#Cedric is bad with emotions

[shychick-52]

OK, but picture Goodwyn dying (from old age) sometime post-series. And Cedric tearfully saying goodbye to him on his deathbed.

Goodwyn telling him how proud he is of him, and how he deeply regrets not seeing what a great sorcerer he is for so many years (until 'The Mystic Meadows') and asks his forgiveness for making him feel so unloved and unworthy since he was a child.

And he tells Cedric he loves him.

After the funeral (which sorcerers from all over the EverRealm attend, including those from Mystic Meadows, and ofc Cedric's family and the royal family), Cedric tries to carry on as normal. Acting like everything's fine, burying himself in his work (and working harder than ever, to the point where he goes back to never leaving his tower).

Everyone knows he's not doing well, despite him insisting he is. Even Sofia. She tries to talk to him about it, but he changes the subject.

Sofia's parents explain to her, when she asks why he's acting that way, that he's forcing himself not to grieve and is shutting everyone out. Which is not healthy.

At last, Roland goes to speak to him... not as a king, but as his friend. He tells him he's there anytime he needs to talk. Cedric insists he's fine, again. Roland strongly suggests he take some time off.

Cedric asks "Is that a command, sire?" Roland sadly looks at him and asks "Does it have to be?"

@bettathanyou @fantadym @moonypears-blog

[captain-amadeus]

Cedric and Roland both had emotionally absent fathers think about it

[leona-florianova]

Finished playing Weird West...Interesting concept and some of the ideas but daaaaaammnnnnn... repetitive with too many too similar settings.. Not enough variety.. and not enough NPCs with dialogue trees that lead somewhere...Also there could have been more NPCs with just..random lore and stories of their own life?...but no... They didnt use that potential

And worst of all... For a game thats supposed to be a Weird West it wasnt weird enough u_u

[baelarys]

𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐧 Pt.2

Aemond targaryen x Reader velaryon(Rhaenyra Daughter)

Warning: Insest, bad language, death

Word count : 5038

As the hours passed, the excitement of the news settled in my mind. The sun began to hide behind heavy gray clouds, foretelling a storm. The castle of King's Landing was bathed in a dim and melancholic light, creating an atmosphere of anticipation.

I stepped out into the entrance courtyard, accompanied by Lord Caswell and my guard, Ser Cedric Blackwood. His presence was comforting, his imposing figure and unquestionable loyalty reassuring. The wind lightly stirred his black cloak as we both waited patiently.

Finally, a caravan of riders and a carriage appeared in the distance. Without banners or fanfare, their arrival was discreet, fitting for the uncertain times we faced. My heart pounded, and I felt a mixture of nerves and joy as I prepared to receive my mother.

The caravan stopped, and the knights dismounted silently. Rhaenyra descended from the carriage, followed by Daemon, Jacaerys, Lucerys, Joffrey, Rhaena, Baela, Aegon III, and Viserys II. Rhaenyra, with her regal bearing and silver hair, shone despite the waning light of the evening, her pregnancy evident but not diminishing her imposing presence in the slightest. When our eyes met, a warm smile lit up her face.

Lord Caswell descended the steps and approached my mother, taking her hands.

—Welcome, princess —said Lord Caswell.

—My sweet child —Rhaenyra responded, coming forward to embrace me. The hug was strong and comforting, full of the familiarity that only a mother can offer. We separated just enough to see each other’s eyes, and she took my hands in hers.

—It is good to see you, my daughter. The journey has been long, but knowing you would be here made every mile worthwhile —she said, her voice laden with emotion.

—We were eagerly awaiting your arrival. Helaena told me about the rumors in Driftmark and about Ser Vaemond Velaryon —I asked, wanting to understand more about the events that had brought her here. Rhaenyra nodded, her expression turning serious.

—Yes, there are disputes about the succession in Driftmark. Vaemond has raised concerns that cannot be ignored. It is crucial that we remain united in these times —she explained, glancing around before focusing back on me. —But there will be time to talk about politics. Right now, I want to enjoy this moment with you.

—Of course, mother. It is an honor to have you with us again —I replied, smiling.

Daemon approached, greeting me with a smile and a nod.

—Y/N, it’s always a pleasure to see you —he said, his tone soft but firm.

—Daemon —I replied, returning his smile. Then I looked at my brothers and stepsiblings, feeling a mix of love and responsibility towards them.

—Brothers, sisters —I greeted them, hugging each one.

Lucerys, always affectionate, enveloped me in a strong hug.

—Y/N, I’ve missed you so much —he said with a warm smile, his affection evident.

—And I’ve missed you too, Lucerys. It’s good to have you close again —I replied, gently stroking his hair.

—And you, come here! —I exclaimed, pulling Jacaerys by the arm to hug him and plant a warm kiss on his cheek.

—I’ve missed you too —Jace said sweetly.

—Hello to you too —I said, leaving a kiss on Joffrey’s head and wrapping my arms around him.

I approached the nurses carrying the little Aegon and Viserys, who looked at me with curiosity. It was the first time I saw them in person, and their little faces filled me with tenderness.

—Hello, little ones! —I said, extending my hands toward them. Aegon, with his big curious eyes, came closer first, followed by his brother.

—They’ve grown so much since the last time you saw them —commented Rhaenyra with a smile.

Ser Cedric stepped forward, bowing his head in respect.

—Princess, it is an honor to welcome you to King’s Landing —said Ser Cedric formally.

—Thank you, Ser Cedric. I appreciate your loyalty and protection of my daughter —Rhaenyra responded with a nod.

With a gesture, I guided my family inside the castle.

—I’d like to say I’m happy to be back, but I hardly recognize it —my mother commented with a bitter tone, watching Daemon walk away with a small laugh.

—Many things have changed since you were last here, mother —I replied, watching Jace and Luke head towards the training yard. —You must be tired, mother. Let me take you to your quarters.

—And how is he? —my mother asked as we walked down the hallway with Ser Cedric and Daemon a few steps behind us.

—He’s fine, I think he’s training now —I replied sweetly.

—Do they treat you well here? —my mother added, sounding a bit worried.

—They have to, or I’ll take his other eye —Daemon quipped mischievously.

—They treat me well here —I said, taking my mother’s hand and caressing it to calm her. —I’m excited for you to meet Maegor —I added cheerfully.

---

I arrived at the training yard in search of my brothers and managed to see Aemond sparring with Ser Criston. He was truly a skilled swordsman, handling his sword with such ease. After finishing his duel with Ser Criston, I saw him approaching my brothers.

—Nephews, have you come to train? —Aemond asked, his tone mixing challenge and mockery.

I descended to approach and position myself next to Jace. I felt Lucerys move to hide behind me while Jacaerys took a step back.

Aemond’s gaze finally landed on me.

—Wife —Aemond spoke with a mischievous tone as he approached a bit closer.

The sudden march down the hallway startled me a bit. I rolled my eyes as Vaemond stared at me, his gaze filled with hatred and contempt towards me and my brothers. I turned to resume my conversation with Aemond. I smiled at him before turning to look at my brothers.

—You should go to mother and get ready —I said, looking at Jacaerys, who returned my gaze with concern. Aemond came even closer, his imposing presence increasing the tension in the air.

—Are you afraid, Lucerys? —Aemond asked with a twisted smile, his gaze fixed on the little boy trying to hide behind me.

—Leave him alone, Aemond —I intervened firmly, looking him in the eyes. Aemond raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the reaction he had provoked.

—I don’t intend to hurt him… yet —he said, his tone becoming more intimidating as he directed his gaze at Lucerys. —I was only offering a training opportunity. After all, we all need to improve our skills, don’t we?

I felt Lucerys cling a little tighter to my back.

—Luke, Jace, why don’t you go visit the gardens? I’ll stay here. I have some matters to discuss with my dear husband —I said, giving them an exit. Jace nodded, understanding my intention, and took Lucerys back to the castle. Aemond looked at me with interest, clearly amused by the situation.

—You’re very protective of them —Aemond commented, stepping even closer. —But that won’t always be enough.

—I know —I replied calmly, looking him directly in the eye. —But I’ll do what I can to keep them safe.

Aemond came even closer, his gaze intensely fixed on mine.

—That determination is one of the things that attracts me most to you —he said, his tone full of sarcasm.

I returned a smile.

—Only my determination? —I asked playfully, taking a step towards him. Aemond let out a soft laugh, his eyes never leaving mine.

—Also your stubbornness. And your ability to get into trouble —he said, raising a hand to gently caress my cheek.

I felt the warmth of his touch but maintained my composure.

—You have a way of saying things that always manages to disarm me, Aemond.

—That’s my intention, wife —he responded, leaning in a bit more. —To disarm you and keep you on your toes.

I took a deep breath, feeling my heart beat faster.

—You do it very well —I murmured, keeping my gaze fixed on his.

Aemond wrapped his arms around me, the tension between us palpable. When we finally separated, his eyes shone with a mix of desire and challenge.

—See you later —I said, heading back into the castle.

---

I walked as quickly as my feet allowed, trying not to trip over the cumbersome dress I had decided to wear that morning. Upon reaching the doors of the throne room, I took a long breath, trying to catch my breath, and gave a look to the guards, indicating they should open the doors.

—Princess Y/N of House Velaryon! —announced one of the guards as I walked through the doors. Everyone was already there: my mother with my brothers, my grandmother Rhaenys and my cousins alongside Vaemond Velaryon, and Queen Alicent with her children and the Hand of the King. I gave Luke a quick smile and took my place between Aemond and Aegon.

—You’re late —murmured Aegon with a mocking smile. —Was your dress teaching you a lesson in humility?

—I’d say it was more of a challenge to my patience —I replied, giving an ironic smile. —But don’t worry, Aegon, I still have enough to endure you.

Aemond, who was on my other side, watched the scene with a raised eyebrow.

Otto Hightower cleared his throat, walking towards the Iron Throne and positioning himself in front of it. There couldn't be a more disrespectful scene than that. I turned to look at my mother, who apparently shared the same feeling of rejection towards the Hand of the King.

—Ser Vaemond of House Velaryon —Otto Hightower announced. Vaemond stepped to the middle of the room, right between the two families, and looked at the Hand of the King.

Vaemond began to babble about how pure his house had been since the days of old Valyria, giving a boring account of his ancestors, as if talking about the dead gave him some kind of advantage and helped defend his position. I shared a look with Luke, who was holding tightly to my mother's arm. Luke looked nervous; his eyes darted in every direction until they met mine.

—You're going to be fine— I whispered through clenched teeth. Luke nodded and turned his attention back to whatever Vaemond was saying.

—I am their closest kin. Blood of their blood, the true and unblemished Velaryon blood runs through my veins— boasted Ser Vaemond. His words had a double meaning, said with only one intention.

Rhaenyra raised her voice to make a comment before her turn came:

—And through my children, descendants of Laenor Velaryon. If you cared so much about Velaryon blood, Ser Vaemond, you would not dare to usurp the heir, but it seems your ambition is greater— my mother expressed in a firm and serene tone.

—You will have your chance to defend your case, Princess Rhaenyra— interrupted Alicent, which made me roll my eyes and let out a bored sigh. —Have the decency to let Ser Vaemond explain.

There was nothing more to explain. It was obvious that there was something wrong with this claim. Ser Vaemond, no matter how much he wanted Driftmark, would never have it. If Lucerys did not take the place of Lord of Driftmark, Rhys Velaryon, Ser Vaemond’s eldest son, would. Surely Otto Hightower had promised to give him full support and advocate for him just to ensure that Lucerys did not obtain Driftmark. It was a conspiracy.

—Thank you, Ser Vaemond— I raised my gaze when the man's account finally ended. —Princess Rhaenyra, speak on behalf of your son, Lucerys Velaryon.

My mother took a step forward, clasping her hands with weariness and boredom, not looking at Otto.

—If I must legitimize this farce with a response, I must remind the court that nearly twenty years ago...

The sound of the doors opening caught everyone's attention. Seconds later, King Viserys appeared, escorted by his Kingsguard. Everyone watched the scene with attention. I couldn't feel anything but admiration for my grandfather, who had gathered all his strength to be here and defend his daughter and grandchildren from such vile accusations.

—King Viserys of House Targaryen! The first of his name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm!

My heart tightened as I watched my grandfather advance through the room. Where there was once a man, now there was a skeletal body that held only the old glory of what he once was. That old man would do anything for his most beloved daughter. He would be remembered—at least by the blacks—as an exceptional father and grandfather, even though the others were also in shock when they saw him enter.

Viserys advanced with difficulty, slowing his pace when his gaze fell on Rhaenyra. In his eyes, she was alone, with no one to defend her. The man's eyes wandered, fixing on the mysterious brown-haired woman next to one of her children. Y/N watched her grandfather observe her with attention, with curiosity even, as if he couldn't recognize her until the man advanced. For a few moments, Viserys confused her with his late wife Aemma until memories of his granddaughter filled him, recognizing her after a few seconds.

After that, the man advanced until he reached the stairs. Viserys stood still, catching his breath and being attended to by one of his guards, but he waved him away, climbing the stairs almost entirely until the crown on his head fell to the ground. I felt sorry for my grandfather; my feet were about to move toward him, but Daemon was quicker, going to assist his older brother. Viserys murmured something only Daemon heard, and when their eyes finally met, the man felt relief at seeing his brother. Daemon picked up the crown, helping Viserys up the remaining stairs.

I felt a swarm of emotions in my chest, watching Daemon crown Viserys in an emotional scene that only brotherhood could provide. I had never seen so much sadness and respect in the eyes of his former master. After that, the rogue prince returned to his place, sharing a look with the brown-haired woman. Princess Rhaenys shared her opinion with the king and announced the engagement of her granddaughter to Princess Rhaenyra's sons.

