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lolyfortherisk · 3 days

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Until i found you

Royal au

King!Charles Leclerc x Lady!reader

From the moment he laid his eyes on you, he knew he was done for. Safe to say he never saw a woman like you before. You were confident, sweet, kind, caring and most of all breathtakingly beautiful.

He tried his best to stay away, but with eyes like yours he could never. One look at you and he already feels himself drowning.

Seeing you doing the basic things makes him rock hard. He lost count on how many times he had to walk in the hallways or sit in the throne room with a hard on. Resulting in him fisting his cock imagining that it was your hand, lips, pussy on him.

When he finally made peace that he can't get you out of his head, he decided that he will try to catch your eye. Look at what he was thinking, for god's sake he was the king. He could have any woman he desires, yet it seems that he can't have you.

He laid in bed wide awake deciding that no matter what he will do or what he will try, he will have you.

No matter what.

👑

You tossed and turned in bed for hours. You're frustrated to the point that you can't close your eyes for more than five minutes.

You sighed in annoyance. What would it take to get him out of your head you don't know. For the love of god he was your king. How could you have such dirty thoughts about him?

He didn't help though. He was the most handsome king that ever ruled. You have to give him that.

He wasn't even meant to be the king, but when the late king Jules gave up his throne to him before his death things have taken a turn of course.

Back to your frustration. There's only one way that would sedate you. Yes, you're ashamed of it but it's the only way you could sleep in nights like these.

So you trailed your hand under your night dress touching yourself imagining it was king Charles who is licking, kissing and touching you.

After you came with a loud scream of his name (that you hope that no one heard or your reputation would be ruined) you finally slept through your haze.

👑

Charles was walking like a mad man through the hallways searching for you, but you were nowhere to be found.

He checked all the places that he knew you like to spend your time at. The lake, the gardens, the hidden spot that only he knew you like to spend hours there. He even checked where the court ladies sit in the afternoon, which resulted in them cornering him with their questions and flirtations.

There was only one place left. The library .He knew you like to spend hours there reading, so when he stepped inside and found you seated by the fireplace your legs dangling from the armrest he smiled and came closer.

You looked up upon seeing a shadow of a man from the corner of your eyes and was startled seeing the king. You jumped to your feet fixing your skirts curtsying while you lowered your head "your grace" you greeted gulping.

"I hope i am not disturbing you lady Y/n " he said. He hated that you lowered your head he can't see your beautiful face and those breathtaking eyes.

You looked up smiling "not at all my king, If you want you can join me for a bit?" He smiled in response. Thinking how would it feel hearing you calling him my king while he...

It's not the time for his imagination to wonder. He needs to focus on you right now. so he sat on the armchair opposite to you motioning for you to sit.

You sat with the book you were previously reading before he interrupted you in your lab.

"if i may ask what are you reading?" He asked curious about the book in your hand

"i read whatever i feel like reading. I read about history, herbs, politics, poems. Anything really" you stopped your rambling. And tried to calm your racing heart that he was so close AND actually talking to you. So you smiled then said dreamily "but right now i am reading a passionate love story. It's really interesting"

He looked deeply into your eyes that seem to draw him in more and more "oh really? Tell me about it" he said

You started talking about the book, then you talked about yourself and Charles did the same then you talked about everything that could possibly be talked about. For the first time you felt this close to someone.

Charles felt the same. He found that you're not just kind and confident. You're also funny, clever, well educated, and a good listener. You're basically everything he was dreaming of.

Time has gone quickly and when you looked out the window you found the sun is going down "oh forgive me my king. I kept you from your duties all this time" you said panicked that you talked a lot and he didn't want to embarrass you so he listened.

He sensed your worries so he assured you "trust me i didn't have much to do. And if i have , talking to you is far more interesting to me" he looked away from your eyes so he can gather his thoughts then said "i hope we get the chance to do this more" he said waiting for your reaction.

Have you gone mad to the point that you started imagining things? No he is actually asking to spend more time with you. of course you can. it's all you have ever wanted.

You tried to contain your excitement but in vain. You smiled widely saying "of course your grace. it would be my honor!"

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding then smiled and offered to walk you to your chamber. You walked side by side through the hallways.

After you bid him goodnight. You closed the door after you. Standing against it smiling like an idiot.

Tonight you won't be able to sleep but for a whole other reason than the previous night.

You two laid wide awake counting the time till you see each other again.

👑

The next day he took you for a walk in the gardens (which became a regular thing since then), he also took you to the lake every other week so you can have sometime alone. Some days you would have tea together.

Your feelings for each other grew stronger every time you spend time together, or simply looked eyes at court, or walked by each other in the hallways.

Till one day Charles got summoned by his mother. Months back he would dread this. Cause she would bring up the talk of marriage every single time and he would refuse saying he didn't meet 'the one' yet.

But now he can tell her he has. And that is exactly what he is going to tell her.

The guards at the queen mother's door greeted him with "your grace" and a courtesy and he dismissed them. Knocked at his mother's door. Her maid opened the door and greeted him.

"mother." He greeted his mother kissing her cheeks "hello my darling" she said back smiling.

"you summoned me. I hope everything is okay" he said acting clueless but his mother saw through him so she smiled wider

"yes my love i need to discuss some urgent matter with you" she said giving him a cup of tea. And took her own and sat opposite to him.

She took a sip of her tea "i won't give you the 'you're young, strong and handsome king' talk cause you know you're and also I won't say 'every king needs a queen' cause you also know this so" she said rolling her eyes playfully.

He laughed at his mother's way of opening the marriage topic so he played along "and what do you want mother?" He asked.

"well house sine is offering their daughter lady Charlotte to be your queen. So what do you think" she said eyeing his reaction.

He rolled his eyes throwing his head back "well mother sorry to disappoint but i don't see her as my wife." he said

His mother tried to contain her smile but failed "so the rumors are true?" She said looking at him with excitement.

"what rumors exactly?" He asked smiling knowing full well what rumors.

His mother rolled her eyes "that you have fallen for lady Y/n of house martell" she said

"yes mother it's true" he said smiling sheepishly "and i intend to make her my queen" he looked away remembering the time he spent with you, every kiss, every touch, every look made his heart race.

He sighed "i said i would never fall in love. But then i saw her and forgot everything i've ever said. She's everything i have been dreaming of and more. When she is near i feel calm and at peace, I feel alive. I need her so i can live." he said honestly.

His mother smiled. she never thought that her son would love someone that much other than his family yet here he is declaring his love for you like it's the best thing that ever happened to him.

"so the Martells are taking two of my children. I should feel threatened by this" she said jokingly having his older brother marrying a Martell as well.

"i guess i have to send them a letter telling them that we would like to court another daughter of theirs as well" she said then held Charles's face in her hand smiling.

"i am happy for you my boy. I really am. You deserve happiness and love and i am sure that Y/n would give you everything you need" she said then wiped her tears "come on go tell her that she is to be your queen"

He kissed her cheeks and her hands then ran out of her chamber to find you. Everyone was giving him odd looks wondering why the king would run around the hallways with a smile from ear to ear.

He didn't care. All he cares about right now is telling you the good news.

He found you in your hidden spot in the garden stargazing, so he lied down next to you and held your hand. You stayed like this in a comfortable silence till you broke the silence.

"do you think we could be forever this close. Like these stars" you asked softly curious.

He hummed softly "with you I won't settle for anything less than forever."

You came closer resting your head on his chest "but what if you got bored of me" you said your voice breaking "kings always lead on a lot of women and eventually they will wed who offers more, I won't offer you a lot Charles. I am not heir to anything I won't give you gold or land. It's just me."

He kissed your head and spoke softly assuring you "i don't need anything other than you. You're more than enough to me."

He decided that it's time to tell you what he actually came to say "also i think you're late for this talk but whatever" he said playfully.

You frowned turning to face him "what do you mean?" You asked confused.

He turned to you as well smiling "what i mean is that my mother is probably writing a letter to your father right now telling him that i will be marrying you." He said waiting to see your reaction.

You blinked a few times shocked then smiled widely throwing yourself at him. He hugged you with all his strength burying his face in your neck. "I can't believe you actually did it!" You said happily

"i told you that you would be mine no matter what lady Martell" he said kissing your neck softly.

You pushed him away panicked " but what if my father rejected the marriage offer." you said then the question sounded dumb even to your own ears. Why would he reject the king for god's sake?

He rolled his eyes "do you actually believe what you're saying darling?" He said smiling.

"not really no" you said laughing

He pulled you closer so you're straddling him now and looked into your eyes "and even if he rejected i will make you my wife anyway. We will rule side by side forever. And i will fill you with my heirs so everyone in this kingdom knows who you belong to." he said kissing you passionately.

After you broke the kiss he caressed your body resting his forehead against yours.

"Can't wait to call you mine" you said kissing him softly.

"i am yours darling. From now till forever." He said kissing you deeply.

👑

First full length fiction done✔️

Please tell me what do you think😫

Also likes and reblogs would be appreciated ❤️

#f1 fanfic #f1 x reader #f1 #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc #fanfic #lord perceval #until i found you #lolyfortherisk #royal au

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star-anise · 3 days

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So, Easy Beauty by Chloé Cooper-Jones is not by any means a straightforward tale of the specific traumas and experiences of being a disabled woman. In many ways, it's an examination of how holding onto those traumas too tightly can keep you not just from positive chances for connection and experience, but understanding when your choices and behaviours are hurting other people.

But. It does talk about the trauma. And specifically, this splinter I've spent months now slowly drawing out of my soul, because this never happened to me except for the version of it that did happen to me. In her case, it was a conversation with a friend in high school:

I approached him in the library of our school. He was studying for a geometry test. He saw me, closed his notebook, and smiled. “I feel like,” he said, teasing me, “there might be something you want to talk to me about.” I told him yes, there was, and I said that I wanted to go to the homecoming dance with him and would he take me. “Of course,” he said. Relief flooded through me so quickly it turned my stomach. “But,” he continued, “there’s something very important I need to talk to you about first.” He proceeded to tell me that our female friends had been pressuring him for weeks to ask me to the dance, not wanting me to feel left out. “They love you,” he said, “but they pity you and their pity won't help you in the world.” I can, to this day, recall the exact even tone in his voice, his smile. He reached across the table and took my hand. “I want to tell you something as your friend,” he said. “I want to protect you. When you ask a man like me on a date, you put us in a bad position.” He was still smiling; I was having a cute delusion and was in need of his loving, if uncomfortable, correction. “It’s just the truth,” Jim said. “No man will want to date you unless he, too, is desperate or ugly.”

What I've felt, since I was very young, was this sense not just that no one would ever love me, but that I was so pitiful, so unlovable, such a complete failure of femininity, that expressing interest in another person was tantamount to forcing them to pity-fuck me. And how could I do something that horrible to them?

Well, at least in the years since then, I've learned that actually people feel no compunction about rejecting me!

I have almost always felt like such a complete failure at femininity, to the point that discussions about the female experience feel hypnotically surreal, because these things never happen to me. Y'all get catcalled and hit on? I'm struggling to dredge up memories of experiencing that firsthand. I grew up with grownups always warning me about men who'd want me for sex but didn't actually love me, and now I'm like... being wanted for sex? What's that like? I have literally ten seconds of experience of my desire for someone else being something that excited and interested them.

This is my own personal neurosis, not a prescription for widespread behaviour. But I've always kind of hated when people talk about slowburn romances and stories with pining as "two idiots in love" because on a visceral level, it doesn't feel stupid to me to believe you're repulsive and nobody will ever want you. It has always felt like the natural and obvious conclusion to enter adulthood with.

Up until two weeks ago I've always been very careful to describe my feelings about my body as part of me being crazy--I hate the way I look, I don't like seeing or hearing recordings of myself, I think I'm not pretty. Because obviously that means I'm actively working to rid myself of those emotions and attitudes! I've got it handled! I've admitted that I have a problem!

And that's because I always had it locked away in my heart that if I tried to make a factual claim about being ugly, people would say "No you're not!" just to make me feel better, and then I would never ever know if anyone who found me attractive really meant it, or if they were just doing it out of pity.

That is crazy. That's holding onto the lesson of that fucking shitbag who found Chloé attractive and fuckable two months fucking later once he got over himself. That's sitting around waiting for someone to come climb up into my unfuckable tower and do all the work of establishing a relationship themselves. That's lesbian sheep behaviour.

It's only just begun to feel possible that I could begin to take steps to seek people out and express interest in them, instead of holding perfectly still and making someone else do all the heavy lifting to get to me, when I haven't even made it known I wanted them to.

But this doesn't get talked about as part of "the female experience". When men talk about women's experiences in the dating market, they absolutely never mean women like me. Why bother with the experiences of women they wouldn't want to fuck anyway? It's not like we're people or some shit like that.

#staranise original #body image tw #ableism tw #feminist discourse #easy beauty #chloé cooper jones

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sunnitheapollokid · 3 days

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hi! i’m praying your reqs are open lmao,, can I please request for a percy’s sister!reader x leo where it’s a whole enemies to best friends to lovers and percabeth were just secretly shipping us from the start 🥹

🪼┊ ༉‧₊˚✧ 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐆𝐎𝐓 𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃, 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋

↳ leo valdez x daughter of poseidon oneshot ೃ࿔₊

☀️ sunni’s notes : THANK UUUU FOR REQUESTING!! (i loved ur leo angst blurb even though it did hurt me like LORDDD) i will never get tired of writing for this trope 🤞🤞 its just TEWWW good!! SORRY IM TAKING SO LONG WITH THESE REQUESTS I SWEAR IM NOT THIS UNRELIABLE. this one’s pretty long but, this was way too fun to write so i hope you enjoy reading it as much as i loved reading it 💛 anyhoo, sunkisses!! happy reading!!

ೃ࿔₊

WOULD A BOY LIKE YOU LIKE A GIRL LIKE ME!

(name) (last name) hated the way leo was so self-centered. how he was charismatic, and managed to be good at mechanics and ladies alike. she hated the smirk he always had on his face, and how he couldn’t fix his greasy hair or atleast wipe his dirty tank.

COULD SOMEONE LIKE YOU LIKE SOMEONE LIKE ME!

leo valdez hated the way (name) was always swaying her hips like that as she walked. how she was beautiful, and managed to be so, sweet even when the other person happened to be a bitch. he hated the way her hair was always perfect after swimming, but can’t manage to atleast make eye contact with him.

ೃ࿔₊

ANNABETH WATCHED (name) argue with leo for the fifth time in the past week. she sighed, “what are they arguing about now??” percy strode his way beside his daughter of athena girlfriend.

