could become so clouded in a blind pursuit of her desires… Hmm… I best warn da others of dis possibility…

Glynda: Has she been causing you much trouble?

Wotjek: Not yet, but yer words worry me. Her focus on da Fa’nis is all consuming. She demands of da King to help dem. Yet she can offer no reasoning on why we should elp dem. Da law decrees we must be given a credible reason to elp someone. Yet, she has offered no such reasoning.

Glynda: Hmmm… What about, Pyrrha Nikos, why isn’t she a candidate to be the, Queen. Surely she is one worthy of a crown?

Wotjek: Da, Davika Valda, as da, Queen?! Bahahaha! Such a notion is a poor idea!

Glynda: And, why is that?

Wotjek: Da, Davinka Valda may be a great warrioress, and da King’s Champion. She has not da spine to lead, the marionette is too accustomed to being posed, and being told what she must do, then command dose she must lead.

Glynda: Ahh, I had hopped her time here may have changed that part of her personality.

Wotjek: It take time to change nature; Move too slowly, and da river never changes it course, too fast, and ye be unable to control its course.

Glynda: Wise words indeed. So, there will be no, Queen for the Kingdom under the mountain then?

Wotjek: Hmm… Da possibility still remains, but it depends on if she desires da crown, and more so him.

Glynda: Really, who is this person?

Wotjek: It matters not; unless she decides on where she wishes to tread, it is meaningless to us. Now come, Lady Goodwitch, da King awaits.

~~~

Glynda: I expected more gold covering the walls…

Wotjek: Da, King despises such vain displays of wealth. It betrays da true wealth of da kingdom for shiny baubles.

Glynda: And, what is the true wealth of the kingdom?

Wotjek: Da people who make da shiny baubles.

Glynda: Pff~! Hahaha-ahahaha~! Oh, I see, Jaune has grown much. Or, was he always like this…? Regardless which it is, I look forward to seeing him again.

Wotjek: Den why wait any longer, Lady Goodwitch. For ere is da, King!

Jaune: Da fock do ye bastards mean, we ain’t gonna send da Shield-Breakers?! Ya dink we’re gonna level da whole focking town?! Why, I’ll smash yer heads for dinking we woulds do someding like dat for da ell of it!

Glynda: …

Wotjek: …

Glynda: Well… He’s certainly became more… expressive since I last saw him.

Wotjek: Ahh, dey’s done upset da, King. Dere gonna get it now.

Azar Commander: But, My King. Why are we sending our troops to an little town? Dere’s nothing, but farm land out dere?

Jaune: Dat’s precisely why yer gonna go dere!

Skender Ásgierr Commander: I do not follow you my, King.

Jaune: Haa… You sees da map before ye?

SAC: I do my, King.

Jaune: And, what do ya see in it?

AC: Da, Kingdom of Lunaris.

Jaune: And, is dat all ye sorry sods can see?

SAC: Is there more to see my, King?

Jaune: Da towns, and villages! Da people dat live around, and about our glorious kingdom! Dat’s who yer supposed ta see!

AC: But, why my, King?

Glynda: Because just like any town, village, or hamlet, the true treasure are the people who live there, not the land, and resources about them.

AC: What?! Who da ell are you?!

SAC: Dis is a state matter, identify yourself outsider!

Wotjek: Dis be da, Lady Glynda Goodwitch! Deputy Headmistress of Beacon Academy. Former teacher to, Jaune Arc the Engraver, King of Lunaris. And, you will treat her with respect…

AC: My apologies, Lady Goodwitch. If I had know, I would ave held my tongue.

SAC: I offer my sincerest apologies as well. By insulting you, I ave also insulted my, King in turn. I shame myself, and my clan by my actions.

Glynda: You are both forgiven; You knew not who I was so your reactions are understandable.

AC: My thanks.

SAC: You have my gratitude.

Glynda: You are welcome. Now then, I believe your plan, King Arc, was to provide support, most likely military support, medical, or food supplies to the surrounding towns, and villages to form ties with them to eventually have them join as members of the, Kingdom of Lunaris.

Jaune: Ahahaha~! At last, someone who understands my thinking!

Wotjek: Is dat true my king?

Jaune: Aye it is! We will expand our lands, and build upon our kingdom! By brining in dese towns, and villages dat surround our kingdom! We will also enhance it in ways dat will benefit our kingdom for years to come!

SAC: In what ways my, King?

Jaune: As of now, our kingdom is built upon metal, and Dust. Dey’re finite resources! We must rectify dis problem, or we all will fall!

Glynda: You desire to build up this kingdoms industries?;By expanding your control to the surrounding lands, you can increase your farming yields, diversify the types of products you can farm, further expanding your industry, and manufacturing.

Jaune: Aye, I plan to dat an more, my Witch~!

Glynda: Y-Your witch…?

Jaune: Commander, Haakon!

AC: My, King!

Jaune: Take a force of your men along with some of da, Islywn Rangers, and establish relations with da people to the west of dis line!

AC: It will be done my, King!

Jaune: Commander, Aillard!

SAC: Yes my, King?

Jaune: You will do da same, but to da east!

SAC: As you command my, King.

Jaune: Wotjek da Storm Caller!

Wotjek: Your, Grace b

Jaune: Inform da, Hunters to prepare for training missions, and routine patrols of da surrounding lands. Even if da people chose not to join us, protecting dem will protect us in turn.

Glynda: Not to mention this activity will improve your relations with them to a point that they may chose to join for the benefits they will gain for the long run.

Wotjek: It will be done.

Jaune: Good, now go, I wish to talk in private with, Lady Goodwitch.

Wotjek: As you wish my, King.

~~~

Jaune: So, why are you ere, Lady Goodwitxh?

Glynda: Lady Goodwitch~! Ahem! I came here searching for my missing students.

Jaune: And, did you find dem?

Glynda: I did, and I wanted to bring them back home, back to, Beacon. However… They are already home.

Jaune: We are a kingdom dat accepts all who come, so long as dey are willing to prove demselves worthy of joining da people of, Lunaris.

Glynda: A noble idea. Something more kingdoms should accept. But, Jaune… There is something I wish to ask you.

Jaune: What is it?

Glynda: After being here, spending the day around the people here, around my students, and the new lives they have created here. And, after seeing how full their lives now are left me thinking how mu y life has been so monotonous, so routine. I desire a change in my life, and I know just what I want to do! I wish to join! Join you, and become a member of the, Kingdom of Lunaris!

Jaune: You’d be throwing away yer old life to come ere. Are you willing to make dis sacrifice?

Glynda: …

Glynda: I am willing to make this sacrifice.

Jaune: Very well… To prove yer worth to da, Kingdom. I place you as da head of da, Hunter Academy. And, I grant you da title of, Glynda Goodwitch, da Eidorthea, Headmistress’s of Bríghid Academy. May you serve us long, and with honour!

Glynda: It will be my honour, your Grace.

Jaune: Now den… Is dere anyding else you wish to speak about? If not, I as you to take yer leave, I ave much work to do.

Glynda: There is one thing else I wish to speak about your, Grace.

Jaune: And, what is it?

Glynda: I… I heard you were looking for a, Queen…

///

This story is just gonna be a lot of world building, and I’m loving it!

[pikahlua]

OK as a Bakugo fan, are you perfectly fine with how Hori treats him? I mean the more Bakugo grows up as a person the more he gets sidelined and ridiculed. The more he grows, his life gets harder and Horikoshi has failed to give Bakugo one single moment of actual glory to make Bakugo feel truly happy. I don't know what Horikoshi's intentions are but Bakugo deserves happiness in the form of success more than anyone right now. Do you think he'll surpass AM and become NO.1 the way he wants?

Anon, I'm about to go off, but I want to first stress that this rant isn't really directed at you. You're just the unfortunate final straw hitting my back, because I have received so many asks to this effect, and I've answered some of them and ignored others, and now I am at my breaking point. I’m going to try to be nice about this, but again, a lot of my pent-up feelings are about to come out, and they’re the result of comments I’ve seen like this from many people, not just you anon.

Katsuki Bakugou fans, it's about time you (or at least some of you) learned a thing or two from Izuku Midoriya fans.

A true hero is not someone who does the right thing just to receive the fame, praise, and glory. Sometimes, being a hero means doing the right thing, saving someone, defeating evil, even when it will destroy you, even when there is nothing to be gained, even when no one will notice.

This is the crux of Izuku Midoriya’s character. This is why he is so lovable by the audience, especially in the beginning. Because everything he does is a heroic action with no clear reward. These actions aren’t motivated by anything material. They are just a manifestation of who he is. He can’t help but be a hero. His legs move on their own, and he more often than not gets punished for his heroism. When he tries to save Katsuki from the sludge villain, the heroes scold him, the media ignores him, and Katsuki berates him. When he punches the 0-pointer robot to save Ochako, most of his peers are bewildered by him and criticize him. Notice how only those with truly heroic hearts take note of Izuku’s actual heroism in these instances (even Katsuki, though he tries to put Izuku down for it). When Izuku tries to save Shouto in the sports festival, he’s punished with a loss in the tournament and no hero agency internship offers. When Izuku disobeys Gran Torino to search for Iida and save him from Hero Killer Stain, Izuku is scolded (but also praised) by Gran Torino and the police chief, and he’s not allowed to take any credit for his heroic deeds. When Izuku saves Kouta from Muscular, he’s punished by irreparably injuring his arms and not having the strength to save Katsuki. When Izuku goes to Kamino to save Katsuki, he’s punished by not getting to take Katsuki’s hand, and then he’s scolded by All Might and Aizawa. When Izuku fights it out with Katsuki at Ground Beta, he’s punished with three days of house arrest and cleaning duty. When Izuku tries to save Eri the first time he meets her, he’s scolded by Sir Nighteye for his arrogance.

There are even more examples, but you may now have realized that in some of these instances, Izuku was also rewarded somehow. But Izuku never did anything for the sake of a reward; he merely received a reward because someone there recognized Izuku’s heroism for what it truly was: heroism. And yet, Izuku was never allowed to know those potential rewards were on the horizon when he acted heroically. The message from the start has been very clear: what a hero deserves--what anyone deserves--is irrelevant.

Life is not fair. You don’t get things from the world just because you may deserve them.

"All men are not created equal. This was the reality I learned about society at the young age of four."

You get what you get, and there’s no rhyme or reason to it. You can only do anything with what you’ve already got. And you can’t be a hero if you’re doing it to get a prize. It’s not a job to be compensated. It’s an idealized, inspired-and-inspiring state of being.

I don’t know what it is you’re thinking of when you write things like Katsuki “gets sidelined and ridiculed,” because I’ve never seen evidence that Horikoshi has done such things to Katsuki. But if you’re seeing what looks like these things happening to Katsuki within the context of the story, it’s very possible that that’s the whole point. The more Katsuki grows, the more “his life gets harder” precisely because that’s what it means to grow up. When you’re true to yourself and stand up for what you believe and do the right thing, when you are heroic at heart, the world will spit in your face, just like it always trampled on Izuku Midoriya. If you ask me, Izuku has never been allowed any glory like what you think Katsuki deserves. I don’t even believe glory would make Katsuki happy. Despite what he may have said in chapter 1, the growth he’s displayed reveals what truly fulfills him, what drives him: excellence and striving for it; atonement for the sake of righteousness and not for the sake of forgiveness; unity; and understanding.

Katsuki, at his core, is a creature of love. He is a selfless, caring, considerate individual, perhaps more so than any other character in MHA, or perhaps just in a different way than the other characters. It may be difficult to stand, but for Katsuki to demonstrate his heroism, for him to “catch up to Izuku,” he must do so in the worst of circumstances. That is how the story must go. He will have to crawl through the dirt and the muck for the sake of crawling through it, for the sake of others, and with no reward waiting--because the real reward will be his integrity prevailing and saving what--or who--matters to him.

So yes, I am perfectly fine with how I perceive Horikoshi treats Katsuki, because I am perceiving this from the perspective of a writer. To tell the story properly, Horikoshi is doing what must be done to let Katsuki shine brightest: he’s making Katsuki suffer. This is all in service of highlighting the sort of hero Katsuki is (the best one, in my opinion). Does he deserve to suffer? No. Do I wish him all the happiness and glory and recognition? Yes, as a person. But as a writer, I wish him all the opportunity to show what he’s made of, and this is how you do it. And for what it’s worth, I do believe there will be a just reward waiting for Katsuki at the end of this, even if that reward is merely the admiration of a select few people, but Katsuki himself is absolutely not allowed to know that it’s coming.

Do you think he'll surpass AM and become NO.1 the way he wants?

If you ask me, he already has. A long time ago.