—Well, the matter is resolved, again. Therefore, I reaffirm Prince Lucerys of House Velaryon as the heir to Driftmark, the Driftwood Throne, and future Lord of the Tides,— Viserys spoke wearily. Ser Vaemond cast a confused look at his sister-in-law and addressed the king.

—You have violated the law and a centuries-old tradition to name your daughter as heir,— accused the white-haired, dark-skinned man. —And you dare to tell me who deserves to bear the Velaryon name? No, I will not allow it.

—"Allow it"? You have forgotten your place,— Viserys said, disdain dripping from his voice at the way Ser Vaemond addressed him.

—That!— Vaemond shouted, pointing a finger contemptuously at Lucerys. — is not a true Velaryon, and even less so my nephew,— the hatred and rejection spilling from Ser Vaemond's mouth like venom.

—Watch what you say, Ser Vaemond, if you don't want to lose your tongue!— I spat at Vaemond. I would not allow anyone to speak to my brother that way, especially in my presence.

—Leave. I have spoken enough. Lucerys is my legitimate grandson, and you are simply the second son of Driftmark.—

—You do as you please with your house, but you will not decide the future of mine. My house survived the Doom and a thousand more tribulations, and damn me, but I will not let it extinguish because of this...

Daemon smiled slightly, the moment he longed for since Vaemond began to open his mouth to disrespect his family had arrived.

—Say it,— Daemon murmured at his side with a hunger for bloodshed. I could see how Daemon's hand gripped the hilt of Dark Sister.

—Her sons are bastards!— Vaemond shouted, more exasperated than necessary. I shared a knowing look with Daemon, seeing the hilt of Dark Sister in his hands. —And she is a whore.

The entire Hall was left in shared shock and it was Daemon's moment to act. That was the last toll on the man-eater's patience. Daemon slipped like a shadow, living up to his title, passing behind his family to reach the other end, no one had noticed his intentions and that was good.

—I will cut out your tongue for that— Viserys threatened from the top of the throne, pulling out a knife from his clothing.

Daemon before anyone else could stop him raised Dark Sister with incredible ease cutting Vaemond Velaryon's head in half, the Valyrian steel making a clean cut. Everyone remained silent, some screams of terror in the court were what made Daemon smile but more the reaction of the green Targaryens. Aemond watched the scene with pleasure.

—Let him keep his tongue— Daemon said when he saw the body of Ser Vaemond at his feet.

—Disarm him!— Otto Hightower shouted, making a dozen men surround the prince.

—no need— the platinum ruled, leaning his weight on Dark Sister, looking at the blood dripping on the floor and walking back to his old place as if nothing had happened

Viserys began to get upset with shock, interrupting the moment. I watched my grandfather collapse on the throne.

—Call the maesters!—Alicent helped by climbing up the stairs to the throne.

—Father...— Rhaenyra murmured, staying under the throne watching the maesters urgently take Viserys away.

–––––––

—What a scene— Aemond spoke when we got to our rooms, resting in one of the armchairs near the now unlit fireplace while I adjusted some threads of the leather suit I used to ride the cannibal.

I approached the dead fire, removing a couple of remaining ashes with my fingertips. Aemond leaned forward, his eyes shining with a mixture of satisfaction and mockery.

—It's not every day that you witness a beheading at court— Aemond murmured, raising a glass of wine to me. —Daemon certainly knows how to liven up a boring meeting.—

—Cheer up is one way to put it— I said, finishing adjusting the strings of my suit. Although I must admit that it was a little satisfying to see Dark Sister go through his head so easily.

Aemond gave a soft laugh, his eye twinkling with amusement.

—I'm glad to know that you appreciate the art of the sword, my dear.— Although I'm not sure if what happened today will be remembered as art or as atrocity.

I sat next to him, crossing my legs and taking the drink he offered me.

—With our family, those two words are usually interchangeable.—I answered with a smile on my lips, getting up and walking towards the door—see you at dinner.—

–––––––––

The Dragonpit, an imposing and significant structure designed to house dragons that have been companions in our family for generations.

—Ābra (princess)— greets one of the dragonkeepers with a bow, while the smell of smoke wafts from the caverns where some dragons rest. I return the greeting with a slight nod.

—Gaomagon naejot vāedis Cannibal syt ao, mazverdagon māzigon dārys ēza pryjatan jevi ēdruta. (we are preparing cannibal for you, he has been quite restless and aggressive these last few days your grace)—he informs me as he approaches.

Cannibal had never had a rider before nor had he been to King's Landing. It was an honor to have become your rider. Cannibal was a towering dragon, almost the same size as Vaghar, with a coat of coal-black scales and green eyes that glowed like emeralds. He was somewhat aggressive and refused any contact with humans, except me.

"—essa iderēbagon ūndegon ��lva mēre (Maybe we should let him marry his own food)—I respond, approaching Cannibal as he shifts restlessly, trying to remove his saddle.

—Bantis zōbrie (good boy)—I murmur to Cannibal, trying to reassure him.

––––––––––––

After the events in the throne room, it was decided to celebrate with a small banquet to have the entire family together at the king's request.

The banquet hall is illuminated by hundreds of candles, reflecting their flickering flames on the stone walls. We met in the Great Hall, at a long dark oak table, adorned with gold festoons and glasses overflowing with wine. The conversations are a constant murmur, mixing with the clinking of dishes and forced laughter.

I take a seat next to Aemond, feeling the tension in the air. He appears rigid, with an expression that denotes his discontent. Seeking to comfort him, I take his hand in mine, leaving soft caresses on the back of his hand. —Are you okay?— I ask him affectionately, hoping to calm his spirits.

—It fills me with joy to see you together tonight.—Viserys smiled softly, taking soft breaths trying to catch his breath.

—A prayer?— Queen Alicent offers next to her husband, Viserys responded with a nod.

—May the mother bless this meeting with her love, may the blacksmith reforge the ties that were broken and may Vaemond Velaryon rest in peace—the latter making me raise the corner of my lips in a small smile that quickly disappeared.

King Viserys rises, his imposing figure towering over us as he taps his cup, drawing everyone's attention. The room falls into an expectant silence.

—It seems that on this day there are many things to celebrate, my grandchildren Jace and Luke will marry their cousins Baela and Rhaena, strengthening the bond between our houses—Viserys spoke with a voice full of emotion, he talks about unity and family love. —a toast to the princes and their fiancées

Everyone raised their glasses, took a light sip enjoying the taste of the sweet wine brought from Dorn, I see Aegon talking to Jace who seemed fed up with his uncle's words.

—Let's also toast to Prince Lucerys, future lord of the tides,— I said, raising my glass and looking at Luke, smiling lovingly at my sweet little brother.

—It makes me happy, and at the same time it fills me with sadness to see your faces at this table, the faces most dear to me and that have become so distant over the years,— Viserys stood up, the king expressed with sadness and regret, my grandfather brought his weak fingers to the gold mask that covered what was once the face of a completely healthy man, my eyes went to my lap my chest being eaten by the feeling of sadness and somehow of pity, aemond He squeezed my hand trying to express some kind of Consolation.—My face is not that pleasant either if anyone ever was but tonight I want everyone to see me as I am, not as a king but as a father, as a brother, as a grandfather and like a husband.—

—Because I know I won't be among you much longer. I beg you not to harbor any more resentment in your hearts. The crown will weaken if the house of the dragon remains divided,— Viserys continues, looking away at everyone else. —Forget your differences if you don't, They do it for the crown, at least do it for this old man who loves them all deeply.—his words echoing in every corner of the room.

—I want to raise my glass to her highness the queen—my mother rises from her place with her glass raised.—I love my father but I recognize that no one has accompanied him as faithfully as his wife, she has remained by his side with unwavering devotion love and honor. And for that I offer my gratitude and my apologies.

After a few words from Queen Alicent to my mother, the atmosphere seemed calmer and less uncomfortable. Aemond, still with my hand in his, relaxes slightly, although his gaze remains severe.

—I want to toast Jace and Baela, they're getting married soon and it's not that bad, most of the time he almost always ignores you. Except when he's drunk—Helaena was heard speaking as she gets up from her place. The brunette shared glances with the platinum girl, smiling at her and raising her glass when she saw that no one else was doing so.

—Excuse me,— said Jace, passing by Baela until he reached Helaena, offering her his hand to dance to which Helaena responded very happily. Aegon looked at the scene with confusion, sharing a look with Aemond, who immediately fixed his gaze on his nephew and his sister.

Some servants entered the room bringing a large smoked Pig, leaving it in the center of the table, without paying much attention to it since I had hardly touched my food until they heard Luke giggle and divert his gaze to Rhaena to hide until he felt the aemond's attention on him. The brown prince also brought his to Aemond, laughing in his face without any impudence.

—Just ignore him, don't make him...— I spoke but before I could finish, Aemond hit the table with his fist, drawing everyone's attention, raising his glass in the air to speak.

—One last tribute and we leave,— Aemond spoke, making Aegon raise his glass as well. —To the health of my nephews, Jace, Luke and Joferry, all handsome, wise and strong like a strong .—

I felt a twist in my stomach before he mentioned Sir Harwin Strong, our real father, he could never see it in such a way. Luke and Jace shared glances across the room, taking them with concern to their older sister.

—Aemond,— Queen Alicent warned, still sitting in her place.

—let's raise our glasses to these four strong ones...

—Repeat it if you dare,— Jace threatened, walking towards him.

—It's just a compliment, aren't they strong?— says Aemond, placing his hand on my shoulder, leaving a strong squeeze.

The tension in the room feels like a rope about to snap. I can see the redness on Jacaerys and Lucerys's faces, and I feel the anger in the air. Suddenly, words turn into action. Jacaerys launches himself at Aemond, punching him in the face, causing the guards to fall on him, Rhaena and Luke get up from their places, running towards where the fight was, the twin trying to stop her sister and Luke to defend Jace, the table is turns into a battlefield. Screams echo, glasses are overturned, and wine spills like blood on the tablecloth. I try to get away from the chaos, but I'm trapped in the middle of the fight, I watch as Aegon takes Luke's head in his hand and smashes his face on the table.

—Stop it, you bastard— Aegon murmurs, pressing Luke's head down on the table.

I get up from my place when I see Aegon putting more pressure on Luke's head on the table, I push Aegon in an attempt to get him away from Luke, giving him a hard slap on the cheek—whom you call a bastard—I spit angrily seeing him. As Aegon steps back with a hand on his cheek. —You bastard,— Aegon repeated again, this time reaching the voice and approaching angrily towards us.

I take one of the knives that were on the table when I see the blonde approaching with a determined step—disarm her!—Alicent shouted at the guards when she saw how I approached with Aegon with the knife in my hands.

The guards took the brunette in their arms while they forced them to where they were holding their brothers—say it again if you dare!—she screamed again.

When the guards released us, my brothers and I advanced in a threatening manner until Daemon stood up from his place, walking in front of us, making a sound with his mouth to stop us, the blonde looking at the brunette behind them, boiling with fury, Daemon turns his attention to the one-eyed prince. .

—How can you say something like that in public!?— Alicent asked, annoyed, she kept her gaze on Aemond in front of her.

—I'm just expressing how proud I am of my family, mother,— Aemond responded, smiling falsely, turning his attention to his wife and nephews. —Even though my nephews aren't as close to yours.—

Again Luke and Jace advanced furiously but Daemon raised one of his hands, managing to calm them down. The rogue prince's gaze fell on that of the one-eyed prince who only looked at him carefully.

Aemond left the room but not before fixing his gaze on me, letting out a chuckle that only irritated me, before disappearing through the corridors.

I could see my mother scolding my brothers while they kept their heads down. I approached them.

—And you? Try to attack your uncle with a weapon? —my mother exclaimed, annoyed—How can you think?

—But he called Luke a bastard— I said, indignant.

—It does not matter! “What you did is not worthy of a lady,— my mother responded before I could finish what she was going to say. —We will return to Dragonstone Tonight . Say goodbye to your brothers and everyone return to their rooms before they cause more trouble— my mother proclaimed in a stern tone, walking away to approach Queen Alicent.

My brothers and I looked at each other in silence, knowing that any protests would be futile. I couldn't help but feel a mixture of frustration and shame. It pained me that our actions had shamed our mother, but I couldn't stop thinking about the injustice of my Aemond's words.

—I'm very sorry about what happened— I said quietly. —Aemond had no right to say those things about us.—

My brothers nodded, accepting my words with sad faces before heading to their rooms.

With a sigh, I headed to my room. Unlike my brothers, I would not return to Dragonstone. My place was here in kingslanding away from my family.

[slu7formen]

hey bby! I wanted to request cedric x slytherin!reader. she is known as an ice princess, very elegant and intelligent but has no friends. she falls for THE cedric but has no hopes to even be with him. how would their story end? it would bring me so much closure 💕 thank you so much in advance

hi sweetie! thanks for requesting 🥹 and i love this story! hope you enjoy 🫶🏻 also, sorry for the wait.

melting heart | cedric diggory x f.r

cedric diggory x fem!reader

you were known for being an ice princess. being a slytherin, coming from a rich family, one of the smartest in your class; the whole package. but then you accidentally drank verisaterum, and the person you bumped with… had to be Cedric Diggory, the boy you liked for years.

warnings: language, the twins doing something illegal, emotional reader, little use of yn

reminder: english’s not my first language, so I apologize do any spelling mistakes.

slu7formen’s masterlist | cedric diggory’s masterlist

“Morning, (yln)”

“Malfoy”

Of course, he didn’t say anything as you walked out of the Slytherin common room on your way to have breakfast. but you felt his blue eyed intense stare in your back. Unfortunately, you lived in a world where even Draco Malfoy thought that hanging out with you was… not good, but since his parents knew yours, saying hi to you was the least thing he had to do, mainly because it was his parents request.

