#I'll look directly in the sun but never in the mirror

[caufee-studies]

The sun is finally coming up

Is it really the sun tho, it looks like a red hot ball of fire, wait-

[macroglossus]

it's funny how little i feel like myself when my hair isn't bright ass red

[devilsfool]

Taylor Swift can stop writing songs about me any day now.

[descended-from-aesthetics]

Tag Dump 1

[imperfectgirl]

i needed to look at something pretty after crying my eyes out for a couple hours.

[whimsywilde]

Astarion's Mirror

I couldn't get this out of my head after seeing the idea mentioned somewhere. (A TikTok comment maybe?) I haven't written fanfic since DAI. How am I back at this again? I'm not 100% satisfied with it but if I fiddle too much, I'll lose interest and it will disappear in the WIP folder. lol Enjoy!

Thank you Larian Studios and Neil Newbon for this incredible, beautiful, heartbreaking character!

Recommened Listening: THE FEELS by Labrinth

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Astarion…” she paused, hesitating, uncertain if the thought that had just danced across her mind would actually work. Sometimes she forgot he was a vampire. His lack of burning up in the sun tended to put his condition out of her mind. The mirror in his hand, however, had brought it back in stark relief. But… what if?

“As adorable as you are when thinking, I can’t help but feel there was more you wanted to say than just my name.” He smirked at her.

She resisted the urge to fall back into their playful banter. “What if you could see yourself… I mean, sort of.”

“What?” It was more of a whispered plea than a question. “How?”

“I’m not sure if it will work. But, the parasites… they’ve let us see into one another's minds before. It makes sense that we could see more.”

She hadn’t really been looking at him while she spoke, her eyes focused on some invisible point in the distance. Turning her attention more directly to him, his expression caught her off guard. She’d never seen him so vulnerable.

“We don’t have to. I’m not even completely sure it would work. I’ve never really tried to use it before. I just thought….”

“Would you try?” He interrupted, his voice still unnaturally hesitant, absent of the bravado she was used to. “Please.” It was almost an afterthought but may have been the most sincere she’d ever heard him.

She smiled tightly, worried now she’d be unable to connect that way, before closing her eyes and reaching for that alien presence within her mind. She hated the feeling of the cold shiver in her skull as she consciously connected to it and then, taking a breath, eyes tightly shut, reached out to where she felt she’d find Astarion. 

At first the connection was light, barely perceptible, like cobwebs in the breeze. After focusing on it for a few seconds, reaching out to it with uncertain hands, it seemed to expand. With her eyes still tightly closed, it was the tide of emotions slowly rolling up in the shore of her mind that hit her first. The anticipation, hopeful expectation, fear and worry. She resisted the urge to retreat from the intensity of his feelings and the jumbled, wordless thoughts that came with them and, again, focused past them. After several seconds, she was surprised to suddenly find herself looking through Astarion’s eyes at herself. She stilled to allow the image of herself solidify in her mind. 

Her eyes opened slowly. She allowed her gaze to linger near Astarion’s feet as gained confidence in the connection. The impatience he was feeling rushed to greet her through the bond.

“Look at me.” It was something between a command and a plea.

She opened her mind to him as completely as she could, wanting him to know that she had no motivations behind her actions and lingering gaze other than to allow him to see himself clearly, to be a mirror. She took a deep breath, centered herself and began to slowly lift her eyes up his body. Her gaze was gentle and curious, more that of an artist studying their work, rather than the lusty intensity of a lover. She followed the narrow slope of his hips up his chest and across his shoulders, her eyes lingering for mere moments before moving on. As she reached his neck, there was a brief glance to the scars that had made him the creature he was, before following his perfectly coiffed hair around his face. 

Part of her still wanted to tease him, to play. They’d been having fun, taken next to nothing seriously while they traveled and fought together. Even when she allowed him to drink from her, always standing since him hovering over her had felt too intimate, she typically pushed him away afterward with a joke on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes. It was easy and had been so natural to keep him just close enough without letting him in. The intensity of his feelings pouring into her now was more than she bargained for and she had a moment of regret for offering to even try. She didn’t want to feel so much. It left her vulnerable. Opened her up to much more than she wanted to be aware of. Her eyes had frozen at the base of his throat. Why couldn’t she bring herself to look up? She didn’t like the answers her heart was trying to give. His fingers curled lightly under her chin, lifting her face upward, pulled her attention back. 

Her eyes snapped up to his suddenly and he gasped. The light from the campfire flickered and flashed across brilliant crimson. My eyes. Those are my eyes. His thoughts came through their link in sharp clarity. Her attention refocused on allowing him to see his face after so long in the dark and allowed the intensity of what he was feeling to drown out her own heart. She didn’t need to exist for this moment. She was giving this gift and she allowed herself to fall back within to the place of an observer. With her surrender, it allowed him to direct her eyes across his features. He took himself in fully and they stood in hushed stillness, eyes and minds locked together. 