[moonlatias]

The Vice Virtue of Pride

In Christianity, the story of Lucifer/Satan is that he was the brightest of all the angels, only to fall and become who we know as the Devil because of his “pride.” (Very brief/basic summary, of course.) From this tale, we are to understand that Pride is the most insidious and terrible of sins, for God values Humility, and Pride only serves to separate you from God.

I’ve always valued humility as a virtue my whole life, and still consider it the highest of virtues. But it wasn’t because of the cautionary tale of Satan or anything like that. I think it is more I came to the conclusion that when you have empathy and/or care for others, you naturally gravitate toward being humble. You instinctively know not to consider yourself above others, to view them as equals, to put others ahead of yourself. Not out of fear or obligation, but because it makes you content and happy to help and give.

Pride certainly can bring out the worst in people. See the arrogance of those in power, those with wealth, those who classify people into different groups and rank their treatment and opinion of each. Or even just those who cause harm to themselves or others, out of overconfidence and inability to admit faults and limitations. But at the same time, we are taught to “have pride” in ourselves. Our heritage. Our home. Our identity. Our accomplishments. We long to have our loved ones tell us how proud they are of us. So clearly, society encourages Pride, too.

The only conclusion I could personally come to was that Pride is not always a vice. It can be a virtue… as least as long as you can keep it in balance with Humility. Perhaps a simplistic conclusion, but it was the one I went with and used to guide my morality throughout my life.

Eventually I encountered a quote (in World of Warcraft of all places… yes I’m a WoW nerd) that really summed it up well, and that I often think of.

Pride. It is the most insidious of sha. It is good until it is bad. And then it is more dangerous than all the others combined.

[Sha being the physical manifestations of negative emotions in the game.]

I always liked that take… Pride is good, until it is bad. A healthy amount of Pride in our lives is good, but we must be vigilant to make sure it does not become harmful. This is usually accomplished through tempering Pride with Humility. Everything in moderation.

Recently I have recognized Lucifer as a guiding light and inspiration to me in my life. Maybe he’s been there for a long time and I didn’t realize, or maybe he’s just been such a comfortable presence that I’m not threatened by him or what he usually represents. He is supposed to represent the vice of Pride… but what he has shown me is how it can be a virtue instead. Maybe instead of being so proud he thought he was better than God… he was proud enough to know that he and everyone else deserved better than to be treated as less.

I guess that’s why Lucifer means so much to me, especially at this point in my life. Because he reminds me to hold my head high and not regret my decisions, even if there are consequences. I deserve dignity, and I shouldn’t grovel for love, respect, and happiness.

His knowledge fills me with strength and pride, and Her wisdom guides me to use it with purpose and humility.

[gancegancerevo]

Complaining about Danji and Megumi's relationship

One episode of Vanguard willDress made me rethink Danji and Megumi's relationship in light of what he does in the episode and I have no good words for him.

I feel like the key issue is that they don't have an equal understanding of what their relationship entails.

Megumi treats Danji like 1. an older brother, 2. a role model, and 3. a standard of strength. As an older brother, she depends on him emotionally and while this aspect does weaken with time, she still treats him like family would: welcoming him, checking up on him, worrying for him. It comes from a place of caring and concern which is likely fueled by the time they spent together as he helped her out through Vanguard.

As a role model, Megumi aspires to Danji's ability to do things that matter in the grand scheme. Danji has connections, notoriety, and skills which allow him to take actions when he feels it necessary. And I believe Megumi wants to do that too. Being the detective type who can both sniff out wrongdoing and beat up whoever's doing it. It's unrealistic, but not uncommon.

As a standard of strength, Megumi always thinks back to Danji when she thinks of being stronger. It makes sense as he's had the most consistent record out of her friends, he's likely beaten her more than she's beaten him, and he certainly acts the part of the strong guy. It's an image that Danji has built up and Megumi truly believes it.

Compare that to Danji. He likely sees Megumi as 1. a little sister and 2. a strong fighter. The little sister part comes from how they met. Danji was friends with Megumi's older brother first and then bonded with her over Vanguard. It's easy to see this in how he treats her (when he notices her).

The more notable way he interacts with her is as a strong fighter. He regularly compliments her on this as he has fun when they cardfight. Indeed, after his departure from Blackout, he mainly interacts with Megumi through onscreen fights.

Already it is obvious that Danji and Megumi hold very different ideas about each other and that's normal for relationships. The problem comes when you realize that while Megumi relies on Danji, Danji doesn't feel similarly responsible for her. Megumi really depends on Danji or her image of him to guide her; both as a cardfighter but also as a person. She wants him to recognize her and her skills both in the game and outside of it and be someone that he can rely on in turn. Danji has no idea of this and no drive to build up Megumi in a similar way. He just treats her like a friend who he happens to meet when it's convenient.

A more concrete description of the issue here is that Megumi puts Danji on a pedestal and Danji doesn't see Megumi as notable at all.

Two episodes highlight these issues well. The first is episode 0 of overDress season 2. In it Megumi boards the train that Danji is riding in an attempt to run away with him. They fight and ultimately Megumi decides to let him go his own path even if they separate. The second is episode 5 of willDress season 3, a disgusting episode that led to the creation of this very post.

But before we devolve into a complaining session, we'll begin with Blessed Rain, the ep 0. Megumi has always had a unique narrative link to Tohya in that they grapple with the idea of throwing away everything else for one specific thing. Tohya 'successfully' threw everything away for the sake of Vanguard and even when he was convinced of his errors, he never did go back to his old life. This episode is Megumi's attempt of doing the same: throwing everything away to stay with Danji. Danji, of course, objects and makes it so that she get off the train before he does. Seems straightforward enough. In fact, I was fooled into thinking Megumi was thinking over her relationship with Danji in that fight and growing through reflection. On its own, it's a nice sendoff to their relationship as Megumi realizes that she can be connected to Danji through their bond rather than physically. In light of recent events however, I am tempted to interpret that fight as an affirmation of her fixation on Danji. She doesn't seem to say these things as an acceptance that she must let Danji go, instead she speaks as though she will always be connected to Danji even if they are apart. She "has so much of him in her" in the sense that everything she does can be connected to him. And people, that is not moving on, at least not definitely. However, the episode as well-written enough that you could interpret it generously and be correct.

a glorious day, ep 5, has no such interpretations. It is a poorly written mess that takes what little character development Megumi could've had in the Uniformers arc and sends it spiraling down the drain. ok, the episode sees Danji checking up on Blackout after his adventures in the US. Of course, everyone is concerned about Uniformers, especially since two of their best: Zakusa and Megumi have stopped showing up, a tell-tale sign of Uniformers membership. Danji doesn't seem to give a shit. He says Zakusa is a grown man with his own life and is shocked that people blame him for Megumi leaving. Now why would they blame him? Primarily because they all knew Megumi texts Danji regularly and he hasn't answered for a LONG time maybe from the beginning of the Deluxe itself, two seasons ago. Danji gets peer pressured into checking on Megumi and possibly bringing her back to Blackout. Megumi and Danji then have a fight ...

and nothing happens

Yeah, nothing of note happens. We get collectively scared that Megumi would be a Uniformer and truly betray Blackout and all Danji needed to do was show up and act like he actually cared all this time to bring her back. He just needed to act exactly how he always does. And you could see Megumi was frustrated with him but he doesn't actually do anything to assure her or even fucking talk to her. He just spouts his usual nonsense of liking to fight strong opponents and somehow a 6th-damage heal causes Megumi to cast aside all of her frustrations with him.

This episode gave me the idea that while Megumi put Danji on a higher and higher pedestal, Danji has objectified Megumi into another faceless cardfighter. He doesn't actually respect her and he doesn't actually see her beyond Vanguard. He doesn't even enlist her to help train Yu-yu or something. Mirei does that. The worst thing is that he doesn't formulate a real apology for ignoring her. It's not like he went silent over all of Blackout so the choice to ignore her was deliberate. He should've known how important he was to her when she nearly abandoned her life to follow him on that train. The responsible bare minimum would have been to send an update along with a warning/request not to text him while he's on his secret missions. Heck, it would've been better if he just outright blocked her to stop her from messaging him at all. Instead he leaves her hanging because he knows she's strong and that's the only reason he maintains this bond.

A person I follow online suggested that Megumi needs to follow in Raika's footsteps to really move on. Raika truly saw and was disappointed by Michiru's character and so his admiration turned into a will to surpass him. I disagree. I've said it before but Megumi needs a life that she cannot connect to Danji at all. Even when he's the most deadbeat friend, her fond memories lead her to forgive him too easily. Megumi needs to reevaluate herself and build an image that isn't reliant on Danji. Blessed Rain could've worked as this if she put all the things that connect her and Danji in the past as a guide and a fuel but she didn't. She continuously brings Danji to the forefront of her mind and it needs to stop. Danji in turn, needs to decide how much he wants to be there for Megumi because (he may not realize it but) their relationship is especially important to Megumi and he either needs to step up to that importance or start establishing distance. He shouldn't get to show up only when it's convenient for him after leaving her on read for weeks or months.

It remains to be seen what will become of Megumi and Danji and the rest of the cast in the future of the story. Megumi is in a pretty troublesome character limbo that prevents her from winning at all in the face of the current conflict. And we on Twitter regularly bemoan the various ways the do our girl dirty. We will continue to complain until they give our girl the respect she deserves.

Thank you very much for reading this long insignificant rant. I really disliked ep 5 and this all came out the more I thought about it. I would love to hear other people's thoughts on this matter.

[kpopsongrecs]

Comfort Songs from Female Artists:

Heart - Taeyeon Heart is a phenomenal ballad from Taeyeon. The heartbeat-like guitar pulse is a very clever touch, and immerses you into an emotional state of mind immediately. The lovely but simple arrangement allows for Taeyeon’s signature piercing vocals to absolutely soar. The Korean title “품" means hug/embrace, a very apt title for a song that truly feels like a comforting hug. The lyrics are full of warmth and meaning. Especially the lines “You recognize the scar that I wanted to hide the most, give a kiss on it, gently pacify it and make it heal", highlighting the powerful message that the ultimate act of love is recognizing someone's vulnerability and treating it with tenderness.

LMM - Hwasa LMM might have more recognition now, since Hwasa performed it at this year's Blue Dragon Awards to pay respect to the passing of actor Lee Sung Kyun. A very touching song, it made for a very touching tribute (so thoughtfully swapped into the performance lineup by Hwasa herself). Her rich and raspy voice is perfectly soft and haunting in the verses, yet emotional and filled with power in the chorus. Hwasa's signature to her solo work is the deep and contemplative nature of her lyrics. LMM (standing for "Lost My Mind") is a perfect example of this. “Flowers bloom even in the falling rain” is a very poignant way of expressing the message of keeping resilience and strength in the face of dark times.

Breathe - Lee Hi Being one of Jonghyun’s most famous songs that he wrote, Breathe has a certain lingering perception to it. But just as Jonghyun deserves to be fully celebrated for his remarkable artistry, this song deserves full appreciation as the balm of comfort and healing it was written to be. Ultimately, Breathe tells everyone going through burdensome times that you are worthy and have permission to breathe through it all. Lee Hi is the perfect artist to deliver this, as there is a rawness and realness to her vocals, making the impact of this emotional ballad hit that much harder. 정말 수고했어요.

As Time Goes By - Yoon Mirae Yoon Mirae is a music icon in S. Korea, but very regrettably does not earn much widespread recognition for her contributions to the k-music scene from international fans. (A travesty!) Though she's most celebrated for her rapping, there is a reason why her singing voice remains in high demand for Korean OSTs. There is a rare present quality to her voice that makes you feel that she's in the same room as you, and singing to you directly. This album and track was released all the way back in 2001 so it's a rare chance that newer fans are familiar with it, but it's such a wonderful classic R&B number that instantly soothes the soul.

It Hurts (아파) (Slow) - 2NE1 An R&B-flavored ballad delivered by one of the most iconic Kpop girl groups of all time - It Hurts highlights the advantages of ballads sung by groups vs. solo artists, as every member's unique vocal color shines in the trade-off of lines, perfectly demonstrated by 2NE1 (a group so ahead of their time). It Hurts is possibly one of 2NE1’s most underrated B-side tracks and one of the numbers that best showcases their powerful and beautiful vocals (given their otherwise dance music heavy discography).

Star - Jessi Star is less of a crooning ballad and more of a mix of ballad singing with the charismatic rap we associate with Jessi. The absolute vulnerability she portrays in the vocals of this song can take you aback, given Jessi's usual outspoken and boisterous image. Yet she showcases her sensitivity so openly through her singing, which is undeniably beautiful and (no pun intended) the star of the song. The powerful rapping and lyrics in true Jessi fashion, holds nothing back while expressing the challenges of her career and life. The mix comes together in a truly underrated track from her that is equal parts strong and touching, and maybe one of her best.

