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wildernessuntothemselves · 3 years

Text

All my kitty!lino AUs

Warnings: prostitution, slavery.

AU 1:

minho is a prized breeding kitty that you're hired to guard as he is a very rare and pure breed and having him breed other pure kitties makes for very profitable offspring

as a result of being treated like royalty all his life, he's super rude to you, a common guard dog

he's always snarky with you and he never listens and you have enough of it one day

you push him down to the floor, your teeth grazing against his delicate neck, showing him that you were not someone to be trampled on

"that's right. you have nothing to say now, brat." you growl, sitting up to look at the frightened kitty

but as you sit back, your ass comes into contact with his boner

arching an eyebrow, you smirk and roll your hips over his clothed dick "now what do we have here?"

minho stays silent, frowning but not making any attempt to push you off

"don't tell me you like this." you tease him, grinding against him harder and pulling breathy little moans from his pouty lips "kitty likes it when I'm mean to him?"

"Yeah you like that pretty kitty? Are you gonna make a mess in your pants for me? Good boy."

you make him cum like that without even touching his dick

minho is shameless after that brazenly getting on your nerves so you'd punish him

he gets so needy that now you're getting him off on the daily, letting him hump your thighs to get off while you degrade him

his insatiable need would be bad enough but now he's outright refusing to breed the cat hybrids anymore

no matter how many times you try to convince the stubborn idiot that he's going to draw attention and ruin you both, he still refuses

until finally you make a deal with him that you'll have sex with him if he continues breeding the cats

he's not fully convinced. why would he waste his seed on other women when you were right there?

"because I'm not your kind, you stupid cat."

but minho doesn't care. all he cares about is getting to breed you

"Fuck you're burning up. Are you going into heat over this? Dumb little kitten thinks he can put babies in my belly."

your words only make him fuck you harder as if he could do it if he tried hard enough

AU 2:

he's the prince's very picky kitty, rarely is a cat good enough for him. he rarely mates at all and the prince doesn't understand it one bit

one day they're walking around shopping in the bazaar when lino catches a whiff of your scent. he follows it to a shady part of the market that he never saw before

that's when he sees you standing there with a heavy chair around your neck and a cheap transparent dress over your body

out of nowhere a short disgusting man appear and he asks him if he wants to see your tits. it's only for a couple of coins

minho shouldn’t say yes. He has a whole harem of much better bred pussies for him to pick and choose from. He didn’t need to pay a disgusting man to see the body of some nameless mongrel

yet here he was hanging the slimey man the coins

the man all but rips your bodice open, eager to please the rich hybrid.

Minho feels an uncomfortable tightness in his pants. His mouth waters at the sight of your full breasts on display for him and he finds himself moving forward to touch, but the man steps in.

“The silver was to see not to touch. Three if you want to touch.”

Minho grunts and gives him what he wants. you don't seem impressed by him.

He cradles your breasts in his hands and leans down to pluck a pert nipple into his mouth, ear perked to the sound of your restrained gasp.

but then he hears the prince calling for him and he rips himself away from you and wipes his mouth harshly, panting as if he was under a spell.

Gulping, he spares your half naked form one last glance before he’s retreating towards his owner. As he slips back into the main room he hears the vendor call after him smugly, “We’ll be waiting for you, my lord.”

He does come back, this time more worked up than last time as he couldn't go to sleep thinking about you and he was reduced to getting himself off multiple time throughout the night just to cool down

his owner catches him this time though. "So this is why you were so eager to come back even though you hate the market. I gotta say I'm surprised by your taste." The prince grins. "Did you mount her yet?"

Minho blanches, feeling humiliated at being caught "of course not. I would never defile myself with such a mongrel."

The prince arches an eyebrow. "It's okay minho. Sometimes you need to slum it down a little. I get that urge too. Cheap prostitutes like her have their draw."

The prince grabs you and pushes her over a table, pulling your skirt up. "Come on kitty. Take her. I know you're dying to."

minho's hesitation evaporate when he sees your pussy exposed and waiting for him. he quickly comes up beind you, pushing his length into you even though you weren't wet. it's uncomfortable but it's not the first time a man shoves his dick into your pussy without bothering to get you wet

it's over soon anyway, the spoiled cat getting overwhelmed by your tight walls and ends up cumming embarrassingly fast. He stumbles away, watching his cum drip from your fucked out hole.

"We'll take her."

Minho looks at him shocked. "I finally have something for my precious pet to fuck. You're so picky."

AU 3:

You were standing outside the gymnasium for a quick smoke when a voice slurs behind you. "Where is your little boyfriend?"

You roll your eyes, already fed up with the boy that is talking to you.

"What, he couldn't stand the thought of fucking you tonight so he ran away?"

You narrow your eyes at him. How did he know you were planning to give your virginity to your Hyunjin tonight? If he had shown up that is.

You don't even know what minho's deal is. He wasn't always like this. You remember a time long, long ago when the two of you were friends. He was so nice and sweet to you when you first met as kids. But then suddenly out of nowhere he turned on you for absolutely no reason.

"Tell me, mutt. What was he gonna give you so he could get between your legs? A pack of cigarettes?" Oh yeah, that’s why. He looks down on you for not being a purebred like him.

You huff the smoke in his face in agitation, still ignoring him.

"Aw, don't be sad. If he won't do it, I can rise to the occasion. Just tell me how much." He goads you. You throw the cigarette to the ground, violently snuffing it out with your heels when an idea pops into your head.

Looking up at him, you reply simply. "50k."

"W-what?"

"You're so fucking obsessed with my sex life so you must really want me. So yeah I'll give it to you for 50k."

"You're a crazy bitch."

you were just messing with him. and he worked. he left you alone

what you never expected was for him to show up the next day at your door, shoving a heavy suitcase into your arms

"what's this?"

"50k." He mumbles.

“Is this a joke?”

“You said you’d give it to me for 50k.” He explains flatly, looking everywhere except at you.

you walk towards him. "You really are a sick pervert, aren't you? Buying my virginity?"

He stays silent, looking at the ground so you grab his jaw and force him to look at you.

"You're not in control. I am. Got it?" You sneer, and he stares for a second, processing that you’re actually agreeing to go through with this, then he nods enthusiastically.

AU 4:

you're a dog hybrid and he's a cat hybrid. He's been kissing you secretly since long ago

You know it's wrong but you like it so you keep it a secret. and you always get so jealous when his heat comes and he goes away to fuck someone else.

When he comes back he's apologetic and spends days trying to make you forgive him. He shouldn't have to. He's not yours.

You touch yourself while you're sleeping next to him a lot. He pretends he doesn't know but it drives him insane

He's waits till you have your first heat. You're supposed to be given to chan but he convinces you not to let your owner know telling you he'll take care of you

You know this is forbidden but you let him fuck you because you're in love with him.

"Oppa this is too much."

"Shh baby take it. You've teased me long enough."

He cums in you but doesn't pull out so he can fuck you more. He's been training himself for this in order to satisfy you.

You get overwhelmed and he laughs at how cute you are. ask him to kiss you so he does

"What a cutie. All mine."

"Open your mouth." He lets a trail of spit fall from his mouth and you obediently open up and take it like you've been taught. He groans and kisses you softly. You whine in his mouth as he fucks you again.

"Not gonna go to that mutt right baby? Only I get to do this to you."

AU 5:

he's the queens pet and you're the leader of a mercenary group the queen has hired to fight a battle for her

he immediately takes an interest in you and follows you around thinking that he's slick

In the beginning, his infatuation was merely amusing to you as you took to teasing him whenever you got the chance--cornering him when the princess wasn't looking and whispering filthy things in his ear. It was both easy and fun to work up the needy kitten.

What you hadn’t expected was for him to walk in on you while you were fucking one of your own hybrids, Chan. The big wolf tended to get rowdy so you were often rough with him to keep him under control, and well that's how the masochistic hybrid liked it too.

You expected him to be terrified of you after that, he certainly looked the part, but he surprised you by coming to you teary eyes and whimpering pleas so moving that you couldn’t resist giving him whatever he asked for, which was badly worded and clueless seeing as he had never been in any kind of physical relationship before.

He’s never done something like this before. His owner, the queen, kept him on a tight leash, untouched and forever pure. He had been taking suppressants ever since his very first heat and, before he met you, he had barely remembered what it was like to feel that painfully delicious pang of pleasure in his belly.

He holds onto you as you pleasure him, one hand fisted in your clothes and the other wrapped around your wrist as if he was afraid you were going to hurt him. If you were to look at his expression, you would think that you were hurting him, a small frown on his face as he whines and whimpers.

You stroke his cheek softly with the back of your fingers, finding it hot to the touch. “What is it, kitten?”

“It hurts.” He sobs.

“I know, baby. I’ll make it go away.” You almost feel guilty for purposefully prolonging his pain, the stimulation you give his cock designed to make him reach the edge at the slowest possible pace, but the truth is you weren’t sorry at all.

“You know, kitten, you should come with me when I leave. I’ll hide you until we’re out of the castle walls. Your princess won’t even realize you’re missing until it’s too late, and when you’re with me, every moment will be filled with pleasure. I’ll take care of you like she never did. I’ll show you a whole world of pleasure. How does that sound, kitty?” You seduce as your thumb flits over his weeping slit, distracting him and seducing him. “Hmm, you wanna come with me?”

“I--I’m not--I don’t know.” He answers nervously, his brain too hazy especially as you finally speed up your strokes, jumbling up all his thought process.

“Don’t think too much, kitten. Don’t you want to feel good?” You purr, tightening your fist around his cock to give him more pleasure.

“Yes, but--”

“No buts, darling. Don’t you wanna be a good kitten for Master?” You ask, referring to yourself and he gasps, his cock jumps in your hand. “Yeah, you like that, don’t you? You’re a dirty little kitten, aren’t you?”

“No!” He cries, shaking his head from side to side, but there is no denying the way his stomach tightens and his hips buck off the bed as his orgasm approaches and his primal senses take over. “I can’t take it! Please, help me. I can’t--”

His seed splatters across his abdomen as he cums, and you talk him through it. “That’s it, baby. Let go for me. Let it all out. Good kitten.”

you ruin him so thoroughly that he gives into her and lets her fuck him in front of the queen herself

"Lino stop that! You sound like a common whore."

"I can't help it. Mistress… is making me burn up." "Ah fuck." He keens

"Your precious kitten is getting fucked regularly, that’s why he sounds like that. He’s nothing but a loose slut right now. I fucking ruined him. Isn’t that right, kitten?"

"Hah... touch my cock." He drools on the sheets under him and you laugh, grabbing his cock from underneath and starting to milk him. “See? Just a dumb slut.”

___________

A/N: one of these will most likely get a proper fic but I couldn’t keep these to myself

#stray kids smut #minho smut #sub!idol #dom!reader #sub!reader

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fictionadventurer · 4 years

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I like your post about the Hunger Games and agree with most of it, but I still think the love triangle was unnecessary and people are right to criticize it. Collins could have very easily written Gale as the best friend and Peeta as her main love (based on endgame choices) or vice versa I don't even care since I'm not a big shipper of either. But she did introduce the unnecessary drama that overall did not add much to the plot, and it only took away focus. So I think I understand that crit.

Once upon a time, I might have agreed with you. These are good books, important books, and we don’t need to defile this war epic by shoving in teenage-hormone love-triangle dramatics. Then I reread the series, and I was astonished at how, for the most part, the love story is inextricably intertwined with the action-adventure elements. You can’t take out the love-triangle elements without creating a very different book with a very different message. That love-triangle, far from defiling the war story, elevates it into something better.

It starts almost immediately in the first book. We see how Katniss has a deep friendship with Gale, something that could turn into romance, except that she doesn’t dare to go down that path. There’s no place for marriage, and definitely not for new children, in their broken world. She only has energy for day-to-day survival. And once Katniss goes into the Hunger Games, romance is definitely off the table. She needs to harden her heart and make no human connections with the people around her if she wants to have even the slimmest chance of making it back home to her family. In a lesser book, she’d be right–there’d be no goopy romance to distract us from the hard-bitten survival epic that the Hunger Games is supposed to be.

But then Peeta declares his love for her. Suddenly, she’s part of an epic romance on national television. She wants nothing to do with this strategy–love makes you look weak. (And doesn’t that sound a lot like people who criticize the YA love triangle?) But Haymitch counters that it makes her desirable to the audience, and suddenly the thing that had seemed so burdensome becomes necessary to her survival. She needs to play the game–and once they’re in the arena, she needs to figure out if it is a game to Peeta. Peeta has already shown himself capable of manipulating the emotions of all of Panem–is it possible that he’s manipulating her?

This is the real brilliance of the first book’s romance. It doesn’t distract from the main conflict–it is the main conflict. Like so many other teenage girls, Katniss asks herself, “Does this teenage boy like me?”, but in this case the answer is literally a matter of life and death. If he loves her, she can trust him to help her survive. If he doesn’t, he could kill her at any time.

By the time she finds out that his love is real, she has to fake romantic feelings toward him to draw in sponsors. Now she’s manipulating his emotions to survive, and she can’t hope to untangle what’s real and what’s fake in this manufactured mess of a reality show. But Peeta’s influence has shown her that love isn’t pointless in the Hunger Games–it’s the only way for them to truly fight back. She chooses love for Peeta–whether romantic or not–over her own life, and that’s the only reason that, for the first time in history, two victors manage to beat the Capitol at their own game. Katniss won not by being the best warrior, but by showing love. The love story wasn’t a distraction–it was the solution.

It’s only in Catching Fire that she has to deal with the consequences of that. She was willing to die for Peeta, but she’s not sure she wants to live with him, especially since their relationship started under such unreal circumstances. She’d much rather leave the Games–and Peeta–behind and return to the life she knew before. That life included Gale, and Katniss is, for the first time, willing to consider him as a romantic partner. If her romance with Peeta was fake, is it possible that she could have real romance with her best friend?

This is the point where the love triangle comes into full swing, and I’ll admit this is the book where it’s integrated most clumsily. It seems like Katniss is taking some unnecessary risks in pursuing a relationship with Gale, and the plot sometimes comes to a screeching halt so Katniss can think about her emotions. But even if the plot integration isn’t as smooth as it was in the first book, the thematic relevance of the love triangle is still spot-on. Katniss has to think about what she wants–cling to her old life or dive into this new post-Hunger Games world? Does love have a place in this world at war? And when we think about the question in that way, the sloppy integration of the love story into the main action plot is kind of the point. Katniss may be instigating a war, but she’s still a teenage girl. She still has emotions, but she’s being forced to hide or fake so many of them that she doesn’t know who she is, what she wants, or who she wants to be. How can she discover her identity, hold onto her humanity, in the middle of a war?

Mockingjay is where we get the answer to those questions. With Peeta imprisoned in the Capitol and the war underway, Katniss is saved from having to make an immediate decision about her romance. She echoes every romance-hating fan’s thoughts when she says:

The very notion that I’m devoting any thought to who I want presented as my lover, given our current circumstances, is demeaning.

There’s a war going on! There’s no time for love triangles! But it’s only when she’s not being forced to pursue romance with Peeta that she can really evaluate her relationship with Gale–and she’s finding that it’s not as strong as she thought. When she needs advice, she gets it from Prim, not Gale. When she needs someone who understands the trauma of killing, she goes to Finnick or Johanna. Now that Katniss and Gale don’t have the shared bond of having to care for their families–who are kept safe and fed by District 13–they’re finding that they don’t have much else in common. Katniss is mistrustful of Coin, while Gale is part of her inner circle. Katniss kills only when she has to during the war, while Gale treats weapon design as a fun challenge. This exploration of their relationship isn’t a distraction from the main plot. They’re what make the main plot mean something. This is the lens through which Katniss considers her views on violence, on war, on life, on what the point of their fight is. She and Gale literally have arguments about utilitarian principles! It’s only by exploring and then severing this leg of the love triangle that Katniss finds out who she is and what she really believes.

Collins couldn’t explore these issues in the same way if either Gale or Peeta wasn’t presented as a romantic interest. The nature of eros is desire, and the whole point of the Peeta vs. Gale question is Katniss figuring out what she wants out of life. She needs to be drawn to both of them, in the same kind of relationship, if the question and answer are to mean anything. Does Katniss want her old life, with Gale as the most important person, with his anger driving her to fight for survival by any means necessary? Or does she want a new life with Peeta, where they live for something beyond mere survival? Which man, which philosophy, does she want to devote her life to? If Peeta was the love interest and Gale was only the best friend, she could have both in her life. But you can’t resolve the trilogy’s central question by having Katniss compromise. Choosing one side means she can’t choose the other–and the only relationship that requires such an exclusive choice is a love triangle. Far from distracting from the main plot, the love triangle is what elevates it, takes it beyond a war story where the only question is how the characters will survive, and makes it into a story that tells us how the characters are going to live.

