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#whether other people care about them or look at them or not. that's secondary. it just feels good to make them ❤️

rebeccathenaturalist · 8 months

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Existence Value: Why All of Nature is Important Whether We Can Use it or Not

I spend a lot of time around other nature nerds. We’re a bunch of people from varying backgrounds, places, and generations who all find a deep well of inspiration within the natural world. We’re the sort of people who will happily spend all day outside enjoying seeing wildlife and their habitats without any sort of secondary goal like fishing, foraging, etc. (though some of us engage in those activities, too.) We don’t just fall in love with the places we’ve been, either, but wild locales that we’ve only ever seen in pictures, or heard of from others. We are curators of existence value.

Existence value is exactly what it sounds like–something is considered important and worthwhile simply because it is. It’s at odds with how a lot of folks here in the United States view our “natural resources.” It’s also telling that that is the term most often used to refer collectively to anything that is not a human being, something we have created, or a species we have domesticated, and I have run into many people in my lifetime for whom the only value nature has is what money can be extracted from it. Timber, minerals, water, meat (wild and domestic), mushrooms, and more–for some, these are the sole reasons nature exists, especially if they can be sold for profit. When questioning how deeply imbalanced and harmful our extractive processes have become, I’ve often been told “Well, that’s just the way it is,” as if we shall be forever frozen in the mid-20th century with no opportunity to reimagine industry, technology, or uses thereof.

Moreover, we often assign positive or negative value to a being or place based on whether it directly benefits us or not. Look at how many people want to see deer and elk numbers skyrocket so that they have more to hunt, while advocating for going back to the days when people shot every gray wolf they came across. Barry Holstun Lopez’ classic Of Wolves and Men is just one of several in-depth looks at how deeply ingrained that hatred of the “big bad wolf” is in western mindsets, simply because wolves inconveniently prey on livestock and compete with us for dwindling areas of wild land and the wild game that sustained both species’ ancestors for many millennia. “Good” species are those that give us things; “bad” species are those that refuse to be so complacent.

Even the modern conservation movement often has to appeal to people’s selfishness in order to get us to care about nature. Look at how often we have to argue that a species of rare plant is worth saving because it might have a compound in it we could use for medicine. Think about how we’ve had to explain that we need biodiverse ecosystems, healthy soil, and clean water and air because of the ecosystem services they provide us. We measure the value of trees in dollars based on how they can mitigate air pollution and anthropogenic climate change. It’s frankly depressing how many people won’t understand a problem until we put things in terms of their own self-interest and make it personal. (I see that less as an individual failing, and more our society’s failure to teach empathy and emotional skills in general, but that’s a post for another time.)

Existence value flies in the face of all of those presumptions. It says that a wild animal, or a fungus, or a landscape, is worth preserving simply because it is there, and that is good enough. It argues that the white-tailed deer and the gray wolf are equally valuable regardless of what we think of them or get from them, in part because both are keystone species that have massive positive impacts on the ecosystems they are a part of, and their loss is ecologically devastating.

But even those species whose ecological impact isn’t quite so wide-ranging are still considered to have existence value. And we don’t have to have personally interacted with a place or its natural inhabitants in order to understand their existence value, either. I may never get to visit the Maasai Mara in Kenya, but I wish to see it as protected and cared for as places I visit regularly, like Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. And there are countless other places, whose names I may never know and which may be no larger than a fraction of an acre, that are important in their own right.

I would like more people (in western societies in particular) to be considering this concept of existence value. What happens when we detangle non-human nature from the automatic value judgements we place on it according to our own biases? When we question why we hold certain values, where those values came from, and the motivations of those who handed them to us in the first place, it makes it easier to see the complicated messes beneath the simple, shiny veneer of “Well, that’s just the way it is.”

And then we get to that most dangerous of realizations: it doesn’t have to be this way. It can be different, and better, taking the best of what we’ve accomplished over the years and creating better solutions for the worst of what we’ve done. In the words of Rebecca Buck–aka Tank Girl–“We can be wonderful. We can be magnificent. We can turn this shit around.”

Let’s be clear: rethinking is just the first step. We can’t just uproot ourselves from our current, deeply entrenched technological, social, and environmental situation and instantly create a new way of doing things. Societal change takes time; it takes generations. This is how we got into that situation, and it’s how we’re going to climb out of it and hopefully into something better. Sometimes the best we can do is celebrate small, incremental victories–but that’s better than nothing at all.

Nor can we just ignore the immensely disproportionate impact that has been made on indigenous and other disadvantaged communities by our society (even in some cases where we’ve actually been trying to fix the problems we’ve created.) It does no good to accept nature’s inherent value on its own terms if we do not also extend that acceptance throughout our own society, and to our entire species as a whole.

But I think ruminating on this concept of existence value is a good first step toward breaking ourselves out first and foremost. And then we go from there.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes or hiring me for a guided nature tour, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

#nature #natural history #ecology #wildlife #animals #environment #environmentalism #conservation #existence value #deep ecology #science #scicomm #environmental philosophy #climate change

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 4 months

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the shroud family curse and its implications for intimacy

I was thinking about what the Shroud parents must look like under their helmets and then I started wondering how they met and fell in love 🤔 While wondering about that, I came to the realization that Mr. and Mrs. Shroud's romance must have been a complicated one.

***Spoilers for books 6 and 7 of the main story below the cut!!***

Idia’s grandmother, Aidne, was the previous director of STYX. She was succeeded by her son (Idia’s father), which implies that the Shroud blood and the curse that comes with it are from the paternal side of the family. Idia’s mom, then, is the one who married into the family. (It’s not clear at this point if those that marry into the Shroud family are also magically afflicted with the same condition, but for the purposes of this post whether it is or not isn’t relevant as my point will still stand either way.)

The Shroud curse quickly burns away any blot the individual has in their body without the typical means of recovery (ie rest and self-care). If there is no blot to incinerate then the curse will turn to consuming the magical energy of the individual themselves, which could pose a threat to their wellbeing and even their life. Because of this condition, ancestors to the Shroud family threw themselves into research on blot in STYX. This would ensure that Shroud members were always around blot that could be burned in the place of their own energy, and provided a sense of false hope for them. They believed that if they worked hard enough, they may be able to find a cure for their curse--but over time, that belief waned, and instead it seems they are all now resigned to their fate and don't try to defy it. We see this is true of the latest generation of Shrouds, as Idia was groomed to become the next director of STYX from a young age even when he disliked the idea and how his responsibilities restricted his freedom. In fact, the Shrouds in general are described as being gloomy people, and this is possibly the result of the hopeless feelings they have about their curse.

A secondary consequence of the curse is that it socially isolates members of the Shroud family from society. Idia is somewhat of a special case since we also have to consider the mental and emotional anguish he experienced following his involvement in Ortho's death. However, even disregarding this horrific tragedy, it can be inferred that the Shrouds are forced into positions which make them more alone than others. For one, their jobs seem to be very demanding and literally physically keeps them away from others (besides colleagues) since the headquarters are located in bottom of the sea. In Idia's post-OB flashback, we get dialogue which implies that he is not allowed outside very often--something which we can attribute to his being the heir to STYX. This may imply that previous Shrouds experienced similar childhoods, and this is just a continuation of the cycle. (I do want to point out here that Idia says his family used to go out to various places together when Ortho was still alive, so it's not a strict requirement that the Shrouds have zero outside interaction. They obviously do go outside the lab, but we cannot say for sure how frequently.)

More importantly, there is also an emotional and psychological component to isolation. You do not need to actually be alone in a room to be considered "isolated" from others. You could, in fact, be in a room full of people and still feel "isolated" because you haven't made any meaningful connection with them. This is what I think it must feel like to be a Shroud out in the world. You may technically be considered a part of the population, but you still don't quite fit in. For example, Idia has previously expressed worries that people will stare at his hair and recognize him as a Shroud, then ridicule his appearance and attitude. Indeed, the gloomy presence that the Shrouds give off seems to be a major deterrent for others to interact with THEM. All that time spent in physical isolation must have also had an impact on the Shrouds' ability to socialize. Idia is a strong example of this; he is an avid gamer and feels comfortable with taunting people via a screen. His face-to-face manner of speaking, meanwhile, can be incendiary and often rubs his classmates the wrong way. His father is not the exact same as him, but Mr. Shroud seems to have his own issues communicating affection and tends to describe things in a serious manner or in terms of work. Thinking about the way the curse is constructed too, there is a built-in fear that the Shrouds can never truly form long-lasting relationships with others, nor completely reveal their true selves to friends. Idia exposits as much in book 6. When Ortho tries to get his big brother to be friends with the OB boys, Idia dismisses the idea and says it won't matter in the end because they will be "sent down the river" and have their memories of those fun times completely purged. This illustrates a defeatist mindset which may be pervasive in all or most of the Shroud family: if this is going to be the fate of my loved ones, why bother getting close to anyone at all? It will just be more painful for us in the end.

SO LIKE. What was Mr. Shroud probably going through when he was seeing his then-girlfriend????? ??? ??? ??? ? ? ??? ? ?? He was probably so frustrated that he couldn't tell her anything about who he really was, and probably even more frightened that if he did ever tell the truth, he might lose her forever (via River Lethe memory wipe). And even if she still accepts him for it, then what??? Then she has to join the Shroud family, and that's basically damning her to the same mopey life he has, researching blot in the middle of nowhere until they're nothing but bones. Imagine how intense that guilt must be, knowing that you (yes, YOU) are responsible for "dragging down" your beloved into the same miserable circumstances that you're in. Not only that, but surely then you'd also have to tell your S/O that any children you conceive together will have the exact same destiny in STYX. It's not just Mr. Shroud either, it must be generations of Shrouds going through this same thing.

But, but, but!! In spite of his fear, Mrs. Shroud must have said yes because she truly loves him with all her heart… Their relationship must be built on such a strong foundation of trust and loyalty 😭 (From here, this is all speculation/headcanon/me rotting about the Hades-and-Persephone-esque romance I picture Idia's parents having. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.) I don't think that Mr. Shroud would be the one to initiate or to be affectionate. At most, maybe he had a shy sort of crush on her. More likely it was Mrs. Shroud that first expressed a romantic interest and passionately pursued him. And then maybe over time his feelings blossomed but he was still too afraid to put this massive burden on her shoulders, knowing the responsibility he bears as the future director of STYX... BUT HE HAS ALSO BECOME TOO ATTACHED TO HER TO CUT HER OUT OF HIS LIFE COMEPLETELY... Her very presence is screwing with his usual sense of cool, calculated logic 💀

AND WHAT ABOUT "THE TALK" THEY'D HAVE TO HAVE TO FULLY DISCLOSE EVERYTHING???? HOW MUCH MR. SHROUD MUST'VE BEEN SWEATING WAITING FOR HER ANSWER????? ?? ?? ? ? ? Oh, Sevens. Now I've done it. Here comes the moment where he gets dumped and his mom sends in a whole squadron of men to kidnap his girlfriend and clean her brain up. But NO 😭 Instead Mrs. Shroud just clasps his hands and insists that they should get married so he'll never have to wallow in those miserable thoughts all alone... He's confused and keeps begging her to reconsider, because this decision will inevitably throw her entire life off course.

"Are you sure about this? If you say yes to me, your fate will be sealed. You can never turn back. Your life will be sworn to the Isle of Woe." "Yup, I've never been more sure of anything in my whole life! Let's burn in the Underworld together, darling <3"

She provides a response that’s so easy and devil-may-care that he doesn’t know what to say back, so he just quietly laughs… and slowly those quiet laughs morph into quiet sobs… (like how flashback!Idia transitioned from laughing to crying when he was bragging about how indestructible the “new” Ortho is 😈 LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON—)

Idia drops this line during his extended post-OB flashback: "So it's romantic when a hero rescues his ladylove from the Underworld, but when I do the same for my brother it's wrong?" WHAT IF THAT WAS TRUE, BUT WITH THE GENDER ROLES REVERSED, FOR HIS PARENTS???? ?? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? Mrs. Shroud willing to literally throw herself into the Underworld to "save" Mr. Shroud... like how Persephone was willing to stay there with Hades... 🙃 I'LL EAT THAT SHIT UP, JUST DROP THE "HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER" UPDATE OF TWST, DEVS..... . . . .. ..... . . .. . .. . . . . . . .. .... . . .. . . .... . . .. . . . .

Okay, I'm done screaming and sobbing at the wall for now--.

#twst #twisted wonderland theories #twisted wonderland theory #twisted wonderland #Idia Shroud #Ortho Shroud #disney twisted wonderland #disney twst #Hades #Persephone #spoilers #notes from the writing raven #angst #twst theory #twst theories #yes I can and I WILL make everything sad/j

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stuckinapril · 5 months

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u don’t have to answer this if u don’t want to or u feel u don’t have anything to say on it (obvi) but how do u deal with jealousy and comparison?

i genuinely just like my shit. i love how i look like, i love my stuff, i love where i come from, i love my family and friends, and i appreciate all the circumstances (good and bad) that have led me to be the person i am today. i've done a lot of esteemable things that have bolstered my confidence growing up, like getting an extremely hard degree and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone more than ever before. i treat other people w kindness and respect. i make sure to be a source of support rather than needless negativity. what people think of me (or have) doesn't get under my skin anymore, bc i've already proven my worth to myself. the fact of the matter is, i'll always hold my own opinion of myself higher than i do other people's opinions of me. i'm at a place where i just don't care that much. i've lost the need to correct people on their takes of me a long time ago.

my own happiness is king--everything else is secondary. if i like it, that's enough for me.

i find it pointless to compare myself to somebody else, simply because no two people have been dealt the exact same cards. i wouldn't compare a rose to a lily, so why should i be comparing myself to people who're--no matter who they are, no matter where they're from--never gonna be me? i'm me. the only person i should be comparing myself to is my past self. i am only in competition w myself. that is all.

as for jealousy, viewing people who have things i want as proof of concept has really helped. if another person gets a higher score on a test, i don't get jealous that they outdid me. i just view them as proof that i can get that score if i studied more efficiently. someone else's success isn't a lack of your own--it's just proof you can reach that success, even if the route doesn't look exactly the same, even if it might take longer.

contentment is entirely subjective. i've known wealthy people who're incredibly miserable. i've known people who struggle financially but could not be happier. other people's advantages don't rattle me, bc i don't care about them, bc i'm so eternally grateful for what i already have. i've also never really been that materialistic to begin with, so i've always understood that a person's worth lies in who they are rather than what they own (whether it be things, money, opportunities...). i can say w my whole chest that i wouldn't swap places w the most famous, most rich celebrity there is. i legitimately don't want to. i know that even if i have to work harder for things, i'll have more to say by the end of it all, and that in and of itself is so profound. not to mention the satisfaction from having challenged myself to get there--and i love a good challenge.

i've unleared the idea that i should view other women as competition. life is hard, we all struggle, we'll be living in a man's world for a long time, and it's just not worth the energy. yeah i'm ambitious, but not at the expense of other people. there's enough room for everyone. another woman's achievement doesn't mean less space for mine. we'll all be fine.

w all that said!! there are bad days. no human is just confident all the time, doesn't feel jealous all the time, doesn't compare themself all the time, doesn't let people's opinions get under their skin all the time. don't feel bad for doing it every now and then. it's natural and normal and just part of the human experience. nobody is perfect. just focus on you, view other people as inspiration rather than competition, and compare your progress to nobody else's but your own. it's been a game changer for me :)

#ask

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sabotourist · 22 days

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Some thoughts on season 19

This is probably going to be one of the most personal things I ever post on social media. But I have some thoughts.

Sarge and Doc died. Doc wasn't even killed on-screen. Was barely even mentioned until the end. He died having only saved two people in his entire career as a medic. Sarge died, and Donut wasn't even there to see it happen.

Was he off grieving Doc? Was he just doing other stuff? I don't know. But he was gone.

Why was he actually gone? Probably for budget reasons. Time constraints. Studio trouble and issues with the engine or model or whatever else. Writing constraints that forced Donut and Doc into such secondary roles. Into dying off screen. Into not even being there when two people you care so much about die.

But like, how much of that was actually in the narrative's control? They had these limitations to write around, and it put these characters in situations where they couldn't be in narratively satisfying roles.

In some ways, it's the most brutal depiction of what life is like.

When I was 14, I lost touch with my best friend. I just didn't keep my phone on me often at the time. He died. I think, if he had lived, he would have gone on to do some absolutely amazing things. He didn't get to. He called me a couple days before it happened. I didn't see it.

Death isn't fair. But it's not the end.

I think, if the story had had more time, these characters could have had better roles. But life isn't always so kind. Death isn't always so kind. We lose people when we're not looking. We blink and people are gone.

Doc, Sarge, Church, and Tex are dead. Wash was in an institution again. Tucker just went through all that. Grif went back to earth.

That's... that's brutal. Why don't I hate it? On paper, I'd hate it.

I think it might be because it doesn't feel like a goodbye, or even the end. There are loose ends. A lot of them. There's so much pain there, so much healing and moving on to be done. Just because Grif went back to earth doesn't mean he and Simmons don't call all the time. Just because Donut wasn't here to maybe save Sarge doesn't mean he won't be there eventually.

Just because Doc only saved two people doesn't mean it didn't matter.

Life is brutal. Death is brutal. Shit happens. Shit that isn't fair. Whether it's people we love dying, or just studio drama fucking a show.

But... that doesn't mean it's the end.

