#''It wasn't supposed to end like this'' I'm sure it wasn't!

[the-fiction-witch]

My Perfect Bride

Media - House Of The Dragon Character - Jacaerys Velaryon Couple - Jacaerys X Reader Reader - Y/n Rating - Smutty Word Count - 1119

Jacaerys shifted and squirmed a little against the black sheets of his bed, the fire glowing in the darkness, the storm raging beyond the walls of DragonStone, he shifted trying to get comfortable but he was still half awake however his shifting seemed to stir the other body in his bed, Y/n laid in the other half of his bed, his betrothed. She wasn't supposed to be here so late or share his bed but given their wedding coming in only a few short days they bent the rules tonight for a cuddle, she laid in the end in her blue nightgown gracefully over her body, her curls loose on the pillow, her chest rising and falling with each of her slow breaths, her lips parted and her eyes softly closed.

Jacaerys heavy arm rested over Y/n's waist and pulled her closer to him. He kissed her shoulder and the base of her neck slowly, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair and the warmth of her body. Slowly his arm tightened around her waist, pulling their bodies even closer together. He nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck, leaving a trail of light kisses there. 

Y/n stirred and shifted, her voice grumbled a little sound that sort of resembled his name, 

His hand slipped under the hem of her nightgown, his fingers tracing languidly along her inner thigh. He couldn't stop the smile that spread over his face Jacaerys loved the way she felt against him. His fingertips continued their gentle caress along her inner thigh. "Say my name. Say my name again," he whispered in her ear, his voice husky with desire. "I want to hear it." He nipped at the soft skin of her neck, his thumb stroking lazy circles just above her hipbone.

She wiggled and squirmed in her sleep as she woke more and more each second "Jace... What are you doing?" She yawned,

He moved his hands upwards, his fingers skimming over the bare skin of her hip and up to the trim of her nightgown. "I can't sleep," he mumbled against her neck, his voice still low and husky. "Just keep lying on your side, I want you so much."

"I'm not sure this will help you sleep Jace, more likely to wake you up I'd assume?" She teased

Jacaerys let out a sound between a laugh and a groan, his lips trailing along the expanse of Y/n's neck. "You're perfect," he murmured between kisses, his fingers slipping beneath the flimsy strap of her nightgown and sliding it off her shoulder. "Don't want to sleep. Want to touch you."

"alright Jace..." She yawns close to drifting back to sleep once more too tired to debate with him

Jacaerys kissed and nipped his way down her shoulder, pulling the strap of her nightgown lower on her arm. He kissed her skin reverently, his touch both gentle and urgent as he explored the curves of her body. His thumb traced patterns on the bare skin of her stomach, his fingers sliding further up her thigh. He wanted to touch her everywhere, commit the feel of her skin to memory. Jacaerys felt a pang of desire shoot through him at the sight of her the way the moonlight illuminated her skin, the way her body responded to his touch. His breath hitched, his fingers tracing along her side towards her breast. "Y/n," he whispered, "I want to touch you, taste you, feel you. please."

"what is it, Jace?" She yawns

He pressed his body closer to hers, his chest pressed firmly against her back, his lips ghosting over her neck. "I can't stop thinking about you. All day, all night, it's like you're all I have in my mind. I want to touch you, taste you, claim you as mine. I'll do whatever you ask, say whatever you want, but please, let me have you." Jacaerys' breath was heavy, his voice thick with desire.

"We shouldn't we're not married yet…"

His lips were tantalizingly close to her ear, his breath warm against her skin. "Please, just a taste. Just a small indulgence before the wedding, just this once. No one has to know, I'll behave, I'll be good. Just let me have you, just for tonight." His thumb traced gently along her inner thigh, sending shivers down her spine.

"... alright jacaerys just... Be gentle"

His breath hitched in his chest, a rush of affection flooding him at her words. He knew how much control it had taken her to surrender to his desires. "I promise," he whispered, his hand still tracing gently along her inner thigh, the other moving to tangle in the mass of her curls. He pressed his body closer, his hips flushed against hers, his lips moving to her neck.

she giggled clearly excited too she moved sitting up and lightning a small candle beside the bed, she turned kissed his lips softly, they shared a few small innocent kisses but Jacaerys couldn’t wait his hands slipped down from her waist to the hem of her nightie and quickly threw it from her body, leaving her completely exposed to his eyes, she couldn't stop her giggles as she laid down on his bed on her back letting him soak all of her in, 

Jacaerys' breath caught in his throat at the sight of her naked body laid bare before him, his hands instantly moving to touch her, his fingers skating over her curves in an almost reverent manner. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life," he murmured, his eyes roaming over her in wonder. "My perfect bride."

"your not disappointed?"

He shook his head emphatically, a smile spreading across his face as he touched her like he had dreamt about for so long. "No," he said softly, his eyes fixed on hers. "You're perfect. You're everything I want, everything I need. And now you're going to be my wife. How could I be anything but happy?" He kissed her deeply, pouring all of his love and admiration into it.

