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buterccup · 1 year

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Ocean child tears

A/N: The fight may not be in the right order- but I hope you all still enjoy it!

summary: Being the adopted child of the one and only Poseidon made a lot of people think you were just as cold-hearted as the Ocean tyrant. But during the third round of Ragnarok, and you witness something that you wished so many times to be a sick joke, the humans and gods finally saw who you were.

Warnings: Angst, death, blood, gore, swearing, slight comfort at the end?, Gn! reader.

Character(s): Poseidon x Young demigod! Reader(Platonic)

It was almost time for the third round, of what you thought were pointless battles. Even though the humans were reckless, greedy, wrathful, and pitiful you never saw a need to kill them all. You were human too. Well, Half.

And that was one of the reasons why you wondered why the almighty Poseidon took you under his wing. He despised humans so why would he accept you. But you digress, you were very grateful to him.

At first, of course, Poseidon had the reoccurring thought of killing you but since you were half god as well he thought otherwise. But the longer you followed him like a lost puppy the more he seemed to tolerate your presence than hate it then enjoyed it more than he used to tolerate it. He seemed to give you everything your non-existent parents couldn't. But one thing that you wished didn't come along with you once he adopted you was the simultaneous agreement from everyone else around you that you were just like him. Which was annoying, to say the least.

And you hated that fact that he was going to be fighting in the next match.

"Hey, [Name]~...[Name]. [Name]!"

"Has it started already?!"

"What? no- not yet anyways. But you have to stop daydreaming in these hallways." Loki's voice would tease you, a hint of annoyance in his voice after seeing you in the same spot he'd seen you the past 3 times beforehand. And although you were a halfling, as Loki likes to call it, you both surprisingly got along well. Sometimes.

You did nothing but let out a chuckle and look at Loki with a tired look, a churning feeling in your stomach starting to grow, and before you could say anything of your own the Norse god began to walk down the hallway with a smug smile on his face.

"Come on now, we don't want to be late for your Father's grand entrance!"

"Yeah, I'm coming."

You were a couple steps behind the god mischief as you entered the concrete box where the more important gods and goddesses sat, and if you were going to be honest with yourself you didn't know if you should be allowed to be sitting next to any of them.

"[Name], darling! You took quite a while to come back, are you alright?" Aphrodite's soft voice would call out to you as you took your seat next to Ares, the unshakeable feeling in your stomach getting worse once she asked.

"I'm fine, just fine..." you managed to mutter out, slouching back into your chair as you placed a hand on your stomach, Heimdall's booming voice grabbing man and maker's attention.

"...WELCOME TO ROUND THREE OF RAGNAROK!" Heimdall continued to speak like he was preaching as you started to smile a little, everything about him making him a great hype man in fights like these.

Hermes, being one if not the only person to see you smile, causing the smug servant to chuckle behind his hand.

"-SO LET'S BRING OUT OUR NEXT CHALLENGER!" this announcement makes you sit up properly in your seat this time, eager to see your father in the arena in the middle.

"HERE COMES GOD WARRIOR THREE! IT'S TIME TO GET WET!!" the last sentence Heimdall made causing you to look over at Loki to see if he made any reaction until the crashing of waves and the blinding light of a spotlight overtook your senses.

The water splits in two as you finally got to see your father making his way to the island arena, your eyes sparkling and your lips pulling up in a proud smile. You were very lucky that you had him as your father and you believed that no human, whoever it may be, would bring him to his knees.

Then the representative for the humans entered the stage from a wooden boat. And you must say he looked strong. Well as strong as an old man could look. And just like your father, Heimdall gave him too an amazing intro. So greatly spoken in fact that sometimes you wondered what side he was on.

Once the match officially started and your father's trident finally pierced through the Asian man's skin every god started to cheer for him. And who were you to not join in too? Causing the Gods in the spectator box to turn to your cheering figure. The only unfazed deities being Hermes and Loki. But once Poseidon turned around to give every single God that cheered for his victory a deadly glare for silence it went dead quiet, the only voice that could be heard though was yours.

The newer and uninformed gods and goddesses muttering words of shock.

"Who do they think they are?.."

"They're going to die!"

"They've done it now..."

"They must be important to be there but..."

"I've never seen a god like them before."

"It's because they're not..."

"Huh?"

But to say the least, everyone was shocked to see someone such as yourself ignore the almighty tyrant of the seas. But to their surprise, his gaze was much softer when he looked up at you before focusing on the battle. Leaving you unharmed with no threats thrown your way.

"Lord Poseidon!"

You were clearly showing off the perks of being his child.

"Father Poseidon! Papa!"

"What is it, child?" Poseidon called out to you with a sigh as you ran up to him with a face of pure joy, something clearly in your hands, the closer you got the clearer how wet they were. Bringing them up to him with such pride as you wave them in his face, small droplets of water landing on his face.

"A gift papa Poseidon!" you proudly state as your hands shake but soon stopped as you squeezed your hands tighter. "Lord...But a gift? Show me, child." he reminded you quietly but that didn't stop him from wanting to know what you have gotten him.

And with no hesitation, you showed the god his gift. A... baby Pacu fish? At first, the tyrant was confused and somewhat worried but once he looked longer at the false piranha look alike he knew he didn't need to be too worried.

He just picked up the poor creature and put it back in a water pool next to him.

"Do you like it? It's so cute!" he would then hear you ask, your bright smile never leaving your small chubby face as you stared into the body of water, watching the baby fish swim around. "Yes. It's nice. But you can't just pick up random fishes." he then says, not wanting you to pick up something that could harm you, as he grips his trident and bonked you on the head with the flat side of it gently. The coldness of the metal comforts you.

"ehe! Okay, papa oh- Lord Poseidon!"

"Good...Well done, child."

It was mid-way through the third round, and the prideful smile you had before had been replaced with a worried frown the human had been dodging every single attack, almost like Adam, but less flawlessly. Seemingly memorized every single movement and attack of your father in his head.

The uncomfortable feeling from before crawling back into your stomach haunts you, not even seeing your father striking back a the man making it go away. Your thoughts racing. And you felt your heart drop once you saw that the man, Kojiro Sasaki, finally drew blood. Shocking almost every god watching.

"Oh my..." you heard Aphrodite say from behind her hand as she looked down at the battle while your brows furrowed, a serious look in your eyes. "It's going to be fine." you would just repeat to yourself as you gripped the arms of your chair, a cold sweat forming on your forehead.

"It's going to be fine." your father says and he fixes your robes and started to walk in front of you. His face held a deadpanned expression but his words help sincere encouragement and comfort. It was your first time going with him to see how he did his job.

Most of the time for you, you stayed in his home and watched things from the window in your room, so you were very nervous but excited to come along with him.

"But...father...Lord Poseidon.." you then called out to the large man as you tried to keep up with him, hearing you call out for him causing him to stop and turn around to your younger figure. Clear worry in your eyes than excitement, "I'm a half-human father...what if-"

"Silence child, if you think that you are idiotic and I shouldn't have taken you in. But I'm sure you don't." Poseidon's voice boomed, strong and harsh like the vast waves of the sea, your head dropping down. "You are half-god too, child. Never forget that." he then continued, no matter how harsh his voice may sound it was overflowing with warmth and care. Even if it was hard to tell.

All you did was look up at him with a smile and nod your head, feeling the nervousness and insecurity fade away as Poseidon lifted his trident and placed the flat side gently on your head. Everything in his stance while he did that radiated pride. Pride for you.

"Now hurry, I have a lot to do."

"Yes, Lord Poseidon."

You could feel your heart in your throat as you watched the human try striking your father again but it almost felt like everything went quiet once the man's weapon got snapped into two like a twig and Heimdall's voice boomed out once again.

The worried murmurs and quiet sobs came from the humans. You felt pity for them, of course, they were going to be erased but you couldn't help but feel happy that your father was going to live. Until Kojiro picked up his blade and the fragments started to glow a beautiful green.

"Is he..."

"Oh?"

"Amazing..."

Everything felt like a blur until you saw a familiar crimson color come from your father's skin. An uncontrollable fear crawls up your spine. You knew if your father saw how you were acting right now he would be disappointed.

You tried so hard to keep calm, knowing that in the end Poseidon will win this fight but then another strike from the human's divine weapon tasted blood again, soon making Poseidon almost drenched in blood after a while.

You couldn't help but whimper out of fear, anger, and resentment towards the people that took the only person that truly looked out for you. Your whimpers soon turn to loud gasps with every injury then finally a scream. Poseidon's arm was cut clean off of his arm.

"Lord...LORD POSEIDON!" you screamed out once again the Gods seated next to you had an expression full of shock. They had never, in all their time seen you shout with such emotion. But you paid no mind to it as your face contorted into a one of pure fear as you watched your father's arm get chopped clean off and body get sliced.

That's when it happened. The human, Sasaki Kojiro, managed to make the mighty Poseidon fall. This must have been a bad dream. That sentence kept going on repeat in your head as you placed your hands on your head and gripped tightly onto your hair. Frightened whimpers soon morphed into sobs and cries but your eyes remained dry.

This must've been how it felt for Adam's family, for the whole of humanity. It felt like your heart had just been ripped from your chest after you'd been beaten and choked. But worse. Meanwhile, the gods just stared in shock, the whole god's side of the arena was silent apart from your sobs.

"Pose...FATHER POSEIDON!" you suddenly screamed as tears finally started to run down your face once Poseidon fell to the ground. All you could do was reach out to him. Hoping, praying that he would somehow get up.

"GET UP! PLEASE!"

The deities just looked at you with pity as your tears started to fall down into the water below, your cries being covered by the cheers of the humans.

You honestly couldn't handle the scene anymore. You couldn't bear to see your father turn into shards of nothingness, never to be seen again. Because unlike him, you were weak. Emotionally anyway.

So before anything else could happen you picked up your pitiful figure from leaning on the stone railing and walked away from the area.

"[Name] wait where are you..."

"Leave them be Loki."

They couldn't really blame you for walking out like that. Although you were wondering how your father would have reacted, seeing you like that. You knew you shouldn't be thinking this way or letting yourself drown in your tears you knew-

"[Name]."

