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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 6 days

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A Guiding Hand 3

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as noncon/dubcon, age gap, parental neglect, depression, inference of self harm, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: your online academics are affected by your personal struggles but your professor won’t let you give up so easy.

Characters: Raymond Smith, Lee Bodecker in the background

Note: happy sunday.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Please do not just put ‘more’. I will block you.

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

You stop in the openness of the library. Just ahead is the long counter that arcs in front of the windows that look into an office space lined with desks. There are monitors facing away from you, those meant for the librarians and their assistants, and along the far edge, a sign denotes the stations meant for self-checkout.

You always thought of coming down but never found the energy. Besides, you wouldn’t want to borrow books that could be ruined at home. Beyond that, venturing into public has never been a simple task for you. You go for biweekly trips to spend the food credits on groceries and that’s about it.

Your eyes skitter around frantically. You hear the babble of children in the kids’ section with its bright colourful chairs and couches and a table of toys for the tots. You quickly surpass it and wander into the stretch of tables and chairs by the reference section. You put your bag down on a chair and sit next to it, folding your hands on the table then pulling them back into your lap.

You look over at the wall of tall windows that look out into a narrow strip of foliage. The brick walls are covered in thickly woven vines and birds flit in and out of the leaves. It’s pretty. You feel entirely out of place here.

You check the time on your digital watch. Almost ten. You can at least tick the early box, even though you might fall short of everything else.

You twiddle your fingers and keep your head down. Your toes tap in your sneakers and you fidget as the time ticks on. What if he doesn’t come? What if you’re not worth it? Should you check your email?

As you reach your bag, a figure approaches the table from the other side. You retract your arm and peer up at the man as he sets a leather briefcase on the wooden surface. Professor Smith nods at you and greets you by name. You feel like you should stand to greet him.

He offers his hand as you struggle to get to your feet. You tremble as you hesitantly accept the gesture. You don’t touch people and they certainly don’t touch you. It’s only a handshake. His grasp is firm and his skin slightly rough. Your hand feels weak and tiny in his confident grip.

He let you go as your fingers tingle, “good morning.”

“Morning, Professor, er, sir,” you stutter dumbly.

“Please,” he pulls out the chair on his side and you lower yourself back to the seat. “How are you today?”

“Mm, okay...” you swallow dryly, “er... you?”

You almost cringe. It must be rude to forget that. You’re not so use to interaction and you’re certain it shows.

You cross your arms over the table as his cheeks twitch and he smooths back his blond hair, “good, good,” he answers in his edged accent, “lovely sunshine today.”

“Erm, yeah, uh...” you don’t know what to say or do.

You close your eyes and reproach yourself. You must look totally lost. You drag your bag into your lap and unzip it. You take out your notebook and fish around for the chewed bic pen. You flip back the cover and flutter the pages, looking for a blank one. Your conscious of every single move you make as you feel his gaze on you.

“Right, so, I suppose you’re eager to be done with it,” he begins, “was their particular activities you found challenging? Maybe a formula in particular--”

“No, I... I think I got it but...” you twirl the pen and try to look at him. You get as far as the knot of his tie, the rest of it tucked beneath a sweater that seems rather much given the weather. “I just... fell behind. I’m s-sorry.”

“Well, that’s fine. It happens. So, if you can do the work, I can wait on it,” he assures you. “I’m not here to reprimands, that hardly fruitful for either of us. I want us to come to an accord. Let agree on a course of action.”

“Oh, alright,” you answer stuntedly, “well, I guess if I start Coursebook Four tonight I could have it done by—by Monday?”

“That’s a good first step,” he encourages as he pushes his glasses up his nose, drawing your eyes up to his. They are icy blue but not cold. “I like it. Setting your own goals. I find for some, it’s more effective than tossing a bunch of dates at them.”

“Thanks, professor, I... I really appreciate you... doing this,” you can’t help the shame that seeps into your voice. He pities you, you know it. You can see it in his face so you put your focus back to the table.

“Mm, given your...situation I think it’s understandable,” he says, “not easy to work in a racket.”

“Professor,” you put your hand to your forehead, dipping your head to hide behind it.

“Very concerning to hear,” he says, “and to think of a young woman in that environment.”

“Just my mom and her boyfriend. They don’t bother me.”

“Seems they do with all that yelling.”

“I-- I guess but—I—I need to use the bathroom,” you stand up and sway, “sorry.”

"As you will," he allows lightly, "I'll be here."

He sits back and checks his watch. It's much nicer than your plastic casio. You nod and sidle out from between the chair and the table. You shuffle away, only looking for a sign as you come out next to the front counter. You have to turn back to get to the bathrooms, your clueless meandering adding to the heat in your cheeks.

You lock yourself in a stall and try to muster the strength to come back out. Why did you come here? You feel so much worse sitting across from that man. Look at him. How could he not judge you?

You take and breath and try to shake away the anxiety. Someone else comes in and you make yourself leave. You wash your hands and steel yourself for another delve into the general public. You emerge and stop before the room of tables.

Professor Smith sits patiently across from your things. You round the table and close your notebook, sliding the pen back in the spiral. You chew your lip and slide it into your bag.

“I will have Assignment Four done like I said,” you speak barely above a whisper.

“Sounds great,” he stands as well, “I must thank you for going to the trouble of meeting me here today. I do find virtual appointments hardly have the same... effect. Might I buy you a coffee for the inconvenience?”

“A coffee? I... no, that’s--”

“Or a tea?” He suggests.

“Professor, um, no, that’s okay.”

“I insist,” he says, “I saw a cafe on my way in. Just on the corner.”

“I didn’t... bring my wallet.”

“As I said, my treat,” he intones, “don’t worry, we won’t be talking business.”

“Erm,” you sniff and slant your mouth one way then the other, “well, I...” you hate to keep saying no, it’s starting to feel rude. “Sure, er, okay, thanks.”

“My pleasure,” he gestures you ahead of him, “ladies first.”

You sling your bag on your shoulder and step past the table. You cross the library floor and tread by the curved counter. As you come to the doors, he quickly gets ahead of you and pushes the door open, holding it for you. He’s polite, almost to a stifling degree.

The sunshine you casts a yellow haze, warming the dark fabric of your hoodie. You descend the steps and he catches up to you, keeping pace as he stays at your side. He points you to the left, “this way.”

You obey and feel the brush of his sleeve against yours. Pedestrians across the street seem to stare at you. No doubt they can see how you don’t belong with that man. Him in his prim outfit; his sweater pulled over a tidy collared-shirt and tie, and his glasses denoting and air of professionality. But you, in your wrinkled hoodie and jeans, must make a paltry contrast to the man.

“Right ahead,” he nudges the back of your arm gently before you can veer in the wrong direction, “would you like to sit outside? It’s beautiful out and I see a free table.”

“Er, if you like,” you shrug and cross your arms, “you really don’t have to...”

“I want to,” he assures as you come up to the patio area before the corner cafe, “please, you find a table and I’ll go inside. What would you like?”

You stop just beside the short wooden fencing that block off the seating area. Tea is usually cheaper. You’d rather not stretch his pity past a few dollars.

“Black tea.”

“Milk?” He asks.

“No, thanks.”

“Sugar?” He arches a brow.

“Just tea.”

“Ah, got it,” he dips his chin, “I will return. Please, have a seat.”

He turns on his heel and as he struts up to the front door, you search the patio. You find a table for two near the wall. You won’t be centre stage there. You put your bag under the chair and sit with your back to the street.

What are you doing? You could leave now. You could just go home. You came to talk about your schoolwork. So why are you here getting tea with this man? You need to go home and get started on it. You hang your head and lean back in the chair, arms folded as you gnaw your chapped lip.

The voices of the patrons around you buzz in the air. You catch snippets of conversations; excitement over a date they just had, or complaints about their work life, and even the low murmurs of intimate partners cooing at each other. Life is all around you, happening to other people but you remain in your corner.

You wince as Professor Smith returns. He places a porcelain cup before you. One you can’t just run off with. He sits across from you as you look up.

“Thank you, sir,” you utter as you sit up.

“Not at all,” he blows over his mug, a dark coffee with a thin layer of foam around the sides. You can smell it. “I do get curious,” he sets the steaming cup own, “about my students. Teaching from a screen can be rather disconnecting. I meet all sorts in my work but you... I didn’t see your name in the introductory forum.”

You look evasively at the brick wall. You untangle your arms and pinch the tag of the tea bag dangling over the brim. You shrug.

“I must’ve forgot to post.”

“Ah, never to worry, I won’t dock marks for it,” he kids, “so, you live with your mother.”

You nod and your eyes drop to the table.

“She must be proud.”

You tear the tag from the string and it recoils and falls into the tea.

“Proud?”

“Yes, well, you’re going to school. It’s not nothing.”

“Yeah, but...” it goes without saying; you’re not doing very well.

“Like I said, you’ve shown you can do the work, so do it,” he intones.

“I know.”

“What made you choose this program?”

“I don’t... know.”

“Well, you seem to have a natural affinity for numbers. Did anyone ever mention it?”

“I guess,” you lift the cup by the handle and blow over the top. You cautiously taste it and burn yourself nonetheless. You put it back down and cover your singed lip, the tip of your tongue pulsing.

“You alright?” He asks.

You nod furiously.

“Mm, well, I must admit, I am rather bad at subterfuge. This is a bad ploy,” he sits back, one hand on the table as he taps his index against his thumb, “I’d rather you take your time with the tea and not only for the sake of your tongue. I... hoped to keep you busy so that you needn’t return home so quickly. To that.”

“That?”

“What I overheard,” he says.

“Oh, I told you--”

“It may be usual for you but it doesn’t make it any safer,” he interjects. “I don’t know if you saw the email but I sent some resource you might look into. Grants. Some for housing. You could extricate yourself. You should.”

You’re breathless. It’s humiliating. How pathetic you must be in his eyes.

“I didn’t come to embarrass you,” he leans forward and slides his hand across the table.

You turn your head and gulp, the lump in your throat suffocating. Your nose tingles as your face scalds. You shudder and push your shoulders up.

“You’re a bright young woman, I only thought I might...” he struggles to find words, “well, I did not begin as a professor. I did not even start as some high and above pupil. No, I was a miserable lad. Barely made it through my first year but... all I’m saying is I might not have been where you are, but I get it.”

Your lashes flutter as you fight back tears. You’re so tired of crying. You’re exhausted of feeling this way. No matter what you do or where you are, you just feel like you don’t belong.

You look at your watch, “I’ll have to go soon.” You won’t even come up with a lie. You need to go before you break down completely.

He sighs, “right.”

#raymond smith #dark raymond smith #dark!raymond smith #raymond smith x reader #fic #dark fic #dark!fic #a guiding hand #series #the gentlemen

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its-irsaa-fyp · 4 days

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What if Yui was Carla and Shin's childhood friend. Like she was a part of founders family but in a war with Karlheinz everyone thought she is dead. Then Carla and Shin found her after many years in Sakamaki house.

Omo it's smth I thought about way before I even have imagined yui as founder like her being carla and shin cousin. Can yall belive it I am turning 18 this year and I had this idea when I was about 15-16 thank this person for making me remember @nerdywerewolffart 😭💞

💎Founder Yui headcanons:

🔴The ideas I currently have on this scenrio are :

🌸Yui is carla and shin blood relative basically they are cousin.

🌸Menae/Krone has a brother and yui is his daughter. Yui mother died while giving birth to her (my bbg is always without mom).

🌸Founder yui has big golden eyes that are very bright that's something that turns head of everyone whom sees her as they look like sun and on top of that her blonde hair she is nicknamed as sunshine because of her bright features.

🌸Founder yui has pale shin like carla and shin and she posses same power as them but they are weaker cuz her mother isn't from a strong background like Krone.

🌸Founder yui actually had a loving dad and a good childhood. Since they are relatives yui visited them alot as kids sometimes staying in bandmaden castle.

🌸Yui used to play alot with shin she and shin used to run around castle and play hide and seek.

🌸Yui didn't played much with carla as carla from young age was matured because of the immense pressure from his father and his mother illness.

🌸Carla took care of both shin and yui as he developed soft spot for the blonde girl whom is same age as his younger brother.

🌸He treated them as if they are his child and he wanted to protect their innocence and childish mind.

🌸Carla sometime played hide and seek with them but since he can easily sense them they decided to play in castle as its big and it will make game fun and they are allowed to teleport.

🌸When yui started baking she always made some cookies for them and always visited to deliver it.

🌸They had a very strong bond however when they turned teenagers their bond got strained because of founder situation and war.

🌸They all still had soft spot for each other but yui visits and their interaction got less as time passed.

🌸They barely met each other during their teenager phase because whenever yui visited they both are either training or out for work.

🌸When carla and shin relation got strained when carla plugged shin eye out, yui couldn't help but get angry at carla she immediately visted to comfort shin and yui provided the emotional support shin needed.

🌸When yui met carla she scolded him for being hard on shin, carla didn't tell her why he did that and what will happen if he didn't do it as it will harm founders in future he remained silent throughout her whole scolding.

🌸Yui expressed her worry for him too as she noticed giesbach off behaviour but carla dismissed her saying that it's not something that should concern her as she is a princess and she shouldn't put her finger in men works.

🌸Yui frowned at his cold behaviour and expressed that she is concerned about him she also expresses that she is worried about him about Giesbach but carla again gave her a cold shoulder and said her to leave him as he don't want her to worry.

🌸When yui decided to leave room carla called her and told her to stop visiting Krone, yui ran out in tears thinking he dislikes her when she is just worried about him.

🌸Yui wants carla to open up to her so that she could comfort him but he always rejects her. But carla only stopped her from visiting Krone because he doesn't want her to caught Endzeit.

🌸Shin bitterness towards carla was something yui was aware off as Shin always rant about it infront of yui.

🌸Yui always tries to mend the ties between two of them by telling carla to talk to shin but carla only ignores her saying" it's all for better" and when yui tried to make shin understand carla, shin lashes out on her in return and expresses that he doesn't need explanation as he isn't kid.

🌸He also tells yui to leave with a heavy heart saying that he doest need her lectures yui just silently stood up opened her mouth to say something but seeing the way both brothers told her to leave decided to back away.

🌸They didn't see each other for a long period of time for about years and shin regrets it as hell but he is too proud to go up to yui and apologise as it's always been yui whom came to them not other way around.

🌸Carla did miss yui presence as he haven't seen her for a long time but he had to surpress his feelings for yui as someone might use yui as carla weakness to expoilt him. He is aware of the fact that yui is strong but she is a female so he worries people might target her to black male him.

