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#with black children being seen as older then white children
writingwithcolor · 23 days
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Desi Parenthood, Adoption, and Stereotypes
I have a story set in the modern day with supernatural traces, with three characters: a young boy, his bio dad, and his adoptive dad. The boy and his bio dad are Indian, the adoptive dad is Chinese. The bio dad is one of the few people in the story with powers. He put his son up for adoption when he was a child because at the time he was a young single father, had little control of the strength of his powers: he feared accidentally hurting his child. The son is adopted by the other dad, who holds spite to the bio dad for giving up his son since he lost his father as a young age and couldn't get why someone would willingly abandon their child. This also results in him being overprotective and strict over his son. When the child is older, the bio dad comes to their town and the son gets closer to him, which makes the adoptive dad pissed, mostly acting hostile to the other guy, paranoid that he'll decide to take away the child he didn't help raise. Later when they get closer he does change his biases. I can see the possible stereotypes here: the absent father being the darkskinned character, the light-skinned adoptive dad being richer than the bio dad, the lightskinned character being hostile and looking down on the darkskinned character, the overprotective asian parent, the adoptive dad assuming the bio dad abandoned the son. The reason for his bias isn't inherently racist, but I get how it can be seen that way. Is there a way to make this work? Would it be better to scrap it?
Two problem areas stand out with this ask: 
You seem confused with respect to how racial stereotypes are created, and what effect they have on society.
Your characterization of the Indian father suggests a lack of familiarity with many desi cultures as they pertain to family and child-rearing.
Racial Stereotypes are Specific
Your concern seems to stem from believing the absent father trope is applied to all dark-skinned individuals, when it’s really only applied to a subset of dark-skinned people for specific historical/ social/ political reasons. The reality is stereotypes are often targeted.
The “absent father” stereotype is often applied to Black fathers, particularly in countries where chattel slavery or colonialism meant that many Black fathers were separated from their children, often by force. The "absent black father" trope today serves to enforce anti-black notions of Black men as anti-social, neglectful of their responsibilities, not nurturing, etc. Please see the WWC tag #absent black father for further reading. 
Now, it’s true many desis have dark skin. There are also Black desis. I would go as far as to say despite anti-black bias and colorism in many desi cultures, if one was asked to tell many non-Black desis from places like S. India and Sri Lanka apart from Black people from places like E. Africa, the rate of failure would be quite high. However, negative stereotypes for desi fathers are not the same as negative stereotypes for non-desi Black fathers, because racially, most Black people and desis are often not perceived as being part of the same racial group by other racial groups, particularly white majorities in Western countries. Negative stereotypes for desi fathers are often things like: uncaring, socially regressive/ conservative, sexist. They are more focused around narratives that portray these men as at odds with Western culture and Western norms of parenting. 
Desi Parents are Not this Way
Secondly, the setup makes little sense given how actual desi families tend to operate when one or both parents are unable to be present for whatever reason. Children are often sent to be raised by grandparents, available relatives or boarding schools (Family resources permitting). Having children be raised by an outsider is a move of last resort. You make no mention of why your protagonist’s father didn’t choose such an option. The trope of many desi family networks being incredibly large is not unfounded. Why was extended family not an option?
These two points trouble me because you have told us you are writing a story involving relationship dynamics between characters of both different races and ethnicities. I’m worried you don’t know enough about the groups you are writing about, how they are perceived by each other and society at large in order to tell the story you want to tell.
As with many instances of writing with color, your problem is not an issue of scrap versus don’t scrap. It’s being cognizant of the current limits of your knowledge. How you address this knowledge deficit and its effect on your interpretation of your characters and the story overall will determine if readers from the portrayed groups find the story compelling.
- Marika.
I have one response: what? Where are the father’s parents? Any siblings? Is he cut off? Is he American? A Desi that has stayed in India? 
Estrangement is not completely out of the question if the father is Westernized; goodness knows that I have personal experience with seeing estrangement. But you haven’t established any of that. What will you add?
-Jaya
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A DC X DP IDEA #4 You’re worth is more than a penny.
Imagine dis…
We all read and saw fanfictions about either Jason, Constantine, Bruce, or even Jazz raising Danny when he became younger due to Clockwork’s interference, but what if we reverse the roles?
Alfred Pennyworth was raised by Phantom.
It was early 1900 in England where it is common for children were being sold like cattle for a penny. Among the rows of yelling parents who are willing to sell a few of their children for a few pounds to help themselves or the younger ones at home, one parent was loudly exclaiming that his child is merely worth more than a penny. A nameless child with skin and bones as a body, at the tender age of 6 years old he already knew the horrors of child slavery. Some were never seen again like the ones he saw outside playing tag and others return to their parents in a body bag. He also knew that no one would want a skinny child like him so he waited for the inevitable beating at this man’s house, He refuse to call that man his father nor that dingy four-by-four wall home.
Suddenly a distinguished gentleman walked past him and he was just in awe at what he had sawed. A young man that seemed like in his early 20s has a face of youth yet has an air of maturity around them. Wearing the cleanest pair of white waistcoats and black trousers, shaggy black hair, and striking blue eyes.
It was obvious that he was an errand boy looking around for new workers, his mind supplied.
The man looked at him with raised eyebrows and couldn’t help but think that this person may buy him out of this man’s clutches and put him to work that may or may not end his life.
The older man who saw the interested look of the errand boy tried to advertise him as his worth is merely a penny.
Danny was merely taking a break from his kingly duties after months, years, and centuries have passed since his adventures as Danny Phantom. Visiting a newly made dimension in the eyes of the king of Infinite Realms, he made his way through the early 1900s for some sight-seeing, with the insurance from his advisers, court, family members, and consorts (Tucker & Sam) he went and enjoyed the view and contemplating that why does Clockwork give him his farewell in a form of a cryptic message such as a father of a bat needs saving from his unexpected fate,  as well this universe felt like something interesting is bound to happen.
Being the High King of the Infinite Realms the realms itself chose him as their champion and king through countless rights of ascensions throughout the years.
Seeing that child slavery is still a thing at this point in time made him want to turn around and go to another realm less depressing than this time and come back later when they abolished slavery.
Though he caught an eye on this thin scrawny little boy who is nothing but skin and bones that the tiniest gust of wind will push him on the brick pavement, the boy’s parents however saw him taking interest and tried to get rid of the boy seeing that he was nothing but an extra mouth to feed due to his “responsibility” as a parent and tried to sell him for a penny.
Danny weighed the pros and cons in this situation, raising a mortal child may be both rewarding and satisfactory but the fact that he cannot break the ancient rules to make him immortal that was placed by the Realms themselves to uphold the balance between the living and the ancient realm, but he can bend it to an extent, so that if he can extend longevity in his lifespan to at least reach a century or so.
Added to the fact that Clockwork gave a message to protect him.
Bought the boy for a penny and carried the child towards the disguised horse carriage.
Now, how to explain to his family that he acquired a mortal child?
The nameless boy widened his eyes in surprise as the “errand” boy actually bought and carried him gently towards a clean carriage that looked like is owned by a king.
After making him sit beside his employer, his employer began asking him questions.
Such as his age, and name. likes, dislikes, and many other confusing questions.
At the mention of not having a name his employer began to frown, looks like he has made his new employer furious and he hasn’t even begun to earn his keep.
After a tense silence, his employer declared that HIS new name would be Alfred Pennyworth, as the word Alfred means counsel as he stated that he can see his future and that he would counsel different men who wish his advice, and Pennyworth, as his father is a fool for selling him for a penny as he is worth more than that.
At the time the nameless no…, At the time Alfred didn’t know what is the warm feeling on his chest that made him long for this man’s approval. He may be naïve or far too trusting for putting his trust in a man he met for a few minutes but at the time his only thought was he had his own name that he owns.
When the carriage stopped his employer carried him out of the carriage, and what greeted him is something he would never forget.
An endless green sky stretches along the horizon, A large black castle that reaches the sky that has growing vines all over its walls, at the front an entire estate dedicated to different and extinct plant life to flourish, and rows and rows of servants lined up and dressed in the fanciest clothing for maids and for all genders bowing ever slightly greeting and welcoming back their master in unison.
He looked behind him and around him for the master of the house but when he couldn’t see one, he turned his attention to the one who bought him as he is quite sacred for upsetting for not greeting the master in his own house.
But as he turn to the man for a plea for help he caught the small smile that his employer gave him and nodded towards the directions of the servants.
That was the time he learned that the man who bought him and gave him a name is his supposed master.
The next few days were confusing to the young Alfred Pennyworth, as he expected to be working on the animal shed or any menial tasks yet he was treated like a prince.
Free to learn what he desired, learning skills that he would never think of learning, free to eat anything his heart and stomach desired, free to have a soft bed to sleep on as well as having toys to ensure that he was not bored, given a wide variety of possible hobbies to take his mind off things. Gained and learned philosophies around the realms as well as had great teachers in teaching him essential things in morals, science, and more. Most importantly gained a family that he never thought he would even have.
He learned how to walk silently as a ghost, be swift in terms of movements waster no action, be present like a shadow, and use any weapon at hand, one’s body is a weapon itself. Discipline thy self in any temptation known to man, to integrate oneself to be unknown, eyes and emotions betray your mind be mindful of your facial and body movement as a single doubt will get someone you love to perish, but most importantly learned his new family’s motto.
Family is family.
Simple yet a powerful motto. No matter how cruel the man who brought and gave him a new life and purpose, the man who he saw as father, maybe in making decisions to ensure that the Infinite Realms stay balanced throughout the entire realms. How ruthless are his aunts and uncle to make sure that everything in between stays in the center of the balance as too much of the brings chaos
When Alfred was merely a teen he was given a blessing by his father, to be able to live a long life while maintaining his morality. One day he may die which is true, but it will be a long time before the reaper takes him to his next adventure.
Spending time with each member of the Nightingale family are memories that will be kept deep inside his heart. His mother Sam, taught him the wonders and secrets of flora, his other father Tucker, taught him how technology is used both in hope and destruction, His uncle Dan taught him about being an impenetrable wall in both mind and body, His older aunt Jazz taught him how to read his opponents in combat as well learning the beauty of human brain, His aunt Ellie who taught and showed him the wonders of the world in terms of the scenery, delicacy and culture, His grandfather Clockwork, taught him to be a cryptic as well moving on and forward as bad things are as natural as breathing and to move on is to let the time run its course.
Last but not least his father Danny, the High King of the Infinite Realms the man who he owes his entire being and life. The man whom he respects and wishes to turn out like him, the man who is proud to call his father. Taught him a multitude of things that one would not expect from a king, Be a Gentleman. A firm handshake combined with looking the other person in the eye carries with it respect, dignity, and strength, Honor Your Father and Mother, Respect Women, Be a Man of Integrity, Take Responsibility, and Work Hard, among the advice he gave and taught to him that they put into his life through action and words.
When WW2 came to his dimension he asked his father to be able to go back as it is still integrated into his blood to fight for the country that he was born into. As well as making a name for himself, to prove to the world his worth is more than a penny, to prove that all of their learning is not to be put to waste.
With the approval of his family, he set out to make his name.
S.A.S. Armed Services, fighting in 15 different operations between ages 18 and 20. A skilled medical and front liner soldier who was decorated. He later joined MI5, as well the secret forces of the Queen and later being knighted by her majesty
In this present time, we all know the current Alfred Pennyworth, the kickass ninja butler who is a mystery to the Batfam and has a lot of skillsets that are both surprising and expected to the Batfam. The butler who dared to out Batman the Batman. The butler is willing and dared to ground Batman for not taking care of himself. The butler carries a shotgun out of defense and we are pretty sure he is hiding a hidden bazooka somewhere in the manor. The butler who cooked delicious food and the one who raised Bruce Wayne
Working for the Wayne is not set to be permanent but the moment his ward Bruce Wayne becomes a hero just like his father and brings in his own version of a makeshift family he cannot help but stay for the sake of his ward that he saw as a son.
His family was there every step of the way.
Looking at the long dinner table that is filled with food with his ward/ son and his children he can't help but look fondly at the scene in front of him.
This is why he would not eat with the rest of the Batfam, the ambitious dinner or just being complete brings him back just when he was just a little boy looking at his father for guidance.
The Bat family are known to be good sometimes great detectives as they were taught by the greatest detective in the world, despite their wit and intelligence they still could not figure out their grandfather/ butler.
Having no presence before WW2 is common, as many orphans joined the war to bring acknowledgment to their names and presences. So when a glowing green letter made its way towards the kitchen counter, just as Alfred took a moment to look when he immediately snatched the said letter and ripped it open to see the contents.
Now mind you this was a never occurrence as Alfred Pennyworth is the epitome of calmness and neutrality so when he tore a letter like a kid who was given his first Christmas present all noise seemed to stop to look at the wide-eyed butler.
Alfred kept reading the said letter with wide eyes ignoring the shocked look of the people around him. Immediately telling Bruce that he will be going on an immediate 2-week vacation without even concealing his own joy in his voice and quickly turned around to pack a suitcase worth.
The entire Wayne’s both adopted and not are now invested what could the letter possibly contain that Alfred Pennyworth himself becomes a kid just by reading it?
Tailing the said butler was hard, following his quick steps which indicate impatience from the patient butler as well as a small smile that indicates fondness immediately became their new case.
