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lowlylux · 9 months

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I am a Sinner (You are a Saint)

Chapter Two | Scaramouche

Ship: HeiKazuScara

Rating: E

Status: In Progress

Word Count: 3.3k

Description:

“You shall be cast out of the heavenly realm indefinitely.”

Kunikuzushi feels arms grab his own as he is forced to his feet. He struggles, keeping his eyes on his mother only. “Mother! Don’t let them do this!” The guards continue to drag him away, even if it is a struggle. “Mother!” He knows the gate to the human realm is growing closer to him. The more time passes, the less chance he has to escape. But the divine never back out of their decisions…never. He looks to his mother one last time, hoping that she at least looks at him. But her gaze refuses to meet his own.

When he is finally cast out, the air rushing past his entire body, he could only visualize his mother’s pained expression.

He has never felt so alone…

Ao3 Link

Heizou can barely keep his eyes open as he continues to stare at the unknown…whatever it is that is currently sleeping on his couch. Kazuha has since dozed off, head resting in Heizou’s lap in a way that he initially smiled at. However, it has been about an hour, and his legs are falling asleep. So, unfortunately, not as cute anymore.

Shame.

He glances at the clock, confirming that it is far past midnight, a fact that he didn’t want to be true. He had hoped that their guest would have awoken by now, but alas, the…male has been asleep this entire time. Heizou groans internally, foreseeing the sheer amount of coffee he is going to be required to consume just to function at work. It is never a good idea to go to work exhausted, but with his career? It could get him killed if he’s not careful.

However, he is not about to fall asleep with a stranger in his house, especially when Kazuha is here. He has seen far too many cases in his lifetime where being trusting can get you murdered, so he refuses to even take the chance.

When he senses movement, the first thing Heizou does is wake up his boyfriend. Kazuha grumbles in response, rubbing his eyes as he slowly wakes from whatever dream he was in the middle of, thus showing Heizou yet another adorable action that Kazuha does unintentionally. However, Heizou shakes his head in an attempt to clear those thoughts from his mind. Their guest is waking up, that is what is important.

Their guest stirs a little before his eyes shoot open. Heizou observes how the person sits up quickly before immediately hissing in pain. The stranger attempts to stand next, predictably falling in a rather ungraceful manner. Heizou would have laughed if it wasn’t for the situation at hand. “Who are you?” Heizou asks, carefully keeping a hand wrapped around Kazuha’s arm just in case he needs to push the man to safety.

“Where am I?” The person asks, their voice cracking. They reach toward their throat, wincing in pain.

“You’re in Inazuma city…well the outskirts of it at least,” Kazuha says, sitting up. Heizou assumes Kazuha did such an action to view the person easier, as it is something Heizou would do.

The stranger widens their eyes, looking at both men in a way that Heizou could only describe as a mix of panic and dismay. “I’m on earth?”

Heizou immediately has to push the idea away that the person in front of him is an alien. He doubts they are…but that doesn’t stop him from thinking about it at first. “What is your name?” Heizou rephrases his previous question, yet receives no response once more.

“I didn’t…why. Why did this happen?” The stranger rambles on, much to the confusion of both Kazuha and Heizou as neither party understands the context. “I wanted to help…”

“Help with what?” Kazuha asks gently, reaching out to the stranger in an attempt to hold their hand, only as a means of comfort, but is greeted with the stranger jerking away from him. “What happened to you?”

The stranger looks to Kazuha as if he forgot that either of them were there. “Why didn’t mother help? She always does…why?”

Kazuha, even though he was just met with an action that proves the stranger doesn’t want to be interacted with, ignores any previous signs and takes a seat right next to them. He avoids touching them, instead placing a hand near them. “I would love to help you…but we need you to answer a few questions first. Is that okay?” The stranger stares at him with wide eyes before slowly nodding, not dropping his gaze. “Alright,” Kazuha says while smiling. “First off, can you tell us where you came from?”

The stranger points upwards.

Heizou can only scream at the stranger internally at that moment. No shit. However, he knows that it is not a good idea to provoke this person, especially when Kazuha is sitting right next to it.

“Up there?” Kazuha asks, mimicking the movement. “Does that mean you’re what…an angel?” He laughs, only stopping when the stranger doesn’t smile or show any sign of joking. “Holy shit.” Kazuha runs a hand through his hair, looking away from the…angel… for a moment, glancing at Heizou. Neither of them know how to react to something like this. “Are you hurt? Well…obviously you’re hurt, but do you need anything? Painkillers? An ice pack? A fall like that must have hurt.”

The stranger shakes his head.

“Okay,” Kazuha says while nodding his head, glancing at Heizou once more before going back to the stranger. “Can you tell me your name?”

“It was Kunikuzushi.”

“Was?” Heizou pipes in, raising a brow at such a statement. Honestly, this entire situation still feels ridiculous but he has to keep his cool for now.

The stranger looks at him and for that moment, the world stops around Heizou as he stares at this person. For this singular moment, it is like he believes everything this person says. The stranger looks away nervously just as quickly as his attention focusing on Heizou in the first place.

“When we are created, our creators grant us a name. If we are cast out, we are stripped of that name.”

Heizou can quite literally see Kazuha’s expression softened due to such a statement. “Can I call you Kunikuzushi?”

“For now I believe it is fine…at least until I find a new name.”

Kazuha smiles widely at Kunikuzushi, attempting to soothe him. “Great, well, it’s nice to meet you Kunikuzushi. My name is Kazuha.” Kazuha then raises his hand, only to be greeted with a confused look from the angel. “This is a handshake…it’s meant to represent a hello.”

“Oh…” Kunikuzushi says quietly, hesitantly reaching out and grasping Kazuha’s hand with his own. Kazuha smiles encouragingly, even after both of them let go of the other’s hand.

Heizou cannot help but attempt to get Kazuha’s attention, which he is successful in doing. Kazuha looks back toward Kunikuzushi for a moment, smiling softly. “I’m going to go grab some ice for you okay? You had quite the fall.” Kazuha says. And with that, Kazuha stands up and beckons Heizou into the kitchen with him. Once the door is closed, Heizou’s boyfriend immediately looks at him in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“Kazuha…” Heizou breathes out in disbelief. “What are you doing?”

Once again, Heizou is greeted with a look of confusion. “What do you mean?”

Heizou immediately points at the closed door, intending to be gesturing toward their newest guest. “Why are you being so nice to him? We should be trying to get information so we can send him on his way.”

“And where do you suppose he should go?”

“Not here!”

“Listen Heizou,” Kazuha says while rubbing his temples, “we can’t just let him go. He’d be in danger.”

“How do you even know that?”

“Have you seen what he is?” Kazuha says, his voice a bit more raised. “He’s hurt Heizou.”

And Heizou knows that Kazuha is right. Honestly, at any other time he would be completely on board with what his boyfriend is saying. They’ve never really disagreed on much before. However, with the recent rise in crimes…he can’t help but feel nervous, even if the guest on his couch is a literal angel. He leans on Kazuha, resting his forehead on his boyfriend’s shoulder as he lets out a sigh. “What’s your read on him?”

“Excuse me?”

Heizou doesn’t raise his head as he speaks, continuing to rest on Kazuha. He’s exhausted, simple as that. “I trust your judgment. So what do you think of him? Is he going to murder us in our sleep?”

Heizou feels Kazuha sigh, shifting his weight distribution so that Heizou can still comfortably lean on him. “I think he’s scared. Maybe he will kill us in our sleep, but I doubt it will be tonight.”

Heizou lets out a chuckle at such a statement, appreciating the fact that Kazuha without fail always keeps his spirits up. “Then he can stay.”

“Well I wasn’t going to take a no for an answer anyways, but I appreciate your consent.”

Heizou lifts his head, staring into Kazuha’s eyes for a moment with a small smile. “How am I to trust you to be safe when you do things that I wouldn’t approve of?”

“When did I need your approval in the first place?” Kazuha retorts.

“I absolutely hate you sometimes, you know that?” Heizou says, pulling Kazuha into a small kiss that causes both parties to smile softly. When they part, Kazuha leans forward, following Heizou for a moment before realizing. “I’m sorry for fighting with you earlier.”

“Oh that?” Kazuha asks, grabbing Heizou’s face lightly and kissing him again. “That was nothing, trust me.”

But Heizou still doesn’t like such an answer. “I don’t like fighting with you Kazu…I’m just tired right now. But I promise, I’ll make it up to you.” Heizou doesn’t even know where the nickname came from. When they started dating, he would just start using it once in a while, and it just stuck. Kazuha never showed a dislike for the nickname, so Heizou never stopped using it.

”And I don’t doubt that one bit,” Kazuha says as he pulls Heizou closer to him. The man absentmindedly fiddles with Heizou’s belt loops, an action that Heizou internally gushes about how adorable it is. “I need to get our new friend some ice.”

“Then why aren’t you?”

“I’m a bit distracted right now,” Kazuha says before pressing his lips to Heizou’s once more. Heizou has always loved his time with Kazuha, especially these moments. He loves the softer moments, where they can just be in each other’s company without worry. Whenever these moments are available, it always ends in hours being dedicated to just the two of them. In those moments, it is just them, and nothing else matters.

But alas, moments always have to end at one point, and when Kazuha intentionally steps away as if Heizou was this drug that Kazuha must avoid, Heizou’s thoughts clear. He watches as Kazuha goes into the freezer and pulls out the large bag of ice. Heizou stands there when his boyfriend picks up some ice cubes and wraps them in a cloth. He even moves out of the doorway so that Kazuha can bring the ice to the new guest.

Heizou shakes his head in an attempt to gather his thoughts. After all of this, it is already time for him to get ready for work, which he truly dislikes. He wants to stay here, get more information, and get some sleep. However, he cannot just skip work, especially when it is this close to the holidays.

So, he goes upstairs without a word and changes into some fresh clothes. Kazuha must have washed them, as they smell distinctly of Kazuha’s laundry detergent. He then brushed his hair, pulling it into a loose ponytail that he definitely will need to tighten if he needs to investigate a crime scene. He then ventures back downstairs, observing how Kazuha is hesitantly pressing the makeshift ice pack onto Kunikuzushi’s wings, removing it the moment the angel winces in pain.

“I have to go,” Heizou says loud enough to get Kazuha’s attention.

“Did you make yourself coffee?”

“I’ll buy some on the way,” Heizou says with a fake smile, genuinely feeling exhausted. “I’ll be safe, don’t worry.”

“If you get too tired, come home immediately, understand?” Kazuha says, handing the ice pack to Kunikuzushi so that he can go back to his boyfriend. “I don’t want to watch the news and find out you’re dead, Heizou.”

“You won’t,” Heizou says, glancing over to their guest. “I’m trusting you to stay here. Tell me Angel, do you plan on being difficult when staying here?”

Kunikuzushi stares at him for a moment, blinking slowly in reaction to simply being called ‘Angel’. “I don’t plan to, no.”

Heizou merely nods, finding that to be sufficient. “Okay then.” And just like that, Heizou leaves to go to work

●•·•●

Kunikuzushi keeps a firm hand on the ice pack, currently helping with the pain in his wings. It doesn’t help too much, but it’s something. His mind is a jumbled mess, attempting to make sense of everything. He didn’t expect to be cast out, especially not when attempting to warn others about a potential plot from the demonic realm. He also didn’t expect to be welcomed into a human home.

He shouldn’t have said what he did when he woke up, that much is something he knows. These two humans, even if they both seem genuinely kind, shouldn’t be brought into all of this. They shouldn’t have knowledge of what Kunikuzushi expects is coming.

In the corner of his eye, he sees Kazuha approach him with a strange device. Kazuha reminds Kunikuzushi of some people in the angelic realm. Blond hair is common enough up there, with lighter hair actually being favored by most angels. The human’s blond hair that is twisted into a messy side braid makes the man look kind, a strange opposite of the messy hair of Heizou that makes him look intimidating.

“Hi,” Kazuha says softly, keeping Kunikuzushi from getting lost in his thoughts for too long. “I have my laptop right here…do you know what a laptop is?” Kunikuzushi shakes his head, not giving a verbal response. Kazuha lets out a breath, which Kunikuzushi identifies as a good reaction, which eases his nerves slightly. “Well, move over a bit.”

Kunikuzushi shifts further to the side of the sofa, wincing in pain but overall fully able to make room. Kazuha offers a smile to him before placing down the laptop on the table in front of them both. He opens the item, this laptop lighting up immediately. The human proceeds to do something, and whatever Kunikuzushi was staring at changes instantly.

Kazuha clears his voice, causing Kunikuzushi to jump slightly at the noise but he quickly brushes it off. “This is a laptop. It’s an item that can let you go on the internet.” Kazuha glances at Kunikuzushi for a moment before seemingly realizing that the angel doesn’t know what he’s talking about. “The internet can allow you to research things.” Kunikuzushi looks at him in confusion, because he truly is confused. “You wanted to figure out a new name, right?

Kunikuzushi stares at Kazuha for a moment, a look of surprise adorning his features. “This is to help me find a new name?”

“Yeah!” Kazuha says, his features brightening immediately. Honestly, with how he is acting, Kunikuzushi can’t help but smile as well, although it is a small one. “Do you want to know how to work it?” Kunikuzushi cannot help but nod. He would love to show more appreciation, he really would, but he really doesn’t know how at the moment, especially with all that has happened. “Okay, so you are going to want to type what you want to look up…you can read right? I don’t know if angels have a different way of writing.”

“As angels, we are tasked to know practically every actively used human language.”

“Great,” Kazuha says at once, getting the laptop ready for Kunikuzushi to use. Based on what Kunikuzushi notices, Kazuha is intentionally showing him everything he needs to do to actually work the thing. When he notices this, his smile widens a bit more. “Look up what you need to, okay?”

Kunikuzushi nods, turning toward the strange device. He is still not completely sure how to work this thing, but he has always been a fast learner. However, he feels a hand going through his hair for a moment before the sofa shifts once Kazuha jerks away. “I’m sorry!” He says, looking shocked that he would do such a thing.

“It’s fine…”

“It’s just that your hair is so tangled…I shouldn’t have touched it, I apologize.”

“I said it is fine.”

“Your hair is really nice by the way! I’ve never seen hair so long before-“

“Kazuha!” Kunikuzushi snaps, sending the human a look to just make him stop talking. “It’s fine…it's all fine.”

Kazuha just nods, looking a bit dejected, causing Kunikuzushi’s stomach to plummet slightly. He didn’t want to upset the human. He never wanted to upset anyone. But, Kazuha doesn’t know that. And when Kazuha tells him that he will simply leave Kunikuzushi alone, Kunikuzushi feels guilty.

The angel holds his head in his hands for a while once the human leaves, wondering where he went wrong. He doesn’t mean to be abrasive, but it seems as if he cannot help but fall upon his old ways. However, he hesitantly grabs the laptop.

If Kazuha was kind enough to bring this to him, he might as well use it.

●•·•●

Kazuha didn’t hold any hard feelings toward Kunikuzushi for how the angel spoke to him. He acknowledges that Kunikuzushi is most likely overwhelmed. That’s why Kazuha decided to leave the room. He also had other ulterior motives and he didn’t want Kunikuzushi to have any knowledge of them.

Heizou has a study, a room Kazuha intentionally avoids most of the time. It’s the place where Heizou can craft notes and keep details regarding ongoing investigations. So, Kazuha tends to let Heizou do whatever he wants up here. However, Kazuha can be nosy at times.

Heizou rarely avoids telling Kazuha information, and while Kazuha acknowledges that legally his boyfriend is not supposed to, he still finds it odd. This is why he is currently searching Heizou’s study for any information on the newest case.

He carefully moves papers, searching for anything that will point him toward answers. There is something about the case that Heizou is investigating, and Kazuha is determined to figure out what.

A crash makes him jump, quickly putting everything back in its original place. Kazuha rushes toward the living room, almost tripping on one of the stairs. And when he gets back in the room, he sees Kunikuzushi on the floor that is littered with long strands of the angel’s hair.

“What…” Kazuha trails off, looking at the scissors in Kunikuzushi’s hands. “What happened?”

“Your laptop told me how to cut my hair.”

“And you did it with blunt craft scissors?”

“They were the only ones you had.”

Kunikuzushi’s hair…doesn’t look great. It’s choppy, clearly done by someone who lacks experience. Glancing at his laptop’s screen, Kazuha sees the YouTube video Kunikuzushi was looking at, with a haircut that is nothing close to what he actually did.

“Angels put importance into our hair so I thought…” Kunikuzushi looks at Kazuha in a panicked manner. “Does it look that bad?”

“No,” Kazuha says quickly, cringing at how much he doesn’t sound genuine. Kunikuzushi sends him a look, and Kazuha feels the need to continue talking. “Kunikuzushi-“

“Scaramouche.”

Kazuha’s brain just stops at that moment as he stares at the angel in shock. He opens his mouth before closing it, similarly to a fish. When he finally is able to talk, all he can do is say, “what?”

The angel shifts uncomfortably, causing one of his wings to accidentally knock over a plastic cup that was on the end table. “I found a name I like…Scaramouche.”

“Any particular reason why?”

He shakes his head quickly, causing Kazuha to smile at the action. Honestly, he finds it cute…just a little bit. “I found it on a name generator…I was drawn to it.”

“Well then,” Kazuha says, standing up straight and walking toward Scaramouche. He extends out his hand, waiting for Scaramouche to grasp it so he can help the angel up. “It’s nice to meet you, Scaramouche.”

The angel smiles back, jerking his hand back after a moment which causes Kazuha to look at him in confusion. However, since Scaramouche is seemingly moving on from that moment, Kazuha decides to as well. “It’s nice to meet you too, Kazuha,” Scaramouche says.

The angel is still pretty rough around the edges but Kazuha truly doesn’t mind. At least he’s being helped for now.

01 << >> 03

Master list

#genshin #genshin impact #genshin impact fanfiction #heizou #kaedehara kazuha #kazuha #scaramouche #eventual smut #fallen angel au #modern au #heikazuscara #lowlylux

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thehmn · 4 years

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I used to watch my brother play the Metal Gear Solid games and it’s actually really interesting to look at Hideo Kojima’s games in the context of how homosexuality is viewed in Japan.

I’m not going to speculate on Kojima’s own sexuality, I’ll leave that to himself, but his games are famous for being very horny, homoerotic and having a ridiculously high number of bisexual male characters. People will point out that they’re all villains, but that’s just the explicitly bisexual characters. His two main characters, Snake from Metal Gear Solid and Sam from Death Stranding, are also implied to not be straight.

This is where Japanese culture and the extensive lore of Kojima’s works comes in.

Homosexuality is taboo in the west and Japan for different reasons. In the west it’s seen as sinful, but in Japan it’s seen as disruptive. Don’t make a fuss. Don’t call attention to yourself in any way. Don’t mess with the status quo. Most queer people choose not to come out to their families for this reason. And to make matters worse, even if a small majority of Japanese people are in favor of queer people having rights the government is very conservative and it’s even illegal to depict homosexuality positively in some parts of Japan.

So what does Kojima do to appease his government and the culture of his people? He does what people did in Hollywood in the 30’s and make the explicitly bisexual characters villains and make his heroes covertly bisexual.

Kojima always had an interest in sexuality and gender. In high school he wrote a story where all women succumbed to an illness, leaving the men unsure of how to continue. Remember, at the time the majority of women in Japan quit their jobs when they got married and took care of their husband and children. So who was supposed to take care of the house and their sons? Could men just stop craving intimacy or would they have to turn to each other? And how would they make more babies? I’ll get back to that.

One of the most famous scenes in Metal Gear happens when Snake disguise himself as Ivan, the lover of Volgin. Volgin walks up to what he assumed to be his lover and grabs his crotch, looks confused, grabs him again and asks “Who are you? I know the major better than anyone else” Volgin and Ivan are undoubtedly villains, but their love for each other is surprisingly the most human thing about them. If Snake puts on Ivan’s mask during his bossbattle with Volgin, Volgin will hesitate at first, then double his attacks in anger, but also cry because he’s trying to kill a man with his boyfriend’s face.

Snake/Otacon is the most heavily implied relationship in the whole series that hasn’t been confirmed. In the first game Snake could end up with Otacon at the end, and since then they’ve moved in together, raised a child together, talked at length about how they taught each other to love, teased each other about their libido, and the list goes on. They also notably get call-backs to two other canon romantic couples; Raiden and Rosemary when Otacon tells Snake that he won’t be let back inside before he takes a shower (Rosemary wouldn’t let Raiden back in because he got pee on him), and Volgin and Ivan when Otacon says he knows Snake better than anyone else. My point being, Snake and Otacon are very heavily implied to be a bisexual couple.

Then there’s Death Stranding. The game is definitely written by a more mature Kojima who has been hanging out with a lot of Americans. His view of sex and love is more nuanced and he understands that there’s a difference between sexual and romantic orientation. We still got Higgs, a flamboyant villain who acts very predatory and is heavily implied to be bisexual, though never confirmed, and Sam who’s implied to be asexual (he has an Ace of Spades sticker on his bike) and biromantic, and we get our first confirmed good bisexual character, Die-Hardman.

Kojima never got to play around with gender much in Metal Gear Solid, but he made up for that in Death Standing. Remember that story he wrote in high school? We see a lot of inspiration from that here. The solution the men came up with for having healthy babies in the story was to have men carry pods around on their stomachs where the fetus could grow in the most natural way possible.

