#but she has no love or loyalty for her country anymore

[all-about-kyu]

Summary: San and Seonghwa are away from home during your heat, so they ask Yeosang to help you out. Pairing: Dragon!Yeosang x bunny fem!reader Tropes: hybrid au, poly au Genre: smut, fluff Rating: R 18+ Warnings: language, pet names, mentions of pregnancy Smut Warnings: heat, oral (f receive), dragon cock, unprotected sex, breeding kink, creampie, mommy kink, light dacryphilia Word Count: 6,836 Note: enjoy this chapter of CTASF 🫶 dedicated to the amazing @downtoamagicalland and @mejuii I appreciate you both so much for beta-reading this for me!

Previously: Cuddles & Throw Blankets || CTASF Masterlist

Yeosang couldn’t believe his ears. It may very well be a dream, a very specific and weird dream. He’s sitting on Seonghwa’s tattoo bench while the elder dragon cleans up his back after a touch-up. Seonghwa looks at him through the full-length mirror in front of them. Yeosang isn’t sure how to react. He just stares at the blue-eyed dragon. It seems he wants an answer, and fast.

“You want me to what?” he jumps slightly when Seonghwa sprays a bit more disinfectant cleanser on his back.

“We want you to help Hops through her heat.” Seonghwa reiterates plainly while wiping the fresh tattoo.

“I don’t understand, won’t-” “San isn’t going to be here because he’s going on a business trip in Milan.” the black-scaled dragon explains, “I’m booked solid all week and won’t be able to stay at the lair and help her. We know she likes you a lot, and you like her. We trust you to help her through this.”

Yeosang’s electric green eyes slit thinner at Seonghwa through the mirror. This has to be a test. There’s no way it’s not. Seonghwa pats his bare shoulder, letting him know that he’s done cleaning. Yeosang looks up at his older friend, trying to determine if this is truly a test of his loyalty or if they genuinely want him to help their girlfriend. Seonghwa’s blue eyes dilate and give the bronze dragon a gentle smile.

“We’re serious, Sang. Take care of our girl for us.”

You’re fucked. Not literally; you wish you were literally being fucked. You hadn’t expected your heat to come while Seonghwa was out at the shop. San wasn’t even in the country. You have no idea what to do, and you can’t exactly leave the lair either, or you’ll get jumped by the first alpha that catches your scent. You called Seonghwa, but his phone went to voicemail. He’s likely working on that massive backpiece he sketched last week while you made some jewelry. You know San can’t fly back the day after he left, but still, you call him.

“Hello? You okay, treasure?” San’s early morning voice rings through your phone.

Your knees nearly buckle hearing his gravelly morning voice, “Sannie.”

“What’s wrong?” he asks with more concern.

“I- I don’t know what to do…” you whisper, “You’re in Milan, a-and Hwa isn’t answering his phone, but-” you cut yourself off.

You hear him shifting in bed, “Tell me what’s wrong, treasure.”

“My heat is starting….” you admit.

You hear him chuckle on the other end of the call. It makes a shiver run up your spine.

“Go find Yeosang, treasure.”

“W-what?”

“Hwa talked to him last week. He’ll take care of you this week while we can’t.”

You nod, even though he can’t see you. “I should go find Yeosang then. I feel myself getting hotter.”

“Mmm,” he hums, “you go do that, Hops. Keep me updated.”

“I will. I love you.”

“Love you too, Hops.”

You hang up the call and allow yourself to sniff out Yeosang’s distinct minty scent. Due to how sensitive everything is right now, you don’t have much difficulty sniffing him out. Then, of course, you get a mixture of pine and gingerbread from Mingi’s room. You know Yunho’s in there with him. There’s a strong pull to go in there and ask the tall oranged-eyed dragon to help you, but you go against your wishes and respect what your boyfriends deem best for you in this situation. After all, you’re absolutely not thinking straight anymore.

Your ears droop as you stand outside Yeosang’s door. His peppermint tea scent is soothing but also makes heat swirl low in your belly. Timidly, you knock on the door and wait for a response. You pick at the edges of your nails while you wait. It’s a habit both San and Seonghwa are trying to get you to stop, but you can’t seem to shake it.

“Come in, Hops.” you hear Yeosang call through the door.

You push the door open to find him sitting at his desk, looking over color swatches for his current project. Instead of sitting in the comfy armchair beside his desk, you stand on the fluffy area rug behind him, waiting for some sort of confirmation that he knows you’re there. You jump and let out a small squeak when the door snaps shut on its own accord behind you.

“It was just Jongho using one of his vines to close the door for you.” he states simply, not looking up from his papers.

“H-how did you know it was me?” you ask, now toying with the tip of your ear.

“Hops, I can smell you. We all can.” he tells you.

He turns around to face you, looking you up and down before walking over. He tips your chin up to look at him in the eye. Like with your boyfriends the first time, you feel the intense flight or fight reaction growing in you. Your nose twitches lightly out of a purely natural response.

“Your heat is here. You smell so fucking good. Like a batch of freshly baked sugar cookies.” he smirks, his bright green eyes almost swirling with desire.

“I- um,” you stutter, “Sannie told me to find you.” you blurt out.

He nods, “I chatted with Seonghwa last week when he touched up my tattoo. They want me to take care of you. How clear is your head still?”

“Pretty.” you breathe out, leaning up to hopefully move his pace along.

He places his other hand on your waist, pushing you back down to be flat on your feet.

“How long does your heat normally last, tiny bunny?”

“Max, eight days. Minimum, four.” you say.

Your eyes keep flitting back and forth between his eyes and lips. You feel tiny bits of crystals pricking your chin and hip, wanting to form from his fingertips. He’s holding back; you don’t want him to. Your snow-white ears fall flat against your head as you try to lean up again. You watch how his eyes slit thinner as a last resort to hold onto the last bits of self-control.

“Sangie,” you nearly moan, “please take care of me.”

“Hops, you know we need to at least-”

“It hurts. I just need you in me now.” you beg.

Yeosang growls before surging forward to place his lips against yours. You let a whine slip past your lips into the kiss. Feeling his lips against yours finally makes heat rush through your body even more than your heat typically causes. Your tail flutters lightly behind you, reveling in the affection you’re receiving from the bronze dragon hybrid. The way he kisses you steals the air from your lungs. The longer he kisses you, the more you feel slick gushing from between your thighs.

When you’re about ready to beg again, you feel the back of your legs hit his mattress. You pull back and let yourself fall against his bed despite wanting to stay lost in the kiss. When you make eye contact, you feel the rush of fight or flight again. Only this time, you feel your thighs part and lay against the mattress. Yeosang’s green eyes are nearly fully engulfed in the electric color. His pupils are hardly visible at this point. His veiny arms have barely there dustings of shiny bronze scales. One of those arms comes closer to you. You feel the few scales on his forearm graze against your exposed skin. He runs two fingers along the fabric of your shorts. The shorts aren’t doing much, though. They’re stuck to your puffy, soaked folds, leaving little to the imagination.

“Look at that, Hops.” he muses, “You’ve leaked through these itty bitty shorts of yours. Are you that needy already?”

“Yeosang, please,” you practically cry, “I need you so bad.”

Yeosang doesn’t waste another moment. His body is over yours, and you can feel his hard length grinding against your sopping wet core. You release a continuous stream of whines and moans in lieu of begging him to fuck you properly. Within moments you’ve managed to soak the front of his pants in your slick. You’re so far gone already, though, that you’re shameless about it. Yet again, though, he pulls away from your body, and you let out a noise of dissatisfaction at his action. He slips your soaked shorts off your body, watching how a string of slick stretches from your pussy to the fabric for a few moments. The sleep shorts are discarded on the floor; you couldn’t be bothered to check where.

“I’ve heard,” he chuckles, kneeling down next to the bed, “that omega slick, specifically, bunny omega slick, tastes amazing. I think I better have a taste, don’t you think?”

“Yeosang,” you whimper.

He smirks and starts placing small kisses along your inner thigh, reaching about two inches from where you need him most before switching legs and kissing that one instead. You buck your hips up, hoping he finally gives you the attention you desperately crave. The more time he takes, the more your mind is fogged by your heat. You don’t know how to communicate how desperate you truly are; you aren’t even sure words exist to describe your feelings.

When you feel you’re about to burst at the seams, Yeosang licks a wide stripe over your folds. Your thighs quiver at the feeling. When your eyes meet, you see how the vibrant green seems to almost swirl in his eyes. It’s entrancing the way he looks at you as if you’re his prey but also as if you’re the only woman in the world. The sight makes your heat swirl more aggressively through your body. His tongue explores every bit of your swollen pussy it can. Slurping and kissing noises are the only thing heard besides your moans. You briefly look at him and see his sharp canine teeth shine. A jolt of fear runs through your system before it’s quickly overtaken by lust again.

“So fucking good.” he hums against your folds, “The rumors are true; omega bunny slick tastes like heaven. Tastes as good as you smell, little bunny.”

“Sangie,” you whine, earning a hum of acknowledgment from the bronze dragon, “need you- need you inside me. Please, inside me now.”

