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#pushed or more obvious later on as the years progressed?
snekdood · 1 year
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Damn well. One of the clear ways you can tell my ex is bullshitting about me being anywhere near conservative is the fact that i get along well w the left leaning portion of my family vs the right leaning portion whomst i Do Not get along with or interact with
#my gma is probably the most liberal irish old lady you could know#like can we stop pretending sbsjsbnsns#admit that i got into that dumb shit bc i liked the magic part and would have 100% left if i knew what the other shit was implying#there Wasnt. infact. other intentions.#i was literally 14 years old. my biggest intention was to sleep draw and smoke weed.#i did not have the brain capacity or mental capacity or planning ability to have other intentions behind it.#i was paranoid and i wanted to protect myself. im not sure where i got lost tho bc literally nothing ever said anything about jewish ppl#either its as i remember it- and no one mentioned it back then outright- or its always been that way and i somehow blissfully#walked past it interpreting it as something a christian priest would do.#i kinda feel like its as i remember it. krazy how my memory of things is oft correct#anyways hello random person who might be reading these tags. i used to think all those conspiracy theories were about christian#conservatives because loterally HOW DOES IT NOT SOUND LIKE SOMETHING THEYRE FAR MORE LIKELY TO DO.#i just liked the chakras and crystals and aliens n shit but literally its the alien belief that brings you over there AND LET ME BE CLEAR#aliens are prolly real but the conspiracy theories ppl come up w about them sure as fuck arent#regardless. somehow i walked through all of that w/o ever adapting the idea that 'jewish people bad' which seems to be an idea that was#pushed or more obvious later on as the years progressed?#idk. shits wack#idk how i missed that shit but i do think it might be because i avoided any conspiracy theory website that said anything with 'God' in it#all the gs in the page capitalized. i just knew i couldnt trust it then. youd think i wouldve noticed something was wrong if i was already#doing that. however. i was also paranoid and i grew up always feeling unsafe bc ppl would bully me and trick me and pick on me n such#which ironically made me more trusting of people? apparently its a thing that happens.#its apparently bc ppl who are too trusting but who are abused or whatever can become even less trusting of themselves and what they know#anyways i shouldnt have to explain every little detail of my life in the tags but oh well#the things i do to not get yelled at for shit i dont believe in unless i#clarify otherwise sdbjsks
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kentopedia · 7 months
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.𖥔 ݁ ˖ my girl — nanami kento
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summary: you know the kid that kento mentors has a little crush on you; why wouldn't you use that to your advantage?
contents: 18+ mdni, fem!reader, brat taming, possessive sex, semi-public sex, hair pulling, pet names, praise, dom nanami, jealousy, ino has the hots for you, unprotected sex, kinda deg, slight dumbification, um i think that's it clearly i am so desperate for nanami and i haven't even watched the new episode — 2.3k
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under the table, you slide your palm up kento’s thigh as he speaks.
he's explaining something about sorcerer politics that you’re not really interested in hearing about, not when there’s an ache between your thighs that he refused to take care of before you left, and his sleeves are rolled up in the way he knows drives you crazy. 
across from the two of you, ino sits, attentively listening to your husband as, every few seconds, his eyes subtly slide over to you, the pink flush on his cheeks returning each time he glances at the soft smile that rests on your glossy lips. 
ino’s crush on you is no secret. he is, really, quite obvious about how much he wants your attention.
of course, he knows about you and kento, has known since he first set eyes on you at a sorcerers’ meeting and asked you, slyly, if you were single.
kento had come up behind you not a moment later, smiling with a golden band on his ring finger, asking ino if he forgot to introduce his wife. 
and though the younger sorcerer respects nanami, perhaps more than anyone, it does little to quell the attraction he has for his wife… especially since you are so insistent on teasing the poor kid at every chance you get. 
you can’t help it, really, when it riles kento up so easily. the way he vibrates under his skin with anger, irritated that another person could ever think of his wife in any manner that is less than respectable. 
kento sets your hand gently back down on your lap, jaw clenching as his fingers twist around your wrist tightly. though he hides his irritation well, you can tell from the sharp glint in his eye, the tension in his shoulders, that it is getting the best of him. 
your husband may be sweet, a lover that never acts rashly out of anger, but he has a possessive streak he’s never been very good at taming. 
as kento stiffens, you smile sweetly at ino, who exhales heavily, shifting all of his attention on your husband. though, you are staring him down, listening attentively to every word that he says.
while ino speaks, you slide your hand back over kento’s thigh, vying for his attention. he clears his throat, a warning, as he grips your wrist once more and pushes you away.
it won’t be much longer before he snaps. kento's sitting straighter, back taut as he focuses his gaze sharply on the younger man across from him. whatever the two of them are speaking about is dull, repetitive talk about work that you are bored of. 
“so, ino,” you finally ask, the lull in the conversation that you've been waiting for. you speak up before kento can ask any more questions about the sorcerer’s progress. “any pretty sorcerers caught your eye?” you lean froward with a small grin, your breasts fully on display as you set your chin in your palm. “surely someone as charming as you already has a girlfriend."
ino turns red then, a flush spreading from every corner as he tries, so hard, not to let his eyes fall. you admire the effort, really, even though kento catches the moment the younger man's gaze drops, the half second he stares at your tits and squirms in his seat. 
“n-no,” ino stutters, nervous for the first time in this conversation; he is usually so loud and outspoken, never feeling shy about the words that leave his lips. “can’t seem to find many sorcerers my age.” 
you laugh. it’s true that there are few sorcerers from his year, but you know it is the wrong thing to say.
anger radiates off your husband, and with a sense of satisfaction, you trace your fingers back up his thigh before grinning, batting your eyelashes at ino.
“why not go for someone older, then?” you ask, palming a hand over the steadily growing bulge in kento’s pants
ino chokes, and kento grabs your hand roughly, shoving your fist back onto his lap as he steadies all his anger and buries it down.
“excuse me,” kento suddenly interrupts, and his voice is so calm, so smooth, that its almost like nothing is out of the ordinary. he slides out of the booth, running a palm over his slacks, palms sweaty from his annoyance. “i just remembered i’ve got an important phone call to make. could we put a pause on this conversation?” he is so polite as he nods his head, and ino blinks, looks between the two of you, uncertain if he’s done something wrong. 
“of course,” he says, leaning back in his seat. “take you time.” 
“would you come with me, sweetheart?” kento turns to you then, and he sounds normal, like there’s nothing wrong, but his hands flex at his side, and his eyes are narrowed almost imperceptibly.
kento’s mad, and you know you’re fucked; but you can't help the desire that sits heavily in your stomach, the way you’re already soaking your panties, wanting him inside you. 
“sure, ken.” you nod, smiling at him. “sorry, ino, we’ll back right back.”
you stand next to your husband, who places a heavy hand on your shoulder, a warning. but you love the feeling of his skin on your own and it does little to stop your teasing; it only makes you want him more. 
ino says nothing as kento leads you around the restaurant, takes you to the back of the shop where there are two single-person bathrooms. one is occupied, and the other, empty. 
the two of you go inside.
“are you trying to embarrass me?” kento says angrily, shoving you into the bathroom as he locks the door behind him, his eyes hungry at the sight of your flushed cheeks, the way you are already so desperate for him. he pushes you towards the sink, eyes flashing as you reach for him, hastily undoing his tie. “you’re acting like a fucking brat whose husband doesn’t know how fuck her right.”
“maybe you don’t,” you counter, yanking off his tie so you can unbutton his shirt, slide your hands across the expanse of his chest. god, you want him so fucking bad. you’re aching, arousal pooling in your panties as your husband lifts you, shoves you back onto the sink. “you wouldn’t even take care of me before you left—“ 
“don’t start.” he glares and unzips his slacks to free his half-hard cock, stroking it as you try to get your hands on him. though that attempt is feeble as kento grabs both your wrists with one hand, pinning them above your head. with the other, he hikes your dress up, pushing it along your smooth thighs.
his voice is low and dangerous, deepening as he dances fingertips along your skin. “you’re so fucking desperate for attention that you’ll take it from anyone.” he pins you with his hard gaze, and you’re hot all over, legs shaking with anticipation. “i bet you like that he wants to fuck you so bad, even when you know i can fuck you better.”
you whimper, eyelids fluttering as kento reaches under your dress to pull down your panties.
“prove it, then” you say, and you know you’re only digging yourself a deeper hole, annoying him further as you grope at him. you squirm, trying to release your wrists from his hold, but he’s so strong; you’re only left a writhing mess under his touch. “i want you, kento.” 
“yeah?” he asks, yanking your panties roughly down your thighs, the pair that has already been soaked through. “if i give you what you want, will you sit there quietly like a good girl, and stop flirting with the kid who wants something he can’t have?” 
the tone sends aching need throughout you, and the commanding presence of his voice is almost too much. “i promise,” you say, shaking as you lock your heels around his hips. “please.” 
“please,” kento repeats mockingly, eyes hard as he slips a finger inside of you. he slides right in, barely needing to prep you before he fucks you. “you should be embarrassed; you’re this fucking wet just from looking at me." his eyes harden. "so impatient that you can’t even wait until we get home.” 
“i’ve been patient all day,” you say, high-pitched, but you’re quickly silenced as kento slides in and out of you, setting a steady pace while his thick fingers squelch inside your aching pussy. “need you to—“ 
“stop making demands." he releases your wrists to place a hand on your hips, stop you from fucking yourself on his fingers. “shouldn’t even be giving you what you want, but i can’t help myself. you’re so pretty, so desperate to have my cock inside you that you can’t even sit still.” 
“kento, fuck,” you groan, grabbing his shoulders as he stretches his fingers deeper inside you, past the walls that clamp down on him. in a desperation to keep quiet, you try to kiss him, moan into his mouth so no one else can hear you. 
but he grips your hair tightly, pulls you away from his lips as you moan, loudly, into the tight space of the bathroom. “nice try.” his fingers pump in and out of your soaked cunt. “but i want everyone to hear those pretty sounds, sweetheart. need them to know who’s fucking the brat out of you.” 
you try to pull him towards you, shift him closer with your ankles. “kento—”
“louder.” 
“kento, fuck, baby, please. i want you so bad, i love you—” you’re almost screaming, desperate to cum as his thumb brushes against your clit, teasing, and not enough for you to find complete release.
but you’re squeezing so tightly around his fingers that he must know you’re close, even as he pulls out of you, the juices from your need for him soaking his knuckle. 
finally, he smiles at you, softly.
“there’s my good girl,” he says, and it reminds you why you never want anyone else but him, why you need him, desperately, all the time. kento’s cock is already aching, leaking, and he forces it into you without warning, grunting into your neck. “sometimes, you're just so fucking stupid when you want my cock.” 
you nod, whimpering out a breathy moan as he thrusts into you, hard and rough, still holding you by the hair so you can’t kiss him, even as much as you want to. 
you’re so hot all over, skin burning as he stretches you. “please, let me cum, ken,” you say, and there’s tears in your eyes; you’re so close, but you want to be good for him, want to show him how much you love him. 
he hums against your neck, watches you writhe as he forces himself deeper into you, burying his cock in your pussy completely.
you can’t help the sinful noises that leave your throat, echoing down the vents to the kitchen, to the dining room. and maybe everyone in the restaurant can hear your husband fucking you, but you don’t care, not when you’ve waited this long for him to be inside you. 
“so pretty,” he says, sharply, and finally, he lets his hands fall from your hair, holds your hips instead, bringing you harder onto his cock. 
a tear rolls down your cheek and you bite down on your tongue to keep from screaming, whimpering at the aching pleasure in your entire body. 
“you’re mine,” kento says, kissing you sloppily, hungrily as you thread your fingers through his hair. his tip brushes the sensitive spot inside you, and you're not sure how much longer you can stop yourself from cumming. “mine, mine, mine. no one else should ever get to fucking look at you if they can’t tell who you belong to.” 
“i don’t want anyone but you,” you say, and you’re almost shouting, saliva all over your mouth as you drool from his harsh kisses. "i'm yours, kento."
you feel him smile against your lips. “that’s my girl,” he says, voice rough as he grips you tightly, nearing his own orgasm. “you wanna cum, pretty? make a mess on my my cock, sweetheart. i’m so close.” 
his thrusts grow sloppy, and you grip his shoulders as he fucks deep into you cunt, forcefully, and, finally, you cry out, toes curling as you cum, hard, around him.
kento’s face is flushed, sweat at his hairline as his tips edges against your cervix, almost painfully, before he’s toppling over the edge, biting down hard on your shoulder with a groan. hot ropes spill into your cunt, and you're still writhing, moaning from sensitivity as his warm seed settles deep within you. 
he’s so pretty; you kiss him over and over, the loose hair that sticks to his forehead, the flush on his cheeks. “mmm,” you hum, tasting the coffee on his tongue. “love you so much, kento,” 
“you say that now,” he says curtly, slowly dragging himself out of your tight walls. “but wait until we get home.” 
already, your pussy aches again, and you’re too warm, sweating as kento fixes his hair in the mirror. 
you try to slide your panties back on, reach for where they've pooled at your ankles, but kento is faster. he yanks them away, folds them up nicely to tuck into his pocket. 
