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ordinaryschmuck · 4 months

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Why I Love The Owl House-Part Two: The Relationships

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Salutations, random people on the internet who are already skimming past this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

And welcome to part two as we discuss everything I love about The Owl House. Because a single review wasn't enough, and, boy-howdy, did I prove that with Part One. Like...Wow. That was a lot.

But where Part One discusses the lengthy list of great and sometimes bad characters, Part Two is all about relationships. Because on top of having a diverse cast of different races, genders, sexualities, ages, and even species, The Owl House also has a diverse set of relationships that can be familial, platonic, antagonistic, and, of course, romantic. Each one is adorable and entertaining in its own right, and we're going over the best of the best today.

Quick disclaimer, though, we're NOT going to discuss relationships that didn't get much attention or ones made more interesting in fanon. I would love to talk a lot about how Luz and Vee are like sisters, but they only interacted in one episode and there's not much to go off of with the small tidbits of photos we see in the finale. And I would adore talking about how Camila's the honorary mother of every child who had come into her house. However, aside from a handful of conversations, she never interacted with anybody outside of Luz. Which is a shame because I would LOVE to see how she would get along with her future daughter-in-law. With that said, I will discuss characters who interact a bunch but note the missed opportunities they represent. Do we have an understanding? Good.

(Also, this one is going to be 26 pages long...Still better than last time, right? Right...)

Now, for this one, we’re going through it by category. Starting with…

Families

The Owl House has a surprising amount of family drama in a variety of ways. Whether it’s between siblings or parents and their children, there are a lot of stories to be milked out of with these relationships. And to start things off, let’s talk about what’s probably the healthiest mother/daughter relationship in the show.

Camila and Luz: I talked a lot about this kinship the two had last time, primarily through how Camila feels about Luz. To keep things brief, Camila LOVES her daughter. The only ones who denied that are idiots who focused too much on the negatives. Despite some missteps, Camila is proud of everything that Luz is, and came to realize that she should NEVER have tried to change a thing.

But that’s everything on Camila’s side. On Luz’s side, the love is very much mutual. No matter what mistake Camila made, Luz NEVER resented her for it. Luz may have felt sad for going to summer camp or worried about keeping Camila’s promise, but there was never any anger. The closest we got was her absolute refusal to go to summer camp, but even that was followed up with Luz feeling a quick moment of guilt for having to lie to her mother. This is because Luz LOVES Camila and, above all else, wants to make her proud and happy. The problem is Luz doesn’t approach things the right way, accidentally causing Camila strife through causing trouble at school and choosing to lie for too long so Camila wouldn’t be worried about what’s happening with Luz’s current situation. And when coming back, Luz still apologizes for leaving AND for lying, knowing that her choices weren’t the best ones to make and she regrets making Camila’s life harder. Camila’s actions weren’t the best either, but Luz was never bothered by that. She loves her mom. When stuck in the Isles, all Luz could think about was returning to her, and that’s because Camila is the one thing that connects Luz to the Human Realm. She has no friends, significant others, or mentors that made life fun in the Human Realm. Camila’s all Luz has, and vice versa.

When Manny died, it left Camila and Luz with just each other for the longest time. Because of that, they’re trying their best for one another. Camila does all she can to be the mom Luz needs and Luz, in turn, attempts to be the daughter Camila deserves. Neither got it right, but that doesn’t change their love for each other. They’re both all they have, and it’s sweet to see a mother/daughter relationship where both ARE and AREN’T at fault for a lot of stuff but still hold a great amount of love and respect for one another. They’re probably the healthiest example of a mother and her child. Though, in fairness, that’s not a steep competition.

Odalia and Amity: Yup. Might as well rip this bandaid off as soon as possible.

I think the best way to start off with these two is to ask a question: Did Odalia love Amity? I know that’s a weird question to ask considering EVERYTHING Odalia did but it’s still worth bringing up. Because I think that the answer is YES…upon CONDITIONS. As long as Amity acted exactly as Odalia wanted and followed this “perfect plan” she laid out, then Amity has Odalia’s love. When Amity DOESN’T, Odalia’s “love” turns to anger, and that’s because Odalia doesn’t want a daughter. She wants a mini-version of HER. You can see it in Amity’s Season One design, where her dyed hair and how she wears it is meant to be a reflection of Odalia. It explains why Odalia puts so much pressure onto Amity, forcing her to succeed and gain the highest ranks of society. If Odalia couldn’t be the most influential and powerful witch in all the Isles, then surely her daughter, who looks and acts exactly like her, should. And yet, Odalia’s still surprised that Amity chooses to rebel and be her own person instead of a mini-Odalia.

Amity’s resentment towards her mother is easy to pick up and the same goes for her inaction. To many kids, there’s nothing scarier than a parent, especially one like Odalia who can be very violent when angered or scorned. Amity has often rebelled in LITTLE ways against her mother, but it isn’t until meeting Luz does Amity find a lot more to fight for. She wants to carve her own path and becomes less afraid to stand up against Odalia. Amity dyes her hair and calls out Odalia’s behavior because it’s worth it for the fight for individuality. But despite this rebellion, it’s interesting that Amity still makes one last attempt to reach out in “Clouds on the Horizon.” Because while Odalia isn’t a good mom, Amity has it in her head that, surely, Odalia isn’t evil. I think a lot of kids, even ones with truly awful parents, have that mindset. Because even if they’re bad at parenting, that doesn’t mean they would stoop so low when lives are at stake, right? Except, not only does Odalia completely dismiss all life that isn’t her own, but she is surprisingly okay with the complete genocide of her people. The woman IS evil. Amity didn’t want to believe it because…well, no child DOES. But it’s that last bit of confirmation that Amity needed to cut Odalia out of her life forever…I just wish that conclusion had more of a satisfying punch to it.

I know I said it last time, but it really does suck that after everything Odalia did to Amity, things end by Amity proclaiming that she’ll never talk to Odalia again and blatantly ignores her in the finale. The thing is, I can see that being satisfying in its own right, but with how much Odalia messed up Amity’s life, treating her as a tool instead of a daughter, you can’t blame a schmuck for wanting Amity to do more. Still, I can understand Amity’s desire not to even ACKNOWLEDGE Odalia and I can live with THAT being the conclusion to their relationship. It’s definitely a better pill to swallow than what happens between—

Amity and Alador: On paper, making Amity a Daddy’s Girl sounds sweet, as does making Alador a caring father to contrast Odalia being…Odalia. But in terms of execution, this is an idea that could have definitely utilized more time to be perfect.

Amity’s desire to seek Alador’s approval and be like him feels way too sudden as every instance Alador’s been on screen before “Reaching Out,” it shows him doing something Amity has to fight back on. Granted, he was likely doing it to keep Odalia from doing WORSE things to Amity, but the audience didn’t have the knowledge of HIS situation yet. So to us, it’s more of a bitter pill to swallow that Amity wants to be like him. It’s slightly easier to understand on a rewatch, but just barely. Then the writers try to sell that Amity has a ton of faith that Alador would be on her side when going against Odalia, and it's similar to Amity trying to convince herself that her mom isn’t evil. The only difference is that, this time, Amity’s right. Her father ISN’T evil and he actually cares about his kids, which is sweet but it’s still information given to us LATER than it should. The same goes for Amity’s love for her dad. Knowing that she had such an admiration for him is something best left revealed as soon as possible and is NOT as easy to reveal through a retcon. Previous episodes leads us to believe that Amity fears and hates BOTH her parents, so having it where she loves her dad leaves one to scratch their head in confusion. But that’s just on Amity’s side. For Alador’s, it…barely works still.

I mentioned it last time, but the retcon that Alador is a father who actually loves his children is an idea that works well enough, but could be better. As sweet as it is to give Amity ONE parent that cares, it still comes up way too late in the series. By the time “Reaching Out” premiered, The Owl House was almost over, leaving not enough time to prove how much Alador cares. There’s some cute moments like him telling Amity that she did a good job through just an ATTEMPT to escape a forcefield, accepting “Luz” as Amity’s girlfriend, appreciating Amity’s new hairstyle, and giving her those little mittens. The writers ARE trying to make this idea work, but it admittedly feels like it’s too little too late.

Amity and Alador’s relationship COULD have been something great. It just either needed to be presented earlier in the series or more time to develop properly. Unfortunately, neither of those options were provided, and what we got was something that was awkwardly done. It’s still nice to see Amity get along with a parent for once and the epilogue proves that Alador kept his promise to be a better father, what with how happy he is to see her after what looked like a long journey. It’s just that, despite these attempts at cute moments, the relationship could have been done better. Still, on the bright side, at least they got along better than either did with Odalia. And, at least with her siblings, Amity has SOME positive relationships with her family…eventually.

Amity, Emira, and Edric: At the start, Ed and Em seem like antagonists to Amity, wanting to make her life suffer. I remember seeing a few fanfics that treated Edric and Emira in such a way because…well, how could there not be? Their very first episode involved them wreaking havoc in Amity’s safe space and threatening to leak pages of her diary for everyone to see. While me and my sisters definitely had our problems, they NEVER acted that way to me. It’s why I’m glad that after realizing they took a prank too far–And accidentally creating a monster that nearly killed Amity–Ed and Em went from antagonists to supporting characters. Oh, they still messed with Amity for the shits and giggles, but now it’s more out of how LOVING older siblings screw around instead of how the two twits acted in “Lost in Language.” They tease, jab, and mess around in Amity’s personal space, but it’s definitely out of love instead of malice, creating a dynamic that’s a lot sweeter to see. They went from another hardship of Amity’s homelife to one of the only people in her corner. Though, in this case, it’s less of a feat caused by character development and more by the writers changing their mind on what to do with them. Thankfully, unlike Alador, they changed their mind soon enough where this little course correction for Edric and Emira is a lot more believable and MUCH easier to swallow. It also benefits Amity by giving her two people to rely on…Or, just one.

Yeah, Edric’s primarily the odd man out in this dynamic. Emira and Amity have this adorable sisterly relationship where Emira tells Amity what she needs to hear and provide advice. With Edric, both Emira and Amity treat him as the dumb one, either making sure he doesn’t hurt himself or reticule him for his stupidity. There is SOME adorableness, though. Like how Edric ran in a full body cast and went through physical pain just so he can hug Amity. That shows he cares IMMENSELY about her and doesn’t care what happens to him to prove it. And with Emira, there’s something fascinating about how Edric’s fear is being alone forever and Emira’s is being alone with HIM forever. It IS likely that she’s joking at Ed’s expense, but there might be some truth to it. They do a LOT as a pair. They dress the same, act the same, wear similar outfits, and even have similar names. Emira definitely cares about Edric, but she doesn’t want her whole life to be defined as being his twin. It’s part of why they both went off to do different things and have their own careers not defined by what the other does. It’s great showing that while these two are similar in a lot of ways, they’re still very much different. But, once again, this is an analysis based on what’s implied and not what the series shows. There’s not enough time to build off this idea, and it still leaves Edric out of having something meaningful like what Amity and Emira have. And even then, what Emira and Amity have is something based on a few short scenes of Emira being a GOOD older sister. Still, it’s sweet for what it is.

The Blight siblings don’t have a deep or compelling relationship, but they don’t need it. Edric and Emira fill a supporting role for a secondary main character, and for what they do, it’s great. Emira’s sweet, Edric provides comedy, and they both EVENTUALLY give Amity what she needed. Her mom never truly cared and her dad…could’ve been better, but at least Amity had two siblings who care about her to a great degree. They might drive her crazy, but that’s siblings for you. Plus, at least none of them cursed one or the other. I mean, could you IMAGINE? That’s be crazy…

…

Eda and Lilith: These two…are complicated. And I’m well aware of how much of an understatement that is, but it’s true. As kids, they were thick as thieves, with both of them willing to do so much for the other. Lilith would share a scraped knee with Eda and Eda…would be willing to sacrifice more. She would throw herself under the bus so Lilith wouldn’t get in trouble with their literal demon of a principal and would willingly give Lilith a position in the Emperor’s Coven. The show makes it clear that Eda cares a great deal for Lilith. All they really had was each other in school and Eda didn’t want to change that situation, already assuming, as a teen, they would spend the rest of their lives doing EVERYTHING together. It’s sweet…and it makes Lilith’s petty jealousy and cursing Eda feel so wrong.

Lilith ALSO loved her sister, but took Eda for granted. Lilith’s drive to be the best, earning a place in the most powerful coven on the Isles, led to her fighting to be better than Eda. This fight started a rift between them, even before the curse. After quizzing Eda, and showing that she knew more than Lilith, Lilith started studying HARDER, trying to prove that SHE can learn more. She couldn’t stand being second place to Eda, so it drove Lilith to try harder and to get desperate. By the time Lilith cursed Eda, that rift between them only got worse due to a mix of Lilith’s guilt and her position as a Covenhead. Once they were adults, Lilith is in a position where she HAS to hunt Eda down for the Emperor, but in a weird way, Lilith still puts Eda first. Despite Eda’s criminal antics, Lilith wants to give her sister a chance to join the coven on HER terms, only going overboard when feeling threatened by Belos. In moments like that, Lilith tells herself that it’s all for the greater good, that Belos can cure Eda and that she and Lilith can finally do EVERYTHING together, just like they wanted as kids. And Eda might want the same thing. She might resent Lilith for hunting Eda and Eda CONSTANTLY takes Lilith down a peg, but she still loves her. Just look at when Eda races Lilith for a flower and tries to remind her about how they used to do the same thing as kids running to their kitchen. Or the times Eda showed Lilith mercy, like saving her from that crab spider or giving Lilith Eda’s ring so she wouldn’t go back to Belos empty handed. Even during their first witches duel, Eda didn’t really go out of her way to hurt Lilith. She saw it more as a game, with a lot of Eda’s attacks being more to contain Lilith or aggravate her. It’s proof that her sisterly love didn’t entirely go away all those years later…Until Lilith went too far.

The second Lilith kidnapped Luz, Eda was already out for blood, being the most violent she’s ever been towards her sister. But when Lilith revealed that she cursed Eda, she lost all sense of mercy and was willing to go for the throat. There was this brief moment of Eda BEGGING Lilith to keep Luz safe, likely reaching for SOME goodness she HAS to believe is in her sister. But that sentiment disappears quickly as Eda was willing to spend her last moments of life on trying to KILL the little traitor. Needless to say, Lilith did a lot of damage and it seemed like she had a lot of work to do…Only for things to go back to normal after one confession and another grand gesture. Sure, Lilith sharing a curse is a great start, but Eda treats it as if it’s enough with her acting like it never happened. She mentions the curse in a flippant manner, but that’s something that a person does YEARS after someone made up for betrayal, not a week. And Lilith doesn’t do much better. Despite her moments of wanting to be better, Lilith still acts like she has to be better than Eda while also behaving like she already believes she IS. Still, after all this time.

I think I like the potential Lilith and Eda’s relationship has more than what’s done with it. There’s some interesting stuff surrounding Eda’s desire to keep Lilith and Lilith wanting to make up for taking Eda for granted, but it’s NOT explored enough. They act about the same as they did in “Covention,” the episode that introduced this relationship in the first place, only now there’s a slightly less of a desire to strangle each other. Slightly. There’s some sweet moments, with Lilith comforting Eda about the stress of the Day of Unity and Eda reassuring Lilith that the curse isn’t so bad when she gets used to it, but those scenes don’t stop their dynamic being nothing no more than…acceptable. There’s a fun sibling rivalry between the two mixed in with some heart, making something entertaining to see. But when the show presents interesting ideas like Eda’s love and Lilith’s guilt, only to gloss over BOTH of them, it leaves me wanting a little bit more. I’ll take what I have, but you can’t leave a guy wanting.

But as unhealthy as things got between these two, at least they didn’t nearly cause the end of the world.

Nah, that’s the NEXT sibling relationship.

Caleb and Philip: It feels weird to talk about this one because we only know about one side of the relationship. And yet, it’s the catalyst for EVERYTHING revolving around Belos and his creation towards villainy.

In his own twisted way, Belos loved Caleb. He was all Belos had and Belos would go to great lengths to “save” his brother from damnation. I went over it last time, and I won’t repeat myself here, but while the show makes it clear that Belos’ twisted love for his brother is what drove him, we never really know how much Caleb cared for Philip. Through the memories in Belos’ mindscape, we can see that they cared much for each other as kids and Caleb was happy to see Philip again in the Boiling Isles. There’s some definite brotherly love there, but people keep circling back to how Caleb abandoned Philip. To me, with the information we have, it’s more like how Luz went to the Boiling Isles without telling Camila. There was never any malice behind the action. Some carelessness, perhaps, but neither Luz nor Caleb meant any harm to disappear into this new world and make life-changing relationships. They were both willing to come back to this person that means the world to them. Just look at Caleb’s smile upon seeing Philip again. You don’t smile like that when you resent someone or feel glad to have abandoned them. I’m sure there was love there, but again, we never get to see Caleb’s perspective of things aside from implications from Belos’ memories. For all we know, Caleb WAS a bastard bitch who hated his little brother. There’s never really an answer and I’m kind of glad there isn’t. Because Belos’ admiration for someone, even if he does or doesn’t deserve it, is still an engaging aspect for his motivation even if we don’t know the whole story.

Belos’ obsession towards his brother caused a monster to be born. He already hated witches, but losing what mattered most caused him to become genocidal. Again, I’ll skip past it because I went over it enough last time. But one thing I don’t think I can skip over is how Belos’ feelings towards his brother reflected over how he treated Hunter.

Belos and Hunter: Once again, I’ve talked a lot about their relationship last time, primarily how Hunter feared Belos. I don’t think Hunter was ever looking for love from his so-called uncle, likely because he didn’t understand the concept of love upon his creation. What Hunter looked more for was respect, to be seen as the perfect soldier that he thought Belos wanted. The problem is that Belos wanted more than a soldier and perhaps more than a tool. What Belos wanted was an outlet to project his issues toward Caleb onto.

Granted, Belos likely wasn’t aware what he was doing with Hunter, or ANY of the Golden Guards for that matter. He was creating tools for his own evil plans, but because Belos made these tools through the literal bones of his dead brother, it creates this sort of power dynamic that I think psychiatrists could make entire books about when trying to dissect it. Belos practically brought his brother back from the dead, but each time, he was always younger than Belos, reflecting the perfect brother he remembered. Only this time BELOS is the older one who knows better and gets to decide what they do and how they do it. Not only did he create a role reversal between him and Caleb, but he created a version of Caleb he hopes to have no free will. To Belos, he wanted his brother back, one that would never betray him again. Except that he did. They ALL did. Every single Golden Guard found free will and willingly went against Belos. This always leads to Belos killing these “failures,” these unusable copies of Caleb that fail to understand that Belos knows best. He refuses to accept that no version of Caleb will ever see Belos’ way, so he keeps trying to make one that does.

By the time Belos gets to Hunter, he does all he can to wipe away ANY sense of rebellion, even if he has to beat it out of him. Sorry if that statement was dark or triggering, but it reigns true for Hunter and Belos. Their relationship and everything Belos does to Hunter is a result of one man’s incapability to accept his brother’s choices and takes that as an excuse to hurt Hunter. It’s a painful reflection of real life abusive parental figures as a lot of them treat children as an object to take frustrations out on. It’s never healthy and no one should forgive an evil bastard like that no matter WHAT justification they have. All you can do is hope the child gets out of this situation and learn what real love is.

Thankfully, Hunter got that happy ending through Darius. And I WOULD go over that, but I think I said as much as I could about those two last time. The real meat of it is on Darius’ side of things as we never really got to see how Hunter felt about him aside from how the love was mutual. It’s sweet, despite not having much to talk about. As for Eda and Dell, I said about all I could last time and the same goes for Gwen. They’re characters defined by their relationships of their kids and I’d ONLY repeat myself here. But don’t fret, there’s still ONE OTHER good parent/child relationship we can talk about.

Willow and Gilbert and Harvey: No, not Gus and Perry. Due to how little of an impact Perry had in the series and how he and Gus barely interacted, we don’t get much of an idea about what their relationship is. We know they love each other, but there’s not much aside from that. With Willow and her fathers, we don’t get much with them either, but the crumbs we DO get offer some decent insight.

Willow LOVES her dads, that much is sure. Two of her biggest core memories involve her spending time with her papas, having fun and laughing with them. But more than that, Willow idolizes her dads. “Any Sport in a Storm” shows us pictures of her dads when they were younger AND that they were on the same flier derby team. It hints that Willow got her love for the game through them and wanted to become the best player she could be to honor them. It’s SORT OF stretching the facts because we don’t know for sure, but it’s still a sweet thought and how much Willow loves her dads as they love her.

Gilbert and Harvey were willing to quit their jobs just to homeschool Willow and give her the best possible education after she got expelled from Hexside. That is…an intense amount of dedication to caring for your daughter. Sure, the previous scene had them ground Willow for an insane amount of time, but that’s clearly a reaction that comes from being upset over your child being suspended. Odds are they were going to relax on that grounding with time. And even then, Gilbert was willing to let Willow sneak out and to pretend he didn’t see anything. There’s a definite love all three of them have for each other, and you have an easier understanding of why Willow misses her dads the most in the final season. With Gus, we don’t know enough to really GET how much he misses Perry, and we all know the complicated mess between Amity and Alador. It’s easier with Willow and HER dads because while we don’t have much, we have ENOUGH to get a better picture. Though I DO wish we had more time with them all together to make the relationship feel stronger, and to give more appreciation to gay parents. They keep showing up in media, especially animation, but rarely do they feel like actual characters with defining relationships with their children. While I appreciate what’s done between these three, I AM left demanding for a little bit more.

And with that, I’m finally done talking about families. But don’t worry, there’s TONS more to talk about with our next category.

Friends

There are a LOT of friends in this show, mainly because The Owl House is the kind of series that values the friendships one has with other individuals. Families are important, but the friends we make, the groups we create, can lead to more changes in our lives. They can sometimes bring out the best of us just as effectively as any family member, while also providing a great escape if our families become too much. Most of the friendships in the show are all about this, and we’re going to go through all the ones that are important.

Starting with what’s probably the most talked about friendship in the show…

Amity and Willow: The second that Willow revealed she used to be friends with Amity, the intrigue behind their dynamic SKYROCKETED. Because it would be one thing if Amity was simply a bully to Willow, but knowing that they were once close friends brings up a ton of questions. Why were they friends? Could they be friends AGAIN? Why did they STOP? Er, well, okay, that last one was answered pretty quickly by Willow in the same episode, but after “Lost in Language” hinted that Amity’s bullying is an act to not show weakness, it begs the question if there is more to it. And “Understanding Willow” proved that Amity WAS forced to end the friendship, meaning that every interaction she had with Willow since then was Amity pushing Willow further and further away to save her from a worse fate. It’s another interesting way to look at Amity’s bullying, because she DOES care about Willow. The problem is that, as Amity perfectly puts it, she wasn’t brave enough to be Willow’s friend, to fight for something she WANTED. Finally, thanks to a certain human, Amity started to gain that courage and apologize to Willow, promising to be better. Thankfully, Amity does, talking Boscha down for making fun of Willow and not even hesitating to step up and join Willow’s grudgby team when they need a third member. It’s a reflection of both Amity’s character growth AND her platonic love for Willow. She wanted to be friends again and, once gaining the courage, she set out to do just that…The problem is that Amity might have been TOO willing to be friends again.

My absolute favorite scene between these two comes in “Follies At The Coven Day parade.” Amity comes over to Willow’s after stressing over something going on with Luz and Willow, in turn, offers a healthy distraction to take Amity’s mind off her worries. At that moment, Amity says she’s glad to be friends again, but Willow’s response to that is fascinating. She doesn’t disagree, nor does she nod. Willow just…keeps quiet, frowns a bit, and lets Amity braid her hair, leaving Amity’s comment hanging with no real response aside from a light hum. While Amity’s more than happy to pick things up where they left off, this moment shows that Willow’s not exactly there yet. She’s not entirely AGAINST the idea, she would have been more vocal about her disapproval otherwise. But Willow’s not willing to COMMIT to their friendship again, feeling like there’s still more to do before getting to that point. And I love that the next episode that focuses on Amity and Willow’s relationship, “Labyrinth Runners,” expands on this idea. Amity is trying too hard to pick things back up where they left off, acting like Willow’s someone to be protected. The problem is Amity's thinking of the Willow of the past and not acknowledging the Willow of the present, who’s capable and willing to kick ass if necessary. Willow’s trying to take Amity’s attempts at support on the chin, but it doesn’t stop Willow from finally blowing up and telling Amity to back off. It wasn’t out of anger but frustration, as Willow gets Amity’s attempts to be better, but things won’t work unless Amity accepts that WILLOW changed too. It’s a great progression from how this relationship started and where it would inevitably go, and I’m glad that Willow presented boundaries that Amity needed to respect…I wish they stretched THAT aspect out a little bit more.

After “Labyrinth Runners” established that Amity needed to learn to see who Willow is NOW, the episode ends with her doing just that…and the rest of the series goes on thinking that’s enough. Yes, it’s a good start for Amity to see the error of her ways in the same episode Willow calls her out on, but then they go straight to fist bumps, counseling one another, and jumping with glee together with their arms intertwined. They’re right back to being the same friends they started as after one major hiccup. In fairness, there could have been MORE interactions offscreen where they worked through more stuff, but we never see that. All we have is what the series showed us, and it’s…fine. It’s FUNCTIONAL. But after an intriguing concept of two friends reconnecting after a BAD ending to their relationship, it could have had stronger pacing to make it feel more impactful. But despite how rough things got with Willow and Amity, at least Willow had TWO friends to count on.

Willow, Gus, and Luz: Gus and Luz were the exact friends that Willow needed after falling out with Amity. With Gus and Willow, they share a camaraderie through being near the bottom of the social ladder. Willow’s picked on for not being powerful enough with her magic and Gus was a kid whose naivety was taken advantage of by older kids who had no brains of their own. They didn’t have anyone else for friends in school, but they always had each other. That idea alone is sweet enough, but the things these two did for each other is even sweeter. Because all they had was one another, they protected one another in different ways. Willow was there to keep Gus emotionally stable, calming him down when he feels stressed or lifting his spirits when he’s down in the dumps. Gus, of course, repays that by supporting Willow’s interests, being protective when he’s suspicious of someone like Hunter, and hyping Willow up whenever possible. They both care IMMENSELY about each other, which makes sense when you become friends with someone you met at your lowest moment. But as great as Gus is for Willow, he was never really there to help her grow. Oh, don’t get me wrong, he was always a shoulder to cry on and all, but both were content to be at the bottom at the bottom. It’s until a certain someone ELSE came along did Willow realize she deserved more.

Here’s where Luz comes in, as a friend Willow needs to push her FORWARD. Luz would support Willow no matter what, but in almost every instance of character growth Willow went through, Luz was almost always responsible for it. Helping Willow cheat at Abominations class led to her proving her great strengths as a plant witch and allowing shenanigans to happen ended up jumpstarting Amity and Willow reconnecting. Of course, Luz could be TOO pushy, like training Gus and Willow too hard for a game she didn’t want to compete in, but there’s a reason for that: Willow’s the first and only friend Luz has ever had, so she goes above and beyond to make Willow’s life better. Even if Luz can sometimes go overboard, it all works out in the end, with Willow appreciating all the ways Luz helped her blossom (Haha). And in turn, Willow was there for Luz in a lot of ways, either by being her magical muscle in a dangerous situation, supporting some crazy scheme Luz comes up with, or being the voice of reason when one crazy scheme goes too far. Luz went out of her way to help Willow, so Willow returns the favor by protecting Luz to the best of her ability. It’s a perfect give and take relationship where both get something out of it. However, there’s something to be said about how Luz and Gus are the best friends Willow could ask for, they don’t really act like they’re best friends with each other.

Don’t misconstrue my words, Luz and Gus DO care about each other. Gus hypes up Luz as much as he does Willow and Luz is as supportive and counseling towards Gus as she is towards everyone she cares about. The problem is that you don’t FEEL that friendship. You get it, but you don’t FEEL it as effectively as you do with Gus and Willow or Willow and Luz. And that’s because there’s not many interactions between Gus and Luz. Throughout the course of the entire series, there has only been TWO episodes that focused on Luz and Gus’ relationship, and Gus was using Luz for selfish reasons in one and they both ditched the other to hang out with crushes in another. There’s not many positive moments between these two, which wouldn’t be TOO bad if the show didn’t paint Luz, Gus, and Willow as a TRIO. They’re ALL supposed to have this big connection together, and there’s a piece of the puzzle that’s missing. Willow and Gus are often paired together as they’re often shoved to the side, and Willow’s often treated as Luz’s first true friend, but there’s hardly anything with Luz and Gus. It doesn’t help matters that Luz barely interacts with EITHER of her best friends in Season Two onward, which is especially weird given how much importance Season One gave their friendship. Still, at least we got a lot of cute moments and two great dynamics that warms the heart, even if it wasn’t as effective as it could have been as a trio. Which gets odder when you remember that Luz and Gus have a common friendship with someone ELSE, and still not with each other. Still, to be fair, Luz barely has a strong connection with this other person too.

Luz and Hunter: Luz’s friendship with Hunter is interesting but underdeveloped. They start off strong with this dynamic that has big brother/little sister energy with the two of them annoying each other easily, more so with Luz annoying Hunter than the other way around. But despite their annoyance with each other, there’s this connection through a shared interest of wild magic…only for the show to drop that idea. Yeah, there was something there about Hunter being fascinated and even excited about wild magic, but hides it due to fearing what Belos might do to Hunter if he gets too curious. It could have been a great way to establish a connection between him and Luz, but that idea’s forgotten as quickly as it’s brought up. I’m not entirely complaining as the sibling-like bickering was fun enough as is and there was even a BETTER connection formed between them: Shared guilt.

“Hollow Mind” is an episode that chewed Luz and Hunter up and spit them out with a TON of issues. It was an unintentional mission for Luz to show Hunter how evil Belos really is, with Hunter being in denial throughout most of it while Luz becomes more and more frustrated with him. But despite that frustration, she’s still willing to help Hunter leave Belos and be there for him when confronting how disposable Hunter is in Belos’ eyes. It tells us that Luz cares about Hunter and wants him to be safe, which is a given with Luz. She’s a caring person in general to people who have a good heart shielded by a rough exterior, and that’s no different from Hunter. There were brief moments of warmth between him and her in “Hunting Palisman” and I’m sure Willow talked up the good parts of Hunter after “Any Sport in a Storm.” Luz knows there’s something worth protecting, likely why she’s working so hard to convince Hunter Belos is evil and have him be on HER side so she can help and protect him. She just didn’t expect things to be more messed up, making Hunter realize how severely screwed he is and the type of monster he helped. Things didn’t get any better when Luz realized that Belos was actually Philip and that she accidentally helped this demon of a man. So after BARELY escaping death, Luz and Hunter were left with the knowledge that they helped the most evil person alive and indirectly caused so much pain to others, including people they deeply cared about. Needless to say, it left Luz and Hunter severely messed up. And when Belos almost won and a NEW threat came to be, Luz and Hunter would feel WORSE about the pain they had a SLIGHT part in causing. They didn’t have anyone else to talk to about it due to fear of rejection and isolation from the ones they care about, but Luz and Hunter still had each other to confide in with their issues. It’s why Hunter goes to Luz about his fears that Belos is back. Neither wants the others to worry and both know that Belos is likely to spill the beans just to mess with heads. These fears give Luz and Hunter something great to bond over…And it STILL feels like their relationship is underdeveloped. Despite this big thing that brings them together, there’s hardly any attention on it as it's only focused during ONE episode. Now, don’t get me wrong, they feel SOMETHING for each other. Hunter broke down in tears when Luz said he’s worth being protected too since he’s part of the family. He HAS to care about Luz’s feelings for him if that was the case. And in “Watching and Dreaming,” Luz’s nightmare revealed that she feels a little guilty for getting a palisman in less than twenty four hours after Hunter lost Flapjack. Hunter doesn’t even blame her for that one, but it proves how Luz cares about him like she would for any other friend. But that’s the thing: Out of everyone in the friend group, Luz probably has the most one-on-one time with Hunter, yet he’s still just one of her friends. There could have been a stronger connection, and it’s not there. What they DO have is fine, it works, but when Luz has a personal bond with most of the Hexsquad and barely has anything with Hunter, it feels a little off. And it gets even weirder when Hunter accidentally steals Luz’s best friends out from under her.