He nods and places a soft kiss against the hood of your clit one last time before standing up. You drag your (San’s) t-shirt off your body and toss it somewhere else in the room. You watch as Yeosang strips in front of you. Your ears fall flat against your hair, and your thighs squeeze together, seeing how gorgeous he is beneath his clothes. His muscles are sculpted everywhere; it’s enough to make you drool (more than you already might be). The sight of his tattoo makes your mind reel with different debauched thoughts. The way the long sword goes down his spine with a crescent moon behind it in the center. The sword’s hilt starts at the base of his neck, and the blade’s tip stops about an inch above his hips. It suits him well, and you can imagine how gorgeous it looks when his back muscles are flexed.

When he turns back to you, you think you may combust from the desperation you have for the green-eyed dragon. First, your eyes flit across his muscles—how his toned torso makes your tail flutter behind you. Then your eyes fall to the muscles of his lower stomach, how they lead your eyes to one place. Finally, you feel a gush of slick leak from your needy hole. His cock is something you’ve never experienced before. You thought at first, maybe, that the differences between your boyfriends’ cocks were simply coincidental due to how the dragon genetics worked for each of them. Now though, you know that each dragon has something unique.

Yeosang’s is on the longer side. You’ll struggle a little bit to take him just due to how tiny you are compared to him and all the Thunder, if you’re being completely honest. He has spiral grooves down the entirety of his member. You know, not only will it feel phenomenal having him inside you, but also that it’ll make for a very pretty sight when he cums inside you.

You must’ve made a noise of some sort because Yeosang chuckles at you. He reclaims his place over you. His tip barely grazes against your entrance. He leans down, just far enough away that you can’t kiss him. His dark hair is falling down in his face as he looks at you. A playful smirk finds its way onto his lips.

“Your eyes are so dilated, little bunny. I can hardly see the blue anymore. Are you really that needy?”

“Yeosang,” you nearly sob, “I need you so bad. Please just fuck me already. Need you, need you so bad. Breed me, fuck me, use me. Please!”

“Shh,” he hushes your sobs, wiping a stray tear from your eye in the process. “I got you, little bun.”

His tip prods through your folds, and he slowly pushes into you. Your hands fly to grip the back of his hair as he takes his time. Your fingers dance along a few bronze scales along his hairline. You can’t see them, but tracing them with your fingertips is enough for now. You desperately want to tell him he doesn’t need to be so careful. But, the tiny bit of logical thinking you have left knows he’ll still take his time with this part, at least.

“You’re so fucking wet, Hops. You smell so fucking good too. Fuck.” he muses through soft pants.

“Sangie,” you beg, “more. I need more.”

“We’re about halfway, bun. I don’t wanna hurt you.”

“I’m in fucking heat. Fuck me like you mean it.”

You notice how he takes a sharp breath in. Despite your rather enticing pleas, he’s trying to keep himself levelheaded and patient. He keeps his slow pace as he pushes each inch into you. Once he’s fully sheathed inside you, he searches your face again for discomfort. Not a single clue of that is found, though. Instead, he’s met with the most lust-filled, debauched look he’s ever seen.

“Sangie, fuck me. It’s too hot. ‘M too hot. Need you so bad.” you whine.

“Are you sure?”

“Fuck me right now!” you demand, “Or I’ll go find one of the others to do it.”

His eyes go narrow at your comment. The same kind of possessive look that San gives the others if they get too close when he’s in a bad mood. It’s extremely hot. You find yourself baring your neck in submission to him and your nose twitching again out of some sort of twisted lust-fueled fear.

“That’s a good little bunny.” he says condescendingly, “Now, are you ready for me to take care of this bothersome heat?”

“P-please, Yeosang, you already feel so good.” you admit.

He gives a shallow thrust just to see how you react to it. Your eyes nearly roll back in your head, and one of your ears twitches in pleasure. The way the grooves of his cock feel inside you send you beyond cloud nine. You’re tight around him, tighter than anyone else he’s fucked in the past. San and Seonghwa were right, fucking a pretty little bunny is an indescribable experience. He thrusts into you slowly at first. Yeosang studies every movement and facial expression you make. That is until your hands dance away from his hair and dig into his shoulders. Something about digging your blunt nails into his skin makes him insane.

His thrusts instantly become rough. You let out a choked moan, and your fingers dug into his skin just a bit more. Finally, he presses his body down against yours fully. The feeling of his skin against yours makes your mind go in a million different directions at once. You find yourself hooking your ankles together behind his back. You just want him as close as you can possibly get him. Your orgasm is already bubbling so close to the surface just because of how his cock is and how desperate you are.

You don’t warn him when your orgasm comes bursting through you. You spasm beneath him, your nails digging deeper into his skin. He gasps and lets out a moan. The sound alone makes you feel as though you may cum again instantly. His thrusts get stronger and faster as you ride out your high. The spiral grooves make the whole experience even more euphoric, even though you didn’t think it possible—your tail twitches and shivers behind you, and your ears and nose twitch.

“Fuck, Hops.” he groans in your ear, “I’m gonna fuck this little pussy full. You want me to breed you full, hmm?” “Please, Yeosang, please! Breed me full of your hatchlings. I need it so bad.” you beg as the slow burn of a second orgasm builds.

Yeosang growls again, and his sharp teeth prick at your neck. You can feel small bits of crystals on his fingertips again. The slight pain of the sharpness of both his teeth and crystals feel so good in an odd way. You want more. When he cums he buries himself fully inside you, stilling as he cums. You can feel the cum filling you and sliding back out via the grooves in his cock. As much as you’d love to be plugged up by him and his cum you know that the sight of your small hole leaking his cum is probably much prettier.

“So fucking good for me.” he muses, kissing your collarbone.

“Sangie,” you whimper, running your fingers through his hair.

“Hmm?”

“I think I’ll be okay for an hour or so before another wave comes.” you explain, “After a quick nap can we go to my nest?”

He nods, “If that’s what’ll make you comfortable, bun.”

Yeosang kisses your lips softly before pulling out of you and stepping away to find something to clean you both up with. He returns with a small towel and begins the process of cleaning as gently as he can. You try to pull away from him a few times, whining about how you want to keep his cum leaking out of you. He’s not letting that happen, though. He knows not only will your boyfriends kill him if he doesn’t care for you properly but also that it’s not healthy for you to have it in you for too long.

Once you’re both cleaned up, Yeosang quickly lifts you and places you under a light sheet on his bed. You requested not to have the comforter (as amazing as it smelled) because you knew you’d get far too hot too fast. Yeosang climbs under the sheet after you. You almost instantly find yourself nestling your head against his muscular chest, and he starts petting your ears. This is comfortable. This feels right.

“Sangie,” you ask, half asleep.

“Yes, bun?”

“Can you make any mineral?”

“Yeah, any mineral or mineral compounds. Why did I hurt you at all accidentally?” he starts to worry.

“No, no.” you chuckle, snuggling closer, “Can you make them any shape too?”

He doesn’t respond. Instead, he holds his hand that isn’t wrapped around you, palm up. You watch different minerals appear in the air just above his palm and slowly form into a crystal shaped like a small rabbit. It’s a pale blue color with slightly lighter blue banding around it. The rabbit is comfortably lying with its ears back. The newly formed crystal lowers onto his palm, and he moves it so it’s pinched between his fingers.

“Any shape, any minerals.”

“Why this one?” you ask quietly.

“Blue lace agate,” he starts, “stone of communication. People become more confident and articulate regarding their emotions due to this stone. You’re kind of like that for the Thunder. That’s why. We never really talked out our fights or disagreements before you came along. So having you here really makes a difference, Hops.”

You lift your head up slightly and look at him. His electric eyes are filled with sincerity. His typically thinly slit pupils are dilated, showing his affection toward you. Your ears are standing upright now. Yeosang chuckles lightly, and you give him a confused look. He reaches up and scratches the base of your pure white ears.

“Your ears keep turning to listen to everything.” he explains.

“O-oh,” you find yourself becoming shy, “I didn’t even realize I was doing that.”

“I know,” he smiles softly, “that’s why I laughed. It was cute.”

You’re about to respond, but a light knock sounds on the door. One of your ears shoots toward the sound, and then you properly turn your head toward it. Yeosang sighs but calls to let the person know they can come in. You can smell them through the door, though. It’s Jongho. You can’t mistake his book smell for anyone else. He doesn’t look up at first when he pushes the door open. Instead, his eyes are fixated on the tall tumbler filled with some sort of tea.

“Jesus fucking Christ, it smells like Christmas threw up in h-”

He quickly shuts up when he looks over at the bed where you and Yeosang are still lying. The sheet doesn’t cover your upper body, but you’re not exposed. He can only see your back since your chest is half against the mattress and half against Yeosang’s chest. Jongho quickly turns around, nearly knocking over a houseplant with his dark blue tail. You feel a chuckle start to rise in your throat, but then the heat of a blush runs through your body when you feel Yeosang pull the sheet up over your shoulders. Jongho stays facing Yeosang’s bookshelf when he starts talking again.

“I made some tea for her to drink. It’s that one with the, um, the pregnancy prevention whatever flower.”

Yeosang chuckles, “Yeah, ‘the pregnancy prevention whatever flower’, you’re the damn flora dragon. So you should know the name of it, right?”

“That’s not important right now. I’m putting it on the shelf over here. Get it when you want.”

You sigh, “Just bring it over here. There’s a little table next to me.”