Stopping at a large mansion surrounded by plant life that has a gothic aesthetic to it. As Alfred entered the gate he was tackled by a small black-haired blue-eyed child immediately followed by three teens and one large buff young adult.
All of them are hugging and exclaiming joy as Alfred reciprocated each hug with enthusiasm for his age.
Who are they and how does Alfred know all of these people?
 …
PS: If someone out there wanting to continue or make a fic about this you are free to do so don’t forget to tag me though.
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astrobiscuits · 4 months
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Astro obs part 10 (mostly Saturn related lol)
🧸 Individuals with Sun trine/sextile Saturn tend to have a great relationship with their grandparents (if they were a part of their life, ofcours). They usually inherit lots of traits from their grandparents
🧸 Sun trine/sextile Saturn people also have a great moral compass and sense of justice. They follow rules and regulations and are well seen in society (unless Saturn is retrograde, then they still try their best to be exemplary, but they might fail from time to time)
🧸 Most Libra Moons i've met went to law school for their university degree
🧸 Saturn in 1st house people tend to look really good when they get older. When they are young, they might often look older than their age, but once their Saturn Return hits them, they age up like "fine wine" from that moment on
🧸 Saturn in 2nd house individuals literally fit the "old money" aesthetic. Often times they come from a wealthy family. If they don't, then they are very motivated to work hard and become millionares. Bonus points if their Saturn is at 28°/29°, as 28° signifies the household degree (being famously known for your family OR in your family) and 29° signifies long-term fame for completing a (often times) karmic cycle and reaping its rewards
🧸 Saturn in 4th house peeps have always felt like the black sheep of the family. Often times they end up abandoning family traditions in the pursuit of following their own individual path. Growing up, they have often felt lonely in their family and shy around people they weren't familiar with
🧸 Saturn in 5th house individuals take their hobbies and passions seriously. They could pursue one of their hobbies/passions as a career later on. Child prodigies tend to have this placement. If there are other planets in the 5th house, those can give hints on the "talent" (but in the case of Saturn here, it's not talent, just hard work)
For ex. Saturn and Venus in 5th house - pursuing art/fashion/make-up/singing/baking sweets as a career
Saturn and Mars in 5th house - pursuing martial arts/race car driving/working out as a career
Saturn, Mercury and Pluto in 5th house - pursuing drama writing as a career
The exception would be for Saturn and Jupiter in 5th house - these people tend to have multiple talents that they could turn into careers
🧸 Saturn in 5th house is also often an indicator of an unhappy childhood. This child felt like a lot of expectations and responsabilites were placed on him by his parents from an early age. Another meaning of this placements would be that Saturn in 5th house children were brought up by their grandparents
🧸 Those with Saturn in 11th house feel more comfortable befriending people who are older than them. They're also not very keen on the latest technologies and prefer sticking to the ideals of the past long gone (aka they love victorian era and prefer to live like they're a gal/man from the 19th century). They also tend to be interested in politics
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🧸 Earth Venuses and the type of chocolate they love:
Taurus Venus - milk chocolate
Virgo Venus - white chocolate
Capricorn Venus - dark chocolate
🧸 Individuals with Chiron in 5th house tend to struggle with infertility issues from a young age
🧸 Uranus in 3rd house individuals prefer taking short-haul flights when travelling short distances, while Uranus in 9th house individuals prefer taking long-haul flights when travelling long distances
🧸 Neptune in 6th house people make great psychologists and psychiatrists!! Often times these people have had a long history of dealing with certain mental illnesses, but instead of wallowing in their pain, they are inspired to help others overcome their own issues. Their capacity to emphasize with people's emotions is heightened, as they tend to relate to many of their client's symptoms. These people are also fit as somnologists (sleep doctors)
🧸 The sad part of Neptune in 6th house is that they often have to deal with stomach issues :( Their digestive system is extra sensitive, so they need to be careful with what they eat
🧸 Wanna know if you're secretly Jewish? Check out asteroids Hebrewu (271763) and Israel (7507) in your natal chart and your family's natal charts. If you find atleast one of these asteroids aspecting the angles (ASC, DSC, IC, MC), Sun or Moon in your chart and your family's charts, then there's a high chance you've got Jewish ancestry
🧸 In synastry, if your Ascendant conjuncts another person's Ascendant (so your house cusps become overlays), it's very likely that you've experienced the same events during your lives. This person would be your mirrored soul, which can prove to bring a great understanding over oneself
🧸 While we're still talking about aspects in synastry, Moon conjunct Chiron is not for the weak ones!! The Chiron person must display a sense of maturity or atleast be emotionally evolved enough to be able to deal with the Moon person. Chiron can trigger Moon's childhood trauma on a subconscious level, while Moon can trigger Chiron's deepest wounds regarding their house's themes. They can either heal each other or wound each other even more. This conjunction requires a great deal of patience and understanding between Moon person and Chiron person
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apollos-olives · 5 months
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Youth and the excuse of being young is a privilege only given to white people. Those of us who are not white are not awarded that privilege. We see how they treat the black children in America, people like Emmett Till. There was another 12 year old black child who played American football that was being sexually preyed upon by adults on the internet because he “looked older”.
We see it in their language towards the non whites in America. They will show complete contempt towards the Arab and Muslim children there, but fawn over the white children. That Arab boy who was shot recently here in America, I forgot whether he was Palestinian or not, people were saying he deserved it because he was “raised to be a terrorist”.
People like Bisan, Motaz, and Plestia, and all the Palestinian youth are forced to be older than they are by everything. They have seen things that they should never seen. Their hair is turning gray and their faces are shrouded with stress and grief. These young people are known as “terrorists”.
But Noah Schnapp can be Islamophobic and anti-Arab, and people say “he’s just 19, he’s barely 19, he’s just a child, he’ll learn, he will grow”.
Children in Gaza are forced to act grown yet aren’t given the privilege of actually learning and growing, but oh lets give Noah fucking Schnapp a chance.
not many words i can add onto this. you said it exactly. it's frustrating and horrible and the unfairness of how young people are treated is disgusting.
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rivetgoth · 6 months
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Black Alternative Music Recs
Not being Black myself, I hesitate to make myself a spokesperson specifically for Black alt artists as I don’t want to be tokenizing or reductive and I’d rather, like, uplift the voices of Black alt people than just make my own lists, BUT, I keep seeing people in the comments of recent posts about Death Grips asking for recs for more Black alternative artists, and I do know a good amount, so as a really basic list I wanted to throw out a few artists I really like—
Light Asylum: Darkwave. Really incredible vocalist, and openly queer. “Dark Allies” is a huge goth club hit but all of her work is great. I’ve seen her live twice and her live concerts are incredible too. One of the bigger Black goth artists.
Ho99o9: Punk/Industrial Hip Hop. Another big one, they’re pretty well known at this point but if you DON’T know them you should. Huuuge variety in sound here, all of it is so fun and solid, absolutely amazing energy.
clipping.: Industrial/Experimental Hip Hop. Really fun and catchy, great lyrics, great mixing, great experimental electronic sound.
Void Palace: Industrial/EBM. Local LA-based act with an amazing industrial dance club sound and vibe. Seen them live and they bring such cool but crazy energy. Really really solid.
O. Children: Darkwave/Post Punk. Really classic gothic sound, amazing vocals, really underrated, theatrical, fun, and moody gothic rock.
Izzy Spears: Industrial/Experimental Hip Hop. Openly gay alternative hip hop artist with a heavy and super danceable beat. I saw him live and he sounded great and had awesome punky energy.
LUSTSICKPUPPY: Punk/Electro-Industrial. Has almost a hyperpop sound sometimes, super high BPM high energy danceable electronic music with a really crazy theatrical style to their performances (kicking myself for missing them last year!). ETA: LSP uses they/them pronouns, corrected now but apologies for missing that irt any older iterations of this post floating around.
Baby Storme: Darkwave/Ethereal Pop. I think she got a bit of popularity on TikTok recently? I don’t use TikTok so idk, but she’s great. Really well mixed, fun, super solid dreamy darkwave with a dancey pop sound intermixed.
Grizz: Darkwave Hip Hop. I JUST discovered this artist, he’s another LA local who just put out a new single that’s getting some attention and he’s really good. Super cool goth fusion sound with really great classic darkwave electronic backing. Check him out!
Cold Gawd: Shoegaze/Post-Hardcore. Iconically sells merch that says “ABOLISH WHITE SHOEGAZE.” Absolute powerhouse of sound; I saw them live and their music sounded torrential, like this intense, powerful storm.
Debby Friday: Dark Electronic/Experimental Hip Hop. Really really haunting and dreamy gothic sound. Collaborates with artists like Boy Harsher. Superbly mixed. Lots of variety in sound but very consistently strong.
Dre Robinson: Industrial/Experimental Electronic. Longtime cEvin Key/Skinny Puppy collaborator. He was on stage with Skuppy during the recent live tour, doing sound and playing the maggot maracas (iykyk). He’s also been involved in a ton of cEvin’s solo work and accompanies him on stage for his live solo shows.
Charles Levi: Industrial/Industrial Rock. Wax Trax!/90s industrial icon, did work for My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult and Pigface. He’s recently had a bunch of serious health problems and has a GoFundMe up of you’d like to donate. He contributed to so much classic industrial rock, it’s crazy.
There’s a billion more. These are just some artists I genuinely really like personally who are Black, and I think all of them deserve a ton of support and recognition as contributors to the alternative scene. There’s so many amazing Black-fronted alternative bands and projects, and I’m just scratching the surface with artists I know and enjoy, Also considered listing some larger names like Yves Tumor and Tricky, but I feel they’re slightly more well known in the mainstream with ~1mil+ listeners on Spotify and I wanted to highlight some slightly more underground voices (to varying degrees—obviously some artists here are more well known than others).
Check them out!! Support Black alternative music!
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jacespookiebear · 1 year
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.ೃ࿐ 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡: 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 1
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summary : you are the youngest daughter of Viserys I Targaryen and Aemma Arryn. Outlived your mother and your older twin brother, Baelon, in childbirth. You were titled as (Y/n) “The Undying” Targaryen. 
pairing : jacaerys velaryon x targaryen!reader
warnings : incest, sexual content, tension, age gap (reader is about 3-4 years older), jace is about a year older in this fic, misogyny, self-harm, violence, angst, teen pregnancy, birth, events do take place in hotd, meraxes is alive and thriving with vhagar :D
Masterlist
The dreary atmosphere in the chambers that were occupied by Queen Aemma’s birthing was soon vanished and was replaced by sudden cries that did not belong to the Prince Baelon but a Princess.
“Your grace, it appears she had carried another babe. It is a girl,” the maester carefully wrapped the babe in a cloth before bringing her to King Viserys, “a very healthy one, in fact, what will she be named?” Viserys couldn’t believe his eyes as the babe kept wailing for her mother but in an instant, he held the babe with much affection and love while he cried.
On that day, the realm has lost their Queen and Prince but has gained another Princess, named (Y/n) “The Undying” Targaryen.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Gently pressing your hands onto the old dragon, Meraxes, who you bonded with for years now. You began caressing her white scales as she leans into your touch—wanting to keep being the eye of your attention before you pulled away and started heading your way back to the castle in your personal carriage
“Meraxes seems to be growing even more each year, my Princess. Might be even larger than the Black Dread soon enough.” Lysanna, your Lady-in-Waiting, nervously utter as you laughed. You have been forcing her to feed Meraxes for weeks now—you never seen the young girl sweat so much while handing your dragon food.
You handed your gloves to Lysanna for safekeeping and she pocketed them in her coat. You both reached inside the castle. You had wanted to check up on your sister as she was to be expected in labor soon but first you headed to your father’s chambers to see how well he’s doing.
You opened the doors with Lysanna by your side, “Ah! My young girl…what brings you here, my sweet child?” your father, Viserys, lights up to see his daughter visiting.
Like always, he’s sitting by the windows and sculpting. The architecture has increased in size each year ever since you were just a babe. He would always lecture about his creation with you on his lap. Till this day, it still amazes you that he created this.
“I do not need a reason to see my father. I was on my way back from the dragon keep,” you sat in front of him, raising your hands to grab his in order to place a kiss on it, “Meraxes also wishes good fortune. She even cried out for my attentiveness today.”
To your words of Meraxes, Lysanna slightly giggles.
“Of course,” he brings his attention back to his sculpting, “you remind that dragon of Rhaenys Targaryen, the wife of Aegon the Conqueror. Whether you like to believe it or not.”
It is true. You have been often compared to the late Queen Rhaenys Targaryen, you both shared similarities. Perhaps that is the main reason why Meraxes chose you to be her new dragon rider.
“Have you considered the Queen’s offer?”
You turned your head back to your father—who looked rather serious. You could only gulp and rub your hands anxiously, “about…the betrothal to Aegon..? I can’t say I had put much thought to it.”
The atmosphere in the room changed quickly, you felt. You didn’t want to spend your precious time with your father talking about betrothals. You wished to be free from marriage and children as much as you can.
“The Princess is right, my King,” Lysanna spoke up, there was no evidence of nervousness in her voice, “she has been under much stress due to Princess Rhaenyra’s upcoming labors..”
The thought of marrying your young brother scared you tremendously, knowing how he treats the handmaidens—including you, Helaena, and even Lysanna. You did not wish to be betrothed just yet, especially to a man like your brother.