Doesn't mean Simmons is going to be alone, doesn't mean Doc died for nothing, doesn't mean Sarge's sacrifice meant nothing, doesn't mean Wash or Tucker's lives are ruined, or that Caboose can't have a new best friend.

I like to imagine Donut taking up medical studies after this. Doc saved him. He's going to make damn sure that matters. Maybe Blood Gulch becomes something of a boot camp for some future loser rejects in need of a home that Simmons can guide.

Church, in all his forms, may be gone. But that doesn't mean they're going to be so quick to forget. Leave the past in the past. But still look back from time-to-time. It got you where you were.

Sometimes we pass memories down through stories. Sometimes, just in the choices we make throughout our lives.

But just... unfair things happened. To the show, and to the characters in it. To the people running it. My best friend died when he was 14. Monty Oum died in his prime. Life is tragic. But hey, it's not the end. It's just the start of something new.

Maybe it isn't perfect. Maybe it isn't ideal. Maybe it hurts. Maybe it'll never stop hurting. But it can still be beautiful. it still has meaning.

It may just be a silly show about Halo dudes, but it matters.

Tl;dr: Raven is stupidly sentimental right now

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bluexiao · 2 years

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#watch me when i put on a show!

–reacting to you exercising or you asking them to exercise with you…

CHARACTERS. Albedo, Alhaitham, Arlecchino, Cyno, Dehya, Itto, Kazuha, Scaramouche, Tighnari, Xiao; gn! Reader

THEMES. very mild suggestive (obv); crack; fluff; not much indication if modern or canon setting (maybe except for arle, but it can be thought differently as well, use your imagination well!); sly!reader and/or foxy!reader def

WARNINGS. albedo’s identity; mention of nosebleed in a joking manner in cyno’s part

NOTES. Who said I cannot write about exercising and in suggestive?

XIAO

It was not that long when he thought it was a priority for you to at least know the basics of defending yourself. Of course, he had taught you tricks before, but he insists that you should further train about it until he’s sure and content with your capabilities.

Basically, he made it his mission to train you. So of course, to have a few warm-ups before the said training. And that includes a couple of exercises. He’ll personally be handling your exercises and training, but on the first day, he was beginning to slightly regret his decision.

Surely, you’re not–

“What? Is there something wrong, Xiao? Is it my posture? Or the position of my feet?” you begin to put upon not hearing a single response, standing up and discontinuing your counting, “Why do you keep looking at me like that? There must be something wrong I’m doing.”

It was preposterous that he could… think about you that way from a thing he does everyday. How can he do this to you? This is… unforgivable!

“Wait, Xiao! You’re going to disappear on me again, are you?” you caught up to him, grabbing his arm before he could teleport away–by now, you’re quite used to it that you’re able to read his expressions when he want to get away out of embarrassment. A ghost of a smile appears on your lips. Gotcha.

“Say, Xiao… why are your ears red? Like what you see? You can take a picture with a Kamera for it to last long.” “What-!” “Actually, there’s no need for the Kamera! The real one’s here anyway!”

TIGHNARI

Would say that it’s important to train the body so that it could withstand the danger that the forest brings. Or in general, actually.

“Love, you must do this if you want to always join me whenever I go on patrols. I thought you said you want to join me always? This is what you must do beforehand.”

There would not be a change in his face whatsoever even if you try to seduce your man. He’s too focused on trying to see if you can even withstand the training so he could judge whether you could join him or not.

What gets him on is your scent. And the sound of your heavy breaths.

Sure, as a forest ranger, he had been with several people who breathed heavily and even loudly, and he could catch a whiff of their natural scent. Some he disliked, and some were tolerable.

But you… you were kind of different.

Yours were pleasant, as if he was breathing the air provided by the plants and keeping him refreshed after a single breath. It was natural for him to grow fond of you and even until now that you two are dating.

So this training… it’s not purely for selfish reasons. Yes.. of course, this is also for the benefit of your health. He cannot just let you trout around without properly making you take care of yourself That’s right. He’s definitely not just curious why your scent is much pleasant than the others… right? It’s just a secondary goal. Of course.

SCARAMOUCHE

He doesn’t really exercise that much, sure a few stretches here and there just to make sure he doesn’t strain whenever he goes out to fight, but he’s strong by default, even without exerting much effort.

So when he saw you exercising all alone, he sure as hell did not expect such a thing.

First of all, he needs to know every exercise there is and show off that he knows everything! He cannot let you one up on him like this! That’s right… Plus, how can you be so sure there isn’t anyone else watching you exercise? How can you be this foolish!

That’s right… he needs to exercise with you!

“Quit it. What are you staring at?” “Scara… baby, are you being clingy right now?” “What?! Clingy! How-” “Well, you’re not the type to exercise, I thought you hate it.” “I don’t hate it, it’s just-it’s just I need to make sure you’re doing this kind of stuff properly!” “Wow… coming from someone who never did ‘this kind of stuff’ before.”

KAZUHA

Whenever he was out and about, sailing or adventuring somewhere, of course, it does get lonely. And that was when you developed the habit of exercising–to clear both your mind and your body from stress and thinking about loneliness.

You’ve once told this to Kazuha at the spur of a moment—except for the loneliness part—and he, all of a sudden, suggests for you two to exercise together!

I mean, it’s not like you’re embarrassed about it—it’s your boyfriend for a long time for Archons’ sake, and he had obviously seen more… but still! It’s quite weird to suddenly have someone join you when you’ve been doing it all alone this whole time.

And of course, you’ve been doing exercises because you were filling his absence and now he’ll make you even miss him more!

You were much of a coward to say no—plus, who were you to reject the idea, you’ll see him exercising—and so, when the day came and you saw him standing opposite from you, all ready for what’s to come… you kind of felt… suspicious.

“Kazu… we’ve already done squats.” “What? Oh, pardon me, I thought we haven’t already, I apologize, dove.” “Hm… did you really?” “Of course,” he’d say with an innocent smile.

ITTO

Those muscles aren’t just for show! (let’s all forget that he has noodle arms in game) of course, he does workouts daily! Well… sometimes he forgets, but how can an oni like him fall behind?

Especially now that you suggested working out together!

At first, it never occurred to him what his reaction will be, but as soon as you began warming up–and right in front of his salad!--he’d act all awkward and stutter all of a sudden.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” “Uh… n-nothing! Definitely… definitely not admiring my lover or something!” he mutters, only for his eyes to widen, “I mean! Of course, I am admiring you while you lift your leg to the back like that or when you do a couple of lunges and–wait! I mean, not in that way! But wait, of course, I do, but not now… you know what I mean?”

You scoffed, smirking, oh you definitely know what he means.

DEHYA

She is a protector, a guardian, someone who knows very well how safety is very much important, much more yours.

Thus why she has a training regimen! She cannot miss a day without doing this routine as it helps her get stronger both physically and mentally. After all, a disciplined mind is a sound mind!

You’d always watch her train—though she was embarrassed at first, she had gotten used to it in the end—and even if you’re basically doing nothing or you’re reading a book or doing anything else to pass time, you made sure to accompany her each and every time. She says that it is unnecessary for you to do such a thing, but she cannot really say no to you, can she? And besides… she likes it… anyway. Feeling your presence around her gives her a lot of motivation to strive harder and be stronger.

“Dehya, darling, you’re doing good!” just your words were enough. But now…

You’re asking to… exercise with her?!?

Ehem.

Oh, she definitely will get flustered. As you merely watched her most of the time, you’re just a beginner and she had to instruct you how to properly do the exercise every once in a while. She’d be stiff whenever she guides you even by your arms or on your leg—where you’d usually have a “mistake”.

Well, what she doesn’t know and see is the smirk on your face whenever you hear her stutter or freeze up. Of course, she can’t absolutely know that you’re definitely doing this on purpose.

CYNO

As a punisher of evil deeds, a workout is very much important to him. Thus, in the early mornings, it was not a surprise for you to see him training by himself once again. First, exercising for a little bit, then trains his combat.

At first, it was all your curiosity that urged you to ask if you could join in. But now that you’re here… damn. It seems your nose will bleed at any second.

But you had to hold it in; biting your lip and making sure your eyes were trained to anything other than his figure.

After a while, he did notice that you had remained silent, even as you stayed by the sidelines, merely watching him train by himself after the warmups and a bit of workout, and it did make him worried.

“Why? Was it too intense for you?”

You’d immediately panic, thinking that he had caught you (technically sneaking glances at him) but upon noticing the look in his eyes, you’d realize what he had meant.

“I’m alright, Cyno… it’s just…” you pause, contemplating whether you should just straight up lie or tell the truth. “Just?” “Well… uhm… nothing! I’m just-enjoying the fresh air, that’s all!”

Guess you can’t really just say that the air was the only thing you’re enjoying at the moment when he’s leaning so close to you like this.

ARLECCHINO

You cannot be a lazy person with her by your side. Well, you can, but not always.

She is quite strict, especially with your health. She had been persuading–forcing–you to exercise and move your body–I mean, even taking a walk or a run would be good, but they were all with good intentions. After all, being involved with the Fatui–let alone a Harbinger is one heck of a ride to hell.

“You must train your body to withstand the cold of Snezhnaya and even the harsh sun and monsters of the other regions, Y/n. How do you expect me to let you join me in my travels if you cannot handle the climate?” “Babe, I am literally living in Snezhnaya right now.” “Yet you’re still shivering even while working out.” “Because it’s cold!” “Exactly.” “Ugh!”

You’ll end up forgetting your plan to show off your moves–ahem–but in reality, it’s really working.

Well, it may not be the main reason why she wanted to keep being strict with your routine… but it is one of them. Not that she’d admit it outrightly.

ALHAITHAM

He is someone who doesn’t like wasting time, you know that very much. But you were quite curious how in the world he had kept such a… bod when he is such a knowledge maniac.

Well, wrong, darling. He does train his body every once in a while. Someone with great knowledge and information like him would know very well that having a healthy body is as important as having a healthy mind.

And the moment you found out about this, a wicked idea came into mind.

Thus, why you are now here, doing a few warm-ups in preparation for your workout with your boyfriend? And just by the warm-ups… oh Archons. Why does he have to be–

“Y/n, you missed a count.” “What?” “Nine is not after Seven, darling.” “Shut up, babe, and don’t cheat, keep stretching!”

ALBEDO

You’ve got to get this man to move and stretch his limbs because all he had ever known is stay cooped up in his laboratory his whole life–well, technically not but still. He’d be stupid to deny that.

He’ll be confused why would you be so worried about his physical condition like that when it’s not really something that you should be worried about–he’s not human, after all. But it was… endearing, to say the least. This is one of the very many things that he finds endearing and adorable about you.

Scratch that.

Actually, he might know now why you invited him to join you in exercising.

“Hm… I see now,” he’d mutter under his breath, a hand holding his chin. “Hm? What was that, ‘bedo?” you could only look up at him as you continue stretching, tips of your fingers pointing and touching your feet simultaneously. Despite acting innocent… well, Albedo could argue that among everyone else, he is most likely one of those who knew you very well. And right now, he could very much tell that your intentions were pointing to one thing. Seducing him.

Well then… two can play the game.

Would have an innocent or blank look on his face as he continues to follow you on your “exercise” but really, this just turned into a competition that will get flustered first. Obviously, you lose at this point.

p.s. thank yoru @anantaru for convincing me to write this piece if you enjoyed~

Reblogs and comments are very appreciated~

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#genshin x reader #xiao x reader #kazuha x reader #albedo x reader #scaramouche x reader #cyno x reader #alhaitham x reader #al haitham x reader #arlecchino x reader #dehya x reader #itto x reader #tighnari x reader #blue's works

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curekibouka-writing · 2 years

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Can i request headcanons for floyd, jade, leona and riddle saying something hurtful and insensitive to their s/o without them realizing it was hurtful until s/o starts crying and walking away from them? With a comfort ending pleaseeee~

A/N: I cannot guarantee a comfort endings as I’ve mentioned in my rules, but I’ll try ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

Riddle is completely unaware that whatever he was saying is hurtful. He wouldn’t hurt you on purpose, which, in turn, throws him into a confused frenzy.

His first instinct is to chase after you and ask you what he said wrong and apologise, but the image of your crying face deters him. He reluctantly admits to himself that perhaps you want to spend some time away from him.

He will try his best on his own to recall and pinpoint what hurtful things he said. And if he really doesn’t know, he’ll sheepishly ask Trey or Cater (because “Trey is always so kind to everyone” and “Cater is good at communicating with others”) with his eyes looking at the ground the whole time.

He feels very ashamed. It perturbs him every time he does something ‘wrong’, especially if it hurts someone else. It makes him feel like everything he’d ever studied was useless in this regard. He’ll probably try to read up on communication strategies in his spare time (although the usefulness of those books is questionable).

One night, he flies with his broom outside your window and slips a letter inside without you noticing. In it, he apologises for the incident and promises he would not do it again. He also asks you to immediately voice your feelings to him when he begins saying anything insensitive, instead of letting it bottle up to the point that you had to walk away. He goes to sleep anxiously that night, hoping you’d look at him anew tomorrow.

Floyd blabbers selfish and insensitive things like a 5-year-old. And what’s worse? He tests your bottom line like a kid too and milks as much entertainment out of you as he can.

“Are you angry hehe? Gloomy maybe?” he squints with all the amusement of watching a grumpy kitten in his eyes, “Why’re you all quiet now? Fish’s got your tongue?”

He still seems to be shamelessly having fun when you had to run away (“Aha~ cute crybaby ♡”). It doesn’t quite click with him that he went way too far until at least a few hours afterwards. Or perhaps not even then, perhaps not until he shares every little fun experience that day with his twin brother, and Jade tells him with a helpless smile “Fufufu, Floyd, I believe you are at fault there.” that he realises he hurt you.

Floyd will hunt you down to apologise (no he does not care if it’s 2am or not). He doesn’t hate hurting people, honestly it’s fun for him sometimes, but not to the extent that he takes away the happiness of people he cares about. That’s not supposed to be entertaining, it just makes him grumpy (that he might kick a wall or a pillar or a door wherever he finds you to vent).

“But it’s your fault for running away, ‘kay?” after apologising, he quickly throws a curveball at you, pouting, “It’s fun to be with you. So you have to have fun when you’re with me too. You’re not supposed to go quiet when you’re not having fun, got it?”

Jade tends to conceal his malice beneath layers of sugarcoat. In turn, when you pick up things that he intended to have hidden, it becomes difficult for him to notice and predict.

At first, Jade finds the reaction interesting. It certainly wasn’t something he had expected, hence it automatically piques his interest, whether it was a positive or negative reaction is now a secondary concern. What was it he said that caused this? For what reason did it cause this? What kind of buttons did it push in you that made you respond this way? Were there any external causes? He wants to know all these… for future references.

He will have a perfect apology for you. He will find you just as you were thinking it’s about time you want reconciliation. He will show up with your favourite food, freshly made, and he will promise you a well-planned date for making it up to you. And during his courteous discussion of the date’s itinerary with you, your tumultuous emotions slowly simmer down.

Yes, Jade is normally such a polite and sensible partner, certainly it was but a one-time slip-up, of course it’s forgivable after a little cooldown.

And of course he had predicted that. After all, how will he continue having fun “with” you if you start avoiding him? In his mental list, he crosses out whatever upset you this time. But worry not, the list is still endlessly long ♡

Leona does not give a damn. What are you, his baby nephew? Crying doesn’t solve every problem in the world. He meant what he said, some tears won’t make him want to take it back out of pity or anything.

In his mindset, there aren’t many ways to deal with hurtful remarks: you either make yourself stop caring or make them shut up. People say what they want to say, and naturally, he is one of those people. So if you can’t make him shut up, he already expects you to deal with it.

This is not to say he doesn’t realise what he said upset you, he took notice the moment you ran away from him. But that doesn’t encourage him to apologise either. In fact, he probably won’t apologise even if people around him urge him to. Given that he does not think he did anything wrong, a prideful lion would not be bowing his head.

And if you’d still return to his side after that, well, you could say he’d feel somewhat reassured. Reassured that you aren’t some flimsy crybaby, reassured that you are well-aware of how petty and arrogant a man he is and still you can live with it.

“Well, well, I guess herbivore hearts are as fragile as their constitution?” he smirks, lifting your chin with his hand, “In that case, you’d better be prepared not to let me devour it whole.”

#twisted wonderland #twst writing #twisted wonderland x reader #riddle rosehearts x reader #riddle rosehearts #floyd leech x reader #floyd leech #jade leech x reader #jade leech #leona kingscholar #leona kingscholar x reader #heartslabyul #savanaclaw #octavinelle #twisted wonderland writing #twisted wonderland headcanons #twst headcanons #twst requests #twst x reader

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wordsandrobots · 8 months

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I finished IBO recently, and I don't think I fully get why people call Mika and Orga's relationship one of "toxic codependence". That they depend on each other is obvious, but I feel like I'm missing out on why people think their relationship is unhealthy.

(Thank you for giving me a reason to procrastinate on the chapter I have nearly finished but my brain has gone 'nah' over.)

The way I look at it, there are two key levels on which it's unhealthy. These are related but I think it's worth distinguishing them, because one plays into wider problems within Tekkadan, while the other is a deeply personal matter between Orga and Mika.

But first of all, I think it's important to be clear: Orga and Mika's relationship is rooted in genuine care and affection. This is not apparent friendship built on a lie. These two really are together for life and there are many positive aspects to that. We see them joking about early on, Mika making sure Orga eats (whether he wants to or not), the ease with which they operate as a double-act -- and there's a real sense each would be dead before the series began if not for the other.

