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opinated-user · 6 months

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i saw the new video of LO "shock has lost it's value" so you don't have to

because LO claims that other people have covered up the topic of both Postals and Hatred better than her (with a cheeky recognition that she has plagiarized so many people before, but she's self aware so you aren't allowed to bring it up i guess), so the entire video is actually going to be about the coffin of andy and leyley with a small section of the other two. it's not because she wanted to talk about the incest videogame more than anything else. of course no. she was forced to do it because she just prefers to refer to the people who did a better job than her before.

indeed, no other intentionally offensive games has ever appeared since Postal and Hatred. there has been 0 cases until the incest game. if you know anything about the indie game scene, you already know how offensively ignorant this is.

LO calls the incest game a visual novel. it's not. it's literally categorized like an RPG game because it was made on an engine for RPG games. you can literally see that on the steam page that she keeps flashing on the screen. is this a small issue? absolutely. but it bothers me all the same because LO's the one who decides to talk about this game. is really too much of a burden to just know what genre is the game you're talking about? how i'm supposed to believe you when you talk as an authority about this game?

LO still tries to treat cannibalism as a the worst taboo ever, over incest... and i honestly don't know what is even the point? i know that for LO there's really nothing wrong about incest, but are you really helping your case by trying to say "at least it isn't cannibalism, that's worse"? normal people don't do this, LO.

the jabs at the artstyle by saying "this is a conglomeration of every edgy teen girl" really bother me because at least this is a creative work. at least this the work of an artist that they made with their own hands, instead of exploiting a spouse with no paid only to receive subpar art where anatomy and colors go to die. it's also just a girl with messy hair and black clothing...? besides the messy hair, that's you, LO. you keep putting your characters in muddy dark clothing because that's what you always have. it's just unnecesary.

when LO makes a comment about how weird is that these two siblings share a bedroom in a crummy small apartment, she flashes three novels with incest themes on them: forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma, flawed by Kate Avelyn and flowers in the attic by V.C. Andrews, that we all have established before LO either didn't read at all or didn't understood at all. before finishing this video she talked about writing "the goth version of flowers in the attic". flowers in the attick is already gothic literature. goth is a music genre, not a literary one. i won't let that go because it reminds me how deeply and proudly ignorant this woman is, and still has the gall to pat herself in the back for it.

all the "alabama" jokes are so tiring and boring. even more boring because LO is canadian and therefore completely disconnected from the culture that made those jokes, so you know the only reason she's making them at all is because she saw americans doing it.

a little rant about how you can't diagnose a character or youtubers with mental health disorders because people have been sued with defamations suits over it. i agree that you can't diagnose real people, that is unethical. however leyley is a fictional character. we can talk about how kids can't be diagnosed with personality disorder or how she doesn't really fit the criteria for this or that mental illness, but it's not and will never be the same to try to diagnose her as to do it to a real human being.

there's a part where LO says that the story of the incest game doesn't face her by showing a panel of pokemadhouse where... i assume Lizzy? is yelling insults to CLO through the phone while CMO asks "who's talking to you like that? that isn't your ex, is it?" and because it's just that one panel, i imagine that it is. so the implication would be that LO doesn't care about the cannibalism or the implications of incesy (shocking, right?), but the moment in which the siblings are mean to each other and insult one another, that's when she can't take it because she had ex that yelled insults to her.... i guess. idk.

"kill your abusers, Andrew, it's good for you." unless they have children just at the right age as your sibling when you first started molesting them all those years ago. then forgive your abusers, Andrew. silence their victims too, just so you have a chance at a new incestuous love.

reference to the folgers incest add. not even chuckled.

these are the reason why someone would want to kill leyley

replace brother with younger sibling and you got it, some classic LO projection. but you're still entirely wrong on one thing, LO. nobody wants to kill you and you know that too. just admit that you're a incestuous abuser that needs high, minor, medium large and extensive actual real therapy.

13. LO remarking on how weird the game treating the two siblings arguing as "lovers spat" is so weird because she's the one who treated Courtney calling her out as a bitter ex. even down to keep talking bad about the ex of Courtney that he had when abandoning their parent's house, calling him an "actual pedophile" despite their age gap being just two years.

14. so she knows how weird it is to keep talking about her sibling in sexual context. she knows how bad it is to make jokes about Courtney being raped. she knows how obssesive and toxic she has been since Courtney spoke out... and she still does it. proudly. i know i'm saying nothing new here, but LO is a really bad person. not because she does bad things without knowing, but because she does them knowing.

15. LO is relating the story of the game completely skipping the part in which you can have the siblings... not commit any incest at all. yes, the weird implication were there from the start, but weird implications aren't actual incest regardless of how uncomfortable they can make individual people. you have to actually go out of your way to reach that path. she's presenting it as if this was a clear linear story path and it's not, and i have a suspicion that is the point of the game that LO is completely missing. that these two are horrible toxic characters, but ultimately they still have a choice on how their relationship can become and you as a player can get them there or not. because one thing she didn't mention either is that this story is devided in chapters and there's still others coming, so this is an incomplete story. i'm not the dev or anything like that, but if i have to guess anything about the plot my idea is that this whole story can only end in tragedy and probably neither of the siblings will survive. it's your choice as a player if that end includes actually touching your sibling or not. i guess we all know which ending LO would prefer. but it still bothers me because there's a reason why the dev made it a choice at all instead of just a inevitable part of the story. there's a reason why you can skip that and i won't claim to know what is that reason, but ignore that just so you can posture is still so gross for me.

16. "the artstyle of a potterhead that watched Black Butler"????????????? what does this even mean???? plus. LO, do you really want to play that game? do you really want to keep bashing people with anime inspired artstyles when pokemadhouse is literally just that + your own terrible ideas of what "correct proportions" is supposed to be? do you think i haven't noticed that it has been a while since you displayed your avatar in any of your videos? the one that was made for free by your wife and everyone called out as being clearly anime inspired? were you tired of being calling you out the obvious hypocrisy everytime you made those "jokes" or did you get tired of pretend like you liked it in the first place?

17. "i have seen more shocking content". i know. you were the one who brought rape lay and a game about touching the bodies of underaged characters in your video about SVTFOE. i didn't even know about the last one until i reverse searched the image you put out. and yet, you still couldn't think of bringing any other example of "shocking content" to clickbait people with on the thumbnail that two games that people stopped talking about years ago. more than that... what do you think you're doing insisting "this doesn't shock me" with this game? has it ever occured to you that it's main goal is not to shock you? has that ever being declared as being the main goal on any of this? did it never occured to you that the author has a story to tell? even while giving your summary of the whole game to pad the run time and trick people into thinking you have anything to say (seriously, the summary alone is almost half of this video lol). this is exactly like when you insisted that Disney was to blame for creating "romantic chemistry" between Anna and Elsa, but then had the audacity to say that the fandom was the one who was gross while the movie itself was "lovely" (even though you believed it to have "accidental" incest so... you were the one saying a story about incestuous sister was lovely. what a surprise.) the thing is, it's not making you look tough, clever or even "knowledgeable" to say "see this narrative about toxic siblings who cannabilize people doesn't shock". the knowledgeable is already shot with how very little do you know the indie game scene, or the gaming community in general, that you can only think of three games in decades who have shocking content. insisting that this story only looks to shock people and you weren't shocked doesn't say anything about the story itself. it just tells me how boring you're that you believe it makes you interesting you saw more "shocking" content before. 18. "by the way my askbox was filled about this game i expected more." oh. you're not going to say why people started to bring out to you the game that became infamous because of the incest? you're not going to even try to mention how or why incest media just coincidentally, totally against your will, keeps appearing around you? i guess we're also going to ignore how those "hundreds" of ask were... three or four asks that all write and type exactly the same as you. one of them coming from one of your own know sockpuppet accounts. 19. "this game promotes itself as one thing and turns out that is about another." sounds similar to promoting a webcoming as a "slice of lice about a pokemon trainer living in her home with wacky characters", but then you just had to add child molestation with mind altering consequences, quasi incest and rampant abuse apologia of actual immoral monsters. at least the incest game is honest about it being horror. it doesn't try to sell itself as a "wholesome" story about anything, like someone i know.

20. now that i think about it, she only complains about the artstyle when she has Ashley on inscreen. she doesn't say anything about Andrew despite being the same artstyle? she keeps making jabs at how ashley is "not like other girls", about how she thinks she's "quirky" and it's just weird to me that she only does that for her, but nobody else in the game. 21. LO does really goes into a very long diatribe about the kind of mindset that Ashley has, about how the puzzles are actually great, about how it explores the psychology of these characters... and still keeps insisting that there's nothing else about the game. the math isn't mathing. does it have any depth or it doesn't? also that constant "why the rest of the game couldn't be like this".... because the puzzles wouldn't have any meaning at all without the story? isn't that an obvious enough response? 22. "the easiest path to get past incestuous attractiong is being willing to do so." oh. and i guess you're the expert on that one, LO. do you actually not understand how alarming those phrases come off? nobody normal talks like this, LO, i'm sorry i have to be the one to tell you. nobody talks like having incestuous attraction is just as common as having general trauma. not even Courtney does that and you're the one who claims that he's obsessed with you! pity you clearly still haven't moved past that or you'd stop publishing rape jokes about your sister. 23. "this is a game about two awful people and we see them get worse." yes. that is a compelling narrative for people. if nothing else, for the watching a trainwreck effect. some people want to see the world burn in a safe environment where nobody actually gets hurt, as in fiction. it might not be interesting for you (who has more an issue about them being mean and snapping to each other than to them being incestuous mutually, btw), but that is something people find interesting. sometimes people like different things and you don't liking them doesn't mean anything about the quality of the thing. kids in fifth grade understand this already. 24. LO said that Ashley is made of a bunch of anime tropes and Pearl is actually the better version of those tropes. i'm just going to leave that out there and the world can decide what to do with it.

25. "i missed this part of the footage and i had to stole it, i'm not playing that again". wait, who did you steal it from? did you asked permission at least? i don't see any credit or anything. if you use gameplay footage from someone else, yes, it's the bare minimum type of courtesy ask for permission and then credit them. this is the same thing when you use fanart of people who didn't made for you. that's still the work of someone else. LO just flat out admitted that she stole footage from someone else.

26. LO boldly claim that the writing of the game is wrong because Ashley is the main character and she doesn't have a lot of deph... while at the same time saying that Andrew (the one who... also appears in the title of the game?) has. LO still doesn't understand the concept of co-protagonist, does she?

27. then it follows a long diatribe about a movie about some guy and a girl who go in a rampage because American Idol. i didn't pick up the name but... good on LO for finally referencing something else that isn't SU or Star Wars.

still too long and she just gets lost on her sauce so much that i don't even know what is her point anymore. 28. just about in general... it's rich how LO says that Ashley being a violent person or the man on that movie being violent makes them pathetic and boring, when she was the one who claimed she kicked a online stalker in front of her building and stabbed some MAGA guy in the streets. not to mention the woman who adviced to children that they should bash the heads of their bullies with the heaviest object they can find. i don't even disagree that people who take pride in being unhinged violent dangerous peoeple are not that interesting as they thing themselves to be. but LO's very much one of those people. that's why she keeps writing her "obviously heroic" OC starwars killing people left and right without facing any consequences.

29. "amab siblings being abused by afab sibling is not a story that is often taken seriously, and believe me i know that from personal experience." said the woman who bragged for years about beating the shit out of her younger sibling and leaving them crying on the floor after punching them in the gut 15 times. again, your only real concrete examples of Courtney "abusing you" is: burned your pokemon cards when kids and didn't want to play with you. that's what you publicly and openly have claimed as examples of Courtney being abusive to you. you yourself haven't really bothered to explain anymore of this "abuse". can you really blame people when they doubt that claim? especially when you have been cuaght in so many other lies before? no, LO, the reason people believe Courtney over you is not because you're amab and he's afab. it's because you have done nothing else but give out red flags since you first became online and keep giving out more everytime you even talk about Courtney. Courtney's story fits you like a glove. yours look like trying to put a glove into a foot.

(just like your story of claiming to have survived cancer last year, btw) 30. "the people who like this game think they're on the outside, but there's nothing more inside than someone selling what you like in retail"... is LO actually comparing an indie game, made in RPG maker, by a solo person, with mainstream gaming? if she is, that is an insult to the intelligence of everyone who had to hear it and i feel like i lost braincells for it. it's so utterly and obviously wrong that i'm actually speechless. this is like comparing Ib, another RPG maker games that people adored and has a cult classic, with Final Fantasy or even Mario. the indie scene is miles different than the mainstream gaming scene. i can't believe this is something i have even to say.

31. "it has never been an easier time to become a publisher author or an indie developer for that matter." indeed. because there's an indie scene for it. because people can selfpublish. and neither of those people has the same mass appeal, power or influence as mainstream media that is back up by an actual company. LO acts as if the fact people can make money out of their creations that puts them on the same level as professionals who're hired to do those jobs. no, LO. when you were creating those boring RPG games in which you gave people NSFW works of ponies as a reward for breaking the minds of character, you weren't a dev on the same value as the guy who made the games you liked. you were just a boring adult with a porn addiction and some minor knowledge of coding. nothing else. 32. "the only way to make a dark story effective is when you make it in earnest, when you have the characters happy to do it but you know it's the worst thing to them" wait. wait. wait. is this LO saying that the only issue that she has with the incest game... is that it's not more open and gleeful about the incest? i think that's what she's saying. i actually don't know what other conclusion i'm supposed to take from it. when she talks about the game showing the post incest scene, she goes "finally! we can stop dancing around this like we did the last four hours." so the issue is not the incest, it's that the people involved aren't joyful and happy about it. it's that the incest isn't more cover and came sooner.

like in Frozen. my earlier point was right then. her only real issue is that the siblings are mean to each other, not that they could fuck each other. i guess i'm not really surprised out of the woman who called the incestuous relationships "the purest form of love that there can be." this is exactly what i mean when i say that Courtney's story fits you. because only someone who only views incest as positive would say something like that and let that be their conclusion about the incest game. 33. this is a personal nitpick, but i especially do not like how LO insist that you can't make horror out of a tragedy. just say that you never read horror or even understand what horror is. almost the entire filmography of Mike Flanagan is horror that is about familial tragedy at it's core: the tragedy of losing family, the tragedy of chosing power over love, the tragedy of trauma, the tragedy of religion, etc, etc. tragedy is at the core of many beautiful works of horror. hereditary is about a cult interferring with a family, but also it's about grief, generational trauma and the tragedy of these character being destroyed by it all. 34. the conclusion is officially just salad words about how anime is bad, how animation that is "dark and mature" is bad, how everyone is wrong about everything and she's always right. something about jeffrey dahmer, the series and the people talking about it was disrespectful to the victims and their families... i don't know why. to try to say again smugly "this isn't shocking, this is just bad"? i do find funny how she spend at least 10 minutes of this video total saying "this doesn't shock me, this is boring to me, i have seen more shocking stuff", while she ends up saying about how the people who claim were not affected by the jeffrey dahmer show and wanted more gore are pathetic losers. she just keeps describing herself and insulting herself alone. nobody cares that incest doesn't shock you, LO. we know that already, it's part of the allegations. you're not helping your case confirming that we're right.

35. so in the minute 43: 54 flashes this screenshot:

for the record i censored the user. LO didn't. LO openly just published this screenshot from a random user and claim that they're lying about being a incest survivor. LO just grabbed a innocent person who never interacted with her, who never said a word about her, exposed their name for her entire audience to go find and harass and she just erased whatever trauma this person could be dealing with. again, LO doesn't know this person. the only post of them that LO could have seen is this one. and this one is enough to convince LO that they're lying about their trauma only to get a pass for shipping two characters. this is despicable behavior. if i have to convince you of how this bad it is, then i can't help you, because i think it should be plenty of an explanation.

i'm not going to bother with the rest. i'm done. this was a waste of time and a disgusting one at that only used to keep making her little pity part about Courtney for having the gall of not being happily incet with her. don't watch the video directly from her, download it with any of the link on my pin or any other method. don't go search that user. don't bother anyone LO mentioned.

#lily orchard

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watatsumiis · 1 year

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helloo!! I'm entering for your 200 followers event. Congrats on that, by the way!

Could you do a Zhongli x reader with the number 43?

I hope I did this right 😭

Thank you !!