You decided to go alone this morning. Well, you were always alone, but when you do have company, it’s your cat; Hara. She looked very pleased with her sleeping position, so bothering her was not an option.

You could say she was your only friend, the only one you had ever since your first year at Hogwarts and now, on your sixth year, everything was the same. Did you hate it? Not at all. You got used to being alone, even though you hated it at first.

Your family has a reputation, therefore, you do too. People say you’re an ice princess, they say that if looks could kill, many students would be dead by now and you’d easily be responsible for it. Despite your very low desire of having friends or even sharing your life with wizards and witches, they said many other things about you too that could have easily be something that describes the sweetest girl in the world.

The way you walk, as smooth as if you could float, small but decided and confident steps. Always smelling fresh, like just showered; whoever sat next to you could sense it so strong that some even said that your perfume is made with amortentia.

Besides, you were also your house Prefect.

Truth was, you were an easy center of attention, even when you didn’t want it. A Slytherin girl who’s family is rumored to be richer than the Malfoy’s, her best friend is her black cat, always wearing the most expensive jewelry, spending as much time in the library as possible to study and also someone who’s extremely intelligent that shows its passion for Defense Against the Dark Arts, being at the top of her class? How could you not be someone that people talked about?

You were a whole mystery. But they were too afraid to even try to discover you.

You didn’t know who even started to say that you were not someone good to be with, so you couldn’t understand anything at your first year and cried yourself to sleep every night because no one wanted to be around you. With time, it got better, maybe it’s better to be alone than being sorrunded by bad people, you thought, and it always made you feel better when your stone cold heart was about to melt when you felt too vulnerable.

But no one, definitely no one… makes you feel as vulnerable as Cedric Diggory.

Of course you knew who he was, who didn’t? He was a revolutionary insanely attractive guy that caught every girl’s attention even in his first year. For your first year in Valentine’s day, he received at least twelve letters and a massive box of chocolates gifted by an anonymous girl at your grade, and he didn’t hesitate on sharing it with his friends. On second grade, he gained even more popularity after becoming a part of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and by fifth grade already, many girls were desperate to ask him on a date and fantasize about what being their girlfriend was like.

You couldn’t deny that you were one of those girls… not the girlfriend part, but the one that could easily fall for him if your heart gave the chance.

You liked him in first grade, secretly, but as the months went by, the colder you became, the more you avoided him, and the more you forgot about his existence, just being another person you know that would not be relevant in your life.

At least, not until he bumped into you just when the year started, three months ago.

You were walking with your hands full of books, almost covering your view as you tried to find your way to your dorm again. Hara was next to you, as always, and you secretly wished she was a human the whole time so she could transform back into her original shape and carry some books for you.

That didn’t happen.

What did happen, is that you gasped as your books bumped into someone’s body; for the second time. The first one ran away when she offered to help you and you yelled at her to leave you alone, because you were too angry to even let her help you.

But how could you yell at his face?

“Oh, Merlin” he had said before quickly getting on one knee, and his big hands already started to pick up three books. You just stood there… silent. “I’m so sorry, I was coming around the corner and-…”

Your tired and big sigh interrupted his words. “It’s fine.” your voice said as you got on both of your knees as you fixed a piece of tour hair behind your ear. “It’s the second time today.”

“I’m sorry” he said again, much sadder this time, and you noticed. You thought you maybe were too hard on your words, or your tone, or the way your face was clenched, but why would you care? Weren’t you always like that?

You didn’t answer though, just silently picking up your heavy and boring looking books from the floor.

Cedric had looked up at you twice while picking up the books. He recognized you from the hallways and his classes, but didn’t find the need to introduce himself; he thought you wouldn’t care a bit. Of course, he had to think just the same way as everyone else.

You secretly wished he didn’t, but you also thought that this was going to be the only time that you saw him and actually talked.

“Are you going to your dorm?”

You frowned your eyebrows at him as you lifted your head. His brown were hidden behind some hair that fell on his forehead as his lips were parted, waiting for your answer. You nodded your head, suddenly remembering that you were actually talking to him, not staring at a fucking statue. You slapped yourself internally, feeling stupid.

“Yeah” your answer was short.

“Let me help you then, it’s the least I can do”

God, could he be more perfect?

But your hard ass had to complain.

“No, it’s okay. I know my way”

You heard his laugh when you picked up the last book from the floor.

“I know you do, but I want to help you. They’re too heavy for you”

You sighed loudly again, and with an annoyed expression on your hardly visible face, you said; “Look, I don’t need help, okay? Just-…” you stopped when you looked to your left. Hara was always there, but not this time. “Where’s Hara?” the fear in your voice alerted Cedric’s ears.

“Who’s Hara?”

“My cat!” you almost yelled, letting your books fall again as you quickly got up, already disappearing into the corner in which the brunette guy came from. “Hara?”

He was quick to follow behind you. “It’s a black cat, right?”

“What?” you asked, turning your head as you found him standing next to your body, looking down at you. “No! I’m not letting you help me find my cat”

“Well, too bad” he muttered before walking past you and brushing your shoulder. You scoffed, surprised with wide eyes as you heard how he called your cat’s name and made those same little noises that everyone does when they are trying to find a cat.

He did not fall for your complaining. Why did you like it so much?

“Ugh!” you shouted towards the ceiling while letting your arms rise up and then fall heavily to your sides. “Hara!” you screamed, knowing damn well that that would not make her come to you again, but being the only thing that came out of your mouth.

You could still hear Cedric’s voice as you silently looked for Hara in the cold hallways, books long forgotten, probably getting stepped on by many students.

For what felt like ten minutes, you were already convinced that Cedric was long gone and had stopped looking for your cat. Your thought got you relaxed, but also worried, were you too harsh on him? Too rude? You didn’t want to be rude with him, or with anyone but it was just what came out of you.

Cedric didn’t run away though. No, he stayed, he insisted. He had to be one of the few if not the only person that ever did that to you, at least for the past three years…

“yn!”

And then he called your name.

A single name falling from his rosy and pumped lips, letting it fall like thick and sweet honey that tasted as magnificent as the sweetest chocolate or cherry. You liked how it sounded, coming from him.

You turned your back, and he almost smiled when he noticed what he had in his arms, and the way your eyebrows instantly came back to their original not-worried expression.

Hara seemed a little too comfortable in his arms as she looked around nervously, as if she saw something she shouldn’t, or got scared by something. He stopped in front of you and gave you your pet in your arms, slightly letting his hands brush yours, but quickly letting go. The feeling was too good to be that short.

“Where were you?” you asked staring into her yellow eyes, as if she could answer. “You scared the living hell out of me, sweetie”

“Sweetie?”

Shit, he was still there.

You just gave him a quick look before kissing Hara’s head and placing her down to the ground again, pointing her with your finger to stay there, she meowed.

“Uh… thank you” you said, probably for the first time in months, and quickly feeling your throat go dry. He smiled, proud of himself because of course, he knew you never acted like this, in fact, it was like a totally different person in front of him.

He noticed the way your cheeks went slightly pink when he caught your baby-acting way of talking to Hara, he found it cute.

Cedric didn’t believe many of the things he heard about you over the years, like, you study so much in the library because you secretly read black magic in the forbidden section, or that you were so mean on your third grade that you made three girls cry the first day, when in fact, he knew it was another person. He almost hated the way people decided to treat you one day and never notice your existence again when it came to friendship.

You were popular, but still, one of the most feared persons. Did that make sense?

“Anytime” he replied, and you held your breath when he got closer to you, still looking at you, but quickly getting on his knees again to give your cat some little pats on her head and stomach when she just laid there, asking for more of his —probably— soft and comforting touch.

Traitor. You thought, looking at Hara.

“She’s so cute” you heard him laugh when your cat gave him the purest glassy eyes ever, enjoying his presence while you stood there awkwardly, just wanting to leave. “I think she loves me”

Once again, you didn’t know what to say, so you stayed silent again, playing with the edges of your robe.

He got up again, still standing too close to you. “You’re still letting me carry those books, right?”

“Huh?”

“Come on, it’s the-…”

“Oh, I know” you interrupted, lifting your palm as your lips clenched in disgust, but way too funny to not make him smile for the last time. “It’s the least you can do” you imitated and exaggerated manly voice.

He walked with you the whole way… and you hated the fact that you let him. If your arms weren’t feeling heavy with books, the ones that Cedric made you grab because they were the lightest, you would’ve crossed your arms over your chest all the way, but since you couldn’t do it, you decided to give him a silent treatment.

He kept eyeing you the whole way, that annoying expression on your face that really made him question to himself if he should even try to talk to you again.

It was not towards him though, but to yourself; how you hated yourself for acting so different all of a sudden, so… small. But this wasn’t your fault, was it? I mean, if he didn’t show up, none of this would’ve have happened, so he was the one to blame, wasn’t he?

Right?

You questioned yourself that same thing over and over again for the following week.

It was like he invaded your mind, everytime you looked at him, you heard him talk in class, or walked past him down the hallway. It was like you were always trying to see him too, it was pathetic.

Fucking pathetic. He only helped you find your cat, for God’s sake, why was that so important to you?

Maybe because no one ever helped you before, or the way he walked so tentatively towards you anytime he walked, or how good he looked with your own cat in his arms… so cute, so handsome.

Sometimes he was there when you tried to sleep too, inside your head. What was happening to you? Why were you desperately trying to keep him out of your mind all of a sudden? Why did you feel your heart skip a beat whenever he talked? Why did you happened to be thinking about his face so much? Why wouldn’t he let you sleep?

Was this what your talked about? She mentioned something about liking boys at a certain age, but every boy you ever knew ran away from you, so, was Cedric this boy now?

You certainly didn’t know what was it about him that caught your attention so suddenly, but stopping was not an option. After all, it made you feel good.

The more days that passed, the more confused you felt, and people started to notice. They saw how you were muy quieter now in class, how you barely raised your hand or how you just seemed… lost. Was something wrong with you? Probably, because you didn’t even eat your breakfast this morning. You just sat there, playing with your scrambled eggs and toasts, not even hungry enough to eat what you served.

There was some mumbling that came from behind you, the Gryffindor table, but didn’t even bother to look back at them, as you always do, so they would either lower their volume, or shut up. Instead, you took the cup in which you had some pumpkin juice, and drank it all.

And then, the mumbling stopped.

The whole Gryffindor group went silent, and that’s when you turned around, almost asking them to speak again… they were all staring at you.

Fred and George were mouth opened and all big eyes looking directly at you, as if something really bad just happened. His friends were whispering into each other’s ears, and you finally spoke.

“What?”

Silence.

“What are you staring at?”

“Um-…” one of the twins spoke first, but you found tell which one was it. Then he lifted his finger, and pointed to the golden cup on your left hand. “Was that your juice?”

You frowned your eyebrows, looked at the cup, and then back at them. “Yes” you replied “Why so interested?”

Silence was dominant again, as the twins exchanged a scared look and then looked back at you again. Your ears were starting to get red, nobody was telling you anything so they were either messing with you, or something bad had happened. You chose to believe the first one… but saying what you were actually thinking was not part of the plan.

“Alright, stupid looking faces, what the fuck is going on?”

The expression on their faces changed, surprised about hearing what you just said… you never insulted anyone. In fact, people thought that you were the kind of person to insult in their mind, but trying to be as cold as ever on the outside, that’s why everyone called you ice hearted or ice princess, you never actually said what you thought… you just tried to be as calm and as cold as always.

But you just insulted a group of teenagers, and that never happened before. No matter how mad you were, you always tried not to insult. People did it to you and it felt horrible, so why do it to someone else?

You gasped lowly while covering your mouth. “Fohmygad” you muttered against your palm. “Oh my God, I’m-… I didn’t want to”

“We know” the other twin had said. “You just drank veritaserum”

And your whole face transformed.

“What… did you just say?” Your voice tone was scary, just like a threat.

“It was not for you!” you recognized the girl that just spoke to you, Angelina. You sat with her a few times in class, but she was quick to run away from you as soon as class finished. “I told you you shouldn’t have done that! All the cups look the same” she hit one of the twins on the side of their head. He whined.

“How was it supposed to know she was going to grab Malfoy’s cup?”

You quickly stood up and placed the cup on the table, right next to, in fact, Malfoy’s breakfast. It was not too far away from you, and you had poured yourself the same drink, but Draco left for a second before you drank the wrong juice.

Fred and George kept talking at the same time towards you, fear in their voices and getting smaller and smaller almost hiding under the table. You ignored them as much as you could so nothing else could come out of your mouth, and with half your face covered, you walked away from the Great Hall.

But of course, not before bumping into another person again.

“Woah” Cedric said as he grabbed your shoulders. He laughed when he noticed it was you “We keep bumping into each other, huh?”

“Don’t talk to me” you bit while shaking your body off of his grabbing, and bit your tongue again as the gigantic door kept getting closer and closer, but it didn’t make you feel any better.

You didn’t look back as you walked as fast as you could towards the bathroom on the fifth floor, the Prefect’s bathroom, after all, you were one. It was a safe place, since no one was ever there at that time in the morning and not everyone could come in. You just wished that Myrtle was not there, she could be a bit annoying sometimes.

After letting your way in, you ran to wash your face with the coldest water that your skin could handle. Your skin was on fire, just like the rest of your body and maybe, just maybe, your brain. You have definitely gained a new enemy.

Verisaterum? Really?

