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#because i first listened to them after now not yet was released and then i didnt listen to them for a long time
maple-leifarts · 6 months
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does anyone. does anyone listen to half alive
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afterglowsainz · 18 days
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i'mgonnagetyouback | max verstappen
part 2
summary: after you and max broke up you released an album about it and when you go on tour, you didn't expected max to be there front row after being dragged by his new girlfriend's daughter
warnings: none
word count: 877
a/n: this is kinda told in max's pov (?, also heavily inspired on taylor's eras tour and i slightly changed the lyrics of the song to relate it a bit more to max
the tortured athletes department series
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the lights were out in the stadium but there was barely any darkness. the lights of flashes from phones and twinkling colored light bracelets illuminated the allegiance stadium in las vegas, every person there waiting for the one and only y/n y/l/n.
if you would’ve told max months ago that he was gonna be at her ex-girlfriend’s sold out concert the same weekend he was racing in vegas, he would’ve laughed in your face. but here he was, waiting with the other 69,000 people for her to show up on stage and sing all her hit songs, including the ones that she wrote about him after their breakup.
he had to remind himself that the only reason he was doing this was because of his new girlfriend's daughter, who begged them for weeks to take her to y/n’s concert or she would simply die. she was y/n’s biggest fan because, of course, karma had to do that to max. so there he was, in the vip section of the stadium without y/n’s knowledge, next to his new girlfriend and her daughter.
the lights on the bracelets turned off and the stadium went a bit darker than before, announcing the start of the show. when a huge clock on the stage came up and it reached the number zero, y/n came out singing the first song of the concert and the crowd went wild. max was immediately mesmerized by her. she hadn’t changed much since they broke up, that much he noticed, and she was as beautiful as ever.
he had to control himself not to sing along to her songs to not give his girlfriend a bad impression, even though her daughter was singing all her songs by heart. he just nodded and move along with the rhythm, avoiding the gaze of his girlfriend who was very well aware of her boyfriends history with the singer on stage.
y/n was singing her most famous songs and a few that were more lowkey, and when they reached the acoustic set of the concert, she was carrying a wide smile while playing a few keys on the piano. max smiled at the sight of her.
“hello, vegas!” she shouted at the microphone, making the whole stadium scream. “welcome to the acoustic set.” she smiled. “i’ve been meaning to sing different surprise songs every night, some that i haven’t played in a while, some others brand new. this one particularly is from my new album, i hope you enjoy it.”
max stopped breathing for a second. it was very well known with the public that y/n’s new album was about their breakup and she hadn’t sung any of those songs until tonight. he didn’t know what to do with himself or how to behave, so he simply crossed his arms and stood a bit further into the vip section. in the location he was he had a perfect view of her, but she hadn’t seen him all night.
soon enough y/n start singing one of the songs from the new album that max new for a fact was about him. he hadn’t listen to the whole album because he just didn’t want to relieve the breakup. in his defense he did try to give it a listen, but it was just to overwhelming for him so he had to stop listening mid-album, but this one he knew.
Lilac short skirt / The one that fits me like skin
max submerged himself in the lyrics and y/n’s incredibly familiar voice. only now she wasn’t singing just for him, but for thousands of people.
Whether I'm gonna be your wife or / Gonna smash up your car, I / Haven't decided yet / But I'm gonna get you back
a rebel smile appeared on his face, incapable of hiding how much she meant to him, how much he had missed her. seeing her there, singing her heart out on stage for a crowd of people who were crazy about her, god, how could he lost her?
I can feel it comin', hummin' in the way you move / Push the reset button, we're becoming something new / Say you got somebody, I'll say, "I got someone too" / Even if it's handcuffed, I'm leaving here with you
the smile on her face while singing the song she wrote made his smile even greater. he didn’t know the song fully like his girlfriend’s daughter, but he knew; he lived it, just as much as she did. in that moment in time, he felt connected to her in a level that no one in the stadium was.
I hear the whispers in your eyes / I'll make you wanna think twice / You'll find that you were never not mine / I'm gonna get you back
when the song finished, the multitude exploited in praise and y/n’s smile grew on her face. max completely forgot about everyone else and joined the crowd, screaming for her and applauding. y/n stood up from the piano and did a small bow before leaving the stage for her next set of songs.
it was as clear as day for max and it struck him like lightning. he was gonna get her back.
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cherryredcheol · 1 month
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two boyfies
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tldr: do you actually have two boyfriends like jeonghan said? and why doesn't cheol know? a/n: god, the way i feel about this man should be criminal... references to: drinking and a brief mention of sex
the latest episode of your drama had just finished when seungcheol walked through the door. he was right on time, just like he said he’d be. you were so delighted to see him, running to the door before he could even get both his shoes off, wrapping your arms tightly around his middle. 
“missed you,” you tried to convey the sweet message to him but the words came out muffled because of how your face was buried in his chest. 
he understood you nonetheless, he always did, “missed you too, baby.” he pulled you impossibly closer, pressing a kiss to the crown of your head, breathing in your soft scent as he did so.
you two stayed like that for what felt like hours, just holding each other after a long day apart: him doing his schedules, you going to work. although you lived together now, it never felt like you’d get enough time with seungcheol. you’re not sure how you survived the days of living separately. 
“baby” he spoke softly, not wanting to disturb the peace in the apartment.
“hmm?” you hummed at him, acknowledging that you heard him but making no real attempt to remove yourself from him. 
you could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke, “hannie told me something crazy today and i just have to tell you.” 
this piqued your interest but not enough to get you to look at him, still content to listen to his steady heartbeat, “what?”
“he said,” seungcheol paused for dramatic effect, “that you told him you have two boyfriends.” 
you knew instantly what your (only) boyfriend was referring to. as a blush crept up your neck and onto your face you felt cheol’s chest shake with laughter, you whined and tried to bury yourself deeper into him, not wanting to face his teasing eyes yet. 
“know anything about that baby?” he asked, finally pulling back from you in an attempt to get you to look at him, a little smirk on his lips. 
your head swiveled around, looking around the apartment to find some excuse to get you out of this awkward moment created by your big mouth and your boyfriend’s best friend. 
seungcheol grabbed your chin, pulling your face to look at his, forcing your eyes to meet and in them, you saw nothing but mirth. 
your blush deepened and his smirk grew, “i asked you a question baby. don’t make me repeat myself” 
he released you and you groaned, wholly embarrassed, “cheollie, you know i only have eyes for you.” 
at this confession his smirk bloomed into a full, toothy grin. he could end it here, but he was enjoying seeing you squirm, “are you saying jeonghannie is a liar?” 
you rolled your eyes, “obviously not, he’s just not telling the whole truth.” 
“will you tell me the whole truth then?” he pouted at you, “spent the whole day thinking my baby had another boyfriend. am i not enough for you?” 
part of you wanted to walk away from him, leave the safe embrace of his arms, and rethink the offer on the tip of your tongue about making dinner. but you knew when cheol was playful like this, he wouldn’t let it go. he would keep badgering you all night to tell him what jeonghan had meant and if you really had another man besides him. 
“first of all, in my defense, i only told hannie that i had two boyfriends when i was drunk so you can’t really take my words at face value,” you were trying to rationalize it to him, make him understand the context of this situation you were about to explain to him. 
“you know what they say baby,” seungcheol continued to tease you, “drunk words are sober thoughts.” he looked so smug with his little smirk on, looking down his nose at you, nothing but completely endeared by your shyness. 
“the only thing i said to hannie was it was like i have two boyfriends. i have my seungcheollie and then s. coups.” you couldn’t even look at him as you said this, far too embarrassed by drunk you from a few weeks ago. seungcheol however couldn’t look away, somehow feeling more and more fond as the blush staining your face got impossibly deeper. 
“are they not the same, baby? both are me. how could they be different?” he was goading you on at this point. he knew what you meant, but he just wanted to hear you say it. 
“cheollie…” you whined. you knew he was just dragging this out to tease you further. 
he pulled you into his chest again, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead and you think you’re in the clear until you hear him murmur against your hairline, “explain it to me, baby”
you huff and whine against him, wanting to escape his hold and this embarrassment, but you know he won't let this go so you concede, dignity be damned, “its like you’re one person when its just you and i. that’s seungcheollie: all soft smiles and tight hugs. seungcheollie takes care of me in a way i never even knew i needed. he’s a lover boy” he hums and you can feel it reverberate in your chest that was tightly pressed against his. when he says nothing more, you take it as a cue to continue. “s. coups is sexy, domineering, and intimidating. he has this huge presence that’s impossible to ignore. he fucks. he’s different than just you cheollie, you know it.” 
at first, it was quiet and you thought the teasing was over. you were so embarrassed you had just admitted all of that to him, hoping he didn’t think you were a weirdo. 
then he giggles. his giggles trigger your own and suddenly you’re both holding each other, laughing in the entryway to your apartment, cheol with one shoe still on despite having gotten home a while ago. 
after the laughter subsides, he looks down at you, smiling fondly, “you’re so cute, baby. i love you so much. we both do.” 
he leans down for a kiss but you groan, pushing him away, walking towards the kitchen, intent on starting dinner but not sure if your boyfriend deserves it. 
he laughs, following behind you like a lost puppy, determined to show you how even though you feel like you have two boyfriends, you’re the only one for him. 
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pickingupmymercedes · 24 days
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It's Mrs. Hamilton - Lewis Hamilton (NSFW)
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request: "I don't know if you saw that video of Barbara Palvin where they yell at her on a red carpet "Ms. Palvin, one more" and she yells "it's Mrs. Sprouse now" too iconic. Could you write something like that? But let Lewis see the video online and get excited and when he gets home he marks her as his wife..." - anon
pairing: Lewis Hamilton x Reader!
warnings: unprotected sexual activities, (p in v), oral sex
Also, wrap it before you tap it
wordcount: +1K
a/n: This smut sort of has a plot, so thanks anon. Also, I cut your request because of how descriptive it was and I try to keep the explicit part under the cut, but everything you asked is down there.
As always, I'm open for feedback, come say hi!
EXPLICIT CONTENT UNDER, -18 DO NOT INTERACT.
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You returned to your apartment late in the evening, the soft hum of the city outside providing a gentle backdrop to your thoughts. The golden glow from the streetlights filtered through the windows, casting a warm, inviting atmosphere within. You had spent the day planning how to surprise your husband by coming home a few days earlier, eager to see his reaction. However, as you stepped into the entrance hall, your plans momentarily vanished from your mind.
Sneakers lay abandoned by the door, a wallet and bag casually discarded on the side table, and a hoodie carelessly thrown over the sofa. The apartment felt alive, yet Lewis was nowhere in sight.
“Lew, you home already?” Your voice echoed through the apartment; the silence broken only by the soft whimpers that floated from the last door on the right. Curiosity piqued, you approached, the soft carpet cushioning your footsteps.
He was truly a vision as you walked into the main bedroom, pillows stacked up on the headboard, the room dimly lit by a bedside lamp casting a warm glow, his torso adorned with a white tank, the fabric clinging to his sculpted form, arms glistening with a light layer of sweat. His legs were thrown open in the bed and his hands took the place your mouth used to go, fingers coated with precum, slowly moving up and down his rock-hard dick.
The room was filled with the intoxicating scent of his cologne, mingling with the earthy aroma of freshly laundered sheets. Leaning against a pillar beside the bed, you became an unseen observer, captivated by the sight before you. His legs twitched occasionally, his eyes tightly shut, mouth opening to release deep, distinctive grunts. A video played on his phone caught your attention. At first glance, you thought it was pornography, but upon listening more closely, you recognized your own voice saying, “It’s Mrs. Hamilton now, actually.”
A mischievous grin tugged at your lips as you watched him and couldn’t help the smug reaction you had to realizing that the video, he had sent you just hours ago, had him pumping like shit for a while. Your voice saying the last name you now shared, those words that had such a hold on him, enough to get him hard and panting like he was.
His breaths were heavy, his body tense with anticipation, every muscle poised for release. It was a sight that made your heart race. You leaned down on his side, your lips brushing against his ear, whispering, “Caught you” His eyes flew open, a mix of shock and pleasure flashing in them as he realized you were there, watching him.
“Babe” he gasped, a flush spreading across his cheeks, but there was no shame in his voice, only a deeper urgency. His arms reached out, pulling you closer, his lips finding yours in a desperate kiss, tasting of need and longing.
You felt his body shudder beneath you, his hands roaming over your back, pulling you onto the bed beside him. “I thought you weren’t coming today. I would’ve waited for you” he murmured in your lips as his hands wasted no time in getting you out of your pants and panties.  
You sunk down on him, no foreplay needed after the couple of minutes you’d spent hearing him. His hands roaming under your shirt and bra while you rocked in his dick for a few moments, letting him come down from the frenzy for a bit.
When you finally adjusted your knees around him and started up and down movements his eyes circled to the back of his skull. His hands went to your waist and his hips thrusted back up each time you went down on him, his grunts getting heavier by the second. When you gave the slightest sign of slowing down, he got up and flipped on the bed, not leaving you empty for a second, starting to pump into you just as your back had hit the pillows.
“Mark me, show me who I belong to” you shakily managed to get out, knowing he was getting close to his orgasm as his thrusts got deeper and his breathing heavier. Your words acting as his cue to let go and get his release, adjust his body so he held his weight in his arms as he locked you in his embrace, his stare holding yours like the very moment held all his universe.
When his body collapsed in yours and the only strength he had was just about enough for a single last thrust, you made sure to hold his shoulders in your embrace. The after shivers he’d get made his still semi hard dick brush your walls, and you couldn’t help the moan that left your lips, his eyes darkening all over again as he looked back at your pleasure contorted features.
He carefully slid out of you, watching as his seed dripped out of you, mixed with your own. His middle and ring fingers softly went over your cunt, collecting some of your juices before putting them in your mouth. The choice of fingers not lost on you as his wedding band hit your teeth.
“You’re mine, y/n” his eyes following your movements as your hips buckled when his fingers touched your clit, swirling around the inflamed button as he drowned in your cries and whimpers. His lips and tongue finding their way down to your pussy not long after, on a mission to drawn as many orgasms as he could from you that night.
As the high of your whatever orgasm calmed down, you felt Lewis coming back up and wrapping you in his arms. His fingers traced lazy patterns along your skin, soothing and tender. “You okay, love?” he murmured, brushing a stray strand of hair from your face.
You nodded, a contented smile gracing your lips. “More than okay.” you replied, nestling closer to him, enjoying the comforting weight of his arms around you. Lewis chuckled softly, his eyes sparkling with affection and a playful glint as he quipped “So, about that 'Mrs. Hamilton' video.” he began, his tone light but curious.
Feeling mischievous, you looked up at him, a teasing smile playing on your lips. “Oh, Lew” you began, drawing out his nickname for added effect, “It was just a little teaser. I didn’t expect you to be so... demonstrative in your appreciation.” You giggled, playfully tracing a pattern on his chest.
Lewis raised an eyebrow, a smirk forming on his lips. “Come on now, y/n. You knew exactly what you were doing.”
You feigned innocence, batting your eyelashes at him. “Who, me? I was merely sending you a friendly video. I had no idea it would have you in such a state.” His laughter filled the room once more, the tension from earlier completely dissipated. “Friendly, you say? Well, your definition of friendly certainly has a new meaning now.”
You grinned, leaning up to place a soft kiss on his lips. “I guess it does. But you have to admit, it was fun watching you get all worked up over a simple name change.”
Lewis chuckled, pulling you closer, his arms tightening around you. “It’s not just the name. It’s the woman that’s carrying that name.” Your heart fluttered at his words, a warm feeling spreading through you. “Well, Sir Hamilton, you’re not so bad yourself.” You teased as you watched his features darken again, a smirk already plastered on your lips as you heard the groan at the back of his throat.
______________________________________________________________
TAGLIST - @saturnssunflower @xoscar03 @chocolatediplomatdreamerzonk @happy-golden-hour @vicurious28
If you’d like to be added to my taglist you can leave a comment or send me a dm/ask.
