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convenientalias · 1 day

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Why Nirvana in Fire Wins at Revenge Story with Identity Porn

Nirvana in Fire was my first ever cdrama that was a revenge story with identity porn. Since then, I've seen many other dramas along similar lines. A League of Nobleman. Blood of Youth. City of Streamer. Fighting for Love. Legend of Anle. Long Ballad. Princess Weiyoung. Rise of Phoenixes. Sword Dynasty. Weaving a Tale of Love. Word of Honor. Some of them are quite good but none of them really hit the same way. So, apart from the fact that it was the first one I ever watched, I thought I'd made a brief list of reasons why I think Nirvana in Fire is the best.

Lin Shu's Identity

I just appreciate that when shit went down and Lin Shu's whole family and army and many of his friends were killed and he became a man on the run, he was a full-grown man (okay, still pretty young, but definitely not a child) with his own life and even an army position.

A lot of these identity porn dramas will have their MCs meeting ppl for the first time in many years, in disguise, but they only knew these ppl when they were children. Childhood friends are great and all that, but can they hit as hard as the complicated, fleshed out relationships that Lin Shu had and lost? He had a friendship of many years with Jingyan. He had an engagement and a longstanding friendship with Nihuang. He has friends from the army, younger cousins playing the role of "we don't even understand what happened back then and maybe that's better", older friends and relations who he actually knew as an adult.

Simultaneously, his past identity increases the threat of discovery for Lin Shu. He's a known factor to many, many people in the capital. Yes, they think he's dead. But small things like a hazelnut allergy or his mannerisms or his previous friendships with people are still memorable enough that even with a completely different face, if he's not careful, he might give himself away. He's not infiltrating a group of strangers or people who only knew him as a kid. He's infiltrating a group of people who were close to him for many, many years of his life.

HOWEVER. Lin Shu's identity is not so important that everyone in the capital is still obsessed with him twelve years later (with some exceptions). This isn't Mysterious Lotus Casebook where we're all still pining for Li Xiangyi, because...

2. The Chiyan Case Wasn't Even About Lin Shu?? (Also, No One Cares About That Ancient History Anymore (Jingyan, Sit Down))

The Chiyan case wasn't about the Lin family at all, really.

No one specifically wanted Lin Shu dead or had a big grudge against his dad or anything. It's all about power, military and political. For some conspirators, it was just about getting a leg up in court. But mostly, it was about Prince Qi, the previous crown prince. The Lin family just happened to be friends with him and ended up in an uncomfortable (highly murderable and frameable) position.

Lin Shu may mourn his family, but for the majority of the show, he doesn't talk about it. He doesn't talk about his mother and his family back at the capital either committing suicide or being killed indiscriminately. He only mentions his father's name a handful of times in the whole show. Lin Shu's drive is that his father's ARMY was killed, tens of thousands of men. That's the weight on Lin Shu's shoulders: the death of all these innocent men because they were in the way. The Chiyan Case; the Chiyan Massacre. The denouement of Lin Shu's victory (not to give too many spoilers) is not just his father's name being cleared of a treason charge. It's when there's finally a memorial put up for the Chiyan Army, with memorial tablets that he can publicly visit to pay respects.

Why does this make it a better revenge story with identity porn? A couple reasons. First, Lin Shu is very much the center of the story and has very personal beef, but he treats himself like a tool and his objective isn't about himself or familial connections (they're part of it but they're not everything). He doesn't even know all the people he's avenging. That's fine; he'll still carry that weight. I just think it's neat.

Second, the fact that the Lin family (and the whole Chiyan Army) were really just collateral damage for getting rid of Prince Qi really emphasizes just how careless the current regime is of the value of human life.

Third, as Meng Zhi says when Lin Shu comes to the capital, everyone at court is busy with their own little power struggles and no one has time to care about Lin Shu or protect him. Lin Shu's like yeah that's fine :) I'm not anyone's focus anymore and the Lin family has been swept under the rug like we never existed :) and no one even talks about the Chiyan case anymore for fear of being accuse of treason :) that's all okay because I'm about TO MAKE THIS EVERYONE'S PROBLEM ANYWAY and honestly the fact that everyone's trying their hardest to forget will just make them more oblivious when I come to fuck them up.

3. All Of This is Whose Fault, Again?

That's right, folks, we're in a show that knows that when shit goes down at court and your family gets framed for treason and the emperor orders them executed, sure, you can blame the conspirators who framed them all you want, but also, YOU KIND OF DO HAVE TO BLAME THE EMPEROR.

People have said enough about how great this is on a thematic level of accountability but seriously I've seen so many shows dodge this. ~It's not the emperor's fault bc he was misled by these conspirators~ or ~the emperor is only a puppet emperor, if he actually had power instead of this evil person, he would put everything right.~ Or, if they dare to blame the emperor, maybe he's just an evil emperor and was bad all along. NIF says yeah, he was lied to on many levels. There was a whole complicated conspiracy going on and many people to blame. But he could have taken things slower. He could have required better evidence. He could have trusted people who had supported him for many years, at least enough to listen to their side of the story BEFORE KILLING THEM. And why didn't he? It's not because he's an idiot. It's because he's an emperor, and emperors don't like seeing other people gain enough power to even potentially become a threat. It's because he wasn't looking for the truth, he was looking for an excuse to kill. And he's not unusually evil for that; this kind of callousness towards murder and grasping for power at all costs is more the norm at court than any kind of honor or morality.

The Emperor's a nice guy sometimes! He used to fly kites with Lin Shu when he was young! His sons give him a headache, but honestly, relatable, they'd give you a headache too! He likes Consort Jing and honestly, who wouldn't! And he killed one of his sons, one of his closest friends, and an entire army, and he would do it again without hesitation. He's not especially evil. Being an emperor is bad enough.

4. Other Bad Guys

It's worth mentioning that Lin Shu's opponents are not stupid.

Xie Yu and Xia Jiang, Prince Yu and the Crown Prince, even the Empress and Noble Consort Yue: They aren't all geniuses, but they aren't idiots flailing around in spite. They're pretty smart, and if Lin Shu wants to take them down, he has to be smarter.

It's also worth mentioning that this is not one of those shows where the protagonist happens to take down his opponents mostly by standing still and just defending himself when they lash out at him. This seems like an obvious thing in a revenge drama, but the number of times I've seen the opposite, the protagonist swearing revenge and then just struggling with self preservation.... but no. Lin Shu has A Plan. He is going to be proactive and actually take his enemies down. Admittedly he will do this by revealing their past misdeeds but this isn't a case of "the misdeeds will just happen to pop up". This is a case of "I will actively unearth skeletons from where you threw them in a well in an abandoned manor".

TO SUM UP

Without going into the things that make Nirvana in Fire a great show in general (great acting, good pacing and plotting, good costuming, and so on and so forth) I think the main things that make it hit for me as a revenge story with identity porn are 1) letting the MC's past identity be that of a grown man who actually had a life (more connections to the past, but also more to lose and more danger in the present as a result), 2) the fact that the offense that the MC is avenging wasn't even like a personal thing to the offenders (bc! it's fucking infuriating!), 3) the fact that the drama is willing to face the root of the problem (the problem is both corruption at court and the fact that the highest arbiter is flawed, not just individual conspirators), 4) the supply of multiple good antagonists, and 5) LETTING THE MC ACTUALLY, ACTIVELY PURSUE REVENGE AND THAT'S THE MAIN PLOT AND WE AREN'T SPENDING MOST OF OUR SCREENTIME ON SIDEPLOTS AND ROMANCE OR MERE SELF PRESERVATION. These may not seem like large things but my friends, you would be surprised how many revenge dramas I've watched at this point that can't do them.

ok I'm done ranting. Feel like most of this is actually stating the obvious but I'm just in a mood and had to get it out. (...also possibly I've been let down by some revenge dramas lately but I won't get into it. it's okay. we can't all be Nirvana in Fire; only Nirvana in Fire can be Nirvana in Fire.)

#nirvana in fire #just some ramblings really

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darthpastry · 6 months

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please share your head canons about ness and vanessa being siblings

Mainly centered around Ness, but oh well.

Ness is actually Vanessa’s older brother, got disowned by William because he pretended to be a complete airhead and William fell for it. In reality, it was his plan to get disowned because investigating the MCI was a lot safer, albeit harder, when he wasn’t so close to William. Either that or he ran away.

If he ran away, he and Vanessa ended up meeting at the diner and ended up arguing about Ness running away, but eventually they both just pushed that whole thing to the side because they knew it would never get resolved and didn't want to be bitter. Vanessa is still bitter, of course, but she's mainly happy to be in contact with her brother again and glad he didn't have to live with William for as long.

He works as a waiter to make ends meet, but also has a tumblr blog full of conspiracies on the franchise. Both William and Vanessa know about the blog. William is enraged and has Vanessa keep tabs on the blog and the accounts engaging with it but has no idea who runs it.

Vanessa knows it’s her brother and occasionally had to pull Looney Tunes style stunts to keep William from finding that out. She’s tried to get Ness to stop, but he just went on a passionate ramble about “spreading the truth” and she gave up.

He also just lurks around Freddy's night; he memorized where all the cameras are when he was a kid, so he knows how to avoid them. Vanessa regularly comes to Freddy's, not just because she's supposed to keep an eye on the night guards, but also to drag Ness out of there and keep him from stealing a pizza oven or something. Of course, Vanessa never mentions this to Mike because who knows who know who he'll tell?

She comes to Sparky's at least once a week to give Ness a new spiel about how dangerous this whole thing is (because that's better than giving up like I originally said). One time she said everyone thought he was insane, making it pointless. He threw diet coke at her and immediately apologized before saying "but the sentiment behind it still stands."

At some point, despite being smug about still sneaking in, he starts bringing her dinner because "he's worried about his little sister" and in between night guards they'll sometimes sit and chat because Vanessa knows it's the one way to stop him from sneaking around. Ness knows that it's the one way he's guaranteed to stay inside.

He comes up with overcomplicated plans to get in and out of the pizzeria, staying safe while being able to look for clues. He swears he saw an animatronic move, but Vanessa gaslighted him until he became convinced the pizza ovens were the key to solving everything.

They do both care about each other but have a hard time communicating that due to William's a+ parenting and all. Vanessa mainly shows it by trying to steer Ness away from the pizzeria and Ness mainly shows it by making sure Vanessa has food since she often forgets to eat dinner. He'll either bring it to the pizzeria or leave it at the police supply station (the one where Vanessa treated Mike's injury).

It's generally a sandwich because, while he has mastered the art of sandwiches, Ness can't cook to save his life. He once almost burned down the house trying to boil water for pasta because he heard that putting oil in the water was a good idea, they still have no idea how that resulted in such a large fire. Also, sandwiches are simply easier for both of them.

He did end up traumatizing Vanessa at a fairly young age when he figured out that most of her toys belonged to dead children and she found his "evidence notebooks".

Ness also dropped out of drama club after deciding to investigate the MCI. Hardest decision he ever made, and he still has some regrets about it to this day. Fortunately, he still spreads theater kid energy in every way he can.

Someone sent in an ask with the blurriest photo ever and he had an absolute field day and ended up talking about "this random blog he came across" to every guest at the diner for weeks. Only reason he keeps his identity private is because that's why he wanted to get away from William in the first place and he does have some self-preservation instincts. Everyone thinks he’s a little crazy, but in an affectionate way. A lot of people see his blog as a joke, but still enjoy it.

He traumatizes anyone visiting the town of new to the diner at all by rambling about the pizzeria, but everyone who knows him is just like “oh, haha, classic Ness.”

I'll probably have more headcanons later, I'm actually working on a fic about this concept lol.

#fnaf #five nights at freddy's #fnaf movie #five nights at freddy's movie #fnaf movie spoilers #ness fnaf #ness the waiter #fnaf vanessa #vanessa shelly #vanessa afton #fnaf headcanons #headcanon #my headcanons #hcs #headcanons #ask #ask box

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a-student-out-of-time · 9 months

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Please share the ReBirth thoughts!

//Alright, if you insist!

//First off, I really like the cast. You can probably tell my favorite character is Marin, but I like Ayumu, Aruma, Maiko, Kego, and really everyone has their merits ^^

//I have to admit, though, that I take issue with a lot of aspects of the story itself. Not quite to the same extreme as SDRA2, as I don't think it completely derails its own plot, but there are still sticking points to me, some of them pretty heavy given the subject matter of the game:

(CW: Discussions about bullying, oppression and racism included)

I appreciate that they changed the reactions to Ayumu being a cross-dresser away from the grotesquely transphobic attitudes in the original Japanese version, but I'm not fond of the implication that Ayumu became an enby because of Emi's abuse. Even if it wasn't the intent, that's how it comes across.

Everything that happened with Maiko and Saiji is textbook fridging. It doesn't really do anything for the story beyond artificially setting up his death and lots of drama.

I don't like that they can talk to the dead. Kasumi having the ability to channel spirits is supposed to be unpleasant for there and that's why it doesn't happen often, but if they can just pull ghosts back to get information, that really undermines a lot of the deaths in a way the story never really recovers from. Chapter 1 literally ends with Maiko coming back, explaining the misunderstanding that got her killed, and hugging everybody. Come on.

The talent-switching machine Chapter 3 feels like it completely breaks the motivations of the villains just by existing.

The multi-kill for Seishi, very Murder on the Orient Express, where it turns out Marin is the one who accidentally killed him feels...I dunno, I think it's why I prefer DT's idea for the Blackened. Having the Blackened by the one who delivered the fatal blow feels far too easy to exploit for emotional manipulation.

Everything having to do with Narumi.

//Now, I have to say, I like that this game has two masterminds, one motivated by despair and the other by hope. It's pretty unique. My problem mostly has do with the motivation.

//See, Akira's motivation is purely self-centered, wanting revenge on Kego for the death of his grandmother, Sumiko Kamiya, the Former Ultimate Ghostwriter. A woman who became a despair during The Tragedy and, as a result, was swayed to that side himself.

//In contrast, Narumi is the daughter of Taizo Osone, the former Ultimate Chef, and is the middle child of a huge number of siblings. The two of them were very close, Taizo helped her hone her own talent, and he was an active member of the Rights For Ultimates (RFU) movement. This was a group that sought to promote equal rights against people who were blaming them for the Tragedy.

//And it was during one such RFU protest that a riot broke out and Taizo was gunned down by police. An event that broke Narumi's heart and drove her to seek revenge against the system that had caused all of this. That's how she wound up crossing paths with Akira.

//The problem here is that, in her quest to seek justice for her father, Narumi becomes another example of the "oppressed minority who goes too far" cliche. Instead of targeting the system that hurts people like her, she targets other Ultimates and puts them in a killing game, thinking that by causing another Tragedy, she and Akira can become the new heroes and getting people to love Ultimates like they did back in the day.

//Now, of course, Akira's actual goal is just to destroy society as revenge for Sumiko's death and to spread despair once again. But because he dies in Chapter 2, that ultimately means most of the blame falls onto Narumi's shoulders. And what happens to her by the end?

//She gets sentenced to life in prison, with Ayumu promising to finish what she started. This sounds nice and all, but coming at the end of the story, it feels more like an empty platitude. How will Ayumu dismantle this oppressive system? How will equal rights for Ultimates be earned? How will any of this get solved?

//No idea! That's just how the story ends!

//I don't like this kind of storytelling because it often perpetuates negative and dangerous stereotypes, and even if the villain is functionally right, their actions within the narrative are effectively meant to get us to dismiss those ideals for change in favor of the status quo.

//The fact that Narumi is dark-skinned really doesn't help.

//RWBY, the MCU, Shadowrun, even The Last Airbender suffered from this in the episode where they introduced Bloodbending. I know a lot of people like that episode, but I really don't care for it. It takes a victim of oppression by an imperialist society, held captive and dehumanized for years, and turns her into an unrepentant villain that tortures random civilians and revels in killing. And then when she's defeated, she's returned to that same oppressive system as if that's meant to be justice.

//The irony is that, had Akira stuck around, all of this would've been easily solved. Make HIM the guy who hijacked Narumi's good intentions, lied to her, tricked her and pushed her too far. She still has a hand in all this without making her out to be another example of this cliche, and instead of being sent to rot in prison, she tries to actually change things for the better.

//Hell, you can include Seishi in that as well. Rather than just a hitman sent to kill Ayumu, have him showcase how much he's suffered under this oppressive system and how much he wants to be free of it too. You can still have the talent-switching machine, maybe as a promise for anyone who kills, and Seishi says Ayumu can escape with him and both of them will be free of their respective talents they hate.

//Yes, I understand this is all just an outline of how the story would've gone and the final product might've been different, but the greater-scope villains here should be the ones orchestrating the system that hurts people, not people trying to take a stand against the system and change it or bring it down.

//I don't think Rebirth is bad at all, it just suffers from a lot of the flaws and misunderstandings that come with trying to write nuanced stories about prejudice. Making the oppressed just as bad as the oppressor is not deep or complex storytelling when it's designed to get us to see challenging the status quo as bad.