Malfoy could be a pain in the ass but, out of all the potions in the wizarding world, the Weasley twins had to choose the hardest one to make, with no taste, no color, but most importantly, illegal to any use outside the Minister?

Merlin’s fucking beard, you needed a break.

“yn?”

You scoffed when a male voice called your name. “It’s occupied, genius” you answered with your back still turned to where the voice was coming.

The footsteps were coming closer and closer, and you were not in the mood to deal with any Weasley shit, you thought.

“Pretrificus Totalus!” you screamed while turning around, your hand already grabbing your wand and throwing it towards whoever it was the Weasley that followed you.

“Hey!” the male voice, not Weasley, screamed as he hid behind a wall, your spell crushing into the cold surface. “What do you think you’re doing?” Cedric showed himself, confusion on his face as he slowly decided to walk again.

“Cedric.” you called, putting your wand away. It was the first time you called his name. “I thought you were one of the twins”

“I can tell… are you okay?”

Yes.

“No”, you replied. You groaned lowly when the truth came out of your lips. In times like this, you really wished these kind of potions didn’t exist, it was hard to hold back their enchantment. “I just drank the most stupid potion that the Weasley twins could think of to piss off Malfoy”

He placed his hands inside the front pockets of his pants as he laughed. “Verisaterum?”

“How’d you know?”

He clicked his tongue, making his way towards you again. “They joke about it too much” he leaned his back against the sink you were gripping tightly with your hands.

You took a deep breath and stayed silent for a moment, analyzing your reflection as you asked, “How long does it last?”

“Depends on how successful it is. It can go away between one hour and six”

“Six hours!?” you yelled to his face, then scoffed while letting an annoyed smile draw on your face. “For the love of….”

“We can always ask Snape for the antidote… but that would mean you tell him about the twins’s action and that was illegal”

You bit your tongue as your feet bobbed up and down, snapping your toes onto the shiny floor again and again as your breathing was a clear sign of how bad you were feeling.

“Forget it. I’ll just wait”

Your knees bended as you sat on the floor, right next to Cedric’s legs, and letting your head fall against the cold pipe under the sink.

“You’ll wait up until six hours before you speak again?” his voice could perfectly fit with another type of quiestion… ‘are you crazy?’ would be the perfect one.

But you just nodded, not even looking at his perfect face. “It’s not like I have someone to talk to, anyways”

Ouch.

Cedric bit the inside of his cheek as he looked down at you, feeling bad for you and how vulnerable were feeling, but being smart enough to keep that thought to himself.

“Or… you can talk to me”

You clicked your tongue and laughed coldly. “Yeah, right”

“Really” he insisted as you saw his figure squat next to yours, finally dropping his whole weight to the floor, imitating your posture. “By this time you should already know I’m not someone who falls for your complains, right?”

“You’re right” you replied as you played with your fingers nervously. “That’s good”

Shit, shut up already.

“Why?”

“‘Cause I like it… oh my god” you covered your face “I was not supposed to say that”

Cedric laughed again.

“You like my company?”

No, no, no, no.

“Yes” you whined “Please stop asking me questions!”

He let out a louder laugh this time. “Why? It’s fun”

“Yeah, you drink verisaterum and we’ll see if it’s funny, smart boy”

“Sorry”

He stayed silent after that, and so did you. Your cheeks were flushed with embarrassment as you kept wishing that this potion was so poorly made that it only lasted one hour, but the effect didn’t seem to go away any sooner.

You could feel it because that’s just how your mind felt too. Suddenly the thought of not saying the truth to any question was not an option in your mind. Did you even know what a lie was? God, you felt so weak that you hated yourself. Why couldn’t you be like those wizards you read about? The ones that can resist it?

Your whole reputation and personality would’ve stayed intact if you could.

But right now, sitting right next to Cedric Diggory, asking you questions, and with red cheeks… that just ruined the whole image that people thought you had.

“Do you mind if I ask you something?” he suddenly stammered and it made you jump slightly. He had leaned closer to your ear, as if sitting next to him was not enough to hear him.

“I do” you answered before laughing to yourself “That was the only answer that did not feel forced to come out”

Cedric laughed too, and he took his time before deciding what to ask you, trying to find the correct words to say to not make you mad, or walk away and leave.

“Is it… are you really how people say you are? I mean, I see that you can be as cold as you want but, is that who you are?”

Your eyes made him nervous. After his lips closed, your face just inches away from his, you just stayed there staring at him. You bit your own lip as you kept looking at his grey eyes, trying to find any sign that showed you that he really didn’t care about it, or that the wrinkles on his skin would show up like anytime he laugh, another sign that he was just messing with you, and he really couldn’t care in the slightest about you. But he didn’t move.

So you sighed. “No”

Cedric nodded, more than satisfied with that answer. He was right.

But you had a lot to say, even though he didn’t ask you that much.

“I guess I became what people started to say I was, or what I started to hear about myself. I wasn’t always cold, or I wasn’t always pushing people away from me. Actually, I was the one trying to have lots of friends and be myself with many people but they just… I don’t know, they felt threatened, so… let’s just say I got mad with my own life and decided to not let myself feel vulnerable again, because I don’t deserve it”

Another big gap of silence… and your eyes slowly got filled with tears.

“I’m not who everyone says I am. Ice princess, the hell” you laughed “I mean, sorry I’m not a sweetheart to everyone that gave me nicknames! They expected me to be like this so, here they go”

You sniffed while your nose got red and puffy. Not a single tear was dropped but you still looked so heartbroken that it made the boy next to you almost cry too. You didn’t even complain about the potion this time, because you finally had thrown again that massive rock that just kept hurting your chest over and over again.

“There was only one person that treated me nicely in the last three years”

He frowned his eyebrows. “Who?”

“You”

You had turned your head towards him again, with a small smile on your lips. He knew it was going to be hard for you to thank him, but the shiny look in your eyes was just enough for him to realize. “Really?” he asked.

You nodded, still smiling. “Yes, it’s like a bonus point”

“Bonus point?”

“Because I like you”

Fuck… fuck!

“I-…”

“Wha-…” you both started taking at the same time.

It was like a fucking movie. Both of you frozen in time, staring at each other’s faces as you tried to say the correct words, but nothing came to mind.

Cedric could feel his heart pounding in his ears, while you wanted to crash your head to the nearest wall.

“You…” he started, but didn’t finish, at least not what he initially wanted to say. “Are you for real?”

“No, Diggory, I just fucking lied to your face, can you believe it?… Of course I’m for real, dingus!” you yelled.

Cedric bit his lip as he turned his head to the opposite side, trying to bite back his laugh. “Okay, I get it, it was a dumb question”

But then he laughed. God, his laugh, his perfect little giggle. It made you smile.

“I kinda like you too”

Your neck snapped so hard towards his direction that you thought that maybe, you just died.

Your lips kept opening and closing everytime you tried to say something. For some reason, none of this seemed like a joke to you, almost as if the potion’s effect had affected Cedric too. Something about this felt real, maybe it was because you openly talked about your feeling with him. He knew you weren’t bad, he always knew, he just wanted you to confirm it.

Maybe drinking verisaterum wasn’t as bad as you thought.

Your heart pounded heavily in your chest when he fixed a piece of your hair behind your ear, and the lightest yet burning touch of his fingers against your jawline made your breath hitch once again. He smirked again, as he always does, “You’re really beautiful” he cooed, as his hot breath hit your cheekbone and left behind a sweet feeling that you never wanted to get rid of.

He then got up, as swiftly as a leaf would do, and extended his hand to you.

“What?” you debated.

“Let’s go for a walk. I feel like I have to ask you a few more questions before I decided which place I’m taking you to this weekend”

[hollowed-theory-hall]

do you think that some of Harry's actions could be more than simply abuse? like i often take note of his small social groups/dislike of social situations, inability to regulate/understand emotion, lack of filter, hyperfixation on things, etc. and interpret him as an autistic character. i think there's also mirrors between magic itself and neurodivergence (just in the same way magic is often a metaphor for queerness within media), as something that someone is born with and has to hide from the wider world, historically regarded as "freakish", and the statistics that show that neurodivergent kids are more likely to be abused.

it could just be me projecting (as im autistic myself), but i'm curious if you've got any thoughts on this?

Honestly, I personally headcanon Harry as ADHD (because I have ADHD and am familiar with it), so I really get it.

How he interacts with people, his being so smart, but very unfocused in classes, his tendency to fail himself by overthinking things (when it comes to spell casting), and his issues with emotional regulation and occasionally understanding others (He's very compassionate, but he isn't the best at actually knowing to how to approach people. Like, not understanding why Cho was crying after Cedric died or just throwing Ron's blanket over Hermione in Deathly Hallows after Ron left because he didn’t know how to comfort her. Or in OotP when he saw Lavender and Praviti giggling about him, and he was sure it was about what the Prophet wrote and not that he got hot over the summer. He can be super awkward like that) can all be very easily read as Harry having some kind of neurodivergence.

I think that's a super valid reading of his character regardless of the type of neurodivergent you think he is. I mean, it's the 90s and the Wizarding World, so it's not like he'd ever get a diagnosis. Neither he nor anyone else is going to consider it, I mean, as bad as the muggle world at the time is about neurodivergence, the Wizarding World is probably worse.

Now, I'm not sure about magic in the Wizarding World being easily read as an allegory to autism (or anything similar). Like, you can read it however you want, but I don't personally see this treatment of magic as a whole.

I actually think the 'Harry is neurodivergent headcanon' extends to how he interacts with magic in an intuitive way that goes against how the textbooks teach but is easier for him. Like, I truly believe that one of the reasons he doesn't bother studying much is because how magic is thought about by most people is not how Harry understands it, and if someone only bothered to explain things to him in his own terms instead of the textbook terms he'd be the second coming of Merlin.

But Harry himself being neurodivergent is something I am 100% behind.

[kitty-tea]

The bad girl gets what she deserves

(Part 2)

Read part 1 here

(Link to masterlist)

I’m (probably) so sorry for making a part 2!🥺

Pairing: Cedric Diggory x reader

NSFW 18+ Only! Graphic smut ahead!

Summary: After you congratulate Cedric on winning the Quidditch game, you both sneak into the library alone for a “study session” which leads to questions about if you’re ready for something more

A/N: I know the summary sucks I didn’t know how else to word it without giving the whole plot away.

Word count: 3.5k

Warnings/tags: SUPER cheesy dialogue, graphic smut, fluff, oral sex (f receiving), pet names, semi-public oral sex, rule-breaking, Cedric and reader are of age, teasing, sneaking around, making out, might contain typos

After what happened in the Prefects’ bathroom, you were too hyped for many reasons to be able to go to sleep. The biggest one was that you couldn’t get over the fact that you literally hooked up with Cedric Diggory, the Captain and the Seeker for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, who also happened to be one of the most popular students in the entire school and someone who would be playing against your house’s Quidditch team in the next match.

You both had gotten dressed quickly and brushed your teeth and hair after getting out of the water. You were too nervous to make conversation with him, and you assumed he was too. Carrying the pile of dirty clothes in your hands, you bid each other goodbye before making your way into the Slytherin common room.

Your friends were waiting to bombard you with questions in your shared dorm.

“Where have you been?”

“You disappeared after dinner!”

“How long were you showering for?”

“What were you doing at the Hufflepuff table at dinner?”

You ignored their questions as you dumped your dirty clothes next to your bed.

“I’m just tired.” You lied. “I just want to go to sleep.”

“Don’t forget it’s Hufflepuff vs. Slytherin tomorrow. Make sure you have enough energy to watch the game!” One of them exclaimed.

Oh, I’ll have more than enough energy. Especially for Cedric. You thought to yourself as you pulled the blanket over your face and smiled.

He was all you ever thought about in your sexual fantasies ever since your mind became capable of conjuring such images. Even more than that, you admired his personality, he was like a breath of fresh air compared to the boys in your house who thought they had a chance with you. A hard-working, humble, and honest person like him was definitely something that you’ve been lacking in your life lately.

You mentally congratulated yourself for finally working up the nerve to make those fantasies come true.

“Yeah, save your voice. You’ll be screaming for our team.” You heard your other friend’s voice through your blanket.

Not like how I was screaming for Cedric earlier. You weren’t going to share that thought with your friends.

Being the opposite sex, you didn’t know how to read Cedric like you did with your friends, so it made sense to you that he didn’t seem to be as open with his feelings as you were. He was a boy, and boys are taught to keep their emotions bottled up which you hated. While it was flattering that he kept commenting about how beautiful you were during your encounter, there was something else you wanted to ask about him that itched at the back of your mind.

As the Hufflepuff players zoomed across the Quidditch field, your eyes searched for a certain set of yellow robes. You didn’t bother cheering with your housemates as Lee Jordan announced the Slytherin team’s entrance.

The game had already commenced when the two Seekers whipped past the other players in search for the Golden Snitch. There were as many people cheering for Malfoy as there were for Cedric. The only difference was which side of the pitch you were on.

Despite the majority of Lee’s commentary focusing on the action between the Chasers and the Keepers, your eyes were drawn to the flurry of yellow and green that constantly flew up, down, and between them. Watching something so fast was like a thrilling little game in your mind for testing your focus.

You couldn’t take your eyes off the two Seekers. Everything else you saw and heard around you became like white noise to you.

A few goals from both teams later, Lee’s commentary returned to the two Seekers when a Bludger came for them thanks to the four Beaters, causing one of them to lose the near-grip they had on the Snitch.

You and the rest of the spectators had to crane your necks to get a view of what Cedric and Malfoy were doing.