I can do that, certainly! And you did do it right :>

I've got a feeling this is going to be some angsty stuff, so sorry in advance -

Content: gender neutral reader x Zhongli (in a timeline where canon events haven't happen and he still retains his gnosis and archon status) (romantic), mentions of death (not of either main character), some unhealthy obsessive/messed up behaviour from Zhongli that stems from his grief. A little bit dark maybe, if you're unsure feel free to DM me and I'll give you a proper rundown (I just don't want to spoil it all right here)

Word count: ~690

They say that dragons hoard what is most precious to them, building up piles upon piles of treasures that they then protect with their lives.

Though not a full-blooded dragon, Zhongli still retains some of the instincts of his ancestry, no matter how long he spends compressed into his 'human' form.

The treasures he decides to collect, however, are anything but traditional.

Despite his status as the God of Mora, there is something that Rex Lapis himself values more than gold, more than all the shining gemstones hiding beneath the planet's outer crust.

History.

Zhongli has never been one to forget a face, nor to let a good story go to waste. He always takes special care to make sure rumours and tales reach the right people so that they can live onwards and travel to the far reaches of Teyvat, even if their protagonists couldn't.

As the years wear on, everything and everyone has its allotted time to go, Zhongli came to accept this many centuries ago now. Stories are forgotten, once-important traditions drift off into obsolescence, people pass on.

But in recent years, he's grown restless. So many of his loved ones are slipping from his grasp, like fine sand cascading out into the endless dark of the abyss, where he is unable to follow.

Even stone wears down eventually, and Zhongli is finding that as his hard outer shell thins, thinking of every loss pains him more, like touching an exposed nerve.

As always, he surrounds himself with those he cares for, those who make him happy, but lately, he can't seem to shake the looming truth that they'll all one day disappear like dust in the wind. Life is unpredictable, inconsistent, he begins to dread every day, knowing that it could be someone's last.

"Hah, if only all of us could be immortal and all-knowing." You'd said it as a joke, a throw away line directed towards Zhongli after he'd corrected you on something unimportant.

At the time, Zhongli had seemingly taken it in stride, reacting with a tight-lipped smile and a gentle chuckle. Little did you know, that was the beginning of something darker, much more… sinister than you'd ever know.

Zhongli considered himself happy with the way things were right now - modern day Liyue was gorgeous, its citizens in good spirit and health, and free from strife, though rumours of trouble brewing in their neighbouring country of Inazuma were often circulated. Something about their Archon clinging to the ideal of eternity.

Eternity. Zhongli tucked this knowledge away too, adding it to his quickly growing hoard of thoughts to muse on when he had a spare moment.

Why couldn't everything be the same? Not for an eternity, of course, but just… just for a little while. He's been working so hard for so long, Zhongli firmly believes he deserves a break.

He spends a lot of time thinking about you specifically. Of course, his other friends and companions occupy his thoughts too, but there's something particular about you and the nature of your relationship that he especially cherishes, despite the fact that when it's all in perspective, you're barely a blip on his millenia-spanning timeline.

Zhongli doesn't mean to hide himself away, he's simply… thinking. Thinking of ways to share his power, his burden, just for a little while, to ease the waters flow on the paths of sorrow that have worn their way deep into his heart. Surely that isn't selfish, right?

Given the opportunity, he'd share his backhanded gift of immortality with all of his loved ones, but you're at the top of his list, the crown jewel of his collection.

One day, he thinks to himself as he pores over a heavy old tome.

I know that you will be there.

He knows it in his heart, you'll be accompanying him to the ends of the earth if it's the last thing he does.

One day, I'll focus on the future, maybe.

Once he's sure you're safe and secure, he'll turn to the horizon and think about what comes next.

One day,

If you say no?

Oh baby, isn't life so fucking inconsistent?

He'll find a way.

Please don't repost, steal, copy or otherwise plagarise my writing! This includes posting translations to other sites (without credit + permission).

#asks #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin imagines #genshin self insert #my writing #genshin headcanons #zhongli #zhongli x reader #morax #morax x reader #rex lapis #rex lapis x reader #genshin angst #200 follower event #songfic

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beevean · 7 months

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People when Guts has a mental breakdown after a lifetime of trauma which leads him to almost rape the woman he loves but stops himself before the deed is fully done and is so disgusted with himself that he starts distancing himself from her and accepting other people in his life to look after her while also accepting that he may never again have the right to even speak to her after what he'd almost done yet will still fight tooth and nail to protect her even if he'll never truly be able to atone: Fucking disgusting mysoginistic bullcrap! Shame on the author for being such a sexualizing creep!

People (not the same people but still) when Lenore tricks Hector into having sex with her on order to slip an enslavement ring on him so as to magically bound him to her and then spends her time making jokes about him being her pet, about his dick and about wanting a new bedroom and who then kills herself upon realising that she may in the future be subjected to the same fate as him while only giving a shallow "yeah sorry about that": OMG! So romantic! This show truly has some incredibly deep and complex writing! Good thing this wasn't written by a sex pest or something!

Is it sexism against men, or good ol' xenophobia that leads many people to be much harsher to Japanese manga and anime than Western products? You decide :)

I wouldn't even compare Guts to Lenore. Guts assaulted Casca after weeks of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion that made him vulnerable to the temptation of the Beast of Darkness. I am not excusing him or downplaying Casca's trauma in any way... but the story didn't, either. Casca, understandably so, was terrified of Guts, and stayed terrified of him for months. Many years in real life. And, as you said, Guts regretted his actions as soon as he realized what he was doing, and that slip was what made him accept the help of Farnese and Serpico: he accepted that he could not take care of Casca by himself. He was a danger to her.

Lenore can't be compared to Guts. It was not an act of irrational aggression. She wanted him in the most vulnerable position possible, to coax him into falsely pledge loyalty to her and that stupid ring. It was premeditated and... well, I'd say cruel, but even in the most Lenore apologist position I can get myself into, she literally treated Hector as an animal to be "rescued". Well meaning? At best. But still inherently dehumanizing. Which alright, she's a vampire, it makes sense that she'd see a human as an animal. And alright, I can see a plotline where she learns to see Hector as a person. But... it never happened. We went from "I made you into my pet" to a brat making dick jokes and pouting that she feels useless after a time skip.

And anyway my issue isn't even with her, it's with Hector and how he shows zero resentment after his understandable breakdown in the S3 finale. I honestly can't read his character, assuming he has one by this point.

I know that people are tired of my bitching about Lenector, but I'm sorry, no matter how hard I try to understand the appeal, the dynamic, the relationship, the "poetry" of their fates, you cannot reconcile Lenore's action in S3 with Lenore's actions in S4 without resorting to some severe rape apologism or straight up denial (because some seem to believe that if you consent at first, then it's automatically okay). The Lenore presented in S4 is a tragic villain coming to terms with her role in the council, the lack of respect from the others, the fear that she might become a monster, and the fact that she started to bond with someone she previously only saw as a "problem to solve"... but in order to accept this at face value, we have to ignore that she resorted to rape and deception to bring her victim to his lowest point. We are meant to pity the rapist. We are meant to see Hector "forgiving" her (assuming he did) as him growing up. There is no other way around it.

#anti netflixvania #tw rape

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corinneecrivaine · 9 months

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WILLOW FANFIC STORY

THE PART 10

THE BEGNINNING OF THE WAR

A thick, menacing fog thickened, enveloping everything in its obscure veil. In the midst of this dense mist, an evil presence was gradually revealing itself. The Shadow of Bavmorda emerged, revealing a face of great blackness, without soul or compassion, its eyes dark. The blackness of her soul gave off an aura of malice and perfidy. She advanced slowly, her gait imbued with arrogant confidence, her smile unhealthy.

She spoke, coldly, in a whisper: "Kit... My child, join me. You are bound to me by the blood of the Six that flows in your veins. I'll show you the extent of your power. Your destiny is far greater than you know."

Kit woke up abruptly, breathing hard, instinctively seeking Jade's comforting presence at her side. But her heart clenched painfully as she discovered an empty space.

Anger welled up inside her, mingling with the lingering fear of the nightmare that tormented her. She saw the necklace lying on the bed beside her. She retrieved it, clutched it tightly in her hand until it bled and cried out.

"Jade, no !!!!

Tumultuous emotions surged through her. She felt overwhelmed by the fear of abandonment and betrayal. The wound caused by Jade's gesture was deep. Kit felt bruised in the soul.

She got up and dressed in a hurry. Just as she was about to leave, her brother burst into the room and slammed her against the wall.

Putting his hand over her mouth, she had no time to react or lash out at him.

Airk: Don't shout. Okay !

Knowing his sister, she struggled and pushed him away.

Kit: What's the matter with you!

The young prince took a quick look around and when he saw Jade's bed unmade, he couldn't help teasing his sister.

Airk : You've had an excellent night.

The young princess gave him a cold, disillusioned look. This was neither the time nor the place for such jokes. Overwhelmed by Jade's absence, she fought back tears as she clutched in her wounded hand the necklace whose value had just been shattered.

Kit: What... No... Nothing happened... And then stop! How do you know I'm here!!!

Airk: You think I didn't know about your little nocturnal escapades? This tension between you two. Finally, it's about time you accepted your feelings for Jade. We'll have to talk about it, but right now…

Kit: I don't have to talk about it with you.

Suddenly, cries of pain echoed outside. Kit wanted to get out, but her brother held her back.

His attitude was incomprehensible. He was fidgeting, preoccupied, expressing himself without calming down.

Airk: Listen to me carefully. We're under siege.

Kit: What!!! Mom, we've got to help her!

When Airk saw the outfit his sister was wearing, the one from his nightmares, the terrible images that haunted his nights were superimposed and suddenly his throat and stomach knotted, followed by tremors throughout his body.

Kit: What's wrong with you?

Airk: I'll take care of Mom. I'll get her away from Tir Asleen. There are too many of them. We can't fight them alone. You go to the Bone Reavers and find her.

Kit: She abandoned me!

Kit's voice broke.

The young prince laid a compassionate hand on his sister's shoulder, sensing her pain and distress. He could see the pain in her eyes, caused by Jade's absence. He tried to comfort her.

Airk : No, believe me. She hasn't abandoned you. She... Sometimes duty forces us to make difficult choices. Don't let fear cloud the love that unites you. Come away with me.

He suddenly took her by the arm and led her running to the stables, which had not yet been taken by storm.

He took his horse, a handsome stallion with a shiny black coat, and gave it to his sister:

"Here, go with Midnight and don't look back. Whatever happens."

He gave her their father's sword, which he had hidden in one of the stalls.

Airk: Take it, I got it from the weapons room. I know how much it means to you.

Kit was a little confused by her brother's behavior and didn't quite understand his actions.

Kit: Airk... What are you going to do? I'm staying with you…

He lost his temper with his sister. He'd never acted like this towards her before.

Airk: For once in your life, do what I ask. Go away!

He struck Midnight so hard that the latter galloped away.

With his sister finally out of the way, the young prince spoke to himself: "I'm going to fix everything, little sister. I'm going to save Mom, I'm going to save you and our kingdom. That's what a great king must do. Go and find her. She loves you as much as you love her. Your love is powerful."

*******

Airk had not been able to give the real reasons why Jade had left. Honoring the promise he had made to the young knight during their last discussion before she left. Knowing his sister, she would have exploded in anger and acted on impulse.

That day, Jade was training in the same place where she used to do it with Ballantine. The straw dummy was still there, worn and unusable, but the young knight refused to remove it. It reminded her of all the lessons her mentor had taught her and how to channel her anger for battle. But today, she was angry with the whole world. She felt so devastated and helpless. Ballantine's absence created a huge void in the kingdom and in her heart.

She remembered all those moments spent by his side, his wise words, his attentive listening. All the times he had comforted her, supported her in her choices. All she had left were her memories and that place with that straw puppet. She couldn't hold back her tears, a mixture of rage and sadness.

The kingdom had lost a great man, a guide and protector. But for Jade, he was her father figure, her pillar. She expected to see him storming into the stables, as he had all too often done when she was a child.

It was her duty to honor his memory by continuing to draw on the values and wisdom he had passed on to her. But there was a dilemma.

When Airk arrived, he hesitated for a moment before starting the conversation, unsure of what to say, not wanting to hurt her any more than she already was.

Airk: I'm sorry.

Jade : I'm fine, Your Royal Highness.

Airk raised an index finger as he approached Jade : Actually, Airk, I'll be fine too. Especially since you're going to be part of our family.

The girl glowered at him.

Airk: Well, I admit it's a bit premature. But…

Jade: Please, stop.

Airk: Why do you refuse to simply express your emotions? You've lived your life camouflaging your love. I still remember our conversations as if they'd taken place the day before. Why do you forbid yourself to live this love to the full?

Jade: You don't understand! You're royal blood destined to rule and I... I don't even belong to Tir Asleen. You represent everything my family stands for and I... I represent the enemy of your kingdom. Where does my love fit into all this?

Airk: You've always been there for my sister, protecting her, putting up with her moods, and believe me, that's not easy. Don't forget, you gave up your dreams to follow her and guide them all to The Immemorial City to save me. You have as much a place in this kingdom as your love.

Jade: I only did my duty.

Airk: Oh, no, you've done much more than that. I know it's complicated for you right now. Don't you think you're entitled, even for a few moments, to live fully what you want?

Jade: I can't. What happens if I give in? And with all due respect, Your Highness, you're in no position to give love advice.

Airk: I must say, you're not far wrong.

The young prince stopped joking and took on a much more serious air.

Airk : What are you not telling me?

Jade didn't answer and turned her back to him. The young man had no choice but to insist, forcing his friend to answer.

Airk : Knight, your prince has given you an order.

Jade turned and looked him straight in the eye.

Jade: I must leave Tir Asleen. I must understand who I am, discover my past, my family. Know who my father was, learn who my sister is, who the Bone Reavers are. I know it will break Kit's heart, but I have no choice. And... that's not all. I have to convince them to join our cause. Kit can't know.

Airk kept gesticulating: Kit this, Kit that, breaking Kit's heart, and your heart, Jade, who's going to pick up the pieces of your heart.

The young man approached and placed his hands on the young knight's shoulders.

Airk: It's not the prince talking to you, but your friend. I promise I won't tell her. It won't be the first time I've made you this promise (he said, smiling). But this time I'm asking you for something in return. Promise me you'll let yourself be carried away by your feelings, without thinking about the aftermath. Don't choose this suffering over your love. This place has become your home. You're as much a Bone Reaver as you are a Knight of Tir Asleen.

Jade: I'll leave tonight. Be there for her when she discovers I'm gone.

*******

Demons, The Wyrm's henchmen, were rising, their sinister silhouettes silhouetted in the darkness that pervaded Tir Asleen's surroundings. Their red eyes shone with an evil glow as they let out demonic roars that seemed to make the Cherlindrea barrier tremble and give way.

Sorsha's guard hurried into the room, his face flushed with concern. "Your Majesty, we're under siege! You must flee, there's no time to lose!" he cried, trying to convince her.

Sorsha leapt to her feet, her mind on the alert, and declared in a determined voice: "I will not flee. I will defend Tir Asleen at the risk of my life. Who's attacking us!!!"

The guard didn't expect another reaction from his queen, knowing that she was a fighter, ready to defend her kingdom and all those she loved. He hesitated before replying. "Sir Hastur, my queen, surrounded by an army of demons."

As Sorcha processed this terrible revelation, a deep sadness came over her. How could he have betrayed their long-standing friendship and alliance? The queen felt bitter at the betrayal, but she had to concentrate on her defense strategy. She couldn't let her emotions overwhelm her. Her kingdom was in danger.

Demons were rising from all sides, sowing chaos and destruction in their wake. The sky, once lit by the glow of stars and moon, was now darkened by the black clouds that seemed to be descending on the royal city.

The streets of Tir Asleen were in chaos, houses burning and cries of despair filling the air. Inhabitants were desperate to escape the violence befalling their former haven of peace.

The battles were fierce, the monstrous creatures seemed innumerable, a raging force that knew neither fatigue nor pity. Every corner of the long-flowered city was the scene of a bloody battle, witness to the bloodshed.

As the attacks continued, hope seemed to flicker. Yet the hearts of those who defended Tir Asleen never wavered. They drew strength from their love for their kingdom, their family and their queen.

Arrows flew through the air, mingling with the flames spewed by monsters from the underworld. The fury of war was unleashed, the cries of demons and the clash of weapons echoing through the air like an evil concert.