Jongho visibly tenses up, and you see how small vines twine around his fingers. You aren’t trying to make him feel uncomfortable. That’s the last thing you want to do. You just want to offer him a more straightforward solution. Slowly, Jongho turns around, putting a hand in front of his eyes so he only sees just the ground in front of him. He ends up stubbing his toe on the small table anyway. Jongho lets out a slightly pained noise and sets the cup down. You reach over and grab his wrist before he can pull his hand away. The sheet falls off your one shoulder, but your back remains mostly covered.

“Jongho,” you speak softly.

Finally, he takes the hand covering his eyes away and makes eye contact with you. His golden eyes are swirling with some sort of emotion you can’t find words to describe. You don’t say anything at first but offer him a gentle smile. He keeps the same slightly panicked but attentive face.

“Thank you,” you say, “I really appreciate the tea. Is your foot okay?”

“Y-yeah! Great!” he answers a little too quickly, “I’ll just go before another wave hits you.” he chuckles awkwardly before releasing his wrist from your hold.

Jongho is out the door within seconds, and vines stretch back to shut the door behind him. Your heart sinks a little bit, thinking you made him uncomfortable. Yeosang must’ve noticed because his arm wraps tighter around you. When you look up at him, you see a smile resting on his lips while he looks at you. You reach up and run your fingers through his hair along his hairline. He leans into the touch each time your fingertips run across his shiny scales.

“You’re trying to distract me.” he muses, though his eyes stay closed.

“Why do you say that?” you muse back.

“You’re brushing through my hair, but I can smell that your sweet sugar cookie scent is slightly burnt now. What’s wrong?”

You sigh, “I made him uncomfortable.”

“Jongho?” he asks. You nod in response, “You didn’t, little bunny. He doesn’t want to cross a line that he can’t.”

You choose not to think about what he means by that, “Can we go to my nest now?”

“Of course, little bunny. Can you bear to have clothes on for a little bit while we go down the hall to your room?”

You nod at him. He gets up with a slight groan and walks to his closet. He grabs a hoodie and stops at his dresser to grab a pair of sweatpants. Once he’s standing in front of you again, he holds the hoodie up and gently slips it over your head. You think you may not make it to your nest being so wrapped up in his scent. But, when you slide your arms into the sleeves and pop your head out, you see Yeosang looking at you with that same endearing look from earlier.

“You look good in my clothes.” he tells you, “We should keep you this way.”

“Don’t start being protective like Sannie.” you pout.

“Little bunny, you walked into being coveted the moment you joined the Thunder.” he muses.

He offers you a hand to help you stand up. When you stand, the hoodie falls down to be the length of a short dress on you. Yeosang’s sweatpants hang low on his hips, and you desperately want to tug them down and learn what it feels like to have his cock down your throat. You somehow maintain your composure, though, and watch as he grabs your tea from the nightstand. You start your short walk down the hallway, and soon as you’re about halfway down the hall. You feel a second wave of heat takes over your body. You feel the slick coating your thighs, and when Yeosang whips his head around to face you, his eyes are wide. You’re stood in the middle of a communal space in a lust-drunk state. This could get bad, fast. Luckily your room is just another five steps away. He drags you in, shuts the door tightly behind him, and places the tumbler on the small desk next to the door.

He doesn’t expect you to pin him against the door when he closes it. He had expected you to grovel in front of him, begging for his cock again as you had just a little bit ago. Now you’re confident and demanding for him to submit to you. Nothing could’ve prepared him for you in this frame of mind. You’re typically rather meek and prefer to be guided than guide someone else. Seeing you like this, it does something to him. He bears his neck to you as you bury your face against his chest. You’re still so small compared to him; he could easily overpower you if he wanted to. Yet, he doesn’t want to. He wants to submit to you.

“Hops,” he tries to sound firm, though it comes out rather meek.

“Sangie,” you mirror with a sultry tone.

“What are you playing at?”

“Strip and go lay down.” you practically demand, “I’m riding that cock until you cry.”

The rush of something strange goes through him. Yeosang’s never been talked to like that by anyone, especially a prey hybrid. He wants more. Letting you control everything sounds like something he’ll thrive in. Will he ever tell the rest of the Thunder what he’s letting you do? Never. But the rush of submitting to a little bunny has him practically melting in your touch.

When you release him from his place pinned against the door, he releases a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He slips his sweatpants off his body and walks toward your nest. You stalk up behind him and wrap your small body around him from behind. Your hand snakes down to wrap around his cock. Yeosang lets out a whine like he’s never done before. He feels pliant, ready to bend to whatever you choose at that moment. He tries to buck up into your touch, but you immediately release your hold on him.

“We’re playing my way now, okay, little dragon?” you question condescendingly.

“Y-yes,” he pants.

“Hmm? What was that?” you ask again.

“Yes, m-mommy.” he quips.

You chuckle victoriously and let him climb into your nest. He shifts a little bit back and forth to get comfortable in the space. The scents of Seonghwa and San are prevalent in the room, but they aren’t unwelcome at all. Still, your sugar cookie scent is so overwhelming and powerful that it makes Yeosang’s cock leak a bit of precum in anticipation of being wrapped up in your soaked, swollen pussy again. You crawl over his form and sit right on top of his cock. The spiral grooves of it feel like heaven when you start grinding against him.

“Please,” he whines, his eyebrows furrowing with desire.

“Who are you talking to like that?” you bite.

You lean down to nibble at his throat. Small bits of caramel and dark brown colored stone start rising from his fingertips. The deep color is laced with the fiery red of another stone that desperately wants to form. Pulling back, you notice how his dark pupils nearly overtake his bright green eyes. You’ve never seen his eyes blown so wide, but it makes you even more cocky.

“Go on. Ask nicely, and maybe I’ll let this useless cock inside me after all.”

“Please, Mommy. Please use me.”

That rush of power runs through you again, and a gush of slick escapes your needy hole. Raising yourself up on your knees, you hold the dragon hybrid’s member just below your entrance. Tears prick lightly at the corners of Yeosang’s green eyes as you lower yourself onto him. A pornographic sigh escapes your lips as you feel him fully sheathed inside you. You don’t give him a moment to process how good you feel around him. He desperately wants to hold you. Touch you anywhere you let him as you ride him. Your pace is anything but gentle; your pussy makes squelching noises each time you bounce down on him. An orgasm already threatens to snap inside you despite just starting this round. Something about the grooves running down his shaft makes you feel a way that you’ve never felt before. You’ll have to try out all the Thunder members at this rate to see how good each one of them feels. Another time though.

“Mommy, you’re squeezing me too tight. Wanna- gonna-”

You still your movements, “No. You don’t cum until I say so.”

“But-” he looks like he may cry, “Don’t you wanna be bred, Mommy?”

“Of course, sweet boy, you’ll wait until mommy cums, though. Then you can breed me all you want.”

You start riding him again and let your orgasm tighten in your lower belly. Then, before you can process anything, you feel that tightly wound chord snap. Your walls spasm around him. He lets out small whimpers and whines at the feeling, holding off his own orgasm as best he can. Your soft white ears fall back as you let the orgasm take control of your body, and your tail twitches and shivers with each bounce you do.

“Breed me, little dragon. Breed, Mommy.” you sigh as you come down from your high.

“T-thank you, Mommy.”

Yeosang cums hot and fast inside you. His already pitchy whines become even more pitchy and whiny somehow. You don’t give him a break, even as he releases inside you. Your harsh, fast pace continues making for an even needier dragon beneath you. He practically wails when he comes down from his high and realizes how harshly you’re still riding him. Yeosang’s eyes well up with tears, and you watch as those tears roll down his cheeks a moment later. His hands grip your waist tightly, and the red and brown crystals prick at your skin.

“‘S too much. Mommy, too much!” he begs for a break.

“I told you I’m riding this cock until I’m satisfied, and” you pause and lean down to his ear, “I’m not satisfied yet.”

The hairs on the back of his neck stand up, hearing you whisper in his ear. He’s not sure if he wants to cry more or try to take control of the situation. His head is so fogged with you, your scent, your pussy. He doesn’t know how to handle it anymore. His arms go limp at his sides again, letting you do whatever you want to him. Time feels like an illusion to both of you at this point. You’re unsure how many rounds you go or how filthy the nest is from the mixture of cum and slick.

The power shifts back and forth between you throughout the next few hours. You can smell the others roaming about the apartment, trying very hard not to focus on the sugar cookies and peppermint tea scents coming from your nest. This wave of heat seems to be much longer and more intense than any other you’ve experienced all the time you’ve had your heat. Maybe it’s just because you have a proper partner this time; perhaps it’s because of something else. Right now, though, you don’t have the energy or level-headedness to figure it out.

Yeosang is resting beside you. He deserves it after the amount you put him through, regardless of who controlled the situation. He’s lying on his stomach with his head turned toward you. He looks exceptionally peaceful despite the intensity of the situation. You let your fingers card through his hair a few times, admiring the bronze scales along his hairline. Slowly, your hand dances lower to trace his tattoo lightly. Goosebumps appear on his skin as your fingertips trace the art. Having Yeosang in your nest is already amazing, but having him be so comfortable in this space with you is an even better feeling.