With their minds so fully blended, she almost didn’t notice her hand absentmindedly reaching out to rest lightly on the side of his face. He didn’t pull away. She used her thumb to pull gently at his bottom lip, exposing his fangs to her gaze. 

They passed several seconds that way before her hand dropped, her vision swirling and darkening. She felt her body sway heavily and would have fallen if Astarion hadn’t caught her. Her head was pounding while her stomach churned. She sent up a silent prayer, to whatever god may be listening, that she wouldn’t vomit.

Astarion supported her body against his gently. When she tried to push away from him, he lifted her carefully and carried her to her tent, laying her down on her bedroll. 

“You pushed yourself too far. You need to rest,” he scolded. She wanted to protest; to throw out some snarky remark in an attempt to catch him off guard so that they could go back to the superficial game they shared, but she couldn’t seem to measure out enough strength to respond. Sleep was quickly overtaking her. She was never sure if he’d actually turned to look at her before leaving the tent and whispered a strangled thank you or if it was just part of the fevered dreams of the night.

[rainbowdaisy13]

This scene always gave me the impression we were missing like 17 different points she was trying to make—looking at it in 2024 I have some new thoughts

*A straight white dude is getting to “tell the story” of Stonewall but has to do it through other people’s stories—the pictures on his inspo board—reminds me of who gets to tell what stories in society and how that legitimizes them

*He is sitting in front of this empty shack which at first makes it seem like he’s painting what he’s looking at but when we look at the painting it’s actually of Stonewall not the image in front of him—why? Is this shack in the Gaylor Park a stand in for Stonewall in some way since we don’t see the actual Stonewall?

*The shack has a double love seat chair with flowers around the window frame, making it look like a perfect seat for two (invisible) people to get their picture painted

Overall the themes Im getting is one of NOT BEING SEEN and Secrets and Bait and Switches

“I gave so many signs, you never even saw the signs”

“I'm a mirrorball/I can change everything about me to fit in”

“I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror”

“'Cause they see right through me/They see right through me/They see right through/Can you see right through me?/They see right through/They see right through me/I see right through me/I see right through me”

“And hate my reflection for years and years”

“I was a functioning alcoholic/Til nobody noticed my new aesthetic”

“Your love is a secret I’m hoping, dreaming, dying to keep”

“I, I loved you in secret”

“Our secret moments in a crowded room”

“I don’t wanna keep secrets just to keep you”

“You taught me a secret language I can’t speak with anyone else”

“But I would die for you in secret”

“Dear reader, the greatest of luxuries is your secrets”

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

a good omens grieving update because if I'm crying at 5 am you better be too.

Good morning, maggoty loves of mine. Despite all attempts to distract myself and you all with wedding cakes and dresses and textposts, it is five in the fucking morning, and I've been crying for half an hour already.

I'm listening to the Pentatonix cover of Hallelujah on loop and I will never be normal about anything ever again and there is nothing you, I, God, Satan or even Neil can do about it.

@mirrorleaf was kind enough to hijack my stupid royal family post with this fucking gorgeous edit of season 1 set to Hallelujah. Thank you, I'm now fucking sobbing and I found another edit again of season 1 and then I read fics and now I'm NOT FUCKING OKAY.

All the times Aziraphale looks up to Heaven and prays, how hopeful and desperate he is, and then the way he looks at Crowley while he's pinned against the wall, entirely calm and sure and safe.

And the song playing with Love is not a victory march, it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah over Crowley crying over alcohol when he thought Aziraphale had died. I'm not okay.

I need to watch season 1 again. When I watched it first, it was in two installments with you maggots on livestream, and the first installment was like two days after I was kidnapped as Mascot of Good Omens. Needless to say, it was all a fever dream.

Then I watched this edit now and there's so much. There's so much fucking layers and emotion and nuance that I didn't notice. And it's absolutely going to wreck me and then I'll have to rewatch season 2 and by then I'll have no self-preservation and I'll have read the book and I'll never ever be okay again and I'll have to live with it.

You all really just found a guy on the internet and fucking wrecked him, huh. This fandom really just did that. Now salt and pepper shakers made me think about Crowley's Fall and the inherent transience of human nature and The angel you knew is not me.

It hurts. I thought I was ridiculous about Drarry. No I was entirely fucking reasonable about Drarry. This is a gut punch except to the throat. Repeatedly.

I remember when I made a post a day or two after finishing season 2 and someone, @thescholarlystrumpet it was probably you, told me that grief isn't a linear process and to take care. To anyone outside this broken fandom, that would seem like a disproportional response to a show's season 2 finale when we know that it will end happily. Everyone in this fandom knows how much that reminder is needed, though.

Besides, though we know that the show ends happily, we know that Aziraphale and Crowley will be together and it is inevitable, how does it still fucking hurt so much? I knew all the spoilers, technically, of the show before I started, and it still surprised me with the emotions.