"I don't know if you imagined your wife better?”

Jacaerys chuckled softly, shaking his head in disbelief. He knew this was an insecurity that had been weighing on her for a while, and he wanted to banish it. "No," he said firmly, his eyes locking with hers. "Not bigger, not smaller, just perfect. There isn't a single thing I'd change about you. I love the way you look, I love the way you feel. You're perfect. And you're mine. And once we are married I promise I will make you know how much I love your body every single night," He pressed closer against her body, his fingers roaming over her skin as he kissed her deeply, his tongue slipping inside her mouth hungrily…

Masterlist Of Jacaerys Velaryon

[999h34rt]

NUMBER ONE | KATE MARTIN ( FINAL PART )

➣ kate martin x actress!reader

➣ summary: everything is perfect, but perfection doesn’t come free.

➣ part three

☆

liked by hbo, usera, y/ny/l/n and 16,682 others

vanityfair Y/n Y/l/n is nominated for her first ever emmy for HBO’s House of the Dragon. In category “Outstanding lead actress in a drama series”, does she have your vote?

☆

“Kate-"

"I thought we agreed on this. You and her would not have contact"

"So what was i supposed to do ,just ignore her when she appeared in my face?"

"Yes that exactly what you should've done" She lets out, yelling. Y/n suddenly felt herself freeze, her entire mood shifted.

Everything was going great, candlelit dinner, make out in the kitchen counter, laughing, more kisses etc. When you finally told her about your encounter at a movie premiere with your former fling, Lily Rose Depp, you saw her jaw clench, her lips pursed together and her tongue touched her cheek insider her mouth. That's when shit went crazy.

Just as you were both sitting down, she sat up, pacing up while repeating your story. When you tried to calm her down, she snapped, frustrated with you. The only other time you saw Kate this mad was when she find out you and Lily still had each others number, she calmed down quick when you blocked it, but now you weren't sure what to do. You and Lily had shared a brief conversation about the movie, which she thought it was enough of a conversation for her to sneak in a hug at the end. You both knew that you guys weren't going to happen again, but a small part of Kate thinks that Lily isn't in the same mindset with you.

It's been exactly a year and a half since the rooftop date, shortly after that , both of you became exclusive when Kate brought you to the annual team dinner and introduced as her girlfriend, you got deja vu all over again. The relationship was still a secret, but it wasn't like people didn't speculate. Everything was going great, Kates career was booming and yours as well, you were nominated for your first emmy two weeks ago, in 3 days you were going to find out if you were going to have a gold winged woman in your hands. Besides that, you and Kate were thriving, moved into a penthouse a month ago, a home just for you two. You rarely fought, and when you did it was accompanied wth great make up sex, so you didn't complain. But you had a feeling that there was no sex after this, just misery.

"Don't yell at me, I'm sorry" You said, your eyes on the ground, shameful.

"Well sue me for being frustrated"

"I didn't mean for this to happen-"

"What did you think was going to happen?"

"I didn't even hug her back-"

"Y/n-" she screamed, again.

"I said, don't yell at me" you screamed back. You felt yourself take a step back , unsure of what to do, you said what you thought was best "I think i should go"

"What?"

"I'm gonna go, spend the night with Emma or Matt or something, we need space before we scream at each other again" you said while rubbing your head with frustration. You heard Kate move, and when you heard her car keys jiggle, you looked up. your tear filled eyes met her angry ones,

"Don't bother" she said, opening the door before slamming it shut. You felt your eyes not bother anymore, tears leaked. Nothing comes for free, everything was with a cost.

☆

"We haven't said anything to each other in 2 days" you said to Jada.

"Nothing, really?"

"Nothing, she goes to practice, i stay in the living room, she returns and i go out wherever i can"

The apartment was filled with utter silence, Kate was not saying anything but you knew that she saw your sad eyes, and even though she was aware she didn't do anything about it. That made it even worse, you had spent an hour crying about it when you made that realization. Was this over? Was this how you two were going to end? And you definitely knew that you wouldn't be able to survive that, would probably stop dating for good after.

"We're just avoiding each other, and it's slowly breaking me" You heard your voice crack, your eyes became glossy. Your make up artist stopped himself, gave you a look of sympathy before asking if he should continue, you gave him a nod.

"Don't cry and do not think about this tonight, you're at the Emmys for god sakes"

That's another thing upsetting you, Kate was supposed to be your date, if you won, she would be the person you would want to get up and hug you, then kiss you after when you were alone. But if she didn't want to talk you, then you weren't going to either.

"You're right"

☆

"And the winner for outstanding lead actor in drama series is... MATT SMITH" You heard them announce. As you hugged your co star and congratulated him, you wondered if Kate had been watching, the next award was your nominee category ,and you weren't sure if you could handle going on that stage knowing she's not happy with you.

As a commercial break was announced, you felt as your empty seat was occupied suddenly, and then you heard her voice. "Hey" she smiled at you, she was here. She was actually here, she didn't miss this.