You almost get lost in your thoughts but hear knocking on the door. One of your ears again turns toward the sound. You call the person in since you’re between waves. The door creaks open carefully, and then you’re hit with a hefty waft of your elder boyfriend’s scent. You’ve been so engulfed in Yeosang’s scent you didn’t even register Seonghwa’s scent. He steps into the room fully before shutting it tightly behind him. Grabbing the tea on the way, he sits on the bed beside you.

“How are you feeling, my love?” he asks, passing you the tea.

You take a sip, “Good! Yeosang’s been really helping a lot.”

Seonghwa’s eyes dart over to the bronze dragon, “How is he fairing?” he asks, moving a lock of Yeosang’s hair out of his face.

“I really wore him out,” you admit with a blush. Seonghwa chuckles and yawns, “What time is it?”

“Nearly midnight. You should get some rest while you can.”

You nod, “Good night, Hwa. I love you.”

He smiles, “I love you too. I’ll see you once your heat is officially done.” he kisses your cheek before heading toward the door, “Don’t forget to finish that tea. We can’t have hatchlings running around just yet.”

Your heat lasts a few more days. Yeosang manages to keep up somehow. San calls a few times between waves and chats with you both. Once, he called in the midst of a wave and spoke to you during it. You couldn’t recall what you talked about, well, more like what he was telling you. Jongho popped in a few more times to give you more tea. Each time was just as awkward as the first. Still, you find yourself thinking about the navy dragon and wondering what Yeosang meant by the younger not wishing to cross a line.

The two of you stayed locked up in your nest. Yeosang, at one point, tried to leave, and you had a breakdown about it. The dragon quickly learned, do not leave you alone during your heat or bad things happen. You sobbed uncontrollably in his lap for five minutes until you felt grounded again. You do not know how long it has been, nor do you care. All you know is San is home when you’re finally stable enough to reemerge from your room. Your nose twitches as his familiar sea breeze scent fills it. You bounce down the hallway to see him placing his luggage down. He chuckles, seeing you, and you throw yourself into his arms. His strong arms wrap around your waist tightly. Seonghwa isn’t home. He’s likely at the studio already nose-deep in work. San gives a knowing look to Yeosang before the bronze dragon speaks.

“I tried to tell her to stay in the nest and let you come to her.” Yeosang explains, “She wouldn’t listen, though.”

“Did Sangie take care of you, treasure?”

You nod into his shoulder, “Very well.”

“You smell so much like him right now.” he playfully growls, “You’re not in heat anymore?” “No,” you chuckle, “I had my heat crash this morning.”

“It was not a pretty sight,” Yeosang interjects, “I’ve never seen her breakdown like that before.”

You pull yourself out of your boyfriend’s hold to walk back over to Yeosang. Then, wrapping your arms around his shoulders (causing you to be on your tip toes), you gently kiss him on the nose.

“You took such good care of me! No one’s ever taken care of me in heat like that,” you admit.

Yeosang communicates with San silently before wrapping his arms around your middle, “I’m happy I could help, little bunny.”

Later that night, once Seonghwa returns home from the studio, he finds San sitting in the bronze dragon’s bedroom. Seonghwa narrows his eyes. His pupils are slit thin. Something is up. He knows it. He steps into the room and finds that you and Yeosang are there too. You’re happily curled up in Yeosang’s lap while chatting with your boyfriend. San’s body language conveys his relaxedness despite you sitting on Yeosang.

“Seonghwa!” you beam, running up to hug him.

“Hi, bun. You feeling better now?”

“Much,” you giggle, your blue eyes sparkling up at him, “We actually wanted to ask you something.”

Seonghwa’s eyes dart his eyes between the three of you, searching for some sort of non-verbal answer. You smile sweetly, hoping to soothe him slightly. Unfortunately, his typically sweet strawberry jam scent seems a bit sour due to the lack of conversation right now. You climb out of Yeosang’s lap and walk over to Seonghwa. Taking his hands in yours, you look up into his bright blue eyes. How your eyes sparkle looking at him gives him hope of a good question and his strawberry jam scent returns to its standard sweetness.

“Sannie and I talked after he got home and agreed that we really like Yeosang in this dynamic. He took great care of me and didn’t take advantage of me even though he could’ve at any point. And-” you pause, “I know you chose him to care for me for a reason.”

Seonghwa’s brows furrow briefly, then melt into a sweet smile, “So what do you, Sannie, and Sangie want to ask me?”

“How do you feel about Yeosang joining our relationship?” San questions.

Seonghwa looks at the green-eyed dragon who has yet to chime in. His eyes ask a silent question. He already knows the answer, though. A small piece of Carnelian had formed in the bronze dragon’s palm, giving away his thoughts.

“What do you want, Yeosang?” Seonghwa asks gently.

“I want-” Yeosang shifts in his chair slightly, “I would really like it if you would let me join this relationship.”

Your eyes plead for Seonghwa to answer with a yes. Of course, you already know he will, but it never hurt to give him your sparkly begging eyes too. Seonghwa smirks at San, then lets his hand lightly stroke your cheek.

“And to think, San was getting all jealous just before I talked to Yeosang about helping you. Anything to say for yourself, Sannie?”

San shrugs, “Change of heart, I guess.”

“So?” Yeosang asks, almost meekly.

“Welcome to our relationship Yeosang. You better get some of your clothes in Hops’ nest before she steals some.”

You giggle, “I don’t think his scent is coming out of that thing any time soon.”

“San and I better get our scents back in that thing, huh?” he asks with a suggestive lilt.

“H-hwa?”

“I think it might be time to play with our bunny again. What do you think, San?”

“I think so too.” he chuckles, “You coming, Yeosang?” “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

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[thursdayinspace]

Hi friend! What are your thoughts about Anasazi? 🤣😉

oh god one day i will have to make a real post about this. maybe on my next rewatch. but my immediate thoughts?

love can be expressed in so many ways. like shooting your friend in the shoulder and keeping him unconscious for what must have been a three day road trip across the country. after that friend had accused you of working against him.

honestly, it is such an important episode for them. mulder's father gets killed and he feels sick because someone has drugged the water in his apartment building, and he goes straight to scully. he isn't even thinking straight anymore at that point, but he needs scully, he's gonna be safe there when the whole world is against him. and scully does keep him safe. she knows him. she trusts him absolutely.

mulder believes she betrayed him? no, he doesn't. she knows he doesn't believe that. he's had something done to him. she figures out what it was, shoots him before he can shoot krycek and put that on his conscience and his permanent record, and takes him on that insane road trip -- i really want to know how she even managed that. if that isn't a true act of love, what is? it must have been difficult. they didn't make that trip in a day. and, you know. she had to take care of him. with . . . all sorts of physical stuff. that's friendship.

and he did not expect that. even saying thank you is something he has to figure out how to do. not because he isn't grateful, but because who has ever done something that big for him? who has ever done anything big for him without an ulterior motive? and she keeps doing it. she keeps being there for him. no matter what. it has to be a process for him to figure out why, because she doesn't ever really ask for anything in return and she never uses it as leverage to get anything from him.

he understands what she did for him, but i don't think he fully grasps the entire meaning of it yet, because he can't. friendship and love is conditional, in his experience. not in the way he loves other people. he loves unconditionally and with all his heart. he just doesn't expect to be loved back in the same way. but i think this, the way she takes care of him here? i think he sees for a short moment, before he shuts that part of himself off again, that there is somebody who believes he's worthy of being loved just for who he is.

over the course of their partnership, she gives him more and more moments like that and they accumulate over time. but it takes him a long, long time to be able to take that risk and stand still long enough to be loved. because that is such a risk. so he runs and runs and runs, making himself a moving target so her expressions of love graze him but never wound. but scully is a good shot. she doesn't just put a bullet in his shoulder. she hits him right in the heart with the full force of her trust, loyalty, and love again and again, until he realizes that it doesn't hurt. it doesn't make him bleed. it heals him.

and this episode, what she does for him here, that is one time he cannot dodge the bullet. he walks away from that adventure with a new scar on his shoulder and a little bit of that protective wall around his heart chipped away.

[spinji]

Do you have any idea why Nana continued to dehumanize Shigaraki after learning that her murderer groomed him to be evil?

I think what a lot of people don't get with the whole "you might have to kill Shigaraki" thing is that Nana (and Torino by extension) aren't removing his autonomy when they say that.

At a certain point, it doesn't matter who's fault it is for turning someone into a villian. The entire purpose of Deku's rematch with Muscular is to make it clear that some people aren't going to stop destroying things and hurting people by talking about their abusive dad or their dead mom or whatever tragic circumstances led them here.

Tomura has also reached a similar point, refusing to compromise on his goal to destroy the causes of his suffering. That includes both All for One and the society that left him to rot. AFO meticulously planned a lot of Tenko’s misfortune but he didn't manipulate the strangers that passed him on the street. He didn't create that feeling of abandonment, only pointed it in the wrong direction. Tomura not making this choice for himself because he was groomed genuinely doesn't matter anymore because these are his choices now. He's shown multiple times to understand that AFO is using him against All Might and for his own ends, but he doesn't try to get away and turn to the heroes; he tries to get away so he can be a villian on his own terms.

It's easy to forget, since he's the protagonist, but Izuku's optimism about saving the crying boy at the core of who Tomura is, is a massive outlier and his leaps in logic aren't always solid. Nana is very callous when she talks about it, my personal guess is it's because she's still not fully willing to face her sense of guilt that her attempt to save her son from AFO led to the creation and abuse of Tomura. But she is still correct, regardless of what pain lingers inside Tomura, it is too late to help him.