“your sister looked at leo the wrong way and leo started burning her shoelaces.” percy glanced down at the black and burnt ends of (name)’s shoelaces, a chuckle escaping his lips.

“for the last time— i didn’t give you a stank eye!” (name) grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest, upset. leo looked right through her, his brown eyes narrowing at her upset expression. “so stop burning my shoelaces!! i still need them. god.” (name) had made her final point before walking away from the son of hepheastus.

percy walked beside leo, pinching the side of his stomach, “the hell do you think your doing?” percy asked. leo yelped at the pinch, and as well as percy’s appearance. percy had that shit-eating grin that he gave his sister’s pursuers. “don’t give me that look perce, she was totally looking at me weird.”

“awww!” annabeth coo’d, “they remind me of us seaweed brain.” she kissed percy’s cheek. leo’s cheeks flared up a tint of pink, “okay first— where’d you come from?” he pointed to percy. “and second of all, we do not remind you of.. — you, i don’t know whatever, it’s too early for this.” leo rambled, feeling the heat in his ears escalate.

annabeth raised both her brows, “you’re mad at her for looking at you?” she asked him, “isn’t that what you want?” percy continued her sentance.

leo grumbled again, running his fingers through his hair, “ay.. mierda.” he mumbled. “ahhh..” percy sang. “you have a crush on my sister valdez.”

“NO I DONT.”

“… but if i said yes, are you going to kill me?”

“probably.”

annabeth nudged percy hard on the stomach. percy winced in pain, “god she’s got an arm.” the son of poseidon hugged his stomach in pain. “what he means is you should atleast try and show that you’re interested in her. all you’ve ever done is burn her shoelaces, her jacket, and the drawing she was working on the other day!”

annabeth exclaimed, percy in the background groaning in pain. “oh stop being a baby, percy.”

leo sighed, “actually i almost burnt her hair the other day— which.. will be a story.. for another time..” percy’s eyes widened. “is that why she smelt like burnt popcorn the other day?! leo—“ he snarled, annabeth stopping him before he could kill the poor guy.

“be. nice.” annabeth shot at leo before walking away with percy to go engross in something else. “but he was— i’m gonna—“ leo could hear from the short ditsance of the couple.

ೃ࿔₊

IT WAS UNEXPECTED. (name) walked back to cabin three with a light in her chest. “PERCY!” she barged inside. percy jumped, “(nickname), i’m taking a nap here.” she threw a pillow in his face, “hey!”

“leo got me shoelaces to replace the burnt ones and apologized for the other things he’s burnt. THAT’S SO WEIRD?” she whisper-yelled in her brother’s face as she sat on the edge of his bunk. percy rubbed his eyes, the bed head very visible the strands of his jet black hair out and about. “how’s that weird? the guy’s just trying to be nicer. about time.”

(name) agreed, it shouldn’t be weird. but it was just so sudden. then she thought about him, his smile, maybe it wasn’t always a mischievous one. and his tank? no lie, he did look really attractive in it. his smile.. wait didn’t she just think of it?

“(name) you’re as red as frank when he found out about sex.”

she threw another pillow at percy’s face.

ೃ࿔₊

THE SEVEN, (and some added guests) made their way to camp’s lake to go canoing. “alright! so,” annabeth made her way to the front of the group. “me and perce, obviously. frank and hazel. jason and pipes. nico and will. reyna and rachel. (name) and leo. any questions?”

“I DO!”

leo and (name) turned to each other with their hands both raised. “i don’t wanna go canoing with him!” she shot. leo scrunched his brows. “i’m not that bad! i already apologized for all the stuff i’ve burnt!”

“oh yeah, WITH A FROWNED FACE!”

“okay, enough! we can’t have you guys switch, just, manage and don’t try to drown each other?”

leo and (name) hopped in their canoe last, while the others rushed to go look around. “hey, i’m suppose to be in the back. the leader’s in the back.” (name) shot again, “oh yeah? and who made you leader?” leo put his foot in the back seat. (name) snarled, putting her own foot in the back.

“me. daughter of poseidon.” leo chuckled with a smug smile, “that was cringe.” (name) hit him on the head with her oar.

leo let her be leader.

ೃ࿔₊

AFTER A BIT, (name) had grown tired and leo offered to paddle on his own. weird. instead, she played with the water with her fingers and listened to the birds in the forest. leo watched her, his lips curving into a small smile.

“you’ve been canoing yeah?” leo asked. “sure. percy’s usually always the one paddling though, since he’s faster.” the curly-head latino nodded, listening to her words slip out like honey. wait what?

he flushed at the thought, shaking it away as he paddled and looked away from her in attempts to help him calm down.

their canoe was nudged, slightly moving. “what was that?” leo breathed, hugging his oar. (name) furrowed her brows at him, “what was what?” the canoe was nudged by something underneath again. “that!” in a panicked voice, leo sat by (name) and gripped her arm. “leo the canoe! it’s gonna lose—“

the canoe tipped over to the back flipping them underwater. the two held their breath, while (name) held leo’s waist as she brought them up to the surface. leo couldn’t swim, it was obvious by the way he was coughing and struggling to catch his breath.

“it’s just an otter!” (name) sang with a smile, the baby brown creature swimming away. “it’s adorable!” she coo’d. leo had his arm around (name)’s neck as he clutched his chest, continuing to pant. (name) kept her arms around his waist, “god you look terrible.”

his hair and ‘chb’ shitt damp, leo shot her a glare. “this is unfair.” he looked at her very dry hair and very dry shirt. she kicked underwater to keep them afloat, a giggle escaping her lips.

their laughs harmonized as they stayed in the water.

the two became inseperable since then. they were an unstoppable duo, fireboy and watergirl. they called them. they landed a lot of pranks around camp, usually did duties together, and even after percy offered (name) to go together to sally’s place after the end of summer, she insisted she’d stay with leo.

ೃ࿔₊ end of summer.

“hey watergirl, canoing?” leo walked inside cabin three with an oar in his hand. “HELL YEAH!!” camp half-blood was pretty empty, with only about ten other campers around to stay all-year round because of non-existent homes they couldn’t go to.

and since it was almost fall, you could smell the crisp of autumn air and the breeze that constantly pinched your skin. leo and (name) hopped into their canoe and began their paddling, “(name)?” leo hummed as (name) played with the water, just like last time. “yeah?” she giggled.

leo melted into her smile, “i have something for you.” (name)’s eyes gleamed. leo always made her things, but for some reason, this felt extra special. leo clicked his tongue, almost sort of in animal call and an otter swam closer to them.

(name)’s lips parted as the cuddly otter held out a silver heart locket in it’s hands. “take it watergirl, come on.” leo motioned his head to the otter. (name) had her jaw dropped, taking the locket and opening it. — a picture of them inside.

“(name), i’ve liked you forever now, and .. sorry.” he trembled a smile. (name) lifted her head look at him in the eye, “oh my gods leo. i, i love it.” she beamed, (name) made her way towards him. “(name)! you’re gonna tip the canoe!” leo laughed. “i don’t care!” she laughed with him, kissing him as she kneeled in-between his legs.

closing their eyes and feeling the moment, it was too late to realize that their canoe was tipping, and they had been flipped once again.

(name) brought leo again, up to the surface, and since (name) had been giving him lessons, he wasn’t too winded from the previous canoe-flipping sitch. they laughed together again, and this time,

(name) had chosen to get her hair and shirt damp. “you can say you got me flipped, watergirl.”

“cringe.”

“hey! it was cute! c’mon!!”

#— sunni adores leo (ꈍᴗꈍ)♡#leo valdez #leo valdez x reader #leo valdez oneshot #leo valdez fic #leo valdez headcanons #heroes of olympus x reader #heroes of olympus #pjoverse #percy jackson x reader #percy jackson fic

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lostcauses-noregrets · 3 days

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Bad Boy

A few meta-type thoughts about Bad Boy, now the dust has started to settle. There could hardly have been more hype in the run up to the release of Shingeki FLY, but Bad Boy certainly delivered. It’s classic Isayama; for such a short chapter it really packs an emotional punch, blending real pathos and tragedy with shockingly graphic violence and body horror. It doesn't really add anything to the over all plot, which is to be expected, but it does provide insight into Levi’s character and answers one question that fans have been speculating about for years.

The story of why Levi holds his tea cup in such a peculiar way isn’t new. Isayama mentioned this in a magazine interview (I think?) way back in 2014

Q: …why he has such way of holding cup? Isayama: About that, I was thinking of drawing this one day. When he was a kid, Levi was living in slums and poverty. He was yearning for a life in clean & neat environment (not rich life). When he finally obtained the tea and tea set those he has been desperately wanted, he was rejoicing that finally he can drink it. But when he started to grip on the handle and lift up the cup, the handle came off and his cup was shattered. He was so traumatised by this experience and that’s why he changed his way of holding cups to not using the handle.

However we now know that the cup belonged to his mother and the extraordinary lengths Levi went to recover it. What is new is that we finally have confirmation of when Levi’s Ackerpowers were awakened. Fans have been arguing about this for years; some thought it was when he killed the man with the knife immediately before Kenny left, others suggested it was when Farlan and Isabel were killed. Now we finally have an answer. It’s not exactly clear how much time has lapsed between Kenny taking Levi in, his powers awakening, and Kenny leaving, however the fact that Kuchel’s tea set hadn’t yet made its way to the surface suggests that not much time had passed at all.

Levi’s description of his powers awakening is fascinating;

“Strangely enough I didn’t doubt what was happening to me at that moment. The pain had vanished, my head was calm, as if it had been immersed in water. Clear instructions on what to do came to my mind. I simply followed them one by one.”

This is the most information we’ve ever had about the famous Ackerpowers and goes some way to explaining Levi and Mikasa’s preternatural calm and focus when they're fighting. They really only succumb to panic and despair when their loved ones are threatened. Think of Mikasa in Shiganshina and at Fort Salta, and Levi when Farlan and Isabel die and when he allows Zeke to escape after Erwin rode out to his death.

The panel illustrating Levi’s powers awakening is also interesting as it looks very like a Titan transformation. This suggests there is more than a grain of truth in what the Yeagers said about Ackermans being a by-product of Titan science, who were able to access the power of the Titans without becoming Titans themselves.

It’s not difficult to draw a direct line between the abuse and persecution Levi suffered as a child, with his determination to use his power to protect those in need. Initially he used his strength to protect the vulnerable people of the Underground, such as Isabel, however once he met Erwin he was able to exert his power to serve an even higher goal - saving humanity. Isayama discussed this in the Answers Guidebook way back in 2006 and I think his comments are worth repeating here.

Isayama With the heroes of American comics, conflicts dealing with the situation “with great power, comes great responsibility” have been depicted. In Levi’s case, if he had no power, he would probably have been an ordinary person with no responsibilities but, as a consequence of having power, that he became a person excessively burdened with responsibility. Kenny talked about “everyone… was a slave to something…”, when he put the question to Levi “what is yours!?”, Levi himself too perceived it. That he himself too was a slave in regard to his own strength. The sense of duty that “I must become a hero”. …the same thing can be said of Mikasa too but…, for the Ackerman family, in the service of their master, there are many people who are able to manifest their power to its maximum.

[Translation by @tsuki-no-ura]

I think it's also very in keeping with Levi's character that he remained devoted to saving humanity after the Rumbling; providing succour to the children in the refugee camp, and working to renew the environment destroyed by Eren's genocide, despite his injuries and regardless of whether he retained his Ackerpowers.

The title of the chapter, Bad Boy, is also interesting. No one actually calls Levi a “bad boy” in the chapter (though he is called worse) which suggests that this is how Levi sees himself. It makes me wonder how much he internalised the thug’s insinuation that his mother would have been disappointed in him, and it also recalls Levi’s speech to Historia and the 104th, where he says he’s fine playing the role of the violent lunatic. Poor baby.

Another point the chapter clarifies is the origin of Levi’s belief that Kenny was his father. To be honest, it’s hardly surprising that Levi assumed this considering Kenny clearly had some kind of relationship with his mother and took him in without question. Still, knowing that the seed of that belief was planted by a thug who was willing to torture and kill a child, or sell him into sexual slavery, really twists the knife.

[Translation by krtk.]

I am a little sad that we didn’t see more of Kenny in the chapter, but his presence certainly looms large.

I had expected to see more of Kuchel but at the same time I’m almost glad we didn’t. Her life was brutal beyond measure and we’ve already seen her tragic death. Several fans have suggested that the reason we only see Kuchel in partial profile is because Levi’s memories of her are so hazy, all he really recalls is her grace 😢

It’s remarkable that Kuchel was able to retain such poise and grace despite living in such desperate squalor. @momtaku has made the point that Kuchel appears to have been born into at least modest comfort, judging from Grandpa Ackermans’ home, which would explain where her elegance and also her fancy china came from. It’s heartbreaking that both she and Levi clung on to this small memento of a better life.

Levi’s devotion to his mother, his desire to emulate her grace and cling on to her belongings is devastating, is very much in keeping with everything we know about his character. Levi has boundless compassion, is deeply loyal, and never forgets those he loves, whether it’s Farlan and Isabel, Erwin, or his squad. He’s also very sentimental; saving his mother’s tea set, and drinking tea evokes a direct connection to Kuchel and the only good thing he remembers from the squalor and cruelty of his childhood. This makes Erwin’s willingness to indulge his sentimentality and bend the rules to procure a steady supply of high quality tea for Levi all the more poignant.

There's been some debate about Gabi's reaction to Levi's story in the final panel...

Some people have interpreted her expression as holding back tears, while others have suggested she's trying not to laugh. I'm definitely in the stifled laughter camp. It just seems so very typical of Gabi and her relationship with Levi...

Gabi: - winds Levi up - Levi: - trauma dumps - Gabi: - stifled laughter / more wind up - Falco: - actually upset - "Would you guys stop??" Onyankopon: - shade -

It's also very typical of Isayama to poke fun at his characters like this, and it stops the story from tipping over into bathos.

There is one burning question that Bad Boy doesn’t answer and it’s this - what tf was kid Levi doing in Mr Smith’s classroom??

Despite hoping against hope, I never really expected Isayama to answer this, because he does love to troll his readers. Is it too much to hope that sometime down the line he’ll reappear with another chapter called School Boy??

