#preventing him from running away from that. a choice with no easy out is no choice at all

[butcharyastark]

also back to my point before i got rambling but man in this rewatch it's so much clearer how obvious it is flint is subtly manipulating silver's emotions the whole time since the end of s2, some of it overt to silver's observational skills and some not. and the whole thing w silver needing a tether while being someone who tempers someone like flint and madi does that, she is the person that drags silver away from flint and flint's goals, she's the one he sees good in and reciprocated love and it like. makes me insane. silver's been trapped in the narrative with flint for 4 seasons of on and off emotional hell and trauma but the second he's given a tether, he near immediately gets pulled back out. do you understand.

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

Halloween prompts year 2, day 1

Danny had no idea what he was doing. There. He admitted it. He had found a book of spells that reminded him of Sam and stole it on instinct. He didn't have much money after running away. He didn't even have the chance to grab one of his Go Bags as his parents fired on him.

Good news was that ghost powers made it very easy to steal stuff. Now with a book that has actual magic spells in it? He'd never go hungry again! It was kinda weird though. New dimension or not he didn't think a grocery store would sell multiple copies of spellbooks just out in the open like this. They were clearly new and a product or modern manufacturing so it wasn't like it was some ancient relic or anything.

Hmm. A mystery for later then. In the meantime he was going to go around Gotham turning rogues and random jerks into frogs! It went pretty well. There was a mass Arkham breakout not too long ago and Danny was having an absolute blast sneaking up and froggifying people while wearing a cheap glittery devil masquerade mask. Once suitable frogged he trapped them in a magic bubble and left them on the rooftops for the bats to find.

This went awry however when one of the local vigilantes, Robin, tried to attack him from above. On reflex he turned Robin into a frog and freaked out, "Okay. Crud. Okay. I can fix this!" He said while picking up the tiny vigilante, "Just promise not to hurt me and i'll turn you back!"

The angry ribbiting told him that the vigilante would agree to no such thing, "In that case," Danny used his ghost powers to make a human sized ice cage and placed the frog inside. The cages bars were thin but sturdy. It would take Robin only a few good hits to break out of it but by that time the mysterious magic user would have had a head start.

Unfortunately, Danny had just started the spell that would turn Damian back when one of his siblings, Tim, got the jump on him...and got similarly froggy for it. Now there were two frogged bats and a startled magic user.

Danny looked up at the rooftops to see more and more bats staring at him. And the just froggified Red Robin. And the frog version of regular Robin. In a cage. This looked bad. After dodging a batarang Danny apologized to the frogs and quickly yelled, "Not today satan!" At batman before dropping a smoke bomb and teleporting away.

Later at the batcave Damian and Tim were placed in different enclosures to keep their new forms healthy and to prevent any frog on frog violence as they sort this out. At first they thought this was a meta who could turn people into frogs but that was quickly ruled out due to Damian and Tim both typing on devices and telling them about the ice powers.

Thus begins Danny's attempts to find the frogged siblings and turn them back before he gets stabbed by an angry bird and Robin and Red Robins attempts to escape to find this magic user cause it was clear that he had cursed them by accident and had wanted to turn them back right away.

They're family keeps trying to stop them though saying its too dangerous to go out as a frog and they don't know what that magic users intentions were. They didn't really have much choice however seeing at Constantine couldn't help them.

The trench coated brit and said this magic was like nothing he had ever felt before and he would have to do some research. Which lead to the boys swinging across rooftops as amphibians and probably making more than a few people question what was in thier coffee.

[dilfmansion]

The first time it happened, it wasn’t intentional.

Nobara and Yuji hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but exhaustion from the ruined Exchange Event had caught up to them before they could return to their rooms. Yuji had been the first to go, half-slumped over on Megumi’s legs. Nobara had managed to stay in her own chair at least, arms crossed over her chest and head bent at an awkward angle. 

Megumi followed embarrassingly soon after. He was still recovering from his run-in with the cursed spirit in the forest, and healing was slow. He had shifted down the bed carefully, not wanting to jostle Yuji too much, curling in on his side and listening to the rhythm of the other two breathing.

Yuji’s snoring didn’t seem as annoying as it did when he was sleeping in the next room.

The second time it happened, it was by necessity.

Nobara had returned from a solo mission bloody and bruised and full of self-inflicted puncture wounds, hands shaky and uniform stained with blood. Shoko was off-duty that night. 

She had come to them instead. Not like she really had a choice— Megumi and Yuji had been waiting for her to get back since she left, posted dutifully in the main common room. When Nobara finally did come back well after midnight, they practically jumped to help her.

Yuji gave her one of his own t-shirts to change into— it was massive on her, but the fabric was soft and it smelled like him and that was more than enough convincing for her to slip it on while the two boys turned away. 

Megumi retrieved a first aid kit from his closet; wounds were cleaned and bandaged, two particularly deep lacerations held together with butterfly tape and covered for Shoko to heal in the morning. Yuji only yelped a few times under the vice grip that Nobara had on his hand. 

She hardly spoke. The only thing they could get out of her was short responses to easy questions, confirmations or denials of pain as Megumi worked. Eventually, they got her into bed– not her own, Yuji’s, but that didn’t matter. She was fed and in markedly less pain than before. That was when she finally opened up. Two people had died. Civilians. Not deaths Nobara could have predicted or prevented, but Yuji and Megumi were more than aware of the toll that still took.

When Nobara finally fell asleep it was wedged between the two of them, wrapped in Yuji’s arms with Megumi at her back. One of her hands had curled into Yuji’s sweatshirt. He didn’t entertain the thought of moving it. Megumi had given him a quick glance over Nobara’s shoulder— silent deliberation that was over before it began. All three slept there that night.

That was far from the last time.

It became a regular occurance, the three of them falling asleep in a clumsy tangle of limbs. It helped, somehow; gave them space to let down their guard and truly rest amid the chaos. 

They would take comfort where they could get it.

[504py]

ahh requests open !!! can i request yan!america headcanons or a short drabble ? your choice 🌼 thank you~

thank you for requesting anon!!! and so sorry for this being late omg this was supposed to come out earlier but i got sidetracked cuz i got sucked into stardew valley LMFAO 😭😭😭. but anyways, here it is!

Yandere America Relationship Headcanons

Gender neutral, manipulation, breaking and entering, stalking, long post ahead!

┊͙✧˖*°࿐

How the relationship started...

A total cliché, but Alfred would go for a damsel in distress. He met you on the stairs passing each other, you tripped, and he caught you in his arms in the nick of time. You quickly apologize and thank him with an embarrassed smile, and you continue on your way. Alfred tries to, but he can't seem to stop thinking about that flustered expression on your face, the sound of your voice, and the way you felt under your clothes...

He tries to shake the feeling off, but he just had to bump into you again.

Alfred's second encounter with you was when you two were at the counter at the convenience store, and you were a dollar short. Him, being the hero he is, leans over from behind you and puts a dollar down on the counter.

You look at him, recognizing him as the dude who prevented you from eating shit at that staircase. You blush at the embarrassing memory.

"Don't worry about it." Alfred smiles boyishly, noticing that same flustered expression. He relishes in the feeling of your warmth against his chest when he leans forward, and immediately misses it when he pulls away.

"Th.. Thanks."

You take your things and go, and Alfred is up next to pay for his things. His eyes linger on you as you exit.

Alfred can't wait for the next time you two have a chance encounter, so he catches up to you.

"Hey, dude!" He calls out, approaching you from behind. His heart races a little.

"Oh-" You are a little startled, he feels kinda bad. "What's up?"

"Cause of that dollar I gave you, I had to give up my potato chips!" Alfred cries.

He's lying. He's hoping to god they don't make a crinkle sound under his jacket.

"Oh, shoot, I'm sorry. Can.. Uh, can I pay you back some other day? I don't have any cash on me at the moment."

Alfred smiles. "I can give you my number, and we'll make out the details then?"

"Y-Yeah, of course."

His smile grows wider.

Expectations...

Because Alfred is just oh-so sociable and has such a friendly, extroverted disposition, it isn't very hard for him at all to quickly become one of your closest friends, and, one day, when you two were stuck in the rain after a late night fast-food dash gone wrong, he confesses his feelings for you. You accept, and he kisses you so hard your lips bled a bit from the impact. Of course, he apologized like crazy. You two look back at it now and laugh.

Alfred does his best to appear like a normal boyfriend. He is one who cares a lot about keeping up appearances, so he'd hate it if his weird tendencies slipped through and made itself apparent to you.

Yet another cliché, Alfred is one who yearns for the perfect American dream sort of image. Alfred really likes clichés, they're easy to predict and he can control them. He likes kissing in the rain, he likes calling you cheesy nicknames, and he wants to get married and have a kid and a pet dog with you. And he expects you to completely adhere to that fantasy of his.

Luckily for you, he won't get too violent if you're not the best at keeping up that appearance, since he has other methods of keeping you in line.

Punishments...

Since Alfred highly values appearing like a run-of-the-mill happy couple, he finds it essential that you don't suspect him at all or see him in any negative light.

So he takes to some really dirty manipulation tactics. He'd start with scolding you lightly and emphasizing every time you slip up or make a clumsy mistake.

"Oh-! Woah, babe, you almost tripped again. Thank God I caught you.. You really can't go anywhere without me."

"Did you mix up the laundry again? Damn, that's the third time this month."

He mixed up your laundry on purpose.

"Shoot! The food's burning... Ah, don't worry! I'll just order some takeout, it's alright, honey."

He totally left the burner on high while you went to the bathroom for a second.

Alfred just wants to plant a seed in your head that you're rather helpless, and need his assistance for many, if not all things. And assuming this works, you'll start clinging to him much more than you usually do.

He wants more, though. He wants you to fear the outside world so much that you have no choice but to stay in his house forever and see him as the one thing that could protect you.

He would very likely stage a break-in to get you to that point. During a moment where you're staying in your own home instead of his, he'll don a ski mask and clothing that would make him unrecognizable to you, and late at night, when you're getting comfortable, he breaks in.

Alfred doesn't mind destruction, and that's including towards other people. Like Matthew, violence would be a last resort to him, however, Alfred is much more unforgiving.

..He won't be pretty about breaking into your home. Glass will be everywhere, he'll set off alarms, and he won't be shy about getting caught on your home cameras.

Although destruction isn't his main intent, he just wants you to know someone was here. He'll move your furniture around, knock frames off of the walls, and take a few valuables, like jewelry. Nothing you should miss too much.

Then he sees you.

He never really intended for you to see him, but, now he was facing you, and to your eyes, you were face to face with a stranger who just broke into your home.

Alfred sees the panic and fear boil over in your eyes, and right before you run or scream or are able to do anything— He rushes forward and grabs you. His heart is racing

Instead of saying anything, in fear you recognize his voice, he raises a gloved finger to his lips, telling you to stay quiet.

You nod, and you're crying.

(Alfred hates to admit a part of him finds this exhilarating, but the way you're crying because of him makes him feel so horrible).

He nods his masked face at you, and goes to your bedroom to collect a few more valuables (your underwear).

As he's leaving your home, he turns his head to see you on your phone, and he panics, thinking you've dialed 911. He hurries up and runs off to a secluded area so he could take off the outer layer of clothes he was wearing.

As he takes off his jacket, the phone in his pocket rings.

And it's you.

He's frozen for a second, wondering why you were calling him. Did you know it was him? What did he do that set you off?

He picks up.

"Babe?" He cringes at how his voice shakes. "What's up?"

Then you're crying his name like it was a prayer, telling him what just happened and begging for him to come over and pick you up.

And his heart swells. You came to him first for protection? You trusted him the most with your safety?

He grins, and he can't help the way his smile could be heard in his voice when he tells you he'll be there as quickly as he can. He's so happy he's trembling. Luckily, you're still too shaken up to notice his strangely cheery tone of voice.

Then now you're clinging to him, much more than ever before, trusting him with your life, and the only thing you fear is being without him. Just like he wanted.

Rewards...

Alfred REALLY likes physical affection. He does show his love in many ways, but he's so physical that it may come off as creepy. He likes licking your face, biting lightly on your shoulder, and sniffing whatever he can, even if it's some embarrassing area... He's like a dog, really. He also likes taking you out on cheesy dates, like going to Disneyland or going to a haunted house, and taking lots of pictures to flaunt the two of you's oh-so-perfect relationship.

He has this habit of resting his hand around your neck and sorta rubbing it. I'm not sure if he'd be into asphyxiation, but he finds the action rather intimate. The throat is a vulnerable spot, and him having it in his hand so casually makes him feel good. He also has this other habit where he likes to sorta tickle your palm with his fingertips. When he hears your laugh when he does this, he gets an uncharacteristically demure expression on his face, and looks at you with hearts in his eyes.

Silence is his love language, I think.

He spends a lot of time being loud and untamed, and maybe it's a defense mechanism, who knows? So these little moments where he allows himself to be quiet, to be quiet around you, are his favorite ones.

He wakes up really early, at least earlier than you do. Maybe contrary to popular belief, I feel like Alfred is somewhat of a workaholic, so he naturally tries to get a head-start on the day.

He used to hate waking up so early, but with you, it's now his favorite part of the day. The only thing he hates is getting up to leave you for work. But he thinks it's all worth it, because it's all for you.

It's so quiet. And you're here. And no one else is around. It's just the two of you.

It feels like he's not real, during these early mornings. He knows you are, though. You're everything that's real to him. He reminds himself that this isn't a dream by touching and admiring your face while you slept. He can feel your soft breathing on his skin.

Alfred rests his forehead against yours, and he doesn't say this out loud, since he doesn't wanna wake you up, but it's also because.. He feels like you just get him. He believes you two are soulmates, and that you'll just feel whatever he's thinking, even while asleep.

"I love you." He says, in silence.