Even when Izuku reaches his hand to Tenko when he is at his absolute most vulnerable, he maintains his loyalty to the league. He's been cast from society for so long that there's nothing that can convince him to stop. He would rather die destorying than live in a world he couldn't change.

In fact most of the major deaths in the league maintain this theme. Twice would rather die fighting than let his friends get screwed over by his own shortcomings again. Toga would rather die a free girl that lived as she pleased than fall in line with society. The heroes didn't choose to kill any of them from the outset, they could have gone quietly at any time to save their own skin, but their cause was more important.

This is what Nana means when she maintains that Shigaraki dying is a possiblity that needs to stay on the table, because he won't allow anything that isn't victory or death. It's tragic but I think it helps convey the message that the ending wants to, that change in how we treat the strange and disparaged doesn't just need to happen, but it needs to happen sooner. You can't just wait until a villian tries to blow up the country to try and help them, you need to give that kindness to everyone before those villians can even exist.

Sorry this got off topic because I really hate how people simplify the ending as bad writing when to me it seems really obvious that Horikoshi was going for a bittersweet ending with the league. They did destroy society but didn't live long enough to see what it rebuit into because even trust in one person trying to save them isn't enough when you're this far gone.

Either way, Horikoshi's writing style leads to a lot of necessary intuiting about the characters to actually understand the motivations for how they act. I think Nana ends up being a particularly rough victim of this because her stoicism and blunt attitude is very obviously supposed to be a front.

She opened herself up to others and All for One killed her loved ones, so she guards her heart the best she can to avoid showing more weaknesses. She does feel like a failure to her legacy; she never fully believes she made the right choices regarding Kotaro or Tomura. But if she cracks then not only is she done but AFO will make it his duty to twist the knife and hurt the people she cried for too.

She's a contrast to Izuku serving as a cautionary what-if scenario if Izuku's big open heart just makes more people targets by association (which it does!). She's not entirely right when she calls Tomura a monster but she isn't being entirely honest with herself either.

[brucewaynehater101]

Did Jack Al Ghul Drake's parents love him or the money that was sent to them?

Insert the clip from el dorado with the main characters pointing out that both would be good

They were Gothamites, they weren't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, they got a son and a regular payday? They considered themselves lottery winners. The minion that took Jack away did try to look for a couple that actively wanted a child and also wasn't too awful. The mom was a bit of a karen and the dad was very... traditional. The minion that was tasked with taking Jack away knew Jack was a complete failure but the boy still carried the blood of his master and that blood had worth in the minion's eyes when nothing else about Jack had worth to the league.

Ra's does not at all encourage siblings getting along or having more loyalty to someone in the family other than himself. Talia was responsible for at least one instance of Jack having to be dipped in the pit, possible more but only the one could be proven. After Jack was sent away, Talia did not think of him anymore. He was a failure and deserved no place in her thoughts.

If she discovered that Tim was her nephew? It would be a toss up as to whether it would make her want Tim dead more or less. On the one hand, this makes the young detective a candidate for her father's vessel rather than Damian and some small part of Talia does love Damian and would rather not see her father's soul overtake her son's body. On the other hand, Tim is still very much a threat in her eyes in relation to her son's rightful place and now he has the added edge of having the blood of the al ghul family which to Talia's mind makes him that much more of a threat since it could be argued that she's inherited her father's dismissive attitude towards women but considers herself an exception because she's "not like other women".

Of course this AU still leaves open any sort of interesting heritage on Janet's side of things, a heritage that Jack likely dismissed and that Tim might want to explore since it's a heritage that's NOT related to a crusty old creep and an assassin cult.

At least probably not related to an assassin cult.

Thank you for answering all the questions!

Thr explanations for Jack's parents as well as Talia certainly check out. I am curious if Talia's feelings about Tim affect how Damian views Tim. Also, after Bruce adopts Tim, would they consider themselves brothers, cousins, or coworkers?

It would be cool for Tim to connect to both sides of his family's heritage. I've seen some rad fics that discuss Janet havung various home countries (I've seen Phillippines, South Korea, and Russia) and carrying some of those traditions with her to Tim (such as making certain foods, celebrating certain holidays, etc). I've also seen some that indicate she was Christian while Jack was Jewish, and they thus celebrated both winter holidays. That, or Janet preferred a Jewish funeral with all of the procedures that typically go with it. I'm not sure what Janet's heritage is in this AU, but I bet Tim could compare how he's been deprived of both his mom and dad's culture growing up.

[gh0stlyfixation]

Prince Consort

I got an ask from a anon and I lost it so here’s what I can remember of the request 😅: Simon is married to a future queen and he has to bend the knee to her kinda like in The Crown except he’s thrilled to pledge his loyalty to her. One night before the coronation the reader and him practice his knee bending making them both feel more comfortable and confident with there future changing

Warnings: none really, based off The Crown, grammar issues I bet.

Simon Riley x fem!reader

It was sudden and unexpected, your father had died. The King of your country. You run to his room, ready to shake him awake, but Simon is quick to pull you back. He knows they are preparing his body, you shouldn’t see that. Simon, you sweet, stubborn husband. The day you met him was a blessing in your life.

“Simon this is Princess Y/N,” Simon lightly curtesy’s you, and you offer him a smile. He was handsome. You knew of this soldier, Ghost wore a skull mask in battle. He was skilled no doubt, which hints at the reason he is here in front of the King and his daughter, the princess.

“Simon, your accomplishments are notable and honorable which is why we’ve invited you here tonight. We wanted to give your metal in-person, honor your sacrifices.” You say with a smile holding out a medal.

He was injured in combat, saving the lives of hundreds all by himself, and he was medically and honorably discharged. Simon didn’t know what to do with himself anymore. The military was all he did, so when the police told him the princess wants to meet him and thank him, he felt as if he did have a purpose still.

A purpose is to serve the people in some way shape or form. “Thank you, princess.” He says. He was smitten with you, he’s only ever seen you on the news or social media on the little time he did go on it. You were as beautiful as he’s seen, stunning. He knew he’d never get a chance with you, with your high status and him being a common person, but times have changed. It’s no longer the 1800s.

You took Simon on the tour of the castle, explaining its history and telling funny stories of you growing up, Simon realizes you are just as normal as he was. You’ve wanted nothing more than a true genuine connection and you had that with Simon.

You’ve kept in touch over the months, having late-night calls. Eventually, Simon asked you on a date in the safety of your gardens, then asked if you’d be his girlfriend then he asked your father for your hand in marriage, “a man like you would be perfect for our future. I give you my blessing.” The king always treated Simon with such kindness, as if he was his son, something Simon never got with his father.

But now, your world is falling apart. The simple life you and Simon led now in your country side cottage comes apart as you are officially the Queen. The talks have started about what Simons title would be, he’s been upgraded to a prince when he married you, but he couldn’t be a King because he didn’t have royal blood.

None of that matter to Simon, he didn’t care if he received the title of a prince, he only cared about you and being with you. He fell in love with you and only you, not your title, you. You were his world. After being discharged he had nothing and you gave him everything.

So now Simon sits as the practice of your coronation watching as you practice your line with the priest, “you’ll have to bend the knee to her and pledge your loyalty.” Her assistant speaks to Simon.

“Anything for her,” he says. Your assistant sees the love he holds for you and it’s something she’s never seen herself.

It’s the night before the coronation and you stare at the crown you are soon to wear. Your father, your grandmother, and many others of your relatives wore this exact crown. You huff and cross your arms, “what’s with the long look?” Simon ask leaning on the door frame shooing away a guard.

“What if this thing falls off my head?” You ask him.

Your eyes are drooping from how tired you are and he smiles, “you won’t. You are fit to be a queen.” He tells you walking up to you and wrapping his arms securely around your waist as he rests his chin on your shoulders looking up at the crown with you. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he’d be here today, retired from the military, with a royal title, and with the prettiest girl of them all. “Why don’t you try it on?” He asks you. “Practice,” he says.

“I’ve already practiced today. You were there.” You quipped back.

He chuckles, “that is true, but I haven’t been able to practice. They seem to think I’ll do fine.” Simon says.

You bend your neck enough to look up at him when he removes his chin from your shoulder, “are you nervous Simon?” You ask him.

“Nervous I’ll mess up my lines, nervous to be on tv? No, I’m perfectly fine.” He forces a smile. You giggle and look over at the throne. Carefully you grab the crown and walk towards the throne and settle into it.

You place the heavy crown on your head, “let’s practice then.” You smirk. Simon rolls his eyes but he take a minute to look how perfect you are in your chair. He walks up to you and kneels.

He grips your knee with one hand and looks up at you, “I, Simon, do become your liege man of life and limb and of earthly worship and faith and truth I will bear unto you, to live and die, against all man of folks so help me god.” (Line from The Crown, all credits to that)

The room feels stuffy as you and Simon look at one another, it’s dawned on you how important tomorrow will be. How millions will watch you be crowned queen and watch the man you love swear his loyalty to you. Simon stands, his frame towering over you as his hand touches the top of your crown he kissed your cheek and backs away while still watching you and slightly bowing down to you.