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81folklore · 8 months
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because i liked a boy - LN4
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pairing: lando norris x ex!singer reader (fc: madison beer)
summary: after months of excessive and unnecessary hate you release a song to tell your side of the story
authors note: i decided to create a character for this, isla, you never see her just in this situation she is ‘olivia’. isla is famous in this but not a singer!! i will NEVER forget the way i felt when i listened to this song for the first time,, enjoy!!
authors note 2: i honestly hate this so much but ive had no motivation so i just pulled this out of the depths. i literally have no clue on what i want to do next so i might just be doing silly filler things until i figure it out🫠
warnings: death threats!! basically anything mentioned in because i liked a boy
masterlist part 2
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yourusername
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liked by alex_albon, charlottesine and 2,264,628 others
<3333
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user7 stop teasingggg😭we need the new music
user10 starving for new music
user31 slut!!
user15 leave!!!
user63 wait why are people hating on her? what did i miss??
user5 isla did an interview talking about why her and lando broke up and shaded yn for ‘breaking them up’, basically calling yn the other woman
user7 but also nothing has been confirmed by lando or yn plus lando and yn been broken up for like 10 months so i dont really understand why its getting brought up now
alex_albon new music soon🫣
yourusername lily i know its you😭
alex_albon 😁😁
lando.jpg
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liked by tombale46, maxfewtrell and 181,642 others
Day 34. i <3 chicken quesadillas
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user17 we love this content
user8 looks tasty, food looks good too!!
user82 remember that stream where lando and yn made quesadillas while they listened to black eyed peas?
user2 yes!! i loved that stream so much :’)
user103 why would you get with a homewrecker??
user6 yn is such a slut
user7 why are you guys bringing up yn? not only that why are you only blaming yn??
yourusername
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liked by kit.connor, theofficialfng and 2,836,605 others
but ill always be your favorite 🫧
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user10 music lyric??
user81 NEW MUSIC?? SOON?? PLEASE??
user73 yall love supporting a rebound🥱
user90 k1ll yourself!!
user83 no one cares
user6 jesus the sluts back
user14 yall love to say your hate her and yet here you are..being obsessed
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yourusername
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liked by clementnovalak, lilymhe and 3,352,821 others
thank you. thank you so so much. i truly cannot express the love i felt tonight when singing my new song. thank you from the bottom of my heart❤️‍🩹
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user10 oh im in love with you
user16 you are so special to me
user82 hearing this live healed me :’)
yourusername 🫶🫶
user66 this song just changed my life
user73 i hope everyone shuts the fuck up now..
user99 you never deserved this, we love you so much☹️
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landonorris added to their story
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ghoul-bonez · 11 months
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~I Love You, I Trust You, I See You~
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(Ao’nung x Fem! Deaf! Sully! Reader)
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Summary: When the Sullys moved to Awa’atlu Ao’nung thought they were weird, knew they were weird. He took a particular hatred towards the older Sully kids, Neteyam was the perfect little follower, Lo’ak was constantly in trouble, Kiri was always off in her own world, and you. Just you. You seemed to always ignore him and never talk, but what he didn’t know was it’s because you couldn’t hear him.
Word count: 4.4k
Author’s note: This is the longest oneshot I’ve written at 4.4k words and 9 1/2 google docs pages… Sign language will be normal font, and bold & italics will be spoken, although I try my best to show which is going on.
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~Masterlist~
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I Love You, I Trust You, I See You
When people thought of the Sully family many thought of your siblings. They thought of Lo’ak who was always a troublemaker, causing chaos everywhere he went. They thought of Kiri who seemed so in tune with her surroundings that she might as well be Eywa herself. They thought of Tuk who was the youngest, still enamored by everyday life. They thought of Neteyam, a strong leader who would someday take on the role of Olo’eyktan after your father.
They never thought of you.
You who always seemed to be in your own little world. You who never had any friends. You who never talked. You who always seemed so attentive to the world around you, yet had no desire to join it.
When you were born after your twin Neteyam, a spike of fear had run through everyone in the room when you began to cry, but no sound came out. They feared you may not be breathing right, you may need your airways cleared. They feared something was wrong, and that was true.
When your parents or siblings thought about your family, they thought about you. They thought about how funny you were, always cracking jokes when there was a chance. They thought about how kind you were, taking a moment to check on everyone daily. They thought about how different you were than most.
They thought about you. You who couldn’t hear.
You always seemed to be in your own world, and that drew many away from you, they didn’t want to be friends with someone who they didn’t think was paying attention to them, and to be fair you weren’t paying attention to people most of the time. You preferred to direct your attention to the world around you, always keeping an eye out as you couldn’t hear danger coming.
When you had been caught by Quaritch and his men you had panicked, more than everyone else at least. You didn’t know what was going on, you didn’t know what they were saying, your lip reading was not dependable, and definitely not in english.
When your siblings arms were bound you couldn’t keep yourself calm, now you had no way of communicating, they couldn’t translate for you. Tears streamed down your face, eyes closed as tight as possible to try to calm yourself by blocking out the outside world.
When you felt your captor’s grip on your release your eyes shot open, looking around at the damage around you, multiple avatars dead on the ground. Then you ran, you ran faster than ever before in the first direction you saw.
You ran and ran, eyes trained on everything around you, and when you ran into someone and they grabbed you again it was like a shock. You let out a scream, the first noise anyone had ever heard you make. A noise nobody was aware you could make.
You turned to dead weight in an attempt to get out of their grasp, panic coursing through you again as your eyes couldn’t come into focus. However, the person dropped to the ground with you, pulling your face towards them and holding it still as you tried to thrash. Then they blew air into your face, and you realized you were safe.
When you were younger you would throw temper tantrums, as children do, where you would close your eyes to refuse to listen to your parents. Not being able to see them meant no sign language, which meant no having to listen to them. However your father found one thing always worked, blowing air on your face. Your eyes would shoot open, highly offended with your mouth dropped open, before you would sign at him, “Your breath is gross.” in retaliation.
You had never been more relieved for your dad’s stupid way of getting you to listen. Your eyes finally came into focus and you calmed down seeing his face, but that calm quickly turned into crying, sobbing. You couldn’t help but let out all of the pent up emotion inside of you, but eventually you calmed down and were able to stand back up, staggering your way home with the rest of your family.
Some time later when your parents had been arguing in your family kelku you hadn’t been paying attention as your siblings were, all huddled against the wall. You had been lost in your own world once again, not wanting to know what was being said as you were still processing what had happened earlier. You didn’t need anything on top of that as you feared it would make your careful stack of emotions you had constructed come tumbling down.
They had come tumbling down though as your parents announced you were moving, leaving. Leaving everything you had ever known, your home, your grandmother, the forest you loved so much. You couldn’t help it as you cried again, being held by your mother this time.
However as you thought about it you weren’t that sad. You had always liked the water, everyone not having to hear underwater made you feel more included, more like you belonged, and you had heard the Metkayina used sign language. Maybe this would be a chance to make friends for the first time in your life. Maybe you would be able to talk to people for once, nobody at home taking the time to learn American Sign Language, as your father had called it, like your family had.
One thing you hadn't taken into account was that they used a different version of sign language, but that had become very apparent when you first jumped into the water with Tsireya, Ao’nung, and Rotxo. They used signs you had never seen before, ones you didn’t recognize. You couldn’t help but feel a little beaten down at dinner, staying quieter than usual, not signing as much.
Afterwards your dad had asked you to step outside, waving a hand towards you as he exited the marui.
He sat down on the pathway, and you knew he expected you to join him, so you did. You sat next to him with your feet dangling in the water, looking out towards the horizon, refusing to look at him so you didn't have to have a conversation.
That didn’t last long though as he poked you in the arm, causing you to look at him offended, mouth open and eyebrows raised. He took this as his chance to speak, “You okay, kid?” He signed.
You sighed deeply, fidgeting with your hands before signing, “I’m okay, dad.”
You could tell he didn’t believe you, lips pressed together in a thin line and eyebrows furrowed, “You’re less talkative. What’s wrong?” He signed, proving he didn’t think you were telling the truth.
A frown came to your face, feeling like it was permanently there after the past few days or so, but you continued, “I’m disappointed.”
He raised his eyebrows, surprise and confusion on his face, “About what?”
You looked away from his face, instead choosing to watch his hands, you didn’t want to see the pity on his face, “We don’t speak the same language. I can’t communicate. Everyone else can at least talk to each other.”
His face softened, but you didn’t see it, “It’ll be okay. You’re a fast learner, so you will learn their language quickly, then you can make friends. If anyone actually wants to be your friend.” He meant it playfully, and you saw him laugh, so jammed your elbow in his ribs.
Then the conversation was over, your mom poking her head out of the doorway and saying something to your dad. He just stood up and gave you a look like he was asking, “You good?” and you nodded, “Yes.” back in return.
After your father’s words of encouragement you decided to work harder, learn faster, determined to be able to communicate with the people around you, and a few weeks later you were excelling whereas your siblings were still struggling. They were caught up on the differences of Metkayina sign language versus ASL but you had grasped that there weren’t differences, or similarities, and you would just be learning from scratch.
Even though you were doing well at it, working your way towards being fluent, you were worried about talking to the people, mostly because of one person in particular, Ao’nung. It was as if Ao'nung was determined to ruin your siblings' lives, and yours, but you didn’t know that.
You had seen Ao’nung’s attempts to cause hell for your siblings, nagging at them, laughing at them, and even trying to start fights, with Lo’ak in particular. Him messing with your siblings made you frustrated, but you weren’t aware of the taunts meant to make you upset, and laughing that was meant to make you feel like a target coming towards you from a distance.
The bullying towards your siblings had become more and more frustrating and you had begun showing your anger at home, being rougher with things than usual, and not wanting to go outside of the shared family marui.
It had been peaceful while you and your mom had been working on dinner, but she noticed you seemed to be far off, handling the food with rougher hands, “Are you okay, (Y/n).” Neytiri signed as you placed another fish over the fire.
You rolled your eyes at her, upset she was even insinuating something was wrong. In reality there was, but you didn’t want to admit that, “Yes mama, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” She had asked back, concern on her face as she looked at you closely.
You signed, “Yes.” Trying to end the conversation, but you knew she would just keep pushing.
You saw your mom think for a moment, her face scrunching up in concentration, “Well I am not.”
You frowned more, once again feeling like it had always been there since you left the forest, “Not what?”
She was frowning too now, “I’m not sure you’re fine. I see you isolating yourself. Even from me and your father.” She grabbed your hands, squeezing them gently to show her love in a little way.
Tears welled in your eyes, frustrated tears, tears that came because with all the stress recently they were the only way your brain knew how to process, to cope.
You pulled your hands from hers to wipe at them, “I’m sorry.” was all you could say.
She wiped the tears falling down your face before saying, “Why?”
You sniffled, running your hands down your face before signing, “I see Lo’ak, Kiri, and Neteyam being picked on, and there is nothing I can do. I can’t stand up to the bullies. I can’t say anything.”
“Okay, well soon you will be able to say something. You are learning their sign language, yes? I’ve heard from your siblings you are out working them.” She smiled at you and you could really see how proud of you she was.
You couldn’t help but crack a little smile although tears still threatened to fall, “Yes, mama. I’m getting better, but I’m worried it will be too late though.”
“I’m sure you will do your best, my ‘ite.” She thought for a second, “Why don’t you go try to talk to these kids tomorrow?”
You sighed, you didn’t want to, but you knew your mom would nag you until you agreed, “Okay. Love you.”
She smiled lovingly at you, “Love you too.” before pulling you into a hug.
When tomorrow came you didn’t even want to leave your marui, but you found the strength to do so. You did some of the breathing exercises Tsireya had taught you to try to calm your nerves, and they worked for the most part, steadying you and clearing your head.
However as soon as you stepped outside your marui you regretted it, not wanting to do what you had promised to your mother, but you knew you had to eventually. Eventually, which meant you could fool around as long as you wanted beforehand, and so you decided to settle down for a quick nap on the beach.
When you laid down and closed your eyes you quickly and easily fell asleep. You were still tired from last night when you struggled to sleep from your anxious thoughts.
When the Sullys moved to Awa’atlu Ao’nung thought they were weird, knew they were weird. He took a particular hatred towards the older Sully kids, Neteyam was the perfect little follower, Lo’ak was constantly in trouble, Kiri was always off in her own world, and you. Just you. You seemed to always ignore him and never talk, but what he didn’t know was that it's because you couldn’t hear him.
Ao’nung tried to not let anything get to him, especially when it came to people he didn’t like, like the Sullys, but for some reason you, (Y/n) Sully, had peeved him more than anyone or anything else. He had grown tired of you ignoring him when he shouted or laughed at you, like you didn’t even notice he was there, tired of you flat out avoiding him sometimes as you scurried away when he tried to approach you.
Of course he knew why, he had the same intentions to bully you and make you feel unwanted in Awa’atlu as your siblings. Of course you didn’t want this so you spent most of your time avoiding him, but for some reason instead of him not caring about it, it made him want to get under your skin even more.
When the sun rose today he decided today was the day to act. Today he would confront you head on, face to face. He would make you notice him, and he would make you feel awful in the process. So he gathered his friends, his goons, and they set off to find you.
They first checked with Tsireya who was with the rest of your siblings, but you were nowhere to be found, they all insisted they hadn’t seen you. Then they combed the beach, going from one end to the other, and on the far end they found you peacefully asleep on the soft sand.
He couldn’t help but notice how cute you looked asleep and peaceful, but he quickly shook it off, shouting at you, “Wake up, freak!”
He was targeting your extra finger and the hair above your eyebrows, like he had your siblings because he knew that got to them, and hoped it would do the same to you.
When you didn’t stir he tried shouting again, assuming you were awake, but trying to act asleep to avoid him, “What is wrong with you? Do you not care or are you stupid avoiding me?”
His friends laughed at you when you still didn’t move, eyes not cracking open and your breathing staying the same, so he took the next step, trying something physical. He kicked sand up and over you and finally you stirred, sitting straight up and looking around for the source of the sand, and when you saw him your heart dropped, a lump forming in your throat.
“There we go, now you are paying attention.” He snickered.
You tried to read his lips, but he spoke too fast, and you just stayed silent. You cocked your head to the side, eyebrows drawn together in a look of confusion.
You hesitated for a second, but were about to sign something when he spoke again. “Do you not speak? A silent freak, interesting.” You still didn’t understand exactly what he was saying, but his friends all laughed at you, and although you couldn’t hear it it made you feel small.
“I’m sorry. I can not hear you.” You signed, using Metkayina sign language this time.
He scoffed, “I do not believe that. I think you just don’t want us to bother you, but here we are.” He laughed in your face.
“Please use your hands.” You tried to communicate, but they just wouldn’t listen to you.
“No.” He sneered, this you understood, one single word.
Your mouth dropped open, offense written all over it. You knew he was disrespectful, didn’t care about others feelings, but you would make him care, “I can not hear. I am deaf.”
He was about to retort against you again, but when he had been searching for you earlier that day Neteyam knew he meant trouble, so when he found you he stayed in the shadows, watching, but now Ao’nung had taken it too far.
He surged forwards, anger consuming him, “Step off bro. She can’t hear you.”
“Yeah that is what she just said.” He rolled his eyes, “I do not care though, it is better if she can not hear me. Means I can make fun of her without her knowing.” He signed the last part so you could understand.
You shrunk back, standing to hide behind Neteyam. You tugged on his arm, “It’s okay.” You signed.
“It’s not okay, (Y/n).” He rubbed a hand down his face, turning to Ao’nung, “You need to leave her alone.”
“Whatever.” Ao’nung scoffed before turning and walking away.
Now he knew why you seemed to ignore him, you just didn’t know he was talking to you. You were probably avoiding him because you didn’t know their sign language yet. He felt bad for some reason. He usually wouldn’t feel bad about his bullying but with you it felt different now knowing this.
He couldn’t show his feelings though, worried about his little group making fun of him, but he slowly started to back off of you, and your siblings some as well. Whenever one of his “friends” would ask why, he would reply something like “We can not make fun of a cripple.” and roll his eyes, still a jab at you, but less so.
At some point you became all that consumed his thoughts, on his mind at all times, and whenever he would see you with his sister, or your siblings, he would feel the need to insert himself into the conversation, but he always refrained. He wanted to talk to you, to apologize, but he feared judgment from his “friends” who are just as nasty as he was.
Eventually he couldn’t hold it in anymore, heading to your marui to ask to talk with you, in the way you would understand. When he knocked on the doorway of the family home Lo’ak was the first to notice him, glaring at him and nudging Neteyam in the side, directing his attention towards Ao’nung.
Neteyam stood before either of his parents even noticed the boy in the doorway, stalking over to him and dragging him down the pathway so they could talk, “What do you want?” He hissed out.
Ao’nung cleared his throat, but the words still came out small, nervous, “I came to apologize to (Y/n)...”
“No.” Was all Neteyam said before turning away and starting to walk back into the Sully family’s home.
Ao’nung grabbed his arm before he got too far away, “Please. Please let me talk to her.” He begged, something he didn’t like to do, but it was necessary.
Neteyam sighed, “Fine, but if you do anything I will chop your head off myself.” He threatened the boy, “I’ll go get her.”
It wasn’t long before you stepped out of the marui, a frown on your face and hands he could see shaking, “What do you want?” You signed, hands shaking with nerves.
“I came to say sorry.” He started off, “I’m sorry for bullying you, and your siblings. I promise I won’t do it any more.”
“And?” You asked, knowing there was more.
He looked nervous now, hands shaking as he signed, “I wanted to extend the offer of friendship.”
You looked shocked now, “You want to be friends with me?”
He nodded his head, smiling shyly, “Yes. Absolutely.”
You smiled this time, relieved he would be leaving your siblings alone, and excited to learn more about him, about what he was really like under the bad boy shell, “Okay, friend.”
He just nodded at you, “I have to go now. See you at lessons with Tsireya tomorrow?”
“Of course.” You responded.
When you entered the marui again everyone's eyes were on you, a light blush on your face, “I made a friend.” You smiled.