Gus and Hunter: Oh, don’t worry, we’ll get to Hunter and Willow’s relationship later. For now, I want to talk about how CRAZY it is that Gus and Hunter have this brotherly dynamic. I mean, it was inevitable that Gus and Hunter would go on an adventure together. Hunter shared the spotlight with the others in previous episodes, so Gus was due a turn by the time we got to “Labyrinth Runners.” And at that point, most of Hunter’s walls were cracked and crumbling, with him trying and failing to build them back up. By the time Gus found Hunter, the poor boy was emotionally vulnerable and capable of breaking down at any moment. When he finally DOES, Gus was there to pick up the pieces and help Hunter through his panic attacks and offer advice about what could help Hunter in the future. Hunter, in turn, tried to save Gus from danger and provide some comfort too, even if Hunter is a little awkward at it. This dynamic ends up being what these two share through the rest of the series. When Gus figured that Hunter was hurting about being a grimwalker, Gus offered him a book series that gave Hunter the exact thing he didn’t know he needed with a story that had a character Hunter could relate to. This helped him a lot, and it’s an obvious attempt from Gus to get Hunter to slowly work through what ails him, and I’m certain that Hunter appreciates all of it. The same goes with the way Gus might appreciate Hunter protecting him. It was Hunter who had a protective arm around Gus after “King’s Tide” and he saved Gus’ palisman, not wanting his little buddy to go through the same pain he did. There’s an equal amount of care and comfort with these two, added with secret handshakes and the two wrestling with each other in one after-credits image. It really does feel like they’re brothers to each other, and it’s crazy to me that despite having comparatively less interactions together, Gus has a closer bond with Hunter than he does with Luz. Or, I should say, a more well-defined bond that’s easier to understand and describe. Luz and Gus are close, but you FEEL how close Gus and Hunter are. And that’s great, every guy needs a bro, but how does this happen? How does a central character done dirty by lack of screentime ends up being more of a best friend to a reformed baddie than his best friend who’s the main character? It feels crazy, and the only way it could be crazier if it was a comic relief character who became besties a reformed—

Lilith and Hooty: How?! No, seriously, on paper, this sounds LUDICROUS! Yet it WORKS!

By Season Two, Lilith is at the lowest point of her life. She lost her magic, career, and the respect of hundreds of witches. So when Lilith is stuck with Hooty, a bird tube so desperate for friendship that he’ll take it from ANYBODY, including trash like Lilith, she takes it. At first, like any reasonable person, Lilith REFUSED Hooty’s attempts at friendship, feeling like she was better than him. But when it finally occurred to Lilith how much she NEEDED Hooty, she gave in and became his first REAL friend. The best part is that she didn’t fake it. Lilith was kind to Hooty, laughed at his jokes, and gave him caring words of advice when he started doubting his place in “Knock, Knock, Knockin’ On Hooty’s Door.” Lilith DID treat Hooty as a friend because he was the only one who gave her respect in a time when she didn’t get any from anyone else. This leads to Hooty treating Lilith as his favorite person…maybe a LITTLE obsessed at times, asking for hair and beating up anyone who he thinks might steal Lilith away (Poor Steve). But Hooty being so…let’s say, ENTHUSIASTIC about Lilith is because she’s the first ever person to treat Hooty right. Everyone else either verbally berated or physically assaulted Hooty due to disgust, annoyance, fear, or all of the above. Sure, Lilith acted the same way at first, but after giving in, she became friendlier and Hooty decided he would do ANYTHING for her because of it. Whether it's to face enemies for Lilith or even step in the line of fire for her, Hooty’s willing to go above and beyond for his Lulu. Heck, it was HER voice that somewhat broke whatever spell The Collector had on him. And Lilith, in turn, was so happy to see his face again while trying to bring him back. And it’s…adorable! I can’t believe that’s the word I’m using to describe Lilith and Hooty’s friendship, but it fits! Despite how ludicrous it sounds to give Lilith and Hooty one of the most wholesome friendships in the series, the writers ran with that idea and made something that worked when it had no right to. What’s next? Making one of the main characters befriend someone that fans expected to be a new main antagonist?

King and The Collector: WHAT THE F**K?!

But jokes aside, things between The Collector and King are more or less one-sided, and I’m willing to bet that was intentional. King treated The Collector as something to be controlled, to be reigned in so he wouldn’t cause too much damage. Meanwhile, The Collector treated King as a true best friend, someone to play with and have adventures together. They never clued in how King was never really ALL IN with the friendship. He acted nice with The Collector, but the line is somewhat blurred with whether or not it’s genuine or King trying to prevent a cosmic sized meltdown. But The Collector appreciated it all the same, having a similar reaction to Hooty in which he was all alone for so long that someone genuinely being NICE to The Collector caused them to treat King better than he would with anyone else. When asking to have Francois sleep with them, The Collector was fine with the boundaries King set and respected them instead of getting angry. Sure, The Collector pushed to have King leave Francois on the nightstand, but he still kept their promise to leave Francois alone like a good little godling. And, heck, when assuming King was considering a FINAL solution for The Collector, he looked about ready to cry. The kid was angry, throwing a temper tantrum with Belos the second he dropped The Collector down a cliff. It only hurt more with King because, despite having different intentions with The Collector, he WAS genuinely nice. There may have been some annoyance about being The Collector’s playmate and the OCCASIONAL raised voice, but for the most part, King treated The Collector with kindness and patience. He knew that The Collector was just a kid who needed to mature a little and learn how to treat others properly. King acted as both a voice of reason AND a conscience, acting as The Collector’s friend to keep him happy AND maybe because he learned from Luz that it’s better to befriend your enemies. It explains why he was so patient and even believing that The Collector can be reasoned with. He knows that they’re POWERS are dangerous, but The Collector is still a lonely kid who just doesn’t know better. It’s why despite all the missteps, King wasn’t willing to give up on The Collector, hoping for the best with acting as his friend and maybe being genuine near the end there. I believe King when he says he hopes that The Collector comes back soon, because there couldn’t have ALWAYS been bad times during their months together. And now that The Collector proved that they DO know better, it could mean a better friendship for him and King. Things were definitely rocky for them both at first, but the finale left them off on what could be a good start, even if what we see will be all we’ll get. As for what we DO get, it’s a complicated relationship that I say works well enough leaving it up to interpretation to how close King and The Collector are.

But seriously, how many characters end up befriending characters we thought we would hate?

Gus and Matt: Gus befriended ANOTHER baddie?!

Okay, but seriously? I wasn’t sure where to put these two. Gus and Matt were definite rivals only to become FRIENDLY with each other near the end of “Through the Looking Glass Ruins.” Still, even then, Matt admitted that he wasn’t sure if he and Gus were friends. It felt IMPLIED, but future episodes didn’t really prove that they were friends now. At least, it doesn’t prove it on Gus’ end. He still acts annoyed with Matt while Matt seems more…indifferent? He doesn’t clap back, but he doesn’t really react at all. I guess that’s not a bad thing, but it doesn’t give a definitive answer to whether or not these two are friends, and I’m willing to blame the fact that Gus got screwed over as a character with little to no solo episodes to develop him and his relationships. Gus is friends with characters who are important in the plot or are within the main cast so that he has more of a chance to develop bonds because the story moves WITH them all. Matt is a very minor character so there’s less of a need to develop a friendship between him and Gus. This results in a weak connection between them, making it feel like they would have been better off as rivals than friends. Which is a shame because I do like the idea of Gus making peace with a bully instead of continuing a never ending cycle of them constantly trying to one up each other. Now, that’s not ALWAYS the case in life, but it’s not a horrible thing to teach kids. Especially when the show proves that there are bullies best NOT to be friends with.

Amity and Boscha: Hey, not every friendship has to be good.

There’s not many interactions between Amity and Boscha, but despite that, so much of their relationship is easy to understand and dissect. From the first time we see them together, it’s clear that their friendship is as real as Amity’s hair color. Boscha seemed to believe that she and Amity were friends, but it’s pretty telling that in the end of “Hooty’s Moving Hassle” that Amity chose to sit AWAY from everyone during the Moonlight Conjuring. Amity doesn’t see the other girls, especially Boscha, as real friends. “Understanding Willow” confirms this as it’s revealed that the only real reason why Amity’s friends with Boscha is because her parents approved it. So, believing that she had no better options, Amity kept the charade going to keep her parents happy and Amity safe. But when Amity finally found someone worth fighting for, and the bravery to match, she dumped Boscha for REAL friends. It was freeing for Amity to be rid of something, only for the writers to later decide that it wasn’t fake for Boscha.

I know that I said last time that the reveal that Boscha had a form of obsession with Amity felt rushed and forced, but that doesn’t stop it from being an interesting idea. Despite the friendship being forced upon them, Boscha DID consider Amity a real friend to do everything together. What she didn’t know was that those feelings were very much one-sided because…A. Amity didn’t appreciate having a friend forced upon her after losing another. And B. Boscha wasn’t a good friend. Not just with Amity either, as Boscha had this bossy, controlling attitude with ALL her “friends.” Now, we never saw Boscha act this way towards Amity, but there’s not really any evidence that proves she wouldn’t, either. And given how Boscha inevitably became the most controlling president of the entire school during the apocalypse, I wouldn’t put it behind her. Despite that, though, Boscha never saw herself as a bad friend and initially believed Amity’s making a mistake by aligning with “losers.” Amity never cared, and that just made Boscha frustrated, even jealous when Luz and Amity became close. Those feelings were easy for the audience to pick up, only for “For the Future” to further confirm them and put Boscha’s reactions in a new light. We now understand more about how torn up Boscha was in previous episodes and that’s why I don’t hate this last minute idea that the writers threw in. It’s still rushed and forced, but the potential it COULD have had makes it interesting. If there were more episodes to develop this idea, then it could have been a better relationship to dissect. As is, things are still fine, but weakened by doing too much too late.

But that’s enough about friends. Now that we started something negative, it’s time to lean into it by going over some enemies.

Rivalries/Enemies

The Owl House may be a show about friendship, family, and being kind to those you didn’t expect to deserve it, but there are still some characters who hate each other. These are more than negative, toxic relationships. These are pairings between characters who mutually hate each other, even if one side strongly dislikes the other more. And we’re going through a lot of hate, so let’s start with something light.

Willow vs. Boscha: It’s a classic dynamic: A bully and her nerd. That’s how it’s treated, that’s how it’s mostly seen, but I understand it as something more. I said so last time that Boscha is the perfect rival to Willow. There’s similarities in how they’re physically driven girls who need to affirm that they’re capable of being strong. The difference is their attitudes, as Willow goes out to prove that she’s as good as ANY witch and Boscha insists that she’s better than EVERY witch. Boscha believes that she has nothing to prove because she’s already perfect. So it makes sense that she feels threatened when Willow gets more attention. Boscha thinks that Willow is at the very bottom of the social ladder due to her lack of magical talent and made fun of her for years because of it. So when Willow gets a confidence boost and people notice her more as a result, it infuriates Boscha down to her core. So it’s no big surprise that Boscha doubles down on her bullying to make Willow’s life worse…For one episode.

Yeah, you would think Boscha’s worsened bullying would be continuous, but instead she lets up after the end of “Wing It Like Witches.” To be fair, it makes sense NARRATIVELY that Boscha would stop as the episode presents this idea that no matter how superior she ACTS, people will still praise how cool Willow is. That look of fear on Boscha’s face when her friends swarm Willow and ask her to join the team is a sweeter victory for Willow than beating Boscha at grudgby. And it SHOULD work…but it’d be better if Boscha was just a one-off bully. Except that she’s not. She’s WILLOW’S bully who spent so much time making Willow’s life miserable. So while it makes narrative sense for Boscha to back off, it doesn’t make sense for her CHARACTER and her place in Willow’s life. Plus, “Wing It Like Witches” isn’t exactly a satisfying end to their rivalry. It becomes more noticeable as an issue in “For the Future” when Willow finally stands up to Boscha without anyone else doing it for her. That’s a great start but then Boscha gets a forced redemption and Willow goes “This isn’t over” in a more playful tone instead of a spiteful one. And…that’s the end of that. Willow doesn’t have any final fight to shut Boscha up for good or even say, “Stay away now and forever.” They just end things on friendly terms and that doesn’t seem right? I mean, it fits with this whole “Make friends, not enemies” idea that The Owl House loves to use, but not only does this seem like a case where it would have been fine NOT to use it, it also feels a little cheap. Like, that’s how the rivalry ends? They hardly interacted in the very last episode that they’re together in, and all they did to each other comes to a close with one-sided playful banter? It definitely could use more punch to it, preferably one from Willow. And sure, you could argue that they weren’t meant to be rivals in the first place, but even if that’s true, which I honestly believe it isn’t, it would be a missed opportunity to take, which it honestly kind of is anyway. I like MOST of what we got with these two, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want more.

But, hey, at least SOME rivalries lived up to their potential.

Kikimora vs. Hunter: Okay, this one’s definitely more or less one-sided, but it’s everything it needed to be.

Kikimora had an INTENSE jealousy towards Hunter, and that’s putting it VERY lightly. She tried to kill him three times, with her not knowing it was him the second time, and Kikimora decided her new life purpose was to prove that she was better than Hunter. And Hunter…couldn’t care less. It’s actually kind of funny how much he considers Kikimora as a non-threat. If anything, he’s threatened by what Kikimora USES, whether it’s a dragon, a mech, or a small battalion of grunts. As for Kikimora herself, Hunter reacts to her surprising the others in “For the Future” the same way a person would if they forgot to buy milk. She’s a minor inconvenience to him at best, and Hunter has no fear dealing with her. Meanwhile, Kikimora continues to plan his death as if their rivalry was on equal terms, even though it very much is NOT. And while the conclusion to this one isn’t strong either, it doesn’t really need to be. It’s a rivalry used for entertainment value and to further emphasize how detached from reality Kikimora is to believe that the Emperor’s right hand considers an angry little gremlin as a worthy opponent. It’s a short and fun dynamic that works because the show didn’t need it to be anything more. It’s not like they’re the BIGGEST enemies in the show…That’s the next relationship.

Luz vs. Belos: Out of everything in the story, the relationship between the main protagonist and antagonist is one of the most important things to get right. Fortunately, The Owl House understands this with Luz and Belos. Like most antagonists, Belos is a dark reflection of Luz. They’re both humans who came to the Isles, worked hard to find a way to do magic like everyone else, made connections with others to help get by, and changed the world through their actions. However, that’s where all the similarities end with these two, because even though they have surface level comparisons, they couldn’t be more different with what they did and why they’ve done it. Luz changed lives for the better, all because she loved the Boiling Isles and all the friends she made in it. Belos changed lives for the worse because he despised witch kind and wanted to eradicate them all from the inside out. And when both faced the other, Luz and Belos had different ideas of who was the hero of this story. To Luz, it was obvious. Almost ANNOYINGLY obvious, as she couldn’t get how no one else could see how Belos was clearly evil. As for Belos, he didn’t necessarily see Luz as the villain, but instead as a tragedy. Just like his brother, Luz was taken in by the witches and their sinful allure and was too far gone to fix. Belos is still “merciful” to her, but that’s because Luz is the first human he has met in years and he’s willing to refrain from eradicating her like a common witch because there’s a chance that she might see the light. It’s why, even during his death, he is begging for Luz to reclaim her humanity again and be better than those witches. There’s just one problem: Everything Belos believes Luz to be is complete horseshit.

Luz isn’t a tragic loss, she’s a GOOD PERSON. Hell, she’s more human than Belos could ever be as Luz treats everyone in the Isles as actual PEOPLE instead of sinful monsters. Luz chose to help witches because she genuinely cares about them and wants to save THEM from danger. Right from the beginning, Eda was more than willing to let Luz run away back home only for Luz to stay because these witches and demons needed her help. That doesn’t make her a tragedy but a person who’s actually pure of heart. And as for Belos’ “mercy,” it was out of selfishness despite how much he’d tell himself otherwise. When letting Luz free to save Eda, he practically did it with a gun to Eda’s head so Luz would be willing to give up the portal door. That and likely because he deduced that he needed Luz’s help to get The Collector. And after nearly killing Luz in “King’s Tide,” he decided to stop because Luz convinced him that she could be his guide in the modern human realm and verify his achievements. Belos may have believed that he was being altruistic, but in reality he backed Luz in the corner, forcing her to do and say what Belos wanted. Only for Luz to prove that she’s NOT an idiot by outsmarting him both of those times, nearly killing Belos the second. It shows that not only does Belos misunderstand the kind of person Luz is, he underestimates her. The man who lied and tricked his way to the top got beaten at own game by some teenage girl who is great at sleight of hand and appealing to someone’s needs. Yet despite this, Belos still thinks that he can outsmart Luz one last time by blaming his actions on a curse. Because he still believes he knows that Luz is a misguided girl and tries to use her kindness towards others as a way to convince her. But while Belos fails to understand Luz, Luz came to learn EXACTLY the kind of person Belos is.

Being a fan of fantasy as a genre, Luz could tell upon seeing Belos that he was evil. And, again, it’s pretty telling how Luz feels about him when she, the kindest character in the show, immediately went for the head. But while Luz was aware that Belos was obviously evil, she didn’t know with Philip. Her first impression of Philip was that he was a wise man who could potentially help her, which is the exact image Belos tried to portray with Luz years later. The only reason why it works with Luz when she meets Philip is because she read his adventures, which were personally revised by Philip himself, and he didn’t look like much of a threat. It isn’t until Luz catches onto what type of con artist Philip was that she soon switched gears to hating the old bastard. Rightly so, of course, but it would unfortunately come too late as Luz already helped Philip without even knowing that he was on his way to becoming Belos. The realization that Luz accidentally created a monster haunts her and will continue to do so for years. It’s why she REFUSES to buy any other trick or lie Belos tries to pull and kills him without any mercy. She knows that there’s nothing he could say to change Luz’s mind, because all the tricks in the past proves that he’s full of it. And as he berates witches with his last breath, it’s all Luz needs to know that she’s making the right choice. Belos was a monster that ruined lives, including Luz’s, and she’s most definitely glad to be rid of him.

Luz and Belos has a perfect hero/villain dynamic that I adored. I DO wish they interacted more to further sell that dynamic, but that’s nitpicking at best as they’re both still wonderfully written. There was definitely no missed potential with these two…Speaking of missed potential…

Darius vs. Alador: Alright, in fairness, this one might not have had much attention on it anyway, even if the show had more time. And large and part because it’s something that’s more or less written in the background of everyone else’s stories. Just small comments like Darius calling Alador a hack and actions where Alador tosses Darius’ book away in disgust. They were never a focus of an episode, but the writers still made it a fact that Alador and Darius couldn’t stand each other. And it works for what it is…but then there’s this level of intrigue presented in “Them’s the Breaks, Kid,” a flashback episode that briefly revealed that Alador and Darius were once friends. That inevitably led to questions, all circling around what could have happened between then and now to cause their friendship to change into a rivalry. There’s some definite intrigue to what could have happened, and it’s why I’m willing to say it’s a missed opportunity to not explore it…HOWEVER, I will also admit that it’s not a HUGE thing to focus on. Out of everything in the series, there’s bigger fish to fry than explaining why a secondary character’s dad came to hate a side character. If the show had all the time in the world, it would definitely feel more like a missed opportunity. As is, it’s still perfectly functional as a rivalry with a bit of unresolved intrigue. I would have loved more, but I’m not losing hair over it.

And yes, I know, there’s a possibility that these two could be a couple, but that’s more or less hinted as a possibility because of ONE interaction near the end. I wouldn’t say it’s anything official outside of that…But since we brought up SHIPS…

Couples/Ships

Quick stipulation, this isn’t about popular ships within the fandom. You’re not going to see Viney and Emira or Viney and Skara just because there’s a lot of fan fics and MoringMark comics about them. There’s also not going to be any POSSIBLE ships here. We’re discussing what’s canon and official based on what we’ve seen in the show. So no Veesha, despite how adorable and crazy it is to have a crack ship actually be a possibility.

No, instead, we’re discussing the ships that were built up within the show, their ups and downs, and how they worked as a couple. And to start, let’s just go ahead and rip off the bandaid. There’s one ship we ALL know deserves to be talked about, and it’s best to start off with…

Alador/Odalia: Hey, not every couple is good for each other.

Full disclosure, I had NO idea where to place these two. I THOUGHT about putting Alador and Odalia in the family section, but their relationship cannot be described as that. Even putting them HERE feels like a stretch. But there’s not really any better place for these two. I could call them enemies, but that also feels like an oversimplification because they don’t really hate each other…At least not until “Clouds on the Horizon,” but we’ll get to that.

Just like asking if Odalia loved Amity, I have to wonder if she loved Alador. Because, truthfully, I think she DID, once upon a time. I look at that photo of Alador winning the Bonesborough Brawl, and it definitely hints that there was SOME infatuation there on Odalia’s face. Granted, being attracted to someone and loving them are two different things. Dozens of fans hate Odalia with their final breath, but will go on record saying that she’s pretty hot. And…yeah, fair. But I definitely feel like she felt SOMETHING that went beyond physical attraction once. As for whether she feels the same in the PRESENT, I definitely say that same spark no longer exists as Odalia sees Alador as nothing more than a business partner than a romantic one. She compliments his work, but you can argue that’s just Odalia being glad that she’ll be getting richer instead of admiring Alador’s passion in his craft. And when Alador says something Odalia doesn’t like, she doesn’t waste a second to threaten divorce and take away what Alador really cares about: The kids. Odalia may not fully care about her children, but she knows Alador does and is too willing to use them as leverage. Any attraction Odalia may have felt is certainly gone, with the only thing she has left to feel is maybe physical, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Mainly because Odalia seems like a woman who would have private affairs with better looking men, and can get away with it because she’s in charge of every aspect of the relationship. And Alador suffered for it.

Now, as for whether or not ALADOR loved Odalia, I’m once again willing to say yes…to a point. Some say that their marriage was more or less arranged for the sake of business or Odalia pitched their marriage as a business proposition rather than anything romantic. And while I can definitely see that, a part of me believes that there WAS something there and that Alador stuck with Odalia because he initially fell for her. If it was strictly a business thing, Alador would have walked out any time with how Odalia treated him as an employee rather than a partner. And the arranged marriage seems off too because Alador, even before working through hell, seemed too messy to be from a rich family willing to do business with Odalia’s. So I believe that the best explanation is that Alador used to love Odalia once, but that love would fade away over the years. The only thing that kept Alador by her side despite the anguish is both the kids and, quite possibly, because Alador’s feelings didn’t COMPLETELY fade until “Clouds on the Horizon.” Trust me when I say that for some couples, even married ones, find it hard to get out of a relationship that’s toxic because they cling too tightly to the good times. You know you can do better, but you stick it out because your brain keeps telling you “Well, they’re not ALWAYS this bad.” I feel like the show hints how THAT’S how Alador feels with Odalia. Look at that smile he gives her in the end of “Escaping Expulsion.” Odalia’s compliment might not have been wholly genuine, but Alador’s smile was. It’s almost as if he’s taking the compliment at face value and sees it as an example of Odalia being not so bad. He takes little moments like that until finally meeting his wits end in “Clouds on the Horizon,” where after learning that he missed so much of Amity’s life in “Reaching Out,” Alador’s a bit more willing to fight back against Odalia. Still, there’s that part of him saying, “Well, she’s not THAT bad.” And just like Amity, Alador’s telling himself that Odalia couldn’t be THAT evil in selling weapons to a genocidal maniac. But once finding out that she IS, it’s the last push Alador needed to shut up that voice inside his head and officially cut ties with Odalia forever. It’s a great representation of how a toxic marriage can grow over time and that even men can face abuse from women…At least, that’s how it should be on paper. But much like the rest of Alador’s character, everything is better on paper than it is in practice.

A lot of what the writers do with Alador and Odalia still works…enough. It’s right on that line where everything the writers try is still functional but could still be better. A lot of my analysis between them is based on looking deeply at minor implications at best and seeing something that isn’t there at worst. It would benefit MORE if we saw the good times Alador and Odalia had together or if we saw more of a conflict with Alador’s perception of Odalia. As is, I still LIKE what’s done and what it represents, but I still admit that it could have been better. Maybe with more time, it COULD have been, but alas, that’s not the case.

But that’s enough of a ship that sank. Let’s talk about one that had SOME fans at first only to SKYROCKET into popularity when the writers started making it a possibility. To the point where you see them almost everywhere. And that is…

Willow/Hunter: I’m not kidding, it feels like these two are EVERYWHERE now. I remember seeing, like, one or two bits of fan works of Willow and Hunter together that made me question people’s sanity. And then “Any Sport in a Storm” happened and a lot of people, including myself, went, “I get it now…”

There’s a lot of potential present with Willow and Hunter. They’re both people who work hard to prove that they’re stronger than anyone expects. Willow is quick to identify with Hunter’s self-deprecating view of being “Half a witch,” and Hunter admires Willow’s show of strength and determination. The ideas of these two becoming a couple grow stronger the more “Any Sport in a Storm” goes on, with Willow showing that while she understands Hunter’s plight, she doesn’t treat him like a wounded puppy and YANKS him away to prove that NO ONE should be underestimated. It shows that while Willow cares, she will be direct and to the point, the type of language Hunter understands. And to Willow, it’s really smart that she was introduced to HUNTER first instead of the Golden Guard. To her, Hunter wasn’t a threat, but a kid. A weird kid, sure, but one who still has insecurities and comes across as a little awkward in a charming way. Even when the truth comes out, Willow’s taken in by the charm of how Hunter clearly doesn’t know how to act as a kid. As for Hunter, he’s definitely the one who developed a crush first, proven by that little hint of a blush near the end of the episode. It makes sense, given how Willow was the first person Hunter met that was BEAMING with positivity and didn’t immediately want to kill him. Add that with the fact that Willow is a no nonsense person who has some of the most powerful magical abilities he’s ever seen, she likely checks the boxes that Hunter believes to be noteworthy. But it’s Willow’s kindness that sucked Hunter in.

Hunter knows Willow is tough, but he appreciates the way she seemed willing to forgive Hunter despite kidnapping her and the rest of the Emerald Entrails. Willow’s nice, and she continues to be so when stuck in the human realm. Willow cuts Hunter’s hair as he’s having an identity crisis and supports his bizarre fashion choices after he reads Cosmic Frontier and gains a better understanding of himself. The best part is that Willow didn’t know the full picture during these moments. She just thought Hunter wanted his hair cut and was trying something new and fashionable, but the facts didn’t matter because she was a hundred percent on board anyway. That level of support was something Hunter rarely got in his life, and he got it from Willow the most. It all adds up to why Hunter has a crush on Willow, making it easy to buy why he does…The problem is that I can’t exactly say the same about Willow’s crush on Hunter.

I get that Willow likes Hunter and that she cares deeply about him. She’s crying the most when it looks like Hunter’s dying in “Thanks to Them” and it’s when Willow fails to help him in “For the Future” that almost breaks her. We GET that she cares, but there’s never really that MOMENT where Willow’s clearly crushing on Hunter beyond implications and two “blink and you’ll miss it” blushes that come near the end of “For the Future.” There could be the argument that Willow likes Hunter the MOST out of the friend group, with some pointing out that she went the most feral in “Clouds on the Horizon” when she thought it was HUNTER who was in danger. A friend of mine pointed out that Willow would have acted the same way if she knew it was Luz, and while that’s definitely true with her attacks on Kikimora, Willow went from the first to hijack an airship to save Hunter to the most held together when she found out it was Luz. So I could definitely see the case that Willow cared a lot about Hunter but never realized it was a crush. What bothers me is that it doesn’t feel BIG when Willow discovers her crush. I mean, yeah, it’s sweet that Hunter admitted how much Willow means to him and that he’s willing to be a shoulder to cry on…but that’s the same with Willow’s other friends. There’s nothing that different with Hunter as there is with Luz or Gus, and by the time Willow’s blushing it feels like something that NEEDS to happen to confirm her crush. And I fully blame how underdeveloped it is on the show’s shortening.

Hunter and Willow becoming a couple was an idea brought up when the show was nearing the end, leaving the writers with a handful of episodes and three specials to make it make sense. What went wrong was that they focused more on Hunter’s feelings than Willow’s and made it canon as quickly as they could. And even then, the canonicity of their relationship is more implied if anything else. Like, it’s obvious to anyone with EYES and a BRAIN that Hunter and Willow are a couple, but there’s never this verbal or physical confirmation that they’re together. They have their arms around each other in the finale, but there’s not much other than that. On the one hand, that’s great role reversal as shows for YEARS had to rely on implications towards their same sex couples while being as explicit as possible with straight ones, where The Owl House is the exact opposite. But on the other hand, why even make these two a couple when you’re not even going to make them kiss?

Back when I said “I get it now” after “Any Sport in a Storm,” I realized I was excited more by the IDEA of Hunter and Willow without knowing the actual execution. We could have seen Hunter deal with his first ever crush and Willow learn that she has someone who loves her no matter how “powerless” she can be to others (Primarily Boscha). What we got instead was HALF of that, watching some great stuff with Hunter but not much with Willow. Still, these two have their fans and I can definitely see why. The IDEA of them together is great and it’s why I still like them being a pair. However, based on what the show gave us, their love didn’t bloom (Hahaha) as effectively as it should.

But I know the REAL couple you want me to talk about. It’s one of the biggest relationships in the show, due to how effectively it appeals to the LGBTQA+ community. And that is…

Raine/Eda: Because, let’s face it, older people can be queer too.

On top of being a stellar representation to have one of the main characters fall in love with someone non-binary, The Owl House does great at telling Raine and Eda’s love story. Cleverly, the writers introduce Raine as someone Eda knew and was obviously in love with. By withholding most of their past for future episodes, it leaves this first assumption that they were both in love with each other for years but likely never bite the bullet by asking each other out. I mean, they were nervous together with Eda being a blushing mess half the time. It’s not like they were exes, because people don’t act that way towards someone they broke up with…Then, literally, the next episode later, it was revealed that they WERE exes. Even better, Eda didn’t want to break up. She DID want Raine, but Raine felt like they weren’t wanted because Eda wouldn’t let Raine in to help with the curse. Eda left them at arms length to keep them safe, only for Raine to break things off because, well, how would YOU feel about your partner being distant when all you want is to be close? This brilliantly recontextualizes “Eda’s Requiem,” as Eda’s the one always blushing and looking away, as if she doesn’t want to let on how much she still loves Raine. Yet, upon seeing them for the first time in YEARS, Eda practically jumps at the chance to work with Raine in rebelling against Belos, partially because of the chaos she’s excited to cause and because struggling to grasp that her kids might leave one day so Eda throws herself into the first relationship she can think of reconnecting with. Raine, albeit too late, catches onto this and stops Eda before she makes a mistake she can’t take back, helping her live so that she can be better to her kids than she was to Raine, letting them stay instead of pushing away when it feels easier. And likely because Raine still loves Eda too.