🌸A talk of marriage of yui starts going around as yui turns 18 and it didn't take long for her to be bethored to carla its something that pissed shin off. Shin immediately lashed out and destroyed things in his room.

🌸That was something that made shin actually go up to yui after some time of avoiding each other he asked her if she really want this marriage.

🌸This marriage was arranged and it was done by Giesbach. Yui expressed the fact that she is neutral she likes carla but not that way and that she isn't sure if she wants to get marry this early considering she just turned 18.

🌸This made shin smile as he realized that there is no love between them. He promised to her that he will free her from all this. But didn't tell her how.

🌸Carla on other hand finished giesbach off and took the throne, officially as King Of Founder while yui and shin were having this talk. Carla did plan on marrying yui as she was always someone he liked and he consider her as a good partner for himself.

-The plot of my scenrio follows original story line -

🌸Menae took yui along with her. Menae was like a mom to her during her child hood so yui didn't hesitate to obey menae and agreed to leave with her.

🌸Menae took yui because she wants to make sure that if she died while making cure yui could be the one whom will volunteer after her and it all was something that Karl suggested.

🌸A fight broke out and yui castle was attacked and yui father during all this got killed a rumor started circulating that yui died too as the castle was lit on fire killing everyone in castle no one survived.

🌸This news broke shin and carla whom went berserk and started killing all vampires whom assassinated yui and during this commotion it gave Karl opening to imprison founder.

🌸Menae was than married to burai she wanted yui to live normally so Karl decided to seal teenage yui whom was 18 and he putted her to sleep.

-The scenrio than follow original story line all events than take place-

🌸Karl woke yui up when his own kids turned adult. Karl than sended yui to his mansion with his children and introduced yui as sakamakis long lost cousin and he removed her memories and sealed her founder power and making her appear as vampire before sakamakis that's when yui life with all sakamakis started all of them were enraptured by her blood scent and her unique looks.....

#Diabolik lovers #diabolik lovers #Dialovers #tsukinami carla #tsukinami shin #komori yui #yui komori #Tsukinami brothers #yui x carla #Shin × Yui #Shinyui #Carlayui

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mazuriri · 23 days

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4.6 update

I'm continuing my thread on Lyney x traveller since Lyney can’t stop showing his ‘feelings’ 👏 (and I write here because I've run out of space to put photos in the other thread).

＊ Arlecchino’s story quest :

During Arlecchino’s quest, it was predictable to come across Lyney and his siblings, along with the inevitable moments shared between the magician and the traveler. Their paths crossed right at the start of the quest in Poisson, with Lyney who calls them from a distance.

The introduction of Lyney x Traveler right from the beginning of the quest is just heartwarming. It's truly delightful to witness their joyous reunion after being apart for such a long time. One cannot help but notice Lyney's excitement as he spots the Traveler from a distance and eagerly call out to them, and the Traveler reciprocating the same gesture is simply heart-melting.

As a fan of this ship, these small actions hold great significance for me. The previous interactions between them have paved the way for a newfound sense of friendliness, which is beautifully exemplified by the Traveler's warm greeting "It's been too long." This reunion with Lyney marks a significant milestone in their relationship, showcasing the evolution of their bond.

The traveler's arrival never fails to ignite a spark of joy in Lyney. This has been demonstrated multiple times and it is remarkable how this simple encounter can instantly brighten his entire day. What is truly comforting is that Lyney doesn’t hide his enthusiasm, openly expressing his delight at their reunion in Poisson.

According to him, this encounter seem destined, as if fate itself has orchestrated them.

After Arlecchino proposed that the traveler should stay in Poisson for a while, she then requested Lyney to entertain the guests, to which Lyney willingly agreed, expressing that it had always been his dream to welcome the traveler into his home and introduce them to his siblings. While others may have different dreams, Lyney's dream was centered around introducing his family to the traveler, as family holds immense importance to him. He had previously expressed his desire to invite the traveler to his home, considering them as a part of his own family. Now, in this quest, his long-awaited dream has finally come true.

(Now his dream has come true, will he have a dream to ask the traveler in marriage lol?)

This guy meticulously explained his process in Poisson, only to discover that it presented an ideal opportunity to exhibit his culinary skills to the traveler. Of course, Lyney... Go above and beyond to leave an even greater impression, as if your magic tricks weren't already enough.

Also dear magician… Other people have something else to do than show their talent in cooking 🤨 (Maybe he wants to be a skilled husband who can cook for his beloved in the future LOL)

As Lyney prepared to hand over the supplies, Chapleau was rendered speechless and filled with astonishment upon coming face to face with the famous traveler and Paimon, whose names had been circulating extensively in discussions among everyone.

Throughout the encounter, Lyney appeared either irritated or nonchalant, emitting an aura of "Dude... there's no need to be so shocked" or "Hey, don't stare at my crush like that" (Could it be that he was feeling jealous? 🤨 There are various interpretations of his expression in that moment, but let's assume it's jealousy lol). He even cautioned him and the other children to refrain from potentially annoying or frightening the traveler and Paimon.

(Let’s not forget that he was the one who was excited to introduce his siblings to the traveler and look what face he makes lmao, he can’t be more obvious.)

The traveler has gained immense popularity, and it is all thanks to Arlecchino and Lyney. Both of them constantly talk about the traveler, and Lyney never misses a chance to mention them. Arlecchino, on the other hand, not only talks about the traveler but also brings up Lyney in her conversations. It is amusing to see how Arlecchino knows about the bond between her son and the traveler share. (I will come back later about Arlecchino's perspective on their relationship)

This has led to children being well-informed about the traveler, with Arlecchino and Lyney playing a significant role in spreading awareness about the traveler's presence.

You know what’s the funny part? The irony lies in the fact that Lyney previously mentioned the traveler's fame within the organization, which raises the question of who is truly responsible for their popularity. It is evident that the traveler's popularity is attributed to the detailed accounts provided by Lyney and Arlecchino, as confirmed by the children during their conversation (because they told so much about the traveler according to Foltz and Chapleau.)

Lyney my boy… there is no way to avoid the children because it is evident that you have been discussing the traveler's actions quite often. This is why they are so well-informed about the situation. Alrecchino also contributes to this knowledge by frequently mentioning Lyney and how the traveler has been of great assistance to them.

Following Freminet's disclosure regarding Clervie, Lyney opts to engage in a private discussion with him in a secluded corner to address familial matters. The traveler and Paimon detect the escalating tension between the two and grow apprehensive. Consequently, they make the decision to intervene in order to avert any potential conflict that may arise between Lyney and Freminet during their conversation.

Paimon emphasizes the bond of friendship among the group, highlighting the shared experiences they have already gone through. What made me smile throughout was that the Traveler immediately agreed with Paimon and didn't hesitate to help Lyney and Freminet. Unlike in the past, there is no trace of doubt or suspicion, they were ready to offer their assistance. As they say, sometimes guests can be useful and Lyney immediately understood what they meant.

The Traveler's bond with Lyney and their siblings has been solidified as one of friendship and care, leading them to offer their help despite the dangerous circumstances. Lyney, aware of the risks involved, attempted to dissuade the Traveler from getting involved, but his pleas fell on deaf ears as the Traveler remained steadfast in their decision to stand by their friends. They just couldn't abondon the siblings, and that's the traveler we all know.

Lyney finds himself at a loss for words, but he expresses his sincere gratitude to the traveler for their assistance once again. The traveler's willingness to help in such a situation deeply touches Lyney, and he is truly moved by their continuous support. The numerous times the traveler has come to Lyney's aid have left an indelible mark on his memory, and he feels an immense sense of gratitude towards them. Each action taken by the traveler holds a special place in Lyney's heart, as he genuinely cares about their well-being. Despite his initial concern for the traveler's safety and his desire to shield them from harm, Lyney understands that they are not easily swayed by his protective gestures. As I mentioned before, he really wanted to keep them out of it, but knowing them for a while now, Lyney already knows they wouldn't easily accept what he would propose.

It is in this moment that he utters the heartfelt words, "I'll protect you like my life depends on it." This statement reflects Lyney's unwavering commitment to safeguarding the traveler, even if it means putting his own life at risk. He is truly willing to protect them at all costs, even if it means putting his own life in danger. He only cares about his family, including the traveler since Lyney considers them family too. It may seem very sweet at first but if we delve deeper, Lyney's words reveals a profound level of care.

• Do you remember when Wriothesley 'kidnapped' Lynette, causing Lyney to panic as he was ready to give himself to Wriothesley in exchange for Lynette’s release. In Arlecchino’s quest, he became upset with Freminet for putting his own life in 'danger' with Clervie's situation. Although Lyney said that the others will be punished by Arlecchino, he was especially really worried about Freminet, showing genuine concern for him. Lyney's deep-rooted fear of losing his siblings is palpable, as he cherishes them dearly and is willing to go to great lengths to protect them, showcasing a touching and sad aspect of his character. We already know that this is not the first time that Lyney has acted in this way, we have already been aware for a long time that Lyney will not hesitate to put his life at risk for his siblings.

However, it remains unclear whether Lyney values his own life or not, but what is certain is that he is ready to sacrifice his life for his loved ones.

(Here for example, Lyney immediately threw himself to protect Lynette before Freminet blocked Arlecchino's attack.)

Personally, I have the urge to give him a wake-up call and remind him that his life holds just as much value, urging him to be cautious. This is the reason why Lynette became angry with him during this quest, and I can empathize with her. Let's be honest, Lyney's actions come off as self-centered : he chooses to deal with the situation 'alone' and doesn't want Lynette to know (same situation in Lynette hangout), but unfortunately, she was there the whole time and got angry at everyone, especially Freminet and Lyney. (I swear their siblings relationship makes me emotional)

———————————

Upon knowing the secret activities that had been occurring behind her back, Arlecchino resolved to take matters into her own hands. However, just as she was on the verge of initiating her plan, Lyney stepped in to intervene and prevent the situation from escalating further (with Freminet, Lynette and Chapleau). Regrettably, their efforts proved to be in vain. Nevertheless, Arlecchino decided to change tactics : they have to fight her.

Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet all agree to this, prompting the traveler to recall the consideration given to them by Arlecchino. Before the punishment, she had asked for a consideration from the traveler and had clearly stated that when the time comes, they must make the appropriate choice when the time comes. Now, that moment came at the time of the punishment of the members of the house.

The traveler carefully considers Arlecchino’s words and because they had made a promise to do so, they ultimately make the choice to support Lyney and the siblings by joining them in battle. It brought a smile to my face to see that the traveler had decided to fight alongside Lyney and the others, as they too didn’t want to witness the 'traitors' get killed, which is understandable. However, their motivation was also to assist Lyney and show respect for his decision. Lyney is also taken aback by the traveler's decision to join them, and I am confident that he will appreciate and acknowledge their actions.

✨ Extra :

I hadn’t mentioned it in my previous thread but I have now made the decision to address this topic and delve into Arlecchino's perspective on the traveler.

Lyney's trust in the traveler is a significant revelation, especially considering his usual guarded nature towards others. This newfound openness towards the traveler showcases a level of comfort and confidence that Lyney rarely displays with anyone else, making it a noteworthy point in their relationship.

The significance of Lyney's statement to Arlecchino, where he identifies the traveler as the person he trusts the most, cannot be understated. Arlecchino, being well-acquainted with her children, understands the weight of these words and the depth of trust that Lyney has placed in the traveler. This revelation sheds light on the unique bond between Lyney and the traveler, highlighting the exceptional level of trust that exists between them, a bond that transcends Lyney's usual reservations towards others.

In the house, each individual see themselves as “family”, prioritizing their connections over engaging with the outside world. Arlecchino emphasizes the significance of regarding a stranger as a family, highlighting the gravity of this notion. Moreover, it is important to acknowledge that they are fatui and opening up to other people outside the house is crucial. Arlecchino understands that the children, particularly Lyney, hold an affection for the traveler. Therefore, when she emphasizes the importance of the traveler valuing this friendship, she warns the traveler to take this friendship seriously, that they should not break this relationship or it could lead to unfavorable consequences.

Arlecchino, after careful consideration, decided to place her ‘trust’ in Lyney and the other siblings. She effectively conveys to the traveler the depth of friendship that exists between Lyney and his siblings, emphasizing its significance. The traveler, having witnessed this bond, is not only accepting of it but also respects and admires Lyney's relationship with his siblings.

They literally have the blessing from Arlecchino since she supports and respect them. With the 'Father' now endorsing the friendship her son shares with the traveler, and Lynette supports what her brother feels (she told the traveler to take care of him many times), Lyney is indeed fortunate to have the blessings and support of both his ‘Father’ and sister. So….

When is the marriage lol?

———————

That's all for this analysis, it was to be expected to have moments between Lyney and the traveler in Arlecchino's quest, I mean... it was OBLIGED. It is now evident that the Traveler considers Lyney and his siblings as genuine friends and is willing to assist them in any situation, despite their affiliation with the Fatui.

Speaking of which, Arlecchino expressed her intention to make Lyney the next 'King' of the house if he stays, to which Lyney reluctantly agrees. Throughout the conversation, the Traveler remained silent, not objecting at all, simply listening throughout the conversation. Despite the fact that the house is part of the Fatui, the Traveler respects Lyney's decision. The development between them is remarkable, and I am pleased to see the Traveler finally opening up to Lyney despite their past, always being there for him and his siblings. Their friendship is truly endearing, and that's why I love them. Everything they have overcome in the past is now ‘resolved’, and they are always happy to reunite.

Despite the focus being primarily on Arlecchino in her quest, Lyney and the others played a significant role, and their contributions were exceptional.

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goopyedgay · 3 months

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I feel sentimental I'm sorry but–

You don't know how happy these stupid guys make me, I don't know why, simply seeing them causes me immense joy in any circumstance, in any medium, they make me smile at my worst moment.

It's funny because when I read Hell Park for the first time I completely ignored them, and my favorite character was Tweek (which is why he is the protagonist of my AU Coven Park), but for some reason when I read Hell Park again, their dynamic caught my attention and I loved them.

Gregory and Estella inspired me immensely, even daring to make my own AU just because of them, what for me was a way to avoid problems and harassment became something ambitious that I am currently working on and trying to give my all.

and not only that, they also inspired me to create my ocs and an equally ambitious story that I have in mind, in case anyone was wondering, these are the ocs that I mainly based on Gregory and Estella to create them lol

And all that thanks to two stupid characters from a canceled South Park AU, honestly, I don't know how I would be if I hadn't met them, it's impossible for me to imagine knowing that they have influenced my life from the end of 2021 until today, this was one of my first drawings 🥲

I know that the issue of the Gregstella ship is somewhat dense, although I don't classify it as "problematic" because I consider that it doesn't even reach that sick level that they want to label it so much. And I know that I am perhaps the most directly responsible for having popularized the ship, and I apologize for that, it was not my intention to attract weird people, because yes, I have seen that quite questionable people have come to like the ship, or at least less so on this side of the pond, but I refrain from interacting with them because I simply don't want to and I have seen very unpleasant things coming from those people.