“kento—”
“leave them off,” he says, sniffing as his cheeks slowly return to their normal color. “maybe ino will stop thinking about fucking my wife if he sees my cum running down her thighs.” 
you stare at him, blinking, but you don’t have the energy or the willpower to fight anymore. instead, you obey, standing as a mix of kento's cum and your own juices seep onto your inner thigh, creating a sticky mess between your legs.
your husband unlocks the door, and you follow him back into the dining room, where ino is subtly sliding back into the booth, his cheeks red, a bulge obvious in his pants. he glances between the two of you with wide eyes, and darts his gaze back down between your legs, before staring at kento uncomfortably. 
“did you get your call sorted out?” he asks, and his voice is higher, squeakier as you sit down with your husband. 
kento smirks, satisfied. “it’s been taken care of.”
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i need him to fuck me so bad
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Wasted On You
AN: No one asked for this but it came to me, and I wanted it so, hope y'all enjoy lol.
(Un-beta’d)
In which Poe is a handsy, overly-affectionate drunk.
Rated: M+ (this is smut so, i mean, you’ve been warned?) Words: 1,863 Pairing: Poe Dameron x F!Reader Warnings: alcohol consumption, kissing, frottage/thigh riding, semi-public sex, soft!Poe, sub!Poe (if you squint), fluff, PDA, cursing, Poe being the adorable menace that he is. AO3
——————
The spotchka sloshes out of your glass as you clink it with the others at the table, the sounds of raucous laughter and general gaiety filling the room as everyone celebrates the Resistance’s latest win. It’d been a big one, one that had been fought for long and hard; years of sleepless nights and an innumerable number of undercover missions later, it was finally over. Everyone was thrilled, of course, but none more so than Poe Dameron. 
You take a sip and smile as you watch him cheer, his elation and relief obvious. He’d been neck deep in the middle of it all as the General’s right-hand man, taking charge of at least a third of the missions that had gotten all of you to this point; if anyone deserved to celebrate, it was definitely Poe. 
It’s why you haven’t tried to pull him away yet, why you haven’t stopped him from drinking jet juice like it’s water. You know you probably should but…he’s just having so much fun, and you can’t bear to be the one that ends it. He’s definitely sloshed, laughing at the dumbest things and stumbling around like a baby that’s just learning how to walk. It’s been pretty amusing to witness, if you’re honest.  
You watch as the people he’s been speaking with move on, clapping him on the shoulder as they head toward another group that’s taken up residence in the back corner. Once he’s alone, he sits quietly, smiling softly to himself for a moment, before his brow suddenly furrows in confusion. He looks around, an exaggerated frown on his lips as he searches for something. When his eyes meet yours, his smile returns, wide and a little dopey, as he stands to his feet and unsteadily shuffles over. 
You chuckle when he plops down onto the chair beside you, his arm draping over your shoulders as he leans in so close, his nose bumps against your cheek. 
“There you are, sweetheart,” he drawls, his voice raspy from all the cheering and screaming. “I’ve been looking all over for you.” 
An involuntary shiver runs through you at the roughness of his voice, conjuring memories of the other times he’s sounded like this for you (his forehead pressed to yours, breath puffing against your lips as he pushes into you again and again—). He pulls you closer, his lips brushing your cheek as his other hand falls to your knee. 
“Maker,” he groans, kissing his way over your jaw toward your ear. “Baby, you smell delicious.” 
You tilt your head slightly to better accommodate him, your chuckle a little throaty. “I do?” 
He hums, pushing his nose against the side of your neck and breathing in deeply.  
You chew your lip, eyes darting around the room as he resumes kissing you, this time on your neck, the hand on your knee slowly inching its way up to your thigh. 
“Poe,” you warn, squirming a little in your chair as you halt his hand’s upward progression with your own. “We’re in public.” 
He grunts, nosing aside the collar of your shirt to nip at your collarbone. “So?” 
Your chuckle morphs into a whine as he worries a mark there with his teeth, arousal pooling in your gut at the mild sting. He groans into your neck when your fingers find their way into his hair, curling around the soft, thick strands. Gently, you pull him off of you, his eyelids heavy, mouth slightly agape as he stares at you. You’re not sure you’ll ever get used to the way he looks at you, so much unabashed love and adoration, so much want. Unable to resist, you lean in and kiss him softly on the lips. 
 As you pull away again, you say. “C’mon, flyboy, let me take you home.” 
The two of you say goodnight to everyone before stumbling from the cantina, Poe’s arm laid over your shoulders. Your arm wraps around his waist in an effort to keep him upright, only to have him lean heavily against your side, humming contentedly as he buries his face in your neck again. You manage to get him to the door just outside the living quarters hall before he starts trying to grope you, hand slipping not-so-stealthily toward your chest.  
“Stop it,” you chuckle, rolling your eyes as you swat his hand away. 
He snorts into your neck, his mouth once again exploring the area. “Stop what?” he asks between kisses, lips dragging over your skin. “‘m not doing anything.” 
You hum skeptically, pausing to key the entry code to the door. As you wait for it to slide open, he pulls your earlobe between his lips, his teeth nipping at the edges. Your breath hitches in surprise, and he must hear it because he smiles. You drag him into the hall once the door opens, silently thanking the Maker that everyone seems to still be out celebrating. 
Poe’s quarters aren’t far, and normally take just a few minutes to reach, however, what should be a quick trek is hindered by the fact that a certain drunk commander can’t seem to stop touching you. You fend him off without issue, though, biting back your laughter at the terrible pick-up lines he’s throwing your way. 
“You do know that I can’t carry you, right?” you tease, snorting as he knocks you into the wall with his weight again. 
He chuckles as he attempts to right himself, but only succeeds in making you even more lopsided. “I’m sorry, baby, I can’t help that I am trapped in the gravitational field of your smile.” 
You scoff, shaking your head fondly as you turn the corner to the hall that (blessedly) houses Poe’s quarters. “You’re an idiot.” 
He laughs again, and you grunt as he leans into your side yet again, his breath puffing against your cheek. “Yeah, but I’m your idiot.” 
It’s cheesy, but the truth of the statement makes something warm lodge itself in your heart all the same. 
You’re almost there, can literally see his door as you both plod awkwardly down the hall. He’s quieter now, but you’re so focused on getting him into his room, you don’t think to ask why.  
Without warning, he leans into you again, throwing you off balance and pinning you to the wall with his hips. Before you can scold him, he covers your lips with his own, stealing your words as well as the breath from your lungs. He tastes like a Keshian spice roll, sweet and a little tangy, and you melt into him, your fingers curling into his shirt to keep him against you. His tongue is warm, insistent, as it slides hungrily against yours, coaxing a soft moan from your throat.  
He sighs, grinding against you clumsily as he devours your mouth. His hands are everywhere; on your face, your hips, your ass, his strong fingers gripping and pulling, manipulating your body like he would his ship. You whine as he slots his thigh between your legs, pushing it up against your core, mumbling something about wanting to see you fall apart. You moan at the friction, canting your hips as he pulls his mouth from yours to groan into your neck. Your fingers weave into his hair as you both continue to grind against each other, the pleasure building steadily in your gut.  
“Poe,” you sigh breathlessly, eyes flying open when you remember where you are. “Baby, your room is right there.” 
He grunts in response, his mouth latching onto your neck.  
You open your mouth to respond, then promptly choke on a moan when he shifts his leg, the movement pressing the seam of your pants against your clit.  
“Maker, I love all the pretty, little sounds you make,” he slurs, voice raspy as he pulls back to meet your eyes. “You gonna come for me, sweetheart?” 
The greedy look in his eyes sends another jolt of pleasure through you, your breath hitching as you cant your hips, seeking your release.
“Poe,” you whine, telling him that you’re close (so close), that you just need a little more— 
He shushes you softly, pressing his forehead against yours, his own hips still rutting lazily against you, and when you come, he kisses you, swallowing your moans.  
The first thing you notice when you come back to yourself is that Poe’s rock-hard cock is digging into your hip. When you open your eyes, he’s watching you, his smile soft, eyes heavy-lidded, still blown wide with lust. 
That’s when you remember where you are. 
Shit.  
Panic slices through you as you wriggle in his hold, trying to push yourself off of the wall (and his thigh). You’re mortified—had anyone seen you? Had they heard? You groan (and not in the pretty way Poe likes), eyes darting around in search of any onlookers. Poe chuckles, nose nudging against yours as he tries to reclaim your attention. 
As you return your attention to your menace of a boyfriend, you can’t seem to stop the laugh that escapes you, clapping a hand over your mouth to stifle the sound. He laughs too, snorting when you place your other hand over his mouth. You smile at each other as your combined giggles subside, Poe’s eyes crinkling a little by his eyes.  
“Let’s get you to bed, commander,” you say finally, fingers toying with the curls at the base of his neck. 
He nods, a little glassy-eyed as he stares at you with a fondness and affection that makes your stomach flip.  
When you (finally) make it into his room, he attacks you with his lips again, licking into your mouth as his hands clumsily attempt to remove your clothes. He walks backwards, bringing you along with him as he untucks your shirt from your pants. You chuckle as he struggles with your belt, grunting in frustration when he can’t seem to get it unbuckled. He huffs after a moment, abandoning his attempts and slipping beneath your shirt instead.  
Suddenly, he grunts, tripping and falling heavily onto his bed and pulling you right along with him. You laugh softly, pushing yourself up on your forearms to look down at him; his eyes are glazed with want, dark curls splayed across his blanket in a messy halo, eyelids heavy. 
“Slow down, baby,” you whisper, smiling softly as you lean in to kiss him again. 
He melts into the mattress, moaning into your mouth as his hands slide up your back, hips pushing against yours. You grind down onto him slowly, gently, swallowing every sigh and whimper that falls from between his lips. He comes with a choked moan not long after, fingers digging into your skin as his hips stutter against yours. 
You pull back when you feel him sag in relief beneath you, your hands combing through his hair. His eyes are closed, body limp and heavy, and you realize—he fell asleep. You snort, smiling fondly at him before pressing a kiss to his forehead. As you try to slip from his hold though, he tightens his arms around you, murmuring softly for you to stay. 
Unable to deny him anything, you do.
If you enjoyed this, please let me know! I appreciate every single reblog and/or comment. Thank you. 💖
🌟 Masterlist 🌟
i am no longer doing a taglist. please follow @charmingupdates for updates and turn on notifications.
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bubybubsters · 8 months
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Impossible (prologue)
A/n: idk. Just an explanation for a in progress chapter one (no I haven’t started chapter one, idk when it’ll be out, I have my last year of hs (wish me luck). I do have a life ya know).
Mutuals you are my inspiration! (Not gonna tag you cuz idk if you want to be)
masterlist one two three
pairing: azriel x reader, Eris x reader, Azriel x Eris
word count: 980 + 1
⚠️: nah
Azriel’s POV
Azriel stormed through the doors to the forest house as his rage took over. You was here, you had to be. Elain had left without a word and that’s when he realized he’d made a very big mistake. He’d been entranced by Elain, following whatever she said without question.
Azriel can’t you see? The mother made a mistake. We are meant to be, look at this, look at me. However we can’t be us with y/n still out there, poisoning your brain. You have to reject the bond. For us. Three brothers, three sisters right?
And he’d listened he’d rejected the bond as if the mate the Mother had given him was nothing compared to Elain. He’d tried to reject you in a nice manner but when you’d asked why, he’d given up and became rude and angry. So you had left, the remaining bit of the bond shut off and tucked deep inside both of you. But Azriel could still feel your heart break. Still feel the pain and hurt and betrayal.
And he hadn’t cared.
He reached inside himself now, searching for that bond, pulling it to the surface and tugging. Only to be met with a hard wall of fire. Pure light had always been your shield before but now. Fire? As if you were hurt and raging and broken but also beautiful and healing.
Elain had left, hardly a week after he’d rejected you. She’d disappeared to the band of exiles and hadn’t said a word. Not to Azriel, not even to Feyre or Nesta. But Lucien had visited later and said Elain had just shown up at his doorstep in tears, going on about how Azriel had broken her heart. Azriel had told him his side of the story and the two males had worked it out. Now he presumed, Lucien was trying to understand Elain.