You could see your parents cheering and clapping for you, but your siblings' faces were unsure, you would have to reassure them later but for now you were all having a family night, playing games and handing out things you had made for each other with the new resources you were getting used to using. They were clunky and awkward, but you would get better, it reminded you of something, of someone.
As days passed into weeks you and Ao’nung had grown closer, him pretty much taking over your lessons, stealing you away from Tsireya who was sad to see you go, but happy for her brother for making a friend, a real friend, not one of his goons that tended to hover around him at all times. You had seemingly broken down his bad boy aesthetic and his goons had since left him, moving onto another leader to follow, still as nasty as ever.
You were grateful for him letting his walls down around you, allowing you to see him, and soon you did. You saw him as more than you ever had before. You couldn’t help but think about courting him, of trading little handmade gifts, and sharing little intimate moments of happiness throughout the day.
It seemed as if he wanted the same as he began bringing you gifts, starting as a little armband he made from you out of hard to find shells he had spent many hours trying to find, then it moved onto necklaces and bracelets. Each was more intricate than the last.
When this started you began to bring him things too, poorly made things because using dried seaweed and palm leaves were different from the materials of the jungle, but you managed. Even though they weren’t the best quality he proudly wore them, gladly accepting every gift you would give.
Everyone had noticed by now, the traded jewelry, the touches that lingered a little too long, and the longing looks when you weren’t together. What baffled people most however was not Ao’nung’s seemingly peaceful side coming out, but the fact that neither of you had officially come out and asked if you were courting.
You were courting, you both knew that, but Ao’nung wanted to put it into words, he wanted to make it official, but he felt the need to fix a couple things first, to get a couple blessings.
So he went to the person he thought would be easiest first, your mom. She had seen you two from afar and already had talked to you about it, encouraging you to pursue him and get what you wanted. She had said she was not Tsahík, but Eywa had shown her signs. So when Ao’nung asked she immediately gave him her blessing, knowing this was something not just he wanted, but something you wanted too.
Then he went to your dad. He was a fierce warrior who commanded respect, and Ao’nung tried his best to be respectful, carefully wording his proposal of courting his daughter. Of course Jake had been hesitant at first, but eventually he caved after Ao’nung had mentioned he already had Neytiri’s blessing.
Finally he went to Neteyam, your twin brother, your best friend since birth. Neteyam was adamantly against it, wanting nothing to do with Ao’nung, and wanting his sister to have nothing to do with him either. He was still on the edge of forgiving Ao’nung, swaying over a cliff where falling meant forgiving Ao’nung for his wrong doings, and when Ao’nung explained his love for you, his intentions to never hurt you and treat you with the respect you deserve Neteyam fell over the cliff, giving the Metkayina boy his blessing.
Once he had gotten their blessings he had invited you to the beach where he had first intentionally seeked you out. You were hesitant to go back there with him, but you gave in, trusting him wholeheartedly.
You love him. You trust him. You see him.
When you got there he pulled you to sit down with him, you both facing each other, and he signed, letting his heart out, letting his feelings show, “I am sorry for any times I have hurt you. I was an ass and a fool, and I wish I had never caused you upset or harm. I am sorry for bullying your siblings too, they did not deserve it, but I was scared by the new people and what they would bring. I now see I should have helped like my sister. I should have been making you feel at home here, not doing the opposite.”
“It’s okay. We’re past that.” You reassured him.
He nodded, continuing, “Now I see how special you are. I see how much you’ve changed me and my views on life. I am grateful for the person you have shaped me into. I am grateful I got the chance to make it up to you. I want to court you. Officially.”
You felt your heart swell, butterflies in your stomach, and you were sure it was showing on your face, “I would love that.”
You moved your hands carefully to cup his face, holding it there as you looked into his eyes, hoping he understood how grateful you were for him too, then you pulled him in, lips brushing against each other before they fully made contact. It was magical, unlike anything you had felt before, and you were happy it was him making you feel this way. So happy, so loved.
When you pulled apart he smiled widely at you, grabbing your hands and giving them a gentle but tight squeeze before using them to say, “I see you. I see you.”
You sign your thoughts from earlier, “I love you, I trust you, I see you.”
He doesn’t say anything else, just smiles, and pulls you back in for another kiss, and you feel at peace. You know he is yours, and you are his. You know he will never leave you, and you will never leave him. You know he loves you, and you love him. You know he sees you, and you see him.
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Word Bank:
Olo’eyktan (Clan leader)
Kelku (Omatikaya homes)
Metkayina (Ocean Na’vi)
Marui (Metkayina homes)
‘Ite (Daughter)
Awa’atlu (Metkayina village)
Tsahík (Spiritual leader)
Eywa (Na’vi Goddess)
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bonzos-number-1-fan · 3 months
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What DPHW Means, and Its Relationship to Smirke's 14
The following contains spoilers for all of TMA, TMP (eps 1, 2, and 3 released currently if you’re in the future), and the ARG. Spoilers for all of this are throughout so I would advise against reading any of this unless you've listened to everything mentioned. It could also spoil episodes of TMP that have yet to release but if it does I don't think it will be a major spoiler. If I'm right I think I'm only right about a fairly trivial piece of information. 
Theory of Fears; or, Zur Furchtlehre
Part 1: Opticks
Smirke's 14 isn't the truth. With or without Dekker's +1. It is, however, necessary and correct. It has also been talked about ad nauseam and isn't a topic I want to dedicate a lot of time to. Smirke's 14+1, or even TMA in general, isn't the focus of this theory nor is it that relevant past its necessity as a point of comparison.
There aren't 14+1 distinct entities in the TMA cosmology. There is a singular entity that has been given divisions by fear and labels by those that have witnessed it. There is no objective line in which to draw these divisions. No matter where you put them or what you name them these concepts will always bleed into each other. Aspects of one Entity will manifest in another because the labels are invented and Fear is a storm of concepts crashing into each other. That's not a flaw in Smirke's list but its strength. A single entity of that scale is impossible to discuss in meaningful terms, the concept has too much gravity to be properly conceptualised and so an entire spectrum of fear must be divided in order to combat it. Categorisation is a vital part of TMA's cosmology and Smirke was as correct as anyone to put those lines down where he did. The real flaw with Smirke's list is forgetting the spectrum exists and stopping seeing the shades in between the Powers.
Finding a way to categorise this concept is important, but the methodology isn't. Smirke's 14 isn't the truth. The only truth is there is a singular whole. But branding goes a long way both in terms of research and in terms of following. This branding lacks accuracy though, it is in large part arbitrary and by its nature removes the shades and the bleed. TMP takes a different approach, one only hinted at, but one that I think is now fully explainable. 
Part 2: Lost in Translation
Perhaps the most interesting mystery in TMP thus far is DPHW. However, I think based on episodes 1 and 2 of TMP (and now 3), and the Klaus excel sheet from the ARG, we have all we need to explain its utility.
In order to show that conclusion in a satisfactory manner some basic facts need stating, and the order of my thoughts on those facts needs explaining. Firstly, each DPHW is 4 digits. Secondly, each DPHW is read as 4 numbers rather than, say, a pair of 2 numbers. Thirdly, these numbers can change independently of each other. Fourthly, incidents may share CAT#R#'s but have a different DHPW as found in the Klaus sheet (a German document listing OIAR-style incident reports). Finally, the German equivalent of DPHW is TSHU also found in the Klaus sheet. We can use those facts to determine something important. Each letter of this initialism is paired with a digit meaning that DHPW is a group of 4 categories. If that is true we can intuit some of its meaning. It is likely that these numbers are a rating of sorts for each category there. To prove that's the case we would need to know the categories and fortunately we have a starting point to understanding it, German.
If the categories that DPHW describes start with the letters TSHU in German then what needs to be done to find the categories is quite simple. You pair each letter up and then find a suitable word to categorise the supernatural whose first letter starts with the respective letter from the initialism in its language. D/T, P/S, H,H, W/U. After some brainstorming in the Statement Remains PLUS Discord server we had come up with strong candidates for 3 of the 4 pairs.
The first was Deadly/Tötlich, a seemingly solid start that gave this theory some legs. Next was Painful/Schmerzlich which was a distinct enough category for the threat of an incident that proved this was a strong direction to head it. H/H proved more troublesome. To my mind the two strongest contenders here were Hypnotic/Hypnotisch or Helpless/Hilflos. Both sound very reasonable but that in itself is a problem. However the last one was found relatively easily as Weird/Unheimlich. With 3 of the 4 it seemed like this was all but correct at this stage. However, I had been thinking about this backwards and it wasn't until I had a revelation that the pieces really fell into place.
Unheimlich sounded familiar when it was suggested but not in a way I could place. It wasn't until the next day that the aforementioned revelation happened. The ARG had a huge focus on Germany, and Ep 1 of TMP revealed why. FR3-D1 uses German source code which makes German the original language for the OIAR's methodology. Meaning DPHW is the translation, and I now think it's a shoddy one at best. The reason unheimlich sounded so familiar to me is because it's a fairly important part of psychology's history.
DPHW's Weird isn't weird, DPHW's Weird is uncanny. A direct translation could give you weird but a more accurate one, especially in this instance, gives you unheimlich. Unheimlich as in Jentsch's "Zur Psychologie des Unheimlichen", and Freud's "Das Unheimlich". Both of which are essays on the uncanny. It's all about the fear of the unfamiliar, and a central example of this is Olympia from Der Sandmann, a seemingly living doll.
The German word unheimlich is obviously the opposite of heimlich, heimisch, meaning “familiar,” “native,” “belonging to the home”; and we are tempted to conclude that what is “uncanny” is frightening precisely because it is not known and familiar... - Freud, The Uncanny
This is incredibly relevant to a lot of what has been discovered so far. The uncanny as a topic in psychology was kickstarted by two Germans, and a central part of their essays was the German Der Sandmann, and a German, SSandman, was a large presence in the ARG. The strength of this connection all but solidified this theory in my mind. And, briefly, this is also related to Masahiro Mori's uncanny valley hypothesis which I'm sure I won't need to explain.
The obvious way to test this is to take the few W ratings we have been given and compare them to the incident to which they're assigned. The first is from Ep 1, “dolls comma watching”, and was given a 7. This is a good start both in that a 7 feels appropriate as an "uncanny rank" but also that a doll is a focal point on the essays on the subject. Also in Ep 1 is "Reanimation (Partial)", again with a 7. Another very appropriate number. The last in Ep 1 is "Transformation (eyes)" with a 5. Certainly less uncanny than the previous examples so this is still strong. In Ep 2 we get a 5 for Bram Stoker's Dracula, which seems more than fair for a strange man like him, and a 7 for Frankenstein which gives parity for another story of the resurrected dead. Finally we get "Transformation (full)" at a 7, more uncanny than "Transformation (eyes)" which tracks nicely.
With what I felt was such a strong theory for the W/U pairing it helped clarify the ideas of the others. The final digit rating the uncanniness of an incident gives an idea of how these categories work and the breadth of their definitions. Up until this point I was leaning towards Hypnotic/Hypnotisch for our H/H pairing. But giving it more thought, and comparing it to TMA's own groupings, it becomes apparent that Helpless/Hilflos is more appropriate. Hypnotic effects are too aligned with things that would already be very aligned with Uncanny ones, the Stranger's Not!Them alter memories and prey on the fear of something being not quite right, so as a categorisation tool I think it makes less sense because of the greater overlap. Helpless on the other hand works better for things like The Dark, The Buried, or The Lonely. Aspects which I don't think show up in our current other 3 groups. But given the current definition of the strongest category, the fear of the uncanny, I think that helplessness is a more apt label. The fear of helplessness. Which makes H Helplessness/Hilflosigkeit.
With this level of breadth established re-examination of the final two categories is warranted. Painful/Schmerzlich is more likely to be Pain/Schmerz. Not just incidents that are themselves painful but the fear of pain, possibly including the emotional. A comparison to TMA gives this rating a strong affiliation with Entities such as The Desolation, The Corruption, or the Flesh. Similarly Deadly/Tötlich should now be broadened beyond the fear of things that will kill you, to the fear of death in a broader sense. Which makes D/T Death/Tod instead. To compare again to TMA this is The End, The Extinction, or The Slaughter. Although, while I might be describing these ideas as the fear of ____ I think it's important to know that they do appear to be more conceptual in nature rather than just if something is scary or not.
Comparing each of these assumed categories against current DPHW’s strengthens this argument. “Dolls, watching” scored 1157. It’s a very low fear of death and pain, but they present a medium fear of helplessness and a high fear of the weird. For a fear that’s rooted in paranoia that makes good sense. “Reanimation (Partial)” got a very similar rating, at 5257, but it being a corpse cranks up its fear of death. “Transformation (eyes)” got 2155 which, again, seems to fall in place with what we know. It’s more human than the doll is so it’s less weird but a physical and alarming transformation naturally seems like more of a terminal concern. Combine that with some good ol' internet death threats and it's not nothing, but not much.
As a small aside, while it's not come up in the episodes so far the Klaus sheet shows DPHW's are 0-9. There is a good bit of evidence to suggest 0 might be read as 10 here. 0 most commonly showed up in that sheet for P and the incidents often had the notes "Kriegsvolk". Literally "war people" but more accurately "army/soldier". So pain of 10 for those would track better than P of 0, and it explains why things like the watching doll rate a 1 for D and P instead of a 0, and Dr. Webber's infection is a P of 1 despite entirely removing physical and emotional pain as it goes. Because 1 is the lowest.
For Ep 2 we start with Dracula scoring a 7465, he’s undead and a killer for high death, if he kills you it hurts but it’s not extreme, he’s both hard to physically stop and has mental tricks, and he’s just a weird dude in general who always seems off somehow. Frankenstein at 5337 has aforementioned parity with the reanimation incident as you’d expect but notably less on the helplessness rating as he is just a man. Next is “Transformation (full)” at 1567. This is generally a more severe rating overall than Transformation (eyes) and you’d expect that, but I think it does show something interesting. At no point did Daria want to end her own life. The transformation is far more severe, arguably looks more life threatening, and was clearly more painful but it is explicitly and repeatedly not about dying. I take that as a suggestion that these ratings take into account more than just the mundanely observable nature of the incident. She looks very sick which would make you think of death but it rates low for it because of the emotional, or maybe supernatural, purpose of the incident. She didn’t want to die, the manifestation didn’t try to kill her, and so despite its appearance it’s low on death.
Then finally in Ep 3, we have "Infection (full body)" with a 8175. (Although I'm assuming that's a misfile and it should be Infection (Arboreal)). I think D and H here are more interesting to dig into. P is pretty obvious it's the lowest rating because it seemed actively pain-numbing as it went. W being 5 tracks too is certainly uncanny and has strange geometry but it's not full Distortion levels. So with those two out of the way we can get to the good stuff. D is the most interesting of the two to me. Because while it's pretty clear he died I don't think that's got much to do with it. Rather I think the 8 is more specifically about the way it deals with death, decay, and rot in relation to new life and the growth of other things, plants and insects. Thematically, I think there is a lot more emphasis on death as a broader concept beyond the terminal nature of the infection. For Helplessness there is also an additional element beyond whether or not he was able to do something about the infection, and that's whether he wanted to. As the symptoms worsened his desire to treat them decreased. Initially he was worried about the infection and determined to seek attention when able, then he was happy to let someone else help instead (a hallucination, which makes things more helpless), before finally wanting it to happen. These sorts of elements are things I think we're going to see factor in quite a lot.
In summary; it is my belief that DPHW is a way to rate incidents that the OIAR catalogue based upon the strength of the fear they elicit in the categories of death, pain, helplessness, and weird (uncanny). This system is effectively the TMP equivalent to Smirke's 14 from TMA. Rather than assigning each statement to an Entity each incident is rated for those qualities. These systems are distinct methodologies but each is a way to categorise the supernatural.  
Part 3: On Analogy
That is the juicy bit of this post out of the way so now I have to put a bow on it and touch upon the overarching analogy here. As alluded to by the title and some turns of phrase, it's colour theory. It's a somewhat common analogy for TMA's fears but I think it applies in equal measure to TMP and taken together might provide an insight into how the cosmologies will differ. So, to me, colour theory is not only the perfect lens in which to view the Fears as a whole, it's the perfect lens to view these methodologies.
Smirke is Newton. He broke up a singular spectrum into wide chunks. The Dread Powers themselves are very analogous to a colour wheel. Colours bleed into each other and the boundaries of where one stops and starts is up for debate but red is still red, and blue is blue. That is a useful context for them, it aids discussion. Try talking about red without ever saying red and only referring to a representation of a divided whole. But all too similar to Newton's 7 colours Smirke's 14 lacks nuance, it lacks shade.