#levi ackerman #kenny ackerman #kuchel ackerman #gabi braun #erwin smith #bad boy #ackermans #ackerpowers #lostcauses meta #snk

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makeitmingi · 2 days

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The Cat and Dog Game [Chapter 41]

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Comedy

Pairing: Yunho x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Chef!Reader, RestaurantOwner!Yunho, MaitreD!Hongjoong, Waiter!Yeosang, Waiter!San, Waiter!Mingi, SousChef!Seonghwa, SousChef!Wooyoung, PrepChef!Jongho

Summary: Yunho's dream was to open and run his own restaurant. But he doesn't know anything when it comes to cooking. Until you came along and accepted the job, bringing with you a small crew. How will the black cat tame the energetic golden retriever?

Word count: 3.4K

Last week...

"Before everyone goes off for the night, can I have you all gather in the front for a bit? I would like to make an announcement." Yunho poked his head into the kitchen. You all glanced at each other then nodded your heads.

"What's up, boss man?" Wooyoung asked, emerging from the kitchen with the rest of you in tow. You and Seonghwa leaned against the counter, with you resting your head against his shoulder.

"It won't take long. So, our one year anniversary of the shop being open is drawing near." Yunho smiled.

"Damn, it's been a year, already?" Hongjoong let out a long exhale.

"To celebrate and thank you all for your efforts, we'll be closing for the entire week next week. I've booked a beach house in Yeosu, we'll drive up and spend a few days there." Yunho smiled.

"Wait, are you for real?" San blinked, smiling in excitement. Yunho nodded with a grin.

"Woah! Vacation!" Mingi cheered, hi-fiving Yeosang.

"It'll be a nice break. Enjoy the outdoors away from the busy city life." Seonghwa shrugged.

"Eww, grandpa." You and Wooyoung stuck your tongues out with disgust. Seonghwa just rolled his eyes, used to yours and Wooyoung's taunting jokes. Since you were the closest to him, Seonghwa wrapped an arm around you, pulling you into a noogie while you yelled in protest.

"Hwa!" You squealed as everyone just looked on, this was normal to them now and would rather not get involved with yours and Seonghwa's bickering.

"Call me old again!" He threatened. You pinched his waist, making him squirm and let you go.

"Anyway, considering the number of people and the amount of luggages we'll have, I rented 3 vans." Yunho informed.

"Nice. We can take turns driving." Jongho smiled. Yunho gave more details abouts this 'retreat' vacation but everyone was only partially listening, being too excited to listen.

"Thanks, Yunho ah. We're all looking forward to it." The boys all thanked Yunho.

"Heading back with us?" Jongho asked you.

"Whiskey's with Yunho so I'm staying at his tonight." You said. They nodded and gave you hugs. Seonghwa kissed your temple and squeezed your hand before they went to their cars. You slung your bag over your shoulder and went back to the front.

"Staying at Yunho's tonight?" San tilted his head. You nodded, smiling softly, watching Yunho and Yeosang work over the computer for the restaurant's social media page.

"It's really been a year, huh? Time flies quickly when you're so busy." Mingi snorted.

"Yeah. And just like that, my contract here with the crew is ending." You pointed out. Mingi and San looked at each other.

"But... you're resigning... right?" San looked at you with uncertainty. You didn't know, that was something you would have to discuss with Yunho when the time comes.

"I don't know what the future holds. And if Seonghwa, Wooyoung or Jongho want to leave. I won't stop them." You shrugged.

"That's nice of you, (y/n)." Mingi complimented.

"I'm not their boss or owner. They can go where ever they want. They're always being offered positions in high class, top of the line restaurants but turn them down to stick with me." You chuckled.

"You work well as a team, anyone can see it through the way you communicate and work. Having to leave this good synergy and work with strangers in a bigger, more high pressured environment is a lot on a person, emotionally, physically and mentally." San pointed out. You nodded in agreement.

"Ready to go?" Yunho jogged over, wrapping his arm around your shoulders. You nodded and waved to the others before heading to the back with Yunho.

"What were you guys talking about?" He asked as he retrieved his bag and coat from the locker room.

"Nothing important." You shrugged. He hummed and held your hand, giving you a kiss on the forehead, leading you out to his car.

"So, what do you think of the trip? Excited? I don't know if you're an outdoors person but I thought some peace in the countryside might be good and-" You cut Yunho off by pressing your lips to his.

"It sounds like it'll be fun, Yunho. With you and the boys." You pulled away with a soft smile on your lips.

"I'm glad. You deserve a break." He gave you a dreamy, dazed smile, making you laugh.

"We all do." You corrected and Yunho nodded. His family and Seonghwa's family had been constantly checking up on you after the fight with your father, you were truly grateful.

"Alright, let's go back to Whiskey before he starves to death. And by the way, my parents said they'll take care of him while we're away so you don't have to worry about him, okay?" Yunho started the car and drove back to his place.

"Sure, I'll cook or bake something to bring to them when we drop Whiskey off. To thank them properly." You smiled.

You hummed to yourself as you packed snacks and drinks into the cooler for the trip. Seonghwa and Jongho were behind you, making sandwiches for everyone.

"I'm here. Sorry I'm late, Kyungmin wouldn't let me go." Wooyoung groaned as he burst through the door.

"You stayed at your parents' place last night?" Seonghwa asked.

"I needed to borrow dad's suitcase so I brought stuff there, packed it into the suitcase and slept there." Wooyoung yawned, shuffling over and throwing his arms around you.

"Morning. Mingi and Hongjoong hyung are getting the other two vans." Yunho came out, fresh from the shower.

"Hey." You all greeted him back. Yunho came over and leaned in to give you a kiss.

"I'm right here." Wooyoung mumbled, still glued to your side with Yunho's body draped over his.

"No one asked you to be here." You squirmed to make him release his grip on you. You grabbed the huge jar of cold brew coffee from the fridge and put it into the cooler as well. Yunho chuckled and grabbed himself a mug of coffee as he looked over what all of you were packing for the trip.

"It's only a 4 hour drive and there'll be food there, you know? No need to pack the whole kitchen." He joked when he saw the amount of food that was being made and packed.

"Just in case anyone gets hungry. There's 9 of us. And you and Seonghwa hyung each eat for 3 people." Jongho reminded.

"Rude." Seonghwa hit the back of Jongho's head.

"Alright. We're done. Let me go grab my last minute things." You washed your hands and jogged to the room, not knowing that Yunho was behind you.

"You're bringing Yuyu and Yunnie?" Yunho asked, leaning against the door fram as he sipped his coffee.

"I'm gonna ignore the underlying judgement in your tone." You scoffed, tucking Yuyu under one arm and Yunnie under the other.

"No judgement at all, love. It's cute." He chuckled, coming over to kiss the crown of your head. You sent him a skeptical look but brushed past him to go out, placing Yuyu and Yunnie on your luggage, which was already packed and ready.

"Mingi and Hongjoong hyung are downstairs with the rest. Shall I asked them to come upstairs or are we ready to head down?" Yunho asked, looking at his phone.

"We're ready." Wooyoung said. You did a final check that all the lights and electronics in your house was off before you all went down.

"Good morning." The other boys greeted.

"Morning." You all replied back. San, half asleep, smiled and came over to hug you. Your eyes widened in surprise but laughed and patted his back.

"Sleep in the van, Sannie." You cooed. He nodded his head with a cute hum. Yunho scowled, dragging San away from you.

"So how are we splitting into the vans?" Yeosang asked once all the bags were loaded into the backs of all 3 vans.

"I'm driving one of the vans first and (y/n)'s with me no matter what so we need one more person." Yunho raised his hand, voicing out quickly. Besides Yunho, it seemed that Mingi and Hongjoong were the other two drivers, for the first part of the trip that is. You raised an eyebrow.

"Who says I wanna be with you? I always ride with Hwa." You asked. Yunho's jaw dropped slightly while Seonghwa snickered.

"But... But we're always together." Yunho frowned with a pout.

"We all drive so rotating drivers will be easy. The first batch of drivers will drive to the first rest stop at least." Hongjoong said, ignoring Yunho's whines.

"Good plan." You hummed. In the end, it was decided that you would ride with Yunho and Jongho. Mingi, San and Wooyoung would take one van while Hongjoong, Seonghwa and Yeosang the last van.

"You always give into him." Mingi shook his head.

"Like you don't. You've been giving into him longer than I have." You poked the taller's chest.

"True. Because he gives into me a lot too." Mingi laughed, wrapped an arm around your shoulders. He pressed his head into your temple as you shared a laugh.

"Hey, we have to get going!" Yunho yelled. You patted Mingi on the back and went to your van. Seonghwa gave out food, snacks and drinks to all the vans. You poured out coffee into to go cups for those that wanted it for the drive.

"As expected, travelling with chefs is indeed different." Yeosang laughed and sipped his coffee. After Jongho handed out the walkie talkies to everyone, you all jumped into your vans and drove out.

"You and Mingi hyung were awfully friendly." Jongho coughed.

"Shut up, Jong." You rolled your eyes, getting comfortable in the passenger seat with Yuyu and Yunnie.

"Don't pout. Jongho's just tryna start something." You reached over to pinch Yunho's cheek. Climbing over the middle console, you gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Ugh I shouldn't have chosen the van with the couple." Jongho faked a gag of disgust.

"What, you jealous? Want me to give you a kiss on the cheek too?" You teased, making Jongho stick his tongue out at you.

"You should get some sleep, love. It'll be a while until the first rest stop." Yunho turned to cast you a soft smile. You shook your head, unwrapping a sandwich to eat.

"Here, we'll share." You chewed, holding it out to Yunho to take a bite. You knew he was always hungry, just like Seonghwa. And he wouldn't feel tired if he's eating. After turning your head to offer Jongho a sandwich, you noticed that he was already asleep. But you kept yourself awake, wanting to accompany Yunho.

"What can we do when we get there?" You asked, taking another bite of the sandwich.

"There's a beach a few minutes walk away from the house so activities will be beach stuff like play in the sand, swim, all that sort of things." Yunho informed.

"Play in the sand?" You laughed with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, I make a mean sandcastle, alright?" Yunho scoffed. You giggled and settled further into the seat.

"Seriously, my love. Go to sleep, hmm? I'll be fine, not even tired. Infinite golden retriever energy, remember?" Yunho coaxed. You rolled your eyes.

"Fine. But wake me if you feel like you're falling asleep or ask Jongho to take over." You said.

"Yes, ma'am. And I'm offended you think I would put you in such danger." Yunho squinted his eyes at you.

Pulling your jacket over your legs, you held Yuyu and Yunnie, leaning against the corner between the seat and the door behind closing your eyes and letting sleep take over you. It wasn't hard considering you barely slept last night, packing for the trip.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

You jumped when the tapping on the window jolted you awake. You sat up properly, looking around and seeing Seonghwa's standing outside the car door.

"Rise and shine, sweetheart. We're at the first rest stop." Seonghwa cooed, brushing the hair away from your face.

"Come on." Seonghwa helped you out of the passenger seat.

"Wait, where's Yunho?" You yawned, not even realising Yunho was right behind you. You held Seonghwa's hand, letting him lead you since you were still half asleep.

"I'm here, love." Yunho chuckled, finding you absolutely adorable with how you followed Seonghwa like a lost child.

"Still sleepy, love?" Yunho asked as he sat beside you on the seat. You nodded and leaned against his shoulder. He put his arm around you to keep you warm. Once Seonghwa made sure you were secured with Yunho, he went off with the rest to get some food. Rest stop snacks was always good.

"Wakey wakey, jagiya. We got food." Seonghwa and Wooyoung put the tray of food down. Mingi and San were behind, carrying trays of more food for everyone.

"Drinks too." Jongho and Hongjoong came. You sat up, stretching your hands over your head.

"Here." Yeosang handed you a quarter of a fried potato. You smiled and blew on it before putting it in your mouth.

"Yummy." You let out little sounds of happiness. Using the same stick, you grabbed a rice cake from Seonghwa's bowl and ate it. Then you fed one to Yunho.

"Yunho hyung, I'll take over driving the second half so you can sleep." Jongho said as he chewed.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks." Yunho said before stealing a bite of Mingi's ramen, making the other tall male move the bowl away possessively.

After everyone finished eating, you all returned your trays. Then the group split up, some went to the drinks stand to get drinks for the road while the others went to get some more snacks to eat in the car. You stood in line with San on your arm.

"What are you getting?" Hongjoong leaned over to ask you. You squinted your eyes to look at the menu that was far away.

"Hwa won't let me have another coffee considering I drank most of what is in the cooler already... I think I'll have a strawberry basil cooler." You decided.

"Ooh, that sounds nice. Me too!" San raised his head from your shoulder and declared.

"Oh, Seonghwa wanted the mango yoghurt blend." You said, checking your phone to make sure you got Seonghwa's order right.

"Sure." Hongjoong stepped up to give all the orders to the counter person. She smiled sweetly at Hongjoong then her eyes trailed to San, who was still clinging onto you.

"You're both handsome." The girl complimented, eyes still cast on you, trying to get a reaction out of you.

"Thanks, Joong. We'll wait at the end. Come, Sannie." You walked to the end with San, not even acknowledging the girl at the counter. The girl's jaw dropped slightly at how you were nonchalant about it. You weren't possessive or 'bitchy' seeing another girl flirt with the guys that you were with.

"You're funny, (y/n). Seriously, you're like a black cat." Hongjoong laughed as he walked over to where you and San were waiting for the drinks. You felt San nod in agreement.

"What does that even mean?" You scoffed.

"That girl was trying to get a reaction out of you by flirting with us. And you didn't even blink twice." San explained.

"Oh... Well, she can flirt with you guys if she wants. Those things don't really bother me, I guess. Girls flirt with Yunho all the time, normal to me." You shrugged.

"As expected, very black cat of you to not be bothered." Hongjoong patted your shoulder.

"Still don't know what that means." You chuckled.

"It's okay, just know you and Yunho are like... match made in heaven." San smiled, patting your head. You sent him an odd look but rolled your eyes.

"This is everything." Hongjoong gave out your drinks to you and San. You carried Seonghwa's in your free hand so San opened the straw and stuck it into your drink for you. Once everything was secured, the 3 of you left to find the others.

"Here you go, Hwa." You handed Seonghwa his drink before separating back to your respective vans.

"Sit with Yunho hyung in the back, I'm good up front. Just no PDA or I might throw myself out of the moving vehicle." Jongho said to you as he moved his things to the passenger seat.

"That last part aside, are you sure? I can sit up front with you. Yunho's not 3." You chuckled.

"I'm sure." He squeezed your hand.

Of course, Yunho wouldn't try to convince you to sit in the passenger seat. He was ecstatic, the moment he laid his head in your lap, he was out like a light.

"Wow, don't think I've seen anyone fall asleep so quickly." You laughed softly, brushing Yunho's fringe.