#mod talks #a student out of time #danganronpa rebirth

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harry-thompson · 4 months

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Age — 46 Originally from — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Community — new comer Previous job — bartender - owner of his own library coffee bar Community job— bartender / cook Living Arrangements — bungalow near the community center/clinic Family — parents & 2 older sisters (probably dead), Frank Austing (husband)

Bio :

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Harry had a typical childhood, brother of two older sisters. They were terrible but loving, teaching Harry to be patient while the kid quickly decided to make them laugh as often as possible. He agreed to do some drama with them, and if he liked it, it wasn't enough to turn it into a dream job. Those years were uneventful, the only challenge he faced was to do his coming out in front of his parents, his sisters helped him to do it, making their bond bigger than before. Not too good at school, he skipped this university step and quickly worked in the restaurant industry. He was 27 when he bought on credit what will become his library coffee bar, an idea he had since his majority. He wanted to be his own boss and worked in a place he liked. Without some struggles, the business worked pretty well, it felt good, it gave Harry confidence and some leadership skills with his employees. He met his husband to become at this place, seduce the customers they said... Oh well, he did, it worked, enough to turn it into a steady relationship. This man was Frank, who didn't make a good impression in front of Harry's family, too insolent, even if Harry found some charm in this bad boy attitude. 7 years ago, during Frank's humanitarian mission, he realized how much losing him was a no-no. Scared, but mostly in love, he proposed to little schnook.

The viral outbreak felt unreal, Harry wasn't convinced until Frank who was working at the hospital arrived in the middle of the day at the bar, erratic. Everything became too real too quickly. Death wasn't something Harry was ready to see. He knows it, without Frank, he would probably be dead during the first weeks of this zombie invasion like he likes to call it. He trusted his husband and agreed to stick to the plan. They ran together out of the city, trying hard to avoid as many people as possible. The first year on the roads was a chaotic mess, they joined and left many small groups. The trauma bag that Frank took to the hospital quickly became a factor of trouble, attracting too much attention. Harry learned how to survive the hard way, but he learned fast, refusing to be a burden to his better half.

One year ago, they finally found some stability, joining a mobile group of twelve people, it felt like already a lot. They were nice, trustworthy, and resourceful. They also had a donkey, something that gave Harry a headache, unable to understand how this animal was still alive. It was from them he first heard about this "community", rumors but nothing else. They were walking, hoping to one day maybe find it. It didn't happen, instead of that, another group found them first, the Daybreakers. Blood and chaos arrived all of a sudden. In this run-or-fly situation, they fled, the miraculous donkey with them. Finding Redwood was from pure luck, was that the same community the guys were speaking of? He couldn't tell, but at least here, they had walls and seemed open to the conversation.

Headcanons:

He's a fan of Lego, back in the day he had those expensive Star Wars models.

Today, he only has a miniature one in his bag, Frank offered it for their wedding anniversary.

He also was a twitch streamer, under the nickname of "Sydd", playing video games and building Lego on live. (3.646 followers)

He hates this freaking red trauma bag. Too much trouble because of it. Okay it's useful, but Jesus why red?! He always checked if the dark sheet he put on it was covering everything, almost paranoid about it.

He swears a lot.

If you ask him, Frank is a moron, but it's his moron.

Cigarette over ibuprofen always.

He killed 3 living people since 2039, always in self-defense or protecting Frank.

Irish genes

#bio

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dailyaudiobible · 1 year

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01/23/2023 DAB Transcript

Genesis 46:1-47:31, Matthew 15:1-28, Psalms 19:1-14, Proverbs 4:14-19

Today is the 23rd day of January welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is great to be here with you today as we gather and take the next step forward together. And our…our steps lately have been centered, at least in the book of Genesis on the story of Joseph. So, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, whose name became Israel and now his son Joseph. And we don't need to review everything. He got trafficked into Egypt. He was sold into slavery. He eventually became the second in command of all of Egypt. Eventually his brothers who had trafficked him are before him bowing down to him. They need to buy grain and there's been some back-and-forth there, a lot of drama, a lot of family drama, a lot of back story. Finally, Joseph in yesterday's reading revealed himself to his brothers and the word has traveled and now Jacob, Joseph's father who believed that Joseph had been dead for a very long time now has found out that his son is alive and he wants to go see him before he dies. And that's where we pick up the story. Genesis chapters 46 and 47 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, a very dramatic reunion between Jacob and his lost son Joseph occurs today. The family arrives in Egypt. They go before Pharaoh. They are assigned a place to live, a good land, the land of Goshen, good for livestock. And, so, they are…you know…because the shepherds and stuff are like beneath the dignity of the Egyptians, they are in a land that they have to themselves - a beautiful spacious land that is their salvation. It is keeping them alive. The whole family of Jacob. So, Jacob's name was changed to Israel, right? So, all of his family, all of the children of Israel, and grandchildren. The entire household has migrated to Egypt. Jacob is about to die. And, so, he makes Joseph promise not to bury him in Egypt to take him back to his ancestral burial plot in the land of promise. Like, he is instilling in his son, this isn't our home. We were promised a land. This isn't our home. Bury me back in the land of promise. But this is how the children of Israel got to Egypt. And it shouldn’t probably be too much of a spoiler alert. They’re going to stay in Egypt, like for centuries now. Like for 400 years they’re going to stay in Egypt and we will get to know that story as we continue the story. But we are coming to the end of the book of Genesis. I believe we finished Genesis, the day after tomorrow. And, so, the story of Joseph and the formation of the family of Israel, the children of Israel and their migration, how they ended up in Egypt in the first place, this is the part of the story that we’re in. This is the part of the story that we’re learning about. And what a beautiful story. So much for us in Joseph. So much injustice in the story of Joseph. So much to be bitter about. So much to be depressed about. So much to be in anguish and hopelessness about. And yet somehow, he continues to navigate forward believing that this…this wasn't the end of his story. And we see that the story has turned out well and that Joseph's perspective on his own story is that although evil was intended for him God intended it for good, and it had a greater purposes beyond just Joseph. He was sent to save lives, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of lives, including the children of Israel, his own family. And we are beginning to bring that chapter to a close here in the next couple of days.

Then we get into the book of Matthew today and Jesus teaches something really really important. It's not like He's not teaching this in every way that He teaches. But there's a confrontation that happens. The Pharisees, the legal experts come to Jesus and go like, why are your disciples breaking the traditions that the elders have handed down to us? Jesus kinda flips that around and says, why are you breaking God's commands by keeping traditions that are handed down to you from the elders? Like, you're going after my disciples for things that you do all the time. And He gives an example about honoring your father and your mother, and that a tradition had come down and a ruling had been dealt that, yes you have to honor your father, mother, but if you're going to honor your father and mother by taking care of them in their old age and you had been…you know…you had some money for that, resources for that and you decided you’re gonna not take care of your mom and dad, you're just gonna…you’re gonna give that money to God. Well, then you don't have to honor your father and your mother with that…with that money because they…I guess…I guess they're on their own. And Jesus is just calling the hypocrisy out of that as He leads to what He's trying to point out, what He points out often, that our lives are lived from within and when we only focus on the exterior of our lives, we are missing the central component of what makes us us. And if our interior lives and our exterior lives are incongruent then there is hypocrisy present. But even beyond just like, it's wrong to be hypocritical we are divided. We are presenting a false reality externally that is different than what is actually true inside of us. This is not how we were made. We were made to be true inside and outside. And, so, we live our exterior lives with levels of deception. And if we look back just a few weeks, we’re just getting into the year, we remember in the garden of Eden that it was a deception that eventually caused a fall. And, so, living into this deception where there’s an exterior life and an interior life Jesus is trying to unify, to bring back together, to put back together what got broken. And, so, Jesus teaches. Everything that goes into the mouth enters the stomach and then goes out into the sewer but what goes out of the mouth comes from the heart. And that is what contaminates a person in God's sight because that is coming from the heart, that is coming from the interior life. And he’s using these Pharisees and teachers of the law, experts in the law as the backdrop for this teaching essentially saying they look good. And this isn't the only time Jesus says this kind of stuff. We’ll see this repeatedly. You look good on the outside but on the inside you’re like…you’re like a whitewashed tomb. That's an example that Jesus uses elsewhere. You look pretty on the outside but on the inside you’re just a corpse, a rotting dead corpse. And this helps us kind of understand that like our bodies have systems, right? So, like what you eat gets processed by these systems and what does not get used leaves the body one way or the other. And whatever leaves the body one way, or the other is what was processed by what we put into our bodies. This is how the body works. If we understand that our interior lives have these kinds of systems, what we’re going to put into us is going to get processed and then exit. And in Jesus example here the exit is the mouth. So, are we just pooping things out of our mouth constantly? Is that what our language is like? Is that what's coming out of us? Is that because that's what we put into us and that's what got processed inside of us? And, so, that is informing who we are and making us very duplicitous. Understanding that what we put in is what comes out is not something that should be so foreign concept to us. It's something we've been learning since we were born. Maybe if we begin to apply this in spiritual terms in our interior lives it could be a lightbulb moment for us. It could turn the lights on and go O okay. Well, I am I am consuming things that do nothing but make me anxious and make me full of anxiety and so that is coming out of my mouth because that is what is going on inside of me. Maybe my diet needs to change. We certainly understand this concept externally. We understand that if you only eat Twinkies, you’ll get sick eventually and only Twinkies whatever is left over is what's gonna come out. But a well-balanced diet that gives us energy and that our bodies know what to do with provide us what we need for health. Why would that be any different than what's going on inside of us? And, so, something to think about today.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, we invite you to lead us in how to think about that and kind of examine what we’re consuming. And not just consuming as entertainment, but just the way that we are framing everything in our story, the way that we are looking at everything. We surrender these things to you asking you to lead and guide us into what we should be putting within us, and what will yield fruit for your kingdom. Come Holy Spirit into this we ask as we think about it today as we watch ourselves today. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, that's home base and that is where you find out what's…what’s happening around here. And, so, check that out. The Daily Audio Bible app does that as well in the palm of your hand and that can be found wherever the app store is that's connected to your device. So, just search for Daily Audio Bible and you'll find that. Check that out.

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And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello beautiful Daily Audio Bible family this is Asia from the city of angels. I haven't called in for a while and I have been meaning to call in and just let you all know how edifying it is to hear all of your prayers your praise reports and your general encouragement on this line. Thank you again to the Hardin family for this most anointed ministry that we are all being blessed with. I did want to call in today and give some encouragement to the teen who called in on January 18th talking about faith and really encouraging those other teens out there to not be ashamed of their faith. And I would step that one step further to say not be ashamed of the gospel and while you are being saved and that young people to have this type of encouragement and knowledge at such a young age, it's…it's nothing less than beautiful. So, thank you for calling in. And I am praying for you as well as the rest of the teens out there. I also want to give some encouragement to Lisa who called in from the West Coast, Philippians 4:6. You let us know that you do have stage four stomach cancer and you need prayer, that the hospital that you're in will that you stay there for the rest of these next, I guess, about almost five days or so before your caregivers are available. And you sounded still so hopeful and…and encouraging. And I just wanted to pray for you as well as Speaking from the Desert who called in asking for prayers for people who have cancer. And I just want to do that. So, heavenly Father we lift up our beautiful brethren to You that are suffering from diseases like cancer, and we just lift them up to You. May You have Your perfect will for them Lord God and may they soften in the presence of Your grace.

Hello DAB family this is God's Tree. Not many branches but I'm rooted by the word of God. And I've really got to be rooted today. I just got my heart broken by my husband and right now I don't know what to do with it. But I found out that he was doing some things behind my back. But it is what it is. It’s what marriage is. Been married 29 years so things are bound to go wrong sometimes. But I asked God to fix our marriage and I kept praying and kept praying and then this happened. And now I'm wondering if this is the reason why God never tried to renew our relationship, was because He saw this going on. But anyway, I'm not gonna stop trusting God. I'm not gonna be angry with God. I trust and believe He knows what's best for me and He sees what the end is going to be. He's going to carry me through it. I just ask for my DAB family to pray for me and help me to get through the situation in my life and keep trusting God and believing, not reacting, but holding my peace and let God work it out. And I ask God to hold my heart together is what I need because it's really broken right now. I thank you for your prayers. And as you continue to pray for one another we're going to get through this y'all because God got us. God bless you.

Hi DABbers, it's Angie from Winchester VA. I just heard Laurie from South Carolina share her experience about God filling her tank and the kindness of the worker at the gas station and it brought to mind 13 years ago God calling me out of a 35 year career and into the field of nursing. I was fighting Him. I could not see away where financially I could do this. I could not take two years off of work to go to nursing school. And I kept fighting Him and He said trust me, I can do this. So, I kept hiding it. And low and behold I got laid off from my job and instead of being devastated I said you know what, God is trying to show me something here. And I ended up getting a severance package of 18 months and it was just enough money to pay for my tuition and pay for my bills while I was a nursing school for two years. How that happened I do not know but He provided for me so beautifully. So, I'm telling you anytime that God is calling you into something don't hesitate. He will provide for you. He will bring people into your lives. He will work situations to where the situation where He is calling you into will be provided for you. So, He's making beauty out of ashes and I am doing things in my career now that I never imagined possible and I am helping people in a way that I never ever ever ever believed I would. You guys have a great day and I love you guys and God bless.

Hi this is Donna from California and today is January 18th and I'd like to lift up Lisa from the West Coast in prayer today. She called in and is…has been diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer, stage four, and she is asking if she can just be allowed to stay in the hospital until Thursday which I think would be tomorrow. Hopefully that's been granted until her caregivers can…can get to her and take her home with them. We thank you that you have provided people who can help her. And let's pray for Lisa. O Father, Your daughter Lisa needs You and we thank You for her. We thank You for her mighty faith. Her faith just so deeply touched me that she still sees God and all of this. She also goes by Philippians 4:6 which is just be beautiful. Be anxious for nothing. We ask that You ease any anxiety about procedures. We ask that You take away pain and we ask that You keep her focused on You through all of this. Keep her eyes on You and gather people around. May people see You in her, people who are caring for her. If they don't know You may they see You Lord. I pray that a miracle can be done for Lisa and that she…she can be healed. But You have this in Your hands, and we know that You are good and mighty God and that whatever plans You have for Lisa will be good ones. Thank You, Lord. Amen. And we love you, Lisa. We love you.

This is from Junk to Treasurer, and I have a special prayer request. My great uncle had married his second wife who is the great grandmother of three young girls all under 18. They were coming home after school and were involved in a car wreck. They pulled out from what the reports say in front of a truck that was going down the state road. One of the girls is suffering with a brain bleed. One of the girls had had to have jaw surgery and had several of her teeth knocked out. And one of the other sisters was treated and released. And their grandmother is raising them. And she works as a bus driver and the two girls that are hospitalized are in two different hospitals in different parts of the state which are in opposite directions of each other. So, I ask you to also pray for traveling mercies for the grandmother who I am undoubtedly sure will want to travel to see both of the girls as often as she can. So, I just ask you once again to lift these girls up. Their names are Lacey Lila and Lexus and the grandmother's name is Jill. Thank you so much for your…

Hello dad family this is Diana from Florida and I want to pray for Lisa from the West Coast who also goes by Philippians 4:16 I believe on the Prayer Wall. She has stage four cancer. O, Lisa, you got me, you got me mourning with you and in the trenches with you because I could hear the noise of the hospital equipment in the background as you spoke and I was just like, God help this young lady. So, let's pray. Dear Jesus, I pray for Lisa. Lord look at her prayers. She is praying O Lord God that You would extend her stay at the hospital to align with the arrival of her caregivers so that she won't have to struggle at home by herself with the inability to do her basic tasks. Lord God, I pray that You would supply this need O Lord, that You would extend her stay, that You would provide for the hospital bills, that You would use Lisa as a light in that place oh Lord to preach the gospel Father God. And if it is Your will to heal her body of this infirmity, I pray that You would do so in Jesus’ name. Father, I pray that You would continue to foster in her that strong faith that she is carrying and that she would continue to give her boldness for You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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myordinaryinternational · 2 years

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Reminiscing about my NEET past.

For the most of my life, maybe without realizing it, I’ve been a very extroverted person, even if I spent pretty much all of my social life online.

(alot of the screenshots in this post are taken out of order, like a highlight reel more than anything, and they are VERY fucking cringe.) Going as far back as I can remember, I have always managed to surround myself with a decently sized group of people. When I was 13, I was Dio on the Degree-Gaming Jailbreak servers on Team Fortress 2, I had my own minigame I made up, “Dio’s Diner” where people would pretend to make a dish, I would rate it, and give them a gladiatorial thumb. I had no clue why people liked to play it. But even still, I became a regular and people started to miss me when I didn’t log on. This got to the point I started rubbing elbows with the staff team, and I nearly got a position, but I turned it down for the sake of simplicity.

Of course there was a girl. There’s always a girl, and a bro. Like some kind of formula that has to be filled, there’s a romance and a bromance. In this case, the girl was another regular by the name of “Lapis” and the bro also a regular, who went by “CringeSimulator” Sorta weird names, but who doesn’t choose a weird one when they’re 13.

Lapis was the first girl I ever met who I kinda liked. But the nature of our relationship never went further than flirting. Neither of us felt qualified to enter a relationship. And so we didn’t. That being said we kept a habit of looking out for eachother when drama crept around the server.

Cringe, he was a friggin lunatic, but looking back on our DMs, I wish I appreciated him more. He was a fun guy, but he was really deadset on becoming an opiate addicted femboy. While I was more set on living to see a day I would leave my room on a regular basis.

This is a screenshot from when I found him in a trap thread on /b/, we were both 13 at the time, and he did post pictures of himself. Godspeed you magnificent dumbfuck.

When I was 14, I was Akio, or VCLeijon in the Smolmuffin’s Oven Discord server. It was here that I went through phases where different people filled the different parts of what I considered the formula.

There’s nothing I could compare to the experience of being in a small community discord. nights of staying awake just to see who could put together the stupidest sentence, playing roblox, ironically or unironically. whispering in eachother’s DMs about who we all liked, or who was in the center of drama.