#the hunger games #suzanne collins #catching fire #mockingjay #katniss everdeen #peeta mellark #gale hawthorne #katniss/peeta #books #answered asks #this is long and rambling and i apologize but it's the best i can do #i already spent too long on it #but it does feel really good to finally have this written

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lia-bones · 3 years

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A thousand splinters of glass

Sirius Balck x Reader

Summary: (Y/N) boyfriend Sirius intrudes too much into her friendship with Remus. When he confronts her with his thoughts, they start fighting.

Warning: angst, Language (defilement and swearing), consumption of alcohol, Hint of violence ... I gess.

(Misspelling, Grammar errors, translation errors.)

Words: 2520

Author note: It was super hard for me to write Sirius like that. But it was a friend's wish and I'm fulfilling it.

(English is not my main language. I apologize for all misspellings, grammar errors, and translation errors💕)

Enjoy Reading 🌻

(not my GIF)

* * *

(Y/N) enter the great hall and take a seat at the Gryffindor table next to her boyfriend Sirius. She looks at her group of friends and still tired, wished them good morning.

"Good morning dear, how did you sleep?" asked the boy next to her after he put a kiss on her temple.

"Oh, very well, unfortunately too short." she replied with a tired smile and put a spoonful of scrambled eggs in her mouth.

"Remus, do you want to do our Arithmancy homework in free period?" she turned to the others Marauder who sat across from her at the table. Remus smiled at her and replied, "Yes, of course. After lunch in the library?"

"Call it a date." (Y/N) winked and went back to her scrambled eggs.

"Hey, I thought I was your boyfriend? What about me?" Sirius grumbled beside her and looked at her confused. She waves it away with a laugh :"You are, but that doesn't mean I can't do homework with a friend. You don't have a free period after lunch you have Divination."

Sirius mumbles something unintelligible but said nothing else. The friends all eat their breakfast and talk about this and that, before they all went to class.

* * *

After noon Remus and (Y/N) met in the library and started their Arithmancy homework. After some time of writing, Remus contacted her and said :"You know, I'm glad you're with Sirius now. You're doing him good." The girl smiled at him and answered :"He's doing me good too. I've got the feeling since I've been with him I've been a lot more confident.I am very happy to have him as my Boyfriend. And of course I'm also happy to have you guys as my friends. I couldn't think of anyone better."

"We're glad to have you too. Finally I'm not the only one holding the boys back." Remus laughed and pulled her into a half-hug with one arm. "yeh somebody has to bring you rule breakers to your senses."

"But I'm really serious (Y/N). Since you've been together he's a lot more relaxed and you make him think before he acts. At least sometimes." Remus told her seriously again.

"I don't want to tell him anything. I like him the way he is. I think sometimes he just needs someone to get him to think again about his ideas before acting. There is no way I want something like the incident in fifth year to happen again." (Y/N) said in a husky voice, put an arm around Remus' shoulders and gave him a short squeeze .

"No, nobody wants that." the boy whispered back and squeezed her once too.

It became quiet and the two pondered their memories of this terrible event for a moment, before they broke the embrace again and continued on with their essays in silent agreement.

* * *

After the last class of the day, (Y/N) and Remus sat in the common room and waited for their other friends.

"What do you think of the book? Have you read it yet? " she asked Moony and with a nod of her head pointed to the book she was reading. Remus put a hand on her shoulder and leaned forward to look at the book. "No but i want..." he is just beginning to speak when the portrait opened and the remaining three Marauders entered the room. " 'e, You two, here you are. What are you doing here?We were looking for you." James called to them and slumped into one of the armchairs. "We just talked, nothing interesting. We have been waiting for you. " declared (Y/N) while she closed her book and placed it on the side table next to her. The boys nodded and Sirius placed a kiss on the (Y/N) head.

Due to the lack of space on the sofa, Sirius sat in the other armchair, instead of next to his girlfriend and Peter sat on the floor between him and James.

The friends talked about everything and nothing for a while and soon landed on James' favorite topic: Lilli Evans

"I mean. She is so perfect. She is beautiful and smart and quick-witted and helpful and friendly. What more could a man want?" enthused James with a dreamy face.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife'." Quoted Remus softly which made (Y/N) giggle so much that she put her hands over her face and rested her head on his shoulder.

Sirius watched with a raised eyebrow and asked :"What's so funny?"

The girl sat up straight again and wiped her hands over her eyes before answering :"oh Remus just quoted pride and prejudice. You won't know it, it's a fantastic Muggel book."

"Oh, but Moony know this fantastic book?" Sirius asked in a voice tarnished with sarcasm. His friends' eyes fixed on him and (Y/N) briefly shook head in confusion before she answered :"Well, Yes. It's a muggle book. He's half blood. And he reads more than any of us put together."

"My mother gave me the book a few years ago." Remus quietly brought himself into the discussion.

Sirius clicked his tongue and got up from his seat he took a few steps before stopping in front of his girlfriend and saying dryly:" Yeah yeah the perfect perfect Moony.

I understood. We need to talk. Alone." He pointed a finger at the stairs that led to the dormitories. (Y/N) looked up at him from her sitting position, knitted her eyebrows briefly in confusion, then nodded got up and followed him up the stairs.

When she arrived in the boys dormitory, she closed the door behind her and stood in the middle of the room. She watched Sirus go to a cupboard and take out a Bottle of firewhiskey and a glass. He poured himself some and took a sip while staring at her over the rim of his glass. The silence in the room was heavy and thick and the air to cut. Sirius cautiously let (Y/N) play with her fingers nervously. It was not customary for him to be so quiet and well, serious. The last time he acted like this, he had just received a letter from his mother.

Since he still didn't say anything, just looked at her with a serious face, she decided to break the silence in the room. "So what did you want to talk about? "

"You. And what you're pulling off right now." he explained in a low voice.

"Sorry but, I don't know what you're talking about." she said in a calm voice.

That just seemed to upset Sirus more, because now his voice was a lot louder :" Oh don't tell shit. Do you really think I'm so stupid and don't know what crap is going on?" He finished his glass in one gulp and poured himself more.

(Y/N) also got louder now and energetically crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"I already told you I don't know what you mean. What have I done?"

"YOU CHEAT ME YOU FUCKING Slut!" he yelled at her and pointed in her direction with his free hand.

(Y/N) opened her mouth and for a moment. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Had he just really accused her of cheating on him and had he called her a Slut?

"WHAT HAVE I DONE? I am supposed to have betrayed you? How do you get the stupid idea?" she asked and made a wide movement with her arms. As if she wanted to chase the tension out of the air.

"Don't be so ridiculous. I noticed it myself. You haven't really bothered to hide it. You and a your loverboy." Sirus spat and glared at her. This whole conversation was very confusing (Y/N). She had no idea how he came up with it. It deceived her that he really thought she would do something like that, but at the same time it made her terribly angry.

"If someone here is ridiculous then is you. You are imagining things that don't exist. How can you think that? Who should I cheat on you with, please?" seh shodet back, on her face, spots of deep red anger were slowly forming. Frustrated, she ran a hand through her (y/h/c) hair.

The one across from her growled, clenched his jaw and again emptied his glass, which he immediately refilled.

"With your oh-so-perfect Moony. I see how you behave towards the other. It's stupid of you guys to think that I wouldn't notice. Are you serious. With one of my best friends? But what should I have expected from a slut like you. I wouldn't be surprised if you slept your way through the whole school." he laughed bitterly and screwed up his face.

(Y/N) didn't know what to say for a moment. For a few seconds, she started at Sirius with wide eyes before she said in a lowered voice :" This not true."

"OF COURSE IT IS. DO NOT LIE TO ME. THE WHOLE LAUGHING AND HUGGING AND ALL THE LOOKS IN LOVE.

OH, REMUS ARE WE BOTH LEARNING IN THE LIBRARY TODAY? OH REMUS YOU ARE SO FUNNY. REMUS IS SO SMART, HE READS SO MUCH. BLA BLA BAL." Sirius spoke in a high voice, trying to imitate her. (Y/N) shook her head in frustration. She had tears in her eyes but she didn't allow herself to cry now. Sirius got on with things that didn't exist and she wanted to make that clear to him. "That's not true. Remus and I are just friends! We study together because we're both in Arithmancy. And since when is it forbidden to laugh when someone says something funny? And we don't touch each other all the time. You see things that not there!"

"YES OF COURSE. AND I SHOULD BELIEVE THAT?" Sirius yelled at her and swung the now almost empty bottle firewhiskey through the air.

"Sirius please ..." she was about to start, but was immediately interrupted by him.

"SIRIUS PLEASE. SAVE YOUR WORDS. I should have known that it was stupid to sacrifice my single life for you. I could have had fun with other girls all the time, but no, I was with you. While you chedit on me behind my back. You dirty whore."

(Y/N) eyes got waterier and more watery during his monologue. She bit her tongue so hard that she could already taste blood and she clenched her trembling hands into fists, her nails digging in her palms.

"...Y...you...you now...i...i woud never..." She didn't get very far with her words, it all happens very quickly. Sirius took a step forward, she took a few steps back, bumped her back against the wall and and shut her eyes tightly. A split second later, Sirius 'glass flew across the room and struck the wall just inches from (Y/N)' s head.

"SHUT UP! YOU FUCKING CHEATER BITCH. SHUT UP!"

There was a crash and glass splinter hit the ground like raindrops.

Silence spread across the room and the two started at each other, eyes wide open. The remainder of the firewhiskey, flowed over the floor and watering (Y/N) socks. She took a deep breath and suppressed a scream. Her legs trembled and it took all her strength not to sink to the ground.

Sirius had tears streaming down his red cheeks and he pulled his black hair.

"No ... no ... I ... I swear ... (Y/N) I didn't mean to..." he began to stammer. He took his hands out of his hair and wanted to reach for her.

Slowly he took a few small steps in her direction. Arms outstretched as if to hug her.

(Y/N) shook his head vigorously, bit her lower lip and pressed herself even tighter against the wall.

Sirius stopped at the sight of her and stared at her desperately.

"No, stop it. Just leave it." she whispered in a husky voice and walked along the wall to the door, not taking her eyes off him for a second. With one hand behind your back she looked for the door handle, he followed her movements with his eyes. "No (Y/N) please, please don't go. Let's talk, I'm sorry ... I ... I ..." he begged in a scratchy voice and stretched its arms out to the girl one more time.

"No. I think it's all said." (Y/N) shook her head and opened the door. The restrained tears stung in her eyes but she definitely didn't want to cry in front of him now.

She stumbled backwards out of the room, pulling the door with her.

"Bye Sirius." she whispered hoarsely before she closed the door. Muffled through the door, she hears him calling her name a couple of times, but she just turned on her heels and ran down the hall to the girl dorms.

She stopped at her own dormitory, yanked the door open, entered the room and slammed the door behind her with a loud crack. The room was dark and quiet, the air smelled of fresh linen and cinnamon. None of her roommates were there.

(Y/N) leaned against the closed door and put her hands over her face. A heartbreaking sob escaped her and she slid the door down to the floor.

Now sitting on the floor, she hugged her legs tightly against your chest and buried her head between her knees. Now that she was alone she started to cry. The tears wet her face and the noises that came over her lips sounded heartbreaking. She tasted the salt on her lips and felt her tears seep into her tights.

(Y/N) didn't understand how this could all happen. She hadn't betrayed him. She had nothing with Remus or anyone else.

Yesterday everything was fine, they were happy together, laughed together, and fooled around. Today everything went downhill they fight, they yelled at each other and he accused and insulted them. He had thrown a glass in their direction.

Otherwise Sirius made her heart beat faster, makes it jump in joy or stop beating for a few seconds in love. But now her heart felt more like it was made of a thousand sharp pieces of glass. Broken like the glass on the wall. Broken like their relationship due to a lack of trust from his side.

(Y/N) wanted nothing more than to hide under her blanket, cry and not get up for a long time.

But she felt too weak to get up and go to bed. So she sat on the floor and kept crying into her legs.

#sirius black x reader #sirius black #sirius x y/n #young sirius x reader #young sirius black #marauders era #remus lupin #sirius orion black #sirius imagine #young marauders #marauders fic #harry potter #hogwarts

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demomonic-murmurs · 3 years

Text

Heaven [Shimizu Kiyoko × Reader]

Summary: You and Kiyoko come home from a Halloween party and fuck with all the love in the world.

Pair: Sub! Kiyoko × Dom! Reader

Tags: Established Relationship, NSFW, Sexual Content, Extreme Usage of Toys, Ropes, Size Kink, Breast Worship, Body Worship, Vaginal Penetration, Cervix Penetration, Some mild Role Playing at the beginning [angel/demon], slight Corruption Kink, pregnancy and lactation is mentioned like once, actually very soft and lots of love and long after care

Warnings: I write my smut like bad hentai doujinshi's, some parts are probably a bit unrealistic

Author's note: This is pure self indulgent filth. This exists to fulfill every kink of mine in existence. Enjoy.

As much as Kiyoko wanted to, she couldn't resist you. Not with that pleading gaze. She was stronger usually. Able to keep her composure, even when you tugged on her arm and steal a kiss when she turned her head. Maybe it was the alcohol in her system from the Halloween party you two had been earlier.

"Fine. I'll indulge you for today. You're so silly", she sighed, trying to sound disinterested. She was not. Disinterested that is. She was very much interested in what you were proposing to her. She just had a hard time admitting to it.

You smiled. You knew your girlfriend. You knew from the way she was clenching her thighs, earlier at the party around your leg as you guided her hips to grind into you and now in anticipation of what was coming next.

"Those are some big words coming from a tiny angel like you", you said, slipping into your role easily as you grabbed her chin and titled her head so she could meet your gaze.

Kiyoko swallowed audibly and her face flushed, the red contrasting beautifully against her pale skin and white halter dress. It was short, shorter than what she would normally wear, the flowy white barely reaching her knees. She had insisted to at least wearing a pantyhose underneath and really, who were you to complain. The halo sat on top of her head, secured by a thin hairband, finishing her look perfectly.

"What? Already at a loss for words? You wandered into my realm after all... and dressed like that nonetheless. Were you trying to seduce a demoness like myself?"

Kiyoko whimpered and shook her head, unable to meet your gaze. Whether her whole demeanor came from her actually playing her role very well or her just being meek and shy because she was horny (which was something that even now, she had trouble to admit whenever she was aroused), it turned you on.

"Oh really", you mused,"so you didn't come here with a purpose? Thats hard to believe when you're already filled with so much lust and yearning."

You let your other hand wander long her body, stopping to brush a thumb over her nipple, which was still obscured by her dress and that pesky bra of hers (it made you wish she'd wear them less, her nipples were already very sensitive as they are and the thought of clothes brushing against them planted a lot of unpure thoughts in your head), before finally reaching its destination, pulling up her dress so you could slip a hand underneath her skirt and brush your fingers alongside her clothed pussy. She was only wearing thing cotton panties underneath, which did little to nothing to hide her horny state, juices already having soaked the first laying and now working on completly drenching her pantyhose.

"That is very impure for an angel don't you think? You're not as innocent as you try to make yourself out to be. Poor baby probably doesn't even know what all of this means, do you now? So you came to us for help and really, who are we to deny you?"

Kiyoko squeaked when you gripped her thigh and slipped a hand under her back so you could pick her up and carry you to your bedroom. You let her drop onto the bed and crouched down to pull out your box with toys and other items you two had found yourselves using for your sexual explorations. She eyed the box, her gaze holding a gleam of excitement as you set it on the corner of your massive bed, before her eyes snapped back to you as you moved to sit between her legs, roughly forcing them apart.

"Have you ever touched yourself?", you asked her, hand gripping her jaw.

"No never why would I sin", she moaned out when one of your knees pressed against her crotch. Now she was really getting into her role and it excited you. It reminded you so much about the first time the two of you shared together, you were her very first everything. First partner, first kiss, first time mastrubating with her first orgasm following and lastly the first to have sex with her. You felt bad for liking that shy yet curious part of her so much, felt bad for how much it turned you on when she was writhing and pleasure, not knowing what it meant or why she felt it and just completely giving into the moment. Maybe it was because your girlfriend always had been composed and cool. And maybe you just wanted to see that slip a bit.

"Oh really? So this would be your first...?", you said and trailed off, leaning down to kiss her. She was already panting which made it easier for you to slip a tongue into her mouth and relish in the wet and lewd sounds the french kiss was creating, "that's so unbecoming of an angel. Such a lustful kiss. Aren't you supposed to be all about chastity?"

Her hazy gaze met yours and the string of saliva that had connected you prior snapped. You could only watch in delight as she darted her tongue out to lick it up. Kiyoko was toying with your patience and self control. You might have been the one in charge but that didn't change the fact that she had wrapped you around her little finger.