At the center of this inferno, King Hastur stood at the side of his knights, knowing that the outcome of this battle would determine his future. He cried out with such violence that his men trembled. "Find the Empress and bring her to me!!!, I'll get the Queen!!!"

His guards scattered in search of Elora.

Hastur was determined to gain control of Tir Asleen. His plans had failed. He would not fail, he would see his ambitions through to the end. He had waited too long for this moment.

Under his ruthless leadership, his men searched every street, every nook and cranny, sowing fear and corpses at every turn.

Airk made his way to the palace's weapons room, his thoughts intermingling with one another, his mother, his sister, his father, as well as his emotions, fear, courage. Among the gleaming weapons and shields was a suit of royal armor his father had made especially for him. It was magnificent. The breastplate was intricately decorated with the symbols of Tir Asleen and the royal family. Finely chased silver leaves ran along the edges, representing the growth and prosperity of the kingdom. The shoulder pads were meticulously carved, imitating the shape of an eagle's wings, in homage to freedom. Rosette motifs adorned the metal. In the center of the chest, Tir Asleen's gold emblem, the silver helmet, represented the head of an eagle with a visor decorated with precious stones, as if to symbolize the gaze of the royal bird.

The young prince contemplated the tack with emotion, remembering Madmartigan's last words in this place. He was just a child then, unaware that this would be the last time he would see his father. "My son, this armor will be yours. But you must wear it only when you feel worthy of it, when you are ready to assume your responsibilities as a future king, to protect your kingdom and your subjects."

The time had come for Airk to be the prince the whole kingdom had been waiting for, to prove his worth and fight for his family, for his heritage. Doubt crept into his mind. Would the knights follow him? With determination, he grabbed the armor and put it on. It fitted his body perfectly. Long forgotten, it had become the symbol of his devotion to Tir Asleen. It had become the armor of a prince ready to face the enemy. He was ready to prove himself worthy of his title and his people.

As he prepared to face the dangers that awaited him on the battlefield, Airk felt a deep desire to have his father by his side, to guide him in his decisions. It was as if, by putting on this armor, he felt connected to Madmartigan and sensed his presence, courage and strength.

He threw himself into the battle, feeling his father's mental strength invade him, protecting him and overcoming his fears. Determined to save his mother, he fought his way through the demons. The sharp blade of his sword, forged from steel of exceptional quality, gleamed in the glow of the demonic flames. Every blow the young prince struck demonstrated his skill and agility as a warrior. Airk fought with fervor. He dodged demonic attacks, weaving in and out of enemy ranks.

The Pacalcade knights froze for a moment, having never seen this armor before and unaware of who lurked beneath. But when one of them heard the prince's voice calling for him to join in the rescue of the queen, the news quickly spread across the battlefield.

"It's the Prince !!!! The prince is with us !!!!"

Suddenly, as Airk would never have expected, the knights rallied to his side, forming a united force. The young prince, surrounded by his loyal defenders, amid shouts and clashing swords, made his way to the palace.

The small group, led by Airk, made their way up the stairs and through the darkened corridors. After a fierce struggle, they reached the throne room, where Sorsha was battling demons with the help of her guards.

In the grip of a powerful rage, the young prince, followed by his men, engaged in an epic duel, steel against claw. In the end, they succeeded in defeating the monsters of darkness.

Airk approached his mother, ready to fight him: "Mother, it's me, it's Airk!!!" He lifted the visor of his helmet.

Sorsha was weakened, but her stunned face lit up at the sight of her son.

Airk: Mother, we must go !!!! We cannot save Tir Asleen.

Sorsha: Kit, my daughter, where is your sister!!!

Airk: She's not in the kingdom. I... I sent her to the Bone Reavers.

Sorsha didn't hide her astonishment, but felt reassured that her daughter was safe.

Airk: We'll talk about it later. We've got to go!!!

Just as they were about to leave, the large door suddenly opened, revealing Hastur accompanied by his guards. His furious, feuding gaze fell on Sorsha.

The queen stood up proudly without flinching or showing the slightest sign of fear.

Silence settled over the room, heavy, oppressive. Everyone was waiting. They stared at each other.

Sorsha faced Hastur, her former ally now an enemy working for The Wyrm. Disappointment and sadness mingled on her face as she stood, sword in hand, ready to confront him. The king advanced with a reassured step, his eyes once filled with friendship, now fixed on the queen with coldness and ambition. She blamed herself terribly for not having foreseen her former friend's action. For not having prepared her domain for this eventuality. She who was ready to force her daughter into an arranged marriage with the son of this traitor to unite their two monarchies.

Anger burned in her veins. How could she have been so blind? How could she have agreed to sacrifice her daughter's freedom for this sordid alliance?

The desire to seize the throne of Tir Asleen had corrupted the once noble mind of the King of Galladoorn.

Sorsha : Your thirst for power is blinding you, Zivian. To think I was ready to give you my daughter. I trusted you.

Hastur: This marriage was of little importance - all I wanted was an heir. As soon as their union was consummated and the child born, your daughter would have had a terrible accident that would have cost her life!

At the sound of these words, Airk couldn't contain his rage and lunged at the king, ordering his knights to do nothing. This fight was between him and the king. Hastur did the same with his guards.

The throne room became the scene of an epic duel between Sorsha, Airk and Hastur.

Swords clashed. The young prince fought fiercely, his movements guided by anger and a thirst for vengeance for his sister. Sorsha fought with grace and agility, showing Hastur that she was not just a queen but a fighter. The self-hatred of having been ready to send her daughter to her death, fueled her aggression and her movements.

Hastur's ferocity was unrivalled, but Airk's determination and Sorsha's strength were superior.

Mother and son fought as one heart, one soul. They were no longer two rulers fighting, but the symbol of resistance against treachery and darkness.

Unfortunately, Hastur managed to wound Airk, but overcome by rage, he continued to fight, ignoring the pain.

Finally, in a final burst of violence, the queen and prince struck a final blow that sent the traitor stumbling. Hastur on the ground, the young man in the grip of the fury and vengeance of their last confrontation in this place, was ready to end it all, the blade of his sword against the fallen king's throat. But Sorsha interrupted him.

Sorsha : My son! Let's not sink into cruelty. We're not like him.

Airk turned away from Hastur reluctantly, but he understood the wisdom of his mother's words.

Suddenly, a loud noise echoed through the palace corridors, startling the queen, her son and the men in the room. Hastur wore a cynical smile. A shiver of apprehension ran through the room as everyone wondered what was going on. Everyone prepared to face this new threat, but their queen gave the order to leave.

As they left the throne room, Sorsha couldn't help wondering how Hastur and the demons had managed to break through Cherlindrea's barrier. In the corridors, the answer came when Airk and his mother saw the demonic glances of Graydon and Elora in the distance.

Horribly shocked by what they saw. Graydon alive, Darth Elora so different, could not have been the instigators of this attack.

Airk's heart sank as he saw his ex-lover turned entirely to darkness. It couldn't be. Elora was so bright, so full of love and hope.

He murmured to himself sadly, "Elora... How…"

He wanted to run to her, but his mother stopped him, "No, she chose her own path."

Sorsha was terribly distraught by this Elora, lost in the darkness, this child she had protected so much all these years, to the detriment of her children and her husband. How and where had she failed in her duty?

Heartbroken, Airk took one last look at the Empress before looking away.

Betrayal was everywhere, and the threat far greater than they had imagined.

As she left, Sorsha ordered the soldiers to evacuate, taking the inhabitants with them.

The queen and her son left the kingdom with their men. Now they had to find somewhere to take refuge and look after the young prince.

They turned one last time to see Tir Asleen sinking into darkness.

Sorsha: We will take back our kingdom, my son. We will save our world.

Airk: How mother. Elora is…

His voice broke.

Both knew they would have to gather their forces and find trustworthy allies. Evil had already spread to Andowyne.

Sorsha spoke to herself, thinking of her worried friend, "Where are you, Willow?

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stankycowboy · 10 months

Text

Buffy Eat Your Heart Out

@chainsawcutiie

Or what? She wants to say. Anything remotely snarky. For once however, Juliet holds her tongue. She's used to his temper and attitude. This is different. This is serious. Venomous. No jokes or laughs.

She never asked for this. The pit in her stomach feels heavy. Eyes are finally averted from him to the now practically drained corpse. Majority of the blood is splattered on his face and clothes. The hunger that lingers mixed with the sick feeling in her gut eliminates all will to argue with him; this time. "Whatever." Juliet murmurs, standing up. Arms are folded across her chest with a petulant pout on her face. This isn't fun or exciting anymore. "Are we done here?"

"We're done here when you say, "Severen, I won't fuck up next time"". The severity of the seriousness in his tone was life threatening. This was not the playful scamp that had horsed around with her at 24/7 shopping centers, or raced go-karts after dark. This was the visage of the nocturnal beast who had lived nearly 200 years, sustaining himself on a river of blood, sworn on the grave of his own creator that he would never have another fledgling under his wing. The last time he wore an expression this stern he was looking at a different blonde in an all too familiar situation. It was beyond his comprehension why these kids whined and moaned about what he had received as a gift; although it was easy to surmise that the lack of choice played a part. Nevertheless, he was well beyond second and third chances for any, most especially in current circumstances, even more so with one who should have known better.

The elder immortal looked upon the newly indoctrinated creature with a mix of derision and pity, softening a shade as he licked his bottom lip clean. "You may not have meant to get turned, but that's what happened, an you'll learn yourself to respect it, or I'll kill you myself". It was about respect for the night, respect for what you were given. As one who was not given much himself, he valued what was his-- what belonged to him and him alone-- with a prideful covetousness that would make a dragon of old blush. Most especially, that which had given him the long, glorious life he treasured. She had not been given a mentor, merely attacked by a wild creature, or so she had implied in the story she had told him, whatever the case, it mattered little now. There was only one choice to be had. "I been friendly till now. I don't gotta be", his voice was stern, words spoken slowly, emphasizing the truth in them. "I'm willing to help you out a little, I was given that", he pauses to dig a chunk of flesh out of his teeth, "But I ain't carryin' you", he spits it into the dirt. "I can put you outta your misery you can't cut it, but you wanna live? You're gonna tell me what I wanna hear". Prompting her to do as he asks, Severen leans in, almost comedically cupping his bloody hand around his ear.

#✘ ic.#chainsawcutiie

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shenanigans-and-imagines · 2 years

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Would Leddie pick out trinkets for each other, ie jacket pins? Actually Leddie and love languages in general? But especially gift giving?

Okay, to make this easier on me, I'm just going to break down how they each express different forms of love language because a healthy relationship doesn't just rely on one.

Gift Giving

Lucy has given Eddie so many different patches and jacket pins over the years it's not even funny

Eddie is also more than capable of sewing on his own patches, but Lucy almost always offers do to it herself and Eddie can't say no

She likes making things for him in general; pieces of costume for his characters, a knitted scarf, even just a bandana since he keep getting his other ones dirty

Eddie meanwhile doesn't do it as often, which he sometimes feels awkward about

He doesn't think he's that good at gift giving and he usually doesn't have a lot of extra money to spend, which he'd rather save to do something fun with Lucy

Once they're solidly together though things start to change

He starts to pick up pins and patches for her at gigs so she can have her own vest

When they've got to Ren Faires, he insist on buying her the perfect flower crown

He also at some point absolutely gives her one of his rings

Physical Touch

Near constant, for both of them

We're talking hugs, we're talking hand holding, we're talking kisses all day every day

I went into full detail about it here

They are that obnoxious PDA couple and there is no stopping them

Acts of Service

This one mostly goes to Lucy, even if Eddie is all over this too

Lucy expresses her love through food; making a nice meal, packing a lunch, bringing a tub of freshly made cookies to DnD, it's how she shows she cares

This is all good news to Eddie who had a stomach like a trash compactor

He loves absolutely everything Lucy makes and knowing it makes Eddie happy just makes her want to do it more

Lucy also is in the habit of just doing stuff for people

When Lucy had her first Hellfire meeting she stayed behind to help Eddie clean up without having to be asked

She becomes a chauffeur to the kids once she gets her license, she helps Corroded Coffin load up the van after gigs, doubles checks if anybody needs her to pick something up from the store; it's just what she does

Eddie's acts of service are a little different and not always as obvious

He helps Lucy carry whatever she needs carried without complaint

He'll becomes defacto designated driver on the rare nights Lucy decides to drink

Sticking around late at night while Lucy is at the theater so she'll have somebody to walk her to her car

Honestly they really start to become friends when Eddie offers to drive her home after Hellfire rather than she her ride her bike back home in the dark and cold

It's not as showy as some of Lucy's displays, but it's there

Quality Time

Another big one for both of them

Eddie and Lucy are the type of couple where if Lucy says she's going to the store, Eddie will literally launch himself over the couch and offer to come with her

They need their designated movie night with just them otherwise the rest of the Hawkins gang will just invite themselves over

It's really important to them to be able to watch a movie or read or just process a story together and then be able to talk or just joke about it after

Before they even get together, they really value that extra time after Hellfire where Lucy helps Eddie pack up and then he drives her home

It's really only an extra half hour, but it's time for them to really just talk one-on-one

Genuinely get antsy when the other has been away for too long

If Eddie or Lucy are out of town for some reason, they'll get on the phone late at night and just keep talking until one of them falls asleep

Words of Affirmation

You want to get Eddie to melt? This is how you get Eddie to melt.

This boy turns into a god damn puddle on the floor if Lucy gives him any kind of compliment

It takes a lot for Eddie to blush, but Lucy touching his face and calling him pretty will just about do it

And leaving a little note in his lunch? Forget about it, he's lost

Lucy is super encouraging to everyone she cares about, it just so happens that Eddie is especially receptive to it

But don't let that fool you, Lucy can just as easily turn into a mess if Eddie does the reverse

It's not so much when he calls her pretty, which he does, often, but more when he praises her for her skills or talent

Nothing will turn her into a blushing mess faster if after a performance Eddie sweeps her up and tells her how amazing she was

It's the actor in her, it can't be helped

#stranger things #eddie munson #eddie munson x oc #eddie munson x henderson!reader #lucy henderson #stranger things oc #leddie

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fyowhore · 2 years

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Hello! Duck anon here again!

This is weird. A matchmaker who is not loaded with requests? :0

Um, ok, here we go then! (///￣￣///)

I am a girl, 21 years old.

I prefer men. (There aren't many women in BSD though, so there's not much choice. XD)

I like men who value their family and wish to start one too. I love men who are initiative and have goals that they try to reach. My partner's motive needs to be about helping people, making them happy, because only then a person would strive to be kind no matter how much he/she struggles. I am also not very good with earning money, so I want my partner to be good at it or else we are both dying in some dark alleyway poor and in love. XD

I like to laugh, so my partner's humour shouldn't be bland. Even though I can be serious and most people think I am strict because of my stern face, I don't think that a serious person x serious person is a very good combo.

However, I also know that I am very lazy, so I really need someone who would put me in line to do work instead of anything other than that.

I love my sister and we are inseparable. Wherever I go, she goes. Whatever she does, I do. We like to laugh together and our conversations are usually silly and useless. (My mother compares us to birds, because we cheerfully 'chirp' about nothing.)

I love writing. I want to become a teacher, but if that dream fails, I will be a children book writer for sure.

I like drawing, but I'm not that good of an artist like my sister.

I like watching anime (Spy X Family, Komi-san Can't Communicate, Yo Boy Kongmin, Mob Psycho 100, Haikyuu are my favourite actually), but I don't do it lately.

I like watching character analysis and theories. Sometimes I listen how a certain author came up with certain ideas.

I don’t like people who don't pick sides and change their opinion according to what the others say. They look weak.

I don’t like people who don't accept how they are, yet they tell that they love themselves. To sum it up, I don't like liars who don't want to admit that they have personal problems. I really want to slap them to bring them back to their senses.

I generally don't like liars who refuse to see the truth that stands right in front of them. Lying is OK on some occasions and it can save you from an unnecessary conflict at times, but there's a limit.

Oh, I also don't like rice and pudding. Yuck. I prefer sweets. >:P

I have very bad hair (they don't grow well, hence they are short) and they are brown/blonde. I have acne (I have lots of dark postacne blemishes and there are acne scars on my face. Luckily, there aren't as many pimples nowadays.) I am 178cm/5ft9in. I have a very poor eye sight to the point I can't see a person's face two meters away from me, but I refuse to wear glasses because I look like a strict teacher in them.