You cleared your throat and sighed, “If you do not wish to be betrothed, my sweet girl then I understand,” your father promises as you looked up with eyes that were prickled with small tears, “I will give you all the time in the world.”
“Thank you, my King.”
Although there was a slight crack in your tone, you certainly appreciated your father’s patience and understanding. You seemed to feel guilt for wanting to put off opportunity of marriage for as long as you can but you are certain you won’t have much time before you are forced to be betrothed.
With your thoughts disappearing, Viserys only looked at you with a soft smile and placed a kiss on your cheek. You got up from your seat and headed out with Lysanna.
After leaving his chambers, you walked all over the castle to find Rhaenyra’s chambers, you pass by lords and ladies who would bow out of curtesy. It was clear they all know you had just visited the King. As you place your hand over Lysanna’s in an affectionate way,
“Thank you for stepping in. I could not last another second talking about marriage, especially with father.”
Lysanna looked over to you—she was obviously feeling upset for you. She had voiced her concerns many times about how she did not want you to be married off to Aegon. No—you deserve better than that.
“If I could, I would do anything for you to not be wedded off to that boy,” she said with ease, paying no mind to the people around you both, “I would rather have you be betrothed to my brother just so we could be sisters and both be ladies of Winterfell.”
At the thought of living out the rest of your days in Winterfell, you could only laugh. Maybe your life would’ve been more easier and happier if you were to be living in the North. Lysanna had told you many stories about Winterfell, it only left you wanting to visit the cold Castle even more. It even meant you could always be with Lysanna and see the snow everyday—you always wanted to see the snow.
As the doors that belonged to Rhaenyra’s chambers opened, you were attacked by the limbs of the young princes and their clinginess towards you and Lysanna. They quickly wrapped themselves around you both.
“Auntie! Have you just came back from riding Meraxes?! I saw you both flying in the sky! I was waving too,” Luke exclaimed. With swiftness, he was already up in Lysanna’s arms. You and Lysanna only giggled at the young boy and his eagerness.
You gave his forehead a big kiss before walking over to the couches that were placed in the middle of the room to sit. “Indeed, my dear nephew. I even had Lysanna to feed Meraxes today,” Luke gasped at the statement, had he only been begging to touch the Silver Queen for weeks now. He feels betrayed that you let Lysanna feed him. “do not fret. You can mount her…if your mother only agrees.”
As you hear him whine at the agreement—knowing Rhaenyra would never let him or Jace near Meraxes until they were at least twenty, you see Jace only sit right next to you and place his head on your shoulders.
“Mother is starting her labors. She had just left and even wished to see you before you left the castle,” Jace muttered, though you could see how scared he is for his mother. Placing a short kiss on his head, “I shall stay and company you and your brother until she has come back.” You said as he smiles at your efforts.
Watching Lysanna and Luke play on the floor—both very indulged in the wooden figures that are scattered, you could hear your nephew shouting battle cries as Lysanna merely plays along. But still, you worry for your sister—you wished you came sooner and possibly be there for her during her labors.
Jace suddenly spoke up and forced your attention back onto him, “Aegon had said..that you were to be betrothed to him. Is it true, Princess?”
With the young boy’s confused look, you could only sit in silence and grimace at the fact that your brother had the audacity to spread such gossip to your innocent nephews. Your thoughts were soon to be interrupted by the Prince,
“Please don’t marry him!” he cried out, it brought Lysanna and Luke’s attention, wondering why is Jace getting so emotional. “He said that if you do then I won’t be able to see you again, you will be locked up in your shared chambers and occupied being swollen with children.”
How dare Aegon say such inappropriate things to him!? You would never let yourself be treated with such disrespect, especially by your own family.
Jace continues to plead, you quickly hold him in your arms as a way to calm him down. “What did I say about never believing a word Aegon says?” you smiled down at the boy, you had to put up a front in order to not let him see how hurt you were from those words. “He is only jesting and I promise you, I will not leave you. If he says another word about this then ignore it and don’t let him tease you, alright?”
As the boy nods his head, he spoke up once more, “If I could, I would ask to be betrothed to you, Targaryens do marry each other and that would mean I could be your sworn protector.” the words settled in and all you could do was smile and mess with his curls. You didn’t expect him to answer back but it left you feeling rather troubled.
After awhile of waiting, you felt yourself drift off on the couch but was quick awaken from the sound of the chamber doors opening—expecting it to be your sister but it was only the Commander of City Watch, you gave Ser Harwin a smile when he walked in.
“Princess,” he bowed his head before the boys made their to greet him. You nodded your head and out of respect, you fixed your position on the couch.
“Oh! How could we forget?!” Luke exclaimed before making his way to the counter that held a huge black pot, “Auntie! Ser Harwin had taken us to the dragonpit while you were away, we had collected an egg for the baby! Come Liz, you must see too!”
You wanted to see the color of the egg so badly so you quickly made your way towards the kids with Lysanna, watching Jace lift up the lid and it revealed the egg—it was certainly gorgeous, the whole egg was a dark colored that reminded you of the Black Dread’s scales. The egg must’ve been from one of the several clutches of eggs that Meraxes had laid during this month, she has been laying as much eggs as she can but it only made your father happier than ever.
In awe, you still kept your focus on the egg before Lysanna had nudged your shoulder. “Be careful, my Princess. You will burn yourself if you are too close.”
“We thought of a few names for the dragon! But of course that is up to the baby to decide.”
“Very well. Make sure the egg is placed in the cradle soon,” you voiced out and let Jace put the lid back on before watching them lead the commander onto the floor to play with the toys. They seemed to become even more happier now that Harwin Strong has come back but if they were happy then so are you. He acted more like a father to them and you weren’t the only one to have noticed, almost everyone in court seems to think so—especially the Queen. Unlike the other lords and ladies from court, you do not bother in such gossips about their parentage. They are still Targaryen, that is what matters.
“And, he sees a big scary dragon!” Jace exclaimed, playing with the toys, and you smiled at how invested he was in the game. The door suddenly opened and it revealed to be your older sister. Ser Harwin stood up as your sister and her husband walked in. You watched Jace and Luke quickly run to show mother the dragon egg. Rhaenyra’s hair was damp with sweat and messy, she looks completely worn out.
“Dear sister, I hope the labors went well. Let your mother rest, children.”
“Thank you, young sister. I must admit, it was rather more discomforting than the last.” She smiles, leaning into your touch and you can feel the sweat that was painted on her skin. It felt good to be by her side once again, even if it’s been a few hours that you both were separated.
“Mother..look,” Jace said as she moved to find a seat. Rhaenyra glanced at the dragon egg as she carefully sat down with Ser Harwin’s help. The Commander of the City’s Watch was always so kind to all of you. “We chose an egg for the baby.” Luke finished for Jace. In Laenor’s arms was the new child to your sister’s family. The thought of her having a big family warmed your heart—you felt the possibility that you were experiencing baby fever.
“Ahh…that looks like the perfect one.”
“It’s not everyday a dragon egg leaves the dragon pit, my Princess. I thought it was best to escort the lads.” Ser Harwin explained. Rhaenyra nodded, reassured that there was someone to watch over them, “Laenor and I thank you, Commander.” Jace closed the pot and you focused your eyes back on the newborn child.
“Another boy, I heard.” Ser Harwin softly said, and you watched as Rhaenyra smiled, confirming. As Laenor was coddling the babe, whispering sweet things. You heard him clearly, “You will make a fine knight,” he had said. The thought of the three boys becoming knights once they were more older was a fine one for sure.
“Do not worry, sister. You will soon have a girl, I’m sure of it.” Rhaenyra laughed at your comment, giving your hand a quick squeeze. She had always wanted a daughter and you knew this.
“Might I?” Ser Harwin asked, kindly.
With silence disappearing quickly, Rhaenyra uttered, ”Ser Harwin wishes to be introduced to Joffrey.”
The Velaryon didn’t argue. He simply gave the babe to Ser Harwin before he started to rock the babe gently. “Joffrey, is it?” he asked, Laenor nodded. The name left you a little baffled, it was an unusual name for a Velaryon nor Targaryen but you did not want to voice your opinion.
Rhaenyra cleared her throat and laid her eyes on Lysanna, “Lady Lysanna, I apologize on behalf of the rejection to your wish on riding back home to the North,” from what you heard, your lady-in-waiting had asked to attend back home once again to celebrate with her brother who become the next Warden of the North, “I am sure the Queen has her reasons but I will make sure to speak of it with council on the morrow.”
Lysanna gave your sister a faint smile and nodded her head. You knew she had just come back from the entombment of her father—Lord Rickon Stark, whom had passed away. She received word from her brother, Cregan, not too long that he wishes to see her again. You had no idea why Alicent would even reject the idea, considering they are distant relatives from her mother’s side.
“The Queen knows what is best for me..she had promised my mother that she would look after me during my time here in King’s Landing.”
Even if Lysanna says those words with a grin on her face, you can tell she was still upset. She had missed her family dearly and wishes to be back home permanently but you knew there was a slim chance that Alicent would allow that to happen.
“I assure you, you will ride back to Winterfell. I will talk to the King..his word is above the Queen’s.” You reassured the young lady, Lysanna was truly in debt to you and your sister.
“Father, may I hold Joffrey?”
Suddenly, you spot Luke clinging to the baby, trying to hold him before getting yanked away by Jace and his father. “No, no, no.” Laenor fiercely exclaimed, dragging them both out, “Off to the dragon pit, you two.”
“But I want to hold Joffrey!” Luke whined.
You let out a loud laugh and ushered Lysanna to follow them, “Please escort the princes to the dragon pit. I shall meet you three there, I must talk to my sister on an important matter.”
Lysanna quickly glanced over to Rhaenyra then back to you before nodded and left with the kids as Laenor closes the door behind him.
Once they left, you could only sigh in relief. You had longed to talk to Rhaenyra and she quickly noticed your sudden change in attitude after she had excused the Commander of City’s Watch, holding young Joffrey when he gave him to her before leaving, “What has been troubling you, young sister?”
You fiddled with your thumbs in response, not knowing how to speak about the topic of marriage, labors, and children.
“Father brought it up again.”
With that, Rhaenyra immediately knew. Of course she knew, she was the one who quickly stood to your defense when the Queen had first proposed the idea. She let it be known that she was your voice in court and always stated that you will wed under your own terms. Afterall, your ten-and-fifth nameday was coming up soon and you were at the age of being wedded off, Alicent made sure you had known that.
Rhaenyra snaked her unoccupied hand to hold yours, she wanted to comfort you. Truly, she loves you so much. You were the only thing she now has of the memory of your mother and it was quite known that Rhaenyra was protective of you.
“Listen to me, sister,” Rhaenyra whispered, softly, “you will have the choice to yourself, I will make sure of it. You can put off the decision for as long as you want, I was ten-and-seventh when I was betrothed.”
Her reassurance only helped little. You know she will do her best to keep you safe, she always showed this. But the Queen will always do everything in her power to have it her way. Ever since you were just a babe, she was so persistent to take care of you like you were one of her own children—even referred you as her “eldest daughter” way too many times in court and it had always left Rhaenyra with a sour feeling.
“A wise woman had once told me,” Rhaenyra lets out a sharp sigh before continuing, “that we both have royal wombs and you will lie in that bed soon enough, sweet sister. This discomfort is how we serve the realm and with that, I had now understood what she had said. But of course..merely hours later, that wise woman had died in childbed.”
You could only take a deep breath and breathe out slowly, you did not want to cry but your own body was betraying you.
“Was it mother who spoke those words?”
Rhaenyra only gave you a fainted smile before nodding, “She would’ve been so proud on what you had become, dear sister.” Those words completely broke you and you could no longer hide the warm tears streaming down your cheeks.
Truly, you missed your mother and years after years you had blamed yourself for the death of your twin brother and mother. As though you were named to be the Realm’s Beauty and Undying—you knew deep down the Realm had longed for your deceased brother, not you.
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Oh my gosh, it took me about a month to write this lol! I am honestly going by hotd’s plot and a few of my ideas for the story. I do not want to fully go by fire and blood because I want this story to be less angst hehe. My first time writing, so sorry if it sucks! I apologize 😭
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hollygracesworld · 2 months
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Innocent | Ed Warren x Reader
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pairing : Ed Warren (Conjuring) x Female Reader
summary : You have been frequently bothered by a bride ghosts since you were little. But as you grow older you feel increasingly disturbed and you ask for help from Ed and Lorraine Warren, a demonologist, to help you escape the curse.
Instead of focusing on the exorcism case this time, you are caught up in a hot affair with Ed Warren.
After all, who would refuse his cock?
warning : full of smut, cheating, masturbation, virginity loss, unprotected sex, p in v sex, breeding kink, rough sex.
for another patrick wilson ff ➡️ masterlist
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You snuck into Massachusetts Western University, Wakefield. You’re obviously not a student there, you graduated from uni last year. You knew that Ed and Lorraine Warren would be lecture in there so you disguised yourself as a student.
You’re wearing a white shirt matching with a black short skirt that is above the knee. Your beautiful legs are covered with sheer stockings.
Because of your appearance, many men stare at you stunned, even women seem to steal glances at you. You’re really beautiful and different from others. Your outfit is certainly the opposite in the 70s, but it’s not because of your outfit that makes many people admire you, but because you have a beautiful face with hair that looks very soft.