┊͙✧˖*°࿐

whew!! so sorry this got out so late, but here's the final request i'm doing for the 200 followers celebration! funnily, as i'm posting this, i've just hit 300 followers, so triple all my thank yous!! you guys are great! unfortunately, the requests got me feeling a bit burned out, so i'll probably do something different for this milestone.. i'm thinking i'll either do a "meet the artist", or do a whiteboardfox with you guys? i also have a whole bunch of ocs which were initially meant to be the main focus of my account, but not sure if that y'all would find that very interesting. please lmk what you think! thank you all again!!

[frostironfudge]

Hide From Me - Steve Rogers

Summary: You deal with the leaving of Steve in your own way, what happens when he finds you and states he wants you back? (Also I was inspired by Where Have You Been by Rihanna the lyrics are quoted)

Pairings: Nomad!Steve Rogers x F!Reader

Warnings: 18+ minors dni, angst, drinking, di/rty dancing, di/rty talk, sm/ut, ora/l fem rec, d/s undertones, ex/hi/bitionism if you squint, steve rogers is jealous, you are responsible for the media you consume

Word Count: 1.5k

Masterlist || AO3

A.N: i do not consent to my work being copied, translated, reposted on other platforms, or put into AI. My accounts are on tumblr and AO3 only.

Knocking back drinks is easy. The burn is welcome. Flashing lights hide your seat of choice. 

See everyone but you must not be seen. 

The bitter taste upon your tongue seldom prevents the bittersweet memory. Your tongue clicks as the last shot glass is empty as well. Pushing away from your hideaway you go to the crowd upon the dance floor. 

Become one with the crowd but you must stand out. 

The speakers thump, your heart reverberates to the beat of the song. Head thrown back in a bitter drowned laugh at the lyrics. Reminding you of an aimless search. 

Hands grip your hips, you allow yourself to be pulled into the embrace. The man moves his hips, your short skirt doing its job. 

The two of you move. Your hands guide him to your waist, you turn wrapping your arms around him. Smiling shyly at him. Little does he know what you are up to. 

Replace easily but never forget. 

The man trails his hands up your back. Hmm, maybe you could have your fun. The wandering hands freeze. You huff, pushing away from him. The crowd wanes in the slightest. You find another partner. 

Your hips meet with this new partner, your eyes scan the surroundings. 

How fitting the line of the song.

‘Are you hiding from me, yeah?

Somewhere in the crowd’ 

The light bounces off of his features, brows knit, scowling. Angry, grumpy and oh so livid at the forgettable hands that are too close to cupping what is absolutely belonging to him. 

Rather was his, abandoning you on the run. Leaving stale crumbs to follow. You grab the wandering hands leading them to the back. Where bodies seek pleasure. 

Where the heart eats the afterthoughts, and falls into a bitter ruin. 

‘Someone who can please me,

Love me all night long’

The stranger pushes you against the wall, lips on your neck, parting your legs with his knee. Your hands find purchase on his shoulders, drawing him closer. The stranger speaks with lust, and decrees promises of euphoria. 

You blink up at him, then smirk. Your hands wander below. He groans as you palm him. Then he stumbles backward. Your vision is blocked by broad shoulders that one did carry your given marks proudly. 

The song reaches its chorus. Steve turns to you, blue eyes carry an anger. You only raise your brow at him. He follows you out of the back exit. You don’t run. He tilts his head, you did run from him the previous times. 

Why not today?

The song still faintly carries out of the club. You turn towards him. Arms crossed, demeanour demanding an explanation. 

“You are not running away from me.” Steve says it as though a statement, the subtle shock hidden well enough.

Make them tell you everything, give them nothing.

“You seemed as if you wanted to have a chat.” You lean against the wall.

“We no longer have to be on the run. Things have come up.” He regards you, trying to get a read. Your expression is neutral.

“So what? You’re treasure hunting your abandoned cadets?” You sneer.

“Do not be like this.”

“Like what?”

“Like as if I’m to blame when–,”

“Steve, fuck you.” You spit out, “I do not wish to return anywhere with you. You left lets keep it that fucking way.”

“Where are you staying tonight?” You watch the muscle in his jaw twitch.

“Any warm bed.” You take a sick pleasure in the way his calm demeanour cracks. Flaring nostrils, tightening fist, clenched jaw.

“You’re coming to my place.” The authoritative tone makes itself known.

“Sorry Captain, I no longer work for or with you.” You turn back, your shoulder pushing against his arm as you go back into the club.

Steve closes his eyes, breathing in and then out. He groans low as your perfume lingers around him. He had to take you back. Whatever he may have to do to lure you. Following in your footsteps.

Finding you on the dance floor is easy only because you make it. He had decided to leave but then you had to dance with that lowlife. Then the next one, as if you knew he was here. 

‘Looking for you babe,

Looking for you babe,

Searching for you babe’

Steve growls spotting you, lips locked on with the stranger from before. His movements are sluggish but they still touch what belongs to Steve himself. The man is pulled away by a friend as Steve makes his way to you.

You are pulled to him, his warmth seeping into your skin through the material of your sheer top yet you shiver. Steve hums pleased, lips nipping at your earlobe. Your hands tighten upon his wanting to push him away.

Both of your hands are grabbed by one of his, you try to move but Steve has other plans. His large palm moves down the back of your right thigh then front. Moving below your skirt. He cups you, the tightening of your inner thighs just keeps his touch closer. 

He begins to grind his palm to the beat of the music, speed growing faster as the tempo picks up. Steve watches as your body responds to him. Unravelling itself to the man who ruined it and put it back together with each shattering orgasm. 

Your breath comes out in short pants, the coil tightening in your belly. Your panties are ruined by your arousal aiding Steve in his merciless ministrations. Your head rests against his chest. You feel his hand on your chest but your hands don’t move. Lest he stops.

Your moan reverberates against his palm. He tugs on your earlobe yet again as praise. Two fingers now inside you. You know you won’t be able to take it any longer.

‘You can have me all you want

Anyway,’

You cum with a cry of his name, his hearing picks it up even if the hazed crowd around you cannot hear the sweet melody.

You’re pressed down into the mattress, with his belt around your hands tied to the headboard. Steve’s lips are seizing yours—wet, warm, and consuming you. Clothes are long discarded along the small hallway of the flat. 

Large palms cup your breasts, your nipples teased, tugged upon with fingers and teeth. When he kisses over your sternum his beard leaves a delicious burn across your body. You cry out his name as he blows over your folds. Lips latching on your clit. 

Steve moans, finally his hunger would be sated. Your taste coats his tongue and lips. He can feel his pussy demanding for more, demanding to be rewarded for all these months of useless fucks. 

“Steve!” You cry out when he bites down on your folds, tugging them before soothing them with his tongue. 

“You need to be reminded who this pussy belongs to.” He nips on your clit, you cry out as the sensitivity begins to take over. He can tell the signs, your hands released. 

His cock coated in your arousal. He hisses as your nails dig in, awaking his primal urge to want to be marked by you over and over. 

Steve thrusts into you, groaning as you take him so well. All of him, every inch.

“Do you know how beautiful you look? Taking every inch of my cock so well.” He praises, “Look at you, marking me up.” 

Your eyes follow the trail of red welts as you leave scratches upon him. Drawing him in and closer for more, more of him.

He angles his hips and you feel him hit the spot that has you arching up into him. Your orgasm barrels into you. Crying out his name. Steve kisses you as your ecstasy triggers his own. You feel him fill you up, your whimpers and mewls met with his soft kisses. 

When he pulls away you whine, needing him close. He returns soon with a warm towel and more kisses to give you. 

Somewhere between slumber and wakefulness, he makes yet another promise,

“I will make it up to you, sweetheart. I do regret leaving. I’m so very sorry. Even if it takes me years to earn your forgiveness I will remain on my knees.”

The morning light wakes Steve, the sheets are warm and still carry your scent. He smiles burrowing closer, his arm reaching out to draw you to him. He finds emptiness. Bolting upright he searches the room. 

He walks through the small apartment. Each corner is empty. 

Your clothes are still strewn across his floor but his shirt is gone. Tongue running over his teeth he walks up to the small paper taped to his bathroom mirror. Words he wrote months ago stare back at him.

‘Don’t try to find me, I do not want to be found.’ 

At the back of the note there is more, but in your handwriting;

‘My Love,

Your search for me will be futile just as mine for you was.

Thanks for the warm bed.’ 

He traces the lipstick print you’ve left as the sign off with his index finger. 

-x-x-x-x-

[simpingforblackfire]

i LOVED the aggressive babying. reader is humiliated and they just doesn't understand why

mabye because you want to dress? and bath? an adult??

how would they punish reader for misbehaviour/for trying to run away

orrrrrrr

for trying to harm herself? the babying and overprotectiveness will be intensify like crazyyyy

A/N: My bad this took so long. I decided to do both scenarios because I probably would eventually anyway :)

Where reader tries to run away:

"If you think this is going to be forgotten you're mistaken"

Dick knew that technically he didn't really need to punish you for you to get the message. Not encouraging Starfire to tone down with you so she doesn't smother you would be punishment enough. But this hurt. This hurt and for him to forgive you he needed you to understand just what you've done to him.

You didn't get far. But the fact that you got anywhere was enough for worry to creep and break the dam of their fears loose. It took hold of them like a poison.

Starfire's initial thought was to break your legs.

It would be so easy. You were so young and weak and feeble. Your legs were weak anyway. You didn't hold a grain of the strength she possessed. It was hard to sympathise with your loss when there was so little strength in what you had anyway.

But she loved you. She loved you and she didn't want to see you hurt nor did she want to clip your freedom. Humans couldn't fly and she couldn't imagine a world in which she couldn't fly. But to immobilise her by preventing her from walking? That was a cruelty she wouldn't wish on anyone. Still she wanted to. You might not think it but she felt guilty sometimes keeping you in the house all of the time and not letting you out.

But then she would remember how you were when she first met you. So young, and wide-eyed, vulnerable and completely unregulated. She needed to take you and keep you here where you were safe. You didn't belong in a world as cruel and dangerous as this. You didn't need your legs to live. You didn't need your legs to be happy. It was a small sacrifice if it meant ensuring you would live.

But she wouldn't stand to see you hurt and she couldn't bare the look of hate in your eyes that you would give her. You might have washed her trust away with ease but no matter how hard you scrubbed you couldn't get rid of her love.  

She had mused the thought of breaking your legs to Dick, who said that was tempting but would be a drastic action, as it would harm you so significantly and would lead to your distrust of them. They had not hurt you physically. Dick intended to keep things that way for as long as possible. You would not see them as monsters.

Dick had known your running away was inevitable. He'd been anticipating it happening since they decided to keep you. A voice had whispered in the back of his mind that perhaps you wouldn't. That you wanted to stay more than you missed your old life. But he dusted away those thoughts and found he was right to. It hurt. He loves you. But he knew that you would. That's why they had to keep you with them after all. You were too naive and ignorant and unknowing of the true ways of the world to be on your own. Of course you ran away. Of course you made the wrong choice. You didn't know any better. 

He'd seen too many people have their innocence stolen from them. No one got to be innocent. You either bloodied your heart or your hands. Only monsters got to live. He'd ensure that you'd never lose that childish naivety of yours. The glint of youth in your eyes would never leave. He'd always be there to polish it and make sure it would never fade to the dirt of the world.

They had to punish you. You were but a child. Children had to be taught. So, they kept you immobile. They hadn't broken any bones or physically harmed you. At least not on purpose. You arms were littered with bruises where Starfire had gripped you too hard when she grabbed hold of you. Your waist too was lined with shapes of blue and purple where Dick had pulled you too forcefully in his desperation to get you back.

They kept you locked up more than you had been. They carried you everywhere you went. You weren't allowed to so much as move on your own. You were kept still at all times. 

Eventually you broke when they wouldn't let you feed yourself. Starfire smiled and it was almost cruel that it was so tender and genuine in its sweetness as she pushed the spoon of food against your lips.

You burst into tears and screamed at them. But they would just smile fondly as though you were nothing more than an amusement. Nothing to take seriously. Just a child throwing a tantrum.

They'd take turns watching until you exhausted yourself, before scooping you up and shushing you "that's right sweet girl just calm down. I bet you were so very cross" their words were gentle and demeaning "it's okay honey its all over now. You don't have to think up anymore anger. That's it just lean into me. You really tuckered yourself out"

Your anger had simmered into soft sobs of a hopeless sadness. You were so tired you couldn't help but succumb to exhaustion. "That's right baby just relax into me. You must be so sleepy after that tantrum. You're such a silly little girl making yourself all mad like that. It's okay I'll forgive you. I always will"

The kisses on your head that felt more mocking the more filled with their love they were.

Where reader tries to harm herself:

Starfire's heart broke, as she just couldn't understand why you would do such a thing.

Where Starfire's heart froze, Dick's heart roared with an angry fire. 

He'd lost so many and he knew he would continue to. But not you. You were his. You were the one person he got to keep. He would not lose you. Nothing would take you away from him. Not even yourself. You didn't get to just opt out.

In all they did to protect you they only had one oversight. Yourself.

It'd be a similar punishment to if you tried to run away. They'd have you on absolute lockdown. Blaming you, but not properly blaming you, because you're just a little child incapable of making your own decisions.

This is just further proof that you need to be taken care of. You can't even handle and regulate your own emotions. 

Your thoughts had led you into this. So, it's better that you don't think at all.

This is when they wouldn't let you do anything by yourself at all. Anytime you tried to speak they'd just shush you, pretending they couldn't understand you, like you couldn't speak English. 

They'd try to cut off your senses. Keeping cloth over your eyes so you can't see. Maybe even making you wear noise cancelling earphones. They wouldn't physically damage you in anyway that hurt you. But they would make you rely on them entirely.

It's better that way after all.

[fateisfiction]

Well, That Bites ...

Vampire!Shouta, (temporary)Werewolf!Hizashi, Human!Reader

Part 1 of ???