However, there is also a profound imbalance at the heart of their relationship. I've written before about how that imbalance is inverted compared to what it looks like at first glance; that is, Mika is the dominant personality, with Orga twisting to follow his wishes. At the same time, yes, Mika has absolutely outsourced his decision-making to Orga. No question. It might be Mika's desires and dreams that ultimately shape their path, but Orga is still the one making choices about where to go and who to shoot.

And it's the absolute degree of Mika's surrender that fucks Orga up. Because, to a very specific point, Mika will do exactly what Orga tells him without question. Period. Everybody else's opinions and orders are secondary to the man he's picked as his guiding star in life. I say 'man'; I mean 'boy'. This started when they were kids, after all, which is why Orga's sense of responsibility is quite so thoroughly warped.

As far as Orga is concerned, being in charge means working everything out on his own. Because Mika does not help him. Mika, at most, offers gut feelings for why something should be done; he never provides useful input on how to get from A to B. So Orga internalises that the buck stops with him, that he always has to be the decisive one, always has to have a plan.

It's masked to begin with because Biscuit is there as the angel on his other shoulder, offering useful advice and acting his second-in-command. However -- Orga never actually listens to what Biscuit has to say about the direction Tekkadan should go. That's the central tension in their relationship, in fact. Orga actively expects Biscuit to go along with what he chooses because that's what Mika does.

With Biscuit gone, there's nobody left to make even a token attempt at calling him on this tendency. Eugene utterly fails to, despite having a good set of instincts, because he's too committed to Tekkadan and too easily swayed by other people who seem to know better. Merribit gives it her best shot, but lacks the tools to approach the boys convincingly. Kudelia doesn't see it as her place. And the rest of Tekkadan fall in line over and over, reinforcing Orga's bad habits.

They trust him, is the thing. They trust him to deliver on the dreams he weaves, enough to offer up their lives on his say-so. None more than Mika himself, who literally gives an arm and a leg to make sure Orga's plans come through.

There is a point where this commitment slips out of Orga's control. I'm not sure where to pin it generally but the battle with the mobile armour is when Mikazuki makes it clear he isn't going to back down on the idea of becoming kings of Mars. He's seen Orga latch on to McGillis' offer as *the* destination, their place, where they can all be together and happy. And because he's always done whatever is necessary to see Orga's plans come through, he . . . does precisely that. Even knowing it's going to injure him further. Even with Orga literally telling him not to.

Making sure Orga gets his victory is more important.

I should stress how much this fucks Mikazuki up as well. I tend to focus a lot on Orga, but Mikazuki reduces himself down to a weapon for Orga's sake. To the point of breathing a sigh of relief once he's been sufficiently disabled he thinks he won't have a life outside Barbatos any more. Atra says at one point that Mikazuki is lazy over things that don't interest him -- that includes conceptualising an existence beyond fighting and following Orga. He does have his own dreams (being a farmer, seeing interesting sights) but actually working out how to achieve them after he's given away so much to Orga is beyond him. In the end, he simply gives them away too and chooses to keep following what he imagines Orga's orders would be.

Neither of these boys intended to do this to each other. That's the tragic part. Orga uses Mika as a weapon because it's the smart choice but it tears him up inside to see what that does to Mika as a person. Meanwhile, Mika insists what happens to him comes from his own choices and isn't something Orga should feel guilty over or see as a reason to give up.

And . . . here's where we move from the first level (Orga's no-middle-gear sense of responsibility coupled to Mika's unconditional loyalty) to the level on which Mika personally scares Orga into escalating over and over again.

It's that scene in the Montag Company ship. Or, no, it's not just that: Orga talks earlier about how he constantly feels Mika's eyes on him. Yet it's following Biscuit's death that this aspect of their relationship is laid bare.

I love this scene so much. It has the form of a triumphal rescue from grief, complete with swelling musical score, in much the way Mika often has the form of being the daring protagonist. But the content is Mika being the most blatantly scary he ever is in the entire show. The way he looks at Orga -- the way he always looks at Orga, his unblinking, uncompromising stare -- is at last framed as an overt threat. Mika is not going to let Orga give up because Orga promised to take him to the better place. What Orga wants is irrelevant.

Ah, screw it, I'm transcribing the dub script because it is so, so good.

"Tell me. What do you want me to do next, Orga?" "Hey give me a break. I'm just -" "Look I'm sorry. But I can't stop yet." "That's enough." "Now I wanna know -" "I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH -" Mika grabs Orga by the shirt, dragging him close. "Is this the place you told me about? 'Cos I won't stop. Not 'til we're there. I can't. On that day, Orga, I decided. So. How many should I kill? How many more until we get there? Because I need to know. Tell me, Orga Itsuka! You're gonna take me, aren't you? That's what you told me! What should I do next -?” "GET OFF ME! Orga throws Mika at the locker in the corner and stands up. "Yeah, alright, fine. I'll get you there. Can't turn around now anyway. That's what you want, RIGHT? No matter want kind of hell might be waiting for us. OK? Then I'll do it. And I'm bringing everyone with me." "Yeah. That's right. Take us there. So who do you need me to take out then? And what d'you want me to destroy? 'Cos if I finally get to reach that place someday, there's nothing that I won't do." SFX: lightning and thunder

This is not Mika pulling Orga out of the darkness. It's Mika driving Orga further into it, into a battle that kills dozens and very nearly ends with every single named character dead (in the real world, the commissioning of a second season saved them; in universe, it's stubbornness and pure fluke).

What would it be like to have someone so committed to what you've promised them, they would do anything for you, up to and including refusing to let you break your word? What would that be like if said person was the most dangerous individual you had ever met in your life, because there is a point past having no sense of self-preservation where no line is 'too far'?

That's Orga living with Mika as his shadow. That's not healthy. That's not sane. Orga comes loose at the seams attempting to be what Mika expects of him, and I think he's genuinely terrified of what might happen if he can't.

It goes the other way too. The scene in the ship is one of two times I'd say, yeah, that's what Mika looks like when he's scared. The other is immediately prior, when it seems Carta is going to kill Orga. 'That's what you told me' isn't just a reminder for Orga; it's the closest Mika gets to a crisis of faith. Seeing the one you believe in waver is its own form of terror and Mika has committed everything he's got to Orga. He can't conceive of stopping now.

[I should say, I primarily watched the dub and the vocal performances vary somewhat here even if the underlying intent doesn't. I love what Kyle McCarley does, injecting a note of increasing franticness into Mika's speech, but Kengo Kawanishi hits the volume rise hard on 'What should I do next?', hammering home just how much he needs an answer. Of course, they then both give Mika this deliciously bloodthirsty joy when he gets the one he's looking for.]

I don't know if there's anything Orga could do that would truly break Mika's faith or push Mika to turn that prodigious strength against him. I don't get the feeling Mika is the kind of person who'd ever hurt a friend for real. He isn't cruel and we see how much friendship matters to him (woe betide anyone who hurts the people close to him).

But what these two are actually capable of is beside the point. What matters is what they think of one another and they each think the other is the most amazing thing in existence. Orga sees Mika as near superhuman and Mika sees Orga as fantastically brilliant, and they're both afraid of being proved wrong, so they aim for an impossibility imposed by their mutual expectations.

The further they head down the shortest path to their goals, the more Mika crumbles physically and the more Orga crumbles emotionally. Like an engine shaking itself to pieces as it turns faster and faster. Love, hope, faith, determination -- and no brakes. A mad charge towards destruction.

I don't tend to describe things as 'toxic'. For whatever reason, it's not a word with much presence in my vocabulary. Still, I think it fits here. Mika and Orga's relationship might have been healthy, in a kinder world. It's undeniably the most important aspect of their lives. There's no intention on either on part to cause hurt. But the combination of who they are and the circumstances they are trapped in means they're ultimately toxic to each other.

No matter how much they care or want what's best, the very form of their relationship impedes their ability to grow, cuts them off from those who might be able to help with that, and eventually leads them to their deaths.

-----

Well, that's how I see it anyway. I hope this helped? I think Iron-Blooded Orphans does some pretty brilliant things in terms of presenting fucked-up relationships that have positive aspects while at the same time dooming the participants, so I'm always happy to ramble about that aspect of the show. Or indeed, any aspect of it at all!

#words in answer #more rambling #gundam iron blooded orphans #gundam ibo #g tekketsu #tekketsu no orphans #mikazuki augus #orga itsuka #character interpretation #spoilers

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 3 months

Text

By; Andrew Doyle

Published: Feb 28, 2024

Many years ago I gave a talk at the London Metropolitan Archives in which I outlined my reasons for rejecting the then fashionable theory of social constructionism in relation to human sexuality. In the coffee break that followed, I was approached by a lesbian activist, who claimed to have chosen her orientation as a means to oppose the patriarchy. She demanded to know why I would not accept that sexuality had no biological basis, even though I had spent the best part of an hour answering this very question. ‘I’m sorry,’ I said, ‘but I’ve already explained why I don’t agree with you’. ‘But why won’t you agree?’ she shouted in response. ‘Why?’

Primary school teachers are familiar with such frustrated pleas. The anger of children is so often connected with incomprehension, a sense of injustice, or both. When it persists into adulthood it represents a failure of socialisation. We frequently hear talk of our degraded political discourse – and there is some truth to that – but really we are dealing with mass infantilism. Its impact is evident wherever one cares to look: online, in the media, even in Parliament. Argumentation is so often reduced to a matter of tribal loyalty; whether one is right or wrong becomes secondary to the satisfaction of one’s ego through the submission of an opponent. This is not, as some imagine, simply a consequence of the ubiquity of social media, but rather a general failure over a number of years to instil critical thinking at every level of our educational institutions.

To be a freethinker has little to do with mastery of rhetoric and everything to do with introspection. It is all very well engaging in a debate in order to refine our persuasive skills, but it is a futile exercise unless we can entertain the possibility that we might be wrong. In Richard Dawkins’s book, The God Delusion (2006), he relates an anecdote about his time as an undergraduate at Oxford. A visiting academic from America gave a talk on the Golgi apparatus, a microscopic organelle found in plant and animal cells, and in doing so provided incontrovertible evidence of its existence. An elderly member of the Zoology Department, who had asserted for many years that the Golgi apparatus was a myth, was present at the lecture. Dawkins relates how, as the speaker drew to a close, ‘The old man strode to the front of the hall, shook the American by the hand and said – with passion – “My dear fellow, I wish to thank you. I have been wrong these fifteen years.” We clapped our hands red’.

This is the ideal that so few embody, particularly when it comes to the unexamined tenets of political ideology. We often see examples of media commentators or politicians being discredited in interviews or discussions, but how often do we see them concede their errors, even when they are exposed beyond doubt? There is a very good reason why the sociologist and philosopher Herbert Spencer opened his First Principles (1862) by asserting that there exists ‘a soul of truth in things erroneous’; but such concessions can only be made by those who are able to prioritise being right over being seen to be right. Too many are seemingly determined to turn difficult arguments into zero-sum games in which to give any ground whatsoever is to automatically surrender it to an opponent.

The discipline of critical thinking invites us to consider the origins of our knowledge and convictions. A man may speak with the certainty of an Old Testament prophet, but has he reached his conclusions for himself? Or is he a mere resurrectionist, plundering his bookshelves for the leather-bound corpses of other people’s ideas? Hazlitt expounded at length on how sophistry might be mistaken for critical faculties, noting that the man who sees only one half of a subject may still be able to express it fluently. ‘You might as well ask the paralytic to leap from his chair and throw away his crutch,’ he wrote, ‘as expect the learned reader to throw down his book and think for himself. He clings to it for his intellectual support; and his dread of being left to himself is like the horror of a vacuum’.

The natural human instinct for confirmation bias presents a further problem, one especially prominent among ideologues. Anything can be taken to bolster one’s position so long as it is perceived through the lens of prejudgment. We can see this most notably in the proponents of Critical Social Justice, who start from the premise that unequal outcomes – disparities in average earnings between men and women, for instance – are evidence of structural inequalities in society. They are beginning with the conclusion and working backwards, mistaking their own arguments for proof.

Worse still, such an approach often correlates with a distinctly moralistic standpoint. Many of the most abusive individuals on social media cannot recognise their behaviour for what it is because they have cast themselves in the role of the virtuous. If we are morally good, the logic goes, it must be assumed that our detractors are motivated by evil and we are therefore relieved of the obligation to treat them as human beings. What they lack in empathy they make up in their capacity for invective.

Again, we must be alert to the danger of cheapening argumentation and analysis to the mere satisfaction of ego. One of the reasons why disagreements on social media tend towards the bellicose is that the forum is public. Where there is an audience, there is always the risk that critical thinking will be subordinated to the performative desire for victory or the humiliation of a rival. In these circumstances, complexities that require a nuanced approach are refashioned into misleading binaries, and opponents are mischaracterised out of all recognition so that people effectively end up arguing with spectres of their imagination. The Socratic method, by contrast, urges us to see disputation as essentially cooperative. This is the ideal that should be embedded into our national curricula. Children need to be taught that there are few instances in which serious discussions can be simplified to a matter of right or wrong, and fewer still in which one person’s rightness should be taken as proof of another’s wrongness. In the lexicon of Critical Thinking, this is called the fallacy of ‘affirming a disjunct’; that is to say, ‘either you are right or I am right, which means that if you are wrong I must be right’. One cannot think critically in such reductionist terms.

To attempt seriously to understand an alternative worldview involves, as Bertrand Russell put it, ‘some effort of thought, and most people would die sooner than think’. In the study of psychology this is termed the ‘cognitive miser’ model, which acknowledges that most human brains will favour the easiest solution to any given problem. These mental shortcuts – known as heuristics – are hardwired into us, which is why being told what to think is more pleasurable than thinking for ourselves. I remember an English lesson in which I had initiated a discussion with my students about the representation of Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost, a topic that routinely comes up in exams. I wanted to know what they thought, and why. One student was sufficiently bold to ask: ‘Can’t you just tell us what we need to write to get the highest marks?’

This was not the fault of the student; there has been a trend in recent years, most likely influenced by the pressures of league tables, for schools to engage in ‘spoon-feeding’. Schemes of work and assessment criteria are made readily available to the pupils so that they can systematically hit the necessary targets in order to elevate their grades. The notion of education for education’s sake no longer carries any weight. I have even seen talented pupils marked down by moderators for an excess of individuality in their answers. In such circumstances, even a subject like English Literature can be reduced to a kind of memory test in which essays are regurgitated by rote.

It is hardly surprising, then, that pupils who opt for Critical Thinking courses at GCSE or A-level often perceive it to be a light option, a means to enhance the curriculum vitae without too much exertion. Courses are generally divided into Problem Solving and Critical Thinking, the former concerned with processing and interpreting data, and the latter covering the fundamentals of analysis and argumentation. Pupils learn about common fallacies such as the ad hominem (personal attack), tu quoque (counter-attack) and post hoc, ergo propter hoc (mistaking correlation for causality), along with others derived from Aristotle’s Sophistical Refutations. The Latin may be off-putting, but in truth these are simple ideas which are readily digestible. If one were to discount arguments in which these fallacies were committed, virtually all online disputes would disappear.

That said, the existence of Critical Thinking as an academic subject in its own right might not be the best way to achieve this. As the psychologist Daniel T. Willingham has argued, cognitive abilities are redundant without secure contextual knowledge. Critical thinking is already embedded into any pedagogical practice that focuses on how to think rather than what to think. The increased influence of the new puritans in education presents a problem in this regard, given that they are particularly hostile to divergent viewpoints. Any institution which becomes ideologically driven is unlikely to successfully foster critical thinking, and this is particularly the case when teachers are at times expected to proselytise in accordance with fashionable identity politics. The depoliticisation of schools is just the first step. Critical thinking requires humility; this involves not just the ability to admit that one might be wrong, but also to recognise that an uninformed opinion is worthless, however stridently expressed. Interpretative skills are key, but only when developed on a secure foundation of subject-specific knowledge. This is the basis for Camille Paglia’s view that art history should be built into the national curriculum from primary school level. In her book, Glittering Images (2012), Paglia explains that children require ‘a historical framework of objective knowledge about art’, rather than merely treating art as ‘therapeutic praxis’ to ‘unleash children’s hidden creativity’. Potato prints and zigzag scissors have their place, but we mustn’t forget about the textbooks.

When I was a part-time English teacher at a private secondary school for girls in London, one of my favourite exercises for the younger pupils was to ask them to study a photograph of a well-known work of art for five minutes without speaking, after which time they would share their observations with the rest of the class. So, for instance, I would give them each a copy of Paul Delaroche’s ‘Les Enfants d’Edouard’ (1831), which depicts the two nephews of Richard III in their chamber in the Tower of London just prior to their murder. My pupils knew nothing of the historical context, but after minutes of silent consideration were able to pick out details – the ominous shadows under the door, the dog alerted to the assassins’ footfall, how the older boy stares out at us with a sense of resignation – and offer some personal reflections on their cumulative impact. To create, one must first learn how to interpret.