"You know, Mingi and San were talking to me about our contracts. It's almost done. And they asked what our plans were." You spoke.

"Oh, right... I didn't even think about that but I guess it's almost up since it's been a year. Considering that, I haven't even thought about what to do after the contract ends." Jongho said, his voice not giving anything away. You let out a small hum, nodding your head slowly. You looked down at Yunho's face.

"You know Yunho hyung wouldn't want you to stay just because of him. You'll still have a great relationship whether you're working there or not. He would want you to go where you want to go." He added.

"Yeah, I know. He's too nice. But I don't know yet. What about you? Do you think you'll go up?" You asked back.

"Not sure. I'll go where you go." He shrugged.

"You guys always go where I go, turning down such great opportunities. Don't you wanna be a sous chef in a big kitchen?" You chuckled, still fiddling with Yunho's fringe.

"If I wanted to be a sous chef, I would have taken the title when you offered it to me." He pointed out.

"That's not what I'm referring too. Come on, you all can make a name for yourselves, not be like me, jumping from kitchen to kitchen."

"Sounds like you're letting your dad's words get to you... But anyway, the only reason we've broadened our skills and gained all this food knowledge under our belts is because we're moving from kitchen to kitchen with you. Which is good." Jongho replied.

"My heart wants to stay with Yunho and the others. My brain wants me to move on, find another kitchen to learn and grow in." You sighed, leaning against the door.

"Well, sit your brain and heart down at a table and make them work it out. Like a mediation." Jongho chuckled.

"Right. If only it were that easy." You laughed.

Finally, after a couple more hours of driving, all the vans pulled up to big beach house villa. You and the boys were in awe at how grand the place was.

"Okay, how are we splitting rooms? There are two rooms in the basement, two upstairs and one on this level." Yunho asked.

"(y/n)'ll get her own room, I'm assuming?" Wooyoung turned to you. Before Yunho could interject, you nodded.

"Well, if that's okay with all of you, I'll gladly take the room or I can room with Hwa." You asked the rest for their approval, who nodded their heads too.

"No, wait a minute. Stop, (y/n)'s not rooming on her own or with Seonghwa hyung. I'm rooming with (y/n). You guys can split the rest of the rooms and fight over who is bunking solo." Yunho corrected, speaking on your behalf. You crossed your arms, raising an eyebrow of amusement at him.

"Thanks, everyone. I'll take the room with the connected bathroom." You waved and grabbed your bags, going upstairs. Jongho helped you. Yunho's jaw dropped as you just left him there.

"This is going to be an eventful getaway for sure." You chuckled. Jongho nodded in agreement, laughing as he put your bag down.

"As long as I'm not caught in the middle of Seonghwa hyung, Wooyoung hyung and Yunho hyung fighting for your bed." He laughed, making you facepalm.

Secretly, you didn't mind the bickering. With everything that happened with your father, you were just happy to have all of them with you.

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beenbaanbuun · 1 day

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lord huron songs w/ateez

so listen…. i know i said nothing for a few days but sometimes your brain just thinks if something and then you have to do it because if you don’t you’ll forget about it!! anyway… i love lord huron so…

kim hongjoong - louisa

“i’m glad i met you,” hongjoong whispers to you one night as the two of you lie side by side on the hood of his car. whilst you lie watching the stars, distracted by the way the twinkle, hongjoong keeps his gaze firmly on you. the way the moonlight hits your skin has his heart beating at an unnatural rate; if he were to sit here and stare at you for much longer, he doesn’t doubt it would explode in his chest.

“yeah?” you murmur, voice sounding like a wind chime, bringing music and joy to his otherwise stormy life. he sighs, basking in the gentle sound for just a moment. “i’m glad i met you too,” you hum. hongjoong just shakes his head.

you’ll never know how he feels about you because you have a life outside of him. you have brightness and purpose; a job that you love and friends that care for you. you have happiness and passion; he has you and that’s all. monotony and routine take up his day to day, his simple nine to five slowly taking his resolve to pieces bit by bit. ‘good for nothing’ is how he sees himself and that’s how he’ll be remembered. he can only be glad that he met you when he did because now when he passes on in 60 years instead of just soon, loving husband will lie on his gravestone too.

he smiles at you brightly at the thought of you taking him by the hand and pulling him from the grave that he’s already dug for himself. your sweet words and gentle kisses helped him fill in the hole and pat the dirt back down. your tenderness and love spread the seeds and helped the grass grow back over the disturbed ground. it didn’t take long for that grave to become a thing of the past; a well kept secret that hongjoong would never share with another living soul.

he may have died, but your loving raised him.

park seonghwa - la belle fleur sauvage

the beat-up truck that sits outside of seonghwa’s stuffy office block sticks out like a sore thumb, the woman inside of it drawing the attention of each passer by. you don’t belong there, but perhaps that’s why people like to stop and stare. with beauty unmatched and a personality that even the strongest man couldn’t tame, you were nothing more than a fantasy to most of them. not to him, though. not to seonghwa.

he shrugs his suit jacket off and tosses it into the backseat through the open window. it’s lands with a thud, the expensive fabric all crumpled and disheveled. a year ago, the idea of treating his possessions so carelessly would’ve killed him, but as he crawls into the passenger seat, all he can think about is the woman sitting prettily behind the wheel.

“you know, you really don’t have to pick me up from work,” he chuckles as the door shuts behind him. “i appreciate the gesture, my little wildflower, but it’s a little far out of your way, isn’t it?”

you shrug as you start up the ignition, the rattly engine roaring to life.

“when has something being out of reach ever stopped me?” you muse, shifting the truck into gear, “you should know by now that it’ll take a lot more than a little car journey to keep me away from what i want.”

“am i what you want?” he teases, voice lilting prettily as he watches you try to hide your smile. he knows that if you didn’t have to keep your eyes on the road, you’d be sending him a look sharp enough to kill. though, even with that wildness in your eyes, seonghwa can’t think of a more beautiful person on this earth.

jeong yunho - fool for love

there’s a knock at your door, three loud thuds and then silence. a brief look towards the clock tells you that it’s late, but you can’t find it in you to worry. the danger of whoever is behind your door seems to be outweighed by your curiosity; who could possibly be coming to see you at such an hour? you shuffle to the door with determination, pyjama pants dragging along your floorboards as you search for the answer to your question.

your hand finds the doorknob, tugging at it lightly until the door swings open, a dear friend of yours waiting behind it. with a grin on your face, you go to greet him, but before a single word can slip from your tongue, his lips press against yours. it takes you by surprise, and yet somehow you don’t mind it; all it takes is a second or two until you’re kissing him back.

and then he pulls back, chest heaving with each death breath he pulls through his swollen lips. you brush a thumb against them, wiping away your spit.

“i’m leaving,” he says, as if that explains everything, “i’m skipping town and i… i need you with me… please.”

it’s not hard for you to pack your bags. in fact you’d say it’s rather easy. perhaps too much so to say that you’re saying goodbye to everything you’ve ever known. and as yunho loads your belongings into the back seat of his car, you can’t help but smile as you lock your door for the final time.

kang yeosang - until the night turns

you wake up from a dreamless slumber to your boyfriend staring down at you, tears in the corners of his eyes and a rattled expression painted over his pretty features. you frown at him, wearily lifting a hand to wipe away the droplets that had begin to make a path down the side of his face. in your hazy state, there’s not much more you can convince yourself to do; you hope that your wordless comfort is enough to settle him a little.

“i had a bad dream,” he explains, deep voice wavering like a scared child, “the world was ending and i just,” he cuts himself off with a sigh, “it sounds silly but i wanted to spend my last few hours with you.”

you can’t help but give him an amused smile. only he would let such a silly dream get to him this much, your sweet boy. it’s clear he needs comfort, and even with your brain only working at half the speed it should, you’re quick to tug him close and wrap him up in your arms; if it’s comfort he wants, then it’s comfort he’ll get. your lips find his temple.

“we can stay awake until the sun rises,” you offer, voice gravelly with sleep. he hums in appreciation as he huddles in closer.

“but what if the world does end?” his voice is pitiful and weak. you give him one long squeeze with your arms.

“then at least we’ll be together when it does.”

choi san - the man who lives forever

“you know how people say that no one wants to live forever?” san murmurs to you one morning. the two of you have yet to move from his bed, despite the clock on the nightstand letting you know that moon is rapidly approaching. the alarm has rang through the room at least thrice, and yet neither of you have dared to slip from the other’s arms. perhaps its what you both need, a full day of nothing, drowning in one another’s love. “i think i’d want to if you were with me.”

the words make you lift your gaze, your head that rests on his bare chest pivoting until you can see his face. it’s set in stone, expression deadly serious as he declares his intentions to live forever with you by his side. a petite grin finds its way to your lips.

“oh yeah?” you taunt, “and why is that?”

a large hand finds its way to the top of your head, gentle fingers caressing your hair as the man they belong to mulls over his thoughts. his expression twists thoughtfully as he pieces together what he wants to say. he’s handsome like this, not that he isn’t all the time. its just that the way his nose scrunches and his lips purse make you realise just how cute he is. you could fall in love with him all over again.

“because i think i could live in this moment with you until the day i die, and i’d still think it was too short,” his nails scrape against your scalp in a way that makes you instantly relax. you curl up into his body with a hum. “i want to have you in my arms until the sun explodes and takes us with it, and i’m not even sure that’ll be long enough.”

song mingi - moonbeam

“i had a dream about you last night,” mingi hums as you pass him a bowl of popcorn in preparation for your bi-monthly movie marathon. you toss yourself down onto the couch beside him, leaning in close as you grab a fist-full of popcorn and begin to slowly feed yourself. he takes your silence as a gesture for him to continue, popping a piece of the snack between his lips first. “yeah, it started off as a nightmare and then you came along and made it all better.”

you snort at the idea of saving your best friend from whatever demons choose to haunt his nights. you can’t imagine it’s anything too frightening; the big baby gets intimidated by the smallest of things. it really wouldn’t take much for you to be his night in shining armour.

“and how did i make everything better?” your voice is teasing as it comes out, but you genuinely are curious about the answer. you let your gaze meet his, taking no notice of how close his face is to yours. if you thought about it for more than a millisecond, you might have registered the way you can feel his warm breath against your face, or the way his pupils keep flicking between looking you in the eye and looking down at your pink lips.

“you kissed me,” he whispers, and despite your proximity, you barely hear it. “and suddenly everything was okay. all my bad thoughts were gone and it was just… you.”

you look at him with wide eyes, unsure of what to say to his confession. of course, it’s a shock to hear something like that from your best friend, but that’s not to say it’s unwelcome. he chuckles lowly at the way you stare at him.

“oh, don’t look at me like that,” he inches even closer, lips barely grazing against your own, “you can’t tell me you can’t see how much i want to love you.”

jung wooyoung - cursed

wooyoung moans into the kiss that you press against his mouth. hot and mouth wateringly delicious, he can’t seem to get enough of the way your lips feel against him. it’s like you’ve laced your lipgloss with cocaine or something because at this point, it’s an addiction, and try as he might, he can’t seem to kick it.

at this point, he isn’t even sure he wants to.

“holy fuck,” he mumbles against you, opening his eyes for just a brief moment so he can take you in in all your glory. puffy wet lips, swollen from all the lust and passion wooyoung had put into the kiss. a pretty pink tongue darts out to lap at the layer of his spit that glazes them, and he feels his brain go foggy. “i think you’ve cast a spell on me or something, baby. it’s the only reasonable explanation for why i’m so fucking obsessed with you.”

his lips find yours once more, tongue intertwining easily with yours. they play with one another for a short while before he lets you take over, relaxing his jaw a little to let you lazily lick into his mouth. something about you taking him up on his offer of control has him groaning into your mouth. you’re so adorable, even when you’re in charge.

“i’ve not done anything,” you whisper against his open mouth, pulling away ever so slightly to catch your breath, “it’s hardly my fault you took one at me and decided to make it your life’s mission to worship me.”

“shut up, brat,” he chuckles against you, chasing your lips with his own, “i wouldn’t feel the need to worship you if you hadn’t laid some sort of curse on me.”

choi jongho - mine forever

“if you never want to see my face again, i’ll understand,” the weak voice warbles from the other side of your door. it hurts to listen to after the fight you had last night, the wounds still fresh and aching. it’s even worse to listen to when you know your boyfriend doesn’t so easily cry, and yet here he is, sobbing on your doorstep. you swallow the lump in your throat, wiping your own tears away in a desperate attempt to pull yourself together. “just please, give me closure so i know how you feel.”

if you weren’t so upset, the situation would’ve probably made you laugh. it had been less than 24 hours since you walked out of his apartment and walked it back to yours, and yet the poor boy was acting like you’d left him with nothing for weeks. even despite the pain that swims through your veins, you can’t help but find his dramatics adorable, and you find a small smile gracing your lips as you finally move to unlock the door.

he looks a state, red, puffy eyes, hair matted and stuck to his forehead, lips chapped and bloody. you want to hold him in your arms, comfort him through his suffering. then you remember he caused this suffering himself, as well as all the pain that resides in your own chest. you fold your arms in front of you.

“you look like shit,” are the first words to leave your lips. he just stares at you blankly.

“i can’t sleep without you,” is all he says in response.

“you mean you haven’t slept since last night?” he shakes his head, and you feel your heart crack just a little. so much for pulling yourself together.

“i can’t live without you, baby,” he whispers as you invite him into your arms, tucking his face into the crook of your neck, “and i’m too young to die.”

#ateez x reader #ateez fanfic #ateez oneshot #ateez fluff #ateez scenarios #ateez fic #ateez headcanons

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Text

𝕽𝖊𝖒𝖊𝖒𝖇𝖊𝖗 𝖞𝖊 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘.

Ch 14: He looked at me like I was the stars when all I’d ever felt like was the dark nothingness between them.

A sequel to Whither is thy beloved gone? (AO3)

After the events of ‘Whither is thy beloved gone?’ Lord Astarion Ancuńin and his consort wife navigate their relationship anew. The ghosts of the past - his, hers, and theirs - threaten to unravel everything they’ve worked for.

The reception is in full swing.

Professionally edited and collaborated on by my dearest friend <3 @editing-by-night

Read on AO3.

Masterlist

Art by @lirotation

They were in the gardens, holding a pose, the artist furiously sketching. Ban exhaled, resisting the urge to drop her shoulders and slouch. Beside her Astarion held still effortlessly.

“Can we-” she called to the artist. “Oskar. Can we please end this for the day? It’s our fifth piece from you. I’m sure you already know what we look like by now.”

