it is hard to explain without sounding vain or stupid - but the more attractive others find you, the more you're allowed to do. the easier your life is.
i have been on both sides of this. i am queer and cuban. i grew up poor. for a long time i didn't know "how" to dress - and i still don't. i make my sister pick out any important outfits. i have adhd in spades: i was never "cool and quiet", i was the weird kid who didn't understand how "normal" people behave. i was bullied so hard that the "social outcasts" wouldn't even talk to me.
i got my teeth straightened. i cut my hair and learned how to style it. i got into makeup. it didn't matter, at first, if i actually liked what i was doing - it mattered how people responded to it. like a magic trick; the right dress and winged eyeliner and suddenly i was no longer too weird for all of it. i could wear the ugly pokemon shirt and it was just "ironic" or a "cute interest."
when i am seen as pretty, people listen. they laugh at my jokes. they allow me to be weird and a little spacey. i can trust that if i need something, people will generally help me. privilege suddenly rushes in: pretty does buy things. pretty people get treated more gently.
i am the same ugly little girl, is the thing. still odd. still not-quite-fitting-in. still scrambling. still angry and afraid and full of bad things. of course it became my obsession. of course i stopped eating. i had seen, in real time, the exact way it could change my life - simply always be perfect, and things can be easy. people will "overlook" all the other things. i used to have panic attacks at the idea others would see me without makeup - what would they think? even for a simple friend hangout, i'd spend a few hours getting ready. after all, it seemed so obvious to me: these people liked me because i was pretty.
i worry about how much i'm being a bad activist: i understand that "pretty" is determined by white, het, cis, able-bodied hegemonies. if i was really an ally, wouldn't i rally against all of this? recently there's been a "clean girl" trend which copies latinx aesthetics: dark slicked-back hair, hoop earrings. i almost never wear my hair like that; i can hear the middle school guidance counsellor advising me that i might fare better if i toned it down on the culture.
the problem is that i can take pretty on and off. that i have seen how different my life is on a day where i try and a day where i don't. i told my therapist i want to believe the difference is confidence, but it's not. and when you have seen it, you can't unsee it. it lives inside your brain. it rots there; taunting. i get rewarded for following the rules. i am punished for breaking them. end of story.
pretty people can get what they want. pretty people can feel confident without others asking where they got their nerve from. pretty people can be weird and different. pretty people get to have emotions; it's different when they get aggressive, it's pretty when they cry with frustration.
of course people care about this. of course it has crawled into you. of course you want to be seen as attractive. it's not vanity: it's self-preservation.
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thinking thoughts about how nona was so obsessed with crown, and crown specifically- not coronabeth. crown, with her boots and her cargo pants and her guns and her hair tied back, with all her charm and strength, all her rage and determination.
was that really just nona? or, walk with me here- is there a chance that that was actually alecto, too, bleeding through and rising to the surface?
alecto, seeing a kind of kinship in crown- in this big, tall, strong blonde with a sword strapped to her back, hot and lovely and kind and awful and powerful and perfect. this woman who refuses to give up- on her sister, on saving jody, on BOE's resistance. who's unafraid to throw one hell of a tantrum, if it means being listened to, for once. crown, who everyone thinks of as dumb, who everyone underestimates, who no one ever takes as seriously as they should, even though she's clearly capable of plenty of atrocities in her own right. this woman who's been described over and over again as someone who positively radiates life, and energy, and vitality, and strength. this woman who wanted nothing more than the chance to be herself, to be free, to serve as cavalier and guardian and protector, but was instead sentenced at birth to a life of being a princess and wearing dresses and looking pretty and loving less and staying out of the way and keeping her mouth shut and playing second fiddle to a necromancer obsessed with power and glory. familiar, no? this woman who was betrayed, left behind, left alone, and left utterly in the dark by the one person who's supposed to love her the most- only to then be told that being abandoned was in her best interest, really, for her own safety.