On the other hand we have DPHW and this is all shade. DPHW is CMYK. It's not one thing or another with DPHW. You don't have the pitfall of Smirke's methodology where one manifestation is in one arbitrary box. Here, assuming I'm correct, each incident is made up of constituent parts. The OIAR, and presumably its German forebear, are less interested in Smirke's occult ancient gods and more interested in bureaucratic precision. Smirke was doing research while the OIAR are doing administration. As such DPHW takes a wholly different approach. It's now all shades. This has its own problems in that it's harder to discuss in broad terms. It's such a specific methodology that it's lost a lot of what Smirke triumphed with. This is well represented already given that no one has been shown to know what it means at all yet. But if there is a truly different cosmology at play here we might see the axes of DPHW being where alliances fall.
All that leaves us with is a comparison of these two. The only way to really do that is to talk about how Smirke's 14+1 would fit in DPHW's system. This is something I touched upon briefly. Death is strongly related to The End, The Extinction, or The Slaughter. Pain to The Desolation, The Corruption, or the Flesh. Helplessness to The Dark, The Buried, or The Lonely. Weird to the Stranger, or the Spiral. But that's not all of them and even within those it's already clear that something like The Vast isn't just about helplessness, and we've already seen Daria who would likely be an avatar of the Flesh rank highly in Weird. Which hits upon what I feel is the most interesting aspect of this entire theory. We've seen what happens with Smirke's boundaries on the Entities. We don't know if Entities even exist in this setting, or if they do exist whether they'll be the same ones, or even if they're not the same ones whether they'll function under similar rules. But now we get to see what happens when there aren't those boundaries. We get to see much broader mingling than TMA showcased. It was hinted at there, especially early on before the lore really settled, but now that mingling seems to be the whole point.
And as a brief mention, and to further labour the theme, I don’t think there is enough information to really discuss how CAT#R# works but there are some analogies to work with here. From the Klaus sheet we can infer that CAT# has the following values 1/2/3/12/13/23/123. Or three non-mutually exclusive groups. What those groups are is hard to say right now. There is some soul/body/spirit stuff for the alchemic tria prima that's got some nice connections but doesn't map well now that Ep 3 is out. Either way, this is RGB. An incident can be all red, or red and blue, etc. R#'s values we can infer to be C/BC/B/AB/A/S with maybe an AS in there too. That's a linear scale of similarly unknown value but could represent something like potency/threat. If that is the case then R# is saturation. Some things are more intense than others. We also know from the Klaus sheet that CAT is the German from the "kategorie" meaning "category" the R was from the German “rang” meaning “rank” and so probably has more meaning to it than currently implied.
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inzaynety · 3 months
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your serenade ⤫
➢ anonymous requested: may I request a scenario with zayne where reader finds out that he likes to listen to her heartbeat and not just because he's her doctor? thank you! :)
➢ content: zayne x fem!reader; 954 words; fluff & a little angst; my attempt at character analysis; some background is based off of his tender moment (fragmented dreams)
➢ notes: the day came when i finally raised his heart rate 🤭 also i love how they make him so sarcastic yet so loving over you i cry
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Zayne is cradled against you as you both lay in bed. It’s nearing midnight and he knows that the both of you need to get up early tomorrow, but he can’t find it in himself to fall asleep. You’ve already been sent to dreamland and he feels warmth in his chest when your hold on him tightens whenever you find yourself releasing him subconsciously. 
Your soft breaths sway the stray hairs on the top of his head and your chest rises and falls with each one. It hadn't been that long since you said good night and it always surprises him with how quickly you fall asleep. Once your head hits the pillow, you’re out like a light. It’s an opposite reaction to what you’ve been telling as of late: that some nightmares keep you up.
Although, whenever you sleep with him beside you, it comes so easily. He thinks he’s giving himself too much credit. 
But he wishes it was the same for him. 
There have been times when he wakes up slumped over on his desk in his office chair, not remembering when he closed his eyes and dozed off. Work is always tiring but at the same time it’s worthwhile. Though, the exhaustion and simultaneous inability to sleep were getting to him. The former was inevitable, but the latter was what scared him
No, the reason wasn’t because he was worried about not getting enough sleep–that’s what you thought. He never told you the main reason why. 
All he’s seen lately was you in his dreams. They start light and he thinks he’s had a permanent smile etched onto his face there when you show up. But then it changes. Wanderers come from all sides and all he can do is watch as you fight. 
The waves keep coming and coming and it’s like they ignore his presence and keep their targets on you. He can’t tear his eyes away from the sight when you’re slowly consumed by them and he tries to yell, but no noise comes out. 
Then he jerks awake. Every time. 
He can’t do anything.
He breathes out a huff just thinking about it, hands coming to absentmindedly tap your sides, soft and slow. 
It was definitely past twelve now the tiredness will definitely catch up to him during the day. 
He half expects you to wake up out of nowhere like you do sometimes, whether it be when you have an unpleasant dream or even when you shift away from him. But no, you seem to be sleeping so soundly now. He likes how you are when you do wind up awake and don’t want to fall back asleep until he does first; you almost always wake him up along the way.
“Alright,” he tilts his head back, “don’t come whining to me when you’re exhausted tomorrow. You’re quite a handful.”
“I thought you didn’t mind?” You retort and click your tongue. Zayne smiles and pushes your head to him, planting a kiss on your forehead. He can’t have you offended for too long.
His eyes trail up to your sleeping face and he thinks as to why this is the first time he’s looked at you like this all night. Your eyes are shut and your mouth is slightly parted, definitely in your deepest part of sleep when you don’t move as he pulls away slightly to get a better look at you.
Zayne brings his hand to the side of your neck, feeling the warm skin under his palm and it’s an action he does a lot. He realized this a while back.
While he can hold your cheek and let your head rest in his hands, sometimes you bite. You bite and lick and do whatever it is instead of staying still when his hand is on your face that one day he holds you elsewhere and it’s like you’ve reset. And to this day after that you smile when he does this.
And another thing. 
His thumb brushes against your pulse point and he leaves it theorem awaiting the faint thumping. It’s not the most accurate measurement but it’s enough to let him know. 
You’re still there. You’re still alive. 
Here, he can do anything. 
He allows himself to leave his hand there for a few more moments until you decide to switch up your sleeping position. He lets you pull him along and finds himself with his head on your chest.
And there he hears it.
Thump thump thump.
He hears it during your regular visits to the office and you would think he’d be used to it by now. It’s a rhythmic pattern he’s heard over and over and it’s not just from you either. The elderly, adults, children, and babies have varying speeds and prominence–but they’re not yours. Monitoring it for the sake of your health has had him grown accustomed to its particular sound. 
He blinks, unwilling to move lest you actually open your eyes this time. It’s right under his ear as clear as day; he can’t move.
HIs breathing quiets, all he wants to hear is that.
You’re there with him. You’re sleeping beside him. You’re alive.
Your job saves lives, much like his, but there never is a guarantee that yours will make it out to the end of the day. Not with those wanderers around.
So when you come home and settle yourself to him, he reaches for this. Finally, he closes his eyes.
Your body feels heavy when you wake up, only to find the reason when you look down. Deciding quickly, you remain where you are. It doesn’t hurt to stay an extra five minutes when Zayne sleeps so soundly against you.
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kiyoomi-levin · 4 months
Text
Morning Routine [nsfw]
(Wakatoshi Ushijima x F!Reader)
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a/n this is something i wrote and edited today in a single run >.< I wanted to release a haikyuu fluff fic for my tumblr debut but i was just possessed by something this morning and rolled outta bed and just typed this up hehe.. reblogs and comments appreciated!! i have like 12 unfinished works rn and i am busting my ass off to get those finished and published! please be on the lookout for more from me!
summary:: wakatoshi has a bad habit-- his morning routine revolves around you. more specifically, cumming to the sounds of you. warnings:: wakatoshi is highkey a creep/stalker but this fic is fluffy i promise music rec!:: 2fast by superm <AKA the song i listened to when writing> word count:: 1.9k
6:33 AM, the blinking clock reads. 
He doesn’t even need an alarm now. 
Silently, Wakatoshi rolls over, reaches over to his nightstand and grasps the two items he needs most– lube and toilet paper. 
Sighing, he sits himself up, leaning against the headboard of the bed, and, as if awaiting instructions, goes very, very still. 
In a way, he is waiting for orders. You just aren’t aware that you’re the one giving them. 
6:34 AM. A mere minute before you’re up and he can get started with his day. It doesn’t feel right, yet he can’t stop. Shaking his head, Wakatoshi shifts his weight around, impatient. 
I should stop. 
There it is. That nagging voice of reason that scolds him every morning. But really, at this point, he can’t function normally without you. 
There’s a certain amount of stress that comes with carrying the title of ace. All the papers praising his skills, cheering fangirls, and words of encouragement from coach only added to the ever growing expectations that people had for him. 
Luckily, when he was a senior in high school, Wakatoshi had discovered what best alleviates this pressure– not meditation, not Tendo’s comics, but sexual relief. 
Every morning, a quick handjob does the job, gets him into prime condition. He even checked with his primary doctor to ensure it’s safe and healthy to release everyday– “you’ll be fine, Wakatoshi, as long as you don’t consume too much porn,” the old man had advised kindly. 
He took the doctor’s words to heart– since he had discovered this method of relief, Wakatoshi had never viewed porn. Some of his teammates laughed at him when they found out he almost religiously avoids it, but he doesn’t want to contaminate his brain with potentially intrusive or disturbing visions. His imagination has always been enough, after all. 
Until he met you.
In a way, you’re both a blessing and a curse– probably the latter, he admits to himself. Because since he’d met you months ago, the only thing that’s been able to get him up is you. 
He’s never slept so well, his skin has never looked so clear, and, most importantly, his condition on court has never been better. He’s considered the possibility of you being a goddess, or possibly his guardian angel and can only rule those out with the fact that you, like him, masturbate. 
More accurately, masturbate. Every. Single. Morning. 
Then he hears it. The first soft moan. Wakatoshi glances at the time– 6:37 AM. You’re getting a slightly late start today. 
No matter. He lifts his hips, gently rolls down his gray sweats to his lower thigh. He’s already hard. He doesn’t even have to touch himself now to get excited. Your quiet voice and the thoughts of you are enough.
Poor you. You’re unaware that despite residing in a luxurious, single-person room reserved for school athletes, the walls are criminally thin. 
Wakatoshi pops open the lid of the lube, squirting a glob into his warm hand. He throws aside the bottle, barely registering as it bounces off the bed, only intent on listening into the sounds of you and your body. 
When he first grasps his cock, he has to hold back a groan. Despite it being an everyday routine, he still feels the same surge of pleasure as when he first started this nasty habit months ago. 
You're breathing slightly more heavily now, and he hears the sounds of your fingers inserting and exiting your body at a familiar pace. He follows along, carefully stroking up and down. 
He wonders where you’ve learned this from, because you always go at the perfect pace. Somedays, you go slower, teasing yourself, pausing just before you orgasm, but it’s always. 
It’s always exactly what he needs.
God. He knows this is wrong, even as he pumps faster with his left hand to keep up with your quick fingers. It feels so good. 
Next door, you’re beginning to let out soft cries.
He presses his thumb against the tip, holding back a moan of his own as he envisions you jerking him off. 
He’s seen your hand before– extra soft from being in gloves for multiple hours daily as a fencer. 
Thinking about your sport has him thinking about his, and now he’s back to thinking about how wrong this is. But he can’t help it, he’s already tried to give it up once– yielding horrible results. 
The day he held back and skipped a morning fap session with you was also the hardest day of his life. He had found himself unable to focus in lecture, especially grumpy towards Tendo’s typically bearable antics, and worst of all, all his hits were off. 
“Your schedule must be off,” his captain had said, casually tossing a ball high into the air.
“Bad sleep? Rough morning?” 
Wakatoshi had blinked at him wordlessly, wondering how the tall setter had guessed accurately. 
“It’s fine,” the third-year had reassured him, “just get back on track tomorrow.”
With that, Wakatoshi had found himself ‘back on track,’ masturbating with– no, to you– every morning. 
You’re moaning out loud now, almost whimpering. His cock pulses in his hands, veins bulging, growing hotter and heavy. Fuck, he just wants to see you right now. Your cute face, your sexy neck, gorgeous arms... 
He can almost see it now– your smooth thighs shaking and twisting as your small hands would grasp your pillow. He’d make you feel so good, he just knows it. He’d lean against you, kiss your neck and ear before whispering how good you are, how you’re making him cum, how much he loves you! 
You’d cum, and he wouldn’t stop. He’d want to see your eyes roll back over and over again, and he’d memorize every inch of your face.
Wakatoshi holds back another groan. His fisted hand feels so good against his cock, especially as it imagines it’s your tight pussy. 
Contrary to what Tendo believes (the only one to know about this bad habit) it wasn’t just your soft moans and quiet gasps that had him clenching his sheets as he lifted his hips.
He had long fallen for you, since you had first locked eyes with him in the long hallway. 
There was something about you. The way you always smile up at him gently– not in the way that other girls smile at him, as if they want something (usually his number)– but a genuine smile, eyes crinkling slightly.  
This unexpected attraction was only exacerbated when you sat next to him at the first-years’ dinner party. You smelled so fucking good and listened to his words with actual interest, asking him about his family and laughing at his lame jokes.
Unfortunately, he was also scared. 
He had heard about the countless rejections you’d dished out since the first day of university. 
Despite his perceived sexual ignorance, Wakatoshi knew everything there was to know– he was popular, too, in his own right. Tall and lean, there were girls throwing themselves on him left and right. 
But he only wanted you. 
Today, he must be extra stressed (especially with that upcoming psychology exam that he hasn’t studied for yet) because he’s so, so close, yet can’t seem to finish. 
Fine then. 
He leans over, grabs his cell phone. He only does this in emergency cases, which occurs about once or twice a month. 
Swiping up, he’s greeted by his photo gallery, opened the night prior for this cause. 
In his locked gallery awaits dozens of photos of you. 
Obviously none were taken by him! 
Wakatoshi’s a creep, but one with manners and boundaries. 
This gallery is cluttered with headshots of you from the school’s official website, silly photos of you that were sent into the college athlete’s group chat, and his favorite– photos of you from your close friend who sells them to him at fair prices, starting at $10 minimum. 
None are suggestive. But they still rile him up, maybe because the only connection he has with you is through your early morning activities. 
Wakatoshi desperately taps on the newest picture he bought for $40, quadruple the usual price– he can hear your breath hitching, and he knows you’re almost done. 
He wants to finish with you so bad. 
He was going to save this picture for next week, when he knows you’ll be gone for the fencing nationals and he’ll have to cum without you for an entire miserable, dreadful, god-forsaken week–
but he doesn’t care now. Nothing matters. 
It’s a glorious photo– when he heard your friend had it, he had grabbed her by the shoulders and demanded a price. 
You. On the beach. Under an umbrella. Lying on a purple towel.
He had paid an extra ten dollars for the motion picture– so he could watch you go from ass up onto your back, breasts jiggling and cheeky smirk in full action.
That’s enough. 
He holds his fist tight–one more pump and he’s finished, but he wants to make sure you’re cumming first– and he hears it– to his relief, you’re moaning and whispering– “‘m cumming!” 
Yeah, he’s cumming too. His hips lift again, and he drags his closed fist downwards against his wet cock. His vision blurs. 
“Fuck!” 
He can’t help it, today’s orgasm is especially strong, taking control of his full body. He’s shaking, mind barely in control as he continues to slowly pump to ride out the whole orgasm. After all, that’s what you’d do, right? You’d keep riding him, even as he finished and begged you to stop. 
Thank God we came together.
Sometimes, you bait him. More often than he likes, you switch it up, holding yourself back and not allowing yourself to cum before masturbating all over again for an even more powerful orgasm. Those days suck– when he’s already softening, cum all over his large hands, and you’re still going. 
He hears your bed squeak, and he sighs– as soon as it starts, it’s already over.
6:45 AM, his phone reads. Wakatoshi tosses it aside.
Thankfully, he had pulled his phone away in time, avoiding tainting the device with his release. A few times a month, he gets careless and cums onto an open picture of you, causing him to have to run through his shower extra fast so he can leave time to wipe down the device.
Rolling off the bed, he heads towards the shower leisurely. It’s also become a part of his routine to time his shower. It makes him feel even more intimately connected to you. 
Wakatoshi’s grateful you take long showers– you’ve never taken less than 24 minutes to shower, typically, they last about 34 minutes on average. That gives him the time to jump out first and wait to exit his room at the same time you depart from yours. 
Under the heat of warm water, he’s usually consumed with thoughts of you, impossible thoughts, like maybe you know. 
The wall between you and him is equally thin, and your hearing may be as equally good as his…
Maybe you know, and you like masturbating with him. 
And then, just as a precaution, he douses himself with cold water at the end of his shower, and those thoughts dissipate with the steam escaping towards the vent. 
Like everyday, Wakatoshi laces his shoes, sprays on his favorite cologne (that your friend claims you like) and inhales, bracing himself to see you. 
As he hears your feet shuffle, he pushes his door open first, stepping out into the warm hallway.
“Good morning, Wakatoshi!” You greet, eyes brightening. He nods, gulping. That’s an acceptable form of greeting, right?
As the two of you walk towards the elevator in silence, Wakatoshi can’t help but hope that this morning routine won’t be coming to a stop anytime soon. 