“But, to strive for perfection!” Oskar threw his hands up in the air. “You cannot possibly-”

Astarion broke his pose, wrapping a hand around her wrist before striding away. “You can, Oskar. I’m sure an artist of your caliber can fill the blanks in with their formidable imagination.”

Before Oskar could respond, he had already led Ban away.

That was the last portrait for the day; they had spent the past two hours posing for various artists to put down preliminary sketches.

Astarion felt Ban lean against him and press her temple against his shoulder. “Another quick change,” she grumbled, “and then onto the reception.”

“Remind me. Which dress are you changing into?”

She frowned, thinking. “The same as the first. I have one less than you do.”

They arrived at the bedroom, making sure not to pass by the ballroom where the guests had been mingling. The ensembles had been moved there ahead of them and Ban flopped onto the bed, closing her eyes. Not even their most lengthy ball had come close to the amount of preparation or the duration of this wedding, and she privately wished they had merely eloped.

“I cannot wait for this to be over.”

He smirked, the sight of her sprawled on the bed both endearing and arousing, and his fingers flew over the clasps on his suit. He undid it enough to bare his chest, then crawled on top of her, straddling her hips.

“Because you’re exhausted, darling? A pity. I had all sorts of plans for tonight.” He smirked as she opened her eyes to glare at him.

“I’m sure some blood will perk me up.” Ban waved a hand dismissively.

Astarion took her words to heart, eagerly arching his neck in invitation. She ran gentle fingers down his neck, tracing his old scars, and he shivered.

“Your restraint finally failing you?” The soft touch of her fingers, her thumb caressing his Adam’s apple, the sheer nearness of her body under his - so godsdamned close… as much as he wanted to wait until tonight to break his fast, his head nodded of its own volition.

He leaned down, her hand wrapping around the back of his neck - a position reminiscent of the first night he’d bitten her, he thought with some amusement - and she bit down, fangs sinking into him with that familiar cold, sharp bite. Astarion didn’t fight it, hips pressing against her and rolling with a deliberate, delicious slowness, savoring the friction of his cock dragging across her mound.

“Perhaps,” he drawled. “You’d best be certain not to spill this time, Ban. You do not want these clothes- oh.”

She had licked up the wounds, and had kissed her way to his ear, licking around its edges. His body jerked, the thrust of his hips no longer quite controlled.

“You minx,” he growled, although there was little bite in it. “I never agreed to anything more than biting.”

“Mm.” Another long, slow pass of her tongue, drawing out a whine from him. “And yet you have not pulled away.”

He felt her hands beginning to roam his chest, stroking the hard planes of muscle. His heart raced at the contact and he bit his lip.

“Ban. Lower.”

“As you wish, my lord,” she purred playfully, sensually, drifting her hand over taut abdominal muscles before palming his erection.

He bucked, helpless against the need that filled him. Too long. Far too long. He reached between them to tug down his trousers, revealing the head of his cock. He gasped and his eyes shut as he felt Ban trace the slit gently, collecting his precum.

“I said my vows today,” she whispered against his ear, her hand sliding into his trousers and wrapping around his length, “but there are more. More things to tell you, things I wish I’d told you long ago.” She caressed his cheek, in time with a long, slow stroke, and he whined.

More. Was this her rising to the challenge he’d given her last night? Either way, he found himself entirely at her mercy. Whatever words were soon to fall from her lips, they were words he would die to hear, words he felt would heal every single ache he had ever endured. She pulled at his waistband, freeing his length before taking him in her grasp once more; the tightness and feel of her hand around his cock caused a long twitch. His lips parted, only one word on them - a prayer.

“Please.”

She kissed his forehead, a soft press of lips so achingly tender, a perfect contrast to the firm strokes of his cock. He rolled his hips, palms flat on the bed on either side of her, eyes squeezed shut.

“You…” she began, “are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever laid eyes upon. I remember it as if it were yesterday - the scent of the sea, the rustling of the trees - and you, hair shining in the midday sun, asking for help. Gorgeous. Ethereal. Perfect.” The last words were breathed against his ear, and he leaned down further, as far as he could go, wanting to hear every last syllable.

He could see it in his mind’s eye, her body pressed against his, his dagger inches away from her throat. The sun, beating down on him. Her in camp. The clearing. She dragged her hand slowly, the pressure on his cock divine, and he grunted.

She cupped his cheek, tracing the sharp lines with her thumb. “But there was more to you than just looks. Your voice, your humor, your heart,” and she tutted as he scoffed, placing her palm flat against his chest, “everything. You. I loved you even before I understood what that meant. I wanted to keep you safe. I wanted you to be happy.”

He savored all her words, panting as he listened, his ass clenching as the thrust into her hand. He reached down, running his fingers along the delicate curve of her wrist, a silent plea for her to keep going. "You're incredible, you know that?"

“Shush. We’re talking about you, Astarion.”

His name, purred from her lips, spurred him on.

The delicious feel of her palm stroking him, the memories - of then and today, watching her walk down the aisle towards him, to him.

His hips bucked faster, mindlessly rutting against her strokes, soft pants the only sound he was able to make. He was close, he knew; he’d need very little more - a few more swipes across his tip, a caress at the sensitive bottom of his cockhead and he’d be done-

No. Not yet. He gently pulled at her hand, a quick, soft tug that she didn’t even seem to notice. Her strokes increased in speed, sensing he was close and wanting to push him over.

He swallowed hard, the rush of thoughts suddenly feeling like they were drowning him. The nights under the tent, his fingers and tongue deep inside her, those final nights when she’d finally touched him again, just like this, but also every single day since they’d found their way back to one another - soft gazes, breathless moans in the night, his name, whispered from her lips - something he would never tire of. Her in her wedding dress, nervously making her vows to him. The entire month spent longing for her, forcing himself to calm whenever he’d been overwhelmed with wanting, his cock so desperate for any friction that the slightest touch had him rock hard. Just a few more hours and his fast would be ended in exactly the way he’d hoped for all these weeks, all he had to do was hold out just a bit longer.

He gripped Ban’s wrist more tightly, but again she didn’t notice; he could feel himself teetering over the edge - one more stroke and he’d no doubt spill into her hand. His heart was racing, his breathing rapid, and he felt a little dizzy and he was so, so close and she still hadn’t stopped…

No. Not yet. Not until tonight. Not like this. Not when I’m overwhelmed. Not-

“Sussur!”

Immediately she let go, the edges of his orgasm fading as he leaned back and flexed his thighs to keep from spilling over the edge. Her hands cupped his face and she scanned his features, worry etched in hers.

“What happened? Did I do something wrong? I’m so sorry, please,” she said, the words tumbling out in a nervous rush.

He shook his head quickly, lowering himself to lay on top of her. The sensation of his still-sensitive cock pressing against her made him moan.

“No, my love. It just slipped out, you did nothing wrong. In fact,” he turned to meet her gaze, head nestled between her breasts, “you…”

He found the words stuck on his throat. He cleared it, and tried again. “I did not quite expect…”

“For me to stop? Of course I would.” She ran her fingers through his curls; he leaned into the touch. He’d have to re-style his hair before they left the room.

“I know.” He blinked back tears, surprised to even feel them welling up in the first place. “I knew you would,” he clarified, “but there was a small part of me that feared, in that split second after I said it…”

“That your wishes would not be honored,” Ban finished for him. Her hands slid down his back and held him tight.

He nodded. “That was the first thing that came to mind.” Too many memories flashed through his mind, of people who refused to heed his wishes, who’d laughed and-

He shook his head. He wouldn’t think of that today.

“T-thank you,” he whispered, nuzzling against her more firmly. He hated the waver in his voice, but there was nothing for it.

“Of course.” Her fingers traced the embroidery on his suit jacket. “Would you tell me what went wrong, love?”

“Nothing, really. I wanted to save it for tonight.” He smiled at her, a little uncertain. “I did not want it right now, in between all these proceedings. Hurried. I was extremely close but you seemed to think my attempts to stop you were encouragement, and I began to feel a bit… anxious.”

Ban considered this. “I understand. I’m sorry, Astarion. I didn’t realize. You made me come earlier, and I thought I’d return the favor.” He could tell she knew there was more to it. “Was this all…” she waved a hand, “too much?”

“A little. But I wouldn’t consider it something bad, merely overwhelming, and definitely not how I wanted to break my fast.”

She frowned. “I’m so sor-”

He laughed, crawling up to kiss her. “Don’t you dare apologize. It was wonderful, and I found myself too close far too soon.” He looked down at himself; the dull ache of his unsatisfied need made his cock throb painfully. He pulled away, rolled off of her and sat up. He tucked himself back in. “I’d very much love to continue hearing all those words of yours. Tonight.”

“Still think I’m not up to the challenge?” she asked, stretching on the bed.

He shook his head. “With a little more practice, you might hope to at least contend with me.”

She snorted and nudged him with her foot. “Hm. I doubt tha-”

He caught her ankle in his grasp, running his fingers on the underside of her foot, tickling her. She squealed, and he let her go, smirking. “See? You have a ways to go, Ban.”

She rolled her eyes and propped herself up on her elbows. “Fine.” One last stretch, and she sat up. “Let’s get changed. We have a long night ahead of us.”

He hummed in response, his thoughts focused entirely on what they would be doing after the reception.

Astarion sipped from his goblet as he watched two of his ghouls drag Volo away. Satisfied the party crasher had been dealt with, he scanned the rest of the room. There was Ban, in deep conversation with Jaheira, Minsc hovering with that rat on his shoulder. He hadn’t seen them in what felt like ages. Those two had departed soon after the Netherbrain had been defeated, with nary a goodbye - then again, no one had really bid him farewell, other than Gale.

He watched Karlach and Wyll depart for Avernus, watched Lae’zel fly off on her dragon. Stood there, side by side with Ban, who was bloodied and noticeably injured. He slipped an arm around her waist, and for once she did not shy away, leaning on him, too exhausted to even level a snide remark.

That night they had a small party to celebrate, Gale, Halsin, Shadowheart, Jaheira and Minsc were with them. They hardly paid him any mind, he may as well not even have come. He sulked at the furthest end of the table, face mostly buried in his cup. Conversation flowed over him, as it always had since the rite - at this point there was little point in listening or trying to participate.

He flicked his eyes over to her mug. Seeing it empty, he wordlessly picked it up and headed for the bar. When he came back, Jaheira and Minsc had already turned in for the night. Halsin and Shadowheart stood to leave without a word. Only Gale remained, and Ban, of course.

“I must head to bed as well,” Gale said, nodding to him as he approached. “I do hope we keep in contact.”

He stood silently as Gale wrapped his arms around Ban one last time then nodded at him - Astarion allowed himself the smallest of nods in response - and watched Gale retire to his room.

That night he whisked Ban away to the Crimson Palace.

So much has changed since then, he thought, staring at the bottom of his goblet. Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he looked over to see Minsc waving at him. He raised his hand awkwardly, waving back. He could see Jaheira, eyeing him with what looked like slight wariness. He waved to her as well.

Ban’s thoughts touched his. I told them everything. They like you better now.

Better? I was under the impression they did not like me at all. He put the goblet down on a passing server’s tray.

He felt her amusement through their bond. Jaheira liked you well enough to attempt to visit.

There was that. In the early days Jaheira had attempted to gain access to the Crimson Palace under the guise of delivering sweets and pastries for the lord of the house. Astarion had assumed it an attempt to curry his favor and spy on them at the same time, and he had always sent a servant to receive the gifts in his stead. Always outside the gates, never allowing her to take a single step onto the palace grounds. Ban had not corresponded with her much, if at all, which had been fine by him.

The pastries had always tasted good, at least.

She did bring a large batch over today, as a gift.

Do tell her I genuinely appreciate them, then, even if I didn’t appreciate her frankly blatant attempts to spy on us back then.

Astarion! Indignation, but still mostly mirth. He smiled as Ban turned towards him, eyebrows raised.

I merely jest. Tell them thank you for gracing us with their presence today. Seeing everyone under one roof again is most rewarding, especially now that we’re hosting it. He rolled his eyes, even though he knew she couldn’t see it.

He ended their link after one final snort from Ban, and continued surveying the guests.

There was the bard he’d hired to send messages to Gale when Ban had been taken - he’d proven to be surprisingly skilled, after all. He caught sight of Meiros with his wife, arm in arm, mingling with a crowd of artisans. He saw Lady Jannath and Oskar dancing and scoffed; the man sorely needed lessons.

A soft tap on his shoulder caught his attention. The twins stood before him, wearing identical dresses, one in green and one in blue. He bowed his head. “Enxisys. Miaxisys. A pleasure. I am glad you could join us tonight.”

“Your ceremony was in the sun, so we… decided to run a little late,” Miaxisys said, offering him her hand, which he took and pressed a soft kiss to.

“Apologies.” He turned to Enxisys, taking her hand and kissing it as well. “I trust you two have had a safe and uneventful journey otherwise? My wife and I would be more than happy to share our blood stores for the duration of your stay.”

Enxisys raked her eyes over him, a look that never failed to make him want to curl his lip and snap, but he merely offered a smile.

“We’ve had no trouble,” she said, eyes still fixed on his features, “but we shan’t stay long. We will be likely to ask for a bottle or two for the journey home, however, since I’m certain you wouldn’t be amenable to us helping ourselves to…” she glanced around, “...fresher sources.”

“We try not to create tension between us and the local government.” Astarion’s eyes flicked over to Ulder. “As such, we operate within the limits of what they might consider tolerable. Blood procured from our staff and other willing volunteers - with compensation, of course. A criminal or two, if I should desire something with a little more spice to it.” Ban never indulged in that, but he held out hope that she might consider it one day. Hunting with her would be most alluring. “If you would like one, I’m certain I can arrange something with Ulder.” He nodded over to the man.

“The Grand Duke himself.” Miaxisys shook her head. “We’ll settle for the bottles. We have more than enough volunteers at home.”

Enxisys simpered. “We hope to see you again soon, Lord Ancunín. Congratulations.”

“And thank you,” Miaxisys added under her breath.

Astarion watched them move away, hand in hand, beelining for Halsin. Allowing himself a moment of wry amusement, he observed them try and fail to capture Halsin’s attention.

“Entertained?” Ban’s voice whispered against his ear, wrapping her arm around him. He looked down at her, smiling, but before he could reply she fed him a piece of calamari from her plate. Delicious.

“Halsin,” he intoned, gesturing to the twins, “won’t be so easily swayed by vampires, I think. Even when they come in as pretty a package as those two.” He took her plate, placing it on a table. “A dance, my love?”