Then Raine grew kidnapped…sort of. They ARE taken away with Terra trying to brainwash Raine into changing everything they are, but Raine’s smart enough to avoid the obvious trap and tricks everyone into believing that they WERE under Terra’s influence. The thing is, though, that Eda AND the audience didn’t get this information until FOUR episodes after being fed information that they’re brainwashed. So when Eda tries to rescue Raine, they had to keep up the act because Eda would ABSOLUTELY interfere or throw herself into danger for Raine. But Raine doesn’t want Eda in danger, so they lie and keep her as far away as they possibly can…doing almost the same thing Eda did years ago that caused Raine to break up with her. The details aren’t exact and the circumstances are more complicated, but the spirit is still there as Raine tries to keep Eda as far as possible from any danger so she won’t get hurt. Only for Eda to prove that she’s one to face danger head on for the ones she loves and that the safest place is right by Raine. It also helps that Eda initially contacted them, begging Raine to save Luz because she needs to be FAR from danger and Eda doesn’t care what’s going on with Raine at the time doing this. Eda trusts them more than anything, and this moment of fragility helps Raine realize they’ve been thinking backwards in trying to help Eda. And helping Eda is all Raine set out to do, trying to give her any out possible from being branded with a sigil and ripping Eda’s arm off so she wouldn’t die with the others…It sounds horrific out of context, but trust me that it proves how much Raine cares for Eda, willing to do anything for her survival. The love between these two is as clear as day, and how the writers went about showing Raine and Eda’s feelings is smart…BUT…

As good as this ship is, a ship like Princess Bubblegum and Marceline the Vampire Queen from Adventure Time shows what Raine and Eda could and SHOULD be. It’s a similar dynamic, as Bubblegum and Marcy broke up in their younger days only to reconnect MUCH later because they needed more time to grow before becoming the perfect couple they were meant to be. It’s to show that your first love CAN be your true love, but sometimes people need time apart to become better before realizing you never wanted this person out of your life in the first place. That’s not the same for everybody, but for these old gays, it is. The difference between Raeda and Bubbline, though, is that Bubbline focuses on the growth BOTH characters have to go through. Bubblegum and Marceline have their own baggage to overcome and the majority of their time on the show is about them learning to deal with it not necessarily for each other but for themselves and the people they love. With Raeda, it’s the same idea, but it’s Eda who grows more. And that’s because Eda, upon conception, was her own character where Raine, as I said last time, was a love interest. Still wouldn’t say that makes Raine less of a character, but for this relationship that means there’s less attention on THEM to grow as they’re often treated as this perfect person who Eda tries hard to fight back for. Now, there’s stuff that Raine did wrong too, with pushing Eda away from danger and constantly putting Eda’s needs in front of their own. However, the show never really digs deep into those issues, nor is there a moment where Eda confronts Raine for how THEY acted. Granted, Eda doesn’t have a leg of her own to stand on, but we’ve at least seen her grow past pushing people out of her life and letting them back in. Most of Raine’s development coincides with Eda’s, making it where Raine can’t adequately grow past their own failings. It makes it feel like it’s EDA that has to grow more to get Raine back, which would be fine, but it also makes Raine feel more like a prize Eda needs to earn instead of a character who has their own stakes in the relationship. It’s the part of Raine and Eda’s love story that gets to me a little, but, even then…I still loved that these two got back together.

Raine and Eda’s chemistry is on point and you get why they love each other. They’re both agents of chaos, Raine going for more controlled chaos while Eda is just all in for pure havoc. Eda brings extra fun into Raine’s life while Raine makes sure they BOTH don’t get into trouble. It’s like Raine and Eda were made for each other and you DO want them to get back together. Those scenes where Eda peppers Raine’s face with kisses and later snuggles up to them when all the craziness is over is ALL I ever wanted. I’m glad I got it, even if the development of their relationship could’ve been better, I’m still happy that they BOTH got their deserved happy ending.

But that’s enough teasing. You may have noticed that I haven’t talked about ONE relationship yet. One that is HUGE within this series. A relationship so big, so important, that to lump it in with all these others is a disservice to how major it is. A relationship SO GOOD that it deserves its own category as…

It’s Own Thing

You all know who they are. They’re a relationship that makes the show what it is and are the very reason why it’s so good. They’re so important that The Owl House wouldn’t be the same without them. And they are…

Luz, King, and Eda: Or our main trio, to be short.

Yeah, crazy enough, the most essential relationship in the show happens to involve the three main characters in it. The Owl House starts with them, ends with them, and features them almost always going on adventures, sometimes alone but always ending up back together. Together, they’re more than a group of weirdos stuck together. They’re a family.

Luz and Eda have this VERY obvious mother/daughter dynamic. Eda may have called Luz her human, apprentice, and, most times, KID, but it always felt like she was one slip of the tongue away from saying “daughter.” Eda’s motherly instincts kicked in nearly instantly, where the second Luz is put into too much danger, all the woman can think of is getting Luz FAR away from it. It’s large in part because Eda’s a naturally caring person, whether she likes to admit it or not, and doesn’t want this young girl to get hurt. But the more time Eda spends with Luz, getting to know this crafty kid with a good heart, the more it becomes clear that Eda wants to protect Luz because Eda sees Luz as her own. Not only can see it in all the ways Eda smiles at Luz’s antics or comforts Luz when she needs it, but Eda’s motherly love for Luz is clear as day when you notice that Eda’s at her most panicked and angry when Luz is in danger. Anyone can be nice to some random teen that refuses to leave their home, but it takes a mother to be equally soft and protective towards that child. And let it be known that the feelings are very mutual, as Luz often looks up to Eda as a second mother. Just like how Eda is always SO CLOSE to saying “daughter,” Luz always sounds like she means “mother” when she says “mentor.” Luz constantly goes right to Eda for help, information, and advice on pretty much every aspect of her new magical life. Sure, this could be because Eda’s the closest thing to an adult that could take Luz in, but Luz ALSO forms a better bond the more time they spend together. Luz cares so much about how Eda sees her and wants Eda to be happy above all else. You could say that it’s the least Luz could do for freeloading in Eda’s home (and you’d be a prick for saying that), but it comes from a genuine love, respect, and admiration for Eda. Hell, it’s LUZ who’s the first to admit that they’re like family and to say, “I love you” in “Young Blood, Old Souls.” They both clearly see each other as a mother and her daughter, even if neither of them use the actual words “mother” or “daughter.” The spirit is definitely there and it’s adorable and entertaining to see each episode.

However, out of the three, I feel like it’s King who’s often treated as an afterthought. For Luz and Eda, King’s either treated as a sidekick, a friend, a son/brother, and a pet. Although, this is primarily because the writers clearly didn’t know what to do with King until Season Two, which is around the same time Luz and Eda started treating King more consistently. Luz became more of a protective order sister and Eda became more of a mother (Mainly because King legally made himself her son). BUUUUUUUUUT, it doesn’t change how off the inconsistencies felt early on, nor was there enough time to make these dynamic changes feel like they stick. Especially since King rarely showed any genuine care until near the end of Season One. He still showed that he appreciated Luz and Eda and was happy to have them, but also treated them both VERY poorly, like with how much he intentionally annoyed Eda or cracked jokes at Luz’s expense. He didn’t hate them, but it definitely took King more time to love the family he has. Likely because Season Two made him realize that he didn’t have any biological family outside of Luz and Eda (and sometimes Hooty). Even when the idea that his real family is out there, King still considers Luz and Eda a part of it. It’s all sweet to see even if it feels a little late to the game.

The best part about these three, though, is the mutual amount of love and care for each other. Some of the sweetest scenes in the show feature Luz, King, and Eda lifting each other up, comforting one another, or just…goofing off and having fun. Their bond and chemistry as a trio is on point and you get how important it is when this trio splits up for Season Three. Because Season Three…was better than it had any right to be. “Thanks to Them” started the season out strong as the best episode in the series, “For the Future” also existed as good but not great, but it wasn't until “Watching and Dreaming” did things start to feel right. As good as “Thanks to Them” was, it felt like one of the pieces of the puzzle was missing. I loved almost every minute, but there was something that made “Thanks to Them” unable to be the best representation of what makes the show so good. And what was missing was King and Eda. It felt so wrong to watch an episode without either of them being right there with Luz, almost as if the show was incomplete without them. Things didn’t feel much better in “For the Future.” King and Eda were there, but separated from Luz as they dealt with The Collector while Luz was dealing with…a lot more. We saw all of them in the same episode, but something STILL felt missing. It’s not until we get to “Watching and Dreaming” does it become clear: What was missing was seeing the trio TOGETHER. Seeing all three of them reunite and interact with each other again finally made it feel like I was finally watching The Owl House again. You could have a great show if it was Luz with her mom and friends, dealing with teen drama. You can even have an okay show if it was Eda and King going through some magical nonsense. But when you bring them together, have them go through everything with each other close by or by their side, then you get The Owl House. All these other relationships could’ve been cut and the show wouldn’t suffer, but The Owl House wouldn’t be the same without Luz, King, and Eda’s bond.

And…Yeah, that’s about it.

The relationships in this show are varied, both in the different dynamics each character has and the quality of how they’re written. There’s a lot of great ideas, but some seem like there’s not enough time to make them meet their full potential. Regardless, the ones that DO work succeeds in bringing more warmth and intrigue to an already great show. There’s much more ups than downs, and it’s always endearing seeing great characters forming perfect bonds with other great characters.

That’s all for now, though. So I will see you all next time as I discuss—What? Why are you looking at me like that? Did I forget something?

…OH! You thought I forgot ANOTHER relationship. One that features two of the best characters in the series.

A relationship that’s adorable and gave me so much happiness in this dark place we call Earth.

A relationship that is IMPRESSIVE LGBTQA+ representation due to its normalization and how much attention is given to it.

A relationship that, while The Owl House wouldn’t be the same without our main trio, the very same could be said about this other relationship.

A relationship SO GOOD, that to just go over it as simply as I went over the others would be too great of a disservice.

Because that relationship is, without a doubt, the best thing about the series. And no, I’m not kidding.

You’ll see why…next time.

Next Part >

#the owl house #the owl house review #LONG POST AGAIN #sorry #luz noceda #eda clawthorne #king clawthorne #camila noceda #amity blight #willow park #gus porter #hunter deamonne #emperor belos #what i thought about

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pardi-real · 4 months

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Tarot of Destiny / Chapter 7 - Just Being by My Side

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Warning: spoiler to Episode 2 main story, can be avoided by skipping from Boschi's appearance to when his image appears.

[Maginaria, Water Temple]

Guided by Fennesz, I was brought to... a beautiful temple. Decorated with vibrant hues, it exuded a certain solemn ambiance.

> "What is this building...?"

Fennesz: "This is one of the four temples in Maginaria. There are four temples here: water, fire, earth, and wind. All are famous power spots. Actually, last night... when all the butlers were discussing, Lady Elvira came and told us about this place. She said that if we visit the four power spots... we might be able to keep the lord away from ominous things."

> “I see"

Though she predicts ominous futures and speaks her mind bluntly, she went out of her way to inform us like that... Maybe she's surprisingly a nice person.

Fennesz: "By the way... There are butlers in each of the four temples. In this 'Water Temple,' there are us second-floor butlers, so... after conveying our feelings... you'll move to another temple, I believe."

> "Understood."

Fennesz: "Well then... I know it's sudden, but, my lord. C-Can you listen... to my... feelings?"

> "Of course, Fennesz."

Fennesz: "Thank you very much. Well then, first, my card is... Uh... The tarot card I drew is ‘The Magician' in ‘reversed position’... It could mean 'weakness' or 'timidity'... It suits me perfectly..."

> "That's not..."

Fennesz: "No, it's alright. It's something I understand myself. Besides... In the past, I disliked my weakness... blamed someone else for my weakness... tried to deceive others so as not to appear weak…

But... Since I met you... Even when I show my weak or timid side, you always accept me... Y-you said 'it's wonderful' in a casual manner... That seemingly trivial remark... Oh how much it saved me...

At that time... I remember feeling incredibly relieved... 'Ah... I'm glad to be this person's butler.' Since being with you... I've had countless moments where I've felt that way.

Being with you... I've slowly started to affirm my own being. I'm timid, but... there's also something good about being timid. Because I'm a cowardly person... I might be able to empathize with those who are in a weak position or have weak hearts...

Since meeting you... I've begun to think that way. That I can accept myself... is all thanks to you. …...Thank you very much. I'm glad I met you..."

> "Fennesz..."

Fennesz: “.................. Phew. I-I said it... I'm glad... All those practices were worth it. Oh... I just exposed my practice… Haha… But thanks to it, I think I conveyed it well."

> "It came across really well."

Fennesz: "I-Is that so?... That's good to hear... ……Anyway…... Now that I finish saying everything... I no longer feel nervous… but the words I just said keep repeating in my head instead... Ugh…! I-I'm suddenly feeling really embarrassed... S-So then, my lord! I'll call the next butler... I-I'll take my leave for today!"

Clack… clack… clack…

> "Ah, Fennesz..."

~ A few minutes later ~

Boschi: "......Hey, my lord. Fennesz called me and I came here to take over... His face was all red. What in the world did he talk about?"

> "Um..."

Boschi: "No, actually never mind. Forget it. Fennesz's feelings belong only to him and the lord. I shouldn't pry.

Well... normally, I couldn't care less about fortune-telling... but it makes the lord anxious, so I can't just ignore it.

The effects of fortune-telling can't be underestimated, especially for those who believe in it. Even me when I was a kid... Grandma's 'ouchie, ouchie, go away' did make me feel better…”

> “So the spell worked”

Boschi: “Yeah. Of course, now I understand it was just superstition…Wait, who cares about my childhood stories anyway.

Um... I was supposed to reflect on myself by looking at this card. The tarot card I drew is... 'The Emperor' in the ‘upright position’. According to Fennesz... It means 'strong will' or 'gaining victory.'

What do you think? It's a card that really suits me, right?

Just kidding. What's 'gaining victory' anyway? I have never... been able to achieve anything on my own. It was the same when Haures got caught in demonization. If you weren't there at that time... I would have been killed by him. I wouldn't have been able to stand by my own will or gain any victory.

But... I've been able to avoid such a worst-case scenario because you've been by my side... giving me strength. I don't usually say this, but... I'm quite grateful to you, you know? Even being able to talk and live like this... it's all thanks to you."

> "Boschi..."

Boschi: "......Hmm. I just said what came to mind for now... Is this okay? My lord."

> “Yeah, thank you"

Boschi: "Don't mind it. Personally, I don't mind it that much either. Sometimes it's good to simply speak out what you're thinking... Well then... I'll call the next person. Oh, and... My lord."

> "What is it?"

Boschi: "Don't tell anyone what I just said, alright?"

> “Sure” > "I got you"

Boschi: "I see. Well, it goes without saying, huh. …...Thanks for listening to me. My lord."

Saying so, Boschi headed towards the back of the temple.

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#aknk #Tarot of destiny

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machifuwa · 1 year

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Autumn Cafeteria | Episode 1

An hour later. At Seisoukan's library

Tsumugi: Aah, Suou-kun. Hello~.

Tsukasa: Oya, you're pretty early today…oh?

It also seems like Itsuki-senpai came with you, my greetings.

Shu: My apologies for bothering you, Suou. I just have something to discuss with you.

Tsukasa: Discuss? What is it?

Shu: But before that, I have something for you. It's a souvenir. Take it.

Tsukasa: Brioche…! Are you sure I can have this much?

Shu: Yes, but separate them from the Biblion side.

Sena might give you a scolding. Saying that you're taking advantage of the fact that he's abroad by indulging yourself in binge eating.

Tsukasa: I-I am not indulging! Don't worry, I'm taking good care of my weight.

Shu: I don't want you to take it out on me. Say it directly to Sena.

Well then, let's get down to business. But, I have no idea where to begin…

Tsumugi: Would you like me to talk to him for you?

Shu: Mm. That would be great.

Tsumugi: Got it. Suou-kun, do you remember the other day when we talked about the café on Saison Avenue?

Tsukasa: Saison Avenue's…aah, yes. It's the Café that Aoba-senpai visits from time to time, right?

Tsumugi: That's right. The truth is, Shu-kun here seems to like that restaurant and is very disappointed about its closing.

Tsukasa: Ahh… Even though it can't be helped, it's hard to lose a place you've grown accustomed to, huh.

But don't worry. We won't close the Café while we're still deciding what to do with the place.

Whether it's renovation or demolition, it's going to cost a lot of money, and we need to carefully plan how we're going to make a profit after.

The owner has agreed to stay open until the plan is finalized.

Shu: It really doesn't change the fact that the store is closing someday. Is there no other way to keep the café alive?

Tsukasa: …I understand your feelings. The owner of the restaurant was also passionate about continuing the business as long as possible, and we're making up for the deficit by buying into their enthusiasm in the Suou family.

However, the current sales are not enough to make it a viable business. The subsidy from ES will not be permanent.

It's very difficult to say "all the time" because we are not a charity.

Shu: ……

Tsumugi: …Umm, can I have a moment?

It seems that Suou-kun also doesn't want the café to close so much as to make up the deficit.

Simply, if we can turn the café around, right?

Tsukasa: Uh, yes. Yes, you're right. But, I don't think it's going to be easy…

But it's worth a try. You never know what will happen to make things work out.

Tsumugi: Isn't that much more constructive than just sucking our fingers and watching?

Time is money. Let's get to work on a plan right away ♪ Shu-kun, do you have any ideas?

Shu: I'm not sure I want to be talked to all of a sudden.

An idea... A relaxing space, coffee with a rich flavor... I'd like to keep the goodness of that place intact.

Tsumugi: Yes, alright. I would like to promote and popularize the delicious loaf as well. How about you, Suou-kun?

Tsukasa: Me? Umm…

My apologies. I don't know what kind of place it is, I only visited it once when the owner asked me for advice.

Tsumugi: I see. Well then, let's start with the getting-to-know-it part.

I think we should tell the owner that we want to keep the café going, and Shu-kun and I only know the store from a customer's point of view, after all.

Shu: …Just like a fish out of water, huh, Aoba?

Tsumugi: Ahaha. I'm not a natural at running a business...but I'm familiar with it.

I grew up watching my mother who was a business owner. But oh well, she failed in the end ♪

Shu: Did you really have to say that with a smile?

Tsumugi: That was a long time ago. Now that I have experience as a director, I should be a little more dependable.

At least, more than I did when I was just watching from the side.

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Translated by machi

#ensemble stars #enstars #tsumugi aoba #tsukasa suou #shu itsuki

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eddiernunson · 11 months

Text

Trapped | Eddie Munson | Epilogue

Prev Part | Master List | Prequel

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader (reader grieves Eddie)

Word Count: 3.1k

Warnings: a lot of talk about grief.

Author's Note: I didn't think I'd get emotional while preparing this post, but boy did I. I had a lot of joy writing these characters. But, guess what? I'm not through with them! I have a prequel planned that takes place when she works at Scoops Ahoy and I have a long form sequel planned (that is very different from this but an intriguing concept nonetheless.)

I gave the story an ending that could either A) Lead you right into the sequel or B) let her story finish on a higher note.

If you enjoyed this story enough to keep reading thank you, I appreciate you.

As you close the door to your apartment behind you, tossing the keys onto the counter, the sound of the TV on in the living-room greets you. You weren’t expecting it, your roommate out of town for the week visiting family in Florida. When the bathroom door from down the hall opens and Steve Harrington walks into your line of sight everything clicks.

Steve greets you with an open smile on his face, opening his arms as you walk into them comfortably. “Don’t you have a home you don’t have to pay rent for?” You mumble, half joking.

Truth is, you weren’t looking forward to spending the night alone.

“Don’t you?” Steve shoots back as he always does.

You sigh, the polyester of the grocery store uniform shirt feeling gross against your skin. You make your way to your room, a downsized version of the one you had sitting at your parents’ house. You quickly get dressed into some pajamas as Steve waits for you on your couch. Having given him a key, you supposed you should be used to him coming and going as he pleased.

It still startled you every time, though.

You land onto the couch right next to him, watching an episode of The Golden Girls. “How was work?” He asked, and you notice one of your bags of chips right in front of him, nearly empty.

“Shitty.” You comment, snatching the bag from him. “You know, for someone with a full pantry at home you sure steal my chips a lot.” You glance into the reflective bag, only a few handfuls and some crumbs left.

“Good thing I brought more.” Steve says, gesturing to some of the grocery bags on the floor.

The same one you worked at. “When did you go to Kroger?”

“This morning before you worked.” Steve says dismissively. “Vickie asked me to pick up something for a surprise for Robin.”

Your stomach grumbles, and you get up to make some instant noodles, too tired to make anything else.

“Why was your day shitty?” He asks you tentatively. For the record, a shitty day sometimes meant your grief overwhelmed you out of nowhere while restocking shelves. Sometimes, it meant you had a panic attack in the bathroom. Sometimes a shitty day just meant shitty people. Luckily, it was the latter.

You gulp, filling the cup of noodles with water. “Uh, there some girls talking in the break room today and one of them said the uh…” you pause, you can say it, “Munson Murders.” You place it into the microwave, the beeps loud in the silence that follows.

“Are you okay?” Steve asks you, absentmindedly eating the rest of the chips.

“I’m used to them, by now.” Unfortunately, with this job came new coworkers. Some of whom believed the media when the ‘truth’ of the earthquake came out. You’ve gotten used to attempting to ignore them, but they had their moments when they got to you.

As you take the noodles out of the microwave, Steve says something, and the conversation is like clockwork. “You know a way to avoid that—” he starts.

“Don’t say it.”

“The way to avoid his name or reputation altogether—”

“Steve.” You plead with him, your mind tired.

“Is to move, yeah?”

He tells you to leave town at least once a week at this point.

“As soon as you’re able to tell me that you guys have successfully gotten rid of Vecna.” You answer him, a version of what you say to him every time.

“If—” Steve sighs, running his hand through his hair. “if you left town you wouldn’t have to be the girl with the dead boyfriend anymore. You could talk about him without any fear of someone asking his name.”

“And what, be okay with Eleven risking her life on a semi-regular basis? Nancy? Robin? You? Dustin? Mike? Lucas? Erica? Will? Jonathan? Hopper and Joyce, for Christ’s sake? You guys are out there, fighting the good fight and trying to prevent Vecna’s vision to Nancy from coming true, while I’m working at a cash register and restocking aisles every day. I’m on desk duty. Worse. You won’t even tell me what’s going on anymore.”

“Last time you convinced us you were ready you had a panic attack.” Steve emphasizes, his voice stern. “You’re clearly still affected by it.”

You look down to your right hand, the ring Dustin had managed to grab for you providing a great deal of comfort.

He relaxes into the couch, his heavy heartbeat calming down. “If the panic in your eyes when I say his name out loud has any indication, you need the distance if you want to be helpful.”

You roll your eyes to this, ignoring the gnawing feeling you’ve had for about a month that distance from Hawkins might’ve been exactly what you needed.

Problem was, it was already September of 1987 and colleges weren’t accepting any applications until the spring term. Another problem was that it’s October next month, and last October was so hard for you that you could barely recall it.

Memories of Robin, Nancy, and Steve finding you with a tear-streaked face surrounded by tissues and a tape inspired by his taste in music was playing on your stereo. You were fast asleep on your couch, polaroids you’ve been too scared to look at finally seeing daylight again.

You had cried yourself into a coma that night.

This upcoming October had you apprehensive about your tendencies to self-destruct that you’ve developed over the last seventeen months.

“Get out of Hawkins for a bit. When you can say his name, or better yet, tell a story about him without crying, you’re good to come back and help us out.” Steve tells you, rubbing your shoulder absentmindedly. “We want your help and trust me when I say I wish I could tell you about what we’ve learned but.” Steve stops suddenly, and it doesn’t need to be said.

You thank him for attempting to speak it into existence for another try but let him know you weren’t going anywhere. At least, that was the plan as you showered and made your way over to your bed that night.

The next day you had plans to go to your mom’s house to see her, a rare visit back home. You sat at the kitchen island, watching her cook as she continues to ask about your life. She really attempts to hide the fact that your life is killing her from the inside at the moment.

You weren’t going to school. You weren’t planning to, as far as she knew. No plans for the future, and she was sure if she wasn’t careful you would end up working at Kroger for over 30 years and become a shell of the girl you once were.

“Are you sure you want to stay in Hawkins?” she asks, her voice soft as she leans forward to you on her elbows against the island counter.

Usually, a resounding yes would’ve left your mouth. This time, however, you hesitate in your answer.

Something about what Steve had said finally started to get through. Truth is, you were tired of feeling like this. All of your emotions, everyone’s voices, the weight still sitting on you, pulling you down and denying you energy to even muster the want to care felt like you were stuck under water. You weren’t sure if it was your body telling you the grief had become too much to carry or if Steve had finally gotten through to you but something about yourself felt different…like you…wanted to get better.

“Where would I go?”

You knew you shouldn’t have let her talk you into this. You sit at a restaurant from down the block to your dorm, twiddling your thumbs as you wait for the person your college dorm-mate set you up with to walk in. The pictures she’s shown you were…decent. He wasn’t a bad looking dude, but you found yourself comparing him to Eddie, anyway.

Getting into college and into normalcy felt like coming up for air after being stuck underwater for so long. It felt so nice you wondered why you didn’t want to in the first place.

Grief had a hold on you that you finally managed to wring yourself out of, and now it’s just a creature on your shoulder. Sometimes the creature is loud and obnoxious, but most of the time he just sits on your shoulder swinging his legs.

Finally, someone pulls out the chair, bringing you to the present. “Hi! You must be y/n.” He says sitting without so much as a handshake.

“Hi. Nice to meet you. Mark, right?” He nods his head politely, the brown curls reflecting a shine in the overhead light. “So how do you know Nadine?” you start the awkward small talk.

Mark gets into it, describing how he met Nadine on his first tour of campus, and they just seemed to be kindred spirits. He goes on to describe how Nadine showed a picture of you to him and he begged her to set up a date for the two of you.

As this was your first date in over two years, it took a lot of convincing to get you to even consider a date.

“So, what brings you all the way to Montana State?” he asks you, starting up the conversation with some small talk.

“I needed some space.” You answer, and you knew the only reason you haven’t gone to Washington was the rainy weather it was notoriously known for.

“Shitty break up?” He asks you, and you’re nearly surprised Nadine didn’t disclose it to him already.

You take a minute to consider how to respond. “Is it considered a shitty break up when one ends up six feet under?” You ask, your hand fiddling with the black ring that found home on your right hand.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” He apologizes, and it’s nice that you can tell he genuinely feels bad.

You shrug. “Honest mistake.”

The small talk continues, Mark talking about growing up in New York and why he had chosen to be a teacher instead of a doctor like his dad had planned for him. You listen to him, slowly finding comfort in his expressive story telling.

Something catches your eye and you flicker to it and you suddenly wished you hadn’t, the little demon on your shoulder now shouting in your ear obnoxiously. You attempt to blink back the tears threatened to fall and Mark falters out his story, worry invading his features. “It-it’s ok” You breathe, wiping away the one tear that succeeded.

You exhale slowly, and close your eyes, allowing yourself to sink into the memory that was triggered by the happy couple in the faraway booth sitting a little too close to one another.

An image of Eddie flashed across your face, the vague reminder of the nervousness you felt just being so close to him, and the knowledge that he wanted you to be there with him and his dimpled smile.

It’s a quick memory, but you find the more you allow yourself to think them through than push them down, the less likely you end up in a full-on meltdown.

You open your eyes again, now relaxed, and the sight of the happy couple didn’t make you want to throttle them. Progress.

Mark is staring at you, and you can’t decipher the expression on his face. You smile closed mouthed. “Sorry. If I don’t process the emotion in the moment, it just gets worse.”

“Does it have to do with—”

“Yeah.” You interrupt him, wanting to move passed it.

“You want to tell me about it?” Mark asks, and you give him a bewildered look. The fuck?

He laughs, taking a sip of his water. “You’ve been letting me talk about myself this whole time, and I’ve come here to get to know you.” He starts fiddling with his napkin. “It seems this…loss you feel is something you’re still dealing with and therefore a part of you. I want to get to know you, so tell me about it.”

You squint, afraid to give in to his bizarre request. “Isn’t talking about an ex on the first date a bit of a red flag?” You ask, and it occurs to you this is the first time you’ve ever referred to Eddie as an ex.

“On the normal occasion, yes. But this doesn’t seem normal. Tell me about it.”

You sigh, and for the first time in over 2 years, you tell a story about Eddie Munson that doesn’t end in tears.

In fact, you were laughing at his antics with Mark, remembering his dimples as he laughed and the animated movements of leading his club in another night during Hellfire.

The date with Mark does end on a good note, him still asking questions about Eddie conversationally. As he walked you back, Mark insisted he didn’t mind talking about him. “I think you needed to talk about him more than you needed a date, if I’m gonna be honest.”

You smile gratefully to him, a relief hanging on your chest. It might’ve felt crazy, but the demon on your shoulder felt smaller. “I don’t think I’m ready for dating yet.” You admit, and Mark accepts it so gracefully, you felt bad for thinking he looked like he would’ve bullied Eddie earlier in the evening.

As you close the door to your dorm room Nadine pounces on you, asking how your date went. “I think it went pretty good. It established I’m not ready to date again, yet, but Mark was so sweet it was worth it.”

Her face breaks out in a smile, ignoring what you said about not ready to date yet. “That’s so amazing! Tell me how it went!” You open your mouth to tell her when the phone rings, a personal landline for your room. Nadine answers it, closest to the phone. “Oh, yeah she’s right here.”

Nadine’s eyebrows waggle as she passes you the phone, and you know who it is before she even tells you. “Hi, Harrington.” You answer, all love in your voice.

“Hi, there, y/n.” He responds, sound of laughter in your voice. “Hows it?”

“Actually,” you put the receiver away from your phone, asking Nadine to go for a quick walk so you can tell Steve something. She nods her head quickly, leaving the room with the door closing quietly. “Sorry, I just wanted to say I had a really good night. I just got back from…from a date.” You admit out loud.

You could hear his jaw hitting the floor. “Oh shit. How-how’d it go?” Steve was failing to hide how excited the prospect of you going on a date apparently made him feel.

“It was ok…at first. We talked about him for a good first part because the moment someone decides to ask about me I have not much to say except I’m dealing with a loss that has affected every day of my life until about three months ago.” You pause, pursing your lips. “Then I saw this couple, and they looked just like me and him back at the fucking Chef’s Table on our first date and I just…” you inhale, the same feelings bubbling up to surface. “I let myself feel it, think about it, then I was ok.”

“How did he react to that?”

“Better than you would think.”

“Oh? Explain?”

“He insisted if I didn’t talk about myself then what I had gone through must’ve been enough to be who I was for a bit. Which, granted, feels reductive to amount me to my grief but he was right.”

“Damn.”

“I’m not finished. I talked about Eddie, Steve. I told him probably about six stories I haven’t thought about in years and I didn’t shed a single tear.” You find yourself tearing up right now at the mere prospect of being able to remember Eddie happily. “Mark is a good guy because he said at the end of the date, I was clearly not ready to date again but I did need to talk about him. He was right. Steve, I want to talk about Eddie again.”

“Holy shit. If I knew sending you out on a date would’ve pulled that trigger, I would’ve taken you out years ago,” he jokes.

There’s a knock on your door, Nadine wanting to know if she could come back in. You call her in and turns out she had a package. “Hey, this just came in the mail for you.”

“I actually called to talk to you about that. I found something I’ve been looking for and I sent it to you the moment I got my hands on it. Take good care of it, will ya?”

“But Steve, you haven’t even told me what it is.” You protest, holding the package delicately, noting it was compact but had some weight to it.

“You’ll know.”

He hangs up, letting the mystery of the package settle in. “What did he say?” Nadine asked, already had checked the return address from Steve.

“Just that he’s been looking for it and I’ll know when I see it.”

“Then open it!”

You shrug, following her orders, using the tab at the top of the plastic to rip it open. As soon as you pull the light blue denim out, you’re hit with a wave of emotions.

Holy shit. His vest he lent to Steve. “For your modesty.”

You hold it out in front of you, and the brown tint to it tells you Steve didn’t even wash it. You breathe it in, and a smell you have long forgotten hits your nose, and you wondered how it stayed all this time. “Smells just like him.” You mutter, giving Nadine a teary smile. “I thought I’d never be able to smell him again.”

That night, you end up exchanging funny stories from high school. The relief cascaded you as you both laid on your beds staring at the ceiling because you were finally able to tell stories about it without feeling like the earth was being ripped open. Thank God.

