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#Also did we see any other Nobles
mxactivist · 6 months
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Support the BBC for having a trans character in recent episodes of 'Doctor Who'
Apparently the BBC (UK) has had 144 complaints about a recent episode of Doctor Who because it contained an openly trans character.
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I've made a complaint to the BBC that there weren't enough transgender characters in Doctor Who. I would love if 144 other people did the same thing. Here's the link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact/complaints/make-a-complaint/#/Complaint
(For your easy reference: "The Star Beast" aired on 25/11/2023 on BBC One, and the trans character is called Rose.)
Please note that the complaint form asks for your UK postcode, so only UK folks can join in with this - but if you suspect you might have any UK-based followers, maybe give us a reblog to boost the signal?
Edit: I'm told that you can fill in the form even if you're outside of the UK, because the BBC provide service to many countries other than the UK, including the USA! Go for it. :D
Reply to confirm that you've done it, so I can keep a count!
Here's my complaint:
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I recommend:
Avoid sarcasm or irony. Assume your post will be taken literally. If you are clearly joking or being mean you will be ignored or misunderstood.
Include some gratitude/appreciation. It's pretty great that they included a trans woman in a positive way, and they should know that they have explicit support for that.
~
Edit again: I'm seeing some concerns in the replies/reblogs that the BBC might not distinguish between "less trans people, please" complaints and "more trans people, please" complaints. Rest assured, this is nothing to worry about - the BBC publish fortnightly complaint reports, and they do pay enough attention to know when a complaint is in favour of or against trans inclusion. In fact, their 20 November – 3 December 2023 report is where the various news articles are getting the 144 complaints figure; that report says there were precisely 144 complaints that they have categorised as "Anti-male / inappropriate inclusion of transgender character".
That means the next complaints fortnight window is 4 December - 17 December. We have 8 more days to beat 144. By my count, over Tumblr, WhatsApp, the Fediverse and Telegram, we have 85 so far, which is well over halfway there.
Also, when you've done it, please reply to confirm you have done it, so that I can count us!
Thank you, everyone!
~
Edit, 2023-12-11, 1am UK time:
We did it! I've just been counting up responses, and it looks like sometime yesterday evening we hit 144 complaints/comments in favour of Rose Noble and more excellent trans characters in Doctor Who! (We're actually up to 157 now, fantastic.)
So, my next plan is to submit a Freedom of Information Act request to the BBC sometime in the next few days, asking for complaints and compliments figures. Then I'd ideally (energy and time permitting) like to put together a press release that I can send out to the publications that promoted the tiny "144 anti-trans complaints" figure, showing them that there has been far more feedback in favour of trans representation than against.
I'll keep you posted.
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primofate · 9 months
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Genshin Angst Headcanons - Why the two of you broke up
Note: Had an unexpected free day! I haven't written in a while, please excuse the mistakes, if any.
Disclaimer at the end of the post
Warning: Some are pretty predictable. Each of them have their own issues, lore wise, so some are lore heavy. You might not agree with some of them, but its how I see it, so to each their own. Let me know what you think! Some are quite angsty. Some scenes it's you breaking up with him and some are vice versa. Didn't feel like writing Razor, Venti and Xingqiu.
Characters: Aether, Albedo, Alhaitham, Ayato, Baizhu, Bennett, Chongyun, Cyno, Dainsleif, Diluc, Gorou, Heizou, Itto, Kaeya, Kaveh, Kazuha, Lyney, Neuvillette, Scaramouche, Tartaglia, Thoma, Tighnari, Xiao, Zhongli, gn!reader
Personal Favourites in this work: Lyney, Itto, Kazuha
Aether
Sister issues. Enough said.
He realized he didn't have enough time to spare romancing with someone.
Somewhere along the way he felt guilt that he was enjoying his time with you while his sister went through some sort of villain origin story that seemingly turned her bad.
Top off all the adventuring, searching, solving problems for other people that he did...Where did that leave you, exactly?
"...I'm sorry, Y/N... I just... I don't think this is the right time for me to be together with you,"
Albedo
Contrary to popular belief it wouldn't be his lack of time or extreme focus on his alchemical experiments that would break the two of you up. He knows how to manage his time.
It was the RESULTS of experiments and his research that would put him away from you.
The possibility that HE or his world, was way too dangerous for you.
How many "Albedos" did Rhinedottir really create? Was there more than three? Perhaps four, five? And what happens when you come face to face with another Albedo?
"I'm afraid...There are far too many dangers surrounding myself... There are answers that I can't find...and perhaps that's the reason why my answer is to part ways with you,"
Alhaitham
Too much of a nonchalant attitude.
He expressed some kind of interest in you...but it's like... once in a blue moon. 95% of the time you're not sure if he's really into you. It almost seems like he's more into that book he reads all the time.
Simply just not good at expressing himself. Like, at all. Hides behind a "whatever works" and "I don't care about what other people think of me" attitude, unfortunately that seems to include you.
Is so straightforward that sometimes it hurts, but he's really just telling the truth through logical analysis.
will act like the breakup didn't hurt nor affect him at all. In turn it hurts you instead.
"I see. So you've had enough of me... And you only spoke up now? Pointing it out earlier could've diverted us from this path...If that's how you feel already I suggest that we stop seeing each other,"
"That's it? You're not even going to try and work it out with me?"
"What's there to work out? You've made yourself clear. You're not satisfied with the way I treat you, and I'm afraid I'm not going to change the way I act just for your pleasure... It'd be more meaningful for you to find someone who fits your criterias,"
Ayato
entering a relationship with a noble was not as easy as one thought.
It's not just about being together forever and feeling lucky because Ayato is rich and your whole life is set, it's also the not fitting in, the etiquette, the whispers from townfolk that you were too ordinary for him, the work that you needed to do if you were to become his wife.
All that was not really a big problem for you, but Ayato seemed not to know of your struggles, he was extremely busy, and when he wasn't, he seemed to think that everything was well and fine, since you were getting all your basic needs met and even more.
"...So I'm sorry, Ayato. This is just... All too much for me. I'm sorry,"
"...I understand. Forgive me, it seems that I've overlooked a lot of things...Perhaps it is as you say, that it'd be better for us to grow apart rather than grow together,"
Baizhu
because he is a ticking time bomb, no matter which way he looked it's not going to end well for both of you.
He either dies early or lives forever. In both scenarios he anticipates that the two of you are just going to be in a world of hurt.
Besides, he didn't mean to get so attached to someone in the first place, he knew his quest for immortality was long and arduous. You didn't deserve to walk that difficult road too.
While breaking up, will conceal the fact that he's only thinking of you and will possibly hurt you in the process.
"I'm sorry, but it's for the best. I ask that you continue going forward without me, there's no space for you in my... ideal future,"
Bennett
We all know it...it's his bad luck. However, it wasn't YOU who had a problem with it, it was HIM.
You understood that his bad luck was just some extended part of him, plus it's not like it was always bad, there were a lot of good times too. Plenty!
But the guilt ate him up whenever the two of you were stuck in a seemingly impossible scenario and predicament, brought on by his luck. He just had enough of it one day.
"I...I can't keep doing this to you every day! It's not fair..."
will be on the brink of tears before he even starts.
"Maybe it's better if you find someone else to adventure with, Y/N, sorry...!"
runs away before you can even get a word in.
Chongyun
Thinks he's not good enough in every aspect. It's really, seriously not about you. He thinks he's lacking in everything. Strength, maturity, experience, confidence.
So badly wants to stay with you but feels like he's not good enough and thinks that you're better off with someone else.
"D-Don't misunderstand... It's not because I don't like you anymore... I just...Please find someone else!"
Cyno
his bad jokes and TCG addiction. just kidding, you're not that shallow.
A lot of people are intimidated by him being the General Mahamatra because he gives importance to justice. While you, who had seen a bit more of him than other people had, it seemed more of an obsession to uphold the Akademiya's law and integrity.
This was not a big problem to you, you liked how he was serious at work.
Until one day when you were accused of plagiarising one of your papers and Cyno was the one sent to give you a first offense warning. The Akademiya knew of your relationship, that's probably why they sent him, to make it harder on the two of you.
Cyno didn't listen to your explanations on how it was an honest mistake, he still gave you the warning that you "deserved"
From then on it had just been different between the two of you, so it was really a mutual breakup. Or so you thought.
"...After that, I just realized that maybe this isn't the right time for us... We're both working for the Akademiya, we both take our jobs seriously...Unfortunately that seems to just be getting in the way of us...I think it's best if we stop seeing each other,"
"...I see." he pauses for a minute, as if tossing your words in his mind. "I...agree. Parting ways would certainly make work easier for both of us...it's the professional thing to do,"
Dainsleif
Has not moved on from his past.
Sure, everyone has their own baggage to carry, their own history to live through...but Dainsleif has heavier things than that. He seemed to wake up every day thinking of Khaenri'ah and the days long past. Was it regret? Nostalgia? Loneliness? You didn't know. You just knew that he wasn't really completely THERE with you in the present. Part of him still lived in the past.
When you explained that you felt like the two of you were not moving forward together and that it seemed like he wanted to go back to the past instead, he got offended.
"...My past is something that I carry forever, you'd claimed that you understood that," he starts.
"I do! But carrying it with you and letting it drag you backwards are two different things!"
He falters for a moment, only to leave you with his last words before turning away from you forever: "You will never understand, the weight that I carry,"
Diluc
is too guarded. You'd been friends for a long, long, long, long time before he decided he could let you in enough and be more intimate with you.
Even then everything was going at a snail's pace, though you were extremely patient with him.
The biggest problem with Diluc was that the two of you would progress one day, take a step forward, and then the next day it was like the two of you took two steps back.
Example: The two of you went out for a simple stargazing excursion late one night, it was nice and he had been incredibly affectionate. The next day he had trouble even meeting your gaze, and disappeared to do his work. It was also a little awkward during dinnertime. This scenario had happened more than once.
Hint: the closer he got to you the more afraid he became, thinking that he would one day lose you too.
"I...I can't. I love you but I...I've waited far too long. I'm sorry. I'm tired of this endless chase for you!"
He couldn't even say a thing. He'd wanted to ask you to stay, to wait for him a little longer, but he already knew how incredibly selfish that would have been. Instead, he grimaced, and looked away from your gaze, trying to find something worthwhile to say. There was only silence for a few moments.
"Goodbye Diluc," that's when you turned away.
Gorou
worships Kokomi too much and your insecurities just kept circling around in your head.
You know its his job. You know he isn't like that but the problem was YOU and not him.
Simply said you let your insecurity eat up the relationship between the two of you.
You couldn't bring yourself to say that you were jealous of the way he admired Kokomi so you broke up with him with another reason in tow.
Unfortunately, you're not a very good liar face to face so you did a butthole move and actually broke up with him through a letter. You just couldn't face him and tell him why.
All you mentioned in the letter was that you needed time to think and be away from him, and told him not to worry because it was your problem, not his.
Poor Gorou reread that letter over and over, trying to understand what went wrong.
Heizou
is just a natural flirt. You're not sure if he's doing it on purpose or not and you're not sure if he's even aware he's like that.
Anyway you'd seen him getting overly friendly (just another word for flirting) with a few other people a couple of times. You didn't let it get to you the first, fourth or even eighth time but you realized that he KNOWS that you're watching him do that.
So you confront him about it, but he claims that it's just his way of gathering information from others. People like to hear good things and some people are more susceptible to flirtatious comments so he resorts to that for his investigation sometimes.
You didn't really completely buy it and even if you did, it's not like this was healthy for your relationship. You just couldn't make yourself comfortable with it.
*You just chalked it up to the two of you being incompatible.
"I'm just not comfortable with that...I don't think I have to say sorry for how I feel but...I'm sorry anyway because I know you're just doing your job... It's probably best if we part ways here..."
"Is there any way to change your mind?" he genuinely asks.
You only give a lopsided smile. "You're a detective, I think you already know the answer to that,"
Yet he didn't stop you from walking away.
Itto
Kept breaking promises because he was too airheaded or too occupied doing something "stupid" with the kids or with his gang.
Pretty soon it just felt like you were an afterthought while everyone else in his life took precedent.
Got a ramen date? Oops, sorry! Got caught up looking for a strong onikabuto in the forest!
Needed his help to move some things? Gah, he was vandalising the bulletin boards, so he's running a bit late!
What's more you didn't actually mind that carefree, airheaded side of him...but it really got to you when he couldn't even seem to make you a priority. Not once.
He only realized that when he came running, late again, and stood face to face with a crying you.
"Hey sorry Y/N, I was just--...Why are you crying?!" is completely dumbfounded and clueless, mostly because when he came late, you had always shrugged it off with a smile on your face, or so he thought. This time you had a completely different reaction.
"I hate you...*hic* I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"
Shocked beyond belief. It wasn't like you to just blow up like that, but he couldn't do anything except watch you turn and run away from him after that exclamation.
Kaeya
Sometimes you're not sure if he takes you seriously.
Recently, he's not where he says he is, you don't know why he doesn't just tell you where he is.
He said he'd be working late, but then you find out he's at Angel's Share.
He said he'll be at Angel's Share, but then you catch word from Jean that he's out on a late mission.
He said he's escorting a caravan to Mondstadt but he's actually on assignment in Liyue.
It came to the point where you altogether just stopped looking for him cause half of the time you couldn't find him. It's like he's avoiding you or something, which, actually, seems just about right since he's been so busy with "work"
It reached a breaking point when, for a week, you were unable to bring him the lunch you prepared...because he was not where he said he was going to be. It was starting to get annoying.
"I don't understand why you're lying to me! Why do you have to tell me you'll be at Angel's Share this afternoon when you're not? Do you realize you make me walk all the way there only to come all the way back with nothing achieved?"
"I'm sorry snowflake, that wasn't my intention," though he still chuckles despite knowing full well that you were about to turn away.
"You know what, let me know when you're ready to stop making jokes. Until then, don't bother contacting me,"
He just didn't expect you to actually walk away from him.
Kaveh
Entertains everyone and anyone. Naturally kind at heart, will stop for anyone in trouble...even that flirtatious man/woman who is clearly just pining for his attention.
No he doesn't quite realize this.
The same person had asked for his help at least 4 times now and all 4 times he had been happy to offer a helping hand.
The last straw was when he was invited into the stranger's house, they had apparently needed someone to help them move and re-arrange furniture and he did, working till almost dinner time.
You'd caught him right by the person's door, because Kaveh was actually honest and told you he'd be helping them today, but the person was clearly eyeing Kaveh rather flirtatiously.
"Come again next time," you heard the person say rather happily. Kaveh only replies with "If I have nothing else to do, I suppose,"
"Kaveh, they're coming onto you and you keep letting it happen!"
"I'm not certain what you're talking about...They just needed some help around their house, nothing suspicious happened at all. Even if there was, I won't let anything happen between me and a stranger!"
"Then STOP helping them!"
"There isn't anything wrong with lending a hand...It was a quick move of things, that's all,"
"How would YOU feel if I just went into someone's house and kept helping them "move" things?"
"...I would think that's nice of you,"
You actually threw your hands up. "Oh, forget it! You know what, for someone who LOVES helping others, you're not doing such a great job of helping ME," then walked away and never came back. "Good riddance,"
Kazuha
He's a wandering samurai. You knew what you were getting into but you didn't expect dating him to be so hard.
He was gone for weeks on end, and you were not getting on that boat with him. In essence the two of you were just not ready to follow each other to the end's of the Earth, and that was fair. The two of you were young.
Kazuha kind of saw it coming, whenever he visited you, you seemed less spirited and he had an inkling as to why. The time apart was just too much for you.
It was a rather clean break actually. A real mutual breakup that the two of you agreed on.
"...You could say it's just not the right time for us," you even managed to laugh under your breath and he did the same, though it was barely audible.
"...Mm. There are matters that you need to attend to here...and there are things that I need to do out there," he slowly stood up from his sitting position next to you and still gazed at you rather lovingly. "...Perhaps, in another world, you and I are bound together,"
You gazed back forlornly, "...Just not in this one, it looks like,"
Lyney
because he will always choose his siblings over you. Always.
Though that's not a bad thing because you also think that family is important...somewhere along the way you realized that family is the ONLY thing he had and saw.
Example: Lynette and you had gotten ill at the same time one winter morning. Perhaps it was the cold that was passing around Fontaine. Lyney had been so worried about Lynette, that he seemed to have forgotten about you for the next few days. In fact, Lyney didn't even realize that you caught the cold too. You had only heard from Freminet, who you happened to cross paths with, that Lynette was also ill.
You thought that incident was the end of it, but really it seemed that whenever Lyney wanted to hang out with you, Lynette had to be there too. You tried to understand...after all there's still that mystery of disappearing women in Fontaine.
The breakup was induced when Lyney completely forgot about your birthday, because Freminet's was around the same time as yours. You helped Lyney prepare everything for Freminet, and said nothing about your own.
You realized that there was nothing wrong with choosing family over everything else...but the problem here was that Lyney didn't even have space for you in the first place.
So you left without saying anything. You figured he'd get over it quick. You had even gone so far as to move away from the main city of Fontaine and out into another island, because what would you say if he found you? That you were jealous of his siblings? You weren't going to ruin a family like that and it wasn't right to make him choose...so you just left without a word.
Neuvillette
Had a whole brainrot for this man:
Part 1
Part 2
Scaramouche
surprisingly it's not his anger issues.
It's the way he wouldn't acknowledge your relationship. You wonder how you even got into one with him.
There's no public show of affection, but even behind closed doors it rarely happened.
You knew that he was going to be like that, and so you didn't mind it all that much.
It was getting a bit much though when, out in public, he would walk further in front of you and refused to walk next to you. When he pretended like he didn't even know you. When he didn't stop to help you even when another man had shown interest in you, bordering on uncomfortable.
The more time passed the more you simply felt unloved...but for some reason you still blamed yourself.
"...I...don't know. Maybe you find me undesirable, or just...unappealing. Maybe you're embarrassed of me or...or..." maybe you just didn't care in the first place, you thought to yourself.
There was a long silence. Of you turning your gaze away, of him still piercing into yours. And then...
"Tsk...don't waste my time...Leave if you want to leave, door's open,"
Tartaglia
This one is simple. It's his obsession for fighting plus his complete disregard for himself. It's a constant heart attack for you. At some point the anxiety is just too much for you to handle.
Imagine living every day just wondering if he's safe at the same time knowing that he just loves to look for trouble.
The foul legacy that you know of, he uses it with disregard as well, despite knowing that it wasn't good for him.
And there are even days where you know he was heavily wounded but didn't go to you, in an attempt to shield you from worry.
It's a constant battle trying to stay sane and unworried, until one day it all just becomes too much.
"...Nothing I say will change anything, Tartaglia. This is who you are...This is who you need to be..." you whisper while bandaging his knuckles. He lets out a short hum.
It was silent all up until you finished with his hand, you squeeze it gently. "...I love you but...I can't keep doing this to myself, I'm tired...more so than I have ever been before,"
He lets your hand slip away from his knuckles, and that was the last he saw of you.
Thoma
This one is also simple. He was always taking care of others and running errands for others that he sometimes just couldn't catch a break.
Just a classic case of not enough time for you since he had a job to do for the Kamisato Clan.
He knows it, and feels awful about it. So he's the one who makes the move.
"It hurts that I can't give you what you deserve, Y/N. This isn't it... You deserve more than this but I can't give you that and I'm sorry. Please look for the love that you deserve,"
Tighnari
Remembers everything. Can be critical of things you've done, specially if he thinks there's a better way to do it.
Simply said you just feel stupid in front of him sometimes.
He doesn't mean to, but he sometimes forgets to appreciate or give praise to the things that you do well and even if he does, it tends to be short lived compared to his constructive criticisms.
Pretty soon you felt like he only looks at the bad things you do, and never the good. Though he was really only trying to teach and guide you as an equal.
He in fact feels that you are one of the few people who can keep up educational conversations with him.
The problem is he kind of forgets that you're his lover, and that you would enjoy his praise and affection from time to time.
"Do you... Do you ever have anything nice to say other than 'good work' or 'great observation'?" the words were out of your mouth before you could hold yourself back. Sometimes it was tiring to feel like you weren't good enough.