You have responded politely several times when several people tried to get to know you, and they were surprised why they had never seen you here.
Even though you attract attention there, you remain focused on your purpose here. The thought that told you to focus appeared when you saw the bride's figure appear again at the end of the room while Ed and Lorraine Warren were teaching in front. The bride looks at you with red eyes, and blood comes out of her eyes.
The blood dripped on the floor and when Lorraine walked backwards and stepped on the blood, in an instant the figure disappeared.
Lorraine gasped. She froze in place, looking at the floor which now had no blood at all- then she saw you.
Ed grabbed his wife’s shoulder, and he asked, “what is it, hon?”
“Nothing,” said Lorraine briefly, her eyes still looking straight at you. Ed followed his wife’s gaze, and he’s looking at you now.
“We have to,” Lorraine stopped because she was still trying to digest everything, “we have to continue this.”
Ed nodded, he then turned the video back on, “A French-Canadian farmer with no more than a third-grade education yet after he was possessed, spoke some of the best Latin I’d ever heard.”
You looked at the screen seriously. Suddenly you felt goosebumps, but when you looked to the side of the screen, you saw Ed caught staring at you, then Ed immediately continued talking, “S-sometimes backwards.” said Ed, who surprisingly, he’s stammer.
“He’d been molested by his father, who had also tortured him repeatedly.” Ed said still unable to take his eyes off you.
You realize this. It seems like you stole Ed Warren’s attention since Lorraine stared at you intently- she knew and could feel that you were being followed by the ghost. But her husband gaze at you... seemed different.
To ensure that, you pulled up your short skirt and crossed your legs. Your thighs are clearly visible in the sheer stockings which makes Ed even more unable to focus.
“A dark spirit…” Ed’s hungry gaze at your thighs, made his wife, Lorraine, suspect her husband’s strange behavior. Ed nervously continued, “A dark spirit made its home in- in th- this man.”
“Now, if you look into his eyes, you can see him tearing blood.” said Lorraine. You watched carefully and felt increasingly goosebumps all over your body.
Again, Ed couldn’t stop looking at you. You know that just by looking, you know this is wrong. He’s a married man and maybe they already have children. But you can’t deny that you like being seen by Ed, you feel like you want to tease him again.
“And like that…” Lorraine said while glaring at her husband and you alternately, “an upside-down cross started to appear from within his body.”
“All right, Drew, you can hit the lights.”
Suddenly everyone raised their hands to ask questions. You are surprised by this, not because of the enthusiasm of the class so that everyone wants to ask questions except you, but you are surprised because you feel like you didn’t get anything from their explanation.
Because Ed keeps looking at you and you in your seat keep teasing him. It seems like no one noticed, but if anyone in the room noticed besides his wife, they couldn’t blame you. He’s hot.
You can feel Ed and Lorraine’s relationship immediately strain. After answering questions from various students, they immediately left the room at a fast pace. You immediately follow their steps towards their car.
“Hey,” you said walking over to them as they were about to get into their car, “hey, I need your help.”
Before Ed could reply to your words, you quickly said, “I’m not a student here. I’m not even from this city, I came all the way here because I got news that you were lecture here, and...”
“That ghost bride….” said Lorraine still looking straight at you, “she follows you all the time, wherever you are.”
“And the worst part is…” you lowered your head, “she was the one who made my best friend die. I was driving a car, and I saw her figure right in front of my car, and I was fooled, I...”
“I’m sorry about what happened…” Ed said looking at you guiltily, then he looked at his wife who seemed to be trying to digest something, “I’m sure we can help…”
Lorraine turned to her husband. Don’t know why he really wants to help you even though they were very busy handling other cases that they should have investigated right away. Of course Lorraine wants to help you, but she feels bad instincts between her husband and you.
She knows that you have seduced her husband and his husband can’t take his eyes off you, but she had seen everything through her vision, about a bride ghost who always haunts and disturbs you.
“Of course we can help you,” said Lorraine smiling at you, gesturing for you to get into their car.
When you got into the car, Lorraine’s smile faded as she looked at her husband. She knew that something like this would happen, they had been together for a very long time, she knew that one day her husband would give another woman his gaze as if he wanted to strip her naked. But she didn’t think she could bear this much pain, however she had to focus on her purpose this time to helping you.
“How long have you been bothered by that ghost?”Lorraine asked when you arrived at her house.
You thought that the house will contain terrible things, but it turns out that all of them have been stored in one room. Her house is the same as most houses, classic interior design, and various paintings... Lorraine said that her husband likes pictures.
“When I was little,” you said, then you looked at Ed for a moment. And you realize that you look at him too often, “I don't remember exactly, but I could see her when I was 6 years old.”
“I felt very scared. especially when I no longer live with my parents, I...” you give up. You can’t control yourself from looking at Ed. His proportional body makes you want to be fucked by him.
“I'm not from this country. I studied in America and I have graduated from university and now I live here.” You could feel Ed constantly looking at you.
You bit your bottom lip, “I was alone, in the past if I was disturbed every night I could ask my parents to look after me. I know it was the actions of a spoiled child, but now everything is different, I endure all this alone, and I’m afraid...”
“You are not alone, we are here to help you...” said Lorraine holding your hand gently, “can you explain to us what you experienced…apart from your friend’s accident?”
You think for a moment, then you say quietly, “she often comes into my dreams, I don’t know, she always says something but I never remember it. And the weird thing is, I feel like I dreamed of her only for a moment, maybe 2 minutes ago, and when I woke up, it was already morning.”
“Ed...” said Lorraine softly.
He nodded his head, “yes hon?”
“Can you be here accompany her? I will be right back.” said Lorraine as she stood up. And then she whispered something to her husband, making you feel strange. She turned to you and smiled faintly then left the place.
“Where did she go?” you asked as Ed now sat down next to you.
“She’s just… want to do her thing.”
“No, you always work together. I don’t believe that.” you said feeling suspicious.
“And you believe what?” said Ed, “After you showed me your thighs and bit your sexy lips while me and my wife were lecture in there.”
Ed’s soft fingers touched your pink lips, his thumb combing every corner of your lips while his other fingers held your chin.
You let go of Ed’s hand with a slow movement. “No, Ed, we can’t.” You said trying to avoid eye contact from him.
Ed grinned, “Why not?” he tucked your hair behind your ear, holding your chin, “look at me.”
You’re looking at each other now. You can’t help yourself when you see Ed in his formal suit and tie... his body is very proportional with his very handsome face. You only looked into his eyes for 5 seconds and you immediately kissed Ed’s lips hungrily.
Ed kissed you back, your fingers undoing Ed’s tie. He kissed your neck aggressively, then with quick movements he placed your entire body lying on the sofa. He took off his suit and shirt, as did you at the same time taking off your shirt.
When you were about to take off your skirt-- Ed, who was already topless, bit your neck and then said in a deep, hoarse voice in your ear, “leave the skirt in place. as are those filthy stockings...”
Ed ripped your sheer stocking right at your cunt. He moved your panties to look at your pussy. You could feel Ed’s fingers playing on your clit. His thumb rubs your clit with lazy movements while his other 2 fingers into your cunt.
You groaned in pain, Ed said, “damn, 2 fingers won't really go inside. You’re so tight, honey.”
“You're a virgin huh?” said Ed, who was still playing with your clitoris and with his fingers, you could only nod weakly.
“What a surprise.” You felt his fingers force their way into your vagina making you scream in pain.
You can hear Lorraine calling her husband because he heard your moan, “don't worry hon, this is part of the exorcism I’m doing. I can do it myself.” Ed lied so stupidly.
“Ed...please...” you let out a weak moan, you looked at the door of the house which was still wide open, “Ed... shouldn't we close the door first?”
His fingers slipped from your cunt. He started to unbutton his trousers. You can see his cock which is so big and hard in front of you.
You can feel his cock starting to enter the walls of your cunt which are already very wet. He kisses your thighs which are still covered in stockings then enters his entire penis into you. Makes you groan in pain and shed tears.
You felt sore because Ed’s big cock was inside you, but you really liked it.
“Ed, we have to close the door...”
Ed now put your legs over his shoulders and fucked you very aggressively, he answered, “That's not necessary. If someone else passes by this house, at least they can see what a slut you are.” He squeezed out the last word by thrusting his cock deeper into you.
You were drunk with the pleasure he was giving you. You accidentally said a sentence you didn’t want to say.
“Ed Warren.....a sexy demonologist that I just met. A married man that would exorcise all the demons in my body. Please have my baby, put it all in me…. I want you..” you moaned as he insert his cock into your wet cunt with fast movements.
Ed looked at you with pity, “I really wanted to see you have my baby the first time I saw you with those thighs that were so tempting... obey me and be a good slut.”
You nod and you feel increasingly excited and want to climax when Ed kisses both of your tits and licks your nipples while still inserting his large penis inside you.
“Ed... I want to cum.” you moaned when Ed bit your nipple.
He then kissed your collarbones then you could feel his rough breath on your neck now. He kissed your neck then you felt something flowing inside you.
He releases a lot of sperm inside you. With nothing left. His big cock was still inside you when Lorraine caught you both in the living room.
“So, can we start now?” She asked with a straight face, “of course you can do an exorcism faster than this, right, Ed?”
Ed chuckled, he still hadn't removed his cock from inside you, “yeah hon, give us some time to get dressed again.”
Lorraine left the room still with a straight face. But you know that she really jealous and hurt because she obviously heard all your moans and can imagine how great your sex was. But she can’t do anything for that because she wants her husband to be happy.
You kissed his lips as he pulled his cock out of your pussy, “that was amazing.” you said then he smiled happily.
Your still naked bodies stood up and Ed hugged you from behind, “ready for round two?”
***
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lilyginnyblackv2 · 1 year
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One of the oddest “Anya is better than Miri” takes I’ve seen so far was over on Twitter, and someone said they only liked Anya because she was a child character with agency (implying that Miri doesn’t have agency).
(Going to preface this by saying that I haven’t watched Spy x Family and personally just have no desire too, so I’m not even going to focus on the Anya aspect, just the Miri stuff, since that is all I really know).
Okay, well, from a sociology standpoint, most four year old children just don’t have much agency. Here is the definition of it:
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We are only going to focus on the bold part: “In social science, agency is the capacity of individuals to have the power and resources to fulfill their potential.”
What is explained above is something entirely dependent upon the parents and their job/jobs and social standings. A child has no say or influence in that really. They are still very dependent on their parents and are still just learning too much. Kids in the four year old age range may not even know right from wrong yet or, if they do, they have a very black and white and basic understanding of it (usually based around rules - like what we see with Miri in Episode 6).
But, that person was likely talking about on a literary level. The literary definition of “character agency” is:
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We are only going to focus on the bold part once again, which is: “’Character agency’ in fiction is used to describe the ability a character has to take action to affect the events of the story.’” 
The comment about the lack of agency with Miri was made before Episode 5 comes out, which is when we see her personality really starting to show through, and we see the series developing her more as a fully realized character, rather than just a plot device. But even before that, we still saw Miri have agency within the series. Since lack of agency usually means that things happen to the character, rather than them actively causing something to happen. Miri has independently and actively caused a number of things to happen in Buddy Daddies. Such as:
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In Episode 1, she independently and actively chooses to go into the elevator when she sees the cake...literally setting off the entire plot.
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In Episode 2, she independently and actively chooses to disobey Kazuki’s words to stay in the car and go ring the doorbell to use the bathroom. This completely messes up Kazuki’s plan and causes a huge shift in the series itself, since it results in Kazuki and Rei being jobless for a bit.
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In Episode 3, Miri independently and actively searches out Rei and has a fairly deep (for a four year old) discussion with him about smiling and making “pain” go away. She later has another deep (for a four year old) discussion with him, that results in him thinking about his upbringing and what it means to be a “Papa.” These discussions in turn affect Rei’s decision to be Miri’s “Papa” alongside Kazuki. Thus, once again, majorly shifting the story.
Those are just three examples, and yes, Miri’s decisions usually end up affecting Kazuki and Rei, but that’s because she is their child and they are her parents. Miri is given a personality and agency that is at a realistic level for a four year old. So this argument just makes no sense to me, unless you are expecting the same level of complexity and agency with a four year old child character as you would get with an adult, teen, or even pre-teen/older child character. Which just seems silly to me, tbqh.
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halloweenbitch2764 · 7 months
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How You Meet
Slenderman
Growing up, you had always been told to avoid the woods at the local park. Your father told you stories of a monster that hunted children in them. A horrible creature lacking any facial features and being as tall as the trees himself. You always felt an almost pulling sensation when around the woods, trying to get you into them. Never did you set foot into them, though.
Being older, you realized it was just a scare tactic to keep you out of them. Your father had likely not wanted you to go and get hurt. It was easier to watch you on the playground. Still, your relationship with the forest was complicated. You weren't necessarily scared of them, but you were weary.
After a rough day of work, though, you decided to go for a walk. You had driven past the park but decided to double back. After parking, you sat and stared at the trees for a moment. You parked and got out, heading into the heart.
The walk started off well. The birds chirping and dirt beneath your feet helped you relax. You nearly forgot your fear of the forest. Nearly. Until you felt eyes on you. You looked around, and nobody was there. Of course not. You hadn't seen anybody.