"Thank you" for coming, you silently thought, you knew Kate understood. She knew everything about you.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world baby, no matter how mad we are at each other" She said, bringing your knuckles to her lips. Suddenly feeling the urge to kiss her, you didn't stop yourself. You didn't care and neither did she when you felt her kiss you back. All that mattered is that you had each others support, you didn't care about anybody elses.

"And the Outstanding actress in a drama series is... Y/N Y/L/N"

☆

instagram.com↙

liked by zendaya, hbo, adele and 2,100,356 others

y/ny/l/n oh my god. i don't know where to begin. thank you to hbo and the most amazing crew and cast mates on earth and congratulations to everybody, this past 2 years have been amazing and unforgettable. thank you to my family,friends and fans, the massive support made me who i am. And finally thank you to my person, i wouldn't want to be here if it isn't with you.

usera oh kate and y/n🥹🥹

userb most well deserved

houseofthedragonhbo congratulations princess rhaesya 💘

zendaya congratulations girly❤️❤️❤️

userc loveloveyouu

userd her and kate are so cute omg😘😋

↳ usere i always knew

↳userf who didn't tho????

userg shes one tony away from EGOT 🤭

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liked by y/ny/l/n, katemartin, hbo and 789,079,657 others

houseofthedragonhbo congratulations to our outstanding actors. thank you, y/n and matt. @y/ny/l/n

millyalcock favs

userh best cast ever

useri hottest cast on earth istg

↳ userj casting director deserves a raise

theemilycarey 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

userk fav uncle-niece duo 😛

↳ userl deaddd

↳ userm targaryen incest hahahahahahhahaha

usern missing them

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liked by aja22wilson, lvaces, paigebueckers and 46,876 others

katemartin congratulations baby, whether you lost or won, always will remain number one in my heart ❤️ @y/ny/l/n

aja22wilson congratulations 🎊

alyshaclark 🥹🥹🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

usero love them already

y/ny/l/n i love you.

userp crying omg this is so cute 😭😭

↳ userq right?? 😭😭😭

lvaces congrats y/n 🎊🎊🎊🎊🤭🤭

↳ y/ny/l/n thanku 🫶🏻🫶🏻

loading more comments…

☆

thankyou for reading <3333

[defectivehero]

Since it’s pride month and all. Could we get a flirty ace villain? I think it could be really funny if the hero was like “you know I’m ace right” and the villain was like “yeah me too but you aesthetically pleasing ✨”

um HELL YES

“You look nice.”

The hero stares at their enemy in disbelief, convinced they misheard them. The villain then repeats themself, and the hero is forced to realize that their enemy is flirting with them.

It takes them longer than they would like to respond. "Not interested," the hero then answers. At the villain's confused look, they continue. "I'm asexual." The hero tries to gauge their enemy's reaction, only to find cool composure.

"Same," the villain says casually. The hero’s brow furrows.

"Then why...?" They ask, trailing off.

"What, am I not allowed to appreciate aesthetics?" The villain scoffs. "You have a nice face. You look nice. That's not a weird thing to say, right? I’m just stating facts." They huff, as if the hero is the one overthinking things. And, well, maybe they are.

"I guess not," the hero acquiesces with a noncommittal shrug.

"Besides, I can still experience attraction," the villain explains, making a show of picking at their nails. Their gaze flits up to the hero and the hero nearly freezes at their attentiveness. "But I apologize if my comments implied anything of a sexual nature."

"Um... thanks," the hero says, feeling less tense than they did a few moments ago. Then they realize the implications of their enemy’s statement. "Wait... You're attracted to me?"

The villain stares at them for several moments. Then they pinch the bridge of their nose. "Fuck." They hiss. They look uncharacteristically flustered for a fraction of a second, until they suppress it. "I... I suppose, yes."

"You don't sound very happy about it," the hero remarks with mild amusement.

"I'm not," the villain huffs. They quickly realize their mistake, and it’s confusingly endearing to see them attempt to back-track. "I mean, no. Wait. I am! I just- I didn't want to say anything just yet. I wasn't sure how to describe it."

"You can try to, if you want," the hero offers, almost afraid to admit that they feel exactly the same. It's scary how often those same thoughts—hell, those same words—run through their mind. "I'll be patient and listen." They promise.

"Really?" The villain’s suspicion is evident. "That's a first." The hero sends them an unimpressed look. They watch as their enemy evidently takes a moment to collect themself. "Very well." They pause for several seconds. "What I feel for you surpasses platonic companionship... but is not romantic."

There’s a long pause. "Like... queerplatonic?" The hero says, finally managing to free their tongue from the roof of their mouth and utter the words.

"...I guess that would be correct, yes," the villain acquiesces after a moment's contemplation. They still don’t sound completely certain. "It's close, at the very least."

"I see," the hero says. They wait a few moments for the villain to continue, but they don't. It takes the hero some time to realize that's all that their enemy had to say.