I would be lying if I said that I no longer like hp gregstella, I think it is something inevitable, even knowing that it is wrong, it is something that I cannot help, but nevertheless, I no longer urge people to ship them, but I also do not harass those who they do it. I think people can do whatever they want as long as it doesn't cross the boundaries of what is considered healthy. So yeah, I still kinda like hp gregstella, but I doubt I'll make content of them in the future, maybe I never will (and I never actually did, other than edits), maybe I'll start drawing them again more frequently since the annoying comments stopped, but I will never make hp gregstella content, but if I do one day, at least you will see it coming i guess 🤧

To the point I no longer care what people think of me, nor do I care to be in the Hell Park fandom, but I am aware that a large part of the fandom likes my art and inevitably I am part of it, so it also makes me happy that people appreciate my drawings despite everything, I love you, especially to the gregstella shippers who follow me and who I talk to (who are mostly lesbians just like me, a little ironic lol) 😭💕

I just want to do what makes me happy, and if people are bothered by what makes me happy, you can just block me, no hard feelings. I will continue drawing my silly couple, because it is the closest thing I will experience to love, being aromantic, I like to write couples with interesting dynamics, but being part of one? No thank you 😦

I finish with this little animation I made of Gregory and Estella from Coven park, for whoever took the time to read this, thank u and gn

#I wasn't supposed to put hashtags but okay #gregstella #coven park #gregory of yardale #estella havisham

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wildestdreamsblog · 1 year

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And I love you, darling

Pairing: Soft!dark Ari Levinson x Reader

Summary: You were just trying to escape your past, and Ari was trying to chase his future.

Warnings: Soft!Dark Ari, Swearing, Possessiveness, Manipulative behavior, Sexual themes, Breeding kink, If you’re not 18+ please, PLEASE, do not interact. Be mindful of the warnings. Let me know if I miss anything.

A/N: We reached the end. Official word count for this series: 57kish. Thank you so much for joining me in this crazy ride <33 until next time, my loves..

Masterlist

This love is bad: End

You looked at yourself at the mirror. Your curls artfully falling on one side of your shoulder, your neck adorned with beautiful diamonds your grandmother passed down to you. You had just finished putting on your makeup. You ran your hand on the expanse of your gown. Your waist was highlighted on this dress, the skirt flowing freely. And the color…by heavens did you love the color. The blue hues were something you had never seen. When Ari invited you to a charity event for your third date, he claimed he was going to take care of your dress. And now looking at yourself in the mirror, you knew you weren’t wrong to trust him.

You must admit that you felt like a princess with this breathtaking dress. And with a smile, you twirled in front of the mirror. You thought you were alone, you really did. But when you opened your eyes, your soul nearly left your body when you found Bucky leaning against the wall, his muscular arms crossed in front of his strong chest. He wasn’t wearing his usual smirk- instead, he was genuinely smiling at you. You squinted your eyes playfully at him before offering him your own smile.

“A gentleman would compliment a lady, Bucky,” you informed him dryly.

You saw Bucky’s lips tipped up, shaking his head once before closing the distance between the two of you. “You’re a sight for sore eyes, princess.”

You chuckled as he bowed a little, offering you his manly hand as if asking you for a dance. He angled his head to the side when you comically took your time, before glaring at you. Finally, you put your dainty hand safely on his. You felt his strong hand wrapped around your waist as he led you to a slow dance. And when you complained that there was no music, he started humming Bad Romance of all the songs he could have chosen. You laughed heartily as he twirled your around dramatically. You turned to look at your handsome friend, someone you considered your own brother. From his dark hair, to his blue eyes, to the strong hands that could hurt anyone but chose to protect those he loved instead. You were so lucky to find someone like him in this life, to live in the same time as him, to grow up alongside him. You were feeling immense gratitude to the man who never not took your side since you were young, who courageously informed you when you were in the wrong, who took offense first when someone hurt you before you could even process the hurt, who supported and protected you when you decided to finally live for you.

And you knew, a friend such as him- nay, a brother like him was hard to find.

You looked up at his blue eyes, your hand in his, the other safely resting on his broad back. You offered him your sincerest smile, your emotions bleeding in your eyes.

“Thank you, Bucky,” you murmured, the words weighing all the things he did for you whether you asked for them or not. “I am so grateful that you exist.”

He was silent for a moment, before he nodded his head in acknowledgement. “You know I’d do anything for you, princess.”

“I know,” you started, smiling cheekily at him, “You’re the person I trust most in this world.”

You took a deep breath before you took a step inside the vast and elegant mansion of the billionaire hosting the event. It had been too long since you left this life, and yet, here you were. Funnily though, you didn’t feel like you no longer belonged. It was like yesterday when you last mingled with these people, last wore fancy clothes, and last put on too much makeup that you no longer recognized the person in the mirror. You wondered why you no longer felt like that despite wearing this expensive dress that you were sure cost more than what you earned in the bakery.

You had only taken two steps when you started feeling eyes on you. You should have expected this. After all, you were missing from the scene for years. Being one of the heiresses of a multimillion-dollar business, fiancé to the business mogul, Ari Levinson, and an altruistic person, and all of a sudden, you were back. But the eyes of the people, the stopping of their talks, their full attention on you suddenly started weighing more than you could handled that you started stepping back when you felt a strong hand on your exposed back. You glanced back, and there he was.

There was your Ari.

There was someone who was smiling at you, looking at you as if you were the anchor the kept him from going on the deep ends, as if you were love itself. And then all at once, nothing mattered. Not the hypercritical society, not the choices you made, not the fancy place- all that mattered now was the way he looked at you.

“Hi,” he breathed as he looked intently in your eyes. You looked up at him, truly looked at him. His black tuxedo fitted him well, his hair neatly combed back, his beard trimmed expertly. He looked so handsome, he looked so tall. But above all, he looked like yours.

“Hi,” you murmured, unconsciously leaning closer to him for strength. Ari lifted his hand to you, and with bated breath, he waited for you to hold his hand. And you did, this time without thinking of any reasons as to why you shouldn’t. His lips tilted up ever so slightly, his eyes shone when you reached his hand.

“Are you ready to face the music, darling?”

With him, you found that you were more than ready.

And like a cliché fairytale, he led you in the middle of the room. You and Ari danced to the slow music of the live band. You were never far from him because he always made sure that he was touching a part of you. Maybe this was what people were describing in the novels and in songs, in movies and in series, maybe this was what they were trying so hard to depict in the paintings- the moment when others faded to the background because here was the person that only mattered. You felt the warmth as he twirled you, as he rested his large hand on the small of your back, as he kissed your palm. You felt this unrestrained unhappiness as he took you in his muscular arms, as he rested his cheek on the side of your head, as he swayed you to the music.

You felt the love you were trying so hard to not feel.

You remembered the time you realized you had already fell so hard, so fast, that you only had limited time to brace for the impact as you fell. It was a combination of all the little things that made you fell. Years later, you realized true love did not happen in a blink of an eye. It wasn’t an instant kind of love. Well, at least for you it wasn’t. Your version of love happened because it wasn’t supposed to happen. And you were just too helpless to stop it from happening. Your love happened because of effort, of his kindness, of destiny.

But still, you couldn’t shake off the weight of their eyes on you. Ari looked over your head for a while, noting that indeed people were looking. “Don’t mind them, darling. You’re the only one that matter here to me.”

It did not take long for people to start wanting Ari’s attention. After the dance, businessmen started approaching him. He was only all too happy to introduce you as his woman, and you were only too elated to pinch him in his hard stomach to which he just pulled you to him closer. And finally, someone he introduced to you as his good friend, an elder gentleman, smiled fondly at you before asking Ari to speak in private.

“It’ll just be a moment, sweetheart,” he assured you as he planted a soft kiss on the back of your hand, smiling gently at you before turning his back on you. You watched his broad back as he walked with his friend, genuinely laughing at whatever the man said. His demeanor was so unlike from those other interactions he had with the other businessmen. It somehow amazed you how he could changed the way he interacted with others, and now more than ever that he wasn’t hiding who he was in front of you. Perhaps, what you found to be a horrifying yet a significant thought was that you could now read Ari.

He looked behind to see where you were, and he thought he now accepted that he would always have it in him to check where you were, to make sure you didn’t leave him.

You waved at him a little before deciding on freshening up.

You entered the elegant comfort room, only to find your old, socialite friends chatting among themselves. They were pleasant, really and you enjoyed hanging out with them before. But after being away from this life for years, you felt like you could no longer relate to them anymore. Finally, they turned to look at you with welcoming smile on their faces, their chatters ceased before approaching you.

“Y/N! Oh my god, sweetie! It has been so long!” One of your friends offered her cheek to you, and then the other. You chuckled as the girls surrounded you, asking you where you had been, what were you up to, how was your businesses, and ultimately who was Ari to you. It amused you that it took them that long to get around asking what they had been really itching to ask since the moment you entered the room.

Who was he to you?

“He’s my…” you trailed off, thinking of a way to describe the hurricane that he was. Ultimately, you decided to answer truthfully. “He’s my person.”

The girls shared a confused look before turning to you.

“Oh, i-it’s just we’ve been hearing chatters that you’re to be engaged to a French tycoon,” your other friend quipped up, confusion apparent in her face.

“I heard that too from my mother.”

“I think this was only very recent.”

You tilted your head as you listened to your friends. You mind running a mile a minute from the information they were divulging you.

“That’s only gossip,” you chuckled to ease the tension you were feeling. You weren’t naive to know that when there was smoke, there was fire somewhere. And you had a suspicion who lit the fire.

After assuring them that that was merely hearsay, and after promising them that you would see them soon, your friends left the room. Once they left, you took care of your business. You were washing your hands when you heard the door opening. Nothing could have prepared you for what you saw when you looked up in the mirror. You were flabbergasted to see an older version of you.

Your mother reapplied her expensive lipstick on her lips. The shape of her lips were eerily similar to you. From head to toe, no one could deny that you were your mother’s daughter. How could they deny when after all, she taught you how to be her. After what felt like forever, she finally shifted her elegant eyes from the reflection of herself to you.

“Don’t you feel the guilt, my dear?” She pronounced the words with class, her voice even as if she wasn’t talking to her only daughter that she hadn’t seen in years. “Or at the very least, feel the shame?”

“Mother-“

She tilted her head, a nefarious smile painted in her face. “After running from this for years, look where it got you,” she whispered, now turning to fully face you. “Back where you were in the first place.”

You licked your lip, a habit your mother hated. Your lips quivered as you faced her, as you faced the one that should have loved you the most in this life. “I ran because I don’t want to live a life that’s not mine.”

She nodded understandingly, “I know, dear. But you should have also considered your place and responsibility in this family.”

“What family?” You asked with perplexity. “You’re only married to dad in paper. He has another family of his own, my half-sister whose mother in paper is you! I had to raise her because you neglected her and me. I had to raise myself, learn to love myself, because you only looked at me as if I’m a pawn to your game. And my father who only loves my sister isn’t any better! As if it was my mistake that he married for business and not for love. Now tell me, what family? What responsibility when I did everything for this family?” You seethed with tears in your eyes. Finally, you had unloaded the burden you had been feeling since you were born. Finally, you said your piece.

Your mother looked at you in disbelief, “Are you done with the word vomit, my dear?”

With tears falling from your eyes, you watched as she walked near you. Your mother, with emotionless face, wiped the tears from your eyes softly. “Don’t you think I too wanted to be loved?” She murmured, her eyes focused on her task. “Didn’t you think that I too tried to escape this fate?” Your mother smiled as if she was reminiscing her past. “Love is a fleeting feeling, my dear. At the end of the day, what matters most is stability. Wealth. Respect from the society.” She smiled at you before fixing your hair.

“No matter how much you try to resist, you’ll end up like me. With a man like him, you’re going to end up being the most powerful woman in this society. You have to choose where you derive your happiness… after all, a man like him doesn’t know how to love only one woman. Look at where you are now, back where you started. You’re never going to escape this fate.”

And it hit you right where it hurt the most. You were trying too hard not to think of how all your hard work, your perseverance, your effort were eventually all for naught. She was right. At the end of the day, you couldn’t escape this fate because you chose not to. At the end of the day, you were merely their puppet.

Perhaps, it pained you because it was true. And you wanted it not to be. You could feel the walls closing in on you, could feel the heavy beating of your chest. You couldn’t breathe.

You felt stupid. You felt foolish.

What must other people thought of you? That you couldn’t handle the real world that was why you came back? That you were too sheltered, too weak to live on your own? That life was too difficult that you ran back to your rich parents?

You needed to leave.

With a hurried steps, you opened the door with trepidation, only to find him standing on the other side of the door.

“Sweetheart, there you are. I worried you-“ Ari trailed off once he got a good look at your melancholic face, your eyes brimming with unrestrained tears. “What happened?” He asked in a hard voice.

You shook your head before attempting to walk past him when he took hold of your wrist, preventing you from leaving him. “Darling, what happened? Where are you going?”

You didn’t think. You just wanted to leave. And perhaps, you should have thought of what you said numerous times before you said it to him. “This is over. Our three dates are up.”

Ari looked astonished, yet his hold on you didn’t loosen. Instead, he pulled you closer and looked down on you with confusion and hurt in his eyes. “I don’t understand. I thought we were making progress…I-I thought you love me-“

Your mother decided it was the right time to reveal herself. Ari looked up, recognition in his eyes before slowly turning to you. “What did she say?”

“The truth. I’m sorry. I can’t do this-“

“So that’s it,” he whispered to himself, before nodding. He laughed humorlessly, “One word from someone else and you go running away from me.”

“Ari-“

“Does what I have to say mean so little to you? Do I mean nothing to you that you can just leave me?”

You gulped as you looked at him. He squeezed his eyes shut. Looking back, what perhaps surprised you the most was that he let go of your hand.

“Y/n…I’m only human. I get tired, too,” he uttered, his eyes staring intently at you. And when you said nothing, because really, there was nothing more to say. Finally, when all he heard from you was nothing, he walked away.

It was a month later when your mother gave you a call, ordering you to show up or else it was going to be your little sister who would marry the French tycoon she wanted you to marry. You almost laughed from her predictability. You knew it was her who started the fire. You had tried hard to get your sister out of her grasps, but she refused.

