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#it also serves as a reminder to give more stories more chances
xx-thedarklord-xx · 3 months
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One of my favorite things is when you almost skip a story for whatever reason, but you change your mind and read it, just for that story to then become one of the best things you’ve ever read
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chrollohearttags · 5 months
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DOLL FACE • chrollo lucifer
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synopsis: in which you become chrollo’s newest obsession with no chance of him ever letting you go.
content + themes: yandere, drug lord!chrollo, black!fem reader, reader is an escort, mirror sex, porn without plot, rough sex, spit kink, dacryphilia, prone bone, heavy breeding, unprotected sex, dark themes, drug use (consensual), read at your own risk, short drabble
word count: 0.8K
📝: just a little something/rehashing from a previous story I wrote for a while ago. May have to revisit this someday. Shoutout to @lostgxrlblog for reminding me of this! Should also go without saying but minors are not welcomed!!
───✱*.。:。✱*.:。✧*.。✰───────✱*.。:。✱*.:。✧*.。✰────
leather pumps with bottoms painted in red, pointed to the ceiling…
the scent of bourbon and nicotine permeating throughout the air along with the smell of sex..
strips of cocaine lined up on a shard of glass..
sounds of rampant thumping and loud cries filled the room..
it was a sight or rather, a very lucid reality that you had been experiencing for quite some time now. A pleasurable fantasy fulfilled by none other than the man who had placed you in this situation in the first place. Face down in the plush cushion of a hotel bed mattress as he ruts his hips into the plumpness of your ass. Watching it ripple each time he peered down and thrusted in. Thumbs pressed into the visible dimples on your back..it was one of the many admirable features he loved about you. Honestly, he could ramble for hours on end about how beautiful, soft and sexy you were. How he loved you dearly..and you were the most precious thing in his life. So much so, he made love to you as if it would be his last. Vigorously pounding you into the bed; causing it to vibrate at the sturdy seams.
“Yesss..! Just like that, doll face. Look up..look at your pretty fucking face in the mirror.”
a backhanded yet endearing pet named he’d so affectionately adorned you with once you became his employee and lover. Truth be told, the former was not of your own volition. It had been a year since you’d become the proverbial ‘bottom bitch’ to the illustrious crime lord, Chrollo Lucifer. His top escort and appointed leader to all the other sex workers who served under him. Although not an ideal line of work, being in his presence was enough to endure anything. A feeling he shared mutually; proving so through discarding the demeaning term and giving you the aforementioned moniker. You were gorgeous..absolute perfection if he’d ever seen it. In the same breath though, he considered you as nothing more than an object. His toy and plaything to mold and shape in his image…in more ways than one…
“You take my dick so well…god, I love being inside of you. How am I supposed to let anyone else have this pussy when it’s so conformed to my shape? It’s made for me..”
powerful words he’d hiss into your ear whilst he hovered over your frame, taking full dominion over your center. Your sticky, sweat and otherwise stained skin smacking against each other. You’d take those deep, unrelenting strokes as much as you’d could but to no avail..that thick cock stretching you open but still not wanting to give way. As some semblance of comfort, you’d grasp and claw at the crisp white sheets, chewing into the pillow but much like the other pieces of normalcy in your life, he’d rip that away and forcefully tug you back by your wrists. Maneuvering you to his own accord..a fate you were used to. Forced to glare up at your own pathetic reflection in the mirror..a fucked out face marked with smeared makeup and saliva from both your own mouth and him filling it up with spit of his own. Claw marks from him, fish hooking his fingers into your jaw and your expensive dress ripped to shreds. That done the courtesy of the client that you had just seen prior to him bursting in the room and claiming you for his own. All but running the man out by gun point. It couldn’t be helped really..especially when he saw you strutting about in that bright red ensemble, rubbing on his chest and kissing the ugly fuck..he couldn’t take it! Hence why you were being marked and bred until he was satisfied. Make no mistake, it wasn’t the actions of a brutal tyrant. It was because he was so hopelessly in love in you! Having already filled you with two loads..that twitching cunt that couldn’t stop orgasming for him, already housing so much but willing to take so much more. As long as it pleases him, as long as it made him happy, as long as it kept feeling so fucking good..
“You’re mine, I’ll make certain that it’s implanted in your cute, empty head. Even if it takes me all night. Even if I have to put a baby in that pretty belly of yours.”
you’d forever remain his pretty little plaything. His precious doll face.
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perpetual-stories · 2 years
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Starting Strong Scenes in Your Writing
Scenes are the fundamental building blocks of novels and short stories, and each one should propel a story toward the climax.
Generally speaking, your scene structure should mirror the story structure. In other words, take a novel-writing approach to a scene, crafting a beginning, middle, and end. Like a story, the beginning of a scene should have a strong entry hook that pulls the reader in.
Start with the setting. Often a new scene signifies a change in time and location. Establishing the setting at the top of a scene helps your readers get oriented. It also sets the tone and mood of what will unfold in the coming pages. A setting can serve as much more than a backdrop in literature. Have your scene take place somewhere that builds tension and hinders your protagonist. If you’re writing a thriller, describe a dark and foreboding place where the worst might happen. Be descriptive and use sensory details to make your setting come alive before you jump into the action.
Use visual imagery. In screenwriting, writers have to think in pictures. What images will excite an audience at the top of a scene? Your approach should be the same when writing any kind of fiction. As you write the opening of a scene, use descriptive language to engage a reader through detailed imagery. Think like a screenwriter as you’re writing scenes.
Drop the reader into the middle of the action. Hit the ground running by starting a great scene in media res. It doesn’t have to be a fight scene or a car chase, but physical movement creates momentum and builds tension in a story. It’s also a way to instantly engage a reader. Be sure you begin the scene before the high points of the action so you build up to the scene’s climax.
Write a character-driven scene opener. A good scene starts by giving characters a goal. Start by putting your protagonist in a situation that creates an obstacle or opportunity for both the scene and the overarching storyline. Try starting with dialogue, like an intense conversation between your POV character and a mystery character whose identity is revealed later in the scene. If you’re writing from an omniscient third-person point of view, consider starting a scene with a secondary character, even the antagonist, and use it as a chance for deeper character development.
Summarize past events. You might choose to use the beginning of the scene to do a quick recap of what’s brought your main character to this place and moment in time. A summary is especially helpful if you’re writing in third-person and a new scene switches to a different character. Take the opportunity to remind the reader where we left off. Instead of a straight-forward update, get creative. Go into deep POV and let a character’s thoughts provide the summary instead of the narrator. Be sure to keep this summary brief—just a line or two—so you can get back into the action.
Introduce a plot twist. The start of a new scene is a chance to pivot and take your story in a new direction. Start a new scene at a turning point in your story. Dive into a flashback or character’s backstory, revealing critical information that changes the course of the story going forward.
Keep the purpose of the scene in mind. Effective scenes are clear about what they set out to accomplish and how they contribute to the overall plot. They might include plot points or reveal important information needed to move a story forward. Establish your scene’s intention from the very first word and keep the rest of the scene on point.
Rewrite until you’ve found the perfect scene opening. When you’ve finished the first draft of a scene, go back and read it through. If your scene needs something, but you can’t figure out what, it might be how the scene starts. The best way to know if your opening works is by reading how it plays with the rest of the scene. Review the last paragraph and see if it ties back to your beginning. If the intro feels weak, rewrite it. Maybe your real opener is hidden in plain sight somewhere else in the body of the scene.
Make sure your opening scene is your strongest. While your entire book should be filled with compelling scenes that start strong, the very first scene of your book needs to lead the pack. This is the reader’s introduction to your story and where you’re revealing the characters, the setting, and kicking off the plotline with the inciting incident. This first scene has to hook the reader from the first line so they keep turning the pages.
Read a lot of books. If this is your first novel and you need some inspiration and ideas to help you start off your scenes, start by reading other books. Choose a book by a bestselling writer like Dan Brown or Margaret Atwood. Study the different ways they approach every scene. Reading other authors is a great way to hone your scene-writing skills.
Follow like and reblog if you find these helpful!
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evilbihan · 3 months
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This is probably the most unpopular of all unpopular opinions out there, but hear me out for just a second:
Can we please start to acknowledge Kuai Liang's flaws? It's perfectly fine to like a character while also acknowledging their negative traits and the bad things they've done. I'm genuinely confused by the whole "aww Kuai Liang is so nice :)" thing the fandom has going on. I understand that, being a Bi-Han fan, I might sound biased, but I promise this is coming from a completely neutral standpoint.
I don't see how any of the positive traits fans associate with Kuai Liang (kindness, selflessness, a caring nature) are backed up by any canon material we know of. Those traits belong to Tomas, not Kuai Liang. The version of Kuai Liang that is a loving brother to Tomas and the prime example of a good man only exists in fanon.
Vengeful, short-tempered, regressive — those are Kuai Liang's actual traits.
May I remind you, the real Kuai Liang looks like this.
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His face expresses arrogance, he's looking down on whoever is in front of him. He doesn't smile, doesn't display any expression that one could interpret for kindness. He looks cold. Does that arrogance and coldness look familiar at all?
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It's the same expression as this one. Bi-Han is also shown looking down on others, with the exact same confidence stemming from the idea that he is superior to others. Kuai Liang mirrors that expression perfectly. They're brothers, they're similar in the way they act and think, in the way they were raised. Let's not forget that Kuai Liang was second in line for the grandmaster title while with the Lin Kuei. He is grandmaster of the Shirai Ryu now. They are both arrogant.
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Tomas is the only one of the three who smiles and has a warm, kind aura to him. I'm not saying he's a perfect ray of sunshine, he's certainly capable of being ruthless just like his brothers, but he doesn't share their overwhelmingly negative traits.
There is no warmth to Kuai Liang at all, which is ironic given that his element is fire. Kuai Liang's fire, however, burns cold to match Bi-Han's ice. They are not opposites, they are the same.
Hanzo as Scorpion was driven by grief and ultimately love for his family, Kuai Liang's fire is only fueled by hatred for his brother.
While Bi-Han is obsessed with power, Kuai Liang's obsession with honor and tradition is crossing the line to fanaticism. Am I the only one to find it concerning how he worships his father and his father's ideals almost religiously? It's pretty much all he ever talks about at any given chance.
to Bi-Han: "His teachings did not pass with him. They should still guide us." to Bi-Han: "Father would turn in his grave if he saw this." to Smoke: "We must chart a new course. One that both honors our Father's legacy and serves Earthrealm." to Kitana: "Death before dishonor." to Smoke: "Only if we honor tradition."
Is this how a normal person talks? I don't think so. Admittedly, Bi-Han's methods are wrong, but since when is it a good thing to be completely against progress? Kuai Liang is stuck holding onto outdated traditions that don't allow for growth. It's not necessarily a bad thing that he looks up to his father, but idolizing someone to the point of never questioning anything they do or say and giving up any critical thinking is dangerous.
There's plenty more examples in the story mode and intros where Kuai Liang brings up honor and tradition, but this post is going to be long enough as it is so I only named a few.
I want to focus more on how Kuai Liang treats other characters throughout the story.
Tomas:
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Why does the fandom claim he's such a good brother to Tomas when this is the only scene in the story mode where Kuai Liang expresses any sort of care towards Tomas — in a moment where he needs Tomas on his side?
Oddly enough, he's playing at Tomas' vulnerability here by bringing up family and reassuring him that they're brothers even if they don't share blood, in direct contrast to how Bi-Han said Tomas' blood was not Lin Kuei earlier. Words he chose carefully and deliberately, not out of the goodness of his heart because he wanted to comfort Tomas, but to achieve the desired effect: to sway Tomas to his side.
Similar to Bi-Han, Kuai Liang is a manipulative and calculating character. I would even dare to go as far as to say he's even more manipulative since Bi-Han lacks the charisma and patience to be a successful manipulator. Bi-Han makes no effort to convince Tomas to join him. He can't even keep up the lie he told Kuai Liang for very long. Bi-Han's actions are impulsive and poorly planned out, he's the naive one being manipulated by characters like Shang Tsung while Kuai Liang makes smart, calculated moves. He knew exactly what he was doing when speaking to Tomas.
I don't see how that was even necessary since Tomas would have picked Kuai Liang's side regardless simply because it's the one aligning with his own beliefs, but Kuai Liang's words were a subtle "Hey, remember that I'm the one who considers you part of this family and he does not. If you don't side with me, you're going to betray your own brother."
One of the key signs to recognize a manipulator by is how they try and convince a person close to them that it's "the two of them against everyone else" or in this case "them against their older brother". Manipulators know someone's weaknesses (Tomas' desire to be a part of their family) and how to exploit them to get what they want.
There was never even the slightest chance that Tomas would have sided with Bi-Han in that fight anyway, but he also appears way more passive in it as opposed to Kuai Liang. Tomas doesn't want to fight his own brother, but at the end of the day he cares more about doing the right thing and saving innocent lives than about his inner conflict. For Kuai Liang, it's a quest for vengeance and the pursue of his own goals above all else.
I also think it's interesting that Tomas looks slightly surprised/ confused at the hand being placed on his arm by Kuai Liang. It's almost like he's not used to being reassured like this which makes you wonder how often Kuai Liang really comforted Tomas or showed any support towards him. Like Liu Kang and everyone else, Kuai Liang barely acknowledged Smoke's presence before. They're only seen exchanging occasional glances.
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What has me doubt the sincerety of Kuai Liang's words even more is this scene.
Personally, I don't believe that Bi-Han has ever snapped at Tomas like that before this incident here, but I know the fandom likes to think otherwise so just for this take let's go with the wrong assumption that Bi-Han used to put Tomas down like that regularly.