There's a flash of surprise that crosses Tighnari's expression for a split second, before he recovers. "...Had I not been praising your work enough lately? My apologies... It has a lot of merits, I just thought that you wanted my opinion on how to make it better,"
You opened your mouth to say something, but closed it again right after to ponder on his words. Somehow even that had managed to make you feel embarrassed. It was here you knew that the problem also lied within yourself.
"...Sorry, Tighnari...I think I'll need some time alone,"
He obliges quickly and asks. "That's reasonable. When would you like me to come back?"
"...Let me rephrase that... I need some time away. From us."
Xiao
Unfortunately there's a lot of things wrong here... his lack of affection. His aloof personality. His dedication to his yaksha duties. Despite that he does actually try to be gentlemanly or respectful of you.
The worst of it is that he didn't know how to be in a relationship, in other words he just wasn't ready for one, or perhaps he would never be ready for one.
He didn't understand that humans craved companionship and sometimes touch. He didn't understand that meant having to favour you over others, sometimes even putting you first over his yaksha duties.
Worst of it all was when he shut himself off from you, sometimes for days on end, when his karmic debt was too high. He only really did it to protect you, but never realized how isolated that made you feel.
When you confronted him about it, he felt attacked. Hiding away was the only way he knew how to cope...why couldn't you understand that?
"Let me help you, Xiao,"
"I don't need your help!" his tone would make you wince and just like that he disappears into a billow of smoke.
You never returned to Wangshu Inn after that. If he couldn't let you in, there was no use trying to knock on his heart. Xiao being Xiao, never sought you ought again either.
Zhongli
He had experienced so many things and you had listened to many a tales from him.
This is what caused you to realize that you hadn't even experienced life at all, and yet here you were willing to tie yourself down to him.
It just didn't feel like it added up. Here he was with all this knowledge of the world and here you were who had never even stepped outside of Liyue. By no means were you stupid, but you felt that you could be better not only for him, but for yourself if you learned more.
There was just such a huge gap in life experiences, and though you never expected to get to his level (he was a God who had lived for a long time, you would never catch up to him) you at least wanted to see what was out there with your own eyes instead of through his stories.
He understood that wholeheartedly, and had no qualms in letting you go.
"You will always have a place with me, Y/N. No amount of lifetimes will change that,"
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Disclaimer: Relationships will always have some sort of problem along the way, maybe big, maybe small but I just want to reiterate that breaking up is not always the solution. Communicating is very important. So to those of you who like taking fanfiction too seriously, let it be known that this is just a work of fiction. I don't actually suggest breaking up with someone as soon as there is the slight indication of a problem (Just saw someone commenting on a similar themed post for Haikyuu that this wouldn't happen in the real world if both parties were mature... I mean, sure, but, idk, you must be fun in parties... it's called fiction for a reason...)
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aceofpatience · 10 months
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🤍Love Messages from your soulmate🤍<- Pick-a-Pile reading
Hello, my little oysters!🐚
If you wish to know what your soulmate would like to say to you, you are in the right place 🍪. I will be channeling their energy, looking into their love language and seeing what they love the most about you, as well as any extra messages that might come through. If anything resonates, please leave me a comment below. It will bring me much more joy than any chocolate bar can (so you know it's serious). Hope you enjoy! Shall we SEA?🍫
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Pile 1. -> The Tower
Your soulmate energy: Duality, twins. Your person chooses the hard way. They are the savior, rather in the shadows. Even though you are destined for each other, they still want to be the best option for you. If they have the inclination that you could be more secure by yourself, they would step back and love you from afar. They have strong energy, kinda stubborn - when they set their mind on something they see it to completion. And that’s how they feel about you. No doubt in their mind that they want you. For you they are the noble knight, but for your enemies? Not so much.
Their love language: Communication. A lot compliments. They just expres their feeling for you openly. You can see on their face how much they adore you. Quality time - always ready to choose you over other things. Providing space for you. Neck kisses. Playing your body like an instrument (love to hear you moans, being vocal). Playing with your hair.
What they adore about you: Your quirks. They really appreciates how you two perfectly completes each other in terms of who is the more dominant or submissive partner (quite effortlessly) - it can shift from time to time. They love that they can see themselves starting a family with you. Also your hair, figure, curves (whenever you have them or not).
The messages: They want to say A LOT to you. Very prominent throat chakra. They really want to protect you, take care of you and your needs, again knight vibes. Classical provider. „Even if right now I cannot take care of you, I will, when it’s time and nurture you. You, my love, deserve the best and I have to make sure I can give you exactly that, nothing less.” It’s all or nothing for them. Even if they are away from you, it’s in order to create a safe environment for you. „For now, I’m in the shadows, waiting for you to call for me.” They are so devoted to you, they want to eliminate any danger in your life. „I just need you to choose me, my dear.” -> It’s almost like you have someone else in your mind right now. It’s your call who you will choose.
Pile 2. -> The Death
Your soulmate energy: Intense, captivating gaze. They are alone right now. I see them sitting by themselves by the water, calmly smirking (??? Idk, dude). But the big change is incoming - the water turns it’s color. Longing in their heart. I think when you finally come together (lol), you will quickly commit. And it’s gonna heal them, with you they will be given a whole package (the family for example).
Their love language: Snake. Teasing. They love pulling you close to the edge (both sexually and not) and than withdrawing, keeping you on your toes. Might be into begging (big on oral sex). They observe you VERY closely but you might not even notice to what extend. It’s like out of the blue they bring you some gift you always wanted, but never told them about. And you like „How did you know???” And they just *smirk*. And they are kinda controlling, but let me explain! They give you the space to make your own decisions, but it’s like they knew from the begging what you will chose. Cos they know you.
What they adore about you: Equally pulling forces. They love you both are able to keep up with the other’s pace. It’s not about what they adore ABOUT you, they simply love how you are inside (It wasn’t supposed to be that dirty lol) - I mean your SOUL. To them you are strong and stubborn and invincible in your ways of being. You have so many faces and they love them all. Im getting the feeling you both knew each other in the past lives (one tribe energy). And you legs - they find them hot for sure.
The messages: Sleeping beauty vibes. „I know you’re sleeping now, *insert nickname*, but I will get to you as soon as I can, I promise. And I will bring some nice gifts.” *Winking.* Very cheeky energy, very flirty. I feel they might be using some corny nicknames for you, first as a joke to poke you, but you will (secretly) learn to love them. „I’m on my way to you, you are my most important MISSION. Wait for me, trust this connection. Don’t stres about it, darling.” They love your face, to them you are unbelievably beautiful, kind of like a fairytale princess/prince.
Pile 3. -> The Magician
Your soulmate energy: Powerful. Determined. Sooo smug. „Rich boy” vibes. I feel like they grew up in a very wealthy environment, surrounded by people who sometimes were ready to fulfill their every need as a child without any questions. But even though everything is going great for them, they are seekers, constantly chasing after something. When they want something they go after it, they love to chase. They appear more put-together and serious to the outside world but you see their more chaotic and emotional, even mischievous side.
Their love language: Even in relationship they will still act as if they want to win you over, still putting in the effort. They are your biggest supporter, they see the sides of you you don’t like and put them into the light, turning them into art. In this relationship you will reach your full potential.
What they adore about you: Your intellect. And maybe your more rational side. It’s like you’re the only one that gives it to them straight. Your harsher words might turn them on.  As a child they may have been coddled a lot and they love your honest approach, even if  it can be rough. They like to bargain and negotiate with you, even about small things. Your fight might evolve into something more steamy… heh. I feel you might have a lot of inside jokes.
The messages: „You’re so special.” They love the feeling of being in love with you. Being alone with you brings them emotional fulfillment. „I see how you have become more indhpentd and I’m so proud with you. You’re my queen and I can’t wait to find this solitude and peace with you.” Even when you are fighting they feel at peace. And again - kinda SMUG. Maybe for some of you - this connection may have started as a hookup that led them to the need to win you over just for satisfaction of winning AND THEN they actually feel in love. There is no doubt in their mind that they want you, they will reach you and claim you. hEH.
Pile 4. -> The Moon
Your soulmate energy: Solitude. Mysterious. Rich spiritual world. They might get cold feet when they think about you (more literally than metaphorically lol). Your connection is guarded form above (Angel protectors squad). They are very patient and mature individuals. They are not very verbal about their emotions, but it’s not like they are neglecting them, they ale calmly staying by your side.
Their love language: No grand dramatic gestures of love, but you will find yourself in this warm and beautiful atmosphere created by them. They are great listeners, offering you support and showing their care through simple everyday actions. You will feel seen, never neglected or alone.
What they adore about you: A LOT. Words aren’t their strongest suit, but their love for you is true. They love your youthful, enthusiastic or a bit overconfident energy. Compared to them you seem as a big ball of sunshine. They love emotions and especially how you express them. The joyful part of you make them come out of their shell. They love your body, I think they are actually quite kinky lol. It’s like they seem reserved, maybe innocent, but then this demon comes out to play. 
The messages: They want to take care of you, every day make sure you’re okay. If you will be apart they for sure will be texting you every second, checking up on you (gif and emojis). A little mermaid (without a voice!) „You are a completely new creature to me, but you’re my dream come true. I want to be a part of your world.” They leave their comfort zone for you, and even though it scares them, it’s SO worth it. Im getting that they have so many warm feelings about you, that it’s hard for them to put them into words.
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emi-love · 10 months
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All I want in my merthur is Arthur to trust Merlin to toxic lengths and Merlin to never, ever misuse that trust. I want Arthur to be slapped with one hundred evidences against Merlin but not believe in Merlin’s fault because Merlin said he didn’t do it, and he actually didn’t. I want Arthur to not know but know about Merlin’s magic, and Merlin to know that Arthur knows but doesn’t know because he cannot know because Uther is the king. I want Arthur to have absolute faith at all times in Merlin, that Merlin is able to save him and his kingdom, and Merlin being unsure of himself, but never giving up, because he knows that Arthur trusts him, even if he cannot say it, because he doesn’t know, but knows, and Merlin cannot let him down.  
I want everyone around them to see how they constantly bicker and banter and have that thought that they hate one another, that they think each other stupid, but at the same time to know not to come between them, because you’ll be lost if you take Arthur away from Merlin, or Merlin away from Arthur. I want the nobles to think that Merlin is stupid and incompetent but treat him with kindness because they are scared of what Arthur will do to them if they dare disrespecting Merlin. I want bitter sorcerers once in the while come in with the plan to finish Arthur, but back away, because they recognise Emrys, the greatness of his power, and they are too afraid of what he would do to them if they attempted to hurt his king.  
I also want Arthur to be badass, and Merlin to have trust in Arthur’s badassery. I want Arthur to actually be the greatest king to ever live, not just some vaguely okay king with good intentions and pure heart, and I want Merlin to actually be the saviour of magic, not a cute twink manipulated by bitter dragon and a little corrupted physician. I want Arthur to actually be that skilled knight he always claims to be, not a one who can be defeated by that one random blonde sorceress with little to no effort, I want Merlin to actually know something about magic except for how to use it, not to being forced to run between Gaius and the dragon and Freya and Catha and the druids to find everything out.
I want them to be so epic and so unhealthy (but it's okay because they are that way only about each other and Arthur would never break Merlin’s faith and Merlin would never break Arthur’s trust) and so skilled (I'm still thinking about that one secret room full of magical books that was introduced in the episode with the goblin and then never brought up again- like why was Merlin not getting any education. like I mean, the spells are important part of magic, but there’s other stuff, too, that Merlin should know. Merlin should have received the same education Morgana did. like, Morgause had Morgana for a year and Gaius had Merlin for ten. why is that twink so confused. and we all know how eager Merlin is to learn magic stuff. Gaius had completely failed him) and I want Arthur to be a fucking high king and I want Merlin to be his court sorcerer and consort and most trusted advisor at the same time.
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harunayuuka2060 · 4 months
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Falena: Leona? I've heard from Ruggie that you would be on a vacation in the House of Al Asim's for a few months.
Leona: Yeah.
Falena: ...
Falena: Will you be there to ask MC to come back to you?
Leona: Tch. What are you saying?
Falena: Ruggie did also tell me that MC is working there as a servant.
Leona: That little—
Falena: I wish you good luck, Leona. And... don't cause any trouble while you're there.
Leona: Just bail me out if anything happens.
Falena: ...
Falena: Wait. Really?
Leona: Of course not. I never need your help.
Falena: *frowns*
Female servants: *talking about Leona's arrival*
Female servant A: I've heard he's extremely handsome and a gentleman. I can't wait to see him in person!
Female servant B: He's a prince. You can't see him just because you want to.
Female servant A: It's only a peek— Oh! MC! Good morning!
MC: *has walked into the room* Good morning.
Female servant A: MC! MC! Do you know that a prince from Sunset Savannah will spend his vacation here? It's Prince Leona to be exact! *squeals*
MC: *looks disinterested* Ah. Then it means we're going to be busy.
Female servant B: Oh. No. MC, Master Kalim specifically asked us not to give you too much tasks.
MC: Why?
Female servant A: Hmm... He said that it wouldn't be good for your health.
MC: ...
MC: I see that my lord cares about the wellbeing of his servants.
MC: How generous of him.
Female servants: *giggles* Yes! You are so right!
Female servant A: That's why I've promised to never leave this family and to forever serve them with all my life!
Female servant B: How about you, MC? I hope you will stay with us for the longest time.
MC: I hope so too. *smiles at them* You ladies are fun to be around.
Female servants: !!!
Female servants: *blushes*
Female servant A: It seems that the rumors are true. You were indeed a noble!
Female servant B: Hush! You didn't have to bring that up! MC, we're sorry. That's so rude of us.
MC: No. That is fine. I'll be going now.
Female servants: Good luck today!
MC: *leaves the room*
Female servants: ...
Female servant A: They're so beautiful...
Female servant B: Girl, you have a boyfriend.
Female servant A: But still—
Female servant B: Let's continue with our work.
Kalim: MC, a friend of mine is going to spend his vacation here.
Kalim: Can I ask you to be his attendant during his stay here?
MC: ...
MC: I can't possibly refuse you, my lord.
Jamil: *overhears that* *rushes immediately to their side*
Jamil: Nonononono! Kalim! I request that you assign another attendant to him.
Jamil: MC shouldn't do it.
Kalim: Eh? Why? Besides you, MC is one of our best servants.
Kalim: And the others are already occupied so—
Jamil: Kalim, MC is—
MC: Leona Kingscholar is my ex-husband. The reason why Jamil is concerned.
Kalim: ...
Kalim: Eh? NO WAY! YOU WERE MARRIED TO LEONA BEFORE?!
Kalim: Why didn't you tell me?! And I even hired you as our servant! Leona will probably kill me!
MC: My lord, I'm surprised of how naive you are.
Kalim: Huh?
MC: Leona would never be concerned about me.
MC: We might exchange a few pleasantries, but that's just it.
Kalim: ...
Jamil: ...
Jamil: Kalim, you look curious.
Kalim: ...
Kalim: I wanna know... Is he the father of your baby?
MC: He was.
Kalim and Jamil: ...
Kalim: Ouch.
Leona: *criticizing everything in Scalding Sands the moment he arrived*
Leona: What is so good about this place? Tch.
Leona: It's nothing different from Sunset Savannah.
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russellsppttemplates · 5 months
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Uh oh, I'm falling in love (Lando Norris)
Y/N and Lando both have jobs that require good sight and attention to detail and yet they're oblivious to their feelings for eachother
Note: english is not my first language. I'm in a very fluffy mood, so I got really excited when I got this request! This also makes my expectations even higher and calls me single in about seventeen different languages at once...
Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so as I'll try to get to them the best I can!
my masterlist
Tw: mentions a needle (for sewing)
Tag list: @myloverjk-blog
"Hey guys! How's everyone?", Max said to the camera as you made sure the set up was right, the screen showing his and Lando's faces on one screen and the table on the other like it was supposed to.
"As per your many, many requests, we have brought our graphic designer at Quadrant, Y/N", Lando announced as you appeared on camera, sending a very awkward first wave to the camera, "today's stream is little different than our usual programming, but it was the only way she agreed to be in one! You guys really wanted to see her, so we had to be creative!", Max said as he moved the friendship bracelets making kit into view on the table.
"Hey, Queen Taylor said we should make the friendship bracelets, so we're just following her!", you chuckled, looking at all the coloured threads and colourful beads, sorting them out and grabbing a pen and paper so you could draw your ideas.
"Since you guys wanted to get to know Y/N, can I tell them to send in questions?", Lando questioned you, "sure, I'll answer them to the best of mu ability", you smiled.
You were picking the letters you needed for the bracelet you were making when Max spoke up, "first one: how did you start working with Quadrant? I'd love to work on the team when I finish my degree!".
"I saw the job offer, and I must admit at first I didn't really know much about the company. I looked it up, looked cool enough and I sent my CV and portfolio in. So keep your eyes peeled for any offers, I guess? We have them now on the website, which was my doing, so you can check them out there if you want to be part of the team", you offered.
"I need help, guys", Lando said as he fiddled with his bracelet, the orange and grey beads with his initials sliding on the elasticated material, I can't do the closing knot on my own", he pouted as you placed your bracelet down.
"You have to flip it like this, here. Just put it on your wrist and I'll do the rest", you ushered him, your fingertips gingerly touching his hand and wrist as you quietly laced it, "this way we don't get frilly bits out and it looks pretty, see? Pretty!", you smiled, modelling his wrist for the camera.
Pretty, that's what he often thought about you. Not only pretty, but it was one of the first physical traits that came to mind.
"We should all have matching ones!", Max said as he completed his bracelet, impressively on his own, revealing the colourful beads with Quadrant spelled in white round beads with black letters, "I'll make one for each of you", he said as he watched you show your own, pink beads and a lyric he assumed was from a Taylor Swift song.
"I'll make Y/N's, she helped me after all", Lando said as one brave fan sent a comment into the chat.
He's so giddy to make Y/N a bracelet, it's a shame it will snap because of his lack of skills
Am I delusional if I say that they'd make a great couple?
If you're delusional, then what do I call myself? I still think they're making heart eyes at eachother whenever they catch the slightest glimpse!
We're joining forces, I think it's a noble pursuit!
He's a dork, Y/N, but you should give him a chance
Have you always known you wanted to be a graphic designer?
"I thought about different careers before I settled on this one, for now at least", you explained, "engineering was in the running up, but then I figured out that I was curious about how things worked, but that didn't mean that I wanted to be the one working on it. And this was a way to express my creativity, my strategy planning as well, and at the moment it's been quite good", you smiled as Lando grabbed your wrist softly, "I need to make sure this fits", he interrupted, "and it won't snap because I've learnt how to do it, thank you very much", he blushed. So he, too, was reading the comments, choosing not to dwell in them.
"Look, this way you always have a lucky charm with you everywhere you go, even if we're not together. We're eachothers lucky charms!", Lando announced as Max mafe a fake gagging noise.
.
"Are you all ready?", you said as you and Tara walked inside the room, clasping your watch on your wrist and hoping to find the boys ready.
Quadrant had been invited to a gala dinner that celebrated the companies in the same line of business, inviting five people to take part in the meal. After some team members politely declining the invitation since they had things booked already, the group ended up being Lando, Max, Callum, Tara and yourself.
The dress required everyone to up their usual style, hence the long dress you were wearing. Even though it was far from your usual everyday attire, you felt beautiful in the dress you ended up with after browsing the online shops for a while. The cut was simple, the skirt widening from your waist down and complimenting your curves as the sheen from the midnight blue fabric looked soft and sweet against your skin.
Lando seemed to think the same, trying his best to not let his mouth hang open when you and Tara walked inside their room, heels clicking on the wooden floor as you hurried them, "does it really take that long to put on a suit? I had to help Tara with the laces on her back and we still got ready faster than the three of you?", you asked, shaking your wrist to check if the dainty watch wasn't going to fall and that it wasn't too tight either.
Looking up to meet Lando's eyes, you were sure you physically and audibly gulped. No one should look that good in a plain white shirt. The cuffs were still unbuttoned, but the shirt itself was tucked in his black pants. He didn't have any jewellery, so his tanned skin caught your eye as it contrasted with his clothes.
"Lando has a problem with his shirt and we are trying to solve it", Max said, a little bit too antsy given that, at the naked eye, there didn't seem to be a big issue with the piece of clothing you had been inspecting quite closely.