Now here you are walking down the aisle of the old church that many of your great grands walked through, your left hand holding Simon's right hand delicately as you look over at him giving him a smile to rid of his nervousness. He looks up at your emerald green crown gifted by your grandmother then back down at you giving your hand a tight squeeze and mouthing, I love you, before departing so you sit on the old wooden chair and be crowned Queen.

[wireman-au]

SWAP COMPLETE.

Your name is Bdubs. You are currently sitting on a bench on the street in your coworker's neighborhood. About a block down the road, there's a bar you've personally decided must at least be a little evil. On either side of you, your coworkers are mother henning you. It's unnecessary. They both know you've done this song and dance before.

They both hate you've done this song and dance before.

Whatever. Two more years and you're done with your contractual obligations, and you'll have enough hazard pay that you and Etho and Cleo can all go retire to like, you don't know, a town outside a ski resort in Colorado or something. Live where all them rich, fancy celebrities live. Or, well, maybe not that, but retire to the country and you can finally actually use that architecture degree you sold your soul for. Maybe.

Anyway, none of that matters that much, given that, at the moment, you're still reeling from both having briefly been someone else (what?) and also no longer having a migraine (this should be fine but it's weirder than you thought it would be).

"I'm going to do it. I'm going to kill a general of the United States Army," mutters Cleo. "I'm actually going to do it."

"Chill out!" you shout, irritated.

"You chill out! I just watched you nearly collapse for no reason but the thing they put in your neck!"

"Yeah, well, it's supposed to help me be better, isn't it? Wouldn't'a done it if there weren't upsides."

"Oh, I can name a few reasons they would--"

"Wouldn't'a sent me out on a mission if there weren't upsides, or at least, few enough downsides to make it worth it," you clarify. Cleo shuts her mouth and looks away. Yeah. Okay. Okay.

You take stock of everything that's happened since you left base two days ago:

You've been dizzy.

You've been nauseous.

You've been having trouble sleeping--weird, because you could fall asleep on a bed of nails directly in front of stadium lights, but there you are.

You've been getting migraines.

You've been--weird. You don't know how to put it. You've been weird. Cleo knows it. You know it. You're pretty sure in the like, three hours worth of talking you've done to Etho today, he knows it.

There's been something scratching at the back of your head, like it's trying to get in.

It's stopped. You don’t think that’s because it’s gone. You suspect it’s because it won.

You have to admit Cleo has a point. You aren't going to say anything, though. She's already mad enough she might commit a federal crime and get you both disappeared for, you aren't sure, threatening the integrity of classified military experiments? Like, you're not sure you own the thing they implanted in you, which is--

Which is--

Focus. It doesn't matter for today. For right now. As long as you stop Cleo from committing a murder, you're probably all good.

"Uhh, guys, you two... okay?" Etho asks.

"Peachy," you say. "Don't even have a headache anymore."

"I hate that they do this to you," Cleo says.

"Yeah, uh, count me in. Towards. The hating things," Etho says awkwardly. God, you love that man. No one else could declare his loyalty so badly. "So I guess you're allergic to alcohol now or something?"

"What? No, that can't be it," you say. "I refuse. If I don't get a beer after this I'm suing."

Cleo huffs. "Well, if I have to perform CPR because you try to drink a beer, that's not my fault."

"Oh, screw you."

A shudder runs through your skull. It rings like a bell. You stick out your tongue and don't say anything yet; you'll put it down in the stupid diary later.

[CONNECTION GRANTED.]

Besides, the sooner you get your current job done, the sooner you can go home and ignore all of this.

[silviakundera]

Joy of Life S1 Ep 42 liveblogging

watching for the 1st time, so don't tell me secrets ;)

Fan Xian seems really sure he's the emperor's son. Hmmmm Do I feel confident the emperor likes him, as much as a selfish schemer of his kind can like anyone? Sure. Do I feel confident at this point that the emperor thinks FX is his illegitimate kid? IDK because this could be another cover and he was actually helping her hide something. I'm just not at the place yet where I am taking that as an irrefutable fact.

The look on FX's face when Xiao En says as long as he knows he's a Xiao. Good acting! You can see the compassion FX has for him. He's not only ruthless and vicious.

"Don't bury me. I don't want to be underground anymore." 😢😔

"I am sorry I am not your grandson. Sit tight. You won't be bothered anymore." All of his dialogue in this scene is simple but full of sincere feeling. FX is not as wholly dark as he thinks he is. What a fantastic, complex character. I really like him.

That secret was indeed underwhelming for me but Xiao En had a fantastic arc.

Chen Pingping always has like 5 reasons for anything he does. Love that about him.

LMAO Chen Pingping even set up things so evil Princess' plot ended up giving FX a chivalrous bestie. (He reminds me a lot of Korn, the mafia kingpin from Kinnporsche. Can't predict everything but makes great bets based on all the variables he can control and his understanding of people's hearts. Willing to risk it all for the reward.)

Hi Gao Baokun! Ohhhhhhhh now FX is on the trail of Chen Pingping's 5th Reason. Teng Zijing was set up to be in that village! Hand selected to be positioned into FX's life. Just a pawn.

Gao Baokun is just a random loser who got dragged into the mud (but wait--we already knew he didn't try to kill Teng Xijing's fam in the end, and that part was the Bureau? Or at least I thought we knew that.)

It's touching that after all FX still trusts Teng Zijing. His one true friend! ❤

ahhhhhhhh Fan Xian is super pissed at his uncles. Guys you may have miscalculated this. Like my beloved Korn from Kinnporsche, Chen Pingping & Emperor want it all and are betting big that they can have their power AND their chosen people. Or at least the Emperor really wants both. Korn won the day in that drama (tho fandom keeps punishing him in fanfic). We'll see if FX can eventually forgive.

His Majesty is actually calling it out that they say to each other & perhaps even to themselves that they see Fan Xian as their baby boy and yet.... I like the emperor for his self awareness and inner conflict about his hypocrisy

Does Fan Jian truly think of FX wholeheartedly as his foster son? Are Chen Pingping and His Majesty actually having real trust issues..? Remains to be seen.

We're back with Yan Bingyuan and FX admitting this was a test for him.

Who's Xiao En's real grandson? Yan Bingyuan? ....... LMAO that took the drama like 3 min to answer. Yep it's probably him.

nah don't tell Bingyuan any disabling shit before you are out of the country 🙈 this man is already like an anxious chihuahua

I believe the emperor sees what I do: that a fealty to Qing & determination to make it the most powerful does not necessarily = fealty to the current emperor. Saying Chen Pingping is dedicated to the best for the country does NOT read like perfect loyalty to His Majesty. It's not that he's against the emperor or FX and doesn't gaf, it's just that his obsession for the bigger goal is what it is. A common fear that cdrama royalty has to grapple with. They both hunger for personal loyalty & can't trust it.

oh is it Shen sister? She's way more fun than her erstwhile boyfriend, let her in!

lol that's right Bingyuan, give us nothing

FX just watching the drama because Bingyuan is too obvious

So..... Now Fan Xian wants to be the Investigations Bureau head and a top official.... to find out how mom really died and get revenge? ��

[jarondont]

Okay but did you ever think about

how Jaron has often said that if there is anyone, anyone, other than him who could be a good king, he'd surrender the throne right away. And he could have given it to Tobias, Roden, Amarinda, Mott, Kerwyn, Harlowe, etc. because he trusts them all with his life. But he didn't. Because (although never explicitly mentioned) while he trusted them, he didn't know if Carthya would- 1. that could lead to a revolution in which the first target would be whoever is on the throne + their loved ones or 2. he just couldn't see them as rulers of Carthya- instead he though they'd be better off with some other roles in the castle. And then came Imogen, who he trusted with his life and the well-being of his country. Flashback to when his parents kicked him out of the castle- ever since then, he hasn't felt like he really deserved the throne. But he's so very loyal to his country that he was willing to try, to do his part until someone could come along. That someone was Imogen. So on top of his desire to marry her, he felt relived that should anything happen to him, there would be someone who could rule Carthya the way it should be ruled. And over time, his belief that Imogen would make a much better ruler than him just kept growing (keep in mind this is after losing his family, rising to the throne after four years of disguising as an orphan, going to the pirates on his own to win their loyalty, winning a war, and going through so much emotional and physical torment from literally everyone). And then came that plot twist in TSC where Imogen was revealed to be of royal descent, and that just made me feel so much sadder for Jaron because at that point Jaron didn't even care what happened to him because not only was Imogen the best person he could think of to take the throne, but she was a queen by blood too, and (again, not explicitly said) Jaron couldn't help but think, "why should I even be around when nobody needs me anymore?" even after literally everyone in Carthya believed he was the best ruler they had ever had so he just did what he could for Carthya and didn't care for his life at all. Idk it's just very depressing to think about

Long live King Jaron

[itstokkii]

About Turkuzbek, do you associate them with any symbols or motifs? And also are there any au's for them??

symbols...hmmmmm

sometimes I call them the tea pair, because they both love chugging down that good good scalding hot black tea in the summer!