There’s still women in Death Stranding but there’s a lot of men carrying babies around on their stomachs, men forming family unions, and the main character Sam acts more like a stereotypical mother than father. There’s literally a scene where Deadman puts a hand on Sam’s pod like it’s a pregnant belly and basically asks him “The three of us are a family, aren’t we?”

Sam later tries to give the baby to a woman, Fragile, but she only sees it as babysitting and gives it back, so Sam gives it to Deadman who declares it “our little one”.

By the end of the game the three of them are seen together, depicted as two parents holding their child. Throughout the game people are constantly trying to hug and touch Sam but in the end the only person who gets a hug is Deadman.

It’s also worth noting that in the universe of Death Stranding Sam and Deadman are believed to be a couple before they actually are. Deadman made sure of that so no one would question why they spend so much time together.

There will no doubt be more bisexual men in Kojima’s next game, and I’m curious to see if there’ll be any development in how openly he depictes queer characters. He’s a middle aged man so no matter what his own sexuality might be I don’t expect him to easily shake the expectations of Japanese society off, but he has started hanging out with a lot of Danes, most notably Nicolas Winding Refn who despite making extremely violent movies is very open minded and has, when asked, been very honest about his own sexuality (to spare you the pain of digging though Danish interviews, he’s a straight, slightly bi-curious man with an interest in BDSM, but who’s also satisfied leaving a lot of his fantasies to his imagination because his movies gives him an outlet for a lot of it).

You can see a lot of Scandinavian/Nordic influences in Death Stranding and I’d be surprised if Nicolas didn’t expose Kojima, intentionally or unintentionally, to the Scandinavian view of homosexuality. I can best describe it with a news report I once saw on national television. Parents were worried about a dangerous road that their children had to cross every day to get to school but the government wasn’t doing anything about it. The parents they interviewed were a gay couple but they were treated exactly like any other worried parents. No fuss, no spectacle. Please think of the safety of these parents’ children.

I can imagine that approach would go over very well with a middle aged Japanese man who clearly wants queer people to be able to live happy, fulfilling lives with families and children but doesn’t seem to want to upset his society.

Other people have pointed out that Kojima and Nicolas seem to inspire each other a lot and have taken an interest in each other’s cultures, and Nicolas was the first person to announce publicly that he’d be in Kojima’s next game, so I’m really interested in seeing what that will do, if anything, to how comfortable Kojima is with depicting his queer characters. Something certainly happened once he started socializing with a lot of Americans.

I am of course not saying Kojima is a saint who’s doing everything right, but he is an interesting guy to follow.

#hideo kojima #metal gear solid #death stranding #long post

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siriusblacksbxtch · 4 years

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Can I request both draco and harry, where both have feelings for you and you can’t chose which one you want an relationship with so you chose both. ( bottom draco and bottom harry )

Pairings: Harry Potter x male!reader, Draco Malfoy x male!reader, Harry Potter x Draco Malfoy, mentions of Blaise x Draco (very mild)

Warnings: teasing , arguing , cursing , smut, dirty talk, oral

Summary: Y/n finally decides that Draco and Harry both having feelings for him isn’t so bad

It wasn’t bad necessarily, more so annoying. When you were in the library studying and Harry Potter’s eyes would watch you softly, in contrast to Draco Malfoy’s predatory stare.

Or maybe you were in the Great Hall at (y/h)’s table and could feel one of them watching you, most times both.

At qudditch matches too, when they were both supposed to be finding the snitch, they were blocking each other’s view instead.

It was starting to tank your studies as well, Professor Snape had nearly embaressed you in front of the whole potions class. You had never been so embaressed, your grades usually meeting his expectations.

“Class dismissed.” For once you thanked Merlin Snape had spoken, quickly gathering your books and pushing yourself from the table.

You watched your feet as you tried to ease your embarrassment, only to come into contact with what felt like a wall. Only to look up and see Draco grinning down at you, one of your books in his hand.

“Quite a show, Y/n.”

“I’m not in the mood Draco,” the irritation was clear in your voice as you snatched the book back.

“Y/n-” Draco’s tight grip encased your wrist, a sharp glare training on him, only it wasn’t yours.

“Let him go, Malfoy.” Harry Potter, for once seen without his friends, glared at the Slytherin.

“If it isn’t Saint Scarhead,” Draco scoffed. “Always having to get in someone else’s business-”

“I have had enough of both of you!” You shouted, turning a few heads your way. “I’m nearly failing potions because of you.” You took a deep breath, gripping tightly onto your books.

“Room of Requirement after dinner.”

“But-”

“Don’t argue with me, Potter. I’ll be in the library studying, so please, for once, leave me alone.”

Both boys watched as you left, turning to glare at one and other once you were out of sight.

You had been in the Room of Requirement since dinner started, sitting on the red sofa that had appeared, a desk as well, that you had all your books and parchment spread across.

Harry was first to arrive, opening his mouth to say hello, only to be silenced by you holding up a hand as you continued to scratch away at the parchment.

He nodded to himself, sitting down on the opposite side of the couch and watching you do your work. You could feel his eyes, looking at your neck, your hair, your hands even. Merlin, was Harry Potter far too curious for his own good.

Draco arrived minutes later, his usual grin in place, only to be replaced by a scowl when he saw Harry watching you.

“Started without me?”

“Hush, Draco.” You called emotionless, nearly done with all of your work.

“Do you think I have time to-”

“I said hush.” Your fiery (e/c) eyes snapped to Draco’s, a dark glare that he had never seen before on your features. “Sit down.”

You turned back to your work, the only indication that Draco had did as you asked was the small chuckle that came from Harry.

“Both of your obsessions with me have grown rather boring.” You didn’t need to look to know both boys were blushing. “It’s been since, what? Third year?” You took the silence as an answer, dropping your quill as you leaned back into the couch.

Draco was eyeing you with a rigid glance, letting you know you were definitely correct.

“Fourth for me actually,” Harry cleared his throat. “When you stayed late and helped Neville put away books in the library.”

You hummed at the memory bringing your hands up to your (h/c) tie, and slowly undoing it. Your eyes moved from Draco’s, slowly taking in Harry’s appearance. His hair was much shorter than it was fourth year, opposed to Draco who had finally stopped slicking his hair back til it was like cement.

You turned back to Harry, moving close to the Gryffindor. Slowly, you moved a hand to his cheek, pulling him in and pressing a slow kiss to his lips. Harry seemed to panic at first, but as soon as he came to his senses he relaxed and placed his hand at your waist.

You pulled back with a smile, turning to look at Draco who seemed to be absolutely fuming. You hummed at the sight standing from the couch and moving to where he sat in the chair across the room.

“Problem, Draco?” He kept his glare on you as you drew closer, running a hand through his hair and pulling it harshly to make him meet your eyes. “I think I asked you a question.”

Draco didn’t reply, grabbing your wrist, and pulling you down to press a rough kiss to your lips as his other hand found the back of your neck. Draco didn’t kiss like Harry, he wasn’t soft or warm, he was bruising and intoxicating. Almost like poison opposed to honey.

You stumbled back, but Draco followed, burrying his face into your neck as he sucked hickies onto your skin.

Your eyes met Harry’s as the boy swallowed harshly, nodding your head for him to join you. He seemed to walk over with shaky legs, relaxing when you laced your fingers into his hair.

You hummed rather loudly, pulling Draco’s attention away from your neck as you took his jaw in your hand. You leaned away from the two boys, the hand at Harry’s head softly urging him forward, the other doing the same to Draco.

Surprisingly, the Slytherin seemed hesitant, but it was outweighed by the beloved Gryffindor courage when Harry surged forward and slammed his lips into Draco’s.

Harry kissed Draco differently to you, almost like, even now, they were competing. You smiled slyly to yourself, enjoying the sight as you pulled off your jumper.

You then moved between the two boys, undoing their ties as they continued to kiss, eventually pulling away their jumpers as well.

“Draco,” your soft voice pulled him from Harry. His eyes found yours quickly, a shade darker than when he had entered the room. “Sit down.”

“Why doesn’t Potter have to sit?” You found yourself shoving him back into the couch at the retort, glaring down at him.

“Because you are an arrogant prat who needs to wait his turn for once.” You almost winced at the harshness of your voice, but then leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “Patients, my love.”

You took Harry by the hand as you fell back onto the couch, the opposite side of Draco, softly pushing Harry to kneel in front of you.

You found yourself grinning when Harry’s hands went to your belt instantly, suddenly realizing maybe Saint Potter wasn’t as innocent as you thought.

That was confirmed when he pulled your hard on from your boxers, Harry giving it a few good strokes before slowly leaning forward and taking your cock down his throat.

“Merlin, Harry.” Your hand went to his hair, pushing his head further down. Meeting his eyes and receiving no indication for you to stop made you moan out loud, all too aware of Draco squirming in his spot. “Such a good boy for me, Harry.”

As Harry continued to swallow around your cock, you lulled your head to the side, meeting Draco’s with a lazy wink.

He seemed like he was about to beg to suck you off. Now there’s a thought, Draco Malfoy begging you to fuck him until he saw stars.

“Up.” You gave Harry a soft nudge, pulling him upward in front of Draco. “Be a dear would you, love?”

Harry leaned against you for support, Draco slowly getting to his knees in front of you both.

“Doesn’t he look pretty on his knees, Harry?” You whispered into the boy’s ear, Draco’s glossy eyes meeting yours. Harry gave a whine, nodding his head as he grinded his arse back onto your dick. “Go on then, Draco.”

He hesitantly leaned forward, taking Harry down his throat slowly, a loud moan coming from the Gryffindor. Draco took his time with Harry, moving his head back and forth and gaining a new sound from Harry everytime.

“Tell him how pretty he looks.”

“Godric, Malfoy-” Harry gasped when your hand came down on his backside roughly, letting out a shaky breath. “You look good sucking me off, Draco.”

You heard the Slytherin hum around his dick, Harry tensing as he leaned against you.

Slowly, you moved your fingers to Harry’s entrance, pressing one in without warning.

“Shit, Y/n.” Harry began panting as you worked a finger in and out of him quickly, adding a second shortly after as Draco sped up as well.

“Down his throat, darling,” you bit the side of Harry’s neck, sure to leave a dark bruise.

Harry let out a guttural moan, and by the way Draco’s adam’s apple moved up and down, you knew he had swallowed all of the boy’s release.

You slowly removed your fingers from Harry, helping him sit on the couch.

“Such a good boy, darling,” you pressed a kiss to his temple.

You then turned back to Draco, nodding to tell him to stand. He did so without question, and you could see him through his trousers, rock hard as he practically drooled at the thought of you.

You stepped close to him, pulling him into a rough kiss as your hand went to his throat.

“Turn around,” you whispered against his lips. He did as told, and you pushed him forward until his hips came in contact with the desk.

You moved your hands to undo his belt, one hand pulling down his boxers and trousers while the other slowly jerked him off.

Draco Malfoy was the last person you expected to whine at your touch, but you assumed that just went along with him being a prat.

“Bend over.” You whispered against his ear, biting harshly in the same place you had Harry. “Be good like Potter, won’t you?”

He slowly leaned over the desk, his arms in front of him to hold him up. You grinned at the sight, sucking on your fingers quickly, before pushing into Draco.

You heard his head come into contact with the desk, pushing back into your fingers with needy breaths.

“Done this before have you? Fingered yourself in the dormitories before anyone came back from dinner, pretending it was me.” You added another finger and Draco gave a whiny moan, gripping tightly onto the desk. “Maybe you even asked Zabini to do it for you, work you open just like this.” You added a third finger, brushing against his prostate, causing him to push back into you with a groan.

“Please,” he whimpered.

“I can’t hear you, love. Louder.”

“Please, Y/n. Merlin, please fuck me.”

You hummed at his shouting, moving your fingers and quickly replacing it with your dick. You didn’t give Draco time to adjust, catching him just enough off guard that all the throaty whines and pleas were coming from him at top volume.

“Harder, please, Y/n. Harder, fuck.”

You did as asked, taking a handful of Draco’s hair and pulling him back to meet your thrusts. Without realizing, Harry had managed to sneak beside the both of you, moving his hand down to stroke Draco in time with your thrusts.

“See why Harry got to finish first?” You hummed in question as you mouthed at Draco’s neck. “He’s a giver. But I have to say, I do prefer the whines coming from you, Draco.”

“Again,” he begged softly.

“Draco.” The soft whisper of his name had him coming into Harry’s hand, clenching around your cock as you came inside him as well.

You both panted for breath, slowly pulling out of Draco as Harry casted a cleaning charm, having got more time to recover than the both of you.

You all fished for your clothes in comfortable silence, a smile coming to your face as you watched Harry press a soft kiss to Draco’s cheek.

“If either of you—” You kissed Harry warmly as you gathered your books. “Get me another bad grade in potions—” You did the same to Draco. "We’re never doing this again.”

“Again?” Harry asked with a smile. “When will that be?”

“I reckon Malfoy won’t be able to walk tomorrow if I did my job right,” you spared a wink to the Slytherin. “Maybe I’ll give you a go, darling.”

You gave a nod to both boys, leaving the room with a smile as you did so, unaware to their loving gazes following after you.

Unfortunately the next day, everyone else seemed to put the pieces together of what had happened. From Draco and Harry’s matching hickies along with your own, and the outburst you had with the both of them, it wasn’t a hard puzzle to figure out.

And the teasing you all recieved from your friends was atrocious, but very, very, worth it.

#smut #x male reader #x male reader smut #x male smut #harry potter x male reader smut #harry potter x male #harry potter x male reader #draco malfoy x male smut #draco malfoy x male reader #draco malfoy smut #drarry

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petri808 · 3 years

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We’ll Take Back Heaven a Nalu Yakuza Au

1 | 2

—

The moment Lucy left the room, Natsu simply turned and gave a silent look to his lieutenant Gray who nodded back in acknowledgment and left with one of the men. He sat back in his chair, fingers steepled below his chin in thought. Could it really be one of his own men? Some of the lower level guys didn’t always follow the rules, but it was rare for them to utterly disregard them! Oh! That really pissed him off, because they knew better then to test Natsu’s patience. There’s a damn good reason he was able to create such a lucrative gang in the heart of Tokyo when so many others would kill for it. By the age of 21, his father retired and left the position of Oyabun leader to Natsu. But, Natsu wasn’t satisfied with the old way of doing things. This was the 21st century and times must change.

It was well known that the Yakuza traversed a dangerous underworld full of illegalities. Drugs, prostitution, gambling, shake downs and extortion, theft, or in other words the seedier side of society. So that is where Natsu focused his attention. Some of the very first of the changes were to reign in unauthorized violence or any crimes that utilized it. Such a move sent a utter shockwave through the order and those that refused to let go of the old ways were swiftly eliminated to instill an image of power and fear that Natsu Dragneel was not to be messed with. His logic behind the move was simple. Do not do anything that brings attention to the gang and attacking someone on the street for a few yen is a quick way for the authorities to show up. So, in a way, Natsu was lucky it happened to be one of Lucy’s employees and not a random person, because they would have immediately called the police. Though it also brought up another question. Were there other crimes he just hadn’t heard of yet?

“Well, she’s still as feisty as ever, gihi.” Gajeel broke the silence of the room when he returned. “Could’ve cut the sexual tension with a sword.”

Natsu crossed his arms in feigned annoyance. If it were any other underling, they would have received a harsher response, but Gajeel was one of his oldest and trusted friends. “Pfft. I don’t know what you’re talking about. She’s a rival, that’s it. You know that.”

“Mmhmm.” Gajeel snickered. “So, now what?”

“Gray started working on finding who it was. I want you to call your contacts at police and see if they’ve had any reports of recent robberies in the area, and if there were, any details we can use to figure out who it might be.”

“Can do boss. Anything else?”

“You think it could one of our own?”

Gajeel looked up for a couple of minutes as if he were running their personnel through his mind. Finally, he rubbed his chin. “There’s a couple of newbies, a bit young and dumb that might be stupid enough to break the rules. I’ll call my contacts first before helping Gray press the men for info. Someone’s gotta know something.”

“Good. You do that and let me know as soon as you get a lead. I want this dealt with as quickly as possible.”

“Gotcha.”

Between Natsu’s two lieutenants and their best men, they interviewed all of the most likely suspects. Gajeel’s police informant let him know that there were a couple other robberies that sounded similar a few blocks away from where Lucy’s employee and client had been accosted. He also learned those two victims gave a similar description of the robber. With the new information, along with other snitches, they narrowed it down within a few days to a low-level street guy in the organization. But unlike Gajeel’s initial hunch, it wasn’t one of the newbies. Instead, the male had been with them for a couple of years now and never caused any problems. In fact, the guy fashioned himself as a smooth talking ladies’ man who supposedly disliked violence. So, it was a bit surprising it was one of the ones they’d least expected.

Gajeel and his men found the man named Bora Prominence laying low at his girlfriend’s apartment after he’d heard the gang was looking for him. Not the smartest move. The woman gave him up without a fight, fearing the Yakuza more than her boyfriend. So, once she’d let them inside, they quickly found Bora hiding in the bathroom and dragged him out.

“It wasn’t me!” Bora screamed as the men beat him to the floor. “You got no proof I did shit!”

Gajeel planted his foot into the small of the man’s back and held him down. “Two of the witnesses saw the tattoo on your face. That’s enough evidence for us.” He growled. “You knew the code and what would happen if you broke it, so stop being a bitch.”

But Bora continued to resist the four men, pushing off the floor with his arms unsuccessfully against Gajeel’s massive weight or fending off kicks from the others. They pummeled him with fists and kicks over and over until one clear blow finally knocked him unconscious long enough to be tied up. Despite a heavy beating bad enough to leave him bruised and bloodied, he continued to scream about his innocence. Back at headquarters, they dragged him into Natsu’s office with hands bound behind his back and forced him onto his knees.

The room held Natsu sitting at his desk, along with both lieutenants, four of their men keeping Bora restrained, and lastly Lucy with the victim to Natsu’s right side. He had contacted her as soon as he knew the suspect was being brought in. And thought they were pretty certain of guilt, the woman’s immediate reaction when they’d brought Bora in of cringing back and moving closer to her boss spoke volumes.

“Is that him?” Natsu questioned to gain a verbal confirmation.

“Y-Yeah,” the woman squeaked out. “He’s the one who pushed me down and robbed us.”

Natsu’s eyes stayed narrowed and glaring at Bora as he addressed the women. “Thank you, that’ll be all. Heartfilia you both can leave now I’ll handle things from here.”

“You’re a doll,” Lucy giggled and gave Natsu a quick teasing peck on the cheek before ushering her employee away. They’d done what they needed to do, now it was his job to finish it.

“Tch, so that’s what this is all about.” Bora sneered, spitting out a clot of blood. “Cause that bitch got you all worked up over a measly few bucks?”

“Watch it!” Natsu roared. “It ain’t a good idea to piss me off anymore then I already am!” There was a fire burning behind Natsu’s stare because when he looked at this man Bora, he doesn’t see the crimes themselves, but the disobedient threat he posed to their organization. How dare this selfish ignorant punk threaten everything they’ve worked hard to build! And to accuse him of weakness in doing Lucy’s bidding just sealed the man’s fate.

Bora snapped back defiantly, though the crack in his tone gave away the fear brewing beneath. “What does it matter, I know what awaits me.”

“You’re right.” Natsu relaxed back into his chair once he sensed the man’s inevitable compliance. “You knew the consequences for crossing me. What does it matter if my rival is also benefiting in this way? Because I know there are other victims. Dumbass, how do you think we linked you to all this? Those other victims reported it to the police! Which is exactly why I have the rules I have in place! You put all of us in jeopardy by pulling this kind of stupid low level bullshit!”

“Pfft, you act like we’re saints. If the cops really wanted to, they’d look into the other illegal shit we do regardless.”

“No, it’s you who fails to recognize there is a hierarchy to the kinds of crimes that bring heat on us. Drugs? Prostitution? The cops don’t care as much, but assault? Robbing people, murders, now those are things they will pay attention to, and I will not tolerate it!” Natsu sat forward with a malevolent grin. “Welcome to the modern Yakuza.”

Drugs and prostitution were a part of the gangs dealings, but the bigger scheme was in shaking down the local business owners for protection money. Thing is, Natsu’s gang actually did the protection part causing crimes in that area for customers or businesses to drop down to nearly zero. So, while the business owners weren’t thrilled to cut a portion of their profits, they also appreciated not having to worry about security. That and because of the gangs connections, they had pipelines of cheaper priced products which helped to keep their costs down. This more symbiotic relationship is why they didn’t go to the authorities and why the gang could hold such a control over the area. Making sure the areas streets were protected from violent crime is a testament to the gangs power and would insure that these businesses stayed compliant.

“Tch.” Bora retorted. “You’re just young and dumb. Eventually you’ll realize there’s a reason why things were done a certain way in the old days.”

“Maybe, maybe not, but your days of worrying about it are over.” Natsu motioned to Gajeel. “I’m done. Get him out of my face.”

Gajeel then motioned to his men to haul Bora to his feet and drag him away to an unknown destination never to be seen from again. Cliche as it may sound, even in killing off a problem like Bora, Natsu’s gang didn’t follow tradition. Bora would be held as a prisoner until his wounds healed then his death made to look like just another suicide statistic. In the seven years that Natsu has reigned, not one murder had been laid at their doorstep and he intended to keep it that way.

Now that the Bora business was over, Natsu closed his eyes and fully relaxed into his chair with a sigh. He didn’t exactly enjoy playing the tough guy bit and only did it out of necessity. This was a life his father groomed him for since birth, but he’d love nothing more than to just settle down with a wife and start a family of his own. Not that he couldn’t already do so, but that required finding the right woman to settle down with and no one other than his old flame has ever evoked I’m him more than a passing glance.