Spring Break was right around the corner, and as you told everyone you were coming home, most were hesitant on your decision, wondering if his death anniversary was a good time.

For once, you knew it was the right call. In fact, if the situation still seemed dire enough, you had no plans on returning to school and planned on giving Vecna the hell he deserved for wringing you through the grief that he did.

The road trip is a long one, but you had wanted to take it regardless.

Maybe you could even stop by Eddie’s grave. Visit Wayne. Whatever the occasion, you were somehow finally ready for it.

Home.

Please reblog/leave comments on what you thought I love reading them and they help support me.

Taglist: @emturtles @yourthebrokengirl @steeldaisies @skrzydlak @thirddeadlysin @sammararaven @bebe07011 @prettylovley

#eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson

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izumi-fanclub · 6 months

Text

A3! Event Story Translation “Ah, My Dearly Beloved” [ Chapter 3 ]

We have a very special guest star for today's episode.

Syu

Yo, hope I’m not intruding.

Chikage

Syu-san.

Itaru

RNG must be crazy for you to show up.

Syu

I was just passing by when I ran into this guy and he invited me in for a drink.

Guy

I heard from Azuma that we have some good local sake, so I took the liberty of inviting him over.

Syu

I came for the sake, but I also need to talk to you about something so it all ties in together.

Izumi

What about?

Syu

Ever heard of an inn called Sayuru Pavilion?

Izumi

It’s a famous long-established ryokan. The foliage there during autumn is popular so it’s hard to make a reservation…

Azuma

We were just talking about it earlier.

Syu

Talk about good timing. So you must’ve heard there’s a Noh stage there.

Azami

Yeah, we saw the pictures.

Syu

It’s basically just decoration now since it’s barely used, actors are only onstage once per year.

Chikage

Are you referring to the “Night Party” by any chance?

Syu

Hohh… So you know. That’s not typical information you’d see out in the open.

Chikage

Just learned some things brought up in work conversations.

There’s a group of influential people called the “Scarlet Poet Society”, they have an evening party where they gather in secret annually…

That’s as far as my knowledge goes about it.

Omi

It’s like something out of a drama or movie.

Itaru

That’s so IRL animecore.

Syu

Here’s the kicker.

Those night party performances that are performed on the Noh stage? Our troupe’s in charge of that every year.

Izumi

No way!?

Guy

How impressive.

Syu

We got asked to do it again this year, and the theme was “Four Seasons.”

I figured the MANKAI Company is a better match for the theme than us.

They got interested in the company since it was my old troupe and you guys won the Fleur Award.

Izumi

So Syu-san, what you needed to talk about was…?

Syu

How about you put on a play at that party instead of us?

Izumi

We’d love t—.

Syu

There’s one condition, however.

Sakyo

A condition?

Syu

The lead has to be a teenage boy. Don’t got a clue why it has to be different this time around.

Well, whatever’s up, the story’s not half bad.

Izumi

To be honest, I’m not sure if it’s alright to hold a soiree there, but if Syu-san recommends us personally then it shouldn’t be risky…

Sakyo

If Syu-san partners up with them every year, then they must be influential and not just some name.

It’s a great story too, it should be fine to take it up.

Izumi

Then it’s decided. …We’ll gladly take up your offer.

Syu

As you should.

Sakyo

And the script?

Syu

I’ll get it prepared for you. I know your style anyway.

Izumi

Thank you so much!

Azuma

…Well, now that all the work talk is over with.

Syu

Yeah, sorry for taking up so much of your time. Now that negotiations are in order, let’s get to stuffing our faces.

Guy

I shall get us some snacks.

Izumi

I’ll go help!

Azami

…Hey, Sakyo.

Sakyo

What?

Azami

That ryokan, Sayuru Pavilion… it feels familiar, have I been there when I was a kid?

Sakyo

…No, I don’t recall anything. Maybe it was before I joined, go ask the boss.

Azami

(That’s such a pain though.)

Chikage

I’m home.

Azami

Welcome back.

Chikage

Studying ancient literature?

Azami

Yeah, Itaru-san just went out ‘cause of a work call.

Chikage

I see. Sorry for disrupting your studying.

Azami

Whatever. It’s fine, I could use a break.

Chikage

…Are you having a hard time with it? Azami

Eh?

Chikage

It doesn’t look like you’re making much progress from the number of pages.

Azami

I mean…

Chikage

…Now what are you reeling back for?

Azami

It’s like a defense mechanism thing.

Chikage

Well, go take your time. I’m gonna eat dinner.

Azami

Sigh… I’ll never get what’s up with that guy…

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#a3 translation #a3! translation #a3 #a3!#a3! event story translation #a3 event story translation #chikage utsuki #sakyo furuichi #azami izumida #omi fushimi #azuma yukishiro #itaru chigasaki #syu otomiya #ah my dearly beloved

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slaygentford · 2 years

Text

I listened to every Beatles album in order so you dont have to and kept this record as I did. no one asked me to do this and honestly idk how I arrived at it it just sounded interesting after I exhausted the platters who I didnt think to record like this. also im at the point of school where you dont get homework anymore and I miss it so I made a report.

these are graded on a curve, that is, the ratings of each album are calculated in relation to the other albums. prior to this endeavor I had only heard the big beatles songs like in movies and on Wii rockband.

please please me: 3/5. highlight: twist and shout (sorry). lowlight: baby its you. thready ass vocals. leave it to people with talent with the beatles: 3/5. aesthetically identical to prev. highlight: you really got a hold on me. lowlight: please mr postman. why the fuck would you cover this. youre signing up to fail a hard day's night: 2/5. highlight: things we said today. lowlight: sadly, a hard day's night beatles for sale: im gonna keep it real. this sounds identical to albums 1-3 to me and I feel exactly no emotion about it at all. largely inoffensive. 2/5 help!: 3.3/5. highlight: help! killer bass. lowlight: the riff in I need you fills me with a burning, indescribable rage rubber soul: here we begin to experience the epic highs and lows of The Beatles discography. high highs: Norwegian wood and girl. low lows: literally everything else. 2/5 revolver: 3.5/5. these bitches finally woke up! highlight: I'm only sleeping, for no one, Eleanor Rigby is worth the hype, I want to tell you, tomorrow never knows. lowlight: dr robert -- flop attempt at satire. also whatever that one guy was doing to that poor sitar sgt pepper's: I came to a rude awakening when I realized that the wall would not exist without sgt pepper's. humbling. that being said, 0/5. I hated every single second of this. magical mystery tour: epic high following last album's epic low. 5/5. strawberry fields has a BASS DROP??!?!? no skips. I love this album. its such a time capsule as well of like one of the weirdest years in history. i can listen to this album and experience how my parents felt at 16. the callback to she loves you on the last track. I get it the white album: I dont get it. this album tested me like nothing else. I began to flag. I began to question the honor of my quest. I almost shut it off after nearly every song. but let me say: the highs are sweeping. SWEEPING. happiness is a warm gun. blackbird, Helter Skelter, while my guitar gently weeps, back in the ussr, revolution (which is satire which I just realized)... however, the lows are LOW. glass onion is bad; Julia is actually unlistenable (I broke and skipped it); wild honey pie is like getting a transorbital lobotomy; birthday has undone years of my therapist's work vis a vis suicidal ideation. Im so baffled by this I almost want to exclude it entirely. instead I calculated its good song to bad song ratio which landed the album as a whole at a solid D+ (69%)! but that seems like its ignoring the good songs which for any other band even ONE of those would be the song of their career. emotionally the experience was not unlike a bipolar mixed episode. 1/5 yellow submarine: this one was a movie soundtrack. something it has going for it is that it isn't the white album. 4/5 abbey road: yeah. 10/5. I cant even be flippant about this. you live a whole lifetime listening to this one. fine. let it be: set myself up to FAIL with this one. my dad was about to turn 18 the year this came out, which I only bring up because this is the only one of my dads beatles albums I kept. so of course I listened to the record and cried through let it be like a bitch. I like all the studio talking noise. 5/5 for sentimentality

rating overall: 43.8/65, about 66%. but I dont vibe w that honestly. I had a great time doing this and discovered some great music. I also cant ignore their historical significance and the insight it gave me into my parents' youth, which is probably the most interesting thing about the beatles. I choose to recuse myself from assigning a grade and instead, on a pass/fail scale, pass them.

reflection: they were so prolific in 10 years with wildly varying results, but it makes me feel like we need to all create more haphazardly and throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks instead of being so precious about it. because honestly, a monkey at a typewriter with that kind of output WILL eventually write something good. I also think it's the kill baby Mussolini principle in that even if you killed baby Mussolini there would still be the sociopolitical situation which gave rise to Mussolini. so if The Beatles never formed there would've been other band/s who evolved with the upheaval of the 60s who would now serve as this cultural touchstone. but this is what we got and thats quite interesting I think.

takeaway: I cant listen to another beatles song for at least 2 calendar years

#what an experience. wow. who should I do this with next

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bluejay-writes · 2 months

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Heaven is a Misnomer - Chapter 8

Fandom: Shall We Date?: Obey Me! Rating: Teen Chapter 8 Wordcount: 3188 Characters/Relationships: Jake (Exchange student OC) / Raphael Summary: In this week's episode, we find out about Feniel's job as an angel, and in general learn more about the general disregard in which angels hold each other. You can also read this on AO3, if that's your jam!

First Chapter || Prev Chapter || Next Chapter

Chapter 8: When watching isn't simple.

In a dramatic twist that would likely surprise his mother most of all, Jake found that his favorite chores around the dorm were definitely doing the dishes. And so, when Friday rolled around and there was no evening seminar planned, and it seemed like everyone was gearing up to go out somewhere, Jake wasn’t surprised when Aya came up and begged to trade chores with him.

“Please? Just this once?”

Jake pretended to be considering it, but obviously he was going to agree. It’s not like he was going to go out clubbing with her anyway.

“Who’s your chore partner?”

“Today? Feniel. He’s real good at dishes, you won’t even get bored.”

And so, Jake found himself drying dishes on a Friday night while just about everyone else seemed to be getting themselves dolled up to go out somewhere.

“How are you finding the exchange program so far, Jake?” Fen asked cheerfully.

“Meh.” Jake responded, not sure what Fen was really asking, or if he was just making conversation.

“No, actually I’m curious. If you’re willing to tell me what you honestly think.”

Jake took a moment to actually think about it and collect his thoughts before he answered.

“Honestly? It’s fine. I mean the classes are about as hard as my AP classes, so probably what college would be like. The administration needs some work, and my classmates are incredibly biased against anyone who’s not an angel, but the people in my dorm don’t suck and I feel like I might have made some friends.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, there’s this one angel who seems to care about my wellbeing and surprisingly my mental health? Super cool. I’m a fan. Maybe you know him, his name’s Feniel?”

Fen had the decency to blush in response to Jake’s teasing compliments. “I, uh. Thanks?”

“What about you, Fen? What’s it been like for you, having Humans and Demons in your dorm?”

“Weird, but also… normal? Don’t get me wrong, It’s startling to see Yboun’dih just chilling on a couch in the lounge, and not smell whatever sweet concoction Luke is baking. But it’s not as jarring as I thought it would be to have non-angels in our space. All four of you are surprisingly polite. Nothing like we’ve been taught to expect from humans, and especially not from Demons.”

“Fair, it’s been a lot like I’d expect studying abroad would be like back home, personally.”

From there, the conversation devolved back into talking about classes, and eventually the dishes were finished. They didn’t take long despite the number of people in the dorm. Or maybe it was just the good company while doing them.

Later, Jake sat in the quiet lounge on the top floor of the dorm building, taking notes in one of his spare notebooks about his experiences in the Celestial Realm thus far. He knew he had to write a report on a topic at the end of the year, and he wanted to make sure he didn’t forget his initial feelings about the whole thing by the time the year was up.

Raphael taking over for Michael had been the biggest boon for his sanity. He basically never saw the overbearing asshole of an angel anymore, just his discipline lackey. Which sounded like he didn’t care for Raphael, but honestly he just hadn’t gotten a chance to know him outside of classes. Raphael was probably the most attractive being Jake had ever encountered, especially when he smiled. Sure, sure, Jake had only seen a smirk, but even that just about ended him the first time he saw it out of the corner of his eye.

“What are you thinking about with a look like that on your face, Jake?” Feniel said, having walked up utterly silently.

Jake startled, and blushed. “Uh. Nothing.”

“Mhm. And nothing makes you blush.”

“Lots of things make me blush! The way you angels dress by default makes me blush! I was just writing about my initial experiences here so that I’ll have notes for my paper at the end of the year.” Jake said, brushing off his thoughts about Raphael with a general observation, instead.

“Oh, that’s true.” Fen said with a smile. “Thanks to the sun being out constantly, it’s generally ‘summer attire’ in the Celestial Realm. Lots of skin showing, for certain.”

“Based on our mythology about Heaven, I expected angels to all be prudes.”

“And yet.” Fen said, laughing.

“And yet.” Jake agreed. “Can I ask you a personal question, Fen?”

“Sure, go for it. We’re friends after all.”

“What’s your job as an Angel? I mean, Michael’s in charge, Gabriel’s IT, Raphael’s in charge of punishments, Azrael is the whole ass angel of death but what about you?”

“Oh, well. That’s both simple and an entire kettle of fish to open. For one, I’m doing a shit job at my job right now. And I’m irritated about it. But that’s neither here nor there.” Feniel settled on a couch. “I’m the one who’s set to watch any immortals that are outside of Angel and Demon kind. Have you heard of Solomon the Wise?”

“Oh, yeah definitely. He’s the other exchange student in the Devildom, right?”

“Other? Wait, no, we’ll come back to that. Yes, he is. And, he’s immortal. And it’s literally my job to watch him, but I didn’t get chosen to go to the Devildom for the exchange program, which would have made my job not only possible, but actually doable, you know?”

“Wow. That… seems like a major oversight.”

“Yeah. I’m still mad about it.”

“Well, you’re immortal, so at least you won’t die mad about it?”

“Unless someone kills me, but yeah.”

“Let’s not let that happen then.” Jake chuckled, but he really really didn’t like to think about people dying. Especially not his newest friend.

“But enough about me being a sore loser. I’m used to having to scry on Solomon to watch him, but he never gets up to anything interesting when I do. He can sense that I’m watching and just does normal old dude stuff. Very boring.”

“Yeah, sounds like it would be. Are you supposed to be watching him to keep him from doing something, or to learn something in particular about him?”

“Oh, well, no not really. Just that immortals are very rare and can cause a lot of problems if they get uppity, so it’s my job to watch for mental instability that might need to be corrected, you know?”

“So you’re like Solomon’s secret social worker.”

“Kinda, yeah. Weird, I know.”

“No, it makes sense. I mean, like, he can outlive everyone else, so he may as well have some angel watching so he doesn’t go stir crazy. Or just general crazy.”

“Yep, that’s basically it. Anyway, what did you say about Solomon being the other Exchange student?”

“Oh. Well. That’s an easy answer. My bestie is down in the Devildom right now. We were supposed to be together for the exchange program, but something got twisted so she’s down there and I’m up here.”

“Oh. OH! That is so cool!” Feniel said, grinning. “Okay, so not the splitting you two up part, but the fact that she’s down there. Maybe this would be a good way to do some extracurricular Solomon watching! We can have your friend tell us if he gets up to anything interesting. He wouldn’t know I’m watching, you know? They can regale us with Solomon Stories.”

Jake laughed. “I can ask. I know she was going to ask him if he really would have cut that baby in half back in the day.”

“I have always wondered about that. Did she say what he said about it?”

“No, I never followed up, but I can totally ask. Give me a sec.”

Jake > Nia: Hey did you ask Solomon about cutting that baby in half? Nia > Jake: Oh I totally did. Nia > Jake: He said he wouldn’t have, that he’d have kept the baby for himself because they wouldn’t have deserved to raise it.

Jake laughed, and shared the bit about the baby with Fen.

“Wait, raise it like his own kids? Damn, Solomon would be such a time as a dad.” Fen said with a smile. “I mean, imagine your dad always looking the exact same age and then finding out he’s immortal.”

Jake > Nia: Aw, he sounds like he’d be a cool dad. Nia > Jake: He’s really touchy about family stuff - something about any time he gets too close to someone, or has a kid, they and the kids get dead. Jake > Nia: Yikes on Bikes. Nia > Jake: You’re telling me!

Jake passed on the information he’d learned from Nia.

Fen winced. “Yeah. I think the family stuff is the hardest part about watching Solomon. I have to watch his descendants, too, because while his Immortality shouldn’t be inheritable, it could happen, so I’ve… seen it all, really.”

Jake reached out and put a hand on Fen’s shoulder. That had to suck. Your job meaning you had to watch wives and children die… he couldn’t even imagine it.

“Did you have to…”

“You want to know if I had to actually watch them die.” Fen said, darkly, and Jake just nodded.

“No. I never managed to be looking when it happened. Just before, they looked scared. Just after, with the blood still wet…”

Jake wasn’t prepared to deal with a crying angel, but damned if he was going to let his new friend cry without any support. On impulse, he pulled the angel into his arms when he started sobbing, and just held him. Feniel had been there when he was having a panic attack, he was going to be here for Fen while he dealt with the grief of so many deaths.

As they were sitting there, Fen calming down slowly but surely, Jake heard the sound of someone else’s footsteps, clearly trying to make themselves heard. Then he heard someone clear their throat before a glass of water was set on the side table next to Jake.

“He’ll need this.” Raphael’s quiet voice carried over his shoulder, before the footsteps retreated. He wondered, then, how much the other angel had heard of their conversation. But then, they’d known each other for hundreds of years. Raphael probably knew all about what was going on with Fen.

Another few minutes, and Fen shifted himself out of Jake’s embrace, and Jake handed him the glass of water.

“Sorry about that. Sometimes it just… hits.” He said. “It’s been a long time since I cried like that.”

“Well, I’m glad I was here to lend a shoulder.” Jake said, fidgeting. Now that he didn’t have his arms full of distressed angel, he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“Me too. You didn’t have to do that, but it was leaps and bounds better than crying alone.”

“You didn’t have to sit with me through my panic attack the other day, either. But you did.”

“Well.” Fen said, as though it explained everything.

Jake walked him back to his room, and then retired to his own space. As he walked down the hall, he saw that Raphael was waiting for him, leaning on the doorframe of his room.

“That was kind, helping him through that.” Raphael said, speaking to Jake without prompt for the first time.

“Anyone would have done what I did.” Jake said, brushing off the praise. It wasn’t a praiseworthy thing, holding someone while they cried.

“No. They wouldn’t. Feniel’s dealt with that pain mostly on his own this entire time.” Raphael said quietly, with a tone full of guilt. “Sometimes I can tell when he’s feeling down and I can be there to help, but other times I’m only there to help pick up the pieces after. Everyone else seems to avoid him when he’s feeling down.”

“I’m sure everyone else has their own problems, but also that’s shitty, and he deserves better. I’m glad I was there, then. Even though it was my thoughtless questions that brought him down.”

“Really? How did it come up?”

“I asked him about what his job was, as an angel. I wanted to get to know him better. You know, you’re discipline, Azrael’s the angel of death, all that. He’s already such a good friend, you know?”

Raphael nodded. “You’re a good friend, too. Jake. Have a good night.”

“Thanks.” Jake said, stepping into his room. “I will.”

For the first time since the exchange program started, Jake woke in the morning not from a nightmare, but from a knock at his door. He reached out to check the time on his phone, but despite being plugged in, it seemed to be powered off.

“Jake, you in there?” Bunny’s voice called to him from the other side of the door.

Jake rolled out of bed and opened the door, not even worrying about his bedhead and rumpled presentation.

“Morning, Bunny.”

“Mornin, boyo! I was wondering why you didn’t appear to jog with me this morning, but you only now woke up!” Without his phone to look at, Jake turned to his trusty watch - it was 10am? What in the world was going on? He had alarms set for 8:30 and 9am, so that he didn’t skip taking his meds. He’d never once been asleep when they went off, but that was entirely beside the point.

“Yeah, I… my alarms didn’t go off.” Jake said awkwardly.

“Well I was about to go hit the gym, do you wanna come spot me, maybe do some lifting? I can wait for you to get changed and stuff.”

“Did you just get back from your run?”

“Yeah, but I stopped in the middle for breakfast.”

Jake nodded. Bunny’s appetite was a known quantity. From what Nia said, she wasn’t as overboard as the avatar of gluttony, but he was pretty sure those two would be good friends.

“Cool, uh…” Jake had been fiddling with his phone, but it wouldn’t turn on, and it had been charging all night. “I need to swing by Gabriel’s room before we go - my device is broken.”

“Okay! I’ll wait for you downstairs.” Bunny said, practically bouncing off.

Jake laughed and closed his door, getting himself ready in the only non-uniform non-pajama clothes he had so that he could go lift weights with Bunny. Jeans weren’t ideal, but like hell he was wearing khakis to the gym.

He wasn’t looking forward to bothering Gabriel about his phone, the angel constantly looked over-worked, but Jake literally couldn’t fix it himself. He wasn’t a whiz with technology to start with, and this was Celestial Realm tech, so who knew what might actually be wrong with it.

A few steps down the hallway, and there he was, knocking on the door and hoping beyond hope that Gabriel was actually in his room. Otherwise he’d have to have someone call the angel for him, and—

The door creaked open, and a cranky-looking Gabriel looked out at Jake as though he’d personally offended him before schooling his expression.

“What can I do for you today, Jake?” Gabriel said, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but my device won’t turn on - it turned itself off at some point overnight, and so my alarms didn’t go off this morning.”

“Did you forget to charge it?” Gabriel said, reaching for the offending tech even as he asked the obvious question.

“It was plugged in all night.”

“Well.” Gabriel said, sighing. “I have meetings for a majority of today, but I should be able to get this working by dinnertime. Will you be alright without a phone today?”

“Yeah, the only time I’m planning to leave the dorm today is to go work out with Bunny in a bit, so I should be reachable if you need anything from me, too.”

“Alright Jake. Thanks for being patient, I’ll try to get this back to you as swiftly as possible.”

“Don’t stress yourself too much.”

Gabriel laughed mirthlessly. “I’ll try.”

“Bunny, I’m not sure I can spot you for something this heavy.” Jake said, concerned.

“You can’t lift 300?”

“Nope.” Jake flailed comically with his noodle arms.

“Oh, well! Let me help you figure out what you can lift, and then I can just do more reps with that. Better safe than squashed.”

After some testing and training, Jake learned that he could safely bench press about 150 pounds, and they felt safe having him spot Bunny for a 200 pound lift. Not that she ever needed his help, but that was beside the point.

Jake spent a lot of time that morning thinking about the level of safety and care that Bunny put into everything she did. She looked like your stereotypical gym rat; big and dumb. And yes, the demoness was rather large, and possessed a childlike joy about a great many things, but she was far from stupid.

He found himself thinking back to what Shiny had said his first day here. That he shouldn’t let his assumptions about the basic nature of angels and demons color the way he actually felt about them as people. And so far, the demons that he’d met were far better friends than the vast majority of angels he’d had the chance to talk to.

As Jake and Bunny were leaving the gym, they passed Raphael, who seemed to be about to get his workout time in. Jake waved and smiled, receiving a nod and a slight smile in return from the angel. Every time Raphael smiled at him, Jake considered it a personal victory.

“Wow, he noticed you.” Bunny said, and Jake realized he’d been watching the angel walk away. (It was just as good a view as watching him from the front, could you really blame him?)

“Yeah, ever since he moved into our dorm we’ve been talking more, it’s nice.”

“From what the brothers always told me, he never really talked to anyone that wasn’t them. And it seems pretty true, all told.”

“The brothers… you mean the ones in the Devildom who are all avatars of sins?”

“Yeah.” Bunny said, nodding. “They used to be angels. Avatars of virtues instead. That’s part of why I wanted to come up here for the exchange program - I wanted to see the environment that formed them, you know? Beelzebub and I could be twins, to look at us. I mean, he has his own twin in Belphegor, but… We’re still a lot alike. I’ve always been a demon, though. Maybe we were made at the same time, so we came out the same. I’ll never know, though. Too shy to ask him about it.”

Jake considered the idea of Bunny being shy, and it made him chuckle. “Well, maybe you’ll get to meet him because of the Exchange program? Maybe it will be him that talks to you instead.”

Bunny laughed. “That’d be the day.”

On the way back, they stopped to pick up lunch for themselves and also Aya. Bunny determinedly paid for Jake’s lunch, as a thank you for spotting for her.

#omswd #obey me shall we date #longfic #fic update #obey me!#obey me raphael #om celestial realm #celestial realm #om raphael #chapter fic #obey me OC

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koschei-the-ginger · 7 months

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Screw it, brief reviews of Jason Bateman's filmography pre-Arrested Development

(there are only 4 pics but the post is long)

1981 Little House on the prairie - He was there for 1 season and already became so popular they made the grand finale all about him being a proof that God exists lol

1983 Just a little more love - can't find this one

1982 Silver spoons - they had to fire him because the second he appeared on screen nobody gave a crap about the other kid, iconic, I've only had Derek Taylor for 21 episodes but if anything happened to him yk yk..

1984 Knight Rider - Derek Taylor steals a car

1985 Robert Kennedy and his Times - I'm sure he's in it somewhere but it's like SIX hours long and incredibly boring

1984 The Fantastic World of DC Cooper - Derek Taylor strikes again

1984 It's your Move - Arrested Development for 6th graders, this show is SO fucking funny the parents insisted on killing it together with his Derek-sona for good.

1985 Right to kill - blink and you'll miss him, this is his sister's movie

1986 Mr Belvedere - MILF CHASER

1986 Can you feel me dancing - a commissioned tv movie to show off Justine Bateman's range

1986 St Elsewhere - see, Dave Hogan can do drama too (no)

1986 Valerie/ The Hogan family - his most famous role pre-AD and I genuinely don't understand why, stale bread even for a family sitcom™. Cancelled for being the only show that was normal about aids thanks to Jason. They also dyed his hair to a different shade of auburn each season for some reason lol

1987 Bates Motel - this was supposed to be a sequel to Psycho 🤨

1987 Teen Wold too - words cannot describe how much I hate this movie and everything about it

1987 Matlock - he's playing "Jason Bateman, the star of Valerie" only 1 year after they fired Valerie from Valerie hmm...

1987 Moving target - this was fine

1988 Our House - if your kids think giving 10k to a teenager will get them a record label at 13 it's on them, he did nothing wrong

1988 Crossing the mob - you can watch this but god at what cost, it's so grainy you can barely see their faces (okay movie tho)

1989 Breaking the rules - commissioned to show that he can do some "serious" acting, a tragic mistake on everyone's part

1991 Necessary roughness - Scott Bakula simps, I understand, no I seriously get it

1992 A Taste for killing - for every good movie (prev) you get 2 bad ones

1994 Confessions: two faces of evil - COPAGANDA

1994 This can't be love - *looks up synonyms for CUTE*

1994 Black sheep - can't find this one either

1995 Hart to Hart - he was so annoying they made him believe he's related to Donald Trump I can't even rgsthsrth

1995 An affectionate look at fatherhood - can't find this one either²

1995 Burke's law - this show is so camp you need to WATCH THE DUEL

1995 Simon - the writing is atrocious, he's trying SO hard to make it work while Harland Williams recites every line as if he had just learnt to read. Tragically, a must watch, I wish it existed in HD

1996 Ned and Stacey - a sitcom star playing a sitcom star in a sitcom making fun of Friends, 10/10

1997 Chicago sons - 3 polish brothers live together, Jared Paladecki isn't in this eventhough there are at least 4 people that look like him

1998 George and Leo - if this came out today AO3 would be full of this elderly gay couple

1999 Love stinks - not mine but yk

2000 Rude awakening - the absence of a laugh track caught me off guard, he's doing his best Bud Bundy impression down to the tragic goatee

2001 Some of my best friends - after this many cancelled sitcoms you stop seeing AD as a show that's simply good but as a miracle

2002 The Jake effect - if Scrubs was about hs teachers

2002 The sweetest thing - nobody cares about the men this is the penis song movie

2002 No way out - this is like Cary Elwes-kind of bad

2003 Sol Goode - blink and you'll miss him (idk what's even happening)

2003 Twillight Zone -someone get him an Emmy for trying to bribe a ghost of a kid he unintentionally murdered

#long post #im not putting this under read more sorry ive suffered to much i need to put it out there #jason bateman #what did yall do in very low points of your lives? i watched the entirety of the hogan family and other 7 cancelled sitcoms🤡#my own

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drbtinglecannon · 1 year

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Hi, friend! 💕 I hope you've been well

I come here to give you Darius for the character's ask because I'm predictable. BUT also adding that one Herlock Sholmes guy because I remember a snippet you shared and he seemed fun

Thanks pal, today's my anniversary actually so I've been doing fairly well!

Listen. Listen. I'm always willing to talk about Darius, I'm just as predictable hahaha! But I'm down to talk about both!

Darius

1. Sexuality HC:

Ace Darius ace Darius ace Darius. I vibe with bi or aro for romantic inclinations tho

2. OTP:

Dariraeda, or maybe camdariraeda. But I also like not shipping Darius with anyone, depends on the mood

3. Brotp:

Darius & Eber mean so much to me, it's one of my absolute favorite Darius relationships and it gets ignored so often (I understand why but I'm still salty). Rebel trio too, bah I wish we got an episode about those three

4. Notp:

The worst theory for why Alador and Darius grew apart is that they were both into Odalia. Darius was never into Odalia, come on people

Darius x the prev GG kinda squicks me out too, I know the Grimwalkers tended to not live a long time so there's a chance he wasn't much older than Darius but the mentor-student ship dynamic has never been a favorite of mine

5. First HC that pops into my head:

The only CH that's been in their position longer than him is Terra

6. Favorite line from this character:

"And your treachery. Whatever."

The foreshadowing that he was a rebel lies in him caring more about his fit than treason. I loved him immediately

7. One way in which I relate to this character:

I can also be a bit of a neatfreak who just wants to relax instead of doing anything, and I also suffer from "bitch that cares about others" syndrome

8. Thing that gives me second-hand embarrassment about this character:

Him yelling at Raine about the CATTs name, omg he's so whiny in the name of his ego sometimes haha

9. Cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

100% problematic fave, he bullied kids and doesn't seem to have any qualms against murder

---

I'm very curious how my answers on this char will influence the very brief impression you have of him haha! I'm certain you will be surprised by some of it

Herlock Sholmes

1. Sexuality HC:

Pan to match the test tubes he's always wearing

2. OTP:

Vanlock, I just. Love how stupid they are. Loser wet cat addicts that have to interact because his daughter is his niece and vice versa, giant bitter exes energy, their dlc case & escapade were soooo funny

3. Brotp:

I can definitely see the appeal for hmmk and I sometimes vibe with fanart for it, but I significantly prefer them in a platonic/familiar sense than a romantic/sexual sense. A very unpopular opinion but idc haha

4. Notp:

Honestly the only ship I like for Herlock is vanlock, I really don't care for any of the others.

5. First HC that pops into my head:

I know it's canonically disproven and doesn't really track for his character, but I like to sometimes think about a Herlock that gave up smoking & hard drugs when he became Iris' guardian

6. Favorite line from this character:

Though this was from the fan translation of the game years before the localization came out, the classic Herlock line "That deduction was so hot you'd hardly believe this detective is single." (I can't find it rn but I'm pretty sure that was the line. I also love his offer of jumping into a caldron of boiling wax for what equals ~16.4mil£ in today's money lmao)

7. One way I relate to this character:

Adhd 😔🎻

8. Thing that gives me second-hand embarrassment about this character:

Ooooh I'm so weak to second-hand embarrassment and this bitch caused it so frequently he's SO unhinged and cringe. Absolute loser of a man, should've been punched in the face by Ryuu after a big plot twist reveal

9. Cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

He's absolutely 100% a problematic fave. He steals, he lies constantly, he does hard drugs, he raised his daughter to think some random guy was her dad and let her believe said guy abandoned her, he's immensely flawed as an individual but he's really funny and has good intentions so. Problematic fave material

#asks #answered #bless youre always so sweet in your messages ;__; i hope you had a nice day too!#im v tired rn so hopefully this is coherent

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blujk · 2 years

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Ch.5

I woke up the next day, and the first thought that came was being thankful that I didn’t have to work today since it’s the weekend. I start doing my usual morning routine to start my productivity. I finish washing up and put on some sweats. I walk to my desk and check what I have to do for the day. One of them being me editing my video of recording a normal day for me. I let out a sigh, get up and make my way towards the kitchen. I start to think about what I should make myself and become indecisive, because honestly, anything and everything sounds pretty good to me.