Suddenly, a sharp stabbing started at your temples as a headache set in. Great. Just what you needed. Surely, it was a side effect of such an awful day. You failed to notice how silent the forest had fallen. You felt something wet on your lip and saw a couple of blood drops meet the dirt.
You reached up to attempt to stop it as your mind became more fuzzy and clouded. You looked around, wondering if there was a source when you saw it. The same tall, featureless creature that you thought your dad had made up.
It was at least 8 feet tall, thin, had a suit and red tie, and a snow white, featureless face. Your eyes widened with shock, and you stumbled back. You caught yourself and turned before booking it out of the forest. The blood gushed from your nose, and you focused on just getting out of there.
You got to your car and got into your car, high tailing it out of there. You were so focused that you didn't notice said figure watching you speed away.
BEN Drowned
A new video game, how exciting. Even if it was probably a bootleg copy. Better than nothing.
You were a college student, and in being one meant you couldn't really afford much of anything. You had brought your N64 and some games with you, but you wanted some new games. So you started finding garage and yard sales to try and find some new games.
The first couple you went to were busts. But then you found a copy of Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask. One of your favorite childhood games. The label had been taken off, and the name was written in Sharpie on the front. Still, something was better than nothing. The old man who sold it to you didn't seem like someone who would have such a game. Maybe it was his grandchilds? You didn't put too much thought into it and continued on your search for some other games.
When you got back to your dorm, you booted up your console and noticed the first save file was named BEN. 'Guess it was his grandsons.' You thought before picking the second save file.
You played the game and decided to do a cheat to avoid the moon crashing into Hyrule so quickly. Soon enough, things started to go awry. The Elegy of Emptiness was randomly summoning and following you around. You would glitch to the Skull Kid fight and get set on fire, and then die. Or it would just glitch to show Link dead on the ground by Skull Kid.
The Happy Mask Vendor was also just doing some weird stuff. Then, the game would refer to you as BEN. "What the fuck?" You mumbled. Sure, you figured the game was going to be a little fucked up. But this?
After another death, the screen went black, and "YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT" flashed on the screen. You rubbed your temples as you tried to comprehend everything that was happening.
"BEN WANTS TO PLAY" flashed next and was the final straw. You turned the game off at the console and tried to turn on something to help creep you out less.
Eyeless Jack
Everything had started off relatively normally. Well, as normal as it could be considering a kidney eating maniac was ravaging the town you lived in.
It was on every news broadcast even when there were no new updates. You sighed and turned the television off as you got ready for bed. You checked your doors and windows to make sure they were locked, considering the situation at hand. Then you went to your room and got ready for sleep.
You'd be lying if you said you weren't scared about the killer. Your town had been relatively peaceful until he came. You closed your blinds and double-checked that you had your knife under your pillow. It was just a kitchen knife, but it helped ease your nerves. You dressed in your pajamas and crawled into bed.
You had had a pretty busy day, so you slipped away to sleep fairly fast.
You woke up to the pitch blackness of your room (save for a small nightlight by your bed and the door). Initially, you didn't understand why you woke up. Usually, you slept through the night without waking up.
Your body shifted, and you locked eyes with...a lack of eyes. The person above you had a mask with blacked out eye sockets and a tar like substance that cascaded down the mask. There wasn't a mouth on the mask, and the person was dressed in all black.
Before you could scream, a gloved hand pressed itself over your mouth to stop you. You slowly moved your hand to try and reach the knife under your pillow without alerting the person.
"Don't even think about it." A rough voice commanded and before you could say something he had jumped off of you and ran towards the window he came in from. You felt frozen, just staring at the doorway, before you got up and found which window he used to get in. You closed and locked it, adrenaline slowly subsiding.
Hoodie
You had just started at a new college, and the butterflies were in full effect. You had moved to a new area to go to the college because they had a great program for film. Which meant you didn't know anybody. You hoped you would make at least one.
You walked into the building and sat down in the class. You set your backpack beside the desk and pulled your notebook out. You started making small doodles in the margin of the very back page when you heard someone clear their voice beside you.
When you looked to the person, it was a man. He was fairly tall, had sandy dirty blonde hair, a mustache, and had a yellow hoodie on. "Hey, is this seat taken?" He asked and motioned to the seat next to you. "Oh! No, it's empty. You can take it." He smiled at you, and the butterflies worsened. He wasn't bad looking at all. "So, are you new here? I haven't seen you in these kinds of classes before." You nodded.
"Yeah, I just moved here for school. Don't really know anybody in the area yet." You confessed, and he gave a smile as he nodded. "Well, I can give you a tour of campus." He offered. You smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds nice." He nodded in response, "I'm Brian, by the way. And you are...?" "I'm Y/N." You introduced yourself. "Nice to meet cha." After some small chit chat, the teacher came in.
After the class was done, you both packed up and grabbed your bags before heading out. After a bit, he had shown you around the fairly small campus, and he smiled at you. "I gotta get to my next class, but we should hang out later. You can meet my friends if you want." You smiled brightly and nodded, and the two of you parted ways.
Masky
You had been struggling with your mental health as far back as you can remember. In and out of different therapists and then psychiatrists. Nobody seemed to know what was wrong with you, but they decided on schizophrenia. You wondered if you'd be able to get the prescriptions. Your pharmacy had been a bit weird with refills lately. You were walking in when you collided with someone. You fell back and landed on your butt.
You looked up and were met with a man who appeared to be late 20s or early 30s. He had dark brown hair, sideburns, and matching eyes. He smelled of cigarette smoke and was wearing an off-yellow jacket, black t-shirt, and jeans. He had initially seemed annoyed before he softened and offered you a hand.
You took it and stood up, brushing any debris off your rear end. "Hey, I'm really sorry about that. I wasn't even paying attention." He apologized, and you smiled. "It's alright. I should have been paying more attention anyway."
He chuckled and shrugged a bit. "Well, can I take you out to coffee sometime? As a way to apologize." Normally, you would deny such an offer, but he was pretty cute. "Oh sure." You felt the heat rush to your cheeks. You grabbed a piece of paper and pen and wrote your number down, handing it to him. "Oh, what's your name, by the way? I'm Y/N." You smiled. "I'm Tim."
"Well, nice to meet you, Tim. I gotta go to my appointment but I'll talk to you soon?" He nodded in agreement and the two of you parted ways.
Jeff The Killer
You had known Jeff before the incident, though you hadn't been close. You had gone to school with him. Rumors of what happened spread like wildfire across town. You felt bad for him, of course, but life moved on. From the rumors you heard, he wasn't even in town anymore.
Years passed, and you were in college, staying in your own apartment in a nearby town. You had forgotten about Jeff until a news segment came up while you were cooking dinner.
"Breaking news! An unidentified man has killed two people by stabbing so far in T/N. No witnesses were at the scenes, and his appearance is unknown. Lock your doors and windows and stay vigilant."
You watched the TV curiously as you stirred the pot on the stove. "That's not good." You mumbled. You left the pot to simmer while you went around and double-checked all your doors and windows were locked. You kept a knife under your pillow normally anyway (for safety reasons).
Your night continued normally, and the news segment drifted to the back of your mind. You cleaned up and got ready for bed as usual. You laid down, and soon enough, you drifted off.
You awoke suddenly, though, unsure why. It didn't take long to figure out you were being watched. A man stood beside your bed and watched you sleep. The dark made it hard to make out any specific features. You could only make out shaggy, dark hair, and his lips looked abnormally long.
Before anything could happen, he dashed out of the room and into your living room. You grabbed your knife and attempted to chase him, but he was gone when you got to your living room. The only evidence left was the open window and curtains blowing in the breeze.
Laughing Jack
Your sister/brother had a sudden emergency come up and needed you to watch your niece, Lily. You didn't mind watching her. In fact, she was a pretty sweet little girl, around 4 years old. She was shy around most people except for you and her immediate family.
Soon enough, your sister/brother dropped Lily off along with some clothes and stuffed animals. You started playing a board game with Lily after her mom/dad left. It started off normally. You let Lily keep winning, and suddenly, you noticed she was staring behind you.
You raised your eyebrow at her behavior and looked behind you. Of course, nothing was there. Not that you could see. Lily continued staring before she giggled. "Lily, what are you looking at?" You questioned.
She stopped staring to look at you and grinned. "My friend, Jack!" Ah, an imaginary friend. A soft smile came to your lips. "Yeah? What's Jack like?" You pressed curiously. "He's a super, really tall clown! He's black and white colored." She described him to you, and you nodded. "He gives me candy sometimes. Well, he tries to. But mommy/daddy takes it from me every time." She frowned slightly.
"Ah, is that right? Well, maybe I can spare some candy after dinner. How does that sound?" She grinned once again at the offer. Suddenly, she seemed to be paying attention to Jack.
She giggled and went back to playing the game with you. You brushed off the incident, figuring your sister/brother already knew about it, and continued with the game. Soon enough, she got bored and headed to the guest bedroom to play with her stuffed animals.
It didn't take long for her to start giggling, and you could tell she was talking to someone (though you couldn't tell what she was talking about). Soon, she walked out with her stuffed dog in her hand and her other hand in a loose fist. "Jack said I should give you this. He wants to thank you for giving me candy since he can't."
She opened her hand, and she had a small bar/bag of your favorite candy in it. You had no idea how she had gotten the candy. You had finished your candy off a couple of days earlier and were positive there wasn't any left. 'Maybe she had some already on her.' You rationalized and took it from her.
"Well, you tell Jack that I said thank you." She giggled and nodded before going back to the guest bedroom.
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asherthehimbo · 5 months
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Older brother Hongjoong comforting you after a nightmare
notes: Nothing abt reader is specified, reader is adopted, age 15/16
warnings: mentions of nightmares, reader has traumatic experiences with their old family, reader has some sort of trauma regarding an older brother, meantion of panic/ anxiety attacks, sh kind of? reader scrathes their neck during a panic attack, not a warning, but the reader has an attachment to a stuffy, Hongjoongs kind of feels guilt, the reader being uncomfortable being acknowledged/ thanked for gifts
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His parents had adopted you about a year before he debuted with Ateez. You were 9 at the time, and he remembers his mother calling him to tell him the news. You had been the kid of an old high school friend of hers who died a while ago, and recently something happened that caused you to be taken away from your family.
Hongjoong didn't pry. His mother clearly didn't want to talk about it. He guessed you would tell him when the time was right. Only now, it's six years later, and Hongjoong still doesn't know the full story. What he does know is that if he ever runs into your biological big brother, his career as an idol won't still be intact after what he'd do to that man.
Hongjoong had first met you 2 months after his parents took you in. He had been living at the dorms, and since his group would debut soon, he was quite busy. The members had all been given time off, and he was very nervous to meet you. Of Course he's seen pictures, he gets updates from his mom once every week, but he's never actually spoken with you except for the video call where you were sat with his mother as she talked about all the happenings at the time.
Hongjoong didn't know how to interact with children, especially nine year olds who were clearly traumatized. He decided that the best course of action was to give you a plushie upon your first meeting. It hadn't been anything special, a black, grey and white bunny, according to his mother you liked darker colors, hated anything too bright.
Ever since he gifted it to you, Hongjoong doesn't think he's seen you anywhere without it. Even at the age of 15, you take it with you everywhere, and Hongjoong finds it adorable. Pictures posted on your friends' social media accounts (you refuse to post anything yourself, and Hongjoong needs some way to keep himself updated on your life, so he follows the two close friends you have), the dinner table, when your family goes to get him at the airport. The stuffie is always with you, hidden or in plain sight. It's always there. According to his mother, you had named it Topaz. He cried when she told him.
You didn't talk to Hongjoong, from what he knows you don't talk much at all, you're homeschooled and have two friends, at first he was worried you may have some sort of speech impediment, until his mother told him that you were just a very quiet kid, even at the age of nine. For two years, the only words he would ever hear from you were soft greetings or thank you's when he did something for you. The part that broke his heart was the fact that he's heard you apologize more than anything else, even for things you couldn't control.
You were 12 when he realized the extent of what your previous family had done to you. He had been home after a comeback, and there was a soft knock at his door right before he went to bed. When he opened his door, nobody was there but looking down he found a letter and a tiny keychain replica of the bunny stuffie he gifted you. The letter was short and simple, congratulating him on the success of their recent comeback, and an apology that you couldn't vocally express the excitement you felt for him.
He had gone to your room after he received the gifts and knocked on your door, letter in hand. He wanted to have a conversation with you, wanted to become closer. When you opened the door, you looked so frightened. There were tear marks on your cheeks, eyes wildly analyzing his frame as if he was some sort of threat. He brought his hand up to try and get your attention, opened his mouth to speak but before he could you had screamed.
It was such a terrible sound. You had fallen to the floor, scratching your neck, hyperventilating, and you muttered out apologies and begged him not to hurt you. He didn't know what to do. Luckily, his father did. The man had sent Hongjoong to his mother and guided you deeper into your room before closing the door.
Hongjoongs mother had, through tears, explained to him that when you got like this, when you had your panic attacks, his father was the only one allowed around you, he knew how to calm you down. When Hongjoong explained what happened, she had told him you don't like being thanked for a gift. You had a fear that you would be punished if the gift wasn't good enough. His mother had worked out a system and gave you a star sticker every time you did something for them. You seemed to enjoy that.