Why did Kuai Liang not step in to defend Tomas in this scene? If he knew where this was going why did he let Bi-Han finish his sentence? It's certainly not out of respect or because Bi-Han is their grandmaster. Kuai Liang has no issue talking back to him and contradicting him in other situations but he was surprisingly silent when this whole thing went down.
He was either just as surprised as Tomas that Bi-Han would snap at their brother like that because it hasn't happened before or because he simply didn't care to interrupt since he had nothing to gain from it, unlike later when he wanted Tomas' loyalty for himself.
Kuai Liang could have been standing up for Tomas in this situation if he was the good brother everyone sees him as, but for some reason he didn't. Make of that what you will.
As for the intros between them, there's only one where Kuai Liang asks about Tomas' family. In every other intro with Tomas he only speaks of his own goals. Honor, tradition, training the Shirai Ryu, defeating the Lin Kuei... At one point he praises Tomas for his loyalty towards him, only to question said loyalty later on.
Scorpion: Our resolve cannot waver, brother. Smoke: I'm offended that you think mine has.
If I'm not mistaken, that's a prime example of manipulation right here. Guilt tripping/shaming someone into doing something they don't even want to do.
Kuai Liang seems to always be working an angle with Tomas. Why is he suddenly doubting him? Because he knows Tomas wants peace, not war between the brothers?
Ultimately, it seems he doesn't care about what Tomas wants. We know that Tomas is torn in this conflict, he resents Bi-Han, but he also doesn't want his brothers to fight. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked for Liu Kang to reunite them.
Tomas' intros are a whole paradox of their own.
Smoke: Are we to be enemies for life? Sub-Zero: Unless you submit, Tomas.
Smoke: I'll never forgive Bi-Han. Scorpion: His betrayal has seared both our hearts.
Scorpion: We'll soon meet the Lin Kuei in battle. Smoke: It will be our last with them. Smoke: For Earthrealm's sake, my brothers must reunite. Raiden: There's little hope for that, Tomas.
Smoke: Can I get the brothers to reconcile? Liu Kang: They must choose their own path, Tomas.
What Tomas says to other characters contradicts everything he says to Kuai Liang. But why? Why does he never tell Kuai Liang directly that he'd just wish him and Bi-Han would stop fighting? Why if not because he's afraid of Kuai Liang's reaction and that he will lose him as a brother unless he agrees with everything Kuai Liang says?
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SPOILERS: It's interesting how Kuai Liang in this scene asks Tomas to help him bring Bi-Han back with them so he won't be able to aid Shang Tsung, but according to leaks he's going to leave Bi-Han behind with Havik in the dlc, not even caring about the consequences that might have for Bi-Han or for Earthrealm. Now that Tomas isn't there he no longer has to keep up the facade. Tomas' absence also makes me wonder if he maybe got tired of Kuai Liang's spitefulness and blind hatred.
To sum it up, here's what we know about how Kuai Liang treats Tomas:
Kuai Liang initialy doesn't defend Tomas against Bi-Han's harsh words
He picks an odd timing to comfort Tomas at the Ying Fortress, possibly to assure that Tomas will join his side, not Bi-Han's
He's trying to push his own agenda onto Tomas who agrees with him in their intros but doesn't seem to share Kuai Liang's goals when speaking to other characters like Liu Kang or Raiden
SPOILERS: It seems that Tomas won't be attending Kuai Liang's wedding as he's not mentioned at all in any of the dlc leaks. He might be trying to stay out of the fight between his brothers entirely.
Bi-Han:
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Another detail I've noticed is how quickly Kuai Liang comes up with the idea to create the Shirai Ryu. How likely is it that he made the decision to form an entire new clan on the spot? He seems way too prepared for this scenario.
Smoke: Once he's exposed, won't you be grandmaster? Scorpion: You forget Cyrax and Sektor. Their loyalty to Bi-Han is absolute. They'll sooner abet his corruption than follow me. We must chart a new course.
Why did Tomas not know about this when they're part of the same clan but Kuai Liang knows the answer immediately? It's almost like he has thought it through before, tried to figure out exactly who would side with him and who wouldn't if it came down to important Lin Kuei members choosing between him and Bi-Han. And that's because he has. It even says so in his official bio.
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Kuai Liang always intended to overthrow Bi-Han.
He admitted that he was aware of Bi-Han's frustrations all along and yet he never brought up his concerns to Liu Kang or anyone else. It seems that he intended to take advantage of how mentally unstable his brother was in order to become grandmaster himself. I'm not saying he always wanted the title to himself, Kuai Liang doesn't care about power, but his obsession with tradition equals Bi-Han's obsession with power. He wanted to rule the Lin Kuei himself to enforce his own ideals and when he realized that wouldn't work out, he settled for the next best thing: creating his own clan.
Kitana in comparison also knows that Mileena is impulsive and many people doubt that she's fit to lead but she supports her sister regardless. Her loyalty to Mileena is unwavering. Kitana loves and supports her sister unconditionally. It doesn't even once cross her mind to take Mileena's place on the throne.
Kuai Liang and Kitana share similar values, yet Kitana's loyalty to her sister outweighs all that while Kuai Liang didn't hesitate to plot against Bi-Han way before Bi-Han even sided with Shang Tsung. Just Bi-Han's frustration alone was reason enough for Kuai Liang to want to overthrow his brother.
Ashrah, a complete stranger, cares more about redeeming Bi-Han than his own brother does. And no, Kuai Liang's actions can't be justified by bringing up that Bi-Han let their father die or betrayed Earthrealm etc. because Kuai Liang gave up on him long before any of that happened. In fact, the way Kuai Liang constantly brings up their father at every chance he gets probably added to Bi-Han's frustrations and is part of the reason why he was driven to madness.
Scorpion: Glory? We fight for duty. Sub-Zero: Does our father's ghost possess you? All I hear is his voice.
Bi-Han seems haunted by their father's ghost and Kuai Liang knows, yet he doesn't shy away from bringing it up at every opportunity. Was it done on purpose? Who knows.
But it's noteworthy that it's again manipulative behavior. The way Kuai Liang constantly criticizes Bi-Han, undermines his authority, compares him to their father whenever he can although he knows about Bi-Han's frustrations, then claims a shadow has fallen on Bi-Han's soul when he at the very least partially helped cast that shadow.
I'm not sure why people claim Kuai Liang was supportive of Bi-Han before his betrayal because there's no evidence of that at all. At least, none that I could find. Kuai Liang seems reluctant to follow Bi-Han's orders and he also doesn't seem to respect him much. Again, compare that to how Kitana shows actual concern for Mileena while Kuai Liang just seems fed up with Bi-Han.
Personally, I believe Kuai Liang's goals are far bigger than we know at this point. Something about the line "The Shirai Ryu won't rest until Bi-Han is defeated and the Lin Kuei's honor is restored" suggests that, while he built his own clan, Kuai Liang still has some interest in the Lin Kuei. I doubt that he's just planning to take down Bi-Han to let someone else be grandmaster in his place. I think that Kuai Liang wants to merge both clans once Bi-Han is defeated. After all, Kuai Liang's bio mentions that he's willing to fight his brother for control of the Lin Kuei's legacy. He might think it would be in his father's interest if he became grandmaster of both clans. However, that's just an educated guess and might not be true at all.
How Kuai Liang treats Bi-Han:
Kuai Liang never trusted Bi-Han's leadership skills or acknowledged his authority
The conflict of interest between the brothers always existed, even before Bi-Han switched sides and Kuai Liang always planned to take the grandmaster title from Bi-Han
Kuai Liang attempted to (and would have) killed Bi-Han but was interrupted in doing so
He's eager to fight Bi-Han, while Tomas is reluctant
He seems to have always held very little love for Bi-Han, if any at all, although he claims they used to be close once
Harumi:
Does no one else think it's a little bit suspicious that the woman Kuai Liang ends up "falling in love with" is a capable fighter and head of her own clan, someone with exactly the resources, knowledge and means to provide Kuai Liang with everything he needs to build his own clan? He even names the Shirai Ryu after Harumi, a clan whose goal it is to take down Kuai Liang's hated brother, someone Harumi probably knows little about or never even met. Maybe I'm the only one to think that's kind of messed up and not a romantic gesture, but at least he's giving her some credit, right? Does Harumi lead the Shirai Ryu with Kuai Liang or did he take her own clan from her to build his own? I couldn't really find any information regarding that but it would be even more messed up if the Shirai Ryu are originally Harumi's clan that Kuai Liang simply took over.
Another weird detail is how Smoke calls Harumi Kuai Liang's "good friend" in his own ending, which makes you wonder if he left the Shirai Ryu before Kuai Liang and Harumi became a couple? Does he know Kuai Liang doesn't actually love Harumi? It's confusing because Tomas is the person closest to Kuai Liang. Shouldn't he be the first to know if his brother fell in love and is planning to get married?
Kuai Liang's reaction when Kitana congratulates him on his marriage is rather cold as well. He doesn't seem like a happy, newly married man and it makes me think their marriage wasn't necessarily out of love, at least not on Kuai Liang's side.
How Kuai Liang treats Harumi:
There's not enough known about their relationship yet to really know if Kuai Liang's love for Harumi is genuine
He benefitted a lot from his friendship with her when creating the Shirai Ryu
It's strange that Tomas only calls Harumi Kuai Liang's "good friend"
Final conclusion:
Kuai Liang seems to follow a pattern of binding people to him emotionally (Tomas, Harumi... ) to be able to use them to his own advantage. I'm not saying that he doesn't care about them at all, but first and foremost, they're assets to him and family second.
For someone who claims to care about honor, Kuai Liang sure has very little of it. SPOILERS: The fact that Kuai Liang is willing to let Bi-Han die and deny him treatment when he gets infected with chaos magic says a lot about the type of person he is. How is it honorable to kick a man when he's down? How is it honorable that he wants to kill Frost during his own wedding and Harumi has to beg him to spare her life?
To get this straight, this is not an attempt to paint Kuai Liang as the epitome of all evil or to say he doesn't care at all about the people in his life, just that he's much more cold and calculating than people give him credit for. Just because Kuai Liang has chosen the good side while Bi-Han went down the wrong path doesn't necessarily make him a nice person. He's still vindictive and selfish. He still shows toxic behavior.
I know someone will try and twist this post into something it isn't, so let me say this is NOT a personal attack on Kuai Liang fans or an attempt to spread negativity, it's just my opinion that you're free to disagree with. I blame the writers and their obvious bias for Scorpion that Kuai Liang's bad traits are so often overlooked. This post is only me sharing my thoughts. If it offends you, block me. I don't want to see this reblogged with paragraphs from people trying to defend Kuai Liang.
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agentstarkid · 1 month
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FOREVER IS THE SWEETEST CON ✦ DR3
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✦ summary: While isolating in a hotel room, some things can't be ignored any more and, as stars fade in the dawn's light, some bonds were meant to be broken, like whispers carried away by the desert wind.
✦ pairing: daniel ricciardo x famous!latina!reader
✦ words: 4.3K
✦ warnings: female!reader, latina!reader, established relationship, lots of angst, covid-19 & quarantine mentions, there's a nine-year age gap, forced proximity (if you squint), language.
✦ pit wall live: holis babes! before you all come for me with your pitchforks, I'd like to remind you that english is not my first language so I wanna give a big biiig thank you to Tally (@onceuponaoneshotfanfic) for englishing this baby and for encouraging me to write it when I told her I was thinking about it ❤️ I actually wrote this back in october and I can finally post it!! It is tied to Saudade, if you want more context to their story. This is not the end, okay?... or is it? hehe byeee
─── The Joker & The Queen (Masterlist)
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Wednesday, just a day before his scheduled morning session, the symptoms began to show. They knew from the moment he started to complain about his body aching all over. The uncertainty and concern were present from the first moment, intensifying when, as a precaution, he underwent several medical tests to verify whether he suffered from Covid or not. However, the first test came back negative. It was a breath of relief, at least for a moment. But on Friday afternoon the alarms went off, and the Aussie driver's negative became a terrifying positive that further disrupted the false peace that they had tried so hard to preserve in recent weeks.
Practice for the opening race was scheduled for the following Friday, and having to isolate in accordance with local regulations meant that Daniel would go into the new season without having driven the car since last month.
Locked away from the outside world, tension brewed within the confines of a hotel room. This forced proximity only served to accentuate the strains that had long been present. The fraying edges of your relationship were now illuminated under the harsh fluorescent lights, magnified by the claustrophobic confinement of quarantine.
You entered the bedroom and found him lying on the bed, wearing a navy shirt and a pair of sweats, his feet locked at the ankles and his attention focused on his phone.
“How are you feeling?”
“’m fine,” he sighed.
“Do you need anything?” you tried again.
“Nope.”
You went to lay down on your side of the bed. “Heard Lando had problems with the car today.”
“Seems the car is even shittier than last year.” He let out a dry laugh. “But I wouldn’t know because I’m stuck in this fucking hotel room for the rest of the week.”
“Look on the bright side, you’ve got a couple of extra days to relax before the craziness of the season begins.” You gave a half shrug.
“Wouldn’t exactly call this relaxing. But you wouldn’t understand.”
“What does that mean? I know how you’re feeling-”
He shook his head and huffed, dropping his phone on the bed. “No, that’s the thing. You don’t know, sweetheart. How would you know? You didn’t get a fucking positive result and was forced to stay inside these walls, watching how everyone else gets the chance to freely try out their cars before they really have to focus on the season. You’re only stuck here as a precaution. It’s funny, you know…” He snorted. “You’ve been traveling a lot lately. And it’s been fine in the meantime. But as soon as you get here—”
“Are you saying that all of this is my fault?” The tension in the room was palpable as the argument raged on.