"Hercules?" you then mumbled, as you wiped a tear away as the coldness you felt before was overcome with a never-ending warmness. Your eyes meet Hercules's sympathetic ones as he let your sorrows wash away.

You always wanted to learn how to whistle the tune of Medusa Alope Demeter.

Requests: Open

#ror poseidon #record of ragnarok fanfic #record of ragnarok #record of ragnarok x reader #snv poseidon #snv x reader #ror x reader #ror poseidon x reader #snv poseidon x reader #platonic #angst #snv angst #snv platonic #snv hermes #snv loki #ror loki #ror hermes

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axelsagewrites · 11 months

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Their reaction to seeing the Barbie movie with you

Includes (in order): jamie, jon, drogo, obryen, podrick, ramsay, robb, sandor, theon, tormund, tyrion, arya, brienne, danerys, margery, sansa, yara, aegon, aemond, daemon, jace, alicent, baela, rhaena, rhaenyra

Word count: 952

Masterlist Here

GoT Boys

Jamie - he practically refused to go up till the last second then finally caved but once the movie starts, he starts tearing up because he also does not feel Kenenough

Jon – he defiantly was the one to ask to go see the movie but insists to all his friends he’s going because you wanted to

Khal Drogo – agrees to go on the condition of seeing Oppenheimer before but the only thing he talks about for the following week is barbie

Obryen – it was your idea for the tickets but his for the matching pink outfits and photoshoot beforehand and he definitely rolls his eyes at anyone who sees Oppenheimer instead

Podrick – desperate to see barbie with you and is excited the whole week leading up to it. he’s already buying tickets for next week as your leaving the theatre

Ramsay - you both argue about whether to see Oppenheimer or barbie and eventually it gets settled by agreeing to see the separate movies at the same time as long as he gets you a large popcorn as punishment for having no taste

Robb – doesn’t get the fuss at first but as soon as he is sat in the cinema chair, he is mesmerised by the movie

Sandor – if you think this man would be caught dead sitting watching barbie, you’d be sorely mistaken. however, that’s mostly because he hates leaving the house, but he will pirate the movie and watch it on the sofa with you

Theon – makes fun of the movie constantly and says you should go see Oppenheimer instead but when you get to the theatre, he’s sheepishly holding two barbie tickets

Tormund – buys the tickets for you before you even ask and hypes up your pink barbie outfit, buys himself a bright pink t-shirt and just goes for the good vibes

Tyrion – goes with you unashamed and in a bright pink suit insisting if he was in barbie world, he’d be a barbie or at least an Allan not just another Ken

GoT Girls

Arya – insists it can’t be that good and even pretends to hate it but the next day she sneaks off to go see it again alone and then you end up finding a new barbie she bought in her room

Brienne – she felt a bit embarrassed about going at first, but she ended up relating to the movie so much that she cried and bought herself a barbie dream house to heal her inner child

Daenerys – she didn’t think she’d like it since she has more of a horror vibe however once it starts, she starts tearing up and secretly loves it

Margery – she bought out like half the cinema getting tickets for her and her squad and plans matching outfits for everyone to go in and makes 1000 TikTok’s about the whole thing

Sansa – she has been planning this since the movie was announced and is ready with a Pinterest board of outfits for you to pick with

Yara – defiantly put up a fight and wanted to see Oppenheimer instead but she is a sucker for you and eventually agrees and pretends she didn’t love it afterwards even though barbie is now all she can think about

HotD Boys

Aegon – all he talks about is barbie which mainly started to wind Aemond but when you offered to get tickets he jumped at the chance and started taking it seriously to the point of buying a custom “I’m the ken, they’re barbie” shirt with a pink arrow pointing at you

Aemond – he really wanted to see Oppenheimer first, but he cannot say no to you so finally caved and went with you, but he was on the edge of his seat all night and you missed the first 10 minutes of Oppenheimer since he wouldn’t stop talking about barbie

Daemon – when you tell him you want to go, he ends up pulling strings and tells you that you’re going to the official premier by giving you a brand new custom pink dress and even rocks up in a pink suit to match

Jace – this man bought these tickets the first day they were listed and is defending Margot Robbie online when he is not gushing to you how amazing it was and how good your barbie premier outfit was

HotD girls

Alicent – she tried to play it off cool as if it weren’t her thing but was secretly thrilled you asked her to go however, she only played it cool till opening credits started and she squealed in excitement

Baela – you didn’t think she’d be too interested since she was more of a tom boy than her sister but she surprised you by whipping out the massive box of barbies from her closet from her childhood when she begged you to go with her even though you had already said yes like twenty times

Rhaena –she has been playing the barbie sound track over and over, crying at half the songs and dancing with you around the house to the next so you bet your ass she went to watch it on the premier day Heleana – for some reason she was really nervous to ask you to go with her but when she did you of course said yes, and she started planning a pastel pink outfit and ordered you both custom barbie earrings from Esty

Rhaenyra – she was down to see it, even getting the best seats in advance for you but she did not expect it to heal her inner child so much since she stopped playing with barbies after her mother died since she thought her mum looked like barbie

Taglist: @clairacassidy @nyotamalfoy @valeskafics

A/n: Take a moment to appreciate how many god damn tags I had to type to the point I maxed it out and had to try cut the tags down! Anyway live laugh barbie

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iamyoursonly · 5 months

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The Morning of the New Year (01/01/2024)

happy new year guys!! wish the best for 2024 <33

New year new me, we always say. As the New Years symbolises the fresh start of a new year after a period of remembrance of the passing year, and every year, there’ll be fireworks showcased by the sea. The variety of colours painting the sky, red, blue, green, yellow… they were everywhere. The light blinding as they fly up to the sky and a big sound of ‘boom’ right after its release. While all of the audience were either watching such a spectacular sight at home on television, or at the pier in person. No matter where they were, the moment of countdown was always very, and I mean very overwhelming. People cheer and jump up when the countdown finally hits 1, celebrating the joy of the beginning of the year, and it influenced everyone. And it was like this every year.

This year, I don’t think the joy they’re giving off influenced me. I was at the pier, holding a cigarette and a can of beer, leaning on the bar near the pier. It was 1 AM, everyone has left after all the hype the countdown has given them. Just an hour ago, everyone was surrounding me and I felt like I couldn’t breathe, all that happiness and the feeling of bliss, I couldn’t relate to it at all. Cameras flashing and the shouting were too much for me to bear, I didn’t even know how I made it through all that noise. The quietness surrounding me right now is much better, the noise and the hype belongs to another world which does not include me. I breathe out a mouthful of smoke, feeling the right amount of tar, carbon monoxide and nicotine hitting my lungs beforehand as I let out a sigh of relief.

“TEN!” The crowd roared, with the announcer hyping them up.

“NINE!” More people joining this moment.

“EIGHT!” Even more people feeling the hype.

“SEVEN!” The announcer screamed, and they followed.

“SIX!” As if this was a moment to celebrate, they cheered.

“FIVE!” I puffed on my cigarette.

“FOUR!” They screamed with even more excitement.

“THREE!” The children joined in.

“TWO!” Everyone looked happy.

“ONE!” They look ready to jump up.

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!” I exhaled the smoke as everyone jump up, congratulating each other about this new year.

Then the fireworks began, as the vibrant colours burst across the night sky, illuminating the darkness with their radiant splendour, I stood amidst the crowd, watching the mesmerising firework display that welcomed the arrival of a new year.

As the fireworks soared higher and exploded in a symphony of light and sound, each dazzling moment seemed to accentuate my own feelings of sadness and loneliness. As the fireworks painted the sky with brilliant hues, tears welled up in my eyes, blending with the vibrant display. Each shimmering cascade seemed to echo the emotions swirling within them: the explosive bursts mirrored my suppressed pain, the fleeting beauty mirrored my fleeting moments of happiness, and the fading trails of light mirrored the fading hopes I carried.

As the final firework illuminated the sky, showering the world with a resplendent glow, everyone clapped. With a bittersweet smile, I turn around to leave the venue, only to find myself there again after everyone left.

“What is a pretty lady like you doing here?”

A man said, I did not even notice his presence until he was only a few inches away from me. I could feel his breath on my neck when he talked to me. The alcohol and the cigarette must’ve been getting to my head since I couldn’t make myself push him away. Was it because I had an empty void I needed to fill in my heart? Or was it just because I wanted someone to be with me?

I turned around to face him, he was gorgeous. Had the prettiest eyes you could ever imagine, ocean blue like they reflect all the emotion he’s feeling, I feel like I could look at them forever. His hair stood out so much too, white and smooth, like you can run his fingers through his hair all night when you lay down in bed with him. And his face, he was even more beautiful than Brad Pitt, and no one is prettier than him. Oh he’s so tall too… In just that instant, all the delusions that I have kept hidden in my head has come out just from this man. My cheeks flushed a pink hue, I didn’t even know if it was the alcohol or if it was how pretty he was.

“Uh… I’m just here to enjoy the midnight breeze.”

He looked at the cigarette between my index finger and my middle finger, and the can of beer in my other hand. “With a can of beer and a cigarette? I doubt that.” He laughed, then he continued, “Mind if I take a sip from your beer?”

I hand him the can, and he gladly takes it. He takes a generous sip from the can and gave it back to me. “Thanks, I needed that.” I smiled, and took a sip from the can too.

“So, why are you here? To enjoy the midnight breeze too?” I asked him, he chuckled.

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he leaned on the bar that I was leaning on, just with his back facing the sea and looking up at the sky. As if I could suddenly feel the misery radiating off of him, it’s like he could cry any second if he stops laughing and pretending to be happy, I grabbed him into an embrace. I could feel his body jolt from the shock, I totally understand, since who’d willingly hug a stranger… But he slowly responded to my embrace and hugged me back. He choked a few sobs into my shoulders as I tried to comfort him amidst his intoxicating scent. He smells like candy and bubblegum, it does fit his bubbly character, making him seem mature but not that much.

“How’re you feeling?” I whisper to him, trying to make my voice appear as soft as possible. He looked into my eyes after standing up straight again, I noticed the red stains around his eyes though he was trying his best to keep his cheerful character. “Never better.” I put my forehead on his chest, and I smiled without him seeing. “I’m glad to hear that.”