"Or maybe you know exactly what you're doing. You're a bold one aren't you, a wolf disgusing herself as a little sheep. Maybe this was a fantasy of yours, wandering into the demon realm just so you could hope for one of us to find you and defile you in every way imaginable. Would you like that?"

She nodded her head enthusiastically. You smirked.

"Great little angel."

You moved to open the box and pulled out a pair of scissors. You pushed the two triangle shaped pieces of fabric that were covering her chest between her breasts, to lazy to even bother undoing the knos that hold the dress together. Taking one of her brastraps, you cut through it and did the same with the other one before finalizing your decision of destroying her bra by cutting through the middle part to pull it off compeltly. Kiyoko weakly protested but it was only a cheap white bra she had brought for the occasion (black was her colour after all, though purple complemented her perfectly as well).

Now her breasts were free and you felt blessed for having a girlfriend with such big boobs because her bashful gaze didn't fit with her body that would put Aphrodite to shame. Your favourite part of her tits however, besides the sheer size of them where her nipples. She had always felt embarassed about them and didn't like anyone seeing them. You vividly remembered the first time she felt comfortable showing them to and how it hard it was for you to jump at her and fuck her right then and there.

The thing that had her made feel so uncomfortable with her nipples was the fact that they were inverted. Two horizontal lines with her actual nipple barely peaking out. You knew how bad she felt about them so you always ensured to make her feel extremely good about that particular part of herself (not that you'd ever leave her not thoroughly fucked and worshipped, what kind of girlfriend would you be if you wouldn't).

You leaned down and took one of her nipples into your mouth and began to suck on it while twisting the other one with your fingers. Luckily for her, her nipples were easily pulled out and luckily for you, it made her all the more sensitive. It made you remember one instance where you made her squirt just from playing with her breasts.

Kiyoko moaned and threw her head back as one of her nipples popped out and you switched, beginning to work on the other while your hand began to massage her perky boob. It made you wish to be able to draw just so you could create a hentai book featuring your erotic girlfriend and you as the main character.

"You're such a beautiful little angel. So wanton for all the things I can offer you. Not that I am complaining at all, you're quite frankly the most alluring thing that has ever been created. I don't often praise God but they really outdid themselves when they created you."

Kiyoko whimpered and arched her back to press her nipples a little closer to you and who were you really to complain. Her hips trashed as you began to litter her chest with lovebites and she let out a scream when you used your teeth to pull on one of her nipples. Suddenly her movement stilled and you knew exactly what that meant.

You gently let her sink back down, she already looked so fucked, before diverting your attention to her crotch, pushing uper her dress in the process. Where it had clung to her pussy, the dress was wet with her cum. It was nothing to be compared to her panties and pantyhose however, which where completly soaked and had become even more translucent than before and clung onto her cunt. Kiyoko must have shaved herself earlier today because it was just fabric against milky white skin. Maybe she had hoped for sex today.

You could feel yourself getting aroused at the thought of Kiyoko silently hoping for some action, or maybe she was perspetive enough when she showed of her outfit yesterday and could feel your lustful gaze on her. In any way, it was a hot thought.

While your girlfriend was still coming down from her high (you wondered if you made her squirt again and just hadn't seen it), you were by no means lazy and began to prep her for your next idea. You definitely wanted to see her face today, see the make up running down her cheeks when she was sobbing from pleasure and just get access to her wonderful breasts.

You thought about getting your leg spreader out but just prompted for getting some silky robe and tying them around her ankles and bedposts so that she couldn't close them again. You leaned over and grabbed a pillow to move under hips so you'd have an easier access to her cunnie.

Kiyoko had calmed by now, her breath coming out in longer huffs, curiously watching your every movement.

You grabbed her pantyhose, pulled it down and immediatly wished you could've recorded the sound it made. Your hand absent-mindedly searched for you trusty scissors again and cut through her panties so you could pull them off, which was harder than it sounded because they were clinging to her pussy so much.

Finally having acquired her underwear you met her gaze again. It was feverish and aroused. Her hands had found their way on her breasts as she weakly kneaded them.

"Open up angel", you said and you had never seen her mouth snap open that fast. You began to wring out her panties so her juices dribbled into her mouth and she could taste herself.

"Tongue out", she obeyed as well and moaned when pressed the crotch area of her panties against her tongue.

"Be a good little angel and clean them a bit will you?"

She didn't respond but was already using her hands to hold her panties to lick and suck at them. You watched in satsifcation before moving back down.

You contemplated about ripling her lantyhose right away but decided against it, pulling it back up, even higher than Kiyoko had so it was perfectly hugging her pussy.

You could perfectly see the outline of her pussy, her prominent little clit and the way her hole was already opened slightly, lusting for something to be inside of it. You wouldn't give her that satisfaction yet though.

Instead, you grabbed a massager and turned it on to focus on her clit first. When the toy touched her, Kiyoko choked and let out a scream. She was still sensitive from just having cum a few minutes prior and you gave her no warning, especially now that you had given her a task she was eager to complete. While Kiyoko was moaning and trashing around, which was now a lot harder that her leg movement had been restricted, you thought about which toy you wanted to use on her next. You knew exactly what she wanted last, the biggest toy you had with some ridges along the sides of it. It was big enough to brush against her cervix and even penetrate it a bit, which was a feeling you quickly learned Kiyoko couldn't get enough of. But she wasn't wet enough yet, she needed to be stretched a lot more before she could even think about taking it.

You prompted to go for a toy first specifically designed to pleasure a women's g spot. You also pulled out two small nipple stimulators you could just turn on and put on her without having to move them yourself. Those two toys combined as well as the clit stimulation should be enough to make her cum quickly a few times, just so she would wet enough for you to finally get to the main part. You always prided yourself in your patience but Kiyoko always rendered you useless.

You stopped the stimulation on her clit which made her whine out in protest. She had been close again.

The disappointment was quickly overridden with lust again as she felt something pinch and and suck on her nipples. She weakly lifted her head and shifted her focus from her saliva covered underwear to the toys you had bestowed on her. Kiyoko smiled in a giddy fashion, excited what you'd do next. She adjusted the stimulators and pressed them closer against her nipple.

You smirked at that. You always loved that point where Kiyoko let go of all her fears and insecurities, only chasing after her own pleasure.

You resumed your stimulation of her clit and readied the other small, curved toy, slowly pushing it inside of her, her ruined white pantyhose sticking around it, you didn't bother ripping it just yet, you were enjoying far to much how Kiyoko reacted to the nylon brushing against her sensitive parts. Maybe you should go online and see if you could get a bra made out of similar material.

Kiyoko shuddered as you searched for her g spot with the toy and when you finally found it, the grip around the nipple toy tightened and she let out a high pitched moan. You looked up to meet her gaze, pleased to see that her make up was already being ruined by her tears and the drool escaping her mouth. The halo still resting on her head completed the whole look in a wonderfully perverse fashion. Your hand twitched to take another photo of her face like that for your personal collection but you already had to many of them. Your favourite one was when Kiyoko had dressed up as maid for your birthday.

You doubled your effort and continued rubbing around her g spot while the other hand used the massager to press harder against her clit. You moved your head closer to her cunt, memorized by the way the nylon along with the toy was moving in and out of her, the white material barely looking white and more so translucent. Kiyoko wearing any form of pantyhose or stockings should be forbidden really, she just looked so effortlessly hot in them.

You could see her entrance tightening against the toy before she came, squirting all over your face. A tingling sensation shook through your body right into your core. Her cum felt warm on your face and she smelled good. Your ministrations only stopped momentarily to gather some of her cum that you couldn't reach with your mouth to lick it of. Then you continued, a lot rougher than before as her reactions were slowly dwindling away your self control. You wanted more of it, you were insatiable, Kiyoko was the only thing on your mind as you hungrily turned up the stimulation on her nipple and clit toy to the maximum.

Kiyoko was gone at point, just happily babbling nonsense while pressing the toys harder against her nipples. She was already so thoroughly fucked but she wanted more, she wanted her favourite thing, her favourite big dildo with the ridges in her far too tiny pussy, she wanted it to hit her cervix and split her in half.

She came four more times before you'd finally grant her wish. It was good that she had trained stamina and flexibility during her highschool days, everything was coming in handy now.

You removed the massager and g spot toy and when you moved up to the nipple stimulators, Kiyoko whined, hands trying to dive back after them, far to shaky to accomplish her goal so she just opted to immediatly go back to massaging her boobs with her hands.

You smiled at the adorable display, as much as Kiyoko hated her breasts, she couldn't deny that the feeling was absolutely amazing. You desperately hoped that maybe one day, when the two of you had finished university and would start your own family, she'd decide to become pregnant. The idea of her boobs being even bigger, swollen with milk and using a breast pump to release some of that tension seemed like something you would eagerly partake in, even though the way her normally hidden nipples were now fully erected were enough to be fuel for your wet dreams.

You watched her carefully as you brought out her favourite toy, the way her pupils dilated immediately, her legs thumping against the bed and her hands squeezing her breast just a tad bit to forceful.

"You know what to do my dirty little angel", you said and she nodded eagerly as you handed her the toy and she began licking it, covering it in her saliva. The way she nuzzled her head into the dildo and lapped it ferociously like it was an ice cream treat was almost comedic and adorable.

You smiled at her cute demeanor and began to rip her pantyhose, which had almost become a second skin over his pussy by now. Her scent hit you full force and you had to fight against the urge to start eating her out just to get that delicious taste of hers that you were addicted to. But you had to be strong.

Her cunt was puffy and swollen, still gaping, asking, beginning so sweetly to be filled. You leaned close to be able to smell her more and as your breath hit her pussy, she sharply and choked on the toy, her vagina clenching around nothing.

"I think you're ready my little angel", you murmured, stretching your head towards her so Kiyoko could hand you the the toy. She propped herself up on her elbows and watched impatiently how you teased her little whole with the big toy.

Then you began pushing inside her, slowly but steadily. Her hands gripped the sheets underneath her and she clenched her eyes shut, letting out an array of sweet moans that you were more than happy to hear them.

"You're taking my toy so well my slutty little angel. Its gonna fill you up so well my beloved. I know you're aching to be filled to the brim and don't worry, I will provide that for you", you murmured, the fingers of your other hand pinching her clit.

Kiyoko had gone back to toying with her breasts as she watched hazily how her greedy cunt swallowed more and more of the toy that shouldn't even be allowed to fit in the first place.

When the dildo was pushed about halfway in, you had to stop because her walls clenching up to cum again prevented you from going further. Kiyoko's body shook as she came undone for the seventh time this night. Maybe even eighth time, you were unsure since you weren't able to see the beginning very well.

She twitched when you began pushing into her again as soon as her walls allowed it.

"Already more than halfway done dear. You're doing so good great, taking me so well", you praised, relishing in the way her stomach slightly buldged from the blunt size forcing its way into her.

Kiyoko breathed heavily, her mind blank except a single thing, and that single thing was you.

When the dildo hit her cervix she let out a yelp. You gave her a few moments to adjust, rubbing comforting circles over her skin, from where the toy had entered way tracing its way up to her stomach, where you could feel the tip of it. She was completely bottomed out.

Kiyoko felt happy, the bubbly feeling making itself known through a satisfied smile on.

"Do you want me to start moving it my lovely?", you asked and she nodded weakly, her teary gaze focused your face for a second before snapping back down to watch the toy being pulled out and pushed back in. You pressed your unoccupied hand back onto her stomach, feeling immensely pleased that only you could fill her up like this.

"Faster please", she choked out and you complied enthusiastically.

The dildo was hitting every right spot for Kiyoko. A larger ridge kept scratching pleasantly against her g spot and she enjoyed the way she would feel when she clenched her walls around the little bumps. The toy shouldn't fit rationally, she knew that but through a mixture of you prepping her so well and her being more than willing to bear a little pain to get the reward of being filled to the brin made it fit. What she enjoyed most however, was the ridges hitting hitting the opening of her cervix which snugly welcomed the toy with a hug each time you pushed it in her to the hilt. It was teasing almost, telling her that if she just worked a little harder then maybe you two could get a toy that was even longer than the current one, one that could truly break into her womb and not just tease her with the thought of it.

Kiyoko could feel the very familiar feeling rising up in her stomach again, she would cum soon.

"Please", she sobbed, hand reaching out to yours, " so close. Faster harder please."

You grabbed her hand and intertwined your fingers with hers, other hand working to drill the toy in her exactly how your girlfriend wanted you to.

"Please" Kiyoko whined, her free hand coming to rest on her stomach, pushing down hard, "Give me a kiss, please, please, please-"

You leaned forward, and pressed a chaste kiss against her lips and pulled back the toy until only the tip was barely left inside before slamming into her, full force. Kiyoko screamed in ecstacy, her eyes rolling back in her head and her tongue sticking out, panting like a dog as she squirted for the third time tonight, painting the matching black leather outfit you had worn for your demon look in her cum.

You gently let Kiyoko's hand go to give her a moment of space. With the little power she had left she shakingly let it join her other hand, forming a heart right above her womb where the tip of the dildo had found its rightful place of being.

She was thoroughly fucked a happy smile on her face as she continued to stare into nothingness, still dazed from the intense orgasm she had.

You stood up from the bed and opened the door to your bathroom to let in the water in the tub. Kiyoko deserved a treat for how good she had been today. You loved that woman with all your hard.

When you came back into the bedroom, Kiyoko was still laying there, unmoving, though her breath had calmed significantly. You untied her legs first and then moved to pulling down her ruined pantyhose, rubbing her slightly red ankles she had gotten from pulling at the restraints. Afterwards, you continued by untying the knot on her neck that held her dress together and carefully pulled it over her head, tossing it to the side.

"Come on my lovely, you know I love the sight just as much as I do but you really need to wash up."

Kiyoko huffed in annoyance but nodded and allowed you to slowly pull out the toy. She always wanted you to do that last. The first time you two had tried it out, she had been fussy the next day, saying that she didn't want to loose the sensation so quickly. Her pussy was red from all the overstimulation and angrily clenched around nothing.

"Can you wrap your arms around my neck beloved?"

Kiyoko nodded and did as you asked, arms clinging to your neck.

"I feel empty", she slurred, "Want you to fill me again."

You chukled. "I think you had enough for today Miss "I-will-indulge-you-for-today"."

"Want something bigger the next time. Need it longer. Doesn't give the same satisfaction anymore."

You gulped. How had you gotten so lucky? A beautiful woman that wanted to be your girlfriend for reasons you couldn't understand, who you could take on planetarium dates and go to cute cafes with but also overstimulate at night with a big fat dildo? Maybe she really was an angel because she surely felt heaven send to you.

"We can look online if we can find something. Or go the store", you said, gently setting her down into the tub, turning off the water. She shivered.

"Yes please. Not girthier just longer. Also proper Shibari ropes. Want to try being tied up completely", Kiyoko explained, relaxing in the water.

You hummed and smiled.

"How have I gotten so lucky with such an adorable girlfriend? I feel so blessed", you commented, kissing her cheek.

She smiled wobbly up at you, there was that shy smile again that she always got on her face after making a request after the two of you had sex. That and after making out where the only two instances she felt not too embarassed admitting to her sexual desires.

She had always had strict parents and that combined with her insecurities left a stressed and repressed Kiyoko that needed to be eased into everything before feeling comfortable enough to suggest things herself. But you helped her to slowly figure herself out and understand what the things she liked were. Being split in half by a big dildo and having her nipples getting sucked on were the two main things she really enjoyed but being tied up was definitely up there.

In return she indulged you as well. She wore pantyhose and stockings a lot more often since the relationship had started years ago because she knew how much you loved how she looked in them. Or your obsession with her breasts and panties, the first one she secretly obsessed over as well and the second one mostly meaning that you wanted her to taste herself (sometimes, when she had to go somewhere for a few days, she would leave a pair of used for you just so you had something to masturbate to).

Kiyoko had always felt pressured by the people around her, comparing her to a goddess and worshipping the ground she walked on but... it was different with you. You didn't want her to be perfect. You wanted her to let herself go, be loud, be messy, be herself, unabashedly.

"Since its a special occasion I got you this", you said triumphantly, pulling out a small, batshaped bath bomb, "its supposed to smell like pumpkin!"

Kiyoko smiled. Another thing she loved about you. You were just as much yourself as you excepted her to be herself.

"Wouldn't a pumpkin have been the better shape to choose then?", she asked as she took the bath bomb, watching as it began to dissolve in the water.

You blinked before nodding. "You're so right my love. Maybe they wanted some variety."

"Maybe", Kiyoko hummed, moving a hand in the water to disperse and spread the bath bomb more. It was various shades of dark purple and dark blue hues.