"There was a loose button, and I tried to fix it, but I made it worse", Lando said as he pointed to the button on his hand, the slight movement showing you the place where it was supposed to he holding the piece together and closed.
"Three people in this room and no one thought about grabbing the sewing kit from the amenities?", Tara suggested, looking for it in the box that was the same as it was in your room, "see? Simple as that! Can you sew it, Y/N? My hand isn't fully healed yet, I can't quite grasp something that small yet".
Tara had injured herself earlier on in the week, prompting her to ask to tag out of the gala until you pleaded her to go so you wouldn't be alone, so she couldn't do it. None of the other guys seemed to even know how to pull the thread through the needle, so you grabbed the kit from Tara's hand, "sure, I'll do it", you said, "if that's okay with you, that is", you looked over at Lando.
"Sure, anything to solve this. Do I keep it on or should I take it off?", he questioned, wanting to slap himself straight after at his offer. Why would he volunteer to be shirtless in front of you? It certainly wasn't the way to go, shoving himself like that.
"On should be fine", you muttered, missing the snickers going on behind you as you wet the thread with your tongue, careful to not transfer any of the lipstick on it and ruining the piece without point of return for good, easily looping it through and adjusting the size of the ends.
"Button", you put your hand out so Lando could place it in your fingers, "I will do my best not to poke you, let me know if I do so accidentally", you mumbled at the closeness to him you found yourself in. It was the third button from the top, and as much as you loved the sight of the shirt slightly undone, the dinner required his shirt to be done up. Looping the thread on the button a few times, you moved to pierce the crisp white fabric so it would be secure, your hands dangerously close to his skin as you could hear his laboured breath. Lando still remembered and thought constantly about your fingers touching his hand and wrist when you did the friendship bracelets video for the YouTube channel, and right now, it only added to his predicament.
"It's done, all good!", you exclaimed, looking up as you cut the thread and seeing Lando's eyes on you. The intensity nearly threw you off of your balance as you stood the tiniest bit crouched down on your high heels.
Scrambling to further the distance between your bodies, you smoothed out the non existent wrinkles on your dress, storing the supplies back in the kit as Lando managed to utter out a thank you, too stunned and intoxicated by your scent to say anything else.
"I sewed a button as neither of you look any more ready that you were when we got here? We're going to be late!", you hurried, sitting next to Tara and ignoring her smirk as you scrolled through your phone.
.
"That shoot will have to wait since Lando won't be back here soon, then", you said, moving things around in the online shared calendar, "when did you say you could again? I'm sorry", you asked, rubbing your forehead and squeezing your eyes, adjusting your glasses and looking at him through the screen.
"The first weekend of the next month", Lando assured, "are you okay, Y/N?", he asked. The bags under your eyes didn't fool anyone and you looked tired. And sick, he guessed by the layers of clothing you had on.
"I had a pretty shit day, actually", you admitted, "I had to go with the guys from storage because there was an issue. The supplier sent the samples and we wanted to get things moving so I could have some ideas for the description and the social media team also wanted to prep the draft for the whole story telling, but it all went under. I also think I caught some bug, so it's been a fun day", you exaggeratingly smiled, mocking your own misery.
"You look like you need a hug, Y/N. Do you need a hug?", Lando asked as you nodded, "Actually, that would be pretty good, but I live alone. The neighbours would think I'm pretty weird if I went around like this asking for one, too", you reasoned.
Even though he wasn't next to you, Lando still managed to pull a smile out of you as he got up from the chair he was sitting in, hugging his laptop, "did you feel that hug?", he loudly wondered, "it's full of Get well soon fairy dust!", he smiled charmingly.
"Fairy dust, mate?", Callum wondered, reminding you of his presence in the videocall, "you try and spend more than a few hours with a little girl and you let me know. Mila has taught me all about fairy dust and princess magic", Lando added.
.
"How will we get out of here?", you wondered, starting to regret joining Lando, Max and Pietra when they said they were going to watch a football game. You loved the sport and you figured it would be a nice distraction after a work loaded week, but now, things were looking less than a distraction.
"We will let them space out once the game finishes, free up the roads as well because getting out of here will be a pain, too", Lando suggested.
The game granted your team a win and three points in the championship, the crowd going wild as they clapped, whistled and waved their scarfs, slowly leaving the stadium.
"Should we make a run for it now?", Pietra said, holding her boyfriend's hand as she allowed him to pull her away.
You followed Lando, thanking his choice of a colourful hoodie to wear today as it made it easier for you to spot him, "go in front of me, I'll back you up", he switched positions. You weren't having too much trouble until you were met with a ramp, people carelessly shoving others as they tried to leave as quick as they could, all with the same intent of avoiding traffic and crowded roads.
"Here, Y/N", you heard Lando as he grabbed your hand, lacing your fingers in his and pulling you along, excusing you two as you approached Max and Pietra again, "we're here", you tapped the blonde woman's shoulder with your free hand.
"Goodness, that was and adventure", she said once you reached the stadium car park, the crowd clearing up significantly as there was maybe another ten people headed the same way as you were now, "is everyone alright? I think someone stepped on my foot quite a few times, or many people stepped on it at various different times", you reasoned, walking alongside Lando still.
"Don't we need to hand the bracelets back?", Max said as he looked at the sign, taking his bracelet off and depositing it in the box in the booth, Pietra doing the same as you seemed distracted.
"Are you okay, Y/N?", Max asked, seeing you and Lando were still holding hands and, because of that, not taking off your bracelets.
"Yes, why wouldn't I be?", you scrunched your eyebrows, "we need to hand the bracelets back in, so I kind of need to have yours, too", he teased, looking at your hand still entwined with Lando's.
Removing your hand from Lando's as if it har started burning all of a sudden, you removed the bracelet, apologising quietly to the stadium employee as you thanked him, "shall we go now?".
"Dinner out?", Lando gulped, getting into the driver's seat, "Good idea, yes", Max added, sitting in the passenger's seat as you and Pietra sat in the back, your hand rubbing your other hand that had been laced with Lando's own one for a long time. Uh oh, you were falling in love.
.
The launch was finally over after an amazing response from the fans, leaving your heart happy and warm with a sense of mission accomplished.
"Is everything packed into the van?", you asked Tara, "yes, it's just this box. It has fragile things, so do you think you guys can take it in the car with you? It probably only fits at the front, so you'll have to squeeze in with the boys on the back", she smiled apologetically, "it's fine, we'll keep eachother warm like penguins do", you chuckled, holding the door open as she set the box safely.
Saying goodbye to her and the rest of the team, Max and Lando joined you, "You sit in the middle seat", Max pointed at you, opening the door ao you could scoot closer to Lando and he could get in.
"Could you tell me how long we have until get back?", Lando asked the driver, "with traffic at this hour, I'd say around 90 minutes", he smiled, turning on the blinker so he could leave the car park.
"Plenty of time for me to catch up on sleep, then!", you cheered, making yourself comfortable in the space you had, folding your scarf into an impromptu travel pillow, closing your eyes.
"Are you a snorer?", Max asked, making you blindly swat his thigh, "only when I'm sick, and lucky for you, I'm in presteen health, no blocked nose", you grumbled.
It didn't take you long to fall asleep. In the last week, all of the nights combined, you probably slept less than thirty hours, so your body was indeed in need of rest.
"And there it goes", Max said as your pillow undid itself, Lando lifting his shoulder in reflex so your head wouldn't drop drastically, landing on top of him, "Good thing she isn't our engineer, hm?", he chuckled, looking at how his bestfriend was looking at you like you hung the stars and the moon.
"I think I'm in love with Y/N", Lando whispered after he took your appearance in. You had forgone wearing make-up today, so he could see all your moles and scars, your pouty lips and the darkened skin under your eyes. It took everything in him to not bend down and kiss your forehead.
"Congrats on being the last one to find out, mate", Max added, shaking his head, "I genuinely thought you had some issue processing information, I'm glad to find out you don't.
"Now you just have to act on it, which is going to take you, what? Two, three more months?".
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tanadrin · 1 month
Note
Honestly, I *don't* want to mix things with proportional representation. I see proportional representation as an excellent way of increasing the importance of dealings between politicians and reducing the incentive effects of the voters. But in my ideal world I'll need to negotiate with people who do like proportional representation, and this system is a compromise I could get behind. Plus you can plug and play any three different electoral systems for different compromises.
First past the post is a bad, undemocratic electoral system. First past the post privileges large parties by making small ones unviable, and distorts the composition of parliaments by wasting votes. It can be gerrymandered in a way proportional representation cannot be. It produces highly unrepresentative outcomes. It is a bad electoral system! All good voting systems are to some degree inclined to more proportional results.
I've never heard the accusation that PR "increases the importance of dealings between politicians," but look. I don't know how else to put this. That is a stupid objection. Just absolutely boneheaded. You haven't thought about this at all, I reckon.
People hate on "politicians" as a generic class, but it's like hating on lawyers as a generic class. You need politicians. You want politicians. You want people whose specialized job it is to read legislation, fight about what should go in it, represent your interests, and come to balanced compromises about those interests. People percieve politics as messy, venal, and corrupt, and it can be all those things, but guess what? The alternative to career politicians is part-time citizens who don't know what the fuck they're doing, have no expertise in the legislative process, and therefore are at the mercy of lobbyists who can walk them like a dog because they're naive and inexperienced.
There's this especially (but not exclusively) American pathology that is a suspicion of government that works too well. This peculiar notion that if only we sabotage government a little bit it will keep tyranny in check and make politicians more honest... somehow. But filling government with random yahoos doesn't get you a noble collegium of Tocquevillian citizen-lawmakers, it gets you a pack of Marjorie Taylor Greens and Lauren Boberts. You know--morons. Americans will support all these ballot initiatives that fuck up government on purpose, like term-limiting legislators and keeping their salaries low so only rich people can afford to go into politics (and even then are only willing to do it as a stepping stone to other gigs), and vote for people who promise to make government work even worse by cutting the budget and lowering taxes, and then have the absolute gall to whine about how badly the government works. My fellow Americans, you did that on purpose.
(And there's this weird paradox where Americans all loathe Congress. Who keeps voting these creeps in? Well. You do. Congresscritters are generally pretty highly approved of by their own constituents. The stereotype of lazy, stupid, venal politicians always seems to apply to the other guys.)
And you will also note that since the abolition of things that used to facilitate deals between politicians in the U.S. congress--since the abolition of earmarks and chummy socials between congressmen and the post--generally, since the post-Gingrich upheaval in the House--it has gotten harder to pass even necessary, basic legislation, because it is harder to make the basic compromises necessary to keep government functioning. Having three separate legislatures that each can claim a different sort of democratic mandate isn't a recipe for good legislation, it's a recipe for paralysis and constitutional crisis.
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2af-afterdark · 2 months
Text
Paradise Lost is the Safest Kingdom in Hell and That's Absolutely Terrifying
After playing The Two Stars that Fell From the Sky event, I have come to the conclusion that Paradise Lost must be the safest kingdom in Hell. That is amazing as it is virtually untouchable, but it is also completely and utterly terrifying.
We all know that Paradise Lost is home to the healers who can treat seemingly any injury or ailment, but with the introduction of Gamigin we know that also includes death.
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Make no mistake. Marbas, Morax, and Buer were dead. They died at the hands of the angels that were attacking them, but Gamigin was able to bring them back. In Paradise Lost, death is practically if not completely non-existent. The devils of Paradise Lost have no fear of death, so they are willing and able to take actions that endanger themselves with a relaxed nature.
When these events happened, they were listening to Lucifer recall the tale of how he became a devil. They were already injured and being attacked, but they did nothing to protect themselves or defeat the angels because they deemed Lucifer's tale more important, despite the fact that they were actively dying.
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Lucifer and Gamigin seem to also have this mindset, since Lucifer doesn't have much of a reaction to his nobles dying other than realizing he's been talking for too long and they all need to go home. He knows Gamigin will heal them and Gamigin knows he can bring them back.
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And once the nobles are up and operational again, they are a force to be reckoned with in a way that other kingdoms cannot compare. Because they are all healers, they are able to heal one another while also fighting. They are an impenetrable, undeafeatable force when they want to be.
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Paradise Lost has no sense of death or fear of death. They don't seem to even fear getting hurt. The way they think of and address one of the most universal aspects of existence is... terrifying. I don't have the proper words to describe how eerie it is that they don't see death as an issue.
That's before you also take into account that Paradise Lost itself is impenetrable due to Lucifer's command. All those that try to cross into Paradise Lost will die because Lucifer ordered it so.
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This make Paradise Lost the only kingdom we know of that angels cannot enter. Add on the fact that everyone is healing every injury, and Paradise Lost really is the safest kingdom, completely separated from the tragedies of war or the consequences of living within its walls.
It's a land separated from 'existence' so to speak. Truly terrifying.
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aonungsmate · 1 year
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A Promise Over All Else
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Ao'nung x Reader [Word count: 5.8k]
All characters are aged-up to 18!! (okay not all, but-)
Warnings: Ao’nung being a jerk, mentions of death, bullying, smooching 
“If we do not find someone worthy of being our mates, we’ll mate each other,” Ao’nung scoffed as you muttered a promise, seemingly frustrated by the idea of being one with you.  An innocent declaration that none of the two of you expected to be rekindled in due time.
You have known the children of the Metkayina clan’s olo'eyktan and tsahik for as long as you can remember, being in close age with the two.  The idea of being playmates struck your parents after seeing the two of you, along with Tsireya and Rotxo.  The two of you were inseparable as young na’vi, having learned to breathe, swim, weave and heal collectively, and however intolerable the idea is to you right now, it has always been you and Ao’nung who get paired up with each other in various chores.  As you grew up however, Ao’nung’s attitude towards your peers have also gone into a drastic change, as if he was above everyone, developing a penchant for sneering at every na’vi that approaches the two of you.  You, on the other hand, thought of every na’vi you interact with as equals, being of no noble position as him.  This very reason caused a rift between your companionship, forming your respective circles, frequent greetings turning into brief glances and side eyes, only communicating when training or when you are tasked with healing him.  However, you understood the growing distance between the two of you, as you had different interests and responsibilities.  The arrival of Jake Sully and his family was the one responsible for both rekindling and downfall of your relationship.  An unwanted occurrence by most of the village percentile although your life would not be the same if it were not for them.
It was a bright day when the former olo’eyktan of the Omatikaya tribe had sought sanctuary in Awa’atlu.  You and Tsireya were tasked with weaving nets when a ginormous silhouette of flying creatures flew over you, earning a worried glance from Tsireya.  Your heart sped up at the thought of sky people discovering an obsession towards your village, you immediately clicked your tongue and called for your ilu, Or’ma.  Cautious at the arrival of the ikrans, you dove with your ilu to approach the shores, noticing other villagers approach the forest na’vi, some hissing with threat.  Peering from the waters, you spotted familiar faces, deciding to detach yourself from the ilu and see what the commotion is all about.  A bunch of tsurak accompanied by warriors resurfaced from the waters, that flew above the people, signaling that the olo’eyktan had arrived to take care of the matters.  Gulping at the building anxiety, you looked for immediate safety, finding Ao’nung’s wary stance, stalking behind the ikran, searching for any danger.  Having a glance around you once more, you gave up finding your parents and ran towards Ao’nung, gripping his left arm for protection.  
Landing on the sand, the new faces earned hisses from all around them, causing the tallest figure to raise his hands as if he was surrendering, followed by his family.  You peeked a glance at the ikran, gasping in amazement at their strong wings, wincing in fright when you met a particular na’vi’s eyes, ducking your head behind Ao’nung’s larger frame, forcing him to shield you with the arm you were gripping, puffing his chest with a threatening gaze at the eldest son of Jake Sully.  Rotxo snickered at the size of their tails, “It is too small, how are they supposed to swim?”, he laughed, earning a chuckle from Ao’nung and a swat on the hand from Tsireya.  “Do not. Rotxo, Ao’nung” she scolded, her eyes widening as a warning.  Your furrowed eyebrows did not help the smile of reassurance directed to your friend.  A glare from one of the Omatikayan siblings made you more nervous, squeezing Ao’nung’s arm as your ears flattened down in panic.  
As far as you know, you did not do anything to anger the female na’vi, so why was she rolling her eyes at you?
“Mawey, (y/n), mawey,” Ao’nung whispered, backing up when his father walked to the center of the crowd to address the problem at hand.  You frowned at the words being exchanged, realizing how crucial it must be for their family to be let in, as they were in need of hiding from the sky people.  Asking for uturu is no childsplay, considering that it is still the village leaders’ decision if they would be letting in those who asked for sanctuary.  
Ronal went through them one by one, analyzing what use they could be of in the reef, having no physical trait to aid them in swimming.  Hisses were let out when she raised one of the na’vi’s hands, having an extra finger to it, a sign that they have demon blood flowing in them.  
“They are not even real na’vi!” she exclaimed, holding up the girl’s hands, one extra finger on display.
The girl whom you found glaring at you refuted, “Yes, we are!”  You winced at the confused dread you sensed in her voice, finding it in yourself to sympathize with her.  Being close to the chief’s children meant that you hang out with either or both of them often.  You were witness to Ao’nung’s condescending demeanor, and have made aware of how painful his words are.  Something that he must have inherited from his mother, Ronal.  
Countless thoughts filled your mind, only subsiding when you heard Tonowari’s decision, “Toruk Makto, and his family will stay with us,” the faces of the forest na’vi lightened up, “Treat them as our brothers and sisters.  They do not know the sea, so they will be like babies taking their first breath.”  The mate of Jake Sully turned her gaze away, offended at the statement.  “Teach them our way so they do not suffer the shame of being useless,” Tonowari emphasized, turning his attention again to Jake Sully, nodding at the family. 
“Alright, what do we say?” He urged, thank you’s being muttered by the rest of his family. 
“My son Ao’nung, our daughter Tsireya, will show your children what to do,” a grimace morphing in Ao’nung’s face, whilst the complete opposite reaction was written on Tsireya’s.  She beamed at the family, and her brother sought an escape from unwanted duties.  
“Father why–” 
“It has been decided”
It has been decided.
It wasn’t too long until you had to interact with the new faces, having been invited by Tsireya to dive with them, along with Rotxo and of course, Ao’nung.  You warily distanced yourself from the navy blue na’vi, sticking close to Ao’nung, since Tsireya was enthusiastic with her newly acquired duties.  You waved at Tuktirey, or Tuk, as what she asked you to call her.  You found her adorable, having no siblings of your own.  You swam closely to the reef, glancing behind you to ensure that they were following you, when you saw them swim upwards, Rotxo looking at them with disbelief, and Ao’nung signing that they were bad divers.  
‘Stop, they only need to learn,’ Tsireya signed, with you nodding in agreement, swimming upwards to follow the Sully children and encourage them to swim more.  You were eager to show them the beauty of the reef, determined to get to know them better.  Lo’ak stuck his face into the water, finding Tsireya’s smiling face, signaling them to swim together, as he responded with gibberish signs, having no idea how to respond.  This coaxed a shy smile from you, continuing to swim upwards along with the other metkayina.  
“You swim too fast!  Wait for us,” Tuk whined, making you chuckle at her adorableness.
“You are not good divers, maybe swinging through trees but–” Ao’nung’s tasteless humor earned a smack on the head from his sister, fed up with unsolicited criticisms.  “C’mon bro–”  “We do not understand this finger talk you were doing,” Neteyam tried copying what you were doing, making Rotxo grin and Ao’nung laughed at their cluelessness.  
“I will teach you,” Tsireya volunteered, and suddenly included you in her future responsibilities, “(y/n) and I will do.  Ao’nung and Rotxo can help us with your breathing.”
“Wait, where’s Kiri?” Rotxo’s face twisted in worry, the whole group asking each other where she was, not noticing that the eldest daughter of the Sully’s had disconnected from the lot.
As soon as you realized where she was, you regrouped again and were told to follow Ao’nung towards the shore.  He stood a meter away from the group, producing clicks and noises to call a group of ilu. Waist deep in the water, he glanced at each of you, “If you want to live here, you have to ride.”  