He rubbed his forehead as he looked up at the ceiling. He wouldn't even look at you — and somehow that annoyed you even more.
“Oh, I’m sorry for not being considerate enough to also get sick, it’s not like I can actually control that. But that might be my fucking fault, too. I’m too fucking busy being worried about your health. My bad.” You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm your beating heart. You turned back over to face away from him.
You felt so tired and hurt. In the last few days, these walls have felt like a battleground, waiting for you to engage in combat. And all you keep doing is try to stand tall pretending to be the bravest soldier.
It all began with the relentless hate that had been heaped upon you recently. At first, it was fine, it was expected, and you would laugh about the things they were saying. You must have been blinded by the honeymoon phase, as some people call it, but all things must come to an end. Lately, Daniel's devoted fans had turned into a fierce mob, outraged and blaming you for his performance last year, saying it was all the time he's been spending with you instead of focusing on his career. The hateful comments and messages had started to poison the relationship.
You guessed that it was easier when you were the only target. It was bearable to an extent; you could take it. Wasn't the first time it happened, and you supposed it was all part of the “big show”. But once they started targeting him too – things took a 180-degree turn.
Daniel and you had been inseparable for two years, celebrating your anniversary not too long ago. Now, you both lay silently in your hotel room; the once fiery love now reduced to smoldering embers.
He sighed and turned his head in your direction. “Babe, I—”
“It’s okay.” You mumbled squeezing your eyes shut, trying to keep in the tears that threatened to fall. “Goodnight.”
He covered his eyes with his hands; he didn’t mean to snap at you like that. He could hear you taking deep breaths, and something in his chest felt heavy. This need to bicker, to fight with you had been present for a few weeks, but lately had reached an all-time high.
The 2021 Formula 1 season had brought with it a surge of emotions that Daniel hadn't anticipated. As he settled into his new role with McLaren, the pressure to prove he was the more experienced driver in his first year with the team weighed heavily on his shoulders.
Every race was a chance to show the world that he still had what it took to compete at the highest level of motorsport. The expectations were high, and the scrutiny was relentless. Fans, the media, and fellow drivers all wondered if the Honey Badger could return to his former glory.
The season brought a mix of highs and lows. The highlight, undoubtedly, was the victory in Monza. It was a moment that should have been celebrated longer as a triumph for both Daniel and McLaren. However, amidst the jubilation, there was a bitter undercurrent of frustration. It seemed that the team's focus was already shifting to the next race, their first win in 12 years overshadowed by the relentless march of time.
Daniel's frustration grew as he watched the spotlight turn away from Monza's victory. He yearned for the recognition, the culmination of a year of hard work and perseverance. But as the season continued, the pressure only increased. The wins were non-existent, and the losses weighed heavily on him, each one gnawing at his confidence.
The expectations for the coming season were higher than ever. He knew that he had to perform at his best to silence the critics and prove that he still had that competitive edge. The weight of those expectations seemed to hang over him, a constant reminder of the challenges that lay ahead.
Each race weekend would become a test, a chance to prove himself once again. The roar of the engines, the smell of burning rubber, and the pressure of the competition were all part of the Formula 1 world that he loved, but they also added to the mounting stress.
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You couldn’t sleep at all.
Sleep evaded you that night. Your mind was racing a mile a minute, trying to figure out how to fix the fractured parts of the relationship. Where did it go wrong? The question replayed over and over again like a broken record.
You stretched your arm to grab your phone from the nightstand and check the time.
2:30 A.M. Just a little bit less than 4 hours until the sun would come out. And 5 more days until you both would be free to leave this room.
You stood up from the bed and went to Daniel’s bedside table to look for the fingertip pulse oximeter. Once you found it, you knelt down and took his hand, careful not to wake him, and placed the oximeter on the tip of his index finger. After a few seconds of waiting for the values to remain constant, you sighed with relief when a big 98 appeared under the oxygen saturation. Thankfully, his symptoms were not of great concern, and he showed constant improvements. But you didn’t want to risk it, so every few hours you made sure to check his vitals just so you could have a little peace of mind. Especially when he was sleeping.
You couldn’t help but look at him for a moment. He looked to be in a profound state of sleep, so calm and so beautiful. His features, usually animated and lively, rested in a serene calm. You observed the rise and fall of his chest, the tranquil expressions that danced across his face, and the gentle harmony of his breathing. In these hushed moments, it was like nothing had changed, where you were still you and he was still the same Daniel that promised you that you were a team.
As you gazed upon him, your heart was a mix of conflicting emotions. On one hand, there was the undeniable warmth and affection that comes from witnessing his vulnerability in slumber. Yet, a touch of sadness lingered, a bittersweet reminder of the unresolved tension from the previous fight. The serenity of his sleep served as a poignant backdrop to your disagreements, and you desperately longed for the chance to mend the rift and return to the peace you once shared.
It didn’t take long for the tears to appear again and you couldn’t help but curse being so sensitive. You stood up; you knew that going back to bed was useless, so you headed out of the room. You ended up curled up on the couch in the dark living room of your hotel room, the soft glow of your phone screen casting a bright light on your tear-streaked face. You debated whether calling one of the girls or just text them in need of letting all this helplessness out. But you didn't want to bother them with your problems, you knew they already had enough with their owns. So, you gave up on the idea.
Your relationship with Daniel had been a whirlwind of love and excitement, a passionate journey that had weathered ups and downs, but always coming out stronger on the other side. Now, you weren’t so sure you would come out of this unscathed.
Was it time to let it go? You couldn’t help but wonder. You weren’t new to this predicament. It happened before with your last relationship. But with Harry, the revelation that it was over came naturally and gently. You both were on the same page and knew it was inevitable. But with Daniel, your heart told you to continue, begged you to keep fighting while your mind was sending out warning signals that you chose to completely ignore.
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The bright Bahraini sun shone through the big windows when Daniel, out of habit, rolled over to pull your body closer and instead felt the coldness of the sheets on your side of the bed. He opened his eyes and searched around the room. The bathroom door was open, and the lights were off, so you couldn’t be there. He stood up and left the room, yawning. He found you in the same place you ended up last night, curled up and holding a pillow to your chest.
The dark bags under your eyes were more prominent this morning. He couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt in his chest at the sight of you. He got closer and leaned down to place a tender kiss on your forehead and felt you stir for a moment before slowly opening your eyes. You rubbed your eyes before looking up at him silently.
“Hey.”
“Hi,” you said in a sleepy voice.
“What are you doing here?” he yawned, taking a seat on the couch as you moved back to give him space.
“Couldn’t sleep,” you replied in a muted voice, eyes downcast, fiddling with your fingernails.
And that was the routine after an argument: fight. One of you would try to walk away to calm down (most of the time it was you). Pretend nothing happened and go back to normal – well, whatever normal meant these days. Repeat.
A heavy silence settled between you. He leaned back on the couch, just staring at your face. He knew he should say something. Apologize even. But the words refused to come out. Meanwhile, thoughts swirled in your mind, doubts that had been lingering for a while now. Was it all in your head? Had you been the problem all along?
No.
As the seconds ticked by, the fog began to lift, and with it came a newfound clarity. It wasn't all in your head, and you weren't the sole problem. You had believed for so long it was your responsibility to make things right, to hold everything together. But it had been a shared responsibility, a partnership that had eroded in different ways.
Yes. You had both contributed to this.
You had underestimated the significance of his actions, his choices, and his words. In the process of taking all the blame, you had overlooked how he had let things slip away, how he had failed to communicate, and how he had allowed the distance to grow. You realized that it was a two-way street, and while you had been quick to accept responsibility for your part, it was time for both of you to acknowledge your roles in your shared demise.
Something within you was stirring, a growing realization that you couldn't keep shouldering the blame for everything. It wasn't fair to you, nor was it the path to a healthy and equal relationship.
"I can't do this anymore, Daniel," you murmured, your eyes brimming with sadness.
"No, no no— no we're not doing this—"
“Amor, please,” you pleaded in a whisper. Tears welled up in your eyes, but your resolve held firm. “We've been arguing about everything lately. All of this is hurting us. Your fans—”
Daniel's heart ached, but he lashed out in defense. “You know it's not that simple! I can't control what my fans say—”
Your irritation boiled over. "But you can defend me, Daniel! You can stand up for us!”
Frustration welled up in Daniel, his voice growing sharper. "I'm trying to protect what's left of my career, YN! Last season was awful for me, apart from one win, which was insignificant, apparently. I've got my own fucking problems!” He stood up forcefully and started to pace around the room.
Your anger flared and big angry tears streamed down your face. “You think it's only your career that's on the line? What about us? We're supposed to be a team, supporting each other. ‘Us against everything else’, remember? But you're making it all about you!” you screamed at him, standing up from where you were previously sitting.
He suddenly stopped in front of you. “You're too young and naive to understand the pressure I'm under. It's not just about us. It's about my career, it’s about my life! And that’s very rich coming from you,” he scoffed. “What about your fans, huh? The hate I'm getting from them and other people, it's taking a fucking toll!” he hissed. You stared at him, feeling shocked by his words. He kept going. “And let’s not forget how fucking clingy you’ve been. You suffocate me sometimes. Must be nice to have a job where you can just drop everything anytime you want and take paid vacations to follow me around.”
His words left you feeling as though the ground had been yanked from beneath your feet.
You're too young and naive. How fucking clingy you’ve been — You suffocate me sometimes. His words echoed incessantly in your mind like a stuck playback.
When did the insecurities shared transform into arrows, aimed at your most profound wounds?
You snapped, “You knew what you were getting into when we started dating. And I warned you. I gave you an out so many times, but you decided to stay.” A bitter laugh left your mouth. “You said I was the greatest risk you’ve ever taken and the greatest reward—”
“And I did think that, YN,” he uttered. “We lived inside a bubble for so long, but reality is different. Maybe we rushed into this too soon.”
“Come on, bury my heart deeper, Danielito. If that's what you're trying to do— it's working,” you said with a pained smile, eyes only focused on him.
The room seemed to grow colder, and your voices decreased in volume. But the damage had been done. Daniel realized the pain his words had caused, but his own frustration clouded his judgment. “This wouldn’t even be a problem, if you wouldn’t make one out of it,” he muttered bitterly.
“Please, don’t make this worse than it already is,” you agonized; your voice was shaky. Invisible claws of grief and anguish were tearing at the muscles and tendons in your chest. You never knew that emotions could possess such tangible, physical presence.
“If only we had met on different grounds. Then maybe things would have been different, we would be different.”
You couldn't help but add more fuel to the fire. You lacked the capacity for a graceful exit, and if you were aflame, you'd ensure that he, too, would turn to ashes. “Do you mean what if I was different?” A new wave of anger swept over you.
That question caught him off guard, forcing Daniel to pause and stare at you, honest surprise and confusion coloring his face. “What?”
Your voice trembled with a mix of frustration and hurt as you confronted him. “Heidi's constant presence in the paddock these past few months, the way you've been talking to her, and how people are speculating about you two... It's causing me to doubt myself and my place in your life.”
Daniel's brows furrowed, and his voice carried irritation. “YN, this is ridiculous. Heidi is just a friend. We've been through this countless times.”
You inched forward as you tried to make him understand. “I know she's your friend, but the way you've been spending time with her lately... it's different. I can't shake off the feeling that there might be something more.”
Daniel rolled his eyes, his frustration mounting. “You're being crazy, YN. We're just friends, and it's unfair of you to accuse me, and especially her, like this.” In a further defensive move, he shot back, “You're the one who had those cheating rumors circulating, not me. You should know how destructive and unfounded these accusations can be. And now, you're doing the same thing with Heidi?”
It felt like a hard punch to your gut, you took in a sharp breath, “So, you're bringing this up again? We already cleared the air about those false accusations when they hit us. I would never dare cheat on you!” Your frustration was palpable.
“And why is it so fucking hard to believe I wouldn’t either?” Suddenly, you could clearly see how sadness clouded his features.
The room seemed to close in around you both. Then, all of a sudden, you realized that healing from this and moving forward required a level of understanding and compassion that seemed beyond reach in the heat of this argument.
In that moment, you knew for certain that it was over. The love you had once celebrated, the memories you had shared, now felt like distant echoes of a happier time.
How did you both allow things to spiral into such chaos? This living room had transformed into a battleground, where words cut like knives. Where were the Daniel and YN who were deeply in love? The ones who, for the first time, felt safe to be vulnerable and discuss a future they had envisioned together; one with a couple of tiny little feet running around the farm in a couple of years and joking about how wild a perfect mix of Australian and Latino genes would be. Now, you stood face to face, unrecognizable, refusing to show any sign of surrender.
It wasn’t supposed to end like this.
It wasn’t supposed to end at all.
The silence in the room was suffocating. All the energy and adrenaline left your body at once. You felt emotionally drained, as though a storm had swept through your heart and left it battered and exhausted.
You took a sit back on the couch and ran your hands across your face, squeezing your eyes shut. “We can't go on like this.”
So, this is it, Daniel thought. Dread twisted in his gut; he felt like he might throw up. His shoulders slumped and he raked his fingers through his hair as he took a seat next to you. The vulnerability in your words cut him deeply, but he understood the gravity of the situation. "You're right," he admitted, his voice choked with emotion. “We tried, didn’t we? We gave it our best shot” a sad smile adorned his tired face. “For what it’s worth, I really am sorry. I never wanted to hurt you.” he murmured as tears shone in his eyes.