[kookies2000]

Just had a Royalty AU idea for The Owl House! So I've been wanting to do a Royalty AU for a while now but didn't know how to make it stand out from the other Royalty AUs. There's so many ideas here and there. And I just had this idea. Every Royalty AU takes place in the past, Belos' time. So here's what I think,

Belos is the Emperor of all humans. He rules his kingdom in a puritan view. Marriage is business and only a man and woman can marry each other. They must creat heirs for social standers. And he wiped out a whole kingdom of demons and witches leaving very few. And the few that remained alive are under his control.

Luz is a human girl training to be a lady in waiting, who loves to read about the history of demons and witches. But the books are rare to find because Belos limits the knowledge of Witch and Demons history in his kingdom. Demons and Witches are segregated in the kingdom, the only place they're treated equally is at a very small kingdom, Bonesburg Kingdom. The Kingdom Belos took over. The kingdom is ruled by Queen Odalia. She helps Belos in exchange to keep her royal status.

In summary, Belos rules everything as Emperor with Odalia as a queen with a kingdom under his control. Belos rules the kingdom in a puritan way meaning arrange marriages, only marrying the opposite sex, must marry, baiscally, homophobic and racist.

Characters:

Luz: Lady in waiting at Belos castle. She helps all the females in the castle, mostly Terra Snapdragon. She dreams of being a witch just like the citizens at Bonesburge and becoming a witch knight. So one day, she sneaks out of the castle to see the kingdom she was told to stay away from. She meets Amity on the way and tries to befriend her on the spot, unaware of Amity's crush on her.

Amity: Princess of Bonesburge. She is never allowed out of her mother's sight and does whatever her mother wants. She's the heir to the throne meaning she has extra training. Most of her training takes place at Belos castle since he wants to make sure Amity becomes the queen he wants. Under his control and to make sure she knows about the deal between him and her family. Bonesburge must be the way he wants it or he'll take over and destroy all the citizens in the kingdom. One day, she sneaks out of her training and runs into a human girl named Luz. Sparks fly.

Willow: Amity's Lady in Waiting and childhood best friend. Odalia doesn't like the way Willow is weak in abomination magic (The royal family's main power) and a late bloomer, making her half a witch Willow. Believing Willow is just holding Amity back, she gets rid of her. At the age 19, Willow finds out she is in an arranged marriage. Belos was looking for a suitress for his nephew and Odalia took this as an opportunity to get rid of Willow. Willow goes with the marriage with the promise that her family will be paid greatly. Unknowingly to Odalia, Willow is a lot stronger than she anticipated.

Hunter- Belos' nephew and prince of the kingdom. He studies wild magic in his private library and trains to be a proper soldier since childhood. He grew a soft spot for Luz when she showed an interest in wild magic like him. He was told his father Caleb and his mother died during a blizzard. Caleb was human while his mother was a witch making him half a witch. When he learns he's gonna get married to a girl he never met, he just goes with it as another princely duty. He just never expected his new wife to be as powerful as she is. If only she recognized her own strength.

Belos- Emperor of his kingdom. He has ruled for over fifty years and is seen as the hero who separated the evil (Witch and Demons) from the humans. He keeps his kingdom in check, making sure everyone does what he wants. To determine witches from humans properly, he places sigils on them. This also helps limit the witch's powers so they don't rebel and over power him. But there's something more sinister about these sigils. And what is he keeping in the head of the Titan?

Gus- Hunter's best friend and jester of the castle. He tries his best to keep Hunter happy and help him look at the bright side of everything. And maybe even throwing in a few romantic tips for Hunter when he marries. Though, Gus himself has trouble looking at the bright side of things. Belos assigned him to marry a girl (Bria) from the town named Glandus. The marriage is supposed to bring the girl's family (strongest family in the construction magic) closer. Belos wants to keep a powerful witch from each type of magic close. The marriage will bring Brias family into the castle. Gus has tried to escape the marriage but it's been settled. He was gonna marry at the young age of 16. Plus, Belos would have him executed if he found out Gus would rather be with a certain boy.

Darius: One of the most powerful witches Belos has ever seen. Belos had Darius live in his castle and marry a woman of Belos' choosing. Darius scoffs and goes with whatever Belos wants. As long as it keeps Belos distracted from his true intentions, Darius was pleased. He also accidentally became Hunter's uncle. At the age 7, Hunter grew interested in Darius magic and followed him around. Noticing this, Belos had Darius babysit Hunter whenever he was too busy, which was very often. Though. Darius would be lying if he said he didn't like it. But he did wish Hunter would stop asking about his past with King Alador.

The Clawthrons: A respected family in the castle because they grow and create palisman. And one of the most powerful families of witches across the kingdom. Belos likes to show them off in public mostly to display that he doesn't mistreat witches or demons. He only segregated them for everyone's well being. But just like everyone else in the castle, they have to wear a mask to conceal their identity.

Dell and Gwendolyn Clawthorne: the two met through Belos. Dell was the brother of Hunter's mother but he was never allowed to interact with Hunter. Dell works at the castle as a palisman carver. Creating palisman for young witches and as food for Belos. Gwendolyn was brought to the castle to help with beast keeping and that's how the two met. They got married and had two daughters. And only the Clawthorn Family knows about Belos eating the palisman.

Eda: Youngest sister and most rebellious. Hates wearing her mask and will sneak out without it whenever she wants. She hates the emperor but will never say it to keep her family safe. In her teen years, she was cursed by her sister who was trying to win the favor of Belos. It took them decades of rebuilding their trust again but it was manageable. In her late teens, she ran away from the castle to start a new life and met two demons, King and Hooty. She lived in the woods for a while until her childhood friend Raine found her. They convince her to come back and the two get married.

Raine: Edas partner and childhood friend. They are as witty and spunky as Eda but with a dash of shyness. They are the most powerful witch in Bard magic and Belos decided to keep them in the castle for that. It was a bonus to Belos that Raine and Eda wanted to marry. Meaning they'll create a powerful heir. But on the condition that Raine goes out in public as Edas "husband". He can't have his citizens confused about Raines' gender. So out in public, they are referred to as Edas husband against their will.

Lilith: The oldest of the two sisters. She cursed her sister Eda in order to win over Belos and become his right hand man. But she loses that title when she shares the curse with Eda to help her. She loses Belos' favor even more when she rejects any suitors that come her way and has many failed marriages. Some failed marriages resulted because she didn't want to oblige her husband's demands of creating an heir. She is looked down on for this and is forced to remain in a marriage. Though her family still supports her and she will always have her BFF Hootcifer to keep her company.

King: A mysterious demon that no one knows the origin of. He is adopted by Eda and works in the family business. He dreams about having his own army to command which worries Belos.

Hooty: Another mysterious demon Eda found in the woods. No one knows what he is or where he came from. All they know is that he'll talk you to death and never leave your side no matter how hard you try. But this was never a problem for Lilith. Hooty is more than happy to help his bestie scare away suitors and keep her happy.

In summery, it'll be a Royalty AU where LGBT+ have to oblige to social standers and segregated. Non binaries need to have a male/female title, aroace have to marry, ect. Just wanted to share this idea incase it feels to bold, you know? Because we all know Belos comes from puritan times where people were every racist and homophobic.

[thecameronchronicles]

The Debt~Part Twelve: Finale!

TW: Language. Extreme violence. Extreme Angst. Extreme Domestic Violence. Half fluff, half smut. I do not own any characters but ask that you do not publish this fanfiction without my permission on any other platform. Please and thank you. 

SUMMARY: A game of survival changes you and Rafe’s fate indefinitely…

WORD COUNT: 4700

The Debt: Part Twelve

Ward Cameron was the epitome of a Machiavellian. Polished and sleek with his graying hair and peroxide smile, he was innocuous and even charming upon first introductions. Hell, you thought so yourself when you first met him and even when coming to his office on occasion to see your mother. But behind the overpriced clothes and accompanying cologne of equal vulgar pricing, he was anything but harmless. 

Of course, he hid this well behind his self-made pedigree in eloquence and bribes masked as donations. But you have come to learn him well. Specifically knowledgeable that being alone in a room with him would prove fatal. Deadly nightshade incarnate, a devil waiting to claim dominance over what he believed to be fragile. But of those who had rivaled him in his past, none were quite like you. After all, if you were able to handle Rafe, as even he seemed exasperated to remain a father to his son, what was he but a mere obstacle to your happiness as you had Rafe practically on his knees for you. 

“I was hoping to get a minute alone with you…” Your eyes had already surveyed every possible escape route by the time these words lingered in the air. But from the distance from you to either the side door leading back into the party or the window at your back, the obstacles of locks made you well aware it would result in your swift imprisonment. Instead, you decided to buy time until Pope would return. 

“Oh?” You fought the urge to tell him to go to hell or flip him off as your finger began to inflate in his direction at the thought, but managed to keep it at bay when thinking of not only your safety but that of Rafe and the pogues if your intentions were to be uncovered. Yet as he began to round the desk, fingertips tracing a pristine and well organized counter, you had no choice but to counter him, or risk being too close for comfort. 

“I wanted to apologize…” He now rested before his own laptop, still wearing the hacked files courtesy of you and Pope having worked as a team. As your eyes peripherally scanned the door while also keeping half attention on him, you watched as his conniving smile developed behind his beard. 

“But THEN I recognized a few faces that had no business being here…and realized you are FAR more cunning than I thought-” Well aware any attempt to remain polite or indifferent would only delay the inevitable, you set towards the door with enough speed to blur the space around you in a swiftness that was simply not quick enough. With a hand to your neck to keep you quiet, you were taken just beside the door, teasingly with your fingertips able to brush the knob as you tried it. 

“I truly underestimated you…” His words, slick with a guttural timbre informing you of his inappropriate interest in you, you turned away as he forced you to stare at him. For a moment, you were driven to think of how Rafe must have felt in his most primitive years, looking at this man, as he saw him as an idol, treating him with such hatred. It was the thought of Rafe and the life you wanted to give him away from his father that kept you fighting for your freedom. 

Grunting and squirming in an attempt to break free, he would only laugh at you, well aware your greatest attempts to break free were unrivaled to his effortless strength against you. Much like Rafe, you were powerless, but unlike your husband, you weren’t willing now like you would have been with him. 

“Did you really think a few files would have changed anything?” He scoffed. 

“I paid my debt to you-” His brows rose as if genuinely surprised by your words. 

“Your MOTHER was the one who held the debt to me. HER debt was to get Rafe off my hands by convincing you to marry him. But YOUR debt…” His eyes trailed down your body, enough to understand his most sadistic of intentions via his wandering gaze. 

“YOUR debt is to ME-I own you-” As he managed to let down his guard just enough to be unaware of your lingering fingers, you happened upon a heavy book, using it to hit him beside the head and move towards the door. But just as you pulled it open, managing to squeal for help, muffled by the music and chatter nearby, you were apprehended once again. Now, taken back to the desk by the back of your neck. 

“Son of a bitch! Get off of me! Asshole!” You ridiculed as he drug you through your fight, dodging your kicks and claws, until he had you over the desk. 

“I’ve wanted you since the first moment you stepped into my office looking for your mom…” He bent down over your back, your body chilled into stone to his words. 

“Luckily for me, your mom was a little too greedy and gave me JUST what I needed to keep you close…” His fingers pulled your dress to expose your lack of panties as he growled. 

“I take it my son is responsible?” He chuckled, the sound of his belt sending your fingers in a frenzy over the desk. But with the only things nearby either too heavy to lift or completely useless, you were left at God’s will and his mercy alone. 

“Fuck. You-” You clenched, not wanting to beg or plead as you knew this would only inflate his ego that much more, make his victory that much sweeter. If he intended to take you by force, you weren’t going to make it enjoyable for him. 

The sound of his zipper coming down made your eyes close tightly for just a moment before a miracle happened by a sudden shift made by you and his lust leaving him capturing you with only one hand. A mere inch allowed you to take hold of a small statue on his desk, lighter than how it first appeared, but heavy enough to do damage, as you used quick succession to strike him down. The cling of the metal to his face validated the impact as you didn’t dare to look back and just charged for the door. Yet he was resilient as the cockroach he was synonymous to, grasping at your ankle and sending your head to collide with the table off center of the room, disorienting you enough to keep you from fleeing immediately. Yet the feeling of his body weighing you down charged your adrenaline enough to endorse you once again, but now with him straddling you flat. 

“I WAS going to be gentle…But we both know how you like it rough, don’t we?” He was maniacal, his hands slipping to the top part of your dress, your hands lodged beneath his thighs in the specific way he held you. Lifting your legs as high to his back as you could to try and knee yourself free, he only grinned wider before ripping your dress apart. Exposing you to him, the cold air like ice to your skin. Without the ability to free yourself, you had one last action in your repertoire. 