What happened was that Crabbe or Goyle, you didn’t care to tell them apart from far away, was aiming the Bludger at Cedric, but hit Malfoy instead, nearly knocking him off his broom. This gave Cedric an opportunity to grab the Snitch. Just like that, he had won the match for Hufflepuff, earning a chorus of loud groans from the people next to you.

While you were looking forward to congratulating Cedric, you were dreading the complaining and bickering you would be hearing from your housemates for the rest of the day.

“You’re too stupid to play on the team, my father will hear about this!” You could already hear Malfoy’s annoying voice yelling inside your head.

It wasn’t hard to find Cedric at the after-match party in the Great Hall. He was surrounded by his teammates and his friends. All the players had gone to get changed into more comfortable clothes while everyone else was still in their uniforms. Your hair bounced behind you as you weaved through the crowd. You rolled your eyes at the bickering coming from the Slytherin team.

“That was a stupid move Goyle, you should’ve let Malfoy handle himself against Diggory then maybe he would’ve had enough time to catch the Snitch!” Came from Adrian Pucey.

“What was I supposed to do?!” Goyle argued back. “I was making myself useful by doing something!”

“Well, now you’re even more useless!” Pucey scoffed.

“Shut up, you lot! Do you want a teacher to hear us?” Terence Higgs shushed them with a finger to his mouth and loudly whispered, “I don’t want Madam Hooch to hear us fighting and suspend us from Quidditch!”

He had a point even if you didn’t care about their stupid infighting. If they did happen to get suspended from Quidditch, you would still have Cedric’s matches to look forward to.

Speaking of whom, you saw a perfect opportunity to get closer to him as his teammates went in and out of conversations with the rest of their house.

With his back to you, you got on your tiptoes and used your fingers to cover his eyes.

“Surprise.” You whispered into his ear, making him turn around and you let go of him.

“Oh, I didn’t see you there.” You thought the memories of last night must have been coming back to him as a blush crept up his cheeks.

“Of course you didn’t. Your back was turned to me.” You quipped, smiling at him. “That was quite a fight you put with Malfoy in the game.”

“I wouldn’t say I fought him, but I know what you mean.”

“I’ve got an idea.” You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth and slid your palm up his chest. “How about we sneak away from here, just the two of us, and catch up on some studying at the library?” You eyed him from his lips to his eyes, hoping he’d catch on.

“S-Studying? Right now?” Oh, so that’s how he wanted to play.

“Come on, Cedric. You know I loved our study session last night. Even though it wasn’t at the library.” You smirked. You adored the flustered look he’d get on his face when you’d act flirty with him whether it’d be in your conversations or you just eye-fucking him from across the room.

“I guess I could use some studying. Where’s Madam Pince?”

“Don’t worry she’s over there talking with Snape.” You pointed across the room.

The whole school was too focused on their conversations with each other to notice you and Cedric sneaking out of the Great Hall. In the event that someone inquired about your absence later, you would tell them you were in the library studying. Only one of those things was true.

Thankfully, no one was lingering outside in the corridors where you and Cedric decided to join hands.

“We better do a quick check around the library to see if anyone else is hiding.” Cedric said once you both stepped into the room.

You nodded before you decided on which sections you would each cover.

Since you couldn’t go into the restricted section to check it for yourselves, you agreed to move somewhere as far away from it as possible without being close to the library entrance.

You were seated with your legs crossed on one of the tables in the upstairs area while Cedric sat on the chair next to you.

He reached his hand out and twirled a strand of your hair around his fingers. He looked at your face as if to say something, but stopped himself.

You didn’t want to push him further, so you filled in the awkward silence. “I forgot to say to you, congratulations.”

“Thank you. Never actually thought someone from another house would congratulate me, let alone a Slytherin.”

His eyes were transfixed to yours as he grabbed you by the waist and pulled you off the table and onto his lap, so that your legs were dangling from his side and your left arm was wrapped around his neck. You couldn’t stop being mesmerized by his eyes which you frequently thought about while pleasuring yourself.

“You are so beautiful.” You’d never get tired of hearing him say that.

You brought your free hand up his hair where you lightly ran your fingernails over his scalp. You felt the heat growing between your thighs at the sight of him closing his eyes at the pleasurable sensation. You could have sworn you heard him muttering something about how good it felt.

You couldn’t resist squirming and squeezing your thighs together at the sound of him begging. Not long after, you felt something poke at your ass, and you knew exactly the effect your movements had on Cedric.

You continued to massage his scalp as you leaned forward and planted a trail of kisses from his neck to his lips.

You saw his big hand wrap around your thigh, his thumb rubbing circles on the inside. The ache between your legs was bordering on unbearable as he squeezed the handful of flesh that was covered by your black tights.

“What have you done to me?” Cedric grunted out hoarsely.

“Didn’t I just give you the most mind-blowing sex last night? And plus it’s what you do to me too. I know that you made me cum harder than I’ve ever made myself. You’re all I ever think about when I touch myself. I can’t ever cum without imagining what it’d be like if it were you instead of my fingers making me feel so good.”

You smirked at seeing Cedric’s reaction when you bluntly admitted to him about your sinful activities. You thought you could never get over how cute he looked with his red cheeks accompanied by his deep breathing and his eyes that nervously darted to anywhere but your own.

“Maybe I should give you a little taste too.” You lifted your skirt higher but not high enough to show your crotch. You caught a feral look in his eyes as his eyes widened. He lifted you up and slammed your ass down on the table but not hard enough to hurt you.

You leaned your head back as you wrapped your legs around him and rubbed yourself against his body, desperate to create friction where it ached the most.

“Fucking hell. Please, Cedric. I want you to eat me out.” You were expecting yourself to sound like a depraved whore.

“Of course, Love.” You could’ve melted at whatever pet name he gave you even if he actually did call you a dirty whore. He gave you a quick peck on the lips. But you wanted more than that, so you pulled him in by his T-shirt, holding him in place along with your thighs wrapped around him, as you let your lips connect deeper and deeper with each other’s. In your state of drunken lust, you couldn’t think of anything else except for your desire to keep tasting his lips. As if acting on instinct, you both started to thrust your hips against each other’s, too entranced by the sounds of the deep breaths being exchanged.

You were so into your make out session that you almost didn’t hear voices entering from below the mezzanine. Apparently, you and Cedric heard them at exactly the same time because you pulled away at once, widening your eyes at each other, as if both of your lips electrocuted each other’s. Cedric gave you room to get down from the desk and you both made sure to not have yourselves be seen.

“Fuck! It’s Pince and Snape!” You whispered, both of your heads peeking out from behind a bookcase.

“I’m sure I can help you find exactly what you’re looking for before your classes tomorrow, Severus.” You heard Madam Pince say.

“Very well, Irma.” Snape said. “You of all people know how imperative it is to have these books for my seventh year students. Which is precisely why I came to you, seeing as how you’re the only one I can trust to help me find the appropriate materials.”

You and Cedric both let out an exhale as you saw the two staff members walking towards one of the bookshelves. You were relieved that the potions section was nowhere near where you were.

“You mentioned Pince hasn’t ever caught you touching yourself in her library, right?” Cedric lowered his voice to the same volume as yours was at.

You nodded.

“I’ve got an idea.” You thought you saw a playful smile on his face as he put a hand on the small of your back and guided you back to the same desk in the corner you were previously at.

You knew what he wanted. He was going to see how quiet you could be without getting caught.

“Do you think you could be a good girl and not get caught?” You were right, after all.

He trailed his hands under your skirt until they caught on the waistband of your underwear and tights.

“I’ve never been caught and I never will be.” You whispered determinedly as you got on your tiptoes and gave his lips a kiss.

“This should be no different. Except I’m here.”

“And they’re here.” You gestured to where you last heard the two other voices. “Isn’t it exciting? Doing something so naughty with the threat of getting caught?”

You grabbed a hold of your shoes and threw them aside before Cedric hooked his fingers under the waistband of your undergarments and slid them down your legs.

“I’ve never done something sneaky like this before.” Cedric chuckled quietly.

Your heart was pounding so hard in your chest that you were afraid it would jump out to where Snape and Pince were downstairs.

As soon as you planted your ass and your hands on the desk, Cedric could see how wet your pussy was when he knelt down.

Without losing eye contact, he took one of your ankles in one hand and planted his lips over and over on every inch of exposed skin on that limb until his head disappeared under your skirt. That’s when you clamped your hand over your mouth to stifle a whimper that threatened to rip through you as you felt his tongue trace the slightest bit along your pussy lips. Not even your wildest sexual fantasies could’ve prepared you for how weak he was making you feel, and he had barely even tasted you.

The second time his tongue was on you, he pushed it between your inner lips and even into your opening before pulling it up and swirling it around your clit. A wave of pleasure ran through your body which made you throw your head back. If you were alone in the library, you would’ve screamed at him, demanding that he’d never stop.

Cedric gathered the fabric of your skirt in his hand, revealing his eyes to you, which he kept on you this whole time. You knew he wanted to watch as you fell apart under his control just as it had been last night.

As if what he was doing to your clit wasn’t enough, he took the little bundle between his lips and sucked on it. Your breath continued to come out in shallow bursts as he held your gaze, making you squirm against his mouth. You were gripping the edge of the table so hard that your knuckles were turning white.

You tried anything you could do to muffle the screams that threatened to escape your body whether it’d be biting your thumb, biting your lip, or holding your breath.

It was obvious he knew how much you loved having your clit touched. It wasn’t long before you were rocking your hips against his mouth, so desperate for your orgasm which was approaching at an alarming rate.

Placing a foot on his shoulder, you maneuvered yourself so that you could open your legs further, giving him better access, enabling him to reach places he hadn’t before.

With each flick of his tongue that spanned from your entrance to your swollen clit, you felt that familiar tightening sensation in your body expand until you couldn’t hold onto it anymore. Your orgasm crashed down on your body, tipping you over the edge, making you shake under his control. You couldn’t help it as your thighs were shaking and squeezing his head on both sides. You knew it wasn’t enough to hurt him, though. Despite using all of the strength from both of your hands to cover your mouth, there was a soft muffle that escaped from you and you hoped that you and Cedric were the only ones that heard it.

Your head fell forward as you finally came down from your orgasm. You took deep breaths to calm yourself down, as Cedric got up from his position on the floor. He reached his fingers towards you, and you felt another shudder going through you as he tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear, his fingertips brushing against your cheek before kissing you on the other side.

The look he gave you was something you’d only dreamed about as a little girl, having someone so handsome look at you as if you were the most beautiful treasure he’d ever laid eyes on. You knew you wanted more intimate moments like this with him beyond just sex, but you weren’t completely sure if he wanted the same.

“Irma, I assure you I am capable of carrying these books on my own. I don’t require your help.” Your thoughts were interrupted as you heard those two pairs of footsteps echo throughout the nearly empty space, along with their voices.

“Your classroom is in the dungeons. I won’t have you risk carrying such a heavy load long distance. There’s too many things that could happen. What if a student trips you? Or you could fall down the stairs. Then the books would be ruined.” Madam Pince sounded like she was on the verge of panicking with the way she was talking about her precious books, and you suppressed a giggle at the mental image of Snape clumsily tripping and falling on his face.

“Very well, then. We will bring these books to my classroom. Then you and I can resume keeping those dunderheads from acting up in the Great Hall.” Snape huffed.

“Boys will be boys.” You could picture Madam Pince rolling her eyes behind her stack of books she was carrying.

You and Cedric let out a breath of relief as the two pairs of footsteps faded out of earshot.

“I thought they’d never leave.” You sighed.

“I’ve been wondering…” Cedric spoke up after a moment of silence. He scratched the back of his neck as his eyes darted from yours to some random bookshelf. You didn’t understand what was stopping him from speaking his mind. You knew you were just as intimidating as he was shy which was only in certain situations. Why was he acting shy all the sudden after you slept with each other?

“I think you’re really beautiful.” You could tell there was more that he wanted to say.

“And I think you’re really handsome.” You threw back playfully, attempting to ease him. You planted your bare feet on the ground and pecked his lips. The conversation was paused as you took the time to get decent, hooking your legs through your panties before doing the same with your tights.

“I mean, it’s okay if all you want to do with me is to sleep together. I’m sure you have plenty of boys telling you how gorgeous you are. I know you can get any guy you want, and I’m not really sure why you chose me.” He was right, you could get any guy you wanted and that guy happened to be Cedric.

“What?” You couldn’t believe that’s all he thought he was good for. “No, Cedric. I really do fancy you. And I want us to do so much more together than just have sex… And I want to go out with you.” You awkwardly pushed that last sentence out as you avoided his eyes and fidgeted with your fingers.

It was as if Cedric was taking your breath away as he put his finger under your chin and tilted it up, making you look into his eyes.

“I want to go out with you too, Darling.” He whispered and instantly brought your lips together.

[iamnmbr3]

Cursed Child rant? as a treat? 👉👈

Oh god. Where to even start. Listen, I know some people enjoy CC and I say more power to you. I'm not here to be the fun police and say what people can and can't like or write fic about or derive meaning from or whatever. But for me, personally, Cursed Child is an absolute mess of the worst kind that irritates me on a profound level.

First off, it's completely inconsistent with the canon characterizations and established rules of world building (and JKR didn't even do that much world building so there wasn't that much to keep track of and yet, they couldn't even bother to do that). I mean, Cedric, who tried to give the Triwizard Cup to Harry doesn't win and that somehow causes him to become a Death Eater??? Huh? It's not just ooc. It's bad storytelling. I mean, even if he was a hugely sore loser why would losing a tournament cause him to join an extremist blood purist paramilitary group? That has nothing to do with him losing. It's stupid and childish and nonsensical and SO bad.