The kind of humility fostered in the appreciation of great art could act as a corrective to the rise of narcissism and decline of empathy that psychologists have observed over the past thirty years. According to the National Institutes of Health, millennials are three times more likely to suffer from narcissistic personality disorder than those of the baby boomer generation. Writers such as Peter Whittle, Robert Putnam and Shaylyn Romney Garrett have traced the rise of hyper-individualism in Western culture. One particular study revealed that in 1950 only 12 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement ‘I am a very important person’. By 1990, this figure had risen to 80 per cent and the trajectory shows no signs of stopping. One of the ways in which this trend manifests itself is the now common tendency for arguments to deteriorate into accusations of dishonesty. After all, it takes an extreme form of egotism to assume that the only possible explanation for an alternative point of view is that one’s opponent must be lying. In order to think critically, we cannot be in the business of simply assessing conclusions on the basis of whether or not they accord with our own.

An education underpinned by critical thinking is the very bedrock of civilisation, the means by which chaos is tamed into order. Tribalism, mudslinging, the inability to critique one’s own position: these are the telltale markers of the boorish and the hidebound. A society is ill-served by a generation of adults who have not been educated beyond the solipsistic impulses of childhood. At a time when so many are lamenting the degradation of public discourse, a conversation about how best to incorporate critical thinking into our schools is long overdue. Our civilisation might just depend on it.

This is an excerpt from The New Puritans: How the Religion of Social Justice Captured the Western World. You can buy the book here. It’s also available as an audiobook.

#Andrew Doyle #The New Puritans #critical thinking #critical social justice #authoritarianism #ideological capture #ideological corruption #academic corruption #instititional capture #institutional corruption #religion is a mental illness

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arizonaraine · 5 months

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Sorting Hat Chats: Heroes of Olympus

I did not write this, this is an original from @sortinghatchats. I found it on the wayback machine like two years ago and have had it saved in my notes. So this is my contribution to y'all's recovery efforts! Not sure whether to give credit to Inky or Kaden, let me know :)

OK, so I sometimes give speeches on long road trips about the Slytherinness of Percy Jackson. THAT KID. His fatal flaw is canonically that, forced to choose between the world and his friends, he would choose his friends. Slytherin Primary, all the way. Kid’s almost running around waving a banner with his hair dyed silver and green.

He’s also a Slytherin Secondary. Yeah, I know, the kid’s loud and coarse and a bit of a bro (he is. I love him, but he is). But Percy thinks rapidly on his feet, adapts to dangers by snapping up whatever weapon (physical, godly, mental, emotional) is nearest at hand, and is shamelessly, easily comfortable with using others for his own gain.

When the chips are down, the only thing he cares about are his inner circle: Annabeth, his mom, and sometimes Grover and Tyson. He’s content to use and sometimes destroy useful bystanders like Nico and “Bob,” to keep his people safe. He may like Nico and Bob, even empathize if someone like Annabeth isn’t in immediate danger, but at the end of the day he would (and does) trade their happinesses and safety for their utility.

But Percy doesn’t look like a traditional Slytherin/Slytherin. The boy is not smooth. The kid is not slipping around corners and cleverly avoid ruffling feathers while he steals his victories out from other peoples’ pockets. Percy lives almost always in his neutral state— this is something we talk about more deeply in our Slytherin Secondary post. But the neutral state is when a Slytherin isn’t using the code-switching and ease that is inherent to this secondary. Most Slytherin Secondaries only do this at home, when they are safe, relaxed, and in the company of only their most trusted people. It is literally dropping your guard. And Percy leaves his emotional guard hanging pretty much all the time; he’s bluntly and rather uncouthly on his sleeve. But the moment physical danger sets in, he goes full torpedoes ahead with a guile that is rough-edged but certainly present.

I’ll sort the rest of the Seven, Nico, and Reyna under the cut, hopefully with a little less verbiage. Slight spoilers forBlood of Olympus, but I did try to be a vague as possible.

Annabeth, my brash, bright, idealist darling, whose greatest desire is to rebuild a broken world anew, and whose fatal flaw is hubris and pride, is a Ravenclaw Primary. She is right, certain, and willing to sacrifice herself for the things she values. Clever, studious, prepared, she’s also a Ravenclaw Secondary.

Piper literally has the Slytherin Secondary as a superpower. Now, her charmspeak wouldn’t actually have any effect on her actual Secondary (your skills don’t matter as much as the methods you want, or respect in tactics). But Piper uses her charmspeak like her lungs by the end of the series, and even in flashbacks we find her conning people into giving her cars.

She House shares with Percy, actually: Slytherin/Slytherin, though she has a Hufflepuff Performance where Percy just… doesn’t… bother. Piper’s Slytherin Primary is most apparent in her dedication to her friends, and her decision over the course of The Lost Hero to sacrifice even them to save her father (a decision I’m not sure she’d make by the end of the series, when she’d bonded further to them).

Jason is a Hufflepuff Primary raised in a world of Gryffindors—so, yeah, the kid looks really Gryffindor. But he learns to shuffle off the righteousness and rigidity of Roman life, and to embrace his own quieter service, empathy, and thoughtfulness for not only his crew, friends, and two camps, but also each of the forgotten gods. He’s at his most comfortable with a community to call his own that doesn’t demand his Heroism, and cause to dedicate his life to that involves serving and supporting people, not fighting for or leading them.

His Secondary is Gryffindor—he earnestly and honestly charges his problems (his straight forward attempts to reassure Nico during the Cupid thing; the honesty and integrity Piper appreciates in him). Because his internal drive and motivations aren’t Gryffindor, he doesn’t look that obvious— his goals are often things like keeping the peace aboard ship, making sure everyone else has the things they need, and getting knocked out during fights.

Leo reads a bit like a Slytherin, but i think he’s just a burned Puff Primary. Clearly a loyalist House, he’s guarded and sarcastic, bitter and a bit jaded, and doesn’t throw himself out with sacrifice and service the way Puffs like Jason might. He builds little communities, and big dragons. But while he likes Piper and Jason, or Hazel, his bonds aren’t anywhere near the intensity of true Slytherin Primaries like Piper or Percy. This suggests what he actually is is a burned Puff, a Hufflepuff Primary who’s been hurt enough that they keep their warmth close. When Leo does make decisions around people, it tends to be need-based rather than value-based— he’ll give up some of the people he loves because someone else who he loves, someone lonely and left *cough*, needs him more.

Ravenclaw Secondary for the kid, of course. Leo Valdez, my tiny engineer friend, you tinker on.

Hazel’s got a lot of layered-on traumas, losses, guilts, and misplacements that make her a little hard to sort*— her curse, her first death and her almost bringing Gaea’s apocalypse about early, her rebirth in a century not her own. But as she becomes more comfortable and confident throughout the second series, she begins to fall into a validating system of action, justice, and bravery. Her morality seems to be felt, and she is most at home with her weapon in hand, on Arion’s back, charging a clear foe with a clear conscience—she read, to me, like a Gryffindor who has stubbornly pulled herself out of a “stripped” state, with the help of some big hearts like Frank and Jason.

(*Note: traumas do not make you less of your own House, or even less obvious of a House, exactly. What I mean here is that it’s harder to Sort someone burned as much as Hazel has been from the outside. Hazel’s got so much jammed inside of her, and even her POV is secretive enough in the first book, that she’s not obvious until she relaxes and confides in the reader a little more).

Frank, dear Frank, with his willingness to burn himself out (literally) on Alaska’s icy plain, is a warm and solid Gryffindor Primary. That wasn’t about who needed him or who he loved; it was about right and wrong, and he was going to do right or die trying. A kind and worried rule follower, he seems to have Hufflepuff Secondary he feels like he should suppress. The Roman Legion is very much a Gryffindor-present-or-go-home kind of space— both Frank and Jason put on Gryffindor Models to fit in and feel at home. But where Jason is secretly a warm ball of Hufflepuff Primary, Frank actually is a Gryffindor Primary. The problem is, he doesn’t think his Gryffindor, his honestly strong and staunch sense of right and noble sacrifice, is good enough. So he models a more “brave” Gryffindor on top. Frank’s ascension to praetor, as Jason gives it up, was a beautiful step in both their journeys.

Reyna’s Hufflepuff Secondary manifests itself in her dedication to doing things right, her (if stiff) kindness, her strength-sharing powers, and the care and emotion that earn her Pegasus’s honor. It’s her Gryffindor Primary, however, that earns her Athena’s respect—her refusal to stand down and her dedication.

Nico di Angelo is a stunning Hufflepuff Primary. He loses his time, his world, his sister, any sense of safety at the camps of in his “friends,” any sense of home but perhaps a squat beside the River Styx— and when the world needs him, Nico doesn’t even think twice before running himself ragged trying to shut the doors of Death and defy Gaea. He’s not even part of the prophecy. He’s not liked, respected, or even wanted by almost anyone. But he shows up. He does what he can. He disappears without any expectation of respect, gratitude, or care. Thank goodness for people like Hazel, Frank, Jason, and Will.

Nico’s not even quite a burned Puff. He doesn’t build himself a community (except for arguably Hazel), but he still takes it on himself to save and serve the world.

It’s his secondary, more than his primary I think, that takes the brunt of his losses. He might have been a very young Ravenclaw secondary (cards! stats!) in his first appearance, and no matter how “dark” demigod he might be, the boy’s no Slytherin Secondary, but what his secondary actually is is rather unclear. He’s been beaten, stripped, and disillusioned. No tools feel comfortable in his hands. He’ll do whatever he has to do get the job done, and he doesn’t like any of it. The blossoming way he responds to Reyna and Hedge’s companionship, mutual respect, and affection however suggests he might be growing into a Hufflepuff Secondary once he finds a place or hearts safe enough to lay down roots.

(I hope so. Kid needs a break).

tl;dr

Percy and Piper are both Slytherin/Slytherins– deeply, sometimes destructively loyal, and masters of thinking quick and sideways on their feet.

Annabeth is the sole Ravenclaw Primary. She shares a Ravenclaw Secondary with Leo, who’s a burned Puff.

Frank, Reyna and Hazel are all Gryffindor Primaries, with Jason the odd Hufflepuff out. Frank and Reyna have Puff secondaries they try to cover up with Gryffindor models (hello Rome), while Hazel and Jason both have Gryffindor’s charging Secondary. They’re both most at ease facing their problems head on and with honest integrity.

Nico is a Hufflepuff, burned in terms of letting himself have nice things, but not burned in terms of feeling like he needs to save the world, even if it keeps spitting on him.

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isabellehemlock · 2 years

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Tips and Resources for curating your fandom experience across platforms

Hi loves,

I wanted to write up a curating resource post for fandom spaces, so here are some things I’ve learned along the way, and though only you can decide what your digital boundaries look like, I do hope that for anyone looking for them, this list might find its way to you.

For tumblr

How to make your DM’s only open to people you follow

How to make it so only people you follow, or people who follow you for a week can reply

How to have your ask box open, but closed to anon’s - no longer needed, there's a simple toggle button near the ask settings for whether to allow anons or not :)

Use the filtering function for your dash (this is also an option for a blocked user - who you might still see if a mutual reblogs them. You can add their name to your filtered list, and then their post will be hidden on your dash). This tip brought to you by @quiquimora tumblr resource post (great post if you’re new to tumblr)

For AO3

How to filter out keywords that might appear in summary or author notes, but not in tags (handy for when an author is trying to understandably avoid spoilers in the tags)

A script option for filtering (especially nice if there are certain tags you'll always avoid across fandoms).

Muting authors (a nice option if you don’t necessarily mind engaging with authors in comments, etc, but don’t want to see their content) - this secondary link includes a how to video you can now use the muting feature on AO3, no scripts needed :)

You can block authors now on AO3 as well, and here’s a tweet thread that shows you how, but also what it does, and doesn’t do

If you’d like to avoid certain ship pairings

How to use a few extra search symbols to filter out certain content

Quick tip: don't forget to save your curated search results in either a bookmark, or as a link on your mobile home screen - that way you can just do all the filtering once, vs typing it all over again every time you're loading up AO3

For twitter

Muting words/content

How to set up various privacy settings

For discord

Privacy & Server settings master list

Accessibility settings

Please feel free to reblog with your own tips!

Under the cut, a few extra tips for dipping into new fandom spaces:

Interact with reblogs and hashtags (this isn’t the end all to be all, but one way to showcase your sense of humor with commentary, or digitally applaud a content creator). People can get to know you a bit ;)

If you enjoy content creating, sign up for fandom events: big bangs, reverse big bangs, zines - a fantastic way to connect with several people at once sharing the same hyperfixation as you <3

Look up certain hashtags in someone’s blogs - not in the sense of digging up ten years of posts, but a quick search if you have squicks and triggers that someone might blog about a lot. It’s not a judgment on them, for many might not follow you for the things you post about either. It’s just self care to be aware of things you do not want to see on your dash and keep your following list to things that bring you joy - nothing says you can’t do the occasional reblog, or even connect with them on other platforms!

On the flipside - block liberally. If you look up their blog and you both are on opposite ends of a spectrum on a topic? Want to ensure they can never say such things to you in DM’s, etc? Block.

And guess what? People have the right to do the same to you. Do not under any circumstances block evade. This includes going to other platforms to engage with them if you know you’ve been blocked. Just.don’t.do.it.please.

And if you've made it to the end, you get a digital cookie or hug of your choice 🍪🫂

#curating #filtering #curating your online experience #respect the inherent dignity of every person #respect your own boundaries - it's self care loves #use all the tools you need #can't curate the world - but we can curate our dashes #curating resource #filtering resource

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tokyosiren · 1 year

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It Was Always You

Omegaverse! Rengoku x Omega OC

She was on Omega and told she'd never amount to much. Then it all changed when she joined the demon slayer corps. She was free of the stigma of her class, finally feeling like she more than just an Omega. Then the dry heats hit. They happened again and again. She was desperate to find the cause of these spells, to track down the owner of that irresistible scent.

“You’ll never amount to much.”

She heard the words often, her father slurring them as he spoke. He raised the bottle of sake to his lips and ignored her presence beside him. His words didn’t hurt. She’d heard them her entire life now. What’s more, society echoed those words: an Omega will never amount to much. As the secondary class you were meant to serve and obey, to be subservient and find a strong Alpha to take care of you. Your purpose was not your own, no. You lived to be bred and produce pups for your Alpha. That was the purpose of an Omega and to expect anything more was ludicrous.

She stood up and bowed.”I’ll be going now, father. Take care of yourself.” She tossed a bag of coins on the floor and walked out of the room. She slid the door shut and sighed. She really hadn’t expected to hear anything groundbreaking or new from her visits to her father. He still looked at her the same now as he always had. Even over the years after she became a demon slayer and gradually worked her way up the ranks, that look in his eyes never changed. “You’ll never amount to much.”

“No. That’s not possible. Not my daughter…”

It was her father’s words the day the doctor told him. She was young, on the verge of womanhood in the physical sense. She was barely thirteen when the sickness first hit her. She crumpled to the floor and cried out, whimpering and trembling. She felt hot, her skin burning up. She trembled and felt nauseous as well as having a killer headache. She didn’t know whether to lie down or get up to puke. Her father sent for a doctor immediately, afraid he’d lose her to a mysterious sickness like he had her mother. She wondered if knowing what he did now if he preferred he would have lost her.

“She’s an Omega. She’s just developed her scent.”

She’ll never forget the look on her father’s face as he heard those words. Anger and confusion. Fear and doubt. He grabbed the doctor by his robe and shook him. They exchanged words, very heated words on his end. He was a Beta, her mother was a Beta. The doctor assured him the diagnosis was correct and that if he still had his doubts he could get a second opinion.

She heard them go back and forth before it all fell into silence. She was alone and scared, never having experienced such a thing and not knowing what to do. Her mother had passed away when she was young and her father was all she had. She kept waiting for him to come back and give her answers, to comfort her. But he never did. He didn’t talk to her for five days. When her sickness subsidized and she left her room her father looked up at her, the look in his eyes different. He tossed her a bottle of pills and went back to drinking.

And that’s how things were. They didn’t talk about it. Her father gave her a steady supply of scent blockers since she was too young to go into heat, but that was as far as their acknowledgement went. Sometimes at night he’d get drunk and ramble though, letting his true feelings spill.

“Omegas will always be the secondary class. They’re needy and whine, clinging to others to survive. So dependent on an Alpha. You’re one of them, do you know that?” He slurred. “I won’t let you turn out like all them others. No. I’m not letting some Alpha take you away from me. You’ll stay on the pills and be safe, right here. But you’re still an Omega. You’ll never amount to much.”

She listened silently to his rants and never once responded. Society told her he was right. She resigned herself to a life as a second-class citizen and never longed for anything.

Then the demon came.

It happened overnight. People were slaughtered in the dead of night, visceral scenes left behind. The whispers started and the scent of fear hung heavy in the air. Every night came with more bloodshed, more people slaughtered like livestock. People were truly scared now. The town fell quiet as people stayed indoors and boarded up their homes. Unease settled upon the town, its residents fearful of what another night would bring and who would be next. No one knew what was happening and there were no suspects, not a single person to arouse suspicion. So they slept in fear and waited.

Half the town was gone now. Those that could afford to flee fled to somewhere free of monsters that stalked the night. There was an eerie silence to a once bustling village. Two strangers came in one day sporting odd clothing and carrying swords. Her father watched them from the windows as they walked through the village. She sat quietly beside him, terrified yet curious of just what kind of person would willingly come to a place like this. The strangers asked a few people questions and roamed the village until nightfall.