I liked a lot of people there, Maylin was the first, I guess. She was a complete idiot, but the kind of idiot you couldn’t help but pity enough to keep around. She had an incredible nymphomaniac aura that she spent on calls with every guy in our little server. Myself included. It is because of this reason there exists a picture of my erection held next to an empty can of monster for a size comparison. hormones, am i right?

Maylin fell out of standing with a lot of people in our community though, she was so dumb at times that she ended up hurting people, one poor dependent soul named Rafe ended up in the hospital when he realized that his girlfriend, Maylin, was the furthest thing from loyal.

That or he was already in the hospital. My memory is hazy and the logs for this stuff are on dead accounts.

After Maylin, Floof was next, He was trans and pre-op/meds, but he had an “UwU” voice that did something to my head. At first he said he was a 15 year old voice actor, and kept his voice high for practice, but he was also a bad liar.

After he came clean, because I was 14, and he was 13, the slightest inclination of attraction was enough to make us both dive headfirst into a relationship. The only obstacle to that was, his boyfriends. They wanted a polygamous relationship, but I didn’t fly with that.

again, hormones, am i right..? After Floof, I spent some time just relaxing with my buds until my pal Matt introduced a school friend into our server. At first she was disgusted by my really, really edgy ways. But after that she soon found something charming about me, and we ended up talking every night. Many nights I’d fall asleep to her whispering lewd things into my earphones. It was too easy for me to forget that I was 14, and she was 18. Grooming? Pedophilia? Maybe. Fun? Definetely.

She started some drama with the others in our groupchat, and we sorta fell out of contact. Soon after, I drifted from that friend group as well. I looked her up recently, and she’s fell off quite a bit, now a she/they/fae, she/they/fae is a streamer, with not too much success. After I drifted away from that group, I was sorta alone. When I was 15, I was Akio, on After The Flash: Sandstorm. After The Flash was a post-apocalyptic roleplay game. You make a character, you put yourself on the map, and you pretend to be someone with more interesting flaws than the ones you have in real life. Akio’s flaws were that he had a need to fend off sobriety at all costs. Constantly drinking and smoking whenever he felt sad, coupled with an intense fear of being alone. Leading to him spending his every last cent on rum and coke’s at Cara’s Korean BBQ in the center of craterview. Cara’s real name was Jasmin, a really short girl from the gold coast.. She was 14 when we met, and.. well, the reasons I only have a few screenshots for everyone else is that nothing else I said to them or vice versa was that interesting, however with Cara.. Nothing else we said to eachother was appropriate.

From mutually consented light blackmail to, *very* detailed paragraphs on what we wanted eachother to do, or to do to eachother.. we spent almost every night of the month texting eachother.

After our roleplay group broke up, we both had school to start, so we eventually fell out of contact. Even with the few more times I texted her, the same spark didn’t come back.

Next post will be about the actual communities, and more of the bros.

#tf2 #teamfortress2 #discord #drama #vent #personal

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barbarasecretfiles · 3 years

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VINCENZO(2021)

VINCENZO Song Joong Ki as Vincenzo Cassano / Consigliere/ Corn Salad Jeon Yeo Been as Hong Cha Young Ok Taecyeon as Jang Jun woo / Jang Hanseok Kwak Dong-Yeon as Jang Hanseo Kim Yeo Jin as Choi Myung Hee Jo Han Chul as Han Seung Hyuk Im Chulsoo as Ahn Gi Seok Yoon Byung Hee as Nam Joo-sung Choi Young Joon as Cho Young woon Kim Yoon Hye as Seo Mi ri Yang Kyung Won as Lee Chul wook Jae Myeong Yoo as Hong Yoo Chan Seo Ye Hwa as Jang Yeon Jin Yeon Bok In as Oh Gyeong Ja Choi Deok Moon as Tak Hong Shik Hang Na Lee as Kwak Hee Soo Hyung Mook Kim as Toto

Vincenzo officially ends last May 2, 2021. To be honest, I find it difficult to put in words what I felt while watching this series. It was too much but it was also too good. I was amazed on how they write the story as the beginning parallels the end. If you look deep in the story, you'll find some cultural references that have made the story deeper than it actually looks. At first, some are disappointed because when Vincenzo went to Korea, the show was full of comedies rather than actions. But I think some of the comedy parts are made to hide the dark meaning behind it. I want to commend whoever did the casting. The whole Geumga family and Babel Group casts was amazing. The director and writer maximized the use of all characters. No one was left behind. And even though it was Vincenzo-centered, hence the title, the other leads did well, too. Jeon Yeo Been and Ok Taecyeon steals the spotlight. Definitely a gamechanger. Jeon Yeo Been's character was constant throughout the whole series. Unlike any other strong female characters who became weak when they fell in love and eventually became reliant to their male partner, Hong Cha Young remains independent and fierce. Hong Cha Young is what the patriarchal society hates. She's loud, outspoken, strong, and consistent. She have shown her weakness and frustrations, making her character real. But it doesn't stop her on achieving her goals. Even if she's in danger, she's brave and can stand on her own. Jeon Yeo Been portrays her very well. As for Taecyeon, he did great, too. Jang Jun Woo is such a cutie and I'll miss his curly hair. But Jang Han Seok brought something different. His character was stressful and I was amazed on how Taecyeon portrays him. Taecyeon can differentiate Jun Woo to Hanseok. Actually, Taecyeon broke the stereotype of idols who can't act. Taecyeon CAN and he was amazing. This character is very different on what he usually plays. Hope he will have another project with Yeo Been because their chemistry was great. I just don't ship them together because he was a villain. When Hanseok said he loves Chayoung, it felt dry. They actually hinted that Hanseok loves Chayoung at first few episodes(when he got angry to Hanseo because he tried to harm Chayoung) but they removed it in the later episodes. I thought that they finally dismissed that idea because it will contradict on Hanseok's heartless character. Furthermore, if you are someone who wants to watch or expecting a lovestory, this might frustrates you. Because the love of the two leads was slow but this power couple won't disappoint you. I also want to praised the other villains in the story. Its great to see that they can keep up with Vincenzo. AND GEUMGA FAMILY THE BEST!!!!!

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT Some says that the ending was brutal. But for me, they executed it just right. Remember, Vincenzo is a mafia. The villains can bend the law and kills whoever is in their way. No justice system can punish them for what they did. And can we talk about how they die? Attorney Han was stabbed because he was a backstabber. Myunghee died in fire while a Zumba song was playing. If you remember, she was dancing while Lawyer Hong Yoo Chan was announced dead in the television. And Hanseok? He died with no one knows where he is, the thing he was most afraid of. Plus, that spear of atonement, it pierced his heart eventhough he didn't have one. In the end, his flesh was eaten by a vulture. I am confused if that part was intentionally did by Vincenzo, hence, the he have the book on how to befriend or not. To be honest, these villains was actually a coward when they don't have a gun with them. Or when you remove their power. They are no match with Vincenzo who calculates everything and 100 steps ahead. The dumbest thing they did was to kill Vincenzo's mom. They just removed his weakness and provoke him. They deserved their death. The death of Hanseo was the most undeserved of all deaths that have happened (eventhough it was already foreseen). He deserved better. His character development must be commended. Although, I don't think Hanseok plan to kill him. He was just provoked on what Hanseo said (not deserved to be born) because it is what his father is always implying into him. And to Chayoung, too. I don't think he plan to kill Chayoung. The bullet was actually for Vincenzo. Lastly, Vincenzo did also received a punishment for all he did. It was difficult for him to go back to Korea, where his love one was. It was actually a torture for him because his love interest was away from him. Love how in the end, the writer and director didn't sugarcoat his character. He was still evil. An antihero. And I love him for that.

LASTLY, I want to thank all the fans and viewers of Vincenzo. All of you who made the theories left and right. When the 2 weeks drought came, a lot of you filled the gap. It was such nice to see a very great fandom! Will miss this weekend drama with all of you!!!

I'll give this drama a 1 million over ten!!! Recommended!!!!

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fridayfirefly · 3 years

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The Power of Luck [Chapter One]

Read The Power of Luck on AO3

Masterlist [All Works]

Masterlist [The Power of Luck Series]

Written for Maribat March Day 6 - Miraculous Side Effects

The Ladybug Miraculous had quite a few side effects. Marinette was able to think quick on her feet, she was a skilled tactician in battle, and her reaction time was half that of a normal human. Most notably, the Ladybug Miraculous granted its user the force known as Miraculous Luck, which, depending on the situation, was sometimes more of a curse than a blessing. Marinette didn't get to choose how that good luck manifested. For instance, when she needed an extra day to finish a history project, her school closed down due to a gas leak. Or when she wished for a fresh start after the defeat of Hawkmoth, her parents were offered a deal to grow their bakery business in America.

Marinette assured her parents that she didn't mind moving. After all, most of her class had already moved on. Lila had been deported to Italy, narrowly avoiding jail time. Chloé (much to her dismay) was sent by her father to an all-girls boarding school in England. Adrien was taken in by his Aunt Amelie (as Gabriel was in jail and Emilie was declared brain-dead) and moved to England as well.

No one else from Marinette's class left the country, but many of them moved out of Paris. Nathanial was accepted to an elite art school in Marseille. Max was accepted to a gifted program at an elite school in Bordeaux. Officer Raincomprix was transferred to Toulouse and took Sabrina with him. Juleka and Luka both started homeschooling after their mother sailed the houseboat down the Seine to the city of Rouen.

Worst of all was the loss of Alya. Her parents were horrified that the son of Hawkmoth was in the same class as their daughter, and promptly pulled Alya out of class and decided to move out of the city. Alya begged them for weeks but nothing came of her protests. In the end, Alya left too.

The Miraculous Luck could do a lot of things, but it couldn't keep her friends together. Those who remained at François Dupont filled holes in other classes. Marinette tried to make the best of her new class, but she felt no real connection to them. When her parents proposed the move, Marinette jumped on the opportunity. In Gotham, she wouldn't be haunted by the ghost of her old life.

Marinette cut her hair, leaving it choppy and just above the shoulders. She donated all of her brightly colored clothes to the thrift store down the street and created a new wardrobe for herself. It was toned down and mature, much more fitting for Gotham.

Marinette left Paris a much different girl than the naive fourteen-year-old who thought she could save the world. She was ready for a city like Gotham, a city that didn't make any promises, a city where Marinette could set down some new roots.

-----

At first, it was easy to fly under the radar at Gotham Academy. It was a school filled with the self-absorbed children of millionaires and billionaires, after all. Marinette was there on scholarship - her good grades, leadership experience, and working-class parents combined to cut her tuition down by 75%. Marinette quickly learned that scholarship students were at best ignored, and at worst mercilessly bullied. So Marinette kept her head down and vowed that she would get through the year unscathed.

There was one variable, however, that the Miraculous Luck wasn't able to account for. Marinette's entire plan fell apart thanks to one boy: Damian Wayne.

Marinette became acquainted with Damian Wayne through the school's rumor mill. She learned that he was one of the most wealthy and most attractive people in the school, but he was thought himself too good to spend time with any of his fellow classmates (Marinette couldn't fault him on the last bit; she also found the students at Gotham Academy to be difficult, to say the least). Marinette also learned through the school's rumor mill that Damian spent quite a lot of time staring at her. Given that Damian had never paid the slightest amount of attention to a Gotham Academy girl before, this was a big deal. Suddenly Marinette was the farthest thing from under the radar. Everyone who used to look down on her wanted to be her friend. It was exhausting.

Marinette resolved to ignore Damian Wayne - an easy task, given that she still didn't even know what he looked like. Now that everyone was staring at her, it was hard to

"Why?" grumbled Marinette. "Why couldn't my so-called Miraculous Luck help me get through one normal year of school?"

Tikki shrugged from her spot inside of Marinette's backpack. "Maybe all of this attention will turn out to be a good thing?"

"I doubt that." Marinette glanced around, checking that no one had spotted her talking to her backpack. There was one spot in the cafeteria that was hidden from view, a window-sill nestled behind a pillar, bordered by a wall on one side and an out of order vending machine on the other. Marinette sat on the window-sill every day to eat lunch, with Tikki as her companion for the meal.

"I think your problem is that you're overthinking this. Miraculous Luck always works out in the end, even if there are some obstacles in the middle."

"I just want this horrible school year to be over," sighed Marinette, setting her head down in her arms.

"Don't give up yet, Marinette. I have high hopes for this school year," said Tikki.

Marinette had some serious doubts but picked her head up anyway. Maybe this year wouldn't turn out the way she expected. Marinette defeated Hawkmoth, the greatest villain Paris ever faced. She could survive a year of high school.

-----

Marinette was going to survive her senior year of high school. Damian Wayne on the other hand... Marinette still wasn't sure if she was going to let him survive the year, after everything he put her through.

"Excuse me?" a sickeningly sweet voice piped up from behind Marinette.

Marinette put on her best disinterested-face, took out one headphone, and turned around. "Yes?"

There were three girls standing behind her: a blonde, flanked on both sides by a brunette and a red-head. The blonde girl had a smile on her face but a devious look in her eyes. Marinette had long ago learned to spot manipulators, and this girl had it written all over her. "Are you Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"

"Yes."

"My name is Julie Cooper. I was just wondering... Are you dating Damian Wayne?"

Marinette huffed in exasperation. "What do you think?"

Julie's eyes narrowed. "I just wanted to warn you. I mean, did you really think that Damian Wayne would seriously date a girl here on scholarship? You should break up with him before you get hurt."

"It was a rhetorical question. I'm not dating Damian Wayne. It's just a rumor."

Julie instantly perked up. "Oh, good! I was beginning to think that Damian had lost his mind. I mean, I'm sure you would be a nine or a ten at a public school, but at Gotham Academy, you're like a seven, maybe an eight on a good day. Most of the girls who go here are actually hot, not just," the girl waved her hand towards Marinette. "Above average."

Marinette wasn't sure if Julie meant for her to feel flattered or offended, but her words had the strange effect of making Marinette feel both all at once. "Um, thanks? I'm going to go now."

Julie's brunette friend suddenly paled as the girl started to tug on Julie's sleeve. "Um, Julie?" she whispered.

"What, Nora?" Julie's eyes widened as they fixed on something behind Marinette.

Marinette turned around to see what the cause of their concern was. Or rather, to see who the cause of their concern was. It was a boy, tall and scowling. "Are you done here, Cooper?"

Julia nodded, a nervous edge to her voice, "Bye, Marinette." She and her two friends hurried off, exchanging frantic whispers.

"What do you want?" asked Marinette with a sigh. She was tired of dealing with boys who were only interested in her because Damian Wayne was interested in her.

"I wished to apologize."

"For Julie? Did you put her up to this?"

The boy looked confused. "No, of course not. I meant that I wanted to apologize for everything, not just Julie Cooper."

"For everything?" The truth suddenly dawned on Marinette. "You're Damian Wayne! I didn't think that you would be so tall."

"You didn't know what I looked like?" There was real shock in his voice.

"Well, by the time I learned that you had been staring at me everyone was staring at me, so that wasn't much help in figuring out who you were."

"You could have googled me."

Marinette shrugged. "I could have, but it felt weird to google one of my classmates. I pretty much just resigned myself to never figuring out who you were."

"I should have approached you sooner. I've wanted to apologize for a while, but every time I've caught you alone you've looked like you wanted to be left that way."

"I'm not a fan of most of the students here."

"The students here can be..." Damian searched for the appropriate word. "Tiresome. I resigned myself to a dull four years of high school in their company. That is, until I saw you."

Marinette cocked her head. "Why me, though? I'm nothing special."

"You're different than everyone else here."

Marinette stiffened. "I know. I've been told. I'm here on a scholarship which means I don't belong," she snapped

Damian shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant. You move through life differently than all of the other students here. You don't care about the gossip or drama - at least, not until you were right at the center of it all. You've seen the real world, so you float above the high school drama. You're just so... so..."

"So what?" Marinette's tone softened.

Damian ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it. The addition of the messy hair added a certain charm to his otherwise polished exterior. "I've been brainstorming for the right word for weeks. The best I can come up with is pure. You don't let yourself become affected by anything in this school."

It was a very flattering description of her. It was also very on the nose. "I'll forgive you, Damian Wayne, but only on one condition."

"What?"

"I want to get to know you, and I have a feeling that you feel the same way."

Damian nodded. "It's a deal."

Maybe her Miraculous Luck wasn't so useless after all. Marinette had expected to go the whole year without making a single friend. Now, it seemed that she might make one after all.

@maribatmarch-2k21

#maribat #daminette #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Damian Wayne #MaribatMarch2021 #maridami #marinette x damian #miraculous ladybug fic #my work

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just-dreaming-marvel · 3 years

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Love and Medicine ~ 12

MASTERLIST

< previous chapter

Word Count: 2,815ish

Summary: You are still trying to cope with the fact that Steve’s married. (Read note at the end of the chapter.)

I do not own Grey’s Anatomy or Marvel.

You and Natasha eventually found your way back to your house and into your bedroom’s adjoining bathroom. Natasha was in the bathtub as you laid on the floor.

“It's not us. It's them,” you said. “Them and their stupid boy penises. They didn't tell me they had a wife. They gave absolutely no warning that they were going to break up with you.”

“It's not that Banner broke up with me,” Natasha began. “It's how he broke up with me. Like it was business. Like it was a business transition like he's the boss of me!”

“He is the boss of you.”

“And what's worse is that I care.”