He didn’t know how long he’d been relaxing when there was a knock on his office door. “Yeah? Come in.”

“Sorry to disturb you,” the man spoke as he quietly entered the room. Invel Yura was Natsu’s Saiko-kamon, the top advisor and managed the administrative side of the organization. “I wanted to go over your schedule for tomorrow in case I need to make any changes.”

“It’s fine.” Natsu gestured to the chair fronting the desk. Invel had been the advisor to his father for the last few years of his tenure and he fully trusted the man’s diligence.

Invel sat down and opened up a calendar. “Tomorrow morning, we have a new shipment of prescription drugs coming in as well as some ecstasy, so you’ll need to appoint someone to oversee inventory processing.”

“Hmm, who should I have work on this?” Natsu asked for Invel’s opinion.

“Might I suggest Rajeel Ramal? He’s gruff but meticulous and has done a good job so far.”

“Is that so? Then that’s fine, let him continue. What’s next?”

“Okay,” Invel scribbled the orders in his book. “Next, the only other thing you have is a party to attend with one of our high end clients.”

“Which one?”

“The son of Yuuji Katsunuma of Katsunuma industries.”

“Ah yes, the one we supply with cocaine. Such a spoiled brat, but he spends a lot with us.”

Invel chuckled. “That’s the one. It starts at 8pm.”

“Okay. Thank you, Invel. Is that all for now?”

“Yes. If anything, else comes up I will let you know.”

“I’m sure you will. Oh. Have an appropriate suit pressed and ready for me for the occasion.”

“Very well, sir. Is there anything else you need from me?”

“No. You may go.”

Invel nodded and returned to his own office. He made a few typical phone calls such as to Natsu’s house staff regarding an evening outfit and the transporters bringing the morning inventory to make sure everything was on schedule. Aside from the Bora issue, the going’s-on of business continued as normal. The final call he placed before he’d leave for lunch was to Rajeel of a simple a five word instruction. Nothing more needed to be said, knowing that his associate would understand. Invel sat back in his chair with a smile. “It’s almost too easy…”

#nalu #nalu au #modern setting #Natsu dragneel #Lucy heartfilia #nalu fan fiction #yakuza au #nalu fan fic #natsu x lucy #fairytail #we'll take back heaven #ch 2 #petri808

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patriotsnet · 3 years

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Why Do Republicans Hate Gay People

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/why-do-republicans-hate-gay-people/

Why Do Republicans Hate Gay People

Presidency Of George W Bush

George W. Bush did not repeal President Clinton’s Executive Order banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the federal civilian government, but Bush’s critics felt as if he failed to enforce the executive order. He retained Clinton’s Office of National AIDS Policy and was the first Republican president to appoint an openly man to serve in his administration, Scott Evertz as director of the Office of National AIDS Policy. Bush also became the second President, after President Clinton, to select openly gay appointees to his administration. Bush’s nominee as ambassador to Romania, Michael E. Guest, became the second openly gay man U.S. Ambassador and the first to be confirmed by the Senate. He did not repeal any of the spousal benefits that Clinton had introduced for same-sex federal employees. He did not attempt to repeal Don’t ask, don’t tell, nor make an effort to change it.

In April 2002, White House officials held an unannounced briefing in April for the Log Cabin Republicans. On June 27, 2002, President Bush has signed a bill allowing death benefits to be paid to domestic partners of firefighters and police officers who die in the line of duty, permanently extending a federal death benefit to same-sex couples for the first time.

The 2004 Republican Party platform removed both parts of that language from the platform and stated that the party supports anti-discrimination legislation.

Two Reasons Why The Bathroom Bill Targeting Trans People Is Flawed

We believe this bill is flawed for two reasons. First, as conservatives who believe in liberty and in supporting small businesses, we do not think that government should single out businesses for special public censure if they do not enforce the governments current social views.

Americans are still sorting out how they feel about trans people and how they can be tolerant or hospitable neighbors even if they disagree. Government should not use private businesses as pawns in an ongoing culture war, especially with something as private as their customers genitalia.

Second, the bill is counterproductive. We understand that the legislature wants to give parents peace of mind that their daughters will not use the same restroom as biological males. Parents want to make sure their kids are safe this is a completely reasonable concern. But forcing trans women to use the same restroom as young boys can be more disturbing and disruptive to businesses.

Hear more Tennessee Voices:

Dads: imagine walking into the mens room with your son and seeing Caitlyn Jenner, in a dress, fixing her makeup.

More disturbing still is when trans men who are far along in their transition people who look, act, and identify as male must use the same restroom as young girls.

More:Tennessee Voices, Episode 118: Chris Sanders, Tennessee Equality Project

The Fairness For All Act Is A Republican Response To The Equality Act

In March, House Democrats introduced the Equality Act, the first comprehensive LGBTQ civil rights bill to pass the House. While it has been stalled in the GOP-controlled Senate, it would provide sweeping non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people in the US in housing, employment, public accommodations, education, and health care for the first time under federal law.

At the time, there were that some conservative groups were working on a compromise bill, and it appears the Fairness For All Act is that compromise.

A small coalition of religious conservative groups led by the American Unity Fund and including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1st Amendment Partnership, Center for Public Justice, and Council for Christian Colleges and Universities have rallied behind the bill.

Im excited about the solutions that are embodied in the legislation, because I think that those are the exact ideas that were going to need to pass federal civil rights for LGBTQ people, said Tyler Deaton, senior adviser at the American Unity Fund.

The Fairness For All Act would provide many of the same protections for LGBTQ Americans, but it also provides ample exceptions for churches and religious organizations to continue to discriminate against queer people.

What we like about it is the stated intentional desire for fairness and a proposed process that will encourage collaboration because weve seen that work in our state, he said.

Republicans May Begin To Embrace Gay Rights

As Republican National Chairman Reince Priebus pointed out, gay marriage and gay rights are platforms that a higher and higher percentage of Americans support. Priebus warns Republicans to be more open to other views on the issue, and less set in their ways. However, Republican strategist Ed Rogers points out the catch-22 in this situation. Most current Republicans still oppose gay marriage. Where 58 percent of Americans now support gay marriage, only 39 percent of Republicans support it, with 59 percent of Republicans opposing it. This leaves the Republican Party in a tough spot. They must either reform their views to bring in new members and gain support in coming elections, which would risk pushing away those that have stuck with the Party through the years, or stand by their age-old platform, and risk continuing to lose support throughout the nation.

The Disney Vault Is Annoying

Disney has drawn the ire of many adoring fans because it only releases its movies to the public for home consumption for a limited amount of time. They even coined a term for this tactic, The Disney Vault. Audiences think this is corporate greed at its ugliest. Disney has a commodity, and they try to build fervor and revenue by only letting the consumer have access to it for a short period. Its basically the same business model McDonalds uses with the McRib and we all know how much everyone hates that. Can you imagine if the Star Wars movies were only sold periodically? Thatd be an outrage, right? Well, you can expect it to happen since Disney bought the rights in 2012 to all things Star Wars, from George Lucas for over $4 billion. Its no wonder why Disney movies have been pirated since VCRs came on the scene in the 1980s.

American Views Of Transgender People: The Impact Of Politics Personal Contact And Religion

As the Supreme Court examines cases it has already heard this term about the rights of gay and transgender people, the American public in the latest Economist/YouGov poll are for the most part tolerant and supportive of transgender employment rights. However, Republicans take different positions.

The overall public supports laws prohibiting discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, with Republicans closely divided.

More than one in three people know someone who is transgender, and the probability of this is even higher among Democrats and younger adults. Those with personal contact are more likely to believe there is a great deal or a fair amount of discrimination against transgender people. Half of Republicans and 88 percent of Democrats say there is a fair amount or a great deal of discrimination against transgender people.

One in five adults believes employers should be able to fire transgender workers who wear work clothes that match their gender identity. About three times that percentage disagree. Republicans are more closely divided on this question: a third say employers should be able to fire those employees, while 44 percent say that should not be allowed.

There appears to be greater acceptance of female to male transitions than male to female ones. Men generally accept a female to male as male , but also believe that someone transitioning male to female is still male .

Image: Getty

Here’s Where We Stand On Different Lgbt Issues

LGBT leftists tend to hate us because we put our principles first. We believe in religious liberty, free speech, God-given human dignity, limited government, and economic opportunity.

For that reason we frequently oppose radical gender theory and leftist policies like the Equality Act. We support a nuanced, science-based approach to transgender policy issues.

We recently spoke out in support of the legislature’s initiative to keep youth sports organized according to biological sex we find the effort to let biological males play girls’ sports anti-science and offensive.

As a result of stances like these, LGBT leftists regularly picket us, ban us, destroy our property, and call us ugly names.

Recently, our entire leadership team was kicked out of Nashvilles primary LGBT networking Facebook group, in contravention of that groups written rules, because the admins hated us.

We hope this background demonstrates our conservative bona fides. If we oppose a Republican LGBT bill, it is out of principle, not identity politics or blind devotion to those in the LGBT community who reject us. We were not asked to comment on the bill before it was passed, but we feel we would be remiss not to offer our perspective.

More:Tennessee’s anti-LGBTQ bills target vulnerable citizens who are worthy of dignity | Plazas

Views On Religion Its Role In Policy

When it comes to religion and morality, most Americans say that belief in God is not necessary in order to be moral and have good values; 42% say it is necessary to believe in God in order to be moral and have good values.

The share of the public that says belief in God is not morally necessary has edged higher over the past six years. In 2011, about as many said it was necessary to believe in God to be a moral person as said it was not . This shift in attitudes has been accompanied by a rise in the share of Americans who do not identify with any organized religion.

Republicans are roughly divided over whether belief in God is necessary to be moral , little changed over the 15 years since the Center first asked the question. But the share of Democrats who say belief in God is not a condition for morality has increased over this period.

About two-thirds of Democrats and Democratic leaners say it is not necessary to believe in God in order to be moral and have good values, up from 51% who said this in 2011.

The growing partisan divide on this question parallels the widening partisan gap in religious affiliation.

About six-in-ten whites think belief in God is not necessary in order to be a moral person. By contrast, roughly six-in-ten blacks and 55% of Hispanics say believing in God is a necessary part of being a moral person with good values.

International AffairsEconomic ConditionsTrust, Facts & DemocracyClimate, Energy & EnvironmentRace & EthnicitySame-Sex Marriage

Lgbt Conservatism In The United States

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LGBT conservatism in the United States is a social and political ideology within the community that largely aligns with the American conservative movement. LGBT conservatism is generally more moderate on social issues from social conservatism, instead emphasizing values associated with fiscal conservatism, libertarian conservatism, and .

Changing Views On Acceptance Of Homosexuality

Seven-in-ten now say homosexuality should be accepted by society, compared with just 24% who say it should be discouraged by society. The share saying homosexuality should be accepted by society is up 7 percentage points in the past year and up 19 points from 11 years ago.

Growing acceptance of homosexuality has paralleled an increase in public support for same-sex marriage. About six-in-ten Americans now say they favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally.

While there has been an increase in acceptance of homosexuality across all partisan and demographic groups, Democrats remain more likely than Republicans to say homosexuality should be accepted by society.

Overall, 83% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say homosexuality should be accepted by society, while only 13% say it should be discouraged. The share of Democrats who say homosexuality should be accepted by society is up 20 points since 2006 and up from 54% who held this view in 1994.

Among Republicans and Republican leaners, more say homosexuality should be accepted than discouraged by society. This is the first time a majority of Republicans have said homosexuality should be accepted by society in Pew Research Center surveys dating to 1994. Ten years ago, just 35% of Republicans held this view, little different than the 38% who said this in 1994.

Acceptance is greater among those with postgraduate and bachelors degrees than among those with some or no college experience .

Reasons Why Conservatives Hate Democrats

November 5, 2014 by Samuel WardeNo Comments

20 Reasons Why Conservatives Hate Democrats

1. Democrats believe in higher education.2. Democrats believe in preserving the environment.3. Democrats believe in science.4. Democrats believe that carbon dioxide is dangerous.5. Democrats do not believe that minimum wage created our nations unemployment.

6. Democrats do not believe armed rebellion is a viable alternative to elections.7. Democrats do not believe that corporations are people too.8. Democrats do not believe that the sexual revolution created AIDS.9. Democrats do not know the proper height for trees.10. Democrats do not understand decent God-fearing Americans need missile launchers at home.

11. Democrats do not understand that banning abortions for high risk pregnancies can be a positive experience for women.12. Democrats do not understand that intelligent design is a proven scientific theory.13. Democrats do not understand that marriage is related to national security.14. Democrats do not understand that the media is a threat to national security.15. Democrats forgot that Hitler coined the phrase separation of church and state.

16. Democrats seem oblivious to the fact that most good Americans oppose gay marriage.17. Democrats seldom bring guns to crowded public events.18. Democrats want to force innocent multi-millionaires to pay taxes.19. Democrats want to let gays vote.20. Democrats want to let immigrants vote.

Log Cabins Better Record On Gay Issues

While Stonewall was cheerleading Obamas do-nothing Democrats, Log Cabin sued the government to kill DADT. In 2010, Log Cabin won an injunction preventing the administration from enforcing DADT. Only after fighting that injunction, and losing, did Obama finally repeal the law.

Log Cabin has also withheld its endorsement from high-profile Republican candidates who opposed marriage equality unlike Stonewall, we resist partisan groupthink, even when it costs us. We wouldnt be endorsing President Trump in 2020 if he werent truly an ally.

Trump openly supported LGBT equality before any of Stonewalls endorsees did. In 1999, while Democrats defended DADT, Trump opined that gays and lesbians serving openly was not something that would disturb me. In 2000, Trump proposed an amendment of civil rights law to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, which would have rendered moot the employment discrimination case currently before the Supreme Court.

In 2015, though Trump needed religious conservative votes to win the Republican primary, he nevertheless stated publicly that religious freedom and LGBT rights are not mutually exclusive. He even rebuked his running mate-to-be, Mike Pence, for initially undervaluing LGBT interests in Indianas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, on which Pence ultimately reversed. Today, President Trump still has our back.

Stonewall Incorrectly Attacks President Trump

Stonewalls article censures Russia for orchestrating an industrial-scale genocide of gay men in Chechnya. Russias behavior is indeed alarming. So President Trump, collaborating with his Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, has launched a historic initiative to decriminalize homosexuality worldwide. Basham conveniently omits this fact.

Stonewall calls Trumps plan to reduce HIV/AIDS transmission by 90 percent within 10 years lip service because HIV+ immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border are separated from other immigrants. But this policy is intended to provide HIV+ immigrants, some of whom face untreated AIDS, with needed medical care. Stonewall also neglects to mention that Trumps budget included $291 million to fight HIV in 2020 alone. Trump also convinced the antiviral research group Gilead to donate billions of dollars of HIV prevention medication for 200,000 people. That is hardly lip service.

Stonewall further insinuates, ludicrously, that Trump is bigoted for halting Obama-era attempts to tell public schools which bathroom transgender students can use. We say, good: The well-being of children who do not identify with their biological sex is vitally important, but it does not fall under the originally intended purview of Title IX and would thus be better explored at the state and local level without federal intervention. Executive overreach in the name of LGBT rights does nothing to recommend our cause.

Relies On Star Power Not Plotlines

Back in the day, Disney movies sold themselves because their plots were incredible. They showcased fairytales and chronicled the rise of the underdog. This worked in Disneys animated and live-action movies, and the company was untouchable for decades. Then, they had a string of flops like Mulan, Pocahontas and Hercules. Suddenly, Disney was fallible. So, instead of hiring better writers, they took the easy way out they started to hire big name talent to headline its projects. And they havent looked back. Disney has hired giants in the film industry to voice its characters, like Miley Cyrus and . And of course, Disney puts the most popular celebs in its live action movies, like Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie.

Disney even has upcoming projects with Emma Stone, Reese Witherspoon and Emma Watson. But what good is it to have a big star in a movie if the plot is weak? The only good thing about this change in direction is that it finally steered Disney away from cramming cultural sensitivity down everyones throats. There was a period of time when it made sure to give every minority group its own movie, from Hawaiians in Lilo and Stitch to African Americans in The Princess and the Frog. Audiences perceived this to be the pandering that it was.

How Out Of Step Is The Republican Party On Gay Rights

The wedding wasnt the only reason conservatives targeted Rep. Denver Riggleman in a party convention , but it was the driving one. Which raises the question: How out of step with the nation is the Republican Party on same-sex rights?

Its an especially pertinent question on Monday, now that the Supreme Court, with the support of one of President Trumps nominees, just voted 6-3 that existing federal law protects gay and transgender workers from discrimination based on sex.

Thats a sea change in the legal landscape of protections for LGBTQ Americans. Before this ruling, in about half of the states, you could be legally fired for being gay or transgender. Now, you cant under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which the court ruled extends to LGBTQ Americans because it prevents discrimination on the basis of sex.

But like the Republican voters in Virginia who ousted Riggleman in favor of social conservative Bob Good, there is an active wing of the Republican Party seeking to push back on the march toward expanding legal protections for gay and transgender Americans. And they have powerful allies.

The Trump administration opposed interpreting the Civil Rights Act to encompass LGBTQ workers. The leader of the conservative Judicial Crisis Network called the six justices who supported this ruling, one of whom was Trump appointee Neil M. Gorsuch, activists, implying the court got ahead of where the public is on the issue.

Emily Guskin contributed to this report.

Mike Pence Accidentally Admits The Real Reason Republicans Hate Democrats So Much

Common Dreams

The grassroots organization People for Bernie on Tuesday advised the Democratic Party to take a page from an unlikely sourceright-wing Vice President Mike Penceafter Pence told a rally crowd in Florida that progressives and Democrats “want to make rich people poorer, and poor people more comfortable.”

“Good message,” tweeted the group, alerting the Democratic National Committee to adopt the vice president’s simple, straightforward description of how the party can prioritize working people over corporations and the rich.

Suggesting that a progressive approach to the economy will harm the countrydespite the fact that other wealthy nations already invest heavily in making low- and middle-income “more comfortable” by taxing corporations and very high earnersPence touted the Republicans’ aim to “cut taxes” and “roll back regulations.”

The vice president didn’t mention how the Trump administration’s 2017 tax cuts overwhelmingly benefited wealthy households and powerful corporations, with corporate income tax rates slashed from 35% to 21%, corporate tax revenues plummeting, and a surge in stock buybacks while workers saw “no discernible wage increase” according to a report released last year by the Economic Policy Institute and the Center for Popular Democracy.

Pence’s description of progressive goals was “exactly” correct, author and commentator Anand Giridharadas tweeted.

“Yes, and what’s wrong with making poor people more comfortable?” asked Rep. Ilhan Omar .

Gw College Republicans Invite Log Cabin Republicans And Lgbt Conservatives To Talk About What It Means To Be Gay And Conservative

Kicking off a discussion on the inclusion of LGBT people in the Republican Party, Charles Moran, the managing director of the conservative gay group the Log Cabin Republicans, told George Washington University students that they dont have to be a Democrat because youre gay.

The forum at the Marvin Center Amphitheater Tuesday night, hosted by GW College Republicans, brought together what Josh Kutner, director of political affairs for the group, described as an all-star panel of Republican and conservative political and media consultants: Dave McCulloch, managing partner at Capitol Media Partners; Brad Polumbo, an editor and columnist at The Washington Examiner; and Edith Jorge-Tunon, political director for the Republican State Leadership Committee.

Mr. Moran, who has 14 years of experience managing local and national Republican political races, started the discussion by asking panelists to explain how they came out as conservative and where they fit on the conservative spectrum.

Mr. Polumbo said he realized he was a conservative when he was dropped into the liberal bastion of the University of Massachusetts and wound up persona non grata in the gay community.

A Rand Paul libertarian and technically not a Republican, he said, I definitely have a very right-wing philosophy. I am more than willing to punch at both sides.

Live your life honestly, Mr. Moran advised. Be present. Share and be aware. Accept them for who they are and who they are not.

We’re Portrayed As A Perversion

From the left, right, and even a few biased researchers, people accuse transgender people of being perverts, fetishists, and likely rapists. This is in great part why the right-wing tactics against non-discrimination ordinances have been so successful: the right wing tells people that it’s a choice between protecting their wives and daughters or a tiny group of perverts.

Many Trump Supporters Are Lgbt

So Stonewall is wrong. But something more important is going on here. What really infuriates Basham is that Log Cabin has given cover for the presidents claim that some of biggest supporters are LGBT. As if saying so were a crime Trump commits in secrecy while his fabulous gay accomplices at Log Cabin run interference. But its just a fact: Many of Trumps most fervent supporters are LGBT people.

Left-wing gay activists, however, depend on creating the impression that all LGBT people are Democrats. Democrats then use this false narrative to consolidate unearned moral authority. That is why, when the prominent gay billionaire Peter Thiel expressed support for Trump, The Advocate promptly ran a piece arguing he isnt actually gay he just has sex with men.

The point of such chicanery is to insinuate that all Republicans are homophobes, and all homophobes are Republicans. That only works if Democrats speak for all gays. So just one prominent gay or trans Republican punctures the lie that the left has a monopoly on gay rights.

Log Cabin Republicans stand to disabuse the public of that lie. The Stonewall Democrats dont want you to know we exist. But we do, our ideas are better than theirs, and were not going anywhere.