I had to stop writing this post for a few minutes because an image came to my mind and I had to sketch it. Of how I'd felt when I came here, lonely and frightened, and how the fandom grabbed me and forced me to watch the show and how much it hurts and how beautiful it is and how it feels like a mirror. A shattered mirror, one that's soaked with all our blood and tears, but it showed me I wasn't alone. So here, have this brief sketch and do NOT come at with about pretentiousness my beloved maggots because for one, I have always aspired to be pretentious and for another, THE SUN HASN'T FUCKING RISEN AND I'VE BEEN IN TEARS WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?

Congratulations, the next time anyone asks you if you've ever killed anyone, every one of you can confidently say that yes, you are indeed directly responsible for murder. My blood is on your hands, motherfuckers, you adopted a Mascot and then killed him.

[idkjustlemmedrownlikerab]

Midnights (Marauder's Version)

Welcome back to the new series by @marsmarauders and I. Obviously we got carried away again but here you have every single song from Midnights related to the Marauders characters :D

So we present to you... Midnights (Marauder's Version)

Lavender Haze

“The 1950s shit they want from me, I just wanna stay in that Lavender haze"

Like this song is very obviously Jily falling hopelessly in love with each other I don’t think it needs to be further elaborated

Maroon

“When the silence came, we were shaking, blind and hazy, How the hell did we lose sight of us again?"

Wolfstar, but specifically like… November 1981. The vinyl reference, "the lips I used to call home," "laughing with my feet in your lap," and "the rust that grew between telephones" signifying how they weren’t communicating well and hiding things from each other "I see you everyday now" cause Remus sees the sky and what just so happens to be in the sky? Stars. Sirius also sees the sky from his prison cell and what does he see? Oh that’s right the moon!

Anti-Hero

“When my depression works the graveyard shift, All of the people I've ghosted stand there in the room”

We had two theories for this one first being Regulus bcoz of the self deprecating vibe and “I'll stare directly at the sun (James) but never in the mirror”

But we could also see it as Mary post-war? It's hard to describe why, but everyone sees her as the Anti-Hero cause she saved herself even tho she had full right to do that

Snow on the Beach

For this one I was utterly confused and absolutely useless and Marls came up with this interpretation herself

"Can this be a real thing? Can it? Are we falling like snow at the beach?"

This song is Sirius's perspective specifically during the wolfstar forgiveness phase after the prank. "You wanting me tonight feels impossible".

You're On Your Own, Kid

"You're on your own, kid, You always have been"

Both of us agree that this song screams all the Black children because none of them chose this town (family) and dreamt of getting out, I mean the whole song recounts a young person who longs for love but eventually understands that they are on their own and always have been afterall whatever you do you can never escape the black family curse can you?

Midnight Rain

“He was sunshine, I was midnight rain”

I mean do I even need to say anything? Its jegulus bcoz they r the literal definition of opposites attract even tho they loved each other they were born on two different sides of a war which inevitably became the reason of their end.

Question…?

"Can I ask you a question? Did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room"

Dorlene. That’s it, like we have no explanation, just vibes.

Vigilante Shit

"I don't start it but I can tell you how it ends, Don't get sad, get even"

Both of us agree it could be both Regulus or Dorcas because canonically Regulus knew about the horcruxes, and died while deceiving the dark lord and on the way to kill him (also bonus bcoz the final blow which made him take this decision was bcoz Voldemort exploited Kreature so Reg decided to get even) Dorcas on the other hand canonically had to be killed by Voldemort himself because she was posing as too big a threat to his empire

Bejeweled

"Baby love, I think I've been a little too kind, Didn't notice you walking all over my peace of mind"

Lily about Severus and how even tho she  mourns and misses her friendship with him, it will never be worth more than her self respect and how she won’t let him walk all over her, a diamond’s gotta shine afterall ;)

Labyrinth

"Uh oh, I'm falling in love, Oh no, I'm falling in love again, Oh, I'm falling in love"

To me this song is sooo obviously jegulus coz of the chorus alone, its James realizing that he’s falling in love again, this time with Regulus after pining after Lily for years. Just how when he thought he was “unlovable” and it was all doomed this sickly, victorian looking, snarky slytherin boy swoops in and steals his heart right out of his chest

Marls has her own hc for Emmary tho where basically Mary was in love with Lily but it was unrequited and then she had a situationship with Emmaline but ended up catching feelings which is so perfect for this song

Karma

"And I keep my side of the street clean, You wouldn't know what I mean"

Again I had no opinion on this song coz it felt like too happy and too upbeat a song for any of these miserable sods (I still love them ) but Marls swooped in with a brilliant interpretation which was that its from Dorcas’ pov to the slytherin trio basically throwing shade at them for choosing to stay and join the death eaters instead of leaving and fighting for the “right” side like her

Sweet Nothing

"They said the end is comin', everyone's up to somethin' I find myself runnin' home to your sweet nothings"

Now for this song we had differing views with me being a jegulus girlie while Marls being a jily girlie (we still love both the ships tho, we just have a preference)

To me the song is jegulus coz I see it as them expecting the inevitable end of their relationship and doom due to the impending war and their family’s differing views and them just trying to tune everything out to spend their limited time together and in love.