“Nothing to say?” He teased, the sudden spray of your saliva cast up to him in disgust as he lifted his hand to wipe it, allowing you the space needed to thrust upwards and knock him to the side. But this only made him amused. 

“You’ll never get away with this, Ward. If you do anything to me, Rafe will-”

“My son is too afraid of everything to ACT on it. He’d still be using training wheels if I hadn’t torn him off when he was four…You should be thanking me. I made him who he was…Without me, he’s-”

“He IS the way he is without you! You abandoned him and abused him-”

“I had to correct him! I had to show him it was wrong…” Something dark altered Ward’s amusement into deception. 

“Much like I have to show you…” Suddenly his fingers came around your throat, squeezing hard enough with a steady strength that increased as if enjoying the thrill of watching you strain. Your knees began to flail in desperation, choking on air you desperately needed, as your eyes began to flutter with the tease of life leaving your gaze. The claw marks made, the desperate swallows, the pleading in your eyes did nothing but motivated him to silence you…permanently. 

What you believed to be the fingers of death having taken mercy on your asphyxia, the choking sensation came to a cessation. But once you were able to adjust your gaze to your surroundings, your hands immediately assessing the damage to your neck that was more visible to those nearby than yourself, you realized that it was not divine intervention that kept you alive, but Rafe. He held Ward by the collar of his shirt, using his knuckles as his outlet for years of abuse and neglect brought to this moment. 

“Rafe?” You choked, voice made raspy by Ward’s attempts to claim your life, you found how your pleas, even hushed by the blunt force of your husband’s, continued contact of knuckles to jaw, did nothing but motivate him to continue. 

“You think you can have anything just because you want it?! You think you can touch HER?! You’re fucking dead!” Reving up to project another blow, you would catch onto his arm out of the desperation of needing hsi support. You couldn’t care less if Ward had brain damage or internal bleeding, you just wanted the comfort of the one person you could truly rely on. The irony that this had been Rafe Cameron, a man you hated not even three months ago, was not lost on you. But you damned the red flags to hell. You were too dizzy, too achy, and too emotional to listen to anything but the pulling of your skin yearning for him in a way beyond sex. 

“Rafe…Please…” You began to sob, tears realigning his motivations as he pulled his father closer to him. 

“You so much as look at her again…I’ll fucking kill you.” He released his dad before moving over to you, finding how it was difficult for you to stand. 

“We have to go…” You pleaded, voice remaining weak and consciousness fleeting from the mix of trauma, both physical and mental, from the last handful of minutes that felt like an eternity. But Rafe looked back to his father, who was groaning, but otherwise immobile. 

“Come on, baby…” Rafe swept your arm over his shoulder, using his effortless strength to lead you to the door, where he reached to grant you the peace of an exit, before Ward spoke at your back. 

“You’re dead already. Both of you.” He uttered behind a gurgling sound caused by blood gathered in his mouth. As Rafe moved to retaliate, you trembled within his arms. 

“Please, Rafe…” Your pleas, tears, and shudders convinced him where your words would have otherwise gone ignored. He nodded rather slowly, as if thinking of an alternative, before opening the door to find Sarah on the other side of the threshold. You were half prepared to rev your own punch in her direction if she were to try and stop you. But when she made note of your wounds, Rafe’s knuckles, and the genuine look of fear over her brother’s face-which was a first for her, she seemed to understand. 

“Go…” She surprised you both as you looked to Rafe, finding him matching your bewilderment to his sister. 

“GO!” She said again, urging you to leave, as you were taken out of a side exit. But before you were able to cross from the interior of the house unaffected by Ward’s selfishness, possibly even reveling in what he had to offer, you collapsed from your wounds and your anxieties. Rafe took you within his arms, head against his shoulder and legs collected over his forearm, before taking you to his truck. 

“Oh my God!” Kiara exclaimed. 

“What the hell happened?” John B added as you were taken to the aforementioned rendezvous spot, set within the passenger side of his truck, your eyes fighting to remain pried. But to their continued questions, Rafe only seemed to grow more heated. 

“YOU were supposed to make sure he didn’t touch her! I trusted you because SHE did! Won’t be making that mistake again!” He explained through clenched teeth. 

“Rafe…” You muttered, well aware the true culprit was lying bloody within his office, not before the both of you. 

“Fucking pogues…Good for nothings-” 

“Stop it…” You pleaded, moving back out of the car. 

“It’s WARD not…not th-them…” Suddenly everything became too heavy and your head was a victim to this affected equilibrium. Before you could correct your stance or fight for a remaining consciousness, gravity pulled you to her greedy grasp. The last thing you would hear was your name spoken in a worried unison before feeling a familiar hold capture you just before you would have been one with the grass. 

When you awoke, your eyes took a moment to adjust to the room illuminated solely by the moonlight shone in through gently parted curtains. It was enough to understand you were in one of the more secluded rooms within The Chateau as it was safe away from Ward and his reach-possibly the only place to claim such a title as he wasn’t aware it even existed. At least from what you knew. 

But your thoughts quickly left the pending arrival of your father-in-law as your eyes made out a figure on the side of the bed. You knew the silhouette well.

“Rafe?” But you found that your acknowledgement of him only seemed to anger him as he was on his feet, turned away from you, and now standing before the window. Struggling to stand, you did so slowly, before moving towards him, your fingers running over his shoulders to try and ease what you believed to be guilt of his misplaced anger. 

“Rafe…”

“Don’t!” He charged, revealing through his words that he had been crying due to the sniffle and sudden beads of tears made luminescent by the moonlight. 

“Don’t tell me you’re fine. Don’t tell me it’s okay-because it’s not! It-I just-Fuck!” His hand came to a small collection of unimportant and discarded bottles now forced to the floor by this sudden outlet. 

“But I am-”

“Bullshit! I did this to you!” Your expression lifted into pity at how having you both endured this and he still blamed only himself. The idea pained you in a way you could only feel for someone you loved. And you knew, baggage, pain, anger issues and all, you loved Rafe with a passion that could leave you certifiable. But at least you had him…You just wanted him to see that-to know that. 

“If I would have just left it alone-left YOU alone, you wouldn’t be bleeding-”

“You wouldn’t be either…” You added. But in your attempt to nurse him with your kindness, he pushed you away. 

“Stop-” He shrugged you off. 

“Rafe! I had one night of Ward-you’ve had an entire lifetime of it-”

“And you wouldn’t have HAD to if not for me! He’s right, okay! I can’t do anything for you! I can’t provide for you! I can’t BE anything but a let down to you-” You couldn’t stomach how he spoke of himself and then decided to silence him with a kiss. But once allowing you this momentary connection for just that, a moment, he retreated. 

“Please, Rafe…” You begged. “I need to feel you…” You urged, desperate to replace the memory of Ward’s touch with Rafe’s. You needed the familiarity, the distraction, even the confusing peace it brought to you. 

“Please…” You begged again, fingers running through his hair as he spoke your name behind a troubled exhale. He was hesitant for a time, eyeing you as if trying to understand the truth behind your words. When he didn’t move, you kissed him again. Only this time, he would pull back completely. 

“I won’t fuck you like this…” His words pulled your lips apart in objection. It wasn’t even about the sex for you. It was about the comfort offered by his embrace and his touch alone. You needed to relish in it. But instead, came the softness of his hands to your cheeks, brushing away tears you weren’t aware had even fallen. 

“I’m going to make love to you…” The words, almost vulgar from lips usually cruel, sent him into you until you were against the bed. 

Fingers slowly pulling apart what remained of your dress, he kissed your lips for only a moment before moving that same kiss to your neck. Without the need of words to do so, it was as if he attempted to alter any pain you felt on your skin to that of his lips for his own consumption as he focused only on your wounds. The pressure was soft, but still left your skin on fire from how his care radiated behind this. Possession exchanged for passion as his lips, his tongue, his touch, all rivaled what you previously knew of him. But as always, he knew exactly what you needed without you having to ask, even without you understanding it yourself. 

“Let me love you…yeah?” You nodded slowly as his hands cascaded your curves, leaving you in only your bra as he claimed your panties earlier that day, a time before the trauma and the pain. But as always, he managed to manifest it into a lust that grew more amorous with each exchange. 

“Lay back…” He guided you onto the bed, assisting you until you were comfortable, as he lowered to the foot of the comforter. Taking your legs over his shoulders, he silently kissed the seam of your thigh, the feeling of his tears on your skin somehow intensifying beyond what his tongue or fingers could-but he remained steadfast to try. 

Your eyes erupted in a series of flutters to the stripe made with his tongue, slow in savoring you. He remained this way, tasting you, drawing away your troubles with the perfect unison of tongues and fingertips delving into you until his knuckles extended to that curve to your g-spot. Toes curling behind his back, your body responded quickly to his attempts. 

“Rafe…” You breathed. “Need to feel you inside-” He suddenly withdrew his lips, your eyes finding his usual smirk when he rose from you this way now absent from his face, but now present with a gloss left from you having dripped on him. 

“This is about you tonight, baby girl. All you.” He returned to your center, making your body shudder how he elongated his tongue inside of you, between you, curled his fingers-did everything you didn't know you needed. In what was usually rough, even painful, was now blissful, attentive, and completely selfless. Soft breaths against your thighs, French kisses to your clit, and fingers bringing you to pulsate and writhe, pulling you to that cusp of desperation. 

“Rafe! Fuck!” You squealed. “I need you-” You pleaded, pulling at his hair. Only this time, he would hover over you, shifting the bed behind you to his movements. Dismantling his belt as you pulled apart his dress shirt, still stained with blood, ignoring how the sight dampened you that much more to know the lengths he would go to protect you. 

The once harsh grip on your jaw was present more in guidance than possession as he turned your head to expose your neck to him. One soft kiss sent chills through every nerve recently on fire. 

“Nobody will ever touch you again. I promise you, baby…Only me…” You nodded, finding his lips through the darkness while his fingers pulled your hands above your head. Holding them softly yet firmly in place with one hand, he used his other to continue undressing himself until he could release his quivering erection to you. Just as you had never known kindness like this from Rafe, he had never experienced it with someone else. He had never cared to before you. But you made him want to. You made him want to care. 

“Uhh-Ah!” You winced for a moment, never quite prepared for his girth, as his hand wrapped around your mouth. 

“I don’t want anyone to stop this…Not until you’re satisfied.” Your eyes came into a roll. You managed to get a hint of that cold and possessive man you had come to love as he continued his thrusts, moving slow and deep, wanting to learn your body once again. This time, proving to himself that he could be just this way-just for you. 

“Fuck-” He clenched his jaw, his body tightening to how eagerly you responded to him. His nails lifting your hips to meet him, your breathing only endorsing his motions, your fingers leaving lines of evidence to how thoroughly he moved within you. It was as if he used each thrust as an apology and for this, you wanted him to be eternally sorry. 

“I’m-” You warned, the way he played with your clit having brought you to this edge, tears brimming in your eyes at the feeling. He nodded, your internal spasms having informed him in unison to your confession. 

“Cum-cum for me, baby.” He breathed low into your ear, your body arching beneath him as he followed your high, “Mine…You’re mine-MINE!” He spoke possession in every synonym available as you nodded, mouths parted in a reflection of one another, as he joined your orgasm to you having agreed by mouthing ‘yours’. 

But as you would usually find yourself abandoned in a cold sweat customary for your afterglow of being with Rafe, you were instead pulled into his chest, where he kept you as a promise of his protecting you, returning you against him for every time you attempted to readjust. 

You would awake that next morning to the deafening screech of the front screen door driving you to wrap yourself in Rafe’s dress shirt and witness the origin for such a noise. 

“Sarah?” You quickly eyed the space behind her. “Is Ward with you?”

“Of course not.” Her eyes fell in pity for a moment and then became swallowed in guilt. “Wheezie saw what happened…She…I’m not saying I agree with my brother or even your methods…but my dad can't get away with this. And…I think you’ve been good for Rafe…” To this, your heart lightened. Even more so as she produced a flashdrive between her fingers. 

“This is what you need to take him down.” Rafe suddenly emerged from behind you, having heard the conversation since she arrived as he sensed your abandoning of him. Sarah continued as she saw him. 

“You deserve to have a life. And maybe getting away from dad will be what you need.” She directed this towards Rafe. “But once you do this, you have to be sure…” She extended the drive to you. 

“Are you sure?” You looked up to Rafe, who seemed conflicted, his hand coming around your hips to pull you into him. 

“Absolutely.” He finally answered. 

“Then let’s take the bastard down-” JJ suddenly added, revealing the core pogues made awake by your conversation. 