Admittedly, the villain’s admission isn’t too shocking. The hero has already done some self-reflection on their own—has already attempted to puzzle out just what their enemy means to them, what their bond means for them. The exercise ended up doing them more harm than good.

"Does this change things?" The villain asks, unknowingly echoing the hero’s own thoughts. The hero isn't sure they've ever heard their enemy sound so hesitant before. They quickly decide that they don't like it.

They contemplate the question. "Does it have to?" The hero then hums.

Comprehension passes over their enemy’s face as they evidently grapple with the intricacies of their “relationship.” It truly does defy words, the hero thinks. “I suppose not.” The villain realizes aloud.

"Cool," the hero says, nodding resolutely. They hear themself continue before they can stop to think about the consequences. "I like what we have going."

The hero subconsciously expects for their enemy to laugh at them. In their mind's eye, they blink and they can see their enemy's lips twist into a cruel sneer. But, in reality, the villain only nods in agreement. “Me too.” They cross their arms over their chest, as if needing to quell their restless energy.

There's a mutual, unspoken understanding between the two of them. No label seems to fit them just right... so why bother naming it? The hero and the villain know one another, know that they take comfort in each other's presences. And isn't that enough?

The hero thinks it is. And, evidently, so does the villain, if the slight quirk to their enemy’s lips is any indication.

©2024, @defectivehero | @defectivevillain, All Rights Reserved. Reblogs are greatly appreciated—just don't steal or share outside of Tumblr, please.

endnotes: friendly reminder that ace ppl can still experience romantic attraction! i just took the chance to write about queerplatonic feelings bc i have a soft spot for writing qp relationships. <3

sorry for the delay on writing this one! i'm on vacation, teehee... and, admittedly, i'm still not super happy with this, but hopefully that's just me...

happy pride, friends! <3 <3 <3 <3

tag list: @lateuplight @wit-is-wisdom @greengableswriting @whump-me-all-night-long @noawhite @rekhyt-of-arcadia @the-blind-one-speaks @sufferfictionalcharacters @basically-psyduck @alexkolax @subval01 @emerald-blade @felicia609 @surplus-of-sarcasm @ilickedanenvelopeandilikedit @a-chaotic-gremlin @unknownogre @prompt-fills-and-writing-spills @whatwhumpcomments @excusemeasibangmyheadonawall @agayprince @starsick1979 @a-lonely-little-ghost @agayprince @plum-tello

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[remidyal]

Game Changer Season 6 episodes, ranked by my personal enjoyment

Because I also enjoy arbitrarily ranking things! If you disagree... I mean, that's fine? I liked every episode this season, just.. I liked some episodes better than others. I'm grouping the Ratfish episodes together, so we've got eight entries. Spoilers for, um, every game changer episode this season, obviously.

#8 Pencils Down:

I'm not as into drawings and all as I am a lot of the other stuff, though this was probably the most wholesome episode of this season. I'm, naturally, opposed to wholesomeness too.

Favorite bit:

The proposed tattoos were a lot of fun.

#7 Ratfish (parts 1 and 2):

I think this one got hurt for me by a couple things - I know absolutely nothing about the show they're mimicking, unlike Survivor or the Bachelor, and I did not particularly enjoy anything directly to do with the Ratfish or understand why I should care about his opinions and arbitrary decisions. I assumed that the cast would recognize who this person was and we'd get some kind of payoff there, but nope. Everything just between the cast was great, though.

Favorite bit:

Honestly there's a ton of quick moments to choose from here, but I think my favorite is Brennan incorrectly going for the seat marked Brennan Lee Mulligan at the end.

#6 The Newlyweb Game:

This one was gentle good fun, I enjoyed everyone involved, there were just more standout moments in some of the later episodes on this list. This is fighting with Pencils Down for the most wholesome episode, or at least the one that would least fit into a saw trap. In spite of that this would be the episode all time of Game Changer I would least be willing to be on, even in the world where I'm not firmly aroace and have a partner - I think I would sooner light myself on fire than let someone I know have full access to my phone.

Favorite bit:

Revealing how many unread emails people had and the shock and judgement at totally reasonable numbers, as someone with around forty thousand unread emails in my primary gmail account dating back to 2004.

#5 Bingo

We're really into tough competition now! I loved this episode, and that it somehow turned into a tormenting Brennan episode even though he wasn't even supposed to be there. This was obviously slightly rigged so that the players in the third set of Bingo were most likely to win (and it was actually impossible for the people on stage) but honestly pulling it off was so good.

Favorite Bit:

I mean, it's the reveal to Trapp and everyone of the existence of the third group of course.

#4 Second Place

First, I know that for meta reasons this should be second, but it's not. Oh well. Sam alleges that this episode wasn't intentionally meant to torment Brennan; I do not believe Sam's lies. Everyone in the world saw the twist at the end coming and it's still funny.

Favorite bit:

Ally declaring that Brennan can ring the gong the loudest and Brennan's brain breaking harder than anything that Sam had actually planned.