"Okay imma clean up our bed discard your... clothes that didn't make it and put the ones that survived in the laundry. Then I will come back and wash your hair okay?"

Kiyoko merely nodded and watched you leave from the corner of her eye. She sank down deeper into the water, her hair floating on the surface. It sort of reminded her of seaweed like that.

Her body ached. She wasn't sure if she was able to walk the next day. She definitely wasn't able to now. Kiyoko looked down at her breasts. Her nipples had returned to their normal look and she sighed. She felt less insecure with you around but there was still a tiny voice in her head that told her how ugly it was. It was comforting, the way you had covered her breasts in love bites. You knew she was lacking confident, so you always made sure to pay special attention to them.

Kiyoko was pulled out of her thoughts when you came stumbling back into the bathroom trying to balance the used sheets before dumping them in the laundry basket. Then you left again, only to back seconds later, carrying the toys you had used on her and putting them into the sink.

She flushed a bit but didn't look away as you got out some mild soap and a wash cloth to begin cleaning them.

"Does it smell like pumpkin?"

"Sort of. Not natural pumpkin. More so... an artificial smell."

"I see", you hummed, scrubbing away at the dildo, "at least the colours fit you. I brought it when I was getting that one hair mask I was telling you about. The colours reminded me of you. Dark mysterious alluring. And it fit the season of course."

"You make it sound like you planned all this", Kiyoko giggled, softly. You were casualtity. "Hey says the woman who must have shaved this morning", you fake gasped, pointing the dildo at her, "You were totally hoping for this as well. You always play so hard to get."

"You got me. I did." You smiled, setting the last toy down into the sink, you'd just put them away later, and moved to sit behind her.

"Come on then my Aphrodite, let me wash thy hair. Would be a great time to try out that new hair mask I talked about."

Your fingers ran through her hair, softly massaging in first the shampoo before rinsing it out then moving onto the conditioner and rising that out as well.

"The hair mask has to stay in a little longer. But it smells like vanilla which is nice."

Kiyoko hummed and leaned her back against the wall of the tub to be closer to you. You moved her hair a bit before stopping and laughing out loud.

"Shimizu it looks like you have one of those gelled spiked hair styles like that."

Her reflection in the faucet looked ridiculous, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Please never become a punk. Actually do that if you want to. I support you. Oh though could you actually become a goth? Then I could call you my big tiddie goth girlfriend. Everyone would be even more jealous than they already are, you know with me dating one of the smartest girls in our university?"

Kiyoko liked listening to you ramble. She liked the tone of your voice as you went on and on about nothing. The first time she had asked you to continue talking after you had stopped, thinking that she was disinterested, you had bursted out in tears because no one had ever told you to continue talking.

After you had rinsed her hair out for a final time, she fully sat up to lean her head against your lap.

"I'm tired", she said, stifling a yawn. "No wonder", you responded, fingers tracing over her face, the shape of her eyebrows, nose, eyes and mouth, tapping her mole softly, "Today must have been exhausting for you. Come on lemme help you dry yourself off and get you your nightgown-"

"I don't want my nightgown", she said, yawning again, "Just give me a pair of panties and one of your shirts. I want to smell like you."

God, those innocent words hit you hard.

“Ah yeah. Of course. My clothes. The clothes that belong to me. Yeah just... gimme a second.”

She watched as you scrambled out of the door, but not before grabbing the toys to put them away, shoulder hitting against the doorframe and snorted. You were a dork. How could you act all sexy and hot in one moment and then like a fumbling idiot in the next?

Kiyoko lifted herself out of the tub carefully, pulling the plug so the water could flow down the drain. Her legs were still shaky, she definitely wouldn't be able to walk tomorrow. She grabbed a towel and began to dry herself off. She would have to wait for you to return so she could comb her hair because the comb was on the opposite way of the room and she didn't exactly felt like crawling to it.

“Okay got you some clothes my love.”

“Thank you dear. Could you grab me my comb? I can't exactly... walk.”

Your face flushed and nodded, grabbing the item and handing it to her. It reminded you of a nymph, the way she was sitting on the edge of the bath tub, brushing her hair, not yet having put your clothes on. It was a testament of her trust in you, that she showed her body to you so casually, a body that she didn't really like and it made your heart swell with love.

“You were right. The hair masks makes your hair feel really soft. And it smells nice. Feel it”, she said and you moved closer, the sweet vanilla aroma drifting into your nose.

You smiled. “Glad I was able to assist milady. Do you need help pulling up your panties?”

She nodded and you held her waist, her legs trembling as she pulled them up. It was still a mind blowing concept to you, that you did this. Well not because of you necessarily, that was the dildos work but... it was something you did. Kiyoko sat back down to slip the shirt on, far too big for her petite body.

You grabbed some cleansing agent and spread it in the tub before using the shower head to wash it down.

“Come on my gallant knight in shining armor. Let your mighty steed carry you to bed.”

She giggled again, it was your favorite sound in the entire world and wrapped her arms around your neck. Kiyoko turned off the light with her dangling foot so you didn't have to worry about it. You set her on the bed where she got the blanket ready for the two of you while you changed into a shirt and a pair of boxer shorts.

The bed creaked when you joined her, laying on your side, facing her. Now you had to yawn as well. She smiled and cupped your cheeks, kissing you sensually, inherently soft and filled with love.

Kiyoko cuddled close, tucking her head under your chin and intertwining your legs together.

“I love you Shimizu Kiyoko.”

“I love you too [Name] [Last Name].”

And the two of you really did with all your hearts.

#haikyuu!!#haikyuu x reader #Shimizu Kiyoko #kiyoko x reader #shimizu kiyoko x reader #kiyoko x y/n #kiyoko fluff #kiyoko drabble #hq kiyoko #kiyoko smut #kiyoko shimizu #kiyoko supremacy

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imagining-in-the-margins · 3 years

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TB&TB Answer Time! 🐇

Also, my health is not doing well, so bear with me here!

1. Ah! That was my favorite line of the Chapter! It always makes me happy when people agree with me, lol! I'm also glad to hear you all enjoyed it so much. It's much less poetic than my usual writing for that series, but I didn't want to heavy hand it.

Thank you for your super kind words & commentary! ☺️ It helps a lot to hear what parts resonate with people/what people think about the plot development.

2. I get this question a lot! I will say that the answer is less exciting than you probably think. At first, before he knew her, her innocence was the most appealing thing about her. However, her virginity is NOT the extent of her innocence.

It is also her personality, her lack of experience (in many things), her lack of exposure to awful things, and her general demeanor. She is calm, easily flustered, and maternal. While her virginity added a layer of complexity to her, Spencer was interested in her and thought her pure before he ever found out, and would continue to feel that way after 🥰

So, no worries! He will not be abandoning her. There are no plans for that in this series. Not even close.

3. Hi friend! Thanks for your thoughts - they are very helpful. I'll try to explain what I think the answer to your question is:

At the beginning, Spencer didn't really know Bunny. The only thing he had to judge her on was first impressions. He had a strong, visceral physical attraction to her. He was objectifying her in a lot of ways because he just didn't have anything else to fixate on. As he's gotten to know her, he's becoming more emotionallu attached to her.

I do think that you might be missing some of the more melodramatic comparisons he makes (the candle & Persephone comparisons are coming to mind immediately). That being said, they are less violent/lustful and more idyllic/domestic. He's seeing her less as a conquest and more as a partner.

His feelings have changed because he's gotten to know her. He's being genuine when he thinks that he's falling in love with her, and I'm not sure that it detracts from what he felt before! He is definitely still lustful for her (he told her in Chapter 10 that he wanted to "defile" her, which was certainly that emotion resurfacing). But at the same time, it wouldn't really be healthy for him to hyper-fixate on any perceived innocence in her virginity when he's slowly chipping away at it. That's how he ended up in the position he landed in during the optional scene of Chapter Ten!

The way I'm viewing it as I write, I think innocence is still the main underlying theme. But if I'm not making that clear enough, let me know! I'm always down for constructive criticism or suggestions!

4. This is the highest compliment I'll ever receive. I will never achieve more or be better than I am in this exact moment.

Anyway, yeah, it's my favorite Studio Ghibli piece of all time! I can definitely see what you mean. I absolutely adore Sophie/Howl ❤️

5 - 8. Suffer! 😈

But seriously, thank you, friends! I'm so glad that everyone is receiving this Chapter well. For some reason I was weirdly nervous about it. But next Chapter will be very funny, and I can't wait to show you all.

9. Uno reverse! I love you!!!

10. Oh my goodness, it's so funny - I asked everyone in the Discord what we should name him, and when someone said Kyle I had to do it. I casually dated two different men named Kyle. One of them was absolute GARBAGE, but the other was just the sweetest, stupidest himbo. An absolute darling.

The name is definitely cursed, though. And yeah, TB&TB Kyle blows.

#tbatb #tb&tb #answer #answered

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sprawa-przybyszewskiej · 3 years

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I cannot claim to know about this play more than some others (Ewa Graczyk, Jagoda Hernik-Spalińska, Kazimiera Ingdahl and Maria Janion, in alphabetical order, are the official Horsewomen of the Apocalypse in this topic), with a lot to bring to the table, and so I will sometimes discuss parts of it which are - at the very least at the first glance - absolutely and doubtlessly simple; but by discussing them I hope to be able to bring into the discussion some new material, new evidence, perhaps - for the contrary of the popular belief.

I remember when I first read the scene between Danton and Robespierre, I was completely mystified, just as Maxime. To somebody who at that point knew nothing about the historical events, the exchange between them was very logical (and everyone knows how hard it is to obtain, especially in a piece of media where the author blatantly favours one of the characters over another). I am very glad then, to be able to say that while Przybyszewska did everything she could to humiliate and belittle Danton in the more visual aspects of the scene - his gestures, movements, actions, mimicry, even the sound of his voice etc. - she didn't bother making him out to be a complete clown. His arguments are populistic, but that's not necessarily a bad thing when you're n politician aspiring to be even more than that. Perhaps she thought that painting him out to be a weakling would somehow diminish Robespierre's awesomeness, which is a valid concern. For Robepsierre has little left to do in this scene - it is made out to ba a confrontation between them, of sorts, but is it one, really? I don't think so, not for the large part of it. Robespierre comes in, dishes out few sarcastic lines, looks at Danton with disgust and contempt and then crushes him in a yet another sarcastic line and then leaves. There isn't that much he can do not only to participate in the exchange, but to be visually and audially appealing to the audience as a character in a play. And even though we all know staging The Danton Case is a secondary affair, the main thing you can do with it is to read it and ponder over it, when you do stage it, a lot of responsibility rests on the actors recreating the part. Which is why choosing a good actor can, potentially, make all the difference, sometimes going as far as completely changing the way you view the very same scene you read earlier.

I have always assumed by "the same man" they meant Robespierre. It makes some sense in the light of the conversation, altough I have to admit it makes little sense in the light of Robespierre's reaction. The question thus presented to us is: do we go by what is written, do we percieve a play as a piece of fiction in a real world, OR do we immerse ourselves in the fictional world, suspend our disbelief and for a moment treat it as an alternate reality of sorts?

Polish director Jan Klata has managed to put on stage a compelling retelling of The Danton Case and I would like to present to you a scene from his version, which we're lucky enough to have on YT, with translation courtesy of @that-one-revolutionary. I've seen the play in its entirety: some metaphors were heavy-handed to say the least, some aspects I wish he'd done differently, but all in all, when choosing the main protagonist, the director casted in the role a truly splendid actor (please note that Marcin Czarnik was young. Young! It made all of the difference and it's worth watching if only for that), who brought home some of the points of character of Robespierre's which could have easily been brushed aside in order to highlight some other aspects of the conversation (the most famous example of this would be the very same scene from Wajda's movie, where the appealing and in all aspects imposing Gerard Depardieu dominantes the scene, thus presentign it in a very different ligt). While it can be read as a political statement, or a match of two great personalities, or a display of cunning on either part, Klata (or Czarnik; it's hard for me to say what the director tried to do with it, a lot of Robespierre's quirks, mimicry, gestures etc. seemed to come directly from the actor, which I can only say because I've seen him in other things and that's sort of his style of acting; all in all, I'll try to treat this not as a discussion over this particular staging, because for that I lack needed data, but it's unavoidable in the long run at least at some points, so please bear that in mind) treats the conversation itself as a minor thing in comparision to what is going on in Maxime's mind at the moment. Just look at this: there is no significance brought into their meeting, no change of the scenery, nothing indicates this meeting is special in any way. The logical conclusion is, then: it's not special. Both Danton and Robespierre seem to treat this as a step which cannot be avoided, but which bears no great weight either. The only reason they agreed to make this step altogether is - for "the same man". For Camille.

I do think Przybyszewska's intention was actually to disguise Maxime under this vague title. If this is a play about love - as I will always state it is - she wanted to underline the fact some people will be hatefully loved by those who are beneath them, who have nothing whatsoever in common with the object of their affection simply because the loved one is so great, so genius, so shining and bright it is impossible not to love them. I think this is the relationship between Danton and Robespierre (that is, on Danton's part) up until this point in the play. Danton idolizes Robespierre against his will (against both of their wills, really), because Robespierre is truly made out to be a demi-god at the very least. If you could team up with a hero like this, you should. So Danton goes through a humiliating process of trying to reconcile with Maxime, because humiliation, if everything paid off in the end, would be worth it. That Robespierre doesn't reciprocate the affection is simply a further proof that he is above Danton in every way.

Klata-Czarnik duo seems to have gone into another, subtler direction though. The man that both politicians make an exception for seems to be Camille, moreso because Robespierre loves him than because Danton has any special feelings for him. What is his relationship with Camille, anyway? They are cordial enough, but always a bit on the edge, and we know that Danton doesn't know everything that Camille thinks and feels in regards to Robespierre, mostly because he doesn't care that much, but also because he is characterised as a brute, and this simply goes above his head, it's too subtle, too delicate of a feeling for him to know it. It is also clear he knows Camille pretty well, but he doesn't know his soul, so to say. Therefore, he cannot actually love him, not to the point to make him the one and only excpetion from his otherwise coldly and precisley calculated plans.

Is there, however, a scenario in which Camille could be Danton's exception? Yes, when it becomes more about Robepierre than about Camille. When Camille is sort of offered as a mean to lure Robepierre in. Danton could make this exception only if it meant getting what he wanted (which is later mirrored by his blatant admission that the only reason he lets Camille take the fall with him is to deny Robespierre any joy in life after this point).

Robespierre, however, doesn't see it this way. He actually makes the exception for Camille and I think Danton's words – whatever he means by them, whichever interpretation we think is correct – put him on alert, for the fear of having his secret discovered. In the video linked above it is even more than that – once Robespierre hears Danton indirectly name "the same man", he gets aggressively defensive. For him to have someone like Danton talk almost openly about what he treats as his personal secret (a secret that Danton, being in great familiarity with Camille, could potentially know for certain) is equal with defiling it. I have violated your secret. Do you know what he says in the original? I have raped your secret. It really brings into the focus how much “the secret” needs to be protected, and how much it will hurt Maxime once it’s uncovered and destroyed.This is what he fears pretty much for the entirety of the conversation, his suspiscion somewhat confirmed when Danton says: No catchphrases, Robespierre. I know you.

As I mentioned earlier, the shift in my reading of the scene was prompted by the video. It is worth observing what exactly does Robespierre do when mentioing Camille by surname – he gets visibly more upset, he ponders for a split second for the best way to talk about him. His choice of words is interesting as well:

Both translations here are poor and I quite like what that-one-revolutionary did with it. "Katarynka" is a music-box, so "an instrument" fits much better (not to mention the obvious English connection to the phrase "play like a fiddle", which is adequate here). A parrots is after all a living being, something with a will of its own, if steered by more powerful handlers. But admitting that Camille, from his own free will decided to go against Maxime and everything that Maxime believes in is much harder for Robespierre than calling him an inanimate object, which can be unwittingly used by people with their own agenda. That leaves Camille almost blameless, perhaps careless and foolish, but not responsible fo anything that has transpired.Calling him names serves another purpose as well, which is to steer away the suspiscion that Robespierre protects Camille becuase he cares about him in a special way. He knows there are Danton's accomplices turning ears by the door, so he doesn't want to give himself away with his care and concern.

Ultimately, what do you believe, whom do you think they were referring to I think says a lot about what you think about Maxime's state of mind at the time. Danton's too, though, it can be used as a litmus test whater or not you believe he was honest in idolising Robespierre and offering him his adoration and obedience. In some stagings it will be presented as true, in some as a lie, and that's the beauty of adapting a piece of literature, there are so many options, all blooming from the same roots.