I think that's all. I hope it's not too much! ^^;;

Remember to take rests! :D Have lots of inspiration for your stories and other hobbies! ~✨ I hope you're having fun with your writing! C:

He might be soft hearted but…

I think Atsushi could be quite a nice fit! He probably would also adore the idea of a family and providing for children instead of leaving them alone. His family would be based in peace and reassurance and I think it would be the gentle environment anyone could hope for. He’s a little awkward for sure but I think he’d also appreciate your jokes, and someone sterner who’s better at reinforcing both of your boundaries.

Working at the ADA together would be perfect, he takes the dangerous work and you could either do something similar, or stay behind and work on safer jobs. It’s a good environment for struggling with work, considering everyone puts up with Dazai, you needing a break every now and then is more than fine.

He’s a sappy man and I think you’d only help him grow further past his traumas. Sometimes he lies to himself, which you’d quickly put a stop to. Or at least heavily encourage him to quit it. He’s insecure but I fully believe a relationship is working towards the betterment of yourselves together. It shouldn’t be an Olympian task but feeling like you’ve earned a safety and love can’t compare to everything coming easy. Past that… not liking rice? Fine by him, that’s just more of his favourite food in the world for him! But he’d obviously accommodate for you.

As for your appearance, even if you were insecure about it… it wouldn’t bother Atsushi. Not at all, never could he think to judge such uncontrollable conditions. He’s scarred too, it’s for different reasons but I think he’d find a certain beauty in it. I also think he’d appreciate the fact you love your family. He never had it, and can only hope they’d love him too.

I hope this is a nice result for you my lovely Duck anon! 🦆 You stumped me a little at first but I can absolutely see the lovely tiger man being supportive, and you talking some sense into his trauma fuelled anxiety. He doesn’t mean to be the way he is, it’s just a hard life sometimes ✨

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grave-c · 1 year

Text

Personal thoughts on Narcissism (the Moral Orel episode + myself)

I watched the media mementos animatic of the Moral Orel Narcissism script. In general, I just think it's really cool that we got a "new" episode to watch.

I never read that script beforehand so I wasn't prepared for all the "pairings" the revs would be getting into, like, the montage of putty finally getting all the action he wanted and it meaning nothing to him I think served the story well but...

that bendy x putty scene is weird to look at for me just on face value. like, doubly so since I know some people ship bendy with his daughter so like???

and going in I did have weird vibes on the idea of "weight loss Florence" - some of the jokes cracked miss the mark for me - there's like a "heads I win, tails you lose" thing Putty tries to pull on Florence on who's terms she gets to lose weight on that I think could've been written better. But the line Florence herself says kinda shifts my vibe toward the positive by a peg. while the show could do with a better distinction between being fat and stress eating (you don't have to be one to do the other but they kinda bake that into her characterization) but her acknowledging that her weight loss was induced by stress makes it feel less contrived I guess?

idk if I'm expressing this right and I don't have my own way of writing this arc at all outside of not needing to go that route at all, but I can say I didn't despise it. in fact, any happy ending for Florence I'll take it! she deserves it!

and on a tangent: rev putty got his "mission hill series finale" moment, which is funny because that episode is lost to time too lol

(personal section)

Overall I thought the episode was mid to good. But even with a mid rating it was effective on me to the point of causing a panic attack because, well, I am a narcissist. I don't know if that's something you can self diagnose, but I have a sister and they asked me once if they were a narcissist and I told them no (because I was becoming fairly certain I was). If you read the rest of this post in rev putty's voice it will probably work.

I really went and took too many trips to the repressional. There was a moment in time where I instructed myself to "stay in my lane." All my coping mechanisms were in place, and I turned my art into one of them. I forfeited the idea that I could ever be a likable person, and dismissed all else so I could instead get people to like my things.

Moral Orel, as my hyperfixation, is a show I can't dismiss. It took this show to tell me that behavior wasn't me putting a protective barrier around my narcissism, it's actually an extension to my narcissism. Like narcissistic turtles all the way down.

The channels that point this out to you like therapy, and you know, talking to people I ignored because of course I did.

I'm unpacking this here because like, some of my "best work" came out of dark places, but being put on notice that I can't stay down there forever shake me up, I have to shift my comfort zone over.

To sum up, I fell into Moral-Posting to deflect my personal issues. And now that the show sets an example to not do that, my Moral-Posting will continue but because I really want to. I'll start taking the baby steps to sort my own shit out without co-opting.

But to make this less about me I'll end with this: "Moral Orel is such a good show that a mid episode that was lost on the shelf made me cry"

#text post #personal

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major-fukkup · 2 years

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would you mind telling me about your ocs? what are your favorite and least favorite traits of theirs? what songs fit them best? what’s their sense of humor like? this might get long lol but i want you to ramble to me

I am answering for Agent Aitch, Victor, Paradox, Raven, and Aseroth because they are my favorite little bastards (at the moment lol)

Agent Aitch (from Another World) (not a little bastard, still a favorite)

My favorite of her traits is her kindheartedness. She's the sweetest person you will ever meet. She lives to help others and will stop at nothing to defend the innocent.

BUT my least favorite trait is her tendency to blame herself when things go wrong. She feels like she should have done more. She's a real sweetheart though and she deserves the best.

Aitch's theme song is It's Time by Imagine Dragons. Other songs I associate with her include Second Chance (Shinedown), Whatever It Takes (Imagine Dragons), Bruises (Train), and Everything Moves (Bronze Radio Return).

Aitch has a fairly NORMAL sense of humor (which is somewhat strange compared to most of my other ocs). It's not edgy or dark, it's not exactly "dad joke" humor, it's pretty down to earth and I suppose probably more ironic than anything else.

Victor Stevens (originally my Cyberpunk 2077 character, but an oc now I stole him and haha age regressed him)

My favorite trait of Victor's is his childlike innocence (well. That's a debatable term lol). He believes that the world is a safe and happy place, bad things just happen sometimes, and that people as a whole are basically good, some just. Aren't. He knows nothing of safety and happiness, or course, but he thinks he does because he doesn't have anything to compare his own life to. He trusts his sister to take care of him and he doesn't really have an innate desire for anything he doesn't have (he does have kleptomaniacal tendencies but it's only ever spur of the moment and also mostly because he has no concept of personal belongings. When he takes things he doesn't consider the fact that they might belong to someone else. To him they are just there).

I suppose my least favorite of his traits is his hotheadedness. He has a one-track mind and never thinks anything through before acting. Though I think that's funny for him it's not really a great trait to have.

Victor's theme songs are You Only Live Once by Suicide Silence and Glitch by Parkway Drive.

Victor doesn't have much of a sense of humor as a child. He tends to take things pretty literally and at face value. As he gets older his sense of humor turns to basically straight sarcasm. But not really in an offensive way (unless you've made him angry). And it's actually funny sometimes.

Paradox (from Last One Standing)

My favorite of Paradox's traits is his conviction that he MUST make the world a better place. Even though that's what lands the entire population in the mess HE made of the world. His broken paradise.

He knows that with great power comes great responsibility but he doesn't realize that he has no right to the power he took over everybody.

My least favorite of his traits is probably his inability to admit that he messed up and turn around. He will fight to the bitter end to fix his mistakes, but HIS WAY, which only ends with him digging himself into a deeper hole. And of course taking everybody else with him.

The song I most associate with him is Bad Liar by Imagine Dragons. Other songs that fit his personality and life story are Viva la Vida (Coldplay), Bright Eyes (Art Garfunkel), Wrecked (Imagine Dragons), What I've Done (Linkin Park), New Divide (LP), Another Illusion (Major Moment), Demons (Imagine Dragons), Me In My Own Head (Beartooth), Dead (Major Moment), Living Your Life Like This (Major Moment), and Nothing Left To Lose (The Alan Parsons Project). Yes I have a whole playlist for him. There's more.

Paradox's sense of humor is in subtlety, irony, and sarcasm. Often at someone else's expense because he can't admit to being wrong.

Raven (from Box Factory)

My favorite trait of Raven's is their determination and courage and unwillingness to back down even in the face of danger, regardless of the personal cost.

My least favorite of their traits is their inability (or unwillingness) to process or feel their own emotions (they just repress them). They're a great listener and give good advice and they're generally happy and outgoing and makes a great friend but they make people worry about them. A lot. Sometimes. The weirdest thing about it all is that they are actually legitimately fine.

Their theme song is Harder Better Faster Stronger by Daft Punk.

Their sense of humor lies mostly in sarcasm (like Victor, not in a rude or offensive way), and irony. They make basically everything into a joke (actually that's probably how they deals with their emotions). Unless it's something that affects others negatively. They take others seriously but are lighthearted and goofy themselves and prefer to be taken as such.

Aseroth (also from Box Factory!)

My favorite trait of his is his genuineness at attempting to fit in with the earth-dwellers while he's on earth (he's a part-time soul reaper who has free access to earth, the afterlife, and the realm between and spends his off time in whichever plane he wants).

And of course his addiction to coffee is always funny. Does that count as a trait?

My least favorite of Aseroth's traits issssss I don't know I love him but I guess I'd have to say his feeling like he should have done more at times because, like Aitch, he deserves only the best.

Aseroth's theme song is If Today Was Your Last Day by Nickelback. There are other songs that could be associated with him but they relate to specific times in his life.

Aseroth has a pretty deep sense of humor, having been around for generations. A lot of the time his humor revolves around things he forgets humans have no way of knowing about. So when everybody turns to stare at him he just shuts up. (After he makes human friends they introduce him to the internet though and his sense of humor probably deteriorates a lot lol)

Ironically enough, one of the things he never jokes about is death. He knows the pain death brings to those who still live and takes it very seriously.

#thank you for the ask!#thank you so much this was so fun #oc asks #Agent Aitch #Another World #Victor Stevens #Home Street Home #hsh #Paradox #Last One Standing #Raven Jones #Aseroth #Box Factory #oc stuff

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strawbabysimp · 3 years

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Adult Trio as Yanderes HCs

Chrollo

He's so lonely traveling around for jobs, it's an unstable life and he doesn't have any real motivation for doing what he does. But you? You were so interesting. He made obtaining you a sort of game, except this was a far more exhilarating game than he'd ever played before. It was a new sort of mission that required a different way of going about things and that sparked something in him. Something he had been missing and craving this entire time unknowingly.

You quickly became friends with the new charming man in town, he asked you out a few times and it was all going well. He brought you flowers and candies, showering you in expensive gifts that you didn't have to even do anything special to receive. You said he didn't have to do these things but he made it clear he was glad to do it.

It's a very gradual progression as he gets more and more possessive. He'll want you to wear everything he's given you, especially when you go out in public. The way he turns your head to meet his gaze even when you two aren't talking, as if your attention had to be directed at him for fear that your outside surroundings would somehow taint you.

When you bring up cutting your hair differently or trying a new look he's quick to panic, telling you in a breathy voice that that was a horrible idea and you were perfect just as you are. He wants to keep you the same as you've always been since he first met you, only allowing you to change to his wishes, never your own.

"You belong to me just as you are. Nothing will change that. I won't allow it to." His gaze is gentle but his words held an unspoken threat that both of you were very aware of. You were his rock. The only constant in his life and after gaining such a thing he would destroy anything that could possibly take that away.

You come along with him for all his jobs, no point fighting someone when there was no chance of getting away. You had to admit the life was somewhat entrancing; traveling around with a man quick to give you anything you so desired, only having eyes for you, a precious gift. He's never cruel, always so tentative, the darkness only fills his aura when directed at others for you could never do wrong in his eyes. The world was what was corrupt and ever-changing. He was a clear example of that.

Hisoka

Hisoka is the king of manipulation and while some part of you respected his skill, when it's directed at you it's an entirely different story. When it happens it just seems like jokes, small things he says that plant these cruel ideas in your mind, and they just keep building up. When you bring up his comments he laughs you off, saying if you are overthinking things perhaps there is a good reason for it. That was the start of it all.

Your idea of your friends was tainted, the way they smiled at you became a reminder of the horrible things Hisoka said a smile could hide. Your own family made you doubt your worth, thinking you'd never reach their standards. When you walked with Hisoka those harsh thoughts remained in your head but the presence of the magician made you happy, the way he had said you were perfect for him and that he didn't have expectations for you. He simply wanted you and everything you were willing to give. Only he didn't tell you he would have you give everything you had to offer and make it seem as if it was all your own choice.

You went on about your insecurities, voicing the fact that the world could be such a confusing and unfair place. It made him angry. The card would slip from his fingertips, blood rushing to the surface of your skin as the sharpened edge brought about a twinge of pain. Your eyes widen but a guilt fills your stomach. Hisoka had said you were perfect so why did he hurt you? He remains quiet as he walks towards you but his calm demeanor does nothing to calm your nerves. He explains in the sweetest voice a blood-thirsty man could provide - which was the equivalent of honey in vocal form for this gifted performer - that he was not mad at you but your words. To stop putting yourself down and instead direct your hate at the world. Your mind quickly twists things, Hisoka seeming to have had a sweet reaction. He wasn't mad at you. He loved you. He just wanted you to be happy and the fact you weren't stirred something in him. He cared and the world didn't.

He shows you off to the crowds like you're some divine thing. Something to be proud of. You're happy and he gives you a tender smile whenever he finds you in the stands of the arena. He'll dedicate the following bloodshed to you and call out in your direction his words of dedication. It was violent yet loving, a perfect description of the man who you cared for.

The death didn't stop at the stage, however. You'd find him coming home with clothes stained red from a person he never tells you the name of, going on about how he loves you so much sometimes he just can't help but express it. How he makes the last words those people mutter be your name as blood spills from their lips. You grimace. This isn't what you wanted. But what can you do? He loves you.

He lets you go out on your own, knowing you'll always come back. If you don't? That's not even a possibility at this point. Everything you are is his. You placed the very value of your existence in this beautiful man and he eats it up greedily. Without you, he'd starve. You didn't want to be cruel after he helped you accept the world as it is and yourself. The killing never stops but you do learn to accept it. Eventually, a smile finds its way onto your face as he drags a bloody finger across your cheek, leaving a red streak he kisses gently before dragging you to the shower to wash up with him. If the world is already cruel then isn't he just a byproduct? An adapter? Simply someone who has learned to love in a place where even love can't remain untarnished?

Illumi

You're getting kidnapped right off the bat. This man takes you the second he finds any sort of special interest in you as a person. He has this urge to protect you, the same as his own blood, that's not something he can just ignore. He won't be like his father. He won't allow you to rebel against his wishes or run off with another. He'll keep you to himself until you yearn for nothing more. Your cries fall on deaf ears as he looks on at you emotionlessly. This is for the best.

You'll be walking one day, there won't be many people around or none at all, and then he'll just appear. You hadn't met him before, he had wanted to study you to see if the two of you were compatible before he actually moved forward with his plans. One moment he's standing before you and the next you're out cold, a needle placed perfectly in your neck causing you to fall limp in his hold. He cradles you gently against him as he quickly makes his way to a secure home for the two of you. He wouldn't allow his family to have a taste of you. He didn't need their help. They always failed it seemed and he wouldn't have you suffer the same fate.

You wake up in a home straight out of your wildest dreams. You think you're still asleep as you first take in your surroundings. It's simply perfect. Your dream room. Your feet find the floor and as you put yourself upright a voice calls out to you asking if this setup pleases you or if you'd like something different. You're stunned and the ground beneath your feet suddenly feels all too real. The long-haired man comes to face you, his speed inhuman as he soon stands before you. You're scared and you're confused but the night before comes back to you and the explanation is clear. This man had taken you and it doesn't seem as if it had been the first time he laid eyes on you.

As time goes by he stays at your side, quietly observing you as you go about your day in the confines of the home. You'll walk to one room only to turn around and find him relaxed in a different spot only a few feet away. You were never out of his sight. You began to become curious about his intentions, why he was acting so nice - albeit a bit creepy - after taking you away like this. "My parents attempted to make the perfect family through what most would deem as cruelty. It didn't work out in their favor. I thought I had turned out quite nicely but they did not think the same. The closest thing to perfection for them is my brother but even he is not right yet. They treated him far... kinder than me you could say. Perhaps if I treat you even better you will be good for me."