I open my fridge, grab two eggs, bacon, and take out the rest of the stuff I need for my breakfast. I take out the pan and wait for it to heat up. While waiting, I see two separate twitter notifications, and one from weverse. I clicked on the one for weverse and my eyes widened.

“Ooooohhh mY Gosh!!! No WaY!!?? Esto Es BRomA?!?!?!? ( trans: is this a joke!?!?!), I won the raffle?!?!? I’m gonna talk to TXT????” I scream at the top of my lungs, my hands shaking and my heart beating so fast. Forgetting I have my stove on for a second.

I take a deep breath to calm down and start making my breakfast, still shocked and processing what just happened.

I finished making my breakfast and calmed down for a bit. I take my food and utensils to the table and start eating. I had my phone screen facing up and remembered that there were two twitter notifications.

I clicked on the first one, which happened to be a dm from Big Hit reaching out to me. I was shocked and was about to reply when I thought, ‘Hmm… this is too good to be true, maybe their account is hacked. I’ll just ignore it.’ I clicked on the second notification and my jaw dropped. Yeonjun had posted pictures and replied.

Throughout the whole day I was working on editing the last bit of my video and got it ready to upload for Monday- which coincidentally happens to be when TXT releases their TO X DO episode hehe. I finished everything and even did a few tiktoks. By the time I was done with all that the sun was setting. I sigh and take a seat on my couch, and while I was editing one of my tiktok videos, my stomach grumbled.

“Wow, did I really miss lunch?” I said out loud. I felt too lazy to make anything and search for take out and have it delivered to my apartment. While waiting, I decided to clean up a bit and put on my comfy clothes. The second I took a seat, my phone notified me saying that my food was delivered.

“Ooh Yas food’s here!” I make my way to the door and open it- thanking the person who delivered my food and speed walk back to my couch. I turn on my TV, and search for any funny video of TXT while I’m eating.

I opened my food which was some fries and spicy chicken burger and dug in, “MMM yAs.” I said with my mouth full.

I finished eating my bomb burger and switched to watching a TO x DO episode that I missed this week. I heard my phone go off, and it turned out to be an email from one of my students, and it read that they had canceled their appointment with me for Monday. Turning off my phone I go back to watching TO X DO and suddenly the thought of Jake comes into my mind.

“Nope, nope stop it. Nothing’s going to happen between us.” I told myself. I shift my focus to the TV, trying so hard to take my mind off Jake.

Tag list: @magicalstudentwhispers

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justsoohi · 10 months

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suntan SUMMER

Colorful good job/Episode 4

Tsumugi: Excuse me, are you still in the middle of a meeting? I'm late, but I brought some tea and snacks.

Sora: HeHe~. Senpai thank you for your hard work!

Niki: Those sweets look delicious. Thank you for the food!

Tsumugi: Please help yourself. I'm sorry I couldn't show my face even though I'm acquainted with NewDi's circumstances.

Kuro: Don't worry about it. You were out of the office for a meeting today, weren't you? Thanks for your hard work.

Tsumugi: Thank you very much. How are things going with the party?

Sora: Yes! We've just finished putting together a project plan! Sora thinks it's a project that the staff can enjoy, and all within the budget~♪

Tsumugi: I'm glad to hear that everything is going well♪... Sora-kun was asking around about all kinds of things for the party, right?

Kuro: He~h. So, aoba also knew

Tsumugi: Of course. The office is talking about it all the time. Everyone seems to be looking forward to it.

Some of our idols have expressed interest in helping with the project. They want to help with planning

Niki: That's great news! I think we can manage the problem of lack of manpower now.

Sora: Yes! Senpai, sora would like you to tell him about the people who might be able to help us later~

Tsumugi: understood. I'll talk to them.

Sora: HoHo~♪ Let's work together and let Senpai and the staff refresh~!

Tsumugi: Fufu. I'm really glad that Sora-kun said he wanted to hold an appreciation party

I talked about it before, but the job of the appreciation party was really hard for other people to handle

If you leave it to them as part of their duties, they will inevitably feel like they are "forced" to do it

So, I was thinking of launching a project parallel with my work, but I couldn't find the time

That's why it was really helpful that Sora-kun helped us plan the party with the two of you

It's not easy to actually put it into action

Even today, you took the trouble to launch a project, but we didn't have enough money or manpower

I was worried about what would happen if the plan wasn't put together well

Kuro: Actually, it would've been difficult for sure.

Tsumugi: Fufu. But you managed to pull it together, I guess I was too worried. I am so relieved that this is going to be a fun project!

Sora: If everyone is happy, that's alone will make sora happy too~

At first, sora didn't really know what to expect at an appreciation party, but after listening to the staff, sora gradually began to understand what it was all about.

The party everyone wants. That's why this is the most correct form.

Tsumugi: Correct form?

Sora: No, it's nothing~? Sora is looking forward to seeing seniors' happy faces☆

Ryori-oniisan, let's practice cooking right away so that Sora's party will heal us!

Niki: What, now? Even though Aoba-kun came all the way here?

Sora: Yes! We have to write up a proposal, so sora and the others are going home now! See you tomorrow, senpai...!

Kuro: Harukawa, why are you in a hurry? If it's a proposal, write it here and submit it

Niki: Maybe he's hungry? Anyway, we should go too.

Kuro: Ou, Well then, Aoba, I'll be in your care for a while longer.

Tsumugi: Wh- Ah Yes. Sora-kun.. I wonder what happened...?

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fire-and-swan · 2 years

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Today I watch the last two episodes. Dimension 20: A Starstruck Odyssey, episodes seventeen and eighteen. The final set. It all comes down to this.

(prev episode notes are here, here and here, btw)

Battle Stations!

Ponytail Barry is the good Barry.

Gold Tier Jib-Job makes Jib-Job fight! That is ridiculously useful.

"I need the surrender of X" "Oh, that's lovely, please hold."

All the U4F backup!

Amusing that the Bad Call is U4F

Enemies starting a slap fight, like "mine" "get off, they're mine!", which does make things a bit simpler.

Wait. What? When the heck did Barry Nyne get on board the Wurst? And why is he targeting Barry Syx, rather than seeking Skip?

So ridiculously cool that the group came up with a way to defeat a Slug. That they took the time and effort to work out what would beat Skip, and bought the stuff, for this exact moment.

Margaret has a minor war room. That is awesome.

Oh no. It was going so, so well. Except now, Barry isn't a slug, and the Princeps is. (Did Zortch use something like Dominate Person on Barry Nyne? Is that what happened?)

Yeah, this. This would've been so tense to watch live. There is so much going on. It was all going so well, and that last reveal? The pilot got attacked? Now we're really in trouble.

Anyway: Eighteen!

Skip: in trouble. Barry: safer than he was. Everyone else: honestly, doing fine.

Ooh, the decision of whether to do ship stuff, or people stuff is so key here.

There are so many people in this combat. I though the battles of Crown of Candy were bad for management. This, however. Comparable, at the very least.

Nyne thinks that he's Syx? What? This is wacky.

The Barry v Barry discussion is really really something. Both in all of Murph's incredible argument there, and in Brennan's Barry preformance. "In this roll, you have expertise. Because you are expert in nothing more than than being a Barry."

One tiny FTL jump. One round, no pilot, no prep. Oooooh. Oookay. That was stress. That was legit fear they might go down. I'm sure that being thrown into space wouldn't have killed them all, but still, that could have been disastrous. But that's dnd.

Loose Duke? LOOSE DUKE?!?

Call to Guards is such an amazing use of action economy. Absolutely amazing!

Worm fight!

All hail the King!

Holofract success! And the entire house of Frangus is gone. Oh boy, that's a lot.

Yesss, all the debt gone.

Calling it now, a full ship sweep is now going to be a part of daily operating procedure.

First ever lie, and it's a 21! Go Riva!

Amazing to have saved the galaxy, to have achieved success on basically every level, and there is still another ship left to fight.

*blinks. Stares at screen. Taps back to rewatch scene just to check what I'm seeing* Skip is helping Skipper fly the ship. Ookay. Well, that is kooky.

I love ship fights in this game. They're completely, 100% teamwork. It's beautiful to see.

They have the ship down to nineteen fifteen hitpoints before they ram it. WILD!

Okay, turns out they needed that. Don't ram things, just boost guns and shoot them. Noted.

This has been so wild. I literally cannot sit still. All fidget and stim rn. All fidget and stim.

Skipper had a moment to be actually supportive of the crew. Which is oddly cathartic. Like, he learned something through Skip and the crew. And then chose to become Skip again. Which, uh, yeah. That's a choice.

I do wonder if they are both conscious and aware now.

Oh, the end of a gallivant. She learned to lie. She learned to look out for herself in the harsh realities of space. And now she's leaving.

Oh, oh heart. These campaigns always end so strong. Such beauty. Found family and strength and everything. The adventure save the galaxy, yes. But more importantly it saved a small rag-tag group, and it made a family. And that is beautiful.

And now it's over. It's all over, and now I have to just pick up and go on with my life, as though watching through Fantasy High, Unsleeping City, A Crown of Candy, and now this hasn't been life-changing.

The ball is rolling up.

#luci watches dnd #d20 aso epsd 17 #d20 aso epsd 18 #a starstruck odyssey #dimension 20 #there is something painful and beautiful about spending weeks catching up on a show #and then finally making it #its bittersweet #i no longer have to block tags to dodge spoilers #because there's nothing left to spoil

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jessikahathaway · 3 years

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Baby Talk - Part IV

Holy wow did it take me a minute to get here. I apologize for such a delay in posting this.

But thank you to @knjsnoona (Amelia) for doing the banner again, it turned out so perfect I love it! Thank you so much!

And thank you to Ryn @queenofthedamnit who puts up with me on the daily. Love you bbs!

Pairing: Jikook X Reader (Jimin X Reader X Jungkook)

Genre: Surrogacy!AU, Polyamorous!AU, Romance. (Future Smut)

Warnings: Profanity, smoking *cigarettes*, kidnapping, a doctor being a lil boob, threatening a pregnant woman (If I forgot any please let me know).

Words: 8k

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You’d hit the 16 week mark and the boys were begging for you to get another ultrasound so they could see the babies better. And by the boys, you mean Jungkook.

“Please Y/N! I want to see them, they’re so small here. I know they’re getting bigger, look at you!” Jungkook cooed, palming your stomach gently. You huffed before nodding slowly.

“Alright alright, make the appointment and I’ll go,” you sighed, rubbing your face in exhaustion. You hadn’t been sleeping well recently, cramps and insomnia running rampant through your body.

Jimin came over with some food for you, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder.

“Here you are, Y/N, bagel with cream cheese and mustard,” he smiled brightly.

“You’re so sweet, thank you,” you smiled.

“I’m sweet too! Why don’t you compliment me?” Jungkook pouted. You rolled your eyes and laughed.

“Kook, honestly,” you laughed. However, you froze in panic as you realized Jimin’s nickname for his partner slipped out of your lips.

Ohfuckohfuckohfuck

“You are sweet kookie, but, I win currently because I’m the most recent bringer of food, I get extra points,” Jimin smirked.

Your heart eased at the fact Jimin brushed over the blatant use of Jungkook’s pet name. But, there was still a thrumming in your veins. Panic thickening in your throat.

“I demand a recount,” Jungkook frowned. Jimin just smiled and rubbed his fingers over Jungkook’s face to soothe him.

Your fingers itched to do the same…

Ever since Jimin’s episode, you’ve felt so much closer to the two of them. The vulnerability and affection was getting harder to hide on your part. You were even starting to see something from them as well.

Or was it you wanting to see it, and making it appear?

You sighed and looked at your phone, a message coming across the screen.

UNKNOWN: you better watch your back you ungrateful bitch.

Ice cold fear trickled down your spine at the harsh words.

W-Who was this?

“Y/N? Honey, are you okay? You just lost all the color in your face,” Jungkook said, coming to your side.

“Do you want to go to the doctor now? I’m sure if we called we could get in,” Jimin said, picking up his phone.

“I-I’m okay, just, wave of nausea,” you waved them off. They didn’t need to worry about this.

“I’m still gonna call, get you an appointment for later this week,” Jimin said, heading towards the living room. You nodded and watched him leave, Jungkook coming over to your side shortly after.

“You sure you’re feeling alright?” he asked, placing his chin on his hand as he gazed at you.

Your heart stammered at his features, bright eyes that lingered over your face. Sharp jaw that made you just want to weep. His cute button nose and petal pink lips that were simply calling your name...

But, you swallowed your thoughts and gave him a tired smile.

“Just sleepy, babies aren’t getting any smaller,” you joked.

“They most certainly are not,” he smiled, looking down at your swelling tummy. You blushed lightly, before Jimin came back into the room with an easy grin on his face.

“They got you in for today. Sorry, I can’t help but worry,” Jimin said, biting his lip.

You sighed but nodded regardless.

“Today is fine, I just need to take a shower before we go. When is it?” you asked.

“About three hours,” he said, checking his phone again.

“Okay, I’m gonna go get cleaned up then,” you said, pushing yourself to your feet and holding your belly protectively. You didn’t catch the adoring eyes of both men as they watched you hobble to the bathroom.

You were feeling a little faint before getting in the shower, you weren’t going to lie. But, you didn’t eat the food Jimin made for you, so you were probably struggling with the blood sugar drop. You’d eat after you got out of the shower, you reasoned.

Carefully, you stepped into the shower and turned on the water. Waiting for it to warm up, you looked down at your stomach. Your heart clenched as you put your hands on your belly with a delicate hand. You knew these kids weren’t going to be yours legally, but they were your biologically.

Would they take them away from you right at birth?

Or would you get to hold them?

Would Jimin and Jungkook be there for the birth? Would they help you?

Jimin and Jungkook had mentioned something about a birth plan and they wanted you to tell them what you needed, but you weren’t really sure. You’d never been pregnant before, you didn’t know what to expect.

Fear slid down your throat and settled in your chest uncomfortably. You tried not to panic, but it was becoming harder. The walls of the shower were closing in and everything felt too real, too much, it was overwhelming you.

You quickly finished your shower and shakily climbed out, wrapping a towel around yourself and leaning heavily against the counter.

The lights were so bright, and the mirror seemed to be warping and bulging.

You tried to splash some water on your face, to shock you and bring you back down but it only proved to agitate you further.

Suddenly, nausea ripped through you, causing you to double over the toilet in misery. It’d been a while since you’d gotten sick, you hoped it wouldn’t result in an episode of dry heaving. That was the worst.

You threw up whatever was left in your stomach and leaned your head back against the wall. You whimpered in discomfort, back straining slightly.

“Y/N? Are you in here?” Jimin’s voice echoed through your room.

“M-Min,” you said, unable to get his full name out of your dry throat.

“Sweetie?” Jimin’s voice carried.

“H-Here,” you croaked, turning your head to look at the door.

Slowly, it opened and Jimin walked inside. His features changed from confusion to worry in a matter of seconds.

“Y/N, what happened?” he asked, coming forward and kneeling down next to you. You just sniveled into his shoulder.

“Jimin? Y/N?”

Jungkook walked in a moment later, seeing you on the floor and immediately fussing.

“What are you doing down there sweet girl? Are you not feeling well?” Jungkook asked, reaching over Jimin and placing a gentle hand on your sweaty forehead.

“I’ll call the doctor and tell them we’re coming in now,” Jimin said, standing up.

“Yeah, that’s probably for the best,” Jungkook said, taking his spot and wrapping his arm around your shoulder.

“Jungkook, can you make sure she can get dressed and I’ll call the doctor and get the car,” Jimin said, heading out the door.

“Come on, Y/N, let’s get you dressed,” Jungkook said, helping you to your feet. Your knees felt wobbly but you could lean on Jungkook if you felt too unsteady. Hands on your elbows he led you out into your bedroom, helping you sit down on the bed before turning towards your closet.

You tried to keep yourself from feeling too embarrassed but, you couldn’t help the blush that rose to your cheeks. Jungkook pulled a few pieces of clothing out and placed them on the bed for you.

“Can you get dressed yourself? Or do you want me to help?” he asked.

“I can do it,” you said, pulling on the outfit carefully.

You managed to do most of the work, only needing Jungkook to help you with the shoes. Slowly, the two of you made it out of your room. Jimin was waiting with the car keys.

“Come on sweetheart, let’s get you and the babies checked out, huh?” Jimin’s caring voice came through your ears.

You let the pair of them lead you to the car, where you rode in silence for most of the way. Jungkook and Jimin were in the front, holding each other’s hands as they drove. Jimin behind the wheel today.

Jungkook was simply scrolling through his phone mindlessly, but you knew it was a nervous habit of his. He wasn’t good with people so when he was uncomfortable he’d pick up his phone to avoid unnecessary conversation.

But you knew he was a phenomenal listener, he was always attentive when you or Jimin was talking. Giving you his full attention, even if you didn’t think what you were talking about was important. It was important to him because you were saying it.

Eventually, you made it to the doctor’s office.

Jimin held the door open for you as Jungkook took your hands to help you down.

You walked into the clinic and did all your paperwork, answering the questionnaires and signing on the dotted line as it were.

And sooner, rather than later, you were back in the examination room.

Dr. Heinz came in, nodding to both men before looking you over quickly.

“Hello Mr. Jeon, Mr. Park. Hope you two are doing well. Miss Y/N, what brings you in today? My nurse said you were having some troubling symptoms,” Dr. Heinz said, sitting down.

Shifting in your seat on the table you bit your lip. You didn’t want to make the boys worry, but your pregnancy was seeming to be a little more difficult than necessary.

“Well, I’ve been having dizzy spells, insomnia, some cramping and nausea,” you listed, looking at your knees.

“I see, and does the nausea ever lead to vomiting?” Dr. Heinz asked.

“Yes,” you answered, fiddling with your thumbs.

Jimin could tell you were nervous. You were fidgeting so bad, you really only did that when you were upset or uncomfortable. Jimin didn’t like that you were so troubled. He looked at Jungkook and they shared a similar look of worry.

“And the cramping, where is it occurring? And give me a level of 1-10 how painful it is, 10 being excruciating and 1 being hardly noticeable” he said, grabbing some gloves from the drawer.

“I-I’d say probably a 6?” you said, sounding unsure.

“A 6 huh?” the doctor said, pulling his gloves on and walking towards you.

“Yeah,” you mumbled.

“Alright Miss Y/N, I’m gonna put this pillow down and you can rest back on it okay? Just gonna do a brief examination okay? If anything hurts or is uncomfortable please say so right away,” he soothed. You nodded and laid down when he put the pillow in place.

He simply started with gentle pressure on your stomach, nothing too painful but a little uncomfortable. You winced when he pushed on your side, making him glance up at your face.

“Does that hurt?” he asked, removing his hand respectfully.

“I-It’s sore,” you murmured.

“Alright,” he said, moving your hips slightly to ease the ache.

After a few more minutes of examining you he sighed and took his gloves off.

“Is she okay?” Jimin asked, holding Jungkook’s hand tightly.

“I need to do a pelvic examination, Miss Y/N do you wish for them to leave the room?” he asked.

“A-Ah, that’s alright, they can stay if they want,” you flushed.

In all honesty, you didn’t want to be alone for this. It was scary enough already.

“It’ll be alright. Pelvic exams are very common early in the pregnancy. I’m surprised you haven’t gotten one yet at 16 weeks. I’ll do my best to make it quick,” Dr. Heinz comforted.

“Okay,” you said, frowning.

“Do you want me to hold your hand?” Jungkook asked, standing up. On instinct you reached out for him.

“Ye-”

“Oh that’s not necessary Mr. Jeon, it’ll be just a few moments,” Dr. Heinz said, preparing the exam table, not looking up at you.

You swallowed hard and put your hand back, biting into your lower lip with frustration. Jungkook cleared his throat and sat down again, giving the doctor an unreadable expression.

The doctor had you remove your undergarments, having you place them on the counter. You got back up on the table and situated yourself before the doctor came back with all the materials he’d need to perform the exam.

“Okay Miss Y/N, I’m going to perform a pelvic exam now. If something hurts or is uncomfortable please let me know okay? I’m just going to prep you with some lubricant, alright?” he said, opening the tube and placing a generous amount on his fingers before pushing them forward into you.

The stretch was sharp and you breathed in quickly at the intrusion.

“Just take some deep breaths for me, Miss Y/N,” Dr. Heinz said.

“T-That hurts a bit,” you winced, trying not to be a pain but it really was more uncomfortable than you thought necessary.

“Alright one moment,” the doctor said, adding more lubricant and continuing with the examination.

He felt around for a few more moments before pulling back and wiping his hand clean.

“Alright, everything feels normal to me. Now I just need to take a look,” he said, discarding his old gloves and grabbing new ones.

Your breathing was shaky and your hands were sweating. Both men recognized your distress and wanted to jump at the doctor in fury. Jimin’s knuckles were white on the arm rest of the chair and Jungkook’s eyes were swimming with fire.

He was hurting you.

He was making you uncomfortable and upset.

They were livid.

Just as the doctor was about to push the speculum in, Jungkook stood from his seat and took your hand in his. Dr. Heinz raised a brow in confusion.

“Mr. Jeon, this will take a few moments. I don’t think you need to hold her hand, she’s an adult,” the doctor said.

“She’s also in pain, but you’re the doctor aren’t you? You’re supposed to know when your patient is hurting and distressed. Although it seems that you are neglecting that fact right now. There is nothing wrong with me supporting her during this, she’s carrying children for Jimin and myself. I think the least I can do is hold her hand during a pelvic exam,” Jungkook growled.

Dr. Heinz seemed stunned into silence for a moment. You rubbed your thumb over Jungkook’s knuckles and brought his hand under your chin for a moment.

“Kook I’m alright,” you promised.

“Don’t feel like you have to suffer quietly, if something hurts you need to say something,” he pleaded.

“Yeah, Y/N, you can speak up when something hurts or is uncomfortable. We want you to say it,” Jimin said, standing up and taking Jungkook’s free hand.

“Well, I’m ready to proceed when you are Miss Y/N,” Dr. Heinz said. You squeezed Jungkook’s hand and he nodded.

“I’m ready,” you said.

The rest of the exam went rather well. Dr. Heinz was patient, a little standoffish with the boys but for the most part he was cordial and tried to keep you as comfortable as possible.

Soon you were getting dressed and heading for the ultrasound.

The tech was different than last time but is no less kind. She smiles brightly at you and the two men behind you.

“We ready to see the babies?” she asked excitedly.

“Yes!” Jimin and Jungkook squeak.

“Alright, come on up here Miss Y/N,” the tech said, patting the table. You noticed it was a little taller than you, making it hard for you to get your butt up there. Jimin spotted you struggling and came over quickly.

“Here sweetie, I’ve got you,” he said, lifting you by the hips and setting you on the table carefully.

“Alright, get comfortable and we’re going to start!” she beamed.

Your phone pinged in the corner and Jungkook handed it to you without looking. You thanked him before unlocking the screen and noticing the text.

UNKNOWN: your days are fucking numbered slut.

Your heart launched into your throat. Who the fuck was this? Who would have access to your personal phone number?

You jolted as the gel touched your stomach, the tech gave you a gentle smile. “Sorry, a little cold. It’ll warm up here in just a second.”

Nodding you swallowed hard. Jungkook and Jimin’s eyes were focused on the screen as the tech tried to get a spot on your twins.

Y/N: Who is this?

Carefully you locked your phone and put it face down on the table. You felt it vibrate again, but you chose to ignore it. Looking at the sweet faces of the boys as they looked at your ultrasound patiently.

“Ah, there they are!” She said, pointing to the screen.

“Oh my God,” Jimin whispered, holding onto Jungkook tightly.

“They’re getting so big,” Jungkook whimpered.

“Yes they are! Looking healthy too! Mom’s doing a great job!” the tech praised. You smiled weakly, trying to keep your heart from beating out of your chest.

“How soon until we can find out the gender?” Jungkook asked.

“We could find out now if you wanted? It’s a little tricky to tell right now, so sometimes we wait until 18 weeks to confirm,” she answered, moving the device around on your belly.

“Well, I guess we can wait two more weeks,” Jungkook pouted slightly.

“I always like to ask the mom what they think. Woman’s intuition is usually spot on, it’s actually scary,” the tech smiled.

“Yeah, Y/N, what do you think?” Jimin asked, gazing into your eyes with too much of... something... what is that look?

Stomach clenching slightly you look at your babies on the screen and you just feel it. You know.

“One boy and one girl,” you say softly.

“One of each? Ooh! We’ll see in a few weeks,” she said with a smile. “Do you want pictures?”

The boys nodded quickly, each wanting a set.

The tech handed them over and Jungkook’s immediately went into his wallet. You gave a tight smile at the two of them as the tech cleaned up your stomach. Jimin seemed to notice your discomfort first, frowning at you as he clutched the picture of his children.

“What’s wrong, Y/N? You look upset,” Jimin asked, brushing the hair out of your face with a gentle hand.

“Nothing, I’m alright,” you said, voice wavering slightly as your phone buzzed at your hip again. Fear gripped your throat tight, making you want to cry, but you held your face firm.

“You’re sure?” the tech asked, looking at the monitor. “Your heart is beating quite fast, maybe take some calming breaths?”

You did as she asked, but all you could think about are the messages. Who was it? Who would be so mad at you that they’d threaten you like this? You really didn’t know a lot of people in the city, you mainly kept to yourself. Your mind was reeling in confusion and fear.

“Momma you need to calm down a little bit, you’ll start hyperventilating if you keep it up. Your heart rate is up to 132,” the tech informed.

“Hey, hey,” Jungkook soothed, wrapping you up in his arms. “It’s alright. What’s wrong pretty? What’s going on, huh?” he asked, petting your head. Your chest lurched at the pet name Jungkook used. He thought you were pretty?

“Y/N, you’re clearly upset, can you tell us what’s wrong?” Jimin pleaded, rubbing your knee with his hand.

“Stress isn’t good for you or the babies,” Jungkook said softly. “Just tell us what’s wrong, we’ll help you. Breathe with me, in through your nose, out through your mouth. Watch me,” he said, taking a measured breath in. You followed him, trying to focus on that one task.

“Heart rate is down to 105 bpm, that’s better momma,” the tech stated.

“That’s our girl, just breathe pretty. That’s right,” Jungkook eased.

You swallowed hard. Why were they acting like this? Were they doing this because they just wanted you to calm down for the kids? Or did-did they really mean it?

“Just panicked a little bit, I’m okay. Sometimes I get anxious for no reason,” you explained away.

“If you ever want to talk about it, I’m legally certified to give you advice,” Jimin smiled.

“I couldn’t afford your advice,” you laughed softly.

“For you sweetie, it’s free,” Jimin winked. The tension in the room dissipated, but the constricting in your chest did not.

The tech and Jungkook helped you down, careful to ease you onto your feet so you didn’t strain anything. Jungkook rubbed your lower back gently, helping you steady yourself while you pulled your shoes on. You all bid the tech goodbye as she watched you all leave the room. Little did she know, your heart was pounding in your chest as you walked down the hallways of the clinic.

Your phone was eerily silent in your pocket on the way home.

The messages were always vague, but no less threatening. It made your stomach feel queasy with the added stress. Jimin sat in the backseat with you, trying to get you to talk to explain what was wrong. But you urged that you were fine. That nothing was wrong-you were just a little anxious, which as a pregnant woman, was normal.

“Y/N, you don’t need to hide anything from us. We’re here to help you, provide for you. If there’s something wrong then you need to tell us,” Jimin said, trying to reach out for you.

You grabbed his wrist and placed his hand back on the seat of the car. Jimin’s heart sank at your cold demeanor. You wouldn’t even let him touch you?

“Jimin, please. If something really is wrong, then I swear I will tell you okay? But for now, I just want some peace, please,” you said, leaning your head against the window.

“I-If that’s what you want,” he agreed, folding his hands in his lap and biting his lip.

Jimin knew something was wrong. He didn’t exactly know how he knew, but it was like a sixth sense or something. You had been in their home for so long and had become about their dynamic he feared of you pulling back now. Especially when they wanted to take such a big step forward with you.

He and Jungkook needed to talk, without you there.

“Do you want a night to yourself?” Jimin asked, raising a brow.

You thought for a minute.

If they were gone, maybe you could track down this person who was threatening you. Call them or something without the boys worrying too much.

“Yeah, that’d be great actually. I’ll run a bath and everything,” you said, giving a small smile to reassure them.

“We can go out for dinner and bring you something back maybe?” Jungkook suggested from the front.

“Yeah! That sounds great,” you agreed, clutching your knee out of anxiety.

“Of course we won’t go far, in case you need something,” Jimin fretted, turning to you and looking at your beautiful face.

You really were glowing in his eyes. Carrying his babies and looking so fucking attractive while doing it should honestly be a crime. But, that’s not the point currently.

“No I know, you guys are always there when I need you. I trust you,” you said, speaking honestly.

You really did trust them, with everything. Even if this was an arrangement and you were getting paid to do it, they didn’t have to do all of this stuff for you. Didn’t have to take you in, didn’t have to make you happy... Didn’t have to... to care so much.

Your heart dropped in your stomach as you thought about it all over again.

The thing you’d been struggling with for a while.

The damned... feelings...

You were really trying not to get overwhelmed with everything that was happening but, just thinking about the boys and the future you got teary eyed.

“Oh sweetie, why are you crying? What’s wrong?” Jimin asked, hand moving towards you again, when he stopped himself.

“J-Just thinking about you guys and how kind you’ve been. No-No one’s ever been like this for me. Not even my own family,” you whimpered.

“It’s okay pretty, we wouldn’t want anyone but you. We don’t want anyone else to carry our kids,” Jungkook said from the front.

Your heart skipped again at the nickname. ‘Pretty’. The way he said it with such assurance made you want to scream. What was going on in your head? What was going on in theirs? Are they just being kind? Or is there something more to this? Is this worth what could happen if they’re not interested?

“It’s alright Y/N, we’re happy you’re here with us,” Jimin encouraged.

“Thanks,” you said softly, trying to keep yourself from going too far.

When they came back from dinner you’d ask.

You had to know.

You had to know if this was worth it, if there was the buildings of a relationship. Because you wanted it so badly. These kids, the thought of giving them up now was so hard. Especially since you saw them on the screen of the ultrasound.

Jungkook pulled into the parking garage and you startled out of your thoughts.

“Come on sweetie, let's get you upstairs and settled in,” Jimin said, getting out. You nodded and Jungkook opened your door, offering you a hand. You took it gingerly and your heart was beating so hard in your chest.

His hand was so big and warm in yours... It felt right, d-did they feel it too?

You saw Jimin’s face darken when he saw the two of you holding hands. You frowned and reached for his hand as well, pouting as you struggled to reach him. Jimin looked at you for a moment, before a bright smile took over his features and he grabbed your hand as well.

You all made it to the apartment and the boys decided to get changed before they went to dinner. You nodded and acted like you were getting your stuff ready for a bath. It was quiet for a few minutes, the boys in their room and you in yours.

But, you felt so distant at the same time...

Just as you were about to call for them, you turned to see them both standing near the doorway looking at you with affectionate eyes.

“H-How long have you been standing there?” you asked, clutching your towel tight.

“Not long, but we wanted to let you know we were leaving. What do you want for dinner?” Jimin asked.