#sprawa dantona #the danton case #L'Affaire Danton #stanisława przybyszewska #stanislawa przybyszewska #maximilien robespierre #maksymilian robespierre #kamil desmoulins #camille desmoulins #georges danton #jerzy danton

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bluemoose86 · 3 years

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My Thoughts on Honerva’s Arc (S8 of Voltron: Legendary Defender)

SPOILER WARNING for Voltron: Legendary Defender, obviously. Also obligatory disclaimer: the following is solely my opinion and should be treated as such. I know there were several production problems that led to the show becoming what it is, but I am not informed on those issues and won’t be speculating on how they specifically influenced the show.

I’M GONNA SAY IT: Honerva’s arc could have been soooo interesting if the lead-in had been better instead of tacking it onto the end of the whole “beating the Galra Empire” mega-arc. Honestly, the end of season seven felt like the natural end of the series, and if they had changed a few things it could easily have been an open yet resolved ending. The main plot-line has been wrapped up because all the major Galra Empire villains from the show (apart from Honerva obviously) have been defeated, but there’s still a lot of work to do in order to completely free the universe. The show could have ended with the Paladins getting ready to re-launch and looking towards the future, which also opens up the possibility for spin-offs or even a sequel series. IMO, everything from season 8 (and the weird Altean Robeast attack at the very end of S7) would have been much better if it had been its own series. There could have been more focus on Honerva’s downfall, how she plotted to use the Altean colony just as her son did, all the details that felt rushed at the end. And they could have developed their sub-plots more, especially the Allurance (Allura x Lance) romance if that was the direction they wanted to take. Plus we could have seen a lot more of the side characters that never got a chance to shine! Shay, Romelle (my beloved), Axca and her place at the Garrison, the MFE pilots, etc etc.

Anyways, back to my original point: Honerva’s arc had so much potential. Seeing her transform from this shadowy, almost faceless entity who only exists to support Zarkon to a spotlight antagonist in her own right is really interesting. Reclaiming her Altean heritage while simultaneously corrupting it? Being so desperate to regain everything she lost 10,000 years ago that she would do anything and everything to get it back? Seeing how her mindset has come full circle–a woman who loves her family more than anything–yet how it has changed and warped over the millennia? That’s some good shit right there. Honerva in the show might believe she has returned to her original state from 10,000 years ago, but if you compare them, you’ll notice how even though there are glimmers of the same person, they are exponentially different. It could have been such an interesting and nuanced take on her character and really expanded on the earlier themes of “good vs. evil” that we see early on in the show.

Another interesting part of Honerva’s character is her interactions with the Alteans on Lotor’s colony. It’s clear that she only uses them as means to an end, since she uses them as a battery for her Robeasts and kills Luca as soon as she starts talking to Romelle (and I think she kills others as well). However, if this arc had been developed over a longer period of time (say a series?? or even a 26 episode season honestly), that relationship could have been much more complex. In S8E2, “Shadows,” the entire episode is devoted to flashbacks of Honerva’s life, ranging from Lotor’s childhood to the three years Voltron disappeared. In one of those flashbacks, Honerva appears at the Altean colony that Lotor created, announcing that she is his mother, that the Alteans are great and the Galra are horrible, and that Lotor and the fake sister colony have all been murdered by Voltron and now she must help them avenge their savior’s death. The Alteans agree and Honerva takes one of them, Merla, to Oriande. As the two overlook the magical palace thing that Lotor, Allura, and Honerva visited in order to gain their magic powers, the following exchange happens:

The second image is could allude to a couple things, but one of the possibilities is that it’s referring to her own mindset–how she will do anything to bring Lotor back. She understands how Merla feels because she feels the same way. However small, and however brief, there’s a connection between them. And not just to Honerva and Merla, but to Honerva and all the Alteans because they (presumably) have the same feelings as Merla. It would have been interesting to explore how Honerva views the colonists. Does she relate to them on some level because they share a deep love for her son? She exalts Lotor the same way the colonists do, even referring to him as a god during the last Kral Zera in the show (and possibly ever). Or does she resent them? Does she harbor hatred for them because they loved and adored him when she could not? Because they spent all that time with him before she even had the chance?

Not to mention the fact that the colonists are Altean, the same as she is. In fact, there was a massive missed opportunity to explore Honerva’s views of her own culture. A major part of her arc is regaining her identity as an Altean and pride in her culture. She de-camoflauges herself, though only in private at first, she learns Altean alchemy, all the good things. And yet ... she destroys everything. She proclaims that Alteans are the best of all the races, that the Galrans are lower than scum and that Galran blood poisoned her son. Yet she goes on to manipulate and use her own people, killing them without hesitation in order to further her own plans. She destroys Oriande–or at least the statues–a place greatly revered by Alteans that she searched for her entire life. If she reveres her heritage as much as she believes, how can she turn around and destroy it the way she does, with seemingly no remorse? Add to that the fact that Lotor’s (supposed) aim for most of his adult life was preserving Altean culture. Imagine if the show had gone through with resurrecting Lotor, as it was hinted at. Assuming Lotor came back sane/with his full faculties and wasn’t being controlled by Honerva at all (which would be a long shot I know but hear me out), how would he feel knowing what his mother did? Maybe he wouldn’t care about the “using Alteans as batteries thing” since he basically did the same thing, but how would he feel about her defiling Oriande, even if she only destroyed part of it? Would it wake him up to the horrors of his ways–this person whom he despises doing the same things that he did? Probably not. But it’s interesting to think about.

I actually had more to say but the train has left the station on this topic, so I’ll just end it there. TL;DR: Honerva had so much potential and she, like pretty much every character in season 8, was robbed of her chance to shine. To everyone who made it to the end, thank you and I hope you enjoyed!

#voltron #vld #voltron legendary disaster #thats hilarious #voltron legendary defender #honerva #vld haggar #haggar #vld season 8 #vld analysis #vld meta #voltron meta #does this count as meta?#I have no idea #character analysis #long post

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awed-frog · 4 years

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“The big flaw with this is that it completely misunderstands who JK Rowling is and why she wrote the books. Simply put, this novel is a Christian tale. You miss that, you miss the entire point of everything it has to say.” Elaborate? Sounds interesting and I haven’t heard that before.

Well - I love this to bits and sort of wrote my thesis about it, so here we go.

Basically, you’ve got several kinds of heroes, but ‘left-wing hero’ is almost a contradiction in terms (more on this later). There’s your average Greek hero, whose status as a hero is more of a social class than it is a job and who generally doesn’t have any morally redeeming qualities (have you met Theseus?). Then there’s the medieval Christian hero - he comes in different flavours, but what’s relevant here is the Perceval model: basically the village idiot, whose only power is his good heart and who has no desire to challenge the status quo (because kings are divinely ordained and also poets tend to work for them, so ‘That vassal guy of yours has rescued yet another damsel’ story is going to be better received than ‘Your tax system is corrupt and this knight will now implement direct democracy’). Next you have the modern superhero, who was born in a very different historical context (the vigilantism of 19th century US) and as such has very different priorities. Namely: in his world, there is no higher authority and it’s up to him to use his superior skills to be judge and executioner so he can protect the most vulnerable. This understandable but toxic narrative will later get mixed up with WW2 and then the rampant capitalism of the last 30 years, resulting in the current blockbustery mess.

Anyway - if you’re a Western writer, it’s basically impossible to escape these three shaping forces we’ve all grown up with (classical Antiquity, Christianity, and US-led imperialism/capitalism), so most books and movies of the last forever decades can be analyzed through this lens. In the case of JK Rowling, what you have is a Christian author who openly used her YA series to chart out her own relationship with God. This is not a secret, or a meta writer’s delusion, or anything: she’s discussed it in several interviews. Her main problem, which is most believers’ main problem, is how to reconcile her faith in a benevolent God with the suffering in her daily life; and something she’s mentioned more than once is how her mom died when she was 25, and how this was very much on her mind especially when she was writing Deathly Hallows.

Now, I don’t want to write a novel here, so I won’t analyze the entire series, but what it is is basically a social critique of British society, mixed up with Greek and Roman elements in a cosmetic way only, and - crucially - led by an extremely Christian hero.

In every way that matters, Harry Potter is a direct descendant of Perceval: he’s someone who’s grown up in isolation as the village idiot (remember how he was shunned by other children because he was ‘dangerous’ and ‘different’), randomly found a more exciting world of which he previously knew nothing (he’s basically the only kid who gets to Hogwarts without knowing anything about the magical world, just like Perceval joined Arthur’s court after living in the woods for 15 years), and proceeded to make his mark not because of his innate powers or special abilities (he’s average at magic, except for Defence against the Dark Arts), but because he’s kind and good and humble. And in the end, he willingly sacrifices himself so everyone else can be saved: a Christ-like figure who even gets his very own Deposition (in the arms of Hagrid, the closest thing to a parent his actually has).

(This, by the way, was the only reason why Hagrid was kept alive. JK Rowling had planned to kill him, but she absolutely wanted this scene - one of the most recognizable and beloved image in Christian art - in the books.)

And even if he ultimately survives his ‘death’ (like Jesus did), Harry refuses the riches and rank he was surely offered and chooses to spend his days in middle-class obscurity as a husband and father (if I remember correctly, Harry and Ginny’s house isn’t even big enough for their three kids). And no, of course he doesn’t stand for anything or challenges the status quo: that’s not his job. His job, like Jesus’, was to defeat evil by offering himself up in sacrifice; and the entire story - especially the last book - is a profound, intimate, and very moving reflection on faith.

(“Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's”, remember? It’s not your job to change anything in the temporal, material world; your job is to nurture your immortal soul and prepare it for the true life that comes after death.)

Like - I don’t know how it was for younger readers, but for me, reading Deathy Hallows as an adult, it wrecked me. Even as an agnostic, I read it over and over again, and I kep finding new meaning in it. The whole thing is basically a retelling of the Book of Job, one of the most puzzling and beautiful parts of the Old Testament. That’s when Harry’s faith in God Dumbledore is tested, when his mentor, the cornerstone of his world, disappears; when Harry has to decide whether he’ll continue to believe in this absent, flawed figure despite all the bad things he keeps uncovering or give up his faith - and thus his soul - completely. The clearest, most startling moment exemplifying this religious dilemma is when Harry decides not to go after the wand. Getting it is the logical thing to do, the only way he can win, but Harry - while mourning Dobby - decides not to do it. That’s when he recovers his faith, and starts trusting his own kindness and piety (whatever happens, he will not defile a tomb) over everything else.

Another key moment is King’s Cross - here, and once more, Harry forgives his enemy, thus obeying Jesus’ commands. He sees Voldemort, the being who took everything from him - and he pities the pathetic, unloved thing he’s become. This is what sets him apart from everyone else and what makes him special: not his birth, not his magic, not some extraordinary artefact - but simply, like Dumbledore puts it, that he can love. After everything that’s bene done to him, he can still love; not only his friends, but his enemies. He forgives Voldemort, he forgives Snape, he forgives Malfoy, he forgives Dudley; and I see so many people angry about this, ranting about abuse victims and how hate is a right, but I think they’re missing the point. This is a Christian story; from a Christian perspective, your enemies need love more than your friends do.

(“It is not those who are healthy who need a physician” and all that.)

And in any case, a hero is inherently not left-wing. The whole trope relies on three rock-solid facts: the hero is special, and he can do something you can’t, and that gives him the right or the duty to save others who can’t save themselves. Whether it is declined in its Christian form (the hero as self-sacrificing nobody) or in its fascist form (the hero as judge and king of the inferior masses), that is is the exact opposite of any kind of left-wing narrative, where meaningful change is brought about not by individual martyrdom or a benevolent super-human, but by collective action.

So, yeah - Harry changes nothing and is not the leader of the revolution, but it’s unfair to link this to JK Rowling’s politics. It’s just how the trope works. And, in fairness to her, many kind and compassionate authors who write books concerned with social justice tend to lean towards this kind of hero because the only workable alternative - the fascist super-hero - is way worse. Had Harry been that, for instance, he would have ended up ruling the wizarding world. Would that have been better for its democracy? A 19-year-old PM who knows nothing about the law or justice or diplomacy? A venerated war hero drunk on power? Instead, JK Rowling chooses the milder way out: Harry and his friends do change the system - little by little, and within the limits of the genre. Hermione becomes the equivalent of a human rights lawyer, while Harry and Ron join the Aurors (and I know there’s a lot of justified suspicion towards law enforcement, but frankly having good people in their ranks is still the only way to move things forward. It’s been years and I still haven’t heard a practical suggestion as to how a police-less nation would work). As for the government, it is restored to a fairer status quo - again, not the revolution many readers wanted, but also not the totalitarian monarchies or oligarchies or the super-hero’s world.

And as to how one can write a story that’s actually revolutionary - I don’t exactly know. Some writers rely on multiple narrating voices to try and escape the heroic trope; others work on bleak stories which point out the flaws in the system and stop short of solving them. I guess that, in the end, is one of the problem with left-wing politics: they’re simply less eye-catching, less cinematic. On the whole, it’s dull, boring work, the victories achieved by committees and celebrated with a piece of paper. From a literary point of view, it just doesn’t work.

#ask #harry potter #hp #meta #jk rowling #tropes #heroes #literary tropes #ancient greece #superheroes #the jesus fandom #writers problems #right vs left #politics #again i don't hold it against it #i think it works beautifully #and has a lot to offer to non-believers as well

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ellanainthetardis · 4 years

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Alright, this will be my review for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes so obviously spoilers under the cut.

Also obviously, this is my opinion, I force no one to share it and I’m happy to discuss the book with anyone who wants to.

First off, I won’t go into all the deep themes in the books. It seems obvious to me there’s a very clever allegory for a contrat social at work here but since I am not very much interested in that, I will leave it aside. It’s well done, I think, but I am more a character driven sort of reader than theme driven and the debate over “are we the product of our environment or is man a beast at heart” is a bit null here. Surely enough, as one of the quotes at the beginning implies, the whole book more or less struggles to show Dr Gaul somehow turns Coryo into a monster to her Frankenstein… Sure, he seems to hesitate between right and wrong, the nature of the two etc etc. But, really, I have troubles relating to a character questioning the nature of man when that character is so plainly a psychopath himself.

I’m sorry. I said it.

Did I love Snow in this book? Sure. Even when he was being bad, I loved him. What’s not to love? He’s completely over-dramatic. All the time. He’s a complex character with Draco Malfoy vibes and who tries to do well by his family. But he is also sick in the head and that predates Dr Gaul’s little mind games. Can we argue it’s because of his traumatic childhood? Maybe. It doesn’t change the fact he equals love with possession, does not seem to experience remorse nor guilt – or at least not very long and he’s very quick to rationalize it – and has a natural ability to mimic or force himself to act as is expected in any given situation. He doesn’t react to things, you will notice, he behaves the way he thinks people expects him to.

So, he is sick. And since he is sick, the whole debate through his head about the nature of violence, men being beasts without laws, freedom versus enforcement, right and wrong, etc seems void.

Let’s leave that aside for now.

The question you will probably ask me is: did you like the book? And the answer I will give is yes I did. I did enjoy the book. At least the first two third of it.

It’s fast paced, it’s engaging, it’s easy to read…

What I like most is the worldbuilding. What a difference a 3rd pov makes… I mean we finally got all the world building we deserved. And the names. Actually, there were so many names in there I’m pretty sure she threw them as a joke. But, yeah. Everything I reproach Thg was fixed here: we have a more consistent idea of how the Games work out of the arena, we know the currency used is dollars (which we didn’t up until now), we have a better idea of how the Capitol works as a society, about the working of Peacekeepers and Districts… I quite enjoyed learning more about the 1st war and the post war world too.

I also enjoyed the Capitol families Cameos – and I was very wary about them if you read some of my posts pre-released. They were nice nods, it wasn’t too on the nose… I am relieved beyond measure not to have seen a mention of an Abernathy or a Trinket – or an Everdeen or a Mellark, I guess – mostly because that means we are still free to stick to our own hcs. (it’s not that important but still).

The cast of characters were all great – with two notable exceptions but I will come back to that.

I loved Snow’s family. What a surprise to find out Tigris is a Snow? But what joy she is. I really enjoyed her character but I have to say I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t get to see (or at least were told in the epilogue) how they grow apart or how she comes to have whiskers. The Grandma’am was an awesome addition too. Lucy Gray, the Coveys, the Peacekeepers, Sejanus, the other mentors… They were great.

I will argue that maybe Lucy Gray, as a main character (second main character? She’s the yin to his yang in this book) could have been more fleshed out because when it comes down to it, she seems to float around in the story only in relation to Snow. This being said and the pov being mostly Snow’s, it’s coherent with his egocentric view of the world. And I’m sure a lot of people will argue the case that her only purpose being to die so he can get over love is a bit problematic better than I could.