In the moment, I feel as if ‘Lover’ by Taylor Swift was playing in the background. Our souls were connected suddenly, his warmth radiating as he took the beer from me and drank from it. We didn’t speak at all, the silence was really pleasant. In the midst of a chaotic world, it was like we were in a gentle refuge that embraces the weary soul, offering respite from the ceaseless clamour of daily life. In the arms of silence, he takes a puff from his newly lit cigarette after wrapping his arms around me. The companionship he brings me makes me feel comfortable, it felt like my mother embracing me at night, asking me to tell her what happened to me after I came home crying.

I stand up straight after leaning on him for as long as I remembered. I take a big puff on my cigarette, and exhale towards the sea though the breeze blew the smoke right back into my face. He does the same. “I was here because the world seems too much for me.” I look at him, and he continued while remaining a faint smile on his face, “Lost a real friend last year.” I could feel my heart drop when he told me that, I didn’t know what I would feel about that if I were in his shoes. I choked out, “What?” And he looked back at me as I stared at him attentively. “Yeah.”

I want to give him a big hug again, though it may be inappropriate since we just met an hour ago. The moon seems even brighter it was as if all our worries were lifted up and we were the only people still at the pier, “Can I hug you?” he asked softly. I eagerly jump into his embrace, giving him the biggest hug he can even get. Feeling his warmth against mine and hoping that he’s feeling comforted right now, we stay like that for a moment.

As soon as he let go of me, I tell him my situation too. “You know I think we might be on the same boat, I lost my mother just a while ago, cancer took her from me. Grew up without my dad because he left for another woman. My mom raised me and treated me like a princess. My dad didn’t even come to the funeral…” I puff on my cigarette as I feel his eyes on me, it felt like he was going to pull me into his arms to comfort me. But he didn’t. Instead he puffed on his cigarette, then he exhaled the smoke and started talking, “I think we’re meant to meet, I’m glad I came to talk to you. My friend, he was killed. In fact, I killed him. Job issues you know? He was a murderer, but before that he was a kind man. The best I ever knew…” He didn’t speak anymore, but the emotions radiating off of him was a lot, so it was only appropriate for me to let him be, and respect his right to have his moment of silence. Though I don’t know if it was sympathy that I was looking at him with, or if it was just that I can relate to him.

“So much happened this year, not only did I lose my mom, I lost the person I trust the most too,” I spoke among the silence, “My boyfriend died in a car crash, he was such a brilliant man. We met by the pier too, just like you and me right now.” I let out a chuckle, he continued to look at me, “We started dating in the middle of April. It was like we were destined to be as Spring symbolises the resurgence of life after the inevitable challenges of winter. It was like he’s that rising energy that helped me feel more optimistic and driven to make the most out of our days. We were happy most of the time. But then we got into an argument in October, I thought he had another woman over at his house so I threw a tantrum at him though he kept saying it was only his sister staying over because of her divorce. Didn’t trust him enough so I left. He drove to my house to apologise but then got into an accident, then he died.”

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I leaned on him again. He wiped the tears from my cheeks and pressed a soft kiss on my forehead, as if he was trying his best to make me feel the comfort my boyfriend gave me. Then he looked at his watch — 3AM. The breeze at the pier felt even cooler and stronger than before. “Shall I take you home?” He gestured towards me, “I drove here.”

I gave him a smile, “Yeah, thanks.”

He walked me over to his car after we left our cigarettes on the nearest bin. As I take the seat next to him, he holds my hand while he starts the car. “You know, I think we make a good match, we should be friends. I feel like I can tell you everything when I’m just in your presence. Is this what soulmates feel like?”

The whole destined thing didn’t go well with me, after all everything that had happened with my boyfriend is still affecting me. But I sat in silence while he chooses the song to lift our drunken spirits. “Is One Direction of your taste?” He breaks the silence. I nod right after I turn to his direction. The car smells like him, the scent intoxicating.

As soon as he starts driving, as if on purpose, One Direction starts blasting on the speakers he had in his car. The whole ‘lift up our spirits’ thing is starting to work as he drives on the highway. I grab on his hand tight, because I didn’t want to lose such a good friend to the road again. The boyfriend flashbacks are getting to be again, but the One Direction songs keep distracting me from it, well thank goodness it did. I use my other hand to grab my phone to show him my address. He just simply put my phone on the phone stand he had attached on the car and starts driving towards my house.

The car ride seemed so long, and the One Direction seemed to get to my head. The strong beats hitting the correct spots in my head, making me slowly vibe to the music. “Thanks for being here for me today.” He says, with his cheeky grin back and he rubbed circles on my hand with his thumb. “Thank you too.” I respond, leaning my head on the car seat. The city lights painted vibrant strokes across the canvas of the night, creating a backdrop of urban enchantment when they finally got off the highway. As we gazed out at the starry expanse above, his grasp on my hand was even tighter. And as the car glided through the night, slowly arriving at its destination — my house.

“We’re here.” He spoke after he paused the music. And hands me my phone after putting his number in. “Call me, please.”

I thank him, for the drive, and for the time that he has spent with me today.

“See you soon, Satoru Gojo.”

masterlist

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chasing-stardust-22 · 1 month

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Dream can be very good at marketing and generating hype when he wants to/has the patience for it (just look at the build-up to the face reveal, the tour announcement, or the final manhunt), but often with his videos it feels like he gets so excited about finishing it that he can't help but get it posted ASAP with little to no warning beforehand

It's not a bad thing, to be clear, and as a writer with ADHD I relate hard because I do it too, but it can definitely feel sudden and unexpected as a viewer

#inspired by last reblog #dreamwastaken #for the new project at least he seems like he wants to hold off until he's got a few videos ready to go #so I would expect him to probably give more of a heads up/a bit of promo before the big day arrives #and he's already kind of doing that with the music snapchat from yesterday ^.^

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sepublic · 1 year

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Anyhow, I want people to understand the significance of me crying over TOH ending because. I generally do not cry. It’s hard for me to cry, I feel sadness and grief sure! But tears themselves are difficult. And as much as I love media, it’s very rare and hard for it to make me genuinely cry. Other cartoons and shows I’ve gotten into haven’t done it, but...

The Owl House genuinely made me cry. After the grief of Agony of a Witch, the lonely despair of King’s Tide, and so many other painful moments. The Owl House finally made me sob, genuinely, wails I had to cover up, hot tears, sore eyes and a dripping nose. I heaved and made myself cry even more, because goddamn is there such a relief in the catharsis of feeling this pain, and knowing it means you’ve felt something, you’ve felt happiness to begin with.

So yeah. The Owl House has always been pretty special to me. But I think this expression of how I felt was low key what I was waiting for, working towards, after the finale. The absence hurts, but it makes me appreciate all the more the presence it entails for TOH in my life. For the community, for the experiences, the analyses, the genuine fun and laughter and speculation! The hype and friends I’ve made along the way, me building up my own skills as a reader thanks to this show!

I remember being enamored by The Owl House’s first announcement in February 2018, the first ever, possible public reveal of that show; You could’ve only known it beforehand if you worked at Disney and/or were one of Dana’s friends. Something about Luz, about Eda, about King... The very premise itself, the magic. Something about this show felt special to me, I had a really good feeling about it I couldn’t explain.

I ended up checking Dana’s Twitter obsessively for updates, was excited when she posted this one art of Luz and King having an ice cream run, while Eda was displeased with a little demon trying to get her dessert. I expected mostly casual things, but something about the vibes, the magic and wonder experienced through the lens of Luz... It got to me in a legitimately depressive state of my life.

Because I was depressed. Suicidal, even. It was perhaps the worst phase of my life ever, and I hope it’ll stay that way. The beginning of 2018 felt like me finally getting over the big hurdle, that enormous halfway point at the top, and how it was all relatively smooth, downhill sailing from here. So it feels fitting that it was the beginning of the easier part that TOH was announced for me. All I knew were Luz, Eda, and King; I eventually gave up checking Dana’s accounts for art, because I was SO excited and impatient for this show, inexplicably.

That’s probably why I missed Dana’s little sneak peek of Amity Blight, haha... But anyhow, TOH gave me something to look forward to. Something to live for. And when I finally got a shot of Eda throwing treats to Luz and King, the former taken aback by the eyeball, the latter having it bounce off his skull. It didn’t make it to the final cut obviously, but it was my first glimpse of how the show itself would look.

I was in despair when The Owl House was delayed to 2020; I had to wait another whole year for it! And going from 2018 to 2019 was painful enough as is! But man... Was it worth it. The first teaser, the mystery and wonder it promised. My Bionicle brain freaking out over the reveal of the Boiling Isles as a giant corpse.

And then the theme song. Me learning Luz’s VA, scouring very obscure media to get an idea of how she might sound like. And finally I heard it, we got other announcements; Eda by Wendie Malick, who made perfect sense, and King by Alex Hirsch, cue those obnoxious Bill Cipher theories I still hate to this day!

Some crew members announced cupcakes they made, complete with banners like “Drinkers Coven” and I got hyped for this little content. I wanted to try cashew meringues because of it, and later recognized the repurposed frames of Luz, Eda, and King in actual episodes. I saw some concept art and expressions removed from the show, and was glad to recognize them later, as I did a frame-in-process of Luz wondering about her magical destiny.

I checked Tumblr but it seemed like I was the only person actively anticipating, and not just including TOH as part of a larger collection of media posts. I wanted TOH for itself, someone was curious if it had owls, I scoured the first teaser for a screenshot to satisfy them! I wanted more people in on it! I saw some clips, figured out Luz’s ethnicity from her squealing “Ay que lindo!” in response to King.

I made a few ancient posts, my first TOH post was me admitting I was excited and wondering if anyone else was. It got NO traction, at least not until much, much later... But that didn’t stop me! I had a dream where Luz was revealed to be disabled, her legs were prosthetics and Eda ended up giving her new magic prosthetics styled after owl feet. This would prove weirdly prophetic... Less so, my dream about Luz being the Anti-Christ (this was framed as a good thing), hence why she found the isles.