She had told Hongjoong that the keychain he received was one you made yourself, led him to a room that he recognized as your study, where you would usually take classes, showed him all the art materials you had, from paint, to fabric, to beads for jewelry. She told him that when you heard Hongjoong liked art forms, you had become interested as well and found your passion for it along the way. She also showed him pictures she took of you working late into the night to make this keychain for him. She showed him all the previous attempts that you threw away because they weren't good enough. He had no idea you put in all this effort for him, only for him to be the cause of your panic attack, and that broke him completely.
"[Name]'s been through a lot. They're quiet because there was a time they needed to be. They admire you more than you know Joong, but they're too scared to show it. Scared that you will laugh at them. Its hard, but you have to let them come to you. Let them acknowledge you first."
Hongjoong did exactly that. Your gifts had started to become more frequent after the incident, a letter of a creation you made given to him every time he came home. He had boxes he kept them in. He would also take photos of them, write the date at the back of the printed out polaroid, and put the photos in a binder. He takes the box and binder with him to the dorms every time he goes back so that he can remember you.
He figured out a system of his own, much like his mothers star sticker, he started giving you bunny stickers, different expressions and sizes of the animal would be left at your door every time you gifted him something.
He remembers the morning after he had first given you one you had walked into the living room and sat next to him with a smile on your face. It was probably the happiest he'd ever seen you be.
You two had settled into this routine. You never got too close to him, always being next to him but making sure to leave space between you. He was fine with that, never the most physically affectionate person.
All of this was what made the moment that you finally asked him for help so much more precious. It had been late, Hongjoong was visiting home, it was about twelve pm he was cooped up in his room working on an idea he had for a track until he heard a knock at the door.
That was weird, you had already given him something this visit, nevertheless he waited a few moments, to allow you to go back to your room as you always did, before walking to the door to open it. Only instead of looking down at a creation you had made, he looks at you.
You're looking at him with glossy eyes, red and puffy showing that you were crying. You were shaking, clutching onto Topaz for dear life. Hongjoong didn't know what to do. You both just stood there until he slowly reached out his hand to pet your head. He didn't miss the way you flinched, but he relished in the way you melted into his touch.
"Can I sit with you while you work?" Your voice is cracked, clear signs that you had been crying a lot longer than he thought. He turned around and walked into his room, motioning for you to follow. You grabbed his hand, and Hongjoong swore his heart would beat out of his chest.
He knew this wasn't the right time. Something was very clearly bothering you, but his little sibling is actually seeking him out for something. His little sibling is holding his hand!
He had sat down by his desk, pulling up another chair for you. You had sat down in silence next to him, clutching Topaz and watching as he explained what he was doing to calm you down. It worked. Soon enough, the fear you had felt earlier had lessened. You were safe with Hongjoong. He was kind.
"Oh, are you sleepy? it is 2 am already, we should probably get you to bed" You didn't want to go, he was safe, you didn't wanna leave the safe space, but you wouldn't push to stay here. You never pushed for anything you wanted. It only ended in hurt.
Hongjoong was observent, though. He noticed your hesitance. "Hey, you know, walking all the way down the hallway to your room is gonna take soooooo long. Why don't you just sleep here? we can have like a fun little sleepover?"
You knew Hongjoong was lying. Your room was barely 5 feet away from his own, but you wanted to stay here with him. You nodded your head in agreement before he led you to the bed. "Do you wanna talk about it? Why you're here?" Hongjoong questioned through the dark.
"Had a bad dream. Safe brother got taken away by the bad one. I wanted to make sure you were still here." You mumbled sleepily, curling up to Hongjoongs' side, clutching his arm instead of Topaz. "Brother is safe, good. Don't want him to take you away."
Those were the last words you said before dozing off. You called him brother, for the first time in 6 years you called him brother and Hongjoong could feel the water well in his eyes. You called him safe. You felt safe with him. While he didn't know who you were referring to that would take him away, he would make sure it never happened.
"Brother is here, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be by your side forever. I'll protect you from the bad one"
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notes: wrote this cause ive been having nightmares and missing my older sibling lately, it was supossed to be headcannons for all the members, but Hongjoong's part ran so long I decided to just leave it as is, might make another one with another member. Feedback is appreciated!
@diverseinsertknet
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Young Americans are more pro-Palestinian than their elders. Why?
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Originally posted 12/23/23; updated 12/24/23
This is a thought provoking article about how different U.S. generations perceive the current conflict between Israel and Hamas. To encourage people to read the entire article, this is a gift 🎁link so that anyone can read the article, even if they do not subscribe to The Washington Post.
Although I am from an older U.S. generation, I condemn the Netanyahu administration's decision to pursue Hamas at the unconscionable expense of tens of thousands Palestinian civilians, including many children.
However, reading this article helped me to also understand why, being born in the decade after the Holocaust, I don't absolve Hamas of their terrifying behavior on Oct. 7th--unlike many younger people seem to have done. Although I strongly oppose the apartheid Israel has imposed on the Palestinians (and I do believe that Palestine should have been a free separate state long ago), I still don't think there is any justification for such a terrorist act against Israeli civilians.
I encourage you to read the entire article, but here are a few excerpts:
Across more than two months of war between Israel and Hamas, public opinion on the conflict has continuously shifted. But there has been a constant: a divide between the views of older and younger Americans that has shown up both during the war and in the years leading up to it. [...] Each age group has a different “generational memory” of Israel, Dov Waxman,director of the UCLA Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies, said. Beliefs about the world tend to form in our late teens and early 20s and often don’t change, he said. Older generations, with a more visceral sense of the Holocaust, tend to see Israel as a vital refuge for the Jews, he said, and see its story as one of a people returning to safety in their homeland after living for 2,000 years as a scattered diaspora facing persistent persecution. In the decades after its founding, Israel was a relatively lower-income and vulnerable country. [...] But by the time millennials began forming their understanding of global events, the violence of the second Intifada had concluded in the mid-2000s with enhanced walls and barriers constructed between Israel and the West Bank, and then Gaza. This generation formed its idea of Israel from reports of Palestinians denied access to water, freedom of movement and fair trials, under the military control of what was by then a relatively rich, nuclear-armed power. “When I was in college it was the Oslo peace process, and I still remember that Israel — pursuing peace with the Palestinians and the hopes that came along with that,” Waxman said, of the ’90s. “Younger Americans have no memory of that.”
[See more excerpts from the article under the cut. Those excerpts are worth reading because they are quite thought provoking.]
A racial justice lens Joey Ayoub, a Palestinian-Lebanese writer, podcaster and academic, says young Americans are more likely to conceptualize the Palestinian cause as a sister issue to U.S. efforts for racial justice. There is a “visual parallel,” he said: of an armed soldier or police officer dominating a space inhabited by a populace with limited power, whether in a town in the occupied West Bank or a majority-Black neighborhood in the United States. [...] Eitan Hersh, a political science professor at Tufts University, said conflict between Israel and Palestinians seems to be seen by the young left, especially on college campuses, as “a people of color — that is, the Palestinians — rising up against a white oppressor,” though a significant portion of Israel’s Jewish population is of a non-European background. (Some are the descendants of about 850,000 Jews who were expelled from Arab countries and Iran after Israel was founded.) “It’s a bit of a curiosity,” he said. “One could tell an oppressor-oppressed story where the Jews, and Israel, is a story of the oppressed: kicked out of all these countries, going back to their homeland, surrounded by a broad set of dominant countries in the region that wants to destroy it.” Shifting demographics One explanation for the generational divide, experts said, was that fewer Gen Zers and millennials identify as conservative or Christian — demographics more likely to sympathize with Israel — than older groups. [...] Another “major factor” in older generations’ feelings toward Israel is their greater religiosity, according to Waxman. More than three-quarters of Americans 60-64 are Christian — with increasingly higher numbers for older brackets — compared with about half of adults under 30. “It’s, I think, for many religious Christians, somehow a kind of atonement in supporting Israel and Zionism,” Waxman added. “Genuinely, a feeling of Israel as a consequence of this long history of Jewish persecution” by Christians. Some Christians, particularly among evangelicals who are especially likely to sympathize with Israel, believe that Israel was promised to the Jews by God, and that the return of the Jews to Israel fulfills a biblical prophecy of the events that will precede the second coming of Jesus Christ. But even outside of this belief, the idea of Israel as a sacred land for Judeo-Christians has an emotional resonance that is simply not present for the increasing number of secular young Americans. [...] Social vs traditional media Dana El Kurd, a nonresident fellow at the Middle East Institute, said different types of media consumption have probably played a role in how people have formed their views on the Middle East. Americans 45 and older are most likely to get their news from TV networks and their websites, and Americans younger than 45 are most likely to get their news through social media, according to 2022 YouGov polling. The regular use of TikTok in particular is correlated with criticism of Israel, a New York Times/Siena poll found this week. Ayoub, whose interview podcast “The Fire These Times” with Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, Jewish, and Armenian perspectives has mostly Gen Z and millennial listeners, said that new forms of media facilitated access between content creators and consumers without “having a gatekeeper.” This has downsides, including “a huge uptick in misinformation” online, he said, but also positives, including allowing traditionally underrepresented groups to reach an audience. [...] “I’ll give an anecdote,” El Kurd said. “My students, when the war broke out, said that they had gone onto TikTok and toggled between the different locations,” to see what kind of videos were popular in Israel compared with Gaza, the West Bank and other places. “It had never occurred to me before to do that.”
I encourage people to read the entire article.
I am strongly opposed to the apartheid that Israel imposed on the Palestinian population. But being from an older generation, I am also less likely to wholly embrace some of the (in my opinion) more simplistic generalizations that younger generations claim regarding Israel.
For instance, many younger people assume most Israelis are predominantly of white European ancestry, but there is evidence that about half the Israeli population is not of white European descent, including those who always lived in the region, those from Ethiopia and Northern Africa, and the descendants of the 20th century expulsion of 850,000 Jews from other nations in the Middle East.
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There are also some estimates that only 20% of the general gene pool in Israel is white European. This in turn leads to questions about the assumption of many younger people that white European Jews engaged in a "settler colonialism" of Israel. Still, some form of colonization DID happen, even if it might not fit a strict definition of "settler colonialism."
But it is important to remember that most of the Jewish colonizers around the time of Israel's founding were refugees who had survived the Holocaust, or were running from Eastern European pogroms/oppression, or who were expelled from Iran and Arab nations. What is tragic is that many of these Jewish victims of persecution and oppression and/or their descendants ended up implementing or supporting oppressive practices towards the Palestinians in their attempts to create a Jewish state where they could finally feel safe.
In many ways, all the nations of the world who oppressed and persecuted Jews for centuries have some responsibility for this mess. But that does not absolve the Israeli leaders from their oppressive choices towards Palestinians (especially their current choices that have resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians)--just as Israeli oppressive behavior does not absolve Hamas leaders for their decisions to employ terrorist tactics against Israeli civilians on Oct. 7th.
Although I still support a two-state solution, I believe there are no easy fixes to this situation. The conflict, for both Israelis and Palestinians is an emotional powder keg fueled by thousands of years of transgenerational trauma (both within the region, and outside it in the case of the Jewish diaspora). This in turn affects the perceptions and responses of both Israelis and Palestinians. Sadly the current conflict has only added a new layer to the transgenerational trauma of both groups.
Anyway, after reading the above article, I realize that coming from an older generation, my perspective on the Israeli-Hamas conflict is different than the perspectives of some younger people. However, I still think there should be an immediate cease fire, and that the Biden administration should STOP supporting Israel, unless Israelis agree to end the fighting, fully support a rapid international humanitarian aid effort for the Palestinians in Gaza, come to the table to negotiate peace, and finally allow the creation of a free Palestinian state.
Originally posted 12/23/23; updated 12/24/23
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mochinomnoms · 2 months
Note
plot twist the nurse is mother gothel
🇫🇷
OKAY SO ACTUALLY—
I'll drop some fun facts about the Nurse here since all the other ocs have been introduced. And I like to refer to her in my writings even outside PTM.
Amara Goethel
“Doubling as the school nurse and a professor at Night Raven College, she teaches the health and wellness curriculum. She is a bit vain, insistent on maintaining a strict skincare routine, and refuses to tell anyone her age.”
Quick Facts:
Age: Unknown Height: 167 cm (5'5" ft) Homeland: Shaftlands Other Names(s): Ms. Orca (Floyd) Curriculum: Health and Wellness (Sexual Education, Nutrition, etc) Hobbies: Skincare Favorite Food: Hazelnut soup
Appearance
Amara has the appearance of a beautiful young woman with long curly brown hair, dark, narrow brown eyes, and fair skin. She has poliosis, which appears as a white patch of hair on her bangs, She often describes herself as “looking younger than her age,” implying she is much older than she visibly appears. She wears small diamond shaped earrings; a black and gold stethoscope around her neck, and a ruby jeweled magic pen in her breast pocket. 
She wears a short crimson-colored military nurse dress with a golden flower covered by a white cross stitched on the left breast pocket; the collar and cuffs are colored amber, as well as her name tag; the floral cross is also stitched as a patch on her left arm. Her pants are slim fitting black scrubs, while her shoes are crimson nurse clogs. She also wears white gloves.
She is often seen carrying a clipboard and pen when tending to students in the infirmary. 