“P-4-L?” Pope questioned as Kiara rolled her eyes, setting her hand in the infantile joining of hands. 

“To freedom?” Kiara added.

“To answers…” John B scoffed. 

“To second chances…” Sarah’s eyes fell to John B as her words held a double meaning of hope. 

“Of making things right…”” Rafe now looked at you. 

“To us.” You finalized. “Kooks and pogues alike.” 

“I think we should smoke on it-” JJ broke the otherwise awkward silence left by the ascension of hands joining in victory, even if celebrated early. 

“That’s your answer for everything…” Kiara said with an eye roll. 

“And it hasn’t steered me wrong yet-”

The group joined together once more, suddenly made friends by a mutual enemy who would learn just how devoted you were to your task. 

SIX MONTHS LATER

“Rafe?” You questioned, joining him at the fire ablaze in victory of the verdict passed down by the judge earlier that day. 

Ward Cameron found guilty on accounts of murder, embezzlement, attempted murder-the list was endless. But the smoking gun came from Big John’s return to the living, having been hiding due to Ward all of this time. With his difficult to dispute, your and your mother’s testimony, and those he had wronged in the past that couldn’t wait to help lock him away, the jury decided within record time that the once picture perfect patriarch was guilty. But as so many celebrated this victory, you couldn’t help but feel guilty to join in their happiness when seeing how it affected the man you loved. 

“Rafe?” You called his name again as he took his fingers to your waist until you sat over his lap. 

“Drink?” You offered kindly as he accepted it. This was how it had been the last several weeks. He was always quiet, but always in need of you. During the day, he had to have his hands on you, and at night, he proved his love in the soft possession of what it meant to truly belong to one another as lovers. 

“Are you okay?” You asked now as he shrugged. “You know, you can talk to me about it…''You explained, hands traveling down his back and returning upwards to comfort him with this caress. 

“I just…” He let out a sigh. 

“It’s okay…to be sad…” His eyes shot up in confusion. 

“I’m not…I’m not sad, baby…I’m just trying to figure out…how to pay you back…” Now you looked at him in misunderstanding. 

“Pay me back?” You laughed behind the echo of his words. 

“I’m free. YOU made that happen. Baby, I haven’t done a line since we’ve been married-and the one time I tried, you…” You smiled in remembering how that moment had ended. He cocked his jaw for a moment before continuing. 

“You saved me…Your hard head and stubbornness…YOU…” He shook his head, the realization hitting you both of how extraordinary you found how something so pure could come from two hearts once so tainted. His hand rose to your cheek. 

“That’s ALL I need baby…You and me…” He supplied a gentle kiss to your lips. “Now…do YOU want me to get YOU a drink? You’ve been waiting on me for the last hour…” To this, your face illuminated. 

“Actually…I can’t…”

“I forgot…You’ve been feeling sick…I thought it was because of the trial…Do you feel ANY better now that it’s over?”He asked, completely compassionate. 

“No…I mean…Yeah…I think I’ll feel a LOT better in about seven months…” His face pulled back in uncertainty.

“Nine months? What do you-” The realization behind his eyes sent him to his feet. “Are you serious? You’re-” Everyone now looked at you, the news heard due to his reaction. 

“I didn’t want to tell you until I was sure. Sarah and I went to the doctor this morning-” Before you could continue your explanation, you were swept in his arms and spun before being landed back on your soles. His hand then moved to your stomach as he apologized, relief and hope having returned to his eyes. For the first time, a bliss that didn’t come from sex or deviance. This was from love. 

“I for one think that ‘pogue’ is a VERY good name for a baby-” JJ added, pulling a blunt from his lips. 

“OR JJ, I’m not picky-” Kiara took the blunt from his lips, extinguishing it and berating him for even smoking around you.You rolled your eyes to their banter, hoping one day they would swallow their pride and cross that line and know the happiness you had with Rafe. But as the group began to playfully argue over names for your unborn child, Rafe leaned in to you, forehead set against yours. 

“I love you…” Words you once rejected at just the thought once upon a time, now brought peace that you weren’t even aware you needed. But they were spoken in repetition from this day forward, proven every night, and never left to question. Your hearts indebted to each other for having saved one another. Undeniable and passionate-sometimes too intense to handle without going a little crazy. But that was what it was like to love Rafe. And as you loved Rafe, he loved you twice as much…

THE END

Taglist: @hopebaker

[leportraitducadavre]

Naruto re-read XXII

Chapters covered: 172 - 180 Twentieth Volume of the manga

Site used: https://manga4life.com/manga/Naruto (VIZ translation of the manga)

Disclaimer: This is intended as a list and simple observations of the topics that particularly interested me in the aforementioned chapters, in that sense, do not expect a linear -or totally deep- analysis.

Tumblr’s update doesn’t allow me to attach more than 10 pictures, therefore, all of them will be LINKED. Apologies.

260) “We must call the Damyio immediately and hold a celebration for her appointment”.(x) more proof that Tsunade was to be crowned the moment she accepted the proposition –no signs of a democratic election.

261) Nara’s deers (more precisely, their horns) are used to create medicine. Yamanaka clan isn’t the family responsible for creating remedies, as it stands, they’re just running the local flower shop and nothing else.

262) Neji trains his Byakugan, at this point he can see roughly fifty meters behind him.

263) Is it possible that this is the moment Sakura chooses to be Tsunade’s apprentice? We are shown how she considers her beautiful the first time she sees her, and she cries once Tsunade finally is able to help Sasuke in a way Sakura couldn’t and has never been able to before. Perhaps the combination of both (Tsunade’s beauty and capability of helping Sasuke when no one could) made Sakura seek her teachings later on.

264) Sasusaku’s post regarding these chapters has been updated.

265) This is the first time Sasuke rejects Konoha’s Hitae-Ate (the beginning of the end), he rejects the idea of Naruto being his equal, and he rejects the idea of standing in the same position (Konoha shinobi) as Naruto. Sasuke continuously thinks of Itachi while fighting Naruto (narratively, and I stated this in this post: the only person Sasuke cares about tells him he doesn’t care for him at all but about his comrade, whom Sasuke always considered inferior). That’s what matters to him. 

Kakashi arrives in time to stop both Sasuke and Naruto, but he only admonishes Sasuke. Kakashi acknowledges that this specific conduct might have to do with his encounter with Itachi (it’s actually posed as a question, didn’t anyone tell him about Sasuke’s condition? Why the commander of Team 7 isn’t aware of Sasuke and Naruto’s fight with Itachi?) Sasuke leaves without uttering a word, and after seeing what the Rasengan is capable of, he feels inferior, he feels bad about his (lack of) strength and the most important part was that Kakashi saw it. He saw Sasuke punching the wall and saw him lowering his head in a clear fashion of frustration.

Jiraiya stands there with a disappointed look, yet neither Kakashi nor he reprimands Naruto as Kakashi reprimanded Sasuke. Naruto’s desire is, first and foremost, to be recognized by Sasuke -which is the reason why he chases him; while Sasuke doesn’t allow himself to recognize Naruto, as in doing so he’ll acknowledge his (self-perceived) failure. What Kakashi doesn’t know -but we do, is that the core of Sasuke’s questioning doesn’t come just from Naruto’s growth, but rather the perception of him being left behind after becoming “too soft”. This is: he was just fine during the first stages of Team 7, excelling in every field, but after his sacrifice to save Naruto back in Wave Arc -and his growing feelings towards his comrades, he started “halting” in his growth, which is why he believes that Itachi’s dogma is correct.

Kakashi ties Sasuke to a tree not giving him any other option but to listen to him, restricting his movements and treating him like a criminal who he’s about to interrogate. That behavior clearly refutes his intention of having any sort of conversation, Kakashi tying Sasuke to a tree is a way to cut any refusal to have an exchange of words, he’s forcing Sasuke to listen to Kakashi’s speech and point of view about the matter without been giving time to think about it, this interaction is hostile from the very beginning.

“Sasuke, quit seeking revenge” (x)

That right there goes against everything Sasuke wants, the goal in his life, which Sasuke stated in the very first meeting they had as a team, the very same reason why he has pushed himself harder and harder. Kakashi was well aware of this, and yet, even knowing that he was literally asking Sasuke to forget his goal, the only thing that impulsed him through the Academy, he spoke without preambles and whilst creating a hostile context around this talk. He planned to say this while not giving Sasuke the option to refuse to listen by impending his motions and not letting him refute his statements.

No one has ever told Naruto to (seriously) forget his goal because people might get incredibly frustrated after a negative and seek revenge, yet Sasuke -for some reason, isn’t allowed to follow his path because as of now, it isn’t beneficial for Konoha, as it has been before. Sasuke is questioning his training and his formed bonds, hence he’s becoming an issue, so it’s better to forget his revenge altogether.

Sasuke threatens Kakashi just so he can see the issue from his perspective. It’s a desperate attempt to be understood by the person he has in high regard, for his commander. Yet, the response is not the expected one; first of all, Kakashi’s statement is leaving Sasuke aside as one of his “loved ones”, which to Sasuke means that the relationship he thought they had was rather one-sided, and second, and this is important, Kakashi did not reply his question.

Kakashi never denied that he would seek revenge if that same situation were to happen, he simply considered the possibility invalid because he no longer had someone important to lose. And that is the point of everything, Kakashi never put himself in the same position as Sasuke to try to understand him, on the contrary, he tried to fit Sasuke into his own experiences to generate a bond in which he could see himself reflected onto him.

And even so, Kakashi dares to say that they weren’t the most unfortunate because they created precious bonds, yet, Sasuke had all of his kin killed by his brother, a person he held dear (hence why bonds are such a particular subject for him), so how can Kakashi even start to comprehend Sasuke’s trauma? 

“Chidori was a power I gave you because you found something important, that power is not to be aimed at a friend or used for revenge” (x)

This is, I believe, one of the reasons why Sasuke left -as Kakashi, who he thought was teaching him powerful techniques to use as he saw fit (again, Sasuke never hid his Nindo, never lied about his true goal), is now technically forbidding him from using the Jutsu to seek the vengeance he always preached; then what has Sasuke left in this place other than the bonds he formed with Naruto and Sakura? (which he’s reluctant to abandon). Sasuke never thought about the end of his journey being happiness, but justice -he states that once he leaves; that’s the path he’s set on. It’s tragic, but that’s the consequence of Itachi and Konoha’s actions -furthermore, they’re ninjas, so happiness isn’t exactly anyone’s goal.

Sakura, out of concern for Sasuke’s wellbeing, breaks the promise she made with Sasuke and tells Naruto the truth about the Curse Mark and about Orochimaru’s offer. Meanwhile, Sasuke, who has been emotionally manipulated since the UCM -is once again, manipulated to abandon his friends (highlight the word “friends”) to seek power with Orochimaru. They even bring up Itachi when trying to convince Sasuke. It’s remarkable because on one side he has Kakashi -his commander, telling him to stop seeking revenge and treasure his bonds, and on the other side The Sound Four (Orochimaru) who tell him that their master will allow him to reach enough power to avenge his family, so here it comes the true dichotomy: Newly formed bonds vs. Past bonds.

And what does Sasuke choose? His family, because those are the most important bonds to him. And this only proves further that Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura -while appreciated, haven’t replaced (and will never replace) his love for his family, as Sasuke’s entire core lies in the love he has for his kin.