Even though you shared a childhood with her, you two were raised by different yet same parents. Her father loved her, he cherished her. Your father tolerated you.

To your sister, your parents, especially your father were just doing what they thought was best for you.

But you knew they only used you to strengthen their place in the society…regardless if you were happy or not.

Despite the fact that your heart broke and was still breaking to million pieces, you were left with no choice. You met the handsome gentleman one day. His name was Timothy. You found him to be kind, humorous even. He made you laughed. At the back of your mind, you remembered how much Ari made you laughed as well… how much he made you happy. Then you met Timothy again for a much less formal setting. He was charming, and he wasn’t out of touched from reality of the world. He was a family man, telling you tales of his childhood with his loving parents. When you asked him why he was in this arranged marriage, he explained that he believed love could be learned because that was what happened in his parents.

You didn’t say anything after that because you were certain there was no love after Ari.

It shouldn’t surprised you to find several photos of you and Timothy on the news after meeting him. In all the photographs, you were laughing and he looked at you with warmth in his face.

You were back in your own penthouse, no longer living with Bucky. But as a condition to the arrange marriage, you demanded that Bucky be back in your service. You noticed Bucky was becoming more and more withdrawn from you these past days. When you asked him if he was having any difficulty, he assured you that he was okay.

Yet, you noticed he was acting strange.

On the day you were set to meet Timothy’s parents, Bucky smiled at you faintly. Always on the dot, your trusty bodyguard led you downstairs to the waiting car. You looked at him as he closed the door of the car before starting to merge to the traffic.

“Bucky?”

“Yes, princess?” He asked in his monotonous voice. You met his eyes over the rearview mirror.

“You’ll tell me if something’s wrong, right?” You asked him once again, showing concern over the fact that you felt like he wasn’t himself for days.

It took him a moment to answer you that you thought he would ignore you. Eventually, he flashed you his reassuring smile over the mirror, “Don’t worry, princess. Everything will be okay.”

You only nodded, yet somehow unconvinced before focusing on your phone. You were back to your rightful place, arranging charities and running some of the businesses your father entrusted you to. It was awhile before you looked up, only to be confused when you saw that you were no longer in the city…. No. This was a familiar place. This was the way to that town.

“Bucky?” You called him, your head turning to the other side to make sure that you were going to the direction you never thought you’d return to. Trees were blurring as the car sped up, the absence of the buildings and the vast empty farm land were making you tense. “Bucky, are we lost?”

His jaw clenched, his grip on the steering wheel tightened as he listened to your voice that was turning from confusion to agitation. He hated breaking your trust. But he couldn’t lose her.

“Bucky, please,” you tried again when he made a turn to the town’s church. “What are you doing, Bucky?!”

“I’m sorry, princess,” he atoned. This wasn’t easy for him. But Ari left him with nothing to do but to betray you. “Ari said if he didn’t have you, he’d marry your sister.”

“What?! Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“He said your family owed him a bride, that he’d do everything to destroy your family’s legacy and marry your sister if you married someone else. I’m sorry,” he confessed as he stopped in front of the small church. Your eyes quivered when you looked at the church. It was decorated with your favorite flowers, with your preferred colors. This was like a dream…and your personal nightmare. Bucky opened your door, regret and certainty battling in his eyes. You knew that even if you begged, even if you cried, Bucky wouldn’t take you back.

He loved your sister.

And you knew, when it came to the person who had his heart, Bucky would betray anyone…including you.

You didn’t take his hand, and instead, stepped out of the car with dignity. He looked at you with apologies in his eyes, and you looked at him with dagger in yours. He couldn’t hide the way he winced even if he tried. Never in your wildest dreams did you ever think that Bucky would be the one to double-cross you, yet here you were. You started walking to the church with Bucky trailing behind you.

And there was your sister, the only person who loved you in your family. There she was, with tears streaming down her face, and beside her was the devious man who loved you just a tad bit too much.

Your sister ran to you, and you hugged her with all your might. Combing her hair as she sobbed on your shoulder, apologizing to you over and over again.

But didn’t she know?

It was okay.

You’d do anything for her.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry-“

“You have nothing to apologize for, silly!” You admonished her with a smile on your face. You cupped both her cheeks to get her to listen to you. “Nothing is your fault, okay? It’s okay. I’m okay.”

“But if it wasn’t for me, you won’t have to do this.”

You looked up over her head to see Ari staring intensely at you, his face void of any emotion. But his eyes held unrestrained heat and something akin to a promise. And looking at him, you knew this would happen eventually. There was no getting out of this, no escaping a man such as him. If he was ruthless in his business, he was even more brutal in love. Your eye contact was hindered by Bucky’s marching form.

Bucky went toe to toe with Ari, his eyes murderous as he looked at Ari’s unemotional one. And without any preamble, he lifted his gun to Ari, the cold barrel of the gun touching Ari’s forehead.

Yet, never once did he flinch.

“Hurt her and the next time you look at the end of the barrel will be your last sight of this world,” Bucky threatened coldly, his voice steady and his eyes cold.

Ari lifted his chin even more, uncaring that his life was being threatened. What for when he was living like a deadman when he let you walked away? He thought he could let you live your life away from him. He thought he could let you marry someone else. He thought he could survive without you. Alas, he was wrong.

You should have known better than to feed a starving wolf and expect it to not to come back again and again and again.

“If I hurt her, you have my permission to end my miserable life.”

And Bucky knew Ari wasn’t bluffing. If he had any ounce of uncertainty in Ari’s love for you, he would never have done this. But his instinct never strayed him in the wrong direction. He was more than sure that this man, this obsessive man, loved you more than anything and anyone in this world.

But who was he to talk when he was planning the same thing with your sister?

Who was he to talk when the mere thought of losing your sister sent him to the very edge of his sanity?

Who was he to talk when he betrayed you just so he wouldn’t lose her?

Bucky certainly did not have the high ground at the moment.

With one last dark look, he marched back to where you and his love was standing. You looked at him with coldness in your eyes, and your sister looked at him with betrayal in hers.

“Take her away from here,” you whispered, not wanting your sister to be present and blame herself for whatever was to happen.

Your sister blinked at you owlishly, her eyes wide as what you said dawned on her. She gripped your forearms, willing you to look at her. “W-what? No! I’m staying with you! I’m not going to leave you with him-“

You looked at Bucky and gestured for him to take your sister away. And he did. With gentle strength, he wrapped his arms around your sister who fought with all her might, calmly taking your distressed sister away from you.

“It’s okay,” you assured her again, squeezing her hand once before letting it go completely. “I’ll see you soon, okay? I promise. It’s going to be okay.”

You noted, minutes later as you looked at the readied white dress in the room of the church, that this was not a spur of a moment. No, this was planned by Ari. The dress was exactly your size. This was a magnificent dress, you thought, too bad you were being forced to it.

The door opened and when you looked behind you, there was Molly.

You rushed to her, holding her dainty hands in yours, “Molly, you have to help me,” you implored her as she looked at you somberly.

She tapped your hand twice before leading you back inside. She proceeded on fixing your veil, smoothing her hands over the crease on your dress. “Molly, Ari is unhinged. He’s insane-“

“How many people need to suffer before you come back to him?” She asked quietly, handing you the bouquet of flowers you failed to notice in her hand. With great reluctance and confusion, you took hold of the flowers. They were beautiful, yet this situation made you unable to appreciate any of the beauty around you.

“Molly-“

“You’re suffering, too. Stop punishing Ari for something he had no control of. Stop punishing yourself for loving the man. Life is too short, dear. This love is something people look for. You have it. Now, is your pain and what other people have to say greater than your love?”

You paused, you could see now more than ever that she wouldn’t understand. To her, Ari was the hero. You knew she had some valid points, but this whole fiasco was Ari’s idea. She could not and should not separate the fact that Ari was also the villain, that he too was capable of being manipulative.

Molly smiled sadly at you as she covered your despondent face with the veil. “You are the only one that can humanize him, dear. I’m sorry.”

You were too.

Ari was waiting for you at the end of the aisle, beside him was the town’s priest. The church was almost empty, saved for Molly and Pablo, and the little band. The decorations were grand, evident by the fact that Ari spared no expense.

You took one step and the band started playing a harmonious song, the violin and the piano blending well together as they played. You held your head high as you marched slowly, the bouquet of flowers you were holding helped you to hide the fact that you didn’t feel as brave as you were pretending to be. All the while you were walking, Ari never once took his eyes off of you.

And you didn’t, too.

It was bittersweet how you dreamed of marrying him once upon a time. And now it was happening when it shouldn’t happen. The moment you were within reach, Ari offered you his muscular arm. You took it without looking at him.

The whole ceremony was blurred to you. You were only snapped out of it when you heard the priest asked you if you agreed to be Ari’s wife. You heard yourself say ‘I do’ with no emotions at all. Ari held your hand and placed two rings on you, the first one was what was supposed to be an engagement ring. The diamond looked elegant, something that was not too loud. It was beautiful. The second one was a simple white gold band that symbolized your agreement that from now on, you were his wife.

You felt your heart break. This was supposed to be the happiest day of your life. You were marrying the man you loved. But it shouldn’t be like this. None of it should be like this.

Ari’s voice was strong as he recited his very own vow, your hand in his as he looked at you. “From now on, everything that I do is solely to make you happy. I promise to be better each day as long as you’re beside me. I promise that you’ll forever have my heart. I promise to love you for who you are, and for who you are yet to become. I promise to be patient and to remember that all things between us are rooted in love. I promise to always give you a part of my food. I promise to share my whole heart with you and to remember to show you how deeply I care for you, no matter the challenges that may come our way. I promise to love you loyally and fiercely—as long as I shall live.”

Your tears finally fell. You could no longer stopped them as he handed you a simple band, and offered you his ring finger.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the priest announced. Ari’s tensed shoulder visibly relaxed, his hold on you softened a little. “You may now kiss the bride.”

With tears in your eyes, Ari lifted you veil. His hand gently cradled your cheek as his lips slowly descended on yours. His kisses were gentle, as if he was asking for forgiveness when you had none to give. Finally, his lips parted from you yet he stayed near you. His forehead touched yours, “Finally, you’re mine Mrs. Levinson.”

Ari was silent as he watched you stew. He knew you wouldn’t be able to keep it in. But still, he found no remorse in what he did. He knew in his very being that you should be with him. Behind all the complications, he knew you and him were meant to be together in this life. Finally, he took a turn to his house in the town. He supposed it was now his and yours. He did like that thought, something that was owned by you and him. You hadn’t looked at him since he tied you to him, never once did you speak to him despite him asking you questions, despite Molly and Pablo congratulating you. You were keeping yourself from him, and he would have none of that.

You watched as he turned to a familiar road. It was where you were the happiest, back when Ari wasn’t like this. You finally turned to look at the man beside you, his strong hands steady on the steering wheel. The band on his ring finger gleaming from the sunlight, something that symbolized the union between the two of you. He turned to look at you, his eyes intense and unapologetic. Ari stopped the car and rounded to open your door, but you beat him to it. You opened the door so hard you wished it slammed in his pretty face, but alas it didn’t. And so you resorted to slamming the door so hard on his expensive car, praying that you at least damaged something in there.

You were huffing as you marched to the front door, whilst Ari took his time on unlocking the door. And once the two of you were inside, it was like your carefully kept facade of calmness shattered.

“Are you hungr-“

“How could you do this?!” You belted, whirling around to face your husband.

“Do you not want to stay here? I figured we’d be happy here. After all, we were happy here…before you started listening to other people,” Ari drawled, his eyes wondering around the house before finally resting on yours. His hand was in his pocket, his stance calm so opposite to what you were feeling.

“You know that’s not what I meant Ari,” you exclaimed, trying to wretch the veil away from you. The only thing it accomplished was to tug on your hair that it hurt. “How could you manipulate the people I love!” You shouted at him, sadness clouding your face. You willed him to understand how fucked-up this all was, how you thought he was beyond redemption. How it saddened you to see him became someone you no longer knew. “How could you do that to Bucky? How could you do that to me?” You whispered the last part, your voice breaking. You could no longer pretend that you had the strength for this. You were drained. You were empty.

Ari sighed before walking closer to you. He calmly and carefully removed the pins securing your veil, taking great caution and patience to avoid hurting you. You looked up to him as he did his task.

“See, everyone else would choose someone else over you. But not me. I’ll always choose you,” Ari stated, his voice calm as if he was discussing the weather and not the devious crime he committed to you.

“This is not how it should be,” you whispered sadly. Today had been too much for you. Nothing could have prepared you to what this day had revealed to you. “And the worst part is that you aren’t even sorry for what you put other people through, for what you put me through.”

Ari walked closer to you. He would admit it if you asked, and it was the truth that he couldn’t stand being apart from you. He wasn’t alive when he left you. He craved you.

He wiped your tears from your eyes lovingly, gently, so gently that it was as though he wasn’t capable of hurting anyone. His voice was low as he confessed, “It was inevitable. We are inevitable. And categorically, I cannot find it in me to regret it.”

You nodded once, before looking up at his soulful eyes. “You will,” you began, tears shimmered your eyes. “You will, one day, when you wake up and realize that I may be here, but you lost me already.”

Ari thought firmly that you would forgive him. He rationalized that you just needed time, that you’d be happy with him again. He excused your despondent actions as something that would fleet one of these days.

But they didn’t.

You were not kidding when you told him honestly that day that he lost you.

Ari tried to do everything. Now that you were beside him, now that he finally tied you to him, he should feel an ounce of peace, right? Except that he didn’t because he knew you were pulling away from him. Or rather, you had already pulled away from him.

He felt like he was living with a ghost of you.

Every night he watched you fall asleep. Every night he traced the frown on your brows, smoothing them as if it could erase your troubles. And only when you were deep in your sleep was he able to gather you in his arms, holding you so tight as if he was terrified he’d wake up one day and see that you were gone.

And come the morning, he’d whispered to you how much he loved you…how much he needed you.

He reckoned that he had to court you again, show you the better parts of him. Because he had finer traits..right? He was more than just the despicable man he was before. So he cooked for you without fail every single day. He found that taking care of you was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. And everyday, the two of you sat down and ate, with him making small talks, and you disregarding him.

And the childish side of him thought that walking around the house half-naked would elicit an emotion in you- any emotion at all because he was losing his mind. He would even take your anger, just not this facade you were presenting. One morning, he returned from his run. He entered the house with sweat dripping from him, sans the shirt and he caught your eyes roaming his body slowly.