The two characters that I think were disappointing were the “villains” of the tale: Dr Gaul and Highbottom. They were actually so disappointing that I spent a good portion of the book convinced that here was some kind of secret plot, that there would be a conspiracy or something. But no, they were just that… flat.

Highbottom first: the creator of the Hunger Games who, obviously, didn’t mean to and ends up doctoring himself with morphling to forget. And seems to hate Coryo (yes that’s Snow’s nickname) for no obvious reason. I was sure there must be some twist but no, it just turned out he hates Snow because his father stole his Hunger Games idea to pitch it to Gaul for a grade and now he’s responsible for the death of kids. Which, I mean, is valid. But since it’s only here to bring into contrast the “is Snow really bad or have the circumstances make him bad” when, really, he’s a psycho, it ends up being very disappointing on discovery – never mind as the final reveal of the epilogue.

As for Gaul. Is she terrifying? I mean, for a young adult book, sure, I guess. She’s too obviously mean and crazy scientist for me though. I like my villains a little more subtle. She spent her times torturing her pet rabbit and various animals ffs. All she needed was a mustache to twirl. She’s cliché and, again, I’m sure it was like that for rhetoric purposes but… She’s Frankenstein and Snow is her creature, we get it. Why though? She takes a shine to him and proceeds to groom him so he can deliver the world she wants? So he’s her legacy? Because she’s a psycho too and she needs an apprentice? I thought that part was a little fishy because, at the end of the day… I don’t know, it seems a bit random.

But, I suppose, yet again, everything has to revolve around Snow in the book and in Panem.

And we’re touching to the part that annoyed me to death, that really really angered me and that, right now as we speak, I am a little disgusted by.

A short word first about the fan service. And there was plenty of that to go around. All the little wink wink, nudge nudge made me smile at first (like the grandma saying it only takes a spark for fire to catch, that sort of things), it was subtle so it worked. But as the book goes on, all the references built to the point I was sort of terrified Katniss would end up being related to Snow. And while she is not, I am fairly convinced she’s descended from the Coveys, it makes a lot of sense.

Ok… Where to start with that part and be coherent…

The less offensive (yes, I am using that word because it was offending to me) thing was Snow’s recurring reflection about the mockingjays. On hindsight, of course, it has so much more meaning than what is going on on paper, so it made sense and while it was a bit sold too thick, it was also interesting. That’s something I’m willing to grant was good.

I also liked the “it’s not over until the Mockingjay sings” saying. To be honest, I was 100% confident the epilogue would be a flashforward to the end of MJ and that quote would somehow come back into play but apparently not, that’s for us to fanfic instead.

Now, as for the rest… I am going to speak as someone who loves Haymitch Abernathy an unhealthy amount, and while I speak as someone who loves Haymitch, I also feel it is only minorly about Haymitch and a lot about Katniss, Peeta and the rest of the victors. But Haymitch is my favorite character in the series, Haymitch is a big part of why I have dedicated so much time writing fanfics and contributing to the fandom, I am very protective of Haymitch. And, on his behalf, I am so deeply, deeply offended.

In this book, Suzanne Collins makes Snow a victor.

We can argue the semantics. Naturally, he didn’t actually win the Hunger Games.

Or does he?

Because there are no winners, only survivors and by that very definition Coriolanus Snow is a victor.

Coriolanus Snow walked into an arena, was forced into the arena.

Coriolanus Snow fought in the arena.

Coriolanus Snow killed someone in the arena.

Coriolanus Snow walked back out of the arena.

He survived.

It makes him a de facto victor. He is actually literally called that a couple of times throughout the book. It’s reinforced by the idea that mentor and tribute are a team, even.

And this very idea that Snow is a victor, has been a victor all along, is so deeply, deeply upsetting to me. The bond between victors, it’s something very special, I feel. Victors share something nobody else can understand – my very favorite part of the whole series is in Catching Fire when they hold hands, it is such a strong emotional moment, it always moves me, always. And Snow being a part of that defiles it. Worse, that means a victor was actually the one imposing such horrors on other victors all along.

And that’s… I mean, probably in terms of themes and the story as an independent object, it’s all very ironic and dark and full of great meaning about man and it’s condition. But for someone who loves Haymitch, it is very deeply offending to learn the man who has taken everything from him went through the same experience he did, that they share that bond, that they have so many similarities.

Too many similarities actually. And here we are going to branch out on TBOSAS in relation to Katniss more specifically.

That’s another thing I am not sure I liked: how similar Snow’s conditions were to our beloved characters. The starvation, the very similar experience they had growing up.

At first, I didn’t mind it. I thought, even, that it was quite fitting. But the problem came when so much of Katniss’ story was being… stolen, turned around. It started feeling like this book was subverting the powerful story in THG, not just the main plot, but everlark, and the character building. So, of course, here again, it’s probably a matter of questioning if, stemming from the same conditions, you become a hero or a villain. Nature or nurture. That sort of things. And, again, it depends if you look at the big picture and analyze it calmly or if you react with your guts as a fan, I guess. Yeah, no surprise, I’m going the fan route.

So there were a lot of parallels to Katniss.

The starvation. The strong sense of family. Lucy and the singing…

And it wasn’t limited to Katniss, it touched to everlark too.

The star-crossed lovers thing comes to mind obviously (and I want to talk about the ship too but after). Then, there was the bread thing that was both Snow’s and Lucy’s favorite and the fact that Snow brings her food all the time. The poison in the arena we can land at snow’s door since it’s his weapon of choice, but still poison in the arena, my mind goes straight to the berries… (I will tackle the hanging tree song after)

At this point (before she goes in the arena), I was still mostly okay with it because I thought it would somehow have a reason later. Like either Katniss would turn out to be related to Lucy or it would remain light enough to turn out to be foreshadowing for THG.

Then came part 3. And that’s where the book mostly lost me.

There are eleven other Districts in Panem. So why Twelve? And if it had to be Twelve why pollute everything Katniss loves? How are we supposed to see those things the same way again when we know what we now know?

The meadow? The meadow where the toastbabies are dancing and running? Where so many people are laid to rest? Snow has been there, kissed his girl there. And let me tell you, as a Haymitch fan, knowing that Haymitch never gets to reunite with his girl in the meadow because of Snow, it’s a special kind of pain to read Coryo frolicking there in the grass “with his girl”.

And then, of course, I don’t know what is worse… The lake or the song?

Let’s start with the lake. Where do I begin? The lake that is so special to Katniss? The little shack where she stocks everything? The lake that features into so many fanfictions and that, if some people feel the same way I do, can never be used again the same way? So, that lake was where Snow murdered (possibly) his “love”. The lake, thus, becomes a part of Snow’s narrative.

It’s stolen away from Katniss.

And to better stress that point? The scene with the Mockingjays taking up the hanging tree when Lucy is about to get murdered. (let’s make a digression to say oh boy how fun it must have been for Snow during mj, I’m very tempted to fanfic THAT). It’s all very full of symbolism, of course, but with the hindsight? It’s another great important moment stolen away from Katniss. Highjacked. Not unlike a mutt, actually. This book is a mutt XD

Which brings me to what really, really made me angry: the hanging tree song.

That song is so symbolic of MJ and everlark. I mean, there’s one thing I will give MJ the movie and that’s this scene with the song. The people attacking the dam and getting butchered while humming that song? Iconic. But more prosaically, book based, that song is such such a powerful moment. It’s special. And not only because of all the thing with everlark and the tree and midnight.

And suuuuure there might be a lot of symbolism in that song being not strictly about but still intimately related to Snow. Sure. But you know? It’s also another thing that now is about Snow. So even as Katniss was singing that song, getting the Districts to rebel, showing Peeta that District 12 was gone, letting the Mockingjays by the lake take up the chorus… It isn’t just about hope or freedom anymore. Now, it’s about Snow and about how terribly ironic it is this particular song comes to be his demise, how it’s fate or karma or whatever you want to call it. Because now, we can’t unread this book, we can’t unknown what we know.

And I hate that.

Because Katniss’ journey in THG? It’s now so deeply linked to Snow’s story that if you take a step back and think, it’s more all about Snow than it is about her, or her sister or the Districts. Snow lands on top, right?

And you know what really irks me?

The book is actually good as a character study book (not really so much as dystopia because in terms of actual plot, I feel there was really little) but it didn’t have to taint so many elements of THG the way it does.

Let’s say for a moment Snow isn’t Snow. Let’s say he is a wealthy Capitol fallen from grace and that character who is not going to be the President of Panem has the same journey Coryo does. Let’s say at the end of the story, he moves on to become a famous Head Gamemaker or a close advisor to the President?

Well, the themes explored then remained the same, the conclusions remained the same. We lose the visceral signification of his connection to the mockingjays but is that really important? The Hanging Tree now has a resonance for another character in that world, the meadow has probably seen countless lovers reunions and someone killed someone else at the lake, those things happen. The problem is they happen to Coriolanus Snow.

And baring that, let’s say we keep Snow as a main, why did it have to be Twelve? Again, there are eleven other Districts in Panem. He could have come to the very same conclusions in any other place.

Twelve is only relevant in relation to what happens in THG, to Katniss, to Peeta, to Haymitch.

Lucy and the Covey could have ended up stuck in any other Districts. It didn’t have to be Twelve. It didn’t have to spoil the Meadow, or the lake or even the Hanging Tree song.

Is that why Snow hates Twelve so much? Is that why he kills Haymitch’s family even if it’s completely stupid and leaves him without a leash around a Quell’s victor’s neck? Is that why he bombs the Districts into complete oblivion ? Not to punish its victors but because he so intimately hates the place? Because he walked in their very shoes? Because, for a brief time, from his Frankenstein’s experiment, he played in the mud?

For that matter, is that why he has this weird relationship with Katniss? Because she reminds him of Lucy? The similarities are there if you look… Is Katniss a sort of ghost to him? Come back to haunt him after all those decades? Is that why it feels so personal between them?

I will say a quick word about the ship: I was into it at first. Then there was this scene at the zoo after the snake attack on Clemmie and I felt everything started going downhill from there. The ship is rushed. They go from attraction to love in ten seconds FLAT. I know it’s YA and concessions have to be made (although I will argue I read plenty of YA and some ships don’t seem this juvenile), I made them on account of the fact they’re both young and prone to being drama queens.

(I’m making a brief parenthesis because, rereading this, I realized I did say when the book announcement came out and we all very obviously predicted the romance, that as a hayffie fan I hated the thought Snow would have a Capitol/District romance, but on that account, I have to say after reading I don’t even care because it felt so immature and so not actual love, that I don’t feel it really counts? But at the same time, it’s definitely something I have to think upon in terms of hayffie and Snow because would his own experience play in the way he sees them/manipulates/threatens them?)

All in all, though, that ship didn’t convince me. I couldn’t believe it was real. On either part. On Snow’s part because I’m not certain he’s capable of love. He equals love with possession, “his” girl, she “belongs” to him, he liked her better locked in the zoo because he knew where to find her, he constantly questions Lucy’s loyalties… Every time she sings something, he’s like “is it about me? Is it about me? It’s not about me? Who is it about? I hate her. She’s dead to me. Oh but now she’s singing she’s over him. So I love her again”. Being in his head is a journey, let me tell you.

As for Lucy, it’s frustrating. But with Collins, I learned long ago to be frustrated (hey, hayffie fan here XD. You know the two characters you need to build your own hc about if you want to use them with some depths). You can feel there’s this whole backstory about her but we never get to really touch that and so we’re treated to this very strange scene with the ex-lover but we don’t really care because there is no passion, nowhere… In fact, as a character, outside of her singing, her being a show girl, and her little discourse about how man should be free, live and let live yada yada yada, Lucy’s character is very flat in the third part of the book. She’s here only to allow Coryo’s character development.

I would argue that Sejanus actually makes more of an impact on Snow and the general plot than she does in part 3 – or, if you think about it, in the book in general. Lucy is the trigger that gets Coryo’s reflection starting about the hunger games but it’s really Sejanus that challenges it and keeps it going. Sejanus is, in fact, the District character since Snow keeps telling himself the Covey aren’t really Twelve.

I also want to say, on a completely unrelated note, that the constant mansplaying of songs by Snow was unbearable. And that’s not his fault. So, Mrs Collins, I know how to interpret a text thank you. And I’m sure everyone else does to. It broke the pace and the emotion so much for me when he started randomly explaining. The Lucy Gray ballad was the worst. “she’s dead.” NO KIDDING SHERLOCK.

And while we’re in that Lucy Gray thing: very subtle foreshadowing here, btw. Didn’t see it coming at all.

Ah and also something that made me cringe and that I felt was very out of place: the livestock cars and the cages at the zoo. Not to go all social justice warrior but when I read, it immediately hit home and not in the right way. It felt like a prop to stress how inhumane and racist the Capitol was being, they were easy references to loaded terrible horrifying history events and I truly, truly thought it was borderline because, like I said, it was used as a prop.

To conclude.

Is this book great? Yes and No.

I think if you take it independently of THG, it’s a very good book. It’s interesting, the characters are compelling, there is a moral for you to reflect on… It’s not the best dystopian book I’ve read in recent years, it’s not the best young adult book I’ve read in this lockdown (Hi, do yourself a facor, check out the Shadow of the Fox trilogy and then come shout at me in my ask box) but it was still a good read. And I forgot to say but the first half of the novel is actual crack. It was hillarious. Might not have been the intent but come on. It was funny. (and I’m satly they sent him in the arena but they sent him with a can of pepper spray and that will make me laugh forever) I had a good time and, at the end of the day, that’s what you ask of novels.

However, in the general context of the series, loving thg as much as I do, it tainted some of the iconic things, twisted them, insulted some of my most favorites characters, and that really dampened my joy and made me angry. So as a fan… I’m not sure I can say it was great, no.

It certainly didn’t let me indifferent though and that’s already something.

And, I mean, it is so much better than the cursed child I feel I cannot complain too much.

It also does leave the door rather open to a sequel, doesn’t it? I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s another announcement soon.

#tbosas spoilers #tbosas #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the ballad of songbirds and snakes spoilers #balladspoilers #spoilers #i read stuff #namely abosas #abosas spoilers #book review #I did my best to correct spelling errors and such #but i've spent the whole day reading and my eyes are killing me

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victory-cookies · 4 years

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It’s Curtains, For Sure!

A/N: Alternatively titled “Jonas and Poet go to Walmart”. This is a) the longest one-shot I’ve ever written (for fic or ocs) and b) the first time I’ve ever written a curtain fic story. It was fun. I hope you enjoy. Also, have I ever mentioned that Poet and Jonas are in a QPR? They’re in a QPR.

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“Y’know, I’m pretty sure that if hell exists, it’ll just be a really big Walmart,” Jonas muttered as he and Poet walked through the entrance to the store. “It’s so loud and crowded and bright and the people, Poet, the people can be so mean!”

Poet rolled her eyes as they walked over to the shopping carts, ignoring Jonas’ exaggeratedly woeful expression. “You didn’t have to come with me, dingus. It’s my shopping week, not yours,” they said, inserting a quarter into the nearest cart and pulling it free of its brethren.

“And leave you to endure this torture alone? I would never!”

She snorted and began to walk towards the store proper. “Chivalrous of you.”

“I know,” he replied, hurrying after them.

Once inside, Poet pulled out a list and scanned it. “Alright, so we need, like, the general weekly food stuff, as well as baking supplies for dessert tomorrow, laundry detergent, dish gloves, Mariah wants some yarn, I need some new makeup, and Marcus wants, and I quote, ‘a new boardgame or something because Catan is boring as shit and you all know it’, which, to be fair, he is right about. Anything I forgot?” They looked back up to see Jonas lounging in the cart.

He shrugged. “Don’t think so? If you’re getting makeup, though, I want some too.”

“Sounds good,” they said, stuffing the list back into their pocket. “Upstairs first? We can grab the yarn and a new game or two and get everything else after.”

Jonas flashed her two thumbs up.

There was a short pause as she looked at him, one eyebrow raised. “You gonna stay there?” she asked finally.

He grinned, ignoring the uncomfortableness of the metal pressed into his back. “Gotta find some way to have fun in here.”

They sighed and began to push the cart through the store.

***

It was only when they arrived at the escalators that Poet realized letting Jonas stay in the cart may have been a bad idea.

“Nuh-uh. No sir. I am all for committing fun and stupid crimes, J, but I am not letting you defile my good name by getting us banned from Walmart.”

In front of them, sandwiched between the up and down escalators, was the shopping cart conveyor, currently ferrying many a customer’s groceries between the two floors. And in Jonas’ eyes, there was a sparkle of mischief that Poet was very much familiar with.

“You are not riding the cart escalator, Jonas.”