His arms gestured at the ilu’s surrounding him, nodding at the siblings, encouraging them to approach the creatures and familiarize themselves.  Your eyes gleamed at how commanding his voice was, as if the whole ocean was sitting on his palm, an attribute that seemed to be innate in the future olo’eyktan of your clan.  One by one, they tried their hand at riding an ilu, Lo’ak’s attempt being the most memorable after being thrown off its back at his recklessness. 
The training went on and on for weeks, with you assisting Kiri, who was surprisingly a natural when it came to the ilu, having found her underwater interacting with one, which amazed you so much she was shocked to see your beaming face at her after resurfacing with an ilu.  
As the eclipse approached, so did the end of your daily meetings.  The beautiful shades of auburn purple shone on the archipelagic glory of Awa’atlu, indicating the end of the day.  Soon after dismissing the group, Tsireya bid you farewell, whispering that she wanted to have a few moments Lo’ak, making the two of you giggle at the thought of potentially finding someone she wants to spend her life with.  Your simpering caught Ao’nung’s attention, raising his brow at what could possibly be funny that you and his sister are looking at the rest of the boys coyly.  Supporting her idea after knowing that the Sully mean no harm and are actually just a family, you waved at her, tugging Ao’nung’s arm to the direction of the village knowing his tendencies to be protective over his sister.  
“What were the two of you talking about?” he asked, adjusting your headpiece, seeing how disheveled your hair looked.  You brushed off a sand on your arm, “Oh you know, there’s this boy,” you giggled, remembering Tsireya’s blushing face,” ‘Reya really likes the forest boy.”  You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, “I’m very happy for her.  Finding someone she likes and all…” A small whisper from your lips following, “How wonderful it would be if I too..”
You sighed dreamily, reminiscing about your encounters with peers, frowning at the lack of finding someone that stood out from all of your options, having no recollection of successful romantic encounters.  Your sigh did not go unnoticed by your companion, receiving a questioning gaze from Ao’nung.  He stopped walking and asked, “What, you want a mate all of the sudden?”
You breathed, the smell of the ocean embracing you, “I am simply pondering my options, Ao’nung.  My rite of passage is not far, and it is of common knowledge that it is only a matter of time until all the commendable bachelors in our village become betrothed” he scoffed at this, his tail flicking in annoyance at the thought of you getting a mate.  
“I do not want to grow old all alone.  I would want a family for myself, you know that.”  Approaching the direction of your marui, you smiled at him moving your hands to sign him farewell.  As you were helping your mother prepare dinner, you couldn’t help but reminisce about the times when another guy your age would approach you with the most intricate shells in hand.  
You have just turned 14 when a boy of your age approached you with a carefully woven bracelet.  It was typical of you to spend the day with Tsireya, however due to her duties as the tsahik’s daughter, she has asked you to pair up with her brother for the day.  Not minding the company, Ao’nung took you to a spot he and his friends frequented.  You were humming a song to motivate you while searching for shells to give to your dearest friend when a familiar face started to walk towards you.  Ao’nung squinted in curiosity when he noticed Keomä approach your spot.  Keomä is usually assigned with fishing out nets before the eclipse, often swooned at by girls due to his dimpled grins.  The village is not a vast place so the two of you have already been acquainted with each other.
‘What could be that bastard’s business?’ he thought, his carving halted in contemplation.  Rotxo stared at him in suspicion when he suddenly stopped sharpening the bone.  Meeting his friend’s gaze, he huffed and continued his task with a newfound aggressive vigor.  Shrugging at his strange action, Rotxo went back to polishing his dagger.  
Ao’nung was seething as soon as his eyes spotted the bracelet that was not-so-subtly held behind Keomä as an attempt to surprise you.  His enraged mind was prompted to come up with unprecedented schemes to ruin the other metkayina’s chances with you.  As soon as you lifted your head to meet Keomä’s smile with yours, he flouted as he finally decided on what to do.  
“Keomä, have you just finished fetching dinner for the village?” you put down your collection, politely nodding at him.  “Yes, it is another bountiful day,” he stiffly responded, making your head tilt as if to ask what was going on.  Resolved to fulfill what his heart desired, he immediately spouted words of confession before his mouth betrayed him.
“You are the most beautiful person that I have ever laid my eyes on (y/n).  Your melodic voice never fails to complete my day,” he started, making your cheeks flush in appreciation at his kind words.  “I am to participate in my rites of passage in a few months. If you would..” “If your heart is to say yes,” he cleared his throat to continue, “With this crafted bracelet, I would like to ask you for permission to stake a claim on–”
Unfortunately for him, Ao’nung is not one to give openings for other metkayina.  He had his heart spoken for since you were of young age, and he would not let you find a man other than him.  He stood up from his sitting position with a smirk, prancing slowly towards the two of you.
“Ah, Keomä.  Were you not reprimanded by Zoaiäl for your irresponsible decisions yesterday?” Ao’nung towered over the both of you, and to add salt to the wound, “The offense you have induced on yourself could lengthen the stretch before you are allowed to take part in the ceremony for adulthood, you are aware aren’t you?”
“T-that–” 
“Frankly, I do not see the significance in asking her for her hand if you are only going to make her wait for your incompetent self,” his arms extended in a haughty stance, his tail jerking with a snap with threat, “Best to get going to aid your ineptness, Keomä.”  His voice deepened to emphasize his point, making the poor boy shiver.  
Just as your suitor stomped in anger, Ao’nung shook his head at Keomä’s pathetic attempt.  Meanwhile, you were disappointed at the interrupted confession, making you glare at your companion.  Ao’nung could only raise his hands with a satisfied smirk all written on his face.  You went back to your prior activity with a sunken expression and ears down, making him contemplate if you liked Keomä enough to induce despondency from you.
You are not as skillful as Tsireya in healing, nor as good as Noìukä in hunting.  Your modesty however, is of notable charm for most people in your village.  This led to not two, but more than four suitors in a span of seven months just after the first efforts to capture your heart.  
How wonderful! Not. 
Ao’nung’s annoying interruptions continued on as more young metkayina tried their hand in asking you, finding it increasingly difficult to penetrate the barricades that your childhood friend had established.  He was acting like a possessive mate at that point.  That’s right, a mate–
That particular speculation immediately pulled you from the barrage of memories you were just recollecting.  Your eyes widened at the thought of Ao’nung holding romantic affections for you.  You have never considered him to be someone who would develop feelings for you.  
Not that you know of. 
Set on shrugging this particular idea off of your mind, you finished cleaning up with your mother and informed her that you were turning in for the night, making her meet your forehead with hers in good night, receiving another from your father with a promise from your parents that they will be joining you in bed later.  You tucked yourself in your family’s mat with a strange feeling in your stomach, making it difficult to fall asleep.  Instantly after a few minutes, you were off to sleep with a particular boy in your dreams.
Months have passed since the arrival of the Omatikaya na’vi and you have grown close with the siblings, which is quite the contrary in Ao’nung’s case, growing some kind of disdain for them, calling them names and sneering at them for their differences.  
It has become unbearable, really. 
As you grew close to the siblings, you have also gotten to know their mother, Neytiri, and the Toruk Makto, Jake Sully.  You looked up to the both of them, having been told the stories of how they fought the sky people with victory.  You often found yourself dining with them in their marui at some nights.  The cherry on top however, was the friendship that you have found in Neteyam.  He is someone that you look up to, treating him as a brother and him, treating you as one of his sisters.  You have invited him and his siblings to one of your dinners, your mother and father appreciating their presence as they have finally had a chance to take a closer look at the infamous family.  
“So, do you like it here so far Neteyam?” your hands untangled themselves from the net, gesturing for him to try continuing the work himself. 
“It is different from the forest,” he reached out for the strands, “there is also difficulty in connecting with other na’vi, but the island is wonderful.”
You were assisting Neteyam with weaving a net when Kiri’s voice caught your attention.  “Leave us alone!”, followed by a series of laughter.  You frowned when you saw Ao’nung’s peers around her and Lo’ak.  Hearing a hiss from Neteyam, you casted a worried glance at him when he stood up stomping towards his siblings.  You pressed your lips together and stood up to follow him, your ears flicking in alarm when he shoved Ao’nung away, “You heard what she said.  Leave them alone.”  He huffed with his tail flicking with a rigid threat, “Smart choice, and from now on, I need you to respect my sister.”   
You grimaced at Ao’nung’s lack of apology when he simply raised his hands in mock surrender, obviously not taking Neteyam’s words seriously; followed suit by his friend who hissed at Neteyam from being told off.  Neteyam goaded his sister gently to the direction of the village marui with Lo’ak following, when Ao’nung voiced out another jibe. 
“Buh-bye~” One of his friends waved goodbye with a singsong voice.
“They’re all freaks.  The whole family,” he slyly whispered loudly, purposely making the siblings hear.  You frowned when Lo’ak stopped walking, only to turn back and approach Ao’nung with anger clearly visible from his eyes.   
“Lo’ak.” 
“I got this bro,” Lo’ak responded to his older brother calling his name in warning.  Facing Ao’nung, he raised his left hand, “I know this hand is funny.  Look, I’m a freak, it’s alien” he waved his pinky, making the group snicker at the ‘weird’ display.  “But it can do something really cool, watch.”  He slowly started to close his hand to form a fist, ”First I ball it up real tight like this, ‘kay? Then,” his balled up first met Ao’nung’s cheek, catching him off guard to pause for a few seconds at what had just occurred.  
“It’s called a punch, bitch.  Never touch my sister again,” he raised a finger in threat, only to be greeted with hisses and a tackle.  Your eyes met Neteyam and Kiri’s, only to gasp when Neteyam shook his head and joined in.  
“Oh dear,” you hissed when two of them pulled on Lo’ak’s tail, Ao’nung being the main instigator of the action.  “This is stupid!”  Kiri facepalmed in embarrassment, only to chortle at the childishness of the boys, making you follow her example as you bit your lip to stop yourself from laughing out loud at how silly they all looked.  It was not long before one of the villagers spotted the lot of you and helped stop the boys from worsening their injuries.  
As soon as the fight is broken off, Neteyam and Lo’ak were dragged by their necks by Jake Sully himself, meanwhile Ao’nung successfully evaded his mother by calling an ilu together with his friends.  
The eclipse had already begun when you went back to your home in order to assist your mother, spending time telling her of what had just occurred between your friends when an alarm resonated to gather the villagers.  As soon as you were in the emergency gathering, you spotted Ao’nung being interrogated by his own parents and Jake Sully, along with a livid Neytiri, clutching Tuk’s hand.  
“What’s going on, ‘Reya?” you inquired, spotting your friend behind her parents.  Her eyes glistened with welled up tears, fear clearly written on her face.  “It’s Lo’ak..” she started, repeating what Ao’nung confessed earlier. 
You raised your hands to your mouth in shock, terrified at what you heard, “What do you mean Ao’nung left Lo’ak beyond the hunting grounds?  No one but warriors are allowed there!”  You swallowed at the thought of Lo’ak getting injured, or worse, losing his life in the middle of nowhere.  You had witnessed Ao’nung’s tendency to play pranks countless times, but never did this particular idea strike your mind.  You did not expect things to escalate this much.  
Ao’nung met your gaze with his ears flattened down with regret and scrutiny at himself clearly on his face.  You avoided his gaze in utter disappointment, exasperated at the endangerment of one of your friends.  You thought he had done enough to make the family feel unwelcome, but this is going above and beyond the line.  He had endangered the life of another na’vi.  You could not bring yourself to meet his eyes without a scornful grimace on your face. 
It was not long after until someone yelled that they had found Lo’ak, hugging Tsireya in relief, her tears streaming down her face.  Lo’ak shook his head when he saw Ao’nung approaching him, getting blocked by his father’s distressed figure.  
“Hey, let’s take a look at you,” Jake roamed his eyes on his son’s body, noticing a few scratches, proceeding to check on Lo’ak’s back to see if there were any notable injuries that needed immediate remedy.  “He’s fine!  It’s just a few scratches, he’s fine,” he finished examining, Neytiri coming into view with concern morphed into her face, turning into something akin to rage, “I pray for the strength that I will not pluck the eyeballs of my youngest son!” She hissed with a clawing gesture right at Lo’ak’s face, interjected by Tonowari.  “No, my son knows better than to take him outside the reef.”  He smacked a hand at Ao’nung’s nape, making him kneel before them, “the blame is his.”  
“Okay, let’s go,” Jake shrugged off the statement, patting his son’s shoulder.  “No, this is not Ao’nung’s fault,” Lo’ak intervened, obviously covering up for the olo’eyktan’s son.  Ao’nung’s surprised expression made you shake your head at his foolishness, feeling bad for your friend for salvaging his bully’s honor.  Lo’ak peered at him, back to Tonowari “Ao’nung actually tried to talk me out of it, really.”  Tsireya only pursed her lips in shame for her brother’s poor decisions, urging her to walk away from the commotion.  Soon enough, the rest of the villagers were dispersed, ending the day with you thanking Eywa that she has kept your friend safe, and with the thoughts of Ao’nung circling within your mind.
The next day, you were once again gathered in your usual spot to help the Sully siblings with their breathing.  Although instead of training, the group had a newfound interest for talking, curious about Lo’ak’s frightening experience the prior day.  You found out that Ao’nung has apologized to Lo’ak, regretful of his actions but also thankful that the boy covered up for his irrationality.  
“The tulkun have not returned yet,” Ao’nung scoffed in disbelief, crouching down, “and anyway, no tulkun is ever alone” 
“But this one was, he also had a– a missing fin! On the left side, like a stump” Lo’ak defended, pointing at his arm, a bit annoyed.
Your eyes met Rotxo’s in realization, “Lo’ak, did you just say the tulkun was missing a fin?”  He nodded at you in hopes of finding more information about his friend, “You have met Payakan..”  Tsireya gulped, afraid for him because of what the villagers know about Payakan.  
“Payakan?”
Rotxo shook his head, fiddling with a shell, “A young bull who went rogue, he is an outcast. Alone, and he has a missing fin.”  Tsireya held Lo’ak’s arm, “They say he is a killer.”  Lo’ak frowned, “No, he saved my life–” “He killed na’vi, and other tulkun,” Ao’nung gritted his teeth, pointedly gesturing as if to emphasize his point.  “Not here, but far to the south.”  “Lo’ak, you are lucky to be alive,” Tsireya smiled as an attempt to ease his worries, but Lo’ak could only sigh, finding it ridiculous that none of his friends believed him.  
“My baby brother, the mighty warrior who survived from Payakan!”  Neteyam chuckled, patting his brother’s shoulders.  “No, you guys aren’t listening,”  “No I’m– I’m listening Lo’ak!” Tuk whined, reaching out for her brother.
You pressed your lips together, hugging yourself when Lo’ak stormed off.  Blinking at his brother’s response, Neteyam went to sit beside you, offering a smile, “I guess he’s not so mighty to be this fed up in a span of minutes, huh?”  You laughed, standing up to call it a day.  “(y/n), you are not coming with us?”  Tsireya asked, brushing off sand from her legs.  “I think I am going to pass, I have not told my mother that we would be visiting,” you smiled apologetically, waving at the rest of the group.  “I won’t be going as well,” Ao’nung said, standing up from his crouched position to walk towards you.  He slung his arm around you, nodding at his sister, “Be back before the eclipse, Tsireya.”  He shared a look with Rotxo, the latter snickering at his friend.  “See you guys around,” you waved, starting to walk with Ao’nung. 
You were talking to Ao’nung about his latest opinion on the Sully’s when a thought crossed your mind, something that you have been pondering since that night.  
“Ao’nung, am I not desirable?”  
Your question caught him off guard and stopped walking, “What?”  Confusion.  It was all written on his face.  “I said, am I not desirable?” you repeated while facing him, slowly meeting his gaze with glossy eyes.  You have been sought after before but when you turned 18, it was as if all of your redeemable qualities had disappeared.  That you have become dull compared to the other girls your age.  Keomä had bonded with Tifka.  Rotxo is obviously pining for a certain girl.  Tsireya and Lo’ak has something going on.  
Ao’nung..  
Ao’nung probably has someone in mind.
Your ears flattened down in shame, your insecurities resurfacing, doubts swallowing your heart as you searched for answers. 
Were you not worthy of being loved?
Tears started to stream down when Ao’nung opened his mouth to answer.  You were afraid that he might say something true that you cannot accept.  You were afraid that he might ridicule you.  You were afraid that you might be incapable of being loved.  You were afraid that nobody would see you.
You were afraid that Ao’nung does not see you the way you see him.
Ao’nung let out an exasperated breath, reaching for your hands.  “You are desirable.”  He licked his bottom lip, “You are beautiful,” he breathed, “the most beautiful metkayina.”  He tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, “You are good at healing, better than most in weaving.”  
You laughed, sniffling at the sudden compliments.  “You are not speaking the truth, Ao’nung.  You do not have to say those to make me feel better,” you smiled, looking at the horizons instead of his eyes.  You could hear the constant splashing of water against the sand, a sound that you have been accustomed with since you were little.  The blues reflect the way of the ocean, colors that you have most seen in your whole life.  
But you were not familiar with the way Ao’nung looked at you when you glanced back at his face.  The look of yearning, as if he was pleading.  Like there was a thing that he wanted to see. 
That, he sees you. 
Your heartbeat fastened at the thought.  Of course not.  He would not.
Interrupting you from more thinking, he spoke as if he was holding back “Do you have any idea why the others stopped trying to approach you?”  You blinked at him, a few tears escaping from your eyes.  
“I,” he inhaled sharply “I have told the others that I did not want them near you.”  He brought his hand up to wipe at your tears, “I made it clear that they were not worthy of you,” your eyes clouded up again in realization.  
“That I was the only one who can love you,” you gripped the arm that held your face, clutching it, afraid that you might slip away from this dream.  “I do not want you to see others so I made it impossible for you to have other options than I.”  Your lips quivered, “I see you, (y/n).  You have owned my heart since we were children,” his face was slowly inching towards yours, “you make me feel tiny in this world,” he smiled like he was in pain, “you hold my whole being, like you would a shell in your collection.”  
“You have so many people to choose from,” he closed his eyes, slowly closing the space between you, one centimeter at a time, “many shells to place in your song chord.”  He opened his eyes once again when your foreheads met, “But, I want to be the one who will be in your life, recorded and embedded in your heart.”
His eyes themselves were becoming glossy, reflecting the hopeful expression on your face, slightly flushed but still just as beautiful as you were when he first met you.  “I see you, (y/n).  I see you like how the ilu sees the ocean,” you smiled, happy tears dropping at the mercy of his loving gaze, and finally your velvety voice reached his ears.
“I see you, Ma Ao’nung.  I see you since the promise that I have spoken years ago,” without hesitation, your lips met, perfectly slotting together like puzzle pieces finally finding one another after years and years of searching.  His plump lips smiling against yours, slowly but passionately finding its place on yours, so full of longing, and as you returned with fervor, his arm found itself wounding across your back, one of his hands gently caressing your jaw, tilting it to a newer angle, making you sigh as he made it clear how long he waited for you to know.  For you to see him back. 
Seconds felt like hours to the two of you, the background fading into nothingness when it was just the two of you, close together.  Your lips parted to catch your breath, holding on to Ao’nung’s neck to balance your weakened knees.  You smiled against Ao’nung’s lips, “So, all those years you were taking all of their chances for yourself?”  He smirked, “A man cannot be too careful, they were simply not strong enough to go against me.”  
“Or, you were simply not strong enough to handle it if I saw someone else,” you snorted at his deadpanning face.  Your eyes widened in horror when you saw his face morph into something akin to a daring tsurak, his fangs visible from how wide his smile was, “You have five seconds.”  
“5,” you tried to get out from his tight grasp, giggling when he started to nose at your neck, 
“4,” he strengthened his grip, “not running away, pretty girl?” 
You wheezed, feeling too ticklish when he moved his arms near your sensitive spots, “3,”
“2”
“Oh my Eywa, Ao’nung!” you squealed, failing to escape.
“1!” 
“Ready or not, here I come!” he announced, making A’vire giggle nervously behind you.  You smiled at his tiny hands gripping your tail, trying to hide his whole body from his father.  
“Sa’nu, Aiwouì would not give me my tsurak back!” Ämepxìr cried, tugging at you as you bounced Aytretem in your arms making him giggle.  