I speculated Luz was an orphan who had nobody, hence why she found the isles; But then an article mentioned her mother Camila. I went with that spelling until some end credits confused me with a typo that gave us Camilia, which led to a big fandom debate later until Dana clarified.

I analyzed the trailers, trying to figure out the plot and trajectory, wasn’t quite right there. I was happy to see TOH would have full 22-minute episodes, allowing them to get nitty gritty and elaborated, instead of truncated into 11-minute segments. Boy did that pay off, and looking back I can appreciate what a rarity that was, an achievement. People pointed out the anagram for me...

I speculated on the titles, confused bits from Covention with scenes from the first episode, wondered if Escape of the Palisman referred to the tower. And in the end, the first episode finally came out, after I was enjoying Infinity Train Book 2, and I was enamored. It was wonderful, it utterly blew me away and was all I wanted and more. I had to get more! The moment Luz spoke of liking editing anime clips into AMVs and all that other stuff, I felt seen, and that was just the beginning.

I spoke my praises, but alas there was no fandom. The next week, I was surprised to find posts for the next episodes so early, and learned the episode was released ahead of time on DisneyNOW, so I immediately subscribed. I was excited to meet Amity Blight, Willow and Gus; And I was caught by surprise by how openly mean Amity was when she debuted! But I analyzed the sub-text of her actions and dialogue, and was vindicated.

Amity was such a fun and interesting character because she really felt like a puzzle that we unlocked more and more pieces of, to better understand her. And I really got the sense of TOH’s re-contextualization and surprising character continuity, such as when King’s B-plot in one episode actually became the focus of the very next! You could tell the writers really cared about making a deeper story for kids and teenagers.

One nice memory was when I wrote a post appreciating Willow and Luz’s friendship, the idea of Willuz as a ship; I took a shower and went back to check afterwards, and got notes! I analyzed the mechanics of glyphs deeply when they were first revealed, getting nitty-gritty; I remember the events of a few nights and what happened around me writing a post, comparing glyph magic to artificial replication of dragon breath!

I looked for crew art, which alerted me ahead of time to the existence of Emira and Edric, thought I didn’t know their names, and was delighted to learn Amity had older siblings!!! They were hers! Shoutout to @anistarrose who was one of the few people in the tag at this time. I really appreciate that post where you called out people constantly trying to make King into Bill Cipher in a serious manner, and the annoying implications of it. And how you realized a tweet poem by Dana foreshadowed Warden Wrath and the Emperor’s Coven... AND THE CODES TOO!!!

I distinctly remember this one meme video in the tags, a song singing “This girl is a lesbian” as Amity showed up as the punchline. I thought it was cute and loved the idea, I had no clue...! I even tried to analyze the dates on her diary entries because I was so obsessed with the show and wanted more, trying to see if I could figure out a calendar...

Spoiler alert, I didn’t. but it was FUN trying! Putting in all of this unnecessary effort for a detail nobody cared much for, because you could tell the crew were people who did the same, Dana even confirmed it later for herself! I remember being shocked about Eda having a curse, that one theory it was a Blight who did it. I suggested King being the Boiling Isles Titan, some Youtube channel even asked permission to use my post in discussing that theory! I was skeptical but checked and it was legit, and was pleased.

I went through that godforsaken Witch’s Apprentice game, realized too late the artifacts represented each episode and gave hints to the rest of 1A. I watched Look Hoo’s Talking, with Owlyvia and Horus, shout out to those who remember! I was amazed by Eda’s self-awareness in deciding things for Luz, especially after Luz briefly called it out in Covention. I found myself so ATTACHED to the characters, which makes sense since I hyped myself from the start!

I remember being surprised to see King wasn’t an overlord... Or was he? The original 2018 announcement suggested as such, but the way the show played around even after the premiere seemingly disproved it was fun. I speculated on what Luz’s magic track would be, enjoyed fanart of her in Potions as Eda was. Seeing Young Eda was a blast, and I remember being so distraught at the idea of her being cursed! I made a post wailing about it and Cat-Harman Mitchell commented LOL as I ranted about taking vengeance on the curser. Little did I know...!

I was afraid of a cliffhanger with Season 1A, but nope! Eda made it out despite the demon hunters! With a hiatus, I was left impatient and needing more. I scoured crew art, speculated on what Emperor Bellows would be like; Covention’s subtitles mispelled him as such, and Dana had to clarify in a tweet when 1B’s trailer released! I got into deep discussion with @fermented-writers-block about the show, about the mysterious owl mural.

I guess TOH was my first start at really analyzing a show from the start, especially since nobody else was around to do it for me. And coming fresh from reading the meta of those who did inspire me, I went HARD, reasoning that even if it was disproven, the process was fun! I analyzed snake motifs, the mysterious green hand that stole King’s crown. I made a whole diagram about parallels between Luz, between King and the Gildersnake, between ‘human counterparts’ to Amity and Willow and Gus. This definitely fed the revelation of Creepy Luz later on...

But yeah. To think the snakes did pay off with Luz’s palisman Stringbean; Back then people speculated as such with the title’s design, and I’m so happy to see it came through! I speculated on lore, wrote my first TOH fics, The Bile Coven and Amity’s Diary Entries, the latter of which I feel particular pride for since it was a character study of her that proved rather on the spot!

I was obsessed with the worldbuilding, came up with my own ideas. Imagined what Bellows and Kikimora were like. I waited IMPATIENTLY, and even had a dream where Eda was captured by Lilith, Kikimora, and Wrath, as well as some covenscouts... But then it was revealed her curse was a result of possession by the creature depicted on the mural; And it progressed to the next stage of converting her body to its own as she got more feral and escaped on her own!

The airship used by the Emperor’s Coven proved prophetic. And after 1B seemingly disproved this idea, 2A brought it back after all and I was delighted! TOH was and is a show that keeps giving for me, makes me feel rewarded for engaging with it, and is grateful even when I’m wrong, as Any Sport in a Storm’s B-plot attests. I made jokes about King being Mata Nui because I was a Bionicle fan. Someone saw a Grom poster in the background of a shot and suggested Lumity, but I didn’t get my hopes up... Hah.

There was a trailer that alluded to an episode of Luz and Eda in a snowy place; I knew of an article on TOH that mentioned a ‘Witch’s Arena’ at the Knee and guessed this was it. I liked the song that played because I associated it with TOH, found out for myself.

Rebecca Rose, shout out to one of the OGs talking about the show on Youtube! She made a wonderful video discussing Amity’s development and potential, speculating on her, and I felt SOOOO vindicated and followed her for it! As you know, she became THE fan channel for TOH, and was eventually ascended to a full-on crew member for it. We’d all watch her reactions and discussions afterwards.

Adventures in the Elements leaked, I correctly guessed it wasn’t the next episode but the one after it. I was delighted to see the twins be good siblings, and Amity’s casual outfit... Before that, I read a fic during the hiatus of Lilith adopting Amity from abuse (Remember when we thought she was that functional?), and it understandably depicted the twins as mean-spirited and basically apathetic. It was a good fic.

I remember joke-speculating that Bellows would be short, because I was projecting analyses of the Pale King from Hollow Knight onto him! I considered making an animatic of Farquaad’s reveal from Shrek but with Bellows, but alas I’d never actually done an animatic and had zero clue lol. I had another dream about Bellows coming in with the Emperor’s Coven to apprehend Eda, who became an even larger version of her Owl Beast form in response.

Then Summer 2020 came around. What a wonderful time of my life... New fans came in when they saw the possibility of canon sapphics with Lumity, and I was exhilarated! So careful not to get my hopes up, but look now... I was hyped to see Belos’ appearance. I analyzed the 1B trailer, took screenshots and organized them to guess which episodes they were. Rebecca Rose found foreign titles of 1B and translated them, and I did note how translations could skew the intended anagram. I remember “Mini-Problems” being an episode title...

You can probably guess the rest from here, since this was about when the fandom really kicked off. And boy did people stick around for it all. I felt delight in knowing Grom was sooner, due to Understanding Willow being paired with Really Small Problems on the same day! Two episodes at once, instead of the original plan for the last two episodes of the season together! I ended up regretting that low-key with the angst and pain of Agony of a Witch, which made me realize how much I cared for Luz, Eda, and King, and made me the closest to crying from the show.

I felt vindicated to see a popular artist like MoringMark begin making fan comics, I had no idea that’d be THE thing he’d be known for, after I knew him as the Gravity Falls guy. I followed Matthieu Cousin on Tumblr, got excited for that trend of dressing up TOH characters for Grom and sending in your designs, with a winner announced! I don’t think that ever happened. Anamanaguchi’s Prom Night became a thing thanks to a crew member, and who can forget Little Miss Perfect? Kwame rolled with the success and I was glad for him. Eda’s gray eye appearing after the season finale in the end credits shocked me.

There was the Reddit AMA, where I prepared lore questions afterwards and had none of mine answered, but we learned a good deal! Especially the telling “Clawthornes are a bird motif” from Dana, her being put into a headlock by a nun. Amity and Lilith weren’t close but as I mentioned a while back, Dana expressed that she also made connections with cartoons as a kid. Odalia liking her kids color-coded, hence Amity’s hair, and Alador being interesting. Which led to a bunch of fanart that proved off the mark but also not? Alador wasn’t THAT well-put but otherwise...

And that stream! That wonderful stream! I contemplated spending so much money via donation to get something. Eda drinking Apple Blood, Spencer Wan almost spoiling Lilith having a Raven form. Our first sneak peek at Hunter’s face, not counting his appearance as the Golden Guard in S1; We all guessed he and the Golden Guard, or “Owl Mask” were the same. I was stumped and baffled how he fit into Belos’ dynamic... Hoo boy. And we all thought Hunter was an adult, even Alador at first, because of those eye bags!

I wanted to see the coven heads, based on their banners we saw; I liked the Potion Head especially and even when his design proved different than I expected, it was still my favorite! I thought Darius might be a Blight grandfather and he DID have a connection... I had a dream of the twins working for Osran at a library and messing with him, recognized Mason from Covention, and dreamed Terra was named Botanica.