On the other hand Marls interpreted is as to when the Potters were in hiding with only each other and Harry for company. How they could see that the war was on full ride and they were at the centre of it while still trying to create some sweet and happy memories with their son

Mastermind

"I laid the groundwork, and then, Just like clockwork, The dominos cascaded in a line, What if I told you I'm a mastermind?"

(Try and tell me the whole bridge doesn’t scream Regulus Arcturus Black.) To me the song is about Regulus because the man literally was a mastermind, while being a death eater he planned to betray Voldemort by destroying a horcrux and he was actually successful in retrieving it tho maybe I’m a little biased due to his characterization in the fic only the brave (Marls also thinks the song could be about James bcoz of the bridge "To make them love me and make it seem effortless")

The Great War       

"I vowed I would always be yours, 'Cause we survived the Great War"

Marls didn’t really have an opinion on this one but for me it was very clearly wolfstar. First reason obviously being the fact that they are pretty much the only couple who actually survived the war (the first one that is, we all remember how the second one went). "Somewhere in the haze, got a sense I'd been betrayed" being how they both thought the other was the spy and the prank

Bigger Than The Whole Sky

"Every single thing I touch becomes sick with sadness, 'Cause it's all over now, all out to sea"

Now this could go two ways one being the black brothers,

"Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, You were bigger than the whole sky"

Basically how Sirius feels when Regulus gets the dark mark. Because his brother is too far gone

Bonus since Regulus dies literally all out at sea

The other being marylily bcoz of

"What could've been, would've been, What should've been you"

"And I've got a lot to pine about, I've got a lot to live without"

Obviously from Mary’s pov since Lily is dead

Paris

Now Marls had no idea about and I suggested rosekiller just coz of vibes and coz

"I wanna brainwash you, Into loving me forever"

This seems like something Barty would definitely say

High Infidelity

"You know there's many different ways that you can kill the one you love, The slowest way is never loving them enough"

To me this song is bartylus coded (don’t worry they then get together with Evan and James and have a happy relationship) especially coz of this one specific rosekiller microfic I’d seen if I find it I’ll reblog it with this post

Glitch

"In search of glorious happenings of happenstance on someone else's playground, But it's been two thousand one hundred and 90 days of our love blackout"

We agreed this song gives off wolfstar vibes tho we are open to suggestions

Also 2190 days is six years which is around the same amount of time wolfstar dated if we hc that they got together around their 5th year :D

Would've, Could've, Should've

"If clarity's in death, then why won't this die?, Years of tearing down our banners, you and I, Living for the thrill of hitting you where it hurts, Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first"

Now this track could be taken in many contexts I like the interpretation of it being from the Black children’s perspective to their parents

And another one being from Remus to Greyback

"And if I was a child, did it matter, If you got to wash your hands?"

Marls also suggested it being from Narcissa’s pov to Lucius or Bellatrix, regretting not going with Andromeda which also fits wonderfully

(Since it in itself is talking about the person suffering due to a relationship when they were young and it even now haunts them I feel like this song could be interpreted many many ways bcoz all of the marauders era characters dealt with a lot of trauma at a young age)

Well obviously since most of them didn’t even reach their twenties

Dear Reader

"Dear Reader, if it feels like a trap, You're already in one"

 Peter Pettigrew. Need I see anything more?

Hits Different

"In the good in the world, you once believed in me, And I felt you and I held you for a while"

Lily without Snape in her life especially when she starts falling for James

You're Losing Me

"How can you say that you love someone you can't tell is dyin'?, I sent you signals and bit my nails down to the quick, My face was gray, but you wouldn't admit that we were sick"

For this one there wasn’t even a discussion needed it is wolfstar during the first war and we won’t hear otherwise. How even tho Sirius and Remus loved each other, the pressure of the war itself was too much on them especially coz they were so young and also coz of how Peter was manipulating them against the other ("Was it because I'm a werewolf?" "Was it because I'm a Black?" I’m sorry). They could see their relationship was straining, they kept waiting for the other to take a risk, a step to fix it and how even through their suspicions, they loved each other regardless

AAAAND THAT'S A WRAP!! THANK YOU FOR READING THIS!!

Make sure to come back to see Evermore, coming soon! (To a theater near you.)

[caufee-studies]

The sun is finally coming up

Is it really the sun tho, it looks like a red hot ball of fire, wait-

[l0vema]

Svt x OGG: in the soop series

In which svt and OGG do a collab "in the soop" but it doesn't go as planned.

ogg- original girl group

You felt their gaze fall on you as you sat down to eat. You doubt they will ask- expecting them to not even notice you'd been wholed up inside all day as the rest of them played in the water and soaked in the sun. In the soop was meant for you to relax, and that's exactly what you did.

You were handed a plate of ramyeon by mingyu and quietly ate the delicious food. Despite resting the whole day you didn't manage to find something to eat- too lazy to even get up and pause your show. Once done with your plate you got up in the midst of conversation that surrounded you as both your members and seventeen were filled with the contentment of playing around all day. You headed over to the grill and watched as dk and mingyu flipped the meat. "Two more minutes please~~" dk whispered as he kept flipping. "Grab a plate though," mingyu chimed in.