Personality
Amara is often regarded motherly to the freshmen students, who are required to take a sexual health and education class as part of their curriculum. She has a particular shine to the MC, who she takes under her care after being placed in the Ramshackle Dorm by Crowley. 
Trivia
Amara is married to an unnamed wife, and has two children, named Cassia and Rampion. 
Amara has stated that she previously wanted more children, but that the students at Night Raven College have dissuaded her from having any more than the two she already has.
Amara has displayed distaste for the college being an “all-boys” school, believing that the lack of interaction with women prevents the young men of the campus from “knowing the proper way to interact with a young lady their age”
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AITA for reprimanding someone else's kid?
I brought my friend's 2 foster kids to the park so she could have some time to work on adoption paperwork. The kid this pertains to is the two year old, he's super social and charismatic, both adults and kids are drawn to him, I'll refer to him as K. A little white boy was playing with a soccer ball, he must have been around 7 or 8 years old. K fucking loves soccer and eagerly ran over to the other kid, and they started playing together.
The older kid's guardian was there and asked about K, we exchanged small talk and I praised how gentle and patient her kid was with K. I learned her kid's name, we'll call him T. At some point K got distracted and stopped playing, following his foster sister around. T began playing on the playground with 2 other boys in the generally same age group as T, both were white.
K once again was drawn to T, and now his friends, as they were playing something like cops and robbers. T's guardian and I observed from a distance. T seemed perturbed by K's presence, though K was just watching them and not doing anything in particular. T informed his peers of K's name, then proceeded with, "but he's a poop. A stinky brown poop!" his peers weren't paying much attention and were arguing over where the jail should be. T continued insisting that K was a stinky brown poop. K was becoming upset, he could definitely tell this was an insult and not in jest. K isn't particularly good at communicating yet, he's only 2 after all, but he did manage a proper, "it makes me feel bad when you say that!" as his foster momma has been very good at encouraging her kids to express emotions through sentences with one another like this. What I'm supposed to do with the 2 foster kids, if one uses their words appropriately like this, and the other one fails to stop, I'm supposed to intervene to get the other one to respect their request.
T's guardian was simply observing. I think the social situation was a bit loaded (I was presently the white guardian of a black kid, she was the black guardian of a white kid, I don't know if she was his mom or babysitting like I was, addressing the situation was tricky either way). I don't know if T's comments were necessarily a learned racism thing, or if it was related to K being younger. At any rate, he didn't seem to want to be seen with K by his peers.
I made eye contact with T, and said loudly and sternly, "T, be kind to K or hush up." T looked shocked that an adult stranger addressed him by name. The 2 other kids heard and, as children do, started making fun of T with, "oooo you're in trouble!" and, "yeah, hush up T!" K joined in as well, though he was definitely just parroting the others. T became flustered, his face got bright red and he began shouting that he wasn't in trouble, telling them to stop. I noticed It's guardian watching me, but she didn't say anything, and I didn't either.
T backed away, his two friends then started paying attention to K and were amused by K parroting them, they then resumed playing cops and robbers with K this time. K went back to smiles and being his typical charismatic self, while T kind of stayed away, repeatedly glancing at me. After a bit K veered away from the other 2 and made finger guns at T and pretended to shoot him, leading T's 2 friends back over to include T once again. All 4 boys were then playing together, as though nothing had happened.
I feel like I may have been TA because really, what happened was T was requesting space from K, just going about it wrong. Kids who don't learn to say things like, "I need space," usually use insults or hitting instead. But I do feel that T began insulting the little guy because he's got weird feelings about race, that are triggered when he's with his friends. I have no way of knowing. When we left, T's guardian waved at me and smiled, I returned the gesture and told her to have a good night. I told K's foster mom about it afterwards, and she said it's tricky and thinks what I did was fine, but I dunno. Additionally I may be TA for not stepping in when the other 2 and K berraded T.
AITA?
What are these acronyms?
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weirdmarioenemies · 10 months
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Name: Yellow Shy Guy
Debut: Certainly not Mario Kart Tour! (It was Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island)
Yeah yeah yeah this is a very Regular Mario Enemy. Yes, you are on the right blog! But this is a Regular Mario Enemy, in a Weird Mario Situation... yeah, it’s another post about the specifics of character alt colors in Mario Kart Tour. I hope you like those!
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Shy Guys come in all sorts of colors! They always have! Red may be default, but yellow can always be counted on to make an appearance if other colors are present. It makes sense, since Yellow is one of the main characters of Colors. Do you consider the primary colors to be red/blue/yellow or magenta/cyan/yellow? Doesn’t matter! Yellow is there! Please do not bring up RGB. But if you do, I will simply retort that the powers of red and green light must combine to give rise to the mighty Yellow!
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Yellow Shy Guy is also very often playable! In older, more limited games, the default red may be the only one playable, but these days you can confidently expect Yellow Shy Guy to be an option. If you were lucky in Mario Kart DS download play, you might be assigned Yellow Shy Guy by random chance! Yellow Shy Guy finally became selectable in Mario Kart 8′s DLC, which to me is more appealing than any of the added characters. While my favorite color is light blue, I am a big fan of Yellow Shy Guy, and find his green shoes more fashionable than Light-Blue Shy Guy’s red ones!
But then, along came Mario Kart Tour. Red Shy Guy was the first one present, no problem with that! We all knew the rest would come soon enough. But they came in a weird order! Black, pink, green, light blue, blue, white, orange... At the time of Orange Shy Guy’s release, it had been nearly three and a half years since the game launched. And yet, still no sign of that classic yellow fellow? I’m normally mellow, but that makes me want to bellow! Even a gold Shy Guy was added... gold. The coward’s yellow!
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On the wiki’s list of Shy Guy colors, Yellow is among the only ones not using a render from Tour, instead being shown using one from Dr. Mario World, in a different pose. Yellow looks like an impostor among all these others! I’m here if he ever needs to vent.
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According to Mario Super Sluggers, Yellow Shy Guy loves to steal. Hey! Stealing is bad! Is that why you’re not allowed in Tour, Yellow Shy Guy? Green Shy Guy loves to hit and run, but that’s okay. Mario Kart is all about vehicular violence. They love that kind of attitude!
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This all being said, Yellow Shy Guy is technically playable in Tour, though as a variant in the form of Yellow Shy Guy (Explorer). This is an act of community service, as Yellow Shy Guy is graciously role-playing as an old-timey prospector as seen in the new version of Sunset Wilds, replacing the racist usage of Shy Guys from the GBA version of the track. Thank you, Yellow Shy Guy! But still, he should not have to hide himself behind a costume to get a place in the roster. Or I guess a second costume, in this case. When will being a humble Yellow Shy Guy be seen as enough...?
Poor Yellow Shy Guy. But oh? What is that, under the read more of this post? Wow! I can’t believe it! What a thing to behold! You should click Read More, so you can see it!
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Donkey Kong is finally getting a costumed variant, and about time too! Congratulations to him! Sorry to Yellow Shy Guy though. Yellow Shy Guy is not Donkey Kong, you see. Unless he IS Donkey Kong under his robes and mask, and gorillas can be compressed into much smaller states than I was aware of.
...Huh? What’s that, live studio audience of children? There’s something I’m missing? There’s something else of note in this tour? Oh! Thank you for letting me know! Let’s see...
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HOORAY!!!!!
Yellow Shy Guy loves to steal, it’s true. And he is especially great at stealing the show! I am so proud of Yellow Shy Guy for finally making it into Mario Kart Tour! #YellowShyGuySweep! It makes me want to play as Yellow Shy Guy in Mario Kart 8, which is a much better game where you can access Yellow Shy Guy quickly and easily.
To celebrate our friend’s victory, if you have Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, you could play the custom Yellow Mode I made up! Here are the rules:
1. All humans must play as Yellow Shy Guy, and use only the yellowest of kart parts!
2. Only yellow items may be used! This means Coin, Banana, Triple Banana, Golden Mushroom, Star, and Lightning!
3. Only yellow courses are allowed! There are not that many yellow courses, so you can use your imagination here. For example, Toad Circuit features a big Yellow Toad balloon, and untextured Yellow sand! Wario’s Gold Mine is about mining some Yellow Minerals! Ice Ice Outpost features a whole yellow track, but don’t even think about driving on the green one!
And speaking of yellow tracks... I hope everyone’s looking forward to the Simpson Tour, featuring the new Springfield Streetrace track! Mario Kart Tour? More like Mario BART Tour! Aye carumba!
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bonefall · 1 year
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BB!Spottedleaf
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[ID: Better Bones Spottedleaf. A black calico with a spotted ginger cape and a skull-shaped white mask. Her blotches are white ringed with a black center, evoking leaf blight. Her ear tufts are heart-shaped.]
The woman, the myth, the legend. Little miss Blightleaf. One of the bigger overhauls and one of my favorites.
Spottedleaf is like an older sister to Firepaw, there for him when he goes through the stressful ordeal of joining ThunderClan. She has a very morbid sense of humor and an irreverent view of life, and teaches him how to laugh at death.
And also how to break the law
Because Spotty is one of the best spiritual specialists the Clans have ever seen. Her ability to complete rituals is unmatched, be that in invocation of StarClan warriors or of the forbidden, but much more direct method of channeling. Her mentor Featherwhisker taught these things to her and even ended up in the Dark Forest over repeated disrespect of StarClan... and Spottedleaf learned it was important to not get caught.
Her role in the narrative is to die, and be a guide to death, spirituality, and choice in BB!TPB. Because she is so intimately tied to morality, she's bone-and-decay themed, with a skull marking on her face and a cape that looks like a leaf with tarspot blight. Fireheart channels her using blighted sycamore leaves, and she forwards lots of tips and prophecies StarClan was going to keep to themselves!
She gets her own POV in Spottedleaf's Plague.
More down below! (WARNING: THERE ARE LEECHES. They are very cute though and good girls.)
FAMILY
Spottedleaf and Redtail are now the children now of Rosetail.
Thistleclaw was her horrible uncle, and Whitestorm is her older cousin.
Thistle was essentially cut off by Rosetail as he grew more openly vitriolic towards her and her kits, for being friends with Bluestar, and also for invoking the Queen's Rights for her kits.
Spotty and Red were definitely not sired by a Clan cat, and xenophobic Thistleclaw is hateful towards them.
She was close friends, and had a mutual crush, with Tigerpaw. Thistleclaw tried to pry them apart, but failed.
After the brutal training where Tigerpaw would come home covered in bruises and scratches, Spotty was usually the one patching him up. He wasn't born evil, they were kids once.
Featherwhisker eventually became Spotty's mentor, after realizing her calling was medicine. They were VERY close, she was even one of the cats trusted with the secret that Frostfur is his secret daughter.
Because Redtail and Runningwind are now the dads of Sandstorm and Longtail, Squirrelflight is Spotty's grand-niece! She got her little heart-shaped ear tufts.
MAGIC SKILLS
Clan Culture now has a concept of witchcraft-- forbidden types of magic that StarClan does not approve of.
The 'correct' way to contact StarClan's warriors is to 'invoke' them. This is like a prayer, with memorized words that you recite.
This contacts StarClan first, and then they let the spirit through.
There IS an actual reason for this, it's not just to be mean. It's so no one gets rudely interrupted if they were doing something important, or they can be contacted if they couldn't 'receive the signal.'
And....... it's because the Dark Forest can be 'channeled'.
Channeling is a DIRECT invocation, not going through any other authority. Because of this, you could pull anyone if you're good at it.
Channeling requires an object associated with the spirit. It could be an item they made, something they wore, or even just things that are 'tied' to them such as Spotty and her leaf blight.
Spotty is so good at this that channeling would be much easier for her, but she only does it when she must, because... well, one of the reasons Featherwhisker is in the Dark Forest is because he so often took "shortcuts" like that.
But she does do it when Redtail dies, to test him, because he's such a stickler for the rules she knew he would yell at her and she missed that :)
After she dies, she finds out that these abilities translate 1:1 into being a strong entity.
She is fantastic at manifesting things in the mortal plane, and jumping back and forth between the realms... as long as she isn't caught.
Redtail has his work cut out for him trying to keep her in one place.
After helping Fireheart through most of TPB, her last action of big importance for many series (she will not be showing up randomly in TNP or Po3 :/ never liked that) is to give Tigerstar his final life... with a twist.
THE LEECHES
Spotty LOVES the things that others find morbid, or gross.
In fact, after all the dust settles from TPB, her favorite thing to do is to design parasites.
ShadowClan in the Forest Territories treats arthritis with medicinal leeches. They miss them a lot in the Lake Territories, but this isn't about that.
Spottedleaf received some leeches from old Yellowfang, years ago. They had good feelings about each other! Spotty thought Yellowfang was a funny old woman.
If you'd like to read about her leech husbandry, check this out!
Three of her many leeches are named, kept as favorites because they have unique traits.
The three girlies are Tongue, Wetleaf, and Wigglekit.
Their bites don't hurt, and contain a chemical called hiruden which is an anticoagulant and an anti-inflammatory.
Spotty just lets them nibble her arm when the elders don't need them for their joint pain, but they don't need to eat very often.
Yellowfang took good care of them after Spottedleaf's death, until they died in the same fire that killed her. RIP :(
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[ID: Three medicinal leeches. Tongue is big, fat, and pure black. Wetleaf is dark green with a red belly. Wigglekit is tiny and colorfully spotted.]