Christmas art of the cast came out, I was happy to see Emira and Edric happy there, after being saddened by Dana’s Grom art of them and even writing a whole fic about it, which I’m chuffed about! She also drew Mattholomule... I recall in the wait for Season 1B, she did some art of the characters. Gus playing games, Mattholomule losing to him; King despairing over stubby thumbs.

Fanart of the kids in quarantine, Amity declaring it’d be easy to stay away from Luz, to Luz’s sadness; Boscha being mad because she couldn’t talk to her friends. Remember when Boschlow was a big thing, until Understanding Willow killed off some of the hype? And confirmation that Willow worked out, which we saw come to fruition in Season 2; People were surprised but I wasn’t! And of course, Frewin being his own entity from Bump, and not Bump himself.

But back to chronology, I guess this is where I should end off. Sorry, this ended up being MUCH longer than I intended, and really you could write a book about my experience with TOH and the journey on a meta level. But those were interesting times, those beginning eras. Back when I didn’t feel the need to always add screenshots to posts unless necessary. And it’s making me nostalgic. It’s making me appreciate everything we’ve been through, the roots of my hyperfixation. And how it all led to me finally crying, because I really did build up THAT much of a love for the show.

I found my first fandom I really felt a part of, found so many people who enjoyed my meta and validated me for it! I feel I’ve grown so much as a person because of TOH. And as I nostalgically reminisce on how different the show was then, I appreciate all the more how far we’ve come, and what it is now. Snapping back to the present does make me sad over how much has passed and changed, but I also appreciate it while remembering the ideas I once had.

I’ll miss that era, and TOH as a whole. And boy do I associate that classic ending theme, how I loved the melancholy of those end credits, speculated on them paying off in the finale. And they did...! It feels good to hear it one last time after a year without it, due to the end credits being removed or redone. There was something so idyllic and dreamlike about that original sequence, capturing the feeling of coming home, and I’m glad TOH did that once more with it.

#the owl house #ramblings #long post

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souryogurt64 · 7 months

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that was SUCH a nail in the coffin analysis ive always felt weird abt how mcr and their fans have been operating ever since they came back and u put it into words 😭 like i genuinely think mcr is still effectively broken up and only came back bc they missed a) each other/performing occasionally kinda and b) MONEYYYY because a full tour and multiple makeup palette launches with no album out after like four years is insane! (i get that the pandemic mightve shifted their schedule maybe but lets be real) and i think mcr fans are subconsciously hurt by this and somehow the revisionist history of mcr being freedom fighter genderqueer activists that threw the first brick at warped tour makes them feel better about it?? like "oh this band has values so surely they wouldnt come back from a breakup JUST to take my money"

I actually think that back in 2018-2019 the band originally intended to record and release an album and then were not able to follow through. I think COVID probably affected people’s mental health or drawing out the creative process for several years more than originally planned led to the same tensions that resulted in the band breaking up coming back to the surface.

The earliest MCR reunion leak was actually in Spring of 2018 by SWMRS (lol) and had probably been going on for a long time prior to that. They have had plenty of time to record an album, they either just can’t or don’t want to.

The initial reunion announcement had a lot of really stylized and specific imagery that was new and not nostalgia bait at all. It also felt very extra for just a tour. I don’t religiously pay attention to MCR but they have been doing a lot of stuff to try and keep the album hype going as we head into 2024, like flashing a 5 symbol at shows. I feel like that type of thing was more prevalent early on, but it’s been 4 1/2 years (!!!) so it’s hard to remember.

Also, I joined bandom in Feb-March of 2013 and all throughout the hiatus through reunion leaks in 2018 (so 5 years), MCR were constantly doing things. They each had solo projects (Frank several) and Gerard was doing comics and a TV show. Plus, the band released CW, several demos, and merch.

Over the last 4-5 years, they have basically had one tour and that was it. What have they been doing this entire time? Nothing?

Also, an album that was significantly delayed or didn’t pan out would explain Frank’s garage sale fiasco. The FOB reunion was originally prompted by a blog post from Patrick complaining about how he had blown his savings on Soul Punk and it failed— so if Frank had invested personally in LS Dunes banking on a MCR album, that might explain why he needed to auction off sweatbands as well as the band getting snippy on socials about how they can’t “afford” to film a video.

And like, no, nobody is “owed” a MCR reunion or MCR album or “owed” closure and if they want to fuck off and drink virgin Pina Coladas in Tijuana for the rest of eternity and play WWWY and Riot once every 4 years or something they can

But stringing fans along with “cryptic messages” for 5 years and not making any kind of acknowledgement in the press is weird and like you said, I think explains a lot of the obnoxious holier-than-thou behavior from the fandom. During the time MCR have been “back,” FOB, Avril Lavigne, Blink, and probably other people have gone from varying degrees of hiatus to being well into full touring and promotional cycles for new material which has also made MCR less and less special. Those acts didn’t set outrageously high and dramatic expectations beforehand like MCR did either.

I also really don’t intend to be disrespectful or make assumptions but I think Gerard especially has a long history with drug/alcohol issues in relation to performing and doing touring before the album was even recorded may have led them to delay stuff to (at best) prevent any issues arising.

And like maybe their bodyguard is telling the truth and there will still be an album. But planning a reunion starting in 2017 at the absolute latest, recording and releasing a single in 2019+playing reunion shows, and not releasing the album until 2024 at the earliest is not really a normal schedule and at best is indicative that they ran into issues along the way.

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lemonxdaisybby · 3 months

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Zhao and baker s/o was so cute!! how about if s/o cooked them something but it tasted really bad with Zhao Joongie and Ichiban??

I feel this, I cannot cook at allllll. Literally set rice on fire one time when attempting to boil it. My partner has now banned me from cooking. This was cute to write, thank u 💕

Ichiban Kasuga:

Poor man would freeze initially after the first bite, his eyes widening comically. He’d notice his s/o watching him anxiously, so would quickly try to hide any signs of disgust or shock, and would just try to power through the awful food.

Honestly, he could hate the taste of the food with every fibre in his body, and he’s still going to attempting to fucking eat every last scrap of it. Save this man. His eyes would be watering painfully, and his mouth would be working so hard to try and chew and swallow as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, he would be loudly declaring how amazing the food is, despite the obvious signs of distress.

He’d just really appreciate that his s/o made him something, regardless of the outcome. He wouldn’t want to hurt their feelings by telling them their food was bad.

His s/o would probably realise instantly that something about his reaction was off, and they’d proceed to taste the food themselves, finally tasting just how bad it is.

They’d be totally exasperated at Ichi for trying to eat it, despite the fact that it tastes inedible. When he tells them that he did it because he didn’t want them to feel bad, they’d definitely soften up.

Ichi would attempt to cheer his s/o up by reassuring them, pointing out that he can’t cook either, and would suggest that the two of them maybe learn together. He’d see it as a good opportunity to spend some wholesome quality time with his s/o, although RIP the kitchen. It’ll probably burn down.

Joon-Gi Han:

Oh lord, this man is about to unintentionally hurt some feelings. He would be so blunt, without even realising it at first.

He would take a bite of the food his s/o prepared, and would just instantly look confused. He’d be so shocked at how bad it tastes, and would ask ‘what is this?’, because he simply refuses to believe this is actually edible food. His s/o would ask what was wrong at that point, and he’s gonna straight up tell them that it’s awful. No thoughts beforehand, he’s just going to blurt it out.

He would feel so bad once he realises he’s hurt his s/o’s feelings and sees the sad look on their face. He’d probably realise that he’s being very rude, considering his s/o had worked hard to make him a meal, even if it does taste disgusting.

He would immediately apologise and give his s/o a hug. He’d reassure them that he appreciates their attempt, and is touched that they thought to do something like this for him.

Joon-Gi would likely dote on his s/o for the rest of the day, as he’d still feel guilty for hurting their feelings, and would want to make up for his insensitive blunder.

Tianyou Zhao:

Zhao would definitely have the most normal and reasonable reaction to this. He’d be honest but really kind too.

He would initially be so happy when his s/o announces they’ve cooked for him, but after taking a few bites, he would soon go silent, analysing the taste.

His s/o likely would have anticipated that it may be hard to impress Zhao, considering how amazing at cooking he is himself. They’d immediately ask him how it was.

Food magician Zhao would somehow manage to pinpoint exactly where they went wrong. There’d be no awkwardness or hurt feelings, as he explains to his s/o what was wrong with the food. He’d be offering to cook with them next time, to show them the ropes. He’d be so hyped at the idea of cooking with his s/o, and his enthusiasm would be very contagious. His s/o would end up just as hyped.

S/o would officially become his new cooking apprentice.

#ryu ga gotoku #yakuza like a dragon #yakuza infinite wealth #yakuza 7 headcanons #yakuza 8 #ichiban kasuga #tianyou zhao #zhao tianyou #joongi han #joon gi han #yakuza headcanons

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crusherthedoctor · 29 days

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What is your opinion on Sonic Colours? I know the fandom has turned on it since it had the "baldy mcnosehair" joke that killed everyone's grandmothers and it wasn't full of melodrama like the 2000's games, but the quality remains consistent the entire way through. It's not "good in some parts" (Unleashed) or "average at best if you ignore this part" (most Sonic games), Colours is a consistently good and functional game the whole way through. Plus, Eggman remains the main antagonist.

I still really like it. I don't care what the loudest voices in the community say, no matter how many YouTube critiques they make.

Yes, it has flaws. Not a single game in existence is literally "perfect", not even games that we may personally consider perfect. Yes, I understand that fans were annoyed because other games didn't get as much respect at the time, like Unleashed (maybe they shouldn't have included a controversial gimmick so soon after '06 that takes up half the game's runtime) and the Storybooks (maybe story alone, no matter how good, doesn't fully compensate for mediocre-to-bad gameplay). Yes, I know the tone is not for everyone. Yes, I know Sonic says the infamous line twice, then once in Lost World, and then never again.

But needless to say, I feel the backlash against it has long gotten out of proportion. I already didn't agree with it then, and I especially don't in a post-Frontiers world, because the people who hype Frontiers up the ass - particularly those who hail it as The Character Rerailment Of All Time - don't seem to consider that they're doing the exact same thing they complained about in the decade beforehand. Yet suddenly it's fine when they do it. Kind of like how Classic elitism tends to be rightfully discouraged nowadays, yet Adventure elitists get a free pass.