“Oh, c’mon—”

“No, absolutely not, they will see you and they will kick us out and we will never be allowed back into the only nearby Walmart—”

“Can’t see me if I’m invisible,” he said slyly. “Besides, even if we do get banned, you can just shapeshift into someone else and bam. Back in the Walmart, though I don’t know why you’d want that.”

They squinted, looking back and forth between Jonas and the escalators and biting back a smile.

“I’ll buy you that cream blush you want,” he sang, his eyes sparkling brightly.

She sighed fondly. Asshole.

“Deal.”

Jonas pumped a fist into the air and then promptly disappeared.

Poet wheeled him over to the up conveyor and pushed the cart onto it, eyeing the “CARTS ONLY” label on its flaps and the signs above them warning against leaving children in the basket. “I hope you get stuck,” they muttered as the cart began to ascend, and they got the feeling Jonas was flipping them off (though it was hard to tell, him being invisible and all). They stepped onto the up escalator and leaned against the railing as they rode it up, watching the seeming empty cart rise beside them. Eventually, they reached the second floor and she pulled the Jonas’ ride out of the cartveyor, dragging him into a nearby aisle.

“How was it?” she asked, the cart rattling as Jonas hopped out.

“Thrilling!” he replied, dropping his invisibility and stretching. “And see? No one’ll ever know I did it! It’s a perfect crime.”

They punched him in the arm and swung the cart around. “Sure, Jan. Now shall we get ourselves some yarn?”

***

“Wait, how the fuck does yarn work?”

Jonas shrugged. He and Poet stared at the shelves of yarn in front of them, both somewhat confused by the surprisingly large, colourful selection. “My guess is as good as yours, Poe,” he said. “Did she say how many bundles to get or anything?”

Poet pursed her lips. “I didn’t think to ask. She wants red, though.”

“Alright… but neither of us have any idea how much yarn one would need for… general knitting?”

“No clue.”

There was a moment’s pause.

“Let’s just grab lots?”

“Let’s.”

Jonas stepped forward and grabbed an armful of skeins of red yarn, tossing them into the cart. He looked towards Poet, cocking an eyebrow. “Board games?”

“Board games.”

“Cool.”

Jonas took charge of the cart, leading them into what was arguably the best section of the store. They wove through aisles upon aisles of toys, shelves stacked with dolls and toy trucks and far too many brands of surprise boxes, trying to ignore the urge to meander and fuck around with any box that made a noise when you stuck your finger through the front to press demo button. They sped by the shelving unit housing the trading cards because Jonas did not need more, he really shouldn’t, he had so many already— but like one pack couldn’t hurt, right? He tossed it on top of the bed of yarn literally lining the bottom of the cart before sighing.

“Mariah’s gonna laugh at us, isn’t she? This is so much yarn. There’s no way she needs this much yarn, right?”

Poet shrugged. “I dunno, man. She’ll be stocked up at the very least,” she replied as they came to a stop at the boardgames section. “Anyways, what game should we get?” She picked up an Apples to Apples box, flipping it to read the back.

“Isn’t that just, like, G-rated Cards Against Humanity?”

“Yeah, kinda looks like it… how about, uh—” They grabbed another box. “Trouble?”

J shook his head. “Pretty sure we already have that one.”

“Shit.” They scanned the shelves, searching for something interesting, before they froze and silently pulled a box labelled “Pandemic” down. A Look passed between them and Jonas, and they placed the game into the cart.

“Okay, you better be glad we don’t have a pandemic going on in this universe or I swear to god…” muttered Jonas as he began to head back towards the escalators. Poet snickered and followed.

***

The two of them rode the escalator back down to the main floor, Poet having managed to convince Jonas to stay out of the cart this time. They began to knock out some of the more boring tasks on the list, heading over to the home goods side of the store to grab the cleaning supplies they needed before entering the food area to get the main groceries.

“Whose idea was it to let eight teenagers live together again?” Poet asked, looking at the grocery list to see they needed ten frozen pizzas. “I feel like this isn’t healthy.”

“Eh,” Jonas replied, shrugging as he opened the freezer display to grab the aforementioned pizzas. “We haven’t died of malnutrition yet.”

“Fair.”

They continued through the store, piling the rest of the week’s food supply into the cart. When they reached the baking aisle, Poet added what could only be described as an industrial-sized bag of chocolate chips to the stash, earning a half-puzzled, half-amused look from Jonas.

“You never know when you might need ‘em,” they said, grabbing a bag of cake flour.

***

It was as they bagged and tied the last of the fruits on the list that Poet began to notice how quiet Jonas had gotten. They glanced over to see him fiddling with the bracelet on his wrist and pursed their lips. “You doin’ alright there, J?” they asked.

He looked up quickly. “Oh, yeah, I just— it’s… a lot in here, y’know? It’s...” he trailed off.

“You wanna hit the makeup section real quick and then we can blow this popsicle stand?”

He nodded. “That would be cool.”

They quickly made their way over to the makeup section and Poet made a beeline for the display for the cream blush Jonas had promised her while he walked over to a display of eyeshadow palettes. He deliberated for a moment before grabbing a small palette of blues and purples, wincing slightly as a baby over in the next aisle began to cry loudly. He then felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Poet, holding her blush as well as a tube of mascara and multiple eyeliners of different colours. She reached around him to grab a palette for herself before smiling at him.

“Shall we?” she asked.

***

The cart clattered as they rolled it out of the store, packed tightly with bags full of various necessities and absolutely-non-necessities, and Jonas sighed with relief.

“And we’re free!” he muttered. “Free from the actual, real hell.”

Poet pursed her lips. “I’m sorry about that,” she said.

“Nah, it’s okay,” he replied. “It didn’t get too bad, all things considering. And hey—” He put his hand on top of theirs as they pushed the cart along. “I may have actually had a little fun. It’s nice spending time with you. Also, you did help me ride the cart escalator, which slapped.”

“Oh, shush, you sappy bastard,” they laughed, grinning and turning away from him. “You’re still paying for that blush, y’know.”

“Of course,” he said, amused. He smiled, bumping into their shoulder. “Love you.”

“Love you too, idiot.”

#my ocs #my writing #poet #jonas #putting a readmore bc looooong #and yes the title is a ts sides reference #shush #i have roman on the brain #the layout is basically the layout of my local walmart btw

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fleurdehivers · 5 years

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who’s the true protagonist of trc?

okay, this is inspired by an old deleted post by, and a later conversation with @lynchlesbian about the “adam parrish and his band of merry men” line by the gray man, and us wondering what the fandom consensus is on who the real protagonist of the series is and why. i think mstief did a decent job of putting alll of them on the same level narratively speaking, or at least giving them the same amount of space, so a case could probably be made for all four characters and no option would be wrong a priori.

i’ll put the rest under the cut, because this is going to be a little long.

i still wanted to try and break this down with a more thorough analysis. so, i think we should start by the definition of what a protagonist is: the term comes from ancient greek drama and literally means “first actor”, in the sense that the protagonist was literally the character that made the first appearance on the stage and was the focal point of the story. i consulted a number of websites and they all seem to agree on the fact that for most of history and in most cases a protagonist is also the hero, simply defined as the character we hope to see “win”, and the main character of the story. but sometimes the three do not coincide, and there begin the problems, because if they’re not one and the same we need to define separately what a protagonist and a main character are. and academia apparently hasn’t got a single and unanimous outlook on the matter, which makes things a little confusing.

the main character is easier to classify:

it is either the character from whose perspective the story is written (sometimes this is also called the “point-of-view” character – in this instance gansey, blue, adam and ronan are all unequivocally main characters)

or simply the character with the most screen time (again, all four are main characters)

but, as defined in this article, usually a main character is also a character who experiences inner conflicts, and how said character resolves those conflicts often determines how the external conflict is resolved; to avoid confusion, i will call this case that of a “central character”

the protagonist is where things get muddier:

it is the person who opposes the antagonist (this is easy, they’re all protagonists again, save for tdt maybe, where ronan is the protagonist and the other are all co-protagonists)

it is, mainly, the character who is the primary pursuer of the story goal, which affects or involves most of the characters and its the source of external conflict; often the protagonist tries to persuade the other character to follow them in pursuing the goal

it can be the person who drives the plot, the one who makes decisions, who makes things happen and creates action; one writer suggested here that greg, the father of the family, is the protagonist of little miss sunshine because he drives the story forward by driving the car. i don’t necessarily agree with this interpretation, it feels somewhat simplistic, but there you go

it’s also a character that undergoes change, emotional, intellectual and/or spiritual growth, and travels from a point a to a point b, either literally or figuratively; at the end of the story they’re often wiser, more nuanced, better or just changed people

now that we have our definitions, we can start applying them to the characters.

let’s start by the most obvious one, i.e. gansey. if you want my straightforward opinion, gansey is the protagonist of the story; it’s not the answer my heart wants to give, but it’s the one that makes most sense to me. all characters are involved in the main plot, but gansey is the one clear pursuer of the story goal and the focal point of the story. whilst reading, the questions we’re supposed to ask ourselves are, will he find his dead welsh king? will he survive? why was he brought back to life the first time anyway? and, of course, he is the unspoken leader of the gangsey. and when someone challenges that leadership, he acts hurt and offended, like for the most part of tdt where he shuts adam out and feels betrayed by him. actually, in his words, the betrayal feels worse than if it had come from ronan, because evidently gansey wasn’t expecting adam of all people to discuss his central role in their quest. but. BUT. as per our precedent definitions, the protagonist is supposed to change and grow as the story progresses and this doesn’t seem to be gansey’s case. in fact, one could almost say that his main character flaw is his inability to change. he starts at one point in the story and he finishes in the exact same spot. the narrative denies him the possibility to become a better person and rectify his mistakes. and he’s also not always, perhaps not for the most part, the person driving the plot forward, making decisions and creating action.

in fact, that role could be fulfilled by adam or ronan. adam is the first character to create action, because a) he’s the one asking blue out and therefore making their fates intertwine, and b) he’s the one who convinces gansey to go to the psychics about glendower. he also jumpstarts the narrative by waking the ley line, thus setting the magic element in motion. he makes a bargain with cabeswater and becomes the link between the boys and the forest; he painfully learns how to communicate with this sentient entity and he reshapes his future by choosing another tarot card at the table; he becomes the magician, he comes up with the plan to blackmail greenmantle, he finds out how to wake the animals in the valley of skeletons, which later allows blue fo find her mother; he learns to scry to help ronan with his dreams; he’s the one suggesting to ask cabeswater to sacrifice itself for gansey and he’s pivotal in the process or reviving him teaching cabeswater about humanity. person driving the plot? check. he also undergoes a lot of personal change. he frees himself from his abusive household environment, he cuts ties with his family and goes on to live alone and support himself financially; he grows so much as a person, learning to count more on his friends, to let go of his pride, to control his anger, even when he has every right to be angry, and to not vent it out on others, to let himself feel things. so, character who undergoes personal growth? check. but he admittedly isn’t the focus of the overall story, the role is still gansey’s.

a similar argument could be made for ronan. he is the dreamer, he manifests cabeswater, he’s a main driving force of the entire story. as with adam, he changes a lot from the beginning to the end of the books: he starts out by being this ever-angry boy, all sharpness and edges because he’s grieving and traumatised but slowly begins to heal, to find some kind of closure with his father; to free himself from his self-hatred, to accept himself the way he his; he learns to control his dreams and to free himself from kavinsky’s toxic influence; he becomes a better friend to blue and lets himself love his crush, he loses his mother in a horrifying way but he’s there again for his friend shortly after; he becomes a parental figure for opal. so we find ourselves again in front of a character who carries the story forward and has a notable self-growth throughout it. at this point, one could be tempted to say he’s the true protagonist because there’s a novel in the series entirely devoted to him, but it’s exactly his role in tdt that makes me reject this idea. he’s a fundamental part of a piece of the story, a link between the beginning and the later portions of it, the effective protagonist of tdt; but tdt feels too much like a kind of stand-alone book inside the series, and yet again, the rest of the story doesn’t revolve around ronan, though he is, as much as adam, an impossibly central character in a book with four main characters.

blue is, instead, clearly the decoy protagonist: the premise and the first chapters of the series make it look like she’ll be the only main character and the hero of her own story, but going forward she kind of fades into the background, to tumble out of it in bllb, to go back there in trk. she has too few relevant moments by herself, and most of them are concentrated in the first half of trb and the ending chapters of bllb, to be considered a fitting candidate for protagonist role. and as with gansey, she just doesn’t grow that much as the story goes on. which, if you ask me, is a pity because not only she was a very interesting character, she also was the only female character in the main ensemble cast. but, alas, we had to see her fulfill her destiny and kill and one true love with a kiss. me was hoping for a plot twist at the end, but of course that wasn’t my destiny as a reader.

so, to sum things up, this is how i view things: gansey is the de facto protagonist of the story, because he’s the clear focal point of it. but remember point three in the main character definitions? i’d say adam and ronan are the most central characters in the novels, those whose internal conflicts determine how the external conflicts are resolved. and they’re both gansey’s contenders as protagonists. although, i also think that ronan feels comfortable in a defiled position and is quite happy to follow gansey in most occasions, whereas adam openly challenges gansey’s leadership and decisions, and makes his own accordingly. so i get where mr. gray takes his idea of “adam and his band of merry men” and it makes perfect sense to me that he would think that way for what had been his involvement in the story. and i have to say, my heart thoroughly agrees with mr. gray. just this once.

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avicebro · 5 years

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Artemis: Where Fate May Have Gone Wrong

Okay, this might be stupid and fruitless, but, okay, here’s a meta post defending some (not all) of Artemis and Orion in Fate/Grand Order. This is mainly “where might have fate gone wrong”, really.

First off, let’s get the obvious out of the way:

Artemis and Orion’s relationship is horrible, non-consensual, and is overall not funny. Orion is not interested in Artemis at all, insults her, and he routinely talks about or hits on other women. In turn, she appears to be obsessed with him, in almost-yandere territory. Most of the jokes involve Orion trying to escape her and her making jokes about awn, he loves her so much! The art usually includes Orion escaping Artemis, or Artemis doing something harmful to him.

I’m not going to talk about this a lot because people have already discussed it a lot, and I think it’s the main reason why people dislike her. Maybe if she spooked you, too. Her writing in her own event and the Okeanos chapter leaves much to be desired. Nevertheless, I think people have already spoken enough about why they dislike her.

Here’s why I think she’s not…as…bad….as I think people make her out to be.

Second point: let’s talk about Artemis and Orion in mythos.

Artemis is characterized in mythos as being a pretty fair goddess, associated with hunting, childbirth, her brother Apollo, and virginity. She asks her father Zeus to stand by her vow of chastity and kills a man, Acheron, for seeing her and her huntresses bathing.

I say she’s pretty fair because for the most part she isn’t a very vengeful goddess? Acheron did see her bathing. She sends down plagues and arrows against the Greeks because one, she supports Troy, and two, because they defiled Apollo’s priestesses. Similarly, she hurts Niobe because Niobe boasted that she was a better mother than Artemis and Apollo’s mother.

Depending on the version of the myths surrounding Agamemnon you read, she refused the Greeks leaving for Troy because Agamemnon boasted that he was a better hunter than her. She makes less sense if you use the Aeschylus reasoning, where she basically makes up an excuse. Something could be said for making Iphigenia be sacrificed, but then again, some variants of the myth have Artemis saving Iphigenia. The matter of whether or not gods are fair, or should be fair, is a whole matter of debate that I have no time to get into, but if we compare her to Athena, for example, then I would say that she’s fair.

If we discuss Orion, he’s characterized as a typical son of Poseidon (we’re going to ignore the version with Poseidon, Zeus, Hermes and a bull hide. If you’re curious, it’s on Wikipedia). He has a large, commanding presence, a giant who could walk on water. He is blinded after attacking a princess, and after being healed by Helios, he meets Artemis and Leto. He’s a very skilled hunter, and boasts that he will kill every beast on Earth. Gaia, mother Earth and more famously the mother of these beasts, sends a scorpion to kill him. After his death, Artemis asks Zeus to place him up in the stars, which he does.

In many ways his characterization echoes similar Greek heroes, primarily other sons of Poseidon, Theseus and Bellerophon, and of course, as this is Greek myth: Heracles.

Orion is the only man Artemis exhibits feelings for, having a strong bond from hunting together. Whether or not this is romantic is really up to you. If anything, they're close, enough that when he is killed by his own hubris, she asks for him to be put into the stars. I’ve seen this used as an example of why she’s demiromantic asexual, or sometimes her relationship with Orion is shoved under the rug. I don’t think this relationship is a la Athena, like her and Odysseus, for example, and it isn’t on the Aphrodite side. While it is fun to try and look at god’s sexualities, I would say that in the Greek Pantheon canon, her relationship with Orion should be viewed as romantic. Or, for any a-spec people, a QPP.