With no way to escape, having witnessed this man's own abilities the first day of your "stay," you adapted to the situation. Becoming docile yet not overly submissive. You were still you and it seemed he was content with your occasional minor defiance and own personal wants or needs. It seemed he only wanted your presence and something about that was far easier to accept. He doesn't force you to do anything but rather encourages your interests and even becomes curious about them himself. While he wasn't much one to talk in the beginning he became more comfortable in your presence. You both had to adjust to the other despite him being the one in control of the situation.

Being with him is a reassuring thing, the little gleam in his eyes as you show him something new or express your gratitude over something he does/brings you has your heart beating loudly in your chest. You had begun to care for him. You missed the world and the new adventures and life you used to live but there was no fighting to be done. You knew what the result would be. In the back of your mind you knew this was wrong and an inhumane thing to do to another person but he seemed so tender with you. You watched him grow into himself and what's wrong with making the best out of a bad situation?

#Dark Content #Yandere #Adult Trio #Headcanons #Chrollo #Hisoka #Illumi #Chrollo Headcanons #Hisoka Headcanons #Illumi Headcanons #Chrollo x Reader #Hisoka x Reader #Illumi x Reader #Hunter x Hunter #HxH #Anime #Chrollo Lucilfer #Hisoka Morow #Illumi Zoldyck

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fitzs-trained-monkey · 3 years

Text

Chapter Thirty-Six: How I Did It - By Jack The Ripper

Rated PG-13: For dark themes and language

Masterlist

~We'll never get free Lamb to the slaughter What you gon' do When there's blood in the water? The price of your greed Is your son and your daughter What you gon' do When there's blood in the water?

Beg me for mercy Admit you were toxic You poisoned me just for Another dollar in your pocket Now I am the violence I am the sickness Won't accept your silence Beg me for forgiveness~

"He's here."

Crossing the Event-Horizon

That's what that's called. I've always thought that's the most beautiful way of putting it. The words have a certain ring to them.

Crossing the Event-Horizon

It means crossing the point of no return. That itself - the point of no return - could mean a lot of things. It could mean the beginning. It could mean the end. It could mean the infinite. It could mean life. It could mean death. It could mean war, peace, happiness, sadness, or anything in between.

But it means one thing for sure.

Crossing the Event-Horizon means there's no going back.

If I had to identify a beginning to the end of my story, then I think that little red dot on the map of time is where I'd stick my proverbial pin. That one little sentence, those two little words.

Yes, it was that moment, I think.

That was when it all started to go wrong.

"Felix is here," I said quietly, "He's outside."

I didn't know what I was going to do to get my revenge from that point. All I knew was, in order to kill Felix, I would need to get to him. And that meant getting away from Jack. Getting away from the son of the devil is something certainly easier said than done.

I would have to do it in a manner which would compel him and the Winchesters to come 'save me'. Of course, I could just knock Jack out and ditch him, but then I would have no back-up if things with Felix went sour. Now, if there was one thing I had learned in the five years leading up to my presence in that lighthouse, it was redundancy. It never hurts to have a safety net. Mine just happened to be a Nephilim.

"You remembered to lock the door, right?" Jack joked. I huffed a laugh. "We're safe in here. Don't worry, Marty. I'll protect you."

Isaac shook his head. "Felix has hostages. Two of 'em." He informed me.

"It's not me I'm worried about," I said to Jack, "This is a hostage situation."

The Nephilim's expression darkened and Isaac rolled his eyes.

"Personally, I say we go on the offensive. I mean, ya boyfriend here has more than enough juice to disintegrate seven dudes, right? Just waltz out there like we own the place, boom, clap, poof, TA-DA!"

"Ya know, that's actually not that bad of a plan," I said, nodding. I relayed the message to Jack who nodded.

"I could do it." He seemed confident.

"Felix brought six helpers. Have you ever dusted that many guys before?" I asked.

"I have, yes. Many more, in fact."

Well, that was... thoroughly disturbing. He seemed so calm about it. As if anyone who stood against him was nothing more than an obstacle. That could be me one day. That could be me tomorrow.

"Alright then, lead the way," I said, smirking.

Is it bad that I hoped something would happen to Jack? Nothing deadly, of course. Just something that would stop him from using his powers to take my revenge for me. Felix was mine. I needed to be the one to kill him. If Jack did it then what had been the point of it all? So, was it bad of me to hope that the quickest, cleanest solution wouldn't be the one that played out?

Was that wrong?

Did that make me evil?

Did I care if it did?

"Everything's going to be fine, Marty. You'll see." And Jack smiled at me softly and I wondered how long that would last.

I found myself standing beside him at the door to the lighthouse. My blood was boiling for a fight because this was it. Felix was on the other side of that door and in a few hours, I would be free, one way or another. Jack turned the handle.

Across the Event-Horizon.

A vampire, a ghost, and a Nephilim stepped out into the muggy night air. It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but it was more the beginning of a new era, at least for me. I stayed mostly hidden beside Jack, maintaining my air of powerlessness. Isaac stepped into place at the Nephilim's other side to match. I could feel the heat of Felix's presence bleeding through the space between us. He carried with him the foul stench of burning tar and just his scent made me want to wrinkle my nose.

He stood about ten feet away from Isaac, Jack, and me, flanked by six other vampires. There was no army, not that I had expected there to be - that wasn't how Felix worked. He didn't need an army, he'd brought two hostages. Two humans knelt on the ground in front of each of Felix's lackeys, poised to die.

Felix's lips stretched into something that approximated a smile but his little ruse was transparent. I could see the hate simmering in his eyes.

"This little game of ours has been fun but a score still stands to be settled and its resolution, I do believe, is long overdue. There is no place left for you to run, child. Are you finally ready to face judgment for your crimes, Martina?" He said. A smile spread across my face to match his.

"Are you?" I challenged, leaving all human emotion out of my voice. I had been so afraid of him before, but that fear was in the past. I had come to witness true power, I had seen it up close and Felix Ashton Monroe was nothing in comparison. I wasn't afraid of him anymore.

"I suppose you'll just have to find that out," He said. "Now, I've just had a rather unsavory chat with one Samuel Winchester. Barbarians those boys are - him and his brother. I do so hope you'll remember the manners I taught you and come along like a civilized being."

"Ready when you are," Isaac reported. His Darth Vader figure was tucked safely in my boot and I counted the fact that Felix didn't know about him as one of the few advantages I had. Both Isaac and I knew that in order to keep that advantage my brother would have to suffer through being dragged behind a car via his attachment to the figure to prevent Felix from noticing his presence. We had decided a long time ago that I wouldn't face Felix alone. Isaac had protested against us facing him at all.

It was ironic, really. He was the ghost, yet out of the two of us, I was the vengeful one. See, Isaac had never sought revenge against Felix. The only person Isaac wanted vengeance against was himself. He sought punishment for his failure to keep me safe, to keep any of us safe. I suppose he got his wish. Ever since that night, Isaac remained trapped on earth with what was less of a mission and more of a duty. To keep me alive. If one looked at it properly, that was another advantage. Isaac had been formidable when he was alive, but as a vengeful spirit and with a threat on my life to power him up, Isaac was alarmingly deadly.

I didn't need to send him a discreet nod to acknowledge his words. The two of us had been preparing for this moment for five years. We knew our roles. We knew what we had to do.

"Marty isn't going anywhere with you," Jack cut in, his voice firm.

"You're Jack Kline I presume," Felix said in his usual drawling tone. His voice too reminded me of tar with the way it oozed lazily around his words. Everything about him was so clean and sharp yet somehow it was all horrifically revolting.

"I am, yes." Jack nodded. He was trying to sound confident and authoritative, mimicking Sam or Dean or Castiel. But he wasn't like them, it wasn't in his nature. Jack was too soft. Felix regarded him with a smirk, studying the boy in a calculating manner as if Jack were merely a rare antiquity he was appraising in an effort to determine its value.

"The boy born to rule..." He hummed, drawing out the words almost reverently. "Yer smaller than the rumors describe ye to be."

"So are you," Jack replied, standing up straighter and lifting his chin confidently.

"Oh, I'm afraid not." That slime ball cracked a smile. "I'm much too careful to allow for rumors of my physical appearance to drift beyond my reach."

"Really?" Jack challenged. "Because it seems like Martina found us. She told us everything about you."

Felix just laughed like he was talking to something as insignificant as a flea.

"Do ye never listen, young one? I said I don't allow rumors to drift beyond my reach. Seeing as Martina is standing directly ahead of me, I'd say she is well within my grasp. That which is mine does not escape me, laddie. She knows that better than anyone," Felix said.

"If you're so careful, then why come here yourself?" Jack asked, struggling to remain impassive. He didn't really have a poker face.

"Why, because unlike an amateur I actually quite enjoy getting my hands dirty every now and again. Especially with a vendetta this personal. Isn't that right, Martina?" Felix taunted. "Will you be coming willingly or not?"

"I said you can't have her," The half-angel forcefully growled. Jack pushed me behind him, shielding me from my creator's gaze.

"Is that so? I was unaware you had a choice in the matter," Felix accosted, seemingly amused. "Were your circumstances not clearly implicit in the situation? No? Very well! If you insist against using so much as a modicum of intelligence, I suppose I'll have to explain this situation to you. See, these dirty, pathetic excuses for intelligent life forms you see trembling before you are called humans, dear boy. I hear you're quite fond of them, and today they are playing the role which we in the criminal world usually refer to as the hostage. Now, their miserable little lives are in your hands, Jack. I am a man of my word thus I will gladly release them, alive and well, upon the prompt return of my property. However, I will not hesitate to rip them both to shreds right in front of you if I don't get my way. Do you understand that , boy?"

Jack didn't respond. He appeared torn between protecting me and saving the lives of the hostages.

"Good," Felix droned, "Now, are you ready to leave, Martina dear?"

" You don't get to speak to her ," Jack snarled. His teeth snapped together with an audible click as he threw his arm out in front of me, not quite ready to give up. Felix rolled his eyes.

"Must we really do this the hard way?" He asked, boredom evident in his tone.

"Yes."

Felix tilted his head and his gaze flicked to me. I could see a hint of amusement in his expression.

"Tell me, lassie. Have you kissed him yet?" He chuckled. Then, abruptly, his expression darkened. "Or is he just that stupid? "

"Who says I did anything?" I replied evenly. Felix huffed, rolling his eyes.

"So you have?" He turned his attention to Jack who just seemed confused. "Did you enjoy it, me boy? If you'll recall, I did wish you a very exciting first, did I not?"

"Marty, what's he talking about?" Jack asked, doubt wavering in his voice. I didn't answer him. Felix was taking a chisel to the wall I'd built in that boy's head. Not causing enough damage to send it crumbling, but planting enough doubt for it to hurt even worse when it did.

"Ah, my devious little Martina," Felix sighed, shaking his head dramatically. "You're as predictable as you are appallingly cruel."

"Guess I learned from the best," I hissed, glaring at him.

"Does that mean you'll be sensible?" He asked, raising a brow.

"You're not taking her!" My angel boy yelled. "She's mine. " A shock ran through my bones as Jack's powers ignited and his metaphysical wings spread out in front of me in a terrifying reminder of what he truly was.

Felix didn't flinch. Instead, he chuckled.

"That's cute," He said, gesturing to Jack's massive wings. Then, he straightened the cuffs of his suit and sighed. From out of his pocket he retrieved a box of matches, pulling one out and striking it. He tossed the match lazily in front of him, the reflection of its tiny flame dancing in his eyes.

The match hit the sand and flickering orange flames erupted from where it landed. The fire spread outward in a ring that encompassed the entire lighthouse, trapping me, Jack, and Isaac inside.

Jack hissed through his teeth as he watched the flames die down. They were low enough to pass easily through, so how were they supposed to contain us?

"In case ye can't tell, that there is holy fire," Felix informed, tucking the matches back in his pocket. "Any angel who finds themselves encircled by holy fire is rendered powerless, and if one tries to step through those flames, one will be instantly vaporized." He looked up again, unimpressed. "Don't get smart with me, boy . I am thousands of years your senior. I'll do with that disgusting whore whatever I damn please."

"No, you won't !"Jack yelled. His wings flared out and a blazing golden light poured from him like molten metal. The air buzzed with a divine power that burned my skin from standing so close. He was like sunlight, and it burned. I cowered away but watched in awe as Jack's veins lit beneath his skin as if gold were pumping through them instead of blood. Because that's what Jack Kline was. He was power. With a sudden ferocity, the flames leaped up, roaring around his body in an effort to keep him trapped inside. But Jack did the impossible and stepped beyond the ring with a cry of effort.

Felix did not cower away as his underlings did; he merely tilted his head with slight interest.

"How intriguing," He mused, folding his hands in front of him. "Tell me, lad. How did you manage that?"

Jack glared at Felix, his chest heaving, for I could tell that act had caused him pain.

"I'm not an angel."

Jack raised his hand, poised to snap the monsters all into dust.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Felix half-heartedly warned.

"Why not?" The Nephilim ground out.

The vampire smiled coolly. "Because these fine specimens here are not my only hostages." Of course, he had more. He was always prepared.

"Where are the others?" Jack demanded, eyes flaring.

"They're safe and sound, I assure ye. Unless, of course, you try to do somethin' stupid, such as kill me. If that's the case, and I do hope it's not, then my people have orders to do some rather unsavory things to a room full of children." Felix raised a brow, daring Jack to make a move against him.

"I can save them," Jack said, confident.

"Please! Ye don't even know where they are!" He scoffed. "Do what ye must, Jack Kline. But I really do fear for the children." Jack gritted his teeth but said nothing. He knew he was beaten. "That's better." Felix turned his attention to me. "Give up this pitiful act of yours, Martina. Come on out. You know this is checkmate."

I stepped away from Jack and stood tall, allowing the thing that had made me to see the steel in my eyes. I passed Jack and planted myself in front of Felix.

"This isn't checkmate, Monroe. This is merely check. I'll be damned before I walk into something with no way out, you know that better than anyone." My voice was calm and cool and I let it chill him. It was my real voice, not that other one I always used to put people at ease. My real voice was the one that makes people do what I want.

The corner of Felix's mouth twitched up. "Oh, yes. I know." He leaned down, his face merely an inch away from mine. "I'm looking forward to it."

"So, where's the car?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Right this way, m'dear." He gestured towards the dirt road a ways away and started toward it. I began to follow but Jack's voice made me stop.

"You're a monster," He spat, shaking with rage. His pained expression had morphed into one of hatred and his glowing golden eyes fixed on Felix.

Felix twisted around, mildly amused more than anything.

"Empathy, humanity, and morality make you weak, boy. Alas, weakness is a bitch , isn't it?" He smirked, basking in the pain he caused.

"I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU!" Jack screamed. His power flared with his anger but there was nothing he could do. The absolute helplessness and hopelessness of his situation finally dawned on him. He never could stand feeling helpless.

"Hold on, I'm confused. Is that not what you do ?" Felix jeered, lifting a brow. Jack froze, his eyes going wide and puppy-like as the vampire's words hit him in the heart. His rage and power dimmed.

"W-What?" Poor thing. His voice sounded so small. He had never been made for this.

"You're the Winchester's attack dog, are ye' not?" Felix clarified. "Playing judge, jury, and executioner for anything you deem a monster."

"You are a monster," Jack scowled, clenching his fists.

"Oh, I know that!" Felix laughed. "But I like to think I've done quite a bit to earn me that title. There are, however, six quite innocent and quite human patients in critical condition at a Manhattan hospital. Six patients, who you put there. Those weren't monsters now, were they?"

Jack's face paled. Sam and Dean had said everyone was fine. Sam and Dean had lied. "H-How did- How did you-"

"That was some stunt you pulled in Times Square, boy," He mused. "Did you really think I wouldn't know about it?"

"Th-that w-was... I-it wasn't... I didn't mean to I-" Jack shook his head in denial. "It was an accident!"

"Why, of course it was!" Felix laughed. "You've not a malicious heart nor the disposition to take an innocent life. Dear boy, you are but a loaded gun for the Winchesters aim at anything they don't like."

Jack shook his head. "T-that's not true! I kill things that are evil because they hurt people." His words sounded hollow like they were something practiced. Like something that had been pounded into him.

"Do ye now? Because as I recall, you killed your own mother and ye' don't even know why. Sad, that." Felix smiled. "You kill because you were bred to; it's your purpose. It's almost cute, the son of the devil thinking he's a hero."

"I am ! I'm a hunter!" Jack insisted.

"You are not a hero," Felix sneered, shaking his head. "You are a murderer, Jack Kline. What else could ya be?" The Scottish man turned on his heel, not caring much to hear what the Nephilim had to say.