Her father had not left his spot by the window. She slowly crept closer to him, peering through the open gap. He gestured for her to be quiet and she nodded. They watched the two strangers as they stood in an alleyway. Her eyes grew wide as a shadow appeared behind them. She covered her mouth to prevent any noise as the figure took the shape of a horned monster. The strangers leapt back, swords drawn. The monster lashed at them as they dodged. They slashed at the monster. It let out a growl, cornered by them. It suddenly disappeared in the shadows, reappearing inches from their window. She screamed and fell back in terror. There was a flash of white and she swore she saw snowfall despite it being July. The monster slumped to the ground, its head rolling on the ground. The two strangers sheathed their swords.

Her father stood there, shaking. He grabbed her by the back of her robe and drug her outside as the strangers started to leave. “Wait! Please, let me say thank you!”

The two stopped to look at him. It was a tall man and a woman.

The woman smiled and bowed.”The demon dwelling in your village is no more. You’ll all be safe now.”

Her father shook his head.”Y-Yes, I can’t thank you enough. I’ve heard stories of a group that slays demons…I-I thought it was a myth.” He bowed, kneeling on the ground.”We owe you our lives. I am forever in your debt.”

The man and woman looked at him. The man waved his hand.”Sir, it isn’t a big deal. We have taken an oath to slay demons. It is our duty.”

Her father shook his head.”But there must be a way to repay you…Here!” He shoved her forward, her feet stumbling as she fell to the ground.”Take my daughter into your ranks. I’m too old to join myself. This way I can feel my debt to you is settled.”

She looked at him with wide eyes, in disbelief.”Father?! What are you saying?”

He glared at her.”Silence, girl! Can’t you see we owe these people our lives?! The least you can do is become one of them and repay that debt.”

She teared up, shaking her head.”No…No I don’t want to! I-I can’t, I…”

He slapped her. She held her cheek, feeling the sharp sting.

The woman took her by the shoulders and helped her stand. She looked at the man, an unspoken conversation between them. She turned back to Mitsuki’s father.”We’ll take care of her.”

Her father nodded.”...Good. She’s an Omega…But maybe you can make something out of her.”

She cried as they began walking away, her turning back to look at her father. He didn’t so much as glance back at her. She sniffled and took the woman’s hand, following them as they left the village.

She never looked back.

She learned the two strangers were a married couple, both demon slayers. She called them by their last names respectfully, Mr. and Mrs.Tosho. They took her in and treated her well. They had a daughter a few years older than her who was an Omega as well yet showed great fighting skill. None of them ever thought less of her for her class…No. For the first time she was seen as an equal. She still took scent blockers but for the most part the fact she was an Omega was an afterthought.

Her training was brutal. Mr. Tosho was brutal. His daughter Yuki didn’t show her any mercy when they sparred, either. She swung her sword until her fingers bled and palms split. She acclimated to the cold of the mountain they lived on and learned to become one with ice. He taught her a form of fighting he referred to as ice breathing and was insistent she mastered it. At times she was sure she’d get frostbite from being out in the snow so long. The high altitude made her chest hurt and the snow burned her skin. But she didn’t stop. For once people had expectations of her and she intended to live up to them. She watched Yuki become a demon slayer and was on track to take the test herself.

And she did. Mr. Tosho ensured she was ready before he sent her off. He had extended her training and watched patiently as she improved. When the day came where she had at last mastered her fighting form, he simply nodded. She grinned and knew that though he was silent he was proud.

She was still scared when she went into Final Selection. But she impressed even herself as she slayed every enemy she came across. The seven days passed in a blur and she was officially a demon slayer. She teared up and picked the ore for her nichirin sword. Her crow landed on her shoulder and she scratched its chin, learning it was a she. She named her Asahi and picked up her uniform.

She enjoyed being a demon slayer. She remembers the first time she laid eyes on her sword, the blade turning snow white and pale blue. She saw Yuki often and watched her quickly climb the ranks. She wasn’t surprised, the girl being groomed as her father’s Tsuguko. She settled into her new normal and felt at peace. No one here thought less of her being an Omega. Her heart swelled as she felt she had truly proved her father’s words wrong. She had amounted to a lot, and she was happy.

She was sixteen now. She had just gotten back from a mission, sustaining a light injury on her calf. She winced at the pain and knew she needed to have it checked out, possibly needing stitches. She sighed and limped back to the Butterfly mansion. She walked through the gate and into the garden. She admired the flowers, taking out a journal and beginning to sketch.

“Hello there. I don’t believe we’ve met.”

She looked up to see a young man standing before her. He wore a warm smile and a flame cloak around his shoulders. His hair fell just above his shoulders, its appearance like a wild flame. He looked at her with bright eyes and tilted his head. She felt the breath get knocked out of her. His scent was overpowering, masculine and with a hint of the smell of a burning fire. She blushed and fell back on her bottom.

“H-Hello,”She muttered out. Her head felt fuzzy and she couldn’t describe why she felt so drawn to him.

He laughed softly.”I’m sorry, it appears I caught you off guard. Here, allow me to help.” He offered her his hand.

She took it and felt a spark of electricity shoot through her. Her heart skipped a beat. She squeaked and looked away.”T-Thank you…”

He laughed then and the noise was like music to her ears. “No problem! My name is Kyojuro Rengoku. I’m the new Flame Hashira.” He beamed, proud of that fact.

She smiled.”I’m Mitsuki Saito. I’m new to the corp so I’m only a Kanoe. But it is nice to meet you.”

He nodded.”Ah! When did you join? I knew I hadn’t seen you before. I don’t think I’d forget your face easily.”

She blushed, unsure what he meant by that.”Nine months now. They’ve been sending me on plenty of missions, so I keep busy.”

“Four ranks in nine months? Impressive!” He nodded. His cheerful smile never once faded.”You’re rising through the ranks at a great pace! You will be a Kinoe in no time! I look forward to seeing you grow stronger, Ms. Saito.”

She smiled.”Thank you…I look forward to getting to see you again. Maybe we can sparr some time when you get the chance.”

He laughed heartily.”Yes! I’d like that!” He tilted his head and leaned in close to her. She blushed wildly.”Are you hungry? I also noticed you limping. Come, let’s eat and get you checked out.”

She nodded. They ate together and talked a bit more. He was loud but she didn’t mind. His cheerfulness was contagious and made her smile. He made a mess while eating eagerly. She laughed softly and before she could think grabbed a napkin and dabbed at the corners of his mouth. His eyes widened and he blushed as she cleaned the crumbs off his mouth. They both looked away. They finished eating and he helped her to the infirmary.

He helped her to a bed and sat back, hands on his hips.”The fine ladies of this establishment should be with you soon to take care of that leg of yours. Rest easy.” He turned to leave. “It was nice to meet you, Ms. Saito.”

She smiled.”The same to you, Rengoku-san.”

Her heart didn’t stop racing as he left. She fell back against the bed, mind full of thoughts of him. She covered her face and was a blushing mess. She didn’t forget about him as the girls cleaned her wound and stitched her up. They led her to a room and she lay there, clutching her journal. She sketched his face in her book lest she forget it. She drew the curve of his face and his striking eyes. She smiled and clutched the journal to her chest, giggling and falling back against the bed. “Rengoku-san, huh?” She smiled and shut her eyes.

The years passed quickly. She watched her comrades pass and new ones join the corp in their stead. She rose through the ranks, quickly making a name for herself. She was a Kinoto now, having long since proved herself. She nearly forgot about being an Omega altogether, pills taking away the burden of her class. Things changed when she turned nineteen.

She was on her way to the Butterfly Mansion. She was nearing the gate when a cramp in her gut hit her hard. She stumbled, gripping her stomach and wincing. One of the girls was outside tending to the garden. They took one look at her pale complexion and dropped what they were doing. They rushed over to her. Her scent made their eyes go wide and they led her to a small shed out back, far away from the main house. Inside was a small room with a bed and nightstand. She helped her lay down, a worried expression on her face. She held her hand to Mitsuki’s forehead and felt her burning up.

“It’ll be okay, you just need to rest,” the girl, Yumi, said.

Mitsuki groaned. She felt nauseous and her head throbbed.”W-What is wrong with me?”

Yumi frowned.”You’re going through a dry heat from the looks of it.”

Mitsuki’s eyebrows furrowed.”...What? But I’m on strong heat suppressants…”

Yumi pat her shoulder. She looked just as puzzled.”...This is strange. Ms.Shinobu is away at the moment…I’ll talk to Ms. Kanzaki.”

The girl left, leaving Mitsuki alone. She whimpered and clutched the sheets. She got up, gathering the blankets off the bed and laying it out in a circle. She nestled the pillows against it and rubbed her face against the bedding of her makeshift nest, trying to find some form of comfort. There was a scent hanging in the air that made her heart flutter and mouth water. It felt familiar in a way that she couldn’t put a finger on, like she could almost recognize who it belonged to. Yet there was something distinctly different about it, something that made her feel things she had never felt. She whined and nestled into the blankets, craving more of this distant scent that made her head fuzzy.

A few minutes passed before Kanzaki came in with a few other girls. One girl had armfuls of blankets while the other had a glass of water. They placed the blankets on the bed and handed the glass to Mitsuki. She took it, gulping it down.

Kanzaki kneeled before her and felt her forehead.”...You’re definitely burning up. Do you have any other symptoms?”

“My head is killing me and I feel like I’m going to throw up. I also have horrible cramps.”

Kanzaki nodded and sighed. She stood up and brushed herself off.”Well, it definitely seems like a dry heat. You need to stay here until it passes. Me and the other Kakushi will take care of you in the meantime. Take these blankets and nest. It will make you feel better. I’ll be back to check on you in a little while.”

Mitsuki nodded. She grabbed the blankets and went about building a proper nest. The girls left her alone and she was left to work on what would become her sanctuary for the next few days. She collapsed on the bed once she was satisfied with the nest. She whimpered, body aching and head throbbing. That lovely scent that caught her attention was quickly fading and it made her whine. She shut her eyes and curled into a ball, trying to sleep off the pain and discomfort.

The dry heat lasted for four days but it felt like an eternity. When she awoke on the fifth day, free of nausea and a headache, she simply sighed in relief. Kanzaki cleared her and sent her off with a full stomach and stronger heat suppressants.

She was fine for a while. But every so often she’d catch wind of that scent, picking up on it from a mile away. Then like clockwork she’d crumple, limping back to the Butterfly Mansion. She was never far from the mansion when the dry heats hit her. She could always taste that heavenly scent fading as she entered the gates. Her head was always too foggy, too clouded by pain to put two and two together. Her dry heats started lasting longer and the strength of her heat suppressants gradually went up as well. The timing of her dry heats were inconsistent. Sometimes she’d go months without them, other times it would hit every few weeks. Each heat was followed by that scent that made her drool, it faint and fading quickly. She’d whimper in her nest, so desperately craving more of it yet always left wanting.

She was twenty now. She’d gone through a hellish year of dry heats with no answers. She’d gone from barely thinking about being an Omega to having that fact brought up like a slap in the face. That scent that drove her crazy remained mysterious. She visited the Butterfly Mansion often, desperate to discover who it was. She left yellow roses in the rooms, hoping to give one to this mystery person who’d become the object of her obsession. She always seemed too late, arriving at the mansion to a fading scent. Still, the scent never failed to send her into heat. She would recover from her dry heats and dive into her work, taking mission after mission. She focused on killing demons and the distraction it brought, a distraction she so desperately needed. She got careless one day. A demon got the jump on her and slammed her against a brick wall. She coughed up blood and kept fighting but knew she’d broken a few ribs. She still managed to kill the demon with relative ease, cursing herself for being so reckless.

She grimaced at the thought of where she knew she needed to go. She was closest to the Butterfly Mansion to the point she would be going way out of her way to go to a Wisteria Inn instead. She was painfully aware of her broken ribs, each breath a painful one. She sighed and gripped her sword. There was no point in putting it off. She frowned and headed off into the night.

The night air was cool despite the heat of the day. The stars sparkled overhead. She saw the gated walls of the mansion in the distance and sighed in relief. She kept walking until the scent hit her. Her eyes widened. The scent was strong, stronger than it had ever been. It wasn’t hanging in the air and fading like all the times before. No, this time it was clear, tangible. Her mouth watered. Slick fell down her thighs and she grew flustered, incredibly embarrassed but too aroused by the scent to truly care. Before she knew it she was walking faster, and faster.

She stopped in front of the gates, trembling. She was filled with excitement at getting to finally meet the source of the scent, yet also hesitant. The remnants of her rational mind were quickly fading, her heat taking over by the second. Yet still, the fear: what if they don’t want me? She shook her head, heat taking over. She didn’t care. She wanted, no, needed to see them. She opened the gate and…was met with Shinobu and the Kakushi. She whined and tried to push past them but they tackled her, picking her up and dragging her off. She kicked and cried out but her body was too weak. All she could do was yell at them as they dragged her off helplessly. As they carried her she caught sight of a figure in the distance. They were quickly approaching her. The shadows of the night clouded their figure but she knew that scent. She fought harder, breaking free. She scrambled towards them before Shinobu wrapped her arms around her and slammed her hand against the back of her head. She fell to her knees and everything faded to black.

When she awoke she was in that familiar shed behind the mansion. Two Kakushi stood by the door, blocking her in. Outside she could hear Shinobu talking. The other voice echoed, loud and full of life. Her eyes widened. She knew that voice.

“...Rengoku-san?” She scurried off the bed and peered out the window. In the yard she saw Shinobu talking to someone. The man’s wild hair was visible even in the dark of night and the moonlight made her certain of his identity. It was indeed Rengoku. But…But that scent. She sniffed the air and licked her lips. It was him. But…

She was confused. She knew Rengoku. She had sparred with him, shared lunch with him. They’d spent time together training in the past. She had a crush on him, sure, but he had never had such a strong effect on her. Her mind raced as to what could have possibly changed between them and it hit her. She hadn’t seen Rengoku since they turned eighteen. He’d become busy with his Hashira responsibilities and she had her own work to do. They’d only seen each other in passing, and it occurred to her that each of those passings lead to a dry heat. It all clicked in her subconscious mind, but in her current state…No, nothing was getting through the haze of her heat.

She whimpered, pressing her face against the glass.”Rengoku-san…” She whined, slick dripping down her thighs at being so close to his scent.

She whined and looked at the door. The two girls standing guard stood there defensively. She lunged for them, scrambling to get to the door. The girls fought back, keeping her at bay.

She cried and reached for the door, her side throbbing from her aching ribs but her body not caring.

She whimpered, eyes full of tears as the girls held her back.”Alpha…I need my Alpha…Please…”

Her vision was blurry with tears. All she could focus on was his scent and how badly she wanted him. She’d never needed anything so much in her life. The girls held her down, struggling as she fought with all she had.

“Ms. Mitsuki, you aren’t in a right state of mind right now!” One of them said as they struggled to hold her down.

“Yes! You aren’t yourself right now, you’re in heat! You aren’t thinking clearly!”

She growled and kicked at them.”Shut up! You’re keeping me from him! Let go!”

Shinobu heard the commotion and entered the shed. She took one look at Mitsuki struggling and sighed. She held in her hand Rengoku’s cloak. Mitsuki stilled as the strong scent of him filled her nostrils. She sat up and stared. Shinobu handed it to her and she clutched in her arms, nuzzling against it. She inhaled the scent of him, drooling and smiling ear to ear. She fell back against the bed as she snuggled the cloak, rubbing her face against it. She almost purred.

Shinobu sat on the edge of the bed, watching her sympathetically.”You’re on heat suppressants, and the strongest on the market at that. This shouldn’t be happening, and for that I am deeply sorry. I looked at your record and you’ve been experiencing painful dry heats. I checked the dates with the guest log and they all occur hours to days after Rengoku stayed with us. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to put two and two together sooner.”

Her head perked up at his name.”Rengoku?” She pouted.”Where is he? I need to see him.”

Shinobu shook her head.”No. Absolutely not. You’re in heat and can’t consent right now. Rengoku is in a similar situation himself. You two are not permitted to see each other until your heat ends as well as his rut. Rengoku has agreed to this.”

Mitsuki cried.”...No…I need him. I need him so bad…” The cramp in her gut was unbearable and her head was throbbing. The thought of not getting to be with him broke her heart.

Shinobu sighed.”I know, dear. I know. It will be okay. You can see him after your heat and you have his cloak for your nest. We’ll all be here to take care of you. Okay?”

She whimpered, still crying. She cuddled his cloak and buried her face against the cloth.

Shinobu sat back and patted her back soothingly.”It will be okay. It will all be over soon enough. Now, you came here for a reason. Are you hurt?”

She questioned her for a moment before finally being able to get the answer out of her. Her brain was mush, head too hazy from her dry heat. She whimpered and pouted while Shinobu checked her out and confirmed she had nearly broken three ribs clean through. She didn’t care in the moment. She simply clung to his cloak and let them tend to her while she cried. Two new girls came to stand watch for the night. Shinobu finished up and left her to rest. She made a nest, finding only a sliver of comfort in it. She sniffled as she held his cloak and shut her eyes. She longed to be by his side, to get to see him for herself. To hear his voice, feel his touch. His scent…She whimpered. God, did she need him. In her heat clouded mind she found Shinobu and the Kakushi incredibly cruel for keeping them apart.

The days passed and she waited, longing for him to break down the door and carry her away. She was in pain and felt uncomfortable at the slick between her thighs. She had never produced any before and was now drenched in it. The girls stood guard outside to give her her privacy. She’d wiggle her hips and slip her fingers past her folds but it wasn’t enough. She’d caress her swollen clit and tremble with pleasure yet still, it wasn’t enough. She drooled at the thought of her fingers being replaced by his. Of him picking her up and filling her…She moaned against her hand.Of him filling her with his knot…Her pussy ached for him. She whimpered and fell back against the bed. She was miserable.