Putting all of that aside, and looking at the game purely for... well, the game, I really do appreciate a lot about it. While the gameplay isn't the most complex compared to other Sonic titles, I have plenty of fun with it all the same. Regardless of what one thinks about the Wisps' presence in later games, I thought they were fine here. I love the sheer atmosphere that radiates throughout the game, not just through how gorgeous and unique everything is, but also through the legendary public announcements from Eggman. The art direction in general is one of the most consistently strong in a 3D mainline installment, up there with SA1 and Heroes. And yes, as the serious business Eggfan that I am, no shit I'm going to treat his status as this game's final boss, for the first time in a main 3D title, with no strings attached, like a historical event.

...Yeah, I know about the Nega-Mother Wisp in the DS version, but it's clear I'm talking about the console version. Speaking of though, DS Colours is alright, but I prefer the console iteration. I don't know why people keep claiming it's the better one just because the other characters make an appearance, seeing how they don't actually do anything beyond giving you missions. That was a common complaint for Generations, so I don't get why it's deemed an improvement here.

#Crusher's Asks #Opinion #Sonic Colours

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ohblackdiamond · 6 months

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msg and the end of the road

so many feelings, most of them mixed.

i love the thottest (not hottest) band in the world. i love the drama, the goofiness, the tragedy, the sheer unbridled capitalism, the homoeroticism, the utter stupidity. and i love most of all a version of the band that hasn't existed since i was ten years old.

i'm thirty-four.

i don't usually blog too much about my kiss experiences for a lot of reasons, one being that, oddly enough, it tends to feel a little too personal for a blog that's mostly shitposts and fanfic.

i enjoyed the nyc takeover/popup store (i'm not generally a merch person, but they had better designs overall than usual, including a great scarf that i'm sure is probably now up for hundreds on ebay)-- it was cool to see those kiss aspects on the street, on the metro cards, and on the empire state building. in person, i didn't feel it was quite as much of a takeover as was hyped, but that was to be expected in a city so gigantic and i have no complaints. it was cool just to have what was there, although i do wish i could've gotten a kiss cookie!

friday's show was pretty close up, which is always fun. i am basically always on stage left due to that being where paul will do his little ride to the b-stage. gene kept trying not to cry-- paul actually didn't seem that emotional. had a really lovely chat with the guy in the seat next to me (who was from the bronx) before the show started, about kiss and NYC in the seventies/eighties and today.

friday was not sold out.

second/last show was up quite a bit higher but was facing the stage-- overwhelming, not just from the emotions of it being the last show, and paul clearly doing the best he could, and gene clearly being about to cry the entire, entire time-- but also because i've just seldom gotten to see the whole stage from kiss before. the whole tableau out there is really fantastic. in all the times i've seen them, i had never even realized that paul's stage is lit up and has that star pattern before! i liked the somewhat cage effect going on during paul's b-stage bit.

i wasn't much for the interviews and so on beforehand-- criss angel in particular i wasn't a fan of. the part with the kids was okay. not really sure what was going on with the kiss kosplay aspect but all right. i had vague hopes that they would do a little 5-10 minute retrospective bit, taking the audience through some of their history, have clips, etc.-- would've been a cool touch. i had absolutely no real expectations of ace or peter (or anyone else that was formerly in kiss) actually being there, but thought a recorded greeting might be possible. i would have liked them at minimum to have been mentioned. (to really have gotten a full 50 years' perspective, all former members should have at least gotten a mention somewhere.)

"beth" got me a little emotional, but i was surprised at how by the end of the concert i wasn't as devastated as i'd expected. i guess i had come to terms with a world without kiss.

and then we, uh. well, we, uh, got the avatar announcement.

um.

yeah.

maybe it's my own fearful mortality peeking through, but i kept thinking of the theological idea of the eternal perspective. to me personally it goes a little deeper than "time is short, focus on the correct/most important aspects of your life;" an eternal perspective also is considerate of the aspects of others' lives. as i've gotten older, i've started to understand a lot of things i never did before, about other people, the way they viewed/handled things as opposed to the way i did, etc. the older i get, the more i see where i've consistently messed up, and where i've failed, or, at least, made a situation worse instead of better. and, maybe, sometimes, it's let me see that i need to let up and let go.

kiss owes no one anything. not a lineup, not a recording, not an experience (except one that's been paid for). their legacy is borne out of the blood, sweat and tears of ten members total, a half-dozen or more managers-- though all principal credit is due to bill aucoin-- brilliant producers, and hundreds of roadies, bodyguards, techs, costume designers, press agents, and so on who believed in them. but i would hate for the four beasties of rock and roll to never see each other again until one of them is covered up in flowers in the back of a black limousine, and sadly, this is looking more and more like this may be the case.

i am grateful for this band and the wonderful people it's caused me to meet and befriend (especially my dear friends that came with me, @hillsofuhhtennessee and @elrohare! we had the most incredible time!!), and how it's pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me broaden my horizons. i am grateful for the experiences and the memories. kiss has always been there for me in the very lowest times of my life, and my hope still is, that maybe someday, they could be there for each other and mend some fences before the real end of the road for all of them.

#kiss the band #paul stanley #gene simmons #ace frehley #peter criss

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archivecon · 4 months

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ArchiveCon Info

Registration

Registration for ArchiveCon is completely free, and done through Eventbookings. However, we will not be accepting registrations during the event itself, so make sure you sign up early! Registration will permanently close on June 21th, 2024, at 12:00 PM, PST. Remember, that's four hours before we start!

Unsure if you can make the convention itself, or know that you can't get time off? No worries! Feel free to register anyways - this will grant you access to the Discord and any recorded panels that you can watch in your own time.

Once you’ve registered, keep up-to-date on any new info by following our twitter (@archive_con) and tumblr (@archivecon). When we get closer to the final date, we will send out an email containing the convention schedule, as well as Discord invites, so the community can get hyped up beforehand!

In terms of attending the con itself, we will be using three different platforms: Discord, Zoom, and Twitch.

Discord: This will be the main community hub: chat with fellow fans, receive announcements, have access to staff members, talk to individual Artist Alley contributors, play games, etc. Consider this the hallway and info booth of an in-person con! The Discord group will be open about a week prior to the official con date, in order to let loose all those pre-con jitters and to deal with any questions attendees might have about panels, tech support, etc. The Discord will also stay open for a few weeks after the convention ends.

Zoom: We will be hosting the majority of our panels and activities here! Zoom is free to use for attendees. Each video has a chat section alongside, so attendees can talk about the panel or activity, and, if the panelist allows it, ask questions at the end. All attendees will be automatically muted when they join. If you'd like to watch our panels live, we highly recommend you download Zoom before the convention starts. We will also be hosting a few practice sessions so attendees and panelists can get comfortable with the program.

Twitch: Similar to Zoom, this is another option for panelists to choose from, if they have their own channel. Attendees will be able to type chat alongside the video screen.

FAQ

What is ArchiveCon?

This is an adults-only, online-only, mini convention that was spurred on by our love of podcasts (mainly TMA, but all sorts of others as well!) and all the marginalia fandom has to offer - from fanfiction to fanart, podfic to bookbinding, to the minutiae of sound editing and stitching - anything you enjoy goes! We aim to foster the spirit of creativity, learning, and freedom of expression.

Like any convention, there’ll be panels, discussion groups, an artist alley, streaming, and games - there’s a little something for everyone!

ArchiveCon will have a strong The Magnus Archives/Protocol bent, but we encourage fans of other Rusty Quill productions, outside audio dramas, and fandom-goers in general to join in as well!

Is the convention adults-only?

Yes. You must be 18 or older to attend the convention. However, this does not mean that panels and other activities will all be NSFW - this adults-only rule is merely to give our panelists and attendees more freedom in whatever they wish to discuss.

Is it free?

It sure is! All you’ll need is time and access to Discord, Zoom, and/or Twitch.

What timezone will you be in? And what are the hours?

ArchiveCon is based in Pacific Standard Time, and will take place from June 21 - 23rd - from Friday starting at 4:00 PM, until we finish on Sunday at 6:00 PM. To accommodate our international attendees, we allow panels to be held at any time during convention hours, and most panels will be recorded for later viewing.

Is this associated with Rusty Quill?

Nope! ArchiveCon is simply a by fans, for fans endeavor - completely non-profit, entirely for fun!

Rusty Quill online content is distributed and licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike International Licence. Details can be found here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Where can I find more information on panels, the artist alleys, etc?

Check out our website! It’s got all this info and more.

#Updated info for the new year!

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librosamarillos · 10 months

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passed down like folk songs

chapter 32: frustration

Maegor Targaryen x OC

Also on Ao3

chapter index

Tags: hurt/comfort, friends to lovers, angst, mature themes, targaryen incest, violence, Maegor is a red flag himself, characters are ooc probably, MINORS DNI

Sitting through one of Aenys’ small council meetings was the easiest way Visenya could give herself a headache. It was a bit strange for her nephew to request her presence in the meeting and it was clearly not something he had informed everyone else about, judging by their surprised faces once she entered the room. Watching him trying to handle something as simple as a meeting was like watching a child trying to take his first steps, clumsy and slow. It was like he was drowning in some new concern, some new rebel, some new unhappiness in the kingdom, and he couldn’t handle news of things not being well. She was trying, to her defence, to not roll her eyes. She promised Rowan she’d play nice.

“Aunt! Could you stay back a moment?” Aenys’ voice stopped her from leaving, much to her annoyance. The room had nearly emptied, the few lords remaining sharing curious glances with each other. She turned to face him when the last person shut the door behind him. He was ageing rather quickly for a man this young. Most men were aged by battle or illness, but Aenys had experience with neither. He had been a weak child, but he managed to stay healthy enough as a man grown. Visenya eyed him carefully.

“What is it?” she asked him, her tone neutral and rather calm. He looked nervous, like he was hyping himself up to say something with confidence. She’d never admit it out loud, but she did find the whole thing amusing. She knew people feared her, and at times their reactions were very entertaining. Still, she looked at him with a raised brow.