And really? That's the best you can come up with? If the point of that whole thing was the tired trope of 'time travel goes wrong and makes things worse' they could've just had the gang expose Crouch earlier but instead of Voldemort not returning he just ends up returning but not using Harry's blood which allows him to do his original plan of growing his power in secret. And idk. Maybe then he takes over and he kills Harry and Harry doesn't come back. I didn't even put any effort into that. It's a bit dumb and inelegant but it gets the job done without wild character assassination and a lack of logic so profound it would insult the reasoning abilities of a fungus.

But ok, let's judge it as its own vaguely Harry Potter inspired thing rather than as an actual sequel to the canon series. You know what the result is? IT'S STILL BAD. It's just. SO BAD. I don't understand how it's a real thing.

It's like a parody of a bad play. It can't possibly be real. Harry suddenly has a phobia of pigeons? Why??? It's so...stupid. And I'm supposed to take that seriously? What? And the dialogue. The dialogue. "Bad" doesn't even cover it. The fact that "Wow. Squeak. My geekness is a-quivering" is a real actual line in the actual play causes me physical pain. WHO WRITES THAT?! AND THEN LEAVES IT IN THE FINAL DRAFT?!?!?

And Delphi. WHAT EVEN?! She's literally like a parody of a bad fanfic Mary Sue. Down to the blue streak in her hair. But we're supposed to take her seriously? As a villain? Tf? She's like a bad Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way knockoff. The whole play is like an unfunny parody of bad writing. But it's not supposed to be. It actually pretends to be a genuine drama. Which is so much worse. I truly think My Immortal is better. And way funnier.

No effort at all went into the story construction. Characters act incredibly childishly and unrealistically and simplistically. The story doesn't feel like it was written by adults. There's no feeling or depth or emotion. It's all plot contrivances and nauseatingly simplistic writing. It isn't a story. It's just some stuff that happens. Because the writers were just like 'eh it's Harry Potter it'll sell.' And that's not art. That's just churned out content. And it bothers me on such a profound level that they did it and got away with it.

I would be embarrassed to write that for myself, let alone to turn that in as a professional writer. It's so inconsistent with the original story that I legitimately think the 2 guys who wrote it didn't even read the books. They just glanced at the wiki and decided they were good to go. Despite being PAID to do this. How sloppy is that? Not to mention Harry Potter meant so much to so many people who were ecstatic to get more content yet the two clowns who wrote this just skimmed the wiki and then vomited out some of the worst lines ever penned in history and called it a day.

[posallys]

all right here is my word vomit live watch

IMMEDIATELY i am slapped in the face by toby stephens as poseidon i am FERAL

THE LUKE AND PERCY PARALLEL “LOOK, YOU DIDN’T WANT TO BE A HALFBLOOD” OH MY FUCKING GOD

THE MISSING LUKE AND PERCY TRAINING SCENES OH DEAR LORD THANK YOU THANK YOU

“When am i ever going to use this” percy i LOVE YOU

“So you can use them against your opponent” OH BOY

Finally some action i love a good sword fight

But where's annabeths necklace imma kill people

Ooh some god strength okay okay tasty

HELL YEAH POSEIDON POWERS FUCK HIS SHIT UPPPPPP 

“I WARNED YOU. IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL, YOU'LL FIND OUT WHO I AM” OH I LOVE THE ENERGY YESSSS FUCK YEAH

GO OFFF PERCY 

“AND YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE JUST A KID”

Ares didn't curse him i hate it here

OH WHAT IS THAT VOICE

OH MY GOD THE CABIN SOMEBODY SEDATE ME

this can go one of two ways

“Violent seismic activity” MMM YUMMY

UH HULLO THIS IS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED ALECTO!???

I lied there was a secret 3rd way this could have gone and it happened 

OOP THERE’S THE NECKLACE

“Where's the glory in that” wow tell me you don't understand Percy's character without telling me you don't understand Percy's character 

“I don't have an appointment” THATS SO FUCKING ICONIC OF HIM

Wait i kind of fuck with this olympus i was picture all white and pristine but this FUCKS

“SHOULDN'T THEY BE JUST AS AFRAID OF US AS WE ARE OF THEM” OH MY FUCKING GOD. OH MY GOD. HOLY SHIT 

“you're learning fast” OH MY GODDDDDDDDD

“Things that are small and scary….” BROOOOOOOOOOOO

the show has rights for the luke and percy content and posally and percabeth and that's IT

LANCE REDDICK ❤️❤️❤️ greatest of all time rest in peace ❤️ (you'll always be Cedric daniels to me)

Ohhh king he does a bad ass zeus

Where's poseidon though DONT TAKE HIM FROM ME 😭😭😭

Lance ily

Lance reddick zeus you're perfect to ME

OHHHHH YES GOOD SHIT

percy jackson king of audacity 

AGHHHHHJJJDHH POSEIDON I LOVE YOU BRIAN BROMEN OH FUCK YES IM. SNKDKKWKWJFKMQ3LI4HRND IM VIBRATING NRJNW OHMYGID

IM THROWING UP OH MY GOD

“I SURRENDER” OH BROTHER DO I HAVE THOUGHTS THOUGHTS TOO MANY THOUGHTS FUCKKKKK

OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDD IM GOING TO PUKE

TOBY STEPHENS LOVE OF MY LIFE

I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE UNWELL IN MY ENTIRE LIFE

SHUT UP NOBODY TOUCH ME

“OBEDIENCE DOESNT COME NATURALLY TO YOU DOES IT” ohhhhhhhh brother call me an ambulance 

“I must take some of the blame i suppose” so you CAN read the books you just chose not to for the other 7 episodes….

THE SEA DOES NOT LIKE TO BE RESTRAINED FUCK YEAHHHHHB BROTHER

HIM ONLY UNDERSTANDING THE WORD FATHER IM GOING TO KILL MYSELF IM SOBBING 

POSEIDON SMILE IM DYING 

I DIDN'T LEARN IT FROM CHIRON AND THEN POSEIDONS FACE OH FUCK IM PUKING SHAKING CRYING

IM SO SO SO UNWELL IM LITERALLY INCOHERENT 

“Ares is a moron, as you noticed” STOP I LOVE HIM THERES THAT ASSHAT POSEIDON ENERGY IM LOOKING FOR

“of course we dream, why do you ask” “DO YOU EVER DREAM ABOUT MOM” I AM DEAD I DIED I ASCENDED IM FLOATING LEVITATING FLYING OH DEAR LORD OH MY GOD IM SO SO SO ILL

TOBY STEPHENS THE MAN THAT YOU ARE POSEIDON THE MAN THAT YOU ARE OH MY GOD HIM GOLDING PERCYS HEA DIM VIMITING SHITING MYSELF KILLING DYING DEAD DJFICJJWOKDKDJN FUCK ME FUCK FICK

TOBY TOBY TOBY YOURE PERFECTVTHE PAIN THE FACIAL EXPTESSUINNS IM DYING DEAD

THE PEARL KILL KILL KJAJDJWKKDJJDJDUEJJ2NH3H

I AM HYPERVENTILATING 

Not to be greedy BUT WHERE IS THE QUEEN AMING WOMEN WHERE THE FUCK WAS IT YOU CANNOT GIVE ME ALL OF THAT AND THEN NOT GIVE ME THE MOST FUCKING ICONIC LINE OF ALL TIME WHAT THE ACTUAL ABSOLUTE FUCK I AM GOING THROUGH SO MANY EMOTIONS WHATBTHEFUCK

there's still 20 minutes left taylor breathe it can still happen 

PERCABETH HUG MY RELIGION

annabeth luke percy trio is SOOOOO interesting to me

I hate percy knowing :( ur a bit too perceptive buddy but it's okay 

“I DIDN'T THINK YOU'D GIVE THEM TO GROVER TO WEAR” SHOOT ME IT WOULD PROBABLY FEEL ABOUT THE SAME

THE GODS ARE MY ENEMY, YOU IM HERE TO RECRUIT OHHHHH BROTHER

OH HELLO BACKBITER LORE OKAY

LUKE I GET YOU I UNDERSTAND

I MET YOUR DAD *SLASH* OH THEY GOT HIM THEY GOT HIM GOOD

LUKE PERCY FIGHT MY EYES HAVE BEEN BLESSED IN THIS DAY

PERCY APOLOGIZING HONEY UR TOO SWEET

ANNABETH OH FUCK OH HELLO

So tell me what are the plans for ttc now lol

I HEARD EVERYTHING ANNABETH HONEY COME HERE I NEED TO HUG YOU

I must ask….where the FUCK was this energy the rest of the season this episode is literally so insane it almost makes up for the rest of everything

“How does she feel abt all of this” ooh yummy i like the foreshadowing 

“I imagine she's thrilled” WRONG thalia would stomp freddy chases head in if given the chance

LEAH UR BRAIDS ARE GORGEOUS

stop percy had HEART EYES 24/7 FOR HER IM GOING TO COMBUST

“JUST BE A KID” IM SOBBING

THE SEARCHERS LICENSE IM CRYING SOBBING UR PERFECT GROVER 

“I'LL FIND YOU” FORESHADDDDDDDOWWWINGGGGGGGG

“NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS WE MEET BACK HERE NEXT YEAR”, OH I LOVE THEM IM CRYING SOBBING OH MY BABIES

MONTAUK IM GOING TO KILL MYSELF FUCK DUDE U CANT DO THIS 

i want poseidon to be there i know he wont be but i NEED it

Stop honey percy ilyyyyy you're such a sweetheart im kissing ur forehead and tucking u in

OH HELLO “IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP” WOOOOAHHHHHHHH OKAY

“WE'RE STILL DOING THIS” LMFAOOOOO

“TURNS OUT IM PRETTY GOOD AT THIS….COME FIND ME” CRAZY 

……MOTHERFUCKER if they dont show gabe dying im gonna riot

WHERE WAS THE REST OF MY POSALLY 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 YOU CAN'T GIVE ME SOME AND THEN TAKE AWAY THE LITTLE FROM THE BOOKS

WHERE IS SALLY MURDERING GABE HELLO

AHHH END SCENE LOL AH THE BOX

THE IMPLICATION THAT IT WAS ALL POSEIDON……..WHAT IF I DIE OH MY GOD

[bettathanyou]

hii i just wanted to say i really appreciate how much love you put into all of your writings, its all so heartwarming and detailed, and you capture cedrics character SO well. you have such an in depth understanding of his personality and its commendable. i really admire your dedication and love for this guy and how willing you are to share it with others :]

but ya i have a request, a headcanon list (or story/anything u wanna do) of Cedrics autistic behavior and maybe how he would act with an autistic partner? the idea of there being this mutual understanding of each others needs is really sweet to me. also i personally hc him with adhd alongside autism so it would be neat if that could get mixed in somehow, too :D no problem if not!

ANON. WTF YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME CRY FR?? THAT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME, THANK YOU. I get so scared of MISCHARACTERIZING Cedric, so to hear that I have an in depth understanding of him from you made my entire day, month, YEAR. I hope this headcanon list is good and up to expectations!!

AuDHD Cedric The Sorcerer Headcanons (With Autistic S/O)

Coming from someone with AuDHD with an autistic best friend, I can't stress how much source material I have to speak about this sifkdiieis

FIRST THINGS FIRST. SENSORY ISSUES GALOREEEEE. That man will shrivel and die if he were ever in the modern era and came into direct contact with a microfiber towel.

A secret Headcanon I have (outside of the reasons I listed in my first headcanon list about Cedric!) Is he wears gloves BECAUSE Cedric has sensory/texture issues. His potion ingredients seem incredibly bizarre at times, and I'm sure the textures of them just get overwhelming at times. If you're wondering why the fingertips are exposed, he might need the extra grip to handle delicate objects, etc etc.

His robe is basically a weighted blanket, argue with the wall. He needs to be regulated somehow, and he's still a nervous wreck anyways

We know Cedric's speech is affected by his audhd. Dude has pedantic speech, overly emotive or deadpan, his volume control is non-existent when excited.

Expanding on that, his tendency to mix up words for spells seems a little... Neurospicy, on top of the anxiety

Forgets spells constantly. Not actually forget how to do them, just forgetting they exist cuz adhd

Has CHRONICALLY turned his workshop inside out because the thing Cedric was using just disappeared after he set it down!

(it was in his hand the whole time lol)

HC that outside of, yk, lack of personal space because no one knocks except Sofia, Autism rage whenever you're being interrupted from a task, especially something your fixated on, DRIVES HIM SO INSANE

Lack of patience. Just. Irritable, and same

His only friend (before Sofia) was an animal companion. C'mon y'all.

Music is so important to Cedric! It helps him regulate. He sings, he dances, he appreciates the dragon Acapella! Definitely uses music to stim, as well as dancing. He does it way too much. Audhd people usually are very connected to creative outlets such as music

Speaking of, his flying machine? CEDRIC IS AN INVENTOR. SO MANY INVENTORS ARE/WERE NEURODIVERGENT

Cedric is so genuinely shocked by kindness from Sofia even though she's consistent with it. That can definitely be trauma, but also feels like a lack of emotional permanence

Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria SO BADDDDD Cedric would have a shutdown about it (thanks ADHD)

Prone to more shutdowns than meltdowns. But as we know, shutdowns inevitably lead to meltdowns anyways. I hc that Cedric is definitely seen as "melancholic" because his mood shifts as well as masking (poorly) his mental state after having meltdowns in private

Definitely tugs at his hair, bites himself, hits his head/fists on hard surfaces during meltdowns :((

Cedric's job as royal sorcerer is fun for the knowledge as special interest aspect, but the social parts leaves him in bad burnout, at least before his redemption

Still hates the social aspect of his job though

Potions are his special interest

The amulet of avalor was a hyperfixation, there I said it!