thinking about all the times we've seen ianthe insult crown's intelligence and praise her beauty in the same breath. you big dumb bimbo, what can you do? of all the times we've seen ianthe fussing over crown's appearance. thinking of the sister-lyctor makeover-montage ahead of dios apate minor, and how harrow hated every second of it, and how ianthe treated it like nostalgic second nature. thinking about the third house: fucked-up planet gossip-girl with all its betrayal and espionage and flesh magic and debauchery, three for the gleam of a jewel or a smile. thinking about the pressure that must have come with keeping up the double-necromancer ruse, about ianthe having successfully played the part of two necromancers from the age of six. exactly how much practice must that have taken? thinking about the casual, automatic, possessive, offhanded, violating nature of ianthe playing god and giving harrow a full head of fast-growing hair without asking, without even telling her, just to make harrow prettier, just to piss her off, just because she could. how she did it so easily, and without hesitation, almost as though she's maybe done that sort of thing before.
thinking about preservation. about a perfect body frozen in ice for a myriad, about ianthe spending all her downtime on the mithraeum figuring out how long she can keep an apple core in perfect stasis before the rot sets in.
thinking about corpse puppeting: a deceased world leader here, a trusted cavalier and friend you've known from the cradle there. about i picked you to change, and this is how you repay me? about she took babs. and who even cares about babs? babs! she could have taken me!
thinking about alecto, and hollywood hair barbie, and you have made me a hideousness.
thinking about crown, who's by her own admission boobs and hair and talk and a hell of a swordhand.
thinking about something as simple as stud earrings, and about how much grief ianthe gave her for daring to wear them.
nona loved crown.
something tells me that alecto might, too.
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Attention
Ithaqua x Afab!Reader
cws: Dub-con, Cursing, Yandere-ish Behavior, Fingering, Semi-public sex, Afab reader, No specified pronouns, Mentions of pretty, Ooc Ithaqua. NOT proofread
MINORS DNI
(guys this is a lil random sorry🤪🤪)
You were confused.
Currently, you were in a match. Coordinator, and Mercenary were currently decoding. And of course, it's normal for at least one person to get chased.
Which was Priestess, unfortunately.
But of course this is all normal! It's just.. In the beginning, you were unfortunate enough to spawn near the hunter. He immediately spotted you. Only an idiot wouldn't start running by now.
"The hunter is near me!" You yelled to the others.
You immediately ran into a kiting area with plenty of walls to allow you to at least escape his sight. But when you did, he didn't even bother getting close. He just stared off in the distance then changed directions.
For a moment you were stunned. Confused.
"Beware! The hunter has changed target!" You yelled.
Each time the hunter saw you, He just turned the other way. You were saving Priestess, and he unfortunately terror shocked you, bringing you somewhere else far from the rocket chair and leaving you there.
Surprisingly fast, about seven minutes into the match , he's already eliminated two. It was just you and Naib. You two decided to stick together. There was one cipher left, you and Naib decoding it currently.
77%.. 82%.. Then suddenly, your heart starts beating rapidly. Immediately Naib leaves you to finish it on your own.
"I'll distract. You, prime." He immediately said.
"Wha-? Naib!" Your protest falling on deaf ears as he immediately left to distract Ithaqua. Under Ithaquas mask, he scowled. Knowing that it was just you two together. Especially a guy..
Naib transitioned to a kiting area, waiting for Ithaqua to follow him. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. He peeked through the wall and stared at you for a moment. You looked up and made eye contact with him, immediately freezing.
He grinned under his mask.
"Finish the cipher. If you do, I perhaps might spare both of you." He spoke, in a not so friendly manner..
You hesitated. Naib was coming towards you both, quickly realizing he hasn't hit you yet.
"Why should I trust you?" You said to him.
"It's not a choice. If you don't I'll chair you both." You just looked behind him to see Naib. Hesitating to walk towards you both.
'Did he go friendly??' He thought.
Ithaqua looked behind himself then at you.
"Finish it." You looked at him then at Naib.
Naib got closer. "What's.. What's going on?"