“Oh, you never know.” Ban nodded and took his hand, leading him to the dance floor. “Halsin isn’t usually opposed to a more casual arrangement.”

His expression darkened for a fraction of a second as he gripped her waist, a small grunt his only response. Immediately she placed a hand on his chest, smoothing down a crease in his one-shouldered cape.

“I know. What I did…it wasn’t the best thing, nor the right thing to do.” Her eyes flicked away, and he felt her tense in his arms. “Not for Halsin, or for Gale, but especially not for you.”

He was quiet for a few moments, then pressed his forehead against hers, exhaling roughly. “Halsin and I have made amends. The same is true with Gale, and more so between you and I.” He met her gaze. “There’s little need to bring old issues to the fore on a day like this.”

All the same, he reveled in the knowledge that she’d come to see the pain she had caused him. He twirled her in his arms, taking them further into the throng of people on the dance floor. The other dancers cleared away as they spun towards them. Astarion took care to not move too fast; she wasn’t the most graceful person, and he made sure that each step was carefully choreographed, occasionally whispering a quick left foot to her as they danced. It was ridiculous to think that they’d hosted countless parties and she’d yet to master the waltz, but that was Ban - for all her strength there was none of the dexterity.

As their dance came to an end, he drew closer, tracing his thumb over her lip, his mouth mere inches away from slotting against hers, when Ban turned around. He huffed, exasperated, then looked past her to see the illithid. It took a moment to recall his name - fleeting images of the dark and surprisingly beautiful myconid colony came to mind - until he locked onto it. Omeluum.

“I see the Society of Brilliance received our invitations and sent its best representatives. Omeluum. Blurg.” He nodded at each in turn; the hobgoblin’s name he remembered easily enough.

The illithid’s mind reached for his, the tendrils of thought very unlike Ban’s. He had to resist the urge to shy away, clenching his jaw. It had been more than a year since the tadpoles, after all.

Congratulations. The nuptials were wonderful. Omeluum scanned the ballroom; Astarion could not read anything on his expression. The tentacles lifted, hovering, a language he would never understand, nor did he want to.

“Thank you,” he said stiffly. Blurg stepped forward, pressing a tome into his hands. Before he could ask, Omeluum spoke.

The Society has heard about your… contract. Blurg and I thought you may wish to know more.

Astarion glanced at the cover. Infernal Pacts: A Guide. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Thank you again, but I do think my contract was completed most satisfactorily. That is enough for me.”

“What a lovely piece for our collection, regardless,” Ban offered, her voice conciliatory, taking the book gently. “Thank you, Omeluum. We greatly appreciate it. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll ensure this is properly stored.” As Ban headed off to place the book with their other gifts, Astarion shifted, a little awkward.

Blurg spoke up. “Are you a daywalker now, Astarion?” His hands hovered, as if he wished to poke and prod, no doubt curious about the Ascendant’s newfound powers. “I’m sure the society would love a chance to study-”

“Absolutely not.” It came out in a hiss; he cleared his throat. “I understand that my circumstances are unique, but I do not wish to be prodded and examined like some experiment.”

As Blurg mumbled an apology, he waved his hand. “None taken. I do hope you both enjoy the rest of the evening.” Astarion hurried off before Omeluum or Blurg could make some other inane comment that pushed his patience to the limit.

He settled onto his throne, eyeing Ban’s, which had been installed closely beside his. Surveying the ballroom gave him an odd sense of satisfaction, but also of melancholy. Here was everyone he’d ever cared about, however little, all under one roof. He wondered how many of them came for her more than him, but he brushed that aside. Her or him - it mattered little. They were one, and everyone had come from far and wide, for them.

He spied Ban bowing out of a conversation with Dame Aylin and Isobel, heading to the bedrooms for her final outfit change. He stood, quickly heading that way as well.

Astarion caught up to her right outside their bedroom door, playfully grabbing her wrist and tugging her to him. “Tut, tut. You left without telling me,” he chided.

“You were on the throne, leering at everyone. I figured you were having fun.”

He rolled his eyes. “Not as much fun as I’d have watching you undress.”

“Touché.”

It was quicker this time, each of them slipping out of their elaborate clothes without much fuss. He helped her with the buttons on the back of her dress, wordlessly undoing them, refraining - with some effort - from pressing himself against her backside. He could not, however, resist kissing his way down her bare skin.

She laughed, a soft, tinkling sound that made his heart soar. Her smile was radiant when she turned to face him. “A few hours more, and you can do everything you’ve been wanting to do to me.”

He nodded, a bit preoccupied with his thoughts. He felt her hand cup his cheek, bringing his gaze back to her. “Something wrong?”

“No. Nothing significant.” He gestured towards the party. “The Society seems overly curious about my… condition.”

“You are unique. I’m not surprised they’d want to at least ask a few questions.” She headed off to grab her next and final ensemble, a blood-red and black dress. His suit hung behind the door, red and gold to match. He unhooked it and began to tug it on, frowning.

“That much is true, I suppose. I merely dislike being looked at like…” he trailed off. Like he wasn’t a person, rather something to be poked at and prodded. He’d had more than enough of that in his life.

She looked to him, her hands stilling where they were pulling the dress up halfway on her body. “I know. I’m sorry. They… they don’t know.”

“A fair point.”

She approached him, turning in a silent request for him to tie up the lacing. As he did, he cleared his throat. “All this,” he began, “the people, the party… they would not be here if it were not for you.”

“Don’t think that.”

“Not thinking something does not make it untrue.” He turned her around. “They like me well enough - the snippy, prickly vampire lord, held on a leash by the hero of Baldur’s Gate.” He knew he sounded bitter, and didn’t care. While he was glad they no longer saw him as a monster, this was still a rather unpleasant truth to swallow.

“Astarion,” she turned to face him. “Our companions think more of you than just that.”

“They do, now. How about the rest?” He raised an eyebrow. When she didn’t answer, he placed a firm kiss on her lips.

“I am completely aware of what they see me as. What they think of me, of all this. Perhaps they also judge you too, or blame me for corrupting you,” he held up a hand to shush her as she tried to speak, “but the point is - they’re here for you.”

They spoke at the same time.

“It doesn’t matter what they think-”

“None of it matters-”

He laughed. “I suppose we agree on that, at least.”

She buried herself in his chest, and he planted an affectionate kiss at the top of her head, gently rocking her, settling his chin on the spot where his lips were just moments ago.

“I know none of it matters,” he repeated. “It… stings, at moments, but it isn’t anything new, or anything unexpected. I mentioned it to highlight one simple thing, however.”

“Which is?”

“You.” He lifted her face off his chest, fixing her with his gaze. “You, simply put. My wife.” His eyes crinkled as he smiled. “They see you. Your bravery and strength,” he paused, “your heart.”

“Which we both know to be neither kind nor nice.”

He snorted. “They don’t need to know that. Besides, people judge your merit by your deeds, not your thoughts.”

“Oddly wise, coming from you.” She nudged him. He turned her around again to finish tying up her dress.

“I am two centuries old, Ban. You pick up some things along the way.”

They waltzed amongst the crowd, the party in full swing now. They made a striking pair, both dressed in red. He lowered her for a dip he knew she’d have to have extra assistance with and he felt her falter; he quickly gripped her waist and straightened up, effortlessly taking her with him.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, and he stifled a laugh.

“Clumsy as ever, darling.”

She looked down. “These shoes are too high. You can’t even see them through the dress - I have no idea why I decided to wear these.”

“Well…” he squeezed her thigh through the layers of fabric. “They would show, if your husband decided to ruck up your skirt, perhaps as you sat in his lap on his throne…”

“Would you like that?” She pressed against his body; he swallowed down a wave of desire.

“Perhaps another night, when I’m not so…” he thought for a moment, biting his lip, “on edge.”

They moved across the dance floor effortlessly, thanks to his careful guidance. Astarion saw Halsin approaching from the corner of his eye.

“Astarion, Ban,” Halsin made a small bow. “May I have the honor of dancing with the bride for a song?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Of course.”

Ban took Halsin’s hand and Astarion watched them for a moment before turning to find another partner. He spied Shadowheart and Lae’zel in the corner and decided on the safer option of the two. Shadowheart would be less likely to eviscerate him. Probably.

Ban held on to Halsin’s thick frame. The two of them were dancing as simple a waltz as they could, seeing as neither had any skill in it.

“I never found an opportunity to tell you, Ban, but I am glad things went well for you and Astarion,” he rumbled. She could smell a faint whiff of earth, and gazed up at him.

She shrugged. “Who knew, right? From the grove to here - and look at you in a suit!”

His laugh made people look at them. “A rare sight, indeed. You should consider yourself lucky.”

“Or cursed. It honestly depends.”

Halsin’s smile remained, and he looked over to where Astarion was dancing with Shadowheart. She looked as well and noted that they made a fine pair, weaving through the crowd with far more grace than Ban could ever hope to achieve.

“Hm.” He looked back at her ruefully. “Fate is never predictable. Much like nature, we are simply subject to its whims, capricious and ever-changing as they are.”

She nodded in agreement. “I am glad… that you and Astarion seemed to have made amends, even before the wedding. I wasn’t privy to your conversation back in Reithwin, but I assume it went really well.”

“It was not too difficult, and it did go well. He was far more willing to listen than I expected him to be, judging from when I had met him last.”

“And considering what had happened between us,” she finished for him. “Which, well. It was a complicated mess. I knew he wouldn’t like it, but I did it anyway, to spite him. I had a wonderful time, but... I’m sorry for dragging you into it.”

Halsin’s brow furrowed. “It was a difficult time, and none of us were completely to blame.”

“You carry none of the blame, Halsin.”

He opened his mouth, as if to argue, but with a shake of her head he nodded. “Then I shall accept that.”

She searched for a change in topic, and cleared her throat. “I trust the children are in safe hands tonight?”

“They are. I shall leave tomorrow, to make sure they don’t miss me too much. I’ve already spent far too much time away from them to whittle your wedding present; I do not wish to be parted from them any longer.”

“Is it… in the same vein as the previous gift?” She could not help but ask.

Halsin chuckled. “Unfortunately, no. This one is to hopefully adorn your mantlepiece.”

As Halsin spoke, Ban noticed Astarion and Shadowheart moving towards them, likely to swap partners.

“Halsin.” Astarion smiled, “May I have my wife back, please?”

Ban scanned his features, looking to see if there was any lingering tension there, but he seemed to be perfectly sincere. She took her husband’s hand and Shadowheart took Halsin’s.

“You took him out for a spin,” Ban told her, “and did his skill justice better than I ever could. You’re both so graceful, it was beautiful to watch.”

Shadowheart arched her eyebrows. “Just a little more practice, that’s all.” She shot Astarion a wink, then was swept away in Halsin’s arms.

“What was that for?” Ban raised an eyebrow at Astarion.

He smirked. “Shadowheart had a gift, which she thinks you’ll find enjoyable.”

“Enjoyable?” She immediately felt a little suspicious. “What would that be?”

“And ruin the surprise? Tch.” He shook his head. “But considering what she and I saw back with that priest of Loviatar…”

Ban pursed her lips. “Fine.” But she deliberately slipped her hand lower, skating over the swell of Astarion’s ass. His eyes widened and he bared his fangs playfully.

“You’ll be thoroughly punished for that, you know?”

“Mhm. But not before I make a mess out of you first.” The response obviously caught him off guard; he blinked twice, his breath hitching as his pupils dilated. He recovered after a long moment, a smirk growing on his face.

“I’d like to see you try.”

As if he hadn’t almost come undone under her touch earlier tonight. She let it stand, however, closing her eyes as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. They swayed in silence, allowing the music to sweep across them. She felt his mind reach for hers; there was that soft, soothing sensation of his mind wrapping around hers. They danced.

Her feet, aching from the heeled shoe. His, snug in his usual wyrmhide loafers. The weight of her gown tugging on her every move, her scalp, pulled tight by her braids. She no longer felt it usually, but she did as Astarion took note of it.

His hand slipped off her waist, tugging a hairpin out. He tucked it in his pocket, tucked an errant strand behind her ear and then watched her curiously.

“You’re going to mess my hair up, if you take out more,” she warned.

A smile graced his features. “Perhaps that’s the idea.” He pulled out more, loosening her hair further. She was about to complain, then realized he was leading her to her throne.

“Sit.” His voice was firm, and she sighed, settling on the black throne. He knelt in front of her, hands slipping underneath the massive skirt of her gown.

She panicked, wondering if he was tipsy enough to actually do this with all the guests present. She gripped his wrist in alarm, but he shook his head at her. Ban prepared to protest yet again, when she felt his fingers unstrap her shoe and slip it off her tired foot. He pressed his thumbs on the arch, soothing it. The other shoe followed soon thereafter.

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to.”

She conceded then, allowed him to massage her feet until they no longer ached so much. He slowly put them down on the dais. As he leaned back, seemingly satisfied, she leaned forward and grabbed his face for a deep kiss. “Thank you. I have no doubt this will just make me look worse, but…” she shrugged.

He chuffed out a small laugh. “Whoever said I’m doing this for you? I might merely be preparing for tonight.” His thoughts, however, were filled with nothing but warmth. He stood up and offered her his hand.

She took it, tilting her head in confusion. Was he… she didn’t look proper, with her hair half undone and barefoot. As he pulled on her hand she held back.

I’m not properly dressed anymore.

He rounded on her, taking her other hand and tugging on both, a smile on his lips. “I don’t care, and neither will they, especially if they value their lives. You look absolutely radiant. Place your feet on mine,” he instructed, taking a step forward so she could do so.

She grew even more confused. “I’m not sure-”

The smile grew wider. “I’ve got you, darling. Haven’t you learned that by now?”

She nodded, carefully standing on his feet. He held her close in a snug grip, tucking her close to his body, and then he spun.

The pace was fast, faster than any of their dances today or any of their balls, faster than any amount of practice could achieve. She had tried her best to keep up with him during dance rehearsals, but she had never come close. Dexterity and finesse came naturally to Astarion, after all, and compared to him she felt like she had leaden feet. Let alone his vampiric speed. The pace of it almost took her breath away, the world blurring to just the rush of air across her face, the tight grip Astarion had on her body, and his breathing, soft against her ear, faster from exertion.

Her vision began to swim, and she locked her gaze on his eyes, the only thing that seemed to stay stationary. The world spun around them, the music and the chattering of the crowd loud, but none of it mattered. The exhaustion of the day finally felt like it was ebbing away, and she found herself shooting him a grin, to which he responded in kind.

“Finally a dance you can be proud of,” he teased, and she shook her head, admitting defeat.