“Aiwouì, give your sister her toy back, or I will snap your spear in half.” You glared at your 4-year old son.  
“Ma yawne, stop glaring at our son or he might just melt into a puddle,” Ao’nung pressed a kiss on your forehead, patting his son on the head, tearing up after being scolded.  
“Remind me again, why did I go for you?  Look at these little Ao’nungs!  None of them look like me,” you whined, repeatedly glancing over your children to double check if they at least had an ounce of you.  
He grinned, letting out a boisterous laugh when you let out a long sigh, “Maybe it is because I am stronger than you, (y/n).”
“Stronger?” you scoffed, “I see how it is.  I hope you are strong enough to withstand the cold nights Ao’nung,” his eyes almost popped out of his skull in realization.  
“No, ma– Yawntu, you know I was just–”  
“I hope you have fun being strong by yourself outside my mat, Ao’nung.”
-
Yawne, Yawntu – Beloved
Sa'nu - Mom, mother
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thewritetofreespeech · 2 months
Text
Astarion x Reader
words: 2.6K
rating: E
pairing: Ascended!Astarion x Tav (female)
tags: heterosexual sex, fingering, sex on a table, vampire nibbles, soft ascended!astarion (sort of), cazador servants
summary: why do formal tables have to be so long? luckily they are also sturdy. [x]
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He’d been lost in the halls of the palace for hours. Though he had lived here all of his undead life, 200 years of being trapped in these walls, Astarion had never been allowed to roam free. There were still secrets to the palace left to unlock. Secrets that Cazador had kept from them, far worse and far more subtle than the grand temple he had built in the ‘basement’.
Now that it was all his, Astarion felt this incredible urge to leave no stone unturned. Partly to understand his new home. Mostly, just to spite Cazador still.
“Master Astarion.” He turned around fast to see Vilhelm standing there. Still getting used to his new role and that he could be here in the library as he wished. The human, for his part, seemed perfectly comfortable in his new role. Funny how a tenday ago he would have spit on his shoes should they pass in the hall. Now he was quick to lick them should Astarion ask. “Dinner has been served and the mistress is waiting. But if you would like! I can have it sent back to the kitchen and await your orders.”
“No, no.” He tutted at the man. Who seems an odd combination of relieved and terrified at being corrected. “A gentleman never keeps a lady waiting.”
He had no idea that dinner had even been prepared. Nor that that was something to be expected. Now that he had ascended, the hunger that tormented him for centuries had finally been sated. He wondered, as he walked the halls with Vilhelm just behind him, if he could ever be hungry again. Would ever be hungry again.
The doors to the dinning room open for him and Astarion stepped in to observe the marvelous setting. His beloved at one end of the table while candles, silver chaffers, and decorative fruits littered the mahogany all the way to the other end. “Are we expecting royalty?”
“The master…I mean…the old master preferred a formal setting when he supped.” Varderola explained. A fact that Astarion would never know because he had never been in this room to eat, only to be paraded in front of Cazador’s guest before being shunned off to dine on his dinner of rats. He truly never even knew that Cazador ate anything. “But if the master would prefer-“No.” Astarion cut in quickly with a wave of his hand. “No. This is fine.” If it was good enough for Cazador, certainly such effort was good enough for him.
He walked over to Tav and gave her a kiss on the cheek, before going to his seat at the other end of the table. Less impressed with the table setting now that he was at one end of it and her at the other. Astarion could barely see her through all the candles & greenery.
“How was the tour of the palace?” He looked up when Tav spoke. Syrin poured her wine while Vilhelm on his left did the same. “Find any bodies stuffed in a trunk somewhere?”
Astarion chuckled. “No. Not yet.” This all felt so straight.
A few months ago, he would never have dreamed to be sitting here. He would have been absolutely terrified to even consider it. Now, here he was. Free, all powerful, the people who once shunned & ridiculed him waiting on him hand and foot, richer than probably any noble in Baldur’s Gate, beloved by the most beautiful woman in the realms. Things he had dreamed of when he was shackled below, where just one of them seemed out of reach. Now he had it all.
“Is everything alright?” Tav’s voice broke him out of his thoughts again. Speaking of so far out of reach….
“Yes, it’s just…you’re so far away.” Though it still seemed strange, the comedy of all this being for just the two of them was starting to sink in.
“Oh. Well. That’s a quick fix.”
Practical, yet as impulsive as ever, Tav simply picked up her wine and her plate at walked over to his end of the table. The servants seemed mortified, but Astarion was grinning ear to ear. Of course, a simple solution.
A new chair was brought up for her and she sat down to continue their meal. As if she hadn’t just broken probably 14 etiquette rules with her stunt. “I’m glad you liked your tour. I was nervous you might have found it…overwhelming.” Her concern for his well-being, even as he was all powerful now, made his chest feel tight and his cock hard. “But I had a thought. What if we redecorated this place? Made it our own?”
Astarion sat back in his seat and sipped his wine. Leaving his rare meat untouched. “Hmm…I suppose. Cazador always did have the most abysmal taste.” He could say that out loud now. “I don’t think one thing has been updated since I was here. And that’s saying something.”
Tav scoffed. “I’m sure it will take time. And money.”
“Which is no object now.”
“And of course I would want your opinion on things.”
“Of course you would darling.” Astarion replied with his standard, jovial way. “We certainly can’t have your design expertise lead the way. The whole place would be swords, pelts, and big shiny rocks you’ve found.”
“Ha ha….” He tried to hide his grin in his wine glass. “Besides that, I wasn’t sure if there would be anything you’d want to keep. Something….sentimental?”
“You could literally pack up everything in this place and throw it into the sea for all I care.” Sentimental. What a disturbingly odd word for these walls. “Honestly, do whatever you would like. Fill the ballroom with peacocks. Paint the walls whatever color you wish. Tear the walls down if you would like. Just, one thing I do ask,” he sat his glass down and took Tav’s hand in his, “you leave the bedroom design to me.”
He kissed her hand and watched her face flush. Suddenly he was very hungry. But it wasn’t for food.
“Get out.” He heard the shuffle of feet around them, but Astarion wasn’t looking at anyone but Tav. Once he heard the doors close and latch, he surged forward. Ensnaring them in a brutal kiss. Hot and heavy. Intoxicating as much as the wine on their lips.
The hand still wrapped around Tav’s held tighter and pulled forward. Jutting her out of her seat as he fell back. Making her a new seat in his lap. Astarion grinned, all teeth, against her lips as he nipped at them. His hands all over the soft silk on her hips and back as she sighed breathless into his kiss. He’d have to remember that she needed to breathe more than him now.
“Where did you get this lovely dress?” He asked as he gave Tav a chance to do that, but still peppered kisses over her chin, neck, and delicious neck.
“I uh…Syrin found it for me….” Her responses were staggered. He had to assume that it was hard to think in the fog he was creating. “Said I should dress for dinner.”
“You needn’t do anything you don’t want to, my treasure.” Astarion told her. “If you wish to dress down, or simply be naked, then that is what you will do. Personally, I would prefer the former. Though I doubt either one of us would get anything done in a day if this perfect body was on display all the time.” The only thing they would ‘get done’ was each other. “However, I just wanted to make sure this wasn’t one of your favorites as, although it is lovely, it’s in my way.”
 The silk stood no chance against him as Astarion gripped the fine material and under tulle and ripped. Tav let out a gasp as he broke her dress skirt free. It didn’t sound like one of alarm or shock, but one of arousal. One that was quickly confirmed when she rolled her hips against him. “Astarion….”
He felt that hunger grow in him again and he pulled Tav down for another long kiss. That perfect body that had slayed goblins, monsters, undead, and near gods, writhing & quivering against him in desire. It was truly more than a man could dream of.
Holding onto their kiss, Astarion blindly fumbled behind them against the table. Then, with one sweep of his long arm, sent his dinner, her dinner, the cups, the silverware, and napkins all tumbling to the ground. All of it made a horrible racket of shattered glass and broken plates, but Astarion couldn’t hear anything over Tav’s panting and the soft moan she made when he lifted her up and sat her down where all of it once was.
He pulled back to look at her. His beautiful consort. Laid out on the table on display and the picture of want. The only meal he was interested in now. “You’re radiant my treasure.”
Tav gasped. A soft sound past her lips as his cool fingers ran from them down her bodice, fingers flicking over the gold, before slipping under the edges of her torn skirt. Her shoulders lifting off the table a little with another soft gasp when he touched her entrance.
The candlelight flickered across her face in a mesmerizing dance as he continued to toy with her. “Astarion….”
“Do you like that my love.” He leaned over them to give Tav a soft kiss. To be that much closer when he whispered. “Tell me what you want.”
“I want you.” Simple. Practical.
“I know you do my sweet. And you have me. As I have you. Aeterna Amantes.” He had meant what he said. They would be together forever. Gods willing, even after that. Surely there was some method to his new power that would make it so. But, for now, “I want you to tell me what you want. Right now.” Tav let out a sharp gasp when he ran his thumb over her clit and curled his fingers inside her the way she liked. “Let me feast on your words.”
“I want you to fuck me.” Astarion smirked. What a vulgar little kitten. Gods how he loved that something so beautiful could be so….dirty. “Fuck me Astarion. I want to cum on your cock. I want you to cum inside me. I want to feel you inside me when you cum. Fuck me right here on this table.”
“My sweet, sweet treasure.” He pulled his fingers free from her cunt. Her thighs quivered a bit at the loss as he undid his trousers. “How could I say no?”
He stripped out of the rest of his clothes quickly. Like a new alabaster statue for the dining room. Then he gripped Tav’s hips and yanked her to the end of the table. She made a surprised sound but bit her lip seductively right after and spread her legs wide. ‘That’s my good girl.’
Astarion lined up and thrust forward when she opened her legs for him. His treasure let out the most delicious moan when he filled her. Her back arching high off the table. Hands scrambling for purchase on the wood as she tried to anchor in the wave of pleasure. He himself felt a bit overcome, and just had to take a moment to hold still and run his thumb over the soft embroidery of her bodice with his hands still at her waist.
With his newfound abilities, his senses were also sharper than they had ever been. Even sharper than when his treasure first let him start feeding on him and he knew what feeding on thinking creatures was like. It was like the world had gone from being in a fog or dim torch light in a cave to bright, vibrant display all around him. All the colors. All the sounds. All the tastes and touch. He wanted to explore all of it. And, especially, explore all of that with Tav right now.
His hips pulled back and he thrust into her again. She called his name, and he did it again. Over and over until he was pistoling his cock into her. Much to her delight, apparently, as Tav moaned and squealed and panted beneath him.
Astarion grinned wickedly as he watched his beloved and the city’s hero fall apart under him. Beautifully taking his cock. Thrusting up to meet him in perfect unison like the perfect pair they were. That wonderful look of agonizing ecstasy on their face.
The vampire lifted one of Tav’s legs wrapped around his waist up to his shoulder. The change in position lets him thrust harder, deeper and they cry out louder for him. He kissed the inside of their ankle and gave them a brief glance before he sunk his teeth into it. “Ah…Astarion….” His beloved fell back against the table. Nearly liquid as he drained hers from her body. His thrusts slowing from a hard fuck to something more sensual.
He felt a little drunk. All parts of him consumed in this moment as he literally consumed Tav. Body and soul. Astarion’s fangs release from her flesh and his treasure let out a little whimper when he did. “That’s it my sweet. Let it go.” He reached down between them to rub her clit. A set of sharp inhales following as Tav seemed desperate to get air in her lungs to withstand this pleasure. “You wanted to cum on my cock, right? Feel me cum inside you? Well, as always, I provide. Cum for me, my treasure. Break open for me.”
His words and touch seem to do the trick as Tav’s walls were quickly seizing around his cock, while screaming out in pleasure from her orgasm. Music to his ears.
Astarion continued to thrust through her orgasm but quickly followed. Spilling his seed inside her, as requested, before he collapsed in his chair from exhaustion soon after. From this angle, he was greeted with a perfect view of her cunt. Red and swollen. Wet from her juices and his cum. He was tempted to lean forward and taste it. Dessert after his meal, if he could only get out of this chair.
The moment past though as Tav quickly sat up on her elbows and closed her legs. Spoil sport. “We ruined dinner.”
“So?” Actually, he had had his dinner. In case she forgot.
“But they worked so hard on it. I feel bad we wasted it.”
Astarion scoffed. Of course his beloved would feel sorry for the servants. She had a big heart for the less fortunate. Like him, or who he used to be. “Their job is to work. Not be appreciated.” He told her.
Getting a second wind, Astarion stood from his seat again and wrapped his arm around Tav as he stood between his legs. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure some of it can be saved if you want a nibble later. I know I will.” He loved the sound of her giggle when he nipped at her ear. More music from his precious consort. “But, for now, let’s retire to our chambers and let them clean this up. We can discuss how to improve them. I’m thinking gossamer curtains, a four-post bed, and a mirror above it now that I can see my reflection with you in it.” Tav laughed as if it were a joke, but it wasn’t.
He would let her know about that later. Right now, he wanted to go back to the bedroom and sate this hunger that was still inside him.
His hunger for blood may have been sated with his ascension, but hunger for sex & Tav seemed stronger than ever now.
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copperbadge · 10 months
Text
Every time, you guys. Every time I look into alternatives to Lulu.com for self-publishing I come up with “Wow Lulu really is the best of a bad set of options, huh?” 
Recently, Draft2Digital bought Smashwords in order to bring a print book company under their aegis; they’d formerly only done ebooks. I thought I might investigate them as an alternative to Lulu, which I’ve used for about twelve years now. For ebooks I would venture D2D is probably top of the line. For print books they are....not. 
I’m writing this out half so other folks can see it but half so that in the future I can look this up and remind myself of why I’m still with Lulu. 
TLDR: Not only does Draft2Digital want 60% of my print book royalties where Lulu takes 0%, and $30 for a proof that costs me $11 at Lulu, but I also appear to have solved the problem of why Lulu was making me price my books so goddamn artificially high. Which is like. Honestly the best anti-anxiety drug I’ve experienced this week. 
Basically there are a number of elements that go into self-publishing with a print-on-demand service. For some publishers, there’s a “setup fee” which doesn’t really set anything up, it’s just there to be a fee, everything is done by computer on the back end. Traditionally, Lulu has not charged a setup fee. Smashwords used to charge $50, but Draft2Digital currently waives it. I was heartened by that because the setup fee was keeping me from migrating, since I can afford $50 but I balk at knowing I’m paying them $50 for nothing. 
Next is the cost of printing -- what it costs the company in paper, ink, machinery, labor, etc, to just make a book with no profit. Lulu’s price calculus isn’t super clear and I’ve never bothered looking at what the breakdown is, because they’re pretty up-front -- they tell you in the process of setting the book up how much it’ll cost. In this case, a 140-page 6x9 trade paperback, no frills, which is how all my books are printed, is $5. Draft2Digital doesn’t tell you the flat price anywhere but they do offer the breakdown information; it costs $1.22 flat plus $0.0133 per page. So, for a 140 page book, the at-cost is $3.08. So far so good. 
Now, if you’re going to sell through Lulu, the “at cost” is the minimum price. You won’t make any money but you CAN charge just $5 for a $5 book. Any pricing above that is your cut. So -- let’s price this 140 page trade paperback at $13-$15. That’s a bit high to be honest but let’s just see. At Lulu, your take is roughly $6-$8 based on those prices, because you’re just dropping out the cost of printing from the retail price. 
At Draft2Digital, the same 140-page trade paperback, which remember is quoted as costing roughly $1.20 less to print than Lulu charges, gets you $2.75-$3.50 in royalties per book.
....wait, what? 
So now we need to sidetrack a little but I promise it’s for a reason. One of the motivations for looking into a change to Draft2Digital is that I didn’t like that Lulu was setting higher “minimum prices” than I was accustomed to -- they would tell me the book only cost $5 to print but require me to sell it for $12 or similar, and I couldn’t work out why. I’m an idiot but the penny did finally drop: it’s because when you distribute them outside of Lulu (say, on Amazon or Barnes & Noble or similar) your royalties drop like a stone. $7 in royalties purchased through Lulu comes out to like twenty-five cents purchased through Amazon. So Lulu forces you to price the book at a point where you even GET royalties and don’t end up weirdly owing Amazon money. The “global distribution” is what’s driving that minimum up. 
So in price-quoting a competitor I actually solved the problem with Lulu. 
Which is good, because the fun doesn’t stop there. If you want a proof copy of a book from Lulu, it’s the at-cost of the book, plus tax, plus postage. Buying a proof copy of this book from Lulu would cost me $11. Lulu makes you order a new proof copy every time you make a change, which is shady, but usually I only need to make 1-2 changes across the life of a book, so at most the cost will probably be $35 and for that I’ll get three copies of the book. Draft2Digital doesn’t give you an option. If you want a proof pre-publication, it’s $30 flat. If you want to publish and then buy a copy you can, but you can only make one change to the book every 90 days once it’s published. If you want to make more than one change, it’s $25 every time you upload a new version of the manuscript within that 90 day period.
So Draft2Digital’s books cost less to print but they take a massive cut of your royalties out of the retail cost of the book. If the book costs $3 to print, and I price it at $15, that’s $12 in profit on the book. Of that $12, however, I only receive $4. Draft2Digital literally wants 2/3 of my royalties per book. They want $20 more than Lulu to send me a proof copy. If I need to correct the proof, the correction is free, but I’m assuming the second proof will also cost me $30. Any changes after that, within 90 days, will cost $25 plus $30 for a new proof.
Which means my upfront costs at Lulu are about $35 per published book; to do the same thing at Draft2Digital is between $60 and $105 depending on whether I need to make changes after the second proof copy. And even after that, my royalties at Lulu are just about twice what they would be at Draft2Digital per purchase. 
So, well, Lulu it is. And the problem I was having with Lulu is solved if I decide to just retail through Lulu rather than selling globally. Which...selling globally has done two things that I’m aware of:
1. Fucked up my author page so badly on Amazon that one of my books is still attributed to Kathleen Starbuck, and one of her books is for sale on my author page. 
2. Raised the minimum price I’m allowed to set my books at by like, 40%. 
So I think probably what’s going to happen is going forward my books will be for sale only on Lulu. I can still assign them ISBNs and they still will ship worldwide, and the prices will fall significantly. My deepest apologies to those of you who have paid an artificially inflated price for the last few books; I’m going to fix that going forward, I’m going to go in and try to fix it retroactively in the books that are already on Lulu, and if it’s any consolation at least the cash came to me, and TWO THIRDS OF IT didn’t go to Lulu. 
It’s gonna take me a little time, untangling Lulu’s relationship to other retailers is tricky, but eventually the Shivadh Omnibus and Twelve Points should come down significantly in price, and there ought to be a dollar or two drop for the older books as well. 
This is why it always pays to do the math, even if like me you are dreadful at it. 
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m1ssunderstanding · 3 months
Text
Understanding Lennon McCartney Rewatch Part 1.4
Oh, John. It's hard because I'm like “fame was not good for that man” but I'm also like “he would've gone crazy with self-loathing if he didn't have the fame.”
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John and Paul start to answer a question at the same time. John: no, go on, you can say it. They're seriously so married. 
John's schoolboy flirting is cute, but what's more noteworthy to me is a) how happy Paul is to be shoved and b) how he instantly leans back into John. It's like they're bungeed together or something. 
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John gets me. Look how much he loves Paul bringing out the forced confidence shield to protect him. He's so in love. So turned on. 
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Here's my question about the death threats. Did the other Beatles actually receive them and tell Brian about them and keep them from John? Because that would be incredibly sweet and noble of them, but also, in that case, surely John received death threats too. Meaning he just didn't care about his own life and assumed the others were being left out of it because they hadn't actually said they were bigger than Jesus. Or did they have people filtering all their mail by that point? And Brian had been keeping the death threats from all of them? Because that could be interpreted as both protective and selfish of him. Does anyone know?
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Again. I just love how Paul goes to bat for John over and over during this tour. Batting his eyes and playing with his hair and shouting down any and all criticism of John speaking his mind.