Ithaqua looked at Naib. "I told her to finish the cipher. And I'd maybe spare you both. Maybe if you say something, she'd listen to you." Naib looked at you then the hunter.
Without thinking he immediately agreed.
"Naib- seriously?! This is like a deal with the dev-" He cut you off but raising his hand up, walking towards the cipher and working on it. You sighed, getting to work.
But as soon as the cipher was finished, he immediately hit Naib.
"Naib!" You yelled. Backing away from the hunter. Naib groaned as Ithaqua picked him up.
"You liar!" Ithaqua just stared at you then immediately left for a rocket chair.
"Get out of here!" Naib told you. You were hesitant but left for the dungeon.
When Ithaqua placed Naib on the chair, He immediately went looking for you. Luckily for you, you found the dungeon. It wasn't open yet so you quickly hid in a corner with tall looking grass.
You could hear the tall hunter humming. Coming dangerously close to the dungeon. You held your breath.
"I know you're here [Name]. Give up."
He looked around for you.
As soon as he hummed in disapproval of not finding you, you heard the rocket chair leaving and being sent back to the manor. The dungeon opened and you made a run for it.
He immediately snatched the back of your shirt and pull you behind, hitting you with his axe. You bled out and groaned in pain.
He chuckled and squatted down to look at you. Gently caressing your face, forcing your eyes on him.
"You could've done that in the beginning." You snarled.
He sighed. "I knew you were stupid but I didn't think you were oblivious.. "
You were confused. "What are you-"
"Didn't you at least notice once? I obviously seemed interested in you since you even interacted with me. Doing me sweet favors as if I wouldn't attack you some day. Even the hunters noticed." He spoke in a soft tone.
You just stared at him. "Maybe it was the wrong choice." He just laughed and pulled you close. You hissed in pain as he picked you up.
He walked away far from the dungeon as you struggled to escape his grasp. Finally, you did. But he pulled you towards him and dragged you far from both the exit gates and dungeon.
"What is your problem?! Just chair me already!" He chuckled and took his mask off. For a moment, you were entranced in his beauty. As if you forgot every event that has happened today.
He placed a hand on your hip, playing with the hem of your pants. He gently tugged.
"What are you-"
"Take it off."
"..What?" You questioned. Your expression turning flushed.
"Take it off." He repeated himself.
"What?! No way-!"
"Take it off or I will." He said. Expression dropping from soft to irritated. Not wanting to push him any further, you obliged. Taking it off nervously.
Sure he was handsome- but you never imagined something like this. He looked at the pair of panties you were wearing. A white soft color. Looked like cotton. He grinned and gently pulled it off.
"Wait-"
"No." He interrupted you. "I've been waiting too long for this."
You nervously looked at his face, which was looking at your lower half, flushed. He pushed the pair aside then pushed open your legs gently.
He smiled. "I've always wanted your eyes on me. Only me." He looked at your flushed and red face. "I wanted your attention so much I was craving it." He looked back at your lower half, sliding a finger inside you, thumb playing with your clit.
You sighed and leaned your head back.
"Eyes on me pretty." He used his free hand to make you face him.
"Don't think I don't see the way you stare at me. I feel those pretty little eyes on me each time you get the chance." He cooed.
You didn't respond. Too nervous to speak. He smiled and kissed your nose.
"It's almost intoxicating.." He spoke softly. Gently pumping his finger into you. Watching your expressions as he added another finger.
"You're really tight.." You just sighed as a response.
He looked up at you, looking for any reaction. Humming in approval when your brows furrow. He curled his fingers, earning a soft moan from you.
He pumped faster. Watching in amusement as you whined his name.
"Nnh.. I'm gonna.." You arched your back as he added another finger, hearing soft whimpers and moans from you.
You come on his hands, muffling your noises with your hand.
"I wanna hear you. Don't cover your sounds no one's here to hear you."
He unzipped his tight pants, letting his cock spring free. It was huge. Long and girthy. Surprisingly for such a lean and slim body. His nails digging into your hips as he rubbed his cock on your entrance, bottoming into you.
Oh, this was gonna be a long game..
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