“I'm sorry, too. I wanted to make it work. I always just wanted to be the one.” Your heart seemed to shatter into even smaller fragments. As you wiped away a single tear that trickled down your cheek, the physical act of brushing it away only served to accentuate the profound pain that had settled within your chest. It felt as though each tear carried with it a piece of your shattered dreams and the love that was now slipping through your fingers like grains of sand. In that fleeting moment, your heartache intensified, and you realized that this breakup was leaving you more broken than you had ever thought possible.
As the final words echoed in the room, you, your tears spent, turned and walked out into the bedroom, leaving Daniel alone with the weight of what had just transpired.
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As soon as you left the room, you locked yourself in the bathroom and texted Blake. You asked him if there was any chance, he could talk to the hotel so you could get another room for the remaining time you had to be in quarantine. The request took him by complete surprise, and you explained shortly that Daniel and you had just broken up.
He assured you he was going to do everything in his power to get you a new room. You were sure that as soon as you hung up the phone, he was already texting Daniel asking for a better explanation.
As you sat on the bathroom floor, the pain was all-encompassing, a relentless throb deep within your chest that left you gasping for air. It felt as though a gaping void had taken up residence in your heart, and you weren’t sure how to fill it.
Tears flowed freely down your cheeks. Numbness had started to settle in. A surreal feeling that this couldn't be real, that you would wake up from this nightmare at any moment. You wished that a switch would flip and make it all go away, but the pain persisted.
Bitterness and anger boiled within you. You felt wronged by the universe, by the cruel twist of fate that had torn you both apart. You resented the public scrutiny, the relentless judgment from fans and strangers alike, and the demands of your high-profile careers.
You felt unbearably alone. You longed for Daniel’s presence, for the familiar comfort of his arms, but he was no longer yours to hold. Your heart ached for the man you thought, for a short period, you would spend the rest of your life with, even though you knew that was no longer possible. The pain of heartbreak was, for you, an agonizing and inescapable reality, and you had yet to discover how to heal and move forward.
Turns out Blake went beyond of what you initially asked for. He arranged for you to take the PCR test again to confirm that you had not contracted the virus while sharing a room with Daniel.
After two slow and torturous days, where you spent your time curled up on the couch and Daniel spent his in the bedroom — a decision you made, he was the sick one after all. After two consecutive negative results, you were given the green light to leave. You had already packed your things after your call with Blake a few days ago, hoping you could change rooms. He had asked you if you needed anything else, saying he was willing to facilitate everything for you. He saw you as a fundamental part of this little dysfunctional family and had developed a deep affection for you. You couldn’t thank him enough.
Soon you had a plane waiting to take you back to L.A., to a house, not a home, all alone. You were leaving behind what you've come to realize was your home in the last two years.
You awkwardly said goodbye to Daniel. Your voice sounded tired, while he shifted on his feet on the threshold of the bedroom door. Curls wild, beard a bit longer than the past days and the bags under his eyes looked even more prominent. Despite the visible signs of weariness on both of you, you still couldn't draw any solace from the shared pain.
You knew you had to find your own path, to heal from these wounds, and to rediscover who you were outside of the relationship. As the plane took off, you made a silent promise to yourself to emerge from this ordeal stronger, wiser, and ready to face the world, no matter how unforgiving it might be.
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Season 2 OFMD: Replace Prince Ricky with Benjamin Hornigold
Hear me out.
S2Ep1: Introduce Hornigold in disguise to Stede. Make 'Ben' an old trusty sea dog who still knows a bit too much about Stede Bonnet. Have Ben compliment Stede in the same way Ricky did. -HAVE STEDE TRUST HIM- Ben being an old pirate who misses the life, the adventure, the brutality. Make Stede sympathise with him.
Make him wear a shitty disguise at Jackies until he's caught near the end of the episode (and gets away), because DUH. That's Benjamin fucking Hornigold, Jackie fucking hates him(we see her shoot at him as he runs). Maybe have Jackie tell Stede he's dangerous, only for Stede to reply 'that's just an old man' and brush off her concern.
NEXT WE SEE HIM:
S2Ep3: ED'S DREAM SEQUENCE
It's finally revealed to the audience through Ed's dreams that the old man they left behind is the infamous turncoat Hornigold. Change the line about abandoning Ed's body at a beach, to at a port town, and the 'Ed was mutinied' lie can be told like how it was in ep 3. But now we as the audience can catch hints that Ben isn't acting right. Ed still sees him as the brutal pirate and not the old man Stede met a few episodes ago.
THEN(replacing Ricky's speech on that British ship):
Hornigold discusses how brutal pirate life is to the British sailors under his command. Focus on how best to hunt them down. We can even have another sailor remind Hornigold that he's a pirate hunter due to Ben's signing of the act of grace.
Him and Zheng on Zheng's ship: Keep the scene the same. Auntie points out that Ben betrayed his pirate crew to go serve the English. Have both captains talk about how pointless this all is, but make it clear that he's willing to negociate. Have Ben roll his eyes at the British's gifts(clocks), but say it's all a formality and they can 'sell them off if she wants'. Knowing that she won't have the time to in the next 24 hours and that this will be her ships downfall.
The Zheng and Stede Fight: I hate that she gives this whole speech about defeating idiot men, only to get defeated by Ricky- an actual idiot. From this scene on she's less 'Pirate Queen/Captain' and more 'badass side chick that fits in with the crew'. BUT in this write, she lost to a pirate legend. Who sold his crew out for his own freedom. She lost because she was outmaneuvered, and she SHOULD have known better. (seriously though, why did Zheng trust Ricky, he was a british fucking officer, GOD I hate that shit)
NOW THE FUCKING PAY OFF:
Hornigold captures the crew post ep 7. We can keep Stede and Zheng getting away. BUT HORNIGOLD AND IZZY INTERACTING? Izzy siting up and defending his family from a person from his past????
Look, we know Ed has been a pirate for at least 20 years (he's known Fang for 20 years), so there's a very good chance Ed and Izzy were together on his ship.
Let Izzy give the speech about crew being family, about how you sacrifice everything for your crew. Spitting in the face of the piracy Izzy himself once lived his life by. Of this dog eats dog world.
Also: Izzy would have absolutely searched Benjamin fucking Hornigold for weapons. Now. We can keep Ben killing Izzy, maybe he runs up and grabs a sailor's gun, I don't like it. (Izzy didn't need to die for the story to work) But at least NOW Izzy died to a man whose haunted his every life's decision. A person he said he would never be, and slowly did become through years of trying to survive. It's not a good ending, but now it has a bit more meaning than Ricky getting a lucky shot he didn't earn.
Make Ed furious over Izzy's body, but show him visibly holding back from getting revenge. That throwing himself back in won't fix Izzy. So he fixes himself. This also pays off the consequences of signing the Act of Grace. Showing that this might just be the end of piracy as Ed knows it if his former bastard Captain was willing to turn coat.
This also means a BIT more for Stede, as his blind trust in Ben in episode 1 meant a dangerous pirate got away. Maybe in episode 1 Stede tells Ben about Ed. About how worried he is his 'friend' has gone off the deep end. Ben of course, actively hunting down Blackbeard and doing anything to get to his old prodigy. Have Stede regret that his 'plan to sell off Hornigold to the English' got Izzy killed. Have Stede learn to hold his cards closer for next season, to be slower to trust people. This would be a better arc than 'stede learns to be an excellent captain for his family and gives it all up in the end as soon as he can get his dick wet'.
It's still REALLY shallow, and I don't like it. This season should have had a better villain than trying to introduce the possibility of Zheng hunting them down, Ned Low, AND the British. But now, at least it fits better thematically for Izzy and Ed's arcs as growing past the traditional pirate life and Stede for learning to control his ego, showing him that he STILL has a lot to learn.
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clanwarrior-tumbly · 9 months
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Could you please do follower!Leshy x follower!Reader, where the readers family was once followers of Narinder sect of the old faith but once Narinder was locked away, to avoid death, readers family went into hiding. Years later with Lamb's cult, reader joins because they wish to continue to serve the red crown, no matter who's head it is on. The readers mannerisms and ways of worship comes off as unsettling to the bishops because it was things only taught under the ruling of Narinder. The lamb and Narinder think that the reader is fine, if not the best follower in the cult, due to these reasons. Leshy and Reader could possibly have a pre-established relationship at the time of this story? And if it matters, gender neutral reader, please.
Thank you in advance (even if you don't write the request, which is also perfectly fine)
Oooo I like this! Also gives me chance to expand on my hcs for what Narinder's cult was like before he was banished.
......
"You. Come hither."
As you gracefully walked through the endless white fog of your lord's realm, you felt as though you were wading across water, passing by chains and piles of skulls. Yet your robes remained perfectly dry.
Such a strange land, this was. But you've grown accustomed to it.
In your hands, you clutched a scythe that he bestowed upon you himself: "Death's Attendant", as he called it. You never went anywhere without it, using its necromantic powers to cull heretics and show skeptics the almighty power of your god.
Before long you stood before Narinder's throne of blood, stone, ivory, and bone, where he sat, black skeletal fingers tapping impatiently against the arm rest. From behind his veil, a trio of glowing red eyes gazed down towards your small and hooded form.
The single one on the Red Crown reflected his mood, looking particuarly disgruntled.
You kneeled down, keeping one hand on the scythe's handle. "Yes, master?"
"As you may know, my siblings have grown..suspicious of my new doctrines." His voice rumbled. "They believe it shall lead to catastrophic consequences for the natural order if I continue to preach them. But....remind me, who brought forth such ideals to me? Who pushed me to explore them freely, hm?" Pausing, he stared at you.
"Bishop Shamura." You answered without missing a heartbeat.
"And right you are, my pupil." He bared his teeth into a sharp grin, although it was quick to disappear as his grip on the chair tightened. "Dear Shamura has no problem with it...and yet my own brothers and sister apparently do. They don't even trust the wisest of us that I know what I'm doing..is that not madness??"
You nodded. "It seems most unusual, master. Do you have a plan to convince them?"
"They've summoned me for a meeting at midnight..apparently they are open to discussing how I could integrate my laws into the Old Faith's teachings. Finally, I can show them that my ideas of change needn't frighten them."
"Even if..it were to contradict their own ideals of chaos, famine, disease, and war?" You asked cautiously.
"But of course.." He scoffed. "If all of those can fluctuate..why not death, too? Why should it only flow one way? Where's the freedom in that? I can teach them that everlasting life is both a blessing that can reunite families old and young...and a curse to those who think death is liberation from servitude. Just imagine us having the power to resurrect..over and over again."
"It would be foolish for them to reject such powers. It would do wonders for the Old Faith."
Narinder's smile was closed now, his gaze softening as he leaned back on his throne. "I'm honored to call you my brightest pupil. Now rise, and I shall give you this one task in my absence."
You rose to your feet obediently, gazing up at him. "I'm ready to receive it."
"Go back to the village and continue preaching my gospel, for I will need everyone's faith and devotion now more than ever. Lead any naysayers down my righteous path. Great changes are coming, [y/n]..and I expect you to assure each and every one of them that it's for the good of the Old Faith."
"Yes, master." Nodding, you looked down at the scythe, giving it a small twirl. "It shall be done, but..when should I expect your re....turn..?
But when you looked back up, he was nowhere to be found.
You were left all alone in a vacant throne room.
"...master?"
"........"
"Master Narinder??!"
.
.
.
.
"Master-!!"
With a sudden gasp, you sat up, nearly hitting the ceiling of your shelter. You looked all around, putting a hand to your chest and getting your labored breathing under control, squeezing your eyes shut.
Before long, you felt another hand rest over your own, while the other was pressed to your back.
"Hey, hey. Easy..you're not in Narinder's temple anymore."
Hearing the familiar voice of your spouse, you opened your eyes to see his gentle hands of leafy-green foliage, a wedding band wrapped around one of his wooden claws.
Then you looked at his face, smiling and curling up against his chest, slowly calming down as you realized you were back in the present. "Thank you, Leshy...f-forgive me if I disturbed your rest."
"Oh not at all. I couldn't sleep a wink because my siblings are having another quarrel.." He grumbled, petting your [ears/antlers/hair]. "At least you were able to get some shut-eye.."
"They're at it again?" You blinked slowly. "Oh, what ever could it be this time?"
"From what I'm hearing...an elder died near their sleeping quarters, and they don't know what to do with the body. Lamb is away, Narinder's on a spiritual journey..and they're too prideful to ask anybody else for help."
"I'll take care of it, dear." Sighing, you left the shelter and stretched your arms and legs, donning your golden immortality necklace. "You can rest."
"Good luck to you." He grumbled as he took your place, while you headed over to the ex-bishops to see what was the matter.
"S-Seriously, we need to do something about this! I'm gonna be sick.."
"Let's just...chop them...up..and...feast."
"No, no..it would be wise to stow their body in the morgue and let Lamb take care of it. They know best how to bury their dead."
"...alright, but I'm not touching it! Although...I do like that pretty little necklace-"
"That is not yours to take, Kallamar."
Yelping, the blue squid jumped nearly six feet in the air, before the three siblings turned to see you there. You always had that habit of showing up without making any sound...something that spooked most followers here.
Especially the former bishops.
"I was already having a rough sleep..and then I see you all having a childish argument while one of our beloved elders is rotting on the ground." You scowled, shaking your head. "It's disgraceful. They led a virtuous life..and you deny them a virtuous sendoff."
They were all silent, having never dealt with death themselves since arriving into Lamb's cult.
You being here didn't help their anxieties, as you reminded them of everything they condemned Narinder for...ultimately choosing to shackle him and cut him off from this world, his ideals lost for generations.