"I'm gonna throw up again.” You moved so that you were leaned over the toilet bowl. "No. Wait. False alarm.”

“Look, the problem is estrogen.”

“No, the problem is tequila.”

“I used to be all business, and then he goes and gets me pregnant.”

“With the stupid boy penis.”

“Now, I'm having hormone surges. He ruined me. I'm ruined. He turned me into this fat, stupid, pregnant girl. Who cares! Estrogen!”

Having heard the commotion from your bathroom, Val, Scott, and Clint found themselves standing in the doorway.

“Penises,” you stated. “Penises Val.”

“Estrogen, Scott. Estrogen,” Nat added.

“Okay…” Scott said, looking around. “What did I miss?”

“I came home to full on vomit drama,” Val explained. “Apparently she dumped Derek and her—“ Val pointed Nat’s way. “She’s been sleeping with Banner!”

“What?”

“So you really broke up with Rogers?” Clint asked.

“I feel empty,” you responded.

“Two hours of vomiting will do that to you,” Val said with a shrug.

“You’re lucky,” Nat added. “I feel pissed off.”

~~~

Arriving in the parking garage, you could clearly see Steve waiting for you. Getting out of your car, you slammed the door as he came closer.

“Stop,” you growled at him.

“What?” Steve questioned, pretending to be all innocent.

“You're stalking me. Stop it.” You continued into the building with Steve following you.

“Did we not communicate last night?”

“Yes.”

“Did you hear what I was saying?”

“Your wife screwed your best friend.”

“And then from that point on she no longer existed to me anymore.”

“You had marital amnesia?”

“No.” Steve reached out and grabbed your arm, successfully stopping you. “Come on I bared my soul to you last night.”

“It's not enough.”

“How can that be not enough?”

“When you waited 2 months to tell me and I had to find out by her showing up, all leggy and fabulous and telling me herself, you pulled the plug. I'm a sink with an open drain. Anything that you say runs right out. There is no enough.” You pulled away hurrying inside with your friends after you.

“She probably could've picked a better metaphor,” Clint commented.

“Give her a break,” Scott said. “She’s got a hangover.”

With a huff, Steve followed. Tony, who was also coming in, quickly caught up to him.

“Dr. Rogers!” He called.

“Dr. Stark,” Steve replied.

“We have an organ donor coming in this afternoon. We're doing a harvest.”

“Commendable, but—“

“In OR one at four.”

“I’m in OR one at four.”

“Your surgery is non-critical.”

“You can’t bump me!”

“As Chief, I can. You’ll be first up tomorrow.”

“Interim Chief. Bump somebody else!”

“You’re in the OR we need.”

“Why can’t the harvest be done somewhere else?”

“Cause the donor’s coming in from a small facility. We have the location, the airport nearby and the staff. Your surgery is rescheduled.” Then Tony turned, heading away.

“I’m not done talking about this, Stark!”

“Well, I am! See ya around Rogers!”

~~~

Rounds weren’t too bad, especially because you successfully ignored both Peggy and Steve. It even became slightly better when Gamora called you in for a bowel obstruction. Except the guy wouldn’t tell you what he ingested.

“You know, Mr. Sanders, it would be easier if you just told us what you ingested,” you pried, taking him to radiology. “We’ll know anyone, once we see the films.”

“You’re beautiful, you know that?” Mr. Sanders responded.

“Mr. Sanders, whatever you’ve ingested could kill you. Are you sure you don’t just want to tell me?”

“It might offend you.”

“It might? Is it drugs?”

“No.”

“Mr. Sanders.”

“It’s not drugs, I promise.”

“Well, good, I’m glad.”

“I… Nope, not going to tell you.”

“Fine by me. We just reached radiology, so I’m going to find out anyway.”

It wasn’t long before Mr. Sanders was back in his room and the radiologist had found you with the scans.

“It’s drugs,” the radiologist stated handing the scans over to you. “Looks like at least 13 small balloons in the bowel. My guess, cocaine.”

“Hmm,” you hummed, holding up the scans up to the light.

They didn’t totally look like balloons, so you weren’t completely convinced. Before you made any judgement calls, you found Gamora.

“It’s drugs,” you told her, handing her the scans.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she muttered, placing the scans onto a screen. “One burst and he’s dead in minutes. Okay, what do we do?”

“Run his bowel.”

“And what does that mean?”

“Running the bowel entails removing all 36 feet of the intestine from the body cavity, hand searching for the balloons and then cutting them out.”

“Good. Book an OR and get two other interns on board, need all the hands we can get.”

“Dr. Gamora,” Y/N called as Gamora tired to leave.

“Yes?”

“Are you sure they’re balloons?”

“You have reason to believe they’re not?”

“Well, the more I look the more I realize that this one,” you pointed to the scans, “has a face.” Gamora looked closer. “And this one… they all do.”

“I’ll be damned. They’re Barbies. He swallowed 13 Barbie doll heads.”

~~~

“Barbie heads?” Scott repeated after you told him, Natasha, and Peter what happened.

“Yeah,” you responded. “And Gamora wants two of you to join us in surgery.”

“I’m already booked.”

“I can do it,” Natasha said.

“Me too,” Peter said.

“My foster mothers used to buy me Barbie dolls. All sorts of them.”

“I also wanted one,” you added. “My parents never let me.”

“I dissected them. Cut off their arms, shaved their heads.”

“You’re a little scary,” Scott stated. “You know that?”

“I try.”

“Sounds like there’s a sick and twisted story behind this,” Peter said.

“No, they’re sexist, distorted devil toys that create unrealistic expectations carrying to the porn driven minds of men,” Natasha expressed.

“You swallow a bitter pill this morning, Romanoff?” Gamora questioned, coming up to you interns. “They’re just dolls. Quill, call for a psych consult. Then see if he has family.”

“Should I still book the OR?” You wondered.

“Blocked bowels become necrotic bowels. Check with Dr. Stark, see if we can bump someone. Those Barbies gotta come out today.”

~~~

Gamora had given Clint the impossible assignment to revive a patient. And, unfortunately for him, he was stuck with Laura.

“Any family members waiting?” He asked as he stapled up the man’s chest.

“Still trying to reach them,” Laura responded.

“Good. Well, I mean, not good that we haven’t reached anyone. Good that I don’t have to, uh…”

“It’s always hard.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry about Peter.”

“It’s fine. It’s good. No need to talk about it.”

“You do understand that I had sex with him before you, not during, right? Because when you and I were together—“

“I understand.”

“I just wanted to clear the air.”

“Oh, it’s clear. Perfectly clear… okay.”

“Okay.”

“And about the syphilis—“

“We really on’t have to talk about it.”

“Which is, I mean, I didn’t know I had it. I definitely should have, I’m a nurse. Like, there was a sore and I was all itchy.”

“Okay!” He backed away almost knocked the tray beside him over. “You know I, uh, got it. You know things happen.” He moved to the door, away from Laura.

“They really do. Things you wish you could change.”

Clint’s pager rang and he looked down. “It’s the Chief, I gotta take this.”

“Sure… Clint.”

“Yes?”

“You have to call it.”

“Call it?”

“Him.”

“Oh, yeah.” He looked at his watch. “Time of death 1:37.” He turned to leave again.

“And, Clint,” he paused, not turning around this time, “if we could, I wouldn’t mind trying again.”

“Maybe… some day…”

~~~

Tony was walking down the hall with Maria, going over the donor surgery.

“When is the donor getting here?” He asked.

“Should be here at 3. Harvest team’s not heir way in.”

“I also need to touch base with the transplant center about a patient here getting his son’s liver.”

You walked up. “Dr. Stark,” you called. “Dr. Gamora needs an OR and they’re all booked.”

“For?”

“An emergent bowel obstruction.” She handed him the scans.

“Drugs?”

“Barbie heads. 13 of them.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

Maria looked at the films. “I can see their little faces,” she commented. “That patient must have serious issues.”

“Hill, can your hernia in 1 be bumped?” Tony asked.

“Most likely.”

“Do it.”

“On it.” Maria left.

“Thank you, Dr. Stark,” you said, moving to go.

Tony grabbed your wrist and stopped you. “Y/N, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Don’t lie.”

“I’m not. I’m really fine.” And you pulled away.

~~~

You, Gamora, and a doctor from psych were currently discussing the psych evaluation on Mr. Sanders.

“He’s not talking. It could be pica,” the psych doctor stated. “Doubtful for a man his age. Maybe an oedipal complex or an idolization of the doll as his partners. Or it could be that he simply enjoys it.”

“Now I've seen a lot of strange things in strange places but how does he enjoy this?” Gamora questioned.

“He’d enjoy it when they came out.”

“I didn’t need to hear that.”

“Dr. L/N,” Peggy called as she walked back. “May I speak with you for a moment?” You looked at Gamora for help.

“Don’t look at me. I’m not gonna help you.”

With a sigh, you went to Peggy and the two of you began walking away.

“I assume he told you why he left me,” she said.

Annoyed, you stopped in front of her. “Look, Dr. Rogers, will all do respect, this has nothing to do with me,” you said.

“Really? So you didn’t take him back. Good girl.”

“And int he future, I’d appreciate it if we could keep our relationship strictly professional.” You walked away.

“Y/N!” You stopped and turned back slightly to give Peggy your attention. “Sometimes people do desperate things to get someone’s attention.” You shook your head and started walking again. “There are two sides to every story!”

~~~

You, Peter, and Scott arrived at lunch first. The three of you picked a large table farthest away from the others.

“Look what I went out and got,” Peter said, putting a grocery bag on the table. Opening the bag, he revealed 13 headless Barbie dolls.

“Really, Quill?” You wondered.

“That’s gross,” Scott cringed.

“I think it’s funny,” Peter said, smiling, as he laid them out on the table.

“Of course you do,” you muttered.

“Oh! That is sick!” Clint commented as him, Natasha, and Val walked up.

“Who would do that?” Val asked. They looked to see Peter smiling.

“Oh, look!” Natasha said, picking up a doll. “See Barbie fly.” She throw it at Peter, who ducked.

“Hey, Clint,” Laura greeted, walking by.

“Hey,” he replied, sitting down at not looking at you. The interns all gave him a look. “What?”

“She was trying to make up with you, Clint,” you told him. “You should go eat with her.”

“No, I shouldn’t…. No.”

“She’s cute and she likes you,” Scott said.

“You shouldn’t let a little syph get in the way of that,” Val added.

“It’s not the syph,” Clint insisted.

“It’s so the syph,” Natasha said.

“It’s not the syph!”

“Then what is it?” Val asked. Clint didn’t answer, looking down. “Oh.”

“What?” You wondered. Clint simply shrugged. “What is it?”

“There’s this other girl,” Val responded.

“Val!” Clint exclaimed.

“Other girl?” Natasha questioned. “You have another girl?!”

“He hasn’t told her that he likes her yet,” Val said.

“Val!” Clint exclaimed again. “This isn’t high school.”

“Clint has a little crush.”

“I do not… It’s a thing, a very personal thing. One day I would like to build on this thing with this other girl—woman. She’s all woman.”

“What are you doing, Clint?” You asked, slightly harsh.

“I-I don’t—“

“With Laura. What are you doing with her?”

“Oh. Nothing.”

“You’re letting her think you’re emotionally available. You’re letting her think she has a chance. And there is nothing worse in the world than think you have a chance when you really don’t!”

“Y/N is right,” Natasha said. “Tell her that there’s someone else. And tell her why, Clint. I mean— I mean at least give her the chance to have some feelings about it!”

“Why are you both yelling at me?” Clint asked.

“Because of the estrogen Clint! Because of all the estrogen!”

~~~

“Was it an act of desperation?” You asked Mr. Sanders as you headed into his surgery.

“Not at all,” he replied.

“Something to attract attention?”

“No.”

“I’m just trying to understand here. Why 13 doll heads?”

“Well because 14 would’ve been too much.”

You cringed and helped the nurses get Mr. Sanders on the operating table before going to scrub. It was Gamora, you, Peter, Val, and Natasha in the surgery.

“I think it has something to do with his mother,” Val suggested. “Maybe she always wanted a girl and gave him Barbie dolls because of it.”

“Ah, ah, I’ve got another one,” Peter said, showing the head in the intestine.

“Uh!” You groaned.

“Doyen clamps to Romanoff,” Gamora ordered. “L/N, push the head up to the incision.” You began to squeeze the doll head up through the intestine.

“Maybe his mother looked like a Barbie doll and he’s into voodoo,” Peter suggested. “Instead of sticking pins in… well…”

Dr. Stark entered the OR. “You good here?” He asked Gamora, observing you though.

“Couple more heads to go,” Gamora responded.

“Then L/N stay here. All you other interns I need you on other cases.”

You met Tony’s eyes before he walked out of the OR.

~~~

Clint was put on a case with Steve. They were about to go separate ways so that Clint could run labs, when Steve stopped. He looked back at Clint.

“Is she okay?” Steve asked.

“Who?” Clint questioned. He looked up at Steve and knew. “Y/N? She’s… hanging in there.”

“Look out for her.”

“I will.”

Then Steve walked away. Before Clint could get really far, Laura found him.

“The family of the guy we worked on this morning is here,” she told him.

“Thanks for letting me know,” Clint responded.

“Clint, I just want an answers, so that I can get on with my life if I need to.”

“Look, maybe I’m not over the Peter thing yet or the syph thing… And I really want to be, but there’s also another girl. And, to me, it doesn’t matter there’s this other guy and frankly I wouldn’t care if she gave me the Ebola virus… I like you, Laura, I really do. Just… I—“

“You’re going to need some time.”

“Yeah.” He kissed her forehead. “Thank you for understanding.”

~~~

Steve was standing alone in the elevator when Peggy walked in, both dressed to leave.

“Just when the day was improving,” he murmured.

“You told Y/N what happened?” Peggy asked.

“I did. Why? What did you tell her?”

“That sometimes people do desperate things to attract attention.”

“What? Wow. That's your side of this? That I didn't pay you enough attention. Is that you were thinking when you got naked with my best friend?”

Peggy reached over and stopped the elevator. "No, by that point I wasn't thinking at all Steve. By that point I was just scratching an itch. We got successful you and me. We got busy and we got lazy. We didn't even bother to fight any more Steve. And Bucky was there and I missed you. And now I'm sorry.” Steve restarted the elevator. “I’m more sorry than you can possibly imagine. But at least I'm talking to you about it.” The doors opened and Steve walked out. “Steve.”