Her dry heat lasted seven days. On the eighth day she awoke, body sore and head slowly clearing.

Shinobu sat on her bed, smiling down at her.”Would you like to see Rengoku?”

She sat up quickly and nodded.

Shinobu nodded.”Get dressed. We’re having breakfast in the dining room. He is waiting for you.”

She got up and swiftly put on her uniform. She pulled on her leg warmers, socks and sandals. She stood in front of the mirror, smoothing out her skirt. She adjusted her hair and breathed out. She wore his cloak and smiled as it fell behind her form. She then left, shutting the door of that dreaded shed. She began walking towards the mansion and saw Rengoku standing on the porch. Her heart fluttered, his scent growing stronger as she approached him. He stepped down onto the grass, watching her with wide eyes. He smiled, that familiar, warm smile. She wrapped her arms around him and he hugged her back. They breathed in each other’s scent, basking in the presence of one another.

She nuzzled against his neck while he nuzzled against hers. They held each other like that for a moment before breaking apart.

She looked up at him shyly, blush across her cheeks.”It’s you. It’s always been you…”

He smiled.”I’ve been following your scent for a while now. I was always too late. I frequented the Butterfly Mansion in hopes of encountering you.” He caressed her face.”I’ve caused you many painful dry heats. I apologize, Ms. Mitsuki. That must have been difficult for you to go through on your own.”

Her heart fluttered at his touch on her cheek. She squeaked at him calling her by her by first name.She nuzzled against his hand and sighed.”It’s okay. I was always too late to find you too. We’ve been running in circles it seems.” She laughed softly.

He looked at her fondly.”It’s all alright now. I found you.” The warmth to his smile made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.”I’d like to court you, become your mate properly.”

She nodded eagerly, breathless at the thought.”...Yes, I’d like that. I’d like that very much, Rengoku.”

He laughed softly.”We are to be mates, my dear. Call me Kyojuro.”

She blushed at the idea of addressing him so casually.”...Yes…Kyojuro…”

He purred at hearing her say his name. He nuzzled against her neck once more, savoring her scent filling his nose. He gently ran his hand through her hair and she shivered.

She nestled against his chest and shut her eyes. Her heart was racing but his scent was like ambrosia, so intoxicating. She didn’t want to leave his side ever again. She’d never felt so strongly for someone before.

He pulled back and looked at her, chuckling softly.”You look lovely in my cloak.”

She blushed.”Oh! Yes.” She pulled it off her shoulders and offered it to him, sad to part with it.”It smells just like you. It really helped comfort me.”

He took it and breathed in deeply as he smelled it.”And now it smells of you. Thank you.”

He placed it over his shoulders. He grabbed something off the floor behind him and offered it to her. “Here are some of my clothes. You can keep them for your nest. If you’d like anything more of mine I’ll gladly oblige. I want my Omega to be happy and feel safe. You will suffer no more dry heats. I’ll take care of you from here on out.”

Her heart skipped a beat.”Y-Yes, Alpha.” She grew flustered, her Omega slipping out and making the words fall out.”I-I mean Kyojuro.”

He growled as he called her Alpha and had to shut his eyes to compose himself.”...Yes. I’ll be sure to take care of you. Now, you must be starving. I know during a dry heat one rarely wants to eat. Come, eat with me.”

She followed, eager to please him. He led her into the dining room and sat across from her. There was hot miso soup and onigiri before them. He smiled as he sat across from her. Her head felt fuzzy in his presence, like she was high off his scent. She began eating her miso soup before realizing how hungry she was. Her stomach rumbled and she ate faster, quickly drinking down the broth. He smiled as he watched her eat and began to eat his own meal. They ate together, sharing a pleasant conversation here and there. When they were done he fell quiet, a thoughtful look on his face.

He spoke up after a while.”I want you to stay with me at my own estate. We will stay in separate bedrooms until we are bonded, but it will be easier to court you. There I can take care of you and we can be prepared before your first heat.”

She blushed and nodded. Her heart fluttered at the thought of getting to live with him.”...Yes,that sounds wonderful.”

He beamed at her.”Good! Then you can move in right away! I’ll aid you in making arrangements.” He stood up and offered her his hand.”Come, let’s head home. I have what I came here for. I’ll aid in your recovery at home.”

Home. Their home. Her heart skipped a beat and she could only nod. She took his hand and rose to her feet. He helped her gather her things and they waved goodbye to the Kakushi and Shinobu.

“Thank you for taking care of me. I appreciate it more than you know. I’ll be sure to rest up until my bones heal.”

Shinobu and the girls waved goodbye.”Take care of her, Rengoku,” Shinobu called.”She almost became one of my girls, she is dear to me.”

He bowed.”I assure you, Mitsuki will be well taken care of. She will never want for anything again.”

He took her hand and began walking. She blushed and smiled ear to ear.

Once they were past the gates he turned to her.”Shinobu told me you have broken ribs. Does it hurt to walk?”

She hummed.”A little, but-”

She squeaked as he lifted her and carried her bridal style.”Well that just won’t do! I won’t have my dear Omega in any pain. I’ll carry you home.”

She blushed and held onto him tight.”B-But it is a long walk! You’ll get tired. And I’m heavy…”

“Nonsense! I feel fine. I can carry you all the way home for sure. Do not worry. Just rest, little one.”

She nodded. She rested her head on his shoulder and relaxed in his arms. They walked until it was nearly sunset. They came to a gated yard and he stopped before the gate.”This is my estate.” She nodded.

He opened the gate and led her through the front door. Once inside he set her down gently on the floor. She smoothed down her skirt and looked around in awe. The whole place smelled of him. It made it feel cozy and warm. She basked in it and breathed it in.

He chuckled at her reaction.”Come, little one. I will show you where you will be staying.”

He led her down a hall and slid a door open. Inside was a bed and lantern. She walked in and took off her shoes while he left to go off somewhere.

He came back with an armful of blankets and clothing. He handed it to her.”Nest, my dear Omega. I want you to feel at home here.”

She nodded. She took the armful of things from him and set about the task. She spread out the blankets before making a border of blankets and clothes. She tucked the items neatly in, laying them out as felt right. She then lay in the middle of it, basking in his scent and rubbing her cheek against it. Being so surrounded by his scent made her feel warm and safe. It made her head fuzzy and she purred happily.

He smiled as he watched her. He kneeled before her, in her nest. He rubbed her back as she rubbed her cheek against his clothes. She sat up and nuzzled into his neck. He held her to him and rubbed her back.

“You look so cute, my dear Mitsuki…Are you pleased with your nest?” He asked.

She looked up at him and nodded.”Yes, my sweet Alpha.” He growled at the name, a low rumble in his chest.

He leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss to her lips. She melted against him, heart soaring. Her eyes fluttered shut and he lingered there. Her eyes fluttered open as he pulled away.

“I’ll make you dinner, little one. Tomorrow we can look into moving you in.” He got up and headed into the kitchen.

She looked after him, blushing. She smiled and giggled happily as she rolled around in her nest. It felt like a piece of her had been missing for so long, and she’d craved him for a year now. Now she felt complete, whole. She pulled one of his robes over her shoulders, feeling like he was hugging her as she wore it. She got up and wandered into the kitchen. He was busy boiling rice and preparing spices. She watched him patiently, licking her lips at the smell in the air.

“So you’re handsome and can cook? You really have it all, don’t you my love?” She cooed affectionately.

He placed the rice on a plate and covered it in curry. He laughed.”Ha! You really think so? Well, I don’t get called handsome often but I’ll gladly accept it.”

He placed the plates down on the table and waved her over.

She sat beside him.”Well, you should hear it everyday. You’re beautiful. I’ve always thought so.”

He tilted his head.”Oh, so you’ve had eyes on me since we were young then.”

She blushed and nodded. She tucked her hair behind her ear.”...Yes. I’ve always been drawn to you, and now I know why.”

He grinned.”And why is that?”

She smiled.”...Because you were always meant to be my mate.”

He smiled back.”Yes, I agree. Now eat, little one.”

She nodded and dug in. She moaned at the flavors dancing on her tongue.”Mm~ This is delightful, Kyojuro.”

He beamed proudly.”Thank you! I’ve been cooking since I was young, always helping my mother out in the kitchen.”

She nodded.”Well I’m sure she is proud, because if this is any tell then you’re an excellent chef.”

He smiled fondly.”...Yes. I’d like to think so.”

They talked as they ate. He asked her about her previous mission while he talked of his own battles. He spoke so loudly but she liked it. He was cheerful and optimistic and his bright personality was contagious. She laughed and she smiled, thoroughly enjoying spending time with him. She smiled to herself. She’d always liked him, and now she would get to spend forever with him. She almost squealed like a schoolgirl at the idea. They finished dinner and she helped him clean the dishes.

He wrapped his arms around her waist when they were done and swayed them back and forth.”You’re mine now. You have my word, I will be a good mate. I’ll take good care of you, I promise.”

She shivered at his words. You’re mine. She blushed and shut her eyes.”...I know you will, Kyojuro. Thank you for everything. I know you’ll be an excellent mate.”

He turned her around. He tilted her chin up and kissed her, more passionate than before. They lingered like that until they had to break for air.

He stood there, breathing heavily and grinning. He caressed her face.”Goodnight, little one. Sleep well.”

She smiled. She went to her room, crawling into her nest. He threw a blanket over her and tucked her in. He kneeled down, kissing her forehead lovingly. He then turned off the lantern and slid the door closed behind him. She smiled happily, safe and comfortable in her new nest. She snuggled against the blanket and quickly fell asleep.

In the morning they ate together and he inquired where she lived. She said her crow could guide him there. He carried her once more, insistent he did so. They followed her crow and walked until they entered a large village. The crow landed on a fence post and fluttered its wings, squaking as indication they had arrived. He gently placed her down and she unlocked the door for him. She led him inside and turned on the lights. He looked around, taking in the strong scent of her. He smiled and turned back to her. She blushed suddenly, realizing she’d never been alone with a man in her house before.

“So where shall we begin?” He asked, hands on his hips.

She gestured towards the bedroom.”I need to pack my clothes and some blankets. I don’t own much besides the essentials so I can sell the rest.

He nodded. He followed her into her bedroom. She blushed an even deeper shade of pink at having the Flame Hashira with her in her bedroom.

“I-I’ll grab some boxes. I think I have some left over from when I moved in.”

She left to grab the boxes. She’d never fully settled into her place, so intent on keeping busy with work to avoid her dry heats. She only bothered to furnish the place in the essentials, too.

She grabbed the boxes and brought them into the bedroom.”Here. You can start with helping me pack.”

He smiled. She went to her closet while he unpacked her dresser. He held up a pair of panties, eyes wide.

She looked over and squeaked.”Oh! N-Not that drawer!”

He chuckled.”It is fine, little one. We are to be mates. Though I might just have to keep a pair for myself.” He grinned mischievously at her.

She blushed and went back to packing the clothes out of her closet. She didn’t have much else aside from her pairs of uniforms. She had a few kimonos and robes. Her eyes widened when she laid eyes on the wedding kimono. She had forgotten she had bought it. She had been out shopping with Yuki and her friend had insisted she get it to put back for such a grand occasion. She quickly packed it and the ornate robe that went with it as well as the sash that went with it. She finished clearing out her closet and while he finished with her dresser.

He pulled a lavender journal from the drawer and tilted his head.”Ah, I recall seeing you with this. You draw a lot, right?” He began flicking through the pages.

She grew flustered and waved her hands.”Oh! Please don’t go through that! I-It’s private!”

He stopped and looked up at her.”Hmm?”

Unfortunately, he stopped on the worst page possible. She looked at it, horrified. He looked at her curiously before turning to the page. On either side of the page were sketches of him. He was younger in some of them, his face chubbier and hair shorter. In others he was as he was now, smiling brightly and looking ahead. His eyes widened. She snatched the journal from him and held it close to her chest. Her face was bright red.

He looked at her, grin not faltering. “You’re head over heels in love with me, aren’t you?”

She hid her face behind her hands.”Y-You weren’t supposed to see that! I’m so embarrassed…”

He laughed softly. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her head.”There, there, little one. It is alright. I am flattered! Besides, we are to be mates. And I find myself falling for you everyday. You have talent, by the way! Quite the eye for art! I’ve never looked better!” He grinned broadly.

She hid her face against his chest. I find myself falling for you everyday. Her heart skipped a beat. She smiled to herself and leaned against him.

He pulled away and kissed her cheek.”Now let’s get you packed up.”

They finished packing her bedroom. She was right when she said she didn’t have much. They had three full boxes in total yet still couldn’t carry them. He insisted she not carry any due to her injury and she offered to use the wheelbarrow out front. She led him to the little garden she kept out front.

He eyed the yellow rose bush and smiled.”So the roses were you…I could faintly smell your scent on them but wasn’t sure.”

She looked up at him.”You got my roses?”

He nodded.”Yes. Everytime I came to the mansion there would be a yellow rose waiting for me. They had the loveliest scent, so faint yet irresistible. I now know why.”

She smiled.”I always hoped my mystery person would find them…I’m glad.Oh,” She looked up at him.”Can I take some clippings and plant a new bush at your home?”

He nodded and smiled.”Of course, little one. It is now your home as well.”

She smiled. She picked up her shears from the porch and carefully cut off a few stems. She placed them carefully between the stacked boxes in the wheelbarrow. “There. We can go now.”

He nodded.”I still would rather carry you, but alas, I have to tote this wheelbarrow back home. Forgive me, my lady.”

She laughed softly.”It is fine, my love. Let’s get back before dark.”

They headed back home. He brought the boxes inside while she quickly went to planting the rose stems. She picked out a lovely spot out back and dug a hole for them. She planted them, hoping they’d soon take root. He’d come out to stand on the porch and watch her. He offered her his hand to help her up.

“I can’t wait to see them grow and thrive. You’ll bring life to this home.” He said with a smile.

She smiled warmly up at him.”I hope so. I can start a whole garden if you’d like.”

He nodded.”Yes! That would be lovely! Plant whatever you’d like.”

He led her back inside. He’d placed her boxes in her room. She went to unpacking her things and was done in no time. She placed the empty boxes by the door and carried the blankets to her bed. She added them to her nest. She purred, the scent of her combined with him divine. It made her head fuzzy and her insides warm and she rolled around her new nest.

He watched her from the doorway.”My dear Omega…I’m glad to see you so happy.”

She sat up and smiled at him.”Yes. I feel very at home. Thank you.”

He kneeled before her. Him being in her nest with her made her heart flutter.”I’m glad. Remember, this is your home now too. If you need anything let me know.” He kissed her cheek and turned to leave.

He made her heart soar. She smiled and cuddled up in her nest. A week passed and she was settling in quickly to her new home. Rengoku showered her in affection and made her feel safe and loved. She found herself falling for him, hard. The way he looked at her told her he felt the same. He approached her one day with a box. He held it out to her and she took it, curious. She opened it to find a lavender collar with a silver and gold sun and moon pendant. She blushed as she held it up.

“It is a symbol of our promise to be bonded mates. It will cover your scent glands. I noticed you like the color purple and saw the symbols on your leg warmers and scribbled in your journal. I hope you like it.”

Her heart fluttered. She had heard of collars as gifts between mates, but never thought she’d receive one. She held it up and he helped her put it on. He swept her hair out of the way and buckled it closed.

“It looks good on you,” he whispered in her ear. His warm breath on her neck made her shiver.

Her blush deepened. She stood before him, the collar snugly around her neck. She smiled up at him sheepishly. He nuzzled against her neck, growling softly. She felt the hum of it as he kissed her neck. Her eyes fluttered shut and she held him as he trailed kisses from the collar up her jawline.

He pulled back, smiling at her.”You look divine tonight.”

She smiled softly up at him.”T-Thank you.”

He brushed her hair behind her ear. He wore that warm smile of his that made her feel safe and warm. He tilted her head up and kissed her. He nipped at her bottom lip, causing her to whimper. He slipped his tongue past her lips and into her mouth. She moaned and tangled her fingers in his hair. He growled against her lips, his tongue dancing with hers. The taste of him on her tongue was like sweet ambrosia and she felt her heart flutter. They stayed like that until they had to break apart for air.

He rested his forehead against hers. “In a few months you will be ready for your next heat. I’ll be sure to mark you before then. You won’t spend another heat alone, little one.”

She smiled and shut her eyes.”I know you’ll take care of me, Kyojuro. Thank you. You are an amazing Alpha.”

He grinned.”Thank you, my dear Omega.” He kissed her lips once more. “Now, let’s get started on dinner.”

The days passed by. They spent their time together, growing closer and getting to better know one another. Weeks passed and her ribs healed at last. He gifted her a perfume of his scent before having to leave her for a mission. She sprayed herself with the perfume and nearly purred, thrilled by being surrounded by his scent. She carried the bottle with her whenever she had to go away on her own missions. The time they spent not killing demons was spent together. He dressed her up well and took her into the city, dining her and dancing into the night. She laughed happily as they danced together, the hours passing like they were the only two people in the world. They settled into a new normal and enjoyed every bit of it.

Rengoku had insisted he court her and he did so well. He was a gentleman, giving her privacy in their shared home and ensuring they spent the night in their own respective rooms. He showered her in gifts and took her on plenty of dates. They went to wine tastings and plays, ate at the finest restaurants and walked through parks as the sun set. They still had to spend time apart but he had even begun letting her tag along with him on missions. She fought by his side and her heart beat faster at getting to see him fight firsthand. He was graceful yet powerful, his swordsmanship beautiful. She was breathless the first time she watched him in battle. They settled into the life of being mates though they were yet to make it official. Each day felt like a dream.