You and your family were the only living proof that he used to have his own sector to rule. But with that gone, you were forced into hiding for years before hearing word that the Red Crown's chosen one was resurrected.
The vessel prophesized to bring an end to the Old Faith.
There were many before Lamb, such as Ratau, whom you have faithfully served, but it mattered not to you whose head the crown sat upon.
Only the crown itself.
When Narinder tried reclaiming it, and was beaten into submission, you held no ill-will towards your first and former master. You still called him lord, although your devotion was directed towards Lamb, serving as the cult's undertaker and teaching others how to bury the dead.
It made him feel rather bitter and jealous, reminding you that you had the privilege of being his favorite pupil...but eventually he accepted this loss, too.
He grew to admire you during the sermons Lamb permitted you to lead when they were out crusading, speaking of the Red Crown's might with such passion and diligence, inspiring all who listened to your words.
Narinder, who stood front and center, sees you haven't changed much over these last few centuries. You could have worn that crown yourself just as well as Lamb, had he offered it up to you.
The ex-bishops, on the other hand, became wary around you as each of them were indoctrinated. Things were awkward considering they tried to execute your family when you refused to abandon Narinder's gospel...
And now in the present, you were here scolding them like children.
Leshy, however, has warmed up to you rather quickly, eventually asking for your hand in marriage (with Lamb's permission, of course). It shocked his siblings when they arrived to the temple and saw the ritual taking place, the cheers of your fellow followers drowning out their cries of protest as you said your vows.
They accuse you of brainwashing the youngest of them...and still believe that to this very day.
You didn't care, though, and neither did Leshy.
You sighed, kneeling down to fix the pendant on the elder's necklace, closing their eyes and folding their arms across their chest. "There, now they'll be easier to bury once rigor mortis settles in."
"Rigor...what?" Kallamar asked bluntly, confused.
"The state in which a body's limbs lock up. Usually this happens within a few hours of death."
"..eugh..."
"Ah yes, yes...brother Narinder has spoken of that once.." Shamura nodded, finding your explanations intriguing.
"Has he? Well..I suppose I should give you all a lesson in mummification." You looked up to make sure they were paying attention. "It's one of the responsibilities of undertakers here."
"I am familiar with that." The purple spider muttered.
"Good, but since Kallamar and Heket are staring at me like I have three heads...this is for them."
"Huh?"
"What's...mummi...fication..?"
"A way to protect the body from natural elements. Lamb finds that it streamlines the resurrection ritual. Of course, it's easier to revive someone who's been properly buried than someone who's been hacked to bite-sized pieces." You looked at Heket, who only scowled back at you in return.
Fortunately, she's gotten better at biting her tongue these days.
And so you showed the ex-bishops how to properly mummify the body, explaining all the steps as you carefully wound the linen around their corpse. Once that was finished, you hauled it off to the nearest crypt, where you stored it among the several other occupied caskets lying within.
They followed you in prayer as you uttered a few departing words, knowing that they will either rise again to continue serving the Lamb, or permanently depart from this plane into the afterlife.
Afterwards, Kallamar, Heket, and Shamura were able to go back to sleep in their shared shelter, believing they've learned something of great importance...something that they tried to squander when it was Narinder teaching them.
Death was a subject that once terrified them all, even as semi-immortal gods themselves...so much so they sought to avoid discussions of it except when punishing their followers.
But now?
Now they felt more enlightened than ever.
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With Aegon's dream as well, I think he also used the dream to justify a conquest as some sort of heroic quest in his mind when his want for power was definitely part of it as well.
Yea. Imo what makes the prophecy such a cool addition to the books is that we now have something that seemingly gives the Targaryens a "divine" mandate of sorts. With this prophecy, they now have a noble calling. Fate dictates that they serve a higher purpose, them and their dragons. It instils in them a sense of noblesse oblige I'd imagine. They're the heroes, and as heroes they have a duty to the realm. But just because they're chosen ones doesn't mean they're the only ones. Far from it. Even now, with two Targaryens being central to the conflict, there still exists one Bran Stark whose magic is decidedly NOT Valyrian, but he is just as central to this story if not more so. Even Jon Snow, the last of the Targaryen heirs, uses First Men magic. Not to mention that there are so many people (i.e., the Night's Watch) who have no magical destiny, but they see a duty to the realm just the same. Don't they matter too?
Aegon's actions, or lack thereof, speak to a certain human fallacy in placing any one person as the supreme hero in this story. Because it's not until Alyssane that the Targaryens even paid attention to the Watch, an entity whose entire existence is to stop the Others/Winter. Why didn't Aegon himself do anything? Why didn't he leave instructions for his future descendants to help the Watch either? Did he think that the three conquerors and their dragons would be enough? But that would be so silly because there's no record that they held any extensive tours of the north/the Wall to try and understand what threat they were facing. The winter that brings the Others is magical, and there's the chance that dragons will have a very hard time even flying to begin with. So imagine not strengthening the front line to hold until you get there? Who knows how long the dragons would take to even get to the Wall in the first place.
We really don't know anything so it's all just speculation atp. But regardless, his actions do come off as being rather egoistic. The Watch is the first line of defense. And if the Wall falls, Winterfell is the next front line. Why didn't they even bother to strengthen Winterfell? Maybe I've read too many Wuxia stories but it's always kind of funny how a good emperor is often characterized as one who fully and wholeheartedly supports the general in charge of his front line with troops, money, and other resources. That general in this case is the Lord of Winterfell/Warden of the North. Why he did nothing to bring the Starks into the fold before Rhaegar and Lyanna is beyond me; but to Jace's credit, he did try. But imagine. Aegon didn't look north to Winterfell, but instead looked south to Dorne. You have to laugh.
Aegon reminds me of Azor Ahai tbh - or what we're told of him. It's the story of one singular hero who sacrifices someone else and gets to go down in history as the guy who defeated the enemy. Except it's so diametrically opposed to actual Westerosi legends of who ended the Long Night: legends of the last hero and the NW tell stories of a team effort, with no singular person being exalted as the one responsible for the Others' defeat. Even with the last hero, the children of the forest are the key to success.
But at the end of the day, Aegon's legacy as the conqueror will have good and bad in it. Did he have a huge ego? Sure. Did his silly chair do way more harm than good in the long run? Definitely. BUT, hundreds of years later, it's his descendant who is emboldened as a king of a united realm to go north and do his duty. Stannis is acting as the Protector of the Realm, the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, legacies left by Aegon. Jon Snow, the last of Aegon's heirs in Westeros, wants to save all men. All of Aegon's kingdom. And I'm not saying that Jon wouldn't want to save humanity if the kingdoms were split up, but it's a lot easier to conceptualize duty when you have one unified people to think about. And it will be Daenerys, Aegon the Conqueror come again, who understands that a queen belongs to all people. Which may not have landed as much had Aegon not conquered and united Westeros under one king to begin with.
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y-umiko · 1 year
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hey tokyo revengers ryusei satou + fluff 5
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SWEET | RYUSEI SATOU
Requested for the 2k event Prompt: "who let you look so cute today?" a/n: for those who don't know, Ryosei is the previous 1st division vice captain. you can read his story on the spin off Tokyo Revengers: Letter from Keisuke Baji. — but it's still ongoing :>
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Ryusei was shocked when he walked by Baji's class and found the 1st division captain and Chifuyu dressed up in a cute high school girl uniform, serving drinks.
but his heart wasn't prepared when you walked out from the back, carrying a tray of mugs, in a similar outfit to the other two but more, how can describe it? tighter and sexier. well, it certainly used less fabric.
His gaze follows you, as you serve the other customers their drinks, taking in the small details of your outfit, how it uses less fabric than the other two, and how it fits your figure perfectly. trying not to get caught ogling you.
feeling his cheeks getting hot, Ryosei was quick to mask his blush with his usual addicting grin as he approaches you and sneaks towards you from behind, slyly wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his chin on your shoulder.
you flinch, confused and panicking who had abruptly wrapped themselves around you. your features softened when you smelled his familiar scent and heard his voice right in your ear.
"Who let you look so cute today?"
you turned around on his arms a fake expression of hurt on your face, while you gasp, "Am I not cute every day?"
he chuckles, "Don't I remind you every day?"
"you sure do" you agreed, because while Ryusei was always perceived to be very carefree and cunning for always making fun of people or simply annoying them, there was always a truth within his words, specially words that are directed at you.
he never misses a single day to remind you how beautiful you are like how his always confident with himself calling himself handsome. but no matter how confident he is, he can be possessive when he wants to be. specially when it comes to you.
Ryusei gently pushes you away within an arm's length, to closely inspect your outfit, how the skirt cinched nicely around your waist, he also took notice of the lack of fabric used on your outfit compared to the other two. a scoff almost leaving his lips at the ridiculous amount of skin you're showing.
so while Ryusei is having an internal conflict behind his smile you suddenly remembered your class is running a cosplay cafe. "do you want something to eat? or drink? though what we offer are all sweet"
"Maybe later" he grinned, remaining smiling as he shrugs his school blazer off and wrap it around you, covering all that there is to cover. a satisfied grin on his lips as he admires his work.
"what are you doing?" you asked, despite knowing full well about his attention and Ryusei knows it too. so he leaned down to your level to whisper right next to your ear, words only for you to hear. "that cuteness should only be reserved for my eyes"
and as if it weren't enough to make your heart pound, he continued, "As for the food…"
he trailed off before pecking your lips with his, officially stealing a kiss from you in a quick swift movement, not even giving you a chance to let a sound of surprised, your eyes widening for a split second. his chuckling from your red face earning the attention of those around.
"you're right, it's sweet" he amused, and he had the audacity to lick his lips right in front of you. maybe it was his playful personality or whatever it is but Ryusei always finds comfort and peace knowing that he alone can make you look like that.
meanwhile, Chifuyu was burning with envy and disbelief at the scene.
"Goddammit! How does a guy like that get a girlfriend!"
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oubliette-odette · 8 months
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The Reluctance of Love, Pt. 2
I've been having a little too much fun writing this story. I will admit, not a lot happens in this chapter - but I promise the next chapter will be good. Just a reminder that this a (sort of) slow burn.
Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Word Count: 2750 (average 20 min read) Content Warnings: mention of mating, nothing happens....yet ;) All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil. Not beta-read. Criticism is welcome, but be sure to distinguish criticism from hate.
I hated myself for leaving Altan there. But I knew that I would hate myself more if I did anything to him.
I remember when I was a child I had always been afraid of mating. It felt like without any choice from either person - you were expected to be intimate with them. I never liked that my body would do something to me that I couldn't control. My broodmothers always told me it was the gift of Gruumsh that assured the vitality and strength of the orc races. It was something that would be mutually felt between partners. I still didn't like it, and I still was afraid of my own body for much of my childhood.
I left home for many reasons: the fact that I was a constant reminder of my father's and broodmothers' shame. The fact that there was no one left my age unmated. But also because I knew that if I left, I would reduce the chance of finding a mate. Lordhovid only would happen with a female orc. The world beyond would reduce my chances of every having to experience it, should it ever happen to me.
I sometimes wondered if I never experienced the urge to mate because I simply didn't want it. But Gruumsh be damned, I found myself in a greater predicament than even experiencing lordhovid. My greatest fear turned out to be worse than I could have imagined.
My relationship with my home and my culture was complicated. I desired to be seen as valuable and needed by my family, but I only brought shame as long as I was unable to give them children. I left for not only my own sake, but for the sake of my family. But I still carried with me a pride of my people and a want to do what was right and I carried a hope that maybe someday I could earn their love back.
My life-partner, my raebukam, the one my body began to burn for was someone I couldn't possibly be with. If I were to return with Altan to my homeland - radiant Altan who remained golden in my memories - I would be dishonored. To bring a partner who could neither bear children or fight for the tribe would spell my damnation.
Altan...I wished I had never learned his name. Altan. Altan. His name was seared into me, branded in my memories. I wished I could have met him under different circumstances. I wished I could love him and not hurt him. I wished I could have known that his feelings for me would be returned without lordhovid influencing him.
I stayed in my tiny room above the forge for the next two days. Feverish and overheated, I struggled through the days. I hadn't been able to buy enough food and I knew eventually I'd have to leave. But I insisted I couldn't leave. I would live with this if I must. I wouldn't give in to this lust. It wasn't mine. I could control it.
On the the third day, however, I heard a pounding at my door.
I was curled on the mattress on the floor that served as my bed - I could never find a bed big enough for my size - and caught in a feverish daze, trying to not think about Altan.
"Drunrag?!" Someone shouted from the other side of the door.
My heart leapt up to my throat. I knew that voice. It was like music.
Altan.
I shrank into the corner of my room, panic formed in the pit of my stomach. "No," I rasped. "You can't be here." The last two days had been near hell - I didn't know if I could be strong enough to stop myself now.
"Drunrag...please open the door." His own voice sounded exhausted. Guilt and shame flooded through me. He had been experiencing his own symptoms of lordhovid, and I had left him to suffer them alone. I selfishly had only considered myself.
Damn you, Drunrag.
"I'm not above considering breaking this door down." He said. "It's taken me these last two days to find you, and it's been absolute hell. I'm not leaving until we have a chance to talk."
"You should if you wish to be safe." I yelled back. My voice cracked from disuse and panic. "I don't want this."
"Look, I'm still not entirely sure of all that's happening to us. But I trust you not to hurt me. Can we please just talk and see what solution we can come to?"
I struggled to my feet, and stumbled to the door. I hesitated, my hand at the lock. "I'm...are you certain?"
"Just. Open the damn door, please."
I hadn't considered that Altan could posses such fire in him.
Admittedly, I knew nothing about him. I fled before I could know him. I only understood one thing: that my body wanted him.