Trans Rights: A Perplexing Issue

Like many other gay conservatives, however, he seems to disconnect gay rights and transgender rights. Kabel recalled a recent article with a quotation from the conservative activist Tony Perkins that contrasted the Democratic and Republican platforms in 2016.

“The only issue Perkins raised was the transgender bathroom issue,” Kabel said. “And I thought, ‘That means we won.'”

Kabel called transgender equality “one of the most perplexing issues going.”

“Transgender people deserve support and protection just like anybody else, but it’s a very complex issue,” he said. “It’s remarkable when you hear their stories, but it’s just a very perplexing issue about how to really address it and do it so that they’re protected but other people aren’t hurt, so that people’s religious views are actually taken into consideration.”

Transgender visibility is all but absent in the Log Cabin Republicans, from their leadership to their messaging.

An OUTSpoken Instagram post compares the LGBT left to the LGBT right by putting an image of a person who appears to be transgender or gender-nonconforming next to a shirtless picture of former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, while the campaigns store sells T-shirts bearing slogans like “gay for Tucker” “gay for Melania” and “gay not stupid.

OUTspoken sent Brokeback Patriot, who has stated trans women are not women, to New Orleans Southern Decadence party to ask passersby if they think Trump is pro-gay.

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reachgirl · 4 years

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Question

Are we talking enough about Eddie “They’re not my type” Diaz and his sexuality? In my headcanon, Buck is pretty ok with who he is, whether that is bi or pan or whatever, he doesn’t seem to be too bothered, and he’s definitely had lots of experience with dating apps and hookups, and in my experience lots of sexual encounters, a lot of the time, make you more open to trying more stuff. So that’s that. I could do a whole one like this for Buck actually. But Eddie - here are some moments that I’ve thought about and let me just put on my clown makeup for this one:

a) he tells Eddie that there is no need for Buck to be threatened by him, they’re on the same team. obviously this one is just about the actual 118 “team”, right? but another reason Eddie could be telling Buck he doesn’t need to be threatened by him is because he won’t be competition for him. In that sense.

b) literally the second thing he tells buck about Chris is that his mom is not in the picture, you know, in case he thought that she was or something

c) he goes ahead and actually tells buck “they weren’t my type” - what is that type then? they were all cute, lots of different “types”. obviously he could mean that he’s into more serious/down to earth women. but it’s still a weird statement for a young sexy firefighter to make about a group of objectively hot girls.

d) he’s CLEARLY having a hard time hiding is disappointment/annoyance at buck when he thinks that buck called him over because he is trying to set him up with a girl. Like look at that scene, look at his face. QED.

e) he comes from a latino TEXAN background. now that doesn’t have to mean anything, but could mean that his upbringing was quite religious, and that he definitely didn’t grow up around a lot of LGBTQ-acceptance or even openly out people. And hear me out about this: He met Shannon young, and they had Chris when he was pretty young still. I’m not saying that he didn’t love Shannon and doesn’t like women at all, but if what is expected of you growing up is that you get married to a girl and have a kid, then in a lot of these areas like Texas, that’s what people will do, even if it’s maybe not what feels completely right.

f) HIS AUNT, when she meets buck in the hospital. her whole reaction to buck screams “i’m suspecting something” or “this is a significant moment, me meeting this person”, not just “oh, yeah, a work buddy of my nephew, nice”. lots of meaningful appraising looks and telling buck about how much of a saint eddie is... ok.

g) The way he got mad at Buck during the lawsuit? Not a normal way for a buddie to get mad at his bro because he wasn’t really around for a few weeks. “Do you know how much Christopher misses you”? Ok.. sure. We will go with that, Eddie. It all sounds to me like Eddie got really used to having Buck around all the time, and he’s so comfortable around him and with him in his life, he has him to basically co-parent Chris with, he has him to hang out and eat pizza with, he doesn’t really seem to concerned about dating.

h) On the other hand, we have Shannon, and we have Ana. With Shannon, ok, if you buy my explanation of both of them being young and Eddie thinking that being with Shannon is what he “has” to do, that that’s the normal that you’re supposed to want, okay. He clearly did seem happy about the prospect of having her back in his life (even though he did sound quite defensive about it when he was telling Buck at the christmas market...), but again, he could be bi, or, you know, people are on a spectrum. He could be any kind of “percentage” into anything. With Ana, obviously we don’t know yet, all we know is that he thought she was cute (which she is and the actress is lovely and if you’re somebody who goes and bothers these poor actors about this, please stop), and that he very clearly doesn’t trust her the way he trusts Buck.

i) Speaking of this, we know Eddie kind of has a short fuse and needs some anger management maybe, but who is the one that can always calm him down? Because he trusts him 100%, because he literally has his back the way that Shannon complained he didn’t have hers - Buck. And when did his issues with the anger escalate? When Buck wasn’t there to do that for him.

j) The whole “horses” comment. It doesn’t even really make that much sense if you think about it in the terms that she meant it in. You realize you don’t like horses? I’m not saying Ana is some kind of witch that knew after one look that Eddie was into his best friend, but the writers very well could be trying to say something. Whenever there is a “lesson” like that interwoven through the dialogue, it’s usually meaningful. Chosen Family ... Carpe diem.. etc.

k) you can also see him kind of getting a little uncomfortable whenever buck gets really sincere with him - he will usually try to make light of the situation, or end the conversation, like in the kitchen scene (”you would have talked me into buying something even more expensive”), or by teasing buck (”aren’t you still in that phase?”) - Not saying that’s anything, but it does sound like something somebody would do when they’re a little unsure of their own feelings and don’t want to risk things getting *real* cause then they’d have to actually deal with it.

ALSO, look, even if they are both 100% straight (which it’s basically been confirmed is not the case), i think we can agree that they have a *very* close relationship, compared to most men. they’re very comfortable with physical contact as well. now this could just be - and i’d still be happy if that’s all it was - a super non-toxic-masculinity-based-healthy-male-friendship. But the way that they seem to always be next to each other, always looking out for the other (Eddie never leaving Buck’s side, holding his hand while he’s crushed under the truck, the way he just lets himself in to Buck’s apartment? Buck being around ALL.THE.DAMN.TIME., hanging out with chris, hanging out with Eddie at his house or Eddie’s house to the point where he doesn’t even consider himself a guest?), even people in-canon-universe assume they’re romantically involved. like, we’re not making that stuff up. that is there. they wrote that. And I really want to know what the reason is, if it isn’t for a slow burn LGBTQ romance. WHERE ARE YOU GOING WITH THIS, writers?

Sorry, this got long. Thank you for putting on your clown masks together with me. In conclusion, it’s us, we’re the “fools” from 3x12, but also, it’s Buddie, and they’re fools in love who can’t admit it (to themselves) yet.

#buddie #911 season 3 #911 3x12 #911 fox #911 #Evan Buckley #buck #Eddie Diaz #eddie #buck and eddie

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wikimb · 4 years

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Saw that tweet and people are really act like "V is not Vergil" but at the same time "V/Vergil tricked everyone and learned nothing!" because they like V ??? Most of his tricking was to hide who he was and why he knows things, so all this "Ooooh he is so mysterious!" came from.😂

I think I wouldn't even bring that up if not for a few bad takes I've seen on Twitter.

I have no issues with people having AUs, in which V appears to be his own person (I find the idea of V being another Vergil's son kind of fun). But the issue starts with this thought process:

I love V but I hate Vergil.

Like...? It implies you rejected V as a part of Vergil and definitely reject V's actual character as well and just fill the void with your idealized type.

If you love V, what do you even love him for while hating Vergil? V has Vergil's whole personality as shown in VoV. His main driving force is the same as Vergil's - to survive and beat Dante.

---

In a way he tricked others though it wasn't something necessary evil but definitely not very honest for Dante and especially for Nero, who thought that the only person responsible for his arm was Urizen, while V was pretending he had nothing to do with it, lol.

His reason for fixing his mistake, which brought Urizen to life, doesn't technically change through the time but he stops looking at this only from his own perspective. He manages to see a bigger picture of his mistake. He sees it's not only his issue but also a source of such an horrible destruction. He grows to finally see something more than himself.

He still has the desire to live. In VoV he clearly says he is afraid to die and that was more important to him than putting his life at risk for being honest with the others and telling them he is Vergil, who took Nero's arm. V isn't a hero or a saint. He is just a human.

---

Nonetheless you brought up an interesting observation about V stans. When something morally good is believed to be done by V then it is only applied to V and not connected to Vergil. When V does questionable actions then it is given to both V and Vergil. Confirmation bias.

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I'll use your question anon to bring up something else you didn't mention but I talked about it in a reply to someone else on Twitter but I wrote it in Polish so no one paid attention to it but I think it's worth drawing attention to it too.

I generally don't like that one kind of fanon V, he is so awfuly divergent from the canon source to the point it seems a bit hilarious someone who is technically Vergil is often seen as an effeminate, soft, shy boy.

In a way I understand where this interpretation comes from. Before VoV the game was the only source and V didn't have enough of screen time to have a solid characterization of him and we could only observe his sudden Heel-Face Turn.

So what was left were... stereotypes to build his character.

Goth/emo look - emo boys must be always soft and sensitive

Too weak to fight himself - must be soft and effeminate; wouldn't hurt a fly by himself right?

Loves poetry and art - boys like that must be clearly effeminate, uwu soft and shit

A literal human half - because what's human must be good, right?

He has sudden moments for remorse and admitting his feelings openly - clearly effeminate and soft boys do it only

You have a bit of gender non-conforming character (not saying he is entirely non-con, just a few aspects make him not stereotypical; I'm just trying to say what his VA said that V is unique for a male character for his fragility and unability to actively engage in a fight) because of the aesthetic and his combat style and instead of just appreciating that he is desperately put in a strict effeminate/girly characterization. 🙄

---

Well, enough of my rambling for today to be sure. XD

#dmc 5 #dmc 5 spoilers #v #vergil #dante #nero #rant #devil may cry #devil may cry spoilers #devil may cry 5

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nevergiveupneverrun · 4 years

Text

Bodyguard - Chapter Fifty “Black Holes and Revelations”

Hello everybody, how are you? Here is chapter Fifty of my Story Bodyguard. I hope you will like this chapter. I’m truly sorry for not posting a lot but this semester is crazy, I have so many things to do...

I’m sorry in advance for the mistakes… English isn’t my first language and I do my best. Here is the link to the previous chapter: Click Here.

I hope you will enjoy this chapter :) 💛

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- A drink, Mister Hunt?

Eyes into space, installed at the counter, I raise my head detaching myself from the observation absent from the hotel bar.

I stayed for two days in this establishment which was my favorite address in Seattle, in Downtown: I had spent many stays there in the past between two planes or two missions.

My gaze rests on Roberto, the barman of the hotel and I offer him a slight smile.

- Yes, thank you, Roberto.

- What would you like? And don’t limit yourself, it’s offered by the house, he specifies with a wink.

I smile a little more, touched by his attention, to believe that my absent and distant attitude had not gone unnoticed.

- A glass of Bordeaux please and that’s nice for your offer, but I don’t want you to be in trouble for me.

- Don’t worry. A glass of Saint-Emilion then, he continues, dexterously serving me a glass of particularly prized wine. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate, he said.

- Thank you very much, Roberto, I conclude while letting him go away and take care of the other customers present in the bar.

My mind escapes again after this interruption, stopping on the last two days that I have just spent.

Two days of emptiness, boredom, and worry.

I was more distraught than anticipated in this situation: without a mission, dismissed as a beginner.

Until then, I have always been master of my professional context: my contract ends were well thought out or prepared.

After a sense of duty accomplished.

Or a jointly agreed departure when my weariness was too big.

But there, none of that: an unpleasant feeling of unfinished business, a sum of tensions whereas unlike Amelia, I am convinced that the threat still lurks.

And here I am: I’ve been going in circles for two days in this hotel.

Like a caged lion.

I stayed cloistered, to avoid approaching her neighborhood, to watch her apartment, a strong drive to silence my discomfort and reassure myself.

I feel a coward at the same time because I didn't dare to inform Jackson or Nathan of the situation. I didn’t see how I could justify Amelia’s decision to them without revealing my weakness. This episode of bewilderment of which I am still so ashamed and even more today after all the consequences which ensue from it.

“That’s not your problem, anymore.” she told me.

But it’s stronger than me, I can’t turn the page as easily and no longer worry about her fate overnight… after having lived with her for long months and having shared moments that still resonate unexpectedly in me.

It was no longer tenable and I had made the best decision the day before.

I just had to wait a bit…

- Good evening, can I sit next to you?

An unexpected presence is revealed on my right with a soft and singing voice.

I turn my head and discover a young woman with long brown hair, dressed in a tight-fitting, low-cut white dress: she stares at me, waiting for my answer.

- Uh… yes, of course… please, I end up telling her.

She immediately sits on the stool by my side, placing her stilettos against the metal ledge to stand up straight.

- What are you drinking?

- A glass of Bordeaux, I answer a little absent.

- It’s a good vintage, you advise me?

I can see a light accent in her sentences, a touch of melody that reminds me of a Latin country.

- It’s a Saint-Emilion, among the best wines of France.

- I’m going to take the same thing then, I don’t know much about wine… I don’t have your intuition…

- On the other hand, it is not necessarily very cheap…

- It’s not a problem, she replies without particular emotions.

She beckons to Roberto and actually orders him a glass similar to mine. I observe her out of the corner of my eye during this conversation: she had a very fine face, almost perfect skin texture, and her equally flawless, slender and feminizer silhouette.

The style of woman we turn to on the street.

And yet, would I have turned on her?

I’m not even sure I would have noticed her in the bar.

- Hum, it’s a delight this wine, she reacts suddenly after a sip. I’m jealous of not being French in these kinds of moments…

- Where are you from? I asked a little surprised to start the discussion again, but the question had been burning my lips for a few seconds.

- I’m Italien, my name is Monica, she says with a smile.

She scrutinizes me intensely as if she is waiting for something. But I remain disconnected from the moment and the conversation before she speaks to me again.

- And you?

- Owen.

- Nice to meet you, Owen, she repeats with a smile.

I do not answer her, contenting myself with a slight movement of the head.

I look back into my glass, I didn’t want to be rude but I also did not want to have a conversation of convenience.

A silence of a few minutes settles in, but I still perceive this presence by my side and like the weight of a look that studies me.

- What’s her name?

- Excuse me?

I redirect my attention to this young woman by my side, taken aback by her question.

- That pensive and melancholy air. I only know one reason to see it settle so firmly on a man’s face. And in general, there is always a woman behind… Am I wrong?

- Not completely, but it’s not for the reasons you assume.

- I don’t suppose anything, but she obviously occupies your mind largely, she continues while taking a sip of her glass. I’ve been watching you for a few minutes, you have to be blind not to notice yourself in a room, she concludes with a smile.

I look away, uncomfortable with the turn of the exchange.

- Were you expecting someone? I asked her as a signal to dismiss her politely.

- Not anymore. I am delivered from my evening commitments.

Her expression intrigues me as if she were there for obligation and not to spend the evening with a husband, a fiancé or a lover.

- You might be better off finding him…

- I was not there for personal convenience, you know…

- Sorry, but seeing you in a hotel at 9pm and dressed like that, I thought you had a date…

- Somehow, I had to find a photographer to prepare a shoot.

So she was a model, nothing surprising considering her physique.

- But I am very relieved that it is no longer relevant. Maybe I can help you spend a less moody evening.

- I’m only here for a few minutes, I’m going to leave soon.

- A few minutes are enough if they are well used, you know, she argues with a piercing and intense look.

I had the impression to discern strong innuendo in her words and at the same time, I thought of interpreting things, we only spoke for a few minutes after all.

- She left you?

- Excuse me?

- The woman who haunts your thoughts, she left you?

- Yes…well, no… it’s complicated…

- It’s always complicated, she resumes with a slight smile. But things always get better, over time. Love makes us suffer, but it also makes us stronger. Without it, we would only live half…

I had drawn a line of love for several years.

I had painfully and laboriously patched up my heart, but I had taken care to protect it, to surround it with a fortress, of which I threw the key.

Have I been living half since?

Maybe, but living fully with an open wound that bleeds daily was worse than anything…

- She will understand, she will forgive you.

- How do you know I have something to make me forgive?

- I didn’t know it, but you just confirmed it to me. But you shouldn’t be moping like that, loneliness is worse than anything…

I observe her and notice her eyes for the first time.

Two blue pupils with sparkling reflections.

A certain melancholy and sadness are revealed as if she spoke a little about herself through her remark.

A look that destabilizes me… because it looks so much like hers…

- You look like her… I whispered. You have the same…

The sentence escapes me despite me and I can see the young woman’s eyes getting a little bigger and a smile settling on her face.

- You don’t have to call me Monica, you know, she whispers in my ear while letting her hand rest on my forearm.

I stay motionless, my gaze fixed on her hand.

- You are very attractive and mysterious… I’m not used to saying that to a man I met for only a few minutes, but I like you a lot…

I fix her gaze a little more intensely and I look for something in it… something that I cannot identify or define but that I cannot find…

- I have a suite upstairs, I’m as alone as you are this evening, she continues in the hollow of my ear.

Her proximity makes me feel the warmth of her presence while her scent also invades my nostrils.

An olfactory stimulus that breaks the charm and illusion that insidiously settled.

No vanilla and coconut notes.

There are fresh and flowery touches that awaken me bringing me back to this reality: she is a stranger in front of me and not Amelia.

Amelia who should no longer be the center of my concerns…

- I wish you a good evening, Monica, I answer weakly as she detaches from me.

I read surprise and a barely concealed hint of irritation in her eyes.

Clearly, she was not used to being send-off like this by a man.

- Do you often refuse propositions like mine? She challenges me with a piercing look.

- When I’m not tempted, yes…

She laughs suddenly after my answer, then speaks again.

- Not tempted by a lay without commitment? Are you sure you are a male?

- I may not be like all men, so.

- Not like all men, that’s for sure… she is very lucky, she said before getting up and leaving the bar, leaving her glass half full.

Silence and emptiness reign around me again.

This interlude leaves me perplexed and disconcerted despite myself.

In the past, I would not have refused an invitation of this kind, from such a beautiful woman and in a context completely free of all constraints.

It was exactly what I was looking for: no attachment, no commitment.

Feelingless relationships.

Episodes to satisfy my body without endangering my heart.

So why did I refuse her advances?

Why did I think of Amelia at the time?

Why did I push this woman away when I realized that she was different?

Without that familiar, comforting scent of coconut… which I miss.

My reactions seem incomprehensible to me, my thoughts unfathomable.

I don’t understand what’s going on, or rather yes, I’m starting to understand, but I don’t want to admit it. The revelation that strikes me is almost too destabilizing.

It would be to recognize that I lost a battle that I thought behind me for a long time.

A revelation as a vivid and frank signal of my failure.

- Mister Hunt?

Roberto’s intervention takes me out of my thoughts and I find the image of the young man in front of me, rebind the counter.

- Your taxi is waiting for you, he says, catching my eyes.

- Thank you, Roberto, I answer offering him a smile.

- I hope you had a good stay with us and that we will see you again very soon.

- Probably, thank you for everything, I said shaking his hand to support my words.

So I leave the bar and join the hotel entrance.

A first doorman opens the doors to the building and a second presents the open door of the taxi.

- Your luggage is in the trunk, Sir.

- Thank you very much, I answer while getting into the car.

- Where should I take you? Immediately asks the driver.

- Seattle Tacoma Airport, please.

The car starts slowly and my gaze captures a silhouette outside the hotel.

A gorgeous young woman in a tight white dress smoking a cigarette.

Monica, my temptation for an evening: the Owen of six months ago could not resist.

But today everything is different: I see her go away as the car picks up speed, without any regrets.

No frustration, just calm in me.

The decorations parade through the window: Seattle streets, myriad of cars and the concrete landscape of the ring road.

I take this ride to print in my mind these images and this atmosphere of Seattle.

In a few hours, it will only be a memory, when kilometers and an ocean will separate me from my country… and from her.

With the distance, I will be able to more easily forger this unfinished mission, to ignore this paralyzing fear that something will happen to her.

In any case, that’s all I hope: to change the environment to stifle this haunting worry and this drive to find her because it is only with her that I would feel useful.

- We arrived, Sir.

The driver turns to me and I realize that we have been stopped for a good minute while « Terminal 2E » covers the entrance of the swing doors visible outside.

I get my wallet in my jacket pocket and pay the driver.

He gets out of the car and I imitate him, finding him near the trunk as he hands me my luggage, a simple little cabin suitcase.

- I wish you a good trip.

- Thank you, I answer while feeling a vibration in my jacket pocket.

I take a few steps towards the entrance to the terminal to get away from the noise caused by the ballet of taxis and buses accessing the airport.

I get my cellphone and answer immediately by reading the name that lights up the screen… my heart misses a beat and my throat tightens… in amazement.

- Amelia?

A breath resounds in the handset for a few seconds, then a weak but familiar voice finally answers me.

- Owen…. I need you…

–––––––––––––––––––––––

Thank you for reading. I’ll try to post a chapter Friday or Sunday. Have a great week 💛

#bodyguard #greysanatomy #amelia shepherd #owen x amelia #amelia x owen #Owen Hunt #omelia #omelia fanfiction #omeliafics #fanfic #Fic

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nerdygaymormon · 5 years

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Gospel Topic Essays

In 2013 & 2014, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a series of essays that address a number of question and criticisms. These essays have been approved by the First Presidency and Quorum of 12 Apostles. The stated reason for the essays is gathering accurate information and making it available.