Eventually four months had passed. She’d been spending more time in her room than usual, not wanting to leave her nest. She’d recently remade it, craving fresh trails of his scent as the old articles of clothing had grown faint. She was in her nest, nestled against the lining of it and cuddled up in her blanket. She was sketching in her journal when he knocked on her door.

She sat up and smiled. He was always so polite, such a gentleman. “Come in.”

He slid the door open. He walked into the room, kneeling before her in her nest.”You’ve been spending more and more time in your nest. The past couple of nights you insisted we eat in here together. I believe it is safe to say you’ll go into heat soon.”

She blushed and shut her journal.”...Yes, it is about time for it. I haven’t gone so long without a heat since I first smelled your scent.”

He nodded.”…If you are ready, I think it is time we mark each other.”

Her eyes widened.”R-Really?”

He nodded. He reached out and took her hand in his, gently holding it. He smiled at her.”Yes. I want it to happen while you are lucid and can fully consent. So if you are up to it, I’d like to spend the night with you.”

Her blush deepened.”T-Together?” She swallowed. Her heart raced at the thought.

He nodded once more.”Yes, that is correct. We can spend the night in your nest or in my room. After tonight you can move in with me in my room.”

Her heart skipped a beat. All she could do was nod.”...Yes, I’d like that.”

He smiled. He squeezed her hand softly.”Are you ready for me to mark you? It may hurt, but for a moment.”

She nodded. She slowly unbuckled her collar and placed it to the side. She tilted her neck, exposing her skin. She blushed and looked up at him.”I’m ready…”

He never once stopped smiling. He slowly crawled over to her. He nuzzled her hair out of the way, growling at how she so eagerly presented her neck for him. She could feel his breath on her skin and it made her shiver. In one swift motion he curled his lips back and bit into her soft skin. She cried out, eyes widening. Her vision was tinted white as he sunk his teeth into her neck. Pain shot through her and she teared up. He removed his teeth and lifted his head, licking at the mark he’d left to soothe it. She shivered, and suddenly felt pleasure course through her. She rolled her eyes back and whined. He smiled, placing a kiss to the mark forming on her skin. He sat back and looked at her. Her head was fuzzy. She shook her head as if to shake free the cobwebs.

He licked his lips, the taste of her blood filling his mouth.”Are you alright, little one?”

She hummed.”...Y-Yes, Alpha.” It slipped out, him marking her making her instinctively refer to him as his class title.

He growled in approval. When he spoke next his voice was deeper, husky.”Are you prepared to mark me, little one? Complete the bond?”

She nodded. She crawled over to him. He pulled his hair back and tilted his head, exposing his neck to her. She licked her lips and bit down, her teeth sinking into his flesh. He groaned and the noise made her blush. Blood filled her mouth and she removed her mouth from his neck. She licked her lips, the taste of him in her mouth like nectar. She watched the mark quickly form on his neck. The aching in her own neck faded then, replaced by immense satisfaction. She shivered and shut her eyes as it washed over her. She felt whole, like she’d been missing a part of her this whole time and had finally found it. She felt complete, like she had in her palms all she could ever want or need. She slowly opened her eyes. She smiled, nuzzling against his neck. His scent filling her nose made her head fuzzy and she purred in pleasure.

“My darling mate,” she cooed.

He smiled and held her close.”My beloved mate.”

They held each other like that for a moment. He picked her up, cradling her in his arms as he carried her bridal style. He carried her down the hall and to his bedroom. He slid the door open and placed her down on the bed. Beside it were stacks of folded blankets and articles of his clothing.

“Nest, my Omega,”he asked as he looked down at her.”This will be your new permanent nest. From now on you will sleep with me.”

She nodded. He’d clearly been preparing for her to nest in here. She grabbed the blankets and clothing, laying them out as she pleased. She formed the boundary of her nest, tucking in clothing and laying out blankets. She rearranged the pillows as she saw fit and hummed, content with her work. She nuzzled against her nest and smiled up at him.

She sat up and looked at him expectantly.”What do you want next of me, Alpha?”

He shut his eyes, having to compose himself after the primal feeling that came over him when she called him that. He licked his lips and kneeled, crawling into their shared nest.

He tilted her head up to look at him and smiled.”Now, my dear, I’d like to ravish you.”

She blushed a bright pink.”Y-You would? Right now? With me?”

He chuckled, amused at seeing her get so flustered for him.”Yes, Mitsuki. I want to be with you, to make love together.”

Her heart fluttered. She looked up at him with eyes full of desire.”Make love together…”She was breathless.”Yes, I’d like that.”

He smiled.”Good.”

He placed his hand on her thigh, slowly moving it up and under her skirt. Her heart was racing, skin lighting up beneath his touch. He abruptly removed his hand and sat back. She whined, missing his touch.

He laughed softly.”All in good time, little one. Would you like for me to remove your blouse?”

She nodded quickly.”...Yes.”

He nodded. His large hands hovered before her chest. Delicately he began unbuttoning her blouse, being careful with the soft fabric. Her breathing grew heavier as her blouse fell open and revealed her lilac bra underneath. He slid her shirt off her shoulders and let it fall to the side of the bed. He then grabbed the waist of her skirt and swiftly pulled it down. She yelped, the cold air hitting her bottom. She was left in only her underwear before him. She blushed and covered herself, embarrassed at her own nakedness.

He chuckled softly.”Darling, there is no need to be embarrassed. We are mates now. Besides, you look stunning.” She blushed and looked away. He tilted his head.”Hmm. Would it make you feel better if I undressed as well?”

She nodded slowly. He laughed to himself and sat back. He took his cloak off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. His hands unbuckled his belt and went to unbutton his shirt. She watched him closely, eyes trained on his hands as he undid his shirt. The top of his uniform slid off his shoulders and she whined at seeing the button up beneath it.

He laughed, amused at her whining.”Patience, little one.”

He quickly undid his button up. He removed it, bare chest exposed. Her eyes fell across his body. She could see the faint outline of scars from previous battles. He was lightly bruised from his latest mission. She frowned, reaching out to trace her hand over it.

He smiled as she touched him, noting the concern in her eyes.”I’m fine, my dear. It doesn’t even hurt. It was hardly hard enough to be called a blow.”

She nodded, frown still tugging at her lips. She sat back as he grabbed the waistband of his pants. Her eyes widened. She swallowed, watching intently as he pulled down his pants. Her blush deepened at seeing the obvious bulge in his underwear. She felt intimidated at the girth of it despite only seeing the outline. She gulped and fell back on her butt as he pulled off his pants.

He caught her wide eyes and tilted his head, curious.”What is it, little one?”

She hid her face behind her hands. He chuckled softly, gently grabbing her wrists and pulling her hands away to look at her.”My dear, there is nothing to be ashamed of. We are both adults and now mates, this is all completely natural. Are you having second thoughts…?”

She shook her head quickly.”N-No, it’s not that. I want this, I do. It’s just…” She looked away sheepishly.”...It looks like it will hurt.”

He smiled reassuringly and stroked her hair.”Is that so? I promise you, my dear, I’ll take good care of you. It may hurt, but for only a moment. Then it will feel wonderful, I promise. You’ll be fine.”

She nodded slowly. She nuzzled against his neck, his strong scent calming her. She snuggled against him and crawled in his lap.”I-I trust you, my darling Alpha.”

He smiled and kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms around her.”And I promise to take good care of you, my sweet Omega.”

She looked up at him and smiled. She took his hand and gave it a soft squeeze.”I’m ready now. I feel a lot better.”

He smiled.”Not as good as I’m about to make you feel, my Omega.” His voice was deep, husky.

She shivered at his tone. She blushed and nodded.”Y-Yes, Alpha.”

She lay there for him, spreading her legs. She felt a distinct wetness to her panties and it made her blush.

He crawled over her, placing his hands by her sides. “Sit up.”

She nodded and quickly did as he asked. She sat up. He hummed in approval. His hands went to undo her bra. He struggled for a moment, not used to the garment. She patiently sat up and at last his eyes lit up as he unclasped it. He slid the bra off her shoulders, holding it up triumphantly.

“Ah, your underwear put up a fight, my dear. But no worries! I remain triumphant!” He tossed it to the side, eliciting a small laugh from her.

He then lowered himself between her thighs. She blushed, his breath fanning across her clothed mound. He grinned mischievously up at her. He grabbed her panties with his teeth, tugging them down. She blushed and bit her lip and he completely undressed her. She pressed her thighs together and he gently pushed them back apart. She was a blushing mess as he lowered his face before her pussy. She was embarrassed to be on display before him but the hungry look in his eyes lit a fire in her gut. He licked his lips and buried his nose in her crotch, inhaling deeply. She watched him, trying to hide the embarrassment that mixed with pleasure.

He basked in her scent and licked his lips as he sat up.”Oh, my dear, you smell divine…I absolutely must taste you.”

He lowered his head once more and lapped at her slick entrance. She moaned, shivering at the feeling. Her soft little noises made him growl and the taste of her on his tongue drove him wild. He stuck his tongue out past her folds and began licking her up, swirling his tongue as he drank her down.

Her eyes fell shut and her mouth fell open as she moaned.”Mm~ K-Kyojuro~”

She gasped as he continued eating her out greedily. His tongue lapped at her juices and her noises only spurred him on. Hearing his name fall from her lips made his growl and he kept up a vicious pace. He gripped her thighs, holding her steady as he swirled his tongue inside of her. She began bucking her hips against his mouth, his tongue making her feel a level of pleasure she never thought was possible. Her fingers tangled in his hair, making him groan. He grinned to himself as he moved his hand and rubbed at her clit while continuing to drink her in.

Her eyes shot open. She shivered violently, moaning loudly at the pleasure.”O-Oh God, Kyojuro…So good…”

His grin broadened at her praise. He gently rubbed her clit while his tongue moved inside of her. She wouldn’t be able to handle much more of this.

She could feel her orgasm building fast.”K-Kyojuro…” She felt a primal urge to refer to him as his title and dropped his name.”Alpha…I’m going to come…”

He licked his lips and looked up at her with hungry eyes.”Do it, Omega. Come for me.” His tone was deep, gravelly. It made her shiver.

He began licking her clit, suckling on the little nub. She bucked her hips against his mouth and moaned loudly. Her fingers tugged at his hair and he growled. He didn’t once stop licking and sucking on her clit. Her eyes rolled back and she trembled as she came. An intense wave of pleasure blossomed through her and left her moaning as she gripped his hair. He grinned, licking her clean as her juices coated his tongue. He drank her in like sweet nectar and licked his lips when he was done. She watched him through hazy, half lidded eyes.

He smiled and sat up, crawling on top of her.”You taste wonderful, my sweet little Omega.”

She whimpered at him addressing her. She was happy she could please him like this.

He nuzzled against her neck.”...Are you ready for me, my love?”

She nodded quickly.”Y-Yes, Kyojuro. I need you…”

He smiled and brushed her hair to the side, tucking it behind her ear. “My dear Omega needs me? Well then, I’ll be happy to oblige~ I’ll take good care of you, Mitsuki. Relax.”

He sat back, thumbs hooking under the band of his underwear. She blushed as she watched him, curious yet embarrassed by her own inexperience. He tugged down his underwear, pulling it off. His erect member sprung free and her eyes grew wide. It was thick and a decent length to the point she whimpered, scared it would hurt. All she could imagine was it tearing into her tight walls and stretching her painfully wide. He saw the concern in her eyes and nestled between her thighs. He caressed her face lovingly and she met his gaze.

“Are you alright, my love?” He asked, his thumb caressing her cheek.”You look like something is bothering you.”

She whimpered.”...I don’t want it to hurt. It doesn’t even look like it will fit…” She was lost as to how she could possibly take all of that.

He smiled reassuringly.”Shh, little one. It will be alright. You can handle it, and it won’t hurt. I made sure you’re already nice and wet for me beforehand. Any pain will be minimal, I assure you. And I’ll take it slow.”

She looked up at him, his bright gaze honest and kind. Her heart fluttered and she slowly smiled.”...Okay. I trust you.” She took a deep breath and met his gaze.”I’m ready.”

He caressed her thighs, smiling warmly at her.”Are you sure?” He asked one final time.

She smiled and nodded, certain.”Yes.”

He smiled and nodded as well.”Alright then, good.” He kissed her forehead.

He positioned himself between her thighs. He spread her legs, the tip of his member brushing against her entrance. She gasped at the feeling. She bit her lip, eager yet nervous. He slowly pushed his hips forward, the tip of his cock sliding into her tight pussy. She whimpered, feeling her walls stretch to accommodate him. He stilled, letting her adjust and carefully studying her face for any signs of pain. When he saw she was fine he slowly slid in further. She threw her head back, moaning softly. It didn’t really hurt, necessarily, but she could feel how tight she was in comparison to his thick member. He was halfway into her and she already felt so full. She wrapped her hips around his waist and he smiled.

He kissed her shoulder as he slid in fully, her pussy eagerly stretching around him. He groaned at the feeling and shuddered, it taking all he had to show self restraint.

He stilled and allowed her time to adjust to all of him.

She whimpered softly.”You can move now, I’m ready.”

He nodded. He began moving, grinding his hips against hers as he thrust. Her mouth fell open, sweet moans falling past her lips. He grinned and began moving faster. She moaned loudly, his cock rubbing up against her sensitive spot as he thrust. He kept his pace, sensing that she liked what he was doing and making sure to continue doing that. The sound of skin slapping skin filled the room and made her blush at the lewdness of it. She focused on the feeling of him inside her, feeling every inch of his member and enjoying every second of it. His tip kissed her G-spot repeatedly and drove her wild, making her feel a kind of pleasure she’d never felt before. Him rocking his hips steadily against her made her head fuzzy, and she whimpered when she felt his knot brush against her. She bit her lip, mind wandering to how it would feel inside of her. The Omega in her craved it while the rational part of her screamed it was too big to possibly fit. Still, she felt it brush against her entrance with each thrust and the Omega in her whimpered, pulling him closer by her legs around his waist.

He caught the lustful look in her eye and it only spurred him on. He thrust into her, lifting her legs up higher as he slammed into her.

She felt his cock hit her cervix and her eyes rolled back.”K-Kyojuro, I won’t last long…Mm~”

He hummed.”Then I’ll milk you for all you’re worth, Omega.” His voice was low and there was a growl to it.

She shivered and whimpered at him referring to her by her class. The look in his eyes was primal and it made her feel something she wasn’t used to, something animalistic that pleased her greatly. She moaned as he kept thrusting and her legs trembled. The pleasure was intense and bloomed through her entire being. He kept rubbing against her G-spot and slamming into her cervix. It felt good, no, amazing. She purred and dug her nails into his back. He groaned in response.

“Alpha,”she purred out like a song of praise.”I-I’m going to come soon.”

He growled, the sound rumbling through his chest. “Come for me, Omega. Show who owns your body, I want you to keep making those sweet little noises for me.”

He slammed into her harder, lifting her legs over his shoulders and pinning her in a mating press. Pleasure coursed through her at just how deep he was now. Her toes curled and she moaned loudly. Her climax was quickly building in her gut. He pounded away at her mercilessly. He thrust, hard, making her body shake. Her eyes rolled back and she nearly drooled with pleasure.

“Ooh~ Kyojuro!” She screamed his name as her climax hit.

Her vision dotted white and she came, the hardest she’d ever come in her life. She trembled, the orgasm shaking through her. Her pussy spasmed and clenched around his cock. He groaned, shutting his eyes at the feeling.

“I-I want your knot,” she asked, almost desperate.

He looked down at her.”Little one…Are you sure? You’re not in heat right now so you aren’t producing any slick to make it easier. It may hurt quite a bit.”

She licked her lips and nodded. The primal Omega in her was hungry, craving it.”Yes…I need it, Alpha. Please.”

He scanned her features and saw her resolve. He nodded.”Very well, my love. I shall give you what you desire.”

He kept ramming into her, pounding away at her tight cunt. When he got close he was panting and gripped the sheets beside her. He knew he was close. He pressed deeper, his knot pressed against her entrance. He tried his best to ease her into it. She was so wet from recently coming that it helped a bit. Slowly his knot eased into her, finally sliding in fully with a ‘pop.’ She whimpered, feeling full and stretched wide by it. She teared up at the slight, throbbing pain. The Omega in her was pleased, however. She smiled dopily, high on the pleasure. He kissed her forehead and resumed thrusting. He thrust a few more times before his own pleasure spilled over. He trembled and tensed up, shooting hot, thick cum into her womb. He shot a few loads, more than she had anticipated, and she could feel it fill her up completely. His knot ensured not a single drop would leak out.

Her eyes rolled back with pleasure as he filled her up and she shivered. The Omega in her was satisfied and she let out a soft whimper. He pulled them onto their sides, his knot ensuring they stayed connected.

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her shoulder.”How do you feel, my love?”

She smiled.”I’ve never felt pleasure like that. It was amazing.”

He smiled.”I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. It was amazing for me as well.”

She hummed happily and snuggled close in his arms. She could feel his seed in her womb, her womb keeping it nice and safe. The thought of him filling her with his pups made her heart soar. She could tell her heat would start soon for the primal urges and thoughts were hard to resist. She’d gladly keep his cum warm in her tight little cunt and give him as many pups as he desired. He placed soft kisses along her neck that made her shiver. She shut her eyes and relished in just being with him like this. His knot stretched her wide and throbbed within her, causing a dull ache in her groin but it was bearable. It was worth it for the immense satisfaction it made her feel.