I slid the lock back and cracked the door open. My eyes alighted upon seeing those wide, golden eyes. Altan. Gods, he really was glowing. I let out a breath that I must have been holding since I left him. The pulling in my chest lessened, now that it felt the closeness of my raebukam. However, it was painful to be so close and be denied what my body screamed for. I felt the heat inside me begin to stir again.
"Ummm," He looked up and down through the crack, a weary yet sardonic smile crossing his face. "Do you expect me to converse through this crack? I think not. Gods, where is your sense of hospitality?" He pushed against the door, and I - too stunned to do anything really - was like a leaf, easily knocked back by the small, slender man before me. I crashed against my wall and watched him step into the room. My mouth was agape as I watched him barge in.
In that moment, I studied him, really took a good look at him. He didn't seem tall for a humanoid, but his head looked like it only reached my pecs. He dressed a bit differently than I typically saw in the streets. More loose, airy clothes that exposed his golden brown skin. His coppery curls were long, but appeared mussed and unkempt, like he hadn't been taking care of himself for quite a few days.
I watched as he studied my home. It was a simply layout, a kitchen and a bedroom. The outhouse was outside. His lips were open just slightly as he took in everything. He turned suddenly to gaze into my bedroom. As he turned, the smell of sunny wheat fields overwhelmed my senses. I shuddered and closed my eyes, ignoring the pulsating inside me that urged me to grab him and pull him towards me. Everything about him was tantalizing.
He sighed. "I should have expected this. There's really not much here." He peered into the room where my mattress lay and he frowned, "If you expect me to sleep with you there, I absolutely refuse." He turned to look at me. "You may be an orc, but that doesn't mean I will resort to your way of making love. I expect our first time to be better than...this." He gestured to the general space, which I wondered if I should find offensive, but my mind quickly slipped beyond that thought to the fact that I heard him discuss potentially sleeping together...
There couldn't possibly be a chance...not in any of the nine hells. Gods tell me he's joking.
"What did you say?" I said. "You're not actually considering..."
He stepped towards me, his voice was sharp and direct. "It's not like we have another solution, right? I've had two days to ponder this. It seems you and I are deemed a worthy pairing according to your mating instinct. And strangely, my own body seems to be confirming those same feelings. If you and I are to function at all in our lives - we have to do as our bodies tell us. We must mate. Correct?"
I couldn't look at him. It was too embarrassing. I could feel my face burning with shame, but also with anger. How could he possible suggest this when I didn't want this.
"I'll take that as a yes." He said, his voice softened.
I looked up to see him. He was standing in my home. My tiny, cramped little space with only a kitchen and a bedroom. He looked perfectly normal in it. But I could see the dark circles under his eyes, the way his hair looked like it hadn't been washed or combed since I last saw him. His own breathing was heavy, like mine. His stance looked as if he were carrying an intense weight. A weight that we could remove....if I could just give in to lordhovid.
But I couldn't. I shook my head. "No, I'm not mating with you."
"What exactly is holding you back from this?" He asked. "I apologize if this may come across ignorant, I've only met a handful of orcs in my lifetime, all of them much older than me, but I was raised to believe that orcs found great pleasure in their mating customs. Help me to understand...is it that you find me unlikable?"
I grunted. Unlikeable? No, Altan seemed friendly enough, savvy enough and possessed a lot of spirit. It wasn't something I found in most people I encountered. He seemed honest too.
I shook my head. "No."
He took a step towards me, to which I took a panicked step back.
"Do I repulse you?"
I shook my head again and grunted. I found that he did the exact opposite, I couldn't focus because my eyes would wander to all of his various features. His large, golden eyes. His full lips that always seemed quirked into a smile. His exposed chest, bare and smooth. His ear poking through those soft-looking curls. No, I could not say I found him remotely repulsive.
"Are you afraid of me?" He asked.
That, I hesitated. Yes I was afraid. Of him. Of me. But mostly of what was keeping us together: lordhovid. I was scared what it would do to me, do to Altan and of how its influence brought me here.
He cocked his head. "You're afraid of me." He said it that time as a statement, not a question.
I shook my head, "I am afraid of what you are."
"A half-elf?" He laughed. "We're not known for being terrifying."
I couldn't laugh, not at that moment. I looked at him with a dark expression. "I'm afraid of you as my life-partner. I didn't want this, nor did you ask for this."
His laughter faded and his expression softened. "You really didn't choose to do this to me, did you? You didn't choose me?"
I shook my head. "lordhovid is meant to draw together those who will bear the strongest children for the orc tribe."
"Huh...curious." He said, his voice was light, curious more than anything. I wondered how none of this seemed to be affecting him as much as it affected me. He thought for a moment. "You mentioned that you were broken."
Krandad. Broken. I had grown accustomed to be called that by my broodmothers when I remained the last one unmated from my litter.
I shifted where i stood. To speak on the most intimate, sacred part of my culture to someone who was being so kind and patient to me. Someone I should trust. I somehow felt out of place, like a child. "I am unmated. It is shameful for an orc to be unmated. At first I thought it was something wrong with me. But I believe it because it's my choice."
He studied me. I didn't like his eyes on me for so long. I could feel the burning of his stare and it made my own heated skin surge with longing and want. "You don't want to mate at all, is that what you mean?"
I gave a small nod.
"Then why are we here now?" He asked.
I shook my head, "I don't know. But you were not given a choice. Nor was I. You are a stranger...and I have damned your fate to be with me." I bowed my head, looking away from him somehow made everything in my body feel so much worse. "You have my deepest apologies."
He didn't answer, didn't speak. I worried I had upset him somehow. I glanced up, and saw him staring back at me. His gaze was like the sun on my face, warming my body through every part.
"You are an honorable man, Drunrag." He said, gently. "I see that your sense of honor and your moral standing are greater than even most men. I understand that...this," He gestured between myself and him "Isn't something you want." He closed his eyes for a moment, then laughed. "You're a more complicated person than I anticipated." His eyes were like small lines when he laughed. I liked his laugh.
"I'm sorry." I said, my voice low. I didn't mean to be complicated.
"Let me make a proposition for you, then, Drunrag." He stood tall, as tall as he could against me, it was amusing to see him puff his chest and stretch his shoulders back.
"I'm listening." I said.
"You and I will not mate." He said, he smile awkwardly. "We'll see if we can manage our lives with this symptom. I'll treat it like a cold. Just a really hot, heavy, feverish cold. Who knows, maybe it eventually goes away. Or, you could see if there's some kind of potion? Spell? A Sorcerer, perhaps, that could remove it for you. And if we find that it's too much. Well, I know where you live. Let's say we reconvene in a month and see if we need to revisit option number one."
He smiled warmly at me, and it made my insides twist. Why was he being so understanding of my situation?
"You're being too kind." I said.
He shrugged, "What else can I do? I won't force myself on you, I would hate myself for that, handsome as you are."
Handsome? He must have been trying to be polite. Nothing more. Except that I didn't know how to answer him, and I felt the silence between us build uncomfortably.
"Well," He said with a forced smile. "I suppose there's nothing more to do, right?"
I hesitated before I nodded to him. "Right?"
He looked around the space once more, and then back up to me. "I would like to think maybe we could be friends...once all of this is over?"
His smile was more genuine as he cast his attention my way. He really did have a glow to him, an aura of warmth that made him easy to like. I wondered then if maybe it would be so bad sleep with him...just once. What would it feel like to hold him? I looked down a bit and caught the slight curve of his waist. I imagined my arms...
I clenched my eyes shut, closing the thought before my body reached a new temperature.
"Thank you, Altan, for your understanding." I said, gaining my composure. "In a month's time."
His smile faltered for just a moment, a brief look of wanting and disappointment, before he nodded his head and made his way to the door. "In a month's time."
The door shut behind him and I felt his presence on the other side of it. I pondered our last interaction together. Why did he seem so disappointed?
It was frustrating to feel that tug and pull inside me that tried to pull me back to him. I shoved the urge away and locked the door after I felt some distance between us. Would I always know approximately where he was? Would I ever sense his emotions or if he was in danger?
I ran my hands through my hair, several times, to try to distract myself from the heat and pressure inside me. I was stronger than my bodily urges. I was stronger than the pull that kept me near Altan. I was stronger than all of that. I repeated the words as I looked around my now empty apartment.
Was this really to be my life from now on?
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I hope to write a full review of Peter Pan and Wendy at some point in the near future once I’ve had the chance to rewatch it a few times, but in the meantime, it makes me sad that so many people seem to have hated it, and I need to just gush about a few of my favorite parts.
(Warning: This list will contain SPOILERS for the film.)
Wendy’s very realistic reaction to having her favorite bedtime story character show up in her bedroom in the middle of the night (“How are you real?!).
The reworking of the “kiss” scene. Although the childhood romance/first love thing between the two of them in most versions is adorable, seeing Wendy sort of mentally panic and scramble to find SOMETHING to give Peter when, after getting hurt, Michael suggests someone give him a kiss to make it better and Peter says he doesn’t know what that is but he thinks he needs one is hilarious and totally something an awkward teen girl would do when confronted with kissing a boy in front of her brothers.
Mr. Smee’s good heart and kindness. Gaffigan’s Smee tries on more than one occasion to shield the kids from the worst of Hook’s wrath and/or scary situations as best he can while still being loyal to Hook. And it is openly acknowledged that there is a sort of father/son relationship between Hook and Smee due to Smee having pulled him from the sea when he was just a boy. Law’s Hook isn’t always good to Smee, but he very much recognizes he wouldn’t be alive without him. It’s also nice to see that although a bit of a dork sometimes, this Smee isn’t stupid, and actually seems pretty perceptive at times.
The sea shanties!!! I love that they found a way to work a few songs into the film without it feeling too out of place in a live-action movie that isn’t a full-on musical. The songs themselves are catchy and the lyrics (which are mostly about things in the deep that will eat you…) serve to remind us of the hellish nightmare Hook lives every day in fear of the crocodile. We also get a nod to the Disney sequel. (Props to the songwriter for managing to work the word “cephalopod” into a song and actually having it fit the rhyme.) Also, the second song arguably has a ticking motif in the slow drum beat.
The crocodile’s appearance and attitude. This thing is terrifying. It’s HUGE. There is absolutely no one in their right mind who wouldn’t run from this creature. While it wants Hook most of all, it isn’t opposed to eating others either (and does apparently nab a few men who get shoved out of the way by Hook or who aren’t fast enough). Also, all the spears sticking out of its hide. Makes me think of Moby Dick. The crew has apparently tried on many occasions to get rid of this crocodile but it refuses to die.
The similarities and differences in Peter’s fight with Hook at Skull Rock as opposed to the animated film. Hook ALMOST steps off a ledge at one point like in the animated version, but Smee is there to grab us coat and pull him back before he can fall. We also get some good shadow sequences like in the animated film…but apparently, Hook’s shadow can harm Peter’s with the effect that Peter himself actually feels it.
Hook’s reaction to the crocodile. His first words on seeing the creature are just a very quiet sort of shaky, “Oh, God….” When it lunges for him at one point, he freezes in terror for a second before his instinct to run kicks back in. This man is traumatized.
Hook and Peter’s relationship. Okay, yeah, I’m upset they went with the very cliche “Hook was a Lost Boy” deal which has been done so many times now in book retellings that it’s not even new or interesting anymore (not to mention Hook really needs to be an Etonian to make him who he is…) BUT I am very pleased at the emotional depth the actors and writers went to here for BOTH of the characters. Hook is still clearly capable of brutality but he’s also deeply wounded. Peter is selfish and cocky like any little boy might be, but he’s not evil and genuinely misses the friend he used to have in James. They weren’t black and white hero/villain tropes. They were complex characters who both dealt with things poorly, and it takes Wendy pushing on their emotional walls and asking hard questions to finally make them see they can stop hurting each other and maybe repair what has been broken.
The quotes they gave Law as Hook. So many good ones that I may make an entirely separate post about it but the entire brig scene with Wendy is gut-wrenching. At first, my reaction was, “Why is he telling her all of this?” But then, I remembered that even Barrie’s Hook has a tendency to monologue and I think part of the reason he tells her so much is simply because she might be the first person other than Smee to actually want to LISTEN to his side of things. (Much as how Tink points out later in the film that Wendy is one of the first people to really hear her.)
Peter actually needing and accepting help. While admittedly, I think they may have leaned into the “girl power” thing a little too heavily in this version, it was nice to see Peter actually realize that he DOES need people in his life and that it’s OKAY to ask for help sometimes.
Everything about the ending. Peter apologizing to Hook and flat-out refusing to fight him. Hook’s initial anger and disbelief. Peter reaching out and grabbing him by the claw to keep him from falling. The pained and terrified look on Hook’s face as he scrambles to come up with just one happy thought and can’t find any. The look of horror from Peter as he watches his former best friend fall to what he assumes will be his death. The fact that Peter MOURNS for him. The symbolism of “Hook” falling away and dying while “James” survives. The little hopeful smile he gives when he sees Peter coming back. UGH! It was SO GOOD!!! 😭 And that’s not even including the emotional scene with Peter and Wendy saying their goodbyes on the rooftop in London.
This film wasn’t without it’s flaws. The pacing was a little off in places, and it doesn’t feel quite like an epic adventure…but BOY, does it have some heart to it.
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metabolizemotions · 5 days
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705 had the best action sequence in recent seasons. I love callbacks to the skyscraper fire and storage facility fire. Rewatching those scenes also reminded me of how different the show has become. It had more variety, and humor - even in tragedy. It was more character-driven, and had a better focus on team camaraderie and friendships - Dean/Jack, Maya/Andy and Vic/Travis ...