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This moment is so telling to me. An interviewer who was up front at several concerts points out the looks and smiles between John and Paul which you can only see from the front and asks, “is it really that much fun every time?” The easy answer is, “Yeah. We like what we do. It's fun!” But Paul gets cagey. “Oh well the thing is you know with things like that it's probably…” and he makes up a bullshit story about messing up on a song they haven't performed in a year. Why do that if you don't have something to hide? (Even if you're subconsciously hiding) That right there is a tip-off for me that they're not normal about each other. 
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Interviewer: are you guys breaking up? John, immediately and emphatically: No. Paul: "Depends what you mean by breaking up, you know . . . Because we can't go on forever like this, so we've got to think now and prepare for, you know, if it did happen. The time has come for us to break up, but we've realized the possibility . . . Of breaking up as a natural progression." Literally shut the fuck up right now, you're going to give John an aneurysm.
I understand. I know. I don't relate to Paul much but I do relate to his hyperactivity and his avoidant attachment. I make sure constantly that I'll be okay when all my relationships end. But you don't talk about that in front of the other person. Especially someone like John whose worst fear is being left. Come on. Think. 
See, now look what you did, Paul. Here's John's answer the next time they're asked about breaking up. 
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And yeah, the klan being the ones to “stand up against the Beatles blasphemy” really proves my point from the last post I think. It's just masked racism. 
It actually seems like Paul's more vocally political at this point in time than John is. I wonder what happened to change that? Was it just the influence of their respective wives? Was it just easier for them to play up the roles they'd been assigned for the most part?
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Okay on this round of “are you breaking up” they look at each other first before they answer and then Paul goes “all together probably.” I wonder if they talked about their previous answers together and admitted – however cautiously or however veiled – that hearing the other say they might leave hadn't been fun. Who knows, honestly.  
Paul and John often talk about making a radio show together apparently. Gosh if only they could've done that now. I'd make them my token white boy podcast. It'd be great. They'd be so lame and so adorable and they'd talk about recipes and politics and they'd gossip and rank other people's music. But anyway, what really gets me is the often bit. So they really did plan their post-beatle future together. Enough that it was a frequent topic of discussion between them. They planned to be together forever. 
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Ugh it always guts me that Paul brought a girlfriend to Paris with him to meet up with John.
Okay my tin hat is glued to my head for this but. But. Hear me out alright? So John starts filming on 09/19/66. He's there for 6 &½ weeks. Putting the end at the beginning of November, right when Paul goes in disguise and alone to Paris. Do we have tabs on John for those dates? John just talked about going around Paris in disguise. What if  they met up by themselves and in secret? What then?
 No fucking wonder John was exhausted with him. Damn. He takes a month and a half to write strawberry fields, shows it to Paul, then...
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Interviewer: the songwriting team will keep going whatever happens will it? John: yeah, we'll probably carry on writing music Forever. It's just so ‘Obviously. Might as well ask me if the sun's going to come up tomorrow.’
His friend – try dangerous drugs with and take home to daddy type “friend” – just died brutally and suddenly two days ago, and this is what he looks like and talks like and he's going in to work like it's nothing. I just. Compare that to John talking about Brian's death? Obviously two very different relationships but still… Paul's upbringing really fucked him up so hard. He thinks he's not allowed to be human. What can I say? It's a drag.
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AKA the happiest 6 months of John and Paul's lives. 
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I find it fascinating that Paul alone is asked to compose and record what would eventually become the carnival of light and that he just went ahead and included everyone in that. Really makes me wonder if he got a vibe off John that him doing the family way alone was hurtful or if they maybe even talked about it? Or maybe he just didn't like doing the family way without John.
Actually quite a lovely, forward-thinking, humble speech. Imagine being John, though. Watching that from home like “why the fuck is he philosophizing to the world without me?” Because you know John shares all those sentiments and might even have got there first. It would be infuriating.
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“A lucky man who made the grade” is an interesting way to describe Tara and I can't help but wonder if it has anything to do with Tara being cool enough for Paul to associate with him. And Paul is many things but stupid is not one of them. He's going to at the very least wonder if this verse is about John laughing at his friend's death. Right? Like I know Paul's the repression CEO but seriously I don't think even he is that good. 
Maybe that Leopold and Leob quote isn't just about tearing people down verbally. Maybe Wooler genuinely got a vibe of a sense of superiority and therefore lack of empathy with Lennon/McCartney.
I mean he really does sound like he's describing sex though, doesn't he? Emotional, loving, romantic sex. Followed immediately by Paul's “I'd love to turn you on” lyrics and the “down with pants” and “sword swallower” pins. Alrighty then. 
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What I would call my Beatles bio after watching this. "They Touched Dicks: The Only Logical Conclusion."
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tee-dohrnii · 10 days
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Hey!! I’d love to see Thalia and Gale being domestic, if you don’t mind!! Your art is GORGEOUS.
I’d also love to learn more about Thalia’s backstory or any Gale headcannons you had!
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I hope this counts as being domestic I just can't resist a good nap time moment :') and I also wanted to just do doodles but I got carried away and started coloring 😭 coloring has never been my strong suit so I hope this is fine
And uaaa thank you for thinking my art is gorgeous!!! I'm honestly really glad to see people are enjoying my silly doodles here thank you!!
--- vv Thalia backstory blurb vv ---
In terms of backstory, honestly I haven't been able to flesh it out much yet! I also don't know much about dnd lore (I really wish I did) so anything I say here may not be consistent with lore :'D
However, what I have so far is Thalia used to be Thalia Adkrana, daughter of a noble family from a powerful bloodline of storm sorcerers. Despite being the 4th born child out of 5 children, since birth she's shown to be more blessed with magic than anyone in her family, powerful storms raging around her constantly when she was younger and destroying anything around her, causing trouble for her family. As she grew older, she may have logically understood how it is to keep her lightning under control, but whenever she gets very emotional her magic tends to lash out in response to her reactions. Growing up privileged and powerful, she also developed a bit of a superiority complex and an awful temper when things don't go her way, so not really a good combo when her magic gets unstable when she's upset.
Because of this, her family preferred keeping her within their property as much as possible to avoid dealing with her and to avoid troubling others, especially when one wrong outburst from her could ruin their family reputation. Growing up isolated from world didn't really help her grow and mature properly either, and her temper tantrums got worse and worse the longer she was kept in there and the more her family seemed to just give up on her. The only one she could really confide in and find comfort in was her younger brother.
Everything really changed when one day she decided to speak up against her family and demanding they let her leave the house, let her come with them to one of their social gatherings. Hells, she's been trapped in their property for 30 years at this point she wants to engage with people, even peasants at this point because she'd rather deal with them than look at the same suffocating decor for even another second. Voices and tempers rising, she grew more and more frustrated as her parents kept shutting down every argument she could come up with, and the more the storms around her grew the more she proved that her parents were right for keeping her in. Angry at them, angry at herself, thunder roared and the lightning sparks dancing around her gathered into huge bolts of lightning, surging out of her in rage as if her magic itself was screaming out for her if her words and her voice couldn't reach her family. She knew they had every good reason to not let her out, knowing her own lack of control over her own emotions - but maybe if they trusted her just once, guided her, saw her as someone in desperate need of help instead of a stain on their family name, maybe things could've been different.
But that's not how we got to this point. A loud thud of a body falling flat on the ground snapped her out of her state and right beside them lay one of their servants, dead at her feet, and as if the panic she was feeling couldn't get any worse, just close by she saw her younger brother lying on the floor, badly hurt and crying out from pain. Immediately her parents, older siblings, and anyone who heard them nearby rushed to her little brother and the poor servant, doing their best to take care of the situation and Thalia stood there silent, watching her world fall apart in front of her eyes.
The order to banish her from their home came soon after, no longer Thalia Adkrana but simply Thalia, removing her status and all the benefits that name gave. Since she so desperately wanted to go out and see the world, now the world is all she'll have and no home to return to.
Kinda really awful timing when shortly after she started her new unwanted life as an adventurer, she got picked up by a nautiloid and had a tadpole squirming its way behind her eye.
And also shortly after meeting poor souls who shared the same unfortunate tadpole situation she was facing, it's no wonder Thalia fell so hard for a certain wizard who showed her in one night how beautiful, intimate, and warm magic could be as it enveloped her whole being like a gentle embrace - that her power and her emotions were something she could learn to channel and not be afraid of, a perspective her family failed to teach her for 30 years. And even if at times she still found herself electrocuting the waters they stood on in her anger or excitement and hurting them, or maybe her temper would get the best of her again and she would unconsciously lash out at them before she could even realize she was yelling, after every argument or petty insults thrown at each other, they would still watch out for one another and care for each other and soon after they'd be sitting around a campfire laughing and enjoying each other's company.
It's no wonder once she's found a family she truly belonged in and felt safe in that her true nature finally bloomed after being suppressed for so long - a kind, lonely girl who loved being around people and helping them in all the ways she wished she could've helped her younger self ages ago, never letting anyone get left behind and given up on like she was back then.
Although being out of touch from reality for 30 years did create a lot of very awkward moments when interacting with people during the beginning of their journey, she did learn very fast how best to compose herself in public - best she could when the ones teaching her are also a couple of social outcasts but hey it's fine.
---
Whew! That's a lot actually. Idek if any of that makes sense I'm not going to proofread all that :') I also don't really have any Gale headcanons I do really enjoy reading other people's headcanons about him though!
I hope this answer is sufficient ^_^
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iamnmbr3 · 3 months
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Draco's Motivations in the Book 7 Room of Requirement Confrontation
I just reread the Fiendfyre sequence and based on a close reading Draco's motivations and actions are a lot more complex and sympathetic than I remembered. Not to mention, once again, here there be drarry.
First, the context:
After the incident at Malfoy Manor, we know from Harry's psychic connection to Voldemort and from the Carrows' overheard discussion that Voldemort's wrath was exceptionally terrible. The Malfoy family became virtual prisoners in their own homes for months and were subjected to especially brutal (even by Voldemort's standards) torture that was also likely quite protracted. Lucius has visible marks on him months later - which, given what we know about magic in that world, really speaks to the level of what has been going on. While he probably got the worst of it, it's certain that none of his family members escaped unscathed. After their other failings they have at this point probably permanently fallen out of favor and have nothing but a (likely short) life of misery to look forward to.
Draco bears a lot of responsibility for this state of affairs since it was he who chose not to identify Harry. This likely adds to his sense of conflict as his conscience tells him one thing and everything he has ever been taught tells him something else. He presumably feels responsible for the suffering his family (we know from book 6 that he does genuinely care about them) has to endure.
Not to mention that he himself is suffering along with them. It would be unsurprising therefore if he felt tempted to "rectify" his earlier moment of what he probably perceived as weakness and made a last ditch attempt to save his parents' (and his own) lives and prestige. While Harry has been taught that love and mercy are noble and valuable impulses, Draco has not. In his world love and mercy are called weakness.
Quite possibly as he suffered and faced death alongside his family, part of him must have felt ashamed of the impulses that led to his choices when Harry was a prisoner at the Manor. Everything he has been taught tells him that Voldemort's victory is inevitable and that his moment of shameful weakness has accomplished nothing except to fail his own family and condemn them (and himself) to a likely short life filled with suffering.
At most what we see in the Room of Requirement is a replay of what we saw on the Astronomy Tower - where Draco is deeply conflicted and when confronted with the reality of violence in support of Voldemort cannot go through with it even under tremendous pressure and even though his failure to carry out these acts of violence will inflict danger and suffering on himself and his loved ones.
But, is that even what actually happens? In my opinion, the answer is "no."
The scene in question:
If we actually look at the text it's not even clear that's what's going on at all. Draco's motives are ambiguous at best here. The scene starts when Harry is stretching out his hand to take the diadem. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle come up behind him and he is completely unaware of them. Draco then announces their presence, alerting Harry that he is being watched. He could've very easy simply stunned Harry or attempted to put the Imperius Curse on him (or killed him) while his back was turned. But he didn't do any of those things. Instead he talks, thereby ruining the element of surprise.
And that's not typical of Draco at all when he actually wants to attack Harry. He's never beaten Harry in a face-to-face confrontation. (In fact, the last time he tried - in 6th year - he almost ended up dead.) The two times he has managed to incapacitate Harry - when he petrified him on the train in 6th year and when he hid and caught Harry for Umbridge with a tripping jinx in 5th year - he did so by using the element of surprise to his advantage.
Given that Draco knows that Harry is a very formidable opponent (AND that Harry's friends are nearby) if he truly simply wanted to capture or kill him, announcing his presence is the last thing he would ever do. Then he says "That's my wand you're holding." He still doesn't cast any spells - not even to try to disarm Harry. He also doesn't say he wants to hand him over to Voldemort. He doesn't even tell Harry to drop his own wand, attempt to take him prisoner, or even threaten him.
It is Crabbe, not Draco who says "We're gonna be rewarded...We decided to bring you to 'im." Draco doesn't say anything about his own intentions other than that he wants his wand back - and we certainly know that even in 6th year he didn't trust Crabbe and Goyle, much less now, and thus is unlikely to speak openly in front of them. 
At this point Ron comes to investigate and Crabbe tries to use magic to cause a mountain of debris to fall on Ron and crush him. Harry counters the spell and Draco then grabs Crabbe's arm when he tries to repeat the spell. He gives as his justification the need to avoid the diadem being crushed but since we know he doesn't trust Crabbe it's likely this isn't truthful. Especially since Voldemort has not said anything about wanting the diadem (and even if it wasn't a Horcrux it likely wouldn't be damaged in any case).
Crabbe points out this very thing and Draco argues with him at which point Crabbe says "Who cares what you think? I don't take your orders no more, Draco. You an' your dad are finished." So arguably he was not even including Draco in the "We" he imagined would be rewarded. Crabbe then tries to use Crucio on Harry.
Draco then again intervenes and tries to stop him. 
"STOP" Malfoy shouted at Crabbe, his voice echoing through the enormous room. "The Dark Lord wants him alive--"  
He doesn't even just say it. He shouts. We rarely see Draco shout. He is someone who generally keeps his deeper emotions hidden - it's why he's so naturally gifted at Occlumency to the point that he is powerful enough at a young age to lie to both Snape and Voldemort.
What he says here doesn't really even make sense because Goyle isn't even trying to kill Harry; he's just trying to hurt him. However Draco is so distressed by this that he actually starts yelling, something we NEVER see him do at ANY other point in the book. "The Dark Lord wants him alive" is also exactly what Snape says to Bellatrix as they flee in book 6, and we know that Snape's real intent was to protect Harry with a believable excuse. It's the only thing Draco could reasonably say in that moment as a justification. 
Crabbe (rather sensibly) points out that 1) he didn't even try to kill Harry and 2) Voldemort ultimately wants Harry dead so it probably doesn't matter that much. This makes perfect sense. And yet Draco is inordinately concerned with preventing harm to Harry & Co rather than with taking any action to capture or even disarm any of them.
Clearly he did not expect to lose control of Crabbe and Goyle like this and as a result is now losing control of the situation (and himself). (Unlike Harry, Draco is more of a planner and is not as good at reacting in the moment.) Also the possibility that Harry could be killed seems to drive him nearly to the point of hysteria - rather like how Ron reacted to Hermione being in mortal peril at the Manor. This is not just a general aversion to killing. This is something more. He finds the idea of Harry dying truly unbearable. (I don't need my ships to be canon; this one just happens to be.)
At this point they start fighting and Draco loses Narcissa's wand. Wandless, he STILL tries to intervene. Crabbe and Goyle are both aiming their wands at Harry and Draco once again starts yelling -  "Don't kill him! DON'T KILL HIM!" and is obviously in significant distress and is not at all happy with what is going on. 
After that the Fiendfyre gets loose and the rest of the scene goes down without much dialogue.
At NO POINT does Draco 1) actually say he wants to hand Harry to Voldemort OR  2) attempt to attack Harry or Ron or Hermione at all OR 3) use his Dark Mark to call Voldemort OR 4) tell anyone he's seen Harry after they get out of the Room of Requirement - even in a later scene when he's been cornered by a Death Eater who is considering killing him he doesn't reveal this information even though that probably would've proven his loyalty or at the very least distracted the Death Eater.
Conclusions about Draco's motivations:
So, where does that leave us? What went down there and what was Draco trying to do?
We really have 3 options.
Option 1: Draco tried to hand Harry over to Voldemort in order to save himself and his family, got cold feet and couldn't really go through with it, and then lost control of the situation due to Crabbe and Goyle's changing loyalties. 
Verdict: Possible but unlikely given the remarkably bad job he does of it and how inconsistent his approach is with his usual MO. Even if we assume his heart wasn't in it you'd think he'd at least have got as far as disarming Harry before announcing his presence. Especially since Harry almost killed him last time they fought (and Draco probably doesn't know Harry didn't know what the Sectum Sempra curse would do.)
And if his heart WAS in it then then this makes even less sense since he not only didn't attack Harry while his back was turned but also didn't call Voldemort or even inform anyone that he'd seen Harry. 
Option 2:  Draco wanted to get himself captured in a way that looked convincing so that he could take the chance Dumbledore offered in 6th year, only it went quite badly wrong.
Verdict: This would be an interesting possibility but I think it's also unlikely as it's simply too risky. He doesn't know Harry was there on the astronomy tower or that Harry would make the same offer. His family would also likely be murdered if Voldemort realized this had happened.  
Option 3: Draco wanted to cut a deal in order to improve his family's situation without actually handing Harry over - perhaps he hoped for some kind of exchange where he could get his wand back and bring Voldemort the diadem as some kind of consolation prize - but overestimated his control over his cronies and lost control of the situation. 
Verdict: I actually think this works best given his behavior during the scene. He initiates a conversation because he wants information about what and where the diadem is (and what value it would have to Voldemort) and because he wants to make some offer along the lines of 'give me my wand and the diadem and we'll let you go.' This could get him what he wants and help his family without actually harming anyone.
Also it hedges his bets a bit because if Harry wins he will owe Draco. The problem of course is that Crabbe and Goyle aren't happy to just take orders anymore and have their own goals. At that point, instead of caving and going along with what Crabbe and Goyle want to do instead, Draco actually tries to intervene, albeit in a way that doesn't actually expose him as questioning Voldemort.  
Draco made his choice at the Manor. If he wanted to hand Harry over he would have. But he couldn't. He cares about him too much. But he also feels tremendous guilt and fear over the price he and his family are still paying for that decision. This is his attempt to try to fix things - to try to find a middle ground between the conflicting imperatives that are tearing him apart. The reality though, as he shortly discovers, is that there is no middle ground. And when he sees that, once again he chooses Harry.
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chatterbox-73 · 10 months
Text
.Sugar Daddy.
.Birthday bunny.
Izuku Midoriya x fem!Reader
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This story is a smut story, I’ll more characters x reader one shots in the future and if you want to see a character please let me know.
You must be 18 years or older to read this...
🔞⚠️NO MINORS ALLOWED⚠️🔞
A/N: happy birthday Izuku🎉 also this one shot isn’t edited.
Summary/inspiration/prompt: what would Japan’s number one hero spend his birthday on…? Of course, he’d spend it with the top hostess in Japan with all his friends.
Word count: 3k
CW: NSFW and adult content, aged up characters, mention of contraceptive, illegal prostitution, anal play, pet name (bunny), bunny ears and tail, humiliation, voyeurism, oral (m&f!receiving), breast play, sex toy/butt plug, Bi Midoriya and drinking alcohol.
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You stood in a line before a table of Japan’s top heroes, the men laughing and drank, cheering for their friend; who you had been informed was celebrating his birthday. The man in question was your nations number 1 hero and had defended the evil villain ‘All for one’ and his protégée ‘Tomura Shigaraki’, his name ‘Deku’.
“I have all the girls you requested, please take your pick…” the owner of the company said with a smile, your eyes shifting to either side of you, all the girls in the line shared no similarities; some were tall while others were short, some were plump and fuller while others were lean and bony, some had large breasts and bottoms while others were less well endowed, however you quickly realised what you and the other women had in common, you were the high ranking hostesses who were also unofficial prostitutes.
You did your best at hiding your amusement, it was ironic all these heroes, noble and just, and oh so willing to use illegal prostitutes. “Mr. Deku, do any of the girls catch your attention?” Asked the own and the green haired hero nodded, before pointing to you, “that one… she’ll do” Deku spoke smoothly, you boss nodded with a smile, “have her take the present we brought with us” spoke a blonde sitting next to Deku, he grinned and nudged his friend.