“I wanted to talk to you about something- I wish to announce it soon, but I wanted you to know beforehand.” he said after some thought. He was nervously messing with the abundance of rings on his fingers, trying to appear more confident than he truly was.

“Go on.” she urged him, trying not to sound entirely condescending. It was like urging a small child to speak, and she wasn’t even sure she ever did that for Maegor. Aenys cleared his throat and straightened his back, like he was announcing something to the court.

“I plan to wed Aegon and Rhaena at the end of the year.” he announced, smiling softly with pride in his eyes. “A royal wedding will be a splendid event, one that would surely lift people’s spirits. And a progress after that, just like mine and Alyssa’s, so the people can get to know their future King and Queen.” he concluded, clasping his hands together. “What do you think?” he asked, looking at her with a smile.

“Why are you asking me? What does it matter?” she asked, a scowl evident on her face. It was not the response Aenys had wished for. What was she supposed to say to that? Yes, perhaps they were still a bit too young, Rhaena by the end of the year would be fifteen and Aegon thirteen, but Rhaena had already flowered, so it wasn’t much of a stretch. But it was stupid to think this would somehow bring back the support of the people who were rebelling or thinking to join in. Aenys looked up at her, with his lilac eyes wide.

It was almost uncanny, the resemblance he had to Rhaenys at times. Everything from that tone of voice, to those eyes, wide and almost silently pleading for her approval. But it was never really her approval that Rhaenys nor Aenys were ever after, but rather a way to lift the guilt off their conscience for what they did, Rhaenys with all the bullshit with Aegon, and now Aenys for sending Maegor away. It irritated her to no end. It was gnawing at old scars that hadn’t yet healed, no matter how many years passed.

“I… I wished for you to hear it from me, not along with everyone else. You’re my aunt.” he admitted softly, his confidence deflating. Visenya frowned further. She had promised Rowan she’d try, for the good of all her hard work. As if she’d ever let Aenys ruin what she had built.

“Alright.” she nodded plainly.

“Alright?” he asked in disbelief. He looked to the ground, as if to gather his thoughts before looking back up at her. “That’s all you have to say about the news? Soon you’ll have another great niece or nephew, and there’ll be a huge wedding for your eldest two, the future of our house, and you won’t even ask about them, or be involved at all?” he asked, his tone accusing, but his voice cracking slightly. She let out a bewildered sigh. Rowan couldn't say she didn’t at least try.

“I’m so sorry, Aenys, should I toast to all your names and throw flower petals on the path before you?” she asked, her voice full of sarcasm as she turned to face him completely. It was comical, really. Did he want a pat on the back for following a tradition that was in their history for ages and ages?

“That’s not what I’m saying at all! You’re always so closed off and detached from our family, don’t you want to be part of it? Won’t you at least try?” he said, his tone getting a bit louder, as he seemed so frustrated with his aunt. Visenya only scoffed. He was an idiot.

“Gods, you’re just like her in the worst ways possible, you know that? I apologise, nephew, if my existence has disturbed your picture perfect family. Perhaps you can exile me as well, that could solve your problems, don’t you think?” she asked snarkily, crossing her arms, silently daring him to continue with his tantrum. Aenys shook his head, seeming to expect her to bring up her son.

“I know you’re angry about Maegor, but please, do not bring my mother into this.” he said, trying to calm himself down, looking angry. Visenya was almost impressed that he was even capable of being angry and had she not been so irritated by him, she’d even praise him for it.

“She was my sister for far longer before she was your mother.” she spat out, looking down at her pathetic mess of a nephew. She took a moment to look at him again. She wondered if Rhaenys and Aegon were proud of the man they raised. She certainly wouldn’t proudly claim him as a child of hers. “Would that be all?” she sighed, turning to leave. This conversation was going nowhere.

“What?” he asked, his voice exasperated. He looked at her, opening and closing his mouth a few times, deeming what he wanted to say not worthy of being spoken, or maybe just gathering his thoughts. Visenya turned to face him again.

“Do you want to say anything else to me, or are we done here?” she asked, her tone now entirely condescending and mean. What exactly did he want out of this?

“I was hoping to have a civil conversation with you, one that wouldn’t end like this, but you’re always on the defence, acting like everyone is against you!” he pinched his temple, shaking his head and looking away in disappointment. That did it for Visenya. Any reservations she had, were now gone. She was done holding her anger back.

“You sent away my son, my one and only son, what exactly are you expecting from me? Do you want me to coddle you and tell you it will all be alright and that you’re doing a really good job and then pretend things aren’t falling apart at the seams? Is that what you want from me, because mommy and daddy aren’t here to do that anymore and all you’re left with is me?” she yelled, perhaps not yelled, but it was definitely louder than she intended it.

“I’m trying! Don’t you see I’m trying?” he yelled back in desperation, his eyes big and pleading. “You think I ever imagined father would die so soon and so suddenly and that I’d be King this young? I thought I had years to spare, to learn from him, to be guided. Yes, I sent Maegor away, he went behind my back, you both did, and now look at all that’s caused! I’m drowning here, and you’re just standing back and shaking your head!” he yelled, his hands moving around him making gestures in the air, anything to let out all his frustration.

“What is it that you want from me, Aenys?” she asked him plainly, tired of this grown man throwing a pathetic tantrum because his aunty wasn’t nice to him.

“Help me! Why are you just sitting back and watching me drown? Does it bring you joy, or some sick sense of vindication that your sister’s son is failing?” he asked, his voice cracking more, his tone accusing, his eyes pleading. It was insane to her how quickly he could melt into a nervous mess. In what world was this the son and heir of Aegon the Conqueror? In what world would this mess continue the Targaryen line and fulfil the prophecy of Aegon’s dream? She’d show them all that choosing Aenys as heir was a mistake.

“You’re just as pathetic as her at times. Why do you think that everything was going well when Maegor was here? Because he has authority, people listen to him. Do you think they listen to you? There are rebels? Send armies to kill them and make an example of them, instead of sitting here all sad in your solar, wondering why they don’t worship you.” she spat out, eyes staring into her nephew’s. He looked like an overwhelmed mess, and if she were any crueller, Visenya would send him to his mother’s old room so he could hide in there.

The sound of the door creaking open made both of their heads turn to see who interrupted the heated discussion. Visenya let out a small sigh of relief when she saw Rowan’s familiar face, her eyes looking between her and her nephew. It was like she could read the tense air in the room and she gave Visenya a small frown. To her defence, she did try.

“Your grace?” she asked softly, looking toward Aenys, who also seemed to deflate from the argument. He now looked like he was glad for the interruption, as if she saved him from having to acknowledge what Visenya told him and give her a response.

“Rowan? Come in, what is it?” Visenya said, wondering what the matter was. She knew there was a bit more distance between them and Rowan did not fully tell her what she was up to during her day anymore, but she did know that she started spending more time in the city rather than the castle. Perhaps the walls of the keep became too unbearable for her. Rowan seemed to hesitate.

“I wished to speak to his grace, but I can come at a better time. I do not want to interrupt anything.” she replied, looking between the two once more, giving Visenya a more questioning look. She didn’t have to do much thinking to imagine how the conversation went about, but she would want to ask her why she lost her patience with the King.

“Speak freely, my girl, the conversation has come to an end.” Visenya said plainly, before Aenys even had the time to speak up. She doubted Aenys would seek her council again, seeing as he deemed the most natural responses to conflict as being too harsh. She wanted to laugh. Did her fool of a nephew think his father would ever hesitate this much or tolerate any kind of disrespect?

“Yes,” Aenys sighed in relief, “please tell me. Is something the matter?” he asked, now avoiding looking at Visenya and completely focused on Rowan. The young Evergreen gave the King a sympathetic look, as if to soothe his worries. Visenya knew Rowan shared the same complaints as she did, but she had a much gentler approach to dealing with them. The fact that she didn’t have the same familial ties to Aenys sure helped a lot too.

“It’s about the sept’s orphanage, your grace.” she started. “With the city’s population growing, it’ll soon reach its full capacity. My family have been long term patrons, and Ceryse wishes for house Hightower to contribute as well, but for a project of this size, your approval is needed.” she said, her proposal clear and complete. If only all of the lords and ladies were this efficient. Visenya knew Duncan since before he had Rowan, and he was always focused on the poor and needy people of the realm, it was no surprise he took his daughter with him when he visited the sept and the orphanage. She was always a very caring girl.

“A noble cause, my lady.” Aenys said with a small smile. He was glad this wasn’t another problem to add to the giant list that kept growing, but instead something good that didn’t require him to do anything. “When exactly do you think these plans will begin, and how long will it take to complete?” he asked, eyeing the scroll Rowan held in her freckled hands.

“Around a year, if we begin right away, your grace. The architect has already drawn up the plans, if you’d like to see them.” she said, returning the smile to him, which made him relax even more. She walked toward him, handing him the plans, and Visenya was sure Rowan could explain the littlest detail if Aenys wanted to know more, or was less exhausted. Her nephew looked over the plans, nodding in approval. Visenya walked closer to take a look as well, which made Aenys flinch. The plans were complete, or as close to complete as they could be, and the final structure was a beautiful one, in the style of the Reach.

“I’m not sure how much the crown can contribute, with the building of the Red Keep, along with… future events, I cannot guarantee much to this project.” Aenys spoke up, his tone and eyes apologetic. Visenya almost let out a chuckle. She often compared Aenys’ actions to what Maegor would’ve done as King, and in this case, he wouldn’t even ask any questions. He’d let Rowan have free reign over anything she showed interest in, with as much gold as she needed. It was a good thing that Rowan was not a greedy person.

“No need to worry, your grace,” Rowan was quick to relieve his worry, “houses Evergreen and Hightower have more than enough to finance this. I plan to remain involved with the process, perhaps it would be good for you to visit, for the people to see their King. They haven’t seen you since you ascended the throne.” she suggested gently, with a small smile. Visenya was glad. Rowan was pulling herself out of the sorrow she’d been drowning in since Maegor and Ceryse’s marriage, and finally getting involved in the things she loved again. She wondered if it had anything to do with the letter Maegor had sent. Regardless, Visenya was happy to see the young girl be more active. It was also a great thing that she was so involved with the smallfolk, whose support Aenys was losing, despite his walls of denial.