I added a few thoughts in italics

Are Mormons Christian - Members of the Church believe in and teach of Christ, but they don’t believe in the post-New Testament Creeds, and have scriptures in addition to the Bible. The LDS Church also is not a direct descendant of an existing Christian church.

What Mormons mean by the word “Christian” is different than the rest of Christianity. Mormons are Christian in that they believe Jesus was the Messiah and redeemer of the world.

Becoming Like God - Since people are the spirit children of God, we have the potential to develop and grow to become like God. The essay includes some Bible verses to support this teaching, but most of the world interprets them differently.

The essay leaves out Bible verses that would seem to contradict this teaching. The Bible, at best, is mixed. There aren’t any verses from the Book of Mormon included because this concept is absent from that book.

God was once like humans are now. And people can become gods. We teach God is married, so there are godly roles for both men & women. Does this make us polytheists? Yes, in that there are many gods, but really no because we only worship our Heavenly Father and will continue doing so even when we become gods ourselves.

How does someone become like God? It’s the covenant path we hear so much about. Baptism, Melchizedek Priesthood (if you’re male), temple endowment, sealed to a spouse, obey temple covenants.

Sounds pretty good, except...

What about if your spouse or children are unworthy? If you’re gay? If you get divorced? A widowed husband gets married & sealed to a 2nd wife, what if the 1st wife isn’t into polygamy?

Book of Mormon and DNA Studies - The purpose of the Book of Mormon is spiritual, not historical. There’s no DNA evidence to confirm that Middle Eastern people came to the Americas prior to Christopher Columbus. This essay goes through many possible excuses for why no DNA of the Jaredites, Nephites or Lamanites has yet been found in the Americas.

The introduction page to the Book of Mormon used to say that the Jaredites & Nephites were destroyed, leaving the Lamanites who are "the principal ancestors of the American Indians.” DNA evidence forced a change, it now says, Lamanites are “among” the ancestors of the American Indians.

Book of Mormon Translation - Joseph placed either the interpreters (Urim & Thummim) or his seer stone in a hat, pressed his face into the hat to block out light, and read aloud the English words that appeared. He dictated the words, not punctuation, to the scribes. The scribes wrote their own punctuation and that is what was printed. Most changes in the Book of Mormon have involved punctuation and creating verses & chapters.

It’s not a “translation” in the usual sense of that word. An examination of the characters on the plate wasn’t typically involved (despite much of the artwork that suggests otherwise), in fact, the plates often weren’t visible. There’s no way to test the accuracy of the translation.

Also, some other changes beyond punctuation and creating chapters/verses has taken place, like having some of the more racist language toned down.

First Vision Accounts - Joseph had a vision (not necessarily an actual visitation) in which 2 heavenly beings appeared to him.

Joseph published 2 accounts of this vision during his lifetime. Two additional accounts (from his autobiography and from a journal) have been found and published in the 1960′s. There are also 5 descriptions of Joseph Smith’s vision recorded by others who heard Joseph speak about the vision.

That makes 9 different accounts, and there are some differences between them. The essay explains that different accounts emphasize different details. Memories fade over time and things get remembered differently.

There is a generally consistent theme across the different versions, but the first written account comes many years after the vision is supposed to have occurred, which makes me wonder how accurate or reliable it is.

Joseph Smith’s Teachings about Priesthood, Temple and Women - During the 19th century, women frequently blessed the sick by a prayer of faith, and many women received priesthood blessings promising that they would have the gift of healing. In reference to these healing blessings, Relief Society general president Eliza R. Snow explained in 1883, "Women can administer in the name of JESUS, but not by virtue of the Priesthood."

That’s because the priesthood was new & fresh, but understanding changed as Joseph Smith received more revelations.

I think they stuck to Joseph Smith’s teachings so they wouldn’t have to go into the misogynistic teachings of Brigham Young or Spencer Kimball. At the time of Joseph’s death, women were still doing healings & had control of the Relief Society.

Priesthood power is given to women in the temple as part of the endowment ceremony. When a couple is sealed in the temple, together they enter into an order of the priesthood. Women can officiate in the priesthood in ordinances for other women. Women can officiate when only women are getting the ordinance, when it is for men & women then the men are in charge.

Women and the Priesthood today - well, they still can do stuff in the temple.

Mother in Heaven - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that all human beings, male and female, are beloved spirit children of heavenly parents, a Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother. This understanding is rooted in scriptural and prophetic teachings about the nature of God, and the godly potential of men and women. The doctrine of a Heavenly Mother is a cherished and distinctive belief among Latter-day Saints.

According to things taught through most of church history, this essay could have been titled Mothers in Heaven. We each have a mother & father in heaven, we each have the same father but there could be many different mothers in heaven. Good old polygamy, interwoven into our theology.

6 paragraphs, that’s all? Shouldn’t we know more? What is heaven like for women?

Peace in Violence among 19th-Century Latter-day Saints - The Latter-day Saints were persecuted, often violently, for their beliefs. Several incidents are discussed.

Well, to be accurate, it was more for their actions than their beliefs. We weren’t exactly great neighbors to non-members of the church.

And, tragically, some Church members participated in deplorable violence against people they perceived to be their enemies. Joseph Smith had the Danites, and a stake president ordered the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Brigham Young taught that some sins were serious enough that the person should be killed as part of forgiveness process (blood atonement).

The early Mormons had many threats and violence done against them, and they also did the same to others. It was a rough time.

Imagine all the things said & done against the LGBTQ+ community by the Church--denying they exist, electro-shock therapy, advocating for laws to limit & take away their rights. In a real sense the church isn’t a good neighbor to this group. In an earlier time, this might get settled via guns and violence.

Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo - God commanded people in ancient Israel to have polygamous marriages. As part of the restoration of all things, God commanded Joseph Smith to introduce polygamy.

The verses cited just indicate that polygamy was practiced in Old Testament times, not that God commanded anyone to have such marriages.

Joseph really didn’t want to do it (or worried about how his wife Emma would react), so God had to send an angel 3 times between 1834 and 1842 to command him to proceed with plural marriage. During the final appearance, the angel came with a drawn sword, threatening Joseph with destruction unless he went forward and obeyed the commandment fully.

The concept of polygamy was part of the revelation on eternal marriage and is how to be exalted with God.

The essay says there wasn’t much instruction on how to do polygamy, I think this is meant to suggest that mistakes happened because people didn’t know better. D&C 132 does have a number of instructions, some of which were ignored. Such as the 1st wife had to give permission for any additional wife, and the additional wives each have to be virgins.

Joseph kept most of his marriages secret from Emma, and he married other men’s wives who most assuredly weren’t virgins.

Joseph had 30-40 wives. His oldest wife was 56 and the youngest was 14.

Polygamy was illegal. Most people who participated were told to keep it secret. Also important for married women to keep it a secret from their first husband. Rumors spread and so “carefully worded denials” were issued in which they’d switch one word, or change the meaning of a word. Basically it looks like they were lying because it would mean trouble.

Wilford Woodruff issued a manifesto in 1890 which led to the end of polygamy (eventually...it took a second manifesto in 1904 to end it officially).

A form of polygamy still survives. Men who remarry may be sealed to their additional wives. People can do temple work to seal women who were married to more than one man during their lifetimes but not sealed to them. Only men are allowed to be sealed to more than one person whilst alive.

Plural Marriage and Families in early Utah - Church members do not understand the purposes for instituting the practice of plural marriage during the 19th century. The essay heavily suggests that having a lot of children was a primary purpose.

Footnote 6 says “Studies have shown that monogamous women bore more children per wife than did polygamous wives except the first.” In all likelihood, polygamy led to fewer children than probably would have been born in a monogamous society

Accounts left by men and women who practiced plural marriage attest to the challenges and difficulties they experienced, such as financial difficulty, interpersonal strife, and some wives’ longing for the sustained companionship of their husbands. Virtually all of those practicing it in the earliest years had to overcome their own prejudice against plural marriage and adjust to life in polygamous families.

Few would have entered into plural marriages if leaders didn’t emphasize that polygamy was required for a man’s highest exaltation in the life to come, and women who refused plural marriage could find themselves single & a servant in heaven. Polygamous wives were so unhappy that Brigham Young eventually gave an ultimatum, 2 weeks to freely leave the territory or stop whining and fully live their religion.

Plural marriage was an illegal practice and members engaged in civil disobedience against such laws. In direct violation of the 12th Article of Faith

The essay shows Mormon polygamy in a very favorable light.

The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage - Polygamous marriage was illegal in the United States and the LDS Church fled to Mexico but the United States took the territory they were fleeing to. The Church felt that polygamy was protected under the Constitution’s freedom of religion but the Supreme Court disagreed.

Given the importance polygamy to the church’s beliefs about heaven, the members were encouraged to disregard the law and obey God. After 2 decades of increasing troubles, many polygamous families headed to Canada or Mexico to escape US justice (nevermind polygamy was just as illegal in those countries).

When the US Supreme Court upheld the legality of confiscating church property, this could mean that temple ordinances would end when those buildings are seized. Wilford Woodruff issued the Manifesto to ban polygamy in 1890. This calmed things with the US government and within 3 years Utah was admitted as a state.

Members continued entering into new plural marriages for about 15 more years, but in declining numbers. In 1899 the newly-elected senator from Utah was not allowed to take his seat in Congress because he had 3 wives, including one he married after the manifesto. When an apostle was elected in 1903, he also was not allowed to take his seat as an investigation took place into the church & polygamy, even church president Joseph F. Smith testified before Congress.

President Smith testified that the Manifesto removed God’s commandment on the church to practice polygamy, but didn’t forbid individuals from choosing to continue to be polygamous. He issued a Second Manifest at the April General Conference forbidding members from entering new polygamous marriages.

Race and the Priesthood - The Church was established in 1830, many people of African descent in the United States lived in slavery, and racial prejudice were believed by most white Americans.

From the mid-1800s until 1978—the Church did not ordain men of black African descent to its priesthood or allow black men or women to participate in temple endowment or sealing ordinances.

This is true, but one would hope a church which claims revelation through prophets would be able to overcome cultural norms that aren’t in line with the gospel.

Church leaders taught many things to explain the ban, and today, all of that is rejected by the church and considered error. These weren’t just teachings, they were doctrines. And the Book of Mormon and Book of Abraham were used to justify bigotry, such as stating that the curse of Cain was a dark skin.

International expansion of the church, especially in Brazil, forced the church into difficult situations. The Church in the USA was also under heavy pressure for the priesthood restrictions.

Church president Spencer W. Kimball spent many hours praying for revelation to undo the priesthood ban. The essay makes it sound like some big revelation was received, but it wasn’t that way. It was a process, a statement drafted and changes made to it and voted on.

Today, the Church disavows all teachings that teach any race or ethnicity if inferior in any way, or that mixed-race marriages are wrong. Church leaders unequivocally condemn all racism.

No reason for the priesthood ban is put forward in this article other than racism. The past leaders were racists and that blinded them to what God wanted for black people. There’s a big lesson in that.

Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints embraces the book of Abraham as scripture.

A traveling salesman sold several Egyptian papyri and mummies to Joseph Smith. He was excited to learn one papyrus was scripture from Abraham and set to translating it.

After the church left Nauvoo, Joseph’s family sold the Egyptian artifacts and they eventually ended up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. In 1967, the museum transferred these fragments to the Church.

Discovery of the papyri allowed an examination of Joseph Smith’s translation. Mormon and non-Mormon Egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation given in the book of Abraham.

Joseph’s translation was not a literal rendering of the papyri as a conventional translation would be. Rather, the physical artifacts provided an occasion for meditation, reflection, and revelation. They catalyzed a process whereby God gave to Joseph Smith a revelation about the life of Abraham, even if that revelation did not directly correlate to the characters on the papyri.

The essay mostly tries to explain how it is possible for Joseph Smith to have called the process for bringing forth the book of Abraham a "translation" when it is obvious that it was not a translation of the Egyptian papyri in his possession

#before these essays many of these positions would be considered anti-Mormon #tumblrstake

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bleepbloo · 4 years

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Season Episode Breakdown for Second Citadel (Part 1)

Based Solely off the poster and speculation thereof.

Thoughts under the cut, whitelist #bleepbloo theories if you’re not interested.

(At this time, 12/8/19, the first episode, ‘The Fool in the Garden of Death, Part 2’ has been released to the public; It will factor into discussion below. Spoilers Ahead, You Have Been Warned)

((Warning: VERY LONG, and has in-universe issues of Second Citadel))

Alright so, as based on the initial poster thoughts and the first episode in it’s entirety has been released, it confirms that we are going to be using the Major Arcana for each of the episodes, and that they will be in clusters of threes, for the most part. I will be analyzing each episode based on the trio presented, what that’ll mean for the episode, as well as the characters that may be highlighted as a result of the conflict presented.

Before I get started, here are some things to keep in mind:

I will be using only one website [here], because there are often minor variations between different Arcana decks that end up giving it different meanings overall; so if you go exploring into Arcana yourself, please note that that’s a thing. Also something to note about major Arcana is that the can represent People as well as Significant Issues in your Life. I won’t be listing the full meaning for each card, as that’s going to make this MUCH longer than I know it’s going to be; I will be listing the BASIC positive(Upright), negative(Reversed), and general concepts behind each card, just so you don’t have to look up the full meaning. As a result, I’m going to be splitting my analysis in half due to sheer length it would be otherwise.

With all that mind let’s get started:

1- The Fool, The Magician, and the High Priestess

Fool: The Day Dreaming Adventurer

Positive: New Beginnings, innocence, free spirit

Negative: Recklessness, inconsideration, taken advantage of

Magician: The Infinite Creator

Positive: Willpower, desire, Creation, Manifestation

Negative: Trickery, Illusions, Out of Touch

High Priestess: The one of the In-between

Positive: Intuitive, Unconscious, Inner Voice

Negative: repressed feelings, lost inner voice, lack of center

So, I know this episode has aired already, but it’s worth going over, if only we have an established base.

The sister’s at the garden of Death are probably dead. Marc realizes this, even if Olala doesn’t/can’t consider it - which, give her a break, she’s apparently like, 9 - and this thus has led Marc to try and figure out where to put her to hide, if only to buy more time.

In terms of representation, I’m sure Sister Teele(Tile? Tealy? IDK how to spell her name, going to call her Sister Mom) is(was) meant to represent the High Priestess, considering she’s meant to see between the spirits, and the should, will and could happen.

I’m less sure if Marc’s meant to represent the Magician or if the Kite is, simply because they use different tool sets of mechanical vs. magical.

(Side-note, but I do think it’s interesting that their titles as ‘creatures’ - with Marc being a Salamander and The Kite being The Kite - seem to signal to others that they are in some way associated with magic. Even though Marc’s only NOW gotten personally involved with Magic through Arum, he has known Rilla, who’s an exile for ‘magic’, even though she’s been unexiled through new laws, in comparison to the Kite, who’s very clearly a Witch. I absolutely do think we’re about to get some foiling regarding The Kite and The Salamander.)

((Also, semi-unrelated, regarding the bird to the East turning people into stone, and The Kite being disappointed that that isn’t true and that “it’s just an old wive’s tale” - if that ISN’T CLEARLY FORESHADOWING the OPPOSITE to become true hopefully proven by someone from the East I will eat my goddamn pajamas.))

Here’s something I am sure of though; the more we see of the Kite on-screen, the more I’m sure that all 20 of the Sisters are dead.

I’d be more worried if Sister Telay was alive, however, because that means The Kite- whoever he is- is going to be using her to some end. The same as with the rest of them, if they’re still alive.

According to some research, however, The Kite apparently references a bird of prey- a hunter, which, y’know, explains the Axe of Wilds. Four of Wastes may be where Marc tries to take Olala, but then, they will encounter the Kite?

Really, it depends on where Marc decides to take her.

Something that continuing to worry me however, is the Death card that keeps popping up- because that is the card of Death, make no mistake - is a signal that something is going to end.

However, the Death card originally showed up when Olala asked what is her place in the universe; the Death card is in reference to /her/. The fact that, even now, when she has clearly escaped it (at least for the moment), doesn’t bond well for her survival overall.

Here’s something interesting, regarding the Fool card of our deck. It’s not necessarily a numbered card- it can show up anywhere in the deck, in theory. In some decks, it shows up at the beginning; other times, it shows up after the World card, signalling the start of a new beginning, even after the end.

Let that sink in. Let also sink in the knowledge that Olala- both in title, in name, and in her personality - is meant to be our “Fool”.

So I mean, I’m not saying Olala’s going to end up becoming a sacrifice to renew some cycle, but it’s not outside of the realm of possibility either. The universe CLEARLY has something in mind for her, something involving death (or if nothing else an ending) and thus a new beginning, but what it is, is hard to say at this point.

It is absolutely easy to say at this point, however, is that if Olala permanently dies, everyone’s going to ****ing riot.

2- The Empress, The Emperor, and the Hierophant

Empress: The Female Authority

Positive: Motherhood, Fertility, Nature

Negative: Dependence, Smothering, Emptiness, Nosiness

Emperor: The Male Authority

Positive: Fatherhood, Authority, Structure, Control

Negative: Tyranny, Rigidity, Coldness

Hierophant: The Core Society

Positive: Tradition, Conformity, Morality, Ethics

Negative: Rebellion, Subversiveness, New Approaches

Here we get more into authority figures of the Arcana, and thus the society itself; the base of foundations that hold up any society. The mother, the father, and the society that binds us. Something I do believe we’re going to be seeing in this of episode are the parents of some of our Crew, as well as folks who have influenced them- like in Damien’s and Angelo’s Case, Sir Absolom, their mentor of knighthood.

If this isn’t the episode we meet Sir Absolom, I’ll be surprised. I’m also hoping that this is the episode where we find out how Marc got his Knighthood title, and whether Talfryn is a knight as well, since...well, given what we know about Marc’s fears regarding Tal leaving, and Tal worried about not being wanted in addition to knowing he doesn’t want to be a knight, I’m more than a touch worried about their relationship.

We should be able to explore - for whatever reason - why the Citadel is struggling through a shortage. I don’t know whether it’s a drought or what have you, but they’re clearly going through something, and as much as Mira can read, if you’ve never gone through a shortage before, things get rough quickly. Given Queen Mira is most likely meant to represent the Empress, well, she’s likely experiencing the more negative connotations of the card at the moment. I doubt a new solution will come quickly, if at all, and we’re going to be left uneasy just like in the first episode.

Which is going to be interesting, especially considering the Second Citadel’s whole thing about ‘Unity’ and how it’s all about the community versus personal desires.

Now, there’s likely going to be a rebel force that forms, maybe to oppose the Queen, because if people are hungry and angry, they’ll listen to anyone with influence that will promise them some food and protection and guidance, if the one currently providing isn’t doing that good of a job; which then ties back to the Hierophant, the society at large

Now, the question becomes this: who’s going to represent the Emperor?

At first glance and thought, you think it’s going to be Sir Absolom, but while I think there’s some basis for it, I actually think it’s going to be Damien’s Father. After all, when things are hard, people go to church and listen to the priest. And Damien’s Father is a noted missionary, and if nothing else, a FIRM believer in the Saints and their messages. If there isn’t some conflict between Damien and his Father regarding the messages of the Saints, especially when it comes to monsters, I will eat my pajamas.

So, to sum up: The episode is going to deal with authority figures, and them dealing with the conflicts that come up as a result of this shortage, as well as the power conflicts between the Empress and Emperor, as well as the overall society at large; when people are hungry, they get angry, and start looking towards anyone that’ll promise change.

3 - The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength

Lovers: Those we value

Positive: Partnerships, Duality, Union

Negative: Loss of balance, one-sidedness, disharmony

The Chariot: Movement

Positive: Direction, Control, Willpower

Negative: Lack of control, Lack of Direction, aggression

Strength: What lies inside

Positive: Inner strength, Compassion, Focus

Negative: Self-Doubt, Weakness, Insecurity

Something to note about the Lovers card; it does represent the traditional meaning of Lovers, but also represents close relationships in general. Like a sibling/friendship bond, like Tal and Marc, or Marc and Rilla, or Sir Caroline and Angelo, or Sirs Damien and Angelo. However, this is going to be a Sir Caroline/Quanyii and a Rilla/Damien/Arum episode for sure

Also, I know we’ve had that whole arc about Damien growing and maturing, but like. He’s still got a long way to go to being a better person, or if not a better person necessarily, then at least to try and recognize his flaws to be an even better person. As with Sir Angelo, Sir Caroline, Talfryn, Rilla, Arum - everyone’s got shit to work on.

The road to being a better person is recognizing flaws, and trying to improve, even if you fail a lot of the time.

Plus, Rilla and Damien, for all that they love and respect and prioritize each other, haven’t talked about what they want 1) for their marriage or 2) what they want their wedding to be like. Also, now there’s also Arum to consider, and what he wants from the relationship, is another added factor

It’s not a bad thing, it’s just another voice in the conversation; the bigger issue is that Rilla and Damien haven’t talked about it at all, so Arum’s just going to be- thrown into the ring as it were.

Which kind of sucks for Arum, considering he’s been I.D.’d as a hermit, by Helicoid “...then there are solitary beasts like that..(sounds of disgust)..Lizard and his House (The Hallowed Hall’s of Helicoid Part 2)” and Ernmark’s analysis (here).

I think we’re going to the inner strength of Talfryn and Marc come to something of a resolution regarding their differences, and Talfryn will start to figure out what he wants to do with his life.

I bet we’re going to see some stagnation in some characters, especially Sir Absolom, considering he really doesn’t like Marc.