After Dean's passing, they really don't know what to do with Jack. Vic and Travis haven't had many substantial scenes. Maya and Andy were sort of besties in name only. There was a shift to focus more on captaincy race, SFD politics and darker issues w/o the necessary levity for balance. Let alone any breathing space for them to just hang out together. The inter-personal dynamics became more isolated and the characters became more one-dimensional to shoehorn the stories to serve the overall plots.
705 showed 5 women as impactful and effective first responders. Ross commanding the scene as chief; Andy directing the rescue efforts; Maya leading and supporting from her position; Vic taking control of a claustrophobic rescue situation giving first aid n emotional guidance; Carina providing improvised professional medical care for accident victims on site.
I wish there was more follow-thru on the complexities of the characters sprinkled thru out the seasons... that the show had been more about friendships, esp female friendships and not rivalry... that they didn't make it a zero-sum game but allowed both Maya and Andy to thrive cos they are both leaders in their own way.
I wish Maya, Vic and Andy still hung out, even when their friendship evolved and Carina had joined them in their shenanigans before all she thought about was babies... that Carina hadn't just thought about and talked about babies.
I wish they hadn't structured the narrative to have a female chief put down a fellow female firefighter cos of a man.
Rewatching also reminded me of how good, just n meticulous Ripley was as a chief. I can't get behind the way they are framing Ross as the best chief of Seattle, almost like just cos she's a woman. As a woman, she could have been more empathetic towards the sexism women faced n even if she didn't lift them up, at least don't push them down. She toed the line n was part of the system until it didn't serve her. Only then she called out sexism when she was caught red-handed at breaking the rules she claimed was of the upmost importance to uphold no matter what, as a good soldier.
The way Maya broke the rules to save a dying kid, accepted demotion to keep 19 together, but got buried for supporting BLM, was not giving a proper hearing, even when she was a good captain. She got no support from the team and was basically told to suck it up. The way Ross broke the rules to have a sexual relationship with an ex she promoted, but the whole team was in full support of her, cos "love is love", and one had to do what it took to be whole human beings...?
After being biased against Maya, and giving Beckett the benefit of the doubt despite the rumors of his almost-demotions. Ross respected him, give him many chances despite his poor attitude n performance n complaints against him...
In a way, Ross and Sullivan giving Beckett empathy w/o holding him accountable enabled his addiction and spiral. Also, both holding Maya accountable w/o empathy led to her mental and physical breakdown. They should have facilitated Beckett's therapy, not Maya's abuse.
Addiction can be substance-based or behavioral. Beckett was never sober b4 704. Maya's bottle was not the sole reason for his drinking. Drinking was his coping mechanism (n apparently bullying too). Maya coped with physical assertion, like how she pushed herself to her limits under Lane's abuse.
Ultimately what they did or didn't do reflect on who they were as people. They all made mistakes. Only Maya truly owned up and made amends. The way Ross didn't trust Maya when she handed her the photo mirrored Beckett's distrust. I interpreted it as from Ross's perspective, she would have an angle using the photo for her adv if she were Maya, so she questioned if Maya did. Beckett did not trust Maya cos he knew the team did not trust him as captain having not gained respect or trust. In part also maybe due to their guilty conscience of what they did to Maya and ashamed of their own abuse of power? Possibly as subtle subtext?
When Ross wanted both her job and her relationship and was afraid that Sullivan would make her play small cos in her careers men had made her feel small n saw her as a chess piece. Yet, she, together with the men, saw Maya as a chess piece n made her feel so small...
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nucleo-bang-tan · 6 days
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wife's bsf au where reader is wife and she sees her bsf coming into their bedroom at night and fucking her husband right beside her while reader is crying but she stills observe everything
You didn't specify which member you wanted me to write. I was assuming it was Taehyung? But I'm sorry I had to do Jk.
Grayscale | JJK Oneshot
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Pairing/s: Jungkook X Reader
Genre: Cheating AU, highschool sweethearts, first love
Rating/s: No detailed explicit content, but wouldn't recommend it for minors.
Warning/s: Major heartbreak (duh), sweet love story, Jungkook is literally a liar and a dirty, dirty cheat (not irl, he's an angel), mentions of sex with another woman, not really a satisfying end? and I guess the ask says the rest, lmk if I'm forgetting anything.
A/N: Please leave comments, I would love to hear from you guys. Critique my writing and tell me if I'm doing anything wrong, really appreciate it.
I'm also extremely sleepy while writing this, let me know if I made some mistakes or if my writing isn't as good as you expected (anon, you can send another ask if you would like me to write it once more)
Masterlist
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The memory of the precise moment you fell for Jungkook remains vivid in every corner of your mind. How could you not, honestly?
He was a year older than you in high school. Typically exuding a reserved and shy demeanor, the sophmore was exceptionally good at basketball and other sports. Not that you were far behind; you could effortlessly win against majority of the students in any given sport. Everyone but Jungkook it seemed. 
The pretty boy had throngs of admirers. You honestly understood them but you could feel yourself groan with annoyance everytime he beat you at a sport you practiced for days. Yes, he annoyed you, a sentiment he was well too aware of.
The boy didn't attend school as often, he had his future laid out in front of him, his father being a huge businessman in Busan.
You couldn't say that you hadn't heard of his father's reputation but you certainly could tell that Jungkook was pretty intimidated by him.
"Maybe she just likes you!" His friend answered much too loudly when Jungkook asked about why you disliked him.
He just laughed, "I wish. But I have a rough feeling that it has something to do with the fact that I demolish her at every game."
They were sitting together in the gymnasium during their lunch break, stealing glances at your direction, Jungkook wasn't the only one with admirers, you had your fair share of them.
Jungkook couldn't admit it openly but he had a crush on you. His feelings were shared only to the ones closest to him.
"You should really tell her, you know." His friend suggested.
"And-"
"And risk your father knowing? Man, just try it. You can brush it off as a rumor if it gets out."
Jungkook sighed, his desire for you practically consumed him.
He looked at you yet again. He knew it was a huge risk, but fuck. The way you laughed with your friends, the way your eyes glistened with purity, everything made him want to hug you and whisper the cheesiest of words into your ear. You were pretty, so pretty.
He couldn't risk it, right? But maybe he could give it a shot.
Jungkook's friend invited you to a local park that same evening since Jungkook couldn't muster up enough courage to do it himself. He picked one where the public consisted mostly the elderly to reduce the chances of him being noticed.
"Namjoon-hyung, you sure this jacket looks good?" Jungkook panicked. "I have to be there in 15 minutes."
His older friend sighed, "You could just tell us you're going on a date; it's obvious. He won't be that mad you know."
"It's not a date, I'm just meeting a....friend."
"Sure you are, that's why you got the biggest bouquet."
As Jungkook hurriedly made his way to the park, his mind raced with anticipation and nerves. The weight of the bouquet in his hands served as a constant reminder of the leap of faith he was about to take.
Despite his attempts to brush off Namjoon's teasing, the truth was undeniable: he was about to meet you for what felt like the most important moment of his life.
There you were, squatting down near the pup of an elderly couple. Your hair catching the golden sunlight and framing your face ever so beautifully.
This was the first time he saw you outside of school and without the uniform or gym clothes. You were wearing a simple skirt and a jacket to protect from the chilly weather, the soft hues blending perfectly with your complexion. He made a mental note of how good your sense of clothing was.
But that moment sparked a certain sense of determination in the teenage boy's head. He had to have you. It was that exact moment when he decided that he'll marry you and only you one day, keep you close to him forever.
Maybe you'd decline his proposal to take you out on a date, maybe you'd slap him for being delusional, but he simply didn't care then.
He approached you, and squatted beside you softly petting the dog.
"Jungkook?" You furrowed your eyebrows, attention shifting from the puppy to him.
"Y/N?"
"You're late, you know?" You huffed, feigning annoyance. Getting up, you started walking around the serene lake, Jungkook walking beside you.
"I know, I'm sorry." He cleared his throat, it being way too dry for his liking. You looked at the flowers in his hands and figured they were for you.
"So, why did you invite me here? Oh well, technically your friend did."
Jungkook needed water and was hoping he could dive into the lake. But the way you looked at him made him question if that would be enough to hydrate him.
"I- uh- was thinking..."
"You're awfully confident while playing, you know. You should really bring that over into your actual personality."
He remembered what his hyung, Namjoon taught him, 'Question, joke and complement.'
"Uh- do you come here often?" That was dumb, Jungkook realised as soon as it came out of his mouth.
"No, not really. I wish I did, my parents don't really allow me to go out that often."
"Oh, why is that?"
"What if someone, like you, kidnaps me?" You laughed, "Wouldn't be be a pretty situation, right?"
Jungkook relaxed a bit, your attitude didn't seem inapproachable at all. He had talked to you multiple times, but all after you lost a game against him. To be fair, he'd be annoyed too.
It was the complement stage, and Jungkook meant it when he said, "Your hair, it's really pretty- like you."
You blushed uncontrollably. This was the first time someone had called you pretty. Now it was your turn to shy away from him.
Jungkook thought it was so unbearable, that he couldn't hold it in anymore. He had to ask you. He had to get your answer. Seeing you blush made him even more infatuated with you.
"I uh- invited you here today to ask you something." He started.
You looked up at him with those bewitching eyes that had him at a loss for words. But he still managed to say, "Go out with me?"
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
A week after you rejected Jungkook, you were very unfortunately invited to watch the boys' basketball game. Ofcourse, Jungkook was going to be there, the thought made you want to crawl into your bed and hibernate till it was all over.
Jungkook was a great person, handsome, smart, and at times more shy than he should be. He was the typical high school crush and so much more.
Jungkook asking you out, despite the fact you had a slight distaste towards him, felt like a dream. But dreams are called dreams because they are too good to be true, right?
Jungkook was not the problem, never was. It was your strict parents. Telling them that you had a boyfriend was a suicide mission in itself.
After your refusal to date him, Jungkook had a huge mental breakdown and decided it'd be best if followed the path made for him by his father.
"You know, you're staring." Gaeul nudged your arm. Her remark made you quickly come out of your daze.
"At Jungkook? No way, I was just looking at the uh-"
"I think he knows you're staring."
"Fuck, should we leave?" You asked.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
You didn't leave but stayed longer than anyone. The court was empty at this point except for the janitors who exchanged looks that probably translated, 'When's this one leaving?'
You felt a presence sit a foot next to you on the bleachers.
"Hey." He said. Jungkook was all showered and fresh. Hair still damp from it and skin smelling like soap.
"I should leave, shouldn't I?" You chuckled.
"Y/n, can I ask you something?"
You nodded.
"Why do you care what your parents think?"
"What?" You looked at him surprised.
"Are you sure you rejected me because you don't like me?"
"Jungkook, I-"
"Your friend, Gaeul told me how your parents will practically skin you alive if you date someone."
"I'm sorry but I can't go against them."
"Do you like me?" He shifted closer to you on the bench.
"I can't, Jungkook. Why don't you understand?"
"Do you like me?" He simply asked.
"I do, a lot."
With that he put an arm around your waist and pulled you closer to his body. The heat he radiated was overwhelming. You had never been this close to a boy before. Your stomach did a flip seeing how close his face was.
"That day, when I saw you, I realised, that I can't imagine taking a single step without you. I have no idea what happened to me, but I'm glad it did."
"Jungkook, I can't." You whispered.
"You don't seem like you mean it, say what you want."
You knew neither of your parents would approve of this but fuck, the pretty boy's eyes did something to your heart. It made you want to cry, something about him pulled you, and it was significant.
This was the exact moment you fell for him.
"I want to be your girlfriend."
Pulling you closer than humanly possible, he kissed you.
There goes your first kiss.
You felt so soft, your cocoa butter lip balm smelling ever so sweet, he wondered if it would taste like cocoa butter too, spoiler: it did.
Jungkook held you so delicately, kissing you like you were a fragile sculpture bound to crumble.
"Hey, get your asses out of here!" one of the janitors yelled.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
"Y/n! What is the meaning of this?" Your father yells at you.
"Dad, this is..." You tried to explain who the boy with his arm around your waist was.
You were in the final year of high school and Jungkook was already in college. This was the first time you brought Jungkook home to introduce him to your parents.
"Young woman, get yourself upstairs to your bedroom, I'll get rid of this... guy" His voice still holding lots of anger and disappointment.
You sigh, "Dad, this is Jungkook. He's... my boyfriend."
Your dad was speechless, and the disappointment was through the roof.
"We've been together for 3 years now." I gulp.
"That's enough!" He yells. "This is not what we expected from you. 3 years? You've been hiding this for 3 years now?"
Jungkook decided to speak up, "Sir, I love your daughter and she loves me. I promise you, she's the girl I'll marry. I hope you'll understand that" His grip on my waist tightens reassuringly.
You look at Jungkook, he had said these words a million times but now, in front of your father? This was something entirely different.
You take a deep breath, "Dad, I don't care if you give your blessings to our relationship or not, I just wanted you to know that I have him, I have Jungkook."
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
You had somehow managed to get into the same prestigious university as your boyfriend and decided that you'll finally live together.
Your father couldn't say no to your relationship even if he wanted to. He cared more for your happiness and though he wasn't sure about Jungkook, he decided it would be the best to let you be your own person.
"Jungkook?" You look over your shoulder, hearing the sound of the door opening.
"You stayed up? I told you not to." Jungkook, sits beside you on the couch. He leans in and kisses your forehead.
"I couldn't sleep without you. You know how much I love your warmth." You rest your head on his chest.
Looking back, you should've placed the familiar scent that didn't smell like Jungkook which lingered on his shirt.