“Maybe some barbeque? Like, beef and fried veggies?” you asked, pulling on the strands of your hair slowly.

“Okay, do you want rice?” Jungkook asked.

“Yeah, just white rice though,” you said with a nod.

“We can do that, we’ve got stuff to drink here but we can pick you up some juice or something like that on the way back if you want?” Jugnkook offered.

“No, there’s plenty here. I’ll be alright,” you smiled.

“Okay, if you’re sure. But if you change your mind just text us, okay?” Jimin said.

“I will,” you nodded.

“Okay pretty, we’re gonna go. But, if you need anything, please just give us a call. We’re going to Auntie Kim’s down on 3rd street,” Jungkook said.

“Sounds good, I like their food,” you nodded.

“Alright, see you later sweetheart,” Jimin said, walking up and giving your hand a gentle kiss. Your mind whirled with want and fear. What is he doing?

“Hey I said I was gonna do that,” Jungkook pouted.

“I got her first,” Jimin smirked.

“Jungkook, I have two hands,” you smiled. Jungkook’s eyes sparkled as he came forward, pressing a sweet kiss to the back of your hand.

“We’ll be back, we want to talk to you when we get home, okay?” Jimin said vaguely.

“What about?” your heart picked up, was something wrong?

“Don’t worry, pretty. You’ll find out,” Jungkook grinned.

“Okay okay, you should go before it gets too busy,” you said, pushing them out towards the door. Both boys nodded and walked out, stealing glances back at you.

You sighed, sitting down on your bed. Your phone was eerily silent next to you, screen down in your sheets. You couldn’t help yourself, you had to know who it was. Who was the person harassing you?

Turning the phone over you were about to press the call button when a knock came to the door.

One of the boys must’ve forgotten something. You swear they were as forgetful as you, at least you could blame the pregnancy brain.

“I’m guessing Jimin! Did you forget to put on your cologne?” you asked, opening the door.

Hand shot out and gripped you tight, shoving a cloth to your face. You struggled for a little bit before everything started to spin and you were crumpling in the strangers arms.

“I always get my money you bitch.”

“I’ll have the steak please, side of roasted vegetables with the house merlot,” Jungkook said, handing the menu back to the waitress who was doing a very poor job of hiding her attraction.

Unfortunately for her, these boys had eyes for one girl, and each other of course.

“I’ll get these right in for you both, if you need anything in the meantime don’t hesitate to call for me,” she said, scurrying away from the table.

“So,” Jimin started, leaning forward on his arms. “What is the plan when we get home?”

“Well, I thought instead of the necklace and bracelets, we could make it a little more official,” Jungkook said, pulling three boxes out of his pocket and placing them on the table. Jimin’s eyes widened.

“C-Couple rings? Are you sure?” he asked, eyes watering.

“Of course I’m sure, I know you’re meant for me. A-And I know she is too, she’s so precious to both of us I couldn’t be more certain of anything,” Jungkook smiled.

Jimin opened one and noticed that they were engraved with everyone’s initials and the moon, sun and stars all together. The older man couldn’t help the tears that stung his eyes.

“Kook, you’re always so well thought. I love you,” Jimin said, reaching over the table to give the man a kiss. Jungkook smiled into the embrace and pecked his boyfriend a few times before putting the rings away.

“We’ll put them on each other when she says yes,” Jungkook beamed.

Jimin’s smile faltered.

“We don’t know if she’ll say yes, Kook. She could just be in this for the money and nothing else... I-It’s possible,” Jimin said weakly, trying not to let his insecurity show but was failing miserably.

“You didn’t see what I saw, Jimin,” Jungkook started. “When I came home after your panic attack, she was there cradling you. Holding you like you were something precious. I can only hope we look like that together. Because it was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen. And she wouldn’t rest until she knew I had you.”

“S-She’s a caring person,” Jimin deflected.

“Why are you so afraid?” Jungkook asked.

“If she says no, then what are we going to do knowing our moon is gone? What do we do if she doesn’t want to be the mother of our children?” Jimin panicked lightly, gripping Jungkook’s hand across the table.

“But what if she does?” Jungkook challenged. “She hasn’t taken that pendant off since we gave it to her. She’s our moon, always watching over us and we care for her don’t we? Isn’t the joy worth the risk? If we are all together we can be a family with beautiful children, don’t you want that?”

“I-I do, but if my parents find out that these kids are mine, what are we gonna do? They’re going to try and come back. You know that Jungkook and they’ve never approved of us. What are they going to say if they find out I’m with you and her as well, what if-”

“Jimin,” Jungkook soothed, running his fingers over his boyfriend’s tight knuckles. “It’ll be okay. Everything will be alright.”

“Alright I’ve got a steak and a-oh,” the waitress’ voice came over head. The disappointment in her features was apparent, but she gave a gentle smile regardless. “I’ve got a steak and chicken dish roasted veggies for both and the house merlot. Is there anything else I can get for the two of you?”

“No, we’re fine for right now thank you,” Jungkook urged. The waitress nodded before taking off in the opposite direction.

“So we’re doing this?” Jimin asked, looking at Jungkook with so much fear but excitement at the same time.

“We’re doing this.”

Jungkook and Jimin could hardly contain their excitement as they got back towards the apartment.

“We should move too, I don’t want the babies growing up in a high rise apartment. I want them to have their own rooms and we can all have a huge master bedroom and-why is the door open?” Jimin asked, staring at the cracked open door to the apartment.

The men approached the door and noticed your necklace, laying on the ground.

Jimin’s heart shattered.

“S-She left?” he asked, looking at Jungkook with a broken heart.

“I-I... This doesn’t make sense. Y/N! Y/N! Where are you pretty!?” He asked, barging into the apartment.

Both men’s stomachs curled in on themselves when they saw the state of the place. Curtains were ripped, plates and cutlery were thrown around the kitchen. Sheets from the beds and clothes all strewn about the place. The furniture was even moved.

Jungkook’s mind went into overdrive. “There’s no way she could’ve done this. Someone else is involved,” Jungkook said, biting his lip hard.

“Who? Jungkook, she's barely interacted with anyone but us for months!”

“D-Do you think your parents already know about her? Could they have something to do with this?” Jungkook asked.

“They wouldn’t do something this outright illegal. They might blackmail her or me but... They wouldn’t kidnap her,” Jimin whispered.

“Look for her, just look for her while I call someone,” Jungkook said. Jimin nodded and headed off into the trashed apartment in search of you.

The dial tone had never sounded so irritating to Jungkook before, when his friend finally picked up.

“Yah, you punk it’s about ten o’clock what makes you think you can disrupt my sleep schedule?” an older voice rang over the phone.

That’s when Jungkook broke.

“Yoongi,” he cried.

Some shuffling from the other end.

“Jungkook, where are you? What happened? Are you hurt?” Yoongi asked.

“S-She’s gone, we don’t know where she is,” he hiccuped.

“Who? Your surrogate? Y/N?” the older male asked.

“Yes, she’s not here. The apartment was open when we got here and the place was ransacked.”

More shuffling.

“I’m heading over right now. I’ll bring the cops with me, try not to panic right now. Call her friends if she has any in the area. Try calling her,” Yoongi said.

“Jungkook, I found her phone and there’s messages on here... They-Someone’s been threatening her,” Jimin whimpered, walking out and placing the phone on the table.

“Holy shit,” Jungkook sighed, rubbing his face.

“Call her friends then, see if they’ve heard from her or seen her. At the very least you have a robbery to report, but let’s not hope there’s a missing person,” Yoongi said.

“Jimin, call Namjoon and Jin, see if they’ve seen her. Heard from her? Anything,” Jungkook said.

“Okay, I’ll do that,” Jimin answered, pulling his phone from his pocket and getting to work.

“What can we do now?” Jungkook said.

“Wait for me to get there, and then we get to work.”

Your head was spinning.

Images and bright lights flashed past your vision. You couldn’t make out where you were even if you tried, your head felt light yet heavy at the same time and your throat was aching.

Instinctively your hand went to your stomach. You looked down and there wasn’t anything concerning at the moment. But you worried for the babies in your stomach, the stress no doubt not aiding in your pregnancy in any way.

“Ah she’s awake,” a sinister voice echoed through the room.

Your mind began to sway and the world whorled into darkness yet again.

—

Jungkook and Jimin sat in their trashed apartment while the police walked around, looking through every inch of their life.

The couple rings weighed heavily in Jungkook’s pocket.

“So the last time you saw her was a few hours ago?” A nameless woman said, sitting in front of them.

Where was Yoongi?

“That’s enough Natalia, I’ll take it from here,” a husky voice said, walking into the apartment.

“Yoongi,” Jungkook said, standing and walking over to him.

“Hey kid,” Yoongi said, wrapping Jungkook in an unexpected embrace. “You worried me on the phone. What’s going on?”

“Look at our home… Someone came in here, someone came here and-and,” Jimin choked up.

“Baby, we’ll find her. The police, Yoongi here, I’ll rip this whole town apart to find her myself, I know you’d do the same,” Jungkook said, taking Jimin’s hands and kissing them gently.

“I’m sorry, I know. We’ll find her,” Jimin said, wiping a stray tear from his eye and taking Jungkook’s hand in his.

Yoongi stood watching the couple, sighing and lighting a cigarette.

Jungkook frowned and waved at the smoke but did nothing to stop the older male. Jimin stayed at Jungkook’s side, keeping himself from correcting what he saw as poor behavior.

“So, you two are having kids?” Yoongi asked.

“Yes, but our surrogate… Y/N, she’s gone,” Jimin whispered.

“I know Mr. Park, I’m a detective with the state department. I’ve already been looking into your surrogate on my way here,” Yoongi said, pulling out a tablet and holding it in front of them.

“Do you know where she is?” Jungkook asked rashly.

“If I did, do you think I’d come here, dummy? You’re still as impatient as you were when we were kids,” he sighed, rubbing his face.

“Kids?” Jimin inquired.

“Yoongi’s been a friend since I was young, we lost touch for a while but we’ve always been in contact in some way,” Jungkook explained.

Jimin nodded in acknowledgment.

“Now, your surrogate. How much do you know about her past?” Yoongi asked.

“We know little,” Jimin said.

“She was private about it, she wanted to live in the moment with us,” Jungkook said quietly.

“It’s understandable why she was so quiet about it. She came from a family dynamic of a professor and a stay at home dad,” Yoongi started.

“No wonder she’s so smart, but doesn’t say anything,” Jungkook sighed.

“Shh kid, not until I get to the good stuff,” Yoongi said, smacking Jungkook on the head lightly.

“Ow,” he pouted, rubbing the spot.

“Anyways. At the age of six she was in a horrific car accident that killed both of her parents, almost her as well. She survived and was given to a great aunt to be raised. At the age of seventeen she had herself emancipated and came to the city. She’s worked odd jobs here and there, barely making enough to scrape by,” Yoongi explained.

Jimin and Jungkook were shocked.

“S-She has no family?” Jimin asked for confirmation.

“She has the great aunt, but her parents were both only children and any other relatives that could’ve come forward at the time didn’t so, the great aunt is all we have,” Yoongi stated.

“She’s been by herself? This whole time?” Jungkook asked.

“Honestly? From what it sounds like, the girl is a loner. Not really a people person, but is kind, does honest work. The only trouble she ever got in was owing her last landlord over six thousand dollars in unpaid rent,” Yoongi said.

“But we paid that off,” Jimin said, looking towards Jungkook for confirmation.

“I thought you paid for it?” Jungkook said.

Both men paled and looked back at Yoongi.

“So it still hasn’t been paid?”

“Apparently not,” Jimin said.

“There’s our motive. Who’s her old landlord?” Yoongi asked.

“We don’t know, but when she went for one of her appointments he assaulted her outside the apartment building. And he harassed the people we sent to gather her things from the old unit,” Jungkook said.

“Cedar Creek Apartments correct?” Yoongi said.

“Yes,” Jimin confirmed.

“Tim Cerkaniks,” Yoongi said, pulling up a profile on his tablet, looking and scrolling through, his face turned quickly into a grimace.

“What’s wrong?” Jimin asked.

“This man has been affiliated with gang activity, drug trafficking and domestic abuse,” Yoongi cleared his throat as the two younger males paled even more.

“Gang activity? Which gang?” Jungkook asked.

“The Hunters?”

“Oh fuck me,” Jungkook growled, running his hands through his hair.

“What’s wrong?” Jimin asked, placing a hand on Jungkook’s shoulder.

“Remember about a year ago? When they wanted to give me personal security because I took down one of the Hunters’ leaders in a court case? This-This motherfucker is tied to them,” Jungkook said.

“Babe, it’s not your fault,” Jimin whispered, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek, leaning his forehead into his boyfriend’s head.

“Another motive, looks like everything aligned just right for him to pick her, the question is… why does the apartment look like a wreck?”

“Sir you can’t enter here! This is a crime scene!”

“Like fuck you’re not letting me in here,” Namjoon’s voice echoed through the room.

“You know him?” Yoongi asked.

“He’s Y/N’s best friend. I called him and told him what’s going on, well… As best as I could,” Jimin said.

“Let him in, Scotty,” Yoongi said, gesturing to Namjoon.

Namjoon walked in and gripped Jimin’s shoulders harshly, hauling him up to his feet.

“Hey hey!” Jungkook yelled.

“You fucking idiots! I told you to protect her! I told you to keep her safe! I told you! And this fucking happens, you don’t deserve her!” Namjoon cried.

“Namjoon stop!” Jungkook said, pulling Namjoon off of Jimin.

“No, he’s well within his right Jungkook. He loves her as his friend and we-we did fail her,” Jimin sighed, running his hand through his hair in a stressed motion.

“They had no idea this would happen,” Yoongi said, putting his cigarette out.

“We should’ve tried harder to keep her safe,” Jungkook said.

“You had no idea someone would try to come after her,” Yoongi soothed, patting Jungkook’s back.

“Who are you?” Namjoon asked, looking at Yoongi in confusion.

“Min Yoongi, Detective for the state department. Friend of Jungkook and the only chance you have at finding Y/N before something truly bad happens to her,” Yoongi said.

Namjoon swallowed hard.

“I understand,” Namjoon said, placing his hands in his pockets.

“Listen, it’s late. We’ll get you a hotel-”

“That won’t be necessary, they can stay with Jin and I,” Namjoon said.

“And we aren’t sleeping until we have news on Y/N,” Jimin said.

“Listen, I’ve got half of my department working on this case right now. But if there’s nothing else you can do to help with the case,” Yoongi said. “I will need to speak with you however.”

Yoongi gestured to Namjoon and he nodded.

“Of course, whatever you need,” Namjoon said, rubbing his hands nervously.

“Please, let us help,” Jimin said.

“There’s really nothing-”

“Boss they didn’t take her phone from her!” A woman at the back yelled.

Yoongi’s face turned at that.

“Why wouldn’t they-”

Jimin’s phone started to ring.

“It’s Y/N! What do I do?”

Yoongi thought for a moment.

“Pick it up, but put it on speaker,”

Jimin did as he was told.

“Hello?” He asked, waiting for a response.

“J-Jimin,” your voice hiccuped from the other end.

“Y/N? Sweetheart, where are you?” Jungkook asked, gripping the couch tightly.

“Y-You have f-five hours to deposit money-” the line cut out for a moment. “-that I will tell you s-shortly,” you whimpered.

“Y/N is someone there with you?”

“If I defer from the words that I’m being told I-I’ll be shot,” you cried, the whole room tensed up.

“What are the demands?”

Yoongi’s voice was cold.

“Jimin who is-”

“Only warning you bitch!”

“I-I’m sorry. The demands are as follows. Bring five million dollars to storage units on the outskirts of the city. Right off of Night Boulevard... I-If the money isn’t delivered to-”

“Y/N, pretty, please just tell us where you are,” Jungkook said.

“Here’s a warning for you pretty boy. If you interrupt her or she stops I’m gonna blow her head off. Now Miss Y/N, please continue,” the sinister tone continued

“If the money isn’t delivered to storage unit 52 H by the end of this five hours... Y-You’ll find my body,” you hiccuped and sobs started to come out of your mouth.

Jungkook and Jimin clung to each other, hearts pounding in fear for you.

“D-Do you agree to these terms?” Your voice said, watery.

Namjoon covered his mouth to keep from crying.

Yoongi spoke up.

“Storage unit 52 H, we understand the conditions. Where can we find Y/N after the money is delivered?”

“Y-You can find me using my phone’s GPS. Which has been turned off during the duration of this call.”

“Y/N, we’ll pay. We’ll come get you, don’t worry sweetie we’ll come get you. Just hang in there,” Jimin said.

“Pretty we’ll be coming for you. Just hold on and wait for us,” Jungkook said.

The phone line went dead and Yoongi went right towards the woman with the computer.

“Where did that call come from? Did you track the phone?” he asked, hanging over the woman.

“No, the GPS was blocked. Just like Miss Y/N said over the phone,” she reminded.

“Can’t you go through the IP the phone uses when it hooks up to the wifi? Maybe she’s being held somewhere that has internet. Something to go on, I just need something,” Yoongi said, rubbing his forehead.

“What about the money? Can’t we just pay the ransom?” Jimin asked.

“If we just pay the ransom, what's to stop them from taking her again? What’s to stop them from taking one of the kids when they’re born? We can’t let them push us around,” Jungkook said.

“But Jungkook, it's Y/N, it’s our children. What else do we do? We have five hours,” Jimin reminded.

“Time’s a concept anyways,” Yoongi waved off. “If I were the criminal, where would I take her?”

“Jungkook, is she going to die?” Namjoon whispered, looking down at the floor.

“I won’t let that happen,” Jimin said, low.

“Neither will I,” Jungkook said. “I’ll give them every cent I have to keep her alive if it comes down to it. I won’t let them hurt her or our children.”

Namjoon moved and wiped his eyes with the back of his wrist, keeping his eyes lower for a moment.

“I have an idea,” Namjoon said.

“What is it?” Yoongi asked.

“I-I think she’s at the storage unit now,” Namjoon said.

“How do you know that?” Jimin asked.

“If you listened to the audio, it sounded echoy-if that’s a word-”

“It isn’t,” Yoongi helped.

Namjoon shot him a look before continuing. “She’s somewhere where there’s a lot of open space. But it’s enclosed. So, I think she could be in the storage units somewhere,” Namjoon explained.

“It makes sense. Plus, her phone cut out at the beginning. The signal might have been weak,” Yoongi reasoned.

“Do you think they’re at the same storage unit?” Jimin asked.

“It’s a possibility, the one off of Night Boulevard is in Hunter territory, so it would make sense to take her there. They’d have back up if they needed it,” Yoongi said.

“Then let’s go,” Namjoon said.

“We can’t just pick up and go-”

“I’ll use that five million dollars they wanted to fund your department for the next 10 years if we go now, please. Please just give it a shot, I’ll write the check,” Jungkook said.

Yoongi sighed.

“If we’re wrong we’re wasting time,” Yoongi warned.

“And if we’re right?” Jimin said.

“You’ll have her in your arms in the matter of an hour,” Yoongi said.

“Then let’s go,” Jimin said.

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heartsofbeskar · 3 years

Text

the red wolf

chapter two: a stolen gift

oberyn martell x fem!reader

warnings: mentions of death, a smooch™

words: 3.6K

excerpt: A few tears slipped down your cheeks, despite your best efforts. Oberyn gently swiped them away, bringing his forehead to rest against yours. You could feel his warm breath against your face, and it was pleasant, and smelled of the fruit filled Dornish wine he loved. His lips were tinted from it as well.

“Is there anything I can do, little wolf? I hate to see you this way,” he whispered to you, even though you were alone and shielded by so much greenery.

“Let me give you something,” your voice shook as you matched his whispered tone. “Before he can take it from me.”

a/n: the second chapter is here!! im having such a good time writing this tbh; this chapter is based on the first half of the season 4 episode the lion and the rose; im tackling it in two chapters since its a doozy

masterlist

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The fresh air gently blew across your face as it cascaded over the top of the walls of Winterfell. You leaned on the wooden railing, smiling as you watched your brothers play below. They held wooden swords, clashing them against each other clumsily. Ser Rodrik would surely chastise them for the sloppy footwork, but you enjoyed their dramatics.

Creaking of the boards alerted you to a new presence approaching. Robb smiled gently as he came to stand beside you. He wore a fur robe draped across his shoulders, and you marvelled at just how broad it made him appear. You turned to face him, smoothing the stray furs into line.

“When did you turn into a man?” You teased. He brought a hand up and lightly pinched the skin of your cheek.

“Around the same time my twin sister became a woman.”

You swatted his hand away, but laughed. His eyes held a softness as he turned them away to watch Bran and Rickon, who now wrestled amongst the haybed. You reached for his hand, squeezing it.

“Something’s troubling you.” He didn’t bother to deny it; you had studied your twin’s face from the day you had both been born, after all. “Are you not excited to see the King?”

“I am, but …” He shook his head. “I cannot say I am thrilled with the prospect of my sisters departing at once for King’s Landing. Or my twin sister marrying a man there.”

“Robb,” you sighed. “We can’t stay children forever. Someday, this—” you gestured at large to the courtyard, “—will be yours to lead, along with the entire North. I will be your ears wherever I land — King’s Landing, or otherwise.”

He nodded, but still didn’t meet your eyes again, You pulled him forward by his hand, wrapping your arms around the soft fur on his shoulders. You rested your head on the plush surface, as he wrapped his arms around you in response, both of you leaning into the familiar embrace.

“I will come to see you often, this I promise. My heart will always be with you, in the North.”

—

Your hand was sweating as you laid it on the ornate handle of the large door of Lord Tywin’s office. It was silent inside and you prayed to the Old Gods he was out, having forgotten your appointment entirely. But he had requested it of you specifically via a handwritten parchment, so you knew that you would not be so lucky.

With a large breath in, you pushed the handle down. The door seemed to scream at you as it swung open; stay out, don’t come in here, run for your life from this wretched place all together.

As you suspected, Tywin was inside, head hung low over a parchment he was rapidly writing on, spread over his desk. He didn’t look up as you entered, though he must have heard you.

You slowly closed the door behind you, fighting the urge to flinch as it slammed back into place.

“Come here, girl.” Still, Tywin didn’t look up as he called out to you. Your hand clenched at your side at the name, but you quickly forced it to relax, taking short steps towards his desk. When you reached it, you stood in front of it awkwardly, waiting.

With a large flourish of the quill, he finally set down the writing implement, casting his eyes up towards you. He leaned back in his chair, assessing you. For what, you weren’t sure.

“Lady Stark,” he mused. “With the untimely death of all three of your brothers…you are now the true heir to Winterfell and the North.”

You swallowed thickly, pushing the unbidden images of Bran and Rickon from your mind, their young, innocent faces threatening to fester there. “My lord, I was of the understanding that the Boltons had been granted control of Winterfell and the North.” In exchange for the betrayal and murder of my twin brother, his unborn child, and my mother. You let the ending hang in the air between you.

Tywin tapped the side of his face, his eyes calculating. “Yes, it is true as Hand of the King, I have named Roose Bolton as Warden of the North. But we both know who the people of the North will rally to, if they are called. And that will always be a Stark, as long as one lives.”

You clasped your hands in front you, pushing them into the fabric of your dress, trying to dampen the sweat that collected on them. “My lord … I apologize, but I’m afraid I do not understand.”

He rose now, smoothing down the front of his tunic. Stepping around the desk, he approached you. Slowly, he took your chin in his hand, turning your head to varying angles.

“You are a virgin, yes?”

A chill ran its way up your spine. You nodded.

“Good.” He released your face, turning his back to you as he faced the windows overlooking the city, hands clasped behind his back. “Were you my daughter, I would’ve had you married long ago, but I suppose Ned Stark’s inadequacies are my opportunities. You will be wed to my eldest son, Jaime, once I convince him to quit this Kingsguard business. You will bear him sons, and they will be the heirs to both Winterfell and Casterly Rock.”

Your hands shook in front of you and you clasped them tighter together. When you didn’t say anything in response, Tywin turned his head to look back at you.

“You would do well to interact with him during these upcoming festivities for the King’s wedding. Now go.”

As if you’d be sprung free from a trap, you hurried to the door, eager to be free of this room, which felt like it had hardly enough air in it to breathe. You grasped the handle again when Tywin spoke one last time.

“And girl—” You froze, gripping the handle, breath caught in your throat, and the sudden anxiety gripped you that he would tell you to stay away from Oberyn Martell. But all he said was, “—shut the door behind you.”

—

You didn’t think you could stay away from Oberyn, even if Tywin had asked. It had quickly become a routine, him waiting across the path from the building which held your chambers. You clung ferociously onto the small shred of something predictable in the sea of chaos that this city had washed upon you.

As you tied your bodice behind you hastily, you craned your neck to look over at Sansa, where she was still nestled in the blankets behind you. Her side rose and fell softly in the rhythm of sleep. Padding over, you knelt down, pressing a light kiss against the crown of her head. She rustled momentarily among the sheets, but didn’t wake.

Oberyn was standing in the usual area, arm extended overhead to pry some fruit off a nearby tree. With a small grunt, he freed one that was round and reddish in colour — you were still so unfamiliar with the fruits that grew this far south.

Flashing you his enticing smile, he extended it out to you. You took it with gratitude, allowing him to loop your opposite arm through his. He was warm, the warmth of his skin radiating out as if he’d trapped the air of Dorne within his very body and brought it with him to King’s Landing.

He paraded you superficially through the garden paths lined with Lannister and Baratheon guards, their eyes smoothly looking over the pair of you, some giving small nods in greeting, used to the timely walks you took.

You took a turn down a hedge lined path, the green walls rising high above your heads, and the guard stationed near the next turn leaning back, his view obscured. Oberyn placed his hand gently at your back, pulling the branches back around the gap in the hedge you had found some days prior. You both slipped underneath.

The other side contained an obviously neglected portion of the gardens, some weeds overgrown and flowing out of their beds. Wildflowers had begun to bloom as well, their colours mismatched and vibrant, contrasting to those in the rest of the gardens that were tended to regularly. You much preferred these ones.

You sat on the nearby bench, tucking your skirts in around your legs, allowing the weight of the pretense of happiness to slip off, your shoulders relaxing. Oberyn sat beside you, his knee touching yours, heat radiating from the spot. You turned the still uneaten fruit over in your hands.

“You look far away today, little wolf,” he murmured. “Is it the King’s wedding?” He lightly brushed a lock of hair over your shoulder, fingers remaining to play with it.

“No,” you sighed. “Well, yes and no, I—” You paused, meeting his dark eyes. He stared back into you, waiting patiently. You wanted to lose yourself in his eyes, to dive in so deeply you could not see anything beyond them. “I spoke with Tywin Lannister.”

Something flashed in those eyes, briefly, but unmistakably. Still, he didn’t push you for any detail. He brought his hand down from your hair, settling it on your shoulder, thumb rubbing back and forth. It sat on the edge of your gown, and occasionally his skin came into contact with the skin near your neck. You suppressed a shudder at the feeling.

You finally broke eye contact with Oberyn, unable to look at him for the next words. “He intends for me to wed Jaime Lannister. As soon as he can convince him to leave the Kingsguard. Perhaps he will even overturn their oaths, so that Jaime can marry regardless …” You trailed off, shaking your head.

“What would you want? If you had the choice?” His eyes were warm when you looked back up, his brow furrowed. His free hand clenched where it sat in his lap.

“I don’t know, honestly, I … I thought I would be able to make these choices with my Father, but now—” You bit down on your lip harshly as a sob threatened to work its way up and out of your throat. Oberyn’s hands quickly came to cup your face, holding it steadily as you took deep breaths. “The Lannisters … have taken my home, my family. I don’t want to give them my future as well … there are so many things I don’t want Jaime Lannister to have.”

A few tears slipped down your cheeks, despite your best efforts. Oberyn gently swiped them away, bringing his forehead to rest against yours. You could feel his warm breath against your face, and it was pleasant, and smelled of the fruit filled Dornish wine he loved. His lips were tinted from it as well.

“Is there anything I can do, little wolf? I hate to see you this way,” he whispered to you, even though you were alone and shielded by so much greenery.

“Let me give you something,” your voice shook as you matched his whispered tone. “Before he can take it from me.” When your hands slid up to the back of his neck, you knew the implication was clear.

He swallowed thickly. “I do not want to take advantage of you when you are upset, little wolf.”

“Please.”

It was both a second and an eternity before he brought his lips to yours. Your heart pounded in your chest as his hands tightened on your face, guiding your head as your lips slid against one another.

After the first few presses, he stopped, though he didn’t pull back, your breath intermingling in the miniscule space between you. Your eyes were screwed shut, but you raked your hands up, into his hair. He gave a breathless laugh before crashing back into you, lips pressing insistently now, the taste of his sweet wine permeating into your mouth.

Firmly but gently, his lips pried yours open, hot breath pouring into your mouth, filling your lungs. You felt yourself begin to shake with the intimacy of it. It felt as if he were providing you a new sense of life itself, with every touch, every breath, every sound he made. You had no idea how long it had been.

He swiped his tongue, wet and hot, over your lower lip, before taking it between his teeth, pulling it with him as he finally retreated from you.

With a heavy sigh, he reached an arm around your waist, resting his cheek against yours, and you lamented that you couldn’t see his eyes. You couldn’t even imagine the storms within them now.

You breathed heavily against his cheek, winded as though you’d been practicing your riding. You pressed him tighter against you, turning to plant a kiss onto the edge of his beard. His free hand twisted up into your hair.

“Thank you.”

—

Your hands drifted through the copper strands of Sansa’s hair, twisting the locks delicately around each other, as your mother had taught you. You smiled as you recalled how Sansa used to sit for hours, just letting you practice braiding in her hair, happy to receive attention and affections.

By the Gods, she had changed.

You pushed the thought aside as your hands left her, and you leaned over to peck her cheek, which had been dusted with rouge. “You look beautiful.”

Sansa wouldn’t meet your eyes in the mirror, staring at her own hands curled in her lap. You laid your hands on her shoulders, squeezing lightly.

“Sansa … this is a day to celebrate. Because you are not the one marrying him.” She looked up to meet your gaze, her eyes brimming with conflicted emotions.

“But they made me marry his uncle. A man decades my senior, an imp, I …” She shook her head. “He hasn’t hurt me, but that doesn’t mean he won’t. Joffrey had to have gotten his sense of cruelty from somewhere.”

Your hands tightened where they held her. “I will never let him touch you. Or anyone, Sansa. I mean that.”

She stood, shaking off your grip. She was taller than you now, all long lines and elegant neck and the deep, irreconcilable sadness of her eyes.

You wondered if she saw that in yours, too.

“And what if you’re not there?”

You wanted to tell her that you always would be, that no force of man or the Gods could take you from her. But the words caught in your throat. The words your mother and father had told you, as well. Words that had proven not to be true, in the end.

A knock on the door from Shae saved you from the moment. She escorted you out into the bright southern morning. Everyone you passed seemed to have an extra bounce in their step, an extra swing to their arms, extra wide smiles on their faces. Apparently it didn’t matter how awful the King was, if there was still a wedding to throw.

You had to admit the attitude was infectious. And a well needed relief, after the months you had spent waking in terror, your dreams filled with your sister being married to King Joffrey, irreversibly tied to him by the laws of Gods and men.

The King’s breakfast was being held in the gardens, in full bloom now and having been prepared for weeks for this event. A long table sat as the clear focal piece of the area; Tywin, Cersei, and Cersei’s young son Tommen sat there already. Cersei and her father were discussing something in a low voice, despite the loud levels of ambient noise.

A chill shot down your spine as Tywin’s sharp eyes fell upon you, and you looked away quickly.

“This way, my lady,” Shae urged Sansa towards the direction of the King’s table, and you gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as she left your side.

It was clear the breakfast would not be starting until the King arrived, so you wandered the elaborately decorated area.