After that they’d all spent a while searching for you. Now Azriel knew you were with Eris and damn him if that didn’t hurt him to his very core. Was he truly so bad that you’d gone to Eris for help?
As he let autumn court soldiers surround him in the greeting foyer, he pushed down his raging feelings and calmed down enough to speak to the captain. “Will you get the high lord for me?”
The captain eyed him for a moment before turning to head up the stairs all while muttering, "we might be allies with the night court but wasn't there a rule about notifying 3 hours before visits?”
Azriel grimaced, he'd forgotten about that but it was too late now. He watched the soldiers move back in place before glancing out the window. The moon was just now starting its descent shining on the misty forests of red, orange and brown.
Soon he heard two pairs of footsteps and the captains voice reached him, "-ed in. Not sure what he wants but he asked to see you and I figured it must be important so I got you."
Eris and the captain appeared at the top of the stairs as Eris dismissed him. The captain bowed, "High Lord", before scuttling away.
Eris groaned his voice raspy from sleep, his hair tousled from being woken up. "To what do I owe this lovely visit at the crack of dawn?"
Azriel grimaced, he hadn’t even looked at the time before coming here and waking Eris up. “My apologies High Lord,” he bit out, bowing his head slightly.
Eris raised his brows, “trying to get on my good side so I’ll let you see y/n? It won’t work shadowsinger, it’s all her choice.”
Azriel didn’t bother looking pleasant, “go ask her then.” At Eris’ frown and obvious hesitation he added, “please, I’m begging you, please.”
“I don’t see you begging.” But despite his words Eris sighed, running a hand through his hair, making it all the more messier. “I’ll do it for her, not you. The two of you need to work it out before she can move on. But if you hurt her shadowsinger….” His face turned cold as steel and he glared to emphasize his point.
Azriel bowed his head in understanding, “Thank you, Eris.” And he meant it, he truly did.
And as Azriel watched Eris walk away, he thought maybe, just maybe, he might be a good male.
*****
Eris’ POV
As Eris opened the door to his bed chambers he thought of how broken the spymaster had seemed. And he felt a sense of sadness and sympathy for the bastard which didn’t bode well with Eris. He never sympathized so why now for you and Azriel?
He strode to the bed and shook you awake, you glared at him through your lashes and through a weak right hook at his head. Eris let it hit before pulling you to her feet. “He’s here, he wants to talk and he looks truly sorry.”
This woke you up fast and you cursed, striding into the closet and changing. The past week you’d started to open up to Eris and talk about what happened, you’ come to his room and each night he would hold you and comfort you when you woke up crying. He was your rock, your friend in this cruel world.
Only he wanted more.
He wouldn’t pressure you in any way to do anything you didn’t want to but this talk with the spymaster had to happen sooner or later. He still wasnt sure why you’d come to him after the bond had been rejected. You’d met a few times at meetings and had been on good terms despite the trouble with Morrigan but otherwise you weren’t good enough friends for you to show up here after Azriel’s rejection. Not that he was complaining, he’d felt drawn to her the moment they’d met, like how mates were drawn together. But that wasn’t possible right? For one to have two mates, but it’d certainly explain why you’d come to him and why Eris had felt sympathy to both spymaster and female.
It isint possible he chided himself as you stepped out fully dressed in your Illyrian leathers. The phrase repeated in his head. Not possible. Impossible (improbable for Nikolai fans) Not possible, no way, not two mates.
but what if it was?
*****
Part 1
thanks for sticking with me through this horrible prologue. You’re all amazing and supportive but I hope you will understand that I’m stressed with college and everything (I’m in my last year of hs).
y’all have a week left until requests close.
taglist
@profound-imagination
I will not tag anyone until explicitly asked to! (Or like idk)
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ashesandhackles · 1 year
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Dumbledore and Reflections of Himself
I am in the middle of an HBP reread and boy do I have feelings about Dumbledore and Tom Riddle's first meeting.
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We see that Mrs Cole piques Dumbledore's interest by mentioning that Tom is a bully, but that doesn't immediately dictate Dumbledore's conduct in the room. When Tom first commands: "Tell the truth!" (a behaviour Harry considers shocking), Dumbledore's move is to remain unfazed and pleasant. Something that makes Tom warier (Tom senses that he has met an adult who would not only not react to him, but will act like he is unaffected by him, the boy who wants to be special). It establishes the push and pull in the scene, where Tom tries to take control of the scene (as much as a 11 year old child can) and Dumbledore consistently undercuts it.
The scene changes in tone when Dumbledore reveals that Tom is magical, and I find Dumbledore's reaction to Tom's response so interesting:
“I knew I was different,” he whispered to his own quivering fingers. “I knew I was special. Always, I knew there was something.”
“Well, you were quite right,” said Dumbledore, who was no longer smiling, but watching Riddle intently. “You are a wizard.”
Why does Dumbledore, who was perfectly happy to smile pleasantly and weather through Tom's wariness and suspicion, suddenly become more intent and unsmiling? It is because he understands Tom's need to be "special", a reflection of his youthful self who felt bitterness and resentment when he was responsible for his family.
Here is Dumbledore, in a confession of his greatest mistakes to Harry in Deathly Hallows: "I was gifted, I was brilliant. I wanted to escape. I wanted to shine. I wanted glory."
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The scene progresses, and Tom asks Dumbledore to prove that he is a wizard in the same commanding tone: "Prove it!"
Dumbledore, who has become fraction colder, merely raises his eyebrows and insists that Tom uses respectful honorifics in addressing him ("Then you will address me as professor or sir"). And then Tom in "an unrecognizably polite voice" which Dumbledore (and Harry who is watching the memory) recognises as non-apologetic way of getting what he wants.
Then Dumbledore does something that establishes his total domination in the scene, something he admits to Tom later: "“The time is long gone when I could frighten you with a burning wardrobe and force you to make repayment for your crimes. But I wish I could, Tom. ... I wish I could. ...”
He burns Tom's wardrobe, and unnerves him with proof of his thievery. This is the only time in the scene Tom is cornered, and I don't think he ever forgets how Dumbledore made him feel(and why Dumbledore is the "only one he ever feared"):
Open the door,” said Dumbledore.
Riddle hesitated, then crossed the room and threw open the wardrobe door. On the topmost shelf, above a rail of threadbare clothes, a small cardboard box was shaking and rattling as though there were several frantic mice trapped inside it.
“Take it out,” said Dumbledore. (...)
“Is there anything in that box that you ought not to have?” asked Dumbledore.
Riddle threw Dumbledore a long, clear, calculating look. “Yes, I suppose so, sir,” he said finally, in an expressionless voice.
“Open it,” said Dumbledore.
Dumbledore admits to Harry that what made him uneasy about Tom was "obvious instincts for cruelty, secrecy and domination." (He does become gentle with Tom when Tom expresses desire to know his parentage, and the gentleness is remarked on in the scene).
But, like I demonstrated with wardrobe burning, there is no scene in the books where Dumbledore is not in control, even when he appears not to be (whenever someone makes the mistake of assuming as such, as Draco in the climax of the book - "you’re in my power. ... I’m the one with the wand. ... You’re at my mercy", Dumbledore reminds him: "It is my mercy, not yours that matters now.")
That's not the first of Dumbledore's reflection. Who else has instincts for secrecy, like Tom Riddle?
“I knew my brother, Potter. He learned secrecy at our mother’s knee. Secrets and lies, that’s how we grew up, and Albus ... he was a natural.”
What Dumbledore fears, what Dumbledore is wary of, what Dumbledore cannot forgive are reflections of himself in another person ("Was I better, ultimately, than Voldemort?" he asks in DH). And this is entirely because Dumbledore cannot forgive himself for what happened to his family - his indifference to who Grindelwald was, his hubris that cost him his sister.
It is exactly why he is also surprised (and taken aback) at Harry's empathy for his parent's murderer: "Could you possibly be feeling sorry for Lord Voldemort?" (it is also where his respect and love for Harry comes from: "I've known for sometime, you are a better man")
We see this even in Harry's attempt to save Voldemort's soul ("Try for some remorse, I've seen what you will be otherwise"), whereas Dumbledore is more unforgiving of Voldemort's final fate ("You cannot help" Dumbledore says to Harry). It tallies well with what he tells Voldemort in OOTP:
“We both know that there are other ways of destroying a man, Tom,” Dumbledore said calmly. “Merely taking your life would not satisfy me, I admit — ”
“There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!” snarled Voldemort.
“You are quite wrong,” said Dumbledore. “Indeed, your failure to understand that there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness — ”
Voldemort's final fate, a mutilated soul that is stuck in King cross limbo, unable to go on is the fate "worse than death" that Dumbledore is referring to. It is the fate Harry tries to save Voldemort from, by asking him to repair his soul with "remorse."
Remorse
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I would be remiss to not talk about another young wizard that Dumbledore reacts quite personally to - young, wayward Death Eater Severus Snape. @urupotter had made a lovely observation in one of his metas about how Dumbledore's response to Snape: "You disgust me" is far more personal than him reacting to someone like Fenrir Greyback.
Snape's indifference to evil, his hunger for power (the trait that made him join Death Eaters and follow Voldemort ) "disgusts" Dumbledore. For Dumbledore, he has gotten his sister killed because of his own refusal to listen to his conscience, his passion for Grindelwald that led to poor judgement: "Did I know, in my heart of hearts, what Gellert Grindelwald was? I think I did, but I closed my eyes. If the plans we were making came to fruition, all my dreams would come true."
He sees the same indifference and selfishness in Snape at the beginning of his arc: "You do not care about the lives of her husband and child? They can die, as long as you can have what you want?"
Snape, of course, grows into someone Dumbledore relies on ("How many people have you watched die?" "Lately those who I cannot save"), someone Dumbledore considers redeemed with his casual: "You are a braver man by far than Igor Karkaroff. You know, I sometimes think we Sort too soon ..."
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Which brings me to the most commonly misunderstood/ poorly analysed scene in Deathly Hallows:
From the tip of his wand burst the silver doe: She landed on the office floor, bounded once across the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears.
“After all this time?”
“Always,” said Snape.
This is not Snape's declaration of romantic love that goes beyond time lol. It is declaration of his guilt that will forever haunt him, his role in Lily's death that he wants to atone for. He was protecting Harry out of remorse, and he gives up this very personal desire for atonement in service of "greater good" to defeat Voldemort - by passing on the knowledge that Dumbledore gave him to Harry.
Dumbledore's own reaction - his tears- aren't because he is moved by Snape's undying love. It's because, once again, Dumbledore sees a reflection of himself, of his own guilt, his self-inflicted tragedies in Snape. He is moved because Snape was "never free", like himself. As Harry astutely reads Dumbledore's painful guilt:
“ ’Course, Grindelwald scarpered. He had a bit of a track record already, back in his own country, and he didn’t want Ariana set to his account too. And Albus was free, wasn’t he? Free of the burden of his sister, free to become the greatest wizard of the — ”
“He was never free,” said Harry.
“I beg your pardon?” said Aberforth.
“Never,” said Harry. “The night that your brother died, he drank a potion that drove him out of his mind. He started screaming, pleading with someone who wasn’t there. ‘Don’t hurt them, please ... hurt me instead.’ ”
Keeping "Hurt me instead" in mind, here is how Dumbledore offers a way forward for the self-destructive, guilt ridden Severus Snape:
"I wish ... I wish / were dead. ...”
“And what use would that be to anyone?” said Dumbledore coldly. “If you loved Lily Evans, if you truly loved her, then your way forward is clear.”
Dumbledore understands this self-destructive, suicidal guilt very intimately and very personally, and he is harsher and colder with Snape as he is with himself. (He also interestingly, never magically fixes the crooked nose - a mark of his brother's blame at their sister's funeral) Dumbledore, as Hermione notes in the scene with Harry, "Maybe he did believe these things when he was seventeen, but the whole of the rest of his life was devoted to fighting the Dark Arts!"
What use, indeed his own guilt, if he doesn't fight for the Greater Good?