Hizashi is bitten by a werewolf and undergoing treatment to reverse the transformation, but in the meantime, Shouta needs a reliable blood source. You're a friend from school and aware of Shouta's condition and volunteer yourself as a temporary solution. It's decided you'll move in with them to make everything easier.

Eventual smut (but not in this part)

Part 2

Shouta isn't the stereotypical posh Victorian vampire people expect when they find out he's a vampire. Sure, he’s a quiet night owl and fairly reclusive, but the ruffled collars and red velvet-lined coffins just aren't his vibe. He sleeps in a bed. He can absolutely walk in sunlight, he just needs extra SPF protection or else he’ll break out in an allergic reaction. (Not to mention the bright sunlight is absolutely exhausting.) And yes, he does drink blood.

And that's part of the problem. Ever since the incident with that one villain in the park, Hizashi's blood has tasted … bad. And that's where you come in.

A friend of theirs since highschool, you’ve been aware of Shouta's condition for a while. You know from experience that a starving vampire is a danger to the very people you’ve all sworn to protect. So you offer your own neck (or wrist) for Shouta, at least until they can figure out what's going on with Hizashi.

It's only a matter of days until the tests come back revealing that Hizashi has contracted lycanthropy. It's curable, but the treatment is a year-long regimen, and it's expected that it will take even longer for the taste to fully leave his system. The important thing is that it was caught early and he's already receiving treatment.

After some discussion, and a rather complicated trial period, it's decided that you’ll move in with them for the time being. The guest room has been made up and repainted in a color of your choice, your furniture and belongings moved to storage, and you're settling into your new home, getting used to the new routine of living with the boys.

Things are fine the first week or so. You have the run of the house with Hizashi busy juggling his many jobs and Shouta spending most evenings grading papers while you watch TV. It's easy enough to tell when Shouta is getting hungry. He lingers in doorways, staring, and you can feel the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.

He hesitates, not wanting to ask, to trouble you for a bite. But he's hungry, and you taste so good. In the beginning he offered to use a butterfly needle and looked horrified when you joked that it wouldn’t do anything for your public image to turn you into a literal walking juice box.

Eventually you settle into a pattern. Whenever you feel his hungry eyes on you, your arm raises almost involuntary offering your wrist to him. You still wince every time his fangs sink in. The sharp sting quickly soothed by the mild numbing effects of his venom.

He often winds up sitting on the couch with you during his feedings. Limbs curled around you protectively while you watch a show or movie together. Letting out a satisfied hum, he’s careful not to waste a drop of your precious blood. He licks away a stray rivulet before placing a kiss on the already healing bite.

The process is draining, in more ways than one. On more than one occasion, he’s had to carry you off to bed afterward, tucking you in and letting you sleep. He always leaves a glass of water and a snack pack of cookies for when you wake up.

Hizashi's first full moon is unpleasant, but he's grateful that he doesn't have to go through it alone. Thankfully the medications prevent any physical transformation, but he gets really clingy. Leading up to the full moon, he goes into full den mother mode. The fridge is overstocked with snacks and drinks. He hovers, constantly checking in on you and Shouta. Piles of blankets and pillows are amassed in designated cuddle areas, each of the bedrooms, his basement studio, and of course the living room.

An entire corner of the living room has become a permanent pillow fort. The cozy space is filled with bean bags and fluffy blankets. He designated the space as his your “nest,” and every night, like clockwork, he herds you and Shouta into the fort just in time for a late night snack. Sprawling his lanky body across the two of you as he enforces mandatory cuddle time, taking care to ply you with snacks and drinks while Shouta snags a bite for himself. You have to hold back a giggle when he starts kicking his leg whenever Shouta runs his fingers through Hizashi's hair.

You’ve taken it upon yourself to wash the blankets weekly, letting in fresh air to air out the house while the boys are busy at work. Hizashi can't help it, but there's a distinctly dog-like smell filling the space now. You can't help but notice he looks sad whenever you ask him to help you put the fort back together once they're all clean.

It's not until Shouta drops a few tactful mentions about how the sweater you're wearing smells like Hizashi as he snuggles into you, or how Hizashi would love to see the two of you like this, all wrapped up in his favorite blanket, that it dawns on you. It's Hizashi's way of marking out his territory while trying to still give you space of your own. When Hizashi's comes home on laundry day the following week to find everything just where he left it, he’s all smiles as he sweeps you up into a big hug, absolutely spoiling you with attention.

Over time, the two of them become increasingly protective of you. For Shouta, there's a level of intimacy that comes with regular feedings. A bond that grows stronger the longer you’re with them, until the idea of you leaving when Hizashi is back to normal fills him with an irrational anger. To Hizashi, you're a part of his pack. You've even started to wear his clothes around the house.

On the rare occasion that the three of you all have a day off together, you find yourself sandwiched between them as they preen over you. Hizashi checking to make sure that Shouta's bites are healing nicely and not leaving any noticeable scarring, and Shouta massaging anywhere he can reach. He subtly takes note of your muscle tone, mentally creating a training plan to keep you in shape since you’ve had to cut back, your body still getting used to these new arrangements.

You have a close call responding to a villain attack one day and when Shouta and Hizashi get the call, they're rushing to the hospital. You wake up to Shouta hunched over, head resting next to yours on the pillow as the machines beeping around you track your vitals. You can tell from the darker-than-usual circles under his eyes that he was worried. Hizashi comes in carrying two paper coffee cups, perking up when he sees your eyes are open. You motion for him to stay quiet, wanting Shou to get some much-needed sleep.

You're discharged from the hospital later that evening with instructions to start taking an iron supplement. Shouta curses under his breath. Your iron levels are fine. He should know. He’s been carefully managing your diet since you moved in, making sure you're getting all the nutrients you need. All the nutrients he needs.

You spend the next week assuring the boys that you're fine. Hizashi's cuddle pile moves from the living room to your bedroom, the entire room turned into a comfortable nest. You noticed that they’ve started sleeping on the floor, almost as if they can't bear to be away from you. Shouta pulls you into his lap while he's grading, propping his chin on your shoulder as he looks over the assignments. When you get a bit restless, he wraps his arms around you, shoving his face into the crook of your neck. The sensation of his cool fangs against the sensitive skin of your neck send a shudder through your body, but you know he won't bite you.

You can't stand seeing them sleep on your floor. The morning brings a symphony of pops and cracks as they stand up, so when you realize they're not going to be giving up this new habit, you ask if they would rather sleep in the bed. When you move to sleep on the floor they're horrified. Where are you going? There's more than enough room for the three of you.

It doesn't take long to get used to the new sleeping arrangements. At first you were worried that you were coming between them, but Shouta assures you that there's nothing to worry about. Compared to him, Hizashi’s almost unnaturally warm, and while that can be an issue in the heat of summer, it also means you’ll never have to worry about the cold, and of course he's a cuddler. They can just set the AC a few degrees cooler to compensate anyway.

As for coming between them, Shouta and Hizashi had a few ideas, but they're gentlemen. They would never force you into anything you weren't comfortable with. Granted, after waking up on more than a few occasions with Hizashi's morning wood pressed firm to your back, only for the two of them to quickly excuse themselves off to their own bedroom, it was pretty clear that your presence wasn't detrimental to their relationship. In fact, judging by the sounds you pretended not to hear coming from the next room, thing were pretty damn great between them.

---

There's a chance I'll rewrite this and it'll become a full fic and if I do, it'll be super slow burn.

[merlinemrys]

hi, I hope I'm not bothering you😅😅but I was wondering if you have any Arthur centered fic recs?? whether it be angsty, fluffy, gen or shippy, just anything arthur centered is fine tbh

it's totally fine if not though, hope you have a good day/night 💕💕

hiiii ur not bothering me at all i love giving recs 💙 and i ALWAYS love arthur-centric fics so here r some i've read recently. hope u like them!

When I Didn't Know The Answer, I Found It In Your Eyes by ironfamjam (rated t, merthur, 36k)

Summary: “It was never supposed to end like this. You were both meant for such happier things.” “I was always meant to be a tragedy.” Arthur disagrees. “Dearest darling, you are the king of kings, this will not be your end.” With Arthur's death comes a single chance to go back to the beginning and save everyone he's ever loved. Seeing home in Merlin's eyes and a hope for a better world in Morgana's, Arthur knows what he must do. Only bringing magic back to Camelot will prevent the future he knows is coming from happening, but in his way is the only mountain he's never been able to climb; his father won't change for anyone, not even for his son.

Born of Magic by KingPrat (rated t, merthur, 77k)

Summary: Set after 1x13. When Arthur learns he is of magic, he decides it's time to grow out of Uther's shadows. Secrets are revealed, and Arthur comes to learn just how far his father is willing to go in his war against magic. With Merlin on his side, can Arthur build the kingdom he was destined to create?

How Arthur Got His Groove Back by thegeminisage (rated t, merthur, 134k)

Summary: Arthur Pendragon is at an all-time low: he's still suffering from the day he nearly dueled his father to the death, his sword arm has been wounded so grievously he may never fight again, and, worst of all, every last soul in Camelot and the kingdoms beyond have had magic forced on them overnight. Now Arthur must contend with the chaos of magic run rampant, his father's dangerous instability, Morgana's increasing distance, catching Merlin in more lies than he can count, and the magic that is now threatening to consume him—all while searching for a way to break the curse before it consumes them all. It's not going to be easy: Arthur grapples with a destiny he's not sure he can handle, and a past he'd rather forget—and if he wants to save his people, he must be prepared to confront hard truths and harder choices. It's a trial by fire, one that risks destroying everything Arthur has left to hold dear should he fail. But with enough courage, enough understanding, and maybe just a touch of magic, there's nothing he can't face.

I suppose that I look different (without the robes and crown) by WingedWolf121 (not rated, merthur, 18k)

Summary: When Arthur blows the horn of Cathbdhah for the second time, the horn doesn’t just send Uther to the other world. It sends Arthur away as well – to a world where Ygraine never died, the Great Purge never happened, and magic lives freely at court. As do those who practice it.

Wærcsár Tācnunge by Glon_Morski (rated t, gen fic, WIP, 190k)

Summary: When Arthur is born, Ygraine dies and Uther vows vengeance against all magic. When Arthur is four, Nimueh decides to take matters into her own hands and casts an enchantment on the prince as penance for his father. One which can only be removed by a magic user willing to undo the enchantment for the sake of helping Arthur, and no other reason. When Arthur is seven, the truth of the spell's nature comes to light. When Arthur is fifteen, the rumours of the worsening enchantment spread among the kingdoms until news it has been removed take their place and his father tells Arthur he must never let anyone know the truth of the matter. When Arthur is twenty, he lives with the firm belief the enchantment will never be lifted. When Arthur is twenty, a boy named Merlin arrives in Camelot and, by a streak of luck, becomes the enchanted prince's manservant...

Only Friend by CaptainOzone (rated gen, gen fic, 60k)

Summary: What if Arthur went after Merlin in the tunnels outside of Ealdor earlier? What would he think of the confrontation between him and Agravaine? And how will he deal with the revelation as they retake Camelot? 4x13 AU.

Beg, Borrow, Steal by s0mmerspr0ssen (rated t, gen fic, 23k)

Summary: Merlin has access to everything relating to the Prince, including the keys to Arthur’s coffer. And why shouldn’t he? If there’s one thing Arthur is certain of, it’s that Merlin can be trusted completely. Then, one afternoon, Arthur walks in on Merlin about to steal money from his strongbox. The incident leaves Arthur with one burning question: Why, after two years of loyal service, would Merlin (almost) turn into a thief?

↳ s0mmerspr0ssen has so many good fics, not just this one. not all of them are arthur-centric but the characterisation is so delicious. see also: unfit for another arthur-centric fic!

What I'd Have Done by Flight_of_Fantasy (rated gen, merthur, 119k)

Summary: "I'm not sure what I'd have done." "And I didn't want to put you in that position.” For better or for worse, Arthur knows Merlin's secret. The problem? Merlin doesn't know Arthur knows. This leaves Arthur with a predicament... and an opportunity. A test. Three trials and three opportunities for Merlin to prove he doesn't deserve death. Arthur hopes he will pass them. Maybe then the image of Merlin's golden eyes will stop haunting him. AKA an in-depth character study of Arthur. I do not endorse Arthur's actions, but this is what I think he'd do in canon. This was my season 3 prediction!

The Homecoming of Arthur Pendragon by TheSeasonOfWinter (rated t, gen fic, 91k, part 1 of an incomplete series)

Summary: The dragon leaned forward. "Your destiny is to protect Uther Pendragon's heir, the one who will be the Once and Future King and unite all of Albion." Merlin blinked. "But . . . Uther doesn't have an heir." . . . In many Arthurian texts, Arthur is raised as a peasant by Sir Ector with no knowledge of his royal lineage. Let's bring that back, shall we?

Requiem of a Forgotten Prince by queerofthedagger (writer), kairennart (artist) (rated m, merthur, 86k)

Summary: 'You will forget all that you hold dear,' the sorcerer had vowed before he attacked Arthur, leaving his patrol dead and Arthur achingly thankful that for once, Merlin hadn’t been with him. Well, and he is quite certain that he hasn’t forgotten anything. As it turns out, everyone else has; specifically about him, and that Camelot is supposed to have a crown prince. When Merlin stumbles across him by chance, Arthur should be relieved. And he would be, really—if he hadn’t just been stabbed, and found out that Merlin has magic while he was at it. That Merlin does not remember who he is, either. It all gets a lot more complicated from there on out as Arthur tries to keep his own secrets, deal with the revelations about Merlin, and find a way not only to restore Camelot's memories, but protect it against the threats gathering on the horizon, too. When it rains, it pours; sometimes, the aftermath might just be worth it.

aaaaannnddddd not to self-rec but here's a liddle oneshot

living legend by me (rated gen, gen fic/background arwen, 3k)

Summary: The birth of the young Arthur Pendragon marks a great change in the very heart of Albion. His name will stand the test of time. But, as you well know, accuracy is not a lauded trait. Gossipmongers, the lot of them. Or: Arthur Pendragon, as seen through the eyes of the people of Camelot.