“I’m a sink with an open drain, honey.”

~~~

“Did you get them all?” Mr. Sanders asked. You were checking on him, post-surgery.

“Yes,” you replied. “It wasn’t easy or very pleasant. How do you feel?”

“Empty… I feel empty now.”

“Yeah. I've been feeling a little bit of that myself lately.”

“I can tell.”

“Mr. Sanders, why does eating doll heads fill you up? What’s the satisfaction?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Would it be too much information?”

“Might.”

“Maybe I’m better left in the dark.”

next chapter >

I leave for Disney World in a week. It is the last big family vacation that I will be on for a while. Because of that, I will not be on tumblr March 19th through March 24th. I will actually be deleting the app so that it’s not a distraction.

Most likely, nothing will be posted during that time. If something is, it will have been queued up. Things that are posted while I’m out of town will not have tag lists attached. I will put this note in all the fic posts until then.

So do not come at me for spending time with my family instead of including the tag list. (I say that knowing that people won’t care and still come at me.... be respectful and get over yourself.)

If you want to be added to the tag list, please dm me or send in an ask.

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers imagine #Steve Rogers #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rodgers x reader #steve rodgers imagine #the avengers x reader #avengers x reader #marvel x reader #marvel imagine #marvel imagines #greys anatomy au #Marvel AU #marvel fanfiction

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youarejesting · 3 years

Text

Even the Cake is in tiers

Beta: n/a (at the moment) Rating: All Pairing: Namjoon Jin x Reader Genre: fluff, angst, drama, slice of life, almost wedding day. Words: 4k

Summary: About to marry the man of your dreams in less than one week. 90 guests invited. Venue booked. Family overwhelming yet appeased. Nothing could go wrong... unless you count your soon to be mother in law slipping you a cursed present, and inviting your fiances high school sweetheart. The Kim family is full of secrets. 92 Plates set.

[Request] @insfirebunny - I strayed a little from your ask I am sorry. I went with cursed instead of demon. I had a lot of fun with the puns, I love Jin just breaking all the awkward silences with a pun, and the reader slowly warming up to them.

This was the most important week of your life, your family and your soon-to-be husband's family were coming together for one week in a huge country club. You were on edge, your fiance was a brilliant businessman, he was a genius, and the kindest man you had the pleasure of meeting. In a week this brilliant, kind, and clumsy young man would be your husband till death do you part.

You met Kim Namjoon in your senior year, you were in a similar department. As a business major yourself there were a lot of opportunities to cross paths. Between the projects and the department dinners, the two of you naturally grew closer. Coffee and studying became dinner and movies as you proudly courted Namjoon like a proper lady.

Insisting to pay And spoil the young man was the best way to spoil him. Normally he was too shy to speak up about what he wanted, but you were very perceptive. Always noticing the way his eyes would repeatedly glance towards the item or shop. With a small curious lift of his eyebrows, he would press his lips firmly together with a face he made when he read or saw something interesting in a book or movie and a dead giveaway to his interests and desires.

You first made the connection when passing an arcade, Namjoon’s eyes lit up sparkling as he spotted the small blue Koala stuffed toy. He walked closer to the claw machine and you watched his features change into the very same curious expression.

It felt like a rush of satisfaction when you had successfully retrieved the soft plush from the crane and presented it to the beautiful man. It warmed your heart to know that you could make this magnificent guy smile and so you made it your hobby and pastime. You couldn’t be more in love with him and you knew he was in love with you.

The only problem lied with his mother, who was upset that he wanted to marry someone who wasn’t from South Korea. This was understandable, the idea that different was scary was ingrained into most people, you tried to be respectful and always show your best qualities.

Honestly, you were just hoping that you could keep both sides of the family happy for one week. ONE WEEK. Then you would be married and you could live your lives together. The Country club was full of life, filled with distant relatives from each party and young children running around the grounds pulling pranks on their cousins.

With a polite bow and well-behaved mannerisms, you were on the road to charming Namjoon’s parents. It surprised you how civil they were and how his mother had yet to say something against you. The ladies were enjoying high tea when your mother-in-law presented you with a gift.

A small wooden jewelry box, engraved with strange symbols some you swore felt a little sinister. She gave you instructions to open it later that night when you were alone. Taking her words seriously you were going to fulfill her request hoping not to offend anyone’s traditions.

Leaving the dining hall early with the box in hand you were wondering what could possibly be inside. It was so nice that Namjoon’s mother was so accepting of you, taking the time to get you a gift.

Shutting the door behind you, you glanced at the garment bag, which housed your wedding dress. It took a while to find the perfect dress but you knew it was the one when it fit everyone's expectations. It was the perfect amount of beautiful and conservative as well as sexy and fun.

Sitting on the large bed you missed cuddling with Namjoon, the two of you had been waiting for marriage and to be honest it wasn’t a big deal. You both were more interested in intertwining your lives than your bodies. Opening the wooden box, the weight increased until it collapsed onto the floor salt spilling onto the floor. You saw footprints in the salt and as they appeared across the floor soon followed ankles, calves, and knees.

Mesmerized by the man materializing in front of your eyes, at least you believed he was a man. The smirk and the god-tier features on a flawless face. Who was this man and what was he doing in your room? He pulled his plump lips into a pointed grin, his eyes flashing as they landed on your frozen form. His gaze didn’t linger for long before your vision faded.

What a strange dream you had, you had heard that brides often had horrible dreams leading up to their wedding but this felt so real. Sitting up from the soft fluffy blankets you squealed when you saw the handsome young man sitting on the beautiful chaise by the window.

“I don’t know how you got into my room, but you need to leave?” Your voice held no authority and no strength, your lips shaking with every breath, tears prickling behind your eyes. “Are you from the Kim Family, I can help you find your room?”

“I am from the Kim family, but I can’t leave your side. You opened the box in which I was captured many years ago.” He said simply enjoying fruit in the sun, you noticed he was wearing traditional Korean clothes and had longer hair. There was something about the way he looked that made him look so ethereal and out of place.

“Who are you?” You said, sure now that this was some sort of prank being played by the Kim family so you decided to play along.

“Kim Seokjin,” He grinned looking at the door as someone knocked.

“Hello dear, are you coming down for breakfast,” Namjoon’s voice broke you from the daze you fell in when admiring Seokjin’s face?

Running to the door you opened it and gave him a kiss on the cheek, “I will be down soon, let me get dressed.”

Walking to the dining hall Seokjin followed you around, it seemed no matter what turn you took, you couldn’t run away. He had however changed his appearance which scared you beyond belief. His long hair was cut short and a fine suit that mirrored the one on the cover of a magazine strewn on the coffee table. Stepping into the dining hall you saw Namjoon’s mother smiling wickedly in the corner as Namjoon was hugging a young woman, the two grinning and talking adamantly.

“Hey Joonie, I am here.” You smiled trying to gain his attention again, you didn’t have to worry, this would be his relative of some kind and you were to be his wife so you had nothing to worry about. Right?

“Hey, Y/n this is my old high school friend Bom, we have been best friends since we were young, I didn’t even know she was coming but mum said it was a surprise. Isn’t that great my soulmate at my wedding?”

Oof that hurt. You knew he didn’t mean it to sound the way it did and you were happy as long as he was happy. Having in fact heard of this friend on multiple occasions from him. She was beautiful and everything you knew Namjoon’s mother wanted in her son’s bride. The leading factor being she was Korean.

“Namjoon tells me so much about you,” You smiled and she shook your hand and grinned.

“Let me tell you somethings about him then to even the playing field,” Her smile was genuine and she sat at breakfast Seokjin silently taking a seat at the table. She was quick to refuse some food by the waiter, “I can't, I am allergic to seafood.”

“That must be a bit of a hassle.” You didn’t know what to say and the silence was getting awkward. Seokjin chuckled reaching for an apple from the center fruit bowl. “I am glad you are getting your apple-y ever after.”

That did it. Chuckles all around and a small knowing smirk from Namjoon’s mother, Seokjin lied saying his name was Taejin and that he preferred just Jin.

After breakfast that you pulled Namjoon aside, “Hey Joonie?” you asked

“Yes dear, what is it?”

“Who is Kim Seokjin, your mother was talking about him last night?” The question had been burning in your mind all morning and now that you two were alone you felt safe enough to ask him.

“Haha, did my mother tell you that old story? She is a superstitious woman,” Namjoon was laughing to himself before he gathered himself enough to answer your question seriously. “Back in the day, when Korea was still ruled by monarchs, the Kim family had different uh factions, the noblemen and the servants. One of the Kim Noblemen was supposed to marry the most beautiful young woman in town. But on the day of the wedding a young man named Kim Seokjin, part of the servants of the family, was throwing petals with the other servants and caught the bride's attention.”

“What happened then?” You pressed further watching said man from behind your fiance’s shoulder. As he listened watching the small television in the corner playing a murder mystery K-Drama.

“Well, it was said that Kim Seokjin charmed the woman and stole her from the wedding, stealing her away crying. It was said that when he found his bride he locked Seokjin in an ornate box, a family heirloom passed down through generations.” Namjoon smiled, kissing your cheek enthusiastically. “I have to go, Bom says she is going to challenge me today in golf.”

“I heard you stole someone's bride and were trapped in a box,” you muttered

“Ah is that what they believe, it’s funny how stories change over time. I didn’t steal anyone, she tried to call off the wedding before it even began and in a fit of jealousy I was almost beheaded but was cursed into the box.” Seokjin laughed, “I am not someone who steals someone’s lover.”

“But she looks like she would,” Seokjin muttered while leaning over the balcony, looking down over the side you could see Namjoon laughing at Bom hanging off his arm. Jealousy felt like sickness in the depths of your stomach. A queasy feeling that burnt its way up to your throat.

“Namjoon isn’t like that,” you defended your fiance, he was a sweet bean who only knew how to love with his whole heart, “He is a nice guy who wouldn’t dream of cheating on anyone.”

There was a small pause as your thoughts wandered to what-ifs, you trusted Namjoon but could you trust her. “Look if you trust him that’s great but I know a thing or two about the Kim family and when they find something they want, nothing can stop them or stand in their way until they get it. So he might want you now but what if these days leading up to the wedding he changes his mind?”

“Why are you doing this to me? Why am I letting you get inside my head?”

“I assure you I am not trying to make you doubt your future husband, I am trying to help you secure him,” Seokjin said, pulling out a rather fancy dress, it was a little more revealing than what you had been wearing around Namjoon’s mother, you were unsure why you had packed the dress in the first place. “Now put on this outfit and go to him, you need to impress him. Be like a beer, pitcher perfect”

“Haha.” Your laugh was dry, but you had to hand it to him, he had a quick wit and you liked that a lot, “I don’t need to impress him, I am his fiance and we are getting married.”

“Listen I will distract her and if the situation calls for it, sabotage her plans of stealing your fiance, the last thing I need right now is to be cursed back into a box thank you very much.” He threw the dress at your face pushing you into the bathroom. You turned to give him an offended look and he leaned down so his face was level with yours a condescending smile. “For butter or worse, I want to toast the lovely bride and groom, I need you both happy then you can all leave me alone. ”

Seokjin’s plans weren’t working. The dress made Namjoon send you back to the country club to get changed as he thought it was a little too indecent for golf. To make matters worse, when Seokjin tried to interfere and push Bom into the lake, Namjoon jumped in after her. As if things couldn’t get worse, Namjoon gave her his jacket and escorted her back while you dragged your feet back to your room.

It was at this point you fell into Seokjin’s ideas, the two of you trying to conjure up situations where you looked superior to Bom and stole the spotlight. Seokjin critiqued your outfits and told you how to act charming and attract Namjoon’s attention.

“So should I wear my hair up or down?” You asked him, curiously whilst standing in front of the mirror, tonight was the night before the big day and you were feeling downhearted. Namjoon was spending the majority of his time joking and talking with Bom and all your attempts only made them grow closer.

“You look beautiful either way, when your hair is up it shows off your slim jaw and long neck but down makes you look more feminine and beautiful.” Seokjin’s voice traveled through the bathroom door, but you could hear the truth in the words he spoke. There was no hesitation, he replied as if you had asked him about the weather.

“Oh,” Your cheeks looked so red, in the mirror, you had never seen yourself flushed before. It was kind of a romantic look, you hoped tomorrow you could look just as beautiful walking down the aisle. “No one has ever really said that to me before.”

“What about the Kim?”

“Namjoon doesn’t really talk about looks, which I appreciate he says he prefers personality over appearances,” You opened the door and stepped out, he stood up from the couch slowly, his jaw slack.

“You are very pretty,” For some reason, the confidence in his voice died away and he sounded so shaken and breathless. He offered his hand, which you gratefully took, “We should get you done to the party, you are getting married in the morning.”

“Why are you more excited than I am?”

“I love weddings, I find them so... Engaging” He looked at you with a serious expression pausing for effect and you slapped his arm with a grown

“I hate you and your puns.” struggling to control your features, you couldn’t admit he was funny.

The party was just beginning and the music was soft, Seokjin politely pulled you onto the dance floor and began leading you around. “I will try to distract Bom tonight, focus on having fun, okay?”

“Okay,” You smiled, gripping his broad shoulder, you tried to let all your worries disappear and it helped that Seokjin spun you around until you were dizzy and then demanded that you spin him too. In fits of giggles, you were interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

“Do you mind if I cut in?” Namjoon asked eyeing Seokjin.

“Of course, she is all yours”

Namjoon took your waist and began leading you albeit clumsily through a slow dance, “I feel like I haven’t seen you all week.”

“It has been hard to see you when you were hanging out with your friend but I understand, you haven’t seen each other in a long time and we have been together for a really long time.” You admitted trying to settle the uncertainties in your mind.

“Yeah, I feel like we just get each other and sometimes we lose track of the time.” He whispered.

You both heard Bom and Seokjin laughing together, they looked happy but you felt sick, Namjoon didn’t ease your insecurities and the one person you had been confiding in was also laughing with the other girl.

“I know he said he was a Kim but I have no idea who that guy is?”

“Your mum invited him, she said he is a distant relative,” deciding not to say his name in hopes Namjoon guessed he was the Seokjin from the legend.

“Ah must be very distant.”

You two were talking and you felt some form of reassurance that Namjoon still loved you and wanted to marry you. It was silly how worried you had gotten because his best friend had crashed the wedding.

Crash!

Turning you saw Seokjin looking horrified as Bom was in anaphylactic shock, racing over you watched as your fiance saved her and you dragged Seokjin away. “What was that, that wasn’t part of the plan.”

“I didn’t mean to, we were talking and I offered her what I thought was a chicken sandwich. It was incorrectly labeled and I didn’t know it was crab until she hit the floor.”

“She was supposed to be removed from the wedding, I didn’t want her to be killed”

“Look, either way, this works out, maybe this is a better plan. She will be in the hospital while you are getting married. This plan is better.”

“Plan?” A voice said behind Seokjin and he stepped aside revealing a confused and hurt Namjoon.

“I didn’t ask or want or plan for something like this to happen, I just wanted to spend some time with you before the wedding cause I hadn’t seen you all week.” You attempted some form of explanation when Namjoon raised his hand effectively silencing you.

“I wanted the same thing and I am disappointed you resorted to these jealous and petty tricks that almost cost someone their life. I am going to the hospital, and I will see you tomorrow at the altar.” Namjoon turned, briskly walking away, chasing him with tears rolling down your cheeks. You begged him not to go. “I am disappointed that you were doubting me this whole time, it’s like I don’t even know who you are anymore.”

The rest of the night you spent getting drunk in your hotel room passing out after crying yourself to sleep, you woke the next day with a headache. The hairstylist and the makeup artists were polite and didn’t mention the puffiness of your eyes and did their absolute best to make you look like a picture-perfect bride.

You looked in the mirror feeling alone, you hadn’t seen Namjoon or Seokjin since last night and you were unsure if you could face Namjoon but you were longing for Seokjin. He knew exactly what to say to cheer you up. He knew exactly how to make your problems disappear. If he was here you knew you could get through this day.

There was a knock and Seokjin smiled at the door, “You look truly beautiful, a blushing bride indeed, can I escort you down to the hall?”

“Of course,” You breathed, taking his hand. He led you downstairs and to the doors of the hall. You stopped and hugged him, his broad shoulders keeping you grounded and you took a few deep breaths.

“Hey no matter what happens, I am here okay. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” He smiled softly. You thought for a moment he was going to kiss you and at that moment you wished he would, it was like something had taken over you.

“I am so nervous, I think I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Well, you better go now, or forever hold your pees." The softest laugh seemed to shake as he stepped back letting his hands fall to his sides.

The music started playing and Seokjin walked away out of sight and the doors opened. Clutching the bouquet tightly you began walking down the aisle, your eyes met Namjoon’s and he gave you a smile that told you everything was forgiven.

Needless to say, the tears started flowing, you were supposed to be happy but instead it felt like you were being married off to a stranger, someone who loved who you pretended to be not who you were. Namjoon liked the you that took care of him diligently and bought him his favorite things and was that really you.

You reached the altar and turned to face him and as he took your hands you noticed Jin slip into the back row of the hall.

“I knew you were the one when you took care of me, in other relationships I was expected to buy gifts, to provide, and yet with you I was the one being cared for and provided for. You cleaned up my messes when I was clumsy and you always made my favorite foods, you're so independent and wonderful and I can’t wait to make you my wife.”

“That’s, That’s not me,” you interrupted me, “I liked winning you a prize at the arcade but then you sang my praises and I became the one buying you gifts, which made me happy because you were happy but you didn’t return that love, you know you have never called me beautiful.”

“You push for me to be independent which I love but would it kill you to show me affection. I know we are all about equality and letting me get the bill but how is that equal if you have never offered to cook clean or pay for dinner. I haven’t been your partner in any of this, definitely not your girlfriend. I have been your mother.”