This is reflected in the quotation he chose for his mother and sister's grave:
Harry stooped down and saw, upon the frozen, lichen-spotted granite, the words KENDRA DUMBLEDORE and, a short way below her dates of birth and death, AND HER DAUGHTER ARIANA. There was also a quotation: Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
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otdiaftg · 4 months
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The King's Men - Chapter Three
Day: Thursday, January 4th Time: 7:20 PM EST
"What did I say yesterday?" Neil asked her. "Why did you react like that?" It didn't take her long to remember. "About the knives, you mean." When Neil nodded, she turned her hands over and considered her palms. "You remember I told you I used to be in a gang? There was a man there who went out of his way to hurt me. He liked knives and kept a half-dozen on him at all times. I couldn't defend myself by normal means, so I learned to fight with knives, too. I practiced for a year before I finally bested him. "'Bested'." Renee contemplated the word choice for a few moments before saying, "He didn't survive the fight. Boss helped stage the body so we could pin it on a rival gang and I was promoted. I kept the knives through my trial and my adoption. I wanted to remember what darkness I'm capable of—and what darkness I'm capable of surviving." "You did what you had to do," Neil said. "If he lived he would have come back for you." "I know," Renee said, soft. "There were other girls before I caught his eye; there would be girls after I left. But I didn't do it for the greater good. I did it because he wronged me personally and I didn't want to be afraid of him anymore. I regret what it did to me more than I regret the necessity of his death. I felt no horror when I watched him die. I was proud of what I'd done to him. "I told Andrew what I did," Renee said. "The next day while I was at class he broke into my room and took my knives. When I asked for them back, he said I was lying to myself. If I wanted to remember, I wouldn't hide the knives in my closet like a shameful secret I couldn't revisit or let go of. They weren't doing me any good, so he said he would carry them until I needed them again. "I let him have them because I trusted him not to use them," Renee said. "I thought he understood what they were supposed to be: not weapons anymore but a symbol of what we've overcome. I didn't ask him for his reasons. I knew he would tell me if he wanted me to know." The obvious answer was Drake, but it didn't add up quite right. Neil turned it over in his head, working his way through it, and thought about the scars on Andrew's forearms. Who had Andrew survived: Drake or himself? Neil wasn't going to share that idea with Renee, so he said, "So those knives he brings everywhere are yours?" "Were mine," Renee said. "He was right; I don't need them anymore. If you need them, he will give them to you, and I will teach you how to use them." She wasn't smiling anymore. Neil studied her calm expression and knew she meant it. She'd put her faith in mankind and her Christian piety on hold and show him how to cut a man open throat to groin if he asked her to. Neil was starting to understand why Andrew liked her. She was crazy enough to be interesting. "Thank you," Neil said, "but no. I don't want to be like—him." He didn't say he'd used knives before; one couldn't grow up a Wesninski without having a blade pushed into his hand. Nathan didn't have the time or patience to teach his son but he'd put two of his people to the task. Luckily Neil left home before he progressed past cutting up hunks of dead animals. "Of course," Renee agreed. She waited a moment to see if anything else was forthcoming, then got to her feet. "I shouldn't keep Allison waiting, but if you want to talk more later you know where to find me." "Okay," Neil said.
Art used with permission by Aymmidumps. Thank you @aymmidumps
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angstcorp · 2 years
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HOW THEY FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU
Summary: Oh no, they're falling for you. How did it start, and how do they react?
Author's note: Fluff two days in a row? What am I doing. This is AngstCorp not FluffCorp.
Characters: Ayaka, Ayato, Diluc, Kaeya, Zhongli
Warnings: Gender neutral reader, Ayato being slightly manipulative, mention of Zhongli feeling possessive.
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It is a very natural and progressive process with AYAKA. You start by being friends and it all evolves from there. She feels at ease when you spend time together, and she'll try to see you more and more. At first, she struggles with being herself when it's just the two of you, feeling like she needs to keep up the appearances but it's so hard to resist you.
She wants you to meet her, the real her, she wants to bare her heart and soul so you can embrace her as she truly is. And as long as you respond positively to that, she'll let herself fall in love. It's slow, but kind and beautiful, and you'll make many tender memories together before the start of your relationship that you'll fondly recall when you're snuggling on the couch many years later.
Things are a lot more complicated with AYATO. Yes, you catch his eyes and his interest, but he has his position and clan to think about, so he'll have to do a background check on you and maybe observe you to know your true intentions. He tends to take his distance with his feelings and tries to rationalize them. Everything is calculated at first, from where you meet, how he follows the proper courtship steps, how he acts with you, etc. It's not fake per say, but it lacks spontaneity and some sincerity? He'll stop the more he sees you having more genuine and open interactions with other people.
He'll feel a pang of jealousy in his heart, so he'll try to be less calculating the next time he sees you. After that though; the very moment he gets in tune with his emotions, there's no coming back. Ayato will get addicted to this feeling in less than five seconds. He will be desperate to get more and more of you, more of your smile, more of your laugh, more of your gentle touch. The man will have to learn how to control himself all over again when you're in the same room, lest he starts looking at you with loving eyes and the softest smile in front of important people.
DILUC absolutely denies everything and completely ignores his feelings. You're a dear friend and he is simply worried about you, like a good friend should be, and that is why he spends so much time with you, to watch over you and make sure everything is alright. Yes he carries your bags, yes he buys you gifts when he thinks you would like them, yes he makes sure to walk you home when you're alone and it's already late, but it's all friendship. Luckily, Kaeya is here.
There might be tension between them both now, but he still knows his adoptive brother well and it's very obvious to him what's happening exactly. He sees it as his job to give Diluc the push he needs to make him face his feelings. He has quite a few cards up his sleeve, like flirting with you, or having someone else flirt with you, or encouraging you to take a few weeks of vacation for travelling, whatever it takes. When Diluc has no choice than to recognize that yes, he is hopelessly in love with you, he is just unable to pretend anymore. He loves you, he needs you, he wants you. His courtship will be very stiff and quite awkward at first, but give him some time and he'll be the softest partner you could hope for.
KAEYA on the other hand, knows very well what's happening from the very beginning. He knows. He sees all the signs, and he recognizes them for what they are. How his heart skips a beat when he sees you, the butterfly in his stomach when you smile, how he can't stop smiling for hours after seeing you. However, he will be very hesitant to let it grow any further than that. Kaeya has secrets, and they cost him his brother already, he doesn't want to lose you to them too. So for some time, it's going to be weird. Kaeya will switch between being kind and soft with you, and being colder and putting some distance between you.
You can confront him or not about his behaviour, but the moment he realizes he is just hurting you acting like that and being so damn indecisive, he'll stop his nonsense. Who is he even kidding? If he didn't manage to stay away from you before, it's not going to change now. Expect an apology, and a genuine proposition to start over and to please give him a chance to make amends? He'll see himself as a fool for ever thinking he could resist you.
ZHONGLI had a lot of lovers in his long life. It was always people he cared about truly, but there was never a romantic attachment to them. No one he would consider his mate. So he recognizes all the signs when he gets interested in you, and after some consideration, he decides that he would very much like sharing that special bond with you too. Besides, it's the first time he'll have a lover while he lives amongst mortals so he is quite excited to discover that with you. He truly thinks it'll be the same as it has ever been with everyone else.
He is, however, completely and utterly WRONG. It starts simply enough, getting to know each other better, spending time together, slowly building a strong bond, something solid to start your relationship on. He is totally unprepared when all his instincts awaken and it feels all his being is caught on fire. The trigger could be anything, like you getting hurt, seeing someone flirting with you, or simply seeing you wearing one of his gifts on you, but suddenly his soul is a dragon and he is holding you close to his chest, growling possessively. When he manages to calm down and after much confusion from both you and him, that's when he knows he is fucked and this is nothing like before, and it's way too late to go back now.
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lnsfawwi · 5 months
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Winterbaron Thunderbolts blurb
Zemo has spent a lot of time reflecting his feelings for Bucky. when he first learned about the Winter Soldier, Hydra's most formidable secret weapon, he was stuck between disgusted by what's been done to him and general apathy. brainwashed or not, Bucky used his superhuman skills to kill many many people. But after their little adventure, he realizes Bucky isn't that. he isn't one of THEM, Avengers or Nazis alike.
Zemo's grown not just sympathetic but also fond of Bucky as partners in crime. That makes him uncomfortable. He spent YEARS resenting superheroes, hunting them, killing them, killing that sense of superiority they so casually project. But here he is, working with Bucky again, and can't keep his eyes off him.
Bucky is a natural leader, he takes care of his team even tho his contempt for certain people (including himself) is palpable, a brilliant strategist and even a better fighter, he is competent and...attractive.
Zemo tries to play his little mind game but Bucky isn't at all receptive. but that's ok, hatred is a strong enough emotion that may very well carry over to his ultimate demise. bucky won't be able to forget him that easily. Zemo isnt trying to be a 'hero', sacrificing himself for this assorted bunch, he just isn't trying so hard to stay alive.
Bucky notices that, from experience perhaps. Bucky keeps an eye on him in battle. in the middle of a shootout, Bucky drags him to security and shouts at him, 'stop letting your death wish get in the way!' or something like that.
'I'm touched, James, caring the life of someone like me.'
'I don't care if you're dead.'Bucky says as he takes out a guy by calculating the ricochet trajectory on the fly. 'you are just in my way.'
that's probably true. Zemo shrugs, sitting on the ground, fully confident that Bucky can handle the situation for both of them. 'I've been thinking...'
'shoot first, think later, socrates.'
'I've been thinking.' Zemo shoots somewhere blindly and keeps talking, 'we'd make great pair.'
Bucky stares at him as if he's grown another head. or lost the only one he had.
'you see, James, no one knows you better than I do, I'm perhaps the only one who GETS why you are the way you are. And you know me, sort of. we've come to a truce, the past is in the past...'
'I don't share your kinship, Zemo. Now be useful!'
so he makes himself useful, tho he is still talking. talking, yeah, but without referring to the most painfully obvious and unsettling fact. 'what I'm suggesting is mutually beneficial. I have connections and information you need, and you have one less bad guy to worry about.'
'I don't have to worry about you if you're in prison.'
'but I'm not there, am I?'
as the mission progress, Zemo offers help, shuts John up when necessary (Bucky smirks when he does that), and stays close to Bucky. yelena isn't blind, but she thinks Zemo has external motive and gives him the shovel talk.
'that's lovely. now, do you think James would prefer a new modified gun or customed knife? I know he is partial to the SiG but I see room for improvement. you know what, I'll get both. thank you for indulging me, Yelena.'
yelena: ok gay🙄
more fighting ensued, Bucky eventually uses the knife Zemo got him. some part of Bucky just breaks, that line that's been constantly pushed by Zemo is broken at that moment in a sense that Bucky acknowledges Zemo being in his tiny circle of 'allies' is already a truth. Zemo has been his ally longer than he's willing to admit. Bucky wants to believe they are different that's why he pushes Zemo away, only then does he realize accepting Zemo doesn't mean they're the same, it's just that they are compatible in certain situations. and Zemo is not exactly unpleasant to be around, sometimes.
after the mission, yelena suggests they go for a drink, Zemo suggests they go to that fancy place none of them would otherwise be allowed in. It's classy and degenerate at the same time.
while others disappear into the dance floor, Zemo sits down next to Bucky and asks if he could buy him a drink.
'will you back off if I said no?'
'I'm hurt, James. after all this time, you should know I don't take pleasure in forcing people into things they don't want.'
Bucky kinda laughs and lets Zemo buy him a fancy whisky. 'what do you want, Zemo?'
'I already told you what I want. partnership.'
Bucky downs the alcohol in one go and glances at him. 'is that all?'
Zemo is frankly surprised by Bucky's response but who is he to pass the opportunity? 'I usually go on a date or two before moving on to other things, but I suppose I can make an exception.'
and things get a little heated from there.
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arlo1611 · 5 months
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Ghost x Male Reader
(First post lol - Nsfw)
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Y/N and Ghost had just come back from quite possibly the most dangerous mission of the year. To put simply, shit went wrong real fucking quick. Both men were left beaten and bloodied by the end of it, barely surviving the ordeal. But they had, somehow.
A few hours later... Ghost laid in bed beside Y/N, watching as his chest rose and fell while he slept. Each breath was deep as memories of the mission plagued his dreams. Ghost couldn't get the thought of watching his boyfriend suffer the way he did out of his head, it caused a deep rooted pain in his chest.
"Y/N. Wake up." He whispered softly, placing his hand softly on Y/N's cheek. Y/N opened his eyes softly and turned to Ghost. His voice was groggy, since he had just woken up. "What?" He replied sleepily. "I uh, I keep thinking about... the mission. I just... I hate seeing you when you get hurt like that." Ghost said slowly, it was hard for him to talk about how he felt. But he knew he needed to tell Y/N. "I keep thinking, what if... what if you didn't make it." His voice was barely above a whisper at this point.
A few seconds of silence pass, before Y/N's eyes turned from drowsiness to concern. He gently put his hand on Ghost's face and planted a small kiss on his forehead. "Last mission was... horrific. I hated seeing you hurt too, but I am alive. So are you." Y/N stated, as calmly and as comfortingly as he could. Y/N smiled softly and despite Ghost's worries, it was obvious a small smile had formed under the mask.