Once you got done eating the grilled meat you were sated. Slumped on your chair sipping a coke is when you were directly asked a question. "Muna where were you all day?" Seungkwan asked. You looked up only to see almost everyone quieting down to hear you.

"Oh I stayed in bed. I was pretty tired right before this little holiday. How was the water sports though?" You replied simply, kind of shocked by the fact that the entire table went quiet (it was almost 20 people around).

"You totally should've joined. It was awesome ," Jiyoon added as she smiled at the memories of that afternoon. You mirrored her smile thinking tomorrow you'd join. "Maybe we can go for a night swin if I really did miss that much ," you requested to know one in particular. That led to a string of hums and nods before the conversation shifted to hoshi and Lisa already tripping form drunkeness.

Almost an entire 2 hours later you were finally done with the dishes. It was like the military you thought as you walked out of the dark kitchen only to see mingyu, dk, yoona, amare, vernon and seungkwan sitting around the verandah in swimsuits. "Muna! We were just thinking of going to help you finish so we can go," Amare lightly said. It hit me that they were actually going for a swim...

"Get changed and meet us here quick, dk wants to see the fish before they all fall asleep" you laughed slightly before turning to change into one of the many bikinis you brought with you.

At the lake you all moved into the water despite the coldness and got comfortable. It was an oddly nice feeling, the chill and the slomo feel from the water. You held hushed conversations with your members and svt as you swam around exerting your muscles that spent the day sleeping.

It was somewhat of an intimate thing- swimming in the dark with these people- you forgot completely of the cameras filming.

That was one of the reason you were so comfortable with seungkwan as he swam much closer to you whispering "are you happy?" In a tone you'd never heard from him- unsure. You smiled and touched his shoulder before nodding "it's hard to be sad when surrounded by such amazing people."

The rest of the night faded into the heavy look from the guys every now and then and the giggles when you and yoona were trying to drown one another- heightened when amare and sengkwan pushed both of us down together.

When you got out of the water it was unbelievably cold and painful to walk. You forgot where you out your shoes. The ouch and ah was heard as you clumsily looked around. "I can't find it anywhere" you said to no one in particular.

"Lemme carry you" was heard from behind you. Turning you were shocked to see dk looking down at you. A laugh found it's way out of you before shaking your head- you weren't a small girl, the internet never failed to remind you of the beauty standards you never reached. Dk was a big guy but still- you couldn't subject him to such. "No it's fine I'll just run as fast as I can and take big strides, if that doesn't work I'll wallow in my pain before the earth akes pity and idk turns me to dust" you said half joking before turning. "I can carry you though..." he said before grabbing your arm "C'mon my mother wouldn't approve of me leaving you here, the rest are almost at the house" that's when you realization the rest had completely gone. Well who were you to refuse at this point. You just prayed your rolls and squishiness didn't disgust him or get too heavy for him.

He casually draped you over his shoulder and got to walking. In the slightly awkward silence you blurted, "if you start shaking you can put me down- I don't want to punish you" before you chuckled, self degradation was funny at times.

"Muna, you're small and plus your soft- I'm used to the hard dumbells in the gym. This is definitely fine with me" he replied already setting me down. Looking up at him you noticed the flex of his arms and realised this man was in fact hella strong. "Thanks," you smiled while looking up at him and his large shoulders and thick biceps. Thank God you were half black or else you'd be red asf. Checking out the guy you're stuck in a house with for 2 weeks is crazy- especially on day one. You turned and got to walking to your room, the chill not forgotten as your nipples hardened. Little did you know that behind you Dk was watching you with his own hardened thing....it was not his fault you were soft and smelled good and small and just so pretty in the moonlight. He sighed, he was gonna have to get himself together before seeing you again. Two more weeks of this was gonna be impossible.

A/n: not proof read. Feel free to give requests on scenarios that could occur and girl group names. I'm open to SFW and NSFW. Also I'm a new fanfic writer so please go easy on me. Love, M.A

[midnightsapphire]

What Once Was (Chapter Three)

Pairing : Aemond Targaryen x Strong!Reader

Warnings : Targ!cest, future nsfw, mentions of violence & death, slow burn, reader insert but slight oc! Descriptions, Aegon being Aegon

A/N - Here is where things start brewing! Enjoy soft young aemond x reader while they last because the next chapter is where everything goes down!

+18 ONLY, Mild NSFW ahead, MINORS DNI

Feedback is appreciated! Much love!

<< previous ; next >> 

I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

“I swear on my heart. You shall have your dragon and I shall have my sworn protector.” 

(Y/N)’s words rang through Aemond’s head like a montage, his hands shaking in anticipation as he neared the mouth of the dragonpit. His eyes squinted to adjust to the sudden darkness that enveloped him the deeper he went into the cavern where the many beasts were held. The stench of the beast and flames never deterred the boy as he constantly peeked over his shoulder to see if the dragon keepers tailed him. 