"Y-you're wrong. You're wrong about me!" That was all Jack could force out. He tried so hard to keep the tears at bay. I shook my head and turned away from him to follow my creator. "M-Marty?" Jack called out from behind me, his voice laced with desperation and confusion.

I stopped.

In that moment, I finally stripped away the final pieces of the human girl I'd made for him. The girl I'd designed for him to love. Jack would never see her again. That girl was gone now. And good riddance to her; I hoped she'd never come back.

Because she was weak.

And I was not.

Because she was human.

And I was a monster.

Because she was kind.

And I was cruel.

Because she was innocent.

And I was insane.

Because she was honest and grateful.

And I was a deceitful manipulator.

Because she was the blissful mirage.

And I was the horrid reality.

Because she was perfect.

And I never could be.

Because Jack Kline loved that sweet girl.

But that girl wasn't ME.

She never had been.

Of course, I still loved him which only made this harder. But I supposed that in a few hours that would be of no consequence. He wouldn't care. And that fact hurt like a needle to the heart, but pain only brings power to those with nothing left to lose. So, I threw my head back and I laughed as I embraced that pain, just as I did for every other cut and bruise I had ever received. That needle was one in a million and all that pain was what made me real. So, I sighed and turned back to where my angel boy stood, staring at me like some lost puppy.

"I'm sorry, Jack," I said sweetly, "Thanks for getting me this far, I don't think I could have done it without you. Unfortunately, this is something I have to do on my own. This is my last page and nobody can write it for me."

"You can't go," He said, shaking his head. There were tears in his eyes but none in mine. I smiled at him and that was the first he'd seen from me that was real, because, for the first time, Jack was talking to me.

"Why are you worried, Jack?" I was surprised at how smooth and pleasing my own voice sounded, now that I took notice. My real voice was why I was dangerous; when I used it I could make anyone do anything. But there was a reason I had been masking it for so long. It was what had gotten me into this in the first place. "I know you'll come to save me."

"What if I'm too late?" He asked, his voice breaking.

"Then I'll be there waiting for you," I answered.

"You'll die," Jack whispered. I laughed lightly, shaking my head.

"I'm not going to die today, Jack."

"You don't know that!"

"I've known for longer than you think," I said. I watched his teary, desperate expression and copied it to my memory as best as I could. It was the last time he'd look at me that way. At least for a while. "Just do me one last favor?"

"Anything," Jack promised.

"There's a girl you haven't met yet, try not to hate her when you do." I smiled and Jack nodded, trying his best to stay strong.

Then I left him there.

Alone in the sand, he watched a stranger he thought he loved going to what he thought was her death and vowed to save her from it.

Was it wrong for me to deceive him?

Did I care if it was?

***

Sam paced back and forth along the length of the lighthouse as he waited for Dean and Castiel to return. Every few minutes or so he would check his watch anxiously and run a hand through his hair, muttering something unintelligible under his breath before he resumed his pacing.

But Jack wasn't paying attention to that. He was busy staring at his hands. There were too many thoughts racing through his head for him to focus on any one of them. It had all happened so fast and there was nothing he could have done, but it didn't feel that way. Jack felt responsible. Martina was going to die because of him. It was his fault.

It was always his fault.

The door of the Lighthouse burst open, revealing Dean and Cas standing there in the driving rain that had come on before anyone had time to notice. Dean threw himself inside and Cas trailed after him, taking the time to close the lighthouse door while Dean shook the rain off like an oversized dog.

"What took you so long?" Sam was immediately questioning. "Where were you?"

"Gettin' information," Dean smirked. "It took a while, but one of the bloodsuckers squealed. What happened here, Jack?"

"I kissed Martina," Jack blurted out.

"What?" Sam, Dean, and Cas asked in unison, sharing the same disbelieving expression.

Jack hadn't meant to say it but it just sort of came out. It probably wasn't his fault, though. Jack simply couldn't stop thinking about every detail of his time with the girl in the lighthouse. He wanted to focus on what had happened after, but his brain simply wouldn't cooperate.

"I, um... I kissed Martina..." He repeated, somewhat nervously. "And I think I liked it..."

Had he liked it? Jack thought so; he was pretty sure. But something about it felt off.

Why had he kissed her in the first place? What had compelled him to do that? Jack didn't know.

His memories of the kiss were strange. He remembered clearly the emotions he'd felt, and the intensity of them. Yet, for some reason, Jack couldn't seem to recall where those feelings had come from. He had wanted to kiss Martina, but not like that... Or... maybe he had? It felt to Jack as if the decisions he'd made weren't his own. He couldn't even remember making any decisions, really. All he remembered was those feelings and acting on them. Something about that seemed off to him but Jack wasn't sure. He supposed it wasn't that out of the ordinary for him to behave impulsively. On the contrary, he tended to do that quite a lot. So, what was bothering him?

"Wait..." Dean paled, "You and Marty... You- You two didn't, like... do it in a lighthouse, right?"

Jack tilted his head, brows furrowing. "Do what?"

"C-Cas?" Dean's face whitened another shade as he turned to the seraph. "Please tell me your son didn't-" Castiel gave a long-suffering sigh.

"No, Dean. I really don't think they did anything," He said, rolling his eyes.

"Not everyone is like you," Sam added. Dean waved him off.

"Yeah, okay, but why am I the only one gettin' weirded out by this?" He exclaimed.

"Because we have bigger problems, Dean!" Sam pointed out, exasperated. Sam seemed anxious and Jack wondered what he wanted to tell them.

"Well, I think this is pretty big!" Dean insisted, turning to Jack. "Dude, what the hell?"

"I don't understand what you mean. Martina and I kissed." Jack said simply.

"Dean, seriously. I-" Sam tried. Dean held up a hand, sighing.

Dean sighed. "Jack... Y-You don't do that."

"Dean! Listen-"

"Not now, Sam!" Dean cut him off again.

"Why not? Jack asked, frowning.

"Look, ya just- Ya gotta wait a little while, man!" Dean said, running a hand over his face. "I mean, Marty's like, twelve!" He insisted. By then, Sam had decided he'd had it.

"No, Dean! She's really not!" The younger Winchester yelled, throwing his hands in the air.

"What?" Dean was shocked by his brother's sudden outburst. Sam took a deep breath to calm himself now that he had everyone's attention.

"Martina's not as young as we think she is. I-I think she's older, m-much older." Sam said, stress leaking into his tone.

"What are you saying, Sam?" Cas asked.

"I'm saying we've been played."

***

The car ride was smooth and it was the first time I'd been in a limo, so naturally, I took the comforts offered me. I stretched out across the seat, lounging as I stared out the tinted window. I didn't worry about Felix sitting directly across from me. I knew he didn't want to kill me. Not yet anyway.

"I'm curious, how did you manage to fool them?" He asked, watching me with a comfortable expression.

I shrugged. "Long story, lots of boring details."

"Indulge me," He insisted.

"Why should I?" I asked. He shrugged, mimicking me.

"I'm simply curious."

I hummed. "I bet you are."

He smirked. "Well, what can I say? It's just my nature." I nodded vaguely, continuing to stare out the window. We both knew how this would end. There was no real reason not to tell him.

"Sam Winchester and Dean Winchester and the angel Castiel..." I said their names thoughtfully, allowing the corner of my lips to twitch up into a sly smile. "They seem so simple at first glance. You have the poor unfortunate soul who lost so much yet kept his kindness, the perfect killer who spent his whole life at war, and the fallen angel who found a home. But if that was all there was then I never would have fooled them. However, for men who claim to be so faithless, there's so much they want to believe in."

"Whot do ye mean?" Felix asked, tilting his head. I smirked lazily. T

"I'll start with Sam. Sam is kind because he's damaged, but the last thing he is is a fool. When someone's good at unraveling lies, the last thing you do is give them a really big one to unravel. If you do that, then they'll cut right through and they'll figure you out easily. So, what do you do? You give them distractions. Hide puzzles within puzzles and Sam will stop to solve each one because he loves it. But how do you get him to ignore the big picture?" I stopped and grinned.

"It's easy really. All I had to do was appeal to his hate. Sam Winchester is so extraordinarily full of such raw and powerful hate, that if you simply aim it at a conceivable target, he can ignore anything else. And of course, with his hate blinding him to the truth, Sam can't figure out the lie. All one has to do to fool Sam is give him a puzzle to solve and something to hate.

"So, I made him hate you."

***

"How?" Castiel asked, tilting his head.

"It's Marty. We can't trust her," Sam said. Dean scoffed

"After all that lecturing earlier? Why the hell not?" He demanded. Sam took a nervous breath.

"Because she's been lying to us, Dean," He said. "I-I think she's been lying to us this whole time."

Dean's jaw clenched and he crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you talking about, Sam?" His voice was tight and guarded.

"I talked to Felix after I saved the little girl," Sam admitted.

"You just stood there and talked to that son of a bitch! He's a sick, messed up, psychopath! Sam, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Dean yelled. Sam held out his hands in a peacemaking gesture.

"I know w-what he is, Dean. A-and, believe me, I thought the same things you are now and I swear it was over the phone a-and all he did w-was tell me things. But-" Sam hissed through his teeth and tugged at his hair, seemingly at war with himself.

"But what, Sam?"

"I don't know. He- he just-"

"You don't know?!" Dean interrupted accusingly.

"H-He said things, alright! Felix told me things. Things about Marty. A-and they- they made - They just made so much sense! And I hate him just as much as you do and I don't wanna believe him but-" Sam's voice faltered and he shook his head seeming lost.

"What did he tell you?" Castiel pressed, gentle but still firm.

"He told me Martina killed his wife."

***

"Now, Dean? Dean's a little harder," I said as the driver made a sharp left-hand turn. "Dean's not just a hardened killer, though that's mostly what he wants people to see. He wants people to see the machine without a heart so no one will see how horrifically broken he really is." Thinking of what Dean was really like made me laugh and I flicked my gaze at Felix. "And believe me when I say that there's nothing that could fix him by now."

"But there's so much more to him than the killer and the brokenness. Dean's the righteous man who's never known a day away from war. There are so many things he wants so desperately. Dean dreams of walking peacefully along a beach yet he's never even been to one. For all he's never had Dean tries to give it to others. For all the blood and death he's seen he's remarkably full of love. Love is the key, really. Dean Winchester loves more powerfully than anyone I've ever met. If Dean loves someone he'll do anything for them.

"He sees my age and sees in me the child he never was. He sees me afraid and wants to provide me the protection no one gave him. He sees me flinch when someone yells and wants to offer me the security he never knew. He sees an orphan and wants to give me the parental love he never had. All one has to do to fool Dean Winchester is give him a child to love.

"So, I made him love me."

***

"And you believed him?" Dean scoffed. "Marty is a kid, Sam! She's a kid! Just a scared kid who needs our protection! Marty never could have done something like that."

"Why not?" Cas spoke up. All eyes snapped to the angel.

"BECAUSE SHE'S A KID!" Dean roared. Jack flinched away from him, he'd always hated when Dean yelled. It scared him. Though, this time Dean sounded less angry and more desperate. As if there was something he didn't want to believe. As if yelling the words would make them true.

"T-that's what I thought too. But what if we're wrong?" Sam asked.

"How could we be wrong?" Dean demanded.

"What if Marty's not a kid?" Sam carefully spoke, "What if she's not human?"

Dean shook his head. "No," He said, "No, you're wrong. I know what you're thinkin' and you're wrong." Jack shook his head too. There was no way... was there? Something itched at the back of his mind. He didn't know what it was. Did he want to?

"Dean, I know this is hard to accept, but we need to think this through," Sam said, holding his hands out beseechingly.

"We don't have time for that!" Jack spoke up. "Felix is going to kill Marty! We can't just let her die!"

Sam held up a hand. "He's not gonna kill her, not for a while. We have time."

"No, you don't get it! I promised I'd save her!" Jack said.

"Exactly!" Sam pointed out. "Jack, that's exactly what she wants! She's been planning this the whole time."

"What do you mean 'the whole time'?" Dean inquired, crossing his arms.

"Think back to the beginning, w-when we first met Marty," Sam said, walking them through it. "Why were we in Copper Harbor?"

"For a ghost hunt," Jack answered, impatience leaking through his tone.

"You're right, but there was another case there. What was it?"

"Blood was being stolen from the hospital..." Cas said slowly as if remembering.

"Exactly! Exactly." Sam took a breath. "Now, that ghost in the viral video, who was it? Was it whoever's bones we burned?"

"No, it was..." Jack made the connection. Why hadn't he noticed that before? "It was Isaac."

"Okay, so that means..." He trailed off.

"That Marty was lying about the hunt and the bones," Cas finished.

"Right, now why would she do that?"

"I dunno, professor. Maybe so we wouldn't torch her brother?" Dean rolled his eyes.

Sam pursed his lips, sighing. "Well, yes, b-but no! This isn't about Isaac, this is about Marty. What would she have been hiding?"

"The blood theft," Cas said decisively. Dean shook his head.

"That's a coincidence. Marty can't be - She can't-" He couldn't even say it. He could hardly think it. "Marty can't be a vampire."

***

"Castiel was harder," I continued. "Aside from the fact that he's a multi-billion-year-old cosmic being, Castiel also lacks a soul. That made tapping into his emotions significantly more difficult, but once I did that it was quite clear that I could never fool him. At least, not directly. He's intelligent, not easily deceived, and he always tries to do what he thinks is best. Whatever that course of action might be, more often than not, it hasn't been the right one.

"Castiel is, primarily, a screw-up. There's a lot of history and even more drama involving his fellow angels and the Winchesters, and he has consistently attempted to fight for both sides of the war between them. His torn loyalties have caused a great many more problems than they've fixed and it seems as though any attempt to fix one of said problems breeds yet more chaos. Castiel is rebellious. He can never seem to do what he's supposed to. So, naturally, that makes him the most dangerous piece on the board.

"When Castiel sets his mind on something, there isn't much that can sway him. His actions have proven, repeatedly I might add, that he is even willing to go behind the backs of the Winchesters if he believes it's for the greater good. But his destructive pattern stops only for the one person he's never betrayed. Thus, to fool Castiel one has to fool his son.

"So, I got my hands on Jack."

***

"Why not?" Cas snapped.

"'Cause she just can't!" Dean's voice broke.

"She single-handedly killed five vampires, Dean! Remember?" Cas pressed. "There's no way a mere child her age could have done that."

Jack shook his head, refusing to believe it. "Marty can't be a vampire. Dad, she just can't be."

Castiel sighed, his eyes soft. "I know you want to believe that."

"Why shouldn't we?" Dean challenged.

"Because she killed five vampires single handedly! What part of that escapes your understanding?!" Cas repeated with frustration.

"We don't know what happened in there!" Dean persisted.

"Exactly! WE DON'T KNOW!" Cas yelled.

"THEN WE CAN'T ACCUSE, CAN WE?" Dean shouted back. Jack flinched again and Cas took notice, forcibly relaxing his posture in hopes of reassuring his son.

Sam groaned. "Look at the facts, Dean. The research!"

"Damn the research, Sammy! This is Marty! We know her!"

"We know she's an empath!" Sam spat. "She's been playing with all our emotions, we know that! We need to look at this objectively and, as hard as that might be, it means looking at the facts!"

"What about the facts?" Dean asked reluctantly.

"Think about it," The younger brother said. "W-we did the research, remember? Remember how none of it lined up?"

"Yeah, because Felix messed with it!" Dean tried.

"Not all of it," Sam pointed out, "Marty said she was nine when she died, but her youngest brother was ten. Remember that? How could she have been younger than her youngest sibling?"

"Sam, that-"

"Because she wasn't, Dean," He hissed, "She wasn't nine. Marty was sixteen."

"I-I remember..." Dean froze, his eyes flicking up to meet his brother. "Sammy..." He said, his voice tense and shaking, "How did I forget that?"

Dread coated Castiel's tone as he answered instead.

"I think she wanted us to."

***

"Jack is a very special boy," I said, sarcasm lacing my tone. "Although, he is the offspring of a fallen archangel, so I'd assume that 'special' comes rather naturally. Thanks for that clue, by the way. It would have taken me much longer to figure him out if it wasn't for that itty bitty little detail."

"You would have gotten it regardless." Felix shrugged.

"Of course I would've!" I snorted, shaking my head. "I didn't think my abilities were of any question."

"They weren't," Felix replied. "I know what you're capable of, lassie."