As they looked into each others eyes for a little longer, the atmosphere in the room shifted into a more... intimate one. Suddenly, Y/N speaks up. "How about... I show you that I'm alive." As he says this, he shifts his body to be on top of Ghost. Ghost, who knows where this is going already, nods. Y/N lifts Ghost's mask to just below the nose and kisses him lovingly. They hold in that moment for a few minutes, savouring every second.
Things quickly warm up however, as Ghost begins unbuckling his belt and removing his trouser while Y/N does the same. They continue to kiss passionately before Y/N places his cock and Ghost's entrance. He gives Ghost a quick look, as if asking for permission. This is common between the 2, as they switch quite often. Ghost nods and with that, Y/N slowly pushes inside Ghost. He is gentle and caring, because he knows Ghost is still sore from the difficult mission a few hours previous.
Y/N thrusts into Ghost slowly, making sure that he is enjoying it too. A low groan escapes Ghost's mouth, causing Y/N to gradually quicken his thrusting pace. As time progresses, groans and moans from the pair get louder. "Fuck.." Y/N breathed out, pleasure overwhelming him. Ghost could not utter a word, the feeling of Y/N was ecstasy. Y/N thrusted in and out of Ghost at a more increasing speed, causing the 2 of them to feel pure bliss.
Minutes felt like hours as Y/N and Ghost reached closer to their limits. Y/N was moving what could be considered slow, because this interaction was not out of lust, but out of love. The couple had gone through something devastating, they had to watch as the other nearly died. Doing this, was a way to reassure each other they were alive.
Y/N inevitably released inside of Ghost, filling him up and the both of them moaned simultaneously. Ghost let out a spurt from his own dick, staining the shirt he was wearing. Y/N pulled out and laid beside Ghost, putting his arm around his waist. They both caught their breath and relaxed beside one another.
"Okay... your alive." Ghost said, as he fell asleep in his boyfriends loving embrace.
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Hailey Banks: Her Own Worst Enemy?
The Chaos Bots, or rather who sent them, pose the greatest mystery of “Hailey’s on It!” Early on, people suspected the Professor, but as of “We Wish You a Merry Chaos-Mas” that theory appears debunked. And A. C. Aychvak seems too obvious a solution. There was a moment in “U. F. Whoa!” where Hailey suspected her future self after discovering her birdhouse logo on the batteries that powered the bots. The Professor assured Hailey that wasn’t the case. However, the Professor might have reason to lie about her boss’s connection to the Chaos Bots.
Consider a future in which Hailey doesn’t complete anything in her list journal. However, through diligent study and work, she still becomes a gifted scientist who creates the clean energy technology that reverses climate change and saves the planet. She becomes the Thomas Edison of the 21st century, with her own laboratory and admirers even among younger generations. And yet, Future Hailey is unfulfilled. She works so hard she can’t even attend her own lab’s Christmas party, and she’s never even dated since she couldn’t work up the nerve to confess to her first crush.
One day, Future Hailey blows the dust off her long-neglected to-do list. She realizes she might have enjoyed her life, past and present, if she had taken a few more risks growing up, and if she allowed herself a few adventures instead of holing up with her homework in her bedroom. That’s when Future Hailey realizes she can use one of her inventions—time travel—to give herself the teenage years she never had.
Discussions of time travel throughout the series demonstrate that time in Hailey’s universe is strictly linear: what happens in the past directly affects the future. If Future Hailey can shake the bats out of Past Hailey’s belfry, her younger self’s experiences will become her older self’s memories.
But Future Hailey knows her past self won’t do anything on her list until and unless she’s pushed. She sends her subordinate, the Professor, fifty years backward with an elaborate lie about how Past Hailey’s to-do list became the springboard that propelled her scientific career. The Professor provides her with Beta, whose ability to assess time-stream probabilities keeps Past Hailey on track. Future Hailey creates and sends forth the Chaos Bots to present a manageable threat, adding a sense of urgency to the mission. (She will later admit she made them too powerful, considering they almost killed Past Hailey on at least two occasions.) Finally, Future Hailey deploys a mechanism, possibly within the Chaos Bots themselves, that projects illusory “time glitches” to remind Past Hailey of what will “happen” if she doesn’t stay focused.
Future Hailey isn’t sure this will work at first but gradually receives confirmation of progress. Not only does she have new memories of things she did and said fifty years ago, but Future Hailey also keeps discovering photos of things that didn’t happen until she suddenly remembers they did. She finds ribbons and awards from contests her former self never even entered, her Sheriff for a Day badge, her autograph from the comic convention, and a program from her parents’ second wedding. But the most stunning discovery happens one morning when Future Hailey walks into her kitchen and finds Scott Denoga destroying the place while trying to prepare breakfast… and she suddenly realizes that they’ve been married for forty years.
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griefabyss69 · 5 months
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Congrats on 100! For the game, how about "by the glow of candlelight", feel free to make it as E as you'd like, and Steddie or hellcheer maybe? (Also I feel you, my fingers are much more clumsy on the phone keyboard than a computer's)
This was immediately such a solid idea in my head <3 Thank you for the prompt!!! I hope you enjoy it 🕯️💗
Hellcheer (Eddie x Chrissy) - Rated: M - 639 Words
cw: one of the themes is about the journey of healing religious trauma (The other one is about touching each other <3)
(Full thing under the cut)
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Eddie wouldn't have ever considered the backs of his knees to be a particularly sexy part of his body, for other people or even to touch, before tonight.
But with all of the attention they're getting, he feels a simmering up his legs, all the way to the tip of his dick.
He's on his stomach, his head pillowed in his arms as Chrissy touches him all over – under the guise of giving him a friendly massage.
While they'd both gone into it with the knowledge that it was just an excuse, he knows that she still needs one while she continues to work through years of religious guilt, especially about bodies, and the thousands of things you're not supposed to do with them.
There are many things about their situation that would make even a more progressive church goer shake their head at her, though Eddie doesn't think any of it would qualify her for actual Hell. Maybe one day, though.
Her fingers ghost over skin he never thinks about, and he finds it sensitive and a little ticklish in a way that really works for him.
"You look pretty like this," she says, her voice small, all hushed like she can't bear to call a man pretty to his face.
To the back of his head. Whatever.
He lifts his chin and tries to look over his shoulder at her, wants to see the shine of the candles in her eyes, to try to see what she sees when she gazes as him.
"Lay down, I'm not done," she says, tapping at his back, her knees nudging against the insides of his calves.
He complies, not as tempted to misbehave and tease her as he usually is. He likes to push her buttons just enough that she can forget about the ex-Looming Threat in her life, even if it's only for twenty minutes at a time, but tonight something feels different. Special.
She's the one who initiated it, which makes him choke up with pride when he thinks too hard about it. It's also… moody, in a sexy way. He knew vaguely that candles were supposed to be good for that, but had never bothered because his lamp seemed good enough.
The difference is clear though, and he already plans to get her to pick out more candles.
Chrissy's fingers are at his lower back, rubbing circles into his muscles and he wants them lower – has no idea how to make his ass appealing and friendly enough that the shame doesn't scare her off.
"Eddie," she says, her voice trailing off.
"Mmm?" He asks, lifting his head up again.
She pushes at his shoulders and he lays back down with a huff, pretending to be annoyed.
"Can I… touch you?"
He bites back the obvious response. He doesn't want to ruin a perfect gift, and he's too busy groaning into his arms anyway, spreading his legs a little bit in invitation.
"Yes," being as clear about it as he can.
"Thank you," she says, and her hands slide over the skin of his ass, stopping right under it to knead his thighs. "I like this part."
He thinks she means his body, but he likes this part too – when she settles into what they're doing enough to ask for what she wants.
Later he's going to return the favor, tickle the backs of her knees and make her feel good, maybe get her to rest on her back so he can give her an even friendlier massage with his mouth. However he can get her brain to shut up and let her rest, however she wants to use him – though she'd never agree with him about that phrasing – Eddie's going to give it all to her until the candles are flickering out in their burnt down wicks.
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crimsonedquill · 10 months
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Conquering Mountains (Natsai Onai x f!MC)
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I absolutely *love* all these requests for underappreciated characters I’m getting. Like writing for the boys is fun and all but this was always meant as a blog to give my girls some much-deserved attention 🖤
Yes, the length is entirely reflective of the fun I had with this prompt 😂 Especially since I never see any large Natsai fics out there (let alone smut) I was happy to do this!
(Also, MC is fem here because I’m headcanoning Natty with massive sapphic energy lmao)
Content warning: NSFW (18+). Soft smut, first time, aged up characters, just two hopeless lesbians exploring their feelings.
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“Accio!”
The leather ball shot across the coloured fields, gaining a brief momentum boost through one of the small whirlpools before finally rolling to a halt in the last column.
“Fifty points,” Natty said, turning to MC with a smile. “That puts me over the top, no?”
“Yeah, I suppose it does,” MC grumbled, not looking nearly as amused. She crossed her arms and stuck out her bottom lip. “I don’t know why I even bother. It’s obvious I’m never going to beat you, you know?”
“Ah, you should not think like that. From my point of view, you have made much progress since you first played against me.”
“Right, yeah.” MC tilted her head, causing her hair to partly obscure the furrow in her brow. “Perhaps remind me how that game went?”
Natty chuckled, pocketing her wand before stepping up to her friend and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “Let me make it up to you. Me, you, and a Butterbeer. How does that sound?”
“Between you and the Butterbeer? I’d definitely choose the latter.”
“Oh, do not break my heart like that!” Natty laughed, playfully swatting her arm.
“Fine, I’ll bite,” MC chuckled as they stepped off the podium and began making their way back to the castle, a gentle breeze causing their robes to flutter in the wind. “I’m surprised you even manage to find the time though. Aren’t you supposed to be swamped with all your N.E.W.T.s? It’s still your ambition to become an Auror, right?”
“It is,” Natty nodded. “And I will admit it has been difficult sometimes… like when I had to leave Crossed Wands, but overall I have managed to adapt well so far. Besides, in my experience, having a good friend is just as important to succeeding as studying.”
“You give me too much credit,” MC said.
Natty felt a smile tug at her lips. As much as she liked to pride herself on her independent streak, it hadn’t escaped her notice that she’d come to rely on MC in more ways than one after their fifth year. She wasn’t too proud to admit that her presence had anchored her more than any friends she had made in Gryffindor, or Hogwarts in general, for that matter – even though she never would do so to her face, of course. She was barely able to get over her own massive ego as it was.
“I need to go and collect my things for Transfiguration,” MC said as they stepped through the doors, welcomed by the ambient chatter of students. “Shall we meet up later, then?”
Natty nodded. “I will wait for you at the castle gates after classes. Do not be late!”
“Never would I dare to make such a fair maiden wait,” MC grinned, making a bow that seemed to turn some heads. “For you, my lady, I shall conquer ill-tempered professors and menacing ghosts –”
“Oh, get out of here, you,” Natty giggled, pushing her just hard enough to get her on her way with the biggest shit-eating grin on her face. The Gryffindor shook her head as she watched her friend leave, not able to resist a small chuckle of her own. She really could be too much sometimes. Almost made her wonder if she was actually joking – though that was more of a silly thought than anything. Sure, it wasn’t like their bold way of joking around or the ease with which they finished each other’s sentences didn’t leave some things open to suggestion, but Natty had never really thought of their friendship as anything other than just that.
Whether she wanted to, though?
She frowned, finding herself a little taken aback by the thought. It probably wasn’t that strange to think, but then again, why would she, if she didn’t really have any reason to assume that MC saw her as more than a friend? Probably best not to make things any more complicated than they needed to be.
Natty shook the thought from her head and walked on, quickly finding that she hadn’t been thinking about anything at all.
— — —
“So, wait, let me get this straight,” MC said after taking another swig of her cup, looking at Natty with a cocked eyebrow. “You don’t actually need Divination to qualify for Auror, so the only reason you’re taking the class is to placate your mother?”
Natty shot a look back. “What is wrong with that?”
“You’re really going to make me say it? How about, “Your future is hanging in the balance and you decide to spend your precious minutes reading tea leaves”?”
“Please,” Natty laughed, “you mock me, but rest assured that any effort I am spending now is nothing compared to the trouble I face if I were to provoke my mother’s ire. Besides, there is more to the art than you care to comprehend.”
“Of course. I suppose I’m just curious why I should bother learning something that’s supposed to let me predict the future, when it will hardly tell me tomorrow’s weather.”
“There are more sophisticated ways than crystal balls for that,” Natty said. “Have you tried looking up at the sky?”