A distant roar caught Aemond’s attention as he neared a large opening, hands sweating from either nervousness or anticipation, he no longer knew. The familiar rumble shook the ground he stood on as a light flickered in the darkness. The dragon opened its mouth with a ferocious roar, causing the young prince to stumble on his own feet once he recovered from his initial shock as he tripped and crawled out of the pit. 

The blonde internally cursed himself for his cowardice, angrily kicking at the dirt under him as he saw the blinding light of the entrance grow larger and larger. 

How did he expect to win her hand if he couldn’t even win himself a dragon?

—

(Y/N) felt the goosebumps on her arms raise as Helaena graciously set the case of bugs on her lap, toying with a centipede in her own hands as she inspected the creature with curiosity. Queen Alicent had joined them, a distant look of boredom on her face as she looked at her only daughter and grandchild (which she said with.. Light discretion.), mumbling question after question to the young Helaena simply to keep the conversation going. 

“This one has 60 rings and two pairs of legs on each.”

“That’s.. 240?” (Y/N) hummed, looking through the many glass cases as she tried to keep the grimace on her face out of sight for Helaena’s sake. It wasn’t so often that people other than the handmaids or her mother herself were around the young girl and her oddities. It was, although somewhat, a relief to Alicent that someone genuinely wanted to be in the present of her child. 

“It has eyes though I don’t believe it can see.” 

“And why is that so, do you think?” Alicent asked as she heaved out a sigh, leaning one hand onto the floor they were sat upon as the other held her chin up. 

“It seems to be beyond our understanding.” (Y/N) joined in as Helaena glanced at her before breaking into a soft smile. 

“I suppose you’re right, as.. Some things just are.” Alicent mumbled, putting a hand on Helaena’s shoulder as the smile was quickly wiped off her face, her muscles tensing under her mother’s touch that made (Y/N)’s heart clench. 

She knew of the distance between the queen and her children, not knowing how such a rift could be caused in her younger age. But as (Y/N) grew all the wiser, she began to understand the predicaments the queen held. With marrying at such a young age to a man she didn’t particularly love, handling duties far too great for someone at 10 and 5. It seemed all too much for a person of her caliber, listening to the ghost’s whispers in her ear in the form of her father.

Parts of (Y/N) thanked the gods that her own mother hadn’t been that way. Although still particularly riddled with faults, her own mother was never one to push such responsibility on her shoulders. 

Her thoughts were broken at the sound of the large doors opening, both (Y/N) and Alicent’s heads turning at the king’s guard tugging in a dirtied and disheveled Aemond into their chambers. “Your Grace.” He spoke softly, ushering the blonde in as he fought the knight’s grip with a grunt. 

“Aemond.” Alicent said with worry as she held her son close to her, cupping his face in her hands as he fought even her grasp, his cheeks twinging a soft pink in comparison to his pale skin at the sight of (Y/N) anxiously watching the mother and son, the case of Helaena’s collection gently set aside as her eyes turned over to him. 

“He did it again.” The knight confessed as (Y/N) sighed, guilt ridding her knowing she had left him alone for her duties with Helaena. It was no longer a wonder to her why he had chosen to stay behind, claiming he would do nothing but linger around before he had to attend his mandatory training with Ser Cole and the rest of the boys. 

“They made me do it!”

“As if you needed encouragement. Your obsession with those beasts goes beyond understanding” Alicent scolded, holding him at arm’s length as her eyebrows furrowed in frustration, knowing it hadn’t- nor did she expect it to be the last time- he had snuck off to the pits in search to claim his own dragon. She had sworn the last time her heart had almost burst out of her chest when the knights informed her it had nearly burned most of his hair off. 

“They gave me a pig!” Aemond said desperately as (Y/N) stood up, fingers twiddling together as she stood behind his mother. 

“A what?”

“They.. They said they had a dragon for him. But it was a pig. Faux wings, tail and all.. Your Grace.” (Y/N) said with a sigh, bowing her head as she interjected herself into the conversation. Aemond avoided her gaze as soon as he felt the burn at the base of his throat, the stinging of his eyes knowing the reddening of his eyes gave away his anguish. 

“You will have a dragon one day.” His mother reassured, caressing her thumbs against his cheekbones.

“He will have to close an eye.”

—

(Y/N) flinched as she listened to Alicent’s ranting to her grandfather through the crack in the door, heaving out the breath she had been holding as Alicent brazenly spoke of what everyone in the court had whispered behind her back, behind her entire family’s back. 

“To have one child like that is a mistake, to have three is an insult, to the throne, to you, to House Velaryon and the match you battled so hard to make for her. Not to mention decency itself and her recluse of a daughter, Viserys! Aemond has.. Aemond has grown with this obsession for both the dragon and her hand. It has gone entirely too far and I refuse to have a child of mine engage with any of her.. plain-looking children.”

(Y/N) glared at her shoes, sucking on her teeth as her hands clenched at her sides with every word Alicent hissed to her grandsire, who’s words tried to comfort his frantic wife. It was almost impossible to think that her and her mother had once been joined at the hip.

But even she knew that was far too long ago. 