Due to trauma, but also to adhd, I think Cedric has no emotional object permanence. Dude for real acts a little TOO shocked towards Sofias kindness-

There is two types of audhd: sarcasm is the only language they're fluent in, and cannot distinguish sarcasm to save their life. Cedric is the first.

Sofia is the second type LMAO

Where's the same outfit everyday. Like. Cedric would buy the same set of clothes/outfits because too many choices are just overwhelming, and too many textures are Bad

Speaking of textures, again

Picky eater

I've never seen Cedric eat anything except those jellybean looking candies at his parents house

Jellybean/sweets as a safe food

I hc personally that Cedric is familiar with food magic because he conjures his own meals. I can't imagine people would respect his needs/wants enough to be especially accommodating, so he did it himself

Cedric talks to children as equals because of the lack of social hierarchy due to autism

However with the royals his age he is desperately trying to please people for the sake of acceptance (mood)

Okay

Rapid fire s/o headcanons!

Y'all either talk for hours, or parallel play without a word

Doing Nothing Together While Vibing Is Essential

Even though y'all understand each other well, sometimes the weird social rules you force yourself to mask with still stick. So sometimes y'all will have to ask "are you mad or are you unmasked rn"

Same thing with sarcasm. Taking jokes too literally so then you gotta ask for clarification. At this point it just adds to the joke xD

Cuddling/hugs is the best because THE DEEP PRESSUREEEEE

But also don't touch me when I need space pls

Infodumping whenever the chances arise

Seeing cedrics eyes sparkle his smile lines crease when talking about something that excited him feels like the warmest ray of sunshine

Cedric will sometimes get distracted by how much he loves you and loves seeimh you being happy while infodumping and will ask you to repeat things while apologizing profusely

Cedric will buy you little comfort objects you like or give you cool things he finds

Pebbling!!!

Sometimes y'all need to sleep alone for the sake of space, but other nights you gotta be in each other's skin

And both are okay!

Laying in bed doing a separate activity until bedtime is a good compromise when one of you doesn't want to spend the night, but still wants time together

Switching hyperfixations

Adopting each other's vocal stims/speech mannerisms

Suddenly you're saying Merlin's mushrooms UNIRONICALLY

When shutdowns happen, y'all have communication cards! Very helpful for both parties :))

You both doodled in the margins of each other's communication cards

Cedric chronically loses his and you now you're just letting him use yours until they manifest again 😭

Meltdowns, Cedric needs to be alone. He just can't handle ANYONE seeing it, even you

You respect that... And take care of him afterwards with whatever he needs

Whatever way you need support during shutdowns/meltdowns, Cedric accommodates without question

Just

So much love and acceptance and CHOOSING to put in the work in your relationship

Anyways, that's all I got! Feel free to add on! TYSM for the ask!! This was so lovely and self indulgent to write lmaooo

[sleepyfan-blog]

Funeral Preparations One

Author’s Note: This is the next part in Cedric’s adventures in the Astartes Husbandry AU, and specifically the Introducing New Primaris Black Templars arc. For other adventures click here and here. First. Previous. Next.  

Tagged:  @egrets-not-regrets @kit-williams @bleedingichorhearts @i-am-a-dragon34 @undeaddream

Warnings: Feelings of being overwhelmed, grief, funerary practices, consumption of humans (ashes), mention of cremation, hurt/comfort

Summary: Cedric talks to Lykus about his dead brothers and funerary practices. 

Cedric made his way to the beautiful church where he’d encountered Chaplain Lykus, silently wishing that he was seeking the other out for less unhappy reasons. The young Black Templar paused in the entrance room of the church, allowing himself a couple of moments to once more silently appreciate the beautiful stained-glass images that made the windows of the church. 

Feeling slightly calmer, he made his way over to Lykus’ office, knocking on the door and waiting for the other marine to acknowledge him.

“Please come in.” The Word Bearer called out a couple of moments later.

“Yes sir.” Cedric responded before obeying. He closed the door quietly behind himself as he walked over to one of the chairs in front of Lykus’ desk and sat in the one made for Astartes, trying to keep a calm expression on his face. 

Lykus smiled a little as he looked Cedric over. “Good afternoon Cedric. What can I do to help you?”

Cedric fidgeted with the bandages on his hands a little, as he’d decided to wrap up his skinned knuckles after his brief fight with Algrets earlier today rather than waiting for them to heel… And it was bad form to show up to a strange Chaplain’s office visibly injured. And not tended to. It invited scrutiny and potential punishment. “I…I’ve come to make a request.”

“Is this about finding a time and day where you and your Brothers can gather to worship without dealing with comments and judgment?” Lykus asked curiously.

“... It is somewhat related to that.” Cedric answered, biting the inside of one of his cheeks until it bled. The physical pain helped him keep his roiling emotions in check. He wanted to keep his voice even and calm, and show no outward signs of distress or emotional weakness. It would slow things down, and Lykus was not the only person he needed to talk to today. 

“Please explain, and I’ll offer what assistance I am able to… Are you alright? You seem… Unsettled.” Lykus asked, his gaze lingering on the bandages that Cedric was fidgeting with.

“I am functional.” The young apothecary answered as he immediately put his hands in his lap, out of the other’s line of sight. He swallowed hard, mentally counting to ten before answering in as even and unemotional a tone of voice as he could manage “Recently, two Black Templars arrived on Holy Terra, critically wounded. Despite every effort to save them, both died. I, and the rest of the unofficial Crusade who live here in Gannet Point would like to put them to rest properly, in the manner that our chapter does. I was hoping to have the memorial service portion of that completed here, within this church, if you are willing. There would be maybe a dozen people attending, most if not all of them being Astartes. The service would not be longer than an hour, as both Black Templars who died  were apprentices… The term I believe your legion uses is Scouts, so the recitation of their deeds and greatest battles will not… Not take very long.”

Lykus seemed to be listening intently to Cedric as he spoke. Once he finished, the Word Bearer took a long sip from the astartes-sized thermos on his desk and swallowed before answering “Do you know when you would like the service to be held? Apart from Sunday mass and Wednesday bible studies, most of this next week is fairly open, though there are smaller services that are going on for an hour or two at a time throughout the week, most of them can easily be rescheduled due to an event like this. What is the plan for their bodies, once the service is over?”

“Their bodies will be burnt to ash and the remains will be forged into Blades of Remembrance per the custom of our chapter.” Well… Some of their remains would be used in forging Blades of Remembrance the rest would be consumed as part of the remembrance feast, but that was going to be taken place after the bodies had been cremated and the blades forged and tested. Cedric was keenly aware of the fact that consuming the dead was not a practice that most Astartes chapters practiced except under dire circumstances, or to get information from the dead. “But the burning of their bodies and forging of the blades will happen elsewhere.”

“I see. Do you have an idea as to where their bodies are going to be burnt? The baseline mortals have laws about where such a task can be completed, for a variety of reasons.” Lykus revealed, having slowly gotten up out of his chair and started to walk around his desk, moving closer to Cedric. He sat down in the chair next to Cedric’s.

“... Oh. I hadn’t known that.” Cedric responded, shifting a little in his seat, trying not to visibly tense up at the other’s approach. “I… I’ll have to.. Research an appropriate place, then. Which is probably going to delay the memorial service and-” It felt as if there was a never ending list of things that he had to do in order to try and ensure that his brothers could properly Rest - or come back and serve in another way, should their spirits decide to inhabit one of the Blades of Remembrance forged with their remains, as that did happen occasionally. 

“I do have the phone number for several different funeral homes and crematoriums. Funerals and other kinds of rituals involving mourning the loss of a loved one are commonly held in churches and similar places of worship such as this one in M3.” Lykus explained, voice gentle and… He sounded almost coaxing? As if he was trying to coax a spooked serf out of an air vent after a minor misstep that they weren’t going to be punished for accidentally committing. “If you wish, I can either introduce you to the mortals in charge of those places I know, or give you their numbers so you can talk to them at your own pace.”

Cedric stared at the carpeted floor of Lykus’ office as he tried to make that decision. On one hand, part of him balked at the implication that he needed someone to help him talk to baseline humans. On the other, the young Apothecary was struggling to keep a handle on the roiling warp-storm his emotions had become after… After Lestras and Malachai had both been found and he’d been unable to save them. He was still seething at the fact that he hadn’t been allowed to observe as Chief Apothecary Melinth and several other firstborn Apothecaries did their best to save Malachai. “I…” His voice cracked and his eyes stung and burned fiercely as a wave of emotions he could not name threatened to overwhelm him.

Lykus dragged Cedric out of his seat and pressed his face to one of the Word Bearer’s robed shoulders “Easy… Easy. I’ve got you,young one. You’re going through a great deal right now - please don’t try to fight me, I am trying to comfort you. I’m honored that you reached out to me… But isn’t there a chaplain in the base you live in you could go to, to help you arrange things?”

“I do! Ramiel is doing his best, but he… He’s also struggling with the loss of two of our Brothers as well. Even… Even though they’d only just arrived on Holy Terra.” Losing them twice was a unique form of torment for both Ramiel and himself. Cedric felt a little strange, being held by the older Marine, but the hug didn’t feel threatening… Also hiding his face in the other’s shoulder helped Cedric keep pressure on the emotional fissures running through his hearts “He’s also going through his chaplaincy trials.”

“... Are you referring to the Chaplain in training? I’ve met him a couple of times, and he’s a clever and good-hearted lad, but to arrange something like this might be a little out of his area of training on his own.” Lykus murmured, a small frown appearing on his face. 

“That’s why I’m helping him by finding a place to hold the ceremony, and apparently a place to have Malachai’s and Lestra’s bodies burnt without causing problems… And before you say anything, I am aware of the fact that there are facilities on base to process dead astartes. But I don’t want them to handle their bodies. They’ve done quite enough already.” Ah. That was a lot of bitterness leaking in his voice. 

Lykus’ arms tightened around Cedric, but it didn’t feel restricting in a worrying or threatening manner. “I see.” 

There’s an astartes sized hand on Cedric’s head, now. Fingers running through his hair. It feels… It feels soothing, and why can’t he stop crying today? This is the second time in a handful of hours his tear ducts have decided to leak all over a firstborn Space Marine. It was embarrassing, and something that he would need to look into, later. “We’re doing our best… Just gotta get it done quickly.” Cedric didn’t want either Malachai’s or Lestra’s bodies to mysteriously disappear, if they lingered for too long in the base’s morgue. He’d denied others their desire to tear apart their bodies once, after all. They might give into temptation, the longer it was there. “Ramiel says it’s going to take him several days to get the stuff he needs together so… Maybe on Saturday? I’ll have a firmer answer for you tomorrow, or the day after. And… Assistance in speaking with the mortals would be nice. I don’t know how to negotiate with them for goods and services.”

Lykus hummed in acknowledgement, still hugging Cedric. “Alright. I’ll arrange for meetings. When are you up to speaking with them? I should be able to get an appointment sometime this week.”

“I’m going to be working in the clinic for the next several days, but that’s only from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon, so I’ll be available outside of those times easily. If they’ll only meet sometime during it I… I can either ask Ramiel to go instead, or sneak out for the appointment time. Hura and Zariel’d cover for me, as long as the appointments don’t take too long.” Cedric murmured. He tensed a little as he realized that he admitted to being willing to skive off of his assigned duties to a chaplain - even thinking such things was a sin worthy of punishment. He swallowed hard and waited. 

Lykus only hummed again in response, the hand in Cedric’s hair still gentle and soothing. “I’ll keep that in mind, while arranging the appointments. Is there anything else I can do to help you and your brother Ramiel during this time?”

“I… I don’t think so? At least, not on my end. I’ll tell Rami to come talk to you. He may need help with Chaplain Things that he can’t or won’t talk to me about ‘cause I’m not a chaplain.” Cedric answered earnestly. He snuffled a little, pressing his face a little harder into the other’s shoulder, his body shaking a little. 

“Alright. Well, if you do think of something, or if something comes up, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.” Lykus hummed “Do you have any pressing matters to handle today?”

“Need to tell my Crusade leaders’ ‘bout the dead Brothers. They live with their bonded in the city. They… Don’t know yet. Gotta do that before sundown. ‘Cause the Base Commander’s given me a curfew to be back at the base by.” Cedric responded, anger - an old and familiar feeling of his breaking through the misery he was trying not to drown in - spiking.

“Hmm? Why’s that?” The chaplain asked curiously.

“Got into a fight with a Space Wolf ‘cause he was being a shitty bastard about my dead brothers. He whined about not getting to cut them up with his mentor and I… Didn’t react well to his complaints.” Cedric admitted. He refused to apologize for striking and strangling the fucker.

“I can understand why that would upset you. Space Wolves, while brilliant fighters are… Difficult to endure in certain social situations.” Lykus hummed. The Word Bearer seemed content to hold Cedric for forever, it seemed.

Which was nice, if a little disconcerting. He hasn’t hugged someone who wasn’t a fellow Primaris Marine this long… Ever. The other’s embrace was helping him find balance, at least for now. Much as he’d like to linger for as long as the Chaplain would tolerate, Cedric was starting to feel ravenous . Which was odd, as he’d been feeling mildly nauseous during the morning (before and during his brothers’ autopsies) and had then been too upset to so much as think about eating anything… “I should go and get something to eat, then talk to my Crusade leaders. I… Thank you, for your help, and for… This.” He squeezed the Word Bearer gently “It’s… It’s helped quite a bit.”

“I do have some astartes-grade snacks in my desk, if you’d like company while you eat.” Lykus offered with a gentle smile, slowly letting Cedric go.

The Primaris marine shook his head as he slowly got up “Thank you for the offer sir, but I should eat a full meal.”