You stepped into the room just across from the room with all the heroes, now they all sat with the other women you’d been lined up with. You walked over to the table were a package sat, you opened the box and examined the contents, there was a navy green lingerie set lined with black lace, matching stockings, black red bottom heels… you examined the bra and measured it too your chest, a surprising fit. You looked at the underwear, if you could call them that, it was more like a small triangle held together by strings and a few dainty chains. However looking back in the box something mint green and fluffy caught your attention, grabbing it out, it was a pair of bunny ears. You then looked back in the box in search of the tail and to your shock found it.
“It’d probably be too late to back out” you sighed as to grabbed the small package and opened it, pulling out a rather large plug with a mint green bunny tail on the end of it, you had admittedly done many weird things and probably worse then this, however you’d never felt so nervous.
You stiffened your lip and began to get cleaned up and dressed, you’d eventually got to the point where you’d have to put in the plug, you twisted the thing in your hand and noted it was bigger then most of the men you’d entertained but you pervaded, squeezed a large amount of lubricant on it before you lifted your leg into a chair and began to push it in, there was a brief discomfort before your body relaxed and the metal of the plug warmed. You hummed as the fluff of the tail met your skin and the plug filled you.
Standing before the mirror you twisted and turned getting a good look at yourself, you ran your fingers over the tops of your breasts and down your front; you looked good, you most certainly wouldn’t deny that, you turned before wiggling your butt and the tail jingled, you chuckled before being pulled from your thoughts as there was a knock at the door, “almost done, our patrons are growing tired of waiting” called your boss through the door, “oh yes, I’m ready” you called back and the man entered the room, he stared at you for a moment before grinning and passing you a robe.
“You look wonderful” he helped you with your robe before straightening your bunny ears, “wonderful enough for you to take me out?” You smirked and your boss shook his head, “I’m more of a cat person” he replied nonchalantly and untucked your hair from the robe. Your boss guided you back to the room with all the heroes, he had a cake that he passed to you and explained you were going to disrobe, sing ‘happy birthday’ and then take Deku into the connected room were you’d do as he asked. Your boss opened the door and stepped in, the room was filled with laughter and singing, “oi that girl ready yet?” Asked what sounded like the blonde from earlier, “yes she’s ready” he signalled for you to enter.
Stepping into the room you noticed the other hostess had stripped down to their underwear or less, some had simply unzipped their dresses and slipped the top of the dress down to their hips, before taking off their bra, while other completely removed their dresses, and one even sat on your clients lap naked, you walked around the table and placed the cake down in front on Deku and smiled, “you there, get the lights” you faked a smile and the girl got up and moved, as you began to light the candles on the cake, before looking to the hero “Mr number one, may I ask your help with my robe” you grabbed his hand and brought it to the tie, he pulled it and watched as the robe fell down your body and pool at your feet, one of your other coworkers quickly grabbed the robe and took it over too the manager and stood beside him and the other coworker you had told to get the lights.
The room dimmed and you began to sing, you pulled Deku’s hand around you and rested one of your own on his shoulder, once you finished singing you lent down and spoke, “blow out your candles Mr Deku and make a wish… try to get all of them or you’ll get a punishment” before you whispered, “but even if you don’t get all your candles in one go, I’ll still grant all your wishes” you chuckle and licked his ears before standing up, the man got all but one candle, everyone cheered as the lights came back on. You lent over again and blow out the last candle before pulling them out of the cake, you wiggles your butt as you did so, the small jingle suddenly sounded so loud and it drew the attention of several of the man, some looked surprised and shocked not fully believing any of the hostess would have worn it, the blonde who you believed was behind organising this event sat on the other side of you had handed Deku a small metallic thing and gave your butt a good squeeze before focusing back on the topless woman on his lap, bringing his hands back to her very large breasts.
You scooped some icing on your finger and stood up straight, before wiping it on Deku’s lips and cheek, “I told you, I’d have to punish you if you left any candles lit” you giggled and licked your finger clean, the man smiled and looked at you before clicking something in his hand, before you knew it your knees slightly buckled and you grabbed tightly onto his shoulder and as strong vibrations radiated through your rectum, the bell jingled violently signalling to the others at the table the cause for your sudden reaction. “What’s the matter bunny?” Deku spoke his first words since choosing you, you shook your head and straightened up, “uhh… nothing… Mmm just fine” you moaned with a smile and grabbed both of his hands, “would you like to go now?” You asked however the man shook his head, “I’d like to have some cake first” he hummed and you looked over to your boss who nodded before quickly leaving the room.
You served the hero a slice of cake, however before he began eating he instructed you to wipe off his face, however this was no easy task as he had turned the vibrations on and off vigorously, you were then told to stand and wait for him, which again would have been easy enough however Deku had decided to turn the vibrations up so high the tail looked as though it began to wiggle, you moaned loudly as you felt the vibrations in your cunt as well as deep in your tight rectum, your legs shook but you managed to stay standing.
Some of the man laughing while others palmed themselves as you whine and whimpered, however your client remanded stoned face and after glancing at his crotch… flaccid. The blonde next to you however was both laughing at you and had already moved the woman previously on his lap to under the table where she was serving him… and yet your client remained unbothered by it all and simply ate his cake, “would you like cream, Mr Deku?” You asked and picked up the bowl with whipped cream, the man nodded and sat back watching you, however instead of dolloping cream onto the cake, you dolloped it onto your breasts, “oopsie, it seems I don’t have much control over my hands, can you help me?” You asked and the man replied by pushing his chair out and grabbing your waist in a firm grip, his eyes met your and instantly of the response your thought you’d get… something like a small blush and a laugh; you got something completely different. Deku gave to a narrowed eye looked that said ‘really?’, he looked at you like you were some annoying idiot, however he leant down and began to lick from your bellybutton where the cream dripped down to, before licking up slowly, the room filled with cheers and you felt a shiver as you watched his harsh and narrow eyes, he then licked over the tops of your breasts before he then pulled the straps of your bra off the shoulders, exposing your breasts to everyone, Deku’s large hot tongue gliding over one of your breast and you bite your cherry red lips before he licked over your other breast and took the entire boob into his mouth, you moaned and your eyes rolled back as he began suckling on your nipple, the room roar with cheers and you looked back at the man as he sucked and flicked his tongue over your nipple, while his hands held you tightly in place, his eyes closed and you found yourself glanced over to the remote for the butt plug, without a second thought you reached for it, however Deku caught your wrist and pulled it behind your back, all while still he suckled your nipple with his eyes closed, you gasped as he bit your nipple and grabbed the remote, flicking the switch up all the way.
Your body shook and legs buckled completely however you were being held up by Deku, you squealed and cried out loudly as tears formed in your eyes and liquid dripped down your shaking legs, your face and shoulders were bright red from the embarrassment… you were humiliated, having all these men laughing at you and the man who your supposed to be entertaining, is nowhere near interested in you, it was clear he’d rather eat cake and make a fool of you than have sex or even talk with you. Suddenly Deku stood, holding you up with one arm before leaving the table and walking over to the door that led to the private room, once entering and closing the door the room was completely silent, blocking out all the sound from the outside.
With a click the door was locked and the man took you over to the set of chairs and sat you in one before sitting in the other, he turned off the vibrator and placed the remote on the small table that was set between the chairs, Deku then grabbed the two wine glasses and the bottle of wine before popping it and filling the glasses, he passed you a glass and took his own, swirled the wine around the glass before smelling it, you watched as he drunk the wine. “Thank you for the drink Mr Deku” you weakly smiled, “it’s Midoriya…” he spoke and you nodded, “right, of course… thank you Mr Midoriya…” you straightened up as best you can, “I apologise if I’m not what you wanted… but just tell me and I can help in anyway you need me too” you bowed and the man chuckled, “that’s very sweet bunny, but you see I didn’t expect this was how I’d be spending my birthday…” he took another sip and continued on, “I honestly thought I’d be spending the night watching movies with my husband” he sighed and you gasped, “oh I’m so sorry, I can get one of the male hosts or I can just get dressed and we’ll only talk” you covered your chest with your arm however Midoriya only throw his head back in laughter, “oh no it’s fine, my husband and I are both very open, he’s blonde out there currently having his dick sucked…” he place his glass on the table “and we swing both ways… Its common for us to bring a man or woman into bed with us as we both don’t always like bottoming” he said and you sigh, “so what can I do for you?” You asked and he signalled for you to get in front of him, moving to stand between his legs he pulled you to kneel, “suck me” he demanded and you began to undo his pants.
You pulled out his large yet flaccid cock and softly kitten licked it, you wondered if he had been enjoying himself or if he was just lying to save your feelings, you began to lightly suckle on his tip and before long his cock stood tall and proud; it was huge, you weren’t surprised that his husband didn’t want to bottom every often. You pumped him and sucked and licked his balls, Midoriya hummed and patted your head, “sweet little bunny…” he sighed and undid his tie and the buttons on his shirt, you pulled his tip back into your mouth and tried to take him deep, gagging as you got less then half way, “too much for the little bunny, stand for me” he instructed and you did so without hesitation. Midoriya moved to take off your bar and slide down your pantie slipping them in his pocket, “turn and bend over” he sat back and moved, you felt his thumb spread your folds before the lightest amount of vibration came from the plug, you moaned placed your hands on your knees. Midoriya chuckled “tell me how often do men fuck you?” He questioned “I have sex about once or twist a day” you answered honestly, “I see and how much money does that bring in?” Midoriya asked as he reached for the plug and began to slowly pump it in and out, “just enough for me to live comfortably” you continued to answer honestly, the man humming and pulled the plug out completely and placed it on the table, “do you have experience with service to men at the same time?” He stood and pulled you to turn, you looked up at him and nodded, “yes Mr Midoriya, I do” you felt the man pulling you towards the bed, “very good… finally contraception… you use condoms but would you be willing to use the pill or an IUD?” He asked as he guided you to lie down, he slipped on a condom and pumped himself a few times, you watched him confuse but answered anyways, “I’m alright on the pill, condoms are so I don’t get sick” you smiled awkwardly and the man chuckled, “I see, thank you for answering honestly with me” he said as he moved your ankles to his shoulders.
Midoriya slipped inside you ever so slowly and gave you no time to adjust as he took long strong thrust, he held your waist and groaned his he intensely watched his cock slip in and out of you, he eyes flickered to your breasts which bounced with each thrust, “your so fucking beautiful, bunny” he hummed and sped up his pace. You however were in heaven, it had been so long since you had been filled this good, Midoriya’s cock pressed ever spot and his words had an unimaginable effect on you, after being humiliated by him, to have him call you beautiful had you clenched him so tight he thought his cock would snap right off. Midoriya laughed and placed a hand on your throat, he didn’t place any weight on it or tighten his hand, he simply just left it the and fucked you faster, “I’m gonna fucking cum… get up bunny” he demanded and pulled out of you before pulling the condom off, you whined and knelt on the bed, suddenly his hand grabbed a fist full of hair and pumping his cock, you leaned forward and suckled on his tip again before feeling his hot load seep onto your tongue, he throw his head back and moaned before pushing off him and onto your back.
Shock filled you as he climbed onto the bed and grabbed your legs pulling you towards him, and his without warning his face disappeared in between your legs, he groaned as he sucked and licked your folders. “It’s been awhile since I can ate a cunt so bear with me” Midoriya chuckled and continued to devour your cunt, that’s how you spent the next hour or so, his tongue and fingers take turned being inside you or playing with your clit.
You were shaken awake by your boss, “come on, up you get” he sighed as he helped you sit up and pass you a thick envelope, confused you opened it and noticed it was full of cash and a letter, pulling out the letter and reading it; you were thanked for your excellent service and… offered a job to work fill time for Midoriya and his husband.
You hadn’t the slightest idea in what they saw in you but you were certain the pay would be better than anything you were currently receiving. You’d swallow any pride to simply have to fuck two very attractive men and get a large wad of cash after every service, it was an opportunity of the lifetime, you really didn’t need to think it over at all.
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More from ‘Sugar Daddy’ series:
Masterlist (coming soon)
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543 notes · View notes
hanggarae · 11 months
Text
maybe we can try if you let me ..
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6.6k words ☠️ angst fluff hurt comfort pining jealousy royalty au prince! mingyu f!noble!reader one sided love, mentions of infidelity/cheating reader is childhood friends w dokyeom like one mention of blood not proofread
“so, how does it feel?” miyeon inquired excitedly from your side, dusting her fingers carefully over her tiara once again, “i’m still in shocked that one of us is actually getting married”
you forced a gentle smile to her, never wanting to crush her excitement. it’s not her fault she’s blissfully unaware of how you felt about the entire situation. it’s not her fault that your engagement was purely made of convenience. it’s not her fault that you hardly considered it was truly you getting married. it’s not her fault your soon-to-be husband didn’t love you back. and it’s not her fault that you’ve been hopelessly in love with him for years.
miyeon never knew about your infatuation with mingyu, you never told her because the second you did it was a sign that your feelings for mingyu were strong enough for you to inform others of it, and you convinced yourself you’d never let it come to that.
although this should’ve been a dream come true for you, your inner teenage self bashfully giggling at the thought of marrying the prince you’d harboured feelings for since you’d first met him, the part of you that was now mature enough to realise loving someone didn’t always mean they’d love you back quivered in fear at the thought of being tied to a marriage where you’d never receive a fraction of the love you felt.
“it feels.. surreal. i don’t think i’ve still realised i’m actually engaged, that i’ll be somebody’s wife, you know?” you tried putting up a convincing enough act, hoping she’d take your hesitance as nerves rather than melancholy.
she nodded understandingly, soothing over shoulder reassuringly.
“that’s fairly understandable. if i was you i’d be all the same” she hummed, “not long ago we were giggling at the thought of picking a wedding dress and now you’re meeting the tailors at the end of the week”
right. you weren’t particularly excited for it like you’d dreamt you’d be. in fact, you dreading it the more you thought of it. because the fitting would just be you and your fiancé mingyu.
pushing the thought to the back of your head, you smiled at miyeon once again and continued entertaining her questions until you’d both decided to call it a night, miyeon headed back to her chambers while you could barely sleep, mind too busy thinking about what your life had come to and what it will come to after your marriage.
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there was no official date for the wedding yet, but rumours circulating the palace led you to learn that there was a ball in a weeks time, whether the wedding would be before or after you could only find out from the prince himself, and whether or not you can would attend the ball with mingyu was also something you’d have to find out from him.
however, you could never bring yourself to ask him. every moment since you’d learnt of the ball was an opportunity to find the prince and get any idea of what was happening, but you were too much of a coward to ever go through with asking him.
you paced outside of his study once again, debating whether or not you should knock on the intimidating oak door. you hovered your fist over the door for the seemingly hundredth time that morning before sighing defeatedly and turning on your heal to leave. but before you could take your first step the doors swung open as you froze immediately.
there he was. kim mingyu, the crown prince and your soon to be husband. he was taken aback for a second at seeing you suddenly, before he allowed a smile to grace his face.
the smile was probably just to be kind, but part of you wanted to believe it was genuine. while he might not be in love with you, you’d hoped he’d at least not think the worst of you.
“y/n. is everything alright? what brings you here?” his eyes continued to run over you, frowning when he stopped at your hand, “what happened to your finger?”
you were flustered when he pointed it out, surprised he even noticed. you quickly recovered and shook your head lightly, corners of your lips curling up.
“oh i had accidentally cut it when i was taking some of my jewellery off, nothing to worry about. i had honestly forgotten about it” you reassured smiling.
mingyu nodded before bringing his gaze back up to your face, “please be more careful next time. now as i asked before, if something the matter?”
you stayed silent for a few seconds, throat running dry at his intense gaze on you. you cleared your thought and swallowed, “um.. if it’s not a bother, could i ask you a few questions?” turning your eyes away from him slightly to focus on the gold doorknob with a floral pattern engraved on its sides.
“hmm, i have a few meetings with the court i attend this afternoon but i believe i’m free for the next hour or so” mingyu hummed thoughtfully, turning slightly to the side to make space for you, “please come in, take a seat”
you sat at the desk chair opposite to mingyu, the situation reminding you of when a principal would scold a student making you unconsciously tense slightly while you mentally cursed at yourself for getting nervous at the smallest of things.
mingyu must’ve noticed your tense posture and took it as a sign to instead invite you to a small round table placed by the fireplace. while you sat however mingyu busied himself with something else.
he returned with a tray carrying a teapot, two teacups, a small pot containing sugar and a small plate of small desserts. you tried reassuring him that he didn’t have to bring the tray, that he didn’t have to pour you a cup, that it was inappropriate for a prince to do such things when you could’ve but mingyu simply reassured you that this was a minuscule action.
after you had both taken a sip of the tea mingyu was the first to speak up, “do you like tea?”
his question was surprising, you thought he would’ve rushed you to ask your questions, any small talk only being a waste of his time.
regardless, you pondered his question for a few seconds before turning to look at him once again, “i don’t really particularly like or dislike it if that makes sense. my mother encouraged me to have a few cups whenever i was sick but i don’t often have it other than that. how about you, your highness?”
“for a long time i didn’t care for it much, but a friend of mine, minghao, he’s quite interested in tea ceremonies” he answered after taking a sip, “whenever we meet he often goes into detail about different tea’s and how their grown, he’s researched a lot into it”
you smiled lightly after he told you that the tea set you were using right now, a gift he’d given only recently after hearing news of the engagement.
a few minutes of silence pass before mingyu speaks up again “oh my apologies, i had forgotten you had a few questions to ask, what were they?”
you played with the ring on your finger as you murmured, “there had been a few rumours that there was a ball to be held in a week?” you took mingyu’s nod as confirmation so continued, “i was only wondering if i was to attend to?”
mingyu tilted his head and looked at you with a confused look for a few seconds. cute you thought.
“well.. of course, you’d be attending with me as my fiancé. who else would i attend with?” he still looked a little confused.
“that’s fine, thank you for letting me know. oh! and if i could ask you one more thing” again you took his nod as a sign to keep going “i understand there likely isn’t a confirmed date yet but i was wondering if you had an idea when the wedding would be?”
“i’m afraid not, the elders in the court are rushing it but it wouldn’t be very princely of me to rush you into a wedding now would it? the guilt of springing the engagement on you is eating me up as it is” he frowned slightly.
you murmured something quietly and if mingyu wasn’t so close to you he’s certain he would’ve missed it altogether, “i’m sorry, y/n, could you repeat that?”
“my apologies, i had said that if the wedding needs to be done in a hurry i really don’t mind. the marriage is for your highness’ convenience so honestly, i really don’t mind when it is. i just wanted an idea so i know when i should tell a friend of mine to take a train into town” you trailed off slightly at the end.
mingyu frowned even deeper at your sentence, he looked.. sullen? in fact it even looked like he was pouting slightly.
“i’ll be sure to let you know” he said rather hastily before grabbing a few of his things, “while i really must head off now to the meeting but you’re more than welcome to stay here if you wish”
and that was all that was said before he quickly parted ways with you, leaving you alone in the study.
you finished up your tea and started to clear up the table. after you had finished you’d decided to look around the study, after all, mingyu had given you permission to stick around.
you looked over the walls, pictures of mingyu with the royal family gracing them. there were some pictures of him and his pet puppy, some of him and his friend that you recognised as minghao, a duke of a kingdom not far from your own.
you continued looking at some more of the pictures, before you stopped at one that was more recent. it had to have been, mingyu’s hair was slightly longer from when he’d grown it out recently, not that you’d been paying attention of course.
you looked over it again, he was with a lady, you recognised her as a princess of another kingdom, it seemed like her and mingyu were close. from the story that the picture was telling you, they were quite fond of each other even.
you swallowed the bitter taste at the back of your throat. honestly, why did you care? he was a good looking guy that would very obviously have hundreds if not thousands of women pining over him, it’s no surprise he’d take a liking to one. and that one wasn’t you. it’d never be you.
you turned your heel and left before you’d allow it to hurt you even more.