Hearing enough, she had ripped herself away from the door, marching over to Aegon’s room as she glanced around the corner of the hall directly leading over to his chambers. Narrowing her eyes, she grabbed a small rock she had found when roaming around the keep and tossed it in the other direction, quickly gaining the attention of the knights as they straightened and followed the sound. 

“Idiots in armor, the lot of them.” She whispered in disbelief as she snuck her way into the older prince’s chambers. A large grimace instantly made its way onto her face as she passed by the empty cups of ale, the stench of sweat and alcohol burning at her nose the deeper she went into his chambers. She could have sworn she heard a breathy whisper of her name as she neared the foot of Aegon’s bed, his back facing her as he stood stark naked in his windowsill, hand furiously rubbing at himself as he released breathy gasps. His eyebrows furrowed as his grip on the stone windowsill tightened, unbeknownst to the audience he had behind him. 

“Who’s idea was it? The pig.” (Y/N) hissed, surprising the older boy as he stumbled backwards, bunching the blankets around himself hurriedly before pausing once his violet eyes met hers. A smug smile grew on his face despite his confusion as he sat up, his eyes trailing down his niece’s body as she stood her ground, not daring to touch anything in his room. 

“This again? And to think you’ve finally come to accept my proposal, dear niece.” Aegon snickered, leaning back into his pillows as (Y/N) dared to take a step forward, arms crossed tightly over her chest as she glared down at her uncle. “Was it your plot?” She hissed through clenched teeth as Aegon rolled his eyes, brushing his messy locks out of his face as he looked through his many cups in search for more ale. 

“It was Jace and.. the other one  It-It was the two of them.” He grunted, tossing the cups aside with a clatter as he shifted his position in his bed. “I don’t see the need for such concern. My brother is a twat without a dragon.”

“He is your family!”

“It was funny!”

“Do you think my brothers would be your playthings forever?” (Y/N) mumbled as she sat her knees down onto Aegon’s bed. Her actions caused the older blonde to look up at her with a raised eyebrow, his body straightening as he instinctively leaned towards her. 

“Soon, my mother will ascend the Iron Throne and I after her while my brothers inherit all of Driftmark. All while your mother challenges the throne in order for you to take it.” She mumbled, noting how his gaze broke away from hers, trailing down from her lips and down to her chest, knowing she had his full attention. 

“Then I won’t challenge-” He mumbled in a daze as (Y/N) crawled closer to him, his body moving on its own as he laid down once she had straddled his hips, one leg on either side as his eyes widened further. 

“You yourself are a challenge, Aegon. Simply by living and breathing.” (Y/N) whispered as her hand laid on his chest, the other cupping his cheeks in between her thumb and index finger in order for their eyes to meet. Fighting her disgust as Aegon’s eyes fluttered under her gaze, her hands trailed down under her skirts, gripping the hilt of the blade her- Ser Harwin had graciously gifted her on her 10th name day.

“What everyone in the realm believes is that you were to be in succession simply for being the King’s firstborn son.” She whispered as she slid the blade out of its casing, pressing the tip of the blade harshly against Aegon’s hardness as her eyes darkened. A wave of fear passed through Aegon’s violet eyes as he kept himself from thrashing at the small sting in between his legs as his body tensed. 

“Are you mad?!”

“Furious, actually.” (Y/N) scoffed, glare hardening at Aegon as her grip on his face tightened, his mouth forming into a pout as she squeezed his cheeks. “Who knows if the realm will continue to cheer your succession when they find your cock nailed to the steps of the Iron Throne. Would they still consider you the first born son then? I’m more than sure the whores of the Street of Silk would graciously confirm it to be yours shall you deny it.” (Y/N) said through gritted teeth as Aegon paled at her words. 

“Do any harm towards Aemond- Seven Hells if you so much as make a jest towards him again. I’ll gladly see to it this incident will be more a promise than a threat.” She whispered, flashing him an innocent smile as she crawled off his lap, leaving her uncle gasping for air as he put his hands over his lap, sheepishly nodding his head when she had raised an eyebrow in understanding. 

“Now.. get dressed. You look.. disgusting.”

"Why must you both defend each other so much?" Aegon huffed as (Y/N) swore she saw a glimpse of.. sadness? Longing in his eyes? It almost made her remorseful.

Almost.

But it was easily cast aside as she remembered all the snide comments, the torment towards her and her family, towards Aemond.

"You could never understand. While your heart grows cold with resentment, mine burns solely for him."

---- 

< Strikes means tumblr wouldn’t let me tag :c  please tell me if you’d like to be removed! >

Taglist : @neenieweenie , @amnesiiiac, @drewsgfduh, @bdpst-massacre , @dangerousbluebirdpoetry, @literishdegree99, @imjustboredso , @astrumark , @percyjacksonspeen , @crazylokonugget , @mayathepsychic1999 , @infirebaby . @apeainapot

[thethirdromana]

So in Lily Allen's song The Fear, she says, ""I'll look at The Sun and I'll look in The Mirror/ I'm on the right track, yeah, I'm on to a winner", and it's a pun - she's looking at tabloid newspapers to check if she's become famous.