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a/n and that's a wrap :,) i really hope you liked and sorry the ending is highkey shit LOL as i kept editing i kept adding and removing more and more and honestly that's kind of my biggest weakness:: i'm never satisfied with my work and i'm scared ppl won't like it ... but i'm trying to overcome that!
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emilicious0 · 3 months
Text
lucifer x gn!reader who is fascinated with his wings!
pt.1
a/n: it took me some time to make it, sorry! but anyway if you want more headcanons in this Au (can you call it an au?) just ask!
as you followed charlie to the first floor, your mind raced with thoughts of the moment on the balcony. the touch of lucifer's wings, the shared gaze, the unspoken connection—all of it left you feeling exhilarated yet uncertain.
when all three of you arrived on the first floor, charlie started to explain the recent suspicions about heaven, and you tried your best to listen. lucifer hovered nearby, his usual composed demeanor slightly shaken.
as the discussion progressed, you found yourself slipping into your role as a trusted advisor. despite the swirling emotions within you, you focused on the problem, trying to calm charlie down and maybe escape thinking of some events that happened earlier. but even with the occupational task, you couldn't help but steal glances at the fallen angel, who just so happened to do the same thing.
lucifer suddenly sees you in a new light... no, not a new light, but he finally realizes how he actually sees you. the soft and warm feeling he felt every time you were around and that strong need to protect you—it's all coming together now.
throughout the meeting, the man couldn't tear his gaze off of you, his expression filled with newfound warmth. you couldn't help but notice, your heart fluttering, but immediately stopping yourself to focus on charlie and not letting your hopes up.
he IS lucifer. the king of hell. him with you? that's not possible; you're imagining things... but the thought of it is so sweet.
"focus for hell's sake."
after the meeting concluded and charlie excused herself to meet with vaggie, you and lucifer found yourselves alone in the living room. the atmosphere crackled with unspoken words, tension mounting between you.
you felt like your mouth was glued shut, and because of the thick knot of emotions in your throat, you couldn't say anything. so, you found yourself slowly making your way to the stairs.
"wait!" lucifer grabbed your shoulder and turned you around. "I'm sorry."
"sorry?" you asked, focusing on his red eyes. "for what?"
"I made you uncomfortable..? didn't I?" the man sounded like a beaten dog, and you rushed to hug him.
"oh no, no, no, no! you didn't do anything. It's me, I'm the problem! you know, your wings, I saw them, and panicked and everything, and..." you stopped and released the breath you didn't know you were holding. "I don't know how I feel about you anymore."
lucifer's eyes softened, his hand reaching out for your cheek.
"interesting thing is... I think now I know how I feel about you now," he says.
"you do?" you ask, a blush creeping onto your cheeks.
"yes."
a kiss on your lips.
so faint and fast you could've imagined it, but it was real.
with even more anticipation, you kissed the man in front of you, now longer, enjoying the moment together.
when you both stop to breathe, you can see a hint of relief on his red face.
"I... love you."
a rush of emotions flooded through you—joy, relief, love. you gently took his hand in yours, intertwining your fingers with his.
"I love you too."
with that, you kissed again, but this time, his wings appeared, hiding both of you from others' eyes.
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i-like-media · 4 months
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I imagine Donna to still eventually ask what the doctor has been up to. Maybe she does so while they're stuck doing a chore together like the laundry or dishes. And the doctor will try to avoid it like he always does, but caves under Donna's stare. He'd still keep it vague, speaking more about the companions the toymaker spoke of and cautiously daring to honour their memory like that while keeping himself away from the hurtful bits. He even jokes a bit about who he ended up becoming. He'd admit he had an obsession with bowties and had sonic sunglasses once, and Donna would laugh and say she'd LOVE to see that.
Then, after a pause, Donna asks if he's ever stumbled upon her with a different face, and with a hushed breath he admits he hasn't.
She grows a bit silent, grieving a thought she wished were reality. And then the doctor pipes up again.
"This isn't actually the first familiar face I've gotten...-WELL not another one of my OWN faces, but certainly something familiar."
Intrigued, Donna stops what she's doing and listens to him explain further.
"When I first got it I couldn't place where I'd gotten it from. I just, knew it was familiar...... -I didn't linger on it as long as I should've and I moved on rather quickly."
"Why?" Donna asked, a bit bewildered at the thought of it.
"I was careless and angry and sort of... Scottish.-ANYways one day me and Clara were dragged to this viking village that had gotten itself into trouble, and we helped them. But this village girl had, uhm... Well she didn't make it. I was so angry -I remember that anger really well. And Clara kept on asking if there was something I could do..."
"Well, was there?" By now both of them weren't doing their chores anymore and all they could hear was the singing of a couple of starlings outside.
"...Yes, but it would've broken some rules."
Donna already knew what exactly he meant by that. She would figure that's the end of it, yet the doctor kept on talking.
"But then as I was rotting in my defeat, I remembered this important day I shouldn't ever have forgotten. The day we were in Pompeii... And only then did I realise that face, MY face, was a reminder of something very important you told me. To just, save someone."
"...So you mean, your face..." The doctor nodded, and Donna couldn't help but finally release the breath she'd been holding with a smile.
"I did save her and she ended up living a long, long, longlonglonglonglong life... But even after hundreds of years, when I doubted myself and needed it most, Donna Noble... Your impact on the world and my life, persisted."
And I imagine the doctor to give her a big, proud smile, before Donna pulls him in for a big hug he wasn't expecting to receive. Because maybe, just maybe, that was exactly what she needed to hear that day.
Then once they return to their chores, I imagine Donna to think about it a bit longer and make a comment. "Well you better never take on my face!" And the doctor would dissolve into a pouty ramble about how he has no control over it while also being a bit disappointed she's said no.
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whorergal · 1 year
Text
SHE'S MINE (PART TWO)
summary: after you've been attacked, the group becomes cautious and confused, now being targeted as well. but you still can't get over the fact that ghostface had helped you and why you think you know who it may be. and maybe you wouldn't mind keeping a secret.
warnings: scream vi spoilers, language (cussing), blood, gore. it follows the plot loosely.
pairings: ethan landry x fem!reader
authors note: hiiii i really hope u enjoy :-) also i have no idea if mindy shared the apartment with tara, sam and quinn but if she didn’t, we're just going to pretend she does and i also altered ethan's motive a bit too for this (lowkey was inspired by don't blame me by taylor swift so if you like listening to music when reading, i recommend that song for this part)
❗️: you can find part one here and part three here if you need it :3
———————————————————————————
The hospital visit wasn't as long as you anticipated. Two of the stabs you endured hadn't cut deep so they were able to stitch it upon your first visit and they closed up that same night—it still hurt like a bitch. Your previous stab wound was the worst one overall as the stitching process was a lot more painful because your skin was sensitive as it had been punctured once before.
When you were released, Sam took you under her care. She didn't feel safe having you and Anika alone in your apartment since the attack so she offered her, Tara, Mindy and Quinn's home to you two. It didn't really matter for Anika as she was always there in the first place but it bothered you.
You didn't mean to feel unappreciative but you hated being controlled by useless fear. Whether or not Ghostface attacked you in your home, he would find them someway or another; it didn't matter where you were. But, you agreed in order to clear her conscious.
They didn't ask much questions when you were in the hospital. After the second Ghostface left the apartment, you remembered blacking out and waking up in the hospital bed with Anika by your side. The doctor wouldn't let anyone come in since you were preparing for surgery but decided to let Anika stay since she was your roommate.
Her story was that your security system she had built when you two first moved in had went off when the second Ghostface broke in. Her and Mindy didn't tell everyone before leaving because they didn't want to risk not making it in time. The frat house was only a block down so they just ran their way to your building, ultimately finding your unconscious body on the kitchen floor.
Anika told you that they had met Ethan at the entrance of the building when the ambulance was called and said you called him, which was true but you wondered what took him so long. You were highly suspicious of him but you didn't want to be because he was your best-friend, you couldn't imagine him having anything to do with this.
Ever since that night, he was around, a lot. He even skipped his Econ classes to keep you company because Sam didn't want you to be alone and everyone else was busy.
You didn't ask him about what happened. You were afraid of what the outcome would be. But you knew you had to do something in order to understand. At least interrogating the truth out of him (because he couldn't lie to you) would give you peace of mind—well, depending on the answer.
"You don't have to be here, you know." You broke the silence, watching him write notes from the lecture he was missing.
"But I want to be," he told you honestly.
"E, you're missing Econ. You have an exam this week."
"I'll be fine, don't worry." He looked up from his notebook, putting the lecture video on pause to give you his full attention. "I don't want anything to happen to you again."
"Ghostface rarely attacks in the daytime," you joked.
"Still, Y/N/N." He was being serious. "Your stitches haven't even fully healed yet."
"This isn't the first time." You sighed. "Plus, Ghostface never attacks the same person twice."
"Says who?"
"Says Mindy."
Ethan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, I don't want to take any chances."
It went back to comfortable silence. You went back to reading your book for your English class while he continued to write his notes. After a couple more minutes, you decided to ask the question that had been eating you alive.
"What took you so long?" you asked randomly.
He furrowed his brows, turning to look at you. "What do you mean?"
"When I was attacked," you clarified. "I called you and you said you and Chad were on the way. Anika and Mindy beat you to it and Chad wasn't even with you when you arrived."
Ethan looked away, his face becoming pale. "Well, I went to go find Chad when you were on the call but I couldn't find him so I decided to leave. I didn't realize how much time I wasted until I saw police lights outside your building."
That was the first and final conversation you two had about it. You gathered what you knew from it but, again, you didn't want to believe he was Ghostface. Unless he wasn't and used the costume to throw the other one off. But where could he buy a replica of it that quickly and still be able to make it in time to save you? It didn't make sense.
You kept this realization to yourself. You felt guilty for it, especially because if he was apart of the plan in harming your friends, this smudge of proof could be enough to hold him accountable before it was taken too far. Of course, you didn't listen to yourself and decided to keep his secret that he wasn't even sure you knew because of how much you liked him.
On the third day of your recovery, your stitching was finally beginning to heal. It hurt to bend down and sometimes walk because it worked the muscles underneath the wound but you couldn't stand doing nothing anymore.
You made the excuse that you were planning to meet Ethan at his dorm for the night because you promised to help him with Econ. Sam wasn't exactly keen on the idea, wondering why he couldn't come to meet you here but you told her you were beginning to feel claustrophobic and wanted to get out. She didn't say much in defense and reluctantly agreed.
They all offered to walk you there just in case something were to happen but you brushed them off. If your assumption about Ethan was correct, he wouldn't let anything happen to you.
The subway was packed because it was nearing Halloween and it took you awhile to finally make it inside one. And the thirty minute ride to campus added onto the time. It was around twelve at night when you arrived at his dorm.
First, you decided to knock. Nobody answered. Then you remembered he had an Econ lecture to attend for the night and took out the extra key he had given you awhile ago and unlocked it yourself.
Honestly, you were glad he wasn't there because it would make your digging a lot more easier.
You searched through everything he owned. Through his drawers (which you highly regretted), under his bed, inside some of his unpacked bags—everywhere but you couldn't find anything that incriminated him.
It had been what felt like hours, but was really only thirty minutes, when you gave up. Your phone was going off but you didn't pay any mind to it because the group had consistently texted you ever since your attack; you just assumed it was them checking up on you and then getting paranoid because you weren't answering. Even if you knew you should've checked, you didn't bother as you were going to head back to the apartment anyway.
You quietly snuck out of the room, making sure the coast was clear until you turned your head to the left and saw Ghostface, waiting there for you. When you tried to scream, they grabbed your face with their hand, restricting your voice from releasing.
They were strong, being able to grab your entire body with their one arm and toss you carelessly back into the room.
You hit the floor, wincing at the impact because of your stitches. Ghostface shut the door behind them, looking down at you. They stalked toward you very slowly as you made sure to keep your distance from them.
Using the dresser that stood behind you, you lifted yourself up with your available arm as the other clutched your stitching instinctively to keep you balanced. It was a silent stare-down until they reached for their mask, untucking it from the behind. Then, they pulled it off.
You stared in shock. "…Ethan?"
"Y/N." He didn't have much expression on his face. He looked out of breath as you could see sweat shimmering on his face from the lighting.
"Oh, my god," You breathed out. Although you suspected him this whole time, finally being able to know it was the truth hurt you more than being stabbed. "You're Ghostface."
"What the hell are you doing here?" Ethan ignored your statement as he furrowed his brows.
"I knew it. I knew you were the one who saved me," you confessed. "That's why I'm here."
"You shouldn't be here," he told you, shaking his head.
"You're trying to kill me and our friends and you're telling me what I shouldn't be doing?!"
"Y/N, there's more to this than you know."
"That much is obvious," you snapped. He tried to step toward you but you backed up. "Stay away from me."
"Please, just listen to me," Ethan began to plead.
"You let them attack me!"
"No, I didn't!" he declared, lowering his voice when he saw it made you flinch. "They promised to leave you out of it. That was the only thing I told them to do."
"They?" you repeated in confusion.
He thought over his response for a second. "Look, what I'm doing—what I've done—is for a good reason. You have to understand."
You furrowed your brows. "What have you done, E?" You couldn't help but use his nickname; you couldn't help but try to hear him out.
"Y/N." He walked toward you slowly and this time, you didn't back away from him. "You're the only thing I care about. If it means I have to kill a thousand people to keep you safe, then I'd do it."
"I don't understand." Your voice was almost a mumble.
"I agreed to do this before I met you but when I did, it all changed. I-I tried to convince them to stop. I wanted to try and be good—for you but she found out and threatened to kill you if I didn't continue with the plan so I did with the exception that they would leave you out of it," he explained softly. "I did this…for you."
You looked at him like he was insane (he kind of was). "You'd kill our friends?"
"If it meant that you'd be safe."
His words didn't completely register but when they did, you couldn't help but feel guilty. You had a crush on him for so long and here he was, basically confessing his love for you in such a fucked up way. You hated yourself for finding him even more attractive after hearing him say those words.
"Ethan…" you whispered his name.
"Can I kiss you?" he asked. "Can I please kiss you?"
You didn't give him an answer as you closed the space between the two of you.
It seemed wrong—no, it was wrong. Kissing him while he still wore the Ghostface robe, one that he wore while taking someone's life.
You knew he wasn't wearing this costume for fun. They only ever wore it for a purpose. Even though your mind was totally blanked because of how dumb his lips made you, when you pulled apart, you began to think about where he had come from and who he had just killed and why you weren't more concerned about the matter.
He chased after your lips, kissing you again with more force this time, even pulling you closer by the waist. You only pulled away because you were receiving a call.
You pulled your phone out from your pocket, the reality setting in when you saw Sam's contact. He looked down with you, not doing much in keeping you from answering. It took you a couple more seconds of contemplating until you decided to click the green button, putting the phone to your ear.
You took a deep breath before answering. "Hello?"
"Y/N, what the hell?!" Sam hollered into the speaker, her voice mixed with relief and annoyance. "Why weren't you answering? Are you okay?!"
"Yeah, I'm fine," you replied rather nonchalantly. "I had my phone off. What's wrong, Sam?"
There was a short beat. "Ghostface attacked us."
You furrowed your brows, glancing at Ethan. "What?"
"Yeah, he killed Quinn and…"
"And?" you repeated instantly. "Who else, Sam?"
"Anika…" Sam's voice was barely above a whisper. "Y/N, I'm so sorry. I-I tried to help her."
You shut your eyes, feeling tears starting to build. There was silence on the line and you were sure it was because Sam didn't want to say anything knowing you would be taking her death as personal as Mindy did.
Suddenly, your stab wounds began to throb which made you let out a grunt. You knew better than to cry over Anika only because it would achieve nothing. Yes, it was messed up that you were now standing in the room with her murderer, watching him undress himself of his black robe that he wore while killing her but you realized nothing you could've said or done—whether you got to him before she died—could've changed her outcome.
You watched him pull out a hunting knife from his back pocket, the silver glistening with dried blood. That blood probably belonged to Anika and Quinn. It made your throat go dry.
"Sam," you blurted quietly.
"What, Y/N?"
You were going to say it; tell her the truth. It was the right thing to do. Ethan, even if you liked him a lot, had just murdered your best friend and one of Sam's. They deserved the justice of their murderer being caught.
But when he walked back over to you, his eyes scanning your expression, you had already picked your choice.
"Y/N, what? Are you okay?" Sam's voice echoed in your mind.
"Yeah, yeah, it's just…" You tried to find the words. "Is everyone else okay? Did you get hurt?"
"We're fine. Mindy got cut but she's fine," Sam answered softly. "Can you come down here? I'd feel a lot better if you were here with us. Plus, I'm sure you can comfort Mindy than the rest of us. She doesn't want to be anywhere near Tara or Chad."
You let out a shaky breath. "Yeah. Ethan and I are on our way."
"Ethan?" she questioned.
"Yeah. Remember I told you I was going to meet him at his dorm? I was with him the whole night," you lied.