[cerebralinvasion]

yandere february event day 2

“Please be good for me. I don’t want to hurt you.”

you sucked in your chest, trying to push yourself further into the wall of the alleyway behind you. inching away from the blade to the best of your abilities. there’s a knife at your neck. you haven’t said anything, going as far as to bite down on your lip to prevent any stray noises from escaping you. you’ve never been in a situation like this. in a situation where you genuinely feared for your life like this. 

“i don’t- i don’t have any money on me.” 

you gathered the strength to speak after you had enough confidence that you wouldn’t try to scream. nonetheless, you cursed yourself for it. maybe if you’d just carried a twenty or something on you, you’d be able to slip out of this situation overall unscathed. but it’s too late, no amount of regret would undo this random decisions you’d made earlier that day. no amount of blaming yourself for not predicting the future would summon money on your person or teleport you onto the main street and back into the eyes of the public. not like it mattered anyways, but you didn’t know that. you weren’t aware of the fact that you’d be in this situation regardless of whatever choices you had made that day. any amount of changib and undoing the past would only end up delaying the inevitable, he was determined like that.

“i don’t want any money. listen i- i need you to come with me. don’t make a scene.”

 the man before you spoke, and you noticed how the knife trembled in his grasp. and the look on his face was filled with almost as much terror as was on yours. it was a mixture of fear, disgust and desperation. the look of a man so far into his desires he was willing to do anything for them, even overstep his own morals. as you took the moment to observe his face, you got to see other details about him as well. lily-white hair with angled bangs and two-toned eyes. everything about him was eerily familiar. you’ve seen him before, but you don’t know where. you couldn’t put a name to the face and it scared you. why did you feel like you recognized him? perhaps it was because you’ve passed by him. maybe more often than a stranger should pass you by in a city as big as yokohama. 

“hey. did you hear me? i said i need you to come with me.” his voice was almost pathetic, riddled with it’s own misery and pushed through a raw throat. 

and those words snapped you out of your train of thought. this man, who you (possibly) only recognize through running into him a suspicious number of times was now threatening you at knifepoint to go with him. this wasn’t just some thug attempting to mug you for all you’re worth. this was a full blown kidnapping. your heart dropped, suddenly far more afraid than you were before.

“i- er i- no thank you?” you stuttered out, stumbling over your words. you’d never been in a situation like this. you didn’t know how to combat the armed man physically, all you could do was at least try to get out of this situation before he hurt you. he took in a deep breath a frustrated look crossing his face before he tried again.

“i’m not asking you, i need you to come with me.” as he spoke the blade inched slightly closer to your throat, you tried to flinch back but you were already pressed hard against the brick. you let out a small gasp, not once drawing your eyes from the weapon.

“don’t- i don't want to- please don’t hurt me…” your voice trembled as you came to the realization you likely only had two options here. let yourself be taken away or die right here. 

“please just be good for me. i don’t want to hurt you. so just make this easy and come with me now… please.”

two options. when he spoke up the two options were all that was on your mind. at least with one you would eventually get out of. whether you're ransomed or rescued you’d eventually  be able to go back to your normal life… right?

[likely-moony]

hi! can I please request trying to escape from yandere inosuke from demon slayer but he catches you? :)

Little Birdy ~ Inousuke Hasibara ~

Little Birdy

Paring: Yandere Inousuke Hashibara x Reader

Type/words: Oneshot ~ 2.5k

Synopsis: When the lovely little wife of Inosuke Hashibara runs away, he's willing to do anything to get her back, but so is she to get away from him. Who will get what they want and who will have to suffer the rest of eternity with what they're stuck with?

TW!!: Yandere-Themes, Yandere Characters, Abuse Of Power (Intellectual and Supernaturally), Mentions Of Death, Unhealthy Obsession, Force, Forceful Relationships, Mentions Of Threats, Obsessive Characters, Unhealthy Feelings, Manipulation, kidnapping.

You have been warned

Masterlist

Rules For Requesting

Taglist

What did you expect to happen or where did you expect to find yourself when you did something as dumb as what you did two weeks ago?

What the hell were you thinking, running away like that?! And right when he was finally starting to treat you good! You were finally allowed to step foot outside of your shared bedroom and he even began talking to you more. He became more gentle around you and the arms he had around you at times went from being like a suffocating cage to a gentle hug.

If it hadn't been for the current kidnapper/hostage situation, life was so good you would have simply accepted it. But you needed to return to the world. Not the four walls that Inousuke put you in and cherishes you in, but in the actual world. The real world where your family and friends are.

You didn't want them to think you were dead, or worse- that you ran away, considering that Inousuke took you away on the morning of your wedding day. You needed them to know that you were alive and well this entire time and that you in fact did not want to ruin your family's honour and prestige by running away -getting kidnapped- right before the ceremony. And you friends- you needed your friends. You needed them to know you were alright before you become a simple memory in everyone's minds as the poor runaway, most likely dead by now.

It had already been two weeks since you ran away from the place Inosuke kept you safe -hidden-, and you started to get a good feeling that you could possibly escape him for good.

Your plan was simple: escape the safe house, find some clothes, food, and water, and then find someone you knew you could trust to help you. You would never be able to do this yourself.

You had to hide your identity while on loose to prevent people from thinking you returned home shamelessly. You needed them to realise you were kidnapped and managed to return home safely, but to do that, first, you needed to find someone, clear your name, and then return home.

Your first choices were obviously your brother and father, Senjuro Rengoku and Shinjuro Rengoku but that would be impossible with constant protection and guarding around the mansion. Besides, even if you were to reveal yourself to the guards as the sister of Senjuro and the daughter of Shinjuro, you knew that the news would spread widely and what a bad name your family would get. By then, everyone including Inousuke would know where you were, making you an easy target for him to catch again.

And so your next choice was Zenitsu, but from what you knew about him, he didn't seem like someone who could help you, but who knows? You didn't know him well enough. You weren't willing to take such a high risk with such high stakes that would determine your life.

And so, your final choice, Tanjiro Kamado, a close friend of Inosuke. It would be a bit risky but all would be clear when you manage to find him alone, without Inosuke.

And that's what you did.

During a special moon festival in the city centre, you crept around the various bright and colourful stalls with a hood covering your face, eyes searching desperately for a certain kind-hearted demon slayer who would help you get out of this cobweb of a mess.

When you did find him, you found a sudden urge to just run up to him and scream for help, but you didn’t, too scared that you might attract too much attention to yourself. Tanjiro looked as if he too was looking for something. Maybe he was on a mission? Or maybe he was just patrolling.

You looked around quickly to make sure Inosuke wasn’t anywhere to be seen and ran towards Tanjiro.

“Tanjiro-san!” You whisper yelled to him from behind him as he turned around in surprise.

“Rengoku-san-!?”

“I need you to help me please!” Tanjiro grabbed your hand and you led him away from the crowd.

“What’s wrong, Y/n-san? What happened to you!?” He desperately asked you in worry.

“It’s Inosuke! He took me away from my family! He took me away from my father and Senjuro! You have to help me! He’s been holding me captive in a secret safe-house this entire time, and he doesn’t let me out, he's keeping me captive, please-!” You were talking too fast. Of Course, you would, why wouldn’t you? You finally found the one person who could help set you free from your captor, and he needed to know everything.

“It’s okay, Y/n-san, I can help you!” Tanjiro gently guided you back to his temporary home, where you met Nezuko. “I will return shortly, but please take a seat and don’t worry about anything. Nezuko will protect you while I'm away.” Something just didn’t feel right to you. Was it the guilt of having betrayed Insouke? Perhaps it was the fear of what would happen if Inosuke found you?

Maybe it was the weird way Tanjiro was treating you?

Possibly...

He was being too gentle, he was acting really weird. It began freaking you out, but you held it in. You didn’t want to wrongly accuse someone who was going to save your life. Tanjiro leaned into Nezuko’s ear and whispered a few words to her before he turned to you.

"And please, for your own safety, stay here." He said in a serious voice before he smiled and walked away.

And so you sat and patiently waited, not sure whether you should create small talk with Nezuko or leave her alone. She, on the other hand, just sat in front of the door, almost as if guarding it, and stared blankly at you.

When it began really scaring you, you sat up and attempted to leave, but Nezuko wouldn’t budge. She sat in front of the door and didn’t move at all. Then you began panicking, something was wrong, you could tell, so you moved towards the back door quickly and fled the house, but to your dismay, you didn’t get far. Right when you reached the gate, Tanjiro appeared again and asked you what was wrong.

You tried to politely tell him that you would return on a different date and until then you would continue to live in hiding, but Tanjiro also didn’t budge. You didn’t want to live another day hiding and eating scraps, but you were willing to do anything to escape this situation.

“Tanjiro-san, thank you for trying to help me, but I’m good on my own-”

“Please let me help you, Y/n-san, you’re just confused!” What?

“What do you mean confused..?”

“Inosuke told me everything! He told me that you and Inousuke were deeply in love and that you knew your family would never accept him! And how you two had run away together. But then he told me how you hurt your head and you keep saying crazy things as he stole you away! Let us help you!” So that’s why he was acting so weird. Inosuke, that bastard, lied to Tanjiro that you were crazy and convinced him everything you were saying was a lie.

“No! I promise it’s true!” You tried waving your arms in front of him to signal no, but he clasped your arms and told you not to worry and that everything would be fine.

You began panicking even more.

“Tanjiro, what’s happening!?” You asked in a voice that told him you were scared for your life, but he was too deep into Inosuke’s lies to believe you. Why wouldn't he believe? Who was he going to believe? his best friend whom he's known for years or a crazy-looking and sounding woman that came out of nowhere begging for help.

You looked behind Tanjiro and in the wild snowstorm in which you could barely see anything, you spotted the silhouette of a certain long-haired man coming your way. You instantly realised that it was Inosuke and your blood pressure began increasing. You pushed Tanjiro away from you to force his hands to let go of yours, and you made a run for it, right when Tanjiro was about to run after you, he heard a loud yell from Inosuke telling him to leave it to him.

And so it began, the chase, all of your confidence and inner support that you had built up for yourself over the last few days had disappeared in a matter of seconds, only to be replaced with utter fear and dread. You had no chance from the start. Inousuke was a high-level demon slayer who perished massive demons to ease boredom, for fuck’s sake. And what had you ever done? Nothing. Or at least not anything as intense as him.

Maybe at this point, he was just playing with you?

Of course that had to be it. If Inosuke was chasing you, you wouldn’t have moved a step before you were already in his grasp.

You would have screamed for Tanjiro’s help, but what good would it have done? Inousuke already had Tanjiro wrapped around his finger with the illusion that you were insane and that when you ran away, you ran away due to your love for Inousuke, but due to the guilt of having left your family and a head injury, you went crazy.

And within moments, you entered the snowy woods. You quickly hid behind a large tree and began trying to balance and calm yourself down. You tried to take deep breaths but the cold air stung your nose and throat. The idea that you might've lost Inosuke began setting into your mind. You just needed some hope. If you managed to lose Inosuke, you knew instantly what you would do. At this point, you didn’t care about the shame that you might've gotten if you returned home, but you had to. Inosuke would be able to do nothing once you re-entered the protection of your family. After a few minutes, once you were sure that Inousuke was gone, you stood up on your shaky legs, struggling to stay standing up. You no longer felt the need to run, or more so, you could not run. So you walked.

And walked. And walked.

What seemed like hours, turned out to only be a few minutes. Too tired to go any further, you fell on your knees in the cold snow as you tried to catch your breath.

“Papa… Senjuro…” You wanted to go home desperately and your voice began cracking.

“Kyojuro…” Just his name brought tears to your eyes. You missed him like the world. If you didn't manage to return home, then who knows, maybe you'd try and reunite with Kyojuro instead. Just the thought of him left you feeling like a miserable blob.

That was until a pair of strong cold arms began wrapping around you.

What…

Were these Kyujuro’s arms? Were you finally gonna leave this wretched world?

You brought your hands up to the arms and you held them tight. A tear left your eyes and fell onto the arm.

“Kyojuro… I missed you…” And another tear.

“Please take me away”

A small laugh left his mouth.

“As you wish…” The words brought true happiness and a sense of release to your soul, but-

No, wait a second.

You felt your stomach drop as dread began filling you up completely.

The bright blue tips of Insosuke’s hair fell into your view as another tear fell from your eyes, this one from the alarm.

“Inosuke-!”

“Now you see, eh?’

“P-Please, Pease listen to me,” You say and quickly try to turn around. Inosuke was basically in your face right now.

Rage was all you could see in his eyes, but you could tell he was holding back. He knew that if he even unleashed a tiny bit of the anger he was holding in, that he might accidentally end up killing you with his violence, or as he likes to call it, love.

“Inosuke, Please, just hear me out!” Your hands came up and cupped Inousuke's face.

Despite the snow and winter weather, Inosukes face was hot. It was really hot.

“I’m listening.”

“I-” Lying was the best option now. Stockholm syndrome would surely help you now, right? Would he even fall for it!?

“Listen, Inosuke, I really do love you!” You tried to sound just as desperate for him as he was for you.

“Then why would you run away?” He asked through gritted teeth, the anger starting to leak through. Panicking, you held him tighter.

“I- I didn’t want you to fall into insanity! I love you too, that means you don’t have to do all these things for me, I love you too!”

“Then why the hell did you tell gonpachrio that I kidnapped you?” You had to think fast, the lava was rising and the longer you waited, the quicker you’d die.

“Because then they’d get you help, and I’d have my precious Inosuke back again!” It didn’t seem to convince him, so you did something that you would forever hate yourself for.

You leaned in and kissed him straight on those rough lips of his.

You pulled away to quickly analyze his face. His face was pink and it seemed to work!

You leaned in again and kissed him one more time before pulling away and pulling him close, hugging him, leaning your head on his chest.