MC rolled her eyes at her. “Merlin’s sake, Weasley has really rubbed off on you, hasn’t he?”
They shared a chuckle between themselves as Sirona brought them another round of Butterbeers. After a few more swigs, MC leaned back in her chair, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “So, here’s something interesting – apparently Samantha Dale and Amit Thakkar are holding hands now?”
“Well, that is not much of a surprise. Everyone knows they have been sending each other owls for weeks.”
“Right, but that’s not all I’ve heard.” MC hunched slightly forward, as if she was about to reveal some kind of terrible secret. “Rumour has it that they have been doing… stuff… to each other in the bathroom after Astronomy.”
Natty scrunched her nose. “I do not need to know that!”
“Oh, come on!” MC laughed. “You always pretend not to care, but you aren’t really going to tell me that you’ve never thought about getting a little handsy.”
“Well, even if I did, I would surely know better than to tell you.”
“So you do admit it!”
Natty opted to withhold her answer, taking a sip of her Butterbeer as she did her best to ignore MC’s smug gaze. It wasn’t the first time she had broached the subject and it surely wouldn’t be the last.
“Come on, it’s nothing to be shy about,” MC teased. “Garreth’s cute, isn’t he?”
“That is different. We are just friends.”
“Right. But if you could kiss him, you would?”
“No, I – of course not!”
“Just because he’s your friend?” MC asked. “That’s kind of a stupid excuse. Takes all of the fun out of it.”
“So you are saying that you would?” Natty retorted.
“Sure,” MC answered with a shrug. “Hell, I’d even kiss you under the right circumstances.”
It felt like the bottom had fallen out of Natty’s stomach. She was almost certain MC was just needling her for the sake of getting a reaction, so she chose to go with the sarcastic snort. ““The right circumstances”?”
“Yeah. I mean, obviously it wouldn’t be anything serious, but if it was just some harmless fun –”
“Right, of course. Harmless fun.”
She did not mean to sound disappointed. She wasn’t even sure if she had. The only thing she was certain of was that she suddenly really wanted this conversation to end.
“I should probably be going, there is some homework I need to catch up on before tomorrow,” she said, standing up from her chair. MC gave her a surprised look. “So soon? Do you want me to walk you back to the castle?”
“You can stay if you want, I will manage.” Pausing briefly, she added: “This has been fun.”
“Uh, yeah, for sure.”
Natty had hoped that would have been the end of it, though of course she should have known MC wasn’t that naive. Her friend kept looking at her as she tentatively bit her lip. “Hey, look, if I said anything out of line –”
“You are bold to assume that I am not used to your nonsense by now,” Natty replied, mustering a smile. “We are good. I just… need to get back to my schoolwork.”
“Yeah, of course. Good luck.”
Natty turned on her heels and walked out, not once stopping to look back. She dropped the fake contortion plastered on her face as soon as she stepped outside, letting out a deep sigh as she closed her eyes. Overhead, clouds started to gather in a steely sky.
– – –
Not too long after MC’s impromptu confession at The Three Broomsticks, Natty realised something started to hurt in her chest every time she saw her friend. Which was probably why she stopped doing it.
At first, it was just something she did without really being aware that she did it. She simply rolled into the habit of brushing her off after every class, either citing her loads of schoolwork or study sessions with other friends or some other flimsy reason for a lack of time. She became such a natural at it that she could have easily fooled herself if she tried. After all, she didn’t have any particular reason to be avoiding MC, did she? It wasn’t like the mere sight of them felt like a hot sting to her core, those damn words etched into her mind like a curse, repeating themselves just as she thought she was finally beginning to forgot them.
Harmless fun. That is all you are to her. Why wouldn’t you be, it is not like you ever expected to be more to them, wanted to be more to them –
Ah, Merlin.
She could not really get herself to admit to her feelings, not even to herself. Perhaps it wasn’t in her nature. At any rate, she thought it best to keep MC at arm’s length until she was able to make some sense of the mess that was currently her mind. It probably was the best chance she had at preserving their relationship in the state it had been.
Unfortunately, MC didn’t seem to be quite of the same mind.
The girl popped up out of nowhere after Defense Against the Dark Arts, asking for a minute of her time. Natty attempted one of her usual excuses, but found herself whisked into an empty bathroom before she could get any words past her lips. She gingerly stood with her books in her hands as MC crossed her arms, leaning back against one of the porcelain sinks. “All right, go on, explain.”
Natty looked at her, confused. “What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean.” MC’s tone was sharp, but also imbued with a hint of concern that caused Natty to look away in embarrassment. She wasn’t sure if she could do this now, but it looked like she had no other choice. “These past few weeks you’ve been doing all you can do to ignore me for no clear reason and I’m getting sick of it. If you have something to say to me, just say it.”
She should probably have said it then. Merlin, MC was actually inviting her to.
“It has nothing to do with you,” she answered, managing a surprisingly controlled voice. “As I have told you before, I have merely been caught up in –”
“Enough with the bloody excuses,” MC snapped. “If this was just about school, you could at least have found a moment to properly talk to me instead of pretending I don’t exist. You can’t just start treating me like that after all we’ve been through!”
Oh, there it was. She did not even have a reason to try and damage control this situation. If MC wanted the truth so desperately, she could have it.
“You know, I am surprised you care so much about spending time with me,” Natty shot back, her voice swelling with the fire in her chest. “There are so many other people who would gladly worship you if it meant getting just a fraction of your attention, no?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Then again, I am not sure of the lengths they would really be willing to go. Perhaps you should ask them if they would ever take a Torturing Curse for you.”
“Wait, so that is what this is all about?” MC asked, sounding more shocked than angry. “Are you saying I haven’t shown enough appreciation for what you –”
“I do not want your gratitude!” Natty seethed, her vision quickly blurring red around the edges. “I never cared about any of that! But perhaps I had hoped that after all this time, there was a slight chance that you would understand… that I did what I did because I do not merely think of you as a friend –”
The silence that followed was oddly deafening. Natty figured she would have preferred MC to laugh or shout at her, to give her at least some justification for her anger, but she seemed rather lost for words all of a sudden.
“I-I cant…” she stammered, “you can’t be saying that…”
“I believe I just did.”
Natty tightened her grip on her books, trying to stop her lip from quivering. “That is all, really. Maybe now you understand.”
MC made no attempt to stop her as she left. If someone in the corridors had told her that she looked like she had shattered into a thousand pieces, she would have had no trouble believing them.
– – –
Her confession to MC had made things even worse than they had been. Perhaps the silver lining was that the girl had given up on any efforts to reach out to her, but that was pretty much it. It still hurt like hell to see her in class or in the halls, the pain in her heart made worse by the knowledge that her friend now knew about one of her most intimate secrets, feelings she had not even meant to reveal in the first place.
Natty felt so pathetic. She tried telling herself that she was just exaggerating, that in the end this was more embarrassment over the outing of a crush than the end of the world, but the thing was that it didn’t exactly feel like that. It wasn’t so much the sting of rejection as the fact that she had permanently altered the nature of their relationship – or ruined it, she might as well say. All because of the stupid need to act on some irrational feelings she could have easily ignored if she’d wanted to.
Then again, she hadn’t, had she?
“Natsai, come see me for a minute, would you?”
Natty looked up from the books she’d been packing and saw her mother beckoning her at her desk. She probably shouldn’t have been too surprised; if anything, it was more of a shock that it had taken her this long to say something. She put her books down and waited until the other students had left the classroom before making her way over. Her mother closed the hatch with a flourish of her wand and then turned to her, folding her hands. “How have you been?”
“Busy,” Natty admitted. “Nothing I have found myself unable to handle, though.”
“You always have been rather persistent,” Mudiwa nodded, though she said it without any hint of a chuckle. “And your friends? Have you been able to give them enough attention with the pressure of your studies?”
“I… I think so. It’s been challenging to balance my commitments sometimes, though I believe I have been doing well, all things considered.”
“Very well. And you have suffered no lingering effects from Harlow’s curse?”
“No, that was a long time ago – mother, what is this all about?”
She’d forgotten just how intense her mother’s gaze could be. It seemed to bore into her, just far enough to read all of the secrets locked away in her soul.
Mudiwa drew a breath. “I am asking these questions because I see you hurting. I have always respected you enough to provide you with the space to solve your own problems, but I do know when your own stubbornness is getting in the way of that. So, tell me, what kind of predicament have you found yourself in now?”
Natty knew she could have tried deflecting with enough flimsy excuses, but then again, she didn’t exactly seem to be in the habit of making the best decisions lately.
“I… it is silly,” she sighed. “I said something I should not have to a friend, and now I fear I have forever ruined our bond.”
“What did you say to them?”
Natty looked away. “That I… well, that perhaps I wished for us to be more than friends –”
“Aha.”
Her mother’s voice was surprisingly devoid of judgement. Natty thought she might have preferred that more than whatever she was doing now.
“But I was not in a right state of mind,” she added hastily. “It was just something they said that caused me to feel jealous, and before I knew it I was acting on a whim, and –”
“Ah, so you do have fallen for them.”
Natty blushed. “No, that is not what I –”
“My little gazelle, I have spent enough time nurturing you to know that you often confuse strength with a lack of vulnerability. After the death of your father, you lived in denial of your true feelings for a long time. Are you meaning to say that you do not have a similar inclination now?”
She wanted to deny it. Badly. But Merlin, she knew her mother to be right. She had spent so long blaming herself for her father’s death that it had taken someone else to show her how she had truly felt – someone who had somehow understood her better than she had been capable of herself…
“This… ‘friend’ of yours,” Mudiwa continued. “Did they judge you for the way you felt about them?”
“No,” Natty replied, shaking her head. “No, I think… I think she was simply as overwhelmed by the whole situation as I was –”
Her mother’s eyes lit up at the unintended use of the pronoun, but for whatever reason she apparently decided not to comment on it.
“Do you think she would judge you if you took the time to speak to her again, properly this time?”
“No,” Natty said resolutely. “I do not know how she would respond, but I do not believe she would hold it against me.”
“Then that is probably something you ought to consider, no? After all, something tells me you might find the loss of a friend harder to bear than the shame you are feeling now.”
“Yes, I… I suppose I would.”
Mudiwa reached out for her. Natty leaned forward, feeling some weight fall of her shoulders as she fell into her mother’s embrace, smelling the familiar scent of tea and spices.
“You are a beautiful and strong young woman,” Mudiwa said. “Please do not let your pride blind yourself to that fact.”
They pulled apart, only connected by Natty’s small hand wrapped in her mother’s.
“And she better not break your heart,” she said, her lips forming a faint smirk. “For my vengeance will be swift and strong if she even as much as contemplates the thought.”
– – –
Oddly enough, it was MC who reached out to Natty first.
It was just a few words scribbled down on a small piece of parchment delivered to her by owl, but the message they carried wasn’t any less meaningful because of it:
Please meet me in the Room of Requirement tonight. I would like to speak to you.
Though Natty had to admit that saying what she wanted to say suddenly seemed a lot easier because of MC’s invitation, she was still wrecked with nerves as she watched the outline of the door to the Room slowly appear in the wall. It surely appeared that MC was willing to reconcile and let bygones be bygones, but the Gryffindor knew that they wouldn’t simply be able to go back to their old ways. It was no longer a question of whether their friendship had changed – it was how much.
Heart beating steadily, she stepped into the pleasant scent of MC’s cosy Room. She saw the various vivariums, which had all been closed, and the velvet reading corner where they’d spent so many hours digging through old books together. She was struck by a light bout of nostalgia before she heard a familiar voice call out her name, and she turned around to see MC standing in the archway leading to the lower level.
“You came.” she said, probably sounding more surprised than she had meant to.
“I received your invitation,” Natty replied, holding up the small piece of parchment.
“Yeah, well, with how invisible I seem to have been to you lately, I wasn’t sure if you had.”
She flashed a pained smile. “Sorry, I shouldn’t start again. Care to follow me?”
They walked through the archway into a small, odd room Natty had never seen before. It was colored in harmonic dark shades of blue and purple, with the windows covered by silver-rimmed curtains. A bunch of pillows were splayed out on the carpet on the floor, centered around a plate with several bottles. Natty leaned forward and picked one up. “Is this Firewhisky?”
“Sure is,” MC said. “I figured I was going to need some after I’ve told you everything I wanted to tell you tonight. Ehm, shall we sit?”
Natty nodded, following MC’s lead as she sat down on the pillow opposite her. She assumed that as far as her friend’s strange behavior went it was most likely just the nerves talking, but then again, it was so out of character for her that she couldn’t help but frown.