“Speaking of your mother, your mother gave me an ornate box which you explained held the Seokjin Curse so thanks for trying to have me stolen away before the wedding. She invited your best friend from school because she wants Bom to be your wife, someone who knows the culture and background”

“And honestly it hurt this whole week trying to get your attention and you always turned to her, what happened last night was unfortunate and I am glad Bom has recovered so quickly, my friend told me the chicken and the crab sandwiches had been mislabeled. But the most important part is I saw you Namjoon. You were so loving this week, but not with me, with Bom.”

Taking off your viel you put it on Bom and lead her up to the altar and join their hands. “I am sorry, I am sorry that you never got to see the real me, I am sorry I played along with the image of me you created in your mind. I want to be friends but I cannot marry you Namjoon.”

He was crying, “I think you are right,” He hugged you kissing your cheek, “I loved you a lot and I am sorry I never told you how beautiful you were, I wish I could have allowed you to be yourself.”

“I have to go.” You whispered before walking out of the hall awkwardly with your head down. Namjoon escorted you out and everyone followed you to the dining room where the DJ and Namjoon’s close friend got on the mic.

“Let’s not waste a party.” You gave him a thumbs up and headed upstairs and changed quickly into the dress Seokjin had picked out for you earlier that week. It was a little revealing but you didn’t care, it’s not like you had anyone to impress anymore.

It was three drinks in and sixteen songs that the cake was brought out, the cake topper removed and you grinned as the song ‘Not Today’ filled the room. You were dancing wildly and Namjoon and Bom were having a blast.

“I am sorry, I didn’t mean for you to feel like I stole Namjoon, I was honestly really excited for you too,” she admitted and you grinned.

“He has known you since you two were little and I realized when I met you that his ideal type was you and he was projecting that image onto me, it’s better off this way.” A hand wrapped around your wrist and spun you until you landed against a strong broad chest.

“I liked the whole wedding, but it was the reception that really took the cake.” Seokjin grinned leaving you in hysterics.

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insomniac-dot-ink · 4 years

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Books I’ve Read in 2020

AHello! I’m trying to read as many books as I can during the quarantine, here’s what I’ve finished so far:

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (literary fiction): a son writes a letter about his life to his illiterate mother. Breathtakingly beautiful with it’s way with words this book is lovely and real in the hardest and sweetest ways. The author’s combination of prose and poetry is dazzling and intricate, this book has stuck with me for days afterward. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (fantasy): a money-lender gets in trouble after bragging she can turn silver into gold and is kidnapped and ordered to do so by a fey creature. It may be that I am the perfect audience for this type of book, but it’s my favorite thing I’ve read all year. It’s a book that equally takes on the fantastical and real-world with compelling female characters at the center of the whole thing. A wonderful fantasy journey inspired by eastern-European Jewish folklore. 5 out of 5 stars.

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll (horror graphic novel): a series of short horror comics. Absolutely bone-chilling! This was a really fun type of scary story, especially the last one which made my skin absolutely crawl. Deliciously eerie, this was treat to read if not a little too short. 4 out of 5 stars.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (magical realism): a young girl can taste other people’s emotions in their cooking and begins to understand her family in new ways. This was a weird book, but it has everything you’ve got to love about that combination of the surreal and mundane. It’s sense of character was electrifying and I had fun engaging with this type of off-kilter real world. I was a little frustrated in parts bc of some characters choices, but that too was true to life. 4 out of 5 stars.

Crier’s War by Nina Varela (steampunk fantasy wlw): about a Made automaton heir to a throne and her human hand-maiden that is trying to kill her. This was an easy read with a lot of tension between the two main characters that I liked, but the writing itself was very weak. There was waaay too much exposition in parts and the dialogue had some really hockey lines. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the middle of the book, but the beginning and end didn’t have much movement. 2.5 stars out of 5.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn (historical fiction): honestly, I’m a little disappointed. This book just did not hit my sweet spots, it wasn’t fast-paced enough for me to get immersed in the plot, and the characters weren’t real enough to be wholly invested in them. That said I adored Nina Markova and the Night Witches, so that did help. 3 starts out of 5.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White (horror sci-fi retelling): HAND IN UNLOVABLE HAND. A retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein from the perspective of Victor Frankenstein’s wife and my God! The characters! The plot was well-enough, but the characters took the whole show for being complex and compelling. The main character was breathtakingly layered and I was wholly invested in Elizabeth and her story and the triumph at the end of this story was tangible. 4 out of 5 stars!

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (fantasy): A story of a young woman who lives in a valley where a girl must go live with a wizard for 10 years. She is certain she won’t be chosen, but ends up having to be “uprooted” herself. I enjoyed most of this book! However, I think I liked “Spinning Silver” a lot more just because the ending of this one somehow lost me. The characters were good and plot compelling, but (SPOILERS) the big battle at the end seemed to drag and didn’t interest me somehow. 3.8 out of 5 stars.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (fantasy): excellent read! A story of a young woman in Jazz Age Mexico who goes on an adventure with a Mayan death God who is trying to regain his throne. A romp across the country absolutely brimming with likable characters and fairy tale twists. My only complaint would be that most of it felt a little predictable due to the fact we knew where we were going throughout the whole story, However, it was still greatly enjoyable for the heroine herself, Casiopea. 4 out of 5 stars!

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (literary): a story of two families in a progressive “planned” community, how their lives intertwine, their secrets, and a central question surrounding motherhood. Deeply empathetic to its characters and introspective, this is an every-day story of people in suburbia that reads like a thriller. I could barely put it down and felt deeply for its characters and situations, 5 out of 5 stars!

Wilder Girls by Rory Power (YA sci-fi suspense): a story of a group of girls at a boarding school on an island affected by the “tox” which alters their bodies in strange ways like giving them scales or an extra spine. This was an eerie, interesting read with a wlw romance! Watch out for the body horror in this one, but it was very gripping and held my interest. Some of the pacing was off in places (like the romance), but had a very creepy atmosphere that did it for me. 3.8 out of 5 stars!

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio (thriller-mystery): A thriller about a group of Shakespeare actors in their last year of college and one of their classmates who turns up dead. I enjoyed the murder mystery part of this novel more than I expected despite the fact I had guessed who had “done it” pretty early on. I really enjoyed the James-Oliver dynamic with its growing homoeroticism, but I didn’t like how the character of Meredith was handled at all. She felt like a one-note aside. I might have given this book four stars, but the ending was EXTREMELY frustrating for me and I did not like the “open-ended” conclusion. 3 out of 5 stars.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (literary humor): a weird character-driven comedy about an old grumpy man and a new family that moves in next to him. Warning for themes of suicide. Anyway, I don’t normally indulge in cliches like “I laughed, I cried, I loved one Cat Annoyance.” However, that’s exactly what I did. I laughed out loud, I cried my eyes out (THE CAT’S HEAD WAS IN HIS PALM), I loved this book. It was sweet and compelling and thoroughly immersive. 5 out of 5 stars!

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (historical fantasy): set in the early 1900s comes a story of a young girl and her experience with “Doors” that lead to different worlds. This book had a lot of great character development and really interesting descriptions, however, I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to. I found it hard to get myself to sit down a read it. There was just something missing with the push to “page-turn,” but it was still a really good book. 3.7 out of 5 stars!

Gideon the 9th by Tamsyn Muir (high fantasy, kinda gay): I AM FILLED WITH EMOTIONS. This was book was definitely a page-turner. I was very confused with it at the beginning, but the characters and their interactions were, forgive the expression, the life blood of the story and kept me wholly invested. The ending has CRUSHED my heart, but damn did I have a good time reading it. 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Harrow the 9th by Tamsyn Muir (sequel to Gideon the 9th): I really enjoyed this book. It was just as strange and twisting as the first book, though I think I enjoyed the first one a bit more since I love Gideon. It was fun ride overall, though the ending was kind of really confusing. So 4 out of 5 stars.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (historical fiction): Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The writing style was personable and grounded in reality. I found myself really liking the main characters and the exploration of the life of a bi main character was really well done I thought. A solid book with drama and glamor to boot. 4.6 out of 5 stars!

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (historical fiction): A story of two sisters during WWII and their resistance to Nazi occupation. To be honest, this book wasn’t my cup of tea. It was compelling, but also wholly depressing and I felt like gloried in the pain of the two main characters too much. The history was wonderful and realistic, but it didn’t make me feel anything good afterward. It was just dark. 3 out of 5 stars.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (mlm romance): I finally finished this after the heaviness of The Nightingale. This is a story of the First Son of the USA falling for the prince of England. And it turned out to be a very fun and light hearted read! Some of it was kinda generic and too political, and it coulda been shorter, but I thought the romance itself made up for it. It just made me feel so sweet and lovely inside. 4 out of 5 stars!

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (literary humor): I’m searching out heartfelt books and this one ticked off all the marks on my “sweet” list. A lovely book that made me cry more times than I would like to admit. Compassionate beyond belief, funny and heartfelt. I think I enjoyed A Man Called Ove slightly more, but this book was also dear to me and something I hope to reread in the future. 4.2 out of 5 stars!

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel (sci-fi): A post-apocalyptical story about a group of traveling Shakespeare actors and a symphony. Overall, an excellent read that somehow pictures a more realistic or even softer version of the apocalypse. At first, I wasn't happy with the jumping around of the story, but as I progressed I grew fonder and fonder of the interwoven characters and their journey. A very fascinating read about a world that hits a little too close to home. The appreciation of the arts and preserving humanity was somehow very hopeful and I was fully engaged with this story. 5 out of 5 Stars!

Up next: The Hidden Life of Trees by by Peter Wohlleben (nonfiction science), The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (urban fantasy), The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (fantasy)

#I'll keep this list updated!#am reading #bookblr #IA talks #I've mostly read books I've really liked this year!#then again I rarely finish books I don't like

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zehecatl · 3 years

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ive noticed that you and shae really dislike sans. im not here to argue with you or disagree, but i was wondering why you think so? :0 its been awhile since i was seriously into ut so im not up to date... did people decide hes Problematic or something the way they did with Asgore? honestly just curious.

OH BOY... SANS, HUH?

so uh. there’s a lot of history behind The Sans thing, so i apologize if this runs kind of long, but, well. you did ask. and i do like talking about The Sans Thing

so, some background: back in the day, i was a very, very, big Papyrus fan

like, i loved that skeleton. i thought about him basically 24/7, i ran a discord server dedicated to him, i wrote fics, i wrote meta posts, i did the whole nine yard. and this is crucial to why i, and Shae, both have such A Beef with Sans

and, just to make one thing clear: neither of us really have any problems with Sans the character. just like the other UT characters, he’s well-written, he’s engaging, he’s likeable. he has flaws, yeah, and i’ve talked about them plenty in this past, and this ain’t really about any of that, but none of that is why i dislike him. so he’s not problematic! you did not, in fact, miss some huge UT drama

now, back on track, the thing about being a Papyrus fan back in the day: there was no content

like, genuinely, there was no content. i think i was one of the first people to write Papyrus centric content back then, and even then, it was mostly me. this has gotten better, and it did get better back then, but i want you to understand that, because that’s crucial

and the thing is, if there just wasn’t a lot of UT content, this would be fine- but UT took off. like, it was HUGE almost immediately, and i think when i got into it, it was like? a year later maybe? i was a bit late to the whole thing, really

so when i come in, a year late, to a tag BURSTING with content, and find nothing for my fave? a bit disgruntled, but eh, Papyrus isn’t a main, and it’s pretty common for that to happen, so, whatever, right?

except

Sans

Sans was absolutely everywhere. like, you went into the tag, you saw Sans. and you didn’t just see like, a few bits and pieces, oh no. the majority of content was, and still is, Sans centric

now, lemme make something extra clear here: i don’t think people should stop any of this. i don’t have anything against anyone who participated, or participates, in the Sans stuff. people are having fun, and that’s really all that needs to be said

but as a Papyrus fan? as someone who could not just block the Sans tag and find the bits of content there was? it was. frustrating

and that’s not all, because if that was all, i don’t think either of us would have such a Problem with Sans

the thing about Sans, the reason why i dislike him, why Shae dislikes him, is the way the fandom portrays him

now, if you were around back in the day, you might be aware that Papyrus was, back then, mostly just portrayed as ‘Sans’ little brother’. he was portrayed as a naïve, good-hearted idiot, and that’s not me oversimplifying- that was genuinely how people portrayed him, back then

Papyrus, back then, wasn’t a character. he was a prop

i’m sure you’ve seen the Sans angst around; the pictures where Papyrus is dead, and Sans is very, very, distressed about it

the relationship between Papyrus and Sans was portrayed, quite simply, as Sans The Tortured Soul, and Papyrus The One Thing Sans Cares About

and as a Papyrus fan? god, that was beyond infuriating

here was this character, my favourite character, who had SO many layers, who was so clever and good and powerful, and people just. absolutely ignored that. they absolutely shat on him; everything Papyrus had done, they took away. he was, genuinely, seen as a child. no one acknowledged how smart he was, or how powerful he was, because people didn’t care

people didn’t care about Papyrus beyond the fact that he was Sans’ little brother

and as someone who loved Papyrus? that was just. it was so, so, angering

writing it out now, i still feel bitter. i’m still mad about it, to this day

the fandom treated, and still treats, Sans like he is Everything

every little thing in UT was tied back to Sans. stuff that we knew had nothing to do with him, was contributed to Sans. he became, and still is, the literal center-piece of the fandom

people made him this powerful character, the strongest in the Underground- they made him aware of Resets, made him so smart and clever and just-

they took Sans as i knew him, and twisted him out of shape

Sans is a guy trying his best. he’s a guy dealing with the knowledge that life is, inherently, pointless, and he’s dealing with that badly. he’s tired and he’s apathetic, and if you kill Papyrus, he does not care

and the fandom did not care about any of that

there’s a lot of things to be said about how the fandom portrays Sans; i’m sure i could write a thousand more words, but really, the bottom line is that i don’t dislike Sans

i hate Snas. i hate the fandom version of Sans that’s absolutely overtaken the canon, i hate the way Papyrus was, is, treated as nothing more than a prop

i don’t really dislike Sans; i like him, in fact, and there’s a lot of things that could be said about his character, about his relationship with Papyrus- and i’m sure i said a lot of those things back in the day; but the fandom doesn’t care about the canon Sans

there’s a fic Shae’s written, that doesn’t particularly show Sans in the best of lights- that touches on some of these canon failings he has

and people took issue with that. took issue with Shae playing with canon traits he had portrayed, calling them out of character, and, well

i think that really sums up how twisted Sans’ character has gotten

to me, now and then, it was like the whole fandom had collectively made an OC that just. took Sans place. and whenever i pointed it out, whenever anyone pointed it out, no one agreed. they all insisted that, no, this was the canon Sans

and don’t get me wrong, some of these things were based in canon- the Sans fight is cool, is this magnificent display of Sans’ skills, but it was never this huge display of power

i won’t say i’m not being bitter about it, because oh boy, i absolutely am. i am so, so bitter about Undertale, about the fandom, about Sans and Papyrus- and i always will be. i genuinely hate how the fandom portrays Sans, how everything is about him, and that ain’t ever changing

so that’s why both of us dislike Sans. really, at the end of the day, it’s about flanderization, and about being Bitter Bitter Papyrus stans, but eh. what can you do

hope this was, at the very least, an interesting read! and if someone tries to start an argument, just know: i ain’t reading it <3

#replies #undertale #ut sans #almost tagged this as 'undertale cw' kdsglskdlsdg #also just in case: don't worry about me posting any more stuff in these tags!#i am not touching ut with a ten foot pole #this is the only post i'll ever make in this tag #also if i've missed something shae'll probably reblog and add their own two cents #i feel like i have but i'm also tired so WHO KNOWS #anyway. that's all folks!#hope i didn't come across as angry anon skdjdsg #i love making stupid introspective posts so this was fun

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uzumaki-rebellion · 4 years

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“Stark’s New Intern” Chapter 25

Summary:

Erik is whisked away from Tony by a Monaco Princess and discovers they have more in common than he suspects.

NSFW. Mature Audience. 18+. Smut.

youtube

"The ego, gotta be vetoed if you want a free-throw The evils, stay with the scripture what your mama read you You gotta milk the game, son, I couldn't bottle feed you This next bar was 'bout to do some Logic shit But now I gotta stop the shit and let me pop my shit Drama still added on, stayin' positive All my niggas on my side, on the opposite…"

Denzel Curry—"Diet"

Vivienne dragged Erik through diplomatic guests and rooms until they were back at the entrance of the palace. A dark SUV with tinted windows whipped around and a guard opened the door for her and Erik.

"Get in!" she said.

Erik climbed into the back seat with her as light snow fell down.

"It snows here?" Erik asked.

"It's rare."

"Where are we going?"

"A surprise."

Vivienne pulled a small cell phone from inside her bra cup.

"Don't look so shocked!" she teased.

She made a call and Erik was able to make out part of her conversation with his basic French.

"Stark is not going to let me just hang out—"

"I'll handle Tony. You're the first interesting person I've met in a long time. I want to show you off."

"To who?"

"My friends—"

"Aye, driver…stop the car."

"Gasper, arrête la voiture…"

The SUV came to a stop just outside the palace property line.

"Stark has me on a tight leash here."

Vivienne pouted.

"Can't we just hang out in the palace?" he asked.

"Too many eyes and ears. I want to talk freely."

Going to his hotel was out of the question.

Vivienne gave instructions to Gaspar and texted someone.

Erik's cell buzzed. He pulled it out of his jacket.