Within moments, Inousuke had also wrapped his arms around you. You hated just the feel of it, but for freedom, you were willing to do anything. Even pretending to be his little wife.

But eventually, you’d manage to escape.

Eventually...

“I love you so much…”

“I love you too Inosuke…”

At this point you were basically free, you were convinced that Inousuke, being the stupid love-sick idiot he is, completely fell into your trap.

“Was that supposed to convince me?"

“What-?” Inosuke’s grip tightened around you dangerously as if threatening to squeeze you to death.

“I’m no idiot, my dear Don’t try that bullshit on me ever again till you truly fall for me.” He began stroking your hair. Your eyes were wide like marbles as the cold wind stung your nose, causing a fresh wave of tears to overcome you. As the tears fell from your eyes, you couldn’t tell whether they were from the wind or the terror, you eventually began sobbing.

You sobbed into his chest as he stroked the back of your head.

“There, there. I won’t hurt you this time. I love you too much for that.” Relief rushed into you, but then-

“But next time- Watch your brother vanish”

"Don’t try to fly away again, little bird, or I’ll clip your fuking wings off.”

Hope you enjoyed it <3

[befuddled-calico-whump]

Total $hit$how: A Wealth of New Information

in which Kaius learns exactly the sort of people he'll be working with

cw: adult/crude language

masterlist ///// next

×~×~×

With a group like this, they were clearly being set up to fail. 

Kaius had been the first to arrive in the briefing area, thus he'd had more time than anyone else to analyze the scene and draw his conclusions. The room itself was relatively small, with furnishings that were all a monotonic gray. Its walls were reinforced and there was a heavy lock on the singular door. A place to speak on classified matters that could swiftly be repurposed to detain. Fitting, he supposed. He'd been told the team would be composed of criminals. Which Kaius himself technically was, but he counted his crimes far less significant than his reasons for running.

The second individual to enter was a tall, broad-chested man, dark dreads pulled away from his face by a band, shiny shoes and ironed shirt suggesting he was accustomed to working indoors. An attorney, perhaps, or some kind of analyst.

Not far behind him was a stout woman in a black tank top. Hardly professional attire, but Kaius supposed she was the type who would rather show off her biceps than maintain an air of respectability.

“No shit. Jericho?”

“Joy? Man, how long has it been?”

And they knew each other. This could prove irritating. Kaius tried to tune out their prattling. He had no interest in whatever prior circumstances had led them to meet, especially when the next person was entering, ready to be observed.

It was a lanky man with long, loose hair and an excessive amount of eye makeup. It seemed the batch grew worse with every new addition. Was he really expected to work with these people? Perhaps he was to be granted a consultant-type role. Act as the brain of this new system and prevent the group from making stupid choices. He could do that. Pointing out stupidity was certainly one of Kaius's strengths.

The door swung open a fourth time, and the final member of the team sauntered in. It seemed he'd been correct to assume that each new addition decreased in quality. This man looked like he'd neither slept nor bathed in days. His clothes were crumpled, his colored hair wild. The bags under his eyes and twitchy expression only added to Kaius’s doubts.

He hoped their assignment was nothing significant. Their efforts were surely doomed.

The one saving grace was that no one attempted to engage him in conversation while the group awaited instruction. Aside from the chatter of the first two—Jericho and Joy, was it?—the room was silent.

The door opened once more, this time admitting a pair of men who actually had the look of professionals. One an older white man, with gray streaking his hair and beard, the other perhaps in his thirties, with dark hair that curled near the top.

“Good evening,” the older one said. There was an easy smile on his face that his younger compatriot didn't attempt to match. “Glad to see everyone could make it.”

The man with the colored hair snorted. “Up until an hour ago, I thought I'd been arrested. Didn't think I had a choice.”

Kaius didn't know how the man managed to hold onto his smile.

“Nevertheless, welcome aboard, Mr. Harbor.” He addressed the room. “My name is Victor, but you are all welcome to call me Vic. I will be acting as your handler during your employment here.”

Joy’s hand went up. “Question. Is that handler as in… agents and stuff?”

“It would be in that vein, yes.”

She raised an eyebrow. “We weren't brought in to spy or anything, were we? That's not exactly my specialty.”

Vic laughed. Kaius couldn't see what was so funny.

“No, nothing like that. At least not the sort of spying you're picturing in your heads. The agency has a… highly specialized mission in mind that will require all of your unique skills and talents.”

“And I assume we get to hear what this mission is?”

“Correct. Sahota? Secure the door.”

The younger of the pair turned, sliding the lock into place without so much as a shift in his expression. Not the friendly type. Kaius thought they might get along.

“Have you all ever heard of Rotorworx? I know Mr. Harbor has.”

A grin split Harbor’s face, but no one else seemed to show recognition. Kaius thought the name sounded familiar, but he had no memory to attach to it.

“Rotorworx is a very…ambitious tech company," Vic continued. "They are fond of big, outlandish ideas. Tampering with the impossible.”

Joy nodded. “I can get behind that.”

“Then I hope you won't be disappointed to hear that your mission will be to destroy some of their experimental tech, Miss Cavan.”

“Wait, destroy it?” the big guy, Jericho, spoke up. “Why?”

Vic cleared his throat. “As I said, they're tampering with the impossible. Fingerfucking reality, to put it crassly.” He grinned into the silence that had fallen over the room. Even Harbor stopped fidgeting.

“The company has made some…questionable choices in the past, but our intel suggests their latest project is a machine that can open a gate between realities.”

“No shit,” Joy whispered. When Kaius glanced at her, she and Jericho were giving each other a Look. He'd seen similar exchanges of the Look on multiple occasions, most notably at university, when a pair of students thought something was a load of bull. He couldn't find himself disagreeing, but if destroying a machine kept him out of the clutches of his family, he wasn't about to complain.

“We've heard every test has been both unsuccessful and disastrous, yet Rotorworx continues to escalate, despite having seen how catastrophic that has gone in the past.” 

Kaius leaned forward, interlocking his fingers. “Why do you keep looking at Mr. Harbor?” he asked. It seemed a reasonable query. If Vic’s eyes landed on Harbor every time he made a mention of a disaster or questionable choice, Kaius needed to know why.

Harbor lifted his chin, looking down his nose at Kaius. “Because I'm a special boy.”

Vic moved behind Harbor's chair, resting his hands on the back of it. “Mr. Harbor was a subject in one of Rotorworx’s past experiments. If this team runs into any unpredictable technology, we believe his implant might give you an advantage.”

Joy’s hand went up again. “Hold up. Implant?”

Harbor tapped his temple. “I see shit you could never imagine. Makes me quicker on my feet."

“A subsect of Rotorworx attempted to crack clairvoyance,” Vic explained. “Mr. Harbor was the only subject for whom the experiment was moderately successful.”

Joy narrowed her eyes. “I think I read about that. Didn't everyone they tested on, uh…” Her gaze darted to Harbor for a split second. “...Damage their psyche?”

If it was meant as an insult, Harbor didn't pick up on it. “Can't break what's already broken,” he said, folding his arms behind his head and reclining in his chair. 

“The rest of you,” Vic continued, “have your own specialties. As you train together, I trust you'll learn the best way to play to one anothers’ strengths.” He laid a hand on the shoulder of the man beside him, giving it a squeeze. “Now Sahota, will you finish off the mission brief? I need to see if intelligence has an update for us.”

“Of course, sir.” Sahota remained stiff-backed, scanning the group before him with a cool look in his eyes. Once Vic had closed the door, he moved to the table, opening a white plastic binder to a page that looked like a building’s floorplan.

“As Vic said previously, you are being tasked with the destruction of the Reality Cage.”

The man with the heavy eye makeup snorted at that, the first sound Kaius had heard him make.

“I'm sorry, the what now?”

Sahota leveled his gaze at him. “The impossible technology Rotorworx is developing. Pay attention.”

The man rolled his eyes. “I paid attention. Just think that's a ridiculous name, yeah?”

Sahota did not appear amused. Though, Kaius noted, Joy and Jericho did. Should he be entertained as well? 'Reality Cage' was just two words strung together. He didn't see the humor in them.

“The Reality Cage is set to begin its second phase of testing in a matter of weeks. We don't know the extent of the damage it will do, but statistics suggest it could spell catastrophe for the city if fully activated.”

“Wild I got hired on to stop a machine from spelling,” the man with the makeup muttered, earning a snicker from Jericho. 

Sahota snapped the binder shut. “Benji Ruebin,” he said. “Why are you here?”

The man, Benji, seemed caught off guard. “Well I… what? What do you mean why am I here? You're the ones who asked for me, aren't you?”

“And why did you agree? You're a thief, Ruebin. This job won't give you the money your skillsets could earn you elsewhere. So why are you here?”

“Because—”

“Because if you didn't agree to this mission, you'd be rotting in jail right now. All of you would.” Sahota’s eyes landed on Kaius, and he felt a chill go through him at the coldness there.

“With a few exceptions. But your situation isn't much better, is it Mr. Manak?” He turned back to Benji. “What do you think, Ruebin? Can you make it in prison? Or are you going to shut up and listen?”

Benji bent his head, pantomiming zipping his lips.

“Good.” He flipped the binder back open. “Rotorworx has dozens of locations within the city, but we've narrowed our targets down to three. From there, we still need to uncover exactly where the Cage is.” He raised his chin. “And that's where you all will come in. Rotorworx is a billion dollar company. They treat security like a form of art. Once you enter the target location, you'll face armed guards, an assortment of surveillance systems, and traps.”

“Did you say traps?” Joy was leaning in, glancing at the binder. “What is this, a movie?”

“Rotorworx considers their research top secret. As a larger-than-life company, we are anticipating larger-than-life countermeasures.”

Sahota stood, leaving the binder open on the table. “You'll find the data we've gathered from the three potential locations in there. Study it in your spare time. Vic has placed me in charge of your training for these next few weeks.” He cast a final glance over his shoulder. “Wish I could say I trust that you won't disappoint me, but I don't. Start taking this seriously, or you're going to start dying.”

“Are you leaving?” Jericho half-stood. “What should we do? Are we restricted to this room?”

“Go where you want within the facility,” Sahota answered. “Locked doors will stay locked if you know what's good for you. Training starts in the morning.”

“And where are you off to, huh? Aren't you on the team?” Harbor threw his head back, looking at Sahota half-upsidedown. “You didn't even tell us about your special talents.”

The man narrowed his eyes. “I report directly to Vic. You all report to me. Don't make us regret this.”

And with that, he was gone. Kaius took the opportunity to slide the binder towards himself, leafing through its pages. 

“Woof,” Joy muttered. “Who do you think tops?”

Benji let out a chuckle. “Definitely Vic. You heard Sahota talking.”

“Haven't heard someone say sir with such fervor since the army.”

“You were in the army?”

Kaius tuned them out. The binder’s pages were laughably scarce. Was this all the information they had to go off of? There was nothing but a few mismatched floorplans and the name of a suspected security system in use. They really were doomed, weren't they?

On top of the scant intelligence, Kaius's new team was… lacking. The more talkative three were gossiping and giggling about their new bosses, and Harbor had already left the room. 

As much as he didn't want to take charge of the situation, it seemed that no one else was willing to act responsibly.

Kaius loudly cleared his throat. “As enticing as it may be to discuss our handler's sexual habits, perhaps we should focus on the task at hand,” he said. “Familiarizing ourselves with the binder is the only order we've been given, and it seems you're already ignoring it.”

“And who are you?” Benji said.

“Mr. Manak,” Joy answered for him.

“Manak. As in the Manak family?”

“A family name usually insinuates the presence of a family,” Kaius muttered.

“Yeah, but you aren't just the Manak son, you're the Manak heir.” Benji laughed. “My old crew talked about robbing you once.”

“No shit, we got a rich boy on the team?” Joy leaned forward, elbows on the table, chin in one hand. “So what are you doing here?”

“I think that's my business.” Truth be told, he was as curious about them as they were about him. All criminals, he knew that much, but what were their crimes? As long as he was here, he supposed he could entertain himself with uncovering a few more secrets. No doubt even Vic and Sahota had some of their own, though that would prove treacherous ground to tread on.

“Hey, he's right.” Jericho was speaking now. “We don't know exactly what we're getting ourselves into. Maybe we should focus less on the personal aspect and more on the things that will get us killed.”

At least someone in the group could be reasoned with. Kaius picked up the binder and carried it to the other side of the table, laying it before the others.

“There isn't much.”

“It's a start,” Jericho said. “And hey, I know the system they're using. I've hacked that dozens of times.”

“One of the systems,” Kaius corrected him. “There's bound to be more.”

They scanned all seven pages included in the binder, finding nothing he hadn't already made a mental note of. When he was absolutely certain he hadn't missed a detail, Kaius stood.

“No sense in wasting more time on this. I'm going to have a look around.”

“I guess… we'll come with you.” Joy stood as well. “Got nothing better to do.”

This must be why he was here. To keep the group on task when the handlers weren't present.

But even with his guidance, even with the team's newfound willingness to cooperate, Kaius couldn't shake his initial gut feeling.

They were being set up to fail.

[hwavsg4ch4n]

I'll Protect You || L.K

tags/warnings: afab!reader, bodyguard!Minho, royal!au, Princess!reader, angst, rough family dynamics, suggestive, forbidden love trope (lol), Minho calls reader "your/my grace", if i missed anything pls message me!!

notes: omg am I posting!? Hi everyoneeee, first off I want to ask how everyone has been~. I haven't been an active writer, that's because I realized I was looking at this as a job rather than a hobby that brings me joy :(, therefore I took a break. Can't say I'm gonna be constant bc thus is a hobby not a job, but I love to write and i'm pretty sure I wont stop! ( I have a lot of things in my drafts) btw, this is lowkey inspired by Bridgeton, but not quite.