Suddenly, Ari felt hopeful. Until you reached his eyes, squinted, rolled your eyes at him, and turned your back on him. That was the most reaction he got from you in weeks. He did that almost everyday that he was sure he caught bronchitis from walking around shirtless even when it was cold. So he stopped.

Ari thought what you would loved coming with him to the charities, after all you had a philanthropic heart. And you did enjoy. All while talking and playing to the children, you were all smiles. He heard you laughed for the first time in a month, and somehow it both softened and broke his heart.

Were you that unhappy with him?

On some days the two of you went to the market. You and him did all domestic things together, yet somehow there was an immeasurable distance between you and him. Jess came in the house to invite you out when news finally reached her that you were back. Yet what she didn’t know was that it was against your will. He watched as you smiled at Jess, as you fondly hugged her. He wished that you would touched him again.

What he did was to nod dotingly when Jess informed you that she would be taking you for a girl time.

You hardly even looked at Ari as you went away.

It was almost midnight. Ari kept looking at the door, then to his laptop, then to the clock hanging on the wall, then to the door again. He was agitated on the surface, but beneath it all was much worse. If it wasn’t for the text that Isaac sent him that the girls were having fun in Jess and Isaac’s house, then he would be frenzied thinking that you left.

But what was puzzling was the fact that never once did you try to leave.

When the clock hit one in the morning, Ari made up his mind. He would go to you. With a renewed strength, he grabbed his keys and drove to where you were. When Isaac opened the door, he sheepishly scratch the back of his neck. He guided Ari to their backyard facing the ocean where the women were, and only one of them were clearly inebriated. Jess only had a couple of glasses, but she enjoyed talking to her best friend.

Ari sighed before walking to where you were sitting, with your head resting on the wooden table. Your eyes were closed when he neared you. He kneeled down and softly touched your arm, letting you know of his presence.

“Darling?” He called for you softly, always so softly. Something he was learned he was capable of when he started loving you. “Let’s go home.”

It only took a couple of seconds before you opened your eyes. He smiled at you tenderly as he brushed your hair away from your face. “There she is,” he whispered.

Yet, you continued staring at him.

“Ari,” you called for him for the first time in a month that it made his heart beat louder. If you knew how much you affected him, would you still hate him?

“Yes, my wife?”

You looked at him with a sadness in your eyes that it broke whatever was left of his heart. “I love you so much,” you confessed slowly. You blinked and a tear fell from your eye, dampening the wood. “I love you so much that it hurts.”

And at that time he thought, ‘how do you grieve something that is still alive? Why does it hurt being loved by you?’

The drive home was quiet. Between the drive and your arrival to home, you had it in you to sober up. You walked without needing his help, you walked with your head held high. You opened the door of the dark house, quietly waiting for Ari to enter and secure the doors. And once he did, you grabbed his neck and kissed him. You kissed him for all the times you couldn’t. You kissed him for all the love you had the had nowhere else to go. You kissed him for all the pain this love had brought you.

And then he kissed you back.

Ari’s hand encircled your waist, his other hand guiding your jaw closer to him. He kissed you so slow, savoring your touch, your warmth… you. And then kisses turned fervently. His hands roamed your back, your hips, your face as if making up for the lost time. Your wandering hands weren’t any better.

Before you knew it, Ari had led you to the bedroom, gently pushing you on the bed with him following closely, never allowing any space between the two of you. Ari hurriedly took off his shirt before taking off yours. He worshipped you that night like a devotee worshipped his god. He kissed all of you in apologies, in love, in pain. And when you finally whispered that you needed him, he drove straight into you.

“I love you too much,” he confessed as he looked into your eyes.

You paused from brushing his hair tenderly, noting that he knew his love was excessive. “I love you too, Ari. But right now, it kills me to look at you.” Because you couldn’t accept the fact that he had it in him to threaten the ones you loved. Because you couldn’t believe that the gentle person you loved could turn out to be so devious. So manipulative. So unapologetic.

And that night as he watched you sleep, as the sun was starting to rise, he knew what he needed to do. He knew he had to acknowledge the glaring truth in front of him.

Love shouldn’t turn someone into this.

Love should be good.

Hours later, you woke up and you knew Ari had gone. You found a letter on the table.

I saw how unhappy I made you. I tried to fool myself and thought that I could turn this around. But perhaps, what you really needed was time and space. A love that is good. Until I can love you the way you deserved to be love, I will give you space. It’s killing me to see what I turned you into. It kills me to know that I extinguished your fire. But darling, please know that all I did was because I am hopelessly, irrevocably in love with you. You came crashing to my life, literally. And that was the best thing that ever happened to me. I hope one day you can forgive me. I love you. Always.

You found out through your lawyer that Ari Levinson gave you 99.99% control of his shares. You found out that he bestowed to you the numerous charities he was helping. His message was clear, marrying you wasn’t because of business. No.

You looked for him everywhere at first, but you found that for the first time, you could breathe. He was right. You and him needed space. And time. And understanding. You needed to know that you too made mistakes that hurt him. You didn’t know why you stayed in his house when he literally let you go. But a part of you was waiting for him.

And you waited.

You waited until you no longer feel the burning anger.

You waited until you no longer feel the crushing sadness.

You waited until you no longer feel the painstaking betrayal.

And then you waited some more because almost a year had passed and still, Ari was not back.

One day, the news warned you of the strong thunderstorm that would passed by your town this afternoon. The people came by to warn you and to make sure you had everything you needed, from Isaac coming by to tie down anything that could potentially fly during the thunderstorm, to Molly whom you had forgiven, coming by to bring you food to survive the night. You remembered why you had fallen for this town- it was the people.

Evening was nearing and thankfully, the storm wasn’t as powerful as reported to be but still, the thunderstorm terrified you. You were in the living room watching as the rain fell down angrily, the wind making the trees danced. The power had gone out more than an hour ago. You were staring outside when suddenly, you noticed a car driving near the house.

And then without thinking, you ran outside.

The wind was steadily blowing your hair, the storm still at large. The thunder could be the loudest in the world right now, but you heard nothing but the deafening beat of your heart as you looked at him.

As you looked at the love of your life.

Ari was drenched, and it felt like time hadn’t passed. He still looked the same, but you could see the demons in his eyes were now gone. He looked like he was now at peace. But his face was filled with worry as he looked at you.

Your tears blended with the ceaseless drops of rain on your face. You didn’t know why you stepped closer to him, you didn’t know why you ran to him. For the first time since you discovered who he was, you came to him.

And this time, Ari waited for you to come to him.

Your arms surrounded his thick neck, your face buried on his chest as you cried.

“Why did you drive? It’s dangerous and-and. Oh my God, Ari you drove!” You blabbered as you looked up at him. He hugged you tighter, his face on your neck.

“I did, sweetheart,” he answered warmly.

“But you’re terrified of the rain!”

He smiled as he took you in, as he cherished the feeling of holding you unperturbedly. “My fear changed when I started loving you,” he confessed slowly. When he heard the news, it was already late and the storm was already passing by the town. He was panicked when he couldn’t reach you, when the phone just rang and rang. The thought of you being alone, and terrified, made him brave. It made him grabbed his keys and drove.

He found out that nothing was more terrifying than losing you.

You looked up at him only to find him smiling at you, his hand caressing your cheek.

“Ari, I’m sorry-“

He shook his head. “You have nothing to be sorry for, darling. It was my fault. I see it now,” he lowered his forehead on yours. “I miss you. I’m sorry. I love you.”

You sobbed as you listened to him. “I miss you too so much. I love you too so much.”

“Then will you marry me again? This time with our families and friends as witnesses?”

You tipped your toes, grabbed his face and kissed him. “Of course, I will.”

And this time, his and your love was strengthened by all the things you had been through. This time, this love was good.

|End

#ari levinson fic #ari levinson x female reader #ari levinson x y/n #ari levinson x you #soft!dark ari levinson x reader #ari levinson x reader #ari levinson angst #ari levinson #ari levinson au

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reivrze · 11 months

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RE ' WIND | open collab.

take a trip down memory lane with me ?

記憶力 – 💿 ᵎᵎ hello everyone !! first of all, i'd like to thank all 1k+ of you who have followed my blogs. it's an immense pleasure to be able to share my writing journey with each and everyone of you :) it's been a very short time since i started this blog and i'm incredibly surprised by how fast this blog grew, it's all thanks to all of you seriously. this collaboration is a way for me to thank all of those who have stayed around my page for the past two months and to celebrate this milestone !!

車線 . 🎐 . › re'wind is fic collaboration for stories set in 70s to 80s asia and is open to everyone ! we're going back to nostalgic scenery, a time where the internet didn't exist yet. stories should focus on cliche tropes, feel-good romance and peaceful settings. i have arranged a playlist for musical inspiration and here are videos you can watch to help visualize your stories ! I will also be participating so I'm very excited to see how others will write their own stories :)

guidelines . 🪩 . ›

this project is for enhypen only !!

the fics can be either idol x reader or idol x oc ( no idol x idol ! )

both minors and adults can write for this collab !!

minimum word count : 1000 ( 1k )

this project is purely for full-length works only.

it goes without saying but i'll say it anyways, plagiarism is strictly prohibited. writers can write the same tropes but no copying of plotlines !

smut and suggestive content are also not allowed ! this project is meant to focus completely on fluffy romance so avoid nsfw themes !

all written works will be added to a masterlist i will make by the end of the year ( december 31st 2023 )

how to join . 📽️ . ›

interact with this post so i know you'll be joining ( by rbs or comments ! ) and fill this form ! ( the form is just to make sure not too many people write for the same member and so that I can prepare the master list... etc ! )

tag your work with #re'wind or tag me @reivrze

if you talk abt the collab on your page you can use the tag #re’wind collab talk

feel free to send me an ask if you have any extra questions or comments about this project ! i'll try my best to answer asap :)

deadline : december 29th, 2023

記憶力 – 🎙️ ᵎᵎ again, thanks to all of you for making this milestone a possibility! i hope to grow even more in the future with you by my side !! also thank you to @aernx for having helped me figure this collaboration out :)

EXTRA . 📽️ . › heeseung, jungwon and jay are no longer available ! all slots for them have been used :)

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m1xieup · 9 months

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spoliers for Nevermore episode 80!!!!!! (Read at your own risk)

Ok so first of all…. So much happened. I for one am filled with immeasurable joy due to this episode (though I am still awaiting Duke to come back from the wall). We got some character development, Lenore standing up for herself/her friends and refusing to be a pawn in this game, we got some actual Will content outside of Montresor, and possibly some new characters! All of this is incredibly exciting to me! Now I must warn you that I am a Will enjoyer and this post is mainly about my thoughts/theories about him, though I will say the development for everyone was great and I’m so excited to see how they evolve. I will tell you that even though I predicted they may go to Will, I still didn’t think it would happen-he is a side character after all, no matter how much I enjoy him. It was so nice to see him just being his silly self outside of Montrashsor. He seems like a sweet kid caught up in the wrong crowd. However my main reason for posting this is to discuss where he may go in the future.

this conflict is going to change the dynamic of both groups immensely. Lenore’s group may be more cautious and reserved, but I think Annabel’s may fracture. Prospero is loyal to her, but Ada her other devotee is now dating Monty, and may be more loyal to him. Morella won’t want to stay with Annabels group when she learns what they did to Duke, so she’ll probably leave. Monty may start shit with Annabel and may make a power play especially if he passes this off as her plan, and claims he could do better (this is assuming Duke is rescued which I sincerely hope he is). Ada would most likely support him, so Annabel needs to be really careful with how she does things going forward.

Ok so what about Will? He doesn’t really have a choice as far as he’s concerned Lenore could and would murder him so he has to help her. This puts him in a difficult place, as he technically would have betrayed his team by helping to free Duke. So I have a couple ideas about how his arc (which I think he’ll get one! Which makes me very happy ) could go

He stays with Annabel’s group and possibly faces punishment or harm for betraying them (you can’t tell me Monty would not be incredibly pissed at him, and he is not above hurting people that care for him)

he joins Lenore’s group (this is a little unlikely as Idk if they would accept him in after what he did to Duke even if Eulalie and Berenice seem to have some sympathy for him, however it would be very fun and in my opinion Will deserves better friends so it would make me happy)

he goes on his own (idk if he could make it on his own but it’s a possibility)

he dies/gets killed/is eliminated (this sort of goes with the previous but I also wouldn’t put Monty above murdering him if he felt Will betrayed him) [this would make me sad and I hope it doesn’t happen, near death is fine though I can handle angst]

He could join up with another group all together (this is somewhat based on my theory that the 3 guys we saw in the background are going to be somewhat important going forward) basically my theory is that he could join up with three guys we see as a 3rd party or in conjunction with one of the others. ((I also just think it’d be both hilarious and in character for Will to find someone else to latch onto and lackey for))

all in all a fantastic update! I’m so excited to learn more about/get a Will character arc, and I’m excited to see how he grows (change for the better, I believe in you!) I’m sooooo interested to see how these new faces interact with the others and to learn more about them as well. I am eating up Lenore’s arc, and I am so excited to see how this shift in dynamic with Annabel changes things! These are my general thoughts and opinions/theories! I’d love to hear yours fellow fast-passers (or those that read this when it come out fully)! Thank you for sticking with my insane ramblings (I’m so normal about Nevermore I swear) and have a wonderful day/night!

#nevermore #nevermore webcomic #nevermore webtoon #nevermore spoilers #lenore nevermore #annabel lee nevermore #will nevermore #nevermore will #This update is living rent free in my brain #hhhhhhhhh #i can’t wait until everyone can see this #free Duke btw #I miss him :(#Genuinely feral about this y’all #as always thank you for reading my post and have a great day!#also feel free to comment your theories/reactions! Just be nice to each other

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usagirln12003 · 16 days

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Muichiro Tokito: Hogwarts AU

Muichiro Tokito is a Pureblood wizard that was born on the 8th of August 1978 and started attending Hogwarts on the 1st of September 1989, being sorted into Ravenclaw house.

Muichiro had a Hazel wand with a Phoenix Feather Core.

He has a Non-Corporeal Patronus.

His favorite subject is Defense Against the Dark Arts and his least favorite subject is Potions.

Muichiro is an air-headed individual who seems to constantly wander off in thought and is unable to focus on anything. Impassive and, at times, obtuse, he tends to think only for himself and operates on logic alone, never letting emotions guide him, making him seem seemingly apathetic and indifferent. However, Tanjiro Kamado sensed that Muichiro wasn't being apathetic on purpose as he didn't emanate any animosity. Despite his mostly uncaring and unserious demeanor, he has been shown to become serious when it is required and is devoted to his dream to become a member of the Werewolf Capture Unit. Alternatively he seems to display a cold and arrogant side; as shown by him violently shaking down Kotetsu and calling him stupid, saying his studying time was important, more so than his own, and that all that the others could do was to stay out of the way. Despite this, Muichiro doesn't seem to be indifferent towards Kagaya Ubuyashiki, most likely due to his immense respect for his wannabe boss.