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you hadn’t spoken to mingyu for the rest of the week. it seemed he’d been busy with whatever the elders wanted of him. you’d been busy too, there were all sorts of responsibilities that you would have to take on when you eventually married mingyu, and you’d spent the week at ‘classes’ that taught you how to handle said responsibilities. you figured that mingyu would’ve had to attend such things too, only he’d have been forced to when he was a child.
but today you wouldn’t have to be bored out of your mind while one of mingyu’s butlers explained which was the proper fork to use. despite being a noble yourself, you were never told to go into such details, your family being content with you simply being polite and having good etiquette.
although, you would’ve much rather potentially die of boredom than do what was actually on your schedule for today. and that was meeting the tailors.
meeting the tailors also meant that you and mingyu would face each other, and you didn’t know how you could do that after seeing the pictures he had of him and that princess, because as much as you’d try convincing yourself that you knew he’d never fall for you, part of you still foolishly longed for it and craved it more than anything.
you made a turn in the hallway and finally came face to face with the door, behind it you knew were mingyu and some of the kingdom’s finest tailors and jewellers. hesitantly, you pushed yourself to know on the door, calling out too in order to alert mingyu of your presence before finally turning the knob.
mingyu smiled at you and you returned it quickly before you were being dragged away by the tailors.
you didn’t think that everything would be done so meticulously, but you were quickly shown just how serious of a matter the tailor’s considered it. first they had a team to decide which colors suited you well, also making sure that whatever color you wore went well with what mingyu would wear. then a team helped you decide what shape and design you wanted the dress to have. and then a team to take the required measurements multiple times to make sure everything was perfect. and finally there was a team to decide what jewellery you should wear. after all of your decisions were finalised the tailors told you’d both have to meet them again once the dress was sewn to ensure the dress was perfect.
by the time they left, you were so exhausted you ended up practically collapsing on the stool. mingyu chuckled at your state, striding his way over to you “if you thought that was bad you’re going to loathe the dress rehearsal”
“there’s a dress rehearsal?” you sighed exasperatedly. you shut your eyes, rubbing at your temples as you felt a migraine approaching.
“yes, darling, there is a dress rehearsal” he laughed, “usually a few days before the official ceremony. royals often do it since our weddings are always expected to be more than perfect”
although you didn’t focus on that last part. you didn’t focus on anything mingyu said after he said that one little word.
darling.
oh it felt nice to believe for a second that this was real. that this marriage wasn’t out of convenience. that mingyu had proposed to you for love and not because you were a rich noble’s daughter that he only proposed to because the elders of the court wouldn’t let him breathe.
“so there won’t be one after the dress is ready?” you peered at him.
“it’s a little different than a dress rehearsal, it’s simply a fitting. they’ll make sure that both of our garments appear well on us and don’t clash with each other” he explained to you, hand combing through his hair.
you nodded slowly and let your eyes close for a few seconds, your head was pounding and you’d decided to allow yourself to relax for a few minutes before reality would cut in.
when you awoke, you were alone.
you were still wearing your garments from last night and you don’t remember walking home last night, or even being escorted.
soon you realised you weren’t home, you were in the palace. most likely one of the many guest rooms. as for how you got there though, that you were still unsure of.
once you got up you noticed something at the dresser. a note.
good morning y/n, once you’ve finished getting ready, please be kind enough to join me in the courtyard for breakfast.
-mingyu
your heart started growing flustered at the thought of mingyu asking you to meet him. you rushed to meet him, quickly changing into the spare clothes someone had left for you by the mirror and making sure you looked presentable for mingyu.
as soon as you were happy you made your way through the palace halls, walking with joy as you thought about meeting the prince and allowed your mind to be taken over by situations you imagine yourself in with mingyu.
when you’d reached the courtyard, the first thing you saw was mingyu as he sat under a tree for some shade from the sun. when he caught sight of you, he beckoned you over with a smile.
“good morning, your highness” you said while joining him.
“and to you, y/n. did you sleep well? i’d noticed you’d drifted off so i brought you to a guest room, i really hope i didn’t impose”
you shook your head, heart warming at the thought of caring after you, “if anything, your highness, i should be the one to apologise”
“nonsense. this palace is as much yours as it is mine, in case you’ve forgotten, we are engaged to be married” he chuckled teasingly.
you’d spent that entire morning talking with mingyu, it felt nice. you’d been closer when you were younger but when mingyu was named the crown prince, you could only see each other so often. the morning with mingyu was nostalgic, but it also gave you hope and made you content with the future you would spend with him too.
mingyu eventually had to leave for another meeting and you were free to spend the day as you wished, mingyu insisting on it considering how tired yesterday had made you. he said you deserved a break.
you’d decided the best way to spend it would be heading back to town. it’d been a few days since you’ve truly done anything there, by the time you’d usually arrive home you’d be too exhausted to do anything.
upon your arrival, you’d been accompanied by a knight, you were unsure of his name but he gave you enough space. that’d been mingyu’s only rule for the day, that you were to be with a knight at all time for safety.
you looked around the town, waving and conversing with a few old friends, mainly congratulating you on the engagement, asking for any details but mainly, they were asking you about mingyu.
it was no surprise that there was a slight bitter tone whenever someone asked you about what mingyu was like, half the town probably wished they could learn what the prince was like for themselves.
by the time you finally had some time alone, well alone with just the knight, you saw a few carriages make there way into town. odd.
you looked toward the knight accompanying you, silently asking what is this to which he caught on pretty quick, “those are guests from the neighbouring kingdom. prince mingyu invited them for the ball that’s in a few days”
you nodded, slowly remembering the ball. you silently wondered if the tailors would exhaust you for hours to find a dress for that too.
you looked over at the carriages again, eyes catching sight of something, or well someone, familiar. waiting for the commotion to die down, you approached the carriages with the knight.
“seokmin?” you gasped.
“y/n!” seokmin smiled back at you, arms immediately engulfing you in a hug, “it’s been too long”
you and seokmin had grown up in town together, friends for a long time until his family decided to settle in the other kingdom. it looks like he’d finally become a knight like he’d dreamed of.
after he was given permission by the rest of the knights, he made his way with you, both of you reminiscing about memories you’d made in the town the second you saw anything.
“wow, so you’re prince mingyu’s fiancé. that’s unbelievable. but i am happy for you, he seems like a good man” seokmin smiled genuinely
“well i’d hope he’s a good man, he is the future king after all” you replied back laughing lightly, “enough about that though, look at you. a commander in the knights, that’s incredible”
the tips of your friends ears turned red as he laughed bashfully at your praise, “i suppose we’re both doing quite well then”
you continued your walk around town with seokmin, passing over a small bridge and looking over at a lake, “so seokmin, will you also be at the ball?” you turned to ask him.
“i believe so yes. mainly to accompany the princess”
ah so that was who was in the last carriage.
it was starting to get dark so you’d thought it was about time to head back. you bid farewell to seokmin and headed back to your home, heading straight to bed.
the next few days were mainly spent getting ready for the ball, except today.
today you were expected to attend a dinner with mingyu and his friends, when you had asked mingyu the occasion he explained that he enjoyed meeting with his friends regularly, and now was a good time to get you acquainted with them.
you were getting ready in the palace, the maids helping you and calming your nerves for tonight. you don’t know how mingyu was able to manage things like this since he was old enough to walk. when you were ready, mingyu arrived at your chambers to escort you to where the dinner was being held, immediately, you were greeted with the sights of all of mingyu’s friends.
you recognised a few, some of them grew up with you. some you had only met today but knew of them. and some you were seeing and hearing of for the first time today.
one person it particular caught your eye however, was the princess you’d seen from the photos in mingyu’s study.
how was she even more gorgeous in person?
she greeted you kindly and throughout the night was a delight, which made you feel even worse because how could you even dislike her? and how could you blame mingyu for falling for her?
you tried not to let your sour mood show to anyone, especially not mingyu, because you don’t know how you’d lie if he asked you what was the matter.
so you made sure for the rest of the night that you wouldn’t let any of your true feelings show, despite wanting nothing else but to cry.
you’d learnt that the princess had only arrived a few days ago for the ball, and was from the same kingdom as seokmin.
so she was the princess that seokmin would be escorting.
you’d decided to ask her about seokmin too, explaining that you were a childhood friend of his. she got excited at that, shocked at how small of a world it is.
when the dinner was finally wrapping up and guests were leaving, mingyu pulled you aside, “is everything alright? you were quite quiet the entire night”
you shook your head, blaming it simply on your nerves and apologised for potentially coming across as rude to his friends.
“nonsense. you shouldn’t apologise. i apologise for springing this dinner on you quite suddenly”
mingyu insisted on you staying the night at the palace, telling one of the maids to lead you there.
a few moments after you’d gotten ready for bed, you heard a knock on the door.
“come in” you said back, going toward the mirror, you looked to see mingyu in the reflection.
“your highness” you turned toward him, “can i help you?”
he said nothing as he took long strides to stand behind you.
he said nothing as he slowly started to take your necklace off for you, as he slowly took off the rest of your jewellery too, one by one.
when he was done he smiled at your confused look, “so you don’t hurt yourself again”
you were surprised at how he remembered and let the first genuine smile make its way onto your face that night.
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today was the day of the ball. you were incredibly scared because today would be the day where everyone learnt exactly who the crown prince’s fiancé was. as of right now, you were a stranger to most of the public. your family was well known, and it wasn’t like the engagement was a secret, but majority of people didn’t know exactly who you were.
most of the day was spent getting you ready, making sure your dress was perfect along with the makeup, hair, jewellery, shoes and just everything.
you really couldn’t wait for this to be over.
you’d been to balls before so you were luckily able to skip the butlers teaching you the waltz.
before the guests had arrived, mingyu’s friends had arrived early. the princess also arrived early, along with seokmin. you smiled at him and introduced him to mingyu, smiling even wider as they started to get along.
seokmin had already left by the time you’d met mingyu for the first time, so this was the first time they’d ever met.
minghao had also arrived, greeting you with a smile and congratulating you personally on the engagement.
the guests were to start arriving soon and a maid had informed you to stay with mingyu for the time being, but when you looked around you couldn’t spot him anywhere.
you’d asked a few of his friends, even asking seokmin and minghao while apologising for interrupting their conversation.
you’d decided to check outside of the ballroom too but still couldn’t spot him. worried, you tried to think logically.
in a room with this many guards, nothing could’ve happened.
as you continued looking around you heard giggling, mingyu’s. and someone else’s. you had an idea of who but you really didn’t want to admit it.
but as much as you’d want to convince yourself, you couldn’t erase that it was reality.
you found mingyu. he was with that same princess, they were hugging, she’d kissed his cheek too. he looked at her with such a fondness that you could never deny. and who were you to get in the way of that? who were you to stand in the way of two people so clearly in love?
there was a part of the hallway that was empty that you decided to stand in for a few minutes, collecting your thoughts.
he was so cruel.
how could he be so in love with someone while he was engaged to you? how could he make you fall so hard for him while he knew he’d never feel the same?
you couldn’t take this anymore, when you heard footsteps approaching you snapped your head in the direction.
there he was, “y/n? is everything alright?”
“no. no not really” you murmured, letting out a deep breath.
he frowned slightly, coming closer to your side to rub your shoulder, “what hap-“
“i’d like to call off this engagement.” you kept your arm away from him.
“what? what on earth are you talking about?” he looked angry, but he was controlling himself, “you can’t just suddenly say that”
“i can. nobody could ever force me to marry you, your highness. and i refuse to marry someone like you” you looked at him coldly as you started to walk away.
you didn’t think mingyu would stop you and you were right, because while you walked out he didn’t make any move to stop you, to ask you anything, he didn’t even try to look upset. and that was reason enough for you to never look back.
you didn’t try going back to the palace after that, you didn’t even try finding out what happened for the rest of that night. if it was up to you, you’d forget everything about the last few weeks, he’ll even the last few years. if it was up to you, you’d never meet mingyu, you’d never fall for him either. oh how much better life would’ve been if you could simply turn back time every once in a while.
it dawned on you however how irrational you were being, guilt ate you up when you realised how your actions could jeopardise your family’s relationship with the royal family. however you couldn’t bring yourself to truly regret it. you’d rather be an outcast by your own choice than an outcast in what was supposed to become your home. and you’d loathe being an outcast in your own marriage.
for a few weeks you didn’t try meeting anyone, you hadn’t told anyone about what you did either, mingyu would likely take care of it anyway. so you allowed yourself these few weeks of peace, nobody there who you have to explain yourself to.
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“you still haven’t heard anything about her?” minghao asked his friend warily, “this makes no sense. how does someone just go missing?”
missing. well if you were really missing you would’ve been found by now. and if you were really missing then an actual search party would’ve been sent, not just mingyu looking around day and night going mad trying to find any glimpse of you.
the look on your face that night broke mingyu’s heart, so how could he tell everyone the truth after that? he knew that the court would become too hasty and would cut all ties with your family immediately for apparently ‘disrespecting our monarch’. and how could he do that knowing he already hurt you enough?
mingyu was unsure what he really did, but what else could make you look at him like that? from looks of adoration to a cold, inconceivable glare. part of him hated himself for bringing you to such a state.
“how she went missing doesn’t matter. just as long as i can bring her back.. that’s all that truly matters to me” he said slowly, although he knows you weren’t in any real danger that night, he can’t help but grow paranoid at what happened to you since.
ignoring him was one thing, but ignoring your family too was another. he’d even tried asking seokmin and miyeon if they’d heard anything.
the court elders have been pestering him for days, saying that it’s no use trying to find you, that he should call off the engagement officially and just find a new suitor. but how could he when he only had eyes for you.
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mingyu was seven when he’d first met you, you who shyly waved at him when your parents introduced you to him. you who at seven years old asked him if he could ride horses, and fight battles, and have his own wizard, and save princesses because that’s what the princes in your stories would do.
mingyu always enjoyed when you came over. you were the only one who was around his age. you were the only one who understood that he was a child too, he felt safe with you. he didn’t have to be the picture of perfection around you, because you wouldn’t belittle him for being a child. you’d never judge him for being himself. even when his friends would poke fun at him sometimes and he’d sulk, you’d always be there to cheer him up.
and when mingyu was eight and his hand started bleeding after he fell, you were the one who was worried for him, who ran to get him a bandage, who told him it’d be alright when he cried about how it hurts so bad. and you were the one who kissed his hand better for him and giggled when you said that usually the prince does the kissing when the girl is in pain.
and even a few months ago, when mingyu was told he’d have to marry soon, no matter how many suitors he’d meet, his mind would always be on you.
and that’s why mingyu’s whole world lit up the second you said yes when he proposed, but everything went dim the second he heard you say you’d never marry someone like him.
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mingyu stood on the balcony that night, watching the views of the kingdom, it really was gorgeous. you’d have to be there somewhere. there were no carriages leaving or entering that mingyu didn’t know of, so unless you’ve managed to walk out of the town completely unnoticed, you’re somewhere there.
“you look terrible” he heard a voice behind him say.
he recognised it but couldn’t put his finger on it until he turned around, “seokmin, was it?”
seokmin nodded sending a short smile his way, he joined mingyu on the balcony, letting out a deep breath, “y/n where did you run off to?”
they both stayed quiet for a few seconds, seokmin glancing over at the other before sighing, “for the record, i really hope you’re not blaming yourself for this. because, really, it’s not your fault”
‘oh if only you knew the whole story’, mingyu thought, ‘you would’ve done something to me that would’ve had you executed in seconds’
seokmin continued looking over the city, before laughing lightly at something that caught his sight, “you see that cabin behind the bar? y/n and i used to joke that we’d settle there if we ever did anything to offend the nobles. she really used to get in trouble with them a lot back when we were children. she hated them, always having such strict rules for us. could only imagine how bad it must’ve been for you”
mingyu chuckled at that, despite being shy around him there was a reason he was able to be so carefree around you, and it was because of how much you worked your way around the strict rules laid out for you.
“she really did think highly of you, your highness. in our letters she’d mention the charming prince that was her favourite friend. i was actually quite jealous of you for stealing my spot quite frankly” the knight glared at the prince light heartedly, “i’ve wanted to fight you ever since i was ten”
the two were reminiscing about you for hours on that balcony, laughing with their new found friend.
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that morning, you awoke with a headache. perhaps drinking last night wasn’t the best of ideas but it’d been the first time in weeks you’d felt anything but pain or self pity. the cabin was small, you’d stocked up on food before news of you going missing had spread, you weren’t sure what you were to do after that however. if you were lucky you’d be able to sneak around town wearing a cloak that would hide you well enough for some time. right before closing time would be ideal, there wouldn’t be many people around and it wouldn’t be considered odd for you to be walking around in a cloak.
that night, you secured the black cloth around you, basket looped around your arm before you stepped out and made your way around town.
ever since seokmin had told him about that cabin behind the bar, mingyu was sure you’d be there. he’d checked the properties he knew anyone in your family had owned, and even some that your friends’ families had owned only to come up with no luck. and as far as he knew, no recent land purchases were made.
the cabin was small, the only door being at the back, it creaked as it’d opened and when mingyu looked around all he saw was darkness, he didn’t have a candle to light the lamp either. the prince looked around for a few minutes, there weren’t many places to search and you weren’t anywhere. like that, mingyu became more hopeless. where else could you be?
he sat on the rotting floor, tears in his eyes threatening to spill as he realises he may have lost you forever.
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you looked over at your basket, content with how much you were able to purchase. it was dark so even without the cloak it would’ve been hard for anyone to pinpoint who you were. opening the door to the cabin, you lit one of the freshly purchased matchsticks and use it light the lamp by the door, the room lighting up immediately.
when you looked forward the cabin was how you left it. starting to put some of your things away, you drowned out the sounds of the town at closing time, more and more patrons were heading into the pub and it tends to get noisiest around now.
one sound took you out of your daydreams however, the door opened. you quickly grabbed the cloak to wrap yourself in once again, turning around to see none other than mingyu standing there.
he looked like a mess. his eyes were bloodshot, he looked somewhat smaller than the last time you’d seen him, paler too.
you two stood staring at each other for a few seconds before mingyu came forward, eyes pleasing with you to not move away like you did last time.
“i’m so, so glad to see you” his voice cracked, “please even if you hate me, never leave like that again” he grasped your hands.
“glad to see me? wouldn’t you be more glad to see the princess?” you glared at him unimpressed.
truth be told it warmed your heart knowing mingyu genuinely cared about you, that he’d been worried about you, but you couldn’t forget the pain he’d put you in.
“the princess?” mingyu tilted his head confused, “y/n what.. what are you talking about?”
“i saw you that night. that night i left, i had tried finding you, and when i did i saw you with the princess, hugging, looking at her in a way you’d never look at me. because why would you look at me like that?” you couldn’t stop yourself from truly expressing how you feel, letting it bottle up for too long, “after all i suppose i really can’t blame you for you not loving me when i’ve- and why were you with the princess that night-“
“please allow me to explain. the princess is merely someone i’ve known since birth. and the princess is in love with minghao, i’ve been trying for years to get them acquainted and she was explaining to me that the duke had finally confessed to her”
you felt incredibly stupid, and incredibly guilty. you stayed silent for a few minutes trying to gather your words.
“my apologies, i shouldn’t have come here. i should have let you have your peace and i’ll be on my way-“
“no!” you shocked yourself with how instantly you had opposed him, “please no. mingyu- your highness. i apologise. i should have allowed you to explain, i could have avoided this. i humiliated you on account of my own insecurities, and it was childish of me to assume something”
“y/n, you can be honest with me” the prince looked at you earnestly, at that you allowed your tears to finally fall.
“it-it hurts. it’s hurts so much knowing i’d be tied to a marriage where only i was giving. and these last few weeks i’ve just been contemplating if it’s my own fault. if it’s my own fault that you’d never be able to look at me how i look at you. and it hurts knowing you’d never love me the same-“
you’d felt mingyu’s lips brush against yours slowly, for a second you’d think it wasn’t happening if it wasn’t for his hand circling your waist.
he slowly brought his lips away from you, both of you breathless, “does it still hurt?” he smiled at you.
“please, never assume that i don’t love you y/n. because i do. i truly do love you, and for the better part of my life i have. i’ve spent years dreaming of a day where i could finally have you to myself as someone i could spend years to come loving. and if i ever made you doubt that then i’m a fool, but please never blame yourself” he said gently, bringing his hand up so his knuckles could wipe at the tears spilling from your eyes, “i love you”
“i love you too” you smiled tearfully at him.
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