#3 Sam Says 3

I can't believe this one's only third. If this is how Sam Says ends - and I have a hard time seeing how a fourth edition can escalate, even outside of the BTS claiming that they see three times as the limit for the same premise most of the time - then what an ending. I'm not sure any other game concept has managed to make the players so consistently tricked. My only critique of it is that I think I like the first couple times at this well just a little bit more, with nothing in this quite matching Ally flying to New York or the Something We'll Have To Bleep energy for me.

Favorite Bit:

It's hard to top the fake Sam body dropping from the ceiling.

#2 Beat the Buzzer

Every episode with the Seven cast is always incredible, and production-wise this seems like the craziest thing they've ever pulled off. Any episode where they break out of just the stage is always good, and I think this is the most extensive use of that they've ever done. Incredible variety, great cameos from Aabria and Persephone, complete manic energy from all three contestants. A+ episode.

Favorite Bit:

There's so much here, but I think mine as someone who worked as a pizza delivery driver was the entire exchange where Rehka just ends up getting the bag with the buzzer and a bunch of loose oreos. Was production prepared with everything that was on that menu or would they have actually ordered breadsticks somewhere to use as a prop?

#1 Deja Vu

Time loop stuff is always a favorite of mine, and pulling one off as an episode is ALREADY a great premise before you even get into all of the other cast and the editing. (Shout out to Siobhan Thompson for being in exactly two Game Changer episodes and them being this one and Escape the Green Room; guess we know what pepper rating she puts down.) Great chemistry between the cast, a truly deranged display from Sam, and of course the Wenis. Genuinely the WEIRDEST episode of the season, too, always a good sign.

It's a shame they already repeated the premise too much to do a follow up to this one...

Favorite Bit(s):

I'm doing two for this one because it's my list and I can.

"This isn't fucking Um, Actually!" with sincere righteous anger.

Everything to do with Zac as Grant, most of all how easy it would have been to just make that Zac as Zac.

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.134 Parenting

Once Desiree was satisfied, I placed her in the bassinet, snapped a picture to send to everyone, and called Mama. Naturally, she thought I was still at the hospital, so I told her our heroic tale of home birth. It upset her at first because anyone in their right mind would have been concerned about giving birth unassisted. But in the end, she said she was proud of me. Dad was still over there, so she told him of his new granddaughter, and he came over immediately. Sophia was supposed to be resting, but was much too excited to sleep and eager to spend time with Desi. I mean, she was probably the best baby ever born, so I didn't kick back too much when she appeared at the door when Dad arrived. She promised to go to bed as soon as he left.

"She's beautiful, son. I'm really happy for you both."

"Thanks, Dad."

Knowing Sophia couldn't sleep because she wanted to hold our daughter, I probably should have given Desi up, but I couldn't part with her. At least not yet. I asked if Dad wanted to hold her because it was the right thing to do, but I was glad he declined. He, like me, was skittish about holding her, even after having two children of his own. The more I held her, the more comfortable I became. At that rate, I'd be a professional newborn handler in no time.

"When you were a toddler," he began, "I was still afraid of you. Of course, you were bigger and less fragile then, but I had never really been around children before and didn't know what to do with you."

Looking back, I saw evidence of that all the way through our childhood. He was naturally a laid-back guy, but his parenting style was also very hands off. He basically let us do whatever we wanted, only stepping in when it was critical or we came to him. Mama was kind of passive too, but she checked in with us from time to time to see how things were going and how she could help. What kind of parent did I aspire to be? I certainly couldn't see myself as a helicopter, but I think I'd like to be less be passive. Only time would tell what I'd become.

"I learned quickly how fickle children are at that age and was deathly afraid of you having a tantrum, so I tried to talk to you nicely when it was time for a bath or whatever I needed you to do. You thought it was funny and would mock me."

"Really?? I did that?"

"Sure did."

"I bet you were so adorable," Sophia said.

"He was. They both were. And now you both have your own. I wish I had more time to see them grow up, but I'm happy just knowing they exist."

"Don't talk like that, Dad."

"I'm old, Luca. I won't be around forever."

Sad doggie whimpers saved me from that conversation. It's not that I didn't realize my parents had gotten on in age, but I didn't want to discuss it yet. I was still high from becoming a parent for the first time. He could burst my bubble after my birthday, and he better not die before then.

"What's the matter, Rosie? Did you hear the baby? You have a little sister now. Come here. Let's get you introduced."

I put down Des, picked up Rosie, and brought her to the bassinet.

"This is Desiree. She's gonna be your new playmate soon, and I'm gonna get you and Kooper some treats so you can play with her for a really long time."

She licked my face, so I guess she forgave me. I hadn't completely neglected them, but she and Kooper definitely got lost in the shuffle.

"We still love you and Koop. You were our first babies! But this baby is gonna need a lot of help, so don't think I don't love you if we don't go jogging every day, okay?"

"You're such a good daddy," Sophia said.