"Oh, okay." Sam sighed into the speaker. "That's good to hear, actually. Mindy thinks Ethan was the one behind all of this but if you were with him then it checks him out."
"Don't worry, Sam," you said. "We'll be there shortly."
"Okay, see you soon. Be safe."
You nodded, even though she couldn't see you and then hung up.
"You kept my secret?" Ethan asked.
You shook your head. "I shouldn't have. You killed Anika and Quinn."
He bit his lip, nodding calmly. "I know, I know. It wasn't exactly my first choice. But I had to for saving you the other night."
"Yeah, I know," you mumbled. "But did you mean it?"
"Mean what?" He furrowed his brows.
"What you said about wanting to be good?" You repeated his words. "Because that's the only reason I saved your ass. I should hate you. You killed Anika."
"Y/N/N," he said softly, walking over to grab your hands. "I only did this to protect you. They made me think my original motive was right but it's actually fucked up. I realized that the moment I met you. So, yes, I do mean it. And I'm sorry about Anika. I didn't really want to do it either."
You mulled over his words, looking down at your connected hands until you finally spoke. "Okay. Then, I'll help you," you informed him. "But, in order for me to do that, I need to know everything."
Let's just say it was an interesting conversation.
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writerswall26 · 3 months
Text
My Sweet Cairo (Part 6)
Synopsis: The Ravens' Soccer team Captain fell in love for Cairo Sweet
Warning: Slight cursing, Student-Teacher relations, Anger rage. Other than that, none that I know of (but feel free to correct me)
Words: 2.4k
Masterlist | Previous Part | Next Part
A/N: So there's this complaint about why R helped Mr. Miller. I want to explain that it's not about helping him per say, it's about the what could've been scenario in R's mind. As was stated a few parts ago, it's personal. Also, I was listening to Blindside the entire time I'm writing this. I think this is Cairo's song, or their song. Happy Reading!
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After the whole ordeal between Cairo and Mr. Miller, the school did release an announcement regarding the issue, telling everyone that the charges against Mr. Miller was dropped and untrue. They also informed the students and teachers about the inappropriate relations between them and that it is not acceptable and highly discouraged to engage in such relations.
So far, students hasn't said anything about Mr. Miller, just that they were saying how fucked up it must be for Cairo to be doing what she did to Mr. Miller. Poor man, she heard them say.
"How are you holding up?" Winnie asked when she saw Y/N sitting alone in Mr. Miller's classroom.
The taller girl turned to Winnie with a small smile. "I don't know. I guess I’m relieved that I made something possible."
Winnie sighed, holding a hand on Y/N's shoulder. "It was brave, you know, what you did. I heard you laid it out there, what happened to your dad."
Y/N gave out a pained smile. "It's the only way I know they would listen. Also the first time I've talked about it since it happened."
Winnie gave her a comforting smile as she patted her shoulder. Then they heard Y/N's phone ringing, Cairo's name popping out. Y/N stared at it for a while before flipping her phone over as she sighed.
"Has she tried to contact you?" Y/N asked Winnie who nodded.
"A couple of times."
"Did you talk to her?"
Winnie shook her head. "Don't have the guts to after what she did. Maybe in time, but not now."
Y/N understood her. Winnie's been with Cairo for what seemed like forever. They were inseparable. They were best friends and yet, Cairo still managed to do this to her. It was sad to see a beautiful friendship turn into dust just because of vengeance.
"Will you talk to her?" Winnie asked her.
She was quiet for a brief moment before shaking her head no. "I don't know if I can. Every time I see her, what happened to my dad keeps popping in my head. I don't want to remember it anymore."
"I understand." Winnie said, nodding. "But you can't run away from her forever. She's quite a persistent girl, if you hadn't noticed. She'll do everything in her power to get you to talk to her."
Y/N pursed her lips. "Did you know Mr. Miller was in love with her?" She asked, turning to Winnie who looked shocked. "I'm sure as hell she felt the same. That's why she acted that way, she knows what he felt but didn't pursue it."
"Y/N," Winnie called out but before she could continue, the bell rang so Y/N gave her a smile as she put her duffel bag on her shoulder.
"I'll see you around, Winnie." She bid the other girl goodbye before she walked out of the classroom and into her physics class.
Y/N was hanging out at home when she heard their doorbell ring. She was not expecting anyone at all. But she thought maybe Jasmine is here because she's board again. So when she opened their front door, she was shocked to see Cairo there, looking lost. Y/N's face immediately darken as soon as she saw Cairo.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, a bit harshly if she was asked but she doesn't care.
Cairo gave out a small smile, shaking her head. "I don't know."
"Go home, Cairo." Y/N said and was about to go back inside when she felt small hands holding her wrist, stopping her to move.
Y/N looked at their hands to which Cairo immediately pulled back. "Please, let me talk." Cairo said, her eyes misty with tears.
Y/N sighed as she walked back and closed the door behind her again. She looked at Cairo with a bored look as she stood in front of the shorter girl.
"What do you want?" Y/N finally asked, staring down at Cairo who fidgeted for a while before she took a deep breath and looked at Y/N's eyes.
"I want to say I'm sorry." She started but Y/N shook her head.
"No." Y/N told her coldly.
"Please." Cairo cried, her voice breaking and for some reason, it broke Y/N's heart into pieces to see Cairo this way.
"I know what I did was messed up. I know I hurt you, and Winnie, and Mr. Miller. I've been holed up at home, thinking of what I did. I— I messed up. And I'm really really sorry." Cairo's voice breaks, then turns to a whisper.
But Y/N cannot seem to hear what she was saying, it's like her brain doesn't want to listen, to process what Cairo was saying.
"You're selfish, Cairo. You only think about yourself, with no remorse, you do what you do to get what you want. You use people around you who genuinely care and love you. And then for what? For your own pleasure?"
Cairo just hung her head while Y/N berated her. This is the first time in her entire selfish life that she felt ashamed, she felt disgusted by herself. Y/N has a way with words that just stuck.
"And you know what hurts the most?" Y/N asked, her voice broke which got Cairo lifting her head to see the tears streaming down Y/N's eyes. And it broke her. "I really thought you liked me. I thought what you felt for me was real. And it fucking hurts to know that it's all part of you fucked up plan."
"But I did, Y/N, I do. I like you, so much."
Y/N scoffed. "Oh, do you?" She asked sarcastically.
"I do. And with all the lies and schemes that I had, you're the only thing I was sure of, what I feel for you. I like you." Cairo was never the one to express her feelings but if this was the last time she would see Y/N, then she's willing to lay it all there. "I think I'm even in love with you."
Y/N scoffed, wiping the tears in her eyes. "And why would I believe you? After all you've done, why would I?"
Cairo walked towards her, wanting just a bit of closeness from Y/N. "Because you're the realest thing that's ever happened to me."
Y/N shook her head, stepping back as she leaned on the closed door behind her.
"You don't get to do this. You can't just ruin people's lives and expect them to believe you!"
"I don't expect you to believe me, I just want you to listen, I just want you to know what I feel." Cairo said, walking closer to Y/N.
"Leave, now." Y/N spoke, turning away from Cairo.
The shorter girl watched Y/N breathing heavily. She felt she was hurting Y/N the longer she stayed. So she nodded even though Y/N couldn't see her. And with one final attempt, she walked closer to Y/N, tiptoed and gave Y/N one final kiss on the cheek before she walked out of the taller girl's life once and for all.
"I love you." Cairo whispered, and then she was gone.
Y/N watched Cairo go, losing her faster than she had her.
Cairo and Y/N's paths did not meet even when they're in the same English class. Cairo was suspended for 2 weeks after the whole ordeal and it was then that the school introduced a substitute teacher in Mr. Miller's absence. The teacher was great, she was as into literature as Mr. Miller but she was not as good as Mr. Miller was.
Winnie and Y/N stuck together the entire time. They would meet each other for lunch, go grab breakfast together, wait for each other after class, and walk home together as well. Y/N doesn't know how or why, but she assumed it was because of their shared trauma and the betrayal they both got from Cairo.
"She's coming back tomorrow. Are you ready to face her?" Winnie asked while they were on their way home.
Y/N pursed her lips as she shrugged. Honestly, the thought of seeing Cairo again made her feel nothing. There was just nothing.
"I actually don't know."
Winnie nodded and there was silence again until Y/N spoke.
"Have you talked to her lately?" Winnie asked.
Y/N shook her head. "She's been texting and calling but I haven't responded to any of it. Although, she said something to me a couple of weeks ago. I don't know what to make of it."
"What?"
"She told me she loves me."
Winnie stopped on her track for a moment, looking at Y/N with wide eyes.
"That's... a shocker." Winnie said, going back to her senses as she continued to walk with Y/N.
"Tell me about it."
"Who would've thought that you, Y/N Y/L/N, would be the one to melt that vengeful and cold heart of Cairo Sweet." Winnie said, shocked and amazed.
"I don't even know if she was telling the truth." Y/N said truthfully.
"One thing I know about Cairo, is that she's never let those words leave her mouth. Not to her parents, not even to Mr. Miller. So you should wear that like a fucking medal." Winnie said, giving her a soft slap on the arm.
"Shut up." Y/N chuckled, rolling her eyes.
"Let me see that medal." Winnie told her, pulling her body to see the invisible medal she was supposedly wearing.
"Get away from me, you creep." Y/N joked as she turned her body away.
Winnie kept messing with her until she spoke.
"Are you gonna go to work tonight?" Y/N asked, turning to Winnie who gave her a confused look.
"Why?"
"Would you like to have dinner with me and my mum before you go to work? She's home right now, no hospital duty."
Winnie gave her a teasing smile. "You want to introduce me to your momma?"
Y/N rolled her eyes before she chuckled. "I'm being a good friend here, at least appreciate that."
Winnie laughed. "Alright, superstar. Lead the way."
Y/N rolled her eyes. "It's like you don't know where it is."
"Shut up!" Winnie laughed, pushing Y/N who was laughing as well.
The duo kept teasing and pushing each other until they were on Y/N's door.
"Mum, I brought a friend with me." Y/N called out as she led Winnie inside their house and into the living room where Y/M/N's fixing the table.
"Is it Jasmine?" Y/M/N asked but was a bit shocked when she saw Winnie. "Oh, it's not Jasmine."
Y/N chuckled as she walked to her mum and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "This is Winnie, she's a friend from English class."
Y/M/N nodded before she turned to Winnie and gave her a warm hug. "Welcome Winnie. It's very nice to meet you, I'm Y/M/N."
Winnie smiled widely. "Pretty nice to meet you too, Mrs. Y/L/N."
Y/M/N waved a hand. "Y/M/N is fine, darling. Come sit and let's eat."
"I've seen you before, haven't I?" Y/M/N asked Winnie when they finally started eating.
The duo looked at each other with questioning looks before turning to the older woman.
"Oh, I remember!" Y/M/N clapped her hand, pointing at Winnie with a wide smile. "You were friends with that girl who Y/N kissed at the championship game!"
That was awkward!
The duo let out an awkward laugh as they kept kicking each other under the table.
"I uhm... I was indeed there with the girl Y/N kissed, yeah." Winnie answered awkwardly.
Y/M/N noticed the weird atmosphere so she dropped the subject, but not before she asked some questions.
"Were they together?" Y/M/N asked, causing the two to look at each other once more.
"For a hot minute, yeah." Winnie's gonna take one for the team here since she knows Y/N is still not ready to talk about Cairo.
"What happened?" Y/M/N asked again.
"Mum." Y/N wanted the topic to end but her mother shot her a look that shut her up.
"Well, uhm... it really was complicated and I don't want to be the one to say something about it. I'm sorry, Y/M/N."
The older woman nodded before she turned to Y/N with a knowing look. "Speak or you shall not eat a single drop of food from my fridge."
That is a threat. That is a scary threat and Y/N is not about to contest that.
Winnie watched the mother-daughter with amusement.
Y/N sighed. "We dated, for a bit. And then something happened and we broke up."
Y/M/N squinted her eyes, piecing two and two together. "Is it because of what happened with your English teacher? What's his name? Mr. Miller?"
"Mum." Y/N tried but she could see that her mother's not stopping until she knows something. "Yes, it had something to do with what happened to Mr. Miller."
"Is it similar to what happened to your father?" Y/M/N asked, a shake was heard in her voice.
"Let's stop talking about this, yeah? Let's just eat." Y/N said, holding her mother's hand as she smiled at the older woman.
Y/M/N stared at her daughter for a while, pain written in her eyes, but this time, not because of her late husband but because of her daughter. She felt so bad for her daughter, she felt pain knowing that her girlfriend hurt her this bad.
"Let's eat then." Y/M/N said, turning to Winnie who was giving her a sweet comforting smile. "Enjoy the food, Winnie."
Winnie smiled and nodded before they continued eating. The awkward atmosphere was soon replaced with laughter and teasing from the two kids. Y/M/N just watched them, even joining from time to time to tease her daughter. After dinner, Winnie bid them goodbye to go to her work.
"Thank you for the dinner, Y/M/N. Everything was so delicious." Winnie said from the living room while fixing her things.
"Come by anytime, sweetheart. It was lovely having you here."
"Good night." Winnie said before she was out with Y/N on the porch.
"Careful on your way to work." Y/N told Winnie and gave her a hug.
"Thank you for the wonderful dinner, your mom's wonderful." Winnie said before she went to her work.
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wh1msic4alwasab1 · 23 days
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𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐞𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔
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synopsis: you act like a brat so diluc bends you over the bar counter at angels share with people drinking upstairs :)))
tags: vulgar language, voyeurism, edging, no protection, degradation, orgasm denial
wrd cnt: 1.1k+
a/n: rewrite/repost from first acc!
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Imagine getting a little too tipsy at angels share during the later hours of the night.
You’ve taken far too many shots but how can you resist when it just gives you more chances to see Diluc pour you that drink, watching his eyes pierce yours for just a second and his veiny hands grip the bottle so tight before the liquor drips down.
You and diluc have…a history, and he's not scared to act shy about it like you thought he would.
In the heat of your buzz, you've shown him too much attitude for him not to fuck you quiet if you're being too loud for the guests upstairs.
You know he likes it, but he'll still stuff your mouth with his cock if he needed to keep you quiet.
"Y/n, I won't ask again, please lower your volume."
His demanding gets you stirred, "or what?...you'll kick me out?" You say, brows in a comical state while you lean forward, cup in hand and slightly spilling the alcohol down your wrist.
"Stand up."
His demeanor had changed, half of you didn't believe he was serious but the other half didn't want to cause a real issue with him. You slowly stand up now off the bar stool.
"Come here." He beckoned.
You begin to move your body towards the small door that separates the back of the bar area with the rest of the pub, but he stops you.
“No, that is for employees only. Climb."
With confusion but not too much question you do as you're told, chuckling at his ridiculous request. You raise up your knee to the bar, and sit onto the table before climbing all the way to the other side facing Diluc directly, his gaze does not leave you, and his arms remain crossed.
He looks at your lips and begins to speak.
"You listened now, so why not the other times? If you're going to be a brat here of all places- then you'll be treated like one.”
You don't believe him, Diluc? in public? He'd never have the guts.
"Yeah right, I dare you." You challenge.
Diluc looks at you for a second, but not a second longer, now that he's grabbed your waist and turned you around. Your hands behind your back; gripped together by his right hand and his left glued to your hip, pushing your ass against this hard cock. You can feel your own tits pressed up against the cold wood of the table as Diluc starts to lower his hand down your thigh and lifts up your slip dress, revealing your ass.
Anyone could walk down at any moment and see the two of you, but you didn't care and evidently so didn't he.
You smirk and joke with him, how surprising he's being considering how vanilla he's been up til this point. He gives your ass a spank and you gasp, feeling the weight of his big hands on you; hearing him chuckle.
"So y/n, are you finally going to listen to me?"
"Hmm..! don't think l've learned my lesson yet…Master Diluc~"
Diluc bends down towards your arching back, his face close to your ear.
"If you want me to fuck you then you have to ask for it"
You freeze, is this actually Diluc? Hearing his harsh demands made you so...wet, you wonder if he can feel you throbbing because of his voice.
When you don’t reply immediately, he pulls your panties up and creates a tight fit, making them disappear into your lips and grind against your clit, making you jump and grind against him.
"Please Diluc", you pleaded.
After he's gotten the say so, your panties are practically ripped off and your raised up, now standing up against him with your hands released. Diluc sits you up on the bar and the rest of your clothes get torn off.
A sloppy make out begins as he trials his tongue down your body, sucking your hard nipples and leaving marks anywhere he wanted.
He spreads your legs as wide as they can go, ankles propped up on the bar and you can feel his fingers slip right into your folds, pumping his digits vigorously when his lips finally meet your cunt. You can't help but raise your hand to your mouth, the feeling of him sucking on your throbbing clit while his fingers fuck you so deep just might make you pass out.
You grip onto his red hair and push his face deeper into your heat, his groaning just makes everything even hotter.
You can feel your body heating up, and you know you're close; so does Diluc.
Of course, as soon as you're about to finish, his hands are completely off and out of you.