In Summary: we’re going to get some resolution between Tal and Marc’s relationship, most likely a positive one, but a not so good one between Rilla/Damien/Arum, due to the Arcana of the next episode.

4- The Hermit, The Wheel of Fortune, Justice

The Hermit: The Distance

Positive: Contemplation, search for truth, Inner guidance

Negative: Loneliness, Isolation, Lost your way

The Wheel of Fortune: The Changing Luck and Wheel

Positive: Change, Cycles, Inevitable fate

Negative: No control, clinging to control, Bad Luck

Justice: Exactly what it says

Positive: Cause and Effect, Clarity, Truth

Negative: Dishonesty, Unaccountability, Unfairness

Hey.

Remember when I said Arum’s the Hermit? This is going to be an Arum focused episode, I can feel it. That being said, if Marc is worried about Arum and Rilla asks, Marc’s probably going to be tailing Arum, and so is Olala.

Remember, the major arcana both events and people, so chances are, Justice is likely to be Sir Caroline. Why she’s following him, i can’t be sure, but clearly, a changing fortune and justice is occurring for Arum. Or something.

I’m going to go out on a limb here, and say that the Kite is a part of the changing fortune, and Olala’s going to get captured by him? It’s a little hard to say at this point what else the changing fortune is.

Still thinking about Olala and the Death card, I worry a little more regarding the ‘inevitable fate’ part of the Wheel of Fortune, especially since (again) Olala is specifically I.D.’d with Death.