However, before the death of his twin brother when the siblings were eleven and about to start at Hogwarts, Muichiro's personality was that of a much more compassionate and optimistic individual, the polar opposite of his current disposition. Having originally taken after his father, he was shown to display a higher level of kindness and understanding, believing he should aim to do good for others if he wanted good to be done for him. When told by Amane Ubuyashiki that they were descendants to the Tsugikuri brothers, Muichiro became excited at the prospect of being able to protect people like they did.

After his brother was attacked by a werewolf and witnessing his final moments and death, Muichiro subsequently lost his memories and has held an omnipresent rage deeply suppressed inside of him that inevitably drove his future, intense studying. After this memory loss, he started exhibiting the indifferent attitude of his twin brother he is now known for by his classmates. Following his battle with Gyokko and reuniting with Tanjiro after the latter's battle with Hantengu, he warmly thanked Tanjiro for helping him regain his identity and showed concern for his wellbeing.

During his later interactions with Tanjiro, Muichiro started regaining his memories of his past, causing him to behave more maturely and seriously, even choosing to help Kotetsu when his life was in danger instead of ignoring him. After his memory was fully restored, Muichiro began expressing more emotions and became more confident in himself and started caring more for his peers at Hogwarts. He also started exhibiting emotions common for someone his age, particularly childishness and immaturity when interacting with his friends. He also appears to be evidently biased towards Tanjiro after his duel with Gyokko, as his cheerful demeanor when around him was replaced by a cold indifference when around other students. However, he was shown to be more aware of himself and those around him, evident when he realized that Obanai Iguro had a crush on Mitsuri Kanroji, which surprised Gyomei Himejima. His kindness also aided him in building friendships among his fellow Ravenclaws and making happy memories like the ones back when he lived with his family.

#crossover hogwarts au #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer #muichiro tokito

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jd104 · 4 months

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Sibling Relationships in "Walking on a Star Unknown"

Like Segawa's other games, "Walking on a Star Unknown" is heavy on themes of trauma. Despite the relatively light tone of the game, the natives of Calpucca still haven't forgotten the Starling War, and spirits still linger in Yunerium and Fort Baobab, unable to move on due to their hate, fear, and anger. Some Calpuccans are still wary of aliens, like the king himself, Giera Toph.

Some traumas, however, are present on a smaller — yet no less significant — scale, such as the death of a parent. (Now that I think about it, where are all the parents in this game??) In this meta, I will examine the parallels between three sibling relationships, the way Segawa integrates trauma into them as a theme, and how the relationships present by the end of the game.

Spoilers ahead!

Eddie and Fukuro

First up, our main characters. Right off the bat, we can see that the two of them have a very healthy relationship: They address each other with terms of affection, complement each other's abilities and weaknesses, and have each other's backs no matter what. They're nearly inseparable throughout the main game, and in the bonus room, if you ask Eddie as Twelam whether he's lonely without Fukuro, he readily admits that, "to be honest," he is. The two even sleep and bathe together, which Twelam is shocked by.

The Owul siblings rarely get mad at each other, except for when Eddie apparently takes food from Fukuro. Overall, they exhibit secure attachment to their late mother (in whose memory they're travelling the cosmos) and each other. Attachment styles describe patterns of how a person interacts with their relationships, beginning in childhood and extending into adulthood; as adults, individuals with secure attachment:

Have trusting, lasting relationships

Tend to have good self-esteem

Share feelings with partners and friends

Seek out social support

(VeryWellMind)

Given the sheer amount of friends they make on Calpucca, their trust in one another, and their deep love for their mother, we can see that Eddie and Fukuro fulfil points 1 and 4. They rarely ever show self-doubt or low self-esteem and are always up for the challenge, demonstrating point 2. And the Owul siblings pretty freely express themselves to others even with Fukuro's naturally reserved nature, demonstrating point 3. The Owul siblings are a really healthy pair of siblings, which has undoubtedly helped them prop each other up after the loss of their mother. Thanks to the immense love and care they grew up with, they are happy, healthy kids who protect each other from harm and difficulty. Even when things happen to them that are frightful or disturbing (such as the hallucinations in Yunerium or Nuage), they don't appear to remain fazed after the event. One can only imagine the methods they have of cheering each other up if the other ever feels scared or down.

Rius and Toph

By contrast, Rius and Toph, the royals of Calpucca, have a somewhat tense relationship at the beginning of the game. Part of this may be the much larger age gap between them — Rius is 27 while Toph is 13, so there's nearly a generation between them — but as we learn with each passing day, the real issue is Toph's distrust of aliens. Rius, of course, is married to one.

Rius and Toph's relationship is, in my opinion, particularly fascinating due to the role trauma plays in it. Pretty much all of the hurt lands in Toph's court, which we'll discuss later on — but also, intergenerational trauma plays a big role in why they can't see eye to eye. Rius, an independent-minded, optimistic woman who self-admittedly lives for love, forfeits her royal privileges when she marries the alien Daios after he wins the Gourmate Cooking Tournament; in her opinion, it's high time they adopt a more progressive outlook, in part because she wants Toph to accept her and Daios for who they are. Toph, on the other hand, would have been taught as the future ruler of Calpucca what aliens had done to his people and his planet during the invasion of Megalopolis, and from what I understand, xenophobia has been a recurring theme with Calpucca's rulers, not just with Toph. With this history lesson firmly established, Rius eloping with Daios must have been a confirmation of the things he had learnt. "Aliens are dangerous. One has even stolen my sister!"

At the time Rius left, Toph would have also been eight — a tender age to be abandoned by an older sibling, one he obviously looks up to. As children, we are often ill-equipped to process everything we're feeling, and we see that in Toph, too. We see that he does feel abandoned, because he keeps muttering to himself that he wishes Rius would come back to live at the castle. He asks — borderline demands — this of her whenever they meet, and she draws a firm boundary every time: "I love you, but I can't lie to you or myself about what I want." Just like how his understanding of the past prevents Toph from showing goodwill towards aliens, Toph's desire for how things were before Rius left prevents him from seeing the potential of reconnecting with her in the present. It's not until the Owul siblings lend a hand that the situation is able to change, and Toph himself remarks on the nature of the Owuls' relationship several times, unable to help being reminded of his sister.

Happily, the two are able to reconcile by the end of the game due to a family crisis (and some cats) pulling them together, and we see the surest sign of progress between them in the Bonus Room: Rius and Daios have a daughter, the result of love between a royal and an alien, and "Unca Toph" is just as concerned for her well-being and future as he would be his sister's.

Guntram and Twelam

Where Fukuro and Eddie are close siblings, and Rius and Toph would be close if not for Toph's stubbornness and unwillingness to change, Guntram and Twelam are completely dysfunctional and probably always will be. These two are my favourite, as will soon become apparent, but just so you know, I have a personal hypothesis that Segawa designed these two to be foils to the Owul siblings. After all:

Both sibling pairs have incredibly similar designs to each other. (Rius and Toph too, but the resemblance is lessened by the age difference.)

Both sibling pairs are four years apart (Eddie and Fukuro: 17 and 13; Guntram and Twelam: 32 and 28).

Both have an older brother and a younger sister.

Eddie and Fukuro's main colour is red, while Guntram and Twelam's is green (complementary colours).

Both sibling pairs have recently lost a parent (the Owuls their mother, the Hamelins their father).

Eddie and Fukuro have a stable, securely attached sibling relationship, while Guntram and Twelam... don't.

Despite their many similarities (music as a career, love of children, taste in style/fashion, the same tendency to get lost in thought, deep loneliness), there's no sense of warmth or intimacy between the Hamelins at all. Where Eddie and Fukuro are inseparable, you meet the two of them conducting their own independent investigations on Day 2 in Sirene — they even view each other as competition! Though they live in the same house, they rarely occupy the same room, and they don't intersect much in their professional careers. Eddie's and Fukuro's differences make up for where the other is weak or not as skilled; Guntram and Twelam's differences are sources of tension, with Guntram thinking Twelam is too wild and impulsive and Twelam thinking Guntram is stuffy, timid, and gloomy. To really hammer it in, they live in the always-cold northern town of Eluta, where their parents' legacy haunts them.

And yet — one gets the sense that they do care about each other, if they can't exactly show it. Guntram nags Twelam, trying to look after her in his own way. When she has complaints about Guntram, Twelam will air them, but she's not so straightforward when she's concerned for him: "Oshino misses him," she'll say. Or she'll lash out in anger, threatening to burn down everything he cares for so that he can move on.

Because there is something for the two of them to move on from, an intergenerational trauma on a smaller scale than Toph and the Starling War: their relationship with, and the death of, their parents. After his wife's death, Guntram's father became punishing to the point that Guntram abandoned his own interests and dreams out of deference; he loves, fears, and respects his father, as even at 32 he's struggling to find a direction in life he can call his own. The siblings' mother died shortly after Twelam was born, meanwhile; she grew up emotionally neglected, with her brother being the main focus of their father's tutelage and no memory of the same warmth and kindness her brother remembers of Meryl. The two are not close because they were never taught to be; Guntram was pushed and pushed to become the best musician he could, while Twelam took off in her own direction and was praised for her assertiveness.

As you get closer to the Hamelin siblings, their arcs involve little of each other at all: Instead, Guntram realises his dream of putting on a children's concert, while Twelam is finally able to grasp the piece in her family history she always felt was missing (just like the music box was missing its key). Twelam is envious of the Owuls' closeness, while Guntram thinks far more about his father than his younger sister. There's potential for the Hamelin siblings to reconnect, but they don't by the end of their stories like Rius and Toph. Probably they'll have to really work at it to get anywhere, but the game doesn't give us, the audience, that guarantee. Their problems are larger than Fukuro or Eddie are capable of mending: They're so independent of one another that it's up to them to approach the beast on their own.

Conclusion

There are three main sibling relationships present in "Walking on a Star Unknown": the Owul siblings (Fukuro and Eddie), the royals (Rius and Toph), and the Hamelins (Guntram and Twelam). Of the three, Eddie and Fukuro are the closest and the most secure, able to work in tandem to address challenges and overcome obstacles. Rius and Toph are divided by their differing perspectives on aliens, largely based on Toph's personal feelings of abandonment and distrust in the aftermath of the Starling War, but Fukuro and Eddie are the final straw in his acceptance of them (and Rius's marriage to Daios). Finally, Guntram and Twelam have the most dysfunctional sibling relationship in the game, something that stems from the vastly different treatment they received from their father: Guntram was overly controlled, while Twelam was left to follow her whims.

While all three sibling pairs have experienced sadness and hardship, Eddie and Fukuro are so supportive of one another that their mother's legacy has been turned into something that brings joy to themselves and others, not pain; Rius and Toph can't see eye to eye until Toph is made to break out of his preexisting beliefs and see the error of his ways; and Guntram and Twelam, despite coming to understand themselves better over the course of the game, have only begun laying the groundwork for the improvement of their relationship. If there's anything the game tells us, though, it's that Eddie and Fukuro's relationship has had a positive influence on the other two — they may not have fixed everything overnight, but even three days is sufficient to make changes, one that will make a difference in the others' lives forever. Really, that's a theme that runs strong in all of the character routes in Walking On A Star Unknown: There's a sense that, however brief the contact, how far away they are in the universe, or how long it will be until they see each other again, Eddie and Fukuro lit up their friends' lives just as the Langturns did their paths through Calpucca. Because of their status as aliens and their strong familial bonds, they are able to show the others that there are other ways of being, other ways of seeing. In turn, the residents of Calpucca have indelibly left a mark on the Owuls, as well.

#walking on a star unknown #woasu #woasu eddie #woasu fukuro #giera rius #giera toph #guntram hamelin #twelam hamelin #woasu meta

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eldritch-spouse · 1 year

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HELLO YOU BEAUTIFUL HUMAN BEING

first, i just wanna say, love your art so so so so much and your characters are so GREAT AND YOUR WORLD BUILDING IS SO BIG BRAIN. Can't wait so see what else you'll come up with in the future!

I do have a 2 questions:

is y/n or "darling" a rebound for Ludwig after admin? Or is it more like, "Ludwig took some time getting over Admin and is now with y/n"? Or is it just depends on the "universe"

And second, about Belo, would Belo still worship his obsession and think of them as a deity even after meeting Krulu?

Anyway, thank you ahead for answering and have a great day/night!!! 🖤🖤

[Ahdjaewjed t-thenk ye. ///// I would like to slow down at some point and start creating longer oneshots at some point. I have some unfinished things sitting around.]

What are you to Ludwig?

Two settings have been discussed wherein you can meet Ludwig, and you get to pick the one that's more appealing to your tastes.

The darker path is one where Ludwig is still immensely troubled by what he just lived through. Losing the supposed "love of his life" to an unfathomably cruel and selfish god who wil traumatize anyone they can to attain their goals. He feels the future will be bleak, and he can't forgive himself for letting it all happen, for starting this, for not fighting for Admin, for helping it all come to fruition. He feels hopeless, frustrated and invalid, emotions that crush his sanity each passing day. With a lot of unresolved turmoil and a burning desire to "do things right", Ludwig will first look at you as a rebound, and after swiftly fucking up time and time again, there's other two branches this can go:

One: You continue to be nothing more than Admin 2.0 in his mind and he refuses to see things any other way or acknowledge that what he's doing is only hurting everyone more.

Two: He falls in love with you as person but is still a deeply damaged individual who very clearly needs help (a very specific type of help he's not likely to get any time soon), and has to walk on a tightrope to prove his love.

The lighter path is already one where Ludwig acquires enough lucidity to start distancing himself from The Clergy's Eye little by little. The key to this path is waiting for the moment where Miara and Krulu have a confrontation, and thus all Clergy staff as well as associates discover Mother. Although Ludwig deeply despises siadar as a whole, he will have no choice but to deal with Miara, as once Mother is given permission to directly interact with Admin (her shard), Admin will request the creator help Lud get over his feelings. And in truth, he does require help from a siadar, because Ludwig will never grow past this on his own.

He's infected. Remnants of Krulu remain inside him from the time where the siadar used him as a clumsy vessel. Those remnants keep Ludwig sick, stuck in a time capsule of his trauma, letting the world pass him by. They need to be removed. Only then can he move on and resume his life.