"What the hell? Why did you do that?"
"You asked to be taught a lesson didnt you?, This is me teaching you."
You're stunned, still sitting bare on this mans counter, you can't stop now.
You're practically begging diluc at this point.
"If I do, will you behave?" Diluc asks.
Agreeing happily, you pull him back to you with your legs. You pull him closer to you and begin removing his belt, ridding him of his clothes and watching his thick, long, absolutely gorgeous cock spring out of his pants. Diluc picks you up, setting you down as you feel your feet down on the floor again.
Being as eager as you are, you start pumping him up and down, swiping your thumb across the head of his member and licking his precum off your finger.
Diluc was just trying to teach you to be quiet, but he was just as messy for you as you were for him.
He can't help but turn you around again and bend you over. He can't help but admire the way your ass fits perfectly against his cock. He can't help but kiss along your back while rubbing his tip against your sweet pussy, his sweet pussy.
After his kissing, he's inserting himself inside your hole, your hand instantly finds its way to your face, but it's slapped away by Diluc, as he inserts two of his fingers into your mouth, that you gladly suck and drool on.
Truly, it's the only thing keeping you quiet and not letting everyone hear how good Diluc is thrusting his perfect cock into you. You squirm and push your ass even deeper into his cock, wanting him to fill you up so deeply with his warm cum. Your entire body is shaking as your knees begin to give out as he's fucking you so well.
"You love being treated like this don't you? Love when I fuck you like this? I bet you want everyone to hear you, seeing you beg for my cum inside your needy pussy."
You can't even babble coherent words back to him, you just tighten around his cock even more at his vulgarity.
He's even closer watching you squirm.
You feel your orgasm coming back, and you can tell Diluc is struggling to keep himself oriented.
Eventually, Diluc is spilling everything inside of you while you thank him for it.
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whimsic4alwasab1 ™ - do not copy, translate, modify, or claim any of my work as your own.
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achaoticeternal · 1 year
Text
the winner takes it all.
AEMOND TARGARYEN X FEM!READER
summary: the war had caused you to flee the Red Keep in favor of returning to your mother, Rhaenyra. however, it seems your husband has finally caught up to you.  word count: 5.2k warnings: !!SPOILERS FOR DANCE OF THE DRAGON!! niece!reader, men having the audacity, sexism, canon typical violence, cheating a/n: i spent so long reading and revising this and i really enjoyed it :)
listen to this song to follow
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I don't wanna talk/ About things we've gone through/ Though it's hurting me/ Now it's history/ I've played all my cards/ And that's what you've done too/ Nothing more to say/ No more ace to play
The shrieks from Meleys had now vanished, leaving a deafening silence in their place. After Rhaenyra, your mother, forced you to leave Dragonestone with Rhaenys, Rook’s Rest was supposed to be your safe haven. Your beloved mother claimed it to be the one place where the Greens could not reach you besides the Vale.
Yet here you sat in your bedroom, against the advisement of your attendants and guards. They all begged you to either mount your dragon for Winterfell, or hide in the crypts till Aegon and Aemond finished scouring the castle in search of anything they desired. But you were tired of running, of listening to what others thought best for you, rather than trusting your own intuition. Though you were also conflicted at what would be best… should you run or wait for him to find you…?
“It seems the scouts were not lying,” The voice of the blonde-haired prince echoed across the room, signaling that he had discovered your whereabouts, “My wife at Rook’s Rest…”
Tearing your eyes from the window, you turned to look at the man, your husband, Prince Aemond Targaryen. He stood tall before you; adorned in all-black armor with a green cape billowing behind him. His signature eye patch still covered his lost eye. Though Aemond had hardly aged since you last saw him, it was clear to see that the Dance of the Dragons was taking much of his strength and energy.
“Aemond…” you whispered, taking in the sight in front of you.
“My wife,” Aemond nodded curtly. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the guards that were with him, “It has been too many moons since you abandoned me.”
With his words, you stood, looking crossly at him, “I did not abandon you.”
“You left me -- vanished out of thin air.”
“Aegon stole my mother’s throne! What was I supposed to do?”
“Stay with your husband! The man you married and vowed to be obedient too!”
“Obedient?” You repeated with a cold chuckle.
You then silenced yourself, thinking for a moment. It was no good to harp on whether you should or shouldn’t have left King’s Landing. For you already had, and it was impossible to undo the events of Aegon’s coronation and the days following. How Alicent locked you away for hours, Aemond being absent for reasons unknown to you, the way the Conqueror’s crown sat upon Aegon’s head, and how Rhaenys released Meleys into the coronation.
Or how, by your Queen Mother’s orders, Daemon flew to the Red Keep on Caraxes and freed both yourself and your dragon from the Greens to bring you home…
“It will do us no good to quarrel over what happened that day, I made the choice that I thought was best at the moment. If you must blame me for that, so be it…”
The winner takes it all/ The loser's standing small/ Beside the victory/ That's her destiny
Aemond cast his gaze down at your words, mulling over them. Every night since your disappearance, he dreamt of what it would be like when you reunited. When he had first heard word that you had returned to the ancestral home of the Targaryens of Westeros, he had been upset, even spiteful. Though he still longed, day after day, to see you again… to hold you again…
“You’re right,” He spoke with a curt nod, “It does not matter, because you’ll be returning to Harrenhal with me.”
Aemond began to stalk toward you with a determined look upon his cold features. You gave no indication of how you felt, instead just shaking your head, “I will go with you, but allow me to sit for a moment more.”
“You wish to delay me?” His brow furrowed.
“There is always time to spare,” You responded, nonchalantly. A silence fell over both of you. You looked at him -- how his hair was braided back, blood of fallen men splattered in it though his face was clear from it. But his soft violet eye reminded you of your childhood, when Aemond was far softer… far kinder… “Do you ever think back and wonder how this could have been avoided? How silly it is that the House of the Dragon is fighting itself?”
Casting your gaze down, a small smile came across your face as you thought of better days. Sure, there was still tension then, but there was no war at least.
“It does us no good to dwell on the past,” Aemond dismissed your question.
“No, but it does us good to remember.”
I was in your arms/ Thinking I belonged there/ I figured it made sense/ Building me a fence
Your childhood was filled with the most fantastic days in the Red Keep. Though you were naturally close with your brothers, you had also befriended your aunt and uncle, Helaena and Aemond.
Helaena and you would spend hours braiding each other’s hair while discussing whatever piqued the princess’ interest. Aemond would often join, making jokes and teasing the two princesses.
However, once Aemond had lost his eye at the hand of your little brother, he grew more silent and observant. When he had first lost the eye, you were certain that he disdained you due to the association of your siblings. It took a great while, but you learned in time and in letters that your uncle did not blame you for his lost eye. You were not even there to defend him, only being awoken by your mother when all convened in the halls of Driftmark.
As you grew into your adolescence, the Queen requested that you serve as her ward -- so while your brothers enjoyed their teenage youth at Dragonstone, you spent your days in the Red Keep. Rhaenyra had also sent you so that you could also assist in the care of your grandsire, the King.
At first, it was strange, being so far from your family but being reunited with your cousins. Mostly you observed how much Aegon tormented every living creature within the Red Keep and would often catch him fleeing to the Street of Silk when you would walk back to your personal chambers after spending late nights in the library.
After the third time of watching Aegon slip out of the castle, you decided it would be in the best interest of your family name that his promiscuity is reported. You could have gone straight to the Queen, and cry to her about how Aegon ran away nightly while poor Helaena had to carry his children. But instead, you found yourself in front of Aemond’s door. At the time, you thought that in telling him, maybe he could tell Alicent and it be more believable.
“Uncle!” You knocked at his door, loud enough to stir him, but not alert the rest of the Red Keep.
Moments later, Aemond opened his door, sleep still in his eye but you could tell that he did throw on his robe and his eye patch. He looked slightly cross and yet his gaze softened when his eye fell upon you, “My lady…?” “I’m sorry to awaken you at this hour… but I think something is… wrong?”
“Wrong?” He replied simply, crossing his arms.
“Yes…” You spoke softly, starting to feel awkward in your day gown, “It's’... it’s Aegon…”
In an instant, Aemond had tugged you fully into his chambers, shutting and locking the great door behind you. You glanced at him in confusion, backing away from the prince. The thought of being caught alone with your uncle, no matter how innocent the conversation, finally occurred to you and how it could affect your honor.  
“What has Aegon done?” Aemond turned to you, stalking rather close, “Did he touch you?”
“What?” The breath trapped itself in your throat.  His hands went to your shoulders, keeping you still before his eye.
“Did he touch you, my sweet niece?” His words were accusatory and yet soft as he spoke to you.
“I— no… he did not touch me.”
A sigh of relief came over him as he finally let you go from his grip. The relief confused you, but you did not press him on the matter.
“Aemond, he’s gone. For the past three nights when I am returning to my chambers from the library, I see Aegon sneak out of his room and flee toward the city… I believe he has been going to see…” The last word did not escape your lips, but Aemond fully understood what you meant.
“He’s going to seek the affection of whores…”
“So you know?” You asked innocently.
“My brother has his vices…” Aemond spoke incredulously, “And it is no secret that he is going to seek comfort on the Street of Silk… But, dear niece, why are you spending late nights in the library unattended?”
The way Aemond had turned it around on you was surprising for you, “I spend most of my time during the day with either the Queen or the Princess, so I thought that spending some time in the evening would be fine.”
Aemond nodded and thought for a moment before responding, “I will join you from now on. Even though the Keep is the safest place in King’s Landing, it is still unwise to be alone. So I shall be your chaperon…”
All you could do was nod in agreement, there was no reason to fight against your uncle. He was just trying to keep you safe.
Soon, your time in the library with Aemond became more regular. It was like clockwork. After supper, Aemond would escort you to the library and then back to your room. Some nights, he would read you the histories, other nights you would read him poetry, and on the occasion, he would take it upon himself to further advance your High Valyrian.
“Dārys” Aemond spoke first, the words always falling from his lips so eloquently.
“Dārys,” You would repeat, trying to replicate each syllable perfectly, “King.”
“Dāria”
“Dāria — Queen.”
Aemond smiled, proud of your improved pronunciations, “Gevie mēre.”
“Gevie mēre,” you repeated after him once more. Except you were not as familiar with this term…
“Gevie mēre…?” You repeated once more, picking your brain for what the words could mean.
Looking to Aemond, you hoped he would answer for you, the words simply lost on you. Instead, he chuckled and began to walk toward the couch. He ushered you to sit next to him, picking up one of the books he placed on the desk, “Come, ñuha riña, allow me to read to you before you must return to your chambers for the evening.”
At his words, you joined him, sitting comfortably by his side. From when he had originally decided to start joining you, it became a far more open space for the two of you, bonding you closer to each other. That’s why you tucked yourself into his side and he rested his arm around your shoulder while he began reading. The nightly company of your uncle was now one of the simplest pleasures in your life that you deeply cherished.
It was an honor to be the cupbearer for the Queen and her father, the Hand. Yet being in the small council room had its own frightening things as well with Jason Lannister often jesting that he would bribe the Queen to end your wardship and allow you to marry him. His disregard for your own mother disgusted you, as well as the fact that the Lannister man was already betrothed to the daughters of one of his bannermen. Instead of reacting to his advances, Alicent or Otto would dismiss his words with a glare or small correction for you.
However one day, Otto ordered for Aegon and Aemond to join the Small Council since they would one day sit in the room quite regularly. While Aegon would doze off and consistently ask you to fill his cup, Aemond would be fully attentive, paying you little attention. You didn’t mind, since you understood how seriously he took his duty.
But when Jason Lannister once again began his verbal torment against you, it shifted something in Aemond.
“My lady,” the Lannister Lord purred, “You are growing into quite a fine, young woman.”
“Thank you, my Lord,” you nodded but offered nothing else to him.
With a smirk, he continued his flirtation, “Your mother or grandsire will soon have to marry you off. I can imagine there are many men that would enjoy taking you as their little wife.”
“My mother nor grandsire are considering any proposals currently, or while I serve as the Queen’s ward,” You spoke quickly, eager to get away from the man.
Before you could leave his side, Jason grabbed your wrist, “That is a shame. It would be a pleasure to have you myself, and watch your belly grow with Lannister children…”
Aemond’s voice soon interrupted the crude words, “Lord Lannister, unhand my niece.”
Aemond's voice was firm and his jaw remained clenched. There was a fire in his eyes that you did not recognize. However, the fingers around your wrist were soon gone and you escaped to stand between the Queen’s and Aemond’s chairs. You offered thankful glances to the prince, but he did not show you the same warmth.
That same night, instead of taking you to the library after dinner, Aemond sent you off to your chambers. Helaena attempted to reassure you, but you could not help but think about what you could have possibly done to upset him.
Soon enough, a knock was upon your door, your maid announcing that Aemond had come to fetch you.
Together, the pair of you walked silently and side-by-side toward the library. Once you arrived, Aemond went to sit by the fireplace while you would peruse the shelves for you favorite books of poems. The room remained quiet besides the shuffles of books and pages as you searched for your beloved texts. You finally found it on a shelf with some of the common histories of Westeros.
As you reached for it, the small book was just beyond your reach. Not even your outstretched fingers could close the distance to the binding. The footstep you would typically use was missing, so your struggle continued. It continued until a hand outstretched itself to retrieve it off the shelf before you. You turned around to face Aemond, who looked down at you while offering the book to you.
“Thank you.”
Aemond nodded but did not retreat. He looked into your eyes a moment more before he finally spoke, “Lord Lannister has requested your hand.”
“My mother would never allow it,” You replied simply, reaffirming your clear disgust with the Lord. Aemond chuckled at this, unsurprised.
“That is true…” Aemond nodded, “True since she has betrothed you to someone else…”
The book slipped from your fingers at his words. Shaking your head, you took a deep breath, attempting to calm yourself, “Betrothed? To whom?”
Aemond bent down to pick up the book. Instead of standing back up, he dropped to one knee and looked up at you, offering the book to you once more, “To me…”
Building me a home/ Thinking I'd be strong there/ But I was a fool/ Playing by the rules
The day you married Aemond was a beautiful one. A singular moment where the full House was together and a fight did not ensue. Originally, you knew that Rhaenyra and Alicent had agreed to the betrothal so that old wounds could finally heal. Though the marriage would not see such hopes through, it was still a blessing enough to marry your sweet Aemond.
Days earlier, Lucerys had been reaffirmed of his position as heir of Driftmark which resulted in the death of your great-uncle Vaemond. Though the events had caused high tension in the court and at dinner that night, all members of the House of the Dragon attempted to be on their best behavior. Both you and Aemond had requested an intimate ceremony with just the family, and that the nobles of the realm could participate in the feasting instead.
Between dances with your husband, your brothers, and even your grandsire, there was a great joy that filled your heart. Your mother, Rhaenyra, had smiled for the first time since arriving from Dragonstone, and even Daemon and Otto did their absolute best to get along… which mainly meant not speaking to one another.
Yet as to be expected, Aegon had consumed too much wine, rendering him a drunken fool. No matter Alicent’s best attempts to refuse the wine bearers from filling his cup, Aegon had managed to come by enough wine to make him confident enough to instigate a quarrel.
Jacerys was twirling you while you laughed at a joke he had made. The strong bond between the pair of you was similar to Helaena’s and Aemond’s — a closeness that Aegon despised on all accounts. But while Aegon could not torture his brother this evening, he could torture his wife…
Aegon cut through dancing couples with stumbling feet as he approached the eldest Velaryon siblings. His hand rested itself on your shoulder to announce his presence.
“May I have this dance with the lovely bride?” He had phrased it like a question, though it was more of a demand.
Before Jace could respond, Aegon had tugged you away and attempted to join in the dance of the couples among the pair of you.
“My dear niece is now my brother’s little lady wife,” Aegon chuckled, tripping you with each misstep he took in the dance, “It is improper to dance with other men on your wedding night.”
“I have only danced with family,” You attempted to defend yourself, wishing to leave his hold.
At your words, Aegon released a great chuckle that echoed in the hall, “You say that as if our family does not regularly bed each other.”
An evil smile came to Aegon's face as the thought provoked him further, “In fact, I wouldn’t put it beside Jacerys for taking your maidenhood…Did he spoil you?”
Instantly, you let go of any hold you had on your eldest uncle, disgusted by such words.
“Your accusations are not only unjust, but they are disgraceful. I have not seen my brother for years,” Your jaw clenched.
“It does not matter to me in the slightest, for if you are still pure, Aemond will take it from you tonight,” Aegon’s eye raked over your body, “If he does not satisfy you, rest assure I can…” Before another word could be uttered, Aemond was at your side, tugging your frame into his safe arms. His glare was spiteful, a sneer growing on his lips, “Brother…”
“Brother,” Aegon nodded with a smirk, before scampering off.
Aemond turned you to face him, his hands instantly moving to cup your face. His eye shifted across your face as his hands soothed the sides of your head, “Are you alright, ñuha ābrazȳrys?”