In Short: This is going to be an Arum centric/focused episode. Marc will likely be nosy and follow, and because of Sir Caroline or something happening, Olala will fall into The Kite’s greedy, greedy and SUPER murderous hands. Clearly has something in mind for Olala, and boy, that worries me more than anything else.

~~~

That’s it for part 1, will put link to Part 2 [Here], when it’s finished.

#bleepbloo theories #second citadel meta #second citadel spoilers #second citadel

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manifestoonmoralmanlove · 5 years

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Gormless Ch. 3 - Dimple Objection!

A well-meaning friend gave me a book series that is hilariously bad. The first book was Souless and my riffs were entitled brainless. This second book is entitled Changless and these riff are then gormless.

I mean to say I have entitled them gormless! Not that my riffs are dumb, and the effort I spend on them stupid since I’m the only one who enjoys them. HAHA!

The story is SUPPOSED TO be about how a badass lady wearing a rad-looking carriage dress hits baddies with her umbrella and bangs her hot werewolf husband. In reality it’s mostly poor attempts at being witty, flirty, and superior.

For the last book check out the brainless tag.

If you want the TL;DR version but want to read these new riffs anyway?

This story is set in supernatural Victorian steampunk England. Alexia is our NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS protag. She is a soulless, which means she’s able to negate the abilities of vampires and werewolves by touching them. She’s recently married a big oaf, named Lord Connel Maccon. He’s the manchild in charge of the supernatural police with a zillion dollars and he’s totes super hot too ok. Their relationship is mostly arguments about how Maccon can’t tell her fucking anything. Alexia has also recently become head of ~Soulless affairs~ in Queen Victoria’s government. She has a dumb friend named Ivy, a gay vampire friend named Akeldama, a family who’s evil because they do the same shit as her but while being blonde, and most importantly Alexia is better than everyone cause…cause.

Last time on Gormless:

There’s some mysterious force that’s turning the Vampires and werewolves into humans. Alexia is in charge of figuring out that deal, she is doing a bad job. Her husband is in charge of the Supernatrual Police (BUR) so he’s probably going to have to do something too. Maybe.

There’s a dude named Channing who wants to punch and have sex with Alexia, and Ivy is getting married to some rich slub, even though she’s in wub with Maccon’s servant Tunstell.

Chapter 3 - Dimple Objection

So Aleixa and her husband Connal Maccon stir post-colitis where they actually do some talking but with little of that bullshit sparring they do. I WILL TAKE CLUNKY EXPOSITION OVER SNIPPY FLIRTING ANY DAY! I could do without Maccon referring to Alexia as “Woman” and “Wife” but I think that’s just something that irrationally bugs me. They get to talking about the humanization problem. Maccon talks about how werewolves used to rule Egypt but then a ~plague~ came through that killed most of them, and that this plague still shows up now and again.

Alexia admits that during her research, she didn’t bother to read any of her father’s books on Egypt because Greek and Roman books are much more interesting to her.

Damn I wish I could read books I found cool for my job, instead of actual relevant research.

In fact it borders on racist when she says direct quote:

“Alexia had always been more interested in the classical world. There was something unfortunately fierce and passionate about the Nile and its environs. She was much too practical for Arabic with its flowery scrawl when Latin, with all its mathematic precision, made for such an attractive alternative.”

Yeah Egypt, one of the birthplaces of tedious bureaucracy is way fiercer than the Greek city states like yanno Sparta constantly waging war with one another. Or like the Romans who like never fought nobody. Also Latin ALWAYS MAKES SENSE as a language and the Arabic people never were very math-orientated, R16H7?

Stop pretending you know anything about actual history you bigoted dolt!

So they fuck again in another fade to black sequence.

Alexia wakes up again to find that her husband is gone without saying anything AGAIN! He was engaging in this bullshit writing technique before you married him girl, I don’t know whats to tells ya.

She goes down for supper (she lives on a nightly schedule cause werewolves I guess) and some of Maccon’s brigade is there. She has to squeeze and squeeze to get anything out of Lyall, and Lyall acts like it’s SUCH A BOTHER to have to explain to Alexia that her husband pissed off to some other vague place on some urgent matters. He just says southern Scotland and gives no context and that’s fine? Alexia thinks it has to do with her bringing up that Alpha werewolf who died mysteriously. So now we have to have oh so sextacular Channing pout that Maccon’s not there. And every single time he’s brought up they have to shoehorn in some horseshit about how he’s just the most fuckable. I.E

“Major Channing’s pretty mouth twisted at that.”

Though at some point Major Channing says the ~incident with the boat~ that brought them back is that apparently AROUND EGYPT his whole crew had their supernatural abilities sapped for several days, and while their powers returned they came back anyway cause that shit shady.

Oh golly, if only Alexia had questioned any single fucking military person BESIDES THE FUCKING HEAD OF IT she would have found that out. GREAT!

After dinner she’s fussing with her hair and one of Maccon’s servant ghosts shows up. The ghost says that her husband left her a message to go to a hat shop in London cause like it’ll advance the plot nudge nudge.

Like what’s the fucking point of having everything so infuriatingly vague? There better be a serious plot point later about a person working at their house who’s a traitor and that’s why they can’t fucking tell any whole truths to one another. But I highly doubt that’s going to be the case.

Since it’s a hat shop, and her friend Ivy always wears ugly hats, she decides to invite her friend out hat shopping.

Ivy is moping that she didn’t get enough visitors congratulating her on her engagement. Only 25 people came over! The other girl had 27 visitors! This is framed as Ivy being an irritating attention whore. But like Alexia you can’t fucking judge that shit. In the last book outright stated that your wedding was a masterpiece of social engineering, and that your dress changed the course of English fashion. It might as well ended with ALL THE HOT WEREWOLF MEN ALSO PROPOSED TO HER ON HER WEDDING, AND THEY HAD TO DIG A TRENCH TO REDIRECT ALL THE JEALOUSY TEARS FROM ALL THE LADIES WHO COULD JUST NEVER HOPE TO BE AS COOL AND HOT AND PERFECT AS HER! If you only had 25 visitors Alexia you would be throwing a tantrum instead of quietly pouting like Ivy. Therefore Ivy is a saint in comparison.

SIGH!

So they go out to the hat shop and just as Ivy is about to pick up the ugliest hat, they are interrupted by Madame LeFoux. I know this will somehow be ruined at some point but like I’m pretty sure Madame LeFoux is...well me.

She’s described as a woman who dresses masculine, but does not hide her figure, her hair is brown and cut short and boyish, she has cute dimples when she smiles, but the most obvious tell is that Alexia describes her, “Probably the most beautiful female she had ever seen.”

(A gif of spongebob riding a seahorse, with a glamrous wig blowing behind him. The tagline reads, “Bitch, I’m flawless.”)

Okay, okay she doesn’t look exactly like me. She’s also supposed to have a small mouth, green eyes, and big old cheekbones and I don’t have those. Kudos for actually describing what the hot people look like in your story. So I suppose I’ll set aside my vanity, and simply consider this one the new and improved MacDougall until proven otherwise. I have one weird caveat to this. When she says that LeFoux has dimples she makes a special note that, “Normally Alexia objected to dimples, but they seemed to suit this woman.”

(Gif of a spit-take.)

I’m sorry but THE FUCK?

SURE THE DEFENDANT HAS A ROCK-HARD ALIBI, BUT THEY HAVE A PHYSICAL FEATURE TYPICALLY CONSIDERED CHARMING AND ADORABLE! I REST MY CASE!

Does she think they’re too ~PRECIOUS~ or something? WHO HAS A PROBLEM WITH DIMPLES!?

But, she doesn’t elaborate of course and it’s pretty obvious the author is into them with how frequently she brings them up. LeFoux tries to convince Ivy to pick out another hat, and Alexia notices there appears to be some kind of lever underneath the ugly hat that Ivy was eyeing up. There are other signs of like movable bookcases, and trapdoors and shit. So she kinda says this shit under the radar to LeFoux and LeFoux, under the radar confirms there’s something ELSE at this place. LeFoux also correctly guesses that she is speaking to, the one, the only, Lady Maccon.

And at that moment, BLAMO! AN EXPLOSION! A CLIFF-HANGER OH BOY!

Say something nice faps:

This book has like the 1st scene where Maccon and Alexia are like…humans with each other. They snuggle and don’t verbally spar. They just talk about exposition and work. Alexia makes a sassy comment about someone they mutually know and Maccon remarks that she’s great at improving his mood. Like a normal sweet couple!

Despite the author’s propensity for the sexy male leads to be temperamental idiots, she’s not above making fun of them and makes jokes at Channing’s expense.

We get some intrigue. I guess.

LeFoux is super-hot, and I actually think she won’t be directly demonized in order to intrigue the female readers who are less than 100% hetero. Like I kinda hope she doesn’t just hit on Alexia all the time, cause everybody does that anyway. Like I kinda want LeFoux to flirt with Ivy, who gets flummoxed but is into it.

#changeless #gormless #riffing

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hysterialevi · 5 years

Text

When the Devil Cries pt. 16

Fanfic summary: (NO SPOILERS IN THIS STORY) After arriving in Saint Denis, Arthur ends up falling in love with a seemingly innocent pianist, only to find himself in a battle with one of the most notorious outlaws to ever emerge from America. Now, between working for Dutch and robbing money for the gang, Arthur has to also protect the man he loves as the two of them try to find their freedom.

Pairing: Arthur Morgan/Male OC

Previous chapter

This story is also on AO3

From Arthur’s POV

CALIBAN’S SEAT, NEW HANOVER

Pain. Cold. Isolation.

These were the only things I could feel at the moment, and the only things that greeted me as I woke up in this rusty, old cabin.

I didn’t know where I was, or who had brought me here, but right now...all I cared about was gettin’ the hell out.

I had been in the hands of the enemy enough times to know when my life was in danger, and I definitely didn’t intend to get killed now. Especially not when Eddie was out there all by himself, and completely oblivious to what was happening.

I had to escape before whoever captured me found him too, and I needed to get him someplace safe.

...I just didn’t know where to start.

Struggling in my restraints, I tried wiggling around a bit, only to realize that I was hangin’ upside-down from a rickety ceiling and dangling in the middle of the room like a worm on a hook. I could hear distant voices chattering outside, and it seemed like I was bein’ held captive in some camp. That meant there was tons of people guarding me.

Shit.

I frantically glanced around the cabin, hurriedly searching for any possible way out. There wasn’t much fillin’ up the small building, and the only piece of furniture I could see was a slim table pushed up against one of the walls. It looked like there were a few tools laid out on its surface, but nothin’ sharp enough to cut me free. Besides, I was too far away from it to even attempt at grabbin’ one of them. Dammit. I’d have to find another solution.

Before I could start hatchin’ any ideas though, the flimsy door suddenly creaked open with a gentle thump as a gust of cold wind seeped through, chillin’ me to the bone.

The same man from before casually strolled inside as he lit a cigar, its soft orange glow barely lighting up his face in the dim atmosphere of the cabin as he approached me.

He gave me a toothy grin from behind the smoke, his cheek wrinkling due to the malicious smile.

“...Morning, sunshine.” He whispered.

I let out a pained groan in response, still a bit dazed from the bash to the head I received earlier.

“You again...?”

The man sighed apathetically. “I know...my face ain’t the most pleasant to wake up to. But show enough resistance, and soon,” he let out a puff of smoke, leaning closer to me, “...you’ll also be seein’ it in the mirror.”

I did my best to swerve away from my nameless captive, turning my head in the other direction.

“...Just get to the point,” I said. “What d’you want...?”

The man observed me for a second, tilting his head down at me as if I was some little kid.

“Answers, Mister Morgan. I want answers. And I hear...that you might have them.”

The rope dug even deeper into my ankles, causing me to let out a strained hiss.

“...Is that so?”

He smirked at me, his face now mere inches away from mine. “Well, I guess we’ll see...won’t we?”

The man took a few steps back and began nonchalantly pacing around the cabin, his one-eyed gaze never leaving me.

“...Does the name Theodore Bishop mean anythin’ to you?” He asked. “Or Eddie Ryan? He goes by both nowadays, more often the latter. You heard of him?”

I froze in shock.

Theodore Bishop? That was Eddie’s “old” name -- the identity we just spent the past month and a half tryin’ to run away from. If this man was askin’ him by that, that meant he was with Atticus Rose.

Shit. I couldn’t tell this bastard a single thing then, no matter how much pain he put me through. I had to keep Eddie safe.

I kept my lips shut tight and shook my head, pretending I didn’t know nothing about it.

“No.” I answered simply.

The man slowly removed the cigar from his lips, furrowing his brow in a skeptical manner.

“...You sure?”

He suddenly drilled the fiery tip of the cigar straight into my collarbone, causing me to let out an agonized yell as smoke rose from the blackened skin and a repulsive sizzling sound reached my ears.

My mind was shrieking at the moment. I couldn’t think through the excruciating pain, and the longer he kept the cigar in the place, the more I writhed and tensed up, powerless to do anything in my position.

He finally removed it after a minute, not even bothering to hide his amusement as his smile grew wider and I let out a deep, raspy breath of relief.

Goddamn this man. For his sake, I hoped I never broke free.

“Does that refresh your memory at all?” He questioned, throwing the cigar away.

I still refused to give in.

“...No.”

The man slipped his hands in his pockets. “You ain’t seen him?”

A frustrated sigh escaped me. “I don’t even know what he looks like...!”

“He’s a young man,” he described. “English. Black hair, green eyes. Works as a performer at the Râleur Theater in Saint Denis. You sure you haven’t seen him?”

I spoke through gritted teeth. “That’s what I said, ain’t it?”

His glare strengthened. “...It sure is.”

The man examined me for a while, his eye narrowing in thought as the gears turned in his head. I had to admit -- there weren’t many people out there who scared me, but this son-of-a-bitch goddamned terrified me.

There was just a certain air him that made me feel like I was playing a game. That all of this was solely for his personal amusement alone, and that he had only captured me so he could use me like some toy to be disposed of. But of course, he’d never say it. That would be too easy for this lunatic.

The man bent down slightly and took a closer look at me, his nose almost touching mine as he uttered one, final question.

“...You really have no idea who I’m talkin’ about, do you?”

He paused for a second, taking my stubborn silence as a confirmation.

“...Well then,” he finally said, backing off, “maybe you can take a good look at him for yourself...once he comes to rescue you.”

My heart began hammering in my chest at that, and the man chuckled at the sight of my horrified expression, his face plastered with a malevolent sense of entertainment.

He knew. This crazy bastard already knew where Eddie was.

This weren’t no interrogation. This was a goddamned trap.

And I was the bait.

The man sauntered away once he knew it had clicked in my head and made his way out the cabin, callin’ for his “associate” now that he was done toying with me as I was left to my own devices.

“Colm!” He barked, swinging the door open. “This fool’s all yours. Do what you want with him -- I don’t care. Just make sure you don’t kill him. In the meantime, I’ll keep watch. I’m sure Mister Bishop will be showin’ up soon, and we wouldn’t wanna disappoint him...” the man grinned at me, “would we?”

Colm wandered inside along with a few other O’Driscolls, all of them cracking their knuckles and preparing for a fight. Only -- I wasn’t gonna be able to fight back.

My captive slithered through the doorway and glanced over his shoulder, saying one, last thing to me as his coat billowed in the powerful wind.

“Consider this retribution, Mister Morgan...for what you did to my assassins. And to Thatcher Middleton.”

From Eddie’s POV

CALIBAN’S SEAT

Sneaking around the camp under the pouring rain, I hurried my way behind one of the multiple shacks around the area, trying my absolute best to stay out of sight whilst I searched for Arthur.

There were loads of men guarding this place. Some of them appeared to be part of Rose’s gang, whilst the others were with someone else named Colm O’Driscoll. I didn’t know too much about him, or what his business here was, but based on what I’d heard his people say, there was some sort of feud between him and Dutch Van der Linde: Arthur’s boss.

That would explain why they helped Rodrick capture him.

As for Rodrick himself however, I had yet to see the bastard anywhere. Neither him nor Atticus were in sight, and there weren’t any clues suggesting to their presence at the camp. Though, I had no doubts Rodrick was watching me from afar, just waiting to take his shot whilst I scurried around like a mouse.

I’d have to hurry if I wanted to save Arthur. There was no mercy when it came to Atticus and his gang, and I could only imagine what they had in mind for him.

I just prayed I had the strength to rescue him.

Slipping away just as two O’Driscolls came in my direction, I took cover behind a nearby wall and flattened myself against the wood, eavesdropping on their conversation as they passed by.

“I can’t believe they finally caught the fucker,” one of them said. “Seems like ages we’ve been after the Van der Lindes.”

The other wasn’t so enthusiastic. “I dunno, man.”

The first man shrugged. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Well, it’s just...” he lowered his voice, “what if the boy doesn’t come alone? Bishop, or whatever his name is. What if he brings help? ...What if he gets Dutch? You know that man’ll raise hell if he learns we’ve taken Arthur.”

His friend rolled his eyes. “That’s the reason Colm teamed up with Kingsley, dumbass. So if he does bring help, we’ll have enough men to fend ‘em off. But I wouldn’t worry too much. Apparently, this boy ain’t even part o’ the gang. Just some kid who plays the piano for a living. Now, shut up and go keep watch. Rodrick thinks the boy’ll be here soon.”

The second man gave in, throwing his arms up out of defeat.

“Alright, fine. But you’re joining me later.”

Walking off, the O’Driscoll disappeared in the distance whilst his friend stayed in place, taking shelter from the heavy rain inside the shack I was hiding behind. Maybe now would be my chance to get some answers.

Pulling out my knife, I crouched down and snuck through the back door of the building, slightly pushing it ajar before completely creeping in.

The O’Driscoll was currently by himself, and had his back turned to me as he rearranged some of the supplies stored in here, including crates of dynamite, rifles, gun oil, and even moonshine. I guessed this was the shack where they kept all their valuables.

Waiting for the O’Driscoll to conclude his business, I tiptoed behind him after he finished stacking some boxes and swiftly wrapped a restrictive arm around his neck, covering his mouth before aiming the knife directly at his throat.

The man struggled for a moment, only to cease his movement when he noticed the blade threatening to slice him open.

“...Where is he?” I growled.

He blurted out a response. “W-What? Who...?!”

“The Van der Linde. Where are you keeping him?”

The man only stuttered more. “I-I dunno! I didn’t bring him here! He’s probably in one of the shacks!”

I clenched my jaw in annoyance. “Which one?”

“I really don’t know! M-Maybe in the cabin to the north of the camp? That’s where Colm usually takes most of our prisoners! Th-That’s all I know! I swear! Who the fuck even are you?!”

I tightened my hold on the knife, preparing to strike.

“Just some kid who plays the piano.”

Slamming the knife’s grip into his head, I knocked the O’Driscoll out and dragged his limp body behind a pile of crates, looting his double-barreled shotgun in the process. So far, no one else had detected me, and judging by the calm state of the camp, I assumed Arthur hadn’t attempted to escape yet. I still had some time to move, albeit not much. I’d have to think of something fast.

Interrupting my thoughts, the sudden sound of clamoring brought my attention to the shack’s tiny window, leading me to sneak over in order to see what was going on.

Just outside, I spotted Colm O’Driscoll and a handful of his men dragging a beaten Arthur to the center of the camp, probably hoping to use him as bait.

The man looked like he had been punched, burnt, cut, and I had no doubts he’d met Mister Kingsley already based on the multiple scars decorating his body.

I could feel my blood boiling. No matter how much he may have believed it, Arthur didn’t deserve this type of treatment. He was simply a good Samaritan who had been pulled into this mess because of me, and I was going to do everything within my power to make sure he got out of it.

I just didn’t know how. Originally, I had planned to slip Arthur out of the cabin they locked him in, but now he was in the middle of the camp. So not only was he out in the open, everyone could also see him. How the hell was I supposed to break him out now?

I desperately searched around the shack, hoping to find something I could use. I mean, I had a shotgun now, but that wasn’t going to anything against an entire gang. I needed something that could take out multiple people at once, and also keep their attention off Arthur in the process. If I gave them enough time to react, they’d kill him within a heartbeat. So whatever I did, it was going to have to take them by surprise.

My eyes suddenly landed on the crates of dynamite sitting in the corner, giving me an idea for a plan that I never thought I would have.

It was going to be tricky, and I’d have to be as quiet as a mouse, but if it meant Arthur could go back home...then it was worth it.

I forced myself to move away from my hiding spot, eager to get to work as I prepared my trap. Both Colm and Rodrick were going to regret ever putting Arthur’s life in danger -- but if things went according to plan today, they’d never attempt it again.

From Arthur’s POV

A LITTLE LATER

Throwing another punch at me, Colm pounded his fist against the bruises already growing on my skin as his men laughed in unison and I toppled into the muddy ground, only to be hoisted back up again into Colm’s grasp.

By now, my entire body was aching in severe pain, and the more these O’Driscolls beat me to a pulp, the less I believed I gonna survive the day.

Shit. What the hell was I gonna do?

No one in the gang knew where I was. Not Hosea, not Charles, and certainly not Dutch. As far as they was concerned, Eddie and I were still runnin’ around the country, hiding away from Atticus and his men. They had no idea that I’d been snatched by some maniac, and the only person I could think of who’d come to my rescue was the last man I wanted to put in danger.

Goddammit...if Eddie showed up, I was gonna shoot that boy myself. It was too dangerous for him to come here, and I definitely didn’t want him to share my fate.

Jabbing his knuckles into my ribs, Colm wrapped an arm around my neck and pulled out his gun, almost impaling the barrel straight through my temple as he leaned in close.

“Look at the big, bad wolf now!” He taunted with a rough cackle. “Not so tough now, are you...Mister Morgan? Oh, if only good ol’ Dutch could see you...! How mad that man would be!”

I struggled in his hold, gritting my teeth. “Let me go, Colm...! We both got bigger problems to worry ‘bout. Trust me. You ain’t doin’ yourself no favors getting involved with these folk. They’re just gonna kill you once they get what they want! ...If I don’t kill you first, that is.”

He chuckled at that. “You? ...Kill me? You can hardly stand on your own, big man! You ain’t gonna be doing much ‘cept for dying. And when that happens...” Colm whispered in my ear, “...I'mma be laughing.”

Before the O’Driscoll could torment me any further, a lone set of footsteps suddenly approached us from the front, interrupting our “conversation” and causing us to look ahead.

Marchin’ straight towards the center of the camp under the cold, heavy rain, I spotted none other than Eddie himself as he trudged through the thick mud, armed with a shotgun and ready to go to war.

Christ Almighty...! What the hell was that fool doin’ here?!

The boy raised his shotgun at Colm and inched closer towards him, gulping in anxiety as droplets of rain and sweat rolled down his forehead.

“L-Let him go, O’Driscoll!” He demanded, his tone filled with fear. Or was it? Part of me suspected Eddie was pretendin’ to be the same, innocent boy he was when we first met as a way to gain the upper hand. Smart kid.

Colm took the bait and pressed the gun deeper into my temple, cocking his head in a patronizing manner. “...And if I don’t?”

Eddie stammered, holding his ground. “...Or I’ll...I’ll shoot you!”

That only made Colm’s nasty smile stretch wider and he let out a raspy laugh, his men howling along with him.

“This...” he mocked, gesturing towards Eddie as he smirked at me, “...this...is your knight in shinin’ armor...?! Some lil’ lost soul come across the pond, searching for his one, true love?”

He wiped away fake tears from his eye and shook his head in disbelief, afterwards pulling down the hammer on his gun.

“Hoo, I never knew you was such a hopeless romantic, Morgan. But I guess that’s why you still runnin’ with Dutch, ain’t it? You lot is always chasin’ some nonexistent treasure on the other side o’ the world. ...Heh. Guess you finally found yours. Wonder what would happen...if I put a bullet in him?”

“Leave the boy outta this, Colm!” I shouted, growing progressively more restless. “He ain’t got nothin’ to do with this, or Dutch! He’s just a goddamn kid!”

Colm laughed wickedly, grinning in Eddie’s direction.

“So? Kids die as well as adults, I’ve heard. ...Mind if I test that theory?”

I turned to the pianist, practically begging him to leave.

“Eddie, listen to me. Get the hell outta here! NOW! It ain’t worth it...! Go back home! Forget about me!”

The O’Driscoll frowned playfully, pouting in a condescending manner.

“Aww, would ya look at that? The big brute ain’t so emotionless, after all. Never would’ve guessed you was sweet on boys, Morgan. But I suppose it makes sense, seein’ as how no woman’s dumb enough to have you.”

Eddie ignored the snickers from his men and simply strengthened his hold on the shotgun, steadily aiming the barrel straight at Colm while I desperately tried to get his attention.

“Don’t do it!” I yelled over the merciless wind as the other O’Driscolls pointed their weapons at the boy. But he wasn’t listening.

“Eddie!” I exclaimed again, spitting rain from my mouth. “Listen to me, goddammit! Put the gun down...and run!”

Colm firmly held the revolver to my head, his finger inching over its trigger as he glared at the pianist with a daring look in his eyes.

“Yes, Eddie...” he goaded. “Be a good boy, and run...”

I could hear the sharp clicks of the other O’Driscolls cocking their guns, every single one of us now on the other end of a barrel.

By now, we was all soaked head-to-toe in water -- dirty and shiverin’ in the wind -- and the more rain that flooded through the land, the more Colm merely saw it as a chance to wash away the bloodshed that was about to commence.

I shut my eyes and braced myself for the storm that was about to come, knowing damn-well there was nothin’ I could say or do that would change Eddie’s mind.

The boy readied his weapon and took a deep breath, preparing to fire.

He rested his finger on the trigger.

“I don’t run.”

Takin’ us all by surprise, Eddie suddenly diverted his line of fire and shot through the window of a nearby shack, causing the entire building to explode into a thousand pieces as the impact shook the ground.

“What the hell?!” Colm blurted out, completely forgettin’ I was even there as he tried to keep his balance. But it weren’t over just yet.

Snaking its way across the grass, the fire followed a trail of oil that led it directly towards the next cabin, instantly igniting the dynamite that had been placed in that one as well as a distant sizzling sound reached our ears.

The cabin erupted into a colossal mass of flames with a thunderous boom, the chaos frightening the gang’s horses as they broke free from their hitching posts and galloped frantically all over the camp, trampling over O’Driscolls left and right.

“HOLY SHIT!” One of them screamed, watching helplessly as the rest of the camp was consumed by fire.

One after another, each of the cabins blew up in a line of explosions, the force sending shards of glass and broken splinters flyin’ all over the place while Colm’s men desperately tried to escape the mayhem, running around like headless chickens as they patted out the fire catching onto their clothes.

And as if that weren’t enough, Eddie used the remaining shell in his shotgun to blast away the O’Driscolls surrounding me, afterwards throwing the empty weapon away and whipping out his own revolvers before gunning down any survivors.

He fired a bullet into Colm’s arm, forcing the man to let me go as I slammed an elbow into his face, sending him straight into an unconscious state.

Eddie guided me to cover, giving me one of his revolvers while the two of us battled any remaining O’Driscolls.

“You’re outta your goddamn mind!” I exclaimed, diving behind a nearby wagon.

The pianist hid behind a tree, peeking out every once in a while to shoot down enemies as oncoming bullets grazed the side of the trunk.

“Maybe, but I’m alive.” Eddie reached over and allowed me to lean on him, sporadically firing behind us as he led me to his horse.

“Come on!” He urged, noticing my struggle. “Bullet’s not far from here. We can escape!”

I glanced back what looked like Hell’s gate raging in the middle of the camp, pushing myself to keep going.

“Oh, believe me...I have no intentions on staying...!”

Hauling me away from the battlefield, Eddie practically dragged me to his horse who was waiting just in the outskirts the camp, both of us growing more and more panicked as Colm’s men began to chase us.

Bullet neighed out of fear, only managing to stay somewhat calm due to the pianist’s presence as he helped me up.

“Oh, it’s good to see you, boy.” I greeted the regal animal, trying my best not to pass out while Eddie mounted up.

The musician took hold of the reins, not even bothering to look back before whipping them and commanding Bullet to gallop away from the scene.

“Hold on, we’re almost out of here!” He assured me.

Bolting across the Heartlands with the speed of lightning, Eddie and I ducked and swerved to avoid the numerous shots being fired at us as we sprinted through the relentless rain, digging up clumps of grass with how fast we was riding.

By now, there was probably a dozen O’Driscolls hunting us down, and if we didn’t find someplace to hide soon, they would catch up to us, too.

I shot a few sloppy bullets at them, unable to aim as well as usual as Eddie approached a railroad in the distance.

Even in my delirious state, I couldn’t help but notice the train that was powerin’ its way over the tracks, a bit too close for comfort. It looked like it would be long past us by the time we reached the railroad, and I didn’t much like our chances of makin’ it across...but of course, that didn’t stop Eddie.

I pointed to the train, alerting the boy.

“Eddie...! Up ahead!”

He soldiered on. “I see it. We have to beat the train if we want to get rid of these bastards!”

I darted my eyes around in a panicked manner, searching for another solution.

“You sure we can’t just shoot ‘em?!”

Eddie shook his head. “I’m out of ammo, and we don’t have enough left to take down that many men. That train is our only way out of here.”

I pulled the hammer down on my revolver, making the best of my last few shots.

“Aw, hell...!”

Rushing towards the tracks, Eddie snapped the reins with a sense of urgency as the train’s whistle blared in the distance, echoing throughout the entire area while Bullet raced as fast as he could. The O’Driscolls were slowly but surely gainin’ on us, and with every step we took, it seemed like they took two more. We would have to move a lot quicker than this if we had any hope of escaping.

Pushing his horse to pick up the pace, Eddie and I held our breaths as we approached the railroad, neither of us takin’ our eyes off the other side.

We couldn’t fall back now, and we definitely couldn’t let that goddamned train run us over. We had to get the hell outta here, and we had to reach safety. Makin’ it across was our only option.

Nearly leaping over the tracks, Eddie threw the three of us to the other side as the train practically grazed my back, barreling right in front of the O’Driscolls and preventing them from going any further while we rode to freedom.

There didn’t seem to be anymore enemies in sight, and judging by the lack of gunfire, I assumed they had given up in their pursuit.

We had escaped.

Finally slowing down to a halt once we were alone, Eddie and I took a moment to catch our breaths as we rested in the middle of nowhere, wonderin’ where the hell to go from here.

We couldn’t return to Saint Denis. That was where Colm and that other lunatic cornered me in the first place -- and Eddie too, no doubt. It was no longer safe for the boy to stay there, and I sure as hell had no plans to go back to that god-awful city anytime soon.

I just didn’t know what other choices we had.

Turning around in his saddle, Eddie gently brought his hands to my face and lifted my chin, staring intently into my eyes as he examined my wounds.

“Oh my God,” he whispered, his voice quiet due to distress, “Arthur, are you okay?”

I let out a strained groan, finding comfort in Eddie’s soft grasp.

“...You damn fool...!” I scolded. “...What the hell was you thinking? Comin’ after me like that. You coulda--” a sting of pain flashed throughout me, causing me to hiss. “You coulda gotten killed...!”

The boy ran his fingers through my hair, attempting to soothe me.

“You didn’t really expect me to just leave you behind, did you?”

I clutched my ribs, still sore from the beating Colm gave me. “No...and that’s why I was worried.”

Eddie caressed my cheeks, forcing me to look at him.

“I’m sorry, Arthur,” he apologized, “but I’ve saved myself enough times. When Atticus killed my father, I ran. When he sent Thatcher to kill my mother, I ran. And when my sister cried for help after she had been cornered by an assassin...” Eddie’s voice faltered, “...I ran.”

He regained composure, bringing his gaze back to me as he held back the tears that threatened to spill.

“I wasn’t going to run from you. And I’ll never run from anything again.”

I sighed at that, secretly admiring his determination but also afraid it would put him in danger again.

“You’ve certainly got some stones, Eddie...” I breathed out, barely able to speak coherently, “but sometimes, you gotta run. Whether you like it or not. You hear me...?”

Eddie nodded, though a bit reluctantly. “I hear you. Speaking of running though, where do we go from here? I can’t take you to Saint Denis. That’s where Rodrick found me. He left a note on my doorstep. Underneath your own hat, no less.”

The pianist reached into his saddlebag and pulled out my hat, returning it to me.

I took the accessory in hand, giving him a puzzled look. “Rodrick? Who’s that?”

“Rodrick Kingsley. He works for Atticus. That man is absolutely insane, Arthur. He relishes pain, and I’m sure you must’ve encountered him at least once during your stay at Colm’s camp.”