Whereas in Taylor Swift's song Anti-Hero, she says, "I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror", it's not a pun, it's a comment on her being prepared to do something that could damage her eyes but never to reflect on herself.

But if you listen to Anti-Hero in light of The Fear (and I am incapable of not doing this) then it seems as if Taylor Swift is happy to stare at right-wing tabloids all day long but ignores the left-wing ones.

This means nothing but I think of it literally every time I hear Anti-Hero and I needed to get it out of my head somehow.

[jalwyn21]

It's so funny how swifties, without even realizing, end up calling Taylor on her bullshit when they attack other people. When Joe posted that ig story about Palestine swifties got mad at him because him posting it made Taylor look bad - they were subconsciously admitting that her not talking about this, with the amount of power she has, was bad. When swifties started attacking Olivia for "vampire" claiming it was about Taylor, they subconsciously admitted Taylor IS capable of taking advantage of a young woman's fame and money. Her hardcore fans know what she's like, they just don't want to admit she's not a good person bc then they'll have to look at themselves in mirror and see they stan a bad person.

"I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror.." So close... and yet so far..

[jabibi-the-beef]

i would've talked about how real taylor swift was for the lyrics "i'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror" but i physically cannot stop looking at myself

[alyoshka-karamazov]

And if I asked you to assign four Taylor songs to each Classics department member 🫶🏻🫶🏻

I hope you all know how LONG I spent on this, and how much thought I put into my choices. So if you disagree I don’t care and I don’t want to hear it ✋ talk to the hand…..anyway enjoy <3

The Greek Class (Taylor’s Version):

Richard:

• I look in people’s windows

Standout lyric: So I look in people's windows/Like I'm some deranged weirdo/I attend Christmas parties from outside

• mirrorball

Standout lyric: I'm a mirrorball/I can change everything about me to fit in

• Florida!!! (except it’s about Hampden)

Standout lyric: I need to forget, so take me to Florida/I've got some regrets, I'll bury them in Florida/Tell me I'm despicable, say it's unforgivable/At least the dolls are beautiful, fuck me up, Florida

• Wonderland

Standout lyric: Ooh, didn't it all seem new and exciting?/I felt your arms twisting around me/It's all fun and games 'til somebody loses their mind

Charles:

• Innocent

Standout lyric: I guess you really did it this time/Left yourself in your warpath/Lost your balance on a tightrope/Lost your mind tryin' to get it back

•This is me trying

Standout lyric: They told me all of my cages were mental/So I got wasted like all my potential/And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad/I have a lot of regrets about that

• Dear reader

Standout lyric: So I wander through these nights/I prefer hiding in plain sight/My fourth drink in my hand/These desperate prayers of a cursed man

• Don’t blame me

Standout lyric: Don't blame me, love made me crazy/If it doesn't, you ain't doin' it right

Camilla:

• Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve

Standout lyric: If you'd never looked my way/I would've stayed on my knees/And I damn sure never would've danced with the devil/At nineteen/And the God's honest truth is that the pain was heaven

• right where you left me

Standout lyric: 'Cause I'm right where/I cause no harm, mind my business/If our love died young, I can't bear witness

• seven

Standout lyric: Please picture me/In the weeds/Before I learned civility/I used to scream ferociously/Any time I wanted

• Carolina

Standout lyric: Oh, Carolina creeks/Running through my veins/Lost I was born, lonesome I came/Lonesome I'll always stay

Henry:

• Mastermind

Standout lyric: What if I told you I'm a mastermind?/And now you're mine/It was all by design/‘Cause I'm a mastermind

• Look What You Made Me Do

Standout lyric: I don't like your little games/Don't like your tilted stage/The role you made me play of the fool/No, I don't like you

• Everything Has Changed

Standout lyric: All I know is a simple name/And everything has changed

• Robin

Standout lyric: Strings tied to levers,/slowed down clocks tethered,/all this showmanship/To keep it, for you,/In sweetness/Way to go tiger

Francis:

• Anti-Hero

Standout lyric: It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me/At tea time, everybody agrees/I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror/It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

• The Archer (fun fact, this was originally on Richard’s, but I wanted to avoid repeats, so I switched it for Florida!!!. #soulmates)

Standout lyric: I wake in the night, I pace like a ghost/The room is on fire, invisible smoke/And all of my heroes die all alone/Help me hold onto you

• I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)

Standout lyric: They shake their heads saying, "God, help her"/When I tell them he's my man/But your good Lord doesn't need to lift a finger/I can fix him, no, really I can

• You’re Losing Me (Booooo loser!!!! Kys!!!!)

Standout lyric: And I wouldn't marry me either/A pathological people pleaser/Who only wanted you to see her

+ Bonus one (1) ☝️ Bunny song because I felt bad for not including him:

This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things:

• This is why we can't have nice things, honey (oh)/Did you think I wouldn't hear all the things you said about me?/This is why we can't have nice things