I think I detected a hint of flirt in there, but I kept that thought to myself. Maybe when she wasn't struggling to keep her eyes opened I'd revisit, heh. She excused herself to go to bed a few minutes later. Desiree began fussing again, but I didn't have to guess what she needed that time; I could smell it. Dad had gone downstairs, probably to see what he could do around the house to help, so it was on me to get Little Miss Lady cleaned up. It was surprisingly not that hard. At least I hope I did it right.

[henrysglock]

This post is going to be rambling and speculative to say the least, but...You guys would tell me if certain types of gates had 2 ends in different times/locations (like a wormhole of some kind), right?

Like if, say, El opened the 1979 gate to Dimension X in Nevada, and that opened something to Dimension X in Hawkins in 1959, that might explain the supposed presence of monsters in TFS.

Then what about 1983? Could the 1983 gate in Hawkins have opened something in Nevada around 1953? Is that what's so special about Nevada in the 50s?

Was there a gate in Nevada in the early 50s?

(An aside, because I have to: Richard Brenner ran HNL from 1954 to 1971. Martin Brenner seems to have been there since 1959, and was in charge by 1983. Just...shrimpresting to me. Martin Brenner...you aren't a nepo baby by any chance, are you? Asking for a friend.)

And with that...you guys would tell me if Dimension X existed outside of space-time, right.

Like okay, running with the 1979-1959/1983-1953 Hawkins-Nevada theory. Henry didn't shape the Shadow until post-1979, but we do see him drawing it, fully-formed, in 1959.

If Dimension X exists, theoretically, outside space-time...then could it be possible that a young, pre-1959 Henry met post-banishment Henry via a gate in Nevada in 1953-1954?

[cocks gun] Hey Henry, in an attempt to change your fate/escape HNL ("Something that would change everything"), did you retroactively give yourself the Shadow?

Which, if it's retroactive, might explain why ST1 Jopper et. al. don't immediately connect TFS to ST1. TFS Henry may or may not be flayed, but that may not have gone into effect until 1983-1984. Thus the adults don't connect it, because it technically hasn't happened yet...or to this version of them specifically.

See: Stranger Things Day Discrepancy #1

If this all ^^ is the case, but Henry doesn't ultimately change his fate, then instead of finding the Shadow post-1979, Henry would reunited with it.

He's been known it for over 25 years. He's been flayed, and it sounds like it likely wasn't a pleasant experience, given the way VR Henry reacts to the Shadow as compared to Canon Henry:

Canon Henry reaches out to the amorphous Shadow and shapes it. VR Henry rejects it immediately. VR Henry wants the Shadow to go away. Canon Henry beckons the Shadow and shapes it.

(If there was a Henry who already had control of the Shadow, it might also answer the question of who the hell is manipulating it in the VR trailer...but again, it's speculative.)

This all might also answer a long-standing question of mine: How the hell did Will know that closing the gate would work?

Will gets flayed in 1984, and he's only flayed for a few days. In fact, he's really only possessed for about a day...and supposedly, no one has ever seen anything like this before, so it's not like anyone suggested it to him.

This means Will figured out how to cut the connection with the Mindflayer in less than a day, while under extreme duress.

Which sure, you could hand-wave it as hive mind stuff...but what if there was someone who already knew how to cut the connection? Say...someone who may not have been the primary target anymore? [Smash-cut to 4.06 Brenner: "Well, well, it looks like we have a new winner"]

Tangentially, it's so interesting to me that Will would have morse code memorized so well that he can use it under such insane duress, something that only Hopper, who's father was a WW2 vet and who was once military himself, recognizes in ST2. Will doesn't show any proclivity towards morse code until this point, though. He could have used morse in ST1 to talk to Joyce/Hopper in full words via the lights, if he knows it this well! But he doesn't.

That leads me to ask—Who do we know that:

is heavily associated with the Shadow/Dimension X

may been possessed/flayed in the past

may have experience neutralizing the Shadow

had a father who was in WW2

is around Hopper's age/is of an age where knowing morse code would be common

(The answer should be glaring, let me know if it's not)

What more did El have to learn about Henry via NINA? What was the truth Brenner meant for her to see/was withholding from her? Why does it feel like certain characters have been scapegoated, and that we may have had a man on the inside (or rather...the other side) this whole time?

Tangentially related speculation re: Will, the lights, and Henry under the cut

It makes me wonder, again, about Stranger Things Day Discrepancy #2:

If Will's messages don't count, then why does this set of messages count? Is Will even in the real Upside Down at all?

See: Stranger Things Day Discrepancy #3 and #4

(I know at least my group of friends has been thinking that Will's UD isn't the same as Nancy's or Vecna's since...forever)

And if Will isn't in the UD, then who is? Who's blinking the letter-lights, and why is that considered the first message from the Upside Down?

Why is TFS, a story about Henry, considered "the origin of the Upside Down"...

and not ST1 Mothergate/Will's disappearance?

Who made the letter-lights blink quickly, rather than the slow, glowy way Will does it with the white lights? (See also: The slow glow when the other kids touch lights in the UD/the LiteBrite)

Which program has been shown having kids with powers quickly blink lights on and off with their minds?