A bitter taste filled my mouth at the sound of his name. “Feller with the red hair and scar over his eye?”

“That’s him.” He confirmed. “But my question remains: do you have any idea where we could hide for the time being?”

I weighed our options, thinkin’ about any areas that would be secluded enough for us to stay.

I didn’t wanna camp out in the wilderness by ourselves again. After all, we had just seen how many men Atticus had at his disposal, and the last thing I wanted was to be ambushed out there when we was alone like at the Kamassa. The ideal location would be somewhere with a decent amount of people around us.

But...that would narrow it down to only one possibility.

Shit. I guessed we had no other choice.

Peering at the mountains over my shoulder, I squinted my eyes in the sun and pointed towards the southeast, informin’ Eddie on where to go.

“There’s only one place I can think of that’ll be relatively safe for us,” I explained. “But it ain’t gonna be easy gettin’ you in there.”

The pianist quirked a brow. “Why’s that?”

I hesitated before telling him, feelin’ like an absolute moron for giving away our hideout like this. It was a risky move, and the whole gang would probably end up tannin’ my hide for this, but there was nowhere else we could turn to.

I decided to go with it.

“It’s...it’s where the rest of my gang is holed up,” I explained. “It’s where Dutch is. A place...called Shady Belle.”

#red dead redemption #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 #arthur morgan #eddie ryan #arthur morgan x male oc #rdr2 fanfic #rdr2 story

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beeshavethrees · 6 years

Text

Virginia Might Just be for Lovers

READ IT ON AO3 HERE!

Hamilton Clipped AU

Chapter 4: Movie Night

Summary: When Thomas Jefferson wants to get away from the bustle of New York city, when his job is a little much, and when he just needs to relax, he heads down to Monticello. And, of course, Hamilton is dragged along with him, whether he likes it or not. But as much as Alexander hates to admit it, Virginia can be pretty nice…and so is the man he went there with.

A collection of interconnected shorts involving what Thomas and Alexander get up to during their down time in Virginia.

Despite their agreement, at first, nothing came of it. Thomas was working, after all, and had been interrupted with their conversation.

Quite frankly, Alexander felt a little bad about just sitting around while Thomas was left answering emails and typing up documents. He couldn’t confirm the same of Thomas, but the ezfi had been working since he was a preteen, starting as a simple clerk helping to balance records and eventually moving up to a trader. It’d helped flourish his love for economics, his skills for numbers and and ability to balance and understand how everything worked together.

The fact was that while Thomas was a business owner, he didn’t do the heavy lifting, so to speak. Alexander didn’t know if he’d simply inherited his fortune and business – although he got an impression that that was the case – but however he had fallen into his position, it left him at the very top. He had people working underneath him to do everything he needed, and while it was perfectly common to see an owned ezfi doing work for their owner, it was rarely anything major. There were outliers – some were treated as investments that worked for free and offered a number of other benefits. But in the case of an ezfi belonging to someone of Thomas’ position, that just “wasn’t how things were done.” He was supposed to be telling people what Jefferson wanted, appearing dignified and acting as an extension of his owner’s will – taking additional notes, offering insight, helping.

That was one thing – but the real issue at the moment was that Alexander just wasn’t used to not having anything to really dedicate his focus to. Hell, as a young teen he was already entrusted with practically being in charge of the trading company he worked for when the owner was away. He was always working for himself, saving his money, falling asleep with numbers floating in his mind. It was almost maddening to realize that he...didn’t need to preoccupy himself with such a thing any longer. There was a weight lifted away from him, he supposed, but the realization had been so gradual that it was hardly something on his mind.

He let out a long sigh, noticing Thomas glance up for a moment before going back to typing at his desk. Boredom was going to drive him insane, and while their little chat hadn’t suddenly made everything “good” with the human, it had at least made things somewhat less awkward. His fingers drifted to his armband, clicking on the screen and glancing over it. It was still difficult to get used to wearing it, considering it seemed to be a mostly “large American city” sort of thing instead of something he’d seen back in Saint Kitts and Nevis, but he was starting to grow a little fond of it.

Any texts? He knew there weren’t, since he would have gotten a notification, but he swiped onto his messaging system anyway. There weren’t many conversations – Lafayette, John, and Hercules were the only ones he texted often, although if he were honest, John’s was probably the most active. Thomas’ was less active than one might expect, for the simple reason that they were usually together and therefore had no reason to message each other. Alexander frowned, closing out again.

Maybe he could look up some interesting tourist destinations? Except Thomas probably already knew whatever there was about the general area, and what was good and what was bad. Thinking back to their ride down in the first place, he tried to trawl up memories of whatever Thomas had been going on about.

There was Lake Anna, if he was recalling right, although all that he’d heard Thomas say about it was that there was the warm side and the cold side, and if the air temperature dropped below “almost agonizingly warm” then he wasn’t setting foot in the cold side. Alexander, personally, thought that they had two very different opinions on both water and temperature. There was also the fun question of what sort of water-related activities Thomas was interested in, but he supposed they’d figure it out.

There was also the mountains to explore, although Alexander honestly wouldn’t mind just getting the opportunity to walk around the fields where they were. Ezfis had larger lungs and hearts, among their many other physical differences to humans, but they were also built to sprint long enough to get into the air, not to hike long distances up steep slopes. And, for all his doubts, so long as he told Thomas beforehand the human would probably be fine with them just looking around Monticello. Considering how painfully aware he was of Thomas’ obsession with nature and ecology, he wouldn’t be surprised if the human could name every tree on the grounds – he had noticed a worryingly spiky one out in the yard – and then would likely drag him to the nearest nature center afterwards in the name of “fun”. But Alexander did like to see him happy and having fun.

He ran a hand through his hair, scrolling through his apps list before finally just clicking the screen off once more and leaning back in his chair. He really didn’t want to bother the human, but there wasn’t a ton more for him to do. He didn’t have a laptop, only a desktop computer back in New York, so working on some random personal project was out of the question. And his tablet wasn’t charged, not to mention sitting upstairs still in his suitcase.

Another loud sigh, and this time Thomas just asked, “Do you want something?”

Alexander shrugged, sliding his feet over the hardwood floor. “Not really. I just don’t have anything to do.” That much was the truth.

The human hummed thoughtfully, turning to glance out the window. “Ah, right...sorry, I was hoping that we could do more while we were down here, but it’s already a little late for that today.” Well, he wasn’t wrong. “Er, here. Do you want to watch a movie? Or something. I, uh, don’t really watch TV all that often.”

The ezfi could only shrug. “Sure?”

Alexander wasn’t sure whether or not to regret allowing Thomas to choose a random movie based on scrolling through the titles alone. He couldn’t exactly call himself a connoisseur of the fine arts, but the film was...decidedly average, in the boring way that so many movies seemed to be. It was “romance”, supposedly, featuring the stereotypical cast – a svelte, pink winged female ezfi; a beautiful woman acting as the ezfi’s best friend; the broad-chested, sexy man; and his handsome-but-shy ezfi male wingman. Quite frankly, he would consider it progressive for the fact it even considered ezfi-human relationships – if it weren’t for the fact that as the film progressed, it became abundantly clear that the ezfi longing after the rich human was going to be rejected as she argued with her friend over him. He supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised; the outcome was clear as day by that point: the female would be shown “settling” for the male, and her friend would go on to be happy with the human.

He glowered at the screen, shifting his wings behind him. They were sitting on the couch, Alexander draping his wings over the armrest. Thomas had made a bowl of popcorn, setting it on the cushions beside him. Watching the events on screen – the two girls gossiping over the human sitting at the bar – made him snort. Even the setting was predictable, an “oceanfront” restaurant and bar that would probably show up later for an undoubtedly disastrous first date. But hey, what was more romantic than a beautiful, tropical beach?

But as much as he wanted to scoff at a close-minded producer’s choice to invalidate ezfis and humans dating, there was still that little voice in the back of his head that just said, maybe they’re right.

He brushed that voice aside. Circumstances could change, and his best friend from back in the Caribbean, practically more like family than his own brother, was a human. Humans could be terrible, but so could ezfis.

Thomas glanced over at his unamused noise, raising an eyebrow. “What’s that about?”

Alexander stalled. The real reason he was annoyed was really just because the movie was so...basic. A completely predictable plot, undermining the validity of romantic ezfi-human relationships and showing that a little female just wasn’t competent enough to properly woo a human. He couldn’t explain why something like that mattered so much to him, shaped him. For all his complaints of Thomas supposedly not knowing a thing about him, there were some things that he just couldn’t share.

So instead, he motioned to the background of the scene. “Aren’t they supposed to be in, like, southern Florida? Or at least somewhere in the tropics, in the east. The waitress’ wings are blue and purple. I mean, how stupid did the producers think their viewers are?”

He internally winced when he saw Thomas’ brow furrow as he looked back in a confused expression. Clearly, the ezfi had said the wrong thing. “So? I mean, I don’t know a ton about ezfi culture or anything, but it’s still a beach. I think blue feathers make sense.”

“No, you don’t…” Alexander let out a breath of air, shifting his position in discomfort. “They’re purple. Ezfi’s native to the east coast tropics don’t have purple wings. They have green wings, and a little blue. Like me. Blue and purple is basically only found naturally in the west coast. And that guy working as a bartender? He’s got red. Red!”

“But your flight feathers are red,” Thomas pointed out. Alexander twitched. “And you’re from somewhere in the Caribbean, aren’t you?”

Alexander gulped, then waved him off, motions too frantic to be convincing. “That’s not the same. The point is that clearly this was filmed in, like, the southwest coast or something, and so they got background actors from around there. Which makes sense, but it just pulls away your immersion, y’know?”

“I...I really don’t. I mean, yeah, I’ll notice an ezfi with fancier wings more, but I don’t know a lot about the colors. It seems really variable, so I never gave it much thought.” Alexander had to stifle a relieved sigh when Thomas didn’t push the matter of his red feathers any further, undoubtedly able to pick up his discomfort.

The ezfi shrugged. “Whatever. It doesn’t really matter to you anyway, New York has so many…” he paused, before spitting out, “immigrants...that it’s not as clear a divide. Probably why you didn’t even notice it.” They both knew most ezfis not born in New York were brought there against their will.

Thomas looked at him, and then glanced back to the movie, which had been progressing on as they talked. Alexander had hardly been paying attention to it, but considering its predictable plot, that wasn’t an issue. “Alright, what’s the real issue?”

“Huh?”

The human motioned to the screen. “Maybe it really is with the movie, or maybe it’s something else. But why are you actually worked up? ‘Cause I never pegged you to be the kind to whine and moan about little background details.”

“Honestly,” he began, and Thomas tipped his head slightly, eyes searching, “there’s a lot of things. So just drop it.”

The corner of the human’s mouth twitched, not in amusement, but almost pulling it into a frown. Fortunately, he didn’t push the matter, instead patting at the cushion beside him. “Alright, darlin’. Do you want some more popcorn? There’s still a little left.” His lips curled once more, this time into the faintest of smiles. “It’s an offer – what friends do.”

Alexander appreciated Thomas’ attempt but still shook his head, lying back as much as he could. Sitting like this on a couch wasn’t very comfortable, but he was trying to give Thomas enough space. The human was lanky, and despite Alexander’s small size, in combination with his wings it would surely be a little cramped. The human just shrugged, setting the popcorn bowl down on the ground, and they settled back in to return to the film.

Suddenly, Thomas’ arms were wrapped around him, and he let out a breathy squeak of alarm when the human pulled him away from the armrest. “What are you doing?” He made no move to resist as the human adjusted how he was sitting, nudging the ezfi to lay down. The end result was...interesting, to say the least, although Alexander couldn’t complain.

Thomas was relaxed, leaning into the crease of the couch and his own armrest, legs kicked up onto the cushions. His back was to the couch itself, something Alexander tended to avoid – putting pressure on his wings was rarely comfortable, and dragging them and laying on them would mess with his feathers. Instead, Alexander had been pulled onto his chest, stomach down. His wings were draped over them both, almost akin to an exotic blanket, although they weren’t quite long enough when folded up as they were to reach Thomas’ feet.

The human grinned. “Thought you didn’t look very comfortable there.” He shifted his legs, one hand trailing to rest on the ezfi’s back. When he saw the way Alexander shivered at the touch of his wingbands – it only brought up bad memories, and was still just as uncomfortable as ever – he moved his hand lower, to rest on the small of the ezfi’s back.

Alexander raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I’ve slept in your bed before-”

“Like a cat, curled up at my feet, or up against my arm,” Thomas purred, causing Alexander to flush before he cleared his throat and continued.

“Anyway. So, uh, this is fine with me if you’re good with it. But…” he found it within himself to manage a lopsided smile despite the redness creeping over his face. “If this is your idea of a pretend friendship, then I really don’t want to know what you do with Madison in your free time.” He knew that there was nothing between them. It seemed to have been made abundantly clear that they both wanted comfort some nights, and so long as their ministrations didn’t turn outright romantic they could relax together. He still couldn’t completely disregard his whirling thoughts.

There was a hacking noise as the human nearly choked at Alexander’s words. “For fuck’s sake Alex, he’s married!”

The ezfi chuckled deep in his throat, pushing himself up somewhat. “Damn, that just raises more questions than answers. So, like, were you in it more for the girl or the guy?”

Thomas started to snigger and fumbled for the remote, clicking off the television and pushing Alexander off of him, a slight redness spreading over his face and neck. The ezfi was gratified in knowing that he wasn’t the only one blushing, sitting back on his heels in a perched position while Thomas tried to get control of his laughter. “Uh, yeah, no. No.”

Fingers gripping into the backing of the couch to keep his balance, Alexander just shrugged, tension loose from his shoulders. “Hey, I’m not gon’ judge you if it’s the guy.”

Thomas pulled his legs back up from Alexander, slightly apart as he adjusted his position. “Er, well, firstly, no. To both being into ‘im – he’s a close friend, but nothin’ more – and, uh, to guys in general. I mean, I...I’ve only been with women, and have...thought about things the other way, but nothing’s ever actually...happened like that.”

Oh, shit. Alexander was not expecting to have this kind of conversation. He hadn’t ever really thought about Thomas’ sexuality, just another of many thoughts that he pushed to the back of his mind. Well, he had entertained the thought of Thomas liking men, but it’d just been an assumption that the human was straight, and was certainly rich enough to pay for an ezfi prostitute to satisfy his own needs. Not that he was homophobic – he fought back flashes of his own embarrassing, one night stands with guys from the bar, the evenings after his paydays when he had the money for drinks. Once he was old enough to get away with it, of course. Small island. “Oh.”

The human coughed, suddenly awkward. “Okay, well, if you want to keep watching the movie you can, but I really should get some other things sorted out right now. We’ll eat dinner in a bit, so long as your appetite wasn’t ruined by the popcorn.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Alexander replied, insistent. “Really. And over dinner, we can talk about what we want to do, since today was basically just a lazy day ‘round the house, yeah?” Caused by their argument, but one just the same.

Thomas scratched at the back of his head, looking away with a difficult-to-read expression on his face, still just as flustered as earlier. “Yeah.”

#jamilton #Hamilton Clipped AU #hamilton: an american musical #alexander hamilton #thomas jefferson

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amuletrebel · 6 years

Text

True Colors

So yeah, I wrote a little one-shot about Zack and Ray’s life after escaping and how they’re the best friends they always needed. And I wrote it to that song from Trolls, so what?

Zack groaned as he trudged his way back to the tiny apartment he called a home after working a brutal shift at his temporary job. That’s right; when Zack wasn’t out slashing throats, he was doing his best to make money. Luckily, the job didn’t require him to show his face to a whole bunch of people. And yes, he got an apartment. It wasn’t exactly the best idea to sleep on the streets given his new…circumstance. That circumstance happened to be curled up on his—no, their—couch, breathing softly as she slept while the chatter of the television acted as white noise.

The bandaged man shook his head with a chuckle. Ray always tried to stay up for his return, whenever that was. But most of the time she failed and ended up in the exact same position she was now. Zack quietly made his way over at sat on the end of the couch that wasn’t occupied and stared at the blonde-haired girl. Well, she was more of a teen now, considering it had been four years since he hauled her ass out of that mental institution and they’ve been on the run together.

How could he possibly forget that day? He busted opened a heavily barred window and risked serious injury just to make good on their promise. But…there was more reason than a promise to him. Ray, however strange their initial partnership was, became an important part of his life. She became someone he felt comfortable leaning on. When she was close to death, he actually felt lost, with no idea how to go on if she suddenly disappeared from his life and it wasn’t by his hand. In the past, he could only rely on himself. But after meeting Ray and learning more about her, he actually had something he wanted to protect. He had someone he’d throw himself in front of a bullet for; someone whose life he’d chose over his own.

Just remembering Ray’s past pissed him off. She was a broken girl who came from an even more broken home. He didn’t completely understand the need to make something your own, but he could get the gist of it now. Yes, he was slightly disturbed by the fact someone as harmless-looking as Ray killed and sewed up her own parents, but he couldn’t judge her or even blame her. He was a serial killer wanted to 38 states and counting for god sake! But seeing a different side of Ray, however damaged and crazy, strangely made him feel closer to her. He also felt a need to hold her and tell her those pieces of shit never deserved a smart, creative, and determined kid like her.

Zack always said he didn’t like liars, but he couldn’t fault Ray for what happened. The old preacher told him she asked to have her memories sealed up, so she could die the way she was before she ever took the life of another living thing. Ray claimed she had lied to him the entire time, and that was vaguely correct. But it was also wrong. The Ray he met and the Ray he confronted at the end were two sides of the same coin. Her true colors revealed a broken and scared little girl who just wanted someone to tuck her in at night and scare away the monsters under the bed; someone she could come to with questions without getting slapped and scolded; someone she could put her complete trust in. Despite her insistence that he was her God, Zack became that person to her. He cut down everyone that tried to bring her harm and protected her from his own demons. And he was fine with that, just as long as she saw him as just Zack. She may have thought he hated her for supposedly lying, but he realized her could never hate her. Her true colors were beautiful and he’d do anything to keep them from dimming out ever again.

The dark-haired male carefully picked the blonde up and carried her to the bedroom. He laid her in bed and pulled the covers over her, then proceeded to lay on top of the covers and turn his back to her. “Good night, Ray,” he mumbled before closing his eyes to sleep. It was rare for him not to have nightmares, and this night proved to be one of those. It was a memory of that very night the world seemed to spin right-side up again.

Zack laughed as he hauled Ray over his shoulder after she eagerly took his hand, jumping out the window and making a run for it. Sirens blared in alarm at the institution, signaling Rachel’s disappearance and possible kidnapping. But she wasn’t kidnapped. She left of her own accord, with someone she ironically trusted with her very existence.

“Zack,” she whispered, like a prayer, tears streaming down her cheeks, “please kill me…”

“Then stop your blubbering and smile!” Zack immediately responded.

But there was no harsh bite to those words. His words filled her with joy; something she hadn’t felt in such a long time. It was at that moment she realized how much she come to care for the person she asked to be her killer. Her wasn’t her god, but he was her friend. And that alone meant everything to her.

The two ran far from the facility, using the forest preserve nearby to hide amongst the foliage and escape. Fire burned in their lungs and blood rushed to their brains. But the pain was numbed by the exhilaration they both felt. Zack and Rachel had broken out of what was supposed to be their fates. Zack was supposed to be executed, and Rachel was supposed to waste the rest of her life away in a mental facility, praying for a death that wouldn’t come soon. They were survivors now.

“I want…to add something…to our promise,” Rachel said between heavy pants as they finally stopped, the cops far off their trail.

“And…what’s that?” Zack struggled out, bending over to catch his breath despite having far more stamina.

“Before you kill me, I want one final experience.” Rachel looked up at him with her ocean eyes, staring at him as she finally smiled a happy smile. “I want to spend at least one happy day with a friend.” Her gaze didn’t waver, but the killer blinked and pointed to himself for confirmation, which he received when she nodded.

Zack started chuckling under it became a full belly laugh. “Ya know, that doesn’t sound too bad. Alright, Ray. Ya got a deal!”

Rachel softly stirred, opening her eyes and taking in the scene around her. She wasn’t in the living room anymore. Now was she one the couch. The warm body next to hers was proof of that. She could only see the back of Zack’s usual hoodie, which he liked to wear around the apartment because it was comfy. The young woman scooted closer, hearing his even breathing, and curled up against his back.

To be honest, she never expected this scenario to play out the way it did. When she first imagined her and Zack being outside, she expected him to jump for joy at being out of that “murder hole,” as he put it, and finally give her the sweet release of death. But those images started to chance as time went on. She still imagined him killing her, but there was more weight to it than that. She gained someone that wanted her in both life and death. When she initially made her request to spend a day with him, she expected to be killed just as it ended. But days turned to months and months to a year. And even if she wanted to live another day with Zack, he had still promised to kill her. That remained unchanged. But there were times she would picture what he’d be like after she died. Would he be sad for her? Would he go on with life as usual? Either way, she wanted him to live, even if she was gone. She didn’t want the police to catch and kill him as soon as he killed her. She wanted her death to be just a little more special than the others.

Rachel leaned over and slightly hovered over Zack, getting a good look at his sleeping face. She had a lot of time to assess who he was and she like what she saw. He wasn’t the kind of person who built up walls, either purposefully or subconsciously. He was brutally honest and brash, but there were times he could be kind and gentle. He could be encouraging in his own Zack way. He saved her from her own darkness.

Zack’s true colors burned bright like a wildfire. A monster could never have that kind of light. He wasn’t a monster like everyone claimed him to be. He was just…Zack. Her was Zack, her very important person. He was also a kid at heart. He never really had the chance to properly grow up from what he told her about his life at the illegal orphanage. But an experience anyone would except to dim the fire in one’s soul only made his burn brighter. He risked his own life for hers, because he didn’t want to kill her and make himself a liar in the process. He acted out of instinct, without thinking, but sometimes it ended with both of them laughing. Zack was one colorful mess, but she needed someone like him in her life.

“Ray…?” the elder of the two grumbled in a sleepy tone.

“Sorry,” the younger whispered, leaning back onto her side of the bed, “Did I wake you?”

“Yeah,” Zack muttered, not even bothering to sugarcoat it, “but it’s fine. Ya need anything?” He sat up on his elbow, waiting for her to say something.

“Can I…Can I ask you something?” she timidly asked.

“Go for it.”

“Am I being selfish again?” Rachel averted her gaze, her blonde locks her hiding her eyes. Her hands balled into fists atop her knees.

Zack only groaned and let his head fall back onto the cheap feather pillow. “We’ve been over this, Ray! You’re human. You can be selfish sometimes. If you weren’t, then you’re either a crusty-ass saint or a damn vegetable.”

“But…even though I want you to kill me…I want to live again…” Tears formed in Rachel’s eyes, but she furiously tried to wipe them away. “You made a promise…to kill me… I don’t want you to be a liar! But you…you make me want to live again… And I know I don’t deserve that!”

She suddenly gasped when she felt herself being pulled down. She found herself trapped in Zack’s embrace, one arm holding her close while her head was against his chest.

“It’s fine, Ray,” the bandaged man softly spoke. “After all the crap you were put through by those shit-stains that called themselves your parents, I think yer too hard on yourself. Ya wanna live? Fine. When yer ready to die, I’ll be right here with ya.” He shifted slightly but kept his hold on her. “I…I don’t mind. I never cared—never had to care—about some other goddamn brat before. It was always survival first. But…then you came along. Ya didn’t think of me as a monster or a tool… Ya just needed me for what I was. And now… Now I really care about ya. So, don’t die on me just yet…”

Her eyes widened, never expecting Zack to say so much, especially about her. “One more thing,” she whispered.

“Yer still not do?” he replied in a snarky tone, causing his companion to smile softly.

“Yes,” Rachel confirmed, tucking her arm under Zack and laying against him. “I’m glad I met you, Zack. You’re…my best friend.”

Zack stiffened, the skin under his bandaged turning red. A few seconds passed before he eventually relaxed and closed his eyes again. “Me too, Ray. Thanks for…being my best friend…”

#angels of death #satsuriku no tenshi #angels of slaughter #fanfic #story time #I just love these two!#I think they'd be friendship goals #in what they do together anyway

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jadehqknb · 7 years

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It's Lana! I came up with one request so far, it's fairly simple. Could I see either headcanons or an imagine of Tsukishima and Kageyama falling in love with their demigod! s/o? (Might be back later ;))

I approached these from the position that the boys don’tknow the girls are demi-gods. Once again, seeded by Admin Red, thank you!

Tsukishima and daughter of Minerva (Roman goddess of wisdomand strategic warfare, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy)

From the moment they first meet, Tsukishima is on his guard.She’s way too informed about their opponents for him not to be. Sure, there’ssuch a thing as scouting but she takes it to a whole new level. It isn’t thathe or the other crows don’t appreciate it but he can’t help but be skeptical asto how she acquires her information. And it’s not as though he thinks himself asaint or anything but aren’t there limits to what a person will do to gainthe upper hand? Especially in regard to something as simple as a club?

“Just how do you know all this stuff?” he asks her one dayafter practice. He’s waited until everyone else has left, hoping she’ll tellhim the truth if it’s just the two of them.

“Women’s intuition,” she chirps, continuing to pick up thevolleyballs surrounding them.

He pulls the one from her hand, grabbing her wrist andmaking her look at him. “And my intuition is screaming, bullshit.”

“Why do you care?” she snaps, wrenching away from his hold.The question catches him off guard. Why does he care? Shouldn’t he just behappy to have the information, no matter the method of its obtainment? But thedark considerations he’s had fliting about in his brain won’t allow him to besatisfied and it’s in this moment he realizes he cares not because of morality,but because of jealousy.

She startles him with her next words, seemingly able to readhis mind. “By the way, I’m insulted that you think so lowly of me Tsukishima-kun,I’m not a whore.” Her tone is solid, not a trace of guilt or untruth to befound. “I just happen to be exceptionally skilled in the art of strategicwarfare.”

“Warfare?” he questions, unable to keep incredulity out ofhis tone. “We’re playing volleyball, not marching onto the battlefield!”

“Now that is somemighty fine bullshit,” she spats whirling on her heel and getting right in hisface. “You boys are no different in your quest for victory than my mother’stroops were! Thankfully you don’t kill each other, just the ball!” The fire inher eyes lights something deep in the pit of Tsukishima’s stomach and before heknows it, his arms are around her waist, hefting her into a strong embrace. Hereyes are wide at his actions and he barely remembers to breathe. “Tsukishima-kun,let me go,” she orders but her voice is soft.

He swallows once, releasing her but just as she turns to goback to her task he can’t stop from grabbing her hand. “Don’t…don’t go,” hemumbles, “I…I’m sorry.” She turns, gaze meeting his again, eyes full ofsurprise. “There…there’s something different about you and I just…” he trailsoff, irritated that she can make him as brainless as Kageyama.

“You what?” she asks quietly, taking a step towards him.

He touches her cheek, his own heating up as his lips formthe words, “I…I like you.”

“Funny way of showing it,” she chides but there’s a playfulglint in her eyes now. He frowns but his eyebrows turn upwards when she reacheson tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “I like you too, you salty dumbass.”

Kageyama and daughter of Apollo (recognized as a god ofmusic, truth and prophecy, healing, the sun and light, plague, poetry, and more)[Aged up to college age so it makes more sense for her to be in a medicalprofession. Also, this ended up just being the meet cute rather than the actualfall in love part]

His first encounter with her is less than preferred as he happensto be bleeding profusely from his nose thanks to an errant serve from Hinata.Kageyama has enough trouble dealing with girls as it is but to have one sobeautiful and kind fluttering about taking care of him is almost too much forthe nervous blueberry despite his transition into adulthood.

“Just sit tight, I’ll be back in a jiff,” she says sweetly,hurrying from the room.

Kageyama sighs, tilting his head back to hopefully stem theflow of crimson. When it finally seems to slow down, he resumes a neutralposition, eyes meeting the mirror and he winces at the sight he makes. Hisshirt looks like a costume piece for a slash horror film. Grumbling aboutkilling Hinata, he stands, whipping the stained material over his head andmakes way to the sink.

From behind, he hears a gasp and the clatter of items hittingthe floor. Turning, his face flushes red all the way to his ears but his embarrassmentis momentarily forgotten when he sees that hernose is bleeding now.

“Are these contagious?” he asks loudly, horrified to thinkof the exposure his teammates had to him.

She blinks, confused by his question until a soft plunk against the tile floor draws hereyes away from the smooth skin and defined muscular lines of the male beforeher downward. Eyes widening in dismay, she covers her nose quickly, rushing outof the room to gather new clean supplies since those she’s brought are now onthe floor.

Using her minimal healing powers, she quickly takes care ofher own issue before heading back to the exam room where she finds Kageyamaseated, still shirtless, on the table.

“Are you ok? Should I get another attendant? Do I need to bequarantined?” he asks, voice rising in his panic of not knowing what’s wrongwith him.

She can’t help giggling which further confuses him but thetension in his chest is released when she shakes her head in the negative. “No,Kageyama-kun, there’s no need. I apologize for the mishap. Here, let me take alook,” she goes on, gently examining his nose. He winces but otherwise staysstill. “You’re in luck, it’s not broken,” she confirms, “but there will be bruising,and you’ll have to be extra careful with any strain.”

He sighs in relief, hand on the back of his head. “That’s good,thanks…”

“_______,” she supplies with a smile. A couple quickscribbles of writing provides him with a prescription for strong pain killers. “Iknow you’re a volleyball junkie,” she teases, “so this stuff won’t put you tosleep.”

“Thanks again,” he says and grabs his soiled shirt.

“You know, hydrogen peroxide may help get that stain out,but it may be better just to trash the thing entirely,” she offers.

“Yeah,” he grumbles, shucking it into the trash bin.

“So,” she goes on, taking out another piece of paper andhanding it to him, “if you feel like getting a woman’s input, give me a call.”

Kageyama stutters, blush growing on his cheeks, but hesomehow manages to put one foot in front of the other to exit her exam room,though his eyes remain on the number scrawled in hasty writing. Taking out hisphone, he enters it before typing out a text.

In the student clinic, the chime of her phone draws ________’sattention, and the text upon it makes her smile.

Does tomorrow nightwork? - Kageyama

#supernatural au #kageyama #tsukishima #sfw #imagine #haiykuties

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