Description: Being a royal isn't easy, especially when every choice is made for you. But maybe having a kind guard around isn't so bad.

this is a work of fiction, an alternate universe. The Irl persons are not made to be perceived this way. 18+ content ahead, viewer discretion is advised.

lmk if I should make this into a little series :o

You huffed, picking at the herbs that laid on your pasta as a garnish, tuning out the boring kingdom talk your mother and father indulged in with the rest of the family. The pearly satin gloves on your hands grew uncomfortable as the queen brung your personal life into conversation once more. 

“Y/n will get married soon, I just know it.” You resisted the urge to roll your eyes at your mothers comments. Your father, as always, just had to add salt to the wound. “There are many suitors sending letters to the palace every day, even some from overseas. I don’t understand why you never reply efficiently-” You gave a tight lipped pained smile, not wanting to cause a scene; avoiding trouble.

You didn’t want all these random men, men that only saw your family's wealth. You already had a man you yearned for, one that was different. You look up from the tablecloth, in the doorway of the dining room stood your personal guard; Minho. He wasn’t looking at you, he was on duty. If he looked anywhere but straight he’d be bound to have to skip dinner for a lecture from the head guard. But you didn’t mind that he wasn’t looking at you, it made it easier to stare and get lost in the comfort of your own imagination; daydreaming about how wonderful it would be to run away with the kind man that always made sure you weren’t lonely.

Minho wasn’t always in your life, he only came to serve the royal family a mere 2 years ago. Being assigned as your personal guard didn’t sound exciting at first, just another shackle put around your ankles to prevent you from living the best you could under these circumstances. But as you grew accustomed to his presence, memorizing the scars on Minho’s neck and hands, finding safety in the pure brown of his round eyes, and the soft smile that he often wore on his lips; the one he’d only show you, you didn’t dread being looked over 24/7. He was more than enough for you, enough to make you feel whole in a palace that only offered emptiness.

Before Minho was a royal guard, he was a warrior. He only knew battle, but he didn’t want to fight all the time anymore, he wished for something more calm; so here he is. Yes he was rough around the edges but he got the job done, the king and queen liked him because he seemed to make their princess stop complaining. They didn’t care how he did it, as long as they didn’t have to hear your mouth and watch you themselves. 

As you stared at the man who looked after you, daydreaming of an alternate universe where you could be normal… your mother; the queen, asked your sister-in-law; the dutchess, to make a toast. What for? You didn’t know, but what you did know was envy. You could practically turn the color green as you watched your brother's fond eyes stare up at the woman he loved. He got to marry the woman he loved so purely, why didn’t you get to do the same? He got to pick, choose… yet you have no say.

You cleared your throat after sipping from the dark glass of wine. “Excuse me. Mother, father, may I be excused? The meal doesn’t seem to be sitting right with my stomach.” Your words were respectful but your face held an expression only Minho could read clearly, therefore he shifted on his heels, ready to accompany you.

“You’ve barely touched your food, my grace.” Your sister-in-law meant well, you know she did. But the fact that she can have the life she wishes for while you’re sitting idle with no authority over yourself makes you frown almost every time you see her smile happily. “Yes, well, I seem to have caught a bug. May I be excused, please… your highness?” You offered a tight lipped smile at your mothers unhappy face. The poised woman sipped from her white wine as she shooed you off with a flick of the wrist, but you couldn’t leave the dining room without her having the last words.

“Y/n dear, I want you to know… no matter how much you try to fight it, this is your life. You will eat when I tell you, wear what I want you to, and marry who I wish you to. Is that understood, darling?” Your eyelids fluttered as you fought back tears of frustration, no matter how hard you tried to be perfect, she saw right through you. “You’re dismissed.” 

The maids opened the grand doors, offering you pity glances as you clacked off; struggling to keep your composure as Minho followed closely behind.

He didn’t say anything as you sped walk into the garden, breathing heavily as tears finally flowed down your cheeks. You looked down at your glove clad hands as you stopped in the center of the garden, sniffling as you rushed to rip them off. Throwing them to the rocky pavement as you dug your heel into the glimmering fabric.

“Your grace,” you sighed softly at the sound of his voice, the voice that calmed you whenever this would happen. Minho didn’t seem to know the effect he had on you, or maybe he did and decided to ignore it. Either way his presence always worked.

“It’s cold out, and you have nothing to cover yourself with, shall we go inside?” He asked softly, staring at your back as you looked at the now dirty satin gloves on the cobblestone. You shook your head in disagreement, turning around to be met with Minho’s gentle eyes underneath the moonlight.

“The breeze feels nice, I wish to stay out here for longer. You can go back if you’d like.” Your voice was weak as you sat on a bench, overlooking a small man made lake your brother made for you as an 11th birthday gift. You watched as the koi fish swam carelessly, free. You couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony. 

You know Minho didn’t leave, he wouldn’t leave even if you paid him to. “Why is this my life Minho?” He stayed silent. You looked up at him, his expression neutral, used to having heard this talk from you multiple times.

“Why can’t I marry the one I love? Be happy with him, feel the kind of love my brother and the dutchess have. It’s right at my fingertips, but it’s being ripped away.” Minho raised a brow, this was new. Your rants were always about freedom, not about love.

“… are you in love, my grace?” Minho was surprised. He’s with you every hour of the day, he surely would’ve noticed if you’ve developed a crush on someone. 

You parted your lips, realizing what you’ve just said. The wine has seemingly gotten to you.

You stand up, “I want to go to my room.” You whispered, walking passed the now curious man. Minho swiftly picked up your gloves and handed them to a maid as he followed you inside. 

You dismissed the help as they offered to undress you. “Please just… go to your chambers, I want to be alone.” They all left, except for him. You closed your room doors behind you, sighing. “Would you like me to leave too, your grace?” You rolled your eyes, turning around to face him.

You were tired, tired of pretending, tired of hiding. “Have you ever been in love, Minho?” Your guard frowned, then soon moved in a hurry to help as he saw you trying to take off your jewelry. You sucked in a breath of air as you saw his reflection in the mirror, focused on helping you with your pearls. You fought the urge of closing your eyes as his fingers grazed your skin.

“I have.” He answered shortly, “but she didn’t love me back, I got over it quickly, it was years ago. Honestly, I’ve forgotten until you just brought it up.” He understood you needed a distraction, so he gave it to you, as he always did. Didn’t matter if you asked for a war story and a made up one, whatever you asked of him he’d try to do.

You blinked, staring as he set your pearls down on your vanity, moving to work on your earrings. “What did it feel like?” Your voice came out in a whisper, causing Minho to look in the mirror to see you looking back at him. His heart skipped a beat, seeing the expression of longing on your face was almost too painful for him to see. A sweet girl like you shouldn’t be unhappy, yet here you are, unable to flap your wings like you should be.

“I wish I could tell you the beauty of it, my grace; but all I can tell you is the pain.” Minho said calmly, offering a polite smile to your reflection as he placed one earring down, moving to the next.

“It feels like a breath of fresh air after you’ve been suffocating for years. Like you’ve been lured in by a siren to live in the depths of the sea but finally you’ve been saved, being able To see the sun again.” Minho’s hands paused at your words, looking at you through the mirror once more. A pang in his chest follows as you look at him the way you did during dinner, only this time he notices.

“Your grace…” he whisperers. “It feels of the warm sun in the early summer, when you’re in a meadow surrounded by freshly bloomed daisies and dandelions. You know, when the breeze is just right? It feels… good.” Your small smile soon turns grim, watching as Minho sets the last piece of jewelry down. “It also hurts; like you said.” Minho stood silent, his heart pounding as you turned to face him; peering up into his sparkling eyes. “It hurts when I see that I can’t have you anyway that I want.” Minho’s breath hitched at your confession. “What do you mean… your grace… have me? I don’t seem to follow.”

You smiled painfully, reaching a manicured hand up to hold his cheek; stroking lightly. “I want you the way my brother wants the Dutchess, maybe even more. I don’t care if it’s forbidden… I want you. I want you to hold me, and do what they do in the dramas that my mother makes me turn off whenever they come on.” Your whispers travel across his now heated face.

“You… you’ve had too much to drink.” You scoffed at his stammering, surprising Minho. “No, I know what I said and I mean it. I’m a grown woman Minho, treat me as such.” You frowned, tired of being treated so fragilely.

Minho took your hand off his face, gazing down at you. “… treat you like a woman…” He looked into your eyes as he trailed off, your eyes drifted down to his chest. You nodded, looking back up to see him with parted lips and a frown. “Are you… are you in love with me?” You scoffed, feeling defensive at the possibility of rejection. 

“You can’t question feelings, Minho, it’s something we can’t entirely understand. If you don’t feel the same that’s fine, but don’t try to-” 

“thank you… for loving me.” He whispered. You frowned, “what do you mean?” He chuckled softly, “Thank you, for having feelings for me.” You watched as he bowed, pressing a chase kiss to the back of your hand. You flinched at the warmth of his lips.

“Minho…” he stood up, his hands caressing your cheeks as he moved closer. “This is forbidden, what we’re about to do, you know well that it is. But yet i’d still risk it, your grace. You find me worth the risk, you confessing to me is more than enough reason.” You tilted your head in confusion, “W-what are we about to do, Minho?”  He smiles. “I’m going to make love to you, if that’s ok. I feel as if you deserve it.” He whispers. 

Your cheeks flush, for the first time your eyes want to look anywhere but him. You’ve never done anything intimate with another before. “I don’t want you to feel like you’re obligated to… to touch me.” You whispered, looking down at his lips instead of his eyes that were trying to find yours.

Your lips part as you feel a soft kiss pressed to your forehead, sighing as he then places one at the corner of your mouth. “I’ve been trying to be… respectful, your grace. But must you know, I've been wanting to feel your skin on mine for a while.” You tensed up at his confession. “H-huh?” Your voice was weak, a rush of arousal, heat making its way into your abdomen.

Minho’s thumb traced the outline of your cupid's bow. “Do you know how hard it’s been… hearing you touch yourself late at night, and all I can do is stand outside your door and listen?” Your face grew hot, “Listen to you whisper my name, you probably didn’t even mean too. Did you, your grace?” His voice was soft but that didn’t mean you were any less nervous. “U-uh, I thought I… I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.” Minho chuckled softly at your pity excuse of an alibi.

“You can’t help it, I know. I’m the only one who takes care of you, it’s natural for you to call out to me in times like that. I find it adorable actually, that you need me. Your fingers sliding into your cunt, wishing that it was any part of me doing it instead. Are my assumptions correct, hm?” Minho tilted his head, his fingers grabbing ahold of your chin, making you look at him. It was as if your heart was in your ears by how loud it was currently beating.

“But even though I wasn’t able to help you, you always managed to cum. I know exactly what you sound like when you get there, I memorized it; you sound so fucking sweet, if I could record it I would, your grace.” You took in a deep breath, “Min-”, “What do you imagine that makes you cum every time? Do you imagine that your precious fingers are mine? What about… hm,” you watched in disbelief as he pondered other possibilities. “Ah, my tongue tasting you. Catching every last bit of you, not wasting a drop. Is it that, your grace?” 

You were speechless, your mind blank as all you could feel were his words gliding right through you and straight to your know throbbing core. Imagining the scenarios described to you, like you could feel it.

“Oh, what about this. Do you like thinking about how well I can fuck you? How Just me slipping into you can make all the frustration go away? How I can make your mind blank, your head fuzzy and your legs shake as I fuck you just the way you tell me too. Is that what gets you off, my grace?” You couldn’t help the soft whine that escaped your lips. Minho coos with a knowing grin, his hand traveling from your chin to grip your entire jaw, gently pulling you closer so the tip of your noses are grazing.

“So sweet, pretty, precious, aren’t you?” Your mind grew fuzzy. “Let me serve you, It’s my job; and I love to do my job.”

[wrestlersownmyheart]

"Her Outlaw Hero" (Sons Of Anarchy-Chibs Chapter fic) Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the Original Characters in this story. I am only using Kurt Sutter's characters from Sons of Anarchy. He created the characters and the show—I am in no way taking any credit for his creations. This story is for entertainment only. Content/Warnings: Violence against both men and women including rape. Summary:

Adelaide Watson is fleeing Tennessee—on the run from her violent past.

When she has a car accident on a lonely road in Charming, California, she has no choice but to walk to town for help. But help comes to her instead. In a very unexpected way.

Chapter 4

Adelaide paused a moment to try and catch her breath before she continued her long trek down the silent, empty road. She heard a vehicle in the distance and glanced behind her. Her breathing quickened as she recognized the same dark van from earlier. Apparently, the men found their dog and were returning from where they'd originally come.

Trying to ignore her pain and dizziness, Adelaide set about walking again, hoping against hope the two men would just pass by and leave her alone.

They frightened her. They looked more than a little rough around the edges with their leather vests and longish hair. The one that spoke to her sounded kind and had an attractive, thick Scottish accent, but…

That's irrelevant, Adelaide told herself. Liam is handsome—a cop for crying out loud! And I should have stayed far away from him. I've learned my lesson—the hard way.

She shuddered as her thoughts returned to the men's van.

They could be hiding several victims, she thought. Or more scary men, for that matter.

Needless to say, the thought didn't calm her nerves the tiniest bit.

Trying to breathe through the nagging pain in her ribs, Adelaide managed to take a few more slow steps before suddenly crumpling to her knees again. Pain surged down her shin as her knee connected with a rock. She was vaguely aware of the sound of an engine revving and tires crunching over clumps of dirt and rocks.

"No," she whispered, fear engulfing her. Her heart-rate sped up as her chest heaved for air. So the men do have plans to attack me! She pulled the small pocket knife from her jeans pocket and flicked it open. I wonder if this is random or if Liam sent them. Trying to manufacture an adrenaline surge, she climbed unsteadily to her feet. "Please, just leave me alone…" she thought aloud, as she resumed her feeble walk. "Just drive past me…"

She had no recollection of stumbling but in the next instant, she was on her knees again and staring at the ground.

A car door slammed and then strong hands suddenly pulled her to her feet.