I smirked devilishly. "You should." Felix's hand clenched into a fist and he sent me a tight smile.

"Indeed." He forced the word through his teeth. "Which is why I'm surprised you enlisted to lie to that boy so completely. Doesn't that violate whatever moral code of Donoghue's it is that you've adopted?" I nodded and shrugged with a sigh.

"You're right, it does. Jack is in many senses young and vulnerable and on top of that, he's dreadfully naïve. He could never deserve what I did to him." I huffed out a humorless laugh as my face twisted into a sneer. "But you do. So I made an exception."

Felix shook his head as if disappointed. "Now, now, Martina. When one has a goal, one does not make exceptions. Lest they desire to fail, of course. Only hypocrites make exceptions. Did I teach you nothing?"

"I'm not like you," I spat.

"Is that what it looks like from where you sit?" He mused quietly. I flashed him a barred toothed grin and continued.

"There's only one that Jack Kline truly wants in this world. He wants to be good - to prove to himself and those around him that despite his parentage, he can be good. He's been told that there's something wrong with him, so he wants to find a way to somehow purge it. But he can't because there's nothing wrong and there never was. Yet, he can't believe that. So it leaves him with an insatiable desire to please.

"It's pathetic, really. He seeks validation in everything. He thinks he has to be useful to be loved. Otherwise, he's just a burden, one that nobody wanted. Jack doesn't want to believe that; he wants to be told that isn't true. Jack Kline may be powerful but he's also soft - moldable if you will. See, he's so haplessly needy that it's honestly sickening. He'll do anything for you to tell him what he wants to hear. And he'll do anything to keep hearing it.

"Jack is a combination of his three guardians. He's desperate. Like Dean, he doesn't want to see what's right in front of him. But he's not stupid. I had to erase his memory more than once. Then, like Sam, I simply distracted him and, much like Castiel, I had to keep him in line by appealing to that insatiable need of his. To fool Jack Kline one has to give him someone to save.

"He thinks he's saving me." I smiled fondly when I'd finished, glancing up at Felix with a challenge in my gaze.

"Well, we both know that's impossible," He said, eyeing me with a smirk, "There's nothing left in that cold shell of yours worth saving." I grinned, showing him the insane thing he'd created.

"You're damn right."

***

Then, like a memory, there were words running through Jack's head. Words and voices, but he didn't remember hearing them.

'You said you were nine then! But y-you - you weren't!' That was his voice in his ears. But Jack couldn't remember saying those words. 'You haven't aged a day... Five years and you haven't aged a day.'

'I aged about a month, actually.'

The other voice was Marty. The words buzzed like static, making his headache. Jack shook his head. It was like Deja Vue but entirely more vivid. Sam, Dean, and Cas kept talking. It was hard to hear them through the ringing in his ears.

"Cas, are you saying she can wipe memories?" Dean asked.

"I'm not sure," Castiel replied, shaking his head. "But she can certainly suppress them."

"But it-it must only work when she's around b-because when she's gone - I know for me - When Marty's not around I-I start to remember," Sam said.

The ringing in Jack's ears intensified, making him groan and grasp at his head. He clamped his hands over his ears but the ringing only grew louder. It was like angel radio, but instead of being surrounded by fire, Jack felt like he was burning from the inside out.

"Jack?" Cas was calling his name. "What's going on?"

"I-I don't- I-" Jack gasped, the pain growing stronger. "It hurts! Dad, please make it stop!"

"Jack? JACK!"

He stumbled into Cas's arms as another blurred memory hit him like a train.

'I'm gonna need you to forget that,' Marty's voice whispered in his head. She sounded so gentle, so inviting. She sounded like a spider.

'I wish I could,' His own voice shook as Jack listened to himself say words he couldn't remember speaking. It felt like a memory that didn't belong to him.

There was more to it this time. There was a picture frame, but the picture inside was out of focus. There was an image. It was Martina. She had fangs. And there was something else too. Jack could feel it like a phantom pain. It was terror. The paralyzing kind. The feeling of being trapped. Jack felt the shadow of limbs and he couldn't move. He was trapped. Jack couldn't get out. He was trapped like a fly in a web. Marty was the spider. He couldn't get away. He couldn't get away from her.

She wouldn't let him.

'I can make you forget,' She was going to hurt him. ' Take us back to the night we met. '

'What do you mean?' His voice asked cautiously. He was scared. He was so scared. He couldn't get out.

'I'm going to talk to you, and then you're going to forget, and everything will be back to the way it was.'

'You're a monster.' He'd said

The ringing in Jack's ears faded and he bolted upright, gasping and shaking as panic set in. He needed to tell Sam, Dean, and Castiel what he'd remembered but he couldn't seem to find the words.

"S-She lied." That was all he could force out.

"Jack, what happened? Are you okay?" Castiel worried, checking over him. Jack just shook his head.

"She did something to me," He choked out, shaking. "I don't know. I can't remember. Why can't I remember? She did something to me!" He felt sick. There was something wrong with him.

No.

There was something wrong with Marty.

She was sick.

"What? What did she do?" Dean demanded, eyes wide.

"She-She made me forget. I knew. I-I knew and she made me forget!"

"Forget what?" Sam asked.

"I figured her out a-and she made me forget but I remembered." Jack stopped and only then did he realize he was crying. "She's one of them."

Because she had betrayed him. Marty had betrayed all of them. Jack didn't even know what to believe anymore. Had any of it been real? Or was it all some twisted lie?

"I'm sorry, Jack," Cas offered quietly.

"You were right, Sam," Jack whispered. He couldn't stop his voice from shattering. "Martina is a monster. A-And she lied."

There was silence for a moment. Then, Dean spoke up. Because someone had to take the lead and it was always him. It wasn't fair, but it was always him.

"We gotta go," He said, struggling to make his voice sound cold and firm. But he'd lost a daughter today.

"W-Where?" Sam asked.

"Me and Cas know where Felix is taking Marty. That kid's got some answering to do," Dean answered, his green eyes darkening with his tone. Castiel stood, helping Jack climb to his feet.

"Martina is dangerous, Dean. Are you sure you're willing to do what may be necessary?" Cas asked, watching Dean with a somber expression.

"It's not gonna come to that," Dean said.

"And if it does?"

"I will." Jack's voice was quiet but it caught the adult's attention.

"Jack, are you- Are you really sure?" Cas asked gently. Jack shook his head.

"I don't want to kill Martina. But you're right, she is dangerous." His voice faltered. "I can't let her hurt anybody else."

***

Felix's limo pulled into the garage of what was easily a multi-million dollar home. It was four stories and it reminded me of a castle with its dull grey stone and tall windows. The interior of the garage was constructed simply of polished cement and was entirely empty aside from the car now parked within it. I sent Felix a smirk and climbed from the vehicle, slamming the door shut behind me. The car was surrounded. Twenty or so of Felix's vamps stood guard but I knew they were more for display than anything else. Some of them I recognized, some I didn't.

"And here I thought this little girl's night was just gonna be you and me," I huffed dramatically upon seeing them, "You had me feeling all special."

"Sorry to disappoint, Lassie," Felix drawled. "But don't worry, I invited some of your friends too. Well, just one to be exact."

I shot him a curious glance but shrugged before sauntering my way past Felix's lackeys like I owned the place. I supposed I had, but that was so long ago. Were his minions really still so afraid of me? I surveyed one of the vamps as I passed him, taking notice of the bead of sweat dripping down his neck. He was clearly terrified.

So, they remembered who their queen was. Good.

Spinning on my toe like a ballerina, I let a bubbling laugh escape my throat. All of Felix's soldiers turned to face me, watching with careful eyes.

"Hello, Lovelies!" I called, grinning. A few of them shifted nervously. "Just thought you all should know, both your beloved Prince and Princess are dead! I killed them!" Murmurs spread around the empty garage, echoing off the polished grey walls. "That's right! Boyd's head I ripped off with a tractor, though I'm sure your leader was glad to finally be rid of his bastard son." I glanced at Felix who stood there stoically and winked. "I knew about that, by the way. As for Elwyn, I had the Devil's son snap her into dust like Peter Parker in Infinity War. 'Cept she ain't comin' back!" I giggled in reaction to the horrified expressions of Felix's soldiers and send the man himself a smirk before whipping around again.

"Ye know, Martina?" His voice made me pause though I kept my back to him. "I look at you and I don't see anyone looking back..." He trailed off, his tone thoughtful. "Where is that soul you used to have?"

"Just like I told your daughter, I lost it in the woods in favor of something else. You wanted me to learn something and I learned it!" I eyed him over my shoulder. "You never should have sent me there."

"I know that now." Felix sounded almost solemn. "Whatever Sampson brought back with him wasn't the girl I tossed in, was it?"

I shrugged. "That's where you're wrong. It's still me. Like I said, I just learned something over there is all."

"And what did you learn?" He wondered.

"That you were wrong."

"It doesn't seem I was," He said. I chuckled softly.

"You said I was made to be a queen. You were wrong."

"Aye?"

"I'm not a queen, Monroe." I turned to face him. "I'm a damn Empress." I grinned. "And, honey, you should see me in your crown."

I didn't bother to watch his expression. I just turned and walked.

Pushing my way through the garage door, I skipped down a long, dark hallway decorated with dark wooden pieces that I was sure had cost more money than they were worth. I smirked upon hearing Felix's footsteps trailing behind me. Whirling around and walking backward, I grinned at my former torturer.

"Got anything you didn't wanna say in front of your minions?" I taunted.

"I do, actually." He huffed a laugh that held no humor. "For the record, I'm sorry."

My expression soured. "No you're not."

"I am, truly." He placed his hand over his heart in a gesture of sincerity. "I apologize for my greed and my stupidity. I unleashed you upon this world; that will be my greatest regret, I think. I made you into a plague and I lost control over you."

"You never controlled me," I hissed.

"And I the second I realized that I should have put you down," Felix said. "I just hope the Winchester's don't make the same mistake."

I shook my head. "That's the think, Felix. They will."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not." He shrugged.

"I guess I'll find out, won't I? So! Where's this friend of mine?" I asked, rubbing my hands together.

"Two doors down on your right," Felix answered. I glanced at the door he was referring to then back to him.

"Ooh, goodie. Before I open it, why do I get a present?"

Felix shrugged. "Call it a joke."

I nodded. "Dope."

Then I skipped over to the dark wooden door and grasped the handle. It wasn't locked, of course, so I pulled it open. I didn't look for traps. I knew Felix would never stoop that low. The room was pitch black and there were no windows, but I found the light switch easily enough. Bright fluorescent bulbs flicked on and washed the space with light.

Sitting on a wooden chair in the middle of the room, was a rather muscular man. His arms and legs were tied to the chair and his head was tilted down. I may not have been able to see his face, but I would have recognized that old, grungy cap almost anywhere. I crossed the space between us and tapped him on the shoulder. The man inclined his head, squinting against the light, but when he caught a glance of my face, his usually bright eyes filled with terror.

I had forgotten how fun it was to instill that level of fear. I smirked.

"Hey there, Benny! I haven't seen you since the Hunger Games!"

~We'll never get free Lamb to the slaughter What you gon' do When there's blood in the water? The price of your greed Is your son and your daughter What you gon' do When there's blood in the water?

Beg me for mercy Admit you were toxic You poisoned me just for Another dollar in your pocket Now I am the violence I am the sickness Won't accept your silence Beg me for forgiveness~

Lyrics from: Blood In The Water by grandson

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rosemary-is-in-pesterquest · 3 years

Note

HS2's themes are fuckin wack crap cuz like... idk it all starts with the epilogues, right? the thing that the epilogues are trying to say is that all conflict that the characters face within the narrative is there because the audience cast their gaze upon this story and demanded entertainment. something has to happen on the stage to keep us watching, thus, it is the audience's fault that the characters suffer. but that's bullshit for so many reasons. for one thing, it ignores the role of the author. audience demand doesn't force an author's hands to write... that's a decision that the author made. we could've lived with nothing at all.

and conflict comes in many flavors. some stories hardly have any conflict at all. the whole iyashikei genre exists, like, I think we're well past understanding that cynicism, tragedy, and destruction are not the only forces that can drive a narrative. "conflict" is not the only reason for a story to be told. once again, stories tell us as much about the author as their audience. the kind of story an author deems worthy of telling is just as relevant to consider as the kind of story an audience deems worthy of attention.

and even in conflict driven stories... it matters what the conflict is, who wins, how, and why. as a simple example, when the conflict is a battle between good and evil, good wins, it does so by way of the power of friendship, and the reason it is presented this way is to promote the idea that you should be kind and help others... that's a story with a purpose. obviously this is like, children's cartoon level simple, and a story can be written to say different or more complex things, but I should always be able to ask those questions and come up with an answer.

if, as an author, Hussie wanted to accuse his audience of being culpable in the suffering of his characters, he would at least have to present the reader with a meaningful choice. and at first glance, it would almost seem like he did. meat and candy, even by their naming convention, seem as though they are giving you the option to consume a light or dark tale. but even in the names, there is a seed of judgement. Hussie has described the concept of a narrative containing both "meat" and "candy" in terms of story content, wherein meat is anything heavy in terms of plot or drama, and candy is anything that provides levity as a counterbalance, such as jokes or feel good fluff. these categories are already identified as "substance" vs. "a lack of substance" which places value on the cynical, dark route as being more truthful... conflating cynicism with realism.

and already I can see making a case for the idea that neither route is legitimate, because no story should subsist on just one or the other... both need to be at play for the story to be balanced. and you could even argue that the lampooning of the epilogues' legitimacy was the point... that they were supposed to be outside of canon and regarded as illegitimate all along. but then not only does that negate the author's ability to let the audience choose the kind of story they're participating in, but the story itself doesn't play by its own rules.

does candy truly read like some fluffy pandering fanservice filler, the way one might expect it to? and is meat totally devoid of any levity, while focusing only on plot machinations and/or the characters' dramatic downward spiral? I would argue that, even though the consensus seems to be that both routes are equally dismal, neither even gets dark enough to live up to that end of the bargain either. the execution is messy... the concept doesn't hold up.

and what of the initial concept? that the audience's observation of a story forces the characters to enact a conflict for the sake of our entertainment? is that really what's going on here? from the initial pitch, you could already tell that the answer was no. nobody asked for this. and so we cast our apparently destructive audience gaze onto Homestuck 2.

but there, we find another curveball. the story is... almost becoming self aware? in that it casts a character in the role of the author, and also identifies him firmly as the villain. but see, this is still a blame shift. and maybe that would've been less obvious if Andrew Hussie had not introduced himself as a character inside of his own web comic throughout the original narrative. the true author is already here.

the villain of homestuck was never the audience, and it was never a fictional character. if we're really shattering the 4th wall... if we're really ceasing our suspension of disbelief, pulling back the curtain, and acknowledging that these characters are fabricated, manipulated entities with real people behind the wheel, then there is only one conclusion we can possibly come to. the author has control over the narrative... no one else. and the things the author chooses to say with the platform they've made for themselves? those things are on them. what are we to understand about the author, as his audience?

this is why people are looking past the story entirely and engaging with the creative team, for better or for worse. if you break your story enough, it won't work anymore. and when the audience finds it in shambles, completely unusable as a story... you know, the thing it was intended to be? they might actually look to the people who broke it and ask them why they did that. it was a nice story. it performed several functions that people actually enjoyed. was dismantling it like this really the most fulfilling thing they could've done with it?

and I'll tell you another thing. part of why people take it so personally is because, just like how Andrew Hussie, the homestuck character, was a stand-in for Andrew Hussie, the human being... many of the characters in homestuck were stand-ins for us. John Egbert was for people who had an obsessive nerdy interest in movies, Rose was for people who wrote fanfiction, Nepeta was for people who ship characters a lot, she and Terezi were for people who RP, and also... Dave was for people who were trying to act cooler than they felt, Jade was for people who were lonely, Kanaya was for people who wanted to help people and be accepted, Vriska was for people who were hard to love and felt judged for that.

who do these writers think they're messing with?

and I just want to make it clear that I'm not condoning any kind of harassment of them, or anything like that. ultimately, my point here is that we are not our effigies. and in the same way that an author can't blame shift onto a fictional character, a person cannot claim the direction of a fictional story as a reason to do real harm.

but homestuck was always unique in that it spoke very directly to its audience. when Hussie added real pieces of us to his fake people, he had a powerful vehicle for the messages that he wanted us to hear. lots of stories have characters that are written to be relatable, but you'd be hard pressed to find ones that feel quite so specific as the cast of homestuck. to our era. to our humor. to the values of people growing up in our online cultural circumstances.

if this specific author is going to choose to act like a villain, at least in the small-scale context of this comic, then what is that setting us up to be? maybe nothing so presumptuous as a hero... maybe just like, Dave of Guy, y'know? but Dave made normal a pretty heroic thing to be... I think it's up to us to just be normal and have normal fun, in spite of the shit show. regular old homestuck already said all the valuable stuff it was gonna. for my part, I'm just gonna take that and run off with it. ignoring HS2 doesn't make it go away, but paying attention to it doesn't make it good either... so I guess whatever.

that's the themes. the themes are just a big "so what" shrug. most complicated way to say "who cares" I've ever seen.