So again...why does it feel like we've got a man on the inside?

[lunarharp]

more phoenix wright situations

[fragmentedblade]

I have so many screenshots of Kalpas' face I could reconstruct his face at this point, and I'm afraid to say I'm not sure his face is scarred

[sheyshen]

Something I want to build on with vincent at some point is how much the years of being an adventurer has taken a toll on him. he spent so long just being angry at the world but as he gets closer and closer to carteneau he does start recognizing how reckless he's been and the mistakes he's made over the years. friendships (especially with layla and nhea) helping him get a little closer to how he used to be before finally stopping and trying to do better for himself when he loses his leg. and the fact that guilt has really solidified in him to still make him push himself in his healing rather than combat (though sometimes still pushing himself too far) and how the years of treating himself like a weapon have taken a toll on his mind (he has terrible nightmares that only a select few have been able to help him through it)

[milqueskin]

Dr. Mort my beloved

CW: medical stuff, dismemberment (of dolls), blood

Full name: Mortimer Doulaire (Doulaire sounds like “douleur,” which means “pain” in French)

From a race of doll-people. I’ll make a separate post about them later, but basically, they’re made of stuffing and cloth. They don’t feel pain and are relatively hard to kill, compared to humans.

Weighs like 20 pounds since he is just a human-sized doll (easy to fling around).

Old. He was like 100 when he died (doll-people can't die from old age). He was able to study and practice medicine for a really long time, making him more skilled than any human doctor could be.

French accent (but I don't know if the T in his name is silent or not).

Chose to study human medicine because he’s fascinated by human biology. But in a weird way. He wanted a job that allowed him to dissect people for fun without it being illegal.

He mentored Dr. Heartfelt, and he helped shape his beliefs by being the kind of doctor Heartfelt absolutely DID NOT want to become.

Well-known for his terrible bedside manner. He’s unsympathetic, un-reassuring, non-communicative, and borderline dehumanizing.

People (sort of) tolerate him despite this because he’s a doll-person and he doesn’t fully understand things like pain or what it’s like to be sick. (There’s some truth in this, but he’s smart enough to know better.)

Also because they sometimes don’t have a choice. There’s a shortage of doctors in Candle Cove.

Doesn't care about medical ethics. As long as something sounds exciting and relatively safe, he'll do it. Experimentation is the foundation of science!

He’s known for this. If people want strange and illegal procedures done and are accepting of the risks, they see him.

Seems careless and risky, but he does take the safety of his patients seriously. If a patient dies, that means he’s failed, and he’s too prideful for that.

After he finished medical school, he moved to Candle Cove and opened a clinic.

Because of his extensive experience, he was regarded as the best doctor in the region. Sometimes the other doctors had to refer their patients to him, and they hated it (i.e. needing to condemn their patients to him and his inhumane treatment whenever they had problems too complex for them to fix themselves).

Inevitably got into legal trouble for malpractice. He joined the Tarantula Crew to evade law enforcement.

The rest of the crew didn't know this. I mean, they suspected it, but never asked about it.

Red Mary killed him first, dismembered him, and used his remains (stuffing) as kindling when she burned down the ship.

He’s affable and even kind outside his work. He asks people to call him by his first name. People who’ve never had to see him think he’s a good man.

He’s also fairly polite to his patients, but in a superficial way. Like, he says please and thank you, but it’s like, “PLEASE don’t scream so loudly while I saw off your leg without anesthesia.”

Somewhat prideful. He works for the satisfaction of it and thinks he can do anything (but is he wrong?).

Fears death. He was groveling and everything during the attack (to Mary’s amusement).

His hands and forearms are stained with blood (this is subtle enough to look like it’s just his natural skin color).

Uses his left shoulder as a pincushion for sewing needles. (Dr. Heartfelt does this, too.) (I headcanon him to be a doll-person as well, btw)

Skin-Taker has his button eyes sewn onto his cape somewhere.

Or, alternatively, Red Mary made earrings out of them.

[randomnameless]

Was Hopes doodoo-ing all over Houses lore, while also removing most of the good parts of the latter game's story and characters and quadrupling down on the bad ones, worth Rhea getting meaningful interactions and relationships with her family and friends for the first time outside of Heroes and having a badass death scene in SB?

This is a difficult question lol -

More seriously, I guess everyone expected something different from the finished Nopes product.

Given all the "attention" Fodlan receives that completely ignores Nabateans (tfw there are no nabatean bond rings bar Flayn who might have been Billy's student, but plot wise?) bar the Heroes alts, I'm very happy for the tasty breadcrumbs Nopes offered.

But if you order a burger, and if only the sesame seeds on the bun are tasty - is it a good burger? I don't think so.