"Are you okay, lady," a warm, accented voice asked.

You're mine, Laidey…

"NO!"

The scream tore from her throat and she flung her knifed hand out, attempting to stab or maim, but a man's hand caught her wrist and prevented severe injury. Her ribs screamed in protest as she was grabbed and held tightly.

"Let…m-me…go…" she sobbed, glancing up as she felt herself being pushed backward. Liam's face glared down at her fiercely. "God…no…" she whispered. Then his face shifted and changed completely. An older man looked down at her, a mixture of alarm and unease on his handsome face.

The Scotsman from the van, she realized in fear.

A black goatee and mustache speckled with gray adorned the lower half of his face, and he had a scar slashing up each of his cheeks. The man's eyes were so dark they could only be referred to as black—and despite his dark gaze burning into hers, he wore an expression of deep concern.

Gently, but firmly, he nudged her up against the driver's side door of the van and pinned her arms to her sides. In the next instant, the other man inside the van leaned out and clasped his hand over her mouth.

"Easy, lady," the guy said softly. "We're not going to hurt-" He cursed loudly when Adelaide's teeth sunk into the tender flesh of his palm.

She began fighting furiously with the Scotsman in the hopes of an escape. But his solution to her struggle was to press his body firmly against hers so as to stop her squirming. Still trying to fight him, she quickly exhausted herself and slumped against her captor.

"Please…" she sobbed. "Please, don't hurt me…"

To her surprise, she felt the Scotsman's hand tenderly touch her forehead, then her neck.

"She's burning up," he said to his friend who'd emerged from the van holding his injured hand. "Her pulse is racing. And I'm willin' to bet she's hallucinatin'."

Adelaide felt herself fading and slid down the side of the van, till a pair of strong arms held her up.

"She needs a hospital."

"NO," she gasped loudly, as she had a sudden adrenaline rush. She struggled against the man some more. "Please… No hospital… I just… need a hotel… room… some sleep…"

"You need a lot more than that, lass," came the soft, Scottish-twanged reply.

Adelaide felt her arm being draped around the man's neck, and then the sensation of being lifted and cradled against his strong chest.

"Please, don't hurt me," she whispered, and sobbed softly. She grasped at the Scotsman's shirt collar as if to get his full attention. "Please…" Her head grew fuzzier till she had no choice but to let it fall against the man's shoulder.

"We're not gonna hurt ya," the man drawled with his accent. "We're gonna help ya and keep ya safe. Just stay calm, lady."

"No…" she mumbled. A cold shiver racked her slender frame, "Please, don't call… me that…"

"All right. Shhh," came the soothing reply. She felt herself being carried then, "How about tellin' me your name then, lass?"

She was laid down in what she guessed was the inside of the van. "Can I… sleep first? So… sleepy…"

"No, try to stay awake lad—Try to stay awake for me, okay?"

Adelaide was unable to answer as she drifted into a black oblivion.

00000000

Chibs cursed under his breath as he watched the young woman's eyes dim and grow heavier, till they finally closed completely.

"Tig, drive," he ordered urgently, "Get us back to the club house. I have some supplies there. And keep the dog up there with you. I have to see what I can do for the woman."

Wordlessly, Tig climbed behind the wheel and was barreling down the road only seconds later.

Chibs pressed his fingers to the side of the woman's neck and counted her pulse.

One fifty-two, he thought to himself. At the very least. That's not good—at all. Her skin was flushed, dry, and blazing hot—which meant she had a huge fever that was yet to break. "Sunstroke," he murmured to himself as he recalled her long walk from her car. I'd bet money on it.

"What," Tig called from up front.

"I think she's had sunstroke," Chibs called back.

Tig growled a curse and sped up the van, "How do you treat that?"

"Ice-water bath and IV fluids," Chibs replied, "But I may need meds too. When we get there, call Tara. See if she has time to come help me treat a sunstroke victim. In the meantime crank up the A/C full blast."

Tig obediently turned up the air-conditioning as high as it would go. "What was she thinking…walking out in this heat? Why didn't she call 9-1-1 or something?"

"Don't know," Chibs answered, dousing a cloth with a bottle of water and applying it to her scorching forehead. "Not important right now." He heard her whimper softly as the cool cloth touched her scorching head. A shiver racked her slight body.

"She's having chills, Tig, hurry."

Within a couple minutes, Tig pulled the van up to the clubhouse and got out to open the doors for Chibs. As he was leading Daisy to her tie-out, Venus Van Dam, his old lady came running out of the clubhouse.

"Oh, thank goodness you found her," she cried, running up to Tig. "Juice called me and said she ran off!"

"Relax, baby," Tig said, hugging his woman closely. "We got her back. And she helped us save a woman who was in trouble," he reported proudly.

"Oh, my," Venus drawled in her thick Southern accent. She looked over Tig's shoulder to see Chibs climbing out the back of the van. She watched as he tugged a woman's limp frame into his arms, and prepared to carry her inside. "The poor thing," she gasped, placing her hand over her heart. "What happened to her?"

"Long story short—Chibs thinks she has sunstroke."

"Tiggy! Call Tara," Chibs reminded him as he carried the limp woman toward the clubhouse, "I need her—like, ten minutes ago."

"Right," Tig said, and pulled out his cell. "I'm on it, brother."

"I'm going inside to see if there's anything I can do," Venus said, squeezing Tig's arm. She hurried back to the clubhouse to lavish the unconscious woman with her special gift of Southern hospitality.

She entered the clubhouse just ahead of Chibs, and waved her arms in a scatting motion, "Clear a path boys," she said loudly, clapping her hands. "There's a lady in need of medical attention here."

"Whoa," Happy exclaimed when he spotted Chibs carrying the female. "What's this," he asked, lunging forward and holding the door open for him.

"She crashed her car and was trying to walk somewhere. Sunstroke," Chibs explained. "Get the pool table cleared. I need to examine her and see what she needs." He heard Tig reenter the building as he carried the young woman to the pool table and waited while Venus and Juice hurriedly began clearing the table of the balls and cue sticks.

"Tara's on her way, Chibs," he reported. "What else can I do?"

"Grab a pillow for her head," Chibs began to toss orders, getting fully into medic-mode. "And I need ice. LOTS of it—everyone chip in with that. Make ice packs and someone else run a tub of cool water in one of the dorm bathrooms—dump some ice into that too." He cursed lightly then when the woman began convulsing. "Go BUY ice if ya have to boys. I'm gonna need a ton of it."

"I'll go get the bath drawn," Venus announced, once the pool table was cleared off, and hurried back to one of the dorms. Chibs gently deposited the shuddering woman onto the pool table's surface while everyone else went to raid the refrigerators' ice bins for the much needed ice. Bobby grabbed his key to the van and left to go purchase some as well.

Careful not to bump her head against the edging of the table, Chibs situated the woman so he could examine her to the best of his ability. She looked as though she'd already taken a blow or two to the head, judging from her bruises, so he didn't want to make any possible head injury worse.

And I don't think the bruises are from the accident, he thought, eyeing her damaged pale skin. They're not fresh enough. Most of them are at least a couple days old.

Tig returned with a pillow and gently lifted the woman's head so he could place it beneath her. She whimpered softly, but otherwise didn't stir.

"It's okay," Tig told her softly, brushing her hair away from her face. "We're taking care of you."

Chibs had grabbed a blood pressure kit and temporal thermometer and began to check her vitals. A minute later, he released the air valve on the inflation bulb and frowned from the results. He pulled the stethoscope from his ears and glanced at his watch.

"How is she," Tig asked.

"Not good," he replied, taking her pulse again. "Her temperature is 106.7, blood pressure is 216 over 118, and her pulse is so fast I can't count it. I hope Tara gets here soon." He looked at Tig then. "Go get the coat tree and a coat hanger to hang an IV on, okay?"

"You got it," Tig answered, and went to round up the items.

Chibs headed to one of their medical supply closets to get the materials he needed to start an IV and then hurried back to the woman—who was convulsing again. Tig already had the coat tree and hanger set up for him. Chibs quickly hung up the bag and did the necessary checks on the bag and tubing to make sure no air bubbles were present, then began the task of inserting the needle and getting the IV to delivering fluid to the woman. "Hold her in case she starts convulsing again," Chibs ordered. "I have to hit the vein just right."

"I'm here," came Tara's voice from the front of the room. "How bad is she?"

"Bad," both men answered in unison.

"She's had a couple of convulsions," Chibs said, and reported the woman's vital stats to her. "Have you got any meds with you that can help with any of that?"

Tara immediately opened her bag and pulled out some vials of medicine and syringes.

"Phenobarbital should take care of the convulsions," she said, drawing up a dose to inject into the IV. "It'll sedate her enough that she won't suffer through the ice water baths either. For her pulse and heart I'll give her some Inderal and Dobutimine, because if we don't slow that pulse down soon, her heart will fail."

Bobby entered then patted Chibs on the back, "I have a ton of ice in the van, brother. We should have all we need."

"Thank you," Chibs said. "Ya mind helping me dump some into the tub?"

"No, no," Tara interjected. "I might need you." She looked up at Tig. "Could you go help Bobby?"

"Sure thing," Tig replied, and followed Bobby into the dorm to get the ice bath ready.

Tara tried counting the woman's pulse again and looked up at Chibs, "She's definitely bad off. She really needs to be in a hospital, Chibs."

He nodded, "I know. But she refused it. Something happened to her—someone attacked her or was after her. She was scared to death when I mentioned a hospital."

"Well, we'll do the best we can then, and if she gets worse… We'll have to come to a decision," Tara replied, rechecking the woman's temperature. She cursed softly. "Ugh. She hit 107. We've got to get her in ice. Now."

Tig and Bobby reentered the room just as she finished speaking. "It's ready" Bobby announced.

"And we have a ton of ice packs ready when you need them. We stuffed them in the freezers," Happy reported from the kitchen area.

"Great, thank you everyone," Chibs said appreciatively.

Tara glanced up at him again, "Help me undress her, okay? We need to get her down to her underwear. Any excessive clothing will prevent her from cooling properly."

They both began working at pulling the woman free of her shoes, jeans and t-shirt, and then gaped at the sight of her ribs. One whole side had blackened.

"No wonder she seemed in so much pain," Chibs thought out loud.

Both his and Tara's eyes scanned over the woman further, and they noticed more bruising at her inner thighs.

"Oh, God," Tara murmured.

"Mother Mary," Chibs whispered. "Anyone who'd treat a woman like that doesn't deserve to live."

Tara tried to clear her head of what the woman had been through.

"I'll tape up her ribs once she's through with the ice baths and her temperature is stabilized. That's about all I can do for them besides get her some pain meds."

Chibs stooped down and lifted the woman up and then carried her back to the dorm, as Tara followed behind with the makeshift drip stand and IV.

Once he reached the tub of icy water, Chibs instructed Tara to set the IV stand next to the tub. "Support her head, okay," he asked. "I don't want her to bump it on the edge of the tub."

Tara reached forward and held the woman's head till Chibs had her settled into the ice water. The woman didn't even stir.

"That's good," Tara said softly, "She won't be feeling any discomfort right now."

"What about later," Chibs asked, concern creasing his forehead.

"She's going to have some later, yes," Tara clarified. "She'll have to be packed with ice off and on till we see if her temperature is going to stabilize. Also, with her ribs and all that bruising… Well, I can't write her a prescription without knowing her name."

"It's Adelaide Watson," came a soft reply from outside the door.

Tara looked puzzled, and Chibs actually gave a small laugh. "Chucky, get in here. How d'ya know her name?"

Chucky walked into the room sheepishly holding a wallet.

"I was folding her clothes for her, and this fell out of her jeans. Her ID is in there."

Chibs took the wallet and looked for himself, "Well, I'll be… He's right. Adelaide Watson." Chibs gave Tara a dimple-inducing grin. "Can ya write that scrip now, Doc?"

If you want on my tag list just let me know! 🙂

Tagging:

@mrsfilipchibstelford @ravennaortiz

[gofancyninjaworld]

Webcomic Chapter 143 Review

Fetch yourself a cup of tea or beverage of choice: this is a long one.

Story Summary

In brief, we are staying with the scenes of the last chapter, and have moved our viewpoint to take in the responses of various heroes from the two organisations as they try to deal with the influx of killer robots as the latter scythe down civilians and pulverise buildings.

Straight away, we see very different fates play out. Lightning Max cautiously sizes up a single robot and tries to work out who best to tackle one that shrugs off his blows nonchalantly, but soon a sea of robots approach, driving before them a wave of panicked civilians. Max's feet are shot out from under him and he is surely at the end as a robot takes aim at him, but...

No lie, when I first saw these panels I felt so ill I had to stop reading for a few minutes

... the shot is absorbed by an armoured figure and Mumen Rider -- no Neo Mumen now -- protects him. He carries Max off to safety.

Around the various locals, it is a similar story of pro-heroes struggling to make headway against the robots, only to find Neo Heroes sweep in to make short work of them. Even former pro-heroes (we met this lot suffering in chapter 138) who've taken up with the Neo Heroes are finding it easy.

Who needs courage or skill when you've got tech?

The situation reaches its apogee with Tank Top Master. He finds it easy enough to destroy the robots, but is prevented from ploughing through them by needing to defend his comrades who were felled after mistaking approaching figures for escaping civilians. He's desperate to fight back but moving means abandoning his comrades to die.

what a bind!

Relief arrives in the form of the Neo Hero Hunter group, but with it comes real ugliness. The Hunters start mincing up the robots and are hailed as the true heroes of the day by the present civilians. Fair enough, however, when Tank Top Master asks for help moving his comrades to safety so he can join the offence, only to be so rudely rebuffed the man is left stunned into silence.

Tank Top Master is really too nice

The chapter closes with Axel's thoughts as he and his team destroy the robots. He sees this as the start of a society kept safe from monsters by universally-worn power armour from the Neo Heroes. If the world has changed, then so must mankind.