“Then, you have my approval, my lady. I’d love to meet with the Septon and the architect.” he said, his eyes now much less tired and gloomy. Rowan’s approach was quite effective. If Aenys wouldn’t listen with reason and facts, perhaps her soft words could lead him to the right path. Visenya would have to talk to her about this later. For now, she let the two smile.

“Thank you, your grace. The children will be more than grateful.” she slightly bowed her head in gratitude. Visenya looked at the plans again. They were very well thought out. And it was good Rowan involved Ceryse in them as well. Once Maegor took the throne, it would provide a better transition of power if his wife was beloved by the people.

“So, let me get this straight, he had a whole set ready for you to use?” Tyanna asked, an amused smile on her lips. She seemed to be very amused at any details Alys wanted to share about her more private parts of her life, especially when it came to Maegor. She didn’t blame the Pentoshi beauty for being so curious, anyone in her place would be, and Alys really appreciated her discretion, as she desperately needed someone to talk to.

They were sitting on the small balcony in Tyanna’s home, as she had graciously invited her, and trying out different blends of tea. The one she was sipping on was bold and bright, one of Tyanna’s favourites. The woman’s home was modest, but beautiful, as beautiful as she was. She took great care to decorate it carefully, and it just looked so lovely. Alys was impressed that this was the home of a tea seller and tavern dancer.

“Yes! And he handpicked the dress I was to wear! He was looking through all my things, trying to see which one he’d prefer. And then, after we were done, he said he’d send instructions to the maids, so they can prepare me for him!” Alys explained, still buzzing from the night before. She was almost tempted to show Tyanna the bruises Maegor’s hands had left on her hips because of how roughly he was holding onto them.

“You seem very surprised, why is that?” Tyanna asked, taking another sip from her tea, her intense red lip stain smudging on the brim of the cup. Alys hoped she wasn’t bothered by her staring at those small details, but it appeared that she greatly enjoyed it. She didn’t show any indication of discomfort or unease.

“I don’t know, I just never imagined he’d be so picky and specific about what he wanted.” she admitted. Maegor was truly the last person she’d think would be so selective, but she supposed it made sense for a Prince. She had more pictured him being careless and quick, not so thorough and rough. “But I suppose it’s a good thing that I have a clear idea of what he wants me to do. This way I can give him a son quickly.” she sighed.

He gave her exactly what he promised. She was out of that boring small town, away from her boring life, and she now got to have a ridiculous amount of gold to her disposal, in a brand new, exciting place that was so different from her little town in Westeros. Alys had everything she ever wanted. Though, as she looked at Tyanna, she supposed wanting a little bit more wasn’t entirely out of the question.

“Does it not bother you that you won’t have your family here to support you? Through pregnancy and birth, I mean.” Tyanna asked, catching Alys a bit off guard. Her family? Yes, she supposed it was a normal thing for a woman to want her family by her side as she gave birth, but Alys hadn’t thought that far. She supposed Tyanna would want her mother by her side, since they were so close, but Alys’ mother was long gone.

“I mean, I haven’t given it much thought. My sisters and I aren’t super close, but I suppose it wouldn’t be bad to have them by my side. My father was never one to comfort my mother through her labours, so I doubt he’d be much help anyway.” she trailed, looking down at her tea. She always found her sisters annoying and boring, but she couldn’t deny that through the pain and terror of childbirth, their presence could be reassuring.

“Doesn’t the idea of being all alone during this scare you?” she asked, concerned at how nonchalant Alys was being about the topic. She wasn’t sure if she genuinely didn’t care much, or if she was just waiting to see what she’d do once the day got close, and she still had a long way to go. Either way, Tyanna looked a bit worried.

“I suppose, I wouldn’t be all alone. Not if you were by my side.” Alys smiled. Tyanna let out a small laugh. Alys wasn’t sure if she’d ever heard a laugh so beautifully musical in her life. Tyanna poured some more tea for herself, she noticed that she didn’t wait for it to cool, but drank it quickly while it was still hot.

“You truly think so highly of me, that you’d want me by your side at your most vulnerable?” she asked, sounding both amused and flattered. Alys nodded. The woman before her seemed to know exactly what she was doing and why, exactly the type of person who’d keep her nerves calm during something as intense as labour.

“I can’t think of anyone better.” she said, slowly sipping from her cup once more. It’d be sweet, she thought, having her run her hands through her hair and holding her hand. Would it be truly necessary to be in labour to get Tyanna to hold her?

“You honour me, Alys, truly.” the raven hair beauty smiled, letting a small silence fall in the room as she was thinking. “Would the Prince not mind that you’d have a total stranger with you while you give birth? I mean, you saw how picky he is about an activity as casual as coupling, do you not think he’d have preferences on how his son would be born?” she asked, looking at Alys carefully. She shrugged.

“Perhaps if he knew how much comfort you bring me, he’ll allow it.” Alys replied, returning the woman’s gaze. And why wouldn’t Maegor know how much fondness Alys had for the woman before her? She doubted he’d care, hells, he might even be interested to watch the things Alys wanted to do. “I want to introduce you to him.” she announced, this time catching her off guard, which was a rare occurrence.

“Is that so?” she asked after she almost choked on her steaming hot tea. Alys was quick to offer her a napkin to wipe away the few droplets that fell from her expertly painted lips.

“You mean to tell me someone as well connected and informed as you, does not want to meet the talk of the town?” she laughed. “It’ll be great, and then you can come over to our home and we can enjoy our time together there. It’s much bigger and I’d love to treat you to more delicious food.” Alys offered. She felt like it was the next logical thing to do, was it not?

“If you insist, who am I to deny you?”

It had been another night where Maegor had sent for her and she came to his chambers, dressed in green, smelling of jasmine, and he took her like he normally did. She was laying on her back again, with a pillow holding her hips higher in hopes his seed would take soon. It had become a routine of sorts. He’d finish, she’d lay on her back for a while and then he’d send her away. She turned to look at him, as he was washing his hands, getting himself ready for bed as soon as she left. He sat back down on the bed, looking rather distracted, and Alys decided this was a good time to bring it up.

“Have you ever been in a pillowhouse?” she asked, catching him by surprise. He never cared for her attempts at smalltalk, in fact, he was a man of very few words, commands rather. His unsettling violet eyes looked at her suspiciously.

“Where is this coming from?” he asked, his voice rough as always. It made a shiver run down her spine, but she did not want to appear guilty. Besides, she hadn’t done anything! She looked at her hair, playing with a curled strand to keep her hands busy.

“Well, Tyanna, you know Tyanna, my friend from the tavern, she has a lot of connections around here. One of her friends works in a pillowhouse and she hears whispers about what all these men are into, their fantasies and stuff.” she said, looking up at him, trying to see where his moods were today. It was not out of this world to think a prince of the realm would have visited luxurious pillowhouses to enjoy himself. And yet she couldn't quite picture him doing that.

“You’re awfully chatty today. What is it, get to the point.” he crossed his arms, his frown permanent on his face. His hands were rough from all the time spent training with sellswords, and by the gods, sometimes it hurt when he grabbed her roughly, when he had a lot of frustration pent up. She liked it, in a way.

“I only brought it up because I was curious about any fantasies that you might have, so that I may fulfil them for you.” she looked up at him with a sweet smile, but it did not phase him much. It was like she was conversing with a stone wall. He was silent for a few moments, his eyes darting away from her, taking a moment to think about her proposal.

“Just keep doing what I tell you to. It’s sufficient enough.” he concluded, and it was Alys’ turn to frown. Not out of any true concern for him, but because she wanted to get her way.

“I mean, why settle for sufficient when it could be great? You know, Tyanna hears whispers of all the things that go on in the pillowhouses. Some men like it when a woman dances for him, others like it when she sings… some love it when they take two at a time…” she said suggestively, twirling her hair and looking up at him again.

“So you want to bed her, this friend of yours.” he said plainly. It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. Alys felt the breath leave her lungs entirely. Did he see right through her? Surely any man would love to invite another woman in his bed, even more so with the blessing and participation of his wife, so why was her heart pounding?

“Would you not find it exciting to watch, to have two of us giving you pleasure? She’s very beautiful, you know.” she managed to find her voice again, eyes darting somewhere on the ceiling, to avoid those eerie and suspicious eyes. Maegor scoffed.

“Why would I invite a complete stranger into my bed? Because you wish to bed her and want to frame it as some gift to me?” he looked at her like she was pathetic for even trying to hide her true intentions. To her defence, she had hoped she was a better liar. Tyanna told her it was every man’s dream, surely he’d come to admit it to her. Maybe she brought it up too soon, maybe she should’ve waited a bit more, but she couldn't get Tyanna out of her mind.

“Would that be so bad? I think something new and exciting will lift your spirits! She knows a lot, you know, she can teach me, prepare me for you!” she countered, looking back at him. She never thought she’d ever be pleading with her husband to let another woman join in their bed, it should be the other way around, but then again, he was a strange man.

“That should be enough time. You can leave now.” he sighed, motioning for her to get up. She carefully did, trying to not mess up the towel he had placed under her to avoid mess. He was so stuck on his ways, surely he needed to loosen up.

“Just meet her. You’ll see!” she pleaded, wrapping her robe around her half torn green nightgown. She didn’t care much for it, she knew he had commissioned a line of new ones for her. Imagine all she could do with Tyanna next to her. Maegor still shook his head, much to her confusion.

“If you want to fuck her, fine, be my guest. As long as you perform your duty to me and bear me a son, I don’t care what you do.” he said, his tone leaving no room for any more pleading. It was a strange but freeing arrangement that he had set up for them, but still, Alys wanted it to work. Maegor needed to relax and open up about sex, she didn’t know how much of the routine she could take without dying of boredom.

“I still want you to meet her, husband. We’ll make you feel good, I swear it.” she promised him as she made her way to the door. Tyanna was skilled. She could teach her, guide her, please her… Alys wanted it all.

taglist:@heartstalked@stupidocupido@discowizard88@slytherisstuff

#maegor targaryen #maegor targaryen x oc #maegor the cruel #sorry for lowkey disappearing besties #its a bit rushed but here it is!

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