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[ladypurplejanewrynn]

The Wild Side Of Me Chapter 20

Versailles (Audrey Bonnefoy) and Josephine (Ausver child OC) belongs to @queen-of-stoneharts

The sun risen up, this time it was Alfred who woke up first. He took a look at his boyfriend, who surprisingly was still asleep. He looked so peacefully in his sleep. The American decided not to wake him up. He got up and dressed up. When he put his clothes on, he went downstairs to make a surprise breakfast to bed for Tolys. Alice and Feliks were already up, eating their breakfast. "Oh, good morning Alfred. Slept well? Where’s Tolys?" asked Feliks. "He’s still asleep. I guess is the first time he sleeps longer than usually. Normally he always wakes up early. Anyway, I’m gonna make him breakfast to bed. I just hope he’s gonna like it. I know how to cook and stuff, but I don’t think I’m as much good at it as Tolys is." he answered. "I’m sure he’s gonna love it. Just don’t put yourself down like that." said Alice. "Thanks dudette." said Alfred and began preparing the breakfast. After he was done, he went up upstairs. Tolys was just waking up. "Good morning love. Slept well?" asked Alfred. A yawn escaped the Lithuanian’s mouth:"Actually, yes. I slept pretty well." "Anyway, I made you breakfast. Here’s some eggs with bacon, and added fruit salad to it and some tea. I hope you’ll like it." said the American as he handed him the food. Tolys immediately start it eating. "Mmmmmm, Alfred this is delicious." escaped his mouth. "Really? You… like it?" asked Alfred. "Oh gosh, yes. I love it." answered Tolys. After breakfast, Tolys put his clothes on and along with his boyfriend, they decided to go on a small walk close to the house. Tolys put on a disguise just in case if there are people walking by, so nobody recognizes him. "The weather’s nice today, isn’t it love?" asked the American as he turned around to the see his lover with sadness on his face. "What’s wrong?" he asked. "Oh, is just… I’m worried. Now that everyone knows that I’m a werewolf, I wonder what will happened. I don’t wanna be hunt down and go back to that awful place ever again. I just… wanna be treated equally. Without being called a bloodthirsty beast, or any of the other names that we no humans are being called." answered the Lithuanian. Alfred pulled him into a hug:"Everything’s gonna be fine, my dear. I promise you that. To every problem there’s always a solution. No matter what happens, I will be there to protect you from anyone who dares to try and hunt you." "Alfred, I’m so happy that you’re my boyfriend. I love you so much." said Tolys. "I’m happy that you’re my boyfriend as well." answered Alfred. Some days later, Arthur and Francis came with a visit and handed Tolys the potion to help him regain some of his strengths a bit faster. "Just be careful. Don’t drink more than two small gulps each day. Drinking more than that might have some really unpleasant side effects." warned the British. "Like what?" asked the werewolf. "Well, things like massive headaches, possibility of your heart stopping for a few seconds, feeling like your body is on fire in some moments, your limbs going numb for a few hours and hallucinations." answered the sorcerer. "Alright, then I’ll do like you told me to." said Tolys and took two small gulps of the potion. "Don’t worry mon ami. You should regain the rest of your strengths in no longer than two weeks, if you keep going like this." said Francis. So, Tolys did how it was asked of him. He drank two small gulps of the potion everyday, with Alfred making sure he didn’t drink more than that on accident. Everything was going well. Few days later, Feliks and Alice invited the rest of their friends for a sleepover. Everyone brought what they needed and came over. All of them gathered in the salon and watched a horror movie. "Are you sure this isn’t a bit too gory?" asked Audrey, as she let Roderich hold her in his embrace. "Well, duh. Is a horror movie after all." answered Feliks. "We can change it, and watch something less scary if anyone wants." said Alice. "No, is fine. Is just not the genre of movies that I would watch." said the French woman. "Are you sure, love?" asked the Austrian. "Yes, I am sure of it." answered Audrey.

They kept watching. After the movie was finished, Alice went to the kitchen to prepare some more snacks for the night. Rose and Audrey decided to go with her and help. Meanwhile, Feliks along with Roderich and Vash started chatting. Francis and Arthur talked between them, so Matthew joined in the conversation with Tolys and Alfred. When the girls came back with snacks, everyone played truth or dare, but later the game turned into chaos when Arthur and Francis started arguing, and the rest of the group had to break them away from each other. After calming them down and working out the issue, all of them had a pillow fight. The fight was wild, laughters not disappearing for even a moment. After the fight, everyone were exhausted, so they took a break, by sitting next to each other’s on the floor forming a circle. At each turn, every single one of them telling a scary story. After resting for a bit and telling scary stories, they danced on Just Dance. Some dances alone, some in groups from three to five people and duets. The best performance was the one from Roderich and Audrey, doing a romantic dance. But the one from Feliks and Alice wasn’t bad either. Once they were done with dancing, all of them were so tired that they immediately went to sleep. Days passed. Tolys finally regained his full strengths and could turn into his werewolf form again. He still stayed at his friends’s house, as they still thought about what to do with the whole situation. Alfred also stayed by his side, even thought the Lithuanian told him that he didn’t have to take care of him anymore since he was back at his full strengths. But the American didn’t mind and wanted to stay by his lover’s side no matter what. On one day though, he had to work, so he couldn’t really stay with Tolys. Also on that day the werewolf was being really clingy to Alfred. "I’m sorry honey, but I really have to go to work. My small vacations are over and I have to go back. I promise I’ll bring you something nice when I’ll get back." said the blond, trying to calm down his boyfriend. "No please don’t leave. Just stay with me one more whole day." begged the Lithuanian as he started making small wolf squealing noise, not wanting let go of Alfred’s arm. A small chuckle escaped Alfred:"Tolys, I really have to go." It didn’t help. Tolys kept on begging and Alice had to intervene. "It will be alright bestie. While, our boyfriends are at work, we can spend some time together between friends and do something fun." she said. It wasn’t easy, but the Lithuanian finally let go of his boyfriend and let him go to work. The Polish lady went to the kitchen, Tolys joined her. "What are you making?" he asked. "Oh, nothing special. Just some Gołąbki. I promised Feliks that i would make some today." she answered. "Can I help you?" asked Tolys. Alice smiled:"Sure. The more the merrier." "Also it will go faster if there’s the two of us working on it." he said. A small chuckle escaped the girl’s mouth and they got to the cooking. They had a lot of fun together. Once they were done, they ate the lunch. Later Alice proposed him to go shopping. "I dunno, Alice. I know I go out with Alfred for walks, but is just small walks and not too far from the house. What if someone recognizes me despite wearing a disguise?" asked the werewolf. "It will be fine. I’m sure nobody should recognize you under Audrey’s disguise. I mean, nobody recognized us, especially Gilbert when we sneaked up to get you out." answered the redhead, comforting her friend. "I know and I don’t doubt Andrey’s tailoring skills. But what if…?" he started but got cut off by his friend. "You really need to stop overthinking so much. You can’t stress yourself this much. Is bad for your health. I understand that you’re worried and afraid. And I know this isn’t easy and something that you can overcome in one day or a week. Of course it takes time. But you can’t let your fears take control over you. But you’re not alone. You have all of us to help you out if there is an issue you want to talk about, or if something bothers you."

He smiled:"Thanks. But, I’m still unsure about this." A thought came up to Alice’s mind:"What if I would call one of our friends? I could call Matthew since he’s free today." "I guess that would be fine. Alright, go ahead." said Tolys. The Polish woman called their friend. Some minutes later Matthew arrived. Tolys put on his disguise and the three went out shopping. There was a nice clothings store, so Alice dragged the boys to check it out. Honestly, all three were able to find something for themselves. After paying for the clothes, they went for bubble tea. "I’m glad you guys took me with you. If not you, I would probably die of boredom." said Matthew. "Don’t mention it. Beside, you’re part our friends." answered Alice. The chat continued between the two, while Tolys’s was awfully quite. "Tolys? Are you with us?" asked the blond snapping the Lithuanian out of his thoughts. "Yes. Right. Sorry, I got distracted in my thoughts." he answered. "Anyway, me and Alice came up with the idea that after we finish our bubble teas, we could come back home and play some video games together. And we were asking you if you’re in, but you weren’t answering." explained Matthew. Tolys smiled:"Sure. I’m in." After finishing, they went home and played some Super Smash Bros Brawl. Some hours later Matthew had to go home. He thanked his friends for the fun they had together today and left. Later Feliks and Alfred came back from work. When Tolys heard his boyfriend was back, he immediately ran up for hug to him. "Hey honey. Wow, did you really missed me so much?" escaped the American’s mouth. "How could I not?" asked the Lithuanian. Alice went up for a hug to her lover as well, and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek:"Welcome back home, dear. How was at work?" "Honestly, pretty well, pretty well. How about you?" answered Feliks. "Oh, me and Tolys had a lot of fun. And Matthew joined us too." she answered. The two man ate what was cooked for lunch. While they were eating, Alice and Tolys told them about their day. Alfred was really happy that his boyfriend could relax and spent some time with friends today. The next day, Feliks planned a date with Alice, which meant Tolys and Alfred would have the house for themselves for a while. The two lovers were goofing around with each other, until Feliks came into the room. "Oh, hey dude. What are you doing? Aren’t you supposed to go on a date with Alice?" asked Alfred. "I am, just wanted to tell you about something important. You know this date isn’t just some regular date that me and Alice usually go to. I have a surprise for her." answered the Polish and took out a small box out of his pocket. He opened it and there was a a really beautiful, shiny silver ring with a small emerald on top of it. The two men looked at it. "Are you gonna propose to her?" asked Tolys. "Yup, I think is finally the time. I’ll like totally make sure she has a time of her life. Hopefully she accepts." said Feliks. "Why wouldn’t she? Alice is head over heels for you." said Alfred. "I know, but what if she’s not feeling ready yet?" escaped the blond’s mouth. Tolys came up to him and put his hand on his friend’s shoulder:"Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll accept. And even if she won’t be ready now, she will be later." "Thanks bro. I needed to hear that." answered Feliks. Just as Feliks was about to leave the room and get Alice, she entered:"Oh, there you are honey. Are you ready for our date?" He turned around and faced her:"Of course I’m totally ready. Let’s go dear." Then he took her by the hand and they left. As they arrived to the restaurant, they took their sits and ordered their dinner. The lovers reserved a pretty exclusive place for their date tonight. It was Feliks’s idea, as he wanted to be special. While waiting they were chatting. "You know, the idea of the exclusive place in a restaurant wasn’t a bad idea. I really like it, but even without it I would be happy about the date either way." said Alice. "I know sweetheart, but I like totally wanted it to be special." answered Feliks.

The woman placed her hands on her boyfriend’s cheeks:"Oh Feliks, every moment that I share with you is special to me. No matter if is just us having fun together, if is us kissing or making love to each other, or if it is a serious situation. There is no one to me who’d be as special as you. And there’s nothing that can and will ever change that." Blushes appeared on the Polish man’s face:"I totally feel the same way about you as well." Once their orders arrived, they started eating still chatting and flirting with each other. Feliks took some fries along with some chicken meat while Alice had a huge, well cooked steak and some veggies. When they finished, Feliks got down on his knee and he took out the small box out of his pocket. He opened it, revealing the ring:"Alice Tarczyńska, you make me the happiest man in the world. I’m like totally glad to be your boyfriend and to have an amazing woman like you in my life. Moving in into one house with you was one of the best ideas that we could come up with. But now I want us to be something more than just a boyfriend and girlfriend. Alice, will you be honored and marry me?" A sparkle appeared in the Polish lady’s eyes:"Yes! Oh, God yes! I will marry you, dear." He took the ring and put it on her pointing finger and both shared a kiss on their lips. When they got back home, they shared the news with all of their friends. A few days later, the wedding preparations start it. The food, the cake, decorations, the suit and the gown, invitations. So many preparations. Some days later when Alfred was going back from work, he got a phone call from an unknown number. He picked it up. "Well hello there. Long time haven’t talked to each other haven’t we friend?" said a well known voice. "Gilbert? How dare you call me your friend, after everything that you’ve done you bastard?" escaped the American’s mouth. "Now, now. If I were you, I would keep my mouth shut and listen." said the German. "And why would I do that?" asked the blond. "Because if you don’t, your little sister gets it. And I know how much family members are important to you." he answered. A gasp escaped from Alfred’s mouth. "That’s right. I have your sister hostage. To be honest her boyfriend did put a lot of a fight when we were taking her." said Gilbert, as a small chuckle escaped his mouth. "Rose, Vash. What did you do to them?!" shout it the American. "Oh, the man is fine. He was only knocked out and left where he is. As for your sister, she’s fine. At least for now. So, let’s make a deal. I give her back unharmed, and you will bring me back the werewolf." said Gilbert. "So you can experiment on him and hurt him? Never! I’m not going to give Tolys back at the hands of a monster like you!" he said. "Careful with what you say. One bad step and your sister might get hurt. And you don’t want that. Do you?" Alfred went silent. "That’s what I thought. I would think this through if I were you. If you make the decision, then call me. But honestly, the choice is simple." said the German and hang up. Alfred quickly rushed to Feliks’s and Alice’s house. "Guys! We have a problem!" He shouted "What’s the matter hun?" asked Tolys, concerned for his boyfriend. "My sister… She was taken hostage by Gilbert! And he wants Tolys in exchange in order to get her back!" Alfred answered. Shock appeared on everyone’s faces. "Is he damn serious? Taking hostage your family member like that and threatening to hurt her? That’s a real low blow right now." said Alice. "What do we do now? Obviously we’re not gonna hand over Tolys to him." said Feliks. "First, it would be good if we looked for Vash and took him to the house." said Alfred. "There's no need for that." said a familiar voice. All four looked at the door to see Vash in them.