And he will permit no one to stand in the way of this vision.

Oh. Dear.

Much more below the cut!

Meta: Roundup Ready

A: So this is how you kill an organisation

Unless something big and wonderful happens, today is the day the Hero Association dies. Its destruction has been as systematic as watching a once well-unionised trade be dismantled.

The Neo-Heroes didn't do it all on their own. They've been aided by a press that has highlighted every scandal and flow of the Hero Association (ably aided by data breaches -- cough McCoy cough) while fawning uncritically over the Neo Heroes. The government has been persuaded to dilute the Hero Association's position by giving the Neo Heroes the same rights once only entrusted to the HA.

They have then stolen away sponsors and enticed away pro-heroes with lavish salaries, equipment, free housing, and even clothing and food. They've run a slick public relations campaign the HA can't hope to match and have stolen public approbation from the HA.

And then they've gone a lot further. At some plausible remove, someone has been systematically unleashing cybernetically-enhanced monsters (and now robots) onto the populace. These threats have been marked by their ferocity and destructiveness when faced by pro-heroes, and their willingness to lie down and die when confronted by Neo Heroes, making even inexperienced fighters feel powerful and leaving an impression on the public. [1]

RoundUp Ready is the Monsanto trademark for its patented line of genetically modified crop seeds that are resistant to its glyphosate-based herbicide, Roundup. By deploying a cybernetically-enhanced campaign of terror, pro-heroes are being culled like weeds [2].

It is no accident at all that the three S-Class heroes who succeeded in defeating the dragon-level threats sent simultaneously to several cities, Tatsumaki, Flashy Flash, and Genos, are precisely the heroes sent on special missions when they are most needed on the front lines.

In Genos's case, he's been sent on the sort of mission designed to finish off whatever lingering credibility the Hero Association has. At the very best, deadly infighting is a foul look on any organization. At the worst, his destroying Metal Knight's arsenal (and maybe Bofoi too) will remove the only source of systematic mass defense the Hero Association has. No matter how things turn out between Genos and Metal Knight, only the Organization wins.

This is how the bad guys win. There are more ways to defeat a hero than engaging them in head-on combat. [3] The bad guys don't care in the slightest about the value of the human lives they've destroyed to achieve this. For Tumblr readers, I've spoken about it here.

B: Brave New Techno World

On the one level, a conflict like the one between the Hero Association and the Neo Heroes was always going to come. We've learned that monsters have long been part of the Earth, and so long as humans aren't being excessive, they're happy not to attack humanity.

In a world where monster attacks were sporadic, the Hero Association, with its emphasis on finding and supporting exceptional individuals to be heroes, was a brilliant innovation. In a world where monster attacks have become endemic, there was always going to be pressure to move away from dedicated amateurs to a more standardized, professional response.

However, as we've seen, the magnitude of the threat has been artificially worsened. Also, as we've noticed, the ultimate goal of the founder of the Neo Heroes, Mr Fuzzy, is control.

World Dominion: an oldie but goodie. And damn is he being clever about it.

Once the actual heroes are gone, with the politicians and businesses bought, there's little preventing the Neo Heroes (or more precisely, the powers behind them) from becoming an oppressive force keeping the populace in line.

Any protests from within can be silenced by cyborgization. Any protests from without... Ah, remember when Raiden tried to take in Puri Puri and his men for forcible thought correction? Remember the stupid people cheering the prospect?

This is the note-perfect way to introduce unjust laws: inflict them first on those society does not respect, not thinking that laws apply to *everyone*, not just the ones we don't like. There will be no wrong thought in this brave new world.

All the bits are in place: the satellite surveillance, the instruments of terror, the legal right to act with impunity, the conspiracy of other powerful organisations working in the shadows.

It'll be a brave new world all right. You may be alive and tech-savvy, but you won't be free. And you'll like it.

Or else.

The only question is: How is our titular hero going to deal with this? Against an evil that seemingly has no form? I guess we'll have to pray ONE is minded to give us more soon!

Asides

[1] We see what happens when the Neo Heroes face non-nobbled opposition. It often doesn't go well, not even against regular monsters:

[2] This development puts a much more sinister cast on the delegation that sought Mumen Rider to press on him a specially-modified Neo suit. It's as if they knew the cull was coming.

[3] Yes, there are wildcards such as Saitama, Garou, and even Sonic, but the enemy knows something that the Hero Association understands well: without credibility, a hero is just a weirdo ranting in the street no matter how strong they are. A discredited hero is no threat.

[fascinatedhelix]

Okay, so I got inspired by this post by @skylinx2o some time ago, and wound up spiraling into making a whole OC and AU out of it. Close ups of the different drawings and their explanations (numbered in chronological order) are below the cut:

This is Cassidy/Arra/Artara. She is our unlucky isekai protagonist. She was just kind of a regular lore fiend with little going on in life before getting ganked by some unknown force and turned into something cat-adjacent. At least, whatever passes for a cat on Spherus Magna; cats don't have metal bones, teeth, and claws.

She's got the Hordika brain problem, hence a lot of the catlike mannerisms. Very helpful when it comes to survival and flying under the Makuta's radar, but also really embarrassing.

#1 is our focal character, freshly fished out of Aqua Magna by Gali during one of her routine swims around Mata Nui.

This is the face of someone who has not only been thrust into an alien world out of nowhere, but got turned into some kind of beast in the process.

The Ga-Matoran presume her to be just another weird Rahi, and let her bum around the village for a while as she recovers. If there is any advantage to be had as a cat, it was that Matoran have little desensitization to fluffy things, so weaseling a free fish or two was pretty easy.

#2 features Arra catching her lucky break, moving to Ko-koro to live with Matoro.

Her attempts at learning the local language lead her to repeat words and phrases she hears from the Matoran. Tagging along for the Kolhii tournament, she repeats Takua's name following Jaller, and Takua delightedly named her "Arra," meaning "echo."

They wind up dropping her off at Ko-koro during the search for the Toa of Light, as they figured things would be a little too dangerous for a soft little Rahi like herself to tag along any further. Matoro takes her in as a companion, figuring that a warm fluffy Rahi like herself would be good for Nuju's sleep troubles.

He winds up taking her with him to Ko-metru following the migration back into the GSR, and they live happily together for many months, up until he gets a visit from Jaller and she realizes what comes next. She tries to warn him about Voya Nui, but learning how to put together a full sentence from just a few months of observation is beyond difficult, and he simply promises to bring back some dried fish when he returns, leaving her in the care of Nuju.

She would never see her friend again.

#3 shows Arra's less than eager reaction to being approached by the Order of Mata Nui. After a struggle, she is locked in a basket and brought to Daxia by force.

The Order has eyes everywhere, and a future-predicting Rahi just running around would screw up a lot of their plans, so Helryx ordered her capture.

Like, Arra understands the motivations, but at first she thought she was getting kidnapped by the Dark Hunters. It's at this point she learns her claws are properly metallic, scratching the shit out of her captor.

#4 shows Arra with Helryx. Upon being kidnapped by the Order for future prediction crimes, Arra's presented a choice: either join the Order as an informant, or be its prisoner. She picks the former.

Helryx commissions a translation collar from Artahka to allow for ease of communication, after realizing that the critter barely speaks any Matoran. Once that's squared away, Arra tells her everything. I do mean everything.

This information goes forward to prevent a lot of unnecessary deaths over the course of the story, and prepare the Order for the epic shitshow destined to take place later on. In the mean time, though, Arra winds up getting a little side job as Daxia's resident therapy cat. They need a lot of therapy.

Arra's particularly fond of Axonn as a perch, but Helryx herself tolerates Arra's shenanigans during meetings.

#5 is Artara enjoying head pats from Lewa.

Might've mixed up the timeline a little, but then again, he'd probably pat her with or without the collar. He seems like the kind of person who'd gush over a "tiny Muaka."

This sketch was originally Axonn's hand, but I realized his hand would be way bigger relative to her body, so I modified it to look more normal. Axonn could probably hold her like a baseball.

Artara's the nickname she gets during more "formal" occasions, when acting as an agent of the Order of Mata Nui (albeit mostly as an advisor). Up until the epic giant robot showdown, she's working with Helryx and the others to minimize the casualties when Makuta ultimately falls.

After that... well, Helryx starts giving her a little more freedom. Artara's told her already that her knowledge cuts off after a certain point, and with the Order's psychic protection training she's far less vulnerable to mental incursion than would be a serious risk.

Arra only really asks for one thing once things have settled down some: to see the Mask of Life. "Not to touch it, obviously, I don't want to get cursed."

#6 showcases Artara's Agori form, attained after the Order of Mata Nui retrieves the Mask of Life and allows her to see it.

Originally, she went in with the intention of saying her goodbyes to Matoro, seeing the Mask as his grave in an odd sense. But as she rambles mournfully, she expresses frustration at her situation. She has lost her ability to communicate without an aid that can be taken away at the will of its donor, she can't even hold a stylus for herself, and worst yet she can't even cry for her friend.

It's at that moment Mata Nui decides to remind everyone that he can still hear them, and temporarily reforms to have a chat.

As it turns out, the Mask of Life was what turned her into a lybik (the Spherus Magnan cat species), during its escapades clinging to the back of Vezon's head. An unexpected portal, probably having something to do with Brutaka's broken Olmak, spat out a being very high in the air that the Mask knew would not survive the fall. So, it turned the being into something that would survive. Only, it got sidetracked looking for a new host, getting chased by the Piraka, Teridax's scheming, and all that other stuff, so it never had the chance to follow up with the mysterious outlier.

Until now.

Mata Nui admits he cannot send her home, and it'd be a bad idea to turn her back into a human. From what he can tell using the Ignika's power, her old form would likely collapse into a broken mess due to the planet's higher gravity. But, he points out, he can give her something that works just as well, and brings her up to touch the mask...

And as the light fades, she realizes she has hands again. And starts bawling like a baby.

Beyond the story bits, she now has shapeshifting powers. They are limited to mostly organic beings (so, she can't pretend to be a Toa), as her original form and her cat form were organic in nature, but she's just glad she has hands again. She can partially transform to do things like grow claws, speak more clearly as a beast, or in most cases just forget to put her tail away in Agori form.

#7 shows Artara trying to socialize with local Agori, this time with Kirbold. They... don't really know what to make of her.

In general, Agori tend to be at least a little xenophobic by default, and an interdimensional alien that knows the future is kind of a lot to deal with, even beyond the shapeshifting and slightly immodest dress.

While I imagine hissing and growling are probably things Agori and Glatorian can do naturally, based on the vocalizations of the Vorox and Zesk, it's considered extremely rude. She does it all the time out of habit.

I haven't figured out what she does after this point. She just kinda hangs out with her old Matoran Universe buddies most of the time and confuses the shit out of any poor Spherus Magnan she runs into. Maybe she lends a helping hand to the Sisters of the Skrall and throws a monkey wrench into Velika's plans, but otherwise I'm open to ideas.

[kidflashimpulse]

I have a question: Do you know if the series explains why Dr Dorado did not take his family to the United States? I am aware (as an Argentinian) that Eduardo and his father are a bit stereotyped but the choice for Mr. Dorado to leave his family in Argentina is a bit strange. Because otherwise, the only explanation I see is that his job was considered dangerous, so he decided to leave his family to prevent them from being hurt. (Sorry for coming straight to you with this question but I have a hyper fixation on Edu and you are the one I see the most in his tags 😅)

no worries i’m happy to answer edus my boy i love talking about him :D (lmfao my bad for practically spamming his tags 😭)

i like ur explanation ! i can see that being a reasoning, i mean we know that STAR labs is always involved in all sorts of stuff so …

the show has never given any particular reasoning for why Sr left his son with either his (or his wife’s) father (i.e Eds granddad). All we know is that Sr studied Zeta-beam tech for two decades and at some point moved to the US.

i don’t have one explanation set in stone, but here r some possible reasons he could’ve just went himself without his son (they’re not necessarily the most logical, just possibilities): either he felt like he didn’t want to remove his son from a place that he knows as home and had enough trust in the granddad being able to take care of him in the mean time. Considering Ed was young when his dad left, sometimes parents feel like they don’t want to remove them from an environment they feel comfortable with.

or if they would’ve moved, he’d either have to take the grandfather with them or possibly just leave him alone, which he maybe didn’t want to do and felt better leaving Edu behind with him too to give him company (doesn’t make it right but again parents can think like this sometimes). Also he might’ve thought sending money back to them might’ve been more fruitful than having the full family with him. Old people can feel very strongly about not wanting to leave their home behind.

Sometimes also with ppl who leave the country they don’t necessarily plan on just staying there, they return back (in this case to Argentina) frequently. And with the zeta tubes maybe this was something easy for Sr to do at first, but i can see this becoming less and less through the years (just something that i feel like can naturally happen especially with someone so consumed by his work like Ed Sr) and Ed grows more angry and pissed at his dad for being there less and less and that’s what prompts him to say fuck it and runaway to go to his dad.

Also we know that Eds mom is not in the picture (for unknown reasons, either leaving the family or because of death) so maybe Sr didn’t want to be around the place and people that might remind him of her as much and distance himself.

But I see this as unlikely cause despite all his shortcomings, Sr is shown to care very much about his son. I feel like a likely reasoning would’ve been something that started with good intentions but then through the years just didn’t work out as well as he hoped, prompting Ed to run away from home.

i also think something worth considering is he maybe felt the granddad would be able to take better care of Eduardo than him, because he knows how much work takes up his life and he wouldn’t want to be an absent father to a son who’s then alone most of the time in a new place and new environment. He might’ve reasoned to himself that it would’ve been better for Ed to stay home with his granddad who would be there when he needs him. And he would then try to visit when he can.

the logical thing would’ve been to take his family with him, but people often try to make things work out despite it not necessarily being the easiest or best solution.

so no the series doesn’t say anything about it, but i would sure be interested to know what reasoning they have :) thanks for the ask <3