"Where are you?"

Stark's voice was rushed.

"The Princess kidnapped me."

Tony didn't sound happy. Vivienne grabbed Erik's cell.

"I will bring him back safe to your hotel…it's boring there. He's young and should hang out with people his age…so what…you are such a bore right now! I don't care. I will call my Uncle and tell him. Yes…I will tell him. Goodbye, Tony. Stop acting like an old tired father."

She tossed Erik his phone.

"My Uncle wants you tomorrow night. I will keep you until tomorrow morning."

"Like some pet."

"And a sweet pet you are," she said patting his forehead.

Erik grabbed her hand and tossed it from his face.

"Easy now," she whispered.

Erik sat back and watched fat snowflakes fall from the sky. Forty minutes into their ride they were climbing up mountainous terrain until they passed through massive black metal gates. The snow had grown thick and at least three inches covered the ground. Two black Great Danes circled the car before being ushered away by a butler who held an umbrella to protect Vivienne from the snow.

Erik shivered as they stepped out of the SUV in front of a large chateau, but the Princess had them inside the secured hideaway quickly. Within the overly warm residence at least thirty twenty-somethings sat and stood around a cozy open space with dark furnishings drinking, smoking, and listening to music. Erik looked around and saw French antiques mixed with modern touches. Like the palace, it smelled old and decadent.

A fire roared in a tall and wide fireplace big enough to roast ten pigs on a spit. Above the massive ornate mantel was an aged oil painting of seventeenth-century royalty in a pastoral scene.

"Tu t'es échappé!"

A young man with oily dark hair and a lop-sided grin rushed over to Vivienne giving her cheek kisses.

"S'il vous plait parlez anglaise, Durant," Vivienne said.

"Is this him?" Durant asked.

"No. Don't even mention that bastard," Vivienne snapped.

She grabbed Erik's hand and pulled him to the center of the opulent gathering of blue-bloods.

"Vivienne, he has been calling here non-stop. He threatened to fly here and find you. You should speak with him," a young woman with flaxen hair pinned in a severe chignon said.

There was an urgency in her voice.

"Everyone, this is Erik. He works for Tony Stark. He is my Uncle's special guest. Erik these are my friends and that is my cousin Durant and my cousin Remy. Erik is American. "

"Do you speak French?" the flaxen-hair woman asked.

Erik lied.

"No."

The butler poured Erik a glass of medium brown liquor from a crystal decanter.

"No worries, Erik, we all speak English here," Durant said.

A raven-haired woman with thin glossy lips leaned into another white woman next to her as Vivienne turned her back.

"…hommes noirs…"

Erik caught the two white women snickering about Vivienne and Black men. He tried not to glare at them as he felt out the energy in the room. The decrepit rich. Millionaires would be shunned as peasants among this slick bunch.

Erik sipped his drink. Old rich bourbon. The kind not sold in stores.

The liquid beat a warm trail down his throat.

Durant gave Erik a tour of the first floor and Vivienne was cornered by her friends and berated for something that he couldn't hear nor understand that well.

"Where were you educated?" Remy asked.

Plump, bow-lipped, and nattily dressed, Remy smoked the same clove-flavored cigarette that Vivienne favored. Blowing smoke above Erik's head, Remy's ruddy cheeks looked influenced by too much liquor and whatever else they were snorting or popping by the blown-out wet look in his light blue eyes.

"I'll be attending grad school at M.I.T. soon," he said.

There was no sense lying. Erik knew they were just trying to place him in the proper hierarchy for their comfort.

"How long have you been with Tony Stark?"

"Almost a year now."

Erik swirled his glass and sipped a little more bourbon. He moved freely about the room admiring a few sculptures. One, in particular, caught his eye as it sat on a cherry wood console table. He pointed to it.

"This is a nice replica of the Actaeon and Diana statues at the Caserta Royal Palace."

"You've been there?"

"Twice. With my family. It was a museum tour."

"You know the story behind the work?" Remy asked inching closer to Erik.

"Diana was bathing with her nymphs in attendance and Actaeon was out with his hunting dogs. He accidentally saw Diana naked and she sent his own dogs after him. She punished him for his transgression. Turned him into a deer."

Erik let his fingertip touch the top of Actaeon's face transforming into a hunted stag. The head of the mythical man was all deer while the rest was still human in a dead run for his life.

"He commanded that his pack recognize him as he slowly morphed into a stag."

Ten various breeds of dogs surrounded poor Actaeon as the human and animal transformation disfigured his face.

"The gardens there are extensive," Durant said.

"Very beautiful. Like Tivoli itself."

"Well-traveled?"

"Try to be as much as I can."

Erik turned away from the sculpture and returned to the round wooden table that held the decanter of bourbon.

"More?"

A sharp-featured strawberry blonde seated on a beige double high-back chair pointed to the bourbon. She seemed amused to have Erik in her presence.

"Sure," Erik said holding his glass out to her.

Her eyes shifted from amusement to flustered surprise. She wasn't wearing pearls, but her expression sure was clutching some. Remy chuckled and Erik waited for the woman to pour.

She sat forward and lifted the decanter.

"Say when…" she said.

He let her go halfway before he held up his free hand.

"Thanks," he said. He took a big swig and turned away from her.

Vivienne's amused face beamed at him. He took a seat on a small couch and Vivienne swept over to sit with him.

There was small talk and Erik endured the irritating fishing into his past and personal life. Strawberry blonde and the raven-haired woman spoke in French, absorbed in their own world with not-so-subtle glances at Erik. He made out most of their conversation and grew bored with the idle chatter about men and parties. His focus moved back to Vivienne. She was the most beautiful woman in the room and the least invested in everyone else except for him. Her perfume tickled his nostrils.

"Anglais!" Vivienne scolded.

"Sorry," Strawberry said.

"So rude to my guest," she grumbled.

Vivienne grabbed his hand and pulled him off of the couch and moved him toward a staircase.

"We're off!" Vivienne called to her clique.

On the second floor, Erik followed Vivienne down a long hall. He glanced at more dynastic family oil paintings on the walls. He stopped at one that featured Vivienne. She stood next to him staring up at the gold-framed painting. Her father looked like a milkier Francesco, but much younger and with more hair. He had a pronounced large mouth and a weak chin. Cold gray eyes evoked a stern Monégasque aristocracy.

"My father Prince Julien, and my mother, Princess Ndaté."

Her mother was a rich warm espresso color with plump lips and a wide undefined nose with the cutest smile on her pixie face. Thick braids were twisted high on her head. Vivienne sat next to her mother on a forest green velvet settee wearing the same dark copper tea dress. Her father stood behind the settee with his hands touching his wife and daughter in a severely pressed dark suit.

"Your Moms became royalty here?"

"She was of royal descent from Senegal—"

"I have a play Aunt from Senegal."

"Oui?"

"Yeah. She's a queen to me."

"It was quite an event when they were married I am told. They met at Oxford. That's where I go to school."

"Only child?"

"Oui."

"Me too."

"Come…"

He followed her to another hall that led to a bedroom on the end.

"This your house?"

"Belongs to the family. We use it for special events. My cousins and I hide out here when we are between official duties at the palace. Unfortunately, having a father first in line to the throne makes my cousin Clara the sad puppy tonight. She had to stay behind for all the diplomatic duties."

"What's your shot at the throne?"

She cackled.

"My father is sixth in line. No chance. I will just be the speculative royal."

"A Black Princess in a white line. That's a big deal to a lot of people."

Vivienne unpinned her hair and the dark tresses fell even longer down her back.

"Close the door," she said.

Erik locked it and she stood in front of him.

"Unzip me," she demanded, her doe-like eyes seductive in the dim lighting of the room.

She turned away from him. Erik unhooked her and then zipped the dress down to her lower back.

"Merci."

She stepped out of the dress then tossed it on a pecan wood-stained rococo bed embellished with swirly scrolls and foliage fretwork. Her black silk underwear and strapless bra stayed on as she kicked off her heels. She had on sheer black thigh-high stockings and he watched her roll her hips as she walked to a delicate-looking bronze and leather Louis the Fifteenth writing desk with a matching leather chair. Her European Pops may have given her light skin and a loose curl pattern, but her African Mama most definitely gave her shelf booty and thighs for days. Her lack of modesty was much like his own when he was at home.

A chrome laptop was on the desk and Vivienne turned it on. Erik looked around the room and saw a pair of Bulgari sunglasses on a dresser. He put them on and admired his face in a dressing mirror. Her laptop powered up and she sauntered over to him. She pushed her sunglasses to the top of his head.

"I take off my clothes and you barely blink," she teased.

"I've seen a lot of bodies, Ma. Ain't no thang—"

"Ah, I saw you! Your eyes looked at my breasts just then."

He grinned.

"You're kinda spilling out there a bit."

She was.

Erik could see she had big light chestnut areolas that peeked out. Her snatched waist made her hips look wide from the front and enhanced the physical beauty that she displayed. Her eyes studied his face and she stepped closer to him. She unfastened his suit jacket and pulled it off of him, flinging it on top of her dress. He could feel her body heat.

"Get comfortable," she commanded.

Her fingers lifted and undid the first three buttons on his shirt. Erik clasped her fingers inside his hand.

"You're moving fast, girl. Don't even know me—"

"I know you're a liar," she whispered in his ear.

He frowned.

She tried stepping away from him but he held her wrists tight.

"I'm a liar?"

"You've been vetted by Tony. He doesn't just let anyone get close to him. And my Uncle hates commoners. You're not who you say you are."

He let her go. Her fingers went behind her back and she unclasped the hooks on her bra and let it fall to the floor. Her breasts dropped two inches on her chest from their heaviness, but as much as he was interested in playing with them and stretching his mouth over them, the smug look on her face had him edgy.

"Erik Stevens. American sounding name. But I've watched you. The way you walk. The way you talk and carry yourself. You remind me of my boyfriend…ex-boyfriend. You swaggered into my family's humble abode like you owned it. Even in the palace you moved around like others were beneath you or not worth your time. You don't suck up to Tony like I've seen others do. Either your family is very rich and well connected, or you have royalty in your background…oh, see? Your eyes gave you away…"

Vivienne stared at him. Some type of recognition colored her face.

"Someone in your family is from the motherland, oui? The east? It's so evident—"

"Oakland through and through, girl."

"No. Menteur. You are African. More like Halfrican…as am I."

She poked his chest.

Erik swiped the dark glasses back down over his eyes. He sat on her bed and felt his belly churn with tension. Vivienne's intuition had him shook. He tried to deflect.

"Come bring your fine ass here."

He held out his hand.

She walked over to her computer and turned on some music. He grimaced.

"I don't know what kind of mood you're trying to set, but that ain't it," he said.

He moved from the bed to her side and turned off the dreadful Europop sounds. He typed in the search engine and pulled up the M.I.T. website.

Her voice came into the room and the energy shifted.

Buttafly.

His muse.

"What is this?" Vivienne asked.

"A radio station I listen to. It streams worldwide."

"I like it."

Vivienne swayed her body, her hips circling with little dips. Her bare feet took tiny steps as she latched on to the hypnotic dreamy beats. Erik's eyes raked over her curves and the slight bounce of her tits.

"How many guys do you bring here the first time you meet them?"

"Guys? Mon doudou, do I look like I interact with guys?"

Her hands fluttered around her body.

"I only entertain the powerful and worthy."

Something within Erik stirred. Vivienne rolled her body and the music transitioned to something even more sensual.

"If the night brings you gossamer wings made of starlight and sable dreams, you better fly…"

Erik imagined moist lips with Buttafly's honey mouth whispering the words in his ear that he heard from the computer. Since he couldn't have the unseen girl of his aural fantasies on the radio, Vivienne was perfect compensation. He stepped to her and entwined his fingers with hers and shook his hips. Twirling her around to face him, Erik led Vivienne in some Chi-town two-steppin' that his grandfather taught him.

"I love this!" Vivienne squealed.

He pulled her in close and she was able to follow his lead.

"That's it, Princess," he encouraged.

She pulled the dark glasses from his eyes and tossed them on her bed as they stepped in time together. He spun and dipped adding the Oaktown drip to their partnering. Drawing her in tight, her breasts mashed into his chest and he liked the pressure she started to put on his loins as he felt his dick grow fat in his tailored slacks.

"I feel that," she sighed grinding on him.

"It's yours if you want it, Princess."

Vivienne turned and backed her ass against his groin.

"Let me be your heartbeat…"

Whatever poem Buttafly was reciting on top of the erotic beats made Vivienne gasp as she stood still and let him dry hump her ass. Erik's dick turned to iron and the heavy print beating against the split in her backside made her panties wet. His fingers stroked the front of her underwear forcefully to let her know what time it was. Her legs shook. Erik gripped her waist and held her in place as he thrust against her.

He wanted that weight bouncing on him so he pulled her back with him as he sat on the bed with her seated on his lap. She gave him what he wanted, lifting and dropping on his dick, the friction from his pants adding to the pleasure he was enjoying. He reached up and yanked on her long hair, threading his fingers through the thicker strands.

"Big ole ass…girl you know you got a big ole ass…look at you!"

Vivienne laughed and he tugged harder on her hair forcing her head back.

"Who takes care of all of this, huh? I know these white boys ain't handling you right. Look how you're acting. Your man know you wilding right now?"

"He's old news. There are other fish."

"You're sinking some hooks, Ma."

Vivienne spun around on him and straddled his thighs, her breasts sitting on his chest.

"You have protection?" she asked.

"Yeah. Will we be disturbed?"

"No."

She slid her fingers down to the last fastened buttons on his shirt and freed him from it. The skin on skin contact made his dick harder. Erik pulled out his wallet from his back pocket and fumbled for one of his condoms as she nibbled along his neck.

"I won't cause no international incident fucking a Princess will I?"

Her lips smothered his and her tongue was aggressive with his open mouth. Her kisses were desperate.

"You need me bad," he whispered in her ear as he snaked his tongue inside it.

Her greedy fingers went to work on his pants and he let her take them off along with his dark briefs.

"This is what I need," she groaned wrapping her fingers around his wood.

She stroked him nice and slow, teasing pre-cum out of his slit before she engulfed him with her lips. Resting on his elbows, Erik enjoyed watching her slather his dick with warm saliva and moans.

"Damn, baby. You know how to handle my shit. Rub them big titties on it."

Vivienne knelt down and lifted her breasts. He sandwiched his length in the deep valley of her cleavage and she interlocked her fingers together making his erection snug and secure. She rubbed her tits up and down and he had memories of Athena as he watched his dick disappear. He fingered around her areolas and tugged on her nipples.

"Nasty girl…just met me and got my dick like this. You like being a good slut?"

Vivienne lunged for his mouth and they kissed until the throbbing in the root of his dick made him antsy for pussy. He wasn't sure how much privacy they really would have, so he didn't want to waste time eating the box and then being interrupted without having a crack at royal walls. She seemed to be hot for his erection right away too. He could taste her folds after he pounded her good and proper. It was time for royal fucking and he planned on giving her Wakandan Prince dick.

Buttafly was providing the soundtrack he needed to serenade Vivienne into submission. She was about to quench the female drought he was experiencing. He tore open the gold magnum condom wrapper and slipped the rubber down his thick inches. The bed didn't feel sturdy to him so he pulled her over to the solid-looking cream vintage chaise lounge.

"Wait," she whispered and quickly walked to a door he thought was an ornate closet but was actually a bathroom.

She came back with a dark towel and spread it on the lounge. Erik sat down and helped her climb back onto his lap. They kissed once more and she moaned into his throat as he gave her deep soul kisses. He held the back of her neck and plundered her lusty mouth until she was whimpering.

"Fuck me," she begged.

"You want this dick?"

The mewling sound from her voice made him so horny. It was obvious they both hadn't had it in a long time. He didn't give her time to pull her panties off or slide them to the side. He just ripped them off and tossed the scraps on the floor. Gripping the bottom of her ass cheeks and lifting her up, she eased down on his length with only two adjustments with the angle. His abundant size didn't bother her at all. She was so wet that he knew she could slide down even more inches if he had them. Feeling more confident after a few false starts and gripping the back of the lounge for balance, Vivienne started dropping her pussy on him forcing harsh cursing to erupt from his mouth.

"You really tryna break a nigga in!"

"MMMhmmm."

"Okay, Princess. Big ole heavy ass…big heavy ass!"

He slapped her butt and the solid sound made his balls jump.

"Fuck me…fuck me, Princess. Ride that bitch…ride that bitch. Damn you got some weight on that shit."

She knew how to move and shook what her Mama gave her and then some. The clapping of cheeks was so loud that Erik just knew that everyone had to be able to hear it downstairs. She twisted her waist and circled her hips to make that shit even louder and his mouth fell open trying to inhale more air to keep up with her. He jackhammered into her until the music settled him down and he got caught up in a rhythm that had her begging him to wreck her shit for all time. She stopped speaking English then, and her breathy French made his mouth filthy talking back to her. He slid his fingers along her thigh-high stockings.

"Damn, Princess!"

Vivienne turned her body to the side and rested her head on the back of the lounge as she watched Erik's face next to hers. She rode the first four inches on the top of his dick and the sensation of her circling that tight box on him without going all the way down made him press his feet hard into the carpeted floor.

She had his face all scrunched up as he stared into her eyes. Her mouth was open and spilling more moans.

"Fuck me, Princess. Just like that…just like that. Got this big ass clapping!"

"Oui…oui…oui…"

"Fuck me…fuck me…take some more girl…go all the way down. Don't be scared. Fuck me good…take some more. You can get more in there…shit yeah…I like that shit…all the way down. Dassit…more…lemme stretch that shit more…fuck…oh fuck…there it is. Riding the tip so good, baby. Dassit…dassit, Princess. All the way down…all the way bitch…yeah…let a real nigga handle you…mmmmm…"

He pulled out and her eyes looked confused.

"Turn over. Get on your knees."

He forced Vivienne to clutch onto the armrest as he took her from behind.

"Spread them cheeks with your hands…I said spread them. Don't make me fucking repeat myself!"

Erik slapped the shit out of her ass and her body jerked from the punishment. Her hands reached back and pulled her ass cheeks apart for him. Her head rested on the cushion.

"Poke that ass out…dassit. Arch that back for me. Good girl. Make that pussy tight for me. Make it hard for me to get in this shit."

He inserted the bulbous head in and he felt her pushing her vaginal muscles against him.

"Yeah! Just like that! Make it hard for me to get in there…c'mon girl! Fuck!"

Vivienne's head angled back to watch his face.

"Fuck me….please…fuck me hard…" she panted.

"Hold them cheeks open!"

Her pussy was frothy and the creamy fluid dribbled down her thighs every time he pulled out to thrust back in fast.

"Nobody been taking care of this pussy."

"…fuck me, Erik…."

"Ain't no Oxford niggas available to break you off?"

She laughed and it died in her throat when he deep stroked her. He held her left arm back to help him get down deeper. He wasn't going to last.

"Loud pussy, girl…"

Her eyes squeezed shut and her mouth stayed lax.

"Oh…oh…oh…oh…"

"Get it, girl! Getcho dick!"

Vivienne clutched onto the armrest with her free hand and lifted up. He released her arm and she rode his dick by rocking back on him with her hands resting on her thighs.

"Do that…do that…" he hissed.

"Erik!"

"…finna nut…"

Her pussy made obscene farting noises and he let loose into the condom.