other than that.. not really? they do both have a crescent and star in their flags but like. so do a lot of other countries

aus..ok brace yourself for ALL the au ideas that popped in my head since shipping turkuzbek:

beauty and the beast au: takes place in a fictional world, but clothes + possibly palace is inspired off of 18th century ottoman empire. uzb is belle, turkey's the beast obviously, couldn't settle on a maurice so just made it her sibs, russia is gaston....??? I felt like the dynamic really works with them, my favorite movie for my favorite ship <3

cardverse au: ok so in this au uzb is a seamstress for the royal family of clubs. all of a sudden she finds herself between a rock and a tight place as she must spin straw into gold. enter turkey, a joker with no real loyalty to any of the main 4 kingdoms. he offers her help in exchange for something of hers, and helps her get the job done while also making small talk. she slowly finds herself laughing and having fun with this rando, and his occasional visits to her sewing room soon become the highlight of her day. she initially gives him her bracelet, necklace, any jewelry she has...

until she's given the ultimate task of spinning a whole roomful of straw into gold in one day. if she succeeds, she marries the king as his royal consort. if she doesn't she is executed. she hates both of these ideas and is freaking out, especially since she doesn't have anything to give turkey anymore. he helps her anyway, and then goes by the "if you don't have anything left to give, you can pay with your body" philosophy, and essentially asks her to elope with him. she agrees, and when the king opens the door the next day he finds a room full of gold and no royal consort-to-be.

college au: he's the business major to her fashion design major. he tried complaining about his workload once and she dunked on him for that. they regularly go on joyrides together. i was considering making them fiances? if it made the au more interesting...

if we're not going the fiance route, they both have a mutual friend(korea), who sneakily invites both of them to the campus's music and dance event on the basis of korea's club performing kpop dance. uzbekistan is so uncomfortable with the rave music and promises herself she'll stay for korea's performance and leave the moment it's over. she pulls her phone out to record korea and looks to her side and HER CRUSH IS THERE??? HUH??

so they both stare at each other like "what are YOU doing here??" turkey's even more confused since she's the last person he'd expect to show up to a rave and dance performance event. by the time the performance is over, korea pats them both on the back and goes "I'm so glad my 2 best friends showed up to support me!"

korea what a sneaky shipper....

monster high au: turkey's a werewolf(haha turan moment) and she's a werecat. they do NOT get along at first, but slowly their rivalry turns into something like romantic tension as they point tennis balls and laser pointers in each others' faces threatening to use them. next thing you know they're dating??? w,what

also important to mention: kyrgyzstan's an orange cat.

ever after high au: this was briefly considered, but I can see uzb being sort of like ashlynn "oh yea we gotta follow our destinies" and then dates the son of the huntsman(turkey) who is um. Not a royal

snow white au: so this was like a joke. she gets poisoned, he leans in to kiss her and then she immediately wakes up before he does the deed. "ASTAGHFIRULLAH YOU MUST REPENT WHAT WERE YOU ABOUT TO DO"

she marries him anyway

reverse snow white au: she's the prince, turkey's snow white, and the dwarves? 7 different azerbaijans.

non-country/human au: she gives me boy mom vibes. not like an unhealthy way, but it makes sense that she would have a son(??) also turkey definitely insists on having like 3 more kids.

uzb: first of all who's doing the giving birth part

and turkey as a dad defo gives me yusuf vibes from otoyomegatari

i...think that's it?? maybe I'll add more when i remember

[wanderer-on-the-steppe]

Has anyone from the Ogniem i mieczem fandom seen this movie?

Let’s say I’ve been having… an interesting evening with it recently ;) Something I’ve always wanted to see or read was a movie/book with a Helena Czaplińska who’s both an alluring spy and a truly tragic character: someone who’s struggling with guilt and conflicting loyalties, and, much like Kmicic, is longing for redemption, but – unlike him – genuinely cannot decide what the right path is and just gets bogged down more and more hopelessly in a dilemma she cannot solve. Because whatever the historical truth might have been – from a fictional point of view, the most fascinating answer to the question: “Has she been spying on Khmelnytsky or did she truly love him?” is certainly: both.

So, when this movie promised to have some of this approach, I didn’t care much for not so enthusiastic reviews – I had to watch it. And then spent a considerable part of the movie wishing I could see the same events with the OiM-Khmelnytsky and another Helena. Or maybe not even another, but one that’s been given more room: more lines of dialogue (or more substantial ones), more glimpses into her past / her state of mind / her thinking, more opportunities to make the audience understand. For even though I got just enough of an impression of her to feel sorry for her in the end (and to believe her when she told Khmelnytsky’s son Tymish that the only person she’d ever loved was his father) I still don’t feel like I know her. And of course, when one doesn’t understand something in a movie, it can be rather difficult to say if it’s really not in there or if one just… didn’t get it – so I’d be very interested in opinions of others who have seen it ;) – but while I’ve seen movies where I had a strong suspicion that I was, indeed, not clever enough, here I felt like something was missing.

It’s not even completely clear to me when her decision to become a spy was made. Already before she married him? The scene at the king’s residence, about there being a spy close to Khmelnytsky that he trusts, suggests so – but that, as far as I can see, would leave her motivation completely in the dark. Whereas if the decision is taken later, one gets at least a few pieces in the puzzle in the form of her worry for her home country and a marriage that turns out much more difficult than she had imagined. But even then I feel like there could have been so much more. Because… she’s surprised (and offended) that he can’t just retire to a life of dancing and amusements in the middle of a war? Seriously?? I mean, even that wouldn’t necessarily make the character implausible – shallowness exists, and has its reasons, and just a hint of Helena trying to hurl herself headlong into it to escape the trauma of her past could turn her into a character that does have depth but desperately tries to ignore it, for fear of the things that are lurking there. The disappointing thing is: there isn’t even a hint. Or at least I can’t see one.

And Khmelnytsky himself? I’ll readily admit I’m very attached to Bohdan Stupka’s interpretation of him, and of course it’s not the movie’s fault that it’s different from that, but… I feel like there’s so much untapped potential. In both of the main characters. For while we do get to know Bohdan better then Helena, I’ve got the impression that, with very few exceptions, they tried so meticulously to avoid all his flaws that the result is not quite believable anymore. The most striking example: the very honourable duel with Czapliński after Khmelnytsky discovered him among the prisoners of war. Not that I’m especially keen on seeing what I think would have happened – in fact, I’m rather glad that I did not have to see it – the thing is: it wasn’t even necessary to turn Khmelnytsky into a stickler for honourable correctness to avoid a potentially disturbing scene. All they would have had to do is to not let him capture the guy. The historical Khmelnytsky never did so anyway. And that’s exactly why it seems like the only reason for this duel is to show how incredibly fair and correct Khmelnytsky is, and… Oh well… let’s just say there’ve been very different stories ;)

It’s not like I don’t understand the patriotic reasons that might be behind some choices in this movie, but – seeing it from the point of view of storytelling – taking away everything objectionable in a character until what remains doesn’t feel like them anymore doesn’t help. Because it’s vivid, believable, fascinating characters that get people interested in the history behind a movie if they aren’t already. And it’s not like the OiM-Khmelnytsky didn’t have his sense of honour too – he did, towards Jan, and I love this aspect of him – but at the same time, there was no doubt that he was goddamn dangerous and that there would be situations when he would not play fair. And I think he needs some of that to be recognisably himself, because you can make a character somewhat more likeable than their historical self and still make it feel believable (which is exactly what they did in OiM) – but only so much. More of it, and it doesn’t become more likeable, it just becomes... flat.

Still, though I can hardly stop myself from rambling about all the things that I wish they’d done differently, I don’t want to make it seem like everything about this movie is bad from beginning to end. It’s not. The reunion in the tent, after Helena left Czapliński? Beautiful scene, both aesthetically and as far as their interaction and Khmelnytsky’s unanswered questions are concerned. Tymish? Understandably furious and mistrustful of her for marrying Czapliński after witnessing what this man did to his brother. And while I personally tend to have a much darker opinion of him, that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate an interpretation that shows me how I could be wrong and how he could still arrive at doing what he did. And the one thing I really have to give this movie credit for is the scene where Khmelnytsky realises he’s been betrayed: this incredible rage that’s so violent and still so utterly, undeniably helpless. That feeling of getting news that shatters everything, and being unable to believe it – but having to. This they’ve really done perfectly.

So... anyone here who has seen it?

[the-dog-watch]

The Thirteen-Gun Salute

me: i am fundamentally opposed to the british empire and all forms of colonialism and imperialism. history is a record of their atrocities.

my therapist: that's fair

me: but i love it when god's chosen captain jack aubrey is restored to the navy list and reclaims his sword so ere long he may draw it once more in the honorable defense of his country.

my therapist: who doesn't?

(once again, apologies to the OP)

Patrick O'Brian loves to repeat character-types throughout the Aubrey/Maturin series. For example, the  beautiful, fashionable lady spies who end up embroiled in Stephen’s intelligence work, characters  like Mrs. Wogan in Desolation Island or Mrs. Fielding in Treason's Harbour. Enjoyable in their way (personally I have a lot of fondness for Mrs. Fielding’s failed seduction in The Ionian Mission) but I never find myself that interested in them on their own, or at least not as interested in them as I am in the original; they’re all pale shades of Diana. They might be fancy and beautiful and high class but they lack her ineffable quality of being a messy bitch.