She snuggled against him, her eyes shut. She knew it would be at least an hour before his knot went down. She wanted to rest in the meantime, feeling exhausted from such an eventful day. His scent surrounding her made her dizzy and happy. She smiled to herself and relaxed in his arms.

He squeezed her gently.”Are you tired, my love?” He whispered.

She nodded.”Yes…It is so cozy in your arms. So safe.”

He smiled and kissed the top of her head.”Then rest, little one. I’ll be here to take care of you.”

He pulled a blanket over them, warmth surrounding them both. She nestled into her nest and against him. She yawned softly. She fell asleep like that, with his arms around her and his knot still inside her. He watched her sleep for a while. He smiled softly to himself and nuzzled against her neck. He fell asleep too, loving the feeling of his treasured mate within his arms.

They were both correct in that her heat would start soon. She awoke three days later in a cold sweat. Her body felt hot and her head fuzzy. Slick coated her thighs. She whimpered, tossing and turning uncomfortably.

He awoke from her stirring.”What is it, my love?” He sat up and looked at her with concern. The smell of her heat hit his nostrils and his pupils dilated. He growled and shut his eyes.”...Your heat, it has begun.”

She whimpered.”Alphaaa,” she whined.”I need you…” Her womb felt barren and she couldn’t stand the feeling. She buried her face in her nest and wiggled her hips, grinding against the comforter.

He sat up, nuzzling against her. Her scent was stronger than ever, irresistible. He groaned, mouth watering. He knew her heat would throw him into a rut.”I’ll take care of you, my dear Omega. Shh,I’m here…”

He kissed her neck softly. She whined and turned over. She spread her legs, her wet pussy on display. She slid her fingers over her wet folds.

“I need you, Alpha. My womb is so empty…Give me your pups, please…” Her mind was completely taken over by her heat. All she knew was the desire to be bred and give him pups. She needed it, needed it more than anything she’d ever wanted.

He growled.”I know, Omega, I know. I’ll give you all you want and more.”

He caressed her thighs as he crawled between her legs. She eagerly spread herself wide for him. He was already hard, the scent of her heat driving him crazy and giving him a stiff erection quickly. She looked down at his cock and whined, desperate for it. She wiggled her hips, hungrily wanting him to hurry up and fuck her silly. He leaned over her, hands on either side of her head. He licked his lips. He trailed kisses from her collar bone down to her breasts. He took her nipple into his mouth, his hand teasing her other one. She mewled as he teased her nipple with his teeth. He suckled her breast while squeezing and fondling her other one.

She moaned and felt slick drip down her thighs.”S-Stop teasing me…I need you inside of me. Need your knot.”

He pulled his head off her breast, a string of saliva connected to her. He licked his lips and smiled.”My apologies, my love. I wanted so badly to enjoy your body.”

He ran his hands down her thighs. He pressed the tip of his cock against her entrance and she shivered. She wrapped her legs around his waist and watched him, eager for him to move. He didn’t make her wait long. He slid his cock into her tight cunt, stretching her around him. Her eyes rolled back and she practically drooled. He began thrusting, giving her exactly what she so desperately craved. He lifted her thighs up higher, granting him deeper access to her. She moaned and mewled, filled with pleasure at every thrust. His cock slammed against her cervix and milked the pleasure from her G-spot. She could feel the pleasure mounting fast, already close to coming. He slammed into her repeatedly and she cried out, toes curling. She came, trembling with pleasure as her juices coated his cock. He groaned at the feeling of her pussy tightening and spasming around him.

He kept thrusting and it drove her wild.

“G-Give me your knot, Alpha. I need your pups. Please, fill me with your pups…”

He kissed her forehead.”Yes, my beloved Omega, I will give you all you desire. Your Alpha will take good care of you.”

He kept pounding away at her, the wet sound of their bodies slapping together filling the room. It was lewd but she found it like music to her ears. She moaned loudly and clung to him, nails marking up his back. He groaned and kept slamming into her. She was still sensitive from her previous orgasm and wouldn’t last much longer. His ragged breathing told her he was close as well. His knot pressed against her tight hole and she shoved him into her with a tug of her legs around his hips. He groaned as his knot popped into her and she shivered with pleasure. She grinned, eyes rolling back at the feeling of his thick knot within her. Now all she needed was for him to cum in her fertile womb. Oh, how she needed it.

He panted and groaned, slamming his hips into her. He began to shake and his thrusts became more erratic, desperate. Finally he slammed into her one final time, thrusting deep. He shot load after load of hot cum into her wanting womb. She shivered with pleasure, crying out and coming, hard. Her vision went white and she swore she saw stars. She grinned happily, content. She’d keep his pups nice and warm in her womb where they belonged. He collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily and spent. He knew it wouldn’t be long before she needed more, but his own rut imminent meant he could more than keep up to her demands.

He brushed her damp hair out of her face and kissed her forehead.”How are you feeling, my love? Is my beloved Omega happy?”

She only grinned and nodded.”Yes…So full…”She licked her lips, savoring how full she felt. She swore she could feel her stomach bulge from the huge amount of cum he had filled her with.

He smiled.”Good. Let me know if you need anything. I know you don’t want to eat but you’ll need your strength. When my knot goes down I’ll prepare you a hearty meal, okay my Omega?”

She nodded.”Yes, Alpha…Anything for you.”

He nuzzled against her neck.”Good. Rest easy, little one. I’ll take care of all your needs.”

And take care of her needs he did. For the next six days they fucked like rabbits. His thick cock filled her tight cunt over and over, making her come again and again. He knotted her each time, ensuring not a drop of his essence would leak out. He bred her until she couldn’t walk anymore and the Omega in her loved every second of it. Her slick coated her thighs and he’d kiss her neck as he pounded away at her relentlessly, determined to breed her for all she was worth. They never left the nest save for when he would cook for them. The nest was a mess from their intimate and constant lovemaking. He had her in every way possible. He’d fuck her on top of her, he’d bend her over and press her face to the sheets as he ravished her, Hell, he even let her ride him and milk his cock. She was desperate for his knot and determined to give him pups, and he was eager to please her. The six days of pleasure went on until her fever broke on the seventh day and she was once free of slick between her thighs.

He took good care of her the following days. He showered her in affection and let her catch up on the rest she had lost during her heat, the constant need to breed providing her with little time to sleep. It was a week after her heat that he picked up on the first change in her. She no longer smelled exclusively of roses and honey. No, her scent had mingled with his and become something new entirely. He smiled, overjoyed as he knew the heat had been successful. He took her in his arms and nuzzled against her as she cried happily, her womb now carrying his pup.

And oh how he took care of her. He went on as few missions as he could, desperate to remain by her side. He was insistent she rarely need to lift a finger. He doted on her and showered her in affection. He remained by her side as often as possible. He grew immensely protective as well. He rarely allowed anyone to come near her and would glare at strangers in the street, pulling her to him and into his arms. He let Yuki stay with her in his absence, comforted in the fact she wasn’t alone.

Her belly grew gradually and soon it was swollen and round. He’d shower her in kisses and constantly touch it, heart swelling at knowing their little pup was safe inside her belly. At night he’d talk to it and caress her belly gently, eyes full of love as he rambled on to the child inside. She was heavily pregnant when he hesitantly had to leave her once more. Yuki promised to watch her in his absence and it was his only solace.

“I’ll be back soon, little one,” he said with a smile as he caressed her face.

She pouted.”But I don’t want you to go…”

He kissed her forehead.”I know, my love. I know. But a demon is terrorizing a train and they need a Hashira to investigate. Forty passengers went missing without a trace. This mission can’t be trusted by a low ranking demon slayer.”

She hugged him close, crying softly at the fact he had to go at all.”I’ll miss you…Be safe out there, my love.”

He smiled.”Of course. I’ll be back before you know it.”

#rengoku #kyojuro rengoku #demon slayer #rengoku x oc #can be read as rengoku x reader #omegaverse

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siaradwast · 5 months

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got around to reading the bbc article about the "government gives trans guidance for england secondary schools" thing and uh.... there's a lot going on here

im gonna post screenshots of the article and pick out some things to unpack

"teachers should inform parents if their child wishes to change their gender identity at school": this is the new official guidance summed up. do i even have to point out that this could be very bad for kids with transphobic parents? if they've made the difficult decision to come out to a school counsellor or favourite teacher, the school do not then get to potentially out them to their potentially queerphobic parents. this is common sense.

"teachers will be able to withhold information if they feel a child is at 'significant risk'": i guarantee that this is not as simple as it sounds - are the teachers going to have a good idea of whether the parents are going to react badly? what if the teacher in question is transphobic?

A quote from Education Secretray Gillian Keegan "Parents' views must also be at the heart of all decisions made about their children" : absolutely horrifying thing to say, implying that parents should have control over their child's entire life, and this coming from the Education Secretary who should at least have the common decency to pretend she cares about uk schoolchildren

some quotes from Minister for Women and Equalities Kemi Badenoch "schools do not have to accept a child's request to socially transition" and "teachers or pupils should not be pressured into using different pronouns" : painting trans people as putting so so much bad pressure on the poor ickle cis people who couldn't possibly be expected to change a few words? no of course teachers shouldn't have to respect the children, what a ridiculous suggestion. yes of course she's the best candidate for "equalities minister" (sarcasm)

it gets worse!

teaching staff, pupils, and parents will also be told that they do not have to observe a child's chosen name and pronouns if they "hold protected religious or other beliefs that conflict with the decision" : oh great. this is a good idea and definitely does not basically say that being a terf is a protected belief (other beliefs definitely refers to terfs)

"schools must not allow a child, aged 11 years or older, to change or wash in front of a child of the opposite sex" : this guidance would of course not be complete without biological essentialism or the whole "protect the kids from evil queer people" rhetoric.

"primary school children (aged 11 and under) should not have different pronouns to their sex" : right, because there is nobody out there who transitions at that age. what about trans kids of that age whose parents are supportive? yeah, this guidance is referring to kids who ask to transition without their parents knowing, but at that age, if a child is transitioning, the parents are typically supportive. why would you want to make school a hostile environment for literal children, unless it isn't about the children and is actually about hating on trans people?

I'm not going to post anymore of the article, but this is gathering support from the tory government (Liz Truss had some quotes in the article), as well as two terf/gender-critical groups who welcome the move (one going as far as to say she doesn't think children should be allowed to socially transition at all), and of course the excuse of "It's about making sports fair for everyone".

there were some positives: a headteacher who said the guidance wouldn't change his approach of looking at each case individually and making sure the child was comfortable and gently encouraging the children to inform their parents, the father of a trans child who thinks the guidance would make life harder for trans students, and the charity Mermaids also disagreeing with the guidance

there is an open 12-week consultation on the government website to obtain public opinion on the guidance - if you live in the UK please fill it out, as many trans friendly voices need to get on that consultation and point out the ways it will harm trans people

honestly, the situation for transgender people in the UK is not getting any better, especially since almost the entire cabinet is made up of transphobes, and the continued platforming of people such as JKR, who are actively donating to anti-trans groups and spreading harmful rhetoric

Rishi Sunak has publicly said that "a man is a man and a woman is a woman", Steve Barclay has said that hospital wards should be separated by "biological sex", they've drawn back from using gender-neutral language entirely, there are barely any gender clinics in the uk and those that do exist have years-long waiting lists, the process to legally change your gender requires medical transition (which is incredibly hard to access), and there is no major political party standing up for trans rights (Labour leader Keir Starmer has said he doesn't think kids under 16 should be able to transition)

people need to keep talking about it, because it's not even about hormones and surgery at the moment - they're trying to restrict ability to change names, pronouns, dress style, etc., actually doing research into "the impact of socially transitioning", so that people can't even make the first steps to expressing their gender differently (essentially children under 11, under the new guidance, are almost entirely unable to transition in any way)

I usually only see other UK bloggers talking about this, and I've only seen uk news sites talking about it as well

please don't forget about the uk when you talk about trans rights.

#transgender #trans rights #trans rights are human rights #uk pol #uk politics #tories #fuck the tories #transphobia #queer #lgbtq #conservatives #rishi sunak #im aware there are issues with the bbc but this article summed it up in a way that i could dissect

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lawyernovelistpersonal · 2 years

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Some talk of medical malpractice and surgery.

I saw a post recently asking why "Seward apologists" keep asking how his treatment of Renfield would have been viewed by contemporary readers and sharing information on contemporary psychiatric care. They said that that's irrelevant, what matters is how good it is that we've moved past that.

Well, leaving aside my instinctive disagreement with a claim that it's pointless to want to learn about history and historical attitudes, it's actually very important to know about the environment in which Stoker was writing Seward because otherwise it's impossible to understand why he's written the way he is.

Imagine someone wrote a book this year with a major character who's a surgeon. We'll call her Jill. And she's a really good surgeon who loves her job, stays up to date on all the latest techniques, and is keen to take the best possible care of her patients. A major plot point in the story involves her having to do some major surgery on a secondary character, her hospital is a key location, and generally she's important to events.

The book becomes a classic and a hundred years later a huge number of people are reading and discussing it. Now, a hundred years on medical science has advanced and they have that Star Trek technology where you can perform medical treatment by just holding a device to someone's skin and it emits electromagnetic waves at just the right frequency to cure whatever's wrong with them in ten minutes or something. There are still medical professionals who are a little too keen on invasive procedures, but the rest of the field has moved on and in most cases actually cutting people open or jabbing them with needles or other such procedures are considered outdated at best and malpractice at worst.

And a huge number of people reading this hypothetical book hear that Jill's a surgeon and immediately declare that that means she's a serial killer whose main hobby is cutting people open and looking at their insides. The situation only gets worse when they see her at work and the headcanons are flying thick and fast about her deliberate cruelty and how she's the actual villain of the story and anyone who wants to take a step back and consider that at the time the book was written what she's doing was cutting-edge (no pun intended) is clearly in favour of the aforementioned doctors who commit malpractice by insisting on unnecessary invasive procedures.

That sounds absurd, right? It's a complete misreading of Jill's character based on expectations that neither she nor her author could possibly meet. Interpreting her based on what was expected from a doctor in 2022 does not invalidate abuse inflicted on the victims of medical malpractice in 2122 when scalpels are no longer commonly used. It does not mean that there are no doctors in 2022 who are abusive. It means that it's important to remember when judging whether Jill is committing medical abuse or malpractice or is a bad person that she exists in a time period and is bound by the constraints of medical knowledge in that time period.

And that's why it's important to know what the state of psychiatric care was when Dracula was written before you judge Seward. It doesn't mean that psychiatrists then or now cannot be abusive. It doesn't mean that someone acting like him in 2022 is doing a good job. It doesn't mean you have to like him or can't feel uncomfortable when reading about his behaviour. It means that Dr Jack Seward exists in a time period and is bound by the constraints of medical knowledge in that time period.

#dracula daily #dr seward

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leoparduscolocola · 2 months

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the simple fact that it is impossible to keep killer whales in captivity without causing the same gross anatomical deformity in over half of them should make it plainly obvious that they shouldn’t be kept in captivity at all. ALL adult male orcas, and a considerable chunk of females, whether captive-bred or wild-captured, have collapsed dorsal fins—in the wild, collapsed dorsal fins almost always occur only in orcas who are starving to death or have been injured in some way. and we don’t know if the collapsed dorsal fin has any health, social or behavior impacts! we just don’t know because captive orca facilities have stuck their head in the sand ever since they first started keeping orcas captive and refused to do any research on the phenomenon whatsoever!!! pro-captivity people will tell you in a cheerful, nothing-to-worry-about-folks tone that it doesn’t have any negative impacts, but that’s a lie, because at the end of the day, we don’t know. all we know is that something about captivity clearly causes it; we don’t even know the exact cause. in my opinion, it’s honestly ridiculous to suggest that a male killer whale’s most prominent secondary sex characteristic being totally deformed would have no bearing on his health or social status at all, but that’s just speculation too because nobody has ever looked into this phenomenon at all. that right there should prove that seaworld and their fellow captive killer whale facilities do not care about scientific research or about their animals’ welfare. if any other species experienced a gross anatomical deformity due to captivity (for example, if all male elephants’ tusks fell out, as well as some females’ tusks) and the facilities that held them refused to study it, the zoo industry would be outraged. but because it’s seaworld and they have a huge amount of money and they’re apparently the “world’s foremost experts on killer whales” (despite repeatedly ignoring the hard science from wild orca biologists that makes it obvious that their practices, such as separating moms from calves and restricting their movement, are incredibly harmful), the entire zoo industry just takes their word for it that this deformity is not harmful even though they’ve done no research on it. the dorsal fin issue makes me feel like i’m going insane; seeing smart, animal-loving people fall for this nonsense is very disheartening. it is genuinely shameful that captive killer whale facilities are so willing to overlook a blatant issue because acknowledging it would mean that—gasp!—they’d have to admit that their practices are not perfect and infallible. it would be laughable too if it wasn’t so depressing, because the welfare of these animals is being ignored. but remember kids, seaworld cares! your ticket pays for rescue and research! consume our product to save the earth!

#orcas #cetaceans #orca #killer whales #killer whale #cetacean #animal welfare #zoology #dolphin #dolphins #seaworld #cetacean captivity #orca captivity #katherine speaks

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