"Fuucckkkkkk!"

He fell over her back and gripped her shoulders, kissing the side of her face.

"Fucking icy, Princess!" he panted.

He lifted up feeling the hardness in his dick still holding out.

"I ain't forgot you, Ma."

Erik made her turn over and he lifted her legs over his arms and put in work. It didn't take long for her to fall apart all over his dick before he had to grab the base of his length to keep the condom from slipping as he became flaccid.

Vivienne ran her hand across the top of her hair and grinned from ear to ear.

"That was…mon Dieu…" she sighed.

She reached up and caressed his face.

"Are you using your wings? Are you flying above the world Black angel….?"

Buttafly's voice calmed the rapid beating in his heart from the physical exertion. Vivienne took his hand and pulled him onto her bed.

"Viens mon amour," she whispered.

###

They used all of his condoms.

Three in total.

Vivienne was insatiable and he gave it his all until he fell asleep. He awoke to find the two pitch-black Great Danes sleeping on the floor at the foot of the bed. When Erik stood up to go urinate, both dogs growled at him, their big ears tall on their heads like radar.

"Chut!" Vivienne hissed.

Both dogs backed down and rested their heads on their large paws.

Dressed in a fluffy ginger-colored robe, Vivienne sat on the bed with her laptop in front of her crossed legs.

"Morning," he said.

"Good morning to you. Sleep well?"

"Yeah. What time is it?"

"One—"

"Shit!"

"Don't worry. Tony knows you're still with me. I called him earlier. You don't have to be back until tonight."

"I have to be with your uncle."

"I know. Take a shower. Everything you need is in the bathroom. Are you hungry? I had lunch brought up since you slept through breakfast."

She pointed to a covered silver serving tray on the writing desk. There was fresh juice and water in glass pitchers with glasses.

"Be right back," he said.

Erik showered and pulled on a thick black robe that covered him down to his feet. A brand new toothbrush with individual toothpaste was sitting on the sink next to an unopened travel size deodorant roll. Stepping back into the bedroom, the two dogs watched him closely but didn't move or growl at him.

"Let them out before you eat anything. They will beg and it is so annoying."

Erik walked past the Great Danes and unlocked the bedroom door. They lifted their heads and Erik whistled. They jumped up and he shooed them out closing the door behind them.

Padding over to the serving tray, Erik lifted the cover and found ham omelets with cheese, resting on top of a large croissant with a side of diced mixed fruit and small finger sandwiches. He nibbled on a grape and poured himself water.

"Merde!" Vivienne snapped.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard. She glared at her screen.

"What do you want?!"

Her voice was annoyed. Erik tossed another grape into his mouth and drank some water.

"You refuse to take my calls. You make me hunt you down from the palace to your family chateau. I will not tolerate your disrespect!"

Erik froze.

The hairs on the back of his neck rose and his fingers shook so bad that he had to put his glass of water down. He stepped away from the writing desk and walked carefully to the bed, his eyes narrowing and the breath in his body moving rapidly in his chest.

That voice.

It couldn't be.

"T'Challa, we are no more. I told you that when I left—"

"You said we were just taking a step back to evaluate our relationship…who the fuck is that?!"

Blazing dark orbs burned into Erik's face. The hard scowl on T'Challa's mouth matched the one on Erik's own lips.

"That is my friend—"

"Friend? He is wearing a robe—"

"Hey, Princess. We have lunch waiting for us. Hang up."

"No one asked you to speak—"

"I'm talking, nigga and I'm digging out your bitch!"

"Vivienne!"

T'Challa's shout made Vivienne jump. Her eyes darted between them.

"He is a guest, T'Challa. We have a lot of guests here. There was a party last night—"

"You ain't gotta explain shit to him. Hang up!"

"If you hang up. I swear to Bast I will—"

"Do what?" Erik challenged.

Vivienne's eyes grew coy. She brushed her hair back over her shoulder and gave T'Challa a sly smile. She was enjoying it.

"We can talk when I get back."

"We shall talk now. Make him leave!"

Erik plopped down on the bed next to Vivienne and picked up her dark glasses. Pulling them on he placed his face close to the screen. T'Challa's eyes reminded Erik of his father's. For a second, N'Jobu's face loomed in his mind. Staring at his cousin, seeing the dark smooth skin, the flared nostrils, and hearing the haughty entitled voice, Baba was forced into his heart. Not only could Erik see his father in T'Challa's face, but he could see his own too. It was in the eyes. Those damn haunting Udaku eyes. No wonder Vivienne pegged him for royalty. She was fucking his cousin and unknowingly recognized the bloodline. Incredible.

"Where are you going?" Vivienne called out.

Erik stalked to the bedroom door.

"I have to get some air."

"Eat some food—"

"Vivienne!"

"T'Challa stop screaming at me! You'll see me when I let you!"

She slammed the laptop shut and jumped off the bed.

"Erik…Erik…what's wrong?"

Anger coursed through his body and made it rigid as the Princess wrapped her arms around his.

"I was being petty. I shouldn't have taken the chat. Not with you here. He's such an arrogant ass all the time—"

Erik lifted her up and crashed his lips onto her mouth.

Carrying her back to the bed, he pushed her laptop to the side and dropped her on the plush lavender duvet. Snatching off her robe he threw it behind him. Her eyes were ablaze as she watched him disrobe. His dick was ramrod straight and pointed toward her. He fisted the head and when he glanced at his wallet on the nightstand, he remembered he had no more condoms.

"Do you have anything?" he asked. His fingers twirled around the underside ridge of the tip.

She heard the desperate need in his voice. Her head shook and he couldn't hide his disappointment.

"Here," she said spreading her legs.

The faint pubic hairs on her plump mound were already damp and her vulva was swollen, the inner lips wide open revealing glistening pink.

"You sure?"

She lifted her legs up high.

Erik lined himself up with her.

"He wants you back," he said.

"He has to learn to deserve me."

"He don't deserve you. He doesn't deserve shit."

He plunged into Vivienne full over reckless venom. He wasn't gentle and she didn't want him to be.

"…ooh…mon dieu…ahhh…mon dieu…Erik…!"

He put his full weight on her and she clawed his back.

"Oh…oh…oh…oohmmmph…oui…oui…oui…"

He slammed into her, his length splitting her open wide, his aggression overwhelming her. She cried out in pleasure and he pushed her legs all the way back and shifted to his knees so he could break her down.

"You go back to Oxford, he gon' feel this dick!"

"Oui!"

Reckless. Piping her raw. Needing to stretch her out so she would remember him. The indignant anger in his cousin's voice aroused the alpha within himself and he pounded the fuck out of Vivienne to get back at his blood. If he couldn't bust that spoiled bastard in the face with his fist, then he was going to bust his woman down with his dick.

Erik fucked most of the sound out of Vivienne. She couldn't even make coherent words anymore. Her eyes were glued to his with her lips parted in sweet agony. Every few seconds a deep groan would spill from her throat. He kept the pace brutal and she was game for it.

"Hold your damn legs, bitch!"

Vivienne reached up and curved her hands under her thighs and held them in place as he gripped her throat with one hand and held onto the headboard with the other.

"OOooohhh!"

The vibration in her throat was felt in his hand and he pulled all the way out just to thrust back in to hit that bottom of her pussy hard. Her eyes rolled back and shut as tears spilled from her lids. He eased his grip from her neck to allow her more air but she pushed his hand back down harder.

"This my pussy now. Right?"

Her eyes popped open and her breasts bounced distracting him. He reached down and felt all over her chest as she thrashed under him. He plucked at her clit before rotating firm circles into the small nub.

"I'm cumming!" she shouted.

Erik watched her pussy contract around his girth and before she went limp in his arms, he pulled his shiny erection out and stroked it until stringy hot ropes of semen spurt all over her belly.

"Princess!" he choked out.

He milked out all that his balls could give and Vivienne smeared it into her skin. Gulping for air, Erik sat back from her. When he was able to breathe normally, he searched for his clothes and got dressed.

"You won't eat?" she asked.

"I need to get back to the hotel and get ready for tonight."

Disappointment turned her face sour.

"You have plenty of time."

He glanced out of the window. It was snowing again.

"So unusual," she whispered staring at the falling flakes with him.

"Do I need to call a car service?"

"Gaspar will take you where you need to go. Won't you stay longer, Erik? Please?"

Her face was lovely with the glow of their rough sex. Erik hated the man's guts but he had to admit that his cousin had great taste in women.

He sat on the edge of the bed and put on his shoes.

"How long you been with that nigga?"

"T'Challa? We've been on and off for two years."

"You love him?"

"I do. I'm not in love with him though. He makes that difficult."

"How?"

"He only loves himself and some other woman back in his country."

"Where is he from?"

"Wakanda."

"Have you ever been there?"

"No. It's a poor country and I don't do poor. He won't take me there anyway."

"Why not?"

She shrugged.

"He makes excuses. His family is well off. I think his father is a despot. He's been in power forever."

"He have any siblings?"

"A little sister."

This was news to him.

"What's her name?"

"Aren't you a curious one?"

"Sizing up my competition."

"Her name is Shuri. He's crazy about her. Brags about her all the time."

"Have you met his father?"

"King T'Chaka is T'Challa times ten."

She laughed. He tried to smile. His stomach was tight.

"I met him in London once. With T'halla's stepmother Queen Ramonda."

"He re-married…." Erik pondered the information. Another heir. And a wife that could get in the way.

"You know about them?"

"What?"

"You said 'She re-married'. Like that was important to you."

"Nah. Just curious. He seems so uptight."

"He can be a delight…when he gets his way."

"Why do you need a break from him?"

"He's intense. Like you. That can grow tiresome. But the sex is worth it."

She fell onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

"Thank God you both weren't in the same room. It was like watching two male Betta fish circle each other. The expression on his face though when you wouldn't leave! He's never been denied anything in his life!"

Erik stood from the bed. Vivienne crawled over to him and sat up on her knees holding out her arms. He kissed her lips but didn't hug her. She pouted.

"C'mon now, I can't get cum on my clothes."

She sat back on her heels.

"I enjoyed your company," she said.

"I enjoyed yours."

"Can I see you again?" she asked.

"Depends on Tony. We're here a few more days then it's back to L.A."

"I want you to call me."

"If I can. I will—"

"No. You call me. Or I will kidnap you again."

She cradled her breasts.

"You're the one who's spoiled," he said.

She didn't deny it.

###

The private room in the private Gentlemen's club reeked of pungent cigars, cognac, and tired old man cologne doused too liberally on pale pampered skin.

Erik tugged on the tie he had to wear wishing he had some good weed to smoke to help him focus. Tony sat near him cradling a Cuban cigar. The room was filled with high rollers from Saudi Arabia, China, Australia, Argentina, and South Africa. The card table and the dealer was set with chips. They all waited for Prince Francesco. He was late.

Erik's leg began to bounce and Tony kicked the bottom of his chair to make him stop.

"Forgive us!"

The Prince strolled in and Erik was surprised to see Princess Vivienne behind him. They both took seats at the poker table. He couldn't hide the delighted smile on his face when the Princess looked up and saw him sitting across from her.

"My niece, Princess Vivienne. I know the rules say men only, but I couldn't deny you all a chance to play with the best."

Small head bows were given to Vivienne but her eyes were only on Erik's.

The moment all their hands were dealt and bets were wagered, Erik learned the hard way. Never judge a book by its cover.

Princess Vivienne cleaned everyone's clock during the first two games, and as his pile of chips dwindled, Erik knew then that it was going to be a long night.

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otterplusharchive · 3 years

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rey! do you have any recs for kdramas? i have never watched any, but i like lovable characters and romance ? thank you in advance!

I DO IN FACT HAVE DRAMA RECS HII not all of these will be kdramas, but ill start with the kdramas ive watched and enjoyed and ill include all the warnings for them that i can remember off the top of my head and a brief synopsis for u!

kdramas-

1. weight lifting fairy kim bok joo

this was probably one of the first kdramas i saw people post about in like 2015 and i watched a little bit of it in 2016 but then only just got around to finishing it last year. the basic gist of it is its about a young sports college weight lifter, kim bok joo, centering around her navigating through her life and trying to figure out who she is and what she wants in life and what she wants to be. her romantic interest in the show is a swimmer and they have a sort of rivals to friends to lovers, he is SO in love with her and its adorable. i absolutely loved the side characters in this show theyre all so fun and kim bok joos best friends and weight lifting team are especially delightful. my main warning would be that this show addresses eating disorders and theres a lot of mention of both weight gain and weight loss, theres also a plot point early on where kim bok joo has a crush on her eventual love interests older brother but it gets resolved and the older brother literally goes "i didnt realize you had a crush on me and if i knew that i wouldnt have been so friendly with you, it would be completely innapropriate for us to be in a relationship". overall its a really sweet and emotional fun show but if you have issues with weight talk id skip this one

2. tale of the nine tailed

this one is really recent from last year and i didnt expect to be so hooked by it but boy howdy did i get attached to all the characters and the wild plot. it feels hard to explain the plot but basically a nine tailed fox named lee yeon is living in modern day seoul and is working for the underworld finding paranormal spirits/creatures/other rogue foxes that are causing havoc on the world, hes resigned himself to living this life while waiting for his girlfriend who died tragically 600 years ago to come back to life because he traded his status as a mountain god in order to ensure that her soul would one day be reincarnated. a plucky investigative journalist named nam ji ah figures out that hes not human and shenanagins ensue because she looks exactly like his dead girlfriend oooooo whatll happen. the plot beyond that gets really wild and its hard to explain and is easier to just watch. if u enjoy paranormal adventures this one is good. my one big complaint and issue with this is that the immortal mountain spirit meets his original girlfriend when shes a child and she continues to visit him off and on as she grows up which is Hm I Dont Like That! but thankfully the present time romance our female lead meets him when shes about 30 if im remembering right. also warnings for general fantasy violence, references to child abuse, animal death, and abandonment issues

3. extraordinary you

HUGE unreality warning for this. if you have issues with feeling unreal or have paranoia/delusions about not being a real person id avoid this one just because of its premise

ok i know i said tale of the nine tailed was a hard plot to explain but BOY extraordinary you is even HARDER to explain. because its so wild but so good. its about a girl who realizes that she is literally a side character in a comic book, and the story becomes her trying to change the story to save her character from dying but it becomes a lot more than that. the romance in this is literally tooth achingly sweet and the show itself is very pretty, i loved the side characters in this one and the show was engaging and interesting to watch it became really layered and meta. super reccomend this one honestly. my main issues/warnings that i can remember off the top of my head were just one character being the classic controlling boyfriend stereotype, bullying someone specifically for being poor, unreality like i mentioned before, and then at the very end there was this love interest for a side character who got reincarnated from a past piece of writing that they had been in and put in the comic but she was a student and he was the school cook which is weird but thankfully they like barely interact at all and theres no real romance he just like recognizes her and its barely a thing at the end of the show but its still weird

4. mystic pop up bar

big warning for suicide, sexual harrasment (which is framed as being bad and the guy whos harrassing the girl literally gets thrown off a roof)

i havent finished this one yet and thats mainly because im not emotionally ready because this one makes me soooo emotional. if you like found family this is a good one. its about a pop up bar run by a woman whos been tasked with solving the problems of a certain amount of people in order to atone for her crimes in the past before dying, shes able to enter the dreams of people and solve their issues using the information she gets in the dreams. paranormal shenanagins ensue, she acquires a son and a husband and it kills me its so fun and quirky and fun despite handling dark themes and peoples problems. also very sweet the found family murders me

5. kingdom (netflix original)

i literally am not going to be able to watch any other zombie media because kingdom and train to busan are the best pieces of zombie media ive ever seen. warnings for gore and violence and just general horror aspects.

i absolutely love this one its so thrilling and well done, i love the acting and the way that this show looks its absolutely gorgeous. a zombie plague breaks out in joseon period korea where the emperor has died and then was brought back to life by the queen and her father in a ploy to try and keep their family in political power, the crown prince must find answers. a lot more happens and its very dramatic and good i love the characters in this one

cdramas

1. the untamed. if you follow me and you havent watched the untamed im begging you to watch the untamed. literally one of the most beautiful stories ive experienced in my life i am not joking when i say i cried multiple times over it. the main characters are canonically gay in love and have a son together please watch the untamed. handles a lot of dark themes, heres a tw guide

2. the sleuth of the ming dynasty

this is another one i havent finished but its fun so far, very gay, found family, food, and solving murder mysteries during the ming dynasty

3. hikaru no go (also known as qi hun)

havent finished this one, there is some propaganda about hong kong in the first episode but as far as i know thats the only instance of something like that in the show

this ones about the game go and so far its very sweet and fun, local boy awakens a ghost who was a master of the game of go hundreds of years ago and eventually is persuaded to learn how to play go with the aid of the ghost. im really liking this one so far its very cute and i love the characters in it. if youve watched the untamed nie huaisangs actor ji li is in this one!

4. the legend of yunqian

this ones very short and on youtube, all the episodes are about 5 minutes long and its a lesbian time travel fantasy adventure with a happy ending! funny and cute

jdramas

1. cherry magic

please please please watch cherry magic. the premise sounds very much like a weird yaoi kind of thing but trust me on this. trust me. it is so heart warming and sweet and i was so emotional about it and the growth of the main character.

adachi gains the power to read peoples minds on his 30th birthday based off a urban legend that if youre a 30 year old virgin that youll become a wizard. after gaining this power he accidentally finds out that his extremely popular and handsome coworker has a crush on him, and shenanagins ensue along with adachi having blossoming feelings in return. this show was really refreshing in a lot of ways, adachi is a main character who like.. is unsure of himself and insecure in a very kind of realistic way, he closes himself off and is afraid to reach out to people and through the course of the show we see him slowly come out of his shell and realize that hes likeable and lovable and that people want to be around him and its so nice to see. my main complaint about this show is that i dont really like the background couple, but otherwise this is a very sweet and refreshing gay romance that has a happy ending!

some others that i myself havent seen but that ive seen people talk about a lot and that i want to watch eventually:

- the legend of fei (cdrama)

- the wolf (cdrama)

- gaurdian (cdrama, not the kdrama one called goblin)

- healer (kdrama, i did watch some of this one but it was in 2016 and i never finished it so i barely remember any of it but i do remember liking it)

- nobody knows (kdrama)

- its ok to not be ok (kdrama)

sorry this is so long but i hope youll be able to find a drama u enjoy!!

#long post

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