If Diana is the red-blooded progenitor of the Beautiful Lady Spy archetype, then Stephen is the progenitor of another recurring character type: the Bisexual Man with Mental Health problems, another iteration of which is Lord Clonfert from The Mauritius Command, who was the most interesting part of what I personally find to be the weakest, most insubstantial of the books. In Jo Walton’s reading guide, which I’ve been using a little bit, one of the commenters pointed out that the dipsomaniac doctor McAdams and Lord Clonfert are "dark reflections" of Stephen and Jack, an idea I find fascinating. Mirror universe Aubrey and Maturin...spooky!

But anyway, I bring this up because Andrew Wray is yet another iteration of the Bisexual Man with Mental Health Problems, certainly a more destructive and a much more functional antagonist than Clonfert ever was. I really liked the dissection scene; in her review Jo Walton said she found it so gruesome she almost "didn't want to know Stephen anymore;" no disrespect to her but some of us are built different. This is one of my favorite Stephen Maturin crazy ass moments of all time, up there with self-surgery in HMS Surprise and that time he stocked up on too many stimulants in Sweden and accidentally turned all the ship's rats into coke fiends.

But, sadly, overall the messy gay drama with Wray and Ledward (WHO THE FUCK EVEN WAS LEDWARD did we ever even see him speak????) was a little too understated, even for me. Obviously I didn't expect Stephen or Jack to get revenge on them in the traditional way, but something a little more definite than Jack getting pissy at a dinner after the fact could have done the trick, I think.

The dissatisfaction I feel with it is what brings me back to Clonfert; the actual plot of The Mauritius Command feels very remote and inert to me, and Clonfert is the most vivid part. Jack is so basically above him in all ways (or so Stephen describes it) that Clonfert completely destroys himself out of his neuroses and Jack is shielded by Stephen from ever even knowing about or being hurt by it. It was similarly anticlimactic but there was an element of tragedy and pathos to it, and Stephen’s shielding Jack from the disturbing truth has an echo in Stephen’s own inability to fully open up to Jack about Diana, Stephen's inability to open up about pretty much everything.

Thankfully, this book has way more going for it than The Mauritius Command. I like the rhythm and episodic nature of these latter books much more than TMC's rigid retelling of a historical naval campaign. Stephen re-living some of his revolutionary past with the United Irishmen, and re-living some of the divided loyalties poor James Dillon (may he rest in pieces) felt in the first novel was a welcome call back, the Kumai trip was generally wonderful, I was pretty happy about Jack's ultimate ambivalence about being reinstated in the Navy again, and I LOVE the Stephen Maturin Strikes It Rich storyline (more on that next time I think; I do think it's very funny that when it comes to money, neither Stephen nor Jack is 'the smart one.')

I got to really love the Diane, and this is the first time we’ve had a genuine shipwreck; as exciting as that was, it was genuinely heartbreaking to lose her. RIP Diane but I’m already well into the next book and in love with my new girl (Nutmeg of Consolation, you will always be famous. 😭)

Personal Ranking

The Far Side of the World (10) > HMS Surprise (3) > Desolation Island (5) > The Reverse of the Medal (11) > The Ionian Mission (8) > The Fortune of War (6) > Master & Commander (1) > The Surgeon’s Mate (7) > Treason's Harbour (9) > The Letter of Marque (12) > The Thirteen-Gun Salute (13) > Post Captain (2) > The Mauritius Command (4)

[chaoticgremlinwholikescheese]

Charlie Boy

Charlie boy, don't go to war Firstborn in '44 And Kennedy made him believe We could do much more

Hawkeye remembers growing up during the war. The way the president's voice blared from the radio, the photos plastered in the newspaper. The soldiers looked so heroic. To a young boy, the war seemed like a great adventure.

He knows now that war is nothing but pain and death. The news handpicks what to share. They don't show the reality of war. He's sure there are children back home who think that this war is an adventure, the way he did in his childhood. He can only hope there is no next war for them to join.

Lillian, don't hang your head Love should make you feel good In uniform, you raised a man Who volunteered to stand

He often wonders if his mother would be proud. She would love him, sure, but would she be proud? Would she be grateful that he's fighting for his country? Would she be ashamed that he's a part of this horrible moment in history?

Play the bugle, play the taps Make your mothers proud Raise your rifles to the sky, boys Fire that volley loud

The sound of gunfire doesn't bother Hawkeye anymore. When he first arrived, he would jump each time. Now it's simply another noise in the cacophony of daily life.

Radar's bugle echoes across the camp. He's gotten better at it since he's been here. He's been here too long. They all have. But Radar especially should be home. He should be experiencing his youth, not running an entire army hospital. He's too young to be here.

News was bad on Upland Ave Metuchen mourn our loss Sons rebelled, while fathers yelled And mothers clutched the cross

Hawkeye comes from a small town. News travels fast. His father keeps him updated on everything in his letters. When Tommy Gillis died, Hawkeye was the first to know. He witnessed it with his own eyes. He's grateful he wasn't there to witness the aftermath.

His father wrote to him about it. Tommy's father stayed silent. Then he began to yell. He shouted, cried, slammed his fist against the wooden table. His mother silently sobbed. She held a cross in her hand. She didn't speak for three days after.

Play the bugle, play the taps Make your fathers proud Raise your rifles to the sky, boys Fire that volley loud

He's part of the army in name. But he has no loyalty to it, no loyalty to a country that sends young boys to die. They die in the name of freedom, without any freedom of their own.

Hawkeye just wants this all to end.

[editoress]

Jumbo OC Asks! Char - 💋📙💙; Ranna - 🍒⭐🔮; Cutter- 🌹🍐🌀;

💋 How affectionate are they with their friends? Their family? Their romantic partner(s) (if they have any)? Are they more physical or emotional when it comes to displaying their affection? Why?

Char is actually very affectionate, but casually so. As the party has seen, this appears as gestures first, as an extension of looking out for people. She does favors for friends. She adds habits to her day-to-day for them. Physical affection follows much later, and it's similarly frequent but understated. Clapping shoulders, ruffling hair, even giving quick hugs.

She's not emotionally closed off, but she doesn't often stop to be sentimental, either. If asked, she'd be honest about how she feels. But you might have to ask.

📙 What kind of subjects (of conversation, of discussion, in school or whatever) does your OC find interesting or engaging or that they can talk for hours about? What kind of stuff do they just find fun? What things bore your OC to tears and they couldn’t care less about? Why?

Char likes work talk. Unfortunate but true. Weapons especially—she could compare make, accuracy, ideal situations, and so on all day long. She also likes swapping stories with different people and hearing about places she's never been. She's from Yora and she's had a limited career, you know?

Twalan interests her immensely, even if what she's learning right now isn't encouraging. But ironically, I think hearing about etiquette and house politics would put her in a coma.

💙 What did your OC want to be when they grew up and why? Did they have any lifelong dreams or ambitions they never got to work on or are they currently working to achieve this dream? Has their life taken a very unexpected turn and put all these plans on hold for a while or have they given up on any dreams?

Listen. Let's be real. Char's dream was to be A Tiefling With a Cool Well-Paying Job That People Respect. This is because she came from an immigrant fishing village, which she found very boring, in a country where people are sort of :/ about tieflings. In any other story, she'd be the heroine, because she had such a typical "I was meant for more than this" youth.

She achieved that dream very young, by all appearances, although it wasn't in the most moral fashion. Later, life did take a very unexpected turn, and all of that vanished. The recognition of her talents, the fear and respect, the horns.

She's getting closer to that dream again, in a much much slower but better way. She works for herself; she does what she's good at. The silver lining of limbo is that she goes barefoot again, with her tail out. Who gives a shit if she's a tiefling anymore? And hey, the party is getting paid just fine!

🍒 What kind of things do they expect from their relationships? Does this differ between platonic relationships and romantic ones? Is your OC “demanding” or a door mat? What kinds of things do people expect from them in a relationship?

Oh, Olaranna. Her disbelief that she could ever be part of a fairytale romance versus her refusal to accept anything less than love that swallows her whole. Lucky for her that she feels so deeply.

Ranna shows every sign of being demanding: loud, opinionated, strictly honorable. And to be fair, she is demanding on two points: from anyone she accepts into her life, be they friend or lover, she wants loyalty and honesty. It's what she offers in greatest abundance, after all. She wants to know that someone will stand with her; and if at some point they won't, she'd at least like to know that, too, and why.

With friends, she's otherwise flexible. She loves to be helpful! She argues ferociously, but she capitulates far easier than it seems. (Espeeeecially for a significant other, ohoho.) As we know, what she truly falls for in a romantic sense is heroism.

I think a lot of people, well-meaning or not, have expected mostly cheering and entertainment out of Ranna. She's an obnoxious bard, after all. She's here to lighten the mood and boost morale.

⭐ What is your OC afraid of? Any crippling phobias or some such? How do they act when scared and what helps them calm down? Does anyone ever find your OC scary? Why?

Oh, Ranna would have you believe she's utterly fearless. But we all know that's simply not true. She fears losing the people she cares about, of course; every adventurer feels that one. On a deeper level, she's afraid of her own cowardice and inadequacy. It's why she's always being so LOUD about courage and facing challenges and what have you. She's afraid she's going to do something—or fail to do something—that she'll never be able to reconcile with her principles about herself.

I wouldn't say anyone's finds Ranna inherently frightening. Maybe... very alarming.

🔮 Star gazