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#she feels so much shame comparing herself to her sisters so it makes it hard to connect with them - through no fault of their own
softpine · 7 months
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working on the next post was frustrating me so i made more of coco's family to relax!! let's hear it for beautiful brown eyes
nico (33), nicole "coco" (23), monica (22), jasmine "jazzy" (18), amir (12), xena (1)
their family situation is very complicated but if you're interested:
nico was an oopsie when their mom was young. she got married and then quickly divorced nico's dad. coco looks up to her brother a lot. he's the kindest, most generous person you'll ever meet (gives you the shirt off his back kinda guy) and he loves coco so much, but he has an intellectual disability as a result of a complicated birth and he was never given the support he needed. he's had problems with substance abuse for a long time. growing up, coco always wanted to be around him, and unfortunately he didn't always do a good job of sheltering her. even though she doesn't blame him, he'll always blame himself for exposing her to his lifestyle.
when coco's mom met her dad, she didn't want to ruin things by getting married again. nevertheless, coco was planned. she was supposed to be the last baby (hence the cute matching names: nico and nicole).
monica came along so quick after coco that they were basically raised like twins, but coco was still very much a protective big sister to her because monica started losing her eyesight as a toddler. by middle school, she could only see light & shapes. she continued to go to the same school as coco, but she didn't get much in the way of accommodations, so coco was the one who helped her the most. she made sure monica never fell behind or felt different – she learned from nico that if she didn't support monica, no one would. they're the only 2 that share both the same birth parents, though monica always got along better with their dad than coco. oh also she's the sister that used to listen to danny's music fjkjsds
jazzy was from their mom's 2nd marriage which didn't last long. she spent summers with her dad in indiana, which made coco so jealous until she actually visited indiana herself lol. she goes to college at purdue so coco doesn't see her much. it also makes coco feel weird that they both started college at the same time though coco is 5 years older. she wants to be the big sister giving advice and helping jazzy through college, but jazzy has her life together more at 18 than coco ever has. she won't admit it, but she does judge coco for her life choices, and she has a lot of valid reasons for doing so. sadly jazzy had a front row seat to some of coco's worst moments. neither of them really know how to move on from that.
their mom is still married to amir's dad. he's the only kid still living with their mom. coco actually spends quite a lot of time with amir; he likes to stay at her apartment when he needs a break from his step siblings (who coco barely knows, since they moved in after she moved out). they also like to get out of the city and go exploring together / hiking
xena is....... complicated. she's the only one here that doesn't have the same birth mom and that's really all i can say. (btw i'm not bringing back the 2018 extreme red blush, the poor thing just has eczema)
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legacies-tv · 8 months
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There's something so sad about how absolutely sure Lizzie is that she's broken. She's had this ingrained into her head since she was eleven that there was something wrong with her. Her parents tell her there's not, of course, but they're hardly around. Their influence is so small compared to the one family member who is a constant in her life that is always making her feel like she's less-than and a burden.
Josie's the only one around her to see what's going on, to see how much she suffers and struggles, and she takes every opportunity to remind Lizzie that being there for her isn't free. She's already convinced there's something fundamentally wrong with her and now she thinks she's accruing debt just for asking for help, just because Josie demands payment in return for empathy.
She tries so hard to help people. She makes the Sewing Club for a girl in her class who is feeling left out, she gives new kids tours of the school and offers to be their friend, she makes all of the witches come up with a new dance routine to cater to Josie's ideas, she tries to join the Honor Council so she can do things like convince her dad to let kids like Landon stay and have a home and things like making sure the school is a safe place from these new monsters. And then at every single corner, she gets these attempts thrown back in her face or her peers pretend like they never happened. She's so sure that it must be her. There must be something wrong with her that makes them hate her so much.
Even when she finds out that her sister read her diary to the class and was the one who told everyone about her bipolar diagnosis, she's so forgiving. She lets go of a ten-year-long feud with Hope the moment Hope apologizes and acknowledges her. She's always forgiving MG for crossing boundaries and hurting her. She thinks that if she's nice enough to them, maybe eventually they'll be nice back. She kills herself trying.
She sacrifices her life over and over and over again without batting and eye and this is perhaps the most concerning thing about her mental state but she thinks it's the greatest and only thing she has to offer. She's willing to die for her friends and her family and her classmates, only for them to immediately turn around and call her selfish for it, to laugh at her funeral after she's laid down her life for them again. And she just doesn't understand how that's possible. She thinks it has to be her fault. It must be, she must have done it wrong.
She tries to be the strong one, she tries to shoulder the burden her sister always talks about, and then she gets beaten down for taking up too much space, for casting too big of a shadow. She tries to be the hero, breaks her back trying to save the day, like her father always talks about in Hope, and then she gets lectured about how that's not important. She tries to live her own life, tries to not suffocate Josie, and in turn, she gets told that she was too self-centered and distant. No matter what she does, it's never enough. She's convinced that she's not enough.
Her whole life she hears that her disorder isn't an excuse, that she should just take her meds even if they make her feel awful, that she should just try harder, that her disorder isn't real, that it's her own fault, that she's just doing it for attention, that she's delusional or lying or crazy or all three.
She has no idea how deeply that's sunk into her very being until Aurora starts telling her that people will always try to tell her that she's broken and that she can't believe them. And Lizzie's so close to figuring it out. So close. She knows what Aurora went through wasn't her fault, that Tristan was the problem. She's almost figured out that what she went through isn't her fault, that Josie is the problem.
She's adamant that her family would never have done what Aurora's did to her in her day. She doesn't see that they've done worse. It's such a shame that she only finally got there in the last season and her story was cut abruptly before it really got started.
I hope wherever Lizzie Saltzman ended up, whatever Season 5 would have had in store for her, she remembered that she's not broken.
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skywarpie · 1 year
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Snow Day
literally just Copia and his daughters in the snow. That’s it. Just that.
1,101k words
Enjoy.
The snow had started earlier the previous night. What were light flurries had soon turned to fat snowflakes that quickly accumulated into several inches (then maybe a foot?). He wasn’t entirely sure how much there was, just that there was a lot. 
Copia had known it was only a matter of time before his two young daughters awoke and came bursting through his office door. They were at that age where everything was something new to learn about. It was honestly refreshing to be around, compared to the common everyday life of the ministry. He smiles as he signs off on a paper, remembering the first time he had introduced his eldest to his many pet rats. She had talked for hours about how they should spruce up their cages to make them feel like they’re royalty. About what foods she planned to steal from the kitchens to give to them as treats. Where she planned to take them on adventures with her. Any other person would no doubt become exhausted after having to listen to this for hours, but not Copia. The whole while she spoke he had worn the goofiest grin, happy to have someone be as enthusiastic about his rats as himself.
As if on cue, two small figures shove the door open and make their way inside. “Papa! Papa!” Athaliah, the elder of the two rushes forward to fling herself at Copia. “Nevicare! Nevicare!” Her small form is practically vibrating as she clasps to his frilled sleeve.
“Si.” Copia laughs as he lays his pen down near his inkwell and scoops her up to sit on his lap. “A lot of snow by the looks of it.” He smooths a piece of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. 
“Sn-ow.” Accalia, the youngest, toddles in after having been abandoned by her sister in the doorway.
Copia reaches out his free arm as she stumbles forward, snatching her before she can fall. He maneuvers both of them so there’s a child on each knee (Satan forbid one have an inch more than the other. He’d learned that the hard way.). “Si, snow.” Accalia, unlike her sister, had yet to properly grasp a hold on either English or Italian. 
“Outside. Outside. Possiamo uscire?!” The eldest yanks particularly hard on his sleeve. “I want to go outside!”
Accalia, oblivious to her sister’s demands, busies herself trying to stick a stubby finger in the inkwell. Copia twirls his chair ever so slightly so it’s out of reach. He really doesn’t feel like cleaning up ink today. “Go outside? No.” He jests as he tries to hide his smile. “I don’t think you want to go outside.” 
“Si! I do! I do!” She wraps her tiny arms around his neck, pulling herself as close as possible to him. “Please Papa. Please.” Her small hands grasp his face to make him look at her, her expression one of an abused puppy. Accalia settles for gnawing on Copia’s pen.
“Well,” he gently pulls the pen from her grip, placing it further up the desk. It earns him an angry wail. “I’m afraid I have too much work.” He mocks, sticking his bottom lip out. “Sister Imperator is trying to kill your Papa with paperwork!” Copia adds in a dramatic voice, bringing a hand to his forehead in mock exasperation. 
“Papa.” She groans, clearly not finding it funny. Which is a shame because Copia thinks it’s one of his best performances. Everyone’s a critic. 
A sharp tug on his scarf grabs his attention. “Ai!” She shoots him an apologetic look but also somehow one of irritation at the same time. “Alright. Alright. I guess I can take a quick break.” He smiles, keeping up the charade. “I would hate to disappoint Il mio bambine!” An excited squeal is his own response.
—---
After what felt like an eternity, and probably very much was close to an hour if he’s being honest, Copia and his daughters finally make their way outside. It’s not entirely his fault though. Copia just wants to ensure that both are bundled up correctly and won’t get sick. He’d hate himself if he let that happen.
Both of his much larger hands hold onto the smaller ones to ensure that there’s no mishaps and falls. 
Excited squeals fill the air around him as Athaliah breaks free and runs forward into the deep snow. “Fa freddo!” She giggles, wasting no time grabbing a handful of the snow. 
Copia grins as he hoists Accalia up onto his hip. Unlike her sister, the snow seems to not be a hit with her. He can’t really blame her. The cold isn’t really his friend either. They keep this up for several minutes before eventually he places the younger back on the ground so he can properly show them both how to make a snowball. 
The two of them then spend the next while trying to make snowballs of their own and to be frank, they’re all terrible. They wouldn’t last for a single throw, but Copia doesn’t really care. They’re having fun and enjoying each other. That’s all that really matters.
Eventually he rounds the two of them up and herds them inside. He gains some resistance from Accalia who seems to have suddenly grown to love the snow. But none from her sister who’s clearly tired herself out. 
The trio make their way back inside and Copia ensures that each child is out of wet clothes and in nice dry ones. Only once he’s sure they’re taken care of does he peel off his own wet clothes and settle for his favorite track suit. 
Once everyone is taken care of, he brings in two mugs of hot chocolate (ensuring that they aren’t hot enough to burn but warm enough to serve their purpose). Copia settles himself on the couch, Athaliah leaning against his left side, covered in the largest blanket Copia thinks he’s ever seen, as she sips at her own mug. Accalia sits on his lap while he gently tries to offer assistance with their shared mug. It doesn’t go as planned. He still ends up covered in hot chocolate but he doesn’t care.
They sit like this for a while before he notices Athaliah has fallen asleep against his arm. Copia slips the mug from her hand, placing it on the end table along with his own mug that had been placed over there long since the youngest drifted to sleep. He positions himself so he has an arm around each child and sighs contentedly. I should miss work more often. 
---
Nevicare - snow
Possiamo uscire - can we go outside?
Il mio bambine! - My babies!
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weabooweedwitch · 2 years
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People with narcissism don't accept blame for things becaue a) the idea that they're imperfect or have made a mistake causes them intense shame and b) they lack empathy for the people around them and don't genuinely care about how their behavior impacts others. It sounds like generally your mom is more interested in getting herself out of the hot seat than actually addressing any issues you're having which must be super frustrating to deal with :(
I just, I dunno I'm on the fence because like, she really has tried to do a lot for me? Working hard to support me and my sister growing up, fighting to try and get me good doctors and try different medicines, taking me to therapy, all sorts of stuff, and I think, I dunno, if she really had NPD would she have done all that for me?
But then you compare that to "one time when I was a minor I got mad and told my mom that after I told my therapist a lot about her that they agreed she was abusive and now she doesn't want me seeing that therapist anymore because 'they don't have a right to speak to me about her like that'" and it's. Conflicting, you know. I remember there were times growing up where I felt like, at least I was feeling hurt enough to feel like, that her love was conditional, depending on me obeying her and agreeing with her, and that she cared more about me listening to her than what I wanted to do
Like you can tell her no and she'll ask a few more times in differently aggressive ways rather than just give up? Just to wear you down? I literally had a therapist tell me "yeah, she straight up badgers you until you feel too bad to say no". Like she would literally text me saying to get her a glass of water saying she had a headache. She has fibromyalgia so on and off or depending on the meds these headaches could be CONSTANT. And I get she couldn't help it but these texts for extremely small, minor favors were nonstop. I grew up like one of those kids whose parents call them in from the other room to fetch them the remote that's just slightly out of reach.
And I'd say "mom these tasks are genuinely so small that it makes me upset you want me to completely drop what I'm doing and do them for you" nd she would just quip back something like "its such an easy thing to do, why won't you do it for me" and she literally still does this to this day and to be honest sometimes she'll start saying "hey can you do me a fav--" and I interrupt her mid sentence because I've told her, I've literally honest to God told her, to never ask me for any favors besides like chores because she has asked me for so much over the years that her asking me literally anything can make me absolutely furious
And of course she still does it. And of course it's always stupid bullshit she can do herself but just doesn't want to. Its like I'm being fucking obedience-tested? And I don't think she realizes I'm legitimately, legitimately, as much as it hurts to say, losing the ability to love her? I just look at her sometimes and I just feel. Such anger and disappointment. Such disappointment. Did I, uh, ever tell you guys I basically don't speak to my sister anymore, and it's partially because I just can't deal with both her and my mom right now.
Like, back on track I guess but, I dunno i don't think she completely lacks empathy but there's something wrong here. Years ago when me, my mom, my sister, and my grandmother were all under the same roof we would kind of all tell her "yeah mom you DO do this thing/hurt our feelings/made a mistake" and she would just say we were ganging up on her? Literally saying "you're ganging up on me"
Anyways I'm just. Burnt out. I always have to yield to her and if I don't then it's harder on me. But I'm losing so much respect for myself and my own autonomy when I'm just constantly having to just bowl over because it's easier than setting boundaries. It's bad enough to be mentally ill and think so poorly of yourself or think your opinions don't matter, but the pain of a parent enforcing that is just... it's a lot. She tells me she loves me but I can only speculate how much, you know 😔
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a-brighter-life · 2 years
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Is It Ok To Be a Perfectionist?
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Is it ok to be a perfectionist? - You may want to know once you identified with certain perfectionist traits I shared in my last blog – 7 Signs of a Perfectionist Leader.
My answer is, “let’s explore”.
Let me tell you about someone I worked with recently.
Case of a perfectionist leader
She was a senior leader doing extremely well for herself, but she would get highly anxious before her big presentations and couldn’t sleep the night before. During our inside-out coaching process, we discovered that she, as a child, was always compared to her older sister who would get all the love and attention. So, she grew up with the feeling that she had to keep achieving so that she could get people’s love and attention.
It is important to understand that whether or not this was the truth, but this was the feeling she had. That is key. The feeling of deprivation and constant comparison drove her to be an achiever and a perfectionist, but also left her struggling with anxiety and stress, impacting her mental and physical well-being. Once she understood her own feelings and mindset, we encouraged her to have fun. Perfectionists don’t have fun. Even if they have a hobby, they want it to be perfect. So, for her it was a big step to do things where it was ok for her not to be perfect. She slowly began to take pleasure in the process of making a painting or cooking a meal, just for the fun of it. As she started doing this, she understood that she could work from a place of happiness rather than for happiness.
Perfectionism has its roots in your childhood.
As you can see from the case study above, perfectionism stems from the deep-rooted feeling of unworthiness, need for attention, and fear of failure & shame, mostly coming from growing up years & some life-altering events.
It is emanating from you internalizing all the negative, biased, societal, and cultural voices telling you how imperfect and incomplete you are.  And that striving for perfection (no failure, no mistakes) is your only hope.
This inner critic then bullies you into trying to live up to some unknown and impractical ideal of perfection. A state that is unattainable. And to top it all, the inner critic is never satisfied and keeps raising the bar. It is a war that one can’t win.
The consequences are grave, though.
Perfectionism can be a potential roadblock to your success as a professional and leader.
Firstly, it leads to delays in your deadlines, and secondly, it severely affects your leadership effectiveness.
Perfectionism and procrastination go hand in hand.
A perfectionist leader is afraid of making mistakes. When the focus is on what may go wrong, it is usually hard for such a person to start or complete a project.
He creates conditions in his mind and keeps delaying those important tasks because he wants to have the best possible outcome.
Whenever something important comes up, there are strong critical voices in his mind that stop him from taking action.
“I need some peace and quiet to do this job’.
“Oh! I need to think this through”,
“I need time on this”,
“Let me do some more research”,
“It’s already too late to start this task. I will do it tomorrow morning”,
A perfectionist waits for the ideal moment that may never arrive.
And then, a perfectionist leader may pass on the pressure and anxiety to the team.    
Perfectionism is a potential threat to leadership effectiveness
Think about it. Who wants to be led by a micro-managing, monitoring, anxious, hyper, perfectionist boss?
Such leaders may find it difficult to delegate. More often than not, if a team member comes to them with a problem, they will say, “Leave it with me. I will see to it”. Even if they delegate, they want their team to be perfect. So, they micro-manage and add too much pressure on their juniors.
They convey, implicitly, to their teams – "It’s NOT OK to make mistakes."
The team gets gripped with fear and does not come up with new ideas and solutions. What if, their ideas are not perfect? What if they get pulled up by the leader?
Consequently, a perfectionist leader may breed an environment of fear of failure, low initiative, no innovation, no risk-taking, and lack of trust. All of these are bad news for business performance!
Perfectionist leaders try to do it all, without seeking support and expect the same from their teams. Just leads to a fatigued and stressed-out team.
Perfectionism could be a subconscious behaviour, but once identified can be worked upon.
The remedy
If you can hear yourself say, “Oh God! I am a perfectionist”, it is the right time to address it.
Coaching can help even the most incorrigible perfectionist move toward becoming joyful leaders.
We, at abrighterlife.in, use inside-out approach to work at the root cause of your perfectionism
The first step is to take a compassionate view of yourself. Accept & love yourself. Think of how being a perfectionist is harsh on you. Be gentle on yourself.
Stop criticising and judging yourself for mistakes. It is ok to make mistakes. Making mistakes is a part of our learning curve.
Set realistic goals for yourself. Resist the pressure to do it all. Take only what is practical.
Practice affirmations –  “I love and approve of myself  exactly the way I am”, “I am worthy and lovable”  “It is ok to make mistakes”
Do things just for the sake of fun and joy. Things that are free of evaluation and performance pressure.
Sing as if you are singing to yourself, water the plants, paint, dance, cook, play board games, go for a long-long walk. Enjoy the process, don’t worry about the outcome.
You alone can gift this freedom to yourself.
Did this article help you with your questions relating to perfectionism? If yes, please write to me. I will be happy to further assist you.
Do share this article with a colleague or friend who wants to hear this.
Yoshita Swarup Sharma:  
Founder & CEO - A Brighter Life | ICF Certified Executive Coach  | Leadership facilitator | NLP Practitioner| Inner Transformation Specialist
Yoshita Swarup Sharma, CEO & Co-Founder of A Brighter Life, is an internationally certified executive coach (PCC). For the last eleven years, she has coached several senior leaders and CXO across the variety of industries and organizations. Recently she was awarded as one of the most influential coaching leaders of India by the World HRD Congress. She's a leadership facilitator, advanced NLP Practitioner and a specialist on personal transformation. She writes her blog from her own experiences and reflections .  She brings with her 23 years of overall work experience and has previously worked as a Marketing professional in corporates like Coca-Cola, Dabur and Ranbaxy She's also a Kathak student and co-founder of Subah, A Covid Widow support group
Contact Yoshita Swarup Sharma
Get in touch with us here
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messers-moony · 3 years
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My Everything | S.B
Paring: Sirius Black X Wife!Reader
Summary: When five marauders goes to two within the instance of a day. Two children are left without fathers and a wife is left without a husband.
Request: Sirius Black x Wife!reader reuniting and she's Remus sister
A/N: My first Harry Potter request. I got so excited to see this in my inbox and I hope it isn’t the last :)
Perhaps it was the feeling of betrayal she felt when he was finally gone. The fact that everything he’d ever said was a lie. She couldn’t help but think maybe his vows were a lie too. The five Marauders were now two. Only two left. How did this even happen? 
The unbreakable group of five. James Potter, the so-called leader of them all. The mom friend who always made sure everyone was okay and cared for. Sirius Black, the second in command. The mischievous, charismatic troublemaker who was always in detention. Peter Pettigrew, the outcast of them all. The shy and naive boy who gave them all a sense of logic. Remus Lupin, the intelligent and solace of them all. The only boy smart enough not to get caught. Y/n Lupin, the creative and sneaky one. The only one who could sneak and out of the Potions cabinet without Slughorn noticing. 
Now it was just the Lupin twins who, as Sirius called them, the “Linking Lupins.” It was hard in the beginning. First-year was difficult. All they had was each other. Lyall hadn’t really been accepting in the first place, but Hope was always blissfully unaware of her son's problem. All she knew was that he had to go away once a month. Lyall cursed himself out every night that Remus went away, cursing himself for letting this happen to his son. 
The cries of his baby girl begging for her brother. The wails of Y/n pleading for Remus not to go away. Not wanting to let go of him, hearing Remus from inside the room in the basement begging to be let out. Sobbing, crying for his mum or his dad to let him out, praying that the wolf doesn’t take over. Whimpering at how much it hurts the way his bones dislocate and relocate back together in a new way. 
So yeah, first year was challenging. But Dumbledore had a safe place for him to go every evening of the full moon, and Y/n would be there when he woke up every time. Remus relished in the way her hands felt in his. They were so soft compared to his calloused ones. So gentle compared to his often rough movements. Small compared to big. She was everything he wasn’t, and he was happy about that. 
James Potter was the first to talk to them with his flamboyant nature. His eyes were the lightest of browns with spotted glittering green. His smile was perfect and straight. How could someone’s smile be that way at the ripe age of eleven? Despite his aura screaming, “I’m the popular kid, and you’re the loser,” he was actually quite nice. 
Upon looking at James, the Lupin twins both thought of trouble. They remembered the popular kids from their muggle school before this one, how they used to belittle Remus for his scars and how Y/n used to push them away. So, forgive them for being a little cautious around him. It didn’t help that James’ counterpart was the opposite of them both. 
Sirius Black, lanky and confident. This boy had no boundaries and absolutely no limits. If he wanted it, he was going to get it. His eyes were the purest iron, and his smile was white like quartz. Hair black as coal and personality as gregarious as the color wheel. His style was toned back, but his character could’ve put the color wheel to shame with how bright he was. Sirius Black could’ve been the antonym to Remus and Y/n Lupin. 
During second year they found another boy who was being beaten by Slytherins for his scarlet and golden robes. He was stocky, and it seems that he was pretty timid. His blond hair was disheveled, and his blue eyes full of fright. Y/n had stepped in front of him just like she had Remus from the bullies back in muggle school. Her wand was held tight in her grip as she stared at them. 
“What are you gonna do, Loony Lupin?” One of them snarled. 
“Aguamenti.” 
The Slytherins were now covered in water. Damp like they had all taken a shower with their clothes on. Their black robes turned a shade darker. The evergreen accents turned olive, and the silver turned into grey. The main Slytherin boy gritted his teeth, and his icy eyes stared into Y/n’s e/c ones. 
“You’ll pay for that.”
Y/n pocketed her wand in her robes, smiling sweetly, “I’m sure I will. Now, run along before I do something worse.”
They didn’t want to obey, but they also didn’t want to stay in that situation. The Slytherins scurried off like dogs following their owner's command. Y/n fixed her hair with her hand and turned around. She was offering her soft hand to the boy who was frozen, shocked, staring at her. Hesitantly he gripped her hand, allowing her to pull him up. She was only slightly shorter than him. 
“Y/n Lupin.” She introduced, “You are?”
“Pe- Peter Pettigrew.”
Y/n bowed playfully, “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Peter.” 
“Pleasure.” Peter muttered shyly as her group of friends approached. 
Remus swung an arm around her shoulders, “You’re bloody brilliant, you know?”
“Our star.” Sirius swooned jokingly as Y/n punched his shoulder, causing him to pout, “Who’s this?” James queried, looking at Peter, who cowered under the hazel-eyed gaze. 
“Boys,” Y/n smiled brightly, “This is our new member of the Marauders. Peter Pettigrew.”
Peter fiddled with his hands anxiously, “New- New member?”
“Mhm!” Y/n hummed, “You’re our new addition.”
James smiled, “Any friend of Y/n’s is a friend of ours. Welcome, Peter.”
From then it went from four to five. Peter never really stopped thanking them for letting him in. For the first time, Peter felt at home, and it was thanks to Y/n. He realized how kind she was, how creative she was. It was so strange. The group was so different, like extraordinarily diverse, yet they worked together so well. Y/n and Remus seemed to be the brains of things. James and Sirius seemed to be the trouble makers. Peter just did his own thing but always contributed. 
In fifth year Remus started to worry. Everyone was so secretive. They stopped hanging around as much, even his sister. It hurt. It really hurt to see them seeking around on the map that he and Y/n created together for the most part. It wasn’t until during the winter break did Y/n finally realize what they were doing affected them. 
Remus barely cried. Or at least that’s what people made it out to seem. Remus actually cried a decent amount. He was snuggled up in his room. His blanket encasing him, and his arms held around his pillow tightly, gripping it as if it’d leave him like he felt everyone else was. His heart felt broken. Y/n was outside his door, hearing his soft cries, and gently knocked on the door. 
“Rem. Can I come in, please?”
He didn’t say anything, so she just let herself in. The door closed behind her with a click, and she saw her tall brother curled up into the tightest ball with silver streams on his cheeks. Y/n sat in front of him and rubbed the side of his arm. Remus’ eyes continue to release water like a dam that had been broken. He couldn’t swallow it no matter how hard he tried. 
“What’s wrong, Rem?”
Remus didn’t say anything. He just dug his head deeper into the pillow he was holding. Y/n’s hand made its way to his sandy-colored hair. She was scratching at the scalp and smoothing his hair away from his face keeping the strands from getting wet. Her hand hesitantly reached his cheek and wiped away the tears that kept falling. 
She sighed, “Remus, please.”
“You’re- you’re gon’ leave me, aren’ you.” Remus choked. 
“Leave you?” Y/n questioned softly, afraid if she raised her voice any more, it’d make things worse, “I wouldn’t leave you if I was given a chance, Remmy.”
He sniffled, “You- you haven’ been a- around.”
“I know.” Y/n soothed, caressing his cheek, “But there’s an explanation for it. James, Sirius, Peter, and I have been distant. We know that. But there’s a reason for it. You’ll find out soon.”
Remus’ eyes met his sister's warm e/c ones, “Please don’t leave me.”
“Never.” 
He smiled gently. The corners of his lips barely curled, but she knew it was there. Remus had fallen asleep with his sister's hand in his hair. When she was sure he was sleeping, Y/n left the bedroom, allowing him to sleep peacefully. Then she wrote a letter to James where she knew Sirius was staying too. 
One more week, Y/n thought. One more week of this Mandrake leaf in their mouths until they could be done with this. 
It took another month before it was ready. Before they were ready. They were in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom when they started. James started first. When he turned into a stag, they all began laughing. James turned back, pouting. Sirius turned second into a huge black dog. Y/n smiled and petted his head. 
“Very fitting, Sirius.”
Sirius turned back, letting Peter turn next. He was so tiny that Sirius almost stepped on him. James and Y/n sniggered at their rat friend. Next was Y/n, who turned into a graceful cat. Her fur was black, and her eyes were a striking e/c. James smirked and nudged Sirius. 
“Matching animagus’, eh?”
Sirius scowled, “Cats and dogs don’t match.”
Y/n turned back, “Don’t they?”
“Ready for this full moon?” James asked them all. 
“‘Course!”
“Yep!”
“Can’t wait.”
That full moon was better than them all. Remus had people to join him. There was something that he noticed, though. Every time he’d get close to the cat, the dog would growl and stand in front of her. It was like the dog was protecting what was his. Y/n noticed it too. Every time Remus got close, Sirius stood in front of her, keeping him at a safe distance. 
It wasn’t until a quiet night in the Marauders dorm did Remus finally bring it up, “Sirius.”
“Remus.”
“How long?”
Sirius furrowed his eyebrows, “How long what?”
“You know,” Remus moved his hand in a circular motion for him to continue, “How long have you liked my sister?”
“Woah, Remus.” Sirius stated in shock, “That’s quite the accusation.”
Remus tilted his head, “Is it?”
“Yeah. It is.” Sirius replied, “Y/n is my friend. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“So, you not sleeping with any girls for the past year is just a coincidence?” Remus questioned knowingly, “You staring at her during class and parties is just on accident?”
Sirius’ cheeks went pink, “And it’s definitely a coincidence that you always hug her first after every Quidditch match.”
“Okay, fine, fine.” Sirius confessed, “I like Y/n. I have for a while.”
“So why haven’t you asked her out?”
“Excuse me?”
Remus shrugged, “Why haven’t you asked her out yet? You know she enjoys going to Honeydukes and the Three Broomsticks.”
“Mate, have you forgotten we’re talking about your sister?” Sirius asked, “Like your twin sister?”
“I know.” Remus replied, “She likes you too, you know.”
Sirius’ eyes were practically bulging out of his skull. How in the name of Merlin was Remus so calm about this? He said it so casually as if they were talking about the weather. Sirius expected Remus to get angry or throw a book at him. 
“Are you- Are you giving me permission to date your sister?”
“As long as you don’t hurt her, sure.”
Sirius hesitated before asking his next question, “Can you help me do it?”
Remus smirked, “Casanova of Hogwarts can’t ask out Y/n?”
“Please, Remus.” Sirius begged, “I really like her, and I don’t want to fuck this up.”
Remus snorted, “You always fuck things up.”
“That’s why I need you!” 
Remus just smirked triumphantly. 
“Pleaaaseeeeeee.”
“Alright, fine.” Remus relented, “Just be cool about it, yeah? Take her to Honeydukes and the Three Broomsticks. She’d enjoy that a lot. Maybe take her to Tomes and Scrolls.”
“You’re a lifesaver!” 
“Yeah, yeah.” Remus rolled his eyes, “Now shut up. ‘M tired.”
The following day Sirius and Y/n did go to Hogsmeade together. She was amazed when they went into Honeydukes together. She picked out some of her favorite sweets and some for Remus since the full moon was a week away. When she went to pay for it, Sirius pushed her hand away, paying for it himself. Y/n wouldn’t stop thanking him. 
Next, they went to Tomes and Scrolls. On any ordinary occasion, Sirius would’ve hated this. Truth be told, he wasn’t really a reader or a book person in general. But for her, he’d do absolutely anything. Y/n picked out some new books and began raving to Sirius about one in particular. So again, Sirius paid for them and told her to find a table in the Three Broomsticks. 
Sirius went to the area where the book she was raving about was found. He grabbed one for himself, planning to read and annotate it for her. Maybe he’d give it to her as a birthday gift or just a random gift. Nonetheless, he knew she’d love it, and Sirius would fall off a cliff if she asked him to. 
Inside he found her sitting with a hot chocolate and a butterbeer for himself. Sirius slid into the booth smiling at her. They talked about everything and anything. Sirius even went as far as to tell her some stuff about his family the other guys didn’t know about. He went on about how he envied Remus and her relationship wanting the same thing with Regulus. 
Sirius told her how he wanted his future to look. How many tattoos he wanted. Where he wanted to live. How many children he wanted. So on and so forth. He was so open and so honest it surprised her. Generally, if someone asked Sirius what he wanted his future to look at, he’d just shrug. Now he was spilling everything to her. 
It didn’t take long after that for them to become official. Remus smiled when she announced it. He was happy for her. Remus could see how happy Sirius made her, and for that, he was grateful that someone could take care of her in his absence. Y/n only wanted that for him too. One day she’d have a family, and Remus wouldn’t be her main priority. That scared her because, for all seventeen years of her life, it was just her and Remus. 
After graduating from Hogwarts, they got married. It wasn’t anything huge, especially with Voldemort on the rise, but it happened. James was Sirius’ best man, and Marlene was Y/n’s maid of honor. Remus walked Y/n down the aisle and gently kissed her cheek before letting her go. Seeing Sirius and Y/n get married made James overjoyed to marry Lily, but that would happen all in due time. 
So what was it that made her feel this way? Was it the betrayal? Was it the dishonesty? Was it the disloyalty? What was it in truth? The moment Sirius was locked away in Azkaban, everything changed. When Remus heard about it, she was his first stop. Inside he saw her with a baby on her lap. Their baby boy, just a year old. He was born only months before Harry. 
Little Perseus Sirius Black. Y/n’s pride and joy. He was everything to her. Remus had walked into the house seeing his broken sister holding her child close to her as he cried. Remus walked in and gently took the child from her arms, allowing her to lean on his shoulder as he held Perseus. The little boy smiled at the familiar face of his uncle. 
“Rem!” 
Remus smiled softly, “Hey, Perseus.”
It took a long time for Y/n to collect herself. Remus had taken a spot in the house since he couldn’t find a place by himself. Y/n worked at the ministry most days, and Remus would take care of her little troublemaker. As Perseus grew, he looked more and more like his mother. The same e/c eyes and h/c hair. The only thing that made him look like a Black was his defined body and facial structure. 
The sharp jawline, the defined nose, the straight cheekbones, the semi-hollow cheeks, and the pointed chin. His features were that of the Noble House of Black, yet he could’ve made his way to look like a Lupin even more. For a while, Y/n worked a lot. She was trying to keep her family afloat. But it wasn’t until Remus said he got a job offer at Hogwarts did she have to stop. Working for her felt like nothing. Every day she was worried about Perseus going to school. Especially with Sirius being out of Azkaban. 
The night that Remus saw Peter Pettigrew on the map, he knew something was wrong and sent Y/n and owl for her to come to Hogwarts. Without hesitation, she did. On the night of that full moon, she was also down in the Shrieking Shack, holding Harry close to her, not wanting him to get hurt. When everything got resolved, she cried. 
Y/n went home that night rethinking everything. A week later, Remus and Perseus returned home. She couldn’t remember holding Percy that tight ever. Y/n was just thankful that he was safe and he was home. That night that Y/n and Remus told Percy what really happened, why his father was never really in the picture. 
A year later is when Perseus finally met his father - well, that he can remember. He was fifteen now, going into his fifth year at Hogwarts when Y/n and Remus took him to Grimmauld Place 12. It felt foreign, and it felt evil. Needless to say, Percy didn’t like the place. Inside, Sirius was waiting for them along with many others. 
When the door opened and shut gently, he knew it was her. For the first time in over twelve years, he’d be allowed with his wife again. The woman he loved and the woman he felt the most solace with. He’d also see the boy that he used to know grown up into a young adult. The young gentleman Sirius always wanted. 
Perseus stood in front of her, Y/n’s hands on his shoulders. Sirius almost chuckled at it. Percy was protecting her even if she didn’t know it herself. He stood in front of her for a reason, to make sure she’d be safe. Sirius stood in front of them, swallowing harshly. 
“Remus, Y/n.” He choked on the last name.
“Good evening Sirius.” Remus greeted politely, “How have you been?”
Sirius shuffled, “I’ve been better.”
Remus hugged him, whispering in his ear, “Don’t fuck this up.”
“Hey, Siri.” Y/n smiled with tears in her eyes, “Hey, love.”
Gently she walked in front of Percy and hugged him tightly. Sirius’ arms went around her waist, and his nose dug into her hair. The scent of her perfume and shampoo calming his nerves slightly. Y/n dug her head into his neck and placed her arms around him. They pulled away and smiled. Gently he kissed her forehead. 
“I’m sorry for believing that you would ever,” She looked down, “You know.”
Sirius picked her chin back up gently, “You have nothing to be sorry for, love.”
Y/n kissed his lips softly. His lips were far from how she remembered. They were no longer soft and tasted of smoke. Instead, they were chapped and tasted of firewhiskey. Perhaps some things never change. Their lips melded together perfectly, just as they did so many years ago. They pulled apart, smiling brightly. She pulled from his embrace to stand by his side. 
“Sirius, this is-“
“Perseus, I know.” 
Perseus smiled nervously; they had the same smile, the same straight smile, “Hi.”
“Hi.”
It was silent for a while as Perseus shuffled, “Are you- are you staying this time?”
“I’d like to.” Sirius replied, “I’m not quite sure the extent of my living abilities, but I’ll be here.”
“I’m- I'm in Slytherin.”
“Okay.”
Perseus looked incredulously, “Okay? That’s all you have to say?” 
“There’s nothing wrong with being in Slytherin.” Sirius stated, “Your heart is in the right place.”
“How would you know?” Percy snapped, “You’ve been gone for most of my life. You don’t know anything about me.”
Sirius quirked an eyebrow, “So you standing in front of your Mather was just a happy accident? You weren’t planning on protecting her. Shall something go wrong?”
Percy looked at the ground, “Someone had to make sure she was safe while you were gone.” 
“That’s not fair.” 
“Life isn’t fair!” Percy yelled, “You left us. You don’t realize how badly you hurt her while you were gone.”
Remus walked back into the corridor to see Y/n frozen staring at her son. Sirius was standing in an argumentative stance. Percy’s eyes were filling with tears of frustration as he stared at the man who abandoned him from the start. 
“You left me. You left mum. You left Remus.” Percy cried, “How did you expect this to go, huh?”
Sirius didn’t say anything, “Did you expect me to be happy?! Did you expect me to hug you and fall into your arms?!” Percy shouted, “Because I’m not. I’m not happy, and I’m not going to fall into your arms and hug you like a naive little boy. My mum deserves better than this bullshit.”
“Enough!” Remus snapped, and Percy froze, “Your father is risking his life to be here right now. To meet you. I get it. I wouldn’t be happy either if my father did what Sirius did. But with things, the way they are right now is holding a grudge really that important?”
“N- No, sir.”
“Percy.” Y/n called, and he stared at her with watery eyes as she approached him, “I get it. You’re angry, you’re upset, but he’s still your father. He wants to be here now.”
“B- But he-“
“I know, my love. He’s going to try and make up for it. You don’t have to trust him right away. You don’t have to say ‘I love you’ right away. He isn’t expecting that.” Y/n wiped the tears from his cheeks, “All he’s expecting is his son. The little boy that he last saw.”
Percy looked down, “I know you aren’t that little boy, and I wish you still were. The little boy that used to make me smile and laugh. The little boy that used to cause mischief around the house driving Remus mad.” 
Sirius smiled, “You’re older now, and that will take some getting used to. I know you don’t remember, but Sirius used to be the only one who could get you to stop crying. He used to hold you all night, sleep with you in the rocking chair.”
“Sirius used to babble nonsense to you while I was at work. He used to take you to the park. Make you laugh by turning into a dog.” Percy sniffled, “Back then, Sirius was your everything, baby.”
Percy hugged his mom tight, “I- I’m scared.”
It was only loud enough for her to hear, “Why, baby?”
“What if- what if he leaves again?”
“He’s not going to.” Y/n moved the hair from his face, “Sirius wouldn’t leave us unless he had to.”
Percy knew what that meant. Sirius wouldn’t leave unless he got killed or died. Percy looked at Sirius’ eyes which were filled with tears from recalling the moments of his past. Y/n smiled reassuringly before Percy allowed himself to hug his father. He was wrapping his arms around his stomach, nuzzling his nose into his chest. 
When they pulled apart, Sirius smiled, “You’re my everything, kiddo.”
1K notes · View notes
flowerwrites06 · 3 years
Text
break my mind’s eye I — jjk
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Plot: Jungkook thinks marriage is the only way to seal a deal. 
Pairing(s): Druglord!Jungkook x Fashion Designer!OC (Name: Belle) 
Rating: G | PG | M | R 18+
Type: Drabble | Oneshot | Two Parter | Series
Parts: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Special 
Word Count: 7k+
Genre: Mafia | Angst/Smut/Fluff
Tags & Warnings: drug dealing, marriage through trickery, explicit smut, drug use, dubious consent, prostitution 
Authors Note: finally i was able to conclude that bmme can be reposted!! please welcome back this precious gem of mine 
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The first time she saw was before one of her fashion shows. Small event compared to the likes of Gucci or Louis Vuitton but for her the biggest night of her life was about to happen. Unfortunately minutes before the show started, Belle got a call from her uncle to pick Taehyung up from their place and his tone sounded utterly bleak.
Walking away from a highly angered manager she rushed off to pick him up only to find him sitting outside on the porch in the cold wind, laughing a little to himself before swearing at no one. It was the first day Belle found out the things he had been taking.
Weed, ecstasy…she even found a small bag of cocaine hidden in his hoodie after getting him cleaned up.
“Where the hell did you get money for cocaine?” Belle tried to search his expression but Taehyung was too busy stumbling as he finally fell onto her bed.
“I know a guy. I promised to pay him back soon.” Taehyung mumbled turning to rest on his back, his limbs refused to stay still to a point where Belle started to get annoyed.
“Tae, how much do you owe this guy?” She asked, heart thumping a little knowing cocaine especially was not inexpensive and that mixed with other drugs…
His body being ruined was one heart-wrenching thing but she dreaded the amount of money this all cost.
Her brother stayed silent closing his eyes to let out a few breaths which caused her blood to boil even more.
Belle understood why Taehyung turned to something so putrid to relieve him of their recent troubles. There was a moment in time where she even thought to do so, maybe to ease some of the pain of they both went through. But it was getting out of hand.
-
The next morning Belle fixed him up a proper breakfast to distract him from taking another dose of the things he bought. Or was loaned anyway since he didn’t have a job or savings to pay for any of the products she found.
Taehyung didn’t even come to the table.
Instead as she walked towards the bedroom, she found him shirtless snorting something up his nose as he quickly threw his head back. Just hearing his sigh of relief made Belles’ stomach churn to near sickness.
Fuming, Belle grabbed whatever pieces of his stash she could find on the table and threw it in the bin pushing it away when he tried to savor anything that could be fished out. She saw his eyes widen so much that it almost seemed his eyeballs were going to fall on his hand.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” Taehyung yelled, voice growly while his nose still had remnants of white powder dripping and his eyes bloodshot more than ever. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to get shit like that?!”
“I don’t care, you’re done with this!” Belle stood her ground but kept her voice calm, her own glossy eyes fixated on his.
“You don’t fucking get it!” Taehyung winced, face contorting it looked like he was about to cry. “I need it, okay? And I got that shit from a guy that works in the Jeon Cartel!” He gestured over to the entrance of the apartment. “I can’t ask for anymore, I haven’t paid for anything.” He yanked at his hair whining under his breath like a spoiled child not getting the toy he wanted.
Belle shook her head slightly, tears forming at the brim of her eyes. “Tae…” Her voice grew shakier now. “How much do you owe them?” Her bottom lip quivered watching his chest rise and fall heavily.
He stayed silent averting his gaze.
“Taehyung.” Her tone quickly turned firm though her heart pounded painfully. “How much do you owe them?” Belle truly hated acting like the oldest between the two.
Taehyung used to take care of her every single day almost more than her own parents since they mostly focused on their oldest son because he had ‘a lot more potential’. Her stomach ached looking at all the potential slowly going down the drain right in front of her eyes.
“A few hundred…six…maybe seven…” Taehyung muttered trying not to look directly at her when he spoke. He probably knew exactly the kind of shock gripped her face and he was damn right.
Belles’ entire body turned cold, her fingers almost wanting to fish out the substances herself just knowing how much money it cost to get it. But she curled them up into fists wanting to look strong. “I don’t…know how it feels…I do know it hurts and I know why you’re doing this but…I can’t lose you too.” She whispered, vision getting blurry as a lump grew in her throat. “You’re my big brother, you’ve always looked after me.”
Taehyung bit down his bottom lip lowering his head in slight shame.
“Please let me look after you.” She pleaded in a whisper trying to search his expression, to see any sense of softness or thought.
Her brother sobbed a little, running his shaky fingers through his matted hair before nodding but still trying not to meet her gaze. “Okay.”
Belle let out a trembling sigh of relief, a tear escaping slowly down her cheek when she finally relaxed. “I have savings you can use to pay for the drugs you asked for.” She stated in a gentle tone this time as Taehyung stared at her, shaking his head.
“That’s your boutique money, you can’t—”
“Yes I can.” She forced a smile across her face to reassure him. “My boutique can wait. I want you to get better.”
Taehyung gulped down carefully padding over his sister before leaning his head on her shoulder at an attempt of a lazy hug. “I’m so sorry.” He whispered against the fabric of her sweater, a light whimper under his breath. “Thank you.”
The chill that spread through her body now warmed up as she wrapped her arms around her brother, feeling like the younger sister if only for a second. “Who do we have to pay?” Belle asked sniffling a little.
“My debts’ too high…” Taehyungs’ grip tightened around the girl. “…the guy who gave me the drugs tells me I need to go straight to the boss for questioning if I come back again.”
Oh god, Taehyung…what did you get yourself into?
-
Much to Taehyungs’ discontent, Belle insisted on coming with him with the envelope of the payment in her hand. She figured cash would be more believable instead of bank transferring especially since there was so much money piled up for just debt. Her older brother looked at her a little surprised at how well she knew how to maneuver these things. “Being in the fashion industry doesn’t just mean I draw and sew clothes, you know.” She replied simply as she drove the both of them to the address Taehyungs’ guy told him to go.
During the trip she wanted to mention how sneaky it was to just give them the address and not come along. But then again…this wasn’t exactly an ethical business to begin with.
Of course it wasn’t difficult in the slightest to find the Jeon household considering it was on the outskirts of the city. A large sandstone colored mansion with vines growing off of the sides and golden detail on the windows and pillars. They drove in front of the closed entrance where Taehyung told them his name and that he was being expected which thankfully caused the large gate to slide open with a painful screech sound.
Heart pounded so hard it could have ripped out of her ribcages, the hair on the back of her neck stood up and her palms a little sweaty. The guards lined up in front of the door with their suits and shades making her homemade white floral dress look like peasants work. Even from here she could recognize that those uniforms were not made from some random ordinary designer. Even though the design itself was quite ordinary.
Taehyung walked out of the car first before Belle followed suit.
As soon as she walked out, one of the guards held his hand out.
“Ma’am, the boss requests that you give away your car in the duration of the meeting.” He spoke in a robotic tone.
Belle wasn’t even sure if he was looking at her directly since the shades were so dark but she gave him her car keys anyway. The feeling of emptiness eerily seeping through her already nerve-wracked body. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how Taehyung must be feeling around all of this.
They were led into the mansion by three guards. The entrance was really just a big hall that stretched across the whole expanse of the building. When they passed a large open archway then Belle could see the furnished details; a few couches circled around in the middle of the large space with the fireplace behind the sitting, a bar on the far right with some maids tending to the dust while there were stairs on the left leading to the upper level.
Why would they want meet them personally for a few hundred dollars? It looked like a small loss looking at the quality of this whole building down to the outfits their guards were wearing.
Maybe it was more greed than the amount of the money.
“Please be seated. Master Jeon will speak to you shortly.” The same guard declared before moving back to his post and standing there like a statue.
Taehyung and Belle sat at the couch that faced the fireplace. Thankfully the maids were kind enough to turn it on since she hadn’t realized how cool it was going to be in the house. They offered them tea which they both turned down. An empty stomach meant less likely for her to throw up from the anxiousness. Taehyung, on the other hand, lost interest for food altogether barely eating anything but crumbs.
She noticed the hollowness of his cheeks and the darkness under his eyes. How long had it been since she saw a smile stretching across his lips? Taehyung used to be filled with light and passion beyond anything Belle had ever seen. He was the reason she pushed herself to pursue her own dreams despite the side-eyes from their parents. He defended her passion. He protected from unfair treatment always giving her shine he thought she deserved.
Now Belle had to repay the favor. She needed to encourage her brother to restart his path back to one that made him happy instead of one that slowly destroyed him to the core.
Footsteps brought her back out from her thoughts, eyes trailing over to the stairs. A tall built figure dressed in an all-white suit with a button-up shirt to match, loosely done up so his gold necklace could glimmer in the light. Belle noticed the gold cufflinks shimmering from his wrists. Hair styled somewhat neatly with a side part and strands hovering his eye when he moved, lips a rosy hue and his face looked for younger than she expected.
When people said ‘drug lord’ she imagined a stumpy old creep with similar attire except traditionally unkempt with facial hair and untrimmed chest hair that hung over their shirts.
Despite his pleasant appearance, Belle was not going to be blinded to the fact that this man thrived off of her brothers’ suffering.
The man finally met her gaze after only glancing a little at Taehyung before sitting down on the couch in front of them. Legs spread apart ever so slightly, he leaned back with one of his arms extended out. “Mr. Kim.” He spoke in a soft tone, eyes going back to her older brother now. “Do you recognize who I am?” He searched his expression.
Taehyung kept his head lowered but nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Who am I?” He pressed on like a father calmly scolding his child.
“M-Master Jeon Jungkook…” He muttered helplessly almost glancing up to meet his gaze but quickly looking down once again.
“So you do know…” Jungkook nodded, pressing his lips together. “Here I was thinking you consider me a joke. Taking bags and bags of my products while assuming I won’t try to track you down. Is that you what you thought of me?” His tone grew firmer.
Unlike Taehyung, Belle kept her head up, maintaining her gaze on the stranger. It seemed like Jungkook had a good eye for noticing when he flickered over to look at her instead.
“No, sir.” Taehyung shook his head frantically. “I-I just n-needed to get my money together.” He explained in a shaky voice not noticing that his precious ‘sir’ was staring at Belle a lot longer than she was comfortable.
Maybe he was waiting for her to duck her head down like her older brother.
The urge to do so was stronger than ever but Belle persisted. Until Jungkook glanced over at Taehyung again.
Her brothers’ fingers trembled violently at this point. Belle itched to comfort him somehow but she wanted him to try and face on his own to some extent. Coming here and sitting next to him was already being far too lenient but she couldn’t let him do this completely alone. Not when the healing process was so fresh and people like Jungkook would do anything to make sure he stayed addicted.
“Where’s the money?” Jungkook gestured towards him.
Belle took a small breath, placing the envelope on her lap onto the glass coffee table. “One of your men said he owed seven hundred.” She spoke up now trying to keep her voice as steady as possible even though her heart was beating out of control. “The envelope has eight just in case he wasn’t accurate.” A chilly feeling brushed over her body when her savings just sat there on the coffee table. Nothing but petty money for Jungkook but to her, it was the only way she could afford the vacant building in the city for her boutique.
“And you are?”
“His sister.” She muttered, glancing over at Taehyung who let out a deep sigh.
Jungkook stared down at the thick envelope for a few minutes with a raised brow. “Jongho…” He curled his fingers in towards a guard who quickly rushed over to stand beside him. “Please escort Mr. Kim to the second living room for a moment. I’d like to have a word with Ms…”
“Belle.”
“Belle…” The corner of his lip curled up before he gestured again towards the man called Jongho and he immediately led Taehyung away from them.
Belles’ heart raced seeing his helpless face looking back at her not sure if he was trying to apologize or if he was terrified of why they were being separated. “Why’re you taking him away?” She asked, being as polite as possible but her tightening fists told a different story.
“I’m not going to hurt him.” Jungkook murmured. He leaned in to rest his elbows on his knees, eyes searching her expression closely. “I thought it’d be better if I had a private conversation with a more steady minded person rather than your brother.” He nodded behind her.
Her brows furrowed glancing down at the closed envelope before staring up at him. “We got you the money, why do we need to have a conversation?” Belle’s voice was low just enough for only Jungkook to hear and no one else. Not that she could raise her voice even if she tried from how closed up her throat was.
“Because I’m honorable to an extent but I also hate people taking advantage of my kindness.” Jungkook shrugged lightly. “Your brother had been freely given all the products he consumed and he waited three months to give me my payment.” He let his sentence linger in the air to add more effect. “Three months of losing product and receiving no profit in return is not a risk I like making, Belle. Nor do I want to make it again.”
“So…what’re you saying?” Belle thought of the worst possible scenarios. Would they take Taehyung away and punish him? Or kill him? Was he being punished right now and Jungkook was just lying to prevent a scene? She watched his soft eyes trail up and down her form trying to be subtle but Belle caught it immediately feeling the urge to hide away into the couch.
“I’m saying the deal’s changed.” Jungkook declared in the most casual way like you would cancel a simple outing to the mall. “Look I can get money anytime I want to…you know that, don’t you?” He tilted his head a little searching her features. “I asked for this personal meeting on the basis of principle. Taehyung and many people like him need to understand that we stand by codes just as much as anyone. I’m not a money pig that just drools and accepts cash when it’s given to me.” He raised a brow.
Belle winced lightly, shaking her head. “Then why are we here? What do you want?”
Jungkook did nothing for a minute and gave her a soft smile. “Something he can take a little more seriously than cash…well—someone.”
Blood drained from her body from her aching head to her toes. Belle pierced into his smug gaze hoping…praying that he didn’t meant what she thought. The last thing she ever looked to be afraid of but now became the ultimate bane of her visit.
A visit thought to be quick and sweet with cash exchanged. How could she be surprised? These people wanted so much but still asked for more. What more could she expect from the man that took just to have the power to take some more? “Taehyung’s a good man.” She whispered. “He won’t do this again.”
“That’s what a lot of people tell me for years about their relatives or friends, Belle.” Jungkook murmured under his breath keeping the conversation to themselves despite the maids and guards standing around. “My grandfather heard it…my father heard it…every single time those people come back begging for more and then we get blamed for the dead bodies.” He sighed in slight defeat but she didn’t buy it in the slightest.
There was nothing noble about this request. If he were any other man gaining the audacity to say something like this, he would expect a hard punch on his nose. Except now it wasn’t just her own safety in question. Nor was Jungkook any ordinary man who could be taken by police or a punch looking at his build. “What am I supposed to do?” Belle murmured, heat flushing in her body making her more exasperated than grateful at the running fireplace.
Once again, a smile stretched across Jungkooks’ rosy lips. If it were taken out of context you’d think he was some sweet boy admiring something. But the reality was far from that lie. “You’re not going to be my prisoner, if that’s what you’re asking.” He smiled a little wider, eyes glimmering. “I’m not that evil.”
Debatable.
“You’re a lot more intelligent than you let on.”
“You just met me.”
“But I meet a lot of people…a little too many. So I tend to rely on first impressions and hope I’m right.” Jungkook shrugged.
“And if you’re wrong?”
He chuckled under his breath gesturing over to his guards. “They’re not there for decoration…and I don’t always negotiate like this. I’m just having a good day.” She saw his expression grow dark but the smile still remained making him look utterly sinister.
Visions of Taehyung tied to a chair, sobbing flashed across her mind making her mentally slap herself back to reality. She couldn’t look weak in front of him of all people. That’s what he wanted…for people to cower in front of him as he spewed his threats around to get everything he asked for. But denying him completely and storming out wouldn’t exactly be the smartest decision either considering she didn’t actually know where her brother was. The mansion was still mystery to her and Jungkook could easily hurt any of them as he so subtly stated with that stupid, fucking smile.
“So…what do you say, Belle? Do we have an accord?”
-
Taehyung was led back into the main living room, slightly yanking off of Jongho’ grasp and giving him a glare when he walked away. He looked over at Belle, her back facing him standing in front of Jungkook. “Belle?”
Belle looked over her shoulder and gave him a smile as she walked closer. She let out a sigh of relief seeing no sign of injury on the older male.
“Did he do something to you?” After the longest time, Taehyung sounded like an older brother again looking after Belle whenever she looked the slightest bit distressed. “What did he say?” He whispered.
She stayed silent, gaze lowered to look at his T-shirt before flickering up to force a smile at him. “It’s going to be okay.” Belle murmured. “He even offered to pay for your rehabilitation and get you back on your feet.”
Brows furrowed now gaining the urge to glance over at Jungkook but he couldn’t seem to stop searching his sisters’ expression. “Why would he want to pay for—”
“I told him to.” Belle gulped, smile fading away into a small frown.
“Belle, we can’t pay him back for all of that.” Taehyung held onto her bare arms feeling the cold skin underneath his.
She nodded. “Yes we can. He’s only asking for one thing.”
“…What?” He whispered.
Belle bit down her bottom lip, chin quivering a little before she smiled again even though her eyes grew glossy. “He wants me.”
Taehyungs’ heart plummeted making his whole body feel heavy. “No…” He shook his head, grip tightening around her arms as if she was going to disappear if he let go. “He can’t do that.”
“I agreed.”
“Belle!” It was more a loud whisper than anything but it managed to turn a few heads. “He’s going t—”
“I know what he’s going to do.” Belle rubbed his chest soothingly. “But this is the only way I can help you.”
“You have the money, why won’t he take it?” He gestured towards the envelope on the coffee table which now looked long forgotten.
Belle lowered her gaze. “Because he thinks you’ll just do it all again. He doesn’t trust you.”
“And you trust him?” Taehyung retorted causing heat to bubble up inside Belle.
“I trust you to do your part in this promise.” She tightened her jaw, wincing as the lump in her throat grew painful. “Unless you have a better idea to escape a pissed off drug lord then you will do this.” Tears flooded at her eyes threatening to escape but her gaze persisted on him. “Please promise me you’ll try to get better from now on.” Her lips quivered. “I didn’t know how else to help you. But now you need to help me. You need to heal and get back on your feet.”
Taehyung brushed against his fingers through the hair rested on her shoulder. “What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me.” Belle shook her head as an attempt to reassure him but he didn’t look at all convinced. “I’ll be fine.” She smiled faintly, a few tears escaping down her cheeks which he wiped off gently.
“I’m so sorry…” He whimpered, fingers curling around her hair. “This is all my fault, I should’ve just come here on my own.”
“He would’ve killed you.”
“But you’d be happy.”
Belle chuckled sadly. “You really think I’d be happy if I lost you?”
“But you wouldn’t be here.” Taehyung side glanced over at the guards who looked completely unfazed by the whole ordeal while Jungkook had his back turned to them, gazing out into the garden outside.
“Everything’s going to be fine.” Belle wasn’t sure if that was directed at her brother or herself. Was this meant to be her big fork in the road? The path she was supposed to determine her whole life. Maybe her parents were right. Maybe she was amount to only one thing… but she’d be caught dead before she cowered begging before people like Jungkook. If he wanted her then he could have her. But he’d be an idiot to think she wasn’t going to use that to her own advantage one day. “We’re allowed to see each other so you’re not losing me, okay? I’ll be there whenever you need me.”
Taehyung sighed in frustration averting his gaze, boring holes in the back of Jungkooks’ head with his glare. “I want to kill him.”
“Then we’ll never get out of here.” Belle replied simply.
Finally Taehyung succumbed to his sisters’ wishes, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead before letting go, physically deflating as he was led out of the mansion by one of the guards.
One of them, same Jongho walked over to her. “I’ll drive him back safely, Ms. Kim.” He gave her a reassuring smile before following Taehyung out of the mansion.
The double doors closed blocking out whatever light that came from it leaving her empty.
“Taehyung will call you when he gets home. So you know he’s safe.” Jungkook spoke up now in a gentle tone but Belle kept her back to him. “And your personal belongings will be moved here in a few days.”
She licked her lips before lowering her gaze, letting a few silent sobs before wiping the tears away. “Where can I freshen up?” Belle looked down at her fingers seeing the light mascara smudges, trying to wipe at the corners of his eyes to wipe any traces away.
Jungkook seemed like he gestured towards one of the maids because a kind looking woman padded over and touched her on the shoulder.
Her grey hair wrapped up in a bun and the smile lines around her face showed when she gave her a sweet grin, making her look like the only person that seemed somewhat trustworthy in this building. “Let’s go upstairs, dear.” She held onto her arms and led her towards the stairs. “I’ll get some new clothes sent up as well.”
Belle didn’t glance at Jungkook but she could feel his gaze on her when she was led up the stairs to the now shared master bedroom.
-
Similar to what a hotel suite would look like, the master bedroom adorned a modern design with an opaque black curtains drawn to keep the room cool and ambient with the warm lights. A king-sized bed with classic white sheets with some gold detail matching the aesthetic of the whole mansion itself. There was a marble partition that had a small gap on the bottom with a modern looking fireplace on to keep the room warm, situated on the immediate left when they walked in.
On the other side of the partition was a desk with a closed laptop and some files. Another open archway on the right that led to a walk-in-wardrobe with lit up shelves that accentuated all the different shoes and shirts.
Upon walking through the archway into the wardrobe, on the right, there was the private bathroom just as big as every other small area in the monster of a bedroom.
Belle was led into the bathroom by the kind maid where she saw a shower that could have been the size of her laundry room, a sink just in front of it with a bathtub on the far end. The white bathtub contrasted against the grey marble floor with a large window that showed a forest-like view.
“It’s an illusion.” The maid explained as if to reassure her that her baths were not going to be displayed out into the world. “The Master asked for a glass case that held shrubs but the foggy forest is an intricate painting by one of the familys’ personal artists. He likes the feeling of being disconnected from the modern world when he’s relaxing.”
Normally the design would impress her greatly. The idea of having the illusion of a calm forest without the hassle of actually moving to one was genius and the greyish light gave the bathroom a relaxing morning feel. Right now however it made her feel more trapped than ever. Even the view outside was just an illusion in her new cage. Nothing felt solid and real at this point like Belle was a ghost floating around in a dream that never seemed to end.
“Your towels are over on the stand there, dear. I’ll have robes and a change of clothes brought to you outside soon.” The maid smiled patting her lightly on her arm. “Don’t fret too much, darling. I don’t think the master has any intention of hurting you.”
“It’s not him hurting me that’s making me nervous.” Belle smiled sadly, grateful that the woman even cared to reassure her somehow.
“Ah…” The maid smiled and nodded knowingly. “I’ll get you some of my special tea…it calmed me down on my wedding night.”
Belle’s heart sank seeing the woman smile at her a little sadly too. “Is the secret ingredient whiskey?” She tried to lighten the mood which successfully made the woman chuckle. Somehow seeing the way the woman helped her in her own way reminded her of why she was in this glass case in the first place. She remembered Taehyung smiling again, throwing away all the things that tarnished all the peace in his heart and being free. She needed to be strong.
“Not really but…I’ll see what I can do.” She whispered the last bit with a cheeky smile before turning on her heel to leave Belle in a few moments of solitary freedom at the very least.
-
It may have been dark by now.
At least when Belle peeked the slightest outside the curtained window, the sun had been dipping into the hills to give the sky a pinkish hue. Her heart pounded at the lack of notifications from her brother. Her body felt fresher now that she had a comfortable long white nightie with a thin robe to keep her arms somewhat cozy. But skin still heated up significantly with her anxiety.
Then minutes passed before her phone buzzed and her heart released a thousand sighs of relief seeing Taehyung’s name.
“Belle?”
“Yes it’s me.” Belle whispered with a biggest grin on her face from the sheer relief. “You went home okay? They didn’t hurt you?”
“No, no they were just… fine.” Confusion trailed in Taehyung’s voice. “That guy has way too much fucking power, they just dropped me off and left saying they’ll come back to drop me off at the rehab center. Normally his men tried to rough me up whenever they saw me.”
“That’s because they knew you’re the guy that doesn’t pay.” Belle cringed mentally hearing herself defend their actions but…she was a little too good at considering perspectives, she guessed.
“I guess…also I’m the one who’s supposed to be asking you if you’re okay.” Taehyung corrected but Belle let his words linger in the air for a moment.
Sitting in the luxury bedroom wearing a clearly quality robe with people working at her beck and call, in a first glance people would call her lucky. Digging deeper into the surface and seeing that Belle was manipulated into being in his position then people would call Jungkook a monster.
Was it only one of them? Was it both? Was it neither? Was this just a game that Belle had no choice but to play for a time until her brother got better? How far did Jungkook even think this through? Why was he so interested in manipulating Taehyung the most? Did he do this to every sister, brother or parent that came around? Did they even come this far?
“Belle, you still there?”
“Yeah…yeah, I’m okay. I’m just sitting.” She quickly explained.
The thoughts crowded in her head making it ache but thankfully the maid—her name she found out was Nana—gave her a piping hot cup of tea apparently laced with some herbs that helped calm anxiety and nerves. It was an ancient herb given to young girls so they could go through their wedding night without having an anxiety attack or breaking down. Blowing away some of the steam, Belle took a few sips ignoring the bitter taste on her tongue.
“I don’t know what he wants yet but I think I have an idea.” Belle spoke solemnly.
“You really don’t have to do this, Belle.” Taehyung whispered desperately.
“We don’t have any other choice.”
“You could just come back home and I’ll just handle it.”
“You had three months to handle it.” Her voice grew firm quicker than she even expected but she kept her head cool. Silence ran on the other end of the line making Belle sigh to calm herself down. “We just need to keep our heads. We’ll be fine.” She didn’t mean to make her tone sound so dreary but this wasn’t exactly the cheeriest of moments in her life. Her fingers absentmindedly played with the fabric of her soft nightie trying to empty her mind for a little while. “I need to go, okay? I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Okay…Belle…”
“Yeah?”
“…I love you. Be safe.”
The lump in her throat grew again suffocating her when she forcefully swallowed it down. “I love you too.” Belle whispered before hanging up. Taking longer sips from her tea now, it took a few seconds for her feel her limbs loosen like ice melting near a fireplace. Her body cooled down from her heated anxiety to a comfortable warmth she could melt into without the worries of the troubles around her.
For a moment, she could close her eyes and relish in the new found relief wanting to silently thank Nana for providing her this cup of momentary tranquility.
The door opened with the familiar white-suited man walking in giving her a glance as he shrugged his blazer off. “Nana got you some clothes…good.” Jungkook muttered, walking into the walk-in wardrobe and placing his blazer back before taking off his cufflinks when he walked back in the bedroom. “Is it comfortable?”
“Yes.” Belle replied, brushing her palms across the smooth sleeves of the robe. She never worked with satin a lot but whenever she felt it under her skin it gave her the tingle of pure luxury. “I just spoke to Taehyung…he came home safe.”
“I told you he would.” Jungkook murmured, unbuttoning his shirt and shrugging it off his shoulder before placing into a hamper for the maids to take care of.
Belle noticed the stencil like silhouette of a phoenix etched into the right side of his chest as he walked over to his side of the bed. “You kept to your word. Thank you.” Not that you deserve it but…common courtesy.
She caught a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips while he unbuckled his belt and threw it on the floor.
“Do I sense a little bitterness, Ms. Kim?” Jungkook mused.
“Why? You don’t like a little bitter taste on your tongue?” Snakes must get used to it by now, she thought.
“I know you’re not a fan of me.” He stated the fucking obvious. “But you could say no anytime. I’ll just deal with your brother without bothering you again.”
Belle tightened her jaw, gripping onto the fabric of her nightie averting her gaze forcing a long silence to plunge into the room.
Jungkook finally sighed. “I didn’t mean that.” He muttered but Belle was mostly trying to focus back on the relaxation the tea gave her again. “Our accord is as solid any other contract so I’m not allowed to touch your brother…while you’re still with me anyway.”
“Is this how you get all your girls?”
He chuckled walking over and standing in front of Belle, forcing her to look up at him. “Would you be pleased if I said no?” Jungkook placed an index finger under her chin while his thumb hovered for a moment over her lips.
“Only if it’s the truth.” Belle replied simply, her knees melting into the surface of the bed.
Jungkook smirked moving his hands into her hair. “I don’t invite just anyone in my bed, no. But you’re not just anyone.”
“Why do you think that?” She asked as he slowly leaned in closer, fingers sliding down the crook of her neck letting the sleeves of her robe and nightie slip down with a mere touch.
“Because you were the only one brave enough to come this far.” He whispered pushing down the other side of her sleeves to leave her shoulders exposed. “Girls love the bad boys but never seem to understand what they’re asking for.” Cold fingers brushed against her collarbones, across her chest up her neck until he finally caressed her bottom lip with his index finger.
They want a fairytale. Beauty and the Beast. But eventually they find out that the Beast was never a prince in the first place. They realize that a mere kiss won’t break the curse.
“You know exactly what you’re asking for… don’t you?” Jungkook asked in a tone of a warm coo.
I’m not asking for this, Belle bit her tongue. But I do know what I’m getting myself into. What you gave me no choice but to get into. She stared at him determined to keep his gaze no matter how much she wanted to close her eyes. He wasn’t going to overpower her, not in that way. I received a beast instead of a prince…but you’re not getting any vulnerable fucking princess either. Keeping her eyes on his, she parted her lips and took his finger into her mouth barely waiting for Jungkook to make any move before she began suckling on it.
“Of course you do.” The mere action was enough of an answer for the male as his smirk grew darker. Jungkook took his finger away pushing down her nightie and robe further down until her breasts were displayed to him.
Belle was grateful for the warmth from the fireplace spreading through the room at his point. But in mere seconds Jungkook used his glistening finger to brush across her nipple causing it to stand erect almost instantly. A light gasp caught in her throat as she pressed her palms on the surface of the bed making her chest push out a little. When she threw her head back a little, he quickly took the opportunity to devour her lips, tongue pushing against her teeth which she kept clamp shut.
Long enough for him to get impatient and bite down her bottom lip a little. Then she allowed him to push through and explore her mouth. Jungkook knelt down but kept their lips locked as he sneaked his hands under her nightie, pushing the soft fabric, nails grazing against her skin causing a tingle down her spine.
Belle lifted a little to let him push the dress further up until he completely pulled both pieces of clothing off over her head. Before she could even comprehend her exposure, he picked her up a little and shifted so she could rest her head on the silk pillows. Her heart raced against her ribcages but she stopped being sure of why at this point, instead she thought about the herbs Nana gave her. Maybe thinking about how it can help would psychologically increase its effects? Stupid but maybe.
When she looked down at the male out of curiosity, she saw him discard his pants and boxers before climbing back onto the bed.
Belle kept her legs closed loosely before he pushed them apart, hands gliding down her inner thighs to her panties. His thumb pressed against the clothing right against her hiding nub making her jerk her hips a little at the suddenly awakened nerves.
He didn’t waste any time to hook the hem of her panties and strip it off her before dipping down in between her legs. His mouth feasted on her clit, tongue licking around her slit before sliding in teasingly slow and moving back to suckling on her bundle of nerves.
Her chest rose and fell as her eyes focused more on the ceiling, biting onto her bottom lip, light whimpers emitting from under her breath.
Jungkook released her clit with a pop sound before settling his hips between her legs. His already hardened shaft teased her slit a little more, wet sounds tickling her ears before she felt him stretch her out.
A moan finally erupted from her throat, clenching around him making him groan.
“It’s okay…” He whispered in her ear when she turned her head to the side. “Does it hurt a lot?”
Belle’s head felt like it was trying to find a straight line in a completely scribbled piece of paper. Her core ached for a moment. She felt Jungkooks’ thumb rub at her clit making her walls relax a little as she focused on the light wash of pleasure rushing across her lower body. Slowly she shook her head moving back to face him again. “No…it’s okay.” She whispered, meeting his gaze when he still wasn’t moving. Leaning up she pressed a shy kiss on his lips.
It took mere seconds before Jungkook began moving in and out of her, still slowly rubbing circles on her erect clit.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, their foreheads pressed against each other as he grinded into her slightly nudging the spot that sent sparks through her body.
His pace quickened, both hands pressed down on the surface of the bed as he thrusted into her in a steady pattern letting the sounds of skin slapping linger in the air.
Belles’ skull felt numb, her mind locked up all her thoughts and allowed her body to succumb to his consistent pounding. Head threw back against the pillow as he chased his own orgasm, her own juices spluttering onto his lower belly. She hummed lightly under her breath which seemed to encourage Jungkook to go faster until the bed started to shift.
Jungkook lowered down a bit more, pressing wet kisses on her neck, trying to muffle his moans against her skin as his thrusts grew sloppy.
Belle felt a gentle wave of pleasure before Jungkook quickly pulled out with his release splattering all over her belly. She let out a small sigh, rubbing circles on her clit again to prolong her small climax before her bundle felt too sensitive to touch making her legs close up again. She watched the other male catch his breath still kneeling in front of her before crashing on the space beside her.
Whatever piece of physical satisfaction swirled around her body melted quickly into her chest clenching painfully. It didn’t take too long for her to notice all too clearly what spilt on her skin but Jungkook had already pulled out a wash cloth and wiped her clean. The traces still burrowed in her mind now.
Jungkook threw the wash cloth away before resting back on the bed again, shutting his eyes for a moment. Both of them catching their breaths and finally dwindling back to their fucked up reality.
“I can’t break this deal.” He murmured looking up at ceiling similar to her. “If I do, I’ll have to kill your brother.”
Belle swallowed the lump in her throat, a small tear spilling from the corner of her eye. “Am I supposed to be your sex toy until you’re done with me?”
“Contrary to popular belief, I’m not allowed to have…sex toys.” Jungkook sighed. “There’s another reason why I changed the deal.”
She finally turned her head to face him, brows furrowing. “What did you not tell me?”
The male took a deep breath before meeting her gaze. “My uncle and aunt have been forcing me to get married to someone of their choice. It’s gotten so pressing to a point where they’ve paid them to seduce me so it doesn’t look arranged.” Jungkook explained, running his fingers through his hair before resting on his head on his arm. “My rejections have stopped working. So I thought I should get a courtship with someone I choose before I’ll have to succumb to my uncle and aunts’ wishes.”
Belle could practically hear her own heart slamming out of her ears, more tears burning in her eyes. “So… you just…saw me and decided that you were going to make me your wife?”
“Did you want me to ask for your parents’ blessing or something?”
She averted her gaze back to the ceiling. “My parents are dead.”
“…I didn’t—”
“Of course you didn’t fucking know, we don’t know each other.” Belle inhaled a shaky breath before closing her eyes to calm herself down.
You are a fucking beast.
“Darling I gave you a chance to turn back.”
“So you wouldn’t hurt my brother.”
“Your brother was already dead if he kept going the way he did.” Jungkook winced a little before sighing in frustration. “I told you I’m not trying to be evil. A lot of people look at me when they want to see power. The world I live in chews up people who are too merciful.”
“My brother is innocent.” Belle sobbed lightly, forcefully biting down her bottom lip.
“He’s vulnerable to what I offer. Did you really think he was going to stop taking drugs just because he paid the money?” Jungkooks’ question lingered in the air for a while. “Correction: just because you paid the money.”
“So you want me to be your wife…” She swallowed thickly. “…or you’ll kill my brother.”
“When you say it that way, I do sound evil.” Jungkook pondered. “But yes. Everything else in the deal still stays the same. You’re free to do whatever you want.”
“Except leave you.” Belle corrected.
“Except leave me.” Jungkook confirmed in the most casual fucking tone ever.
Belle did nothing but stay silent and turn to her side, back facing him making the male sigh in slight defeat. She felt his hand on her shoulder squeezing slightly as if it was going to give her any kind of comfort.
“A lot of marriages can be worse than this, you know.” He squeezed it again. “You’re going to have to work with me for this to run a lot smoother, yeah? You did so well today.” Jungkook pressed a gentle kiss on her shoulder. “I promise it won’t feel so bad after a while.”
She knew now. Kissing the beast didn’t break the curse.
It made one.
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sepia-mahogany · 3 years
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Prompt: hearing about xuanwus defeat, madam jin and jin zixuan come to lotus pier and overhear madam yu saying wei wuxian should have let the 'sect heirs die', lwj who's recovering also overhears, the 3 get first hand experience of jiang household situation and decide fk this and take wwx out of there, its a prompt from vrishchikawrites blog (a wonderful write!) So maybe ask permission?
From the prompt on @vrishchikawrites
Jin Zixuan could not forget the young man, the head disciple of Yunmeng Jiang, who, despite his previous (petty) grievances with, had stepped up when everyone else had been frozen on the spot, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not get his blood stained image out of his mind. Which had led to this discussion.
“What? No! I forbid it.” his father responded when he asked for sending reinforcements to Jiang Sect, while he understood with Cloud Recesses burnt down, and Nie under attack, either Yunmeng Jiang or Lanling Jin were next on the table, and despite having well equipped men, with the best of weapons, his father refused to extend help. 
Refused to stand against those who sought to harm his son, ‘in situations like these, know when to step back’ he had said, and Jin Zixuan could feel shame creeping up under his skin, outnumbered and clearly at losing stakes, he hadn’t hesitated to save him, and what would that make him if he forgot the debt so clearly owed? To live the lavish life of a coward..! He could see his mother fuming from where she stood, and closed his eyes to suppress his bitter thoughts, he wanted to do something, anything to help.
And suddenly, anger melted from her face and that smile crept up her face and he felt a chill down his spine, a sense of foreboding overcame him, he could see his father tense as well. “Of course, the Jin Sect sides with them.” she spoke, venom dripping off her every word. “Nothing wrong if the Sect Leader’s wife wants the marriage renewed?” a pit formed in his stomach, he did not want to marry a woman he barely knew, but using this opportunity, they could, in a sense create a bond, stronger than of just two sworn sisters.
However, “Madam Jin meets up with her sworn sister, Madam of Jiang Sect, just as Qishan Wen begins its attacks?” the war has been declared, how would it seem if the two sect Madams, and the Sect heirs are meeting, with or without the Sect Leader? “The risks are completely unneeded, what do we gain from this?” his mother glared at his father, who pointedly ignored her, Jin Zixuan exhaled, thinking things over.
As much as he disliked the engagement, he knew she would not bring it up, unless the situation, as dire as it was, needed it, this bond could provide future aid to one another should the need arise, so Jin Zixuan kept his disagreements to himself, because he knew she wouldn’t force him, not with the concerns of a  cold loveless marriage like his parents, he knew she was using it as a cover to aid her sworn sister.
An opportunity, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then remembered how the Second Jade, Lan Wangji had stood shoulder to shoulder with him,  and Wei Wuxian, Head Disciple, had stepped up to save them. 
Jin Zixuan exhaled, and made a decision, muttering out a half-hearted excuse, he left them on their own, and later into the night, he approached his mother.
--------
The boat landed steadily, unnoticed in the middle of the night, his mother had won the final say in the matter, of course with the reluctant agreement of remaining disguised as just another trade ship, the serene view would have been calming, had his nerves not have been high strung from adrenaline, small sacrifices, he could of course find a way to break off the engagement in a future of more peaceful times.
Jin Zixuan climbed out the boat first, followed calmly by his mother, the disguises were near perfect, for the disciples around the brightly lit place to look curious, but not alarmed. One, he recognised seeing a few times at Cloud Recesses, came near them with a nervous smile. “We offer you our sincerest apologies but...we’d appreciate it if travellers could avoid an audience with the Sect Leader?” 
The disguises were perfect then, for they had been mistaken as travellers that would go to and fro from Yunmeng Jiang Sect, his mother sniffed and looked at the disciple sternly “We are not here for the Sect Leader, but the Violet Spider, we have an important message for them.” Jin Zixuan had noticed before but now it had become more apparent as the disciples shifted around, something was off, it dampened his enthusiasm and the rush he had felt earlier, instead concern filled him, had something happened to Wei Wuxian?
His mother held out a token, the disciple’s eyes widened and he bowed in respect, “I assume this would be enough?” Madam Jin said curtly, and the disciple nodded, though tensely. “This one will escort you to the guest chambers” 
The curious gazes had not been moved, as they moved inside, step by step, down the corridor they went, as the muffled voices became more distinguishable, all 3 of them froze when they heard, unmistakably the Jiang Sect Heir’s voice. “-You shouldn’t have played the hero and you shouldn’t have cared for such a hell of a thing. If in the beginning you hadn’t….” 
Jin Zixuan felt a cold pit forming in his stomach, surely he must be mistaken, but seeing the expression twisting  on his mothers face, he could assume he was not, in fact, misunderstanding what Jiang Wanyin was implying. 
The disciple bowed quickly, slightly panicked “If you’d follow me-” Madam Jin pointed at him and he immediately shut up, head bowed, just as the Jiang Sect Leader reprimanded “Jiang Cheng.” Silence followed. “Do you know in which ways what you just have said is not appropriate?” was followed by a glum “Yes.”
Even if slightly, Jin Zixuan relaxed, his mother’s expression lightening into a frown, ‘at least someone is self-aware’ Madam Jin thought. “He’s just angry and speaking without care” another voice added, Jin Zixuan perked up, Wei Wuxian! So he was alright, he felt relieved. Madam Jin continued to frown, Wei Wuxian was clearly trying to lessen the pressure off of the Jiang heir. 
Another harsh voice cut through them all “Yes, he doesn’t understand but what does it matter, as long as Wei Ying understands!?” rang out her voice, Madam Jin’s lips pursed into a line, of what her son had just said, that was what she was focusing on?
 “‘To attempt at the impossible’ is exactly how he is, isn’t it? Fooling around even though he knew it’d bring trouble to his sect!?” Jin Zixuan sneaked a look at his mother to see her eyes cold, her fist clenched tightly, he was aware they shouldn’t be hearing this, but this? It wasn’t what they expected at all, he was frozen in place, what in the world was he hearing?
Madam Jin’s thoughts matched her appearance, for once she felt less than charitable towards Yu Ziyuan, and more and more like a fool, here she was, risking her and her son’s safety, her sects safety, for a woman who couldn't care less about her son’s life, but was also wilfully blinding herself to the war right on the horizon, ‘No’ she thought to herself, ‘it was I who was truly blind’
And it was the boy she heard being called ‘Fengmian’s bastard’ or ‘son of a servant’ who had saved her son's life instead, she bit back the bitter chuckle that threatened to escape her, truly, what a fool she was, to be caught in the violet spiders web.
She looked at her son, whose face clouded over the more he heard, she grabbed his arm tightly, if nothing else then to prevent him from barging inside, with Jiang Fengmian’s favor, she was sure that they didn’t need to interfere, until, “My lady, what are you doing here?” she held back her disbelief, her son on the other hand, inhaled sharply.
This was what he was focusing on? Not the insults to his bas- to his ward? To his sect’s entire foundation? It would seem she was truly mistaken, in her and Yu Ziyuan sharing their miseries, entirely wrong about her character, and who was still throwing around callous words for the sake of it, for what else? If not her own cruelty?
"What am I doing here? What a joke that I am asked of such a thing! Sect Leader Jiang, do you still remember that I'm also the leader of Lotus Pier? Do you still remember that every inch of the earth here is my territory? Do you still remember, between the one lying there and the one standing there, which one is your son?" Disbelief and disgust couldn’t even begin to describe what Madam Jin was feeling, the Sect Leader’s response,  however, “I do remember.” Enhanced those to the heights she didn't even know she was capable of feeling.
And so stood the enraged Madam of Jin Sect, the horrified Jin heir and one ashamed disciple whose head could bow no lower, but that was nothing compared to what was said next “You do remember, but there's no use if you simply remember. Wei Ying, he really can't take it unless he stirs up some trouble, can he? If I had known, I would've made him stay in Lotus Pier properly and not go outside. Could Wen Chao really have dared to do anything to the two young masters of the GusuLan Sect and Lanling Jin Sect? Even if he did, it'd mean that they ran out of luck. Since when was it your turn to play the hero?"
Blood roared in Madam Jin’s ears, her nails digging into her palm, she wanted to bite Yu Ziyuan’s head off there and then. ‘Of all the idiotic, foolish, horrid, things she could utter-’ in her cursing, she only realised she had put too much force in her rage filled haze when her son hissed in pain, she immediately let go of his arm, and pinched the bridge of her nose, taking calming breaths.
She was afraid she would do something terrible and irrevocable if she stayed there any longer, listening to a pathetic mockery of- she exhaled and pushed Jin Zixuan towards the open doors. “B-but mother-” he looked back but she gave him that look and he quietened “Later a-Xuan.” while moving outwards, the disciple trailing behind them, they could easily catch some of the words the woman threw at Wei Wuxian.
Madam Jin gritted her teeth in anger, and left without looking back, once she and her son were seated in the boat. “A-Xuan” she began, lightly ruffling his hair “Your marriage is up to you to decide, I will have no say in the matter from here onwards” Her son was not going to be married into that cursed Sect no matter what if she could help it, she moved forward to pull him into a hug, “Mother was wrong.”
 “But mother what about..?” She heard him say, she pulled back and rest one hand on his shoulder, the other caressing his cheek, her son, who by the Jiang’s standards, should’ve been killed, and her blood boiled in her veins. “We came here to make a bond and talk if it were possible, since that wasn’t possible, it can be done some other day.” She lightly patted him, and seeing his thoughts drift off, thought to herself darkly ‘and if the Jiangs are attacked, well, they ran out of luck then.’
Her son hesitantly nodded, “Wei Wuxian...I owe him, for saving me then, if not for him.....” She sniffed, as if indicating what was obvious “Of course,” When the news spread later that Lotus Pier was attacked, with Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian on the run, she hoped for Wei Wuxian’s survival, more so than the Jiang Sect Heir.
And if, perhaps, after a few years her son proposed sworn brotherhood with that Wei Wuxian, well, it wasn’t without her approval.
----------------------------
authors notes i guess?
Okay so writing Madam Yu’s lines legit left me disgusted like wtf was she even saying?? Also like I tried to write Madam Jin similar but a bit less than Madam Yu (ya know madam jin never whipped kids with her spiritual weapons, if she had any, not to our knowledge at least...right?) but ended up venturing straight into slightly dark madam jin heh, also like no engagement, no jin-wei tense relationship, (there’ll be 1-2 parts more probably) also wwx woke up earlier in this one, this’ll serve as catalyst for later years. 
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aquafaith · 3 years
Text
My lengthy, angry ACOSF rant review.
Spoilers, TW for mental, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.
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.
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I loved ACOTAR. I still love ACOTAR. I always will love ACOTAR. But every book afterwards made me give up more and more. ACOMAF romanticized an abusive relationship and assassinated characters for the author's convenience. ACOWAR was a bunch of boring and inconsequential death scares. ACOFAS was all-round dreadful. And each book kept shitting on and pushing away Lucien for no reason.
I'd like to preface this by saying I hated Nesta too. I hated the way she treated Feyre in ACOTAR especially, and I wasn't even too excited for this book because I wasn't that keen on Nesta as a character.
Nesta's POV and her backstory changed my perspective. It does not excuse her actions. All Nesta stans can hold these characters accountable for what they do - trauma is a reason, not an excuse. I, and many others, sided with Nesta because of the way she's treated by everyone else in this book. Also, if you're going to hate Nesta for not teaching Feyre how to read and letting her hunt at fourteen, (which I did, and are very valid things to hate), AT LEAST hold Elain accountable too.
This book. This fucking book.
Shall we start with the intervention? Feyre on her little power trip thinks that her boyfriend that hates Nesta and Nesta hates back, Nesta's ex-best friend, and her possible mate who she never talks to should be at this stupid fucking intervention??? Excuse me???
Remember in ACOMAF when Feyre wouldn't shut up about how rich Rhysand is? Feyre literally has four or five houses and is always talking about how much jewelry and lingerie she can afford because Rhysand is so rich??? Well, Nesta has a few shots. So you know what Feyre does? Humiliates Nesta at this "intervention", TEARS DOWN HER HOME, and forces her to go to the Illyrian training camp.
That was the god awful premise for this book.
Did you think Elain wasn't there because she was against the "intervention"? Nope! She was packing Nesta's belongings without permission.
Remember in ACOMAF when it's made a big fucking deal that locking up a traumatised woman is extremely damaging? Well, when Nesta decides she doesn't want to be in Illyria, Feyre locks her in the House of Wind. Nesta can't fly, so her only way of leaving is down the TEN THOUSAND STEPS, that Feyre KNOWS Nesta isn't capable of climbing.
Feyre's pregnant. In ACOFAS she randomly decided that she wanted a baby to remember Rhysand by if he dies. Which doesn't make any sense because they made that stupid fucking death pact in ACOWAR. It's just SJM superimposing her pregnancy onto her early 20's protagonist. Ignoring the fact that Feyre isn't ready for a baby and Rhysand CERTAINLY isn't, and with a war just ended and another looming and so much trauma and a DEATH PACT are all such horrible circumstances to bring a child into, Feyre is already pregnant. Remember when SJM made a big deal about Fae babies being so hard to conceive, and Feyre said in ACOFAS they wouldn't have to worry for a long time because it can take years to conceive your first Fae child? Well it's been no more than 3 or 4 months and Feyre's already pregnant. Yep.
Also the birth will kill her. Because of course it will. Rhysand KNEW this, and still agreed to try for a baby.
There's no solution. Abortions don't exist for some stupid reason, and a C section would apparently kill Feyre?
(Wasn't this book supposed to be about Nessian?)
In ACOWAR, Cassian was on the battlefield with his entrails around his knees. Someone had to literally hold his guts in for him, and he's fine, but you're telling me a C section would kill Feyre?
Don't worry, this is just setting up the AWFUL ending to this book.
ACOSF amounts to Nesta being gaslit into believing her abusers are right. Her friends and family slut shame her and shame her for her lifestyle constantly. Cassian says it took him decades to work through some of his trauma, and he tried to drink and fuck it away too, but suddenly when Nesta does so it's heinous? Nesta's barely twenty five and she's expected to cope better than these ancient immortals.
Hell, didn't SJM write ACOMAF? Nobody expected Feyre to pick herself up so quickly. The IC (excluding Rhysand) respected her boundaries for the most part and understood when it was grief, trauma, and turmoil that made her angry, sad, want to be left alone, etc. But that's all forgotten here.
Amren also compares Nesta to the people in, and says she belongs in, The Court of Nightmares. You know, the murderers, abusers and rapists? This innocent woman who had a few shots and a bit of sex is on par with them, apparently!
The sex scenes.
SJM is scared to say vagina so she says sex.
She says seed to mean semen.
Apparently the word cunt turns SJM on. I just found Cassian saying that kinda cringe because I'm Bri'ish so the word cunt really isn't a big deal.
Back to the baby killing Feyre, because this is definitely what we all wanted from this book as indicated by the change in covers and format and title... Rhysand decides not to tell Feyre. He tells her friends and family, and tells them not to tell her.
SJM loves sweeping Rhysand's abuse from the first book under the rug and claiming it's always about Feyre's choice... where is that here, MAAS? WHERE IS IT?
Anyway, when Nesta rightfully decides to tell Feyre (although it is kind of out of spite), Rhysand threatens to kill Nesta.
And I believed him. With the way he treats his """mAtE tHaT hE lOvEs sO mUcH""" and all the people he's mindlessly killed before, do you really think he wouldn't kill the person who gave Feyre an inch of autonomy?
So what does Cassian do? His lover who he cares deeply about and suspects is his mate has received a death threat from tHe mOsT pOwErFuL hIgH lORd iN hIsToRy.
Cassian simply gets Nesta out of the court.
EXCUSE ME?
He doesn't breathe ONE word to Rhysand about this. This Illyrian WARRIOR who fought with his GUTS HANGING OUT didn't dare step up to the hIGh lOrD who he considers his brother and sparrs and fights with all the time?
Cassian literally does nothing.
Was it not Rhysand himself who said Mated males are dangerous? Can kill anyone who looks at their mate? Can be dangerous simply leaving the house? Rhys and Feyre both pull the Mate card to justify their bad actions on the other's behalf... and Cassian just tried to get Nesta out of the court?
Also, this High King bullshit.
I swear to fucking god, if SJM DARES to make this abusive, power-tripping, mOsT pOwErFuL hIgH lOrD eVEr, husband-insert of hers hIgH kInG, I will fight her in the street.
My beloved Lucien is in this book. Only for him to be used and shat on.
I really liked it when he calmed Cassian down with just a look though. Yes please fox man.
Helion is also in this book. Nothing to do with Lucien.
Eris is also in this book. ERIS. Lucien's eldest brother. The same one who abused him for years, but according to SJM he's slightly better, because at least he didn't agree to kill Lucien's lover. He betrayed his daddy that one time, therefore Eris is good. Y'know, the same Eris who abused Mor? Left her laying on the Autumn Court border with a nail in her womb? Well SJM is going back on her own canon to redeem yet ANOTHER abusive male, while continuing to demonize Tamlin for things he only happened to do when SJM decided the villain from the first book was sexy.
Nesta and Cassian are Mates.
Remember when Mates were supposed to be a rare and sacred thing? Now SJM dishes them out like Oprah.
I don't want these characters to be mates. I want to see them slowly fall in love. But SJM is incapable of writing that so she forces them together with the mAtInG bOnD. That's literally the only basis for most of these relationships, Feysand especially.
The only relationship where the bond would make sense is between Helion and The Lady of Autumn. Who still isn't named. But I will die on the hill that they're mates, I can feel it between them.
I wanted someone to die in this book. I predicted that it would either be Helion or Tarquin, but Tarquin isn't even in this one.
And the ending.
SJM can't write a decent climax, so she kills both Feyre and Rhysand for the second time. Yep.
The baby is being born which stupidly kills Feyre, and thankfully takes Rhysand with them.
Nesta decides to save them. Bad choice. But she decides to save them! Because she's so powerful and she ATE THE CONTENTS OF THE CAULDRON and she's CONNECTED TO THE MOTHER.
Do you know what happens.
Nesta loses her powers.
NESTA.
LOSES.
HER.
POWERS.
The powers we've hardly seen, the powers that were briefly mentioned and used ONCE in ACOWAR, then we saw like two flashes of in this book? They're GONE now. GONE SO NESTA CAN SAVE HER ABUSIVE SISTER AND ABUSIVE HUSBAND WHO ABUSES THEM BOTH.
Nesta is just an Amren now. They both fought for their powers, and had to give them up to save people who didn't deserve it. Now they're anticlimactically trapped in powerless bodies.
Also, and I can't BELIEVE I didn't originally include this - do you know what else Nesta TRADED HER POWERS FOR?
Illyrian anatomy so she can carry Cassian's baby one day.
EXCUSE ME?
I am so fucking SICK TO DEATH of the narrative that every woman needs a man and children to be happy. SJM clearly loves this because she's literally only keeping Amren and Nesta alive now to be sex objects to their partners and nothing else seeing as their POWERS WERE RIPPED AWAY FROM THEM, and now NESTA TRADED THOSE POWERS TO HAVE A BABY SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW SHE WANTS? Nesta does NOT strike me as a motherly type. She's the wine aunt, she and Cassian are the couple that go on holiday a lot and and babysit their nieces and nephews, but nope. Nesta HAS to have children.
The Feysand baby is called Nyx. That's just so underwhelming, you go from these huge, multiple syllable names like Amarantha and Morrigan and Lucien to Nyx? I get it's supposed to be unique but it's not even meaningful. It's just more shit-flavoured icing on the hAHa nIgHt uWu cake. I prefer Renesmée.
Nesta is wrong somehow. She says she's sorry as she's saving them. FOR WHAT? For being a little rude to Feyre as all sisters are? And rightfully hating your sister's abuser?
Oh yeah, remember in ACOWAR when Nesta took care of a comatose, starving Elain for months? Elain is randomly okay now because she takes care of her mental health the stereotypical way of baking cakes, and not drinking and fucking, which she shames Netsa for.
Remember the slut shaming, demeaning comments that the whole iNnEr cIrClE made about Nesta? They all expect apologies from her. For some reason.
Nesta has done nothing wrong. She coped with her trauma and minded her business in her own ways, and she's expected to apologise to the people who control and emotionally abuse her.
Nothing that any of these characters did to Nesta is right. Nesta wasn't okay at the end, this wasn't Nesta's healing story. This is Nesta being shamed and degraded until she submits.
Oh I can't believe I forgot to write this in my first draft of this review, do you know how Nesta "overcomes" her grief about her Father's death and her conflicting feelings about him and his life and her guilt? When she visits his grave for the first time, she takes Nyx.
NYX.
She holds NYX up to the grave and talks about how it's his grandson.
GO AWAY YOU STUPID DEMON BABY THIS IS NOT YOUR BOOK.
Speaking of, it's revealed that Nesta was abused by her mother and grandmother in this book? Something we were all looking forward to is seeing more of the Archeron's mother seeing as Feyre was so young when she died, but... nope. She gets a few vague mentions, and this newly revealed abuse is entirely glossed over. Nesta was also actively groomed by an older man at 14. But SJM glosses over this because of course she does.
Finally, the bonus chapters.
My edition came with a bonus chapter from Feyre's POV. It was pointless and I hated it.
There's another bonus chapter from Azriel's POV. Once I'd finished this book, he was one of the few characters I still harboured a shred of respect for.
Then I read his bonus chapter.
This exists to purely objectify Elain.
Whether you ship Elain with Azriel, or Lucien, or neither, this chapter is disgusting. He thinks about her coming on his tounge, and other things simply just to please him.
He then dares to suggest that "the Cauldron picked wrong" in choosing Lucien as Elain's mate?
No Azriel, SJM picked RIGHT in not giving each Archeron sister a bAt bOy.
Rhysand does the only right thing he's ever done by telling Azriel to stay away from Elain, but then he has to ruin it by clarifying that it's only so they can manipulate and use Lucien more.
Oh, and Azriel wants to kill Lucien.
Need I remind you that Lucien respects Azriel? Lucien is another victim of the Night Court's needless, baseless torment, and Azriel is no exception.
Lucien stays well out of Elain's way because she makes it clear that she's not interested in a mate, but Azriel wants to kill him simply for being her mate.
Lucien has done nothing. And I mean literally NOTHING to warrant any of this treatment. From the bAt bOyS, from Feyre, from his family, from SJM, from the deluded part of this fandom that think he's done wrong. NOTHING.
All I liked about this book was the Lucien scenes (which is a given), ((although I hated the way everyone talks about him behind his back)), Nesta's relationship with the house, Emerie and Gwyn, the evidence that Gwynriel is endgame and subsequently Elucien, and the book love. Everything else was horrible. Oh, and Nesta hates Rhysand. I love that for her, because everyone else bows at his feet.
Oh yeah, when Nesta DARES suggest that Rhysand is an "arrogant, preening asshole" which I think is a compliment, Cassian can't take Rhys' cock out of his mouth for one second, and has to get mad at her for having an opinion. Don't even get me started on Azriel in that scene.
If each book after ACOTAR made me slowly give up, this book made me give up altogether. I cannot go on to support this victim-blaming, abuse-forgiving, misogynistic series. I've given up on SJM, and the only characters I care about anyone are Lucien, Nesta, Helion, and Tarquin. I'll continue to read this series to see if SJM redeems herself, but I'll be downloading them for free. I'm not giving this piece of shit any more of my money.
I hope we don't get the Lucien book. I don't want her to slaughter my fox in the way she slaughtered LITERALLY EVERYONE ELSE.
Thanks for listening.
Edit: I put the review on Goodreads!
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racketballz · 3 years
Note
Okay, so if the girls did a reality tv show just about there life’s and what they’re doing ( like the kardashains ) do you think they’ll except doing it and would it show another side of the girls the town hasn’t seen? How do you think it’ll play out..?
Oh it’d definitely be a gag situation I think itd be so funny omg honestly what a good drawing prompt but i think it’d probably be like blossom saying it’s a good idea for their public image (idk maybe there was a ppg scandal that blossom feels nervous about) to do a show bubbles would be really into it buttercup would hate it like shoves cameras out of her face and stuff. I think that filming it blossom would do something like show her school and everyday life in the most boring blossom way possible and then they producers use it and edit it to be something it’s not and shes appalled “I never said that!!!!” When it seems blossom is like making fun of teachers and students or like bubbles or something
Bubbles: how could you! 🥺
blossom: I never said that you were there behind the camera remember!
Bubbles: oh yeah 😗!
The show reads as blossom is actually cattier than she seems! “Everything nice! What a joke! Our red headed leader caught red handed being a total bitch!” How unexpected blossom totally freaks out and called the people running the show and the producers are like calm down calm down! The ratings for the show are amazing dont you worry! This is just standard television!
bubbles I think would have so much fun with it I think showing her closet off and closet off and actually I think it would be interesting if she wasn’t dating anyone? OR OR if she was dating boomer they completely just cut him out of the show even tho he’s like a huge part of what she was showing off 😭 sorry boomer PFT Sorry dating is not good for television so they tell them to break up LMAO
But I think what theyd do to her is put in a bunch of bleeps like she was cursing like ALOT LIKE EVERY SENTENCe theres a word censored and bubbles like I-I-??????? Never said that I curse sometimes…. B-but not this much ??? What 😭😭😭!! “SUGAR more like SAILOR! Bubbles the sweetest of the trio swears so much it puts them to shame! Who knew such a cute girl would curse up a storm like this!”
Buttercup is thoroughly enjoying this probably buttercup is a watcher of trash television so this is fun for her. Fortunately for her tho buttercup has the worst public image of the 3 the least curated and those 2 problems blossom and bubbles ran into WOULDNT be suprise for the public to see. (She also didn’t give them nearly enough footage to work with) so maybe they stalk her or something? and she either get caught doing something that’s completely true and out of character or something else I was thinking was maybe her being portrayed as a complete weenie who whines and cries a lot and she’s very sensitive!! Showing pictures of her crying when in reality she was wiping her eyes or something with a head line like buttercup more like BABYCUP WHAT A BABY!! The head strong of the three is gonna give herself a headache from all that crying she does! Time to put her to bed ( I don’t know I’m sorry I only know early 2000s reality tv and Love island commentary) I honestly think this doesn’t hit hard enough compared to her sisters tho
SOOOO (not to bring rrb into this I was really trying to avoid them) on their stalking escapade they find buttercup and butch are caught together often!
Buttercup watching the show: 👁👄👁 🍿🤌 (stops eating)
is buttercup actually secretly meeting up with butch jojo! Huhhh????? I thought they were enemies!? is something going on between them behind closed doors.
The rrb tuning in from their couch staring at butch 👁👄👁🍿 …..
boomer is upset because THEY SAID I HAD TO KEEP MY RELATIONSHIP SECRET WHYS HE ALLOWED TO BE IN ONE!!!
Buttercup and butch are just friends but in secret because theyve recently bonded over some hobbies they have but have to convince everyone they’re in fact not dating but no one believes them
Now you got preteens shouting at them they’re their favorite ship on the side of the road lmao
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phati-sari · 3 years
Text
Arshi FF: Tere Bin - Chapter 8
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Read from the beginning | Chapter 7
Chapter 8: Ranjha (listen while reading)
Khushi
“What was he doing here?”
Khushi answered without turning, her head resting on the window sill as she studied the moon. “I don’t know.”
It’d taken a long time to escape to the room she shared with her sister after they’d first stepped through the doors. First, Amma had asked about the hospital visit, making Khushi recite everything the Doctor Sahib had said while Bua-ji interrupted often to ask questions. Babu-ji had soon taken over, asking to see the paperwork Khushi had collected and asking a few questions of his own. Still full from the gol gappe, Khushi had nibbled on some puri under Jiji’s watchful gaze while the family considered the payment plan the clinic had laid out.
Luckily, no one had asked exactly how she’d gotten home.
“You were in his car, Khushi.” Jiji came to stand next to her, her tone coloured with disapproval.
“The auto broke down. He was driving past.”
“He, of all the people in Lucknow and Delhi, just happened to be driving by? At the exact moment your auto broke down?”
An odd defensiveness flared in her chest, words popping out of her mouth before she’d thought them through.
“What can I say, Jiji? My phone’s battery was dead, it was dark. He offered to drop me home.”
Jiji reached out to touch her shoulder. “Did he fight with you again?”
No, he bought me gol gappe.
“No more than usual,” Khushi tried to smile at her sister. “I’m fine. Really. He drove me home. That’s all.”
Though she looked unconvinced, Jiji stepped away with a nod to ready herself for bed. Khushi waited until she was alone to snatch her bag from where it hung on a hook. Her searching fingers found the business card he’d offered.
“Well, it’s just that you like arguing so much, and we argue so often … I think we should keep in touch.”
At the time, she’d been so startled that she’d simply taken the card and slid from the car without answering. Jiji, fortunately, had been too busy scowling at him through the windows to notice as she’d slipped it into her bag.
The card was thick, the surface almost velvety to the touch. It sported a bright red logo in the top corner and announced his name in crisp black letters — ARNAV SINGH RAIZADA. Khushi shook her head to clear the unbidden memory of correcting his name on hundreds of letters.
The writing on the card included a number she recognised for the reception desk at the head offices and an email address that his managers monitored. But he’d scrawled another number untidily along one side with a black pen.
His personal number, Khushi realised with a jolt.
It felt strangely intimate, though logic reminded her that she’d had the same number saved in her phone before he’d broken it on the storeroom floor.
Why is he still in Lucknow?
On the heels of this thought came another: Why should I care?!
Her mind was suddenly awhirl with memories — raised voices and shouted words, a fall from his window, the broken door to the storeroom. His airs about money and power. The terror of the guesthouse.
Khushi ripped the business card in half, her breath coming in rapid pants, and then tore it into even smaller pieces. Tears stung in her eyes. She scrunched the pieces into her palm as Jiji returned to the room.
“Make sure you wake up early tomorrow,” her sister draped her towel near the window. “We’re going to the temple.”
“Okay.”
Waiting until Jiji was occupied with something in the cupboard, Khushi returned the ruined card to her bag. In the bathroom, she brushed her teeth and washed her face before studying her reflection. Her pulse was a chaotic drumbeat in her body, her thoughts a wild tangle. And underneath it all was something that thrilled and scared her at the same time, something that had followed her to Lucknow.
                                    #####
“Everything leads back to him,” Jiji had groaned, rolling on her side on the bed they shared. “Just go to sleep quietly.”
It had been a week since they’d returned to Lucknow, and Khushi had been comparing the price of potatoes between Lucknow and Delhi. Or at least, that was how the conversation had started. She couldn’t remember how they’d gotten to talking about that Laad Governor.
“You’re right Jiji. We’re in Lucknow now and we’ll soon forget that we ever went to Delhi. Or that we met such cruel, haughty people. Although … Anjali-ji had such sweetness in her. It’s a shame that we had to leave without saying goodbye to her. At least we met one nice person in Delhi. Oh … and Nani-ji. Maybe two nice people. And Aakash-ji, I suppose, though —”
“— Khushi! Are you going to count out every member of his family? Your mind is like a compass that’s always stuck on him!”
“And why wouldn’t it be?” Khushi had asked hotly. “He sent me there to do some meaningless task, knowing the place was about to collapse.”
“I know. You’ll never have to see him again, Khushi. You resigned from that awful job, you gave him an earful, and now you’re here and he’s there.”
The words should have elated her, but they only left her feeling strangely hollow.
                                    #####
That hollowness sat heavily inside her as Khushi joined her sister in their bed a few minutes later, sliding between the covers with a sigh.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jiji’s voice was soft in the dimness.
“Yes.”
“You barely ate dinner.”
“I’m not hungry.”
A short silence, in which Khushi’s mind unhelpfully replayed the way she’d fallen into his arms yet again.
Oh Devi Maiyya, couldn’t you find another place to make me slip? You mustn’t have liked the offering I left you this morning.
“I’m glad we came back to Babu-ji,” Jiji said softly. “I can’t imagine being away from home at a time like this.”
“The doctors said that as long as he rests properly and takes his medicines, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“He isn’t resting nearly enough, even with both of us at the shop.”
Khushi nodded her agreement, “He’s worried about the bills.”
“Bua-ji and Amma are talking about selling some jewellery. I thought I’d give them my bangles.”
“I have bangles we can sell too.”
It took a while for Jiji’s breathing to fall into the deep, slow rhythm of sleep. Khushi lay awake, her thoughts chasing each other in ever-tightening spirals.
The night of the photoshoot. The softness of her pallu as it slipped. The scorch of his gaze as it roved over her body and left her feeling singed. The electricity between them on Teej, every touch a bolt of lightning. The weight of him pressing into her in the storeroom.
She flushed, skin prickling and warmth blooming in secret places.
Stop it, Khushi. A handful of gol gappe is all it takes for you to forget his cruelty?
She turned onto her side with a huff. Sometimes it felt as though her life had been split into Before and After, as though falling at the fashion show had created an entirely new Khushi Kumari Gupta. A Khushi who was strangely compelled towards him, a Khushi who’d come dangerously close to swooning in his arms today. A Khushi who wanted something she had no name for.
“I didn’t know the situation at the guesthouse was that bad!”
“Do you really think I would’ve sent you there if I’d known? Is that what you think of me?”
For the first time, she allowed herself to entertain the idea that he hadn’t sent her there on purpose.
So what if he hadn’t? I was still trapped there for an entire day. He was wrong.
But the thought was impossible to dislodge now that it’d wormed into her mind. Having assumed he’d wanted to argue every time he’d approached her, she now considered whether he might have been trying to explain. She saw their interactions in a new light. The sweets, the cheque.
Did he feel guilty? Was he trying to say sorry?
She eventually fell into an uneasy sleep, tormented in her dreams by his eyes, his voice, the memory of his touch. She woke just before dawn, breathless and damp with sweat, the sheets tangled with her legs. Flinging them off, Khushi sat up in bed. Her sister made a questioning noise.
“Sleep, Jiji. It’s not time to wake up yet.”
A nameless storm raged in her chest, making it hard to breathe. She squeezed her eyes shut.
I should hate him.
A lurch in her tummy.
But I don’t.
Padding slowly over to her bag, she fished out the pieces of the business card one by one. There was a roll of tape amongst the paper and pens scattered on the table in the corner. Khushi glanced back at her sister as she sat. It took a few minutes to line up the jagged edges, to press the tape along them with trembling fingers until she could read his name again.
He’d set down a challenge. She wouldn’t back down.
    ********
Thanks for reading :) I know some of you may be disappointed with the level of introspection in this chapter and where I chose to end it. Tere Bin is Arnav’s story, one where he has to work out what he wants and how to get it while Khushi is in Lucknow. While I intend to dip into Khushi’s point of view where the story demands it (and I feel that her presence greatly improved Chapters 6 and 7), it will focus heavily on Arnav. I am not intentionally writing something to annoy or disappoint readers. I’m trying to do something very specific with this story, and like all experiments, I’m learning as I go :) 
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Can you write something with Rosaria fucking her girlfriend stupid in an alleyway at night, then?
Idyllic Moonlit Rendevous
Rosaria x Reader
Summary: Fucking you in the alleyway of Mondstadt’s streets were just one of the many ways in expressing the Freedom that the city was built upon.
Rating: E
If there was anything in Mondstadt that Rosaria loved without any reservations, it would be you. Where the blinding light of Mondstadt’s goodwill and unselfish warmth made her wary, your gentle and selfish desire to monopolize her was something she welcomed. Rosaria enjoyed the kisses you two shared, hidden away from the world, the soft moments where it was just you and her in the wilderness of Mondstadt’s plains.
Far away from duties of the Church and her own self-imposed duties. The exhilaration of exchanging deep and passionate kisses underneath the moonlight was enough to excite her. A brief moment where her survival instincts would not rear in, where the scars left by her past had no claim over her. The feel of your body pressed against her, your warmth that seeps through her clothes as her hands roam through your body. Gently touching you in places she knew would make you aroused.
It was these sweet and lustful memories that carried Rosaria from day to day, night to night, as she fulfilled her self-imposed duties to protect Mondstadt’s blinding light and you, whom she loved dearly. And tonight as she slowly made her way towards the Church for her rest, Rosaria found herself being greeted by your tired self.
“Welcome back, Sister Rosaria” You greeted her, your religious habit was dusted with dirt on the edges, your veil was slightly burnt at the edges, and your hair was a mess.
But even so, Rosaria still thought that you were still breathtaking, a beautiful mess that chased away her fatigue with that cleansing smile of yours.
“I’m home,” She replied, voice uncharacteristically soft and gentle.
You offered her your hand and Rosaria took it without any hesitation, she let herself be led by you, taking darkened alleys and twisting paths towards the Church. This was one of the few things both of you shared, a preference to walk in shadowed alleyways rather than Mondstadt’s main streets. 
“Mhmm...this is hidden enough,” You said as you checked your surroundings, anemo vision glowing softly in the night “I missed you so much today!” You whined to her, letting go of her hand to cling unto her and pressing your bodies tight.
Rosaria smirked at you, hands automatically circling your waist, low enough to rest on the arch of your ass while you rubbed your body against her.
“I guess helping out the Knights of Favonius didn’t do anything to quell your lust?” She teased you, allowing your hands to slide down from her neck and to snake itself through her slits to fondle her ass.
“Mhm…”You moaned lightly as you felt Rosaria hike up the back of your dress and rub your ass, spreading the cheeks and squishing it, the edges of her nails scrape on the edges of your pussy, making you grab her plump ass tighter as you sucked her tits through her clothes.
“Lucky you, I still have enough energy to fuck you for as long as you want” She said as she panted lightly, feeling her arousal wet her panties when you had looked at her through your lashes, your cheeks were red and pupils blown up.
Rosaria was willing to bet that your pussy would not even offer any resistance if she slipped in her fingers right now. You smiled at her, “Rosaria…” 
Her name had always sounded sweet when it came from your mouth and Rosaria knew that it would sound even sweeter once you were moaning mess underneath her. It was a quick work of freeing your tits from your habit, considering it was a sleeveless turtleneck dress that was backless as well.
Your nipples were erect and a delectable invite to suck on, you bit back your moan as Rosaria began sucking on your left tit while her right hand fondled the other one. Her tongue swirled and sucked your nipples while her right hand alternated between pinching your nipples and groping it.
The cold brickstones of Mondstadt’s walls were a nice contrast against your rapidly heating body. You could feel your panties sopping wet as your pussy juices soaked the fabric. You could feel your orgasm building up and yet you were still unsatisfied.
“Rosaria,” You moaned “I-right now” you sobbed, incoherent and hoping that your lover could understand what you were asking for. Rosaria made no acknowledgement of having heard you, beyond the feel of something sharp and cold suddenly tearing through your tights and slicing your wet panties open in the middle.
You gasped at the feeling of your left tit being bitten and sucked simultaneously with your right tit being pinched and pulled.
“Lie down, lift up your dress to your waist” Rosaria ordered and you quickly complied, shaky with the mini orgasm she had just given you.
You laid on your back, habit bunched up on your waist, while your tits were hanging out, your pussy was dripping and visible through the slit that Rosaria’s ice dagger had made.
“Spread those pretty pink lips for me, Sister” she ordered as she slowly formed a dildo on her right hand while her left hand began unbuckling her straps.
“Of course, Sister Rosaria” you answered softly, hands making a show of spreading your pussy and offering up to her. The way you looked as you laid on the cold cobblestone of the alley was far from pure. Your ripped tights and panties that framed your wet pussy, your veil that was now askew with your hair that was spread out on the ground painted an erotic picture that would put Liyue’s famed brothels’ into shame.
And such a sight was solely reserved for your beloved Rosaria.
“Good girl,” She praised as she knelt before you, naked from the neck down with the exception of her stockings that didn’t hide her arousal, her left hand touched your pussy, spreading it out further, lightly dipping it inside to feel your wetness before darting out just as quickly.
Teasing you while her right hand held the ice dildo, you gulped as you debated begging, hoping that she would be benevolent enough to start fucking you right now. Rosaria glanced towards you before looking back to your pussy, her mind was already made up.
She inserted two fingers, and thrusting it in and out of you while her thumb circled your clit, the sudden pleasure made you moan and you had reflexively used your anemo vision to block out all sounds that would come out of the alleyway.
In and out, her fingers went slowly reducing you to the slut you secretly were. A slut that made no hesitation to seduce her in the corner of the church as she smoked, her beloved slutty Sister that allowed herself to be fucked in an alleyway.
Feeling your orgasm from her fingering Rosaria let out a pleased smile, “I still haven’t had dinner yet,” she looked at you and smiled, just tinged with slight darkness that reminded you of her first arrival in the Church.
The dildo that you thought would be used on you was instead thrusted into Rosaria’s equally wet pussy, her panties were shoved to the side to accommodate the dildo and you wanted to badly be the dildo.
“I trust that you already know what to do?” She asked you and you nodded, gathering your wits to begin controlling the air around the dildo to make it move.
Rosaria moaned as it began moving and squeezed your legs together, rubbing it to create friction for your pussy as you felt your pussy glisten at the sound and sight of Rosaria being fucked. But that didn’t last long before your legs were forcibly spread apart by your lover and she began eating you out.
Her tongue expertly found your g-spot, pressing her tongue against it, swirling her tongue inside of your pussy, ravishing you with her accumulated knowledge of your body from the moment the two of you began sleeping with each other. All the while you grappled with your mind to control the dildo but it was getting hard with how good Rosaria was in wringing orgasms out of you.
You could feel yourself about to come but before you could even warn her, Rosaria had already silenced your mouth with her cryo vision. At the same time chaining your limbs to ground as well.
The sudden coldness brought you back from the haze of lust before being plunged to it with Rosaria’s well timed lick. You came into her face and you could feel her smile through your pussy.
“You taste quite sweet today” Rosaria idly commented, cheeks reddened with lust as the dildo languidly thrusted in and out of her pussy.
Of course, it was nothing compared to the feeling of having pinned you beneath her and leaving bitemarks on your neck was she rubbed your pussy with her fingers, fucking you with three digits, roughly and quickly thrusting it in and out of your wet and still sensitive pussy that was slowly making a puddle on the ground.
“You must have enjoyed yourself in the morning, rubbing that slutty pussy of yours against my thigh while I slept” She said enjoying the flush of embarrassment that tinged your cheeks as she recounted what you did earlier in the day. Her fingers curled inside you and moaned, coming and arching your back before slumping down the ground, legs weakly spread out.
Not that Rosaria cared as she continued her ministrations on your pussy, her three fingers were now four and fucking you through your orgasm she moved her body lower to suck on your tits, leaving bite marks all over it and bringing your body to a new height of pleasure.
Your head was already blank and you could not remember if you were still moving the dildo, in the back of your lust addled mind, you hoped that you were skilled enough to still have it moving but this thought to disappeared as Rosaria wrung out another orgasm from your wet and thoroughly fucked pussy.
The ice had already melted from your feverish heat, you were a babbling mess,
“More, please!” You begged as your body chased after the pleasure, “Rosari-ahn!” You moaned as Rosaria’s fingers began to move even faster, interspersed with curling the digits to scratch at your g-spot.
Rosaria came with you as the dildo gave her a particularly hard thrust that had her squirting. She panted heavily as both of you took a mini break. But the sight of your flushed cheeks and the feel of your breasts had only aroused her once more.
“Scissor…?” she asked as her wet fingers caressed your sides, and you nod lightly before moving to position yourself properly.
Hands on your waist while you sat on Rosaria’s thigh you moved in time with her, both of you granting friction to the other and rubbing your exposed and sweaty chests with one another. She kissed you, tongue teasing yours and sucking it before parting.
Both of you were a sight to see, an erotic sight of two lovers being illuminated by the moonlight. You came again and again under Rosaria’s masterful hands and mouth, losing yourself to the pleasure until you were naked and sweaty, the entire body covered with Rosaria’s marks.
Your pussy was sore and well-loved, thighs bruised with Rosaria’s fingers and kisses. By the time Rosaria had her fill of you, your clothes were dirty and stained with sweat and cum, your tights were unsalvageable and Rosaria had at one point used your ripped up panties to muffle your moans.
You were already passed out to the world, and Rosaria took a moment to ponder on the amount of trust you had for her. You hadn’t even considered the notion that she would leave you in this alley as you were. And that particular nugget of truth made a part of her, that was always sure that she would return to the darkness she came from, warm.
She shook her head and gently redressed you, throwing your tights and panties inside her pouch before gathering you into her arms and deciding to head back to the cathedral. 
The sun was about to rise and Rosaria knew that if she played her cards right, she might just be able to entice you to have sex while the morning mass commenced.
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aboveallarescuer · 3 years
Text
Parallels between Aerys II Targaryen and Cersei Lannister (and why they are both foils to Dany)
In this post, I gathered all the parallels I could find between Cersei and Aerys II after recently rereading Cersei’s chapters and Aerys’s section in TWOIAF. While a lot of people have made good points criticizing how Cersei was written (namely, as incompetent, misogynistic and irredeemable, at least in the canon timeline where her fate is already sealed) considering her special place in the narrative (namely, as arguably the female character who most frequently and openly questions and challenges the validity of Westerosi patriarchy, as well as the only major female villain of the story and the only woman among the three Lannister siblings), it’s also true that GRRM intended her to be paralleled with Aerys II in many ways, which will be laid out here.
Recognizing how Aerys II and Cersei are alike is particularly important for emphasizing that both characters were written as foils to Daenerys, so I will also explain how Dany doesn’t share their similarities.
Both believe they are destined for greatness
Aerys II:
Aerys II did not lack for ambition. Upon his coronation, he declared that it was his wish to be the greatest king in the history of the Seven Kingdoms, a conceit certain of his friends encouraged by suggesting that one day he might be remembered as Aerys the Wise or even Aerys the Great. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
Cersei:
The Lord of Casterly Rock deserved rainbows. He had been a great man. I shall be greater, though. A thousand years from now, when the maesters write about this time, you shall be remembered only as Queen Cersei’s sire. (AFFC Cersei II)
That’s not the case with Dany. Her titles (the Unburnt, Mother of Dragons, Mhysa, Azor Ahai, etc) were given to her by other people, she doesn’t think she’s special despite birthing dragons and receiving multiple prophecies and she’s incredibly hard on herself for every mistake she makes. She simply doesn’t have an exaggerated sense of her importance or abilities like Cersei and Aerys II do.
Both are cut by the Iron Throne
Aerys II:
Yet still the blades tormented him, the ones he could never escape, the blades of the Iron Throne. His arms and legs were always covered with scabs and half-healed cuts. (AFFC Jaime II)
Cersei:
The barbs and blades of the Iron Throne bit into her flesh as she crouched to hide her shame. Blood ran red down her legs, as steel teeth gnawed at her buttocks. When she tried to stand, her foot slipped through a gap in the twisted metal. The more she struggled the more the throne engulfed her, tearing chunks of flesh from her breasts and belly, slicing at her arms and legs until they were slick and red, glistening. (AFFC Cersei I)
While Cersei was only cut in a dream, this moment is still significant because the Iron Throne is infamous for only harming and ‘rejecting’ the bad rulers. GRRM could have written a similar dream for Dany if he wanted to make her and Cersei follow the same direction, specially in AFFC/ADWD where he noted multiple times that they’re meant to be paralleled and contrasted. Instead, while Cersei’s first chapter in AFFC begins with her dreaming of being on the Iron Throne and being cut by it, Dany’s first chapter in ADWD begins with her dreaming of a house with a red door. Also, while Cersei wishes she could sit on the Iron Throne but is unable to because only the King and the Hand can sit on it, Dany willingly gives up on the privilege to sit on an elaborate throne and chooses an ebony bench that "did not befit a queen" in Meereen. So, not only the author emphasized that Dany doesn’t want power for its own sake (but rather to help people) and that she wants to be at the level of her people, he also didn’t take the chance to portray her as a bad ruler (because she is a good one) like he did with Cersei and Aerys II.
Both feel excitement and pleasure at the sight of wildfire
Aerys II:
Frustrated, Aerys turned to the Wisdoms of the ancient Guild of Alchemists, who knew the secret of producing the volatile jade green substance known as wildfire, said to be a close cousin to dragonflame. The pyromancers became a regular fixture at his court as the king's fascination with fire grew. By 280 AC, Aerys II had taken to burning traitors, murderers, and plotters, rather than hanging or beheading them. The king seemed to take great pleasure in these fiery executions, which were presided over by Wisdom Rossart, the grand master of the Guild of Alchemists...so much so that he granted Rossart the title of Lord and gave him a seat upon the small council. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
~
The sight had filled him with disquiet, reminding him of Aerys Targaryen and the way a burning would arouse him. A king has no secrets from his Kingsguard. Relations between Aerys and his queen had been strained during the last years of his reign. They slept apart and did their best to avoid each other during the waking hours. But whenever Aerys gave a man to the flames, Queen Rhaella would have a visitor in the night. (AFFC Jaime II)
Cersei:
Cersei thought of all the King’s Hands that she had known through the years: Owen Merryweather, Jon Connington, Qarlton Chelsted, Jon Arryn, Eddard Stark, her brother Tyrion. And her father, Lord Tywin Lannister, her father most of all. All of them are burning now, she told herself, savoring the thought. They are dead and burning, every one, with all their plots and schemes and betrayals. It is my day now. It is my castle and my kingdom. (AFFC Cersei III)
~
Cersei felt too alive for sleep. The wildfire was cleansing her, burning away all her rage and fear, filling her with resolve. “The flames are so pretty. I want to watch them for a while.” (AFFC Cersei III)
~
Jaime knew the look in his sister's eyes. He had seen it before, most recently on the night of Tommen's wedding, when she burned the Tower of the Hand. The green light of the wildfire had bathed the face of the watchers, so they looked like nothing so much as rotting corpses, a pack of gleeful ghouls, but some of the corpses were prettier than others. Even in the baleful glow, Cersei had been beautiful to look upon. She'd stood with one hand on her breast, her lips parted, her green eyes shining. She is crying, Jaime had realized, but whether it was from grief or ecstasy he could not have said.
The sight had filled him with disquiet, reminding him of Aerys Targaryen and the way a burning would arouse him. (AFFC Jaime II)
That never happens with Dany. She does describe the flames positively during the ritual to hatch the dragon eggs, but so does Jon Snow and GRRM himself. She does claim the fire as hers, but it has to do with her magical intuition as she puts two and two to birth her children and is ultimately validated. Most importantly, unlike Aerys II and Cersei, Dany a) never feels excitement while watching things burn for their own sake, b) never takes pleasure viewing or imagining her enemies burning and c) is never compared to Aerys II to highlight any disturbing behavior from her part. She is called the Mad King’s daughter by her enemies (the slavers and Mace Tyrell), but the characters around her and the ones who have nothing to gain by defaming her (Barristan, Tyrion, Illyrio, Quentyn) reiterate that she’s nothing like him. Meanwhile, two of the people who have known Cersei the longest (Jaime on the quotes above, Tyrion) compare her to Aerys II.
Both grow paranoid with time; they imagine implausible scenarios in which their perceived enemies are working (often together) against them, accept their baseless fears as truth and make hasty decisions based on them
Aerys II:
The march of the king's madness seemed to abate for a time in 274 AC, when Queen Rhaella gave birth to a son. So profound was His Grace's joy that it seemed to restore him to his old self once again...but Prince Jaehaerys died later that same year, plunging Aerys into despair. In his black rage, he decided the babe's wet nurse was to blame and had the woman beheaded. Not long after, in a change of heart, Aerys announced that Jaehaerys had been poisoned by his own mistress, the pretty young daughter of one of his household knights. The king had the girl and all her kin tortured to death. During the course of their torment, it is recorded, all confessed to the murder, though the details of their confessions were greatly at odds. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
~
The birth of Prince Viserys only seemed to make Aerys II more fearful and obsessive, however. Though the new young princeling seemed healthy enough, the king was terrified lest he suffer the same fate as his brothers. Kingsguard knights were commanded to stand over him night and day to see that no one touched the boy without the king's leave. Even the queen herself was forbidden to be alone with the infant. When her milk dried up, Aerys insisted on having his own food taster suckle at the teats of the prince's wet nurse, to ascertain that the woman had not smeared poison on her nipples. As gifts for the young prince arrived from all the lords of the Seven Kingdoms, the king had them piled in the yard and burned, for fear that some of them might have been ensorcelled or cursed. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
~
Captivity at Duskendale had shattered whatever sanity had remained to Aerys II Targaryen. From that day forth, the king's madness reigned unchecked, growing worse with every passing year. The Darklyns had dared lay hands upon his person, shoving him roughly, stripping him of his royal raiment, even daring to strike him. After his release, King Aerys would no longer allow himself to be touched, even by his own servants. Uncut and unwashed, his hair grew ever longer and more tangled, whilst his fingernails lengthened and thickened into grotesque yellow talons. He forbade any blade in his presence save for the swords carried by the knights of his Kingsguard, sworn to protect him. His judgments became ever harsher and crueler. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
~
Once safely returned to King's Landing, His Grace refused to leave the Red Keep for any cause and remained a virtual prisoner in his own castle for the next four years, during which time he grew ever more wary of those around him, Tywin Lannister in particular. His suspicions extended even to his own son and heir. Prince Rhaegar, he was convinced, had conspired with Tywin Lannister to have him slain at Duskendale. They had planned to storm the town walls so that Lord Darklyn would put him to death, opening the way for Rhaegar to mount the Iron Throne and marry Lord Tywin's daughter. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
~
And when the triumphant Prince of Dragonstone named Lyanna Stark, daughter of the Lord of Winterfell, the queen of love and beauty, placing a garland of blue roses in her lap with the tip of his lance, the lickspittle lords gathered around the king declared that further proof of his perfidy. Why would the prince have thus given insult to his own wife, the Princess Elia Martell of Dorne (who was present), unless it was to help him gain the Iron Throne? The crowning of the Stark girl, who was by all reports a wild and boyish young thing with none of the Princess Elia's delicate beauty, could only have been meant to win the allegiance of Winterfell to Prince Rhaegar's cause, Symond Staunton suggested to the king. (TWOIAF The Fall of the Dragons: The Year of the False Spring)
~
When the news reached the Red Keep, it was said that Aerys cursed the Dornish, certain that Lewyn had betrayed Rhaegar. He sent his pregnant queen, Rhaella, and his younger son and new heir, Viserys, away to Dragonstone, but Princess Elia was forced to remain in King's Landing with Rhaegar's children as a hostage against Dorne. (TWOIAF The Fall of the Dragons: The End)
Cersei:
“I am counseling you. If you will not yield the regency to me, name me your castellan for Casterly Rock and make either Mathis Rowan or Randyll Tarly the Hand of the King.”
Tyrell bannermen, both of them. The suggestion left her speechless. Is he bought? she wondered. Has he taken Tyrell gold to betray House Lannister? (AFFC Cersei II)
~
“Lord Manderly hacked the head and hands off the onion knight, we have that from the Freys, and half a dozen other northern lords have rallied to Lord Bolton. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Where else can Stannis turn, but to the ironmen and the wildlings, the enemies of the north? But if he thinks that I am going to walk into his trap, he is a bigger fool than you.” (AFFC Cersei VII)
~
“No doubt. Tell me, was it our little queen who commanded you to kill Lord Gyles?”
“K-kill?” Grand Maester Pycelle’s eyes grew as big as boiled eggs. “Your Grace cannot believe ... it was his cough, by all the gods, I ... Her Grace would not ... she bore Lord Gyles no ill will, why would Queen Margaery want him ...”
“... dead? Why, to plant another rose on Tommen’s council. Are you blind or bought? Rosby stood in her way, so she put him in his grave. With your connivance.” (AFFC Cersei IX)
~
She knew Joff was too strong for her, Cersei thought, remembering the gold coin Qyburn had found. For House Tyrell to hope to rule, he had to be removed. It came back to her that Margaery and her hideous grandmother had once plotted to marry Sansa Stark to the little queen’s crippled brother Willas. Lord Tywin had forestalled that by stealing a march on them and wedding Sansa to Tyrion, but the link had been there. They are all in it together, she realized with a start. The Tyrells bribed the gaolers to free Tyrion, and whisked him down the roseroad to join his vile bride. By now the both of them are safe in Highgarden, hidden away behind a wall of roses. (AFFC Cersei VI)
Cersei’s case is complicated in that she has valid reasons to be anxious: prophecies come true in her world, the Tyrells did kill Joffrey (she’s right in that regard, at least) and the coin found in the cell could be evidence that the Tyrells were involved in Tyrion’s escape. The problem is how she deals with her suspicions. To defeat Margaery, she projected her experiences on her (every widow definitely has sexual appetites, so Margaery definitely has lovers), held on to the few dubious signs that she was cheating on the king (Margaery asking Pycelle for moon tea or having a lively court), tortured an innocent man to confirm the story she needs to incriminate Margaery and arrested several innocent people. Besides that, Cersei also: alienates Kevan by avoiding his recommendations and giving important titles to other cousins based on her hunch that he was bought by the Tyrells (quote above); avoids giving the Tyrells help when the ironmen attack the Shield Islands based on her baseless suspicion that Stannis made an alliance with the ironmen and was, therefore, behind the attack on the Shield Islands with the intention to turn Cersei’s eyes away from the Storm’s End and Dragonstone (quote above); forces Pycelle to "confirm" what she wants to believe because of her guess that he helped the Tyrells kill Gyles Rosby (quote above). And these are just some of the major examples.
Dany has moments when she is unsure of whether the people around her are reliable or not. She questions if Reznak is trustworthy or if he, Hizdahr and the Green Grace joined forces against her or if Groleo could be one of the three prophesied treasons, but she remains willing to listen to their advice and never undermines or punishes them solely based on her suspicions because, unlike her father or Cersei, she has a healthy distrust of others.
Both choose to be excessively and needlessly brutal against their enemies and the people who offend them (even when their offenses are relatively minor and/or not supported by facts)
Aerys II:
When one such reported that the captain of the Hand's personal guard, a knight named Ser Ilyn Payne, had been heard boasting it was Lord Tywin who truly ruled the Seven Kingdoms, His Grace sent the Kingsguard to arrest the man and had his tongue ripped out with red-hot pincers. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
~
The march of the king's madness seemed to abate for a time in 274 AC, when Queen Rhaella gave birth to a son. So profound was His Grace's joy that it seemed to restore him to his old self once again...but Prince Jaehaerys died later that same year, plunging Aerys into despair. In his black rage, he decided the babe's wet nurse was to blame and had the woman beheaded. Not long after, in a change of heart, Aerys announced that Jaehaerys had been poisoned by his own mistress, the pretty young daughter of one of his household knights. The king had the girl and all her kin tortured to death. During the course of their torment, it is recorded, all confessed to the murder, though the details of their confessions were greatly at odds. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
~
By 280 AC, Aerys II had taken to burning traitors, murderers, and plotters, rather than hanging or beheading them. The king seemed to take great pleasure in these fiery executions, which were presided over by Wisdom Rossart, the grand master of the Guild of Alchemists...so much so that he granted Rossart the title of Lord and gave him a seat upon the small council. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
~
When Darklyn and his family were presented to him in chains, Aerys demanded their deaths—and not only Darklyn's immediate kin but his uncles and aunts and even distant kinsmen in Duskendale. Even his goodkin, the Hollards, were attainted and destroyed. Only Ser Symon's young nephew, Dontos Hollard, was spared—and only then because Ser Barristan begged that mercy as a boon, and the king he had saved could not refuse him. As to Lady Serala, hers was a crueler death. Aerys had the Lace Serpent's tongue and her womanly parts torn out before she was burned alive (yet her enemies say that she should have suffered more and worse for the ruin she brought down upon the town). (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
Cersei:
"M'lord, begging your pardon, Her Grace said those as didn't meet their numbers would have their hands crushed," the anxious smith persisted. "Smashed on their own anvils, she said."
Sweet Cersei, always striving to make the smallfolk love us. (ACOK Tyrion III)
~
"Y'Grace," he said quietly, "the boys caught a groom and two maidservants trying to sneak out a postern with three of the king's horses."
"The night's first traitors," the queen said, "but not the last, I fear. Have Ser Ilyn see to them, and put their heads on pikes outside the stables as a warning." (ACOK Sansa VI)
~
“I hope you did not wake them, Ser Boros. Let them sleep.”
“Sleep?” He looked up, jowly and confused. “Aye, Your Grace. How long shall—”
“Forever. See that they sleep forever, ser. I will not suffer guards to sleep on watch.” (AFFC Cersei I)
~
“His Grace should send the Wall a hundred men. To take the black, ostensibly, but in truth …”
“... to remove Jon Snow from the command,” Cersei finished, delighted. I knew I was right to want him on my council. “That is just what we shall do.” She laughed. If this bastard boy is truly his father's son, he will not suspect a thing. Perhaps he will even thank me, before the blade slides between his ribs. “It will need to be done carefully, to be sure. Leave the rest to me, my lords.” This was how an enemy should be dealt with: with a dagger, not a declaration. (AFFC Cersei IV)
~
“Send some of your whisperers to these shows and make note of who attends. If any of them should be men of note, I would know their names.”
“What will be done with them, if I may be so bold?”
“Any men of substance shall be fined. Half their worth should be sufficient to teach them a sharp lesson and refill our coffers, without quite ruining them. Those too poor to pay can lose an eye, for watching treason. For the puppeteers, the axe.”
“There are four. Perhaps Your Grace might allow me two of them for mine own purposes. A woman would be especially ...”
“I gave you Senelle,” the queen said sharply.
“Alas. The poor girl is quite ... exhausted.”
[...] “Yes, you may take a woman. Two, if it please you. But first I will have names. (AFFC Cersei V)
~
“I cannot have Falyse spreading tales about the city. Her grief has made her witless. Do you still need women for your ... work?”
“I do, Your Grace. The puppeteers are quite used up.”
“Take her and do with her as you will, then. But once she goes down into the black cells ... need I say more?” (AFFC Cersei VII)
Dany doesn’t act like this. She burned the masters in Astapor to protect her retinue and punished the Meereenese leaders who ordered the crucifixion of the slave children, but she also spared all the Yunkish masters and most of the Meereenese masters. Her leniency is the root of her problems in ADWD, since it allowed them to retaliate against the abolition of slavery. Additionally, Dany doesn’t punish Ghael for spitting on her, she doesn’t punish a boy for trying to attack her, she doesn't punish Xaro for threatening her to her face, she chooses not to follow her councillors' advice to punish the former slavers indiscriminately and so on. You can read more about how Dany's tendency is to avoid using violence in this meta.
Both use torture to get people to confirm what they believe or what's convenient for them
Aerys II:
The march of the king's madness seemed to abate for a time in 274 AC, when Queen Rhaella gave birth to a son. So profound was His Grace's joy that it seemed to restore him to his old self once again...but Prince Jaehaerys died later that same year, plunging Aerys into despair. In his black rage, he decided the babe's wet nurse was to blame and had the woman beheaded. Not long after, in a change of heart, Aerys announced that Jaehaerys had been poisoned by his own mistress, the pretty young daughter of one of his household knights. The king had the girl and all her kin tortured to death. During the course of their torment, it is recorded, all confessed to the murder, though the details of their confessions were greatly at odds. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
Cersei:
“Tell us how you pleasured the little queen. [...] How many of them did you have carnal knowledge of?”
“None of them. I’m just a singer. Please.”
[...] Lord Qyburn ran a hand up the Blue Bard’s chest. “Does she take your nipples in her mouth during your love play?” He took one between his thumb and forefinger, and twisted. “Some men enjoy that. Their nipples are as sensitive as a woman’s.” The razor flashed, the singer shrieked. On his chest a wet red eye wept blood. [...]
By dawn the singer’s high blue boots were full of blood, and he had told them how Margaery would fondle herself as she watched her cousins pleasuring him with their mouths. At other times he would sing for her whilst she sated her lusts with other lovers. “Who were they?” the queen demanded, and the wretched Wat named Ser Tallad the Tall, Lambert Turnberry, Jalabhar Xho, the Redwyne twins, Osney Kettleblack, Hugh Clifton, and the Knight of Flowers.
That displeased her. She dare not besmirch the name of the hero of Dragonstone. [...] The Redwynes could not be a part of it either. [...] “All you are doing is spitting up the names of men you saw about her chambers. We want the truth! [...] Horas and Hobber had no part of this, did they?”
“No,” he admitted. “Not them.”
“As for Ser Loras, I am certain Margaery took pains to hide what she was doing from her brother.”
“She did. I remember now. Once I had to hide under the bed when Ser Loras came to see her. He must never know, she said.”
“I prefer this song to the other.” (AFFC Cersei IX)
Dany doesn't act like her father or Cersei in that regard either. She allows the use of torture (which is normalized in her world) to question people regarding the murders of former slaves, but she stops it once she realizes that the results are unreliable because, unlike her foils, she cares about punishing the actual perpetrators, not about having her beliefs confirmed at any cost.
Both are often cruel, rude and disrespectful to others
Aerys II:
At the great Anniversary Tourney of 272 AC, held to commemorate Aerys's tenth year upon the Iron Throne, Joanna Lannister brought her six-year-old twins Jaime and Cersei from Casterly Rock to present before the court. The king (very much in his cups) asked her if giving suck to them had "ruined your breasts, which were so high and proud." (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
~
Over his Hand's strenuous objections, the king doubled the port fees at King's Landing and Oldtown, and tripled them for Lannisport and the realm's other ports and harbors. When a delegation of small lords and rich merchants came before the Iron Throne to complain, however, Aerys blamed the Hand for the exactions, saying, "Lord Tywin shits gold, but of late he has been constipated and had to find some other way to fill our coffers." (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
~
Tyrion, as the babe was named, was a malformed, dwarfish babe born with stunted legs, an oversized head, and mismatched, demonic eyes (some reports also suggested he had a tail, which was lopped off at his lord father's command). Lord Tywin's Doom, the smallfolk called this ill-made creature, and Lord Tywin's Bane. Upon hearing of his birth, King Aerys infamously said, "The gods cannot abide such arrogance. They have plucked a fair flower from his hand and given him a monster in her place, to teach him some humility at last." (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
Cersei:
Cersei stared at her, aghast. “Your lackwit sister gets herself raped by half of King’s Landing, and Tanda thinks to honor the bastard with my lord father’s name? I think not.” (AFFC Cersei II)
~
She wanted a storm to match her rage. To Jocelyn she said, “Tighter. Cinch it tighter, you simpering little fool.”
It was the wedding that enraged her, though the slow-witted Swyft girl made a safer target. (AFFC Cersei III)
~
“Would Your Grace honor her white knight with a dance?”
She gave him a withering look. “And have you fumbling at me with that stump? No. I will let you fill my wine cup for me, though. If you think you can manage it without spilling.” (AFFC Cersei III)
~
“Very well. Get off those saggy knees and try to remember what it was to be a man.” Pycelle struggled to rise, but took so long about it that she had to tell Osmund Kettleblack to give him another yank. (AFFC Cersei IX)
For the vast majority of the time, Dany is kind and courteous. Her detractors tend to question that fact with two main arguments: a) she laughed at Quentyn; b) she is intolerant about Meereenese culture. Their first argument is very weak. Dany didn't laugh at Quentyn, she laughed about the reason why Quentyn is called frog and then forgot to explain why she did so in the Common Tongue. Even then, though, Quentyn is so overwhelmed by her kindness that he only remembers that "the queen had always spoken to him gently". Their second argument is also unconvincing because Dany's dislike of several aspects of Meereenese culture has to do with their ties to slavery (case in point: the fighting pits) and, even then, she makes several concessions to culturally adapt. Additionally, unlike Aerys II or Cersei, she doesn't express her critical thoughts (which are way less common and way less derogatory than Cersei's) verbally.
Both give rewards and promotions to those who blindly obey and agree with them, regardless of whether they’re experienced, competent or trustworthy
Aerys II:
He was also vain, proud, and changeable, traits that made him easy prey for flatterers and lickspittles, but these flaws were not immediately apparent to most at the time of his ascension. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
~
His father's court had been made up largely of older, seasoned men, many of whom had also served during the reign of King Aegon V. Aerys II dismissed them one and all, replacing them with lords of his own generation. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
~
The king replaced him as Hand with Lord Owen Merryweather, an aged and amiable lickspittle famed for laughing loudest at every jape and witticism uttered by the king, no matter how feeble. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
~
The Mad King could be savagely cruel, as seen most plainly when he burned those he perceived to be his enemies, but he could also be extravagant, showering men who pleased him with honors, offices, and lands. The lickspittle lords who surrounded Aerys II had gained much and more from the king's madness and eagerly seized upon any opportunity to speak ill of Prince Rhaegar and inflame the father's suspicions of the son. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
Cersei:
"A weak ruler needs a strong Hand, as Aerys needed Father. A strong ruler requires only a diligent servant to carry out his orders." (AFFC Jaime II)
~
The Kettleblacks would charm her, take her coin, and promise her anything she asked, and why not, when Bronn was matching every copper penny, coin for coin? Amiable rogues all three, the brothers were in truth much more skilled at deceit than they'd ever been at bloodletting. Cersei had managed to buy herself three hollow drums; they would make all the fierce booming sounds she required, but there was nothing inside. (ACOK Tyrion IX)
~
My councillors. Cersei had uprooted every rose, and all those beholden to her uncle and her brothers. In their places were men whose loyalty would be to her. She had even given them new styles, borrowed from the Free Cities; the queen would have no “masters” at court beside herself. (AFFC Cersei IV)
~
Grand Maester Pycelle had wanted an older man “more seasoned in the ways of war” to command the gold cloaks, and several of her other councillors had agreed with him. “Ser Osfryd is seasoned quite sufficiently,” she had told them, but even that did not shut them up. They yap at me like a pack of small, annoying dogs. (AFFC Cersei V)
~
"She would have done better to leave the tower and burn her Hand. Harys Swyft? If ever a man deserved his arms, it is Ser Harys. And Gyles Rosby, Seven save us, I thought he died years ago. Merryweather ... your father used to call his grandsire 'the Chuckler,' I'll have you know. Tywin claimed the only thing Merryweather was good for was chuckling at the king's witticisms. His lordship chuckled himself right into exile, as I recall. Cersei has put some bastard on the council too, and a kettle in the Kingsguard. (AFFC Jaime V)
Besides the Kettleblacks (as shown above), Cersei rewards many other people that are rarely, if ever, willing to question her - Harys Swyft, Orton Merryweather, Aurane Waters, Gyles Rosby, Meryn Trant, Qyburn (the only one who doesn't turn his back on Cersei after she falls from power), etc. The only one that disagrees with her decisions regularly is Pycelle, which is why she rebukes him quite a few times throughout AFFC. Also, while Cersei considers Aerys a weak ruler, they both believe that their Hands should be servants that know their place and follow them blindly.
Dany doesn't restrict herself to only listening to the people she agrees with. She welcomes dissent multiple times throughout the books and so, consequently, her council gives voice to multiple groups (from the Unsullied to the freedmen to the former slavers to the Dothraki).
Both alienate and undermine important allies because of disagreements that could have been mended and fears that lead both rulers to perceive these potential allies as enemies
Aerys II:
The growing rift between the king and the King's Hand was also apparent in the matter of appointments. Whereas previously His Grace had always heeded his Hand's counsel, bestowing offices, honors, and inheritances as Lord Tywin recommended, after 270 AC he began to disregard the men put forward by his lordship in favor of his own choices. Many westermen found themselves dismissed from the king's service for no better cause than the suspicion that they might be "Hand's men." In their places, King Aerys appointed his own favorites...but the king's favor had become a chancy thing, his mistrust easy to awaken. Even the Hand's own kin were not exempt from royal displeasure. When Lord Tywin wished to name his brother Ser Tygett Lannister as the Red Keep's master-at-arms, King Aerys gave the post to Ser Willem Darry instead. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
~
Perhaps seeking to gain advantage of His Grace's high spirits, Lord Tywin chose that very night to suggest that it was past time the king's heir wed and produced an heir of his own; he proposed his own daughter, Cersei, as wife for the crown prince. Aerys II rejected this proposal brusquely, informing Lord Tywin that he was a good and valuable servant, yet a servant nonetheless. Nor did His Grace agree to appoint Lord Tywin's son Jaime as squire to Prince Rhaegar; that honor he granted instead to the sons of several of his own favorites, men known to be no friends of House Lannister or the Hand. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
~
Lord Denys, seeing that Aerys's erratic behavior had begun to strain his relations with Lord Tywin, refused to pay the taxes expected of him and instead invited the king to come to Duskendale and hear his petition. It seems most unlikely that King Aerys would ever have considered accepting this invitation...until Lord Tywin advised him to refuse in the strongest possible terms, whereupon the king decided to accept, informing Grand Maester Pycelle and the small council that he meant to settle this matter himself and bring the defiant Darklyn to heel. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
Cersei:
Garth the Gross on the small council and his two bastards in the gold cloaks ... do the Tyrells think I will just serve the realm up to them on a gilded platter? The arrogance of it took her breath away.
“Garth has served me well as Lord Seneschal, as he served my father before me,” Tyrell was going on. “Littlefinger had a nose for gold, I grant you, but Garth—”
“My lord,” Cersei broke in, “I fear there has been some misunderstanding. I have asked Lord Gyles Rosby to serve as our new master of coin, and he has done me the honor of accepting.”
Mace gaped at her. “Rosby? That ... cougher? But ... the matter was agreed, Your Grace. Garth is on his way to Oldtown.”
“Best send a raven to Lord Hightower and ask him to make certain your uncle does not take ship. We would hate for Garth to brave an autumn sea for nought.” She smiled pleasantly.
A flush crept up Tyrell’s thick neck. “This ... your lord father assured me ...” (AFFC Cersei II)
~
Cersei had named her cousin Damion Lannister her castellan for the Rock, and another cousin, Ser Daven Lannister, the Warden of the West. Insolence has its price, Uncle. (AFFC Cersei III)
~
“I have been remiss. With a realm to rule, a war to fight, and a father to mourn, somehow I overlooked the crucial matter of naming a new master-at-arms. I shall rectify that error at once.”
Ser Loras pushed back a brown curl that had fallen across his forehead. “Your Grace will not find any man half so skilled with sword and lance as I.”
Humble, aren’t we? “Tommen is your king, not your squire. You are to fight for him and die for him, if need be. No more.”
She left him on the drawbridge that spanned the dry moat with its bed of iron spikes and entered Maegor’s Holdfast alone. Where am I to find a master-at-arms? she wondered as she climbed to her apartments. [...]
Aron Santagar was Dornish, Cersei recalled. I could send to Dorne. Centuries of blood and war lay between Sunspear and Highgarden. Yes, a Dornishman might suit my needs admirably. There must be some good swords in Dorne. (AFFC Cersei V)
~
He had even had the temerity to object to her sending to Dorne for a master-at-arms, on the grounds that it might offend the Tyrells. “Why do you think I’m doing it?” she had asked him scornfully. (AFFC Cersei VI)
~
“Your Grace, let me take Dragonstone.”
[...] No one had given Cersei such a lovely gift since Sansa Stark had run to her to divulge Lord Eddard’s plans. She was pleased to see that Margaery had gone pale. “Your courage takes my breath away, Ser Loras. [...] Swear to me that you shall not return until Dragonstone is Tommen’s.”
“I shall, Your Grace.” He rose.
[...] Pycelle had to struggle to keep up. “If it please Your Grace,” he puffed, “young men are overbold, and think only of the glory of battle and never of its dangers. Ser Loras ... this plan of his is fraught with peril. To storm the very walls of Dragonstone ...”
“... is very brave. [...] I have no doubt that our Knight of Flowers will be the first man to gain the battlements.” And perhaps the first to fall. (AFFC Cersei VII)
Dany doesn't do this; instead, she makes plenty of concessions to appease her influential allies, from wearing the tokar to marrying Hizdahr by Ghiscari rites if he gives her ninety days of peace to allowing Hizdahr to reopen the fighting pits to accepting a deal between Meereen and Yunkai that allows the latter to reinstall slavery. All of these decisions are ultimately mistakes since they unwittingly prioritize the privileges of the former masters over the rights of the former slaves, but they still show that Dany is capable of making alliances in a way that Aerys II and Cersei aren't due to their black and white thinking.
Both are extravagant rulers who plan grand schemes that are never realized
Aerys II:
His Grace was full of grand schemes as well. Not long after his coronation, he announced his intent to conquer the Stepstones and make them a part of his realm for all time. In 264 AC, a visit to King's Landing by Lord Rickard Stark of Winterfell awakened his interest in the North, and he hatched a plan to build a new Wall a hundred leagues north of the existing one and claim all the lands between. In 265 AC, offended by "the stink of King's Landing," he spoke of building a "white city" entirely of marble on the south bank of the Blackwater Rush. In 267 AC, after a dispute with the Iron Bank of Braavos regarding certain monies borrowed by his father, he announced that he would build the largest war fleet in the history of the world "to bring the Titan to his knees." In 270 AC, during a visit to Sunspear, he told the Princess of Dorne that he would "make the Dornish deserts bloom" by digging a great underground canal beneath the mountains to bring water down from the rainwood.
None of these grandiose plans ever came to fruition; most, indeed, were forgotten within a moon's turn, for Aerys II seemed to grow bored with his royal enthusiasms as quickly as he did his royal paramours. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
Cersei:
“Would that we could do the same to the rest of this foul castle,” said Cersei. “After the war I mean to build a new palace beyond the river.” She had dreamed of it the night before last, a magnificent white castle surrounded by woods and gardens, long leagues from the stinks and noise of King’s Landing. “This city is a cesspit. For half a groat I would move the court to Lannisport and rule the realm from Casterly Rock.” (AFFC Cersei III)
~
A group of merchants appeared before her to beg the throne to intercede for them with the Iron Bank of Braavos. The Braavosi were demanding repayment of their outstanding debts, it seemed, and refusing all new loans. We need our own bank, Cersei decided, the Golden Bank of Lannisport. (AFFC Cersei VIII)
That's not the case with Dany either. Throughout her reign, she only makes reasonable and attainable decisions to improve Meereen's economy, such as planting grapes, beans and wheat, replanting olive trees, making an alliance with the Lhazareen and freeing the slaves of the hinterlands to bring crops to the city.
Both are unpopular with the common people
Aerys II: (note that Tywin himself is unpopular with the smallfolk)
They cheered Father twice as loudly as they cheered the king, the queen recalled, but only half as loudly as they cheered Prince Rhaegar. (AFFC Cersei V)
Cersei:
As she made her way through the ragged throng, past their cookfires, wagons, and crude shelters, the queen found herself remembering another crowd that had once gathered on this plaza. The day she wed Robert Baratheon, thousands had turned out to cheer for them. [...]
No one was smiling now. The looks the sparrows gave her were dull, sullen, hostile. They made way but reluctantly. (AFFC Cersei VI)
~
Thrice that day she heard the sound of distant shouting drifting up from the plaza, but it was Margaery’s name that the mob was calling, not hers. (AFFC Cersei X)
We have yet to see how the common people in Westeros will view Dany, but she is very popular among freedmen and slaves from all over Essos, so she doesn't fit this either.
Both feel threatened by the shadow of Tywin Lannister
Aerys II:
By this time, King Aerys had become aware of the widespread belief that he himself was but a hollow figurehead and Tywin Lannister the true master of the Seven Kingdoms. These sentiments greatly angered the king, and His Grace became determined to disprove them and to humble his "overmighty servant" and "put him back into his place." (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
Cersei:
“Lord Tywin was a great man, an extraordinary man,” he declared ponderously after he had kissed both her cheeks. “We shall never see his like again, I fear.”
You are looking at his like, fool, Cersei thought. It is his daughter standing here before you. (AFFC Cersei II)
~
She was tired of Jaime balking her. No one had ever balked her lord father. When Tywin Lannister spoke, men obeyed. When Cersei spoke, they felt free to counsel her, to contradict her, even refuse her. (AFFC Cersei V)
This is not a perfect parallel because Cersei alternates between hero-worshiping and drawing inspiration and strength from Tywin to resenting the control he had over her, so much so that she lists her father alongside her enemies and takes pleasure in the fact that he's now dead. Even so, both Aerys II and Cersei feel that they were owed the treatment that people gave Tywin.
This doesn't happen with Dany because she doesn't feel threatened by anyone nor does Tywin play an important role in her story.
Both feel threatened by a younger, more beautiful, more popular would-be king/queen
Aerys II:
The cheers of the crowd were said to be deafening, but King Aerys did not join them. Far from being proud and pleased by his heir's skill at arms, His Grace saw it as a threat. Lords Chelsted and Staunton inflamed his suspicions further, declaring that Prince Rhaegar had entered the lists to curry favor with the commons and remind the assembled lords that he was a puissant warrior, a true heir to Aegon the Conqueror. (TWOIAF The Fall of the Dragons: The Year of the False Spring)
~
The lickspittle lords who surrounded Aerys II had gained much and more from the king's madness and eagerly seized upon any opportunity to speak ill of Prince Rhaegar and inflame the father's suspicions of the son. (TWOIAF The Fall of the Dragons: The Year of the False Spring)
~
Meanwhile, King Aerys was becoming ever more estranged from his own son and heir. Early in the year 279 AC, Rhaegar Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone, was formally betrothed to Princess Elia Martell, the delicate young sister of Doran Martell, Prince of Dorne. They were wed the following year, in a lavish ceremony at the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing, but Aerys II did not attend. He told the small council that he feared an attempt upon his life if he left the confines of the Red Keep, even with his Kingsguard to protect him. Nor would he allow his younger son, Viserys, to attend his brother's wedding. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
~
The memory was still bitter. Old Lord Whent had announced the tourney shortly after a visit from his brother, Ser Oswell Whent of the Kingsguard. With Varys whispering in his ear, King Aerys became convinced that his son was conspiring to depose him, that Whent's tourney was but a ploy to give Rhaegar a pretext for meeting with as many great lords as could be brought together. Aerys had not set foot outside the Red Keep since Duskendale, yet suddenly he announced that he would accompany Prince Rhaegar to Harrenhal, and everything had gone awry from there. (ADWD The Kingbreaker)
Cersei:
Her mood was not improved when Mace Tyrell arose to lead the toasts. He raised a golden goblet high, smiling at his pretty little daughter, and in a booming voice said, “To the king and queen!” The other sheep all baaaaaaed along with him. “The king and queen!” they cried, smashing their cups together. “The king and queen!” She had no choice but to drink along with them, all the time wishing that the guests had but a single face, so she could throw her wine into their eyes and remind them that she was the true queen. (AFFC Cersei III)
~
“Your Grace, she ... she is the queen ...”
“I am the queen. (AFFC Cersei IX)
~
It was a pity that Maggy the Frog was dead. Piss on your prophecy, old woman. The little queen may be younger than I, but she has never been more beautiful, and soon she will be dead. (AFFC Cersei IX)
Cersei's case is more justified in that she believes that, by defeating the YMBQ, she'll also prevent her children from dying and the valonqar from killing her.
This doesn't happen with Dany.
Both lost a child (children, in Aerys’s case) and fear for the safety of their remaining child (children, in Cersei’s case) to the point that these concerns become intertwined with their fears that someone is out to get them
Aerys II:
The birth of Prince Viserys only seemed to make Aerys II more fearful and obsessive, however. Though the new young princeling seemed healthy enough, the king was terrified lest he suffer the same fate as his brothers. Kingsguard knights were commanded to stand over him night and day to see that no one touched the boy without the king's leave. Even the queen herself was forbidden to be alone with the infant. When her milk dried up, Aerys insisted on having his own food taster suckle at the teats of the prince's wet nurse, to ascertain that the woman had not smeared poison on her nipples. As gifts for the young prince arrived from all the lords of the Seven Kingdoms, the king had them piled in the yard and burned, for fear that some of them might have been ensorcelled or cursed. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
Cersei:
I am dreaming still, Cersei thought. I have not woken, nor has my nightmare ended. Tyrion will creep out from under the bed soon and begin to laugh at me.
[...] A dream, that’s all it was, a dream. I drank too much last night, these fears are only humors born of wine. I will be the one laughing, come dusk. My children will be safe, Tommen’s throne will be secure, and my twisted little valonqar will be short a head and rotting. (AFFC Cersei I)
~
Cersei had a sudden vision of the dwarf crawling out from behind a tapestry in Tommen’s bedchamber with blade in hand. Tommen is well guarded, she told herself. But Lord Tywin had been well guarded too. (AFFC Cersei I)
~
The younger queen whose coming she’d foretold was finished, and if that prophecy could fail, so could the rest. No golden shrouds, no valonqar, I am free of your croaking malice at last. (AFFC Cersei X)
Like in the previous parallel, Cersei's bad reactions are more justified due to the fact that prophecies come true in her world and due to her understandable sense of self-preservation.
This doesn't happen with Dany.
Both had unhappy marriages and believed that their spouses weren’t the right ones for them
Aerys II:
What Tywin Lannister made of this is not recorded, but in 266 AC, at Casterly Rock, Lady Joanna gave birth to a pair of twins, a girl and a boy, "healthy and beautiful, with hair like beaten gold." This birth only exacerbated the tension between Aerys II Targaryen and his Hand. "I appear to have married the wrong woman," His Grace was reported to have said, when informed of the happy event. (TWOIAF The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)
Cersei:
“...Your father will find another man for you, a better man than Rhaegar.”
Her aunt had lied, though, and her father had failed her, just as Jaime was failing her now. Father found no better man. Instead he gave me Robert, and Maggy’s curse bloomed like some poisonous flower. If she had only married Rhaegar as the gods intended, he would never have looked twice at the wolf girl. Rhaegar would be our king today and I would be his queen, the mother of his sons.
She had never forgiven Robert for killing him. (AFFC Cersei V)
The major difference in this parallel, of course, is that Aerys raped his wife and Cersei was raped by her husband.
This doesn't happen with Dany.
Comparisons in the text between Aerys II and Cersei
"Let all of King's Landing see the flames. It will be a lesson to our enemies."
"Now you sound like Aerys."
Her nostrils flared. "Guard your tongue, ser." (AFFC Cersei III)
~
Jaime knew the look in his sister's eyes. He had seen it before, most recently on the night of Tommen's wedding, when she burned the Tower of the Hand. The green light of the wildfire had bathed the face of the watchers, so they looked like nothing so much as rotting corpses, a pack of gleeful ghouls, but some of the corpses were prettier than others. Even in the baleful glow, Cersei had been beautiful to look upon. She'd stood with one hand on her breast, her lips parted, her green eyes shining. She is crying, Jaime had realized, but whether it was from grief or ecstasy he could not have said.
The sight had filled him with disquiet, reminding him of Aerys Targaryen and the way a burning would arouse him. (AFFC Jaime II)
~
"Westeros is torn and bleeding, and I do not doubt that even now my sweet sister is binding up the wounds … with salt. Cersei is as gentle as King Maegor, as selfless as Aegon the Unworthy, as wise as Mad Aerys. She never forgets a slight, real or imagined. She takes caution for cowardice and dissent for defiance. And she is greedy. Greedy for power, for honor, for love. Tommen's rule is bolstered by all of the alliances that my lord father built so carefully, but soon enough she will destroy them, every one.” (ADWD Tyrion VI)
Again, as I said above, the comparisons between Cersei and Aerys II come from two of the people who have known Cersei the longest (Jaime, Tyrion).
Meanwhile, Dany is only called the Mad King’s daughter by her enemies (the slavers and Mace Tyrell). The characters who actually know her and the characters who have nothing to gain by defaming her (Barristan, Tyrion, Illyrio, Quentyn) reiterate that she’s nothing like him.
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ready-to-obeyme · 4 years
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[OM!] Mother!MC with Demon Brothers + Luke Headcanons
Scenario: Instead of a younger human, the Devildom welcomes a mother (with a 3-year old son in tow) into the exchange program. 
intro + headcanons about how the brothers would interact with her 
no romance… just uwu
bonus how the brothers would treat the son (why son? Perhaps because I too want a son)
Female reader!! (MC is referred to as she in this post) 
bonus character: Luke :3c
I JUST WANT THEM TO FEEL LOVED OK
Lucifer wasn’t prone to believe in fate-- and the beginnings of the exchange program was just another reason why he did not. He let the breeze-- the wind pick a human applicant for him; and if he had gone through every application (though he wasn't completely sure he'd be sane by the end of it all) maybe this situation wouldn't have happened. 
"What do you mean you can't be one of our exchange students?" Diavolo inquired, more curious than anything, an amused smile gracing his lips.
"I have a son," she said hesitantly. And there he was, peering around at the assembly room in his mother's arms that were wrapped protectively around him.
A mother and her human child, Lucifer thought blearily. One could only imagine what would happen if both of them remained here. (Which is why he never cut corners in anything he ever did ever because the one time he does, things go to shit. Damn Diavolo for enabling him.)
--
Lucifer
disgruntled by the adjustments made to accommodate a human child and his mother; mf will he ever rest
probably has to worry about babysitting duties delegated to his brothers 
however, pleasantly surprised by MC's calm demeanor and reliable personality; finally another competent person in the house he doesn't have to really pick up after
...actually adores her and her son
accidentally does things to please her without really realizing it and hates the slight disappointment or worry he sees when he goes through sleepless nights or lashes out from anger
doesn't remember the last time he's been chastised, but he's as embarrassed as he can be when she fusses over him
the hell coffee she makes for him every morning and the snacks she brings during his breaks makes him lowkey wanna cry-- he doesn’t know how to deal with a selfless, unconditional love
is used to being a single parent ngl so taking care of her son is kinda… easy especially if the son is compliant
finds himself pressing a kiss to his forehead absently and catches himself only after he's done it (bonus points if Barbatos takes a pic of it and sends it into their trio gc) 
“Barbatos, please delete this picture.”
“Oh, are you sure about that?”
“................”
ah he's attached, and so are his brothers, which kind of perturbed him a little but he’s kind of in the same boat after a short week or so
(if there was one brother who had a chance of harboring feelings for a mother mc, it’d be Luciiiiiiii uwuwuwuuwuuw; what can I say? He can’t resist the milf) 
eventually, he opens up to her about the war-- because if there was any human he’d trust with his secrets, it would be MC
Mammon
he's crying 
he doesn't think anyone has ever talked or held him as gently as MC
similar to the game, absolutely adores her and can't even lie about it
ok jk he's still a tsundere, but blushes every time MC looks at him with a knowing look because he can't lie convincingly enough that no, the head pats dont feel nice and no, he's just eating the lunch she made because it'll be a waste otherwise, ok?!
Her son definitely thinks he’s related to Mammon
Definitely the first one to accidentally call her “mom” 
But hey don’t blame him-- he’s weak to how MC looks at him endearingly as she brushes hair out of his face motherly, like he can do no wrong 
Nothing can compare to how Mammon feels when MC tells him she’s proud of him
feels legit guilty when she calls him out on his habits of stealing things to the point he remembers her voice when he tries to do it again-- basically his conscience ngl
she's like a cold hand to his feverish forehead, a cooling balm to the burn on his hand
when she defends him from his brother's insults, swears he'll protect her and her son 
on that note, adores her son too and her son adores mammon!
surprisingly (or not) good with kids and treats them well; plays with them, very lively and dynamic
takes babysitting pretty seriously-- makes him consider the fact that he might actually want to be a father in the future if possible
not that he doesn’t have reckless endeavors with her son... they just end up okay so no one is none the wiser until it shows up on someone’s devilgram or spoken about through Barbatos/Diavolo
Leviathan
Honestly doesn’t know how to to react 
A little miffed tbh that he finds it so easy to talk to her about…. Everything??? 
When he enlisted her (and her son) to get his money back from Mammon, did he expect to rant to her about all his animes and gush about his figurines to her because that was one of the first time someone’s allowed him to indulge in his hobbies and listen patiently?
No, and now he’s crying 
And the fact she gently addresses his self-deprecating comments and urges him to see how she sees him (smart, witty, forgiving)---
Will probably do anything for MC and anything she says at this point; the pact is just a formality LOL
Listens to her and genuinely thinks the things she does for him is in his best interest 
Had a hard time knowing how to deal with her son for a while, simply because he doesn’t know what he could do to actually entertain the child
Then finds out he could literally put up TSL or any of his favorite animes and the kid will watch it-- and ABSORB
Levi might as well be the kid’s best friend at this point-- dubbs him ‘Henry’-- which is really the greatest compliment MC thinks her son can get from him
Honestly volunteers to babysit him and proceeds to spoil him rotten
Satan
Slightly annoyed at how motherly she is at the beginning-- he takes her care and actions as if she treats him like a child
Finds it frightening how soothed he feels when he’s around her
There’s something about an older, calming presence that saps the anger from him and makes him feel like he can be himself around MC
Surprisingly the second person to accidentally call MC by “mom” probably an hour after he makes fun of Mammon for doing it (lol karma)
isn't one to seek out her attention like with levi, mammon, or asmo but is pleased whenever he does have time to spend with her because she always seems to have insight on everything and a strange wisdom that all mothers apparently do
has a lot of late night talks with her about her life, her career, what it's like having a child
often finds himself asking her for advice, and even if she doesn't have the answer, he always comes out of it thoughtful and clear minded 
always willing to take care of her son; delights in reading him his favorite books and enacting the exciting scenes 
always treats him like an adult to the point that their conversations are really funny to listen to
"So would you say the author's intent of the blue door was to convey the agony of grief?"
"I like the color blue."
"As did the protagonist; hm, you bring up a good point."
the son is Satan's partner in crime against Lucifer 
"It's better if we do this, isn't that right?"
"Yeah!" MC’s child says, happily chewing on his favorite snack that Satan always gives to him and honestly not caring about the conversation at hand at all
"See? He agrees with me!”
And Lucifer just sighs bc he always loses in these arguments and Satan is unbearably smug
Asmodeus
similar to Satan, finds her presence in Devildom to be very pleasant and calming
she never seems to be disapproving of his past times, and Asmo is endeared by the way she never fails to say "stay safe" or "have fun!" or even "do you want me to leave the front lights for when you come back?"
the little motherly ways in which she shows she cares makes Asmo adore her
loves taking her shopping; always has a good time just gossiping, trying new clothes, or having a girls night out with self careeeee
when her son tags along, loves to have him dress up too or try on make up and it's too adorable NOT to post on devilgram
pretty sure MC's son has trended on devilgram before-- but that was the first and last time because Lucifer yelled at him for advertising the fact there was a human child in Devildom
which Asmo thinks is silly because he's pretty sure the caption under the selfie of the three of them ("So adorbs! I've only had MC's son for a day, but if anything happened to him, I would kill everyone in Devildom and then myself. Teehee!") would have deterred any demon from laying a finger on him
When Asmo has him for babysitting duties, always loves to bathe him and play with bubbles, morphing his hair into an afro or an equally fashionable hairdo
actually very attentive to the child!!
Beelzebub
Not much changes from how Beel treats MC, but does view her actions in a more motherly manner 
I think one thing that would change is that-- considering MC is a mother of her own child, is actually very protective of the brothers and sensitive to their changes in moods
When Lucifer gets angry at Beel and Luke, MC is furious and furiously protective, not yielding one bit or hesitating to put herself in front of them because of her instincts-- Beel has never admired her more 
Physical strength has always something he can easily understand, but it is the strength of wills and of bravery that surprises him every time 
After Mammon and Satan accidentally calls you “mom” Beelzebub has no qualms with calling you by mom either-- I mean, what’s the shame in that? Everyone already thinks of you as their mother-figure anyways
MC helps him deal with the loss of his sister
With MC’s child… You know that one meme with the two ways dad deals with kids: one is softly kissing his child on the forehead as he sleeps and the other is carrying his kid by the leg with one arm
Both of them is Beel 
carries the kid around in the weirdest ways sometimes, including on his head, in one hand like he's holding a trophy, upside down (dw the kid thinks it's funny)
main transport is on his shoulders though; thinks it's kinda cute how the kid puts his arms around his head
wouldn't love anything more but to nap with him, but Beel is afraid of hurting him when he sleeps
Is the softest with MC’s son--- he’s not used to being the older brother, so he takes this responsibility kind of seriously 
Always makes sure the food that MC’s son eats is appropriate so he tastes/tries it first… and sometimes ends up eating all of it, but he always manages to succeed in feeding the kid so it’s all good
Belphegor
Wants to hate MC so badly the first time they meet when he’s in the attic
He’s supposed to HATE humans, damn it-- why the hell is MC trying to be so motherly and understanding, huh?? How dare she make him guilty after he lied to her like wlkjaflksjfkjasdlfj
Out of all of them, seeks MC the least; whether it’s from guilt or the fact that her presence reminds him of the things and resentment he used to hold against her 
Takes a little more cajoling from MC to talk to her and explain how he’s feeling so they can move past it
He’d rather die than let anyone else know that he teared up when they talked about Lilith and how he felt about everything; urges Belphie to talk to Lucifer and seek reconciliation with him individually (because it may be a family problem, but the feud was between the two of them, don’t you think?)
Finally gets the redemption arc he deserves and feels a lot lighter knowing that everything that has happened is now in the open and he’s ready to start healing 
In avoiding MC after the whole debacle, Belphie ends up spending more time with her son because he thinks Belphie is fascinating and Belphie has no clue why 
Similarly to Satan, treats the kid like he would anyone else but does find it amusing if the kid chases after his tail like a cat
Always ends up napping with him whenever MC’s son takes a nap-- after all, what’s easier than looking after a kid if you’re BOTH asleep?
Keeps an eye on him by putting a hand on his torso as they nap together
Uses MC’s son as an excuse to not do something, especially when Lucifer tells him to do something he doesn’t like to do
Honestly the son is a part of his arsenal-- he knows how weak everyone is for this kid (and so is he tbh but more lowkey) so cute pics of him is like… currency (Mammon WISHES he thought of this first) 
Bonus:
Luke
MC practically adopts him the moment she lays eyes on him-- how could she not? Luke may as well be her other son
Luke can’t say no, especially after she saves him from Lucifer
Definitely calls her mom by accident and the brothers tease him-- only for him to retort back that “don’t you ALL call her by mom?” and they shut up lol
Simeon still gets to tease Luke though heheh 
Really really really tries hard not to refer to MC as mom, but it slips out sometimes and no one even bats an eye 
Baking together is such a family bonding moment
Treats MC’s son most like his younger brother almost automatically and makes sure he doesn’t get into any trouble while he’s taking care of him (though he does anyways) 
Kind of likes the responsibility of babysitting MC’s son; makes him feel trusted
(MC takes the cutest pics of them together when they fall asleep; starts thinking about maybe having another child wouldn’t be so bad)
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kuroheishi · 3 years
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What do you think of Mitsuba?
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|| MISTUBA. Slams fist on table.
I really kinda need more Mitsuba content, I feel like she’s one of the characters who got the least exposure and background story which is a shame! I feel like it would be so interesting to know more about how she was raised and how she had to live her whole life looking up to her strong perfect sister Aoi.
And I do believe her personality is so much more than the just small angry blond adorable ball that we usually see.
I guess being born in a prestigious clan like the Sanguu one gives her a similar upbringing to Mito and the Hiiragis in general but where are the flashbacks/stories about Mitsuba training super hard since she can remember?? Her family pushing her to be perfect and not fail them always maybe comparing her to Aoi all the time to follow her steps and lemme tell you, that can fuck up kids if everything they hear from their parents is WHY ARE YOU NOT LIKE YOUR PERFECT SISTER?? YOU BETTER BECOME LIKE HER AND MAKE US PROUD THERE'S NO ROOM FOR FAILURE.
Getting everything she always wants just because of her name?? So I love the fact that Yu was the first one who literally couldn’t give a crap about her name and everything that came with it, destroying her pride like oof. BUT. She definitely must have double appreciated it: for once, for the first time someone looked at her for who she actually is as a person.
I need Yu to give her more affection and tell her she is amazing as she is and he will help her beat up her family if they are mean to her scoffs.
AH! If you like Mitsuba you must definitely follow @rhyra not only she is an awesome nice person herself but her writing is THE BEST of the best and you will love her Mitsuba too heh.
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bellatrixobsessed1 · 3 years
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From Chin To Yon Rah (Part 39)
This part was typed mostly on mobile. Sorry for any typos.
She remembers the first time she had seen snow. The feeling...it was bizarre. If she were to be completely honest, she would best compare it to the sensation of her worst days--the days when her mind is slipping and everything feels off and nothing feels real. But instead of fear, she feels awe. Instead of dread, she feels an almost childlike sense of delight.
And perhaps, in some sense, she is a child again; she has something new to discover. Something curious and strange.
"Hajime,look." She points out the window. "It's everywhere." And perhaps it is a silly thing to ask but she inquires anyhow, "how do we walk through it?"
"Like you walk anywhere else?" He quirks a brow.
"But in the Water Tribes...I've heard that there is special equipment used to navigate the snow."
He laughs, "the snow isn't that deep here!" He opens the door and gestures for her to exit.
"It's cold." She complains. Even under her winter wools, she finds herself shivering. And here Atsu goes, dashing out into the winter with no coat at all.
"Git back in here!" Hajime calls. "I tol' you last year 'bout going outside without a coat!"
Atsu comes to a halt, the magic of the morning coming to an abrupt pause with him. " But dad!"
"You need to help Rikka get dressed, she never had to wear a winter clothes before."
This seems to allure the boy and with a wide and gleeful grin he darts back into the house. "Hurry up and put your coat and gloves on, Rikka! We have to build snow people and throw balls of snow at each other and…" he chucks a coat and a pair of gloves at her--Hajime's she assumes based upon the size of them.
Azula stuffs her fingers into the gloves. Only one layer doesn't seem sufficient but another layer or two seems to aggravatingly restrict her finger movements and if she is going to destroy Hajime and Atsu at this snowball war, she is going to need a full range of movement from her fingers.
She steps out into the snow, she hears it sift beneath her weight. So far everything is going accordingly, there is no ice to land her on the ground.she deduces that, in most places, the snow only reaches up to her ankles which is, though an inconvenience, manageable enough. But she can't imagine that running from enemy fire will be as easy. She supposes that if she needs a speedy getaway she can just melt some of the snow and listen to Atsu screech about her cheating. Perhaps she would feel more guilty over it if Atsu weren't a merciless little brute. He does not wait for her to assemble her protective mound of snow before bombarding her with an onslaught of tightly packed snow.
"Gotcha!" He whoops with each hit that she fails to evade. It would seem that while she was assessing her surroundings he hand been stockpiling an extensive artillery.
"Geez, Atsu, show mercy, this is her first snowball fight." Hajime chuckles from his spot on the porch.
It is a nice thought but Atsu, the feral beast, knows nothing of mercy. He tosses snowball after snowball. She manages to create only one but before she can throw it, Atsu fires another shot. And this one sails directly down the front of her shirt. She feels it slide from her chest to her belly leaving her with a full body shudder as itself away. She had dropped her snowball. Never in her life has she felt anything quite like it; uncomfortable and somewhat biting but I'm a way that wasn't exactly painful.
She tosses a pathetically pleading glance to Hajime who throws his head back in a howling laugh. "Alright, alright." He gets to his feet and steps out into the battlefield.
"Uh oh…" Atsu mumbles, he is now we'll aware that he should have built himself a snow fortress. Azula gives him a smug smile as she lifts a new snowball.
"Uh oh." He repeats as her very second snowball sails right into his face.
Maybe she should feel guilty over it but he isn't crying and he brushes it right off. And besides, she is certain that he was aiming for her face the whole time anyways, he simply didn't have the arm strength to land any hits higher than chest level.
And by the end of the hour she is almost embarrassed by how satisfied she feels to have beaten a child at a children's game. Any tickles of shame are washed away by Atsus delightful giggles. His enthusiastic, "wait until Caihong and Kim get here! We'll kick yer butts until you don't have butts no more!"
People have bestowed upon her many threats. But none have been quite like that.
That day she learns that Atsu is very much a little shit and that, likely, she will never truly shake her competitive nature.
.oOo.
She has been to plenty of awkward dinners but the silence of this one is so thick that it is dizzying. She can’t help but notice the way that Sokka twiddles his thumbs and looks in every direction but his father’s and Katara’s. It occurs to her that he is ashamed of her. Is embarrassed to be seen with her. She supposes that it is a good thing that the snow storm has picked up too strongly to go for a stroll through the village. She can only imagine what sort of looks she will get from everyone else. A firebender...the princess among people who the Fire Nation has displaced and nearly destroyed. She is everything that they detest and she supposes that Sokka has every right to be embarrassed by that. Embarrassed in the same way that she had been to parade him around the Fire Nation at first.
“Aren’t you going to say anything, dad?”
The man gives something between a hum and a sigh, “I’m trying to figure out what to say.” Hakoda looks at her. His face isn’t as steely with stubbornness as Katara’s.
Azula stares at her palms. She should take her mittens off. But any little motion will draw too much attention. Not that Katara's resentful gaze has left her since she got to the table. She wants to have a taste of her seaweed stew but she is already mildly nauseous with nervousness and the scent of the stew doesn't exactly kindle her appetite.
"Just talk to her for a bit, dad, you'll like her." Sokka promises.
The flutters in her tummy intensify that much more. She wishes that he wouldn't make promises that even he isn't certain of.
"She likes history and strategizing just like you do and…"
"And she used it to foil our invasion and get him sent to the Boiling Rock." Katara folds her arms across her chest.
Azula cringes to herself, truth be told, she had forgotten about that. Comparatively speaking, it seemed much less profound than some of her other misdeeds.
"Yeah well she's done a lot of changing since then." Sokka insists. “See, she even has the redemption haircut!”
“The what?” Azula finally speaks up.
“Yeah, Zuko said he cut his hair before joining us and now look at him, he’s happy--but in a grumpy old man sort of way, he’s a good friend, and he’s got long flowing tresses.”
Azula rolls her eyes. She isn’t sure if she wants to slug the man to death right in front of his father and sister or if she finds his recant amusing. She supposes that it would ruin her chances to make amends of she murdered Sokka now. “It wasn’t a redemption haircut I had matted hair and, maybe, lice.” Ji-Zhang had only mentioned it being matted. She supposes if she had lice that they would have shaved…
“Azula.” Sokka manages to cut through her comfort musings. Granted her musings weren’t at all pleasant but her inner monologue very much beats the external alternative.
She realizes that Hakoda has extended his hand. It is far less formal than a bow but she will take what she can get. He gives her hand a shake. “I’m Hakoda.”
“Sokka told me that, already. And he has already told you my name.”
Sokka flushes, “you’re supposed to introduce yourselves to each other.” And then he turns to his father, “she’s still working on the whole having a normal conversation thing. It runs in the family.”
“I can have a normal conversation just fine.” She folds her arms and holds her head high.
“Well it’s...interesting to formally meet you, Azula.”
“Dad!” Katara says sharply. “She’s not a part of this family. I don’t care how much Sokka likes her.”
“Come on Katara.”
“Don’t ‘come on Katara’ me! You’re the one trying to welcome her into the Water Tribe.”
“I get it, this is for the whole Jet thing isn’t it.”
This time Katara blushes.
“Who is Jet?” Azula furrows her brows.
“Yes, who is Jet?” Hakoda agrees.
“You don’t know about Jet?” Sokka asks at the same time as Katara says, “you weren’t supposed to tell him about Jet!”
“Jet’s just some jerk that flooded a whole village full of kids. To drive out some Fire Nation soldiers.”
“Gaipan?”
“Yeah.” Sokka nods. “You know about that.”
Azula returns the nod. “We lost a few soldiers there. There were noble men and women.” She pauses. “Stubborn too. They might have been alright if they fled with the rest of the village but…”
“Firebenders and their pride.” Hakoda clicks his tongue.
She wants to call the man on his generalization but frankly she hasn’t met a firebender yet who didn’t value pride. And maybe that is why it is so hard for her to apologize to Katara and Hakoda. Though she isn’t certain that she particularly needs to apologize to Hakoda--he had led an invasion to defeat her father. He had encroached on her land. It was her duty to see those plans foiled. Though pointing that out probably won’t serve her too well.
“Can you give her a chance, Katara? I gave Jet a chance.”
“No you didn’t. You were protesting and whining the whole time.”
“And I ended up being right.”
“So will I.” With those three words, she storms out into the snow.
“That went flawlessly.” Azula grumbles.
“Just give her some time, she’ll come around when she realizes that you’re actually kind of a really sweet person.”
“I will set everything you love on fire…”
“You just like to pretend that you aren’t.” And to Hakoda he mutters, “It’s part of the firebender pride thing. You can’t let anyone know that you’re nice.” He slings an arm over her shoulder and pulls her in closer.
Azula sighs, it is going to be a long, long vacation or whatever in the spirits’ name she could call this.
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