“Mirre iksis sȳrī hae iksan lēda ao” ‘All is well while I’m with you’
The gods may throw a dice/ Their minds as cold as ice/ And someone way down here/ Loses someone dear
After your wedding festivities ended, your mother and brothers returned back to Dragonstone. The Stranger had paid a visit to the Red Keep, reaping your grandsire and King. Immediately, Rhaenys had beckoned you to her chambers so that you may see his body together. However, countless guards stood outside the door, trapping you inside. An archer was also posted outside the window so that no word could escape the Red Keep.
The Queen would arrive shortly and have you escorted back to your husband’s apartments. Thus secluding you from the outside world, except for Aemond. But soon, he too would leave on dragon's back to do the bidding of Alicent and the Hand.
The bedroom door opening with a creak easily woke you. You never slept well when your husband was not sharing the bed after your wedding night. He had been gone, off at Storm’s End for the last three days, negotiating with the Lord Baratheon so that he would support Aegon’s claim to the throne.
The past week had been a tempest between the death of your grandsire, the coronation of Aegon II and thus usurping the crown from your mother, and the escape of Rhaenys from the Red Keep. Sleep would not come easily to you.
You sat up in the bed, quietly observing him preparing to join you in the bed. He stripped himself of his outerwear and changed into his night shift. As the clothes hit the floor, you noticed the great thud in which they made, signaling how soaked they were. But why would your husband rush back to the Red Keep in a storm?
Finally, he joined you in the bed, tucking himself close to you. But his back was facing you, rather than his sharp face. You did not push him, but instead began to detangle his wet hair with your fingers, being as gentle as you could, “Welcome home, ñuha valzȳrys…”
Aemond gave no response.
“I missed you dearly…”
Still, silence.
“Is everything well, ñuha jorrāelagon?”
Aemond sat up fiercely and turned to you. His eye patch had been discarded and his face was mixed with a sense of great sadness and anger.
Instead of answering your question, Aemond began to cry — softly, quietly at first, before escalating to sobs that shook him. All you could do was wrap your arms around him, and whisper kind words to him.
“Shhh…” You stroked his hair softly. It was all you could do to comfort him without knowing what made him so upset.
Once his cries began to subside, Aemond lifted his head, but could not look you in the eye, “Aegon used to talk about running away from his duty… I didn’t understand why, but I think I do now…”
“Aemond, what has happened? What has upset you so deeply?” You attempted to cup his face, but he tore himself away from you.
He continued to look anywhere else but at you. The silence began to creep in and eat away at both of you. Unease washed over you.
Aemond cleared his throat before speaking once more, “Lucerys is dead…”
“What?”
“I killed him…”
The winner takes it all/ The loser has to fall/ It's simple and it's plain / Why should I complain?
“How is Aegon?”
“It is King Aegon, you should address him properly…” Aemond glared down at you.
A small, sad smile crept onto your face at his correction, “I remember you saying that Aegon would never be a proper King.”
Aemond scoffed and rolled his eyes, but did not negate your claim. Even now, parts of your Aemond were still there — the war hadn’t taken that away yet.
“Will Aegon recover?” You asked though you knew the answer. The King would never be the same again. His cries of agony could be heard throughout the halls until he had been sedated with milk of the poppy.
“I will be serving as Prince Regent until my brother is well enough.”
You nodded, looking down at your fidgeting fingers. Taking a deep breath, you rubbed your palms over the skirt of your dress before looking back to him. Aemond was looking right back at you as if he were closely observing you. It wasn’t the first time he had done such, often intimately observing you for as long as you could remember. But it always made a warmth wash over your face.
“You are coming home with me,” Aemond spoke once more as he moved to stand closer to you, “This is not a request, but a command.”
“A command of my captor?”
“A command of your husband, the man you vowed loyalty to,” Aemond’s voice was stern, but his eyes were longing, full of affection.
But tell me, does she kiss/ Like I used to kiss you?/ Does it feel the same/ When she calls your name?
“Loyalty?” You repeated, shaking your head.
Aemond took the closed distance between you to bring a hand to cup your jaw. His thumb brushed over the soft flesh of your cheek as he admired your features.
“I’ve heard about the witch woman,” You spoke with a sigh.
“Then you understand how desperate my search for you has been…”
“Aemond…” You looked at him more intently. Would he make you truly say it? “I know about Alys…”
There was a pause in the air. Aemond understood the infliction in your tone, the hurt hidden behind your calm demeanor. He went to speak, to apologize maybe, but no words came out. Taking a deep breath, he swallowed whatever he was originally going to say.  
“Do you expect me to apologize?”
“Not really,” You chuckled to yourself, “King Aegon I took two wives, so why shouldn’t you? I believe Daemon had the same logic during his whoring days. And your brother too”
“Do not compare me to them,” His words were harsh as he gripped your chin between his fingers, “You made me desperate to find you. I sought the means I deemed fit.”
“The means of sleeping with a bastard and a witch?”
“You had left me!” his voice was firm as he strained himself from committing any action to harm you, “Left me desperate, left me thinking you had been killed!”
Jaw clenched and the skirt of your dress fisted between your fingers, you snapped back at him, “So you turned to an old wives tale of sex magic?”
Aemond retracted his hand, “I killed for you. I burned down villages for you. I have violently searched for you. Are you so envious of some woman that you would be blind to how much I have suffered to have you back? To be by your side once more?”
“You are a fool,” You spat, “A fool and an adulterer. Why would you allow some minx to convince of such things? Why would my own mother have me killed? Did you ever truly consider that before you—”
“They killed Jaeherys! Our nephew, sweet Helaena’s baby boy, the boy that you played with at dinner despite my mother’s harsh looks—”
“I know! You think I didn’t weep for him!” You finally stood, allowing the emotions to now freely flow through you.
“What right do you have to weep and mourn him when Daemon had made the order? Were you with him when he commanded such?”
Aemond’s words cut into your heart deeper than expected. That he thought you just as heartless as the other tyrants in your family shattered something within you.
Somewhere deep inside/ You must know I miss you/ But what can I say?/ Rules must be obeyed…
“You don’t believe that…”
Aemond stood silent… His brooding demeanor began to shift
A shaky breath escaped your lips as tears began to billow over. What caused the tears? His words… his presence…
At your tears, Aemond raised a hand to cup your cheek. His thumb delicately began to wipe away the fallen tears. Even in his anger, Aemond hated to see you cry, especially if the tears were caused by him.
When you didn’t reject such actions, Aemond softly pulled you into his arms. Both his hand now rested under your jaw, causing your gaze to remain fixated on his face, looking deep into his violet eye. Your own hands rested on the dark metal of his breastplate, tracing over the embedded dragon sigil.
“I didn’t want to leave you…” you finally confided in him, “But I could no longer tolerate the looks of the Queen and the Lord Hand, the whispers of the nobles, or the guards constantly at my side… I was a hostage in the place I had grown into a woman.”
Aemond sighed, “Alicent was concerned that you would be a spy for your mother…”
“I had not seen my mother for six years until our wedding day and once she returned to Dragonstone, I did not see her until Daemon fetched me. I could never even read a letter from my mother unless the Queen was at my side, and she would even read them before I had the chance to break the seal myself — so how could I? How could I have ever been a threat?”
“These were necessary precautions. Are you still such a child that you can not understand this?”
“Were you so blinded by loyalty that you slaughtered my brother who was hardly yet a man grown?” You questioned while pushing out of his hold, “Are you so clouded by the judgment of your mother that you forced your wife to run away?”
I don't wanna talk/ If it makes you feel sad/ And I understand/ You've come to shake my hand
“So now you admit to not only fleeing but running away…”
“Aemond, you have to understand that I wasn’t running from you—”
Aemond chuckled in disbelief at the notion, “Did you see the opportunity to escape your one-eyed husband and take it? Run away from the Kinslayer?”
Your jaw clenched at the harsh words that even he knew were untrue, “I was a hostage under a usurper! Despite all my tears and promises that I was a faithful wife, you still allowed me to be tormented and disgraced!”
“I was protecting you!” Aemond grabbed your wrist with quick ferocity. You had only seen such aggression from him in training yards or battlefields.
With eyes wide, you looked from his violet eye to the pale hand squeezing around your wrist. His eye trailed to follow your own gaze. When the realization washed over him, Aemond was just as quick to let go, even stepping away from you. Clearly, he was disgusted by his thoughtless action.
I apologize/ If it makes you feel bad/ Seeing me so tense/ No self-confidence
Gingerly, you brushed your fingers over your wrist. Though it was sore, you were sure that it would not bruise. In all your time with Aemond, he had never once acted so violently toward you. Your heart felt paralyzed by all that had transpired just today.
“My love,” Aemond finally broke the silence, “Please…”
In an instant, your mind thought back to many, many moons ago. Days of your adolescence that were now long past resurfaced with a small glimpse from Aemond. How he looked at youon your name day when you became a young woman of five and ten… The elegant dress you wore as he asked for a dance and the way it flowed when he would twirl you. Or the look in his eye as both of you sliced open each other’s lip to mix blood in custom with the Targaryen traditions of old Valyria. Or how he looked to you now…
His gaze caught your eyes as he stood far less confident than mere moments ago. His demeanor had rapidly changed — the Aemond of the battlefield softly replaced by your Aemond.
“Forgive me, I— this day…” Aemond sighed in defeat, tears threatening to spill, “Please come home with me…”
Following his words, Aemond stretched out his hand to you - the illusion of choice. It looked like he was giving you the option to remain at Rook’s Rest, but you knew that choice did not truly exist. Either way, you would be leaving with Aemond, willingly or not.
You released the breath you had been holding as you approached him. Gently, you rested your palm atop his own…
“You must know that Rhaenyra shall send Daemon to fetch me once more…” You swallowed, concerned for your family, relieved to be with your husband once more.
“Hmm…” He lift a brow as he began to escort you out of the tower, “I’m counting on it… but no one shall take you from me ever again…”
But you see/ The winner takes it all…
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cosmereplay · 1 month
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Kaladin Didn’t Invent Therapy (And Why That’s Actually Great)
“...You need someone to talk to, Noril, when the darkness is strong. Someone to remind you the world hasn’t always been this way; that it won’t always be this way.” “How do you … know this?” Noril asked. “I’ve felt it,” Kaladin said. “Feel it most days.” - Rhythm of War, Ch. 25 Devotary of Mercy
I’m writing as someone with a background in psychotherapy and peer support, and I'm bursting with excitement about one of my favourite topics. You can imagine why I love Kaladin’s arc in Rhythm of War so much! I actually yelled out loud when I read some of these parts the first time.
I’ve seen people online saying and making jokes that Kaladin invents therapy, and while that could eventually be true, what Kaladin actually invented in RoW is mental health peer support. Psychotherapy as most people would understand it simply doesn’t exist yet on Roshar. However, peer support is a legitimate modality for healing on its own merits. Even more importantly for the story, peer support is something Kaladin would personally really benefit from, and it fits his narrative arc way better than therapy would.
1. Therapy as we know it won’t exist for a while yet.
“We need to study their responses, use an empirical approach to treatment instead of just assuming someone who has suffered mental trauma is permanently broken.” - Rhythm of War, Ch. 25 Devotary of Mercy “Someone needs to talk to them, try different treatments, see what they think works. What actually helps.” - Rhythm of War, Ch. 25 Devotary of Mercy
Obviously, Kaladin has not been educated in battle shock or melancholia or any other diagnosis. In Alethkar there's hardly any knowledge to be had on the subject. Even now in real life, research into effective interventions for various diagnoses is still ongoing, over 100 years after modern therapy was founded.
Building an empirical knowledge base* will take time, not to mention the years it will take to train new therapists across Roshar in how to provide interventions specific to various issues. Therapy as we know it today generally includes time in mentorship with another therapist, so in a way, the first therapist isn't a therapist. 😅 In the meantime, there are people who need help today, including Kaladin.
Peer support can fill that gap because its knowledge base is different. Peers bring their expertise, which is their years of trial and error, successes and failures - their lived experience. Peer facilitators need to know the basics of managing a group, and they have to be willing to share their own experiences and learn from the group. Thus, training peer leaders is relatively quick, and incredibly scalable and adaptable across cultures and many issues/diagnoses.
2. Peer Support is a distinct path to recovery that doesn’t require an expert in therapy.
Kaladin located six men in the sanitarium with similar symptoms. He released them and got them working to support each other. He developed a plan, and showed them how to share in ways that would help...Today they sat in seats on the balcony outside his clinic. Warmed by mugs of tea, they talked. About their lives. The people they’d lost. The darkness. - Rhythm of War, Ch. 33 Understanding “While you can’t force it, having someone to talk to usually helps. You should be letting him meet with others who feel like he does.” - Rhythm of War, Ch. 25, Devotary of Mercy
Kaladin is already positioning himself to align with the values of peer support. Some of these values overlap with therapy, such as dignity, respect, inclusion, hope, and trust. What makes peer support different is a particular emphasis on equal relationships, self-determination, and personal growth (Peer Support Canada, 2022).
In peer support, the group facilitator is not considered an authority like a therapist would be. A peer leader may be further on the road to recovery, but they may not be. They are expected to listen and grow just like any other group member.
Because the leader of the group is also a learner, peer support groups tend to be more collaborative and open-ended. Everyone in the group has something they can take out of it and something to give. Everyone in the group is responsible for managing their own self care, and everyone in the group is responsible for the direction of their own growth. This is different from most therapy groups, which often have a specific focus or goal that the therapist is responsible for implementing. And speaking of responsibility...
3. Peer Support Fits Kaladin’s Narrative Arc Better than Therapy
At his father’s recommendation—then insistence—Kaladin took it slowly, confining his initial efforts to men who shared similar symptoms. Battle fatigue, nightmares, persistent melancholy, suicidal tendencies. -Rhythm of War, Ch. 33 Understanding …he’d learned—these last few months—that his battle shock could take many forms. He was getting to where he could confront it. -Rhythm of War, Ch. 39 Invasion
I think everyone can agree that Kaladin needs to participate in therapy just as much as the other battle-shocked men he finds in the Devotary of Mercy.
However, in therapy, the focus is solely on the needs of the clients. A therapist should not be distracted by their own issues (when this happens, it’s called countertransference). Further, therapy is generally framed such that the therapist is the only expert in the room, which means therapists have a higher level of responsibility for how the clients are doing (which varies depending on the issue, the therapy modality, and the circumstances).
In his own recovery, Kaladin is working on trying to take less responsibility for others, so setting him up as a therapeutic authority could be harmful for him. In a position of authority, he might be tempted to replicate the hierarchical structure he was in before (which would impede his own growth), or try to save everyone (which could impede everyone's growth). He simply doesn’t have the mentorship or knowledge base he'd need to work through those issues before leading as an expert.
In contrast, the point of peer support is the mutual sharing of lived experience. The group facilitator is expected to share their own struggles (as a model of recovery), and allow others to support them. In the context of a more balanced power dynamic, Kaladin can give the other group members the space they need to grow, and he can pursue his own recovery without feeling like he’s letting others down. Also, he will be able to leave the group during KOWT without worrying that the group won't be able to run without him. Everyone in the group carries some responsibility for each other, so group members can come and go with less stress than a change in therapist would cause in group therapy.
This is the beauty of peer support. It can happen anywhere people with similar experiences get together. No formal education is required. What is required is a willingness to know yourself as well as you can; to share your experiences; to listen to others tell their stories; to question your own assumptions as you learn how others handle things differently; to look out for each other's safety; to care.
Peer support creates a place of belonging and a community repository of shared wisdom. Kaladin almost had it on Bridge Four, but his position of authority wouldn’t allow him to grow the way he needed. Peer support is what Kaladin needs - he needs a place where he can take off his armour among people who get it because they're struggling with similar issues, and without having a position of responsibility over them. When he (eventually**) attends the groups, they help him grow!
Anyway, that's why Kaladin didn’t invent therapy, and why I think that's great.
For the men chatting together softly, the change was in being shown sunlight again. In being reminded that the darkness did pass. But perhaps most important, the change was in not merely knowing that you weren’t alone—but in feeling it. Realizing that no matter how isolated you thought you were, no matter how often your brain told you terrible things, there were others who understood. - Rhythm of War, Ch. 33 Understanding
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*Funny enough, empirical research could lead Rosharan researchers right back to peer support. Empirical research on Earth has shown that modern therapy and peer support have similar levels of effectiveness (for example, for depression and PTSD).
**Look who’s resisting attending the groups he founded…KALADIN!! (shakes fist in the general direction of the sky) (This is the most relatable passage for me in this whole book, by the way, helper types unite lmao):
Kaladin looked down at the table. Had it? Had talking to Noril helped? “He’s been avoiding joining in,” Teft said. “I haven’t,” Kaladin snapped. “I’ve been busy.” Teft gave him a flat stare. Storming sergeants. They always heard the things you weren’t saying. - Rhythm of War, Ch. 38 Rhythm of the Terrors
Peer Support Canada. (2022). Peer Support Core Values. Accessed from https://peersupportcanada.ca/ Jun 27, 2022.
155 notes · View notes