After explaining everything about what happened while Vash and Rose were walking together, a frown appeared on Tolys's face:"That damn bastard. He won’t back down on doing anything, in order to get me back in that dread place." Everyone nod. "We need to come up with a plan to get Rose back, safe and sound." said Alice. Later on, they called the rest of their friends and they came to Feliks’s and Alice’s house. Then they came up with a plan of saving Rose. They would come in whole group, Arthur would cast a spell to create an illusion of Tolys, to make Gilbert think he’s really here. Then when he would give Rose back, they would run away before the illusion disappears. However, Tolys was little sad cause he also wanted to come and help save Rose, but his boyfriend and friends told him that it is too risky and that they didn’t want him to get captured again. When the plan was put in place, Alfred called Gilbert and planned a meeting with him. It was evening. Gilbert waited in the forest, holding Rose down and had some others Unnatural Beasts Hunters with him, in case Alfred would try to trick him. The poor girl had her hands tied up behind her back, but she was unharmed. "You’re a terrible person, you know that?" asked Rose. Gilbert looked at her:"What do you mean? I’m only doing the world a favor." Anger painted itself of Rose’s face:"By hunting down my friend and trying to take away his freedom and other creatures as well? And why? Because they’re no humans?" A frown appeared on the German’s face, but he didn’t response. Then both noticed Alfred coming up to them, along with Vash and Matthew, with Tolys walking behind them with a mixed up look. Gilbert smiled:"So you weren’t kidding. You actually brought the werewolf like I asked." "Shut your face, bastard. You know damn well you left me no choice, by threatening the life of my own sister." answered the American. "You got what you wanted. Now hand over my girlfriend." said the Swiss. A chuckle escaped form Gilbert:"Not so fast. First hand over the werewolf. Then I’ll hand over the lady." Matthew frowned:"And do we know you’re telling us the truth? How can we be sure you won’t trick us?" "Oh please. I have no interest in the woman at all. The only use I have of her is to make the trade. You give me the werewolf and I give you her back." said the German. Tolys came forward and stretched out his hands to Gilbert:"You're a monster for threatening an innocent person. You know that, right?" The man got out a pair of iron cuffs and bound the Lithuanian with them:"And you’re the one to talk about being a monster, when in reality you are a monster." He cut off the ropes binding Rose wrists and pushed her to Alfred’s direction. She immediately rushed to Vash’s arms:"Oh, I was so afraid that they would actually harm me." The Swiss caressed her cheeks:"Is alright now. You're safe my love." A laugh escaped Gilbert’s mouth:"It was a pleasure doing business with you. Now, I’ll make sure that this one won’t escape ever again. We prepared a special cell for him. Even if you try to come and rescue him, you won’t be able to pass our security system." Alfred looked at him with anger on his face. His stare like he would be throwing daggers at Gilbert:"I hate you for everything that you do. These creatures, and especially Tolys doesn’t deserve this kind of treatment that you and your coworkers give them." The German rolled his eyes:"Yeah, yeah. Are you done talking?" "Yes. I guess, I am." said the American and along with the rest they turned and walked away. Once they were far away, they hid behind a tree where the rest of their friends were hiding. "Alright Arthur, they got the hatch. Rose is safe. We need to go, and quick before the illusion of Tolys disappears." said Matthew. Then they started running toward Vash’s van. As they were getting closer, they noticed that they were chased by Gilbert and some other hunters as well. Then their way got blocked.

"How dare you tricking me, like this?! How is it even possible?! Could it be that you have a sorcerer in your group?" asked Gilbert, slowly approaching the group. Arthur slowly stepped forward:"One of us? A sorcerer? What gives you that idea?" He then quickly reached into his pockets, he threw some small seeds under Gilbert and the some other hunters feet, which soon turned into huge vines, trapping most of them. "We got to go. Quick!" shouted Francis. And they started running anew, knocking down some other hunters on the way. "Those vines won’t hold them for long. We need to hurry." said Arthur. Before they knew it, they got surrounded. "Nice try. But we aren’t going down without a fight." said one of the hunters. "And neither do we." said Alice. Then a fight started. Everyone were fighting. The group taking down the hunters one by one. One of them almost managed to get Feliks from behind, but on the last minute Alice knocked out the guy, protecting her fiancé's back. "Thank you, honey" said the Polish man. "You’re welcome, dear." replied the redhead. As the fight was going on, Alfred got tackled by no one else than Gilbert. The American got pinned down against a tree. "That’s it. This is the last time you get in my way." said the German with an angry tone. Alfred slightly chuckled:"If the life of my boyfriend is at risk, then I’ll gladly do anything in my power to protect him." The blond hit the white haired man’s knee hard enough to make him let go of him. As Gilbert was holding onto his knee, Alfred punched him the face, making him stumble a few steps backward. Gilbert looked at Alfred with his red eyes and rushed at him forming a fist from his hand. The blond managed to caught his fist and push him away for a bit. The German tried to attack again, but Alfred managed to dodge the attack and hit the man in the head with a roundhouse kick. That fight was going into Alfred’s favor until Gilbert took the upper hand and hit him in the face with the elbow. The hunter started beating up the American, while he tried to defend himself. Matthew noticed this. "Holy crap, we need to do something about it. Gilbert will kill him, if we stand by idly." He said to his sister Rose. The girl looked at the situation:"I have an idea. But it will take me some minutes." Then she started to run into another direction. "Rose, wait! Where are you going?" asked Matthew. "Trust me. I know what I’m doing. While, I try to make my plan work, try to protect our brother. I’ll be right back." She answered and left. Matthew tried to approche Gilbert and help Alfred, however his way got blocked by two other hunters:"Going somewhere?" After some moment of fighting, Gilbert hit Alfred really hard in the head, making him slightly bleed from his forehead. The blond could barely fight and was now on his knees. Gilbert stood above him, looking at him with a serious look. Then he smiled:"This should teach you a lesson to not mess with me." He raised his hand. Alfred closed his eyes shut, expecting the get hit, but to his surprise it never came. He opened one of his eyes. Suddenly both of his eyes widened, as what he saw, really surprised him. Tolys stood in front of him, in his werewolf form and caught Gilbert’s hand, protecting him. "Leave. My. Boyfriend. ALONE!!!" shouted the werewolf with a really angry tone. Slight fear could be noticed on Gilbert’s face. He clearly didn’t expect that to happened. Tolys used the opportunity and used his strength to throw Gilbert against a tree. He looked at his boyfriend. "Alfred! Are you alright? Oh god, you’re bleeding. I’m sorry that I couldn’t arrive faster." said the Lithuanian kneeling down in front of the American. "Don't worry. I’m fine. I’m just glad you’re here, love." answered Alfred, as Tolys helped him with getting up. They immediately pulled each other into a hug.

However their joy didn’t last for long. Gilbert approached the lovers from behind and tried attacking both of them, but luckily Tolys pushed Alfred away and dodged the attack as well. "Coming in here was the wrong choice." the German said. "And yet, still I came to help my loved ones." replied the Lithuanian and jumped into attack. Gilbert dodged, however it wasn’t easy due to the werewolf's speed. Suddenly, Tolys got punched in the face, but this didn’t have much effect on him. He used his claws and scratched Gilbert’s arms, leaving his suit a bit torn and revealing a mark that was slightly bleeding. "You should have never messed with me or anyone I care about, Gilbert." said Tolys, lunching another attack, however he missed. Alfred watched the fight between his boyfriend and the hunter. He wanted to help but he felt a little dizzy after the hit in the head he received from Gilbert. As the fight kept going on, Tolys had an upper hand despite the fact Gilbert was using some of his weapons. In the same time, the werewolf was careful not to kill the man. Sure, he wanted to get back at the German for the betrayal but not by killing him. He was better than this. Suddenly, Gilbert used one of his gadgets and shot some ropes and got wrapped around Tolys’s arms, binding them together. "Gah… What is this?!" escaped the Lithuanian’s mouth as he tried to free himself. Then his legs got bound as well and he fell to the ground, with a hard thud. "You foolish beast. Did you really thought I came unprepared? We the Unnatural Beast Hunters are always prepared for any occasions. After all, we can't just let any beast escape from our sight." Gilbert said, slowly approaching Tolys. Alfred run up to his boyfriend, trying to untie the ropes, also taking a protective position when looking at the hunter that was approaching them. "Oh, I see your little boyfriend is still trying to protect you. That’s adorable but also pointless." the German said. "Seriously, what is your problem with other creatures?" asked the American still trying to free the Lithuanian. "What is my problem? Oh, I always saw other creatures as a threat to humanity. They have lots of different abilities that we humans don’t possess. That makes them more dangerous than anyone else. That’s why they need to be put in their place and should not be allowed to live to run free in this world." Gilbert said, while laughing. "I’m not letting you take Tolys away, ever again!" shouted Alfred as he managed to untie the ropes from Tolys’s legs. In response, Gilbert hit the American, making him hit the ground, hard enough to make him lose consciousness. Tolys looked at his unconscious boyfriend with fear. The white haired man was about to grab the werewolf, to only get his hand bitten in self-defense. "Don’t you dare touching me!" shouted the Lithuanian as he got up, and used his whole werewolf strength to tear up the ropes bidding his arms. "You! How dare you to bite me?!" Gilbert shouted and was about to throw an attack, when a voice behind all of them shouted:"Not so fast!"

Gilbert and Tolys both looked at Rose, that was holding out her phone and recording. "Wha-What’s the meaning of all of this?!" asked the German. "While the fight was going on, I hacked into the broadcasting systems. Which means that everything that I just recorded, was also seen by everyone else. They all saw the true colors of the Unnatural Beast Hunters." the brunette lady said. "Whatever. Is not gonna do much. I bet that after seeing this whole broadcast, everyone will support the Unnatural Beast Hunters even more." said the hunter. Rose smiled in satisfaction:"I wouldn’t be so sure about it. I’m receiving so many comments that are against what you’re doing. People have seen what you really are. They have seen that you would go as far as to attack or possibly even kill another human just so you could capture one of the creatures. They have also seen how Tolys was protecting Alfred and on how much he cares about him. In other words, you lost!" Gilbert didn’t want to believe it. However when he checked the news, he was surprised to see it was all true. The Unnatural Beast Hunters lost a huge part of their support. Sure, there were still some people that supported them, but those were most likely those who felt deepest hatred toward other creatures, or those who still haven’t accepted the fact that they are similar to simple human beings. The hunters had no other choice but to back down at this point, leaving the group of friends alone. It was the group’s victory. Some days later, Feliks and Alice had their wedding and got married, finally becoming husband and wife. As months passed by, the support for other creatures was increasing. Tolys finally was able to be his true self and didn’t need to hide his werewolf side any longer. One day when he was coming back from work, he met one of the hunters. "What do you want?" the Lithuanian asked. The man sighed:"Listen. I'm sorry for what happened a few months ago. You didn’t deserve any of this. None of the creatures did. You see, I’m also not just a simple human. I’m actually a vampire. But I used to hid this from the world. And the only reason I joined the Unnatural Beast Hunters was because I didn’t want to be caught. I know that what I did was a coward’s move. And that I should never do such things. I’m sorry." Tolys smiled at him:"Don’t apologize. I think I can understand. Honestly, I don’t think I can blame you for making such choice." Then a question popped out in his head:"But wait. Since you are a vampire, how did you manage to not get caught and also survive? Aren’t vampires supposed to burn in the sun and don’t have their own reflections in the mirror?" The vampire chuckled:"Well,I use special cream to be able to walk in the sun without burning alive. I also used to drink potions to let myself be half human temporarily and have my reflection in a mirror, so people don’t seem suspicious. But I guess I don’t have to do it anymore at this point." Tolys giggled:"I think so too." After the chat, the werewolf got back home. On another day, when Alfred and Tolys planned a movie night just the two of them together at Alfred’s house, someone rang the doorbell. Both men went up to open the door, and in them stood a taller than both of them man, with blond hair and blue eyes, with a serious expression. "Good evening, mister. You are…?" began Alfred. "Ludwig Beilschmidt. I’m the younger brother of Gilbert Beilschmidt. I came here to apologize for my brother’s actions toward mister Tolys Laurinaitis. He barely told me about his job and mostly kept things secret from me. I had absolute no idea of what he did until now. Unlike him, I never thought badly about other creatures. He would never admit that he was in the wrong. I am also well aware that a simple sorry won’t undo those actions that he committed. Is there a way I could possibly repay you for it?" The man said.