So while another Fodlan procut/content might have forgotten or straight up ignored Nabateans (I just remembered the uwu drama CD :( ), imo those breadcrumbs wasn't worth getting Nopes, aka a game full of retcons, developed as a cashgrab by people who forgot FE16's plot (remember Hayashi said FE16 only had 3 routes !) to get an AU where everyone loses characterisation to uwu, even more than in the base game, about Supreme Leader.

Mind you, the devs from Nopes thought adding Monica and Holst were necessary additions to the story, but apparently, the evil lizard lady wasn't.

On paper, I like the idea of an AU and seeing how characters develop differently if some events of the base game never happened, but at least make them plausible! There's a reason why AG is so well liked, it's different from its FE16 version (unlike Supreme Bullshit and Tru Piss) and has meaningful characters developing in ways they didn't in FE16 (tfw Sylvain and Felix become mature!) while still remaining their core selves (unlike Clout).

But it didn't happen, while I try to find positivity in the game, I'm still a bit miffed that this spin-off could have been a WoH prequel, with giant armies clashing (the Larva paralogue!) where Rhea interacting with her brother (?) and friends while being a badass wouldn't just have been confined to 5% of the game (+3% for the opening cutscene).

Sure, that would have implied yeeting the student/modern world cast and not making a game based on them - still I never hid the fact that I care most about Nabateans in that game than about the student-modern cast, but hey, if I'm wondering about my dream "Nopes", I can be a little self-indulgent right?

[haarute]

randomly coming across tumblr accounts i've interacted with like 7 years ago and remembering how i used to be so desperate for friendship and how that never worked out and it instead turned me into a hermit who saw themselves as fundamentally unlikable and someone that should not bother others and how long it's taken me to even consider the possibility of that not being a healthy mentality

[softquietsteadylove]

Omg your last post reminded me of cheese toasties and made me miss Teacher/Parent AU!! 🥹 are you planning on continuing it? Obviously no rush of course take your time, just missing baby Druig and his mom!

Hello my dear!

I'm glad you like it! Honestly, I've been wrestling it for a little while now. I kept testing out a few different scenes, but ultimately, I think it's ready to come to a close. So I'll be publishing the last few chapters of it soon and moving on to my next project.

[applebunch]

far more compelling for me than the fact that narrators can time-travel is the reason WHY narrators can time-travel. in-universe acknowledgement of "nothing in their universe exists outside of the things that are 'on mic'". if it isn't in an episode, it didn't actually happen. that's an actual rule that exists in the story. it has been canonized.

the stamatis's parents never spent a second alive. gemma and charlotte never actually had their wedding. every single character has only existed as far back as their flashbacks can throw them. and that's IF they have flashbacks! flashbacks are not common! leon dragging michael out of the bar didn't get a flashback, so it didn't happen! like not in just the implicit way that applies to all characters in all stories, that's an in-universe rule!

but what's really getting me is this:

greater boston starts with leon killing himself. it starts because he kills himself. the foundation of the story is leon's death on the roller coaster. that's why everything else happens. leon's death makes something in their strange world into a story worth telling. the story is the only medium through which their world is allowed to exist.

leon's death is what brought their world into existence.

or, fun reversal, the world was created SO leon could die in it, which would then create a story intriguing enough to justify the existence of the rest of the world.

huh.

[radioromantic-moved]

damn that space rpg time loop video game that i was so excited about has two of the four female love interests (my favorite two)‏‏‎ ‎break up with you in the end no matter what and they're literally the only ones who do that. oh but there's a "secret" one who you can date if you flirt with her (an adult) while you are a teenager. cool 😐

[bethanydelleman]

I'm really tired of the "woman sad about her arranged marriage" trope, especially if that woman is royalty.

I am sure that many women across time were sad about their arranged marriages, but I'm sure a lot of others were excited, ambivalent, or resigned. Again, especially if you were royalty! I am sure if you were born a princess, you were trained from birth that your whole purpose in life was to marry someone important to solidify the power of the person on the throne. And honestly, it's an important job, if it wasn't, they wouldn't have tried so hard to do it.

That woman isn't just marrying another king or prince, she's going to be an ambassador of her country. She's supposed to be there promoting good relations. She isn't just a woman being sold off, she has a job! Also, if she is marrying the reigning monarch (or the heir), she may well end up running the country if the king is off at war or he dies when the heir is really young. That happened a lot throughout history! (or maybe she marries the third son and helps him find his way to the throne. Good for her)

It just feels like a modern sentiment being projected back. In Romeo and Juliet, when Juliet's mother first brings up marrying her to Paris, Juliet's basically cool with it and says she'll try to like him. She would have known this was going to happen because that is what rich women do, they marry into another family so their two families can be buddies. What else would she even be expecting?

It wouldn't bother me so much except that it's all we see! Give me a story about a woman who is like, "Cool, I shall give it my all!" Or she's like rolling up her sleeves and planning how she's going to get the court on her side and rule France, power behind the throne style (these women are mostly portrayed as villains, but who is to say the king would do a better job?). And also, have a little faith in women's fathers? You think men in the past didn't occasionally consider the happiness of their daughters? Not even a little bit?