“So –” MC began, before catching herself. “Oh, I forgot – I have something to show you. Here, let me,”
She drew her wand and cast a spell on the curtains, causing them to swing open. Natty felt her breath hitch in her throat as a beautiful savannah unfolded itself before her eyes, endless grassy plains illuminated perfectly by the light of a pale, full moon.
“MC, what –” she stammered.
“Is something off?” MC asked, worried. “Damnit, I spent so much time trying to get the details right, but I wasn’t sure –”
“No, it… it is perfect. I just cannot believe – you conjured all of this for me?”
“Yeah, well, it was the least I could do to make up for the arse I’ve been,” she said with a shy grin.
“Please, it was not your faul –”
“No, Natty, just… let me get this off my chest first, all right?”
Natty imagined she could not have looked more confused, though she nodded anyway.
“Okay,” MC said, drawing breath. “So, I should say –”
Her mouth was left hanging open, but no words came out. She forced herself through a few more incoherent vowels before giving up and seizing the bottle closest to her. “You know what, let’s do drinks first.”
“Probably for the best,” Natty agreed, picking up a glass of her own.
They both knocked back a shot and immediately started coughing, smiling at each other through burning tears.
“Merlin, I had forgotten just how potent this stuff was –” Natty chuckled.
“Better than anything Sharp ever has us brew, huh,” MC smirked, pouring them another drink.
After a few more doses, MC seemed ready to say what she wanted to say. The girl stared into the bottom of her glass as she traced its rim with her finger, a fresh blush having made its way to her cheeks.
“So um –” she began, “did you mean it? What you said to me in that bathroom?”
“Every word of it,” Natty answered, lacking any hesitation she might have felt before. She was done pretending. Denial had never led her anywhere good.
“See, I… well, to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t quite sure what to think. We’ve been friends for so long that it was rather jarring to hear you say all those things about me. But in hindsight, I realised I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did.”
Natty shook her head. “I do not blame you. I was just as upset by my own course of action. I think, because I so desperately wanted you to feel the way I felt, I reacted far too strongly –”
“But that’s exactly it,” MC interrupted. They suddenly shifted so that she was sitting closer to the Gryffindor, who felt her heart leaping in her chest. “After you’d made your confession, telling me about all these heartfelt feelings you’ve held for so long, I started wondering why I never picked up on any signals that you felt this way. At first I assumed you were just at good at hiding it… though then the thought crossed my mind that perhaps, I had always been making jokes and teasing you as a way to avoid confronting a much more obvious truth.”
Natty’s voice shuddered as she posed the question. “What truth?”
“That…” MC sighed. “That I might have been feeling much the same way about you.”
Somehow the moment seemed much less real of a sudden. Natty was struck by the ethereal beauty of MC’s face; the way her features seemed impossibly perfect, hugged by the light of the silver moon.
“It’s all kind of stupid, isn’t it?” MC chuckled. “I mean, if you fancy me, and I fancy you, then what in Merlin’s name are we –”
Her sentence was cut off by Natty’s lips. MC immediately leaned into the kiss, relishing the taste of warm breath; relishing how much she had been craving it. MC’s hands snaked around to the small of Natty’s back, pulling her into her lap, causing the Gryffindor to gasp with surprise. The absolute wanting spoken by every single one of MC’s movements left her chest burning and her mind reeling as she tried to keep up, expectation and reality blurring together in perfect harmony.
MC withdrew ever so gently, soft words spoken with concern as their gazes met. “Are you… are we going too fast?”
Natty lovingly cupped her cheek. “No. I am right where I want to be.”
MC smiled before kissing her again, this time slightly parting her lips to allow her tongue to slip through. Natty greedily accepted the offer, meeting MC’s warmth with her own, her fingers tracing slow, concentrating circles across her back. As their tongues interlocked, Natty found it hard to conceive just how lucky she was. Just a few minutes ago she had thought she had lost it all, and here she was, having it all, right at her fingertips.
The heat in her chest slowly started trickling down through her insides. She felt it in her tummy, then her core, just a few inches away from MC’s thigh. As they slightly shifted around in their fiery embrace, her crotch brushed directly up against MC’s leg, leading a whimper to fall from her lips.
Again, MC pulled back. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she replied in a half-moan. She wasn’t quite sure what she was doing, but it felt good, so she kept on doing it. MC drinking in every detail of the expression on her face as she rode her thigh with slow, deliberate strokes was an unexpected but welcome surprise, as she enjoyed her bearing witness to her self-pleasure more than she thought.
The heat between her legs was building at a feverish crescendo, and she bit down on her bottom lip in an effort to keep the obscene moans from escaping her mouth. In its own way, it was both exhilarating and frightening to think that she would eventually achieve release this way, driven by nothing but her own lust and MC’s arousing gaze. But the thought seemed unsatisfactory. She wanted more.
She wanted MC to be her first.
Pausing for a moment, she looked down at MC, the both at them panting with anticipation.
“I’m not going to lie,” MC said, “seeing you like this really turns me on.”
Natty shifted slightly at the lewd compliment, feeling a small shock shooting up through her core.
“Do you –”
She was hesitant to ask. Even as the thought excited her, she wasn’t sure whether MC would be open to the idea, and she would be right to ask if they weren’t rushing things.
But still…
“Do I what?” MC asked, the hint of trepidation audible in her voice.
“Do you want to put a finger… you know…”
“Inside of you?” MC’s eyes widened. “Natty, are you sure?”
“I do not know,” Natty admitted. “Are you?”
“No, not exactly.” MC swallowed, though her eyes shone with the unmistakable glitter of hot desire. Natty imagined she was probably thinking the same thing as she was.
MC looked up at her again. “Have you ever been with someone… like this?”
Natty shook her head.
“Me neither,” MC confessed, biting her lip before speaking up again. “All right, I… I’ll just try and you tell me if it feels good, all right?”
Natty nodded. This was it, it was really happening. She felt dizzy as she adjusted a little to provide MC with easier access. She still wasn’t feeling confident that she’d made the right call, but there was no person she would have rather entrusted her body to.
It took MC more than a few attempts to hook her hand into the band of her skirt, though eventually she managed, slipping in her fingers one by one. As soon as Natty felt MC’s warm skin making contact with her own, there was a different kind of sensation. Hotter, more intense. It was as if she was becoming closer to MC somehow, and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to feel her inside of her.
One of MC’s digits brushed past her sensitive swollen nub, drawing a whine from her. MC froze. “Was that… did I –”
“Please,” Natty whimpered. She was so close to perfection, so close to what she wanted most. All she craved was for MC to take her there.
MC swallowed, tentatively proceeding despite looking ready to devour her in an instant. Her finger slipped past her wet folds, coating itself in her arousal. Natty wondered what MC was thinking when she felt just how wet she was. It was so dirty, so depraved.
She absolutely loved it.
However, nothing of what she’d experienced so far quite compared to the feeling of MC’s finger dipping inside of her.
Her body immediately responded to the stimulus, legs spasming as her head fell forward onto MC’s shoulder. A low hiss escaped through her teeth. It was so deep. So full.
It was perfect.
MC paused to allow them both a few moments to acclimatize to the feeling. She nuzzled her ear, wet lips placing a soft kiss to the upper end of her jaw. “Love, I’m going to start moving now, all right?”
Natty whimpered in response. There was a loud squelching sound as her sick folds dragged at the sides of MC’s finger, the digit plunging deeper inside her welcoming depths. Her spiraling mind rapidly registered a series of lewd thoughts as she passed through her lust-induced dazed. Would MC think she was tight enough? Would she have any suspicion at all of the nights she’d spent lying awake in bed, picturing the features of her face as her fingers had snuck down to pry open her dripping slit? Would she feel pride at knowing that more than once she had come with her name on her lips, dreaming of the day she could have it all for real?
She stopped wondering as soon as her senses returned to the sensation of MC’s finger fucking itself into her. She had it all for real. And it was the best thing she’d ever experienced.
MC lacked a sense of rhythm, betraying her inexperience, but her eagerness more than made up for it. Natty ground against her palm, causing a lovely friction to her tingling button. She shuddered as the girl rewarded her neck with wet kisses, trailing down to the collar of her vest. Her tie was yanked away and suddenly her naked chest was met with a gust of cool air, the sensation quickly making way for MC’s warm breath, her tongue beginning to lap up the beads of sweat running down her dark skin.
Natty sensed her release growing, building, crashing upwards from ecstatic depths. Through hooded eyes she looked at her lover, saw the mix of concentration and unbridled lust held by her expression.
“My beloved… I am close…”
MC’s lips parted ever so slightly. “Say… say my name,” she ordered, the small shiver in her voice causing Natty to shudder. “I want to hear you say my name when you come.”
The request was enough to wash away whatever restraint she had left. Natty came, screaming MC’s name, tightening just long enough around her lover’s finger to prevent most of her release from spilling out; though then she relaxed, and her juices spilled freely.
MC shuffled, gently laying her down on the carpet, climbing on top of her before meeting her lips in another sweet kiss. As she propped herself up on her arms, Natty took a moment to appreciate the bright glow on her cheeks, the love in her eyes.
“I can’t get enough of you,” MC confessed.
“The feeling is mutual,” Natty smiled, cupping her cheek once more. MC nuzzled her palm, peppering it with little kisses. “No regrets?”
“Only that it took me so long to tell you.”
“That doesn’t have to be a bad thing,” MC replied, pushing up her blouse, exposing more skin to the nightly glow of the full moon. “Plenty of time to make up for, wouldn’t you say?”
Natty’s answer was lost in a moan as the girl kissed down the sloping valley between her legs, fingers quickly pulling down her skirt. She only briefly stopped to bite her lip. “Can I… taste you?”
She looked up at the Gryffindor to seek her approval, and she gave it. Yielding herself completely to MC’s grasp, she laid her head back against the pillow, looking up at the curved ceiling with teary eyes. She didn’t know why emotion was getting the better of her now. Perhaps it was only physical, a bodily response to the mind-shattering orgasm she’d just had, but she honestly didn’t think so. She felt happy. She felt complete. And she didn’t want to stop feeling like that.
MC’s tongue explored her folds with innocent curiosity, the taste of Natty’s juices apparently taking a little more time getting used to than their touch. Soon, though, she pressed further, pushing through the wet before slipping into the small hole. Natty’s fingers gripped the carpet, the world before her eyes bursting open into a whole new realm of lights and colors. There were so many new feelings, so much pleasure she had not quite experienced in this way before. What made it all even was better was that she had this beautiful person to share it with.
She could still feel the remains of her last high running through her body, so it didn’t take long for MC to have her edging again, lapping greedily at her as she looked up at her lover with starved eyes. Natty raised her hips to help her along, letting out a stifled cry as she felt the first waves of ecstasy beginning to hit her. She came again, loudly, rewarding her lover with another dose of her precious honey. The girl spent several minutes sucking every last drop from her folds before moving up again, pleasantly surprising her with the taste of her own essence on her lips.
They laid next to each other, exchanging lazy kisses as Natty pushed her leg between MC’s, wrapping herself into the safe embrace of her girlfriend.
“You okay?” MC asked softly.
“Never better,” Natty whispered back, lips curling into a satisfied smile.
Gentle fingers drew small patterns on her arm. She wondered if there was anything she should say. But no, she realised as she looked into MC’s eyes; there was nothing that needed to be said, for the warm glow burning inside the black pupils said it all.
“You want to have me now?” MC asked.
Natty’s smile grew wider. “I would love to.”
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theculturedmarxist · 1 year
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By James Meadway who hosts the weekly economics podcast Macrodose and is director of the Progressive Economy Forum. Previously, he was economic adviser to the shadow chancellor, and chief economist at the New Economics Foundation. Originally published at OpenDemocracy.
The working assumption, for governments and central banks across the world, is that at some point soon everything will get back to ‘normal’ – our economies will return to either pre-pandemic or, sometimes, even pre-2008 crash levels.
These beliefs are reinforced by media economics commentary and across political parties.
But what if they’re wrong? The world’s largest asset manager, overseeing $10trn in assets across the globe, thinks we are, instead, entering a period of increased risk and uncertainty, defined by unavoidable recession and much higher inflation.
BlackRock – a well-connected, influential and hugely profitable pillar of global capitalism – made the predictions in its ‘2023 Global Investment Outlook’ report.
It states: “The Great Moderation, the four-decade period of largely stable activity and inflation, is behind us.”
Instead, BlackRock forecasts a new regime with a “brutal trade-off” – falling living standards for the many becoming profits for the few.
This reality, of a world undergoing fundamental transformations and disrupting our settled modes of existence, has so far barely entered the economic mainstream.