"Oh, no. You don’t have to do that. After all you didn’t know. You don’t have to repay me anything. Really. But I really appreciate it." replied the Lithuanian. After Ludwig’s visit, the lovers started their movie night. And some years later, they got married and moved into a house together. They also wanted to have a child together, so they adopted a little girl named Tiara. After all the years that have passed humans, sorcerers and other creatures were finally able to live in peace with each other. Of course, everyone knew there will always be someone who will be against it, but as long as they all stayed together and fought for the freedom of every creature, they knew they would succeed. The huge part of Tolys’s and Alfred’s friends also had children. Alice and Feliks had two kids, an older girl named Monica and a younger boy named Anthony. Rose and Vash had a boy named Aaron. And Audrey and Roderich had a daughter named Josephine. Over the years, the Unnatural Beast Hunters seized to exist, as they turned into Protectors of other creatures. And one day, when the lovers along with their friends and their children were celebrating Tiara’s birthday, while the party was ongoing, a loud knock at the door could be heard. "Huh, that’s weird. I’m pretty sure we didn’t forget to invite anyone." said the American. "I’ll go check it my love. Meanwhile, make sure our precious daughter has the best birthday party in her entire life." the Lithuanian replied and went to check up on the door. Once the door swung open, a look of surprise but then frustration appeared on Tolys’s face. "You?! What are you doing in here? As far as I remember you are not my friend. You never were one in the first place, Gil." he said. Yup, the person at the door was nobody else than Gilbert. "Hey Tolys… Long time not seen. You see, I came here with no ill intentions. I just wanted to say that, well… I’m sorry about how I treated you in the past. I’ve realized I’ve been a terrible person to you and… I wanted to tell you that…" the man began and then suddenly smoke appeared around him. Later on, it revealed a huge white werewolf right in front of Tolys’s sight. "I’m no longer a simple human as well. You see, at that time when you bit my hand in self-defense, you also infected me, turning me into a werewolf and…" he continued but got cut off. "So, you came all the way here because you thought I would suddenly forget about things from the past and forgive you just because now you’re a werewolf as well? I’m glad you were able to understand what it feels like and that you’re trying to become a better person. Truly, I am. While I didn’t have any intentions of infecting you with the werewolf curse, I will never forgive you for what you did to me in the past. Don’t expect me to. What you did, is way too hurtful for me to forget about it. I could possibly die. Not to mentioned you also put my loved ones in danger. And a simple sorry, won’t fix it. I hope I will never see you again. Goodbye Gilbert. Good luck on your new path in life." The Lithuanian said and slammed the door. He came back to the party. "Who was it, my love?" Agreed asked. "Just Gilbert, trying to make me forgive him for what he did in the past. But I didn’t. I don’t want to." Tolys said, his tone clearly showing he was upset. "And you don’t have to forgive him. Is up to you if you want to forgive someone or not. Also don’t let someone like Gilbert ruin your mood." his husband said. Tolys smiled:"You’re right. I shouldn’t let my mood be ruined just because of him." The two shared a kiss on their lips and joined the rest at the party. Finally, they earned their happily ever after.

The End

[beefmastersblog]

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

I typically am not someone who enjoys any kind of fighting anime or the cyberpunk genre. In fact, until this piece, I had no idea that cyberpunk was a genre. But I have heard of this piece before this class, but never had any interest in watching it. In fact, I was pretty disappointed when it was selected as our class choice. But I was pleasantly surprised by this anime, I actually ended up watching the whole thing (because I am sick and have nothing else to do) and I ended up enjoying it.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a story about a society that is so messed up that it fails basically everyone in it: everything is heavily dictated by money, you cannot trust anyone, and the only way to escape it is to go to another celestial body (which also requires money). It follows David Martinez, a street boy who attends a preppy school but doesn't fit in, and his adventures after he acquires a military grade piece of cyberwear.

One theme that I want to touch on that is very noticeable within the first few episodes is the idea of money, and a society so overrun by it, that it no longer cares about it's citizens. David's mother slaves away at her job to make sure that he is able to attend the best school possible, because she fears that if he doesn't, he is just going to end up like her, not having enough money to run their washing machine. However, we see that he doesn't fit in at this school, and he is an outsider because he is poor and doesn't have the same posh, stuck up attitude as all of the other kids. This comes in on a later theme. But, the whole slaving away to pay for his schooling is sad enough, but when they get into the car accident, as he is crying for help for them, the medical team walks up, scans them, sees that they are not a member of their specific insurance plan, and then leaves them there to die. And when a rinky-dink hospital takes them in and his mother ends up dying, instead of condolences, David, now an orphan, is bombarded with funeral packages, listing the different costs of funeral services. I think this is a sad commentary on the prioritization that money has in our world today.

Another major thing I wanted to talk about was David being constantly outcasted by his peers. I think that the constant bullying and the fact that he was treated as lesser than, really developed his personality into one that fights hard to be not just equal but "built different". I think that his body did have an unusual ability to support the cyber wear, but he went way too far beyond his limits, even after his friends told him it was too much, and after watching Maine die because of it. But I think that ties into this idea of knowing and acknowledging your own limits. The same thing could have been said for Maine. If either of them were simply willing to recognize when they reached their capacity, and either removed the cyber wear or stopped using it like their friends advised them to, then they could have likely remained alive. I think that having the ability to recognize your own limits and weaknesses is actually a very important strength, and it was very sad to see David losing it in his last moments.

Those were the two main things that I wanted to talk about, but I also thought the idea of going to the moon to escape how horrible reality on Earth is, is very reminiscent of another anime we watched in this class (a place further than the universe). I thought it was very interesting as well, because we see that the cyberpunk universe is also completely dictated by money, with those having money being the people in power and those without always getting the short end of the stick. Lucy's dream reminded me a lot of that idea of emancipation from capitalism.

But yeah, I liked this anime. I will admit, I enjoyed the first 4 episodes significantly more than I enjoyed the last 6, only because it started to feel a little too basic for my tastes, and I enjoyed the deeper storyline of the first few episodes of this show. It actually reminded me a lot of Dorohedoro, another anime on Netflix, but I will admit, I thought that one was executed better from start to finish. But I thought the characters were pretty cool and I really enjoyed the piece overall. It was a very interesting watch and although by no means would I rate it a masterpiece, it was pretty good and I'm glad I have finally watched it so I can engage in the exchange of cultural capital with it now.

[daisyachain]

Coach Momoe, Abe, Hamada, Tajima, Hanai, gender. Momoe is a charismatic and not particularly masc woman who wears the same uniform as the guys and has the boundless and stern self-confidence expected of men. Hanai initially is a bit sexist towards her, but after a show of brute strength he submits his will to her own entirely and treats her like an army general or a personal hero. He is in love with her on a level beyond girl = cute. In fact Hanai’s feelings for her are entirely concerned with her position as coach and motivator. His awareness of her being a woman is more to do with his respect for the stuff she’s gone through and the tightrope she walks than his feelings for her; Coach-Momokan who is a woman and Girl-Maria are mutually exclusive, one supplants the other. He’s not in love with someone who isn’t the Coach, he’s extremely aware that the Coach is a woman, but he also canonically abandons any expectations of her filling a feminine role. His attraction isn’t to her femininity and can’t be.

Tajima sees Hanai’s admiration for Momoe and jumps immediately to ‘crush.’ He himself has said he’s attracted to Momokan and would date her if she were his year. He doesn’t recognize that she views them all as kids rather than peers. To him, Momoe is a girl who is energetic like him, who loves baseball like him, who happens to be a few years older than him and knows more about stuff and can coach. Her being a girl, her desirability, her being his teacher don’t conflict because Tajima has no set concept of the roles. He has to get it pointed out to him that she stands apart in authority compared to Hanai’s hyper awareness of her authority, but he never forgets for a moment that she’s a girl you could crush on.

Hamada both jumps to thinking of Momoe as an attractive woman because of his mysterious sordid past and recognizes that she’s an adult and the rest of them are kids to her. He can see her as an object of affection because of her femininity, but absolutely can’t imagine her as a peer.

The rest of the team views her normally. She’s their coach who is also a woman, she has long hair, imagining her as a love interest is just weird uncomfortable and kind of odd.

Then Abe takes everything and turns it in the opposite direction. He has no concept of Momoe as a ~woman~ (desirable, attractive, charismatic) and because of that he also sees her as a woman. Let me rephrase. When the team discusses the ban on Shinooka confessions, the thought of Momokan as a love interest doesn’t cross anybody else’s mind but Tajima’s. Abe is the one who brings her up because—she’s a girl, technically, girls are in the acceptable dating demographic, ergo she’s also got to be off-limits. He’s so divorced from understanding the cisheteropatriarchal norm that he doesn’t understand womanhood being tied up in desire. All girls are equally just-normal-people, he can’t understand why the gang would crush on Shinooka (woman) and not Momokan (also a woman). Then later in his game with Shuu, he mentions that he didn’t really think of Momokan as a woman until then, and when he does, his first thought is—boy, that must have been hard. Gender is purely math to him. If you’re a girl, you have certain expectations and category tags. If you’re a guy, vice versa. There’s no intuitive understanding of how gender roles fit together. He’s just memorized them.

That comes around to the end of the circle. Abe resolves to win for Momokan just like Hanai resolves to win for Momokan. They both view her as their Coach and know she’s a woman. Hanai comes at it from the ambiguously romantic perspective. His admiration for her is dangerously intense, his motivation on her behalf is possessive and self-effacing, he devotes his will to her as a personal gift. Abe comes at it from a firmly student-mentor perspective. She’s sacrificed a lot to teach him, she’s skilled and she’s clever, he respects her deeply for accomplishing everything she has in spite of the challenges. He wants to win as a gesture of repayment and good clean friendship. There’s no push-and-pull or unspoken interest like he has with eg Haruna or Mihashi. They’re both motivated to win for Momokan and in completely different ways

[sweetestofchaos]

Loved this new chapter of Blackthorn!!

Like I said, love that the misunderstanding was cleared up. And I also love the princesses strength being recognized by the prince. How the rain had stopped, and he wondered if she was okay despite their distance. While of course she was still sad, she was finding peace for herself on her own!

My favorite line though was “The Prince ignored Agust’s words, for he knew what the dragon considered weakness, could be his greatest strength.” With Agust creeping in during inopportune moments, I was glad to see Yoongi’s strength of mind in the face of him as well, embracing the softer parts of himself.

The Empress was also so cute when the love bird idea came to her, and the Emperor reeling her back in ☺️ Wondering how what Yoongi has witnessed of the care and affection between his parents will bleed into how he treats Princess Keena. Already there’s a playfulness and affection between them on their own. They are both so sweet and sincere!! And Keena basically professing her feelings for him!! Ahh!!

The kiss was so sweet, and Keena slippin a bit in the bath!! Girl!! On the verge of asking him to stay?!? Gettin spicy!! Then Yoongi having her wear his clothes so they could MATCH!!! When he could have easily called for her own clothes to be brought up double time?? 😂 They’re so cute!!

I cannot address the finger licking lol. I was like, I know Aga is saying to himself, ‘i won’t stand for this weird shit’ but of course it was Agust (right?). Definitely can’t wait to learn what went on w Ceyeh and Agust back in the day!

A much welcome conclusion to a period of angst, with so many answers to remaining questions to anticipate on the horizon!

Thank you for sharing this story with us!!

Can I just say how much I enjoy when you come yelling into my asks? Like this never fails to put a smile on my face, no matter what time of the day it is. Thank you so much for reading and always leaving feedback!

I have a lot to say, so I will do so under the cut!

You picked up on the rain being equal to the Princess' strength, huh? I love that! I like to drop small and big comparisons when I can to show that the Princess isn't as helpless as people would like her to be.

As for Yoongi and Agust, keep in mind that Yoongi has had to deal with Agust since he became of age, so around his 13-16th birthday. He is used to Agust being an ass and just tunes him out when he can. Agust will continue to try and pop up as much as he can, he sees himself as stronger and therefore thinks he should be in control. Yoongi on the other hand, knows himself for the most part. Is he strong? Yes. But is the man a total softie who melts at the sight of lemming ducks? Also, yes! Yoongi is the best of both.

Yoongi having parents who showed affection to one another around him, will help Yoongi in the long run with the Princess. He isn't afraid to show his emotions and speak on his feelings. Same goes with the Princess since yeah, she pretty much confessed lol You have to think, both of the young royals have great role models for how to treat their significant other, so I think it is safe to say they will be just fine.

Young love at its finest, am I right? Full of teasing looks, playful touches and suggestive words...yeah good for Yoongi for controlling himself. Not gonna lie, it took a lot of strength for me not to have Agust show himself at that very moment. With the matching clothing, I did a lot of research and a lot of couples would were matching outfits or colors that were complementary to each other. So, it made sense to me to have Yoongi take that in stride. They made up, so why shouldn't they take their roles in stride?

I am so, so pleased by everything you have picked up on and pointed out in this chapter and the others before this. There is so much I want to say but I will keep my mouth closed...for now. I am really excited to share Agust and Ceyeh's past with you. Which I think will be coming in August after my July break (please don't quote me on that), this story has a mind of its own lol.

Love you and thank you for reading!

Chaos