This is all to say that I think that Artemis being summoned with Orion, for me, makes sense. She was one of the first goddesses to appear in fate/grand order. I think that their subversion of expectation by making her actually be Artemis, and not just a cis-swapped Orion, was actually kind of smart for fate? It’s still…not good…because Orion is a teddy bear… but I mean… part of it was smart, I guess.

Artemis being summoned with Orion makes sense because Orion was the only hero Artemis cared for. She mourned for his death. If you wish to summon a goddess, having one that is perhaps with the hero that they cared most for, makes sense to me. If Hera comes with Jason, or Athena with Odysseus, or if Aeneas gets summoned with his mom Aphrodite.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t explain a) why Orion hates Artemis or b) why Artemis acts like that.

Anyways, now we gotta talk more about Greek Mythology and why it’s complicated.

Greek Mythology likes to push gods together. Dionysus is probably a whole bunch of gods squished together which is why his characterization makes no sense. Aphrodite is probably much older than Ancient Greece and probably comes from somewhere else, which is why her backstory is confusing. Poseidon and Zeus are likely the same Indo-European god, just split in two. Some gods are the literal beings of things: Gaia, the Earth, with her son/husband Uranus, the sky. The mountains, the sea, the ocean, the darkness, the night, the underworld and the eternal chaos, are all gods, too.

This makes a lot of gods are not…necessary? Okay that’s rude. But a lot of gods have similar roles. This sometimes results in gods being squished together, like with Dionysus. The most common variant of this is with Apollo and Helios, and Artemis and Selene.

Helios and Selene, and their sister Eos, the dawn, continue the days with their chariots by drawing the sun, the night, or the dawn, behind them. Sometimes they’re also the personification of the sun or the moon, which is why Helios can see all. Apollo taking over the role of drawing the chariot of the sun wasn’t hard, because Helios isn’t really known for too many myths and ultimately Apollo’s characterization is pretty simple, but Artemis and Selene were a little bit more difficult, because of one myth, about a man named Endymion.

Endymion is a beautiful man, and Selene falls head over heels in love with him. Unfortunately, because she is either the moon or can only come out at night, she only sees him when he’s sleeping. But that’s okay! Some variants of the myth have it so that she prefers when he’s sleeping! Anyways, she goes to Zeus, and asks for him to be immortal. Depending on the variant of the myth, he either needs to keep him asleep so he remains immortal, or she asks for him to remain asleep. Either way, she marries him, and has 50 children with him. While he’s asleep. Selene, please. That’s… that’s not consensual Selene.

So, when Selene’s myths were going to be combined with Selene’s, this one has never really fit. Diana, the Roman equivalent, does have the Endymion myth attached to her as well, but again, it doesn’t really work with the rest of Artemis’ (or Diana’s) myths. This one sticks out as basically Selene’s myth, which was awkwardly tacked onto Artemis.

Now I hope you can see where I’m trying to go with this in terms of fate/grand order.

I feel like FGO wanted to incorporate Orion, because he’s a famous Greek archer. And perhaps they didn’t know how they wanted to design him, or maybe originally, he was going to be a cis-swap, with more moon aesthetic because he is in the stars. It’s difficult to really say. Either way, when the twist that it’s actually Artemis with Orion as a tiny bear was decided upon, and the question of how to characterize Artemis, and Orion, came up. For some reason they were at the ‘we can’t have heterosexual couples in fgo’ part of FGO (thanks Cleopatra and Caesar), so instead of having them be either two good friends who help and have a strong bond with each other, or having them be romantic partners, they decided to have them be the stock ‘husband hates wife who loves him’ trope.

(side note but thank you lost belt for writing good heterosexual couples I love Sigurd/Brynhildr).

This may have come from Artemis’ “myth” with Endymion. Endymion, while probably well known in Japan because of Sailor Moon, probably isn’t strong enough as a hero. So, they took “Artemis’” characterization with Endymion and used it with Orion. Instead of telling the real story.

This is still really shitty on so many levels. The terrible writing. The fact that they took a bond formed on hunting talent and turned it into…that. Artemis’ ‘useless goddess’ personality, because for some reason goddesses can’t be talented and strong in their own rights, and have to be clumsy and ‘useless’. The continued problem with fate where a female character can’t be a little more complex. The fact that even if Artemis, in this interpretation, loves Orion, if you ask, male master, she will totally leave him and will love you. This continues to be a reoccurring problem, even with newer female characters.

Her design. Don’t worry, I didn’t forget the design.

When you picture Artemis, you imagine a muscled, sporty woman, probably around early twenties, with a bow, arrows, and a deer. Her hair is pulled back and her clothes don’t exhibit her from the hunt. She’s not commonly sexualized, partly because of the vow of chastity, but she isn’t in the sense that Athena wasn’t sexualized, for example, or Hestia, another virgin goddess.

The design for Artemis is more similar to Aphrodite with some moon aspects thrown in.

I’m not saying the design is…. bad…I’m just saying it’s bad for her. This is not what you imagine an Artemis, or a Diana, for example. It feels too sexual for someone who, based on the myths, doesn’t exhibit a desire for sex. I do enjoy the bow and the moon aspects, and I think if it was Selene, it would probably work pretty well. But it doesn’t work for an Artemis.

(Also, her skillset doesn’t really work with Artemis either. I digress. This is too long anyways.)

So, what we get is a tacked-on myth and characterization that fits Selene on top of Artemis, for a hero that Selene doesn’t even interact with, Orion. This culminates in Artemis being a ditsy, love-obsessed, useless goddess that keeps Orion in an abusive relationship. However, fgo has given itself, and is slowly working on, a way to fix this.

This is when we put our thinking caps on.

This is mainly from Beast’s Lair from what I gather, so props to them for this. Mainly the idea is that Artemis isn’t a goddess, but a robot. There are a couple of pieces to support this idea. Ishtar, when discussing Orion, says, “I hear that person is a deity of Greece? I guess she is a robot?”

During the most recent summer event, Artemis gets upset when Orion doesn’t want to buy doujins related to robots. Finally, there’s her final art, which includes her pulling a reactor-like device from her hip/thigh.

Whether or not this is true I don’t know and why fate is doing this but anyways.

The second thing is that Orion might be showing up in Lost Belt, and probably Lost Belt 5, which is going to be centered around Greek servants. Spoilers but it’s probably going to include Poseidon, who is Orion’s father, so there could be something to that that they could explore. Furthermore, Lost Belt has done a good job at creating healthy, heterosexual relationships. If this Artemis is a robot, then maybe Orion is the real Orion. Maybe Orion likes this version of Artemis, like how Sigurd likes Brynhildr, despite her strong personality. Maybe it will be revealed that Artemis is really Selene, and the teddy bear is Endymion, trapped. Maybe she acts like this because those who created her didn’t understand her myths.

Anyways. I try to end these by possible improvements but we just have to wait until Lost Belt 5 is released, I guess.

I guess what I’m saying is that FGO has a lot that they can do to make Artemis work. And they don’t want her to be shoved under the rug. So, they should do the good things with her. Continue the trend with healthy heterosexual relationships (and some non-fetishistic homosexual ones, please, too) in Lost Belt, please.

And finally, Artemis deserves better.

#oh and also artemis is a demiromantic asexual #pollux writes #artemis #orion #fate/grand order #fgo #pollyux writes

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nothing-personal-my-dear · 6 years

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Spartacus : Vengeance Rewatch - Episode 4: Empty Hands

Sex Scene: 2 (plus lots of slave entertainment sex)

“Cock”: 3

“Cunt”: 2

“Fucking Gaul”: none because Agron doesn’t have any lines.

Slow motion Face Punch: 1

Episode Name Dropped by: Ilithyia

Memorable Death: Acer… obviously. He deserved so much better!

Favourite Line: “They shall learn a wounded animal may yet bear teeth.”

- I was so damn worried they were gonna step on that frog.

- I love me some foggy forests.

- I don’t get why Mira keeps moving, like stay still woman, you are trying to hide.

- I remember when I first watched this I was so mad at Naevia for running and thought she was so freaking stupid, but like that girl was traumatized. It makes total sense that she ran, it’s classic PTSD (as someone with PTSD I totally understand this reaction). I think my main issues the first time was that I was getting used to this new actor and comparing her to the s1 actor.

- IT WAS A HISS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Seriously, the way that soldier took down Naevia is brutal, and I love it.

- “I fucking hate running,”…….somehow this is the most Aussie thing they’ve ever said.

- Fuck I love Mira. She just full on jumps on the dude and knifes him. She’s like a jungle cat. Seriously, Mira, will you marry me?

- I always feel so bad when the background rebels die, poor babies.

- I LOVE THAT THEY WANNA BURY HIM!!!!! That means so much, it’s respect and loyalty and honour. BUT SPARTY IS SUCH A DOUCHE (even though I understand that they don’t have time, but cmon)

- I get so bored with the Romans sometimes.

- I feel we were robbed of the religious aspects of the time. But maybe that’s just me, I love the whole wide world of Gods and Goddesses.

- Albinius is not subtle in his interest in Lucretia (to be fair, neither am I)

- Glaber is SUCH A DICK TO HIS WIFE, OMG! .... And Ilithyia is so crushed.

- I’m honestly a little surprised Nasir would say he needs a rest, because wouldn’t he want to be seen like a warrior. Especially in front of the Gladiators? But then again, he also completely diffused that tense situation, so maybe he’s a genius.

- I am 1000% here for a Nasir, Mira, Naevia friendship. WHERE ARE THE FICS!?

- I am so surprised Liscus is so quick to say Crixus is dead. I thought Gauls were super loyal and devoted.

- Sparty don’t like people dissing his new bf.

- Holy shit, I cannot get over the utter disrespect of desecrating a corpse. I mean I know Sparty did it in the first ep of this season, and I think I was fine with that cos it was a Roman corpse. But this time, it’s a gladiator. I know, double standards, but I can’t help it.

- Am I seeing things, or does Ashur also look offended/uncomfortable by the corpse defiling? Shit, am I agreeing with Ashur, noooooooo.

- “Slave, true, but far from common”

- I cringe every time Seppia speaks

- “The morning cock has better chance of crowing to such heights”

- “Empty vessel, barren of life, and prophesy” – did Ilithyia really have to go the barren route.

- I was so damn happy when Rhaskos was alive……. If only he’d stay that way forever.

- It’s awkward how excited everyone is, but sucks to be them cos it aint Sparty.

- “I stand with you in this life, and the next” HOLY SHIT I DIDN’T KNOW ACER SAID THIS OMG! This is exactly what Naevia says to Crixus later on. WOW, these are such romantic words, makes me wonder if Acer had a thing for Crixus??? I’m here for it!!!

- Oenomaus and Crixus back together again!! Yay!

- I really hate broken hearted Oenomaus. Let Crixus smile for a god damn minute would you!!

- For a second I really though Liscus went mad and killed Naevia.

- Every time there is a slow-mo fight, I get butterflies. I love this show, okay?!

- Nasir being amazing. That is all.

- You know what I find odd, even though Naevia is super traumatized I almost feel like all this fighting and death would be comforting in a way?? because she grew up in the ludus, she was around fighting every damn day, shouldn’t she not freak out and cry about a little battle?? Am I just being insensitive?

- I am living for all this hissing!

- Oh gods, seriously the slow-mo scream of Nasir is fucking awful. As in it’s tragically hilarious. He sounds so stupid, I hate it.

- Mira and Nasir, I love them.

- Omg, Nasir sounds like he’s saying goodbye. No baby.

- Seriously, the way Naevia walks up to Nasir all possessed like, I honestly thought she was going to kill him. It was freaky.

- Ilithyia’s party dress is the most beautifully stunning thing I’ve ever seen.

- There is a LOT of boob sucking going on.

- Varinius is so waiting for the other shoe to drop.

- Okay, I know Seppia and Seppius are brother and sister but when I first watched this I REALLY shipped them. And even now, I still kinda do. I know it’s all kinds of wrong, but the heart ships what the heart ships.

- It seriously looked like one of those guards rushed up to make out with Acer….. I aint even mad about that.

- “Cut the pig” … background actors are hilarious.

- “Boy fought well”

- I LOVE LISCUS SHOWING NASIR RESPECT!!! Even if it is kinda short lived.

- NEVER EVER MENTION VARRO TO SPARTY, EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NEVER EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- I usually hate it when Sparty slaps his rebels (I will never be over how he slapped Agron) but in this case, I’m okay with it. Liscus talked about Varro, just …. You deserved it, man.

- My little shipper heart wishes Sparty wanted Agron there was so Agron and Nasir could see each other again … my logical brain says Agron is the reinforcements they need. Sigh.

- I love watching Fortis run, that man is so majestical.

- All the other slaves look mad, Crixus looks confused.

- A PENIS!! I always said I’d make a point to mention the penis’ because it’s so rare to see them, compared to the amount of boobs you get in EVERYTHING.

- “We are politicians are we not”

- I love how Albinius is just watching this dick measuring contest, giving no fucks at all.

- Jackals, that’s a new insult. I love Jackals.

- Okay I know I said Ilithyia’s dress was divine but so is Lucretia’s. wow damn.

- I love Acer.

- Lucy Lawless acting is phenomenal. Every time she’s in eyesight of Crixus she holds her stomach. That is so beautifully done and makes the character all the more real.

- Lucretia and Crixus scenes are so amazing.

- OHMYGODS THE TONGUE CUTTING!

- I really love the Ilithyia and Albinius scenes, they have good back and forth.

- Gods, the amount of fun they are all having at Acer’s expense. I could go on another rant about slavery but I think we all get the gist.

- “You carry his child”… hilarious.

- NASIR WANTING A GLADIATOR MARK IS SO FUCKING PRECIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!

- “Do not cry out”

- Sparty actually looks upset at having to burn Nasir, but dude, it’s gonna save his life.

- I don’t think anyone realises how strong Nasir is. He didn’t cry out when he was being burned. Have you been burnt? I have, it fucking hurts. Nasir wasn’t a gladiator, he wasn’t used to pain, he was a house slave, he was used to sex. He’s used to pleasure and discomfort, not brutal pain. And yet, he didn’t scream. That’s my baby!

- I hate that Varinius is into Seppia, it’s kinda gross.

- I do love that Seppia can’t cut Acer though, it really shows her youth and in that split second I actually like her as a character. She seems real for the very first time.

- “Absent attempt to fuck your sister” HOLY SHIT I DIDN’T NOTICE THIS BEFORE, THIS IS FUCKING HILARIOUS.

- Hot damn, Ilithyia is so damn sexy. I mean sucks that Acer died and I liked him, but I NEED TO FAN MYSELF COS ILITHYIA IS HOT LIKE BURNING. Seriously, damn.

- I kinda like a Lucretia and Albinius friendship, for a minute, then it all goes to hell.

- Wait, so Liscus never made it to Agron? But …. I’m confused now.

- Seriously, these actors that play the entertainment slaves, like they are basically having sex, so do they hire pornstars??

- Once again, still shipping the incest, but I can’t help it! gah!

- Holy shit, Ilithyia and Varinius sex scene is hot as hell. Ilithyia makes the best faces when she has scenes like this.

- All this talk of Crassus makes so much more sense now that I’ve seen s3

- Poor Nasir being carted around like a sack of potatoes.

- “Fuck the Gods.”

- I seriously hate the Romans, leave our poor gladiators alone and stop fucking up their corpses.

- How did Sparty hear them coming?

- LISCUS! NO!

- FUCK YOU ASHUR. FUCK YOU ASHUR. FUCK YOU ASHUR. FUCK YOU ASHUR. FUCK YOU ASHUR.

- Wow damn, that pole, flipping over, thing, was amazing.

- Sparty took on a Roman army, all on his own and he won.

- I appreciate Marcus’ belief in his people, but he’s way too cocky.

- “I am not a Roman. I will not fucking die this night”

- I don’t get why Nasir was allowed to live, but Liscus wasn’t. I mean I know his wound was in the chest so it was serious ….. I’m just sick of all these Gladiators dying!

- Sometimes Ilithyia needs to calm the fuck down

- Ilithyia is so vicious. Who knew the ditz from the pilot would end up being one of the most amazing characters

- Ilithyia/Lucretia kiss, how I have missed these.

- “I long to see what dawn shall bring”

- This show has the most beautiful scenery.

- My warrior queen!

- I love that Naevia has a tiny blade to protect herself and Nasir.

- AGRON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Look at that nerd smile. I love him so much.

- I love that Agron barely acknowledges Sparty and runs straight for Nasir.

- Donar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- OMG this Nagron scene kills me. Nasir’s little smile, the way Agron’s whole face just melts and you can see the absolute LOVE in his eyes.

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