For BlackRock to break with this consensus might, potentially, be one of the first signs of a broader shift in how major institutions in the Western economies view the world.
Systemic chaos
Annual food inflation in the UK rose to 13.3% – an all-time high – last month, according to trade body the British Retail Consortium, ahead of the official government figures out later this month.
This situation – though slightly worse in the UK due to a flawed Brexit deal and the falling value of the pound (critical as a major food importer) – is common across the globe. Even as wholesale energy prices have dropped from their summer 2022 peak, the price of food everywhere is soaring. United Nations’ forecasts show a major risk of widespread famine in the Global South over the next year, with harvests continuing to underperform.
This global spike in prices over the past 18 months was initially described by the economic establishment as “transitory”. Then, as inflation continued remorselessly upwards, familiar explanations reappeared: notably, excessive worker power (but real wages in the Global North are still falling) and excessive printing of money through quantitative easing (but we’ve been running QE since 2009).
The economic profession as a whole, and institutions such as the major central banks, have typically written down the obvious evidence of global instability as temporary factors, rather than something more systemic.
This means we’re trapped with central banks that still think pushing up interest rates to induce a recession is a smart way to bring down inflation. We have governments committed to holding down wages and salaries while allowing profits to explode.
But BlackRock believes the world is now “shaped by supply that involves brutal trade-offs” – in other words, the world economy is less effective at supplying goods and services than it was.
The after-effects of the pandemic have caused supply chain problems, as we all know, but they also think an ageing population means fewer workers, pushing up the cost of labour; that “geopolitical tensions” will disrupt global supply chains; and that the shift to net-zero carbon emissions will involve “demand and supply mismatches”.
Put all this together, and BlackRock thinks inflation will come down to the 2% level we’ve been used to only if central banks are prepared to ‘crush’ their economies into a severe recession. Since that’s unlikely, inflation will stay much higher than we are used to – combined with a miserable recession over the next year or so.
Massive profits for the lucky few
But BlackRock’s predictions don’t cover everything.
Its report misses the longer-term effects of Covid – both in terms of the impact on healthcare and, as we’re currently seeing, continuing waves of infection. It also misses, critically, the wider ecological impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss and resource depletion.
It is possible to imagine a world where peace returns rapidly to Ukraine, and the subsequent disruptions to global food and fertiliser trade are reduced. It is not possible to imagine a world where climate change and ecological destruction are thrown into reverse – indeed, some of the effects felt today, notably, biodiversity loss, are irreversible.
This twofold combination has led ecologist Nicholas Beuret to describe a “climate supercycle” of food shortages and rising prices running well into the future. (A recent episode of my podcast ‘Macrodose’ examines the coming food shortages for UK farmers.)
And, finally, BlackRock misses the extreme profits that shortages over the last year have generated for a select few multinationals, such as those supplying oil and gas.
It’s the last part that’s critical. A more unstable world affects everyone, but it will affect everyone differently.
For most of us, on the wrong side of food price hikes and extreme weather, the future is not great. But for the lucky few, shortages have been turned, through price rises, into massive profits
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sweet-vanilla-sims · 3 months
Text
Year 1661
TW/CW: Death Mention, Infant Death
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The start of the year was largely uneventful until the Morosini girls celebrated their birthday making them officially teenagers. It was little surprise that time had only bolstered Orsa's love for the outdoors while the oceanic views of Tartosa only drew in Orelia's heart further. While the girls were still close it was blatantly obvious to everyone that if they had a say, it was only a matter of time before they parted ways but considering how young they were and that that time had not yet come, they pushed thoughts of the future from their minds.
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Orelia tried to get into caring for the garden to try and connect with her family but she found it more of a chore than anything. It felt that the more she tried to connect with her family the more distant she felt. Her sisters, Orsa and Osana, when she had the time to spare, waxed poetic about true love and dreams of marrying a wealthy nobleman while Orelia couldn't imagine dreaming of marrying some guy and being like her mother though she did understand that her sisters did hope for a life of partnership and a gaggle of kids... her mother related in the sense that Giulia figured that her young daughter simply was too young to fancy that but Orsa and Osana had wanted that kind of life for years and she didn't... would it come with time like her mother theorized? Did she even want it to or did she just want to feel closer to her sisters again?
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Olivia continued to be a rather independent child which was nice for Giulia and Giovanni since it gave them the time to be alone and reconnect after so many ups and downs through the years.
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Though perhaps they connected too well as Giulia learned that she was expecting once again. Giuliano wasn't exactly stoked to be a brother again but he also didn't mind either way. Olivia was excited but she didn't quite understand what it meant to have a baby sibling being the youngest herself.
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It seemed that the year was a good time for babies in Tartosa as Felicita also revealed that she was expecting as well a few weeks later. While Giulia expected her child to arrive sometime towards the end of the year, Felicita figured hers would arrive at the start of the next.
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Unfortunately things were not all well in the family as a couple months after the fact, Giulia received news that her nephew from her brother had passed away in March. She took solace in her six healthy children while she prayed for her brother and his wife to fare well in spite of their loss.
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With Giulia's pregnancy progressing she came to terms with expecting her ninth child and actually began to look forward to having a new baby in her arms though she did continue to pray that this would be the last. She found it a humorous twist of fate that at the start of her marriage she had hoped for a child but now eight kids in, she was hoping to be done.
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Still as her stomach grew she felt pangs of guilt that she had been so fortunately blessed while her brother had just recently lost his firstborn.
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More worryingly though was the state of the garden. The plants were growing but the yields were pitiful with scarcely enough for the family let alone to sell for taxes and payments. The little money Osana was bringing home was being used to supplement the family home at this point. With Giuliano growing old as well, Giulia worried about the future and finding the funds for their unmarried daughters to have dowries. Did they sacrifice their other daughter's futures for Orsolina? Surely if they hadn't paid the extravagant price to marry into nobility they could have found matches for the rest... Giulia ran over the numbers in her mind and yet she remained grateful that at least the twins seemed fine with waiting for a match rather than not wanting to wait like Osana.
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In fact, Osana seemed enamored with her younger sister and while Giulia wanted her daughter to have the life she wished for, she wished that her second born would stop wanting to rush into the future as she overheard her telling her sister that she was eager to marry and have her own kids for her sister and unborn sibling to play with.
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Giovanni was delighted to spend time with his youngest as his older kids began to branch out from wanting his affections. Olivia might have been independent but she still enjoyed being doted on.
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The older kids still took lessons with Tala which only made Olivia want to grow up more. For Orelia, the mutual dislike of lessons she shared with her siblings was at least one commonality they all shared. Though they did laugh a bit at how eager their little sister was to join them when they found it to be such a bore.
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Of the siblings, Giuliano and Olivia proved to be rather close as Giuliano found it hard to hear his sisters, not Orelia, talking about the boys in town or in the Collari Manor, and Olivia was more than happy to talk about whatever he did since she practically idolized her big brother. Though that was likely since they had a smaller age gap.
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Giulia went into labor in late December, later than she thought she would since she had noticed that each baby had come a little sooner than the last aside from the twins who obviously came early.
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Just a few days before the year ended on December 29th, Giulia delivered her a fourth son who was named after his father and late brother as well as doubled with another name for himself, Giovanni Cesare Morosini.
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essskel · 1 year
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i've just seen you post a lot of cool asks and deep discussions over the past day and i got lonely and want to join the party hehe. so i was going to ask smth that ive been meaning to ask your opinion on for a while: what do you think about philippa's martyrdom and the rewriting of history which occurred after her death? i was always kind of shocked with how violent a death she was recorded as receiving, and shocked twice-over at how positively she was thought of a hundred years after her death. but it's just very interesting to me, especially because of the real-life historical context as it relates to christian martyrdom, and the message around it about history often being obscured - nimue and condwiramurs 'seeking the truth' of the ending of the legend of the witcher girl and debating what is factual history and what is made-up, while at the very same time, discussing the accounts of the members of the lodge and not thinking to question their positive impressions of their morality or motivations. it makes for some great dramatic irony. like nimue and condwiramurs being fans of both ciri and philippa despite the obvious antagonistic relationship between these two. (well, okay, i suppose they're just like us, then...)
Sorry this answer is late but YEAH what was up with Philippa's ending.
I was initially put off by it especially after her final scene that's filled with all this anger and persevering determination to keep Radovid from holding power over her. It feels like this push of strength that's followed up by 'and then she died horribly anyway' which took the wind out of the sails a bit for me.
But...idk, now I think I'm more at peace with it, because like you said, her crimes being swept aside by history in favor of a more heightened and reverent narrative is probably the best ending she could have asked for after the life she lived. It's such a time-honored pathway to infamy that historical figures fall into, particularly political figures in colonizing countries.
Going further, I have no idea if Sapkowski intended this, but to me, her ending and the legacy that nimue and condwiramurs have adopted might relate to some of the discussions of white feminsm and the way that complex or even downright awful, murderous female historical figures have been romanticized and martyred by 'progressive' groups in ways that they should not have been. Marie-Antoinette, Mother Theresa, Virginia Woolf, literally any British Queen, Coco Chanel, Bonnie Parker (of Bonnie and Clyde), ect. (that list was all over the place, sorry lmao that was off the top of my head) Some of those women are war criminals, some are Nazis, some are outspoken racists, but they've all been called feminist figures at some point, some still are.
So Philippa with her covert, hard to track operations of the lodge, paired with a very public and cruel death? Yeah, actually it does make sense that she's a saint decades later, and I don't think she'd be very let down by this either.
And in relation to Ciri, it just feels like a final reminder that it's not the world, or the countries, or even history that's on Ciri's side, it was only ever truly her family that knew her and respected her in full. nimue and condwiramurs try to know her and they do in their own very important way - I don’t actually fault them - but they can’t 100% do right by her or even know her in the way they hope because that’s just not how time works.
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khaleesiofalicante · 11 months
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Hey Dani, I was wondering if you or others who read this could give me some advice?
I sent an ask about a month ago about learning to drive and things have progressed since then (not necessarily positively 😅)
I'm experiencing severe anxiety before every lesson, often days beforehand, and the night before a lesson, I have a fretful sleep or wake up at 5am and not being able to go back to sleep. I haven't felt this type of anxiety for years, since I was 17.
Then yesterday, my instructor shouted at me 'for fuck's sake!' When I didn't slow down enough when turning left (I was below 20mph, probably closer to 15) and there were no hazards so it wasn't an unconscious reaction to something dangerous. I told my dad about it, who can drive, and he agreed it seemed extreme. And then I realised the instructor would make comments like 'I'm dreading doing the emergency stop with you' and 'do you only stir the car when I tell you?'. So I'm thinking now, has his reactions to me driving made me feel anxious more than I normally would?
I know the obvious solution is to change instructor but the things putting me off doing that is:
Pure awkwardness of saying I don't want to do lessons with him anymore
It took me 3-4 months to find this instructor to begin with
Fear that most instructors are going to be like this with me
What advice would you give? X
Hello darling,
Glad to hear from you again and I'm sorry you are going through this.
I agree with your dad that the instructor's reaction is extreme - also extremely disrespectful.
I've always noticed that educators - and people in supervisory capacity - sometimes have a tendency to be casually rude because they feel like it's warranted.
It's really not.
There is a difference between giving criticism and being a dick. Your instructor is being a dick.
I remember you talking about your driving anxiety before, but now it feels like this person is adding to it and you don't deserve that. I'm sure it's not making it any easier for you.
I would personally get a new instructor because often we don't have the luxury of getting a new teacher if our current one is a dick. We just have to put up with them. But in this case, if you can find a better one, please do. I get that it's hard to find these people, but do give it a try if you can.
If you are feeling awkward about saying you don't want to practice with him anymore, perhaps ask your parents to do it for you. You can simply say 'she is taking a break from her lessons' or something. Remember that he is providing you a service and you are paying for it. If you are not satisfied with this service, you have the right to terminate his services. There is nothing wrong with it.
I understand your hesitation about other instructors also being rude to you. I would ask around for someone who is patient and understanding - referrals would be very useful here.
Also, I want to remind you that (unless getting your license is a requirement for a job or any other personal reason) don't push yourself too much. You can always take a break from driving, come back later, and try again with a different instructor. When something is making you anxious, do not think of it has something that needs to be conquered. Anxiety is something we learn to live and manage with time. It doesn't go away, we just become better at handling it. You need time and space to do that. If you are in an environment that is unsupportive and if you repeatedly push yourself knowing it will make you more anxious, it's gonna be difficult for you to learn how to manage it. So, take your time, yeah? There is no rush.
PS - I don't have a license myself and never went for classes and therefore cannot give you any practical tips about that. If anyone wants to chime in, please do x
Sending love 💙
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