Everything seemed to drip in gold, the sheer grandeur of it all overwhelming to your eyes. Tables were laden with every type of fruit and cheese you’d seen since arriving in King’s Landing, and some you hadn’t seen. You spotted one of the red, sweet fruits that Oberyn had picked for you the other day.

“Lady Stark.” Jaime Lannister approached where you stood, hands awkwardly clasping behind his back. You’d heard the rumours from the maids that he’d returned from captivity with one less hand. You hoped Robb had been the one to take it.

“My lord,” you greeted, giving a shallow curtsy. You weren’t exactly sure what the appropriate address was for a man who was not your betrothed but likely would be once he bent to his father’s will.

“Are you enjoying the … uh …” He swallowed. He gestured with one hand — a flesh one — to the surroundings. “... festivities?”

You nodded. “Yes, it’s all very beautiful. You must be very happy to be here to see the King marry.” You knew the words came out somewhat clipped, tense, but you could do little to smooth them.

“I— well yes, it’s been…” He trailed off, clearing his throat. His eyes shifted around the area, seeming like they didn’t want to settle on you where you stood. “I … I know this is no consolation, but I admired your mother. She was a strong woman. A strong mother.”

Swallowing thickly, you cast your eyes down to the table, hand clenching at your side, eyes burning suddenly with the weight of his words.

He started to flounder, obviously putting together that this was not the right thing to say, but before he could sputter himself into a frenzy, a warm hand slid over the small of your back.

“Lady Stark, I was in search of your company.” Oberyn was there, his hand a steady weight against you, reassuring. “If you will excuse me, Ser Jaime.” He flashed a dashing smile at Jaime, who nodded eagerly for relief.

“Thank you,” you sighed, as he led you away from the buffet table. He stopped you once you’d reached a round dining table, which you assumed he’d been seated at. Turning you slightly, he placed a hand to your cheek, looking at you intently. Heat rose to your face as you wondered who was watching.

“Was he bothering you?” he asked, his voice impossibly low.

You shook your head, eyes unable to tear away from his. “No, no, he was just … no.”

For a moment you both stood there, unable to move, until a serving aide passed close by, snapping the tension like a matchstick. Oberyn’s hand left you, pulling out a chair for you. He sat beside you, posture relaxed as he poured goblets of wine, the sweet aroma wafting from the cups. He placed one in front of you, noticing your brief hesitation.

“Do you drink wine?” He smirked, watching as you held it beneath your nose.

“I have tried it, but …” You eyed the contents. It was dark in colour, so rich you couldn’t see through the liquid to the bottom of the cup. “At feasts in Winterfell. I always thought it tasted vile.”

He laughed at that, his head thrown back, and you admired the column of his neck, the golden skin, the muscles you could see move beneath the skin, the smattering of stubble that came down from his beard. You wanted to run your lips up it.

“Try it,” he insisted, bringing his own goblet to his lips. “They do not know how to make wine in the North. A Dornish wine will change your life.”

You smiled at him over your cup, raising it to taste the drink. Sweetness bloomed on your tongue, filling your mouth with tastes of fruits you’d had and fruits you never could have imagined. Heat seemed to follow its trail down your throat.

“Do you like it?” He smiled at you. His hand casually reached up, trailing up and down your arm.

“Oberyn …” You eyed his hand wearily. You couldn’t bring yourself to push it away, but you knew it was too bold of him to touch you so knowingly in the open. At the King’s wedding breakfast, no less.

He was interrupted in whatever he was going to say by the arrival of the King, who settled at the head table, where Tyrion had joined Sansa. A line of lords, ladies, and nobles brought forth gifts of all kinds. Oberyn rested his arm on the back of your chair. A goblet from Mace Tyrell, graciously accepted. A book from Tyrion, which Joffrey scoffed at.

You could feel the tension roll off of Oberyn in waves as the Mountain approached the table. You placed a hand on his thigh underneath the table, where no one could see, squeezing there. He carried a sword, which he placed on the head table. Tywin stood.

“One of only two Valyrian steel swords in the capital, your Grace, freshly forged in your honour.”

Valyrian steel. Freshly forged.

The words were ringing in your head as Joffrey excitedly unsheathed the sword, swinging it wildly.

“Such a great sword should have a name. What should I call her?”

Calls came out from the crowd around you.

“Stormbringer!”

“Terminus!”

“Widow’s Wail!”

“Wolfsbane!”

Your breathing was heavy.

Joffrey smirked. “Widow’s Wail. I like that. Every time I use it, it’ll be cutting off Ned Stark’s head all over again.”

You shut your eyes, hand unintentionally grasping tighter onto Oberyn’s leg. He gently pried your fingers off, and you turned to apologize, but he just flipped your hand over, intertwining your fingers, hidden under the table covering.

And as you looked at him, you thought you could see that same irreconcilable sadness in his eyes, too.

—

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#mywriting #the red wolf #oberyn martell x reader #oberyn x reader #oberyn martell #game of thrones #got #asoiaf

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honeymoonjin · 4 years

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ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: ot7 x reader || ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 12k || ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: smut - rated 18+

sᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:

Sick of unsatisfying hookups, boring relationships or the company of your own hand? Apply today for the chance to be on bangasm.com’s very first reality show! Seven attractive young gentlemen will be vying for your choice of who is best in bed. All from different backgrounds, these men claim they’ll be able to rock your world, so don’t hesitate! Apply now!

Congratulations! You’ve been accepted as the Lady in the first season of The Gentlemen.

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ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢs: good god where to begin, loss of virginity : ) for real, big dick joon, cowgirl, unprotected sex, special appearance from namjoon’s sensitive neck o.o, premature ejaculation sorry bud, creampie, dom!joon still tho, sub!reader, sexting, dom!hoseok/master!hoseok, sub!jungkook, sub!reader agAIN, bondage and shibari, master/slave dynamics (sorry i have to spoil the prompt but want to properly TW this stuff, but the word slave is only used once out-of-scene), filmed sex, exhibitionism, voyeurism, hoseok wearing the tear dior fit you are WELCOME, fingering, orgasm control/denial, oral (m receiving), anal (m receiving), a position i am told is called a lucky pierre/french sandwich, threesome in case you couldn’t guess, aftercare, guided masturbation, phone sex, pet-names, discipline/punishment

banner designer @jamaisjoons | thank you my darling SFHS babies ! i love you

DAY EIGHT

“Are you ready to make your decision?”

No. Of course the answer is no, but there’s no delaying it anymore. “Is it nine already?”

Sejin sighs, shuffling to the side of the table to indicate you’re to sit beside him. When you do, facing the boys on the couch, your heart gives another sickening lurch. Sejin squeezes your shoulder kindly. “Just a game, sweetheart,” he assures quietly, before raising his voice into the authorial tone he used for announcements. “Thank you for all being here on time, any on topic questions before we begin?”

Nobody answers, not even Jin. There’s a tense atmosphere, and you feel caught right in the centre of it.

“Okay, then,” he says softly, sensing the sullen atmosphere. “I’d like to give each of the Gentlemen a chance to explain why Y/n should keep them in the show. Let’s go around the room. Yoongi?”

To Sejin’s left, perched on the end of the three-person couch, is the doctor himself, legs crossed and face relaxed. “Um, Y/n should keep me in becau-”

“Say it to her,” Sejin guides, shuffling back to move out of the way.

Reflexively, Yoongi glances up at you, and the calm warmth of his eyes reassures you. “Y/n, I’d ask you to keep me in because we’ve had a good time together so far, but there’s so much that we have yet to explore. Beyond that, I’d like to think I’m a good fit for the house, and I’ll continue to assist Jin-hyung in cooking many meals.” Once he’s done, he sends you a small smile, eyes glinting playfully.

The younger boy sitting next to him is not as cheerful. Bottom lip red from gnawing, Jungkook tucks his feet up on the couch, resting his chin on his knees. His eyes meet yours after Sejin signals for him to begin. “I really hope you don’t vote me out because I like it here a lot. You’re so cool, and the hyungs are so cool, and I feel really happy here. I know we haven’t spent a whole lot of quality time yet, but I want to, if I stick around long enough.”

You bite down harshly on your tongue, sending him a strained smile. Fuck, this sucks. Beside Jungkook is Hoseok, who props his elbow on the arm of the couch, posture casual but face stricken.

“Y/n,” Hoseok begins, voice tentative and uncharacteristically subdued, “you’re a very intelligent girl and you have a lot of potential in being a sub. I’d appreciate the opportunity to stay in and show you and the audience how enjoyable BDSM can be. We’re all very lucky men to be on the show with you.”

On the couch beside, Namjoon is the next one around. He pauses, eyes dancing about the room as he thinks. “I think it probably doesn’t make much sense to keep me in the game,” he allows. “I’m not experienced like the others and so it’s a little hard to defend on that front, but I think me staying allows you the advantage of being my first and best experience. I feel like with just a bit more time, I’ll really grow into my element, and I feel safe doing it with you. So I really hope I stay.”

Squished beside him is Jin, who sends you a big grin, even if it doesn’t fully reach his eyes. “This is so shitty,” he says with a laugh, “it’s harder than I was prepared for before I came, and I think that’s due partly to the warm environment that we’re developing with each other, but also because you, Y/n, are a very genuine and lively person. Of course this is a game about sex, but I don’t think any one of us could say that’s the only factor here. As for me, I ask that you keep me in at least a week more because I can promise not only a good time, but also an ear if you need one, and advice should you ever want it.” He pauses to glance around the room. “That goes for all of you,” Jin adds, “I cannot believe that I don’t hate any of you, I don’t know how the producers found such great people.”

His words ease a bit of the tension, and the rest of you let out laughs of relief, your heart easing slightly.

Next, it’s down on the floor for Taehyung, who seems to prefer sitting cross-legged on the carpet to any other spot in the room. “I really wanna stay here,” he pleads with his eyes locked on yours, so earnest, “you’re so fantastic, and Jungkookie and the hyungs are all so fantastic, and I don’t wanna go home so soon. And also I think in terms of sex and stuff, I bring a lot to the table.” Taehyung avoids Sejin’s gaze, fiddling with the hem of his shirt innocently even as he stares up through his eyelashes at the rest of you cheekily. “I think we saw that yesterday. Though in the future, hopefully it’ll cost me less.” He sends a withering glare at Yoongi and Jin. “You assholes.”

You let out a chuckle, Jin huffing in response and Yoongi just shrugging with a shameless grin. Finally, it’s Jimin’s turn, and your chest pangs as you remember the last time you were together. The way he squeezed your hand gently before getting out of the car last night, the way he walked you to your bedroom door, wishing you sweet dreams. The way you saw an entirely different man to the one he’s been advertising.

His eyes on you are imploring even as his back is straight and legs crossed. “I value the time I spend with you. This is, after all, a game about sex so I’ll defend myself by saying you can rest assured I’m skilled enough to please you well, but if you allow me to stay,” he drops eye contact, fiddling with his rings even as he fights to remain poised, “I do hope it’s not the sex alone that keeps me here.” Like a switch is flicked, his momentary vulnerability vanishes, and he glances up and sends you a smile, warm and at-ease, having said his piece.

“And Y/n,” Sejin guides from beside you, his kind eyes on you, “anything to say to the guys?”

Your heart stutters in your chest. It’s been a week? Why is this so hard? “I- First of all, this decision has been insanely hard. You’re all amazing, not just in bed but as people, and I hope that whoever has to leave will still stay in touch. It feels really cruel that I have to say goodbye to someone so soon. The reality is, none of you did bad, and there’s nobody I don’t like; nobody that doesn’t belong here. I’ve made my decision, but- I don’t know. I’m not happy with it, but I don’t think I’d be happy with any decision. In the end, I guess I just went for the least painful option.” You take a deep breath, eyes lifting to look at Hoseok, who sends you a sad smile. You open your mouth-

“Wait!” Sejin interrupts loudly. Everyone turns to look at him in unison, eyes wide. “There-” He breaks off with a sigh, glancing at the camera closest to him before looking back down at the group. “Listen; this will be edited out, but ratings have been doing far better than we’d ever anticipated. We already hired a third editor to keep up with demand and get more episodes out than was on the schedule, and there’s talk we may even start getting sponsorships because the support has been creating headlines, at least on Twitter. The higher-ups at Bangasm, well… they want to make an exception.”

You furrow your brows. “What do you mean?”

“You’ll see,” Sejin answers. “Act surprised.” The eight of you stare at him with varying degrees of bewilderment as he puffs his chest and carries his voice louder, switching back into producer mode. “Wait!” he repeats in the same tone as earlier. “The production team hasn’t been completely honest with you. This isn’t just a basic game with prompts each week like we told you. There will be a special advantage, a wildcard if you wish, that changes things up. They could affect the prompts, or how the game proceeds for that week. We call them Bangasm Bombs. And while we didn’t tell you, our production team has drawn the Bangasm Bomb for Week One.”

Sejin pauses to look at you all meaningfully. Jimin picks up the hint. “So; what’s the ‘Bangasm Bomb’ for this week?” he asks for you, gesturing quote marks with his fingers.

Your mind is starting to whir, possibilities beginning to percolate in your mind, but you aren’t prepared for what Sejin says next.

“Nobody goes home this week.”

Your mouth drops open, eyes darting around the room to see the open disbelief on the guys’ faces. “So I- I don’t have to send anyone home today?”

“No,” Sejin answers warmly, and you feel your shoulders sag in relief, a breath rushing out you didn’t know you were holding. Sejin winces, clearing his throat lightly. “That’s… the other thing.”

“Other thing?” Yoongi asks incredulously. “There’s more?”

“With the success of the show comes other benefits. For example; the CEO and treasurer of Bangasm have agreed to double our funding if we can keep the views up. No, Seokjin,” Sejin quips the second the eldest contestant raises his hand. Jin puts his hand down, lips pursed in a pout. “We’re changing the rules a bit. Before, we said if Y/n eliminated you, you’d pack your bags and leave. Now; you stay.”

Sejin can’t get another word out over the clamour that arises, everyone shocked and excited and confused all at once. He waves his hand for silence, and only after a minute or so everyone calms down.

“So, there’s just no eliminating?” Jungkook asks with a comically quizzical look on his face.

“Please just let me explain,” Sejin requests, sighing. “Yes, there will still be eliminations. But if you get eliminated, you stay in the house.”

“So it’s a free pass,” Jungkook surmises.

“Not quite. No longer will you not be competing in the game, but you won’t be able to have sex with or sexually touch Y/n in any way. If you do, then you’ll be sent out of the house for good.”

“No sex with Y/n?” Taehyung asks meaningfully. “So… otherwise…?”

Sejin sighs, a tired laugh falling from his lips. “Just no sex with Y/n,” he confirms. “If you touch Y/n sexually, you go home. If Y/n touches you, of course we can’t send her home, so we’ve devised a punishment.”

At the word punishment your head darts up to stare at the producer, but Hoseok beats you to the punch. “She’s gonna come join us in the bunkroom?”

“That’s for failing prompts, Hobi-hyung,” Namjoon points out, “Y/n doesn’t have any prompts.”

“Correct,” Sejin confirms. “If Y/n touches an eliminated member in a sexual manner, then that member gets to choose what she wears for the next 24 hours.”

You frown. “That doesn’t sound so…” you trail off when you glance up, only to be met with seven hungry sets of eyes. You can just about see the cogs turning in their brains as they stare at your body. “Ah.”

“Yes. So stick to the rules, and you get, as Jungkook so elegantly put, a free pass minus Y/n. Got it?”

The eight of you stay silent, still shell-shocked from the two revelations. This changed things. Now, when you voted someone off, they would get to stay, but they would get to stay. You can see both the positive and negative possibilities there, and it’s no surprise that a reality show would have such a sneaky plot twist.

So you’d have all seven fucking you for one more week, and then all seven every week in the future, only with your sexual prospects dropping as you went. It does ensure that you’ll begin voting for them purely based on sexual performance; considering their personalities in the house wasn’t an issue if you’d have those anyway.

As you glance around the room, you can’t help but wonder if your vote would’ve been different had you known that he’d get to stay. And you wonder if you’ll end up picking the same person in a week’s time, after a new set of prompts. The thought makes you sit up, turning to Sejin again.

“Will the boys draw their new prompts, then?” you ask. “Do I get to know the theme again?”

“Ah, of course-” Sejin breaks off to sit up, retrieving a stack of slightly crumpled papers from his back pocket. “This week’s theme is dynamics and roleplay. Come pick a card.”

Like last week, you pay close attention to the reactions of each of the seven. Namjoon blinks wide at his, but doesn’t seem as put off as last week, and his eyes go distant when he sits back down, like he’s already picturing it. Jimin takes two, one for him at one for Taehyung, and the two compare, Taehyung laughing at Jimin’s and Jimin smirking at Taehyung’s, brushing his clean-shaven cheek with the back of his knuckles and murmuring something in his ear.

When Jin gets his, he bites his tongue and shakes his head with a light laugh, and Yoongi’s mouth drops open upon reading his card, eyes darkening with lust. Jungkook winces at first, but thinks on it a moment longer and grins eagerly, taking a second glance and scrunching his nose cutely at it. Hoseok takes his last, calmly reading it with a pleased smirk, sliding it into his front pocket and taking a seat.

Your breath leaves you in a slow stream. You’re back to the not-knowing. Dynamics and roleplay. It could really be anything, you supposed. Naughty schoolgirl, pizza delivery guy. You didn’t watch a lot of porn but you vaguely knew some of the tropes, and it’ll be a rather interesting week indeed.

“That’s not all, of course,” Sejin adds, and you feel like your brain could implode with the information dump that this morning has been. “Would you like to hear the Bangasm Bomb for Week 2?”

“We find out now?” Hoseok questions. “Not at the end?”

“Well, in order to fulfil it you need to know now,” the producer explains. “This week, Y/n may not sleep in her own bed, and she may not sleep in the same bed twice.”

You blink, not expecting it to be directed at you. “I what?” Your mind catches up with the rule, and you let out a light laugh. “So, I’ll have to share with the other guys?”

"Let's not forget the type of show we're on," Yoongi points out, leveling an impressed stare at the producer. "Well-played."

"Thank you," Sejin replies shortly. "Now, that'll be all. Just a reminder, if your scene isn't filmed, it doesn't count, and it's okay if Y/n guesses the prompt, but if you tell her directly then your prompt is void. Seokjin; we ordered you a set of chef's knives that should be here later today. Please stop spamming the company's inquiries email."

He's out of the room before Jin can even react, open-mouthed but smug like the cat that got the cream.

The eight of you sit in silence for a moment or two, still reeling. It's Hoseok in the end that recovers first.

"So we all stay," he muses. "Even if we get voted off, we stay. Why is that both a blessing and a curse?"

"This is reality TV," Jimin points out calmly, "and it's porn on top of it. Tension and drama skyrockets ratings. Well; I'm going to make some coffees if anyone wants one."

Most of the group move back into the kitchen, rifling through cabinets like zombies to make their breakfasts, but Namjoon approaches you hesitantly, biting on his lip.

"Y/n, can I talk to you? Privately?"

You stand up off the coffee table, though still you're lifting your chin to meet his gaze. "Sure," you reply easily, "privately or privately privately?"

"Um," he hesitates, glancing towards the entrance foyer, where across the hall lies the unfilmed rec room. "Just privately is fine for now."

Everyone else distracted with the prospect of food and hot coffee, it's easy enough to just sit on the stairs, side-by-side and thighs touching. Like this, you become aware of how much bigger he is than you. Namjoon's legs sprawl out down to the bottom of the stairs, socked feet slipping slightly on the glossy stone floor, whereas yours are tucked on the step below you. He glances down at you with a nervous disposition, but his eyes are surprisingly steady.

"Hoseok-hyung and I slept in the bunk bed room last night, as you probably know," he explains. "Him and I talked a lot. About a bunch of things, but he helped me realise something. And after I got the prompt today, I was sure."

Your eyes widen as they watch him carefully. The roots of his purple are starting to grow out in a soft brunette that makes him look even younger, his face round yet gently sculpted, chin pressed out in solemnity. "Sure of what?" you question quietly.

Namjoon takes a slow breath, rubbing his palms over his knees. "I think it's better if I don't lose my virginity while doing some cheesy role-play for a porn show, you know? I know I chose to come here knowing what I was walking into, but... Hoseok suggested maybe we could use the rec room for some privacy and then I could just fill my prompt later in the week. Of course, the producers will probably get annoyed at me not losing my virginity on camera, but they never said I had to, and I think I want it to be something just for me, you know? Something that's just you and me, outside of the show. I understand if you don't want to do that, but if you're happy to, I think I'm ready now."

You take a few moments to fully process his words, the gravity of them. "You sure you're ready? If you are, I'm happy to do that, Joonie. I want it to be good for you. You deserve that."

He smiles at that, broadly, but with his head ducked down. "That means a lot," he admits, "but yeah. I'm ready. If you want to...?" He trails off, tipping his head in the direction of the private rec room.

You sit up straight. "Oh! You mean- now now? Yes, I can do that, wow, okay-"

"If that's alright?" he asks hastily, face pinched with worry, but you just stand up, holding out a hand to him. He takes it, letting you lead him to the door.

From the few times you've needed to use this room, it's been pretty empty. It's small; most likely originally intended as extra storage or a home office, and the producers had put a visibly second-hand couch on one wall, a skinny coffee table and a lamp in there.

Generally, it's a glorified staffroom of sorts, a time-out that's more valuable for its lack of cameras than anything actually inside. Today, though, you freeze in the hallway at the sight that greets you.

With the table pushed to one side, boasting two bottles of water, a box of tissues, a bottle of self-heating lube and a small bluetooth speaker, the rest of the room has been converted into a massive bed.

The floor is covered with blankets, sheets and duvets, thick enough to be like a bedroll, with pillows stacked on the edges. They cover most of the floor, roughly the size of a queen size bed. On top of the impressive set-up are a colourful variety of packaged condoms, arranged in a tasteful love-heart.

Namjoon groans at the display, pinching his brow. "Hoseok said he'd set up for me and make it a little more comfortable, I'm sorry."

"It's cute," you say with a laugh, "are you wanting to use condoms?"

Namjoon swallows. "Uh, you- what would you prefer?"

You shrug, collecting them up and flicking through the buffet of options. You chuckle as the majority are L and XL. Unsurprising. "I mean, we don't need one. So if you want to feel everything fully, I say go bare."

"G-go bare, please," he coughs out awkwardly, shutting and locking the door behind him, double-checking the handle. "Can we put some music on? It's really quiet in here."

"Of course." You busy yourself with the music, smiling at the fact that he must have appreciated it last time. By the time you select a nice playlist on your phone and pick a decent volume, Namjoon's surprised you by hastily stripping down to his underwear, shyly rubbing at his knees.

You stand stock-still for a moment, just taking in the gorgeous sight of his body, all understated muscle and bold lines and planes. He must do some form of exercise, because his chest is thick, as are his thighs, and his lower stomach is soft but lean. He's gorgeous, and between your legs you feel your excitement grow.

Hustling to strip your clothes off as a gentle guitar strumming fills the air, you feel the cool cotton of the duvet under your knees as you straddle Namjoon, the man sucking in a breath as your clothed pussy presses flush against his hardness.

"Give me a kiss," you ask softly, a suggestion to let him take control, and a sigh of relief leaves his lungs as he cups your face in his hands, tugging your lips onto his greedily.

The ferocity with which he kisses you takes your breath away. It's powerful, greedy and demanding like he's waited an eon to kiss you again. While he was surprisingly skilful the first time, now it feels like he's come into his own.

You make a noise of surprise in the back of your throat as you feel his tongue slipping between your lips, licking up into your mouth like he's trying to devour you. You're drunk on it, mind feeling hazy, but you manage to pull away for a moment, gasping out a, "how the hell did you get this good?"

Grunting, Namjoon's eyes flutter open and one of his hands slips back to cup the nape of your neck securely, preventing you from backing up further. "Hoseok gave me some tips," he admits. "Now get back here."

You let yourself be pulled in again and eaten alive, muffled groans and sighs of bliss slipping out between swipes of tongue and flashes of teeth, nipping at your bottom lip until it's swollen and aching in the best way.

Without realising, you've begin to grind your hips against him, needing friction, and he pants into your mouth at the feeling. The pleasure makes him sloppy, and you groan as his lips leave yours, veering down to kiss along your jawline, tugging on your earlobe before sucking blossoms of colour down your throat. You tip your head back, arching into his mouth and rocking your hips against him, the friction addictive.

"Gonna fuck you now," you hear him groan against your collarbone, lips on your skin that's slick from his spit. Even in your heightened state of arousal you can sense the slight question in his voice, like he's checking you're still okay with it.

More than okay, you glance down to see the point that joins you, your panties so wet that the grey of his boxers is marred by a dark spot, wet and clinging to the stiff outline of his cock. You curse lowly at the sight of it. "Fuck, please, I need you, Joonie."

He lets out a strangled sigh, hands trembling slightly as he pushes down the waistband of his boxers so that it rests below his balls, cock bobbing up to rest at his stomach. He swallows hard, eyes closed and back resting against the base of the couch. The sheets beneath you have heated up with your body temperature, arousal radiating off the two of you in waves.

When you first reach out to touch him, you keep your eyes on his face, on his reaction. The initial contact makes his brow twitch, eyes clenching shut. So thick your fingers don’t touch around him when you grasp his base, he’s definitely the biggest you’ve seen in the house; a touch of irony that the least experienced member had the biggest genetic advantage. His bottom lip finds his way tucked between his teeth, thighs tensing beneath you.

“Joonie,” you mumble in a mock pout, “are you gonna fuck me now or so I have to do all the work myself?”

His eyes fly open, gaze landing on your widened eyes of innocence, before darting down to where you’re gently stroking him, fingertips catching on the sensitive ridge beneath his head. “Hobi-hyung said you should ride me so you can get used to it.”

You chuckle, tapping your thumb over his weeping slit, making him hiss. “Let’s stop thinking about what Hobi said and start worrying about what you want. Do you want me to ride you? Feel how tight I am for you?”

He curses, brows knitting as he nods shakily, and you can’t hold yourself back any longer. With a low curl of thrill in your stomach, you sit up so you can quickly slip off your panties, before straddling him again. He feels heavy when you brush his length through your sodden folds, readying him for you, and the thought makes you groan lowly.

“Wanted you so bad,” you confess over the music in the background, now a simple drum beat that gives you rhythm as you grind your hips over him, letting his blunt head catch at your entrance. “Fuck.” His fingers are digging into your hips just with the feeling of your pussy clenching over his tip, and you lower yourself painfully slowly, adjusting to the way he stretches you to your limit, dragging inch by inch against your walls.

“H-oh god, it is, it’s so tight,” he comments with a hitch in his voice, and again you feel the muscles of his thighs twitch, like he’s fighting the urge to bury himself in you. Though the thought of it is hot, you’re merciful that he’s giving you time to grow accustomed to the sheer girth of his dick inside you.

“Does it feel good, Joonie?” you ask, the question panted as he takes your breath away, grinning at the quick stuttered nods he gives in reply, fingers flexing on the flesh of your hips and ass. By the time you’re sitting flush against his lap, you can barely breathe, a shaky hand pressing onto your stomach almost expecting to feel him bulging out of you from the inside. He’s not just the biggest on the show, but the biggest you’ve ever had, and you feel like you could cum just from rolling your hips against him.

“You feel so amazing, Y/n,” he praises, arms wrapping around your waist, pulling you in close so that he can press his lips to yours. You whine as he shifts in you, feeling shakier than ever, but appreciate the chance to adjust to him, tongue chasing his and fingers slipping into his hair as you kiss.

You’re content to stay like that for as long as he continues to move his mouth against you, mouth watering at the feeling of cockwarming him and joining your bodies so intimately, but the excitement of new sensation gets to him, and after a while he begins to shift, holding your hips down and grinding his hips.

Your jaw drops open, hands flying out to grip at his shoulders at the feeling. He’s so deep you can barely comprehend it, can barely think with his cock filling you so completely, and find yourself pleading quietly, an unintelligible babble of more, please more, need more. He shifts his posture as you sit on his length, uncrossing his legs and instead bracing them in front of him.

“Want me to fuck you like this?” he asks, nipping at your throat, and you shiver at the husky gravel of his tone. What happened to the shy virgin?

“Please, Joonie,” you gasp, clenching around him, “need you to move.”

His first thrust takes your breath away, punching the air out of your lungs. When he moves inside you it feels monumental, like a core piece of you shifting, and your eyes water with the delicious burn. You whine when he pauses for a moment, hands slipping down to knead at your ass. Namjoon’s eyes are like molten dark chocolate as they focus on you, rich and intense, and when your head tips down to kiss him again it’s so needy your teeth clash, the keening whimper in your throat sign enough that you want more.

It’s only once he begins to fuck you in earnest, bouncing you on his cock, that you see how truly affected he is. Strands of lilac cling to his temples as he sweats, chest heaving and hands trembling even as his fingers dig in hungrily. His lips are slick with spit, but he makes no move to wipe them clean, just biting onto his bottom lip and sucking, hips snapping up with bruising momentum.

You can’t catch your breath, but still you chase his lips like oxygen, needing to be as close as possible. His panting keeps you anchored as you moan shamelessly, toes curling and back arching. Your high approaches quickly enough that it shocks you, but there’s no escaping the pleasure that rushes through you with every snap of his hips.

You lose contact with his mouth, cheek resting limply on his shoulder as he speeds up his pace, the muscles in your legs failing you, twitching uncontrollably.

“No, no, no, fuck,” Namjoon chants lowly, and you feel a hand bury in your hair, holding you to the crook of his neck, “I’m sorry, I’m not gonna last.”

You moan at that, feeling him stiffen impossibly more inside you with every thrust. “Wan’ you to cum,” you promise in his ear, barely more than a gasped breath, “wanna cum with you.” To end the statement, you nuzzle your nose against his throat and nip at his pulse point. To your surprise, he shudders violently, suddenly going stock still.

Your eyes widen as hot ropes of cum fill you, Namjoon clutching you to him helplessly, groaning nonsense as his orgasm hits him out of nowhere. Your own high recedes, but you barely notice it as you sit up tiredly and clench around him, watching the pleasure flicker across his face as he rides the high.

“Fuck,” he breathes, eyes cast towards the ceiling and chest still heaving, “I’m so sorry, I… sensitive neck.”

You grin, running your hands up to gently brush over it, feeling him pulse inside you, spurting the final drops of cum from his spent cock. “Don’t apologise,” you assure, leaning in quickly to nibble at his lips and give him a lazy, indulgent kiss. “That was really fucking hot.”

He laughs, cheeks pinkening slightly, and you feel your heart warm at the return of the shy Namjoon you’d gotten used to. So he’s a lot more dominant and confident in the heat of the moment, you muse as he catches his breath, good to know.

When you find your strength again, slowly sitting up off him, you wince at the rush of cum leaving you, and the uncomfortable feeling of emptiness. That’s only exacerbated by the fact that you haven’t cum yet, but it’s his first time and you don’t want him to feel bad. Collapsing on the sheets beside him, you rest your head on his shoulder, breath still coming in shallow pants. “Good?”

“Good god, Y/n,” he exclaims earnestly, “I think I might be a sex addict now.”

A surprised peal of laughter leaves your lungs, and you shove him playfully before crawling over to the coffee table, cracking open a bottle of water and cleaning yourself up with the available tissues. “Hoseok really did think this through, huh?” you muse, chucking him the box once you’re done.

Namjoon clears up the cum on his cock and thighs, grimacing at the way some of it has stained his boxers, but he sends you a guilty look. “I’m sorry.”

You frown, reaching for your clothes. “What do you mean?”

“You didn’t-”

Whatever Namjoon is about to say is cut off by a sudden thud that gives you both a fright, followed by three polite albeit enthusiastic knocks. You stare in bewilderment at the door, before hastily dressing yourself.

“Is everything alright?” Namjoon calls out, putting his underwear back on properly and hopping into his pants. “Has something happened?”