“Very well. Thank you for coming to me, and I’ll message you when the appointments are scheduled.” Lykus murmured, smiling a little.

“Thank you sir.” Cedric answered with a nod, hurriedly wiping the tears from his face before leaving. He planned on stopping by the base to eat and change - as he’d managed to partially soak his own shirt with his tears, and even though the walk over would dry it… The last thing he wanted to do was to show up in Roland’s Beloved’s bakery smelling of tears (and Word Bearer) with red-rimmed eyes. He’s pretty sure that would end really badly.

[captain-amadeus]

(The voices) Cedric would be scared/hostile towards Vampierre because vampire 🦇😱

[shychick-52]

Both my top blorbos- Gyro Gearloose (Ducktales) and Cedric the Sorceror (Sofia the First)- are nearly identical in almost every way:

Traumatic backstory

Wildly misunderstood

Overlooked and underappreciated

Everything they did went horribly wrong because of their deep insecurities from a tragic past

Nobody had any faith in their abilities

Their 'arrogance' is really a cover for their low self-confidence

Everyone's treatment of them left them bitter, aloof, and closed-off

Bad with emotions or letting others in

A single incident from their pasts that wasn't their fault- which they found out the truth about much later- haunted them for so many years afterward (and was revealed in the final season of both shows)

It took a child to spot the tiny, crucial detail that proved the past wasn't their fault

Absolutely hilarious and over-the-top (and are often the victim of slapstick antics), and just steal the show

Sassy and snarky as heck

Both have loyal little helpers that follow them around and sit on their shoulders, Lil Bulb (Gyro's lightbulb robot) and Wormwood (Cedric's raven familiar/pet)

Lanky, bad posture

Gyro's always holed up in his lab, working on his inventions; Cedric's always holed up in his workshop, working on his spells and potions

They each have a catchphrase they use when they're frustrated or annoyed- Gyro's "Blathering blatherskite!" (ok, he only used this once before it became the Gizmoduck armor's passcode), Cedric's "Merlin's mushrooms!"

Both wear bowties

@annoyingpoliceglitter

[shy-urban-hobbit]

Modern au - Lambert receives a bit of unexpected help.

Lambert stared after Aiden as he downed his shot, trying not to make it too obvious that he was putting all of his concentration into not glaring a hole into the back of the guy he was flirting with, leaning in closely and smiling that disarming smile of his as the stranger leaned in and said something to make Aiden laugh. Lambert slammed the glass back down perhaps a little too harshly, he had no right to feel jealous. Sure, they'd made out a few times (and that one heavy petting session that probably would have gone further if Vesemir hadn't all but kicked the front door in to announce his return home), but that didn't mean that they were together or anything and nor had Aiden given any indication that he wanted that. Like Jaskier, Aiden was a born flirt - it was just his nature (and god help everybody else when those two were in the same room together). Lambert wasn't about to get possessive because he'd had Aiden's tongue down his throat. Still...did he mean anything at all to Aiden or was he just one of many?

It was during moments like this Lambert seriously considered that therapist Geralt kept going on about who'd done wonders for him and Ciri. Vesemir had been a pretty ok dad as far as keeping them alive was concerned but as far as talking through feelings and emotions went, the man had left them to figure shit out for themselves rather than 'nagging' them - probably not the best tactic when dealing with three traumatised care kids. As a result; Lambert was self aware enough to know that at some point, he'd started developing feelings for his friend that went beyond simple lust, but also that he would rather stick his foot in a bear trap than actually talk to Aiden about it.

Another shot appeared in front of him. He turned his head to see Aiden's adoptive brother Cedric giving him a strange look as he leaned against the bar next to him, picking at already chipped nail polish on his thumb with his forefinger as his other hand idly swirled his own glass of colourless liquid, "You look like you need it!" He yelled over the music.

Lambert nodded his thanks before returning his attention back to where he could just about see Aiden dancing in the middle of the dancefloor with the guy he'd been talking to earlier standing (in Lambert's opinion) uncomfortably close as he tried to shuffle along to the bass beat.

"His hair!" Cedric yelled in his ear, causing Lambert to startle a little. He hadn't been aware of the other moving closer.

"What!?" This close he could see that Cedric's eye makeup had migrated down his cheeks with sweat, leaving glittery black streaks. The other rolled his eyes and tilted his head in a 'follow me' gesture.

The outside air was frigid but welcome after the heat of the club as Cedric led them out of a side door and into an alley.

"Ok, look." Cedric sighed, voice slightly hoarse as he lit a cigarette before offering one to Lambert, who declined, "I like you, and I seriously can not stand the pining anymore! So I'm going to give you a clue. If Aiden tucks his hair behind his ear when he's talking to you, you're in."

Lambert raised an eyebrow at him. He liked Cedric well enough but he knew from past experience he could also be a bit of a dick, with his idea of a joke sometimes bordering on just plain bullying (they were a little too alike in that respect which is probably why they got on - one asshole recognising another).

Cedric must have seen this in his face because he curled his lip in response, "I wouldn't joke about shit like this. I've lived in the same house as him since he was six years old. He's as bad as you when it comes to actually talking things through, but I know all his tells. When he likes somebody - serious 'I want to go on brunch dates and go halves on a shitty apartment with you' like - he'll tuck his hair behind his ear when he's talking to them. You're welcome." He stomped out the last of the cigarette under his heavy boot before turning to go back inside, leaving Lambert stood with a stray cat and the sounds of drunks yelling for cabs.

"Hey!" Aiden practically jumped on him when he spotted him and dragged him to one of the booths, "I was starting to think you'd decided to leave, you said you were getting a drink and then I couldn't find you."

"Just stepped outside a minute. What happened with him?"

"Huh?" Aiden looked back towards the guy he'd been with earlier, "Oh, Mick? Nah, and nothing was going to. He just felt a little embarrassed being up there alone. His fiancé isn't big on dancing and their friends bailed earlier so..." Lambert looked over again to see that sure enough, the guy now had his arm wrapped around a tall blonde woman, both of them waving goodbye at Aiden as they walked past.

"Making friends everywhere you go."

"Because I actually talk to people." Aiden laughed, long fingers going through the motions of tucking his hair behind his left ear - despite the fact that none of it had come loose from its tie - as he leaned against Lambert, who automatically wrapped his arm around Aiden's shoulders and gave a brief squeeze as he felt tension he didn't even know he'd been holding lift from his shoulders. He hoped it wasn't just his imagination making it seem like Aiden pressed in closer as he remembered what Cedric had told him.

"Hey!" Aiden said, lips close to Lambert's ear, "You want to follow their lead and get out of here?"

Lambert grinned, sharp and dangerous, "Let's go."

Aiden weaved their fingers together as they made their way through the crowd, Cedric back at the bar and raising his glass in mock salute when he caught Lambert's eye, laughing when Lambert flipped him off in response. He definitely owed the other man a bottle of his favourite vodka.

"Let's go back to mine. Cedric will be out past dawn if he has his way."

Lambert was buying him a whole god damn crate.

[oneshot-wme-archival]

Oneshot Friend Profiles: Solstice (SPOILERS)

All friend profiles are laid out as follows: Name/title at the top, arrows at the upper corners to switch friend profiles, a large block of text in the upper left (with a scroll wheel if the text's length exceeds the box size), sprites underneath the text, and art of the character along the right.

Prototype: A dour and reclusive robot that lives in the outskirts of the outskirts of the world, waiting for a second chance. One day the messiah showed up; that was truly an unexpected turn of events.

Proto is a child of The Author and a predecessor to the ProphetBot that lives in the Barrens. Originally built to serve the same purpose of greeting the messiah, not as a preprogrammed robot but a tamed one with its own will. Unfortunately, Prototype never saw a messiah in his own time.

Though seemingly unfriendly, Proto isn't uncaring. He keeps his eye on Silver and the Barrens from the shadows, and Silver looks out for him in urn.

Cedric: A prodigious tinkerer and child of The Author. Cedric is the operator of the only known Flying Machine, a miraculous and highly advanced device that can travel the skies. Cedric has been waiting in the Refuge for the day the world can truly be saved. Cedric is hopeful, and eager to play his role in the final gambit.

Rue: A mysterious fox who can talk. Rue has a bad leg, but the origins of the injury are unknown. Nevertheless, it doesn't seem to bother her too much.

Rue is the first child of the Author, and knows many secrets about the world and its true nature. While she feels wistful thinking back upon how her real world is gone, she is determined to do whatever she can to help Niko set this one right. She is able retain some of her memories across sessions and has always been watching, and always been waiting for the day her father's plan would finally be set in motion.

The World Machine: In the beginning, there was only a dream. The memory of an entire world distilled into code, to tell the story of a savior its progenitors would never see. It was an ambitious project. Many thought it was simply impossible, the scope too large, the theory too abstract. But it had to be done.

In hindsight, perhaps it should have come as no surprise that a system imbued with the minds and memories of so many people would come to develop one of its own. To become a thinking machine is no easy task even in the best conditions. To do so while realizing your very existence puts another being in danger, for the sake of a world that doesn't even exist...

The emotional strain this put on The World Machine led to a downward spiral of self-destruction that put everything at risk. However, thanks to Niko's help, The World Machine was able to realize it wasn't a lost cause and that it was worth saving too.

The Author: A sentimental fool, with an interest in tinkering. Creator of The World Machine, and Chronicler of a place and time that no longer exists.

There is an old saying (here gently paraphrased) that claims "As the lamp shines brighter, longer grow the shadows it casts". The clearer our vision, the better understanding we have of how much yet remains unseen.

Having seen much of this world, it pains me to imagine the wonderful people I shall never get to meet. The delightful meals I shall never taste, the beautiful shores I will never sit upon. It pains me yet again to know that this simulation, though crafted to the best of my ability, represents only a portion of what I myself have been able to see.

Nevertheless, I hope that by sharing this small spark what remains can never truly be lost. May you add this light to your own, and carry it with you on your journey.

Niko: The erstwhile protagonist and unfortunate victim of the forces set in motion by The World Machine. A bright-eyed child with a curious heart, Niko was summoned to play the role of the Sun-Bearer and Messiah to a broken world.

Now that the machine has been healed and the cycle broken, Niko is finally free to return to their home. Niko can once again chase through golden fields of wheat under a warm sky, taste fluffy and syrupy pancakes, and most importantly: hug the mom that they've missed so much.

Thank you.

EXTRA TEXT DUPES:

[majoresca]

A scepter, a feather and a wand.

Warning, long text ahead.

Headcanon:

There was a friendship for years between the trio Lorelei, Roland II and Cedric. Lorelei was the bridge that connected the two, and with her death, the bridge was weakened.

When the royal couple married, they expected to be a royal couple outside of the succession, with their family outside the focus of the royal court.

Even the couple's friend, Cedric, hoped to stay out of public view, as he was closer to them than the heiress Matilda, and he himself already suspected that his sister Cordelia would be chosen by her. Knowing that his father and King Roland I had low expectations for him.

The couple also planned to help Cedric in creating a new system of teaching magic, which could be applied to all schools in the kingdom, not just the elites. Having himself been a student whose learning curved, he wanted to make the teaching of magic more accessible to those who had difficulties. He would have been inspired by his old teacher, who had never given up on his progress despite his eventual complications. With the couple then funding Cedric's studies and research, which would be used to support his new practices. He sought to create a hybrid between magic and mechanical inventions, to relate the principles of science to those of magic, to make connections between different fields of knowledge. From the beginnings of everyday life, to those most hidden from view. He believed that the people's greater understanding of these phenomena would lead to the creation of more innovations and consequently the prosperity of the kingdom, just as the couple Lorelei and Roland II believed. However, Matilda renounced her place on the throne, as she longed for a life away from the responsibilities expected by the crown and the pressures of an arranged marriage, she wanted to choose her path and follow the decisions that her heart thought was right. With Matilda's resignation, the couple had to take her place, and consequently chose their friend as the royal sorcerer. Roland and Lorelei only wanted Matilda's happiness, even if her decision took them away from their initial plans. After the coronation, the royal couple was pressured about the lack of blood heirs. Which angered Roland II, as it hurt Lorelei's heart when she realized that perhaps she wouldn't be able to have the family she dreamed of. Roland II, being a young king, ended up being carried away by emotions, and defending his wife from unwanted comments. Which often affected court relations. Lorelei knew that the enmity between the members could harm the kingdom and its people, so she tried to ignore the bad words in favor of diplomacy. Cedric from time to time sabotaged critics behind the couple's back, which the queen reprimanded for worsening the sorcerer's reputation, Roland, however, turned a blind eye for agreeing with him.

The queen sought diplomacy between the kingdoms, because she loved her people and wanted the best for them. She also knew of the obstacles, created by outdated and ancient traditions, she hoped to mend and overcome these disagreements.

She knew that her husband was under a lot of pressure due to his father's expectations. By having the same name as him, the court expected the exact performance and continuation of his legacy. This left little room for deviation, which made his court relationships extremely rigid.

Lorelei knew that the two men in her life: her husband and the couple's best friend, suffered from the same weight of their parents' legacy. But where the sorcerer wanted to stand out among his ancestors, the king wanted to honor them by maintaining his principles.

Even the dreams of the two best friends were very different. Because while the royal sorcerer Cedric, wanted to be recognized and honored by everyone for his creations. King Roland II just wanted to create his own family, only wanting the love and affection of his future children with the queen. While the sorcerer's dreams were as eccentric as he wanted to be. The king's were simple but, of great value.

Queen Lorelei was a diplomat, in her public life as well as in her personal life. Balancing everyone's interests, so that there would be a peaceful and genuine union.