This is a really good analysis

#long post /#I should probably start using that tag just in case it clogs up people's feeds

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imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl · 3 years

Text

Californian Dream (Pt. 02 of 11)

Pairing: Billy Hargrove X Reader

Word count: 2.9 K

Summary: Being part of one of the richest families of California doesn't mean you're happy. Your life is boring, and you're surrounded by meaningless people and their meaningless talk. Even during Summer, with the break you have from college, there's nothing good going on. Nothing but the new pool guy, Billy, the most handsome man you ever saw. You were successfully avoiding him, not wanting to act like an idiot in front of the guy until Billy accepts to be your date for a fancy gala you're forced to attend. The night was going well, even better when he sneaked you out to go to the beach. But a gang of criminals breaks into the party, kidnapping the heirs to the wealthiest families, which includes you. So, for your safety, your parents want you to stay with Billy, living in his apartment until the criminals are caught. And that could take weeks, maybe even months.

Warnings: Light violence

<- Previous part (01)

Next part (03) ->

{Stranger Things Masterlist}

{Dacre Montgomery Masterlist}

Open Book

You're checking your hair for the third time on the huge mirror in the main hall. The lilac dress fits you perfectly, of course, since your mother wouldn't allow you to buy anything that didn't look marvelous. Your hair, Amelia's doing, it pinned up on a high bun, a few strands allowed to be free, only to frame your face. But you can't wait to let it all down, to strip out of the dress and put on some normal clothes. The night would be doomed if it wasn't for Billy. Since the almost drowning incident, your father is very thankful, and he's even giving Billy generous tips. And you've been going out of your way to talk to him, offering help, even though he always refuses. And Michael is only allowed here on formal occasions when your father and his have business to discuss, so it means you haven't seen him in the last couple of days.

The bell ring drags you out of your thoughts, and you immediately get nervous. Taking a look at the clock, you notice he's right on time. Rushing to the front door, as fast as your high heels allow, you gesture for the butler to leave it to you, and he nods and walks away. Taking a deep breath, you pull the door open, and a smile comes to your lips straight away. Billy looks amazing, and in this suit, people will be talking for a very different reason. He'll get many stares, you're sure of it. He won't look misplaced, he'll be the center of all attentions.

“You... Clean up real nice.” As you stutter, you notice as he quickly runs his eyes through your body, making you blush.

“You too.” He says with a smile, before tilting his head towards the car. “Should we get going? I'm sure you'd hate to be late.”

“Oh, no. God forbid.” You say, sarcastically, making your way to his car. And what a car. A dark bluish Camaro, if you're not mistaken, which you think suits him perfectly. “Hey, what a machine, huh?” You exclaim as you get into the passenger seat. Billy walks around the car before settling down beside you.

“I'm sure it's nothing compared to what you may drive.” Giving you a glance and a small smile, he speeds away, through the rocky path that leads to the gates.

“Well, my pink Cadillac is not as badass as this baby here.”

“A pink Cadillac? That's girly.”

“I'm a girl if you haven't noticed.” He slows down at the gates, and you kindly waves at the security guard as you move to hit the street.

“I noticed, don't worry.” His Camaro makes a wild noise when he speeds up, flying through the road, so you decide to buckle up.

“Good.” Why does it makes you happy you know he noticed you're a girl? “So, what's her name?” You ask, gesturing at the car when Billy gives you a confused glance.

“She doesn't have one.” Chuckling, he turns his attention back at the road ahead. “But you're right, she should have a name.”

“What are the chances you'll let me chose it?” Moving on your seat a little to turn your body towards him, you bite your lip to see his smile.

“Only if you come up with something really good.”

“Lily.” You burst out.

“Absolutely not.”

“But is my favorite flower and it's beautiful.” Defending yourself, you can't keep the smile from your face.

Billy furrows his eyebrows, shaking his head lightly. “Nope. No way. You're not naming my car Lily.”

Since he seems very focused on the road, you get the chance to look at him. Your eyes run through his face, his cheeks, jawline, lips. His eyes, that you concluded, are the same color as the ocean. You wish you had a good excuse to look at them, just for a while. “Not even if I say please?”

“Not even if you make puppy eyes.”

With a dramatic eye roll, you decide to give up on the matter, for now at least. Half an hour later, you finally get to the hotel where the gala will happen. You advise Billy to park his car three blocks away since it'll be a lot easier to leave after the party is over. Then, you leave the car and walk the rest of the way. The hotel entrance is already crowded, and you know at least half of all these people, but so far, you haven't spotted any of your friends.

“Can I hold your arm? Just because that's how the dates walk around in these things.” Shyly, you ask as you climb up the stairs to the main hall.

“Sure.”

“Thanks.” Muttering, you take his arm, now already at the entrance. The two men by the door give you a nod, gesturing for you to get inside. People know you, there's no need to ask for an invitation. The hotel's hall is beautifully decorated, with tiny white and yellowish lights scattered through the walls, and then hanging, coming all together on the chandelier. You can't deny it looks amazing, but still, you'd rather be somewhere else. “So... That's how it happens.” You start, walking around with Billy. “We find our table, and on the way, we make sure to spot and greet some people. The goal is to make your presence known. Then, since it's a beneficial gala, I'll have to make a donation.” Shrugging your shoulders, you wave at one of your mother's friends. “Then we go to our table and endure the rest.”

“No dancing?” He asks, after a small pause you make to greet Mr. and Mrs. Whayland, and thankfully, not James.

“I don't dance on these things, but...” Letting go of his arm for a moment, you turn around until you facing him, slowly walking backwards. “I will if you let me name your car Lily.”

“No dancing then.” He simply says with a smirk. “Quit it. You won't–” Billy suddenly grabs your arms, pulling you to the side. When you look behind you, you notice you almost hit one of the waiters, his tray full of vol-au-vents. “Careful.”

“Oh, my gosh. Sorry.” Giggling and a little embarrassed, you give the young man an apologetic look. “Let me get these.” Reaching out your hand, you take two pieces, handing one over to Billy. “Try this.”

“What is that?”

“Vol-au-vents. Some French thing. It's a pastry with some kind of sauce. It's good.” Carefully not to drop any sauce on your dress, you give the small thing a bite, gesturing for Billy to do the same, eyes focused on his face as he eats. “So?”

“I like pizza better.” He concludes and you nod.

“You're definitely the best date I could find.” Taking his arm again, you pull him to the table where most of the food is placed. There are waiters here too, making sure it's always be full. “Now, chose something.”

You take a quick glance at his face as he thinks. You're happy he doesn't seem so out of place here, or at least he doesn't let it show. “Shrimp cocktails.” He says. “Are they as good as they look or will I be disappointed?”

“I wouldn't know. I'm allergic to shrimp so if you're planning to kill me, that's the fastest way to do it.” Halfway through your sentence, Billy stops on his tracks, his hand now just hovering over the shrimps. “But you can eat them. Just... For real, don't touch me with that hand.”

“Let's not risk it then.”

“Alright.” Blushing, you clear your throat. You did hear some stories about Billy, mostly from your friends, trying to talk you out of coming with him. Billy has a way with women, never really going out with the same more than a couple of times. He's up late partying, punching people in the face when they get on his nerves, stuff like that. But he's being very nice with you today and was kind enough to make this hell of a huge favor. You don't care what he does in his free time, he's a nice guy. “This over here.”

“Brandy snaps.” You say, taking one for yourself. “I love this.” Some of the chocolate gets on your thumb as you eat, so you suck it clean, a gesture that makes some people around give you a disapproving stare. Flustered, you turn back at the table.

“Everything alright?”

“Yup. Come, I want to make a donation and sit down.” The incident makes you a little upset. These rules, as stupid as they may be, are meant to be followed, mostly on an event like this. Not even silly accidents as getting some chocolate cream on your thumb are acceptable. When you get to the table, you ignore the line of people behind it, taking one of the paychecks and a pen, you start writing down. “Last time, I donated fifty cents. As a joke, you know. People only do this to show off how much money they can afford to give away.” You tell Billy as you sign down your name. “My mother gave me a hell of a lecture.”

“So how much will you donate now?” He asks, coming a little closer to read what you're writing.

“Twenty.”

“Twenty dollars?”

“Twenty thousand.” You say as you put down the value, sliding it into the rectangular glass box. When you move to take Billy's arm again, he has his eyebrows raised. “What?”

“Nothing. It's just a lot of money.”

Not really, but you won't tell him that. “At least it'll buy something someone needs. Our table is by the windows, thank God.” You exclaim once you finally read your name on a piece of paper attached to the centerpiece of the table. Pulling Billy with you, you take a seat, your eyes immediately finding the beach, just across the street. “We can see the beach from here. A total win.”

“(Y/N)?” Your father calls, and you abandon the ocean for a while, finding him standing beside your mother.

“Hi, dad. Mom. How's the organization of–”

“Is he your companion for the gala?” He cuts you off, exchanging a glance with Billy. You knew they'd be mad, but something just clicks inside you. Through the corner of your eyes, you see Billy immediately looks away, at the beach.

“Yes, father.”

“Didn't you had other guys to–” He's interrupted by an announcement, his and your mother's being called alongside several other people. “We'll discuss this later.” And he leaves, your mother only giving you a hard stare.

“I bet it won't be pretty when you get home,” Billy speaks, still looking through the window. “They might even ask for someone else to attend to your pool.”

“Well, if it wasn't you working that day, I could've drowned so... I'll make sure to remind them of that.” Then, everybody stands up. You, taking the chance, walk closer to the window, arms crossed, forcing your eyes to find where the horizon is, now mixed with the dark sky. Soon, Billy joins you, eyes on the landscape. “Sorry about that. I swear I don't understand why is such a big deal.” You do get it's because he's just the pool guy, an employee, but still, it's stupid. Why can't he be your date? Would your father rather Michael, who almost got you killed, came with you? “I... I'm having a good time with you. This would suck a lot more if I were with some of those idiots.”

“Don't worry about me. I'm used to it.”

“You shouldn't be.” Turning around, you rest your back against the glass, gesturing at the party in general. “Do you know why people make such exaggerated donations? Because the five highest paychecks will be announced, so everyone will know. And you think people will find that selfless and generous? No. They'll start counting, calculating how much those people actually have on the bank to afford to spend so much.” There's a mocking tone on your voice, and you struggle to keep it down. “This isn't about helping those in need, is about social status.”

“Do you wanna get out of here?” Billy suddenly says, and the idea is so absurd it makes you chuckle, looking at him.

“What?” Looking around, you shake your head. “I can't... I can't just leave.”

“Why not?” He shrugs his shoulders. “You donated, your parents already know you came, and some woman gave you a death stare just because you sucked some chocolate off your thumb. You achieved all your goals for the night.”

Tilting your head to the side and looking at the floor, you consider it. The night is far from over, and the thought of having to sit here for hours is horrible. And the possibility of leaving thos place makes your heart beat faster. “Where?”

“There.” When you look up at him again, he's gesturing at the beach.

Slowly, a smile comes to your lips. Quickly scanning through the people, you notice they're quite focused on the host, who's still speaking. “Alright, let's go. But we gotta be careful.”

“We will. C'mon.” Billy grabs your hand, moving through the tables, but remaining near the wall. As you keep his pace, you're on high alert, checking if anyone is looking your way. It feels like it takes forever for you to reach the entrance, only half open, but when you do, you're relieved to notice those two men aren't here.

“We're out!” You burst out, quite loudly, bringing a hand to cover your mouth. Quickly, you rush downstairs, walking around the huge fountain and right into the sidewalk. You make a small pause, waiting for some cars to pass by before crossing. You can't stop smiling when you reach the other side. That's when you notice you're still holding his hand, so you let go, looking away. “I can't believe we're doing this.”

“It's not a bid deal.”

“It is for me.” Using his shoulder to balance yourself, you take your high heels off before stepping on the sand. “I never did anything like this.” Feeling the sand under your feet is amazing. This night just got so much better. “You're the best date I could ever find and that's final.” Turning on your heels, you find Billy coming your way, also barefoot.

“A lot of people would disagree.”

“I don't see anyone else here, so their opinion doesn't matter.” Reaching out to your bun, you pull all the pins, letting your hair down and dramatically shaking your head, until the strands fall all over your face. “This feels like freedom.” You giggle, taking a deep breath, aware of how stupid it may sound.

“I don't understand you.” He says, and you open your eyes again, looking at him. Billy walks by, and you quickly move to follow his pacenalong the beach.

“What don't you understand?”

“I met a lot of chicks like you. Rich, wearing rings more expansive than my car, with easy access to anything money can buy and they're happy.” Putting a strand of hair behind your ear, you glance at Billy. His shirt is half unbuttoned under the suit, giving you a glimpse of his chest, and that makes you blush and look ahead again. “But you don't sound happy.”

Shrugging your shoulders, you breathe out, not sure how to answer to that. “I know you probably think I'm just some spoiled rich kid with rich kid's problems who has everything yet wants more–”

“I know people who are just like that.” Billy makes a pause, and you give some more steps before turning around to look at him. “You're not one of them.”

“Are you sure?”

“You're the only boss I ever had who offers help.” As he speaks, a small ripple reaches your feet, and you jump a little before giggling and walking into the water until it reaches your calves, soaking your skirt. “You'll ruin your dress.”

“Mother won't let me wear it again since everyone already saw it so...”

“So... You always do what's expected of you.”

“I'm an open book to you, am I not?” Furrowing your eyebrows, you wonder how did he got there so fast. People don't notice it. You're always in perfect disguise.

“I just know where to look, I guess.”

“Well, I do what's expected of me, yes.” Walking out of the water, you feel the skirts of the dress getting attached to your legs, but you don't mind. “I gave up trying to argue with my parents a long time ago so I just... Follow the rules. One day after the other.” This is sad, you know it. Just mentioning it sucks. Being part of the high society is a privilege, or so they say. But you? You don't have a choice. “The good part is that it's Summer and there's no college. The bad part is that there are some stupid events to attend to, like that gala.”

“I know some people who would kill to be invited for something like that.” Billy tilts his head to where the hotel is.

“If you were somehow enjoying that we can go back.” By the look he gives you, it's quite obvious he wasn't, so you smile, walking closer to him, and pretending to pin your hair up again. “I can just fix this and we can go.”

“That's not my kind of party, don't bother.” He takes both your hands, pulling them away from your hair, causing it to cascade down again.

“And what's your kind of party?”

“You wouldn't like it.”

“Try me. You will never know if you don't take me to one.” The moment you say it, you understand what you meant, and the smile fades from your lips as you both resume your walking. Billy wouldn't take you anywhere else, not somewhere where his friends would see him with you, some wealthy, stupid girl. And your parents would never approve you going somewhere... Different. Somewhere not filled with millionaires. “Nevermind.” You're quick to add. “I throw my own parties. Just blasting music in my bedroom and dancing with myself.”

“So that's where that music comes from.” He chuckles, and you playfully elbow him. “Maybe someday. If your father doesn't kick me out of your property, we might see a little of each other every once in a while.”

“Yeah. You could let me rake some leaves at least, I'm sure I can–” A loud, deafening explosion cuts you short, and you cover both your ears out of instinct. When the impact is over, you turn around, easily finding where the dark smoke and flames are coming from. The hotel. “What the hell.” You're still speaking when a dozen black vans come into your sight, all heading to the hotel. Seconds later, the shootings begin.

@multific @dontxfearxthereaper @nope-thanks @nikkixostan @shinydixon @alwaysadreamingoptimist

#imagine billy hargrove #billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove fanfiction #billy hargrove x y/n #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove #billy stranger things #stranger things imagine #stranger things x you #imagine stranger things #stranger things

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