She closed her eyes, melting into his grasp, resting her head on his chest. She heard a soft, contented hum and felt a quick press of lips to her temple, and for the first time today, she allowed herself to relax.

Bonus: All wedding outfits can be seen here

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pluckyredhead · 2 days

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I have fallen down a Fourth World rabbit hole (this is @ngoziu's fault) and am now reading everything DC has ever published with these characters, in order, as is my wont, and I have a lot of thoughts and feelings, so I'm going to start dumping them all here. Sorry.

Background if you have no idea what I'm talking about but want to read this post anyway (why?): in 1971, Jack Kirby left Marvel because he couldn't put up with Stan Lee any longer and came to DC, where they were like "Yes you can do anything you want" (this was a lie). He immediately began writing, drawing, and editing an incredibly ambitious epic that stretched over four simultaneously published books: Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen (we can mostly ignore this one), New Gods, Mister Miracle, and The Forever People. These books came to be known as Jack Kirby's Fourth World Tetralogy.

The books all center around the war between the utopian planet New Genesis, ruled by the benevolent Highfather, and the dystopian planet Apokalips, ruled by the evil Darkseid. At the heart of the narrative is "The Pact," aka The Cosmic Baby Swap. To ensure a (temporary) truce, Highfather and Darkseid traded sons when said children were very young - so Orion, Darkseid's son, is raised on New Genesis, and Scott Free, Highfather's son, is raised on Apokalips. Neither knows who their real father is until adulthood.

Orion grows up in a utopia, but tormented by his feelings of rage and otherness that he can't explain. Scott is raised in a torture orphanage, because that's just what happens on Apokalips, but eventually he escapes to Earth and becomes the escape artist Mister Miracle. The Cosmic Baby Swap begs what to me is the central question of the Fourth World, which is: what is the nature of good? Which boy will be a hero? The one born to good and raised by evil, or the one born to evil and raised by good?

TRICK QUESTION THEY'RE BOTH HEROES!!! GOOD IS MORE POWERFUL THAN EVIL! LOVE WINS AND FASCISM LOSES! This is so, so important to me and any version of these characters that doesn't understand the really not very complex symbolism here is invalid and kind of embarrassing for the writer (looking at you, Tom King).

Also Scott falls in love with and eventually marries Big Barda, one of Darkseid's fiercest warriors, who was born on Apokalips and raised on Apokalips and chooses good anyway. LOVE WINS AGAIN! BARDA TOPS HER TINY HUSBAND IN THE NAME OF PEACE AND COMPASSION!

Sadly DC canceled New Gods and Forever People after only 11 issues, which kind of killed Kirby's whole vision. Mister Miracle limped along until #18, but as a really pale shadow of itself. So we never really got the full scope of Kirby's original plans.

ANYWAY. That's the background. Now thoughts on the actual comics:

Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen: I love Jimmy, I love Superman, I love the Newsboy Legion, but this book feels very tangential to the whole Fourth World experiment and I think we can safely set it to the side. However, if you love the 90s Superboy series, I recommend dipping into this because it's the source material for a lot of Kon's worldbuilding (Cadmus, Dubbilex, clone Guardian, etc.).

The Forever People (1971): So I originally read all the Jack Kirby Fourth World stuff like...at least 15 years ago, when I was still relatively new to comics, and I'll be honest: I didn't get it. Kirby is sort of an acquired taste, and I didn't really have any context for what he was doing. I understood the metaphors, but I didn't get why people found the work appealing. And Forever People in particular was the book where I was like "Why. What is the point of this" the most.

Rereading it many years later, I find it to be a lot more moving and profound - like, the Happyland issue alone is a knockout. That said, Kirby is, uhhhh...not great at ensemble characterization without Lee, and the Forever People themselves are unforgivably bland. Default Guy! Big Guy! Black Guy! Girl! Kid! Props to Kirby for making it a not all-white group - and for introducing five out of seven of DC's first Black characters in the space of, like, two years - but it would have been nice if he gave them personalities, too.

New Gods (1971): This is Orion's book and the heart of the Fourth World. At its best, it's the pinnacle of "Makes no sense...compels me, though." Like, "Glory Boat?" I don't understand a single thing that happened in that comic but it's so fucking good. I just want to read thousands of words of comics scholars over the past 50 years going "????" in collective confused admiration.

Mister Miracle (1971): This was the book I was most invested in when I read the Fourth World years ago, because I already loved Scott and Barda from JLI, but now I think it's weaker than New Gods and arguably even than Forever People. Kirby doesn't seem as invested in going all in on Big Concepts here, and Scott escaping endless weird deathtraps is only compelling for so long. The later issues, after the other books were canceled and DC made Kirby pivot away from the Apokalips/New Genesis war, are nothing. But Scott and Barda (and Oberon and Shilo) are everything, so I guess it balances out. Anyway Scott clearly already knows a lot about Earth by the time he meets Oberon and Thaddeus Brown, so DC please feel free to hire me to write a Mister Miracle: Year One miniseries about Scott's arrival on Earth, thank you.

Okay, now for the post-Kirby (or really, intra-Kirby) stuff:

Mister Miracle (1977): This picks up the numbering from the Kirby series, running from #19-25, and was written by Steve Englehart and then Steve Gerber, and it sucks so bad. For three reasons, in escalating importance:

Riddled with continuity holes and factual errors that don't match what Kirby established. Himon is shown on New Genesis - how did he get there? Metron is depicted as subservient to Highfather when Kirby showed him as a neutral, independent agent. Etc.

The treatment of non-Scott characters is largely terrible. Oberon is written really condescendingly (Scott's like "Ride on my shoulders like you used to!" even though they definitely did not ever do that before, because Oberon is not a child). When Scott feels guilty that he's not actively fighting the war, Highfather's like "I don't want you to fight because I feel bad that I traded you to Darkseid, let Orion do it" as if that isn't the root of Orion's severe emotional trauma TOO. And worst of all is Barda, who is knocked out and captured in the first issue and spends pretty much the entire rest of the series unconscious, waiting for Scott to rescue her - except for the brief scene where she wakes up brainwashed, requiring Scott to beat the shit out of her. Lovely.

The series is reeeally fixated on the notion that Scott is a god, and extrapolates that to Scott deciding he's the messiah. Now, I'm not going to say that the Fourth World can't be used to explore Christian themes just because Kirby is Jewish, because Kirby was very definitely exploring biblical themes extensively and frankly I don't know enough about the Bible to say whether he was sticking religiously (ha) to the Old Testament. But I do think taking one of the central characters of a Jewish man's magnum opus and making him the messiah is, uh, pushing it. And there's no way to argue he's not a Christian messiah because, uh, he T-poses a lot in this series and Granny also specifically states that if Scott is the messiah, she'll find an anti-Christ to combat him (which...wouldn't that sort of by default be Orion? which just further proves that the idea of a messiah really doesn't work in the Fourth World framework). Anyway it's gross and I hate it.

New Gods (1977): I'm kind of using this as a catchall to cover all of Gerry Conway's New Gods work, which includes the actual 1977 New Gods series (which picks up the numbering from Kirby, so it's #12-19), the conclusion of the story in Adventure Comics, and the Justice League of America crossover with the Fourth World. (Also there's one issue of Super-Team Family where Lightray and Metron team up with the Flash to save Orion, who has grown really really big, but that doesn't fit with the rest of Conway's continuity so I guess we can ignore it.)

Anyway this stuff is not as infuriating as Mister Miracle, but it's also not...good. The central concept is that Darkseid has discovered that the Anti-Life Equation is contained within the brains of six humans, so Highfather sends six New Gods to protect said humans: Orion, Lightray, Metron (he doesn't work for you, Highfather), Forager (also does not work for you), Lonar, and Sensational Character Find of 1977, Jezebelle of the Fiery Eyes (Original Character Do Not Steal).

Mostly this series is frustrating because all the New Gods are wildly incompetent and fail completely at their tasks. Orion is dumbed down to The World's Most Basic Superhero (he has a big O on his chest now!). I spent the whole time yelling "HE CAN'T FLY, GERRY!" at the comics. Forager is lumped in with no mention of that whole thing where...he's a New God who was raised among the Bugs, who are being persecuted by the New Gods? I feel like that should be explained or at least addressed? (Presumably Kirby would have gotten around to it eventually.) Forager also should not be flying but here he does. I guess. Lonar flies too but mostly on his horse, which bothers me less for some reason, I'll accept a flying horse. (Also Lonar's human he's supposed to protect is Inuit and hoo boy is this comic racist. The poor guy wears a fur diaper the whole time and speaks a completely made up language.)

And then there's Jezebelle of the Fiery Eyes. Who is blue, for reasons that are never explained, and wears a bikini and fishnets because it's 1977, and mentions her fiery eyes (heat vision) every time she speaks. She's from Apokalips, but defected to New Genesis during battle. Which, like...I appreciate that Conway recognized that this team should have a female character, but what with Orion, Scott, Barda, and Inexplicably Present Himon, it feels like we have enough characters who have defected from Apokalips in some way? And it's just super weird that the ONLY female characters we have seen from New Genesis are Beautiful Dreamer of the Forever People (trapped in another dimension indefinitely) and Scott's dead mom. Like, what's the implication here? Heaven doesn't have women? Also, I know Conway was going for biblical names to match New Genesis and Izaya (he also introduces a Lucifar), but, like...Jezebelle? JEZEBELLE. Your only female New God and you named her "whore." Amazing.

And with that, we have covered the New Gods in the 70s (minus some Mister Miracle/Batman teamups). Next time: the 80s, and Kirby tries so so hard to kill Orion but DC won't let him.

#fourth world #orion #mister miracle #scott free #big barda #barda free #meta

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idontplaytrack · 2 days

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Hey, if i don't mind can i request a Janis fic where reader gets jealous of her spending too much time with Cady. It can turn into Smut if u want

Thank you!

Talk Too Much

Janis ‘Imi’ike x insecure fem! reader

Warnings: coarse language, self-loathing, smut— fingering, oral(reader receiving)

Cady and Janis get paired up for a project. Reader doesn’t like feeling what she’s feeling and ends up confronting Janis about it.

Turned out way shorter than I thought it would be😔

The Baby Project. This stupid project that has caused Janis to spend too much time with Cady. Way too much. The teacher decided that the best way to pick partners for it were to draw names out of a box. You got stuck with Aaron. Aaron, of all people. While Janis had to partner up with Cady— for two whole weeks. Not that there was anything wrong with him, but for the past week, seeing Janis even talking to anyone but you as much as she has, left a sour taste in your mouth. You hated that Janis' attention was on the redhead so much.

"You know I wouldn't mind if you wanted me to get Cady to switch with you, right?" Aaron has noticed your odd behaviour.

"No, no. If she likes spending time with her that much, go ahead." You scoffed, "Cady's more likeable than I am, anyway." "y/n, what the hell are you talking about?" He squints, still holding the doll in his arm.

"Mrs Strickland said no swaps, and since they seem to be so chummy, I might as well just give up." "Okay, those are two separate things. One, okay, fine we cannot swap partners for the project. Two, Janis freaking loves you. The whole school can tell- everyone sees it. Right now she's just laughing because their fake baby has a weird eye— it's broken, look at it. This school has barely any budget."

You watched them both sat side by side at the back of the class.

"You know her, she will never do anything to hurt you. They're just doing whatever's needed of the project— to pass this class. Talk to Jan/is about how you're feeling instead of sulking all week like you have been and acting like you're okay when she talks to you."

You wanted to scoff and him again, but he was right. And you just didn’t like that he was right— your mind didn’t like that. What it liked, was fucking things up for you, making you think of the most ridiculous, untrue statements that made you feel like shit.

After this class, was lunch. You walked up to Janis and just put your arm around her waist, “Hi.”

“Hi, baby.” She presses a quick kiss to your cheek.

“I need to talk to you.” You answered.

“Okay.” She says, allowing you to lead her away to somewhere private. You practically dragged her all around school, she tries to keep up with your pace and you eventually locked yourselves in the janitor’s closet. “So…I’ve been a little jealous of you spending more time with Cady.” You started.

Janis looked at you, her brows raised as she smirked, “Jealous? Oh, boy am I glad you can be honest and tell me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means…I’m glad you’re opening up to me. Though, I’m just trying to work properly with her so I can pass the class instead of flunking. i never meant to upset you, I’m sorry about that. How are things with your baby project? Aaron isn’t just making you do everything, is he?”

“Seeing as he has the doll right now, no. He’s been fine to work with- other than you and Damian, he’s probably the next best project partner.” You told her, “See, I know for a fact that you’re just trying to do a good job on the project. It’s not like you’re randomly just spending a bit more time with Cady for no reason. But I just…y’know, think of crap that isn’t true sometimes and make myself feel shitty. It automatically makes me think that you like her better than you like me, you like spending time with her than with me, that you’d fall out of love with me and fall in love with her. God, I talk too much. Just a load of bulls—”

You were rambling.

Janis shook her head, “Don’t ever force yourself to not feel things. Feel those feelings, work through them, let them pass- but don’t shove it down. Talk to me, write it down. Never keep it to yourself. I’m here.”

Her hand rests on your hip as her other hand brushes the hair out of your face. “Kiss me.” You requested breathily. She gave a small shrug and pulled you in to kiss you. Your tongue flicked at her lips in a silent ask for permission. The kiss deepens quickly and turned into a handsy make-out session. You were acting like a touch-starved, needy person. Whining into the kiss when she bit down onto your lip, Janis laughs teasingly.

“Want me to keep going?” She asks cheekily, hand roaming your ass.

“Yes.” You nodded impatiently, “Yes, please. I want you to fuck me and make me feel good.”

“Oh~” Janis teased, running a finger up your side, “Okay, princess. I’ll make you feel good.” Janis slips your leggings off in one swift gesture, hand cupping the mound making you yelp. Janis chuckles, looking down at her hand on your cunt, “God, you’re so wet.” She runs her middle finger up from your entrance to your clit, where it stayed, teasing it in slow circles which left the tiny bundle of nerves yearning for more. You whined, unable to keep your desire unheard. She captures your lips to shut you up as her fingers skilfully spread your lower lips and pushed into your tightness. She groans lowly at the feeling, “Fuck, you feel so good, y/n.”

That compliment gave you butterflies and had you dripping. Janis smirked into the kiss, caressing your cheek with her left hand as her right hand fucked you like there was no tomorrow. She went pretty fast, but it was just the pace you preferred in a quickie situation. You kept whining, the lewd noise began to fill the tiny space. “You want people to hear you, baby?” She purred into your ear, “Want to let them know you’re mine? How good I’m making you feel right now?”