“I should hope so, young grasshopper!” an enthusiastic voice chirps from the other side of the door, muffled but unmistakably Hoseok. “You’ve popped your cherry, Kim Namjoon!”

The academic winces, reaching out to unlock the door once he’s made sure the two of you are dressed. “Hoseok, what are you doing? Wha-?” He breaks off once he opens the door, and you rush around behind him to see what gave him pause.

In the foyer are Hoseok, Taehyung and Jin, all in matching paper birthday hats, the strings of thin elastic digging into their chins. Hoseok’s holding two more in his hands, and he thrusts them towards you as Taehyung wiggles the weighty bottle of champagne in his grasp. Behind them, Jin calmly holds a kitchen knife.

“What’s going on?” you ask in bewilderment, stepping out into the foyer and wincing at the ache between your legs with each step. “Why the fuck are you holding a knife?”

Jin, his bright blue party hat on at a jaunty angle, stares down at his hands blankly before gasping, tucking it behind his back. “Sometimes I forget I’m still holding it.”

“That’s extremely alarming,” Namjoon says with a frown. “I still don’t understand why you’re all gathered outside the door.”

“It’s time for the party, hyung,” Taehyung explains, “to celebrate you finally getting your dick wet.”

Your cheeks go flaming red as you glance at Namjoon, the poor man spluttering and eyes wide like he didn’t know what to do. “If there’s champagne, I’m there,” you announce calmly. “Come on, Joonie, let’s go celebrate.”

Namjoon visibly relaxes when you aren’t offended, flicking you a warm smile. “Is everyone wearing a hat?” he questions incredulously, taking the thin cone card.

“Mo-mostly everyone,” Hoseok answers suspiciously.

“It’s just you guys, isn’t it?”

“Well, if you both wore one, we’d have the majority.”

You grin, patting Hoseok on the shoulder as you walk past him into the foyer. “Let’s just go,” you call out to the guys behind you, “there better be food.”

As expected, the three that greeted you were the only ones wearing party hats. At the dining table, which has been laden with aromatic dishes, steaming rice and empty champagne flutes, the other three await. Jimin’s is resting beside his plate and chopsticks, untouched. Beside him, Yoongi has his upside down, using it as a bowl for the rice snacks he’s munching happily on. The youngest man in the house hasn’t even noticed you’ve arrived, using it like a very inefficient telescope, one eye scrunched shut and the other focused on the pinhole at the top of the cone. Sitting at the head of the table, he aims it at Jimin, mouth hanging open as he tries to see through the tiny gap.

Giving up, he waves the wide end around the room, desperate to catch a glimpse of something. Once the cone lands on the five of you, he gasps, chucking down the party hat. “You’re back! I didn’t start eating the cake, like you said!”

Jin frowns. “That sounds awfully suspicious.” Knife still in hand, he makes his way to the kitchen island, where you catch a glimpse of a beautifully iced cake with writing on the top that you’re too far away to read.

Jungkook shifts restlessly in his seat, staring worriedly at Jin. “The- um, the birds attacked it.” If you look closely, you think you can see the slightest hint of vanilla icing in the crook of his mouth.

Jin stares at the cake desolately. “The birds?” he deadpans.

“Seagulls, you know,” Jungkook tries to pass off casually, the pink of his tongue dashing out to lick the sugar off his lips. “Absolute vultures.”

Hoseok tsks in disappointment. “Was it seagulls or was it vultures?”

Jungkook stays silent an inexplicably long amount of time, glancing slowly between Hoseok and Jin. His eyes are wide like he’s trying to work out the lie in his head “...It was me.”

Jin’s fingers are pressed to his temple as he sighs. “Right.” Setting down the knife, he picks up the cake and brings it to the table, placing it in the middle of the table. The rest of you all take a seat, filling in the spaces around the table. Taehyung slips in beside Jimin, Hoseok at the end of the table opposite Jungkook, and finally Jin, Namjoon, and you take the last of the seats.

The cake is beautiful, neat and fluffy buttercream all over with swooping cursive written in a thin black stream. Unfortunately, a very delicate but obvious slice has been taken out so you have to focus to work out what the writing says. Once you do, you let out a reluctant chuckle, watching Namjoon blush once more, tucking his hands into the sleeves of his shirt shyly.

“‘Here lies Namjoon’s virginity,’” you recite, “‘1994-2020.’ Who came up with that?”

“That’s not impor-” Jin begins, but Taehyung swiftly cuts him off.

“I did!” he declares proudly. “Everyone agreed mine was funnier than Jin-hyung’s.”

“Obviously not everyone,” Jin replies bitterly, dishing himself up some of the rice closest to him. “Dig in, everyone, Yoongi and I worked hard on this. And congratulations Namjoon,” he adds, though he sends Namjoon a genuine smile, eyes twinkling.

After everyone says their congratulations, the food is dug into and the cork of the bottle is popped, conversation flowing like the champagne.

Over time, Namjoon seems to get used to the chatter about sex, perhaps not feeling so left out of the loop, and his face is more open and relaxed than ever, a dimple poking out when he smiles. You occasionally reach out to shove him playfully or squeeze his arm as the chatter continues, and he no longer freezes or stiffens up. It warms your heart that he feels a little more comfortable amongst you.

You’re happy to tuck into your meal, having worked up an appetite for lunch, but it’s barely more than a second after finishing your first helping that your phone buzzes.

You slip it out casually, frowning when you see it’s a notification that you’ve been added to a group-chat.

After that, you smother a scoff and slip your phone back into your pocket, hoping if your cheeks are red they can safely be attributed to the alcohol.

Glancing up, you see Jungkook stand up suddenly, eyes wide with barely-contained excitement as he picks up his bowl, chopsticks and champagne flute, scurrying over to dump them in the sink before disappearing upstairs. Yoongi stares at his empty seat in confusion, but shrugs and takes another mouthful of cake. You eat yours quickly enough that your stomach flips, or perhaps that’s just the anticipation.

After you’re done it takes you a few moments to build up the courage to look across to Hoseok, feeling his gaze hot on your skin. When you do, your eyes lock immediately, but he just continues to stare, lips pressed in a narrow line.

Your heart leaps for a moment, wondering what that hard gaze means for you later on. Silently, as Taehyung continues to explain something to him with a mouth half-full of food, Hoseok lifts his eyebrow once, gaze darting to the roof. The message is clear. Go upstairs.

Biting your lip, you let Namjoon know you’re heading up, waving off his concern until he’s pulled back into a thread of conversation. You try to ignore the uncertain adrenaline rush that makes your hands tremble and your core throb all the way upstairs, until you’re knocking on Jungkook’s door.

The two of you share a look once he opens the door, one of anticipation and desire, and you let out a breathy chuckle.

“What the fuck have we gotten ourselves into?” you ask rhetorically, stepping in and collapsing onto the bed.

“I’ll take it if it means getting a good fuck,” he states matter-of-factly, sitting himself beside you and tucking his legs up. “Besides; I’ve wanted to see Hobi-hyung in action for a while.”

Sitting up, you think back to that day in the confessional booth, where he had so easily made you fall apart without even taking a single item of clothing off. You wondered if he’d deprive you of his body tonight as well.

“I think he’s angry at me,” you admit, “before I left, he looked… intense.”

“Why would he be angry at you?” Jungkook asks with a frown, his hand slipping under the baggy fabric of his black tee, rubbing at his shoulder like he’s aching to take the item off.

You go to shrug, but then your mind flicks back to this morning. “The elimination,” you realise, dread rising in your stomach just as much as your arousal is. “I think he knows I was going to eliminate him.”

Jungkook’s eyes widen, round enough to be saucers. “Wait, really? Why him?”

You find the words dry up in your throat. “I- God, I don’t know. How am I meant to choose anyone when you’re all amazing? Maybe his had the least impact on me, I suppose.” You eye the door to the walkway warily. “I guess he’s determined to change that now.”

Instead of replying, you’re taken aback when Jungkook throws his arms around you in a tight hug, his long hair brushing at your neck and shoulder as he tucks his chin into the hollow of your collarbone. Hesitantly, you bring your own arms up to hug him back, feeling your tension melt in the warm embrace.

“It must be so hard,” he murmurs, “I don’t think Hobi-hyung is really mad, you know? He probably just feels like he wasn’t good enough for you and wants to prove himself.”

This thought just sends another spike of guilt through you, but you have no time to dwell on it before the door is clicking open, making you and Jungkook instinctively jump apart.

Hoseok stands there, as intimidating as last time in all-black. Though he’s wearing just socks instead of the heavy duty boots he was in that day, there’s no denying the power he holds in the clothes he wears like armour. Leather pants so snug they’re like a second skin and a black long-sleeved shirt, tight but breathable cotton with a harness of thin leather straps providing some structure. His raven hair is swept back, but just a single stray lock hangs low over his brow, drawing your eyes back to his. “Starting without me?” he questions lightly, though his face is devoid of humour.

You swallow hard. “No… Master,” you add, seeing the expectant look on his face. Once he steps further into the room, you notice the black bag that was previously hidden behind his back. The duffel bag from last time. You suck in a breath and clench your thighs before you can even think to stop yourself, and Hoseok’s positively gleam at the sound.

“Both of you have been very naughty today,” he explains, dumping the bag on the bed beside Jungkook, beginning to casually pull a heap of bright red nylon rope out. “Little Jungkookie ate the cake that Jin-hyung worked so hard on, even when he was specifically asked not to. And Y/n… Y/n knows exactly what she did.” Your eyes widen when Hoseok sets the multiple lengths of rope to one side in a neat folded coil and reaches back into the bag to produce a pair of wide, heavy-duty shears.

“Woah, hyung,” Jungkook exclaims in alarm, “I can apologise for the cake, I-”

“Settle, Jungkook, it’s okay,” Hoseok explains softly. “I told you we’re gonna be tying you up, yeah? This is so that we can cut the ropes quickly in case you want out. They aren’t part of the scene.”

You feel a thrill run through your veins at the gentle click of metal resting on the nightstand once Hoseok sets the scissors down. He hadn’t needed them for when your arms were tied. It meant that whatever you were going to do tonight would be more intense. The thought of everyone else downstairs having a good time and hanging out while you and Jungkook were up here getting bound by Hoseok… it somehow feels even more illicit and dirty.

“Let’s do Jungkookie first, hm?” the dom proposes. “I’ve been wanting to see what you’d look like all prettied up for me. Choose red just for you.”

Jungkook positively preens at the compliment, hands tucking into his lap and chest puffing out. “I’m excited, Master!”

Hoseok gestures for Jungkook to remove his clothes with a flat expression. “Don’t be,” he retorts calmly, “this isn’t a reward, it’s discipline. We’re going to learn a lesson about behaving.”

The camboy trembles, hastily shucking off his baggy shirt and pushing his sweatpants down, naked except for a pair of white socks. Your breath is taken away by how easily he bares himself to the cameras and to the two of you, eyes eager and nervous as Hoseok picks up one of the longer lengths of rope.

“I want you to kneel, Jungkookie,” Hoseok instructs, “kneel on the bed for me, arms at your sides.”

Jungkook obeys, breath hitching as Hoseok approaches, passing the coil over his palm. You watch with baited breath as a bright red strand of rope is run around his narrow waist. As the professional dom begins looping, knotting and wrapping the rope around Jungkook’s torso, the boy’s eyes grow lidded, cock twitching as it rests back against his lower abdomen.

It takes a while, but time is as smooth as velvet in the soft silence of the room, just gentle breaths and the whir of nylon rope sliding so beautifully along Jungkook’s skin.

By the time Hoseok is done, Jungkook’s eyes barely open, so content with the feeling of being patiently wrapped up, and he hums lightly as Hoseok rechecks the tightness of each loop, slipping two fingers between rope and skin in several places.

Rather than bondage or restraint, this looks like art. An elaborate harness of red contrasts beautifully against the pale golden flesh below, hardness of his chest and abs softened by the vaguely fishnet pattern, loops that interlock and curve across his body gracefully, the most careful and precise lattice of scarlet ropes.

“Pretty, isn’t he?” Hoseok questions, and a finger comes down to run through the glossy precum that has been smeared onto Jungkook’s lower stomach. The boy hisses, arching his hips up in search of contact, but all it takes is a sharp swat at the head of his cock and Jungkook is whining, thighs flexing with the force of keeping still. “Patience, my little prince,” Hoseok tuts, patting Jungkook’s cheek with a hand still wet with the camboy’s own precum, “we’re gonna teach you how to be patient today.”

Jungkook groans low in his throat, lips parting at the term of endearment, and Hoseok grins at it, tiger-like.

“Oh, do you like that, hm? Wanna be my special prince today?” Hoseok runs his fingers through Jungkook’s long hair, the camboy sucking in a sharp breath when they snag on some knots. Jungkook nods, eyes round and glittering as he looks up at his Master. Hoseok pouts, tapping him once on the end of his button nose. “It’s a shame you weren’t behaving today, then wasn’t it? Maybe if you’re good for me tonight, you can earn it.”

Jungkook’s brows lift pleadingly, looking so small under Hoseok’s harsh stare. “I’ll be good, though, Master.”

“Mm, I’m sure you will,” Hoseok confirms, swiping a thumb over Jungkook’s nipple to make him shiver, before he fixes an iron gaze onto you.

You swallow, slipping out of your clothes as quickly as you can once he gives the same gesture as before, crossing your legs and arms to try and preserve some dignity. Hoseok just tuts, picking up two of the remaining sections of nylon rope, only one still left waiting on the bed.

“Hands at your sides, kneeling,” he instructs sharply, and you feel the way your walls clench at the authority in his voice as you hustle to get into position.

The harness he puts you in is different to Jungkook’s, accentuating your breasts with bands both above and below them, leaving your stomach free but doubling the rope over so that every loop that wraps around you is twice as thick. The final tie is slipped up between your breasts, around the back of your neck and tucking back down to hold it all together, and your breath shallows at the secure feeling of the rope.

It’s peaceful; the warm stripes of friction as he pulls strands through loops, the gentle flicking of the ends against your skin until he folds them away, the way it embraces your chest so snugly, but not too tight. It’s only once he’s done checking the rope like he did with Jungkook that he picks up the second, shorter length of nylon, and by then you already feel the sleepy yet electric haze of subspace seeping throughout your body.

“Hands,” he instructs, and you hold them out for him, watching with heightened arousal as he binds them, the rope wrapping around and between your wrists until they’re locked together. Last time your hands were bound behind your back but like this, you can watch him as he works.

It’s quick - a testament to his expertise - but you spend every moment with your eyes locked onto him. The eyes, gleaming with control and satisfaction, the pink tip of his tongue poking out just slightly as he focuses. His thin fingers, looping and wrapping and knotting with such skill.

His last move, eyes darting up and smirking once he catches you watching him, is to connect the thick cuff-like ropes to the top of your harness, pinning them up to your chest, folded hands resting at the base of your throat. You instinctively tug once he’s done, only to feel the rope around your back tighten and dig in, but no distance made. The feeling of being at his mercy only adds to the slick gathering between your thighs.

Once he steps back, eying the two of you up, your breath catches in your throat. Both you and Jungkook are fully naked, somehow feeling even more vulnerable in the rope, and Hoseok stands across from the bed in all his black leather glory, eyes raking over you like he’s assessing his work.

“Are you gonna touch us, Master?” Jungkook questions in a small voice, fingers clutching at his own thighs, cock flushed and needy between them.

“Not you yet, Jungkookie. Gotta warm Y/n up first.” Your eyes widen - for what? - but Hoseok is moving closer run a hand down Jungkook’s back, fingers jumping over the strands of rope. “Do you wanna help me, baby?”

Jungkook nods, blushing when Hoseok pinches lightly at his cheek.

Hoseok leans over to you, carding his fingers into your hair and curling them in so that he can hold you steady. Like this, kneeling on the bed, you have to tilt your head back to meet his gaze, but he just tuts, holding you face-forward to Jungkook. “You wanna give her a kiss, Kookie?”

You swallow, fingers interlocking together as you look over to the camboy. He looks so needy, blissed out and pretty in his red rope, cock untouched and weeping. Your lips part automatically, tongue darting out to wet your lips and you don’t miss the way Jungkook’s eyes are drawn to it, lids now as he nods.

With your hands pinned to your chest and kneeling, you don’t feel able to meet him halfway so you just wait as Jungkook crawls to you, glancing up at Hoseok for permission before burying your hands in your hair alongside the dom’s. With barely a second to suck in a breath, Jungkook ducks his head, his lips descending onto yours with sweet, unrestrained need.

Unable to touch him back, you let your eyes slip shut with the soft presses of his mouth, taking everything he gives you. Everything about Jungkook in this moment is soft; his lips, his thumbs brushing across your cheekbones, even the subtle scent of vanilla as his hair tickles your face - but the stiff grip in your hair is anything but, reminding you where exactly you are and the hand you’re under.

Your breath hitches as two things happen at once; Jungkook’s tongue presses into your mouth, deepening the kiss, and behind you Hoseok shifts, getting up on the bed behind you. Though you can’t see him, you become even more aware of his commanding presence, through the simple gesture of a fingertip, tracing beside lines of rope with a touch so light you shiver.

“You both look so pretty for me,” Hoseok murmurs warmly, his voice closer than you’d expected him to be, sounding like it’s right beside your air. Jungkook doubles his efforts in response, and your core is alight with excitement when you instinctively go to touch him, only to be reminded of the restraint you’re in.

Jungkook kisses without abandon, not hurried but deep and purposeful. Though you still tremble under Hoseok’s teasing touch, your mind is so enraptured by Jungkook’s tongue in your mouth and teeth on your lips that you lose track of it.

The camboy doesn’t dare venture his hands further than your face, cupping it so tenderly as he delves into you, so your eyes fly open with shock when two fingers are suddenly slipping through your folds, running over your clit for a single delicious moment of pleasure. You moan in shock and pull away to look down.

Between your kneeling legs is the slender but calloused hand of your Master himself, wrapped around your front and slipping inside you without question like you’re his. His to explore, his to ruin. You pant at the intrusion of two fingers, clenching around him, but his only response is to tug suddenly at your hair, pulling your gaze back up again.

Nipping sharply at the bridge of your ear, Hoseok scolds you. “I didn’t tell you to stop,” he growls harshly, “did I?”

“Sorry, Master,” you reply without thinking, barely a moment before you let out a muffled squeak from Jungkook joining you together again, wasting no time to obey.

Hoseok doesn’t stop his motions between your legs; on the contrary, he continues without pause, fingers moving inside you with a steady urgency.

For a while, your brows furrow, hips rocking below him. He keeps missing your g-spot, fingers too straight to press against it on each thrust, and he moves to three fingers without touching your clit at all, hand held foward off of you to avoid friction. You moan brokenly into Jungkook’s mouth as you realise Hoseok’s doing it intentionally, stretching you out almost clinically, without regard or want for your pleasure. You go weak at the thought, sinking forward into Jungkook’s embrace, but soon enough the fingers are removed from you completely. Empty and unsatisfied just like earlier, you huff and begin to kiss the camboy more frantically, desperate for some pleasure to replace it.

But Hoseok clearly isn’t having it. “Stop,” he commands shortly, “hands off.”

Jungkook sits back quickly, making sure you won’t slump over before he presses his hands to his thighs again, cock twitching at the continued neglect. Blinking, he licks his swollen lips and glances behind you to Hoseok in confusion. “Master?”

Your mouth goes dry when you hear the unmistakable sound of a zip being lowered. Hoseok’s hand leaves your hair suddenly, and you feel unmoored between the two men, just you and your hands tucked under your chin. “You tasted her pretty little pussy in Week One, didn’t you, Jungkookie? Would you like her to return the favour?”

Eyes wide, you drop your gaze down to Jungkook’s aching dick, as it twitches and leaks another thin trail of precum, the boy groaning. “Please, Master.” His fingers flex, holding back from touching it. “‘Hurts,” he whines.

You bite your lip, mouth watering. He’s not as big as Namjoon, but you know how fully he filled you just yesterday, and to have him in your mouth… “Please,” you croak out, fingers wiggling in the air as you’re unable to lower yourself to him.

“Good girl,” Hoseok praises, hands strong on your shoulders as he helps you down, elbows propping yourself up awkwardly in the space that Jungkook’s shuffled back from. “Gotta warm Kookie up too, don’t we? Open up, princess.”

Like this, you’re able to keep upright, but barely, craning your neck to look up at Jungkook. His cock is in front of you, and this close you can see just how flushed it is, the tip almost perfect. Hoping your pleading gaze can communicate your desperation, you open your mouth, letting your tongue rest just over your bottom lip.

Jungkook’s brows furrow in wanton need as he glances towards Hoseok. “Can I touch her, Master? Help her?”

“Of course,” Hoseok’s voice allows from behind you, palms running over the flesh of your ass, “but my little prince better not cum.”

Jungkook visibly shivers at the nickname, hips jerking uselessly. “Y-yes, Master,” he allows, before tipping your chin up so gently, gripping himself to guide his length into your waiting mouth.

You moan the moment your lips wrap around his tip, the tang of his precum bursting on your tongue as you flick it over the slit, making Jungkook thrust up again, enough that his cock reaches the back of your mouth. You’re barely able to avoid gagging, but you inhale harshly through your nose, blinking up at him as he brushes your hair back with a shaky apology.

Knowing he can’t orgasm, Jungkook seems happy enough to lazily roll his hips, just enjoying the wet warmth around him as you follow his rhythm, enjoying the slight ache of your jaw around his girth. Hoseok gives you only a few moments to reach this equilibrium before you feel his cock lining up against you.

Eyes widening, you’re given no time to prepare as he slides inside you, slowly but without pause, making your back arch with the intrusion.

You moan, muffled, as Hoseok pulls out and begins to pick up a steady pace, once again sliding right past your g-spot, not fast enough to make your toes curl and not deep enough to make your eyes roll. There’s no denying he’s doing it on purpose, and the thought that he might not let you cum at all has you whining desperately around Jungkook’s cock, loud enough that Hoseok hears.

To your disappointment, he tsks and pulls out, tugging at your hair to pull you off Jungkook. “What the fuck?” you complain bitterly, sucking off the drool that’s accumulated in the corners of your mouth. Equally deprived, Jungkook makes a noise of confusion, but before he can speak up, a commanding voice calls out to you.

“That’s it, on your back,” Hoseok orders, making you jump as he smacks the flesh of your ass. “If you’re gonna be ungrateful you won’t get anything at all.”

You pout, craning your neck to look back at him. “Hobi,” you whine, hoping to appeal to that soft inner that got you what you wanted the last time you were scening with him, but it doesn’t work.

Impatient, his hands find your hips, flipping you around unceremoniously. Your breath is punched out of you as you’re suddenly landing on your back, and you whimper as he hooks a finger in your harness over the top of your breast, using it to tug you higher up the bed so that him and Jungkook are on either side of your waist.

“You’ve been far better behaved,” Hoseok directs at Jungkook casually, reaching into the duffle bag to pull out a square foil packet, “so you’ll get my cock instead.”

Jungkook bites his lip harshly, shuffling on his knees as Hoseok rolls a condom on. “Thank you, Master,” he replies politely, eyes lidded and needy.

“What a good boy,” Hoseok coos, reaching over to brush a fond hand over Jungkook’s cheek. “Do you wanna fuck Y/n too, my little prince?” You let out a low groan at the prospect, at the way Hoseok speaks for you like you’re a toy of his. The thought is more erotic than you’d expect, and your legs part unconsciously.

Jungkook whimpers at the sight, dark hair curling at his temples with perspiration. “Please, Master.”

“Go on, then, baby.” Hoseok gestures for him to straddle you, and you whimper as Jungkook’s form blocks the light from the ceiling, framing him in a silhouette of dark hair.

Your legs part further as he settles between them, cock brushing between your folds lightly until he puts a hand down to line himself up. With one arm bracing himself, Jungkook slowly drives his cock deep inside you, small rocking motions to get you accustomed to him as he bottoms out. The two of you groan in unison, the feeling of being full again like bliss.

Before Jungkook can set a pace, you hear Hoseok’s voice again behind him. “There’s only one thing,” the dom adds in an apologetic tone, “Y/n hasn’t earned an orgasm yet, not like my sweet prince has. If you want to fuck her, Jungkookie, she better not cum.”

You let out a frustrated moan, heel kicking into the mattress. “Fuck,” you whine, hips already rocking against Jungkook’s length inside of you, “are you serious?”

Calmly, Hoseok clicks open a bottle of what must be lube, and you feel Jungkook go lax above you, holding his weight off of your torso but dropping his head onto the bed beside yours, groaning lowly. “Of course I’m serious,” he explains simply as he preps Jungkook with his fingers, “I’m doing you a favour, Y/n. This way you won’t make the same mistake twice.”

You sob, feeling Jungkook twitch inside you from the pleasure he’s receiving from Hoseok. As the dom finally deems Jungkook ready and lines himself up, you realise why Hoseok was so popular at his job. Handling two subs, let alone one who was getting punished and one who was now getting rewarded, was a tough balance, and yet he does it with such cool and professional ease.

Jungkook curses, rocking his hips with stuttered gasps, and you feel the impact of Hoseok’s hips through Jungkook’s body as he thrusts the first time, the camboy hurriedly throwing his other arm up on the other side of your head to prop himself up with more stability. You can feel the rhythm as he gets fucked, and the way his chest heaves, breaths panting over your bare shoulder.

With your hands tied to your chest and lain on your back, you quickly realise there is nothing you can do to chase any pleasure for yourself, and you let out another low sob. You won’t be making the same mistake twice indeed, you muse as Jungkook barely shifts inside you. He feels so good, but it’s just not enough for you to get anywhere close to your own high. The lesson has most certainly been learned; if you want pleasure, you play by Hoseok’s rules.

“Please, Master,” you pipe up desperately, looking past Jungkook’s shoulder to the dom’s face, calm even as his hips rock with the graceful fluidity of a dancer, every stroke making Jungkook cry out. “I’ll do anything, Master, I’m sorry for being bad, just please let me come!”

A grin spreads across his face, satisfied, even as he grunts from exertion, Jungkook trembling above you as he’s brought mercilessly to the edge. “It’s too late for that,” Hoseok pants out with a chuckle, “it’s already time for my little prince to cum.”

Jungkook moans, a high-pitched keen at the pet-name, and the sound is so sinful you can’t help but clench, making him stiffen impossibly inside you.

It only takes a thrust or two more, and a gruff command to cum before Jungkook does just that, spilling inside you with a drawn-out whine, thanking his Master with every breath he can suck into his lungs.

He manages to keep his weight off of you as he rides his high, Hoseok fucking him into oversensitivity before he pulls out, leaving briefly to discard the condom. Jungkook pulls out of you with a wince, but a satisfied one, and rolls over onto his back, running his fingers under the lines of rope lazily as he catches his breath.

Once Hoseok returns, he begins untying you first, and as your wrists are loosened from your chest and promptly released, the cool air on your skin feels like defeat. Your eyes slip shut, a pout no doubt on your lips as you give him nothing but dead weight, forcing the professional to manhandle your torso as he undoes the rope bit by bit.

You open your eyes once he’s done, frowning at him as he releases the rope from Jungkook’s body. Without looking, Hoseok chastises you. “Don’t look at me like that,” he scolds, “I’m sure next time you’ll be behaved like our Jungkookie here.” The boy in question preens softly at the compliment, blinking up at Hoseok as the dom brushes his hair out of his eyes.

The sight warms your heart, and you can’t deny that Hoseok has the right to discipline you, no doubt feeling self-conscious about his place on the show. And the feeling of him playing you so skilfully is something that will stick with you for a good while. You press your thighs together, sighing out at the slick still between them.

After finishing with Jungkook, speaking quietly with him in praise or reassurance, he comes back around to you, rubbing at the few red marks on your chest and wrists that have appeared from your movements. His eyes search your face, and you’re surprised to see the absolute calm in them, clearly switched out of the Master persona and just into a dominant but caring one. “Not hurt?”

You shake your head after taking the time to really think it through, wiggling your fingers and toes.

“Not angry?”

Again, you take a moment to consider, but shake your head.

Hoseok smiles down at you, warm as he squeezes your hands fondly. “Good. Now I know you can’t sleep in your own bed, so Jungkookie has kindly offered for you to stay here with him. Take care of each other, okay? I’m just down the hall.”

By the time Hoseok zips up his pants - you note that even after all that, you hadn’t seen him properly naked - and gathers his bag, Jungkook’s managed to slip his legs under the blankets, snoring away peacefully with the aftermath of a good orgasm.

After the dom leaves, you get under the covers yourself, watching the relaxing cycle of Jungkook’s chest rising and falling, the way his eyes flutter lightly in his sleep, but it doesn’t lull you to unconsciousness.

Instead, the unsatisfied throb between your legs just grows more ferocious than ever. If you could just get yourself off…

Your hand trails down, slipping between your legs naturally, but the first swipe of your index finger against your clit gives you pause. Hoseok had pretty clearly stated that you weren’t to masturbate without permission unless you were in a scene with another contestant and, well…

You grimace as Jungkook snuffles in his sleep, wriggling around to get more comfortable. You can’t exactly wake him up.

Which leaves you with only one option.

Fuck it. As quietly as you can, you slip out of bed, stumbling over to your pile of clothes. After retrieving your phone - still somehow tucked neatly into your pants pocket - you hop back into bed and seek out the one contact who can alleviate your need. Hoseok himself.

You answer the call with shaking fingers, those not still buried inside you. When Hoseok’s voice comes through, it’s thankfully quiet and low, but the words still make you keen.

“Princess couldn’t wait until the morning, hm?” Hoseok chuckles quietly at your whine of response. “That’s okay. Let Master help you.”

You sigh out, sitting the phone so that it lies on the pillow beside you. “Please, Master,” you whisper, “can I touch my clit?”

“Fuck,” he curses under his breath, “such a polite girl now. Baby took her lesson well. You can touch it, princess. Get yourself close for me.”

When you change the angle of the fingers thrusting inside you to make room to rub at your clit, you could cry from the satisfaction, biting your lip to muffle the moan that’s pulled from your lungs.

Glancing quickly beside you to ensure Jungkook’s asleep, the sight of him sleeping so peacefully as you get off right beside him has you clenching down, and your back arches off the bed.

Your high is close, and the faster you strum your clit frantically, the more you pant, desperate to keep quiet. Your mouth drops open as you suddenly feel the orgasm approaching, and you turn to the phone on the pillow, getting close enough that he can hear your whisper. “I’m go-gonna cum, Hoseokie, fuck,” you choke out before quickly pressing your lips together, preventing further noise.

His voice is low velvet on the phone, a calm command. “Cum for Master now, princess.”

You feel your orgasm hit you like a tsunami, crashing so violently that you curl over your hands, shivering and convulsing as pleasure rocks every inch of your body. As it floods you entirely, you feel hot tears stream down your face, ones you didn’t even know you were shedding. Your thighs shake and your chest heaves and you don’t stop your fingers until there’s no more pleasure left to be milked from you.

When you finally cum down from your high, panting, you fumble clumsily for the phone. “Tha-thank you, Master.”

Perhaps it’s the post-orgasm delirium, but you swear you hear the smile in his voice when he murmurs, “you’re most welcome, princess. Now get some rest. You’ve earned it.”

After hanging up, you lock your phone and chuck it down onto the carpet beside the bed carelessly, the wetness between your thighs no longer uncomfortable, now just a satisfying reminder of the pleasure he finally allowed you. Taking one last look at the tranquil face of Jungkook as he slept, you let yourself join him in a blissful unconsciousness.

ELIMINATION GRAPH

No elimination this week ! What a doozy, huh? If you were curious, here are the results of the vote!

It was taken after exactly 48 hours of the poll being open, and required a sign-in with email to prevent spamming so that it was as fair as possible!

In the future, we’ll use this format for both Fan Favourite and Elimination voting. I’ll tell you the top three for audience fan-favourites in the following chapter, and for elimination you’ll find out Y/n’s final decision in the following chapter, plus this graph at the end for the complete results.

Thanks for all your support !

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