He pulled you closer to him, "I'm sorry."
"For what?" You look up at his face, he was on the verge of tearing up.
"I-"
"Jungkook, hey." You cup his face and place a small peck on his lips. "You can tell me anything." You place your forehead against his.
"I don't know, I'm sorry for everything." He sobbed.
"What do you mean?" You peck his forehead, his nose, his cheek, everything you can you show him how much you loved him.
"I promise you, I love you."
"I know, Jungkook. I love you too. I promise. More than anything."
Jungkook cried in your arms, muttering around a hundred sorry's. He never said why he was apologising.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
"Just close your eyes." Your best friend, Gaeul urged you. You were highly suspicious of what was going to happen.
You were 22, fresh out of college and currently on a vacation with your closest friends and ofcourse, the love of your life, Jungkook.
"Gaeul, can you atleast tell me where we are going?" You feel the cold sand under your feet. A mix of chilly and windy was perfect to describe the evening.
"And now, open them." She quickly lets go of you and giggles as she leaves you in the middle of the beach.
But it wasn't dark like you had anticipated it to be, instead the perimeter was decorated with fairy lights and candles, which surprisingly didn't go out.
But something that shined brighter than any light on that beach was Jungkook.
He walked towards you and got down on one knee. His heart pounded with a mixture of nerves and excitement. He took your hand in his, feeling the warmth of your touch against his skin, grounding him in this moment of pure love and vulnerability.
You immediately knew what this was, "J-Jungkook..."
The air is filled with the scent of saltwater and the sound of seagulls in the distance, creating a serene backdrop for what is about to unfold.
"My dearest Y/N," he began, his voice quivering with emotion, "From the very first moment I laid eyes on you, I knew that my life would never be the same. You've been my guiding light, my source of strength, my reason to smile even on the darkest of days."
You smiled, the love was evident in every action of his.
"Do you remember our first kiss? Or hell, our first date at the old people park? Looking at you that day, I realised, you were the only one I've ever wanted in my life. The love that you gave me, I have only strived to return it to you."
He pulls out a small purple velvet box from his pocket.
"So, you let me be your first kiss, but would you let me be your last? Will you... Kim Y/n, marry me?"
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
"I'll be late again, don't stay up." Jungkook said through the phone.
"I know, but I was hoping to help you relieve some stress today." You bite your lip.
He chuckled, "I'll be fine, I promise. Now be a good girl and go to sleep, yeah?"
"Alright, just be safe. Love you."
Jungkook had been coming awfully late for the past few months. Something about his dad's company being passed down to him. But when he did come home at 4 in the morning, he held a particular scent which seemed really familiar to you.
You weren't a fool afterall, it was a perfume, a ladies' perfume. But you knew, Jungkook had a sensitive nose, he preferred women's perfumes more than men's strong colognes.
And you knew, Jungkook did not have a single female in his life except his mother and his cousins.
So you didn't think much or paid much attention to your husband sneaking inside the covers at 2 in the morning, holding that familiar scent again. You were half asleep, your back to him, when he came anyways.
But you did pay attention to the bedroom door opening and realising that Jungkook was still in bed with you, but you hoped you were dreaming.
You could hear the smirk in Jungkook's voice when he whispered, "Such a whore, followed me home, did you?"
"Couldn't get enough of you." Someone else whispered back.
Alright now you were on high alert. There was someone in your bedroom who was a woman.
You could feel the bed dip more when you assumed the woman climbed onto the bed.
"You didn't fuck me enough." The voice, which sounded so, so familiar, whispered. It was so familiar that you didn't want to recognise it.
"Come on now, Gaeul." Jungkook's words made your breath and heartbeat all stop at once. "Coming to my home like this?"
"Please?" Gaeul whispered.
"What if Y/n wakes up? You need to get out, you know." Jungkook sounded way too calm for your liking.
"What about it?" Gaeul whispered back.
You couldn't even process anything. The shuffling, the wet sounds, the whimpers. All seemed like a dream. But why would it hurt so much if it was a dream?
Amidst all the whispers and sighs, you only heard, or well, could fathom one thing.
"Why are you with this bitch anyways?" Gaeul panted, whispering long out the window.
The sounds, the smell, the lies, everything was too much for you. You felt as if you were under a bus. The metaphorical bus being 11 years of lies worth.
The realisation that Gaeul was the one who helped you with Jungkook in the first place. Jungkook never showed a single sign that they might be involved with each other more than how they were supposed to be.
The tears you shed during this entire ordeal were enough to drench the entirety of your pillow, your hair and the sheets under you.
The disbelief overtook your sadness and disappointment. You wanted to scream but you couldn't.
You could still hear the pants and the skin slapping when Jungkook said, "Don't know, she's a really good fuck."
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writingjourney · 20 days
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Ibi I have a really important (and not at all silly question) who would each Papas favourite BG3 character be?
this wins best question award easily, the crossover we need!!!
The Papas' Favorite BG3 Characters:
Primo: Well, it's easy to say (fanon) Primo relates most to Halsin and I think he does, a gentle man who loves nature, not adhering to the rules of society when it comes to love and existing in general, but I actually think if we forget about the nature thing for a while who he would feel drawn to is Lae'zel. He comes from a time where a more authoritarian approach was normal and people started to question their God/faith more and more and whether He truly offers the salvation they all crave (and perhaps turned to Satanism and his own Church). That's pretty much Lae'zel's path, a very inspirational story in terms of abuse, faith, rebellion and finding your own purpose.
Secondo: He relates most to Wyll, definitely, heavy expectations from his father to fulfil a certain role he did not choose, dealing with the emotional neglect and ultimately being cast aside after a perceived mistake but still working hard no matter what. However, I think his favourite would be Minthara. He is a bad bitch, he loves women, he enjoys a strong, morally grey female character and he would appreciate her dry cynical sense of humour. She thought her purpose was serving her God but realised that she can easily be cast aside, just like he was by the clergy. And yes, she comes across as cool and uncaring but is actually very warm and vulnerable when you know her, reminds me of someone.
Terzo: I think people would assume Astarion for the flamboyance and dramatics but I actually think he would not gravitate towards these superficial traits and instead relate a lot to characters like Shadowheart (or Orin) who were forced into roles they did have a say in and tried to appeal to those who put them there. They're following these dogmatic rules until they realise they will never get what they need, that the promises are hollow. And like Shadowheart, who realises that she's been lied to her whole life, that she can in fact become better, he also tried to bring about positive change (and was punished for it like Shadowheart is by Shar).
Copia: I want to say that he relates most to Gale, a bit awkward at times, niche interests (or not so niche) that he loves to learn about and the unexpected Casanova of the group with more confidence than people give him credit for (and skill). I also think he would enjoy using magic, if he had the chance (Fireball accidents included). However, I also think he would be very drawn to the strong female characters, especially Karlach. A badass woman who is kind despite the horrors and did not get corrupted by the evil that happened to her throughout her life (which he is fighting for but in the end he might win or lose the battle, depending on other people's choices).
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mxtxfanatic · 1 year
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Thinking through the misconception that Shen Yuan is a self-serving individual who spends most of his time as Shen Qingqiu doing what he can with the motivation of “saving his own skin,” thereby negating his acts of kindness as innately selfish, and how this is all wrong. When he first transmigrates and finds out that, rather than it being at the beginning of the novel, he is more than halfway through Luo Binghe’s disciple arc, he panics:
That meant that at this point, this master and this disciple, Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe, had already passed the incident at the mountain entrance. There, the latter had been forced to kneel as punishment.
It meant they had also passed the incident where Luo Binghe’s fellow Qing Jing Peak disciples had pummeled him en masse, as well as the incident where he’d “backtalked” Shizun and been strung up and beaten, in addition to the incident where he’d ruined the peak’s talismans and been punished with hard labor... Such a glorious track record.
(Shen Qingqiu waved goodbye to his last hope of survival.)
—Chapt. 1: Scum, official
Luo Binghe had already been a Qing Jing Peak disciple for four years, all of which he had been subjected to horrific abuse at the hands of Shen Jiu. Shen Yuan is well aware of this and clearly believes that everything that Shen Jiu has done to Luo Binghe is already enough to damn him to an early, vengeance-fulfilling grave. Despite thinking that his death was predestined, though, he spends the entire time that the OOC function is frozen fighting with his system about being kind to Luo Binghe, showing kindness to the boy multiple times and arguing after the fact that he should not be punished by the system for acting in such a way. In a way, he is already courting death via system by fighting against his system to be kind with all the risk and no benefits, since he keeps his acts a secret from everyone, most of all Luo Binghe, his would-be murderer. It is only after the OOC function is unfrozen that he decides to enact his plan of “earning a less painful death” by overtly being kind to Luo Binghe. So while it is clear that Shen Yuan thinks his kindness is only a cosmetic salve, not a solution that will save him, he still chooses to show kindness to Luo Binghe at imminent risk to himself.
Mind you, though, we’ve only covered Shen Yuan’s actions and intentions towards Luo Binghe, not counting all the times Shen Yuan was life-changingly kind to “meaningless” side characters. His motivation for redirecting Ming Fan’s anger from Luo Binghe was that he didn’t want the boy to die a needless death just so that the plot could give Luo Binghe another chance to flex. His kindness towards Gongyi Xiao who Shen Yuan thought was guaranteed a good (albeit banished) ending was purely borne from the fact that he liked the kid (and also a little bit from him reminding Shen Yuan of Luo Binghe), and it was enough to get Gongyi Xiao to turn against his own sect to protect Shen Qingqiu. And not only did he stop Gongyi Xiao from killing the snake hybrid demon they found in Bai Lu Forest—even though it would have been expected of them as cultivators—he even left a magic mushroom for him, paving the way for Tianjun’s and Zhuzhi-lang’s reemergence into the narrative. Shen Yuan doesn’t do any of these things with the intent to change the narrative. He does them because they were kind things to do, and it is that selfless kindness that changes pidw into the world of svsss.
All this to say: from the very beginning of the novel, Shen Yuan is introduced as a character whose transmigration is meant to bring humanity into the aloof, abusive Qing Jing Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu, thereby injecting kindness into the story where there had previously only been cruelty, and he is shown to be the perfect man for the job as someone who is willing to put himself at risk to do good. This is why it is Shen Yuan and not Shen Jiu who is able to save the world pidw and it’s protagonist from their original destructive trajectory.
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anathemafiction · 1 year
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Inflation prices
Hosted Games is going to raise the price of all of their games on January 19th — it's been years, but it seems inflation has caught up with them. This won't affect newer releases much, like the Rose, but it may have a pretty substantial price increase in some of the older titles. 
The Golden Rose will go up 15% percent — so if you want to buy it, now's the time to do it! Outside of Steam sales, it'll never be this low price again.
However, some old gems will have bigger price changes, and I wanted to take this opportunity to shine some light on a few of my old favorite HG games. If the summaries interest you, give the free demos a try!
(I'll be linking the COG page, where you can find the links to Steam, Google Play, the App Store, and Amazon at the bottom of the screen).
Tin Star (50% price increase) — Step into the shoes of a US marshal in the old, wild west. It's a very big game, full of hard decisions and a great cast of characters (Preston, you cocky bastard, I love you). You can be a terrible person, a saint, or anything in between. 
Zombie Exodus (60% increase) — Try to survive a zombie apocalypse. There are dangerous missions to navigate, complicated power dynamics between survivors, and, of course, friends and lovers to remind you what it is you're fighting for. This is an old game, but it was one of the first IFs I read, and to this day the story and characters hold a special place in my heart. 
Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven (40%) — This one isn't really an old game, but I want to include it since the price increase is still substantial and, if you enjoy the first ZE, you will LOVE this. The author took everything from the first game and made it better. You can see how much he has improved. From customization (it's mind-blowing), to relationships, to writing atmospheres - I was legitimately scared in some parts! Plus, the different prologues are so good and... just try it! I adore this game so much. 
Way Walkers: University (40%) — Play as a student in a prestigious magic school. The magic system is super interesting, as is the world at large. But, by far, the best thing about this game and its sequel are the characters. It has one of my favorite ROs in any IF games, Semryu, and the way your friendship develops into a tentative romance is so well done. There's also mystery and tension, and I cannot wait for Book 3! 
Double/Cross (60%) — Okay, I'll admit: I don't remember a lot about this game. It's been years since I read it, but I do remember, however, really liking it! You work as a bodyguard for the richest man in England, and not everything is as it seems. I like it because it subverts your expectations, and when I got my "happy ending" I... did not feel happy at all. It's really interesting and not very long, so I encourage everyone to give it a try!
So, You're Possessed! (50%) — Oh, how to explain this game? You start as a pizza delivery person, and then you meet a demon and your life is thrown upside down. It's been years since I've played it but it has always remained a special little gem. I don't want to spoil the story too much, so just give it a try!
Evertree Inn (40%) — Again, not exactly old, but I think the price increase warrants it on the list. I also think most of you are familiar with the game and its sequels, but I want to mention it anyway. Solve a mystery in a secluded tavern and watch out for the murderer! You can play as a number of fantasy races — dwarf, elf, etc— and interact with a cast of colorful characters. It's just such a fun game, and it leads to a great adventure in the sequel. 
Fallen Hero: Rebirth (40%) — Okay, okay, I know. You all have the game already plus, it isn't technically "old". Well, may this serve as an announcement that Fallen Hero is about to get 40% more expensive, and if by some chance some of you haven't played it yet, you should absolutely do so now. The sequel is coming, and it's held as one of the best IFs ever published. A reputation that, in my opinion, is more than deserved. 
Happy reading! I hope you find at least one game that'll bring you joy.♡
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