DESIGN STUFF
Her mama Rosetail has the same facial marking, but hers is reddish-pink.
Several fans have had their own takes on her and I encourage this! Mine's a combination of @polygonyall, @lightningsoups, and @nightly-ruse
Links to those: Poly, Lightning, Ruse
I put a little 'cut mark' on her neck where Clawface rips her throat out because that is the kind of delightfully morbid thing she would adore
Here's a reference of her back marking from above
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saintwrld · 1 year
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Lift me up
pairing: shuri x reader
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summary: in which you discover your powers and help the mighty black panther in the war against Wakanda and Talokan
themes: angst
warnings: major character death (twice, idk what’s wrong with me)
translations: mntanasekhaya - sibling, sthandwa sam- my love, sisi omdala - older sister, usishiyile - she has passed (also meaning she has left us)
taglist: @pinkwright @zayswriting @vixentheplanet @inmyheadimobsessed @laurensmabel1 @ventingfanfics @quintessencewrites @ziayamikaelson @blackgirlfariy @shuriszn @6-noir @ogbells16 @cuddl3s4shur1 @n7cje @awolfcsworld @zhanylai @hetr0ph0bic @heejayy @heartsforjojo @locoforshuri @iloveekeiarah @khaleesi56 @thevenusianleo @verachii @axailslink @mbakuetshurisprincess @shinsousliya @letitias-fav @dejaonline (if i didn’t tag you, lemme know!)
a/n: i felt real angsty today 🤭 hope you enjoy
.°୭̥
Wakanda had fallen silent.
The nation had been struck down by the loss of its sovereign ruler, Queen Ramonda, due to the same beings who kidnapped the American scientist along with your best friend, Princess Shuri.
Oh, Shuri. How your heart poured out to her whilst dealing with the pain of losing a mother figure. You could not imagine what emotions have taken over her heart. It pained you to even think of that dreadful day. How you had been occupied with figuring out your new found powers and had declined giving the American scientist, Riri, the tour of the palace. Believing it would be best for the queen to handle instead of you.
How it pained you to realise that your last words to Queen Ramonda were that of giving goodbyes and hugging each other as if you knew she was leaving. How you were having conversations with the elders of Wakanda on your deity, Bast, without yet revealing your new identity to them and the blast of water floods entered your spiritual vision before your actual vision.
Feeling the pressure of water pushing you and many other people. Hearing screams from each direction you turned your head. Holding on to anyone in your path, not realising that you had parted the water, leading the people towards the fighter stations near Bashenga's hut.
Your heart pounding against your chest had been the only thing you heard as you ascended into the air. Your vision had again turned white however you felt your entire body move as if you were fighting. Energy surging through your skin as you lost contact with your body, seeing the familiar hues of blue and purple in the sky outside of your childhood home near the river.
in the ancestral realm
Opening your eyes, you heard a voice behind you as if it was coming from the tv.
"We've gotten reports from the third world country of Wakanda that their sovereign ruler, Que-"
"Y/n!" Another voice cheered happily, you noticed the shake in their voice as you felt their presence coming closer and closer to you.
Looking behind you, you saw your older sister, Wami, beaming at you with tears streaming down her face. She had grown taller since the last time you had seen her, granted it had been years.
"Wami?" You barely whispered as you started at her in shock. Your entire family had unfortunately left you all alone as they were blipped, leaving you to find refuge in your second home in the palace along with Queen Ramonda who had lost two of her own children in the blip.
When everyone had returned after 5 excruciatingly long years, you welcomed Shuri with your whole being, seeing how she grew taller. After being with T'Challa and Shuri and being tempted to tell them everything that happened in the past 5 years, you ran to find your family.
After searching through Wakanda for hours on end, you found Wami sitting with an elder, consoling her and telling her that she will find her family. The reunion was bittersweet, knowing that it was just you and your sister and that the rest of your family was not coming back.
Months after, on one peaceful morning, Wami didn't wake up. Frantically trying to revive her then ultimately deciding to take her to the hospital where it was announced that she was with the ancestors. The royal family had gotten the news and had buried her using royal traditions. They brought you into their home, making you feel as apart of them even though you spent majority of your time there.
Wami had tried visiting you through your dreams but you would always reject them, believing that none of it was real, eventually blaming Bast for everything.
"Hi, mntanasekhaya." She weakly smiled, rushing forward to give you a big hug. You immediately crumbled, sobbing into your older sister's arms. As your sobs became more quiet, you had grown confused. After Wami's death, you were quick to accept that she was gone. Even visits from her became frequent and you allowed her back into your life whilst thanking Bast and restoring your faith to Bast.
"Sisi omdala. Why are you crying? If anything, being at home should be your happy place." You looked up at her, seeing tears gloss over her eyes once again. She looked away from you to sniffle and look out the window.
"This always happens when we get new people. You know me, the family crybaby." She grabbed a tissue from the living room table and wiped her tears.
"New people? The ones attacked because of the water?" You questioned. She nodded. "Along with the q-" Wami's sentence was cut short as you heard a loud shriek from behind you.
Opening your eyes, you saw you were being lifted from underneath your arm, both your feet floating above the ground. You lifted your head and saw you were going towards the palace entrance with Nakia, Okoye and Shuri running ahead of you.
You gained your strength back and put your feet back on the ground and started running, following the three women. You felt the breeze hit you as you ran, feeling your dress stick on you and your braids slowly becoming loose from their ponytail.
With the throne room door already open from the impact of the water from inside, you all rushed in, the scene before you causing your heart to drop. The throne room had so much water and the floor to ceiling windows were cracked open with you seeing a man with winged ankles floating, holding a staff.
Queen Ramonda and Riri were laying on the glass floor, being revived by both Nakia and Okoye. You felt yourself being pulled back and held into the arms of a Dora. You saw Shuri being held back by Aneka and M'baku, crying her eyes out and screaming for her mother.
You too were crying, resisting the urge to let go of the screams surpressed within your chest. You noticed the man still floating and he pointed to Shuri, who could barely contain her cries, breaking your heart more and more.
"Bury your dead. Mourn your loss. You are Queen now." He shouted. He declared that either Wakanda becomes allies with his nation or that he will wash Wakanda off the face of the earth.
His words became reality as Riri had coughed up the large amount of water from her lungs but Queen Ramonda remained still. Seeing Nakia's tears stream down her face, "Usishiyile." She muttered.
You managed to get out of the Dora's hold and ran towards the windows to chase after the man. Nakia yelled after you but there you were, flying towards him, trying to land a punch but he caught your wrist. He held it tightly, most likely causing bruises to form.
"Treat your new Queen well. She will need it." He smirked, letting go of your wrist, expecting you to fall to your death but only to be surprised by you facing him.
"You will pay for everything you have caused. How dare you." Your voice had cracked as you said your second sentence, it finally sunk in that he killed Queen Ramonda.
You turned away from him and flew back into the palace, immediately going to be next to Shuri as she held you tightly, sobs violently coursing through her body as she could barely look over to her mother's body.
.°୭̥
With power surging through your hands and into the open field, you sighed out, feeling exhausted. A'awante chuckled at your exhaustion, uncrossing her arms and clapped her hands painfully slow.
"Congratulations, you've burnt the scarecrow of its stick. It took you how many tries?" She mocked, looking over at you as she appeared next to you in a flash.
"A'awante, we've been out here for hours. I promised Shuri that I would be back before sunset." You sighed out, holding your hands to your hips as you tilted your head back to face the sky.
You wouldn't necessarily call A'awante Bast's avatar but that is essentially what she was. During one of your many visits to the Ancestral realm, Bast had wanted an avatar to help you understand and figure out your powers to which she introduced you to A'awante, who is essentially the voice of Bast towards you.
"I guess I have been working you a little too hard. I would like to believe that you're very much ready for anything that might come Wakanda's way. Until next time. Goodbye Bahati." She said, waving and disappearing right before your eyes.
Everything you had learnt these past few days would be beneficial to the war that Namor had wanted. Your powers are quite powerful and versatile in a sense. You could manipulate anything using your powers. Your ability to fly had been improved and your strength would only be enhanced whilst using your powers. Temperature control and mind control were two of your favourites however you knew you couldn't take advantage of these powers.
Oh and your suit. You could summon two different suits using a special ring that appeared on your finger during your first training session. It's uniqueness stood out with its charm that made it look like a simple gold band to others.
Using your teleportation power to transport yourself to Shuri's lab, you closed your eyes then opened them once again to see that you were in the lab with Shuri in front of a large dna molecule model, with it eventually turning green all over.
"Griot, what's the confidence rate?" Shuri asked with a shake to her voice. "98.7%,Princess. Would you like me to print it?" Griot responded, causing Shuri to look at the module with pride without really displaying it on her face.
"Molo sana. Shuri." Nakia's voice broke the silence in the lab and Shuri turned her head to look at Nakia then you, who was standing right behind her.
"I thought you would be back in Haiti by now," Shuri said to Nakia. "And Y/n, you're early. I thought you said sunset." She directed her response to you.
"What is Griot printing?" You asked, going down the steps to stand next to Shuri.
"Y/n, it may be the recreation of the heart shaped herb." Nakia answered as she walked to stand next to Shuri as well. "It would be the greatest..gift to Wakanda since Bashenga's discovery and now Y/n's new found identity." She said, sighing with relief and a big smile painting her face.
"Griot, print it." Shuri instructed and held her hand out to you. "Come." She simply said, walking towards the 4D printer. Nakia walked next to Shuri and held her other hand for support.
"How do you know if it will work?" Nakia asked, as the printer began to run. "If it glows." Shuri replied and seconds after, the herb glows, causing you and Nakia to celebrate while Shuri looked shocked.
"You did it!"
-
Shuri had called you to her room as she was getting ready to present herself to the elders. You left Riri in the lab as she was working on the last adjustments on her suit.
You found Shuri pacing up and down the room, her curls were braided back and her suit clung to her body as she clenched and unclenched her hands. Her mood shifted as she came out of the trance of being in the ancestral realm, not wanting to share anything about who she saw whilst she was there. Her anger clearly shown as she punched a mannequin into the lab wall, gaining a reaction from you, Nakia and Riri.
"Shuri?" You quietly said, closing the door behind you and standing by the door, watching her slow down and eventually face you.
"I want him dead." Shuri started, shocking you. This wasn't the Shuri you knew. This one had revenge written all over her, eyes filled with hurt and rage. Dead? That would never be Shuri's first thought.
"Shuri, I'm not so sure that-"
"And you're going to help me. I refuse to let the man who killed my mother to live." She said, returning back to her pacing. You hesitantly walked towards her, stopping in front of her.
"I am more than willing to help you, Shuri but please think of this before we go out there." You pleaded and she stopped to stare at you. Her eyes staring into yours so intensely.
"Y/n, do you remember how you reacted when I had been kidnapped?" She asked, in such a demanding tone. Seeing where this was going, you immediately responded. "Yes but listen-"
"Had you or had you not said that you would kill whoever were to kill me?" She asked once again. You looked away from her face to avoid answering.
"I did." You muttered. "Speak up." She commanded and you looked at your best friend with such shock. "I had said that but I need you to get of this headspace, Shuri." You warned.
You could physically see your best friend become dangerous. The anger had consumed her fully and you knew that getting your Shuri back would be long after this war.
"This headspace is what is going to keep Wakanda safe, Y/n. I've suffered too long and it's time for me to get my lick back." She smirked after saying the last four words that you taught her.
It was as if she was in your mind and convinced you to go along with her plan. "So will you help me bring Namor's head back, sthandwa sam?" She wickedly smiled at you and it sent shivers throughout your entire body.
Shaking yourself out of her words, you began. "Shuri, no. You know that this is not the answer. Stop-"
"What are you afraid of?" She asked, slightly bending her tall body to match your eye contact level.
Keeping the eye contact, you remained silent. "If you are going to stop me, y/n, it won't work." Shuri stated.
Holding your hand out for her to hold, she placed her covered hand in yours. "Let's go show the fish man who the Black Panther is." You said, making Shuri smirk and lean in to peck your lips.
"Lead the way, sthandwa."
-
Looking over your beautiful nation through the windows of the throne room, Shuri stood behind you, holding your waist tightly.
"Are you fine, sthandwa?" She asked you as she peppered soft kisses along your neckline.
"I'm okay, just thinking of my powers during the fight." You replied. Thinking back to it, you and Shuri were against Namor. Your powers nearly burnt the Demi god to a crisp whilst Shuri held his wings in her hand.
Quickly healing her stab wound, you flew her into the sky as the fighter jet blew up into flames. Signaling that you go back to the ship to help the others, you fly over and use your gravity manipulation power to lift up the Talokanil crawling onto the ship and blast them into the ocean, similar to what Riri did to Namora.
"Do you still have the wings?" You asked, turning around and pecking her lips once. She nodded while smiling. "They're framed and sitting on the lab tables in the Great Mound lab." She said and her Kimoyo beads began to vibrate against your skin as she still held onto your waist.
"Have to look over the city, my love. Will you join me?" She held out her hands to you and you graciously accepted them.
"Of course I will." You smiled and hugged her, thanking Bast for bringing Shuri into your life throughout all the hardships thrown to you.
not proof read! I just went off on this one lol
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