Hope and pray that you meet him after he undergoes this treatment from Mother. In which case you will not be associated with Admin in any way by Ludwig, and while things still won't be perfect by any means, he's no longer as mentally stilted as he once was.

Belo, Krulu and you

After a bit of reflection, I'm willing to humor three scenarios here.

1) One where you're Admin, and indeed Belo will diefy you along with Krulu.

2) Another where Belo sees you as a charge to be protected. In which case, he still worships Krulu, but you're essentially seen as a lesser who must be protected at all costs.

You cannot be deified at the same time as Krulu without being their vessel, the higher won't allow such nonsense. Belo would be killed for his betrayal. Furthermore, after Belo encounters Krulu, he cannot be swayed into worshipping someone else.

3) Finally, he can stumble upon in the period of time where he's still searching for purpose on Earth, in which case he doesn't work at The Clergy's Eye at all, knows nothing of Krulu, and has latched onto you for dear life.

Why are things so confusing?

As stated before, it was my initial idea that most people would identify with the role of Admin. And as such, a scenario would be created wherein the whole team, through various interactions wherein you have to win them over as workers and then get to know them, is hopelessly taken with you. Like pawns in your hands.

In my mind, this is the ideal, and this is where I was taking everything. It's still my preference- And if I ever make something more... ""Official"', that's the path I'm taking. Because it's the most fun for me.

As I began exploring the individual damage each character could do as a yandere, I discovered more and more people didn't see themselves in the role of Admin and would rather deal with just one of the staff members, which has spawned a near infinite amount of possibilities for a non!Admin obsession.

I'm not terribly invested in the ways you meet any of the staff when you're not Admin, so I leave that to your decree.

#Ludwig oc #Krulu oc #Mother Miara #Belo oc #general tce

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femmefatalevibe · 10 months

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Hey! I love your page and your work.

I needed your advice on this. I am in a relationship with a gem of a guy. He's a walking green flag. And he goes above and beyond the bare minimum at every step. He's emotionally mature and wise, considerate, patient, deeply loving, etc. He makes me feel safe. In all- he meets all my standards and then some. We do long distance.

I have been feeling increasingly overwhelmed about this lately. He loves me crazy, to him it's passionate, groundbreaking, lightning-struck love. And i remember feeling all the butterflies and excitement in the beginning, but now I don't see myself loving him with the same intensity as he loves me. And that makes me fear if I love him at all. I come from a past of parental trauma and abuse and i know that my attachment patterns have been affected by the immense trauma I have endured. I remember how intense my first love was, just like in the books and poems and films. It breaks my heart to keep thinking that he loves me the way i first loved someone else. But i don't love him with the same intensity. Lately, I've been feeling a lot more detached due to these thoughts and I wonder if I'm losing interest. But he treats me so well and i don't know if this is just a trauma response or something that's actually happening. I don't "feel" A LOT. My attraction to him varies majorly. It comes and goes. I'm feeling very conflicted. Please help?

Hi love! Thank you so much <3

Let me just say that questioning your interest over time with a long-distance partner is incredibly normal, and feeling safe in a relationship easily sets off alarm bells for many people who have experienced trauma/have insecure attachment styles. So, dealing with both at once sounds like a lot. I commend you for remaining highly self-aware regarding your triggers and emotions.

Firstly, I would do a gut check to see if this man seems like he's a compatible match for you at this stage of your life – not just a super kind and attentive guy (while both are important qualities, but just because someone is a good partner, it doesn't mean necessarily that they're the right partner for you and vice versa).

Second, I would evaluate if you're losing interest in your relationship or if the spark fading due to the physical distance (no to little IRL intimacy or shared experiences). Do you find yourself excited to talk, text, and see him, or do you hesitate/avoid communication with him? Are you in similar life stages? Are your goals, values, lifestyles, and future paths compatible? How long are you planning to remain long-distance if you believe you're still right for one another?

Third, considering your history of ongoing relational trauma, I would consider what your definition of love and a healthy relationship look like. Do you believe passion involves intense or fleeting emotions? Do you thrive in emotionally stable or chaotic relationships? Do you see passion, attraction, and companionship as interconnected or separate aspects of a relationship?

It is perfectly normal to settle from the "honeymoon" phase of a relationship and take those hormonally-charged blinders off to see the "normalcy" that plagues all stable relationships. This stability can be super uncomfortable if you've never experienced it and can make you want to run back to the chaos you're accustomed to. However, in a long-distance relationship, losing this spark is too easy when you see each other much less often in person and especially if you don't communicate frequently or in engaging ways.

My recommendations would be:

Figure out why you're pulling back in the relationship and prepare to have an honest conversation about these feelings with your partner. Maybe also see a therapist or mental health professional about this issue if you have the resources to do so

Once you determine your unmet needs or wounds being triggered in the relationship, start ideating some low-stakes solutions and implement them into your daily/weekly interactions with your partner. If you're missing the frequent physical intimacy or shared experiences that typically exist in romantic relationships, consider ways to foster this closeness again (for intimacy: phone sex, sexting, FaceTime date nights, etc.; for shared experiences: FaceTime date nights, have a couple of long phone call recaps/story-sharing sessions per week, agree to watch some of the same movies/TV shows or read the same books/listen to the same podcast episode and chat about them; create a special photo-bonding activity – whether it's sharing your homemade dinners with each other most nights, a lunch-break selfie, a specific object/location that reminds you of them every time you pass it, certain memes you exchange every day, etc.)

Consider how much effort you're willing to put into making this relationship work. Being honest with yourself about this determination can make all of the difference in your perception on how to move forward (or not) with this relationship

Hope this helps xx

#dating advice #long distance relationship #long distance couple #long distance love #relationship advice #dating tips #dating #life path #life advice #girl advice #girl talk #self reflection #personal growth #femmefatalevibe #q/a

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cthulhu-calling · 2 years

Text

kill the lights and kiss my eyes : devour me

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Summary : You never knew what love was, not until Natasha. But now that the King has his eye on you, will your perfect little world come crumbling down?

Warnings : medieval AU, smut, fluff, public smut, MISCARRIAGE, Bucky is a creep 18+

Author's Note : Hello everyone! Thanks for clicking on this story. The reader has no specified race or body type. This deals with cheating and miscarriage so please sit this one out if it isn't for you. If you liked this, please leave a kudos or a comment. Constructive criticism is always appreciated!

Word Count : 5310

series masterlsit

You lay in her marital bed, legs tangled with each other, her head on your bare chest as she played with your fingers. One of your arms wrapped around her shoulder as you held her close to yourself, enjoying the post coital bliss before real life took over the small haven you and Natasha had created for yourself.

Queen Natasha was neither cold nor unfeeling, contrary to what she’d have everyone believe. To you she was your gentle and rather reserved, Nat.

While the King claimed to love his Queen dearly, it was still rather uncharacteristic for a man of his standing to not have a mistress or even an outright harem full of concubines at his beck and call. King James though had a habit of jumping from one woman to another, that too rather quickly. None of his mistresses would last for more than a season or two. Quite a few ladies at court too had been rumoured to have been involved with him, rumours that he would neither confirm nor deny.

You had only been at court a month when the Queen lost her second child, a boy. The news devastated the whole kingdom, especially the King, who then proceeded to bury his sorrow in some whore’s cunt.

You were assigned to look after her in this period, as her lady in waiting. In the beginning, she’d been quite against having you look after her. At barely twenty, you were hardly of any use to her. But over the months you spent looking after her and lending her your company, you’d both grown immensely close to each other.

At first she hardly spoke a word to you, only a brief nod when you came in with the servants to serve her her meals and to prepare her a bath. You were always a bit intimidated by the Queen and this interaction did nothing to ease your nerves around her.

Two months after the dark day was the first time the Queen actually spoke to you.

“How long have you been at court Lady Y/n?” she asked while still in bed, sipping her herbal tea. She scrunched her face at the taste of it, something she did every morning since she began taking it.

“Three months now, Your Majesty,” you replied while directing the maids to prepare the bath, adding rose oil along with a handful of petals of the fragrant flower as well.

Humming, she continues to sip her tea before you help her out of the bed, ushering her towards the bath chamber.

Once she had relaxed into the bath, eyes closed and humming some song, you began to leave only to be stopped by her voice.

“I hear Lord Rogers has taken quite a liking to you, there are even talks of a possible betrothal in the near future,” and though she’d been absent from court, this proved she still knew exactly what was going on on what’s rightfully her turf.

Stopping in your tracks, you turn around to study her face, the way her beautiful red hair falls in messy waves around her face, pale face free of any make up and plump pink lips parted in sugary breath.

She looks breathtaking.

“Merely rumours, nothing more, Your Majesty,” you reply, running your tongue over your lower lip.

“Do you not believe in such courtly whispers that have managed to reach me even in my absence?”

Quirking your eyebrow, you answered her in as steady a tone as you could muster, “Courtly whispers are all that they are, not an ounce of fact to them. If they were true then at least a quarter dozen of the women at court would be carrying the King’s bastard. By the time you’re done breakfast would have been set in your chambers. Your Majesty.” you said as you curtsied and hurried out.

Your heart was beating a mile a minute, you couldn’t believe you had spoken to the Queen in such a manner. She was going to send you back home unmarried and disgraced, you were sure of it.

Natasha on the other hand, was rather impressed. Never had any other ladies at court dared to speak to her in such a manner. It was refreshing. She had seen the way your eyes trailed over her and she knew it then, she had to have you. A mouthy little girl who had just word vomited of the King’s scandalous indiscretions in front of her in an irate rage.

As the days went by, you became a close companion to the Queen. You had never in your life been this open and candid with anyone, not even your mother. The Queen confided in you; of her husband’s infidelity, difficulties with Princess June and stories of her childhood.

The way you loved Natalia was true and pure, unmarked by any jealousy, ill intent or selfishness. Natasha on the other hand loved you with a burning passion, a kind of love she’d never experienced before. It was deep and all consuming.

But both of you were well aware of your reality. You refused to view your relationship with a rose coloured view or with the selfish and impractical folly of young lovers. She knew one day you would have to be married and that you were never truly each other’s but God, did she want you to be. She wanted you to be only and only hers and for her to be yours as well.

Now, you’d been a year at court and six months into this illicit affair with Natasha. Lying in bed with her was your own personal slice of heaven.

Turning in your arms, she crept up to land a rather chaste kiss on your lips before she moved out of bed, pulling on her robe before moving to the bath chambers to freshen up.

By the time she came out you were already dressed and were just fixing your hair at the dresser. Nat crept up behind you, wrapping her hand around your throat before turning your head to pull you in for a heated kiss.

“I must say my love, you look absolutely ravishing in crimson. Makes me want to take you again right here, in front of this mirror, watch you fall apart all over again,” she whispered huskily into your ear, causing a shiver to run down your spine.

Gently cupping her face, you looked at her and the expression she gave you was of pure adoration. That’s when you knew, you could never love as truly ever again. “Why do you think I wear it so often then?” you ask with a small giggle, kissing her forehead before switching places with her and starting to do her hair, putting it up in a tight updo.

“Has Lord Y/l/n told you yet my love?” she asked after she was done reapplying her lipstick, a deep red colour.

“Tell me of what, Your Majesty?”

“Of Lord Rogers' proposal, of course. What else? He wishes to court you. Only last week did he come to seek your father’s permission. He seemed rather pleased with it,” she said in a hollow voice.

“Well, I do not care what father has to say, I do not wish to marry him,” you declared.

“He seems rather intent on you, has been since the day you came to court.”

“It’s a good thing then that I do not feel much for him or his intent, no matter how easy on the eyes he is.”

“So you do agree that he’s handsome?” she asked in a teasing tone.

Rolling your eyes, you grabbed her hand to pull her from in front of the mirror. “We must get going, Your Majesty, the ladies await us to take their tea.”

She sighed as she got up, linking her fingers through yours before journeying outside her chambers.

Lazy afternoons such as these were frequent and no one seemed to question it anymore, least of all the King. Apart from matters of the kingdom, Lady Morwenna, his mistress for the month, managed to keep him plenty busy.

She held no likeness to her namesake. Loud, vain and definitely not a maiden when she first started making her way through the bedchambers of the Lords at court, she was downright despicable. There was no denying that she was pretty though.

The fact that the King was busy with his mistress gave you so much more time to spend in the Queen’s company, even managing to be smuggled into her bed late at night.

Once you stepped out of her chambers, she let go of your hand in favour of looping her arm through yours as you both made your way to the garden for tea, only to be stopped by Lord Rogers.

He bowed his head slightly to the Queen before offering you a bright smile which you returned, albeit yours wasn’t all that lively, or real. Lately he seemed to be everywhere you went.

“Your Majesty, Lady Y/l/n.”

“Lord Rogers, where are you off to at this time? We seem to bump into you whenever we venture about. Is it just me or have you taken to stalking us?” Natasha asked in a teasing manner but you could hear the irritation behind her tone.

Lately, whenever you and the Queen were out and about the castle and the surrounding grounds, you seemed to bump into Steve. Even when you were alone or with the other ladies. It was starting to get on your nerves.

Looking at his feet sheepishly as a blush climbed its way up his neck, he asked “I would like to have a moment alone with the Lady, if your Highness would allow it.”

Raising a single eyebrow at the shy Lord, she replied nonchalantly, “Of course. Lady Y/n, I guess the other ladies and I will have to take our tea in your absence.”

“I understand Your Highness,” you replied with a slight pout that both Natasha and Steve noticed.

“Very well, off you go,” she said as she waved the two of you off and continued to walk towards the garden, not once turning to look at you while you continued to stare at her retreating figure, broken out of your reverie by the clearing of someone’s throat.

You turn back to look at Steve who’s looking at you with an expression that you can only define as complete infatuation.

“Well, what can I help you with Sir?” you questioned.

“It’s not your help that I need my Lady, it’s your company that I desire,” he moistened his lips, searching your face for something, you couldn’t quite guess what.

“I don’t quite understand you Sir,” you say, confused.

“I wish to spend time with you, get to know you better,” he pleaded with you earnestly.

You looked at him with a blank expression. Natasha was right after all.

“Is it true you wish to court me, Sir? That you’ve already sought my father’s permission for the same?” you asked him, voice devoid of any and all emotion.

He smiles shyly, “It is true, my Lady. I do wish to court you, only if you want me to. Tell me you’ll think about it, please, my Lady?” he was almost begging.

Your heart melts at the earnest look in his eyes and you offer him a soft, genuine smile before nodding your head. This seems to make him happy as the smile that takes over his face seems to brighten up his whole demeanour.

“Thank you My Lady, I await your response eagerly,” he smiled before he walked off, humming a happy tune.

You breath out a sigh before continuing to make your way towards the garden where the other ladies were.