A strained noise gets caught in your throat when her thumb pressed flat against your clit. She gave you no chance to detach your lips from hers, even when you had to cry out. It felt like torture, but it also made you more aroused, grinding against her hand in sync - with its movements.

“Damn. Am I fucking you or are you fucking my hand, baby.” Her teeth tugs on your reddened lip as she asks, allowing herself to see your face.

“I don’t care, just make me come.” You panted, grabbing her face and reconnecting your lips.

“I will, honey.” She promised, adding a third finger which slid inside without resistance. You moaned into her mouth, knees buckling feeling the stretch and her assaulting your inner sensitive spot repeatedly. Letting out a muffled high-pitched whine, your hand fell lazily on her shoulder, nails grazing her clothed upper back. “Fuck.” You whimpered, “Fuck— gonna come— Ah~” That exclamation at the end came out as high-pitched as it could, making Janis give you an almost perverted grin as she slams her fingers into you.

Her hands squeezed your breast as you began clenching around her fingers, breath coming out in short pants. The whining, it doesn’t stop. So do Janis’ fingers and hand, efficiently coaxing an orgasm out of you. You buried your face in her shoulder to muffle your noises while you came, arm around her upper back for support. “Yeah, baby.” She chuckles, pressing a kiss to the crook of your neck, “Such a good girl, aren’t you? Coming for me just like that…I wish you could see how pretty you look right now, y/n.”

Her hands held you on either side as she squatted then kneeled down before you, spreading you open. “What—”

“Cleaning you up, of course.” She stated in a tone completely opposite to her intentions, making you feel the flutter in your core. Janis gently licked you clean, but it quickly went in the opposite direction. Sinfully quickly.

“Okay.” Janis chuckles, breath fanning against your heat, “Looks like you’re all I’m having for lunch today.”

“Fuck you.” You grunted, bucking your hips against her face.

She grabs your thighs, “Yeah, go ahead babe. After class, I’m all yours to have tonight. And all weekend.”

————

🏷️ Tag list!

@ashecampos @cheesysoup-arlo @reneeswif3 @ludoesartnstuffs @pda128

#auli’i cravalho #reader insert #x reader #female reader #wlw #queer #lgbtqia #lesbian #janis 'imi'ke x fem reader #janis ‘imi’ike #angst #fluff #hurt/comfort #fanfiction #mean girls 2024 #mgmm fics #drabble #requested fic

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tadpoles-and-daydreams · 2 days

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Hey there! Hekate has pointed me toward your blog and I just wanted to say hi 💞

I do have a question though, have you ever had deities help you with motivation and executive functioning skills? I've got ADHD and the "laziness"(🤢) or what I call "going slug mode" (staying in bed all day, no motivation to shower, etc) really commands my life.

My periods of deity work tend to coincide with my periods of productivity and energy, but I often fall off when, well, everything else falls off. So I guess I'm also looking for advice or at least to connect with someone who's had similar experiences.

(I've also connected with Aphrodite and Loki! Other gods I've worked with in the past are Mother Hathor and Brigid)

First off, I may or may not have had so many feelings upon seeing "Hekate has pointed me towards your blog" because the idea that my blog can be useful enough that a deity would go "go look at what that dude has to say" just brings me so much joy.

Second off, OH THIS IS ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING I SHOULD SCREAM ABOUT THANK YOU. I can't believe I haven't already made a post about this!!

I, too, am an ADHD motherfucker and I have always had so many issues with keeping up with my craft. I will absolutely be calling it "slug mode" from now on, that's the best fucking way to put it. I've had deities help me with executive function at times, but if I'm honest I've forgotten lately that I can ask them for help with that. More often than not it looks more like nudging me towards a task than giving me the energy- but that doesn't mean you can't ask! It just means I forgot I could, lol.

This is gonna be a chonker post, so I'm breaking this post up into two parts; 1, why accepting "falling off" was the best thing I could have done for myself and 2, how to still connect with your craft (and deities) through those times anyway.

So for one, you're not broken or a failure, and your deities fuckin' love you.

Call me philosophical, but hear me out; I've always worked in cycles. Cycles of insane productivity, cycles of tiredness, cycles of hyperfixation on one thing, then another, then another. I'm just someone who works that way, and I've always viewed it as a problem to be fixed. I've always viewed MYSELF as a problem to be fixed, which really started with the school system but that's an unrelated rant. So, apologies for getting a bit intense especially since this may not apply to you personally, but just in case:

You're not a problem. You don't need to fix yourself. The world works in cycles. Seasons, reincarnation if you subscribe to that belief, the water cycle, and a billion other things I've forgotten- working with cycles is just a natural way of going about life that I think shouldn't be forgotten. I have intense periods of growth in my craft, and I have periods where I don't do much and instead play my favorite video game for eight hours straight- and that's okay! One of the best things I did for myself and my craft was give myself permission to do that. I, and you, are not failures as witches for "falling off" and our deities love us anyway. Not in spite of it, either, because of it. They know how to work with the cyclic nature of things; people are no different.

So honestly, there's a chance that none of this will make sense to you- but there's a chance that you, and maybe others seeing this post, might find that giving yourself permission to go through cycles might be the best thing you could do.

Okay, now that I've yelled about that, here's ways that I keep myself connected to my craft and my deities during my less witchy periods.

I give myself permission to use witchcraft for "dumb shit." I have at least one post on this, but witchcraft can BE childish, playful, "dumb-" it doesn't need to be serious all the time. So I'm learning to let go of what I think it should look like and recognize that sometimes the way to stay connected is to lay in bed and draw a sigil on my phone as a mini-spell to manifest a nice little treat or a thing I want in a video game.

This isn't deity work, but it had been huge for me: SIGILS. Sigils my beloved. I don't often have the time, energy, or supplies to do what most people think of when they talk about spells. So instead, if I'm feeling like I could do a spell for something but that's just too much, sigils can be done on my phone or computer while just chilling. Also, if you're like me and a writer, I just write spells too. Literally the same way I write statements for sigils, but a bunch of 'em.

Personally I just talk to my deities. I would like to do this more, actually. You don't need to have a big reason for calling them in, just ask them to sit with you and talk about your day or infodump about a special interest. They're not going to deem it unimportant; you're important to them.

Turn anything into a devotional activity if you want. Any self-care. Not just the typical stuff; I mean food, meds, literally any sort of "maintenance" to keep your body and mind running! If you can't do those, play music you associate with them, or watch a show/play a game and invite them to just sit with you. Whatever you're already doing, you can just ask them to do it with you. If that's literally just laying in bed doing nothing but feeling crappy, I can assure you I've asked them to sit with me during those days too and they've been more than happy.

Literally most of my offerings are just random food. As we speak, I have a little tiny thing with a few sips of soda because I give Loki some when I drink some. If you don't have the time or energy to put it on the altar, literally just drink it with the intention that you're drinking it "for" them. When I did a reading and Kali visited for it, she asked for a graham cracker of all things. It doesn't have to be associated with them. Virtual offerings too! If you can, I've seen people just scroll through pinterest/google images and pick images to offer to their deities.

This might not be something you struggle with, but this is definitely something I would need someone to tell me so: ASK. PLEASE. ASK FOR THINGS. They're not going to riot if you ask for things!! Let them help!! Ask for things, unapologetically if you can muster it!!! I am using excessive exclamation marks for a reason, I swear. My deities are in a constant state of telling me to just ask for things.

Be gentle with yourself. Genuinely, I think one of the best ways to honor your deities doesn't even require them to be there at all; just try not to hate on yourself for being the way you are, because they wouldn't want you to.

Overall, my only advice is just... throw away what you "should" be doing and find out what you LIKE doing. What works for you? It's a hard question to answer, but it gets a lot easier when you start looking away from what "should" work. Your deities are working with you, they wouldn't be working with you if they didn't accept every single part of you. That includes slug mode.

As always, my DM's and asks are open if you have any more questions/just want to connect because being a neurodivergent witch sometimes just feels isolating at times! If you actually read this whole post thank you, I hope some of it helped!!

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tgmsunmontue · 3 days

Text

Where do I know you from? 6/?

Hangster crackfic. There are too many Jakes and Bradleys for Jake and Bradley to be dealing with. Or the Universe is just as fed up with them being blind.

PART ONE PART TWO PART THREE PART FOUR PART FIVE

PART SIX

Turns out that Maverick is not alive in every universe, and this Rooster, maybe number thirty-three, is hugging him and crying. Maverick seems a little overwhelmed, looking around at so many versions of his god-son, but he’s gathering the crying one up into his arms and hugging him, telling him it’s okay, drawing him away to a quieter corner and Jake catches Rooster’s eye and shrugs helplessly, not really sure what he can do, but then he sees himself, a version of himself, making a beeline for the crying Rooster who immediately reaches for him.

“This is a very weird life experience for us to bond over…”

“Yeah. Seeing so many of myself is definitely weirder than seeing so many of you,” Rooster says, and Jake’s starting to think that maybe he needs to call Rooster something else.

“At least new ones have stopped arriving? Have they?” Jake asks, turning to Rooster Three, who has a Jake beside him now, hand in the back pocket of Rooster Three’s jeans like he’s laying claim. Jake raises an eyebrow at him, only to have the exact expression mirrored back at him, slightly more challenging and Jake’s confused. He doesn’t want Rooster Three.

“Yeah, seems like you two being in closer proximity has stopped more of us coming through,” Rooster Five says.

“That’s the theory anyway,” Rooster Three adds.

“These are the smart versions of you,” Jake says to Rooster, feels a little spark of accomplishment when Rooster rolls his eyes. “He’s a professor and he has a PhD in physics.”

“Nice to meet you?” Rooster asks, like he’s really not sure of the etiquette and Jake scoffs, although he really doesn’t know what to do or say to anyone right now either.

Oh. He sees an older version of himself and okay, he can forgive Rooster looking good in the future if Jake still looks like that. He approves. He turns to find Rooster, at least he thinks it’s the Rooster from his Universe, watching him and he turns away, watches as his older-self fist-bumps Rooster Eight.

“Switched body Bradley! I’m time traveler Jake…”

“Nice!”

“I think I’m hallucinating,” Jake mumbles, and when he looks up Rooster is nodding, having migrated to stand close to him, which he guesses is smart if proximity is what is stopping more of them from appearing.

“Oh!” Maverick exclaims suddenly, and Jake turns, along with nearly everyone else.

“What?” Three and Five ask, immediately there and Jake is immensely glad he only ever has to deal with a singular Rooster. Hopefully.

“They just… disappeared.”

“What did they do immediately before that?”

“Kissed.”

“I knew it!” Three and Five exclaim and Jake looks around, desperate for anyone to share his amusement with. Instead there are versions of himself looking proud, others looking horny, and then there’s the other members of the Dagger Squad who have gathered together who are watching with the intense focus of watching a train wreck. Rooster Six has found popcorn and given them a bowl each. Except for Phoenix and Halo who have collected all the female versions and the amount of laughter coming from that section of the Hard Deck is quite frankly worrying.

“Okay! Listen up! No kissing until you’ve answered the questions on this sheet!” Rooster Three calls out, and his Jake is shaking his head, mumbling under his breath about something so quietly Jake can’t catch it. “We want to know the other side…”

“What’s he going to do to us? Hunt us down? Come here babe,” one Jake says, then he’s pulling a Rooster to him, tipping him and kissing and they blink out of existence.

“Shit!”

“Bradley. These aren’t your students. You can’t tell them what to do. Asking might have gone down better,” Rooster Three’s Jake says, and Jake totally knows what he means.

Rooster Three and Five have seemed to reach a frenzy, going around asking questions, and there are some Roosters and Jakes who have clearly found each other, ignoring the request and kissing, then immediately popping out of existence. He does see a couple of false-kisses, Jakes and Roosters from universes too similar maybe, but he’s quietly glad that the number of himself has decreased. He can see the ones left more clearly, although that maybe isn’t a good thing.

“What the hell are you wearing?” Jake asks one version of himself, staring at the top with Roosters across the front.

“Well, I didn’t think I was going to get pulled across time and space when I put it on. I thought only Bradley would be seeing it…”

“I can remedy that,” a Rooster says, pushing his way through and then he’s gripping the shirt and kissing that version of Jake so possessively Jake’s eyebrows shoot up. Okay then. They pop out of existence and Jake doesn’t need to dwell on exactly what they’ll clearly be doing when they get back to their own universe.

It feels a little calmer, although he notes Ten and Thirteen are still there, arms wrapped around different Jakes, they’re all in deep discussion about something and he guesses if you’re looking for a foursome, having it with alternate-universe versions of yourselves is definitely a way of it not messing things up back in your own universe. He wonders what the Jakes were like with Bradley, whether they flirted with him and were politely shot down or pushed away. None of his versions are sporting a black eye, so clearly none of them got too pushy.

“Those two Seresin’s bonded over missing their kids…” Rooster tells him, jerking his head towards two Jakes, only one of which is in uniform. One is dressed very much like how Jake dresses when he’s at home on his parent’s ranch, cowboy boots and hat. When that version of himself pulls Rooster Eighteen, the cowboy without the whip, to his side he guesses that makes sense. Somehow.

Rooster Seventeen, the one with the whip, is looking at a Jake who looks… polished. There’s no other way to describe it, he seems shinier than Jake, teeth whiter, hair glossy, clothes that look expensive, and Rooster Eighteen seems to be looking at him so fondly, so clearly in love with him that this other version of him is blushing and reaching out and grabbing the whip. Jake makes a little squeaking sound and then what Rooster said is processed by his overtaxed brain.

“Wait. I have kids?”

“Yeah. You’re a girl dad. He has a teenage daughter, and he has two little girls. Have you met the one from where we’re helping Coyote and Phoenix raise their kids? That was the first Hangman to turn up…”

“Uh. Yeah. Maybe? Just… I’ve just had a thought,” Jake says, realization hitting him that this might be the dumbest or smartest idea he’s ever had. He grabs Rooster’s hand and tugs him toward the bar. “You need to talk to this guy. You, Six, tell him about where you come from…”

“Uh, what?”

“Your universe. Where no one died. Tell him about it.”

“Well, no one flies planes where I come from either. And I can do a little better than tell him about it.”

Jake stares at the phone in Six’s hand, because holy shit, he hadn’t thought of that. Is that even going to work?

Apparently.

Because Six is leading Rooster across the bar to a quiet corner and handing him the phone.

#Hangster #Sereshaw #Top Gun Maverick fanfic #where do I know you from?

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