Bowing gently you take your seat close to the Queen, lacing your fingers with hers under the table. All the other ladies noticed your late arrival and were greatly intrigued.

Lady Violet is the first to break the silence. “You’re never tardy, pray tell us what kept you today?” she asked with a mischievous look in her eyes. Being the wife of Lord Samuel Wilson, a close friend to Steve, she was well aware of his intentions.

“Something came up, nothing of great importance My Lady,” you mumbled. You didn’t appreciate her teasing, or liked to entertain the idea of everyone knowing about Steve and his obvious feelings towards you.

“Something or someone?” she continues to tease, the other ladies giggling at your flustered face.

You knew better than to admit to speaking to Lord Rogers, so you elected to just keep quiet until their teasing died down. Stealing a look at Natasha from the corner of your eyes, you knew she was not amused.

Jaw clenched and eyes facing forward, she still held your hand that was now placed on your lap. Slowly pulling your dress upwards until it rested just above your knee, she started drawing gentle circles with her fingertips on the inside of your thigh.

Shooting her a scandalised look, you tried to close your legs only to be stopped by a sharp pinch. Finally she turned to look at you, one eyebrow raised, “These idiots don’t know who you belong to, but don’t you dare forget it. You’re mine.” she hissed under her breath.

There wasn’t much else to do then sit there and take it while trying to keep as relaxed a face as possible. You would be lying if you said you didn’t enjoy it when she got possessive over you.

She couldn’t help herself. She needed you to remember that you were hers. Never mind the fact that you might very well end up getting wedded to Lord Rogers, but you were still hers.

How you managed to sit still while she teased your clit to the point that you were on the brink of an orgasm, just to stop completely and take a sip of her tea, pretending to be interested in whatever Lady Sybil was saying was beyond you. You leaned in close to her, whispering in her ear, “You know I’m only yours, my Queen. No one, especially not Lord Rogers, could take me from you.”

“Oh, I know my love,” she promised as she sucked on her fingers that were coated in your juices, the sight involuntarily making you clench your thighs together. Just as you were about to plead with her to take you somewhere alone just so you could kiss her senseless, Princess June came running towards your party, her governess running behind her with a flustered appearance. The Princess skipped over some hedges and quickly managed to settle herself in her mother’s lap.

The young girl had her mother’s fiery red hair that fell in short waves to her shoulders and her father’s icy blue eyes. She was rather sharp for an eight year old and although she did not understand your relationship with Natasha in the entirety of it, she knew that her mother loves you. And to be fair, she loved you too. In the time that you had managed to grow close to the Queen, you had managed to become friends with the Princess as well. And she too had managed to weasel her way into your heart. You loved her as if she was your own.

Her governess, Madame Carthy, was a stout woman of choleric temperament accompanied by a short temper that generally caused the Princess to despise her. She was barely civil to the Princess and did not try to hide the fact that she disapproved of her and her behaviour that was largely categorised as ‘unladylike’.

The Princess sat sideways on her mother’s lap, swinging her legs back and forth as Madame Carthy approached, a scowl on her face. “Have I not told you more times than I can count that a Lady does not run?” she questioned, not really expecting an answer.

“Well, I’m a Princess, not a Lady,” sassed June which caused many of the ladies to giggle. It was well known that the Princess did not take crap from anyone, not even her own father. Smiling at her antics, the Queen dismissed the angry governess before turning her attention back to the little Princess on her lap. “Would you care to explain what has the Madame in such a sour mood Your Highness?”

“She says Princess’ don’t rule, they only produce heirs. I didn’t agree with her so I ran off,” she shrugs as if it’s the most natural thing in the world for a Princess to behave in such a way. Natasha almost looks proud. While James wasn’t a great husband, she couldn’t deny that he was a good father. They had always taught their daughter that she was no less than any boy or prince and that she had the right to form her own opinions through experience. But certain things, like a governess and proper etiquette, she could not forgo.

“While I understand that you do not agree with Madame Carthy, you mustn’t behave as such. You are still a Princess and you must act like it, do you understand?” the Queen questioned and the Princess nodded her head solemnly.

You observed the interaction between the mother and daughter and couldn’t help but smile. You truly couldn’t wait to have your own children. While you would ideally prefer a daughter, you would love a son just the same.

Before you could get lost in your own thoughts, June was calling out to you, asking if you’d like to join her in the nursery. At your assent, her face broke out in her beautiful smile that you loved on mother and daughter alike. The nursery always meant that the Princess had something important to tell you. It was never anything of major consequence like once, when she’d stepped on a toad, crushing the poor creature, she’d taken you to the nursery and confessed to you in tears how horrible she felt. She said she felt like a killer. Later that day, when June had composed herself a bit more, the two of you along with her maid, Wanda, held a little funeral in the garden for the toad, even going as far as to construct a little shrine out of stones and brick.

Jumping from her mother’s arms she grabs hold of your hand, tugging at it to get you moving. You lace your fingers with her to rein her in so you don’t trip over your skirts.

“Slow down Princess,” you chastise and she manages to control her pace but not by much.

“We must get to the nursery quick, please Y/n,” she almost begs, sounding absolutely miserable. You’re surprised by the sudden change in her attitude and so you resolve to pick up the pace, hurrying into the nursery and shutting the door behind you.

She took a seat at the cushioned bench beneath the window, the sunlight bleaching her hair to a dull orange in contrast to her fiery red. Swinging her legs back and forth, she sighs loudly before continuing, “You have to swear you won’t tell anyone. Especially not mama.”

You raise a skeptical brow at her before swearing your silence to her, urging her to continue. She looks at you for a moment before getting right into it, “I saw something today. Someone,” she said and you were shocked to see the tears in her eyes, which started flowing unbridled once you pulled her into your arms.

Rubbing your hand in swift motions across her back, trying to calm her down achieved nothing as she clutched at the fabric of your puffed sleeve, fat tears rolling down her cheek. Hushing her, telling her that she’ll fall sick, you tried it all. She finally calmed down when she saw the unshed tears in your eyes. You couldn’t help it. Every time your little June bug so much as sniffled, you were a goner. Natasha thought you were far too emotional for your own good, easily manipulated by a crying June.

Sure, the little Princess had a flair for the dramatics but you could tell that these were no crocodile tears. Something had made her extremely upset.

“Ple-please don’t cry,” she whispers, tiny hands grabbing your face. You pull her onto your lap, nodding your head as you will yourself to stop crying.

“Okay. Okay, I will but you have to tell me what’s wrong, bug. And no more crying, we don’t want to worry your mama do we?” you questioned, trying to make yourself sound stern but failing.

She rests her head against your shoulder, arms wrapped around your neck loosely. She sniffles and clears her throat before she begins to speak.

“I-I saw papa- I saw him with Lady Morwenna. They were kissing!” she shrieked the last part before hurling her head in the curve of your neck, bursting into tears all over again.

Your heart breaks for the little girl. For the fact that she had to find out like this. If it was up to you, you’d want her to never find out. You immediately knew that you’d have to tell Natasha. There was no way you could not.

But for the time being, you just clutched the little girl to your chest and gently ran your fingers through her hair, letting her cry her little heart out.

_______________________________________

It was almost six when you left, the Princess now fast asleep. You advised her maid Wanda to serve her dinner in the nursery itself claiming that the little girl wasn’t feeling too well.

You had to see Natasha, as soon as possible. You knew this news would be rather upsetting for her but she’d feel worse if you kept it from her. So, you rushed out of the nursery and towards the Queen’s chambers.

Just as you reached the top floor where the King and Queen’s respective chambers were, you bumped into a large, hard body. Strong arms wrapped around your waist to steady you, the contrast in the weight of the hands sending a shiver down your spine.

The King.

“Y-your Majesty,” you stammer out as you move out of his hold, bowing down in a low curtsy, unable to meet his eyes once you’re standing straight again.

“Lady Y/l/n,” he answers politely, eyes searching your own. “I must ask, where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“Oh,” you balk, blinking at him dumbly.

“You mustn’t answer if you do not wish to,” he offers but you shake your head before replying.

“To the Queen, she did request my presence,” you say with as much confidence as you could muster at the moment. The King was the last person you wanted to see after seeing what a state his indiscretions had left the poor Princess in. He was interrupted before he could say much else.

“Your Maj- Lady Y/n?” a voice sounded from behind you.

Perhaps you spoke too soon. Standing behind you was in fact the last person you wanted to see right now.

“Lord Rogers,” you mumble, your spine stiff as he comes to stand beside you. “I must go see the Queen,” you say and quickly leave, not bothering to wait for the King to say anything.

Steve and James watch your retreating figure, the thoughts running through their heads on completely opposite ends of the spectrum.

Steve’s thoughts couldn’t be described as anything but pure. It was well known amongst his friends that he was completely taken by you. Your eyes that seemed to twinkle with amusement like a joke he wasn’t in on, your lips painted a deep crimson that were just begging to be kissed and the kindness that just seemed to ooze out of you. Never had he seen you speak harshly to anyone. It didn’t help that you were a favourite amongst children. Not only the Princess but children of other Lords and ladies were all completely enamoured with you. It made his mind wander to places that he wouldn’t dare confess, not even to Bucky, his oldest and dearest friend.

James, on the other hand, couldn’t help but let his hungry eyes stray across your cleavage and the curve of your hips. The neckline of your bodice just barely offered him a glimpse but it sure was enough to tempt him. He’d noticed you when you first came to court, a pretty young thing. Innocent and nervous, just begging him to corrupt you. But, he couldn’t do that to Natasha. She was his wife and she was pregnant with his son. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t ogle her, he did have eyes after all.

James knew that Steve was basically in love with you, had been since your first day at court but that didn’t hinder him. You never showed any particular interest in Steve and treated him with the same polite demeanour you did everyone else. But why would you deny him? Who could say ‘no’ to a King after all?

The two men watched you walk off in silence until they couldn’t see your silhouette anymore. The quiet was disturbed by Steve calling out to him.

“What?” Bucky asked as he snapped out of it.

“We have important matters to discuss. Can we please move to your office?” he questioned and was met with a nod by Bucky as they moved towards the King’s study. _______________________________________

You walked as quickly as you could and if your mama saw you now, she would be extremely disappointed. You couldn’t help it though. You could still feel the heat of either of their gazes on your retreating figure.

You barged into Natasha’s chambers, shutting and locking the doors swiftly. She looked up at you with raised brows, a thick book with yellowed pages sitting in front of her. Your breath hitched at the sight of her; she sat at the study, the light from the candle next to her casting a soft glow across her features.

You huffed out the breath you were holding and walked towards her as she still kept a questioning gaze fixed on you.

Not wasting anymore time, you blurt out, “June knows. She saw the King and Lady Morwenna together in quite the compromising situation,”

Natasha doesn’t know what to say for some time. She just watches you, letting your words sink in. She knew she couldn’t talk to James directly about this or ask him to stop. She knows how that would go down.

He’d outright deny it to her face and ply her with compliments and promises of his devotion to her, pulling her into bed. He’d tell her how he longs for a son and how she must give that to him and she’ll have no other choice but to spend the night in bed with him. Something she simply couldn’t stomach anymore. Not since she’s been in love with you, laid in bed with you.

She’d just have to speak with June, something she wasn’t looking forward to. How could she explain it to her little girl, how could she tell her of her father’s infidelity without destroying their relationship completely? She hates that her little girl has to go through this, she hates Bucky for putting her in this position but the biggest part of her hates herself. Maybe it was her fault he had strayed, sought comfort in the arms of another but she stopped that train right in its tracks. This was not her fault, it was his.

She sighs loudly before beckoning you to come closer and you comply. Once you’re behind the desk, she gently tugs you closer to sit on the desk, pulling her chair closer so she’s slotted perfectly between your spread legs, her head resting on your left thigh.

“I don’t know what to do, I’m so exhausted,” she murmurs as you run your hand through her open hair, detangling it with smooth precision.

“Sometimes I wish we could just run away, just you and me-” “And June,” you interrupt and she snorts in humours agreement “Yes, and June too. We’d live somewhere in a small cottage near the seaside, I could learn to fish, you can sew. It would be perfect,” she says as you hum, not sure if she was done speaking just yet.

She keeps quiet after that, afraid that if she said anymore she wouldn’t be able to contain her heart’s yearning. She knows there are dreams that can never come true. She could run, sure, but James would never allow it. Even if he doesn’t love her, he’d bring her back, even if only to keep her in the dungeons. What does a runaway Queen say about the King? It would tarnish his image in his lands. He couldn’t afford for that to happen. So before her mind can wander off too far into these sweet fantasies, she stops herself.

That night, just like arid land does for rain, you responded to her touch with the same sensuous longing. Kissing down her neck, laving your tongue over her nipples, sucking one into your mouth while your nimble fingers toyed with the other, causing her back to arch off the bed. Moving your attentions down her chest, leaving little kisses along her ribs and down her stomach, sucking a bruise on her hip bone as your purposefully danced around the parts of her where she wanted you the most.

When you continue to kiss along the insides of her thighs, avoiding her centre, she tugs harshly on your hair bringing your face close to her core. Giggling, you finally give her what she needs, little kitten licks on her bud before sucking it into your mouth, the action driving her wild. You push a finger into her pussy, gently moving it in and out as you continue your ministrations on her clit. She’s coming all over your tongue in minutes and you lap up everything she has to offer, cashing her legs to shake around your shoulders.

You move up from between her legs, licking your lips as she watches with a hazy look in her eyes, sweat lining her forehead. She moved her thigh between your legs, urging you to rub yourself against her but you shook your head ‘no’ instead pulling her close and telling her to sleep. She rolls her eyes before pulling you close by the collar of your shift, her hunger for you evident in her kiss.

You fall asleep like that, all your worries abandoned in the day that’s passed.

James is sat in his study, an amendment to the tax structure proposed by Lord Banner scattered on his desk but his mind is still stuck on you. The innocent girl, following his wife around. He knows how close you are to Natasha and also how in love with you Steve is, these facts are both hindrances in his path. But he’s a selfish man, he knows this. What the ones closest to him want does not matter above what he wants, he will freely admit to it. So he plots, reading over the laws of the land, established by the long line of his ancestors, ones he trusts the most and have always helped him in his times of need. And even now, they do. It’s an archaic law, hardly applicable to today’s times but it’s still in the constitution, no one bothered to try and do away with it.

And now, he’s found his proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, there’s nothing that can stop him. He will have you all to himself, no matter what.

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #tw miscarriage #female reader #bucky barnes #steve rogers #sam wilson #original female character #medieval au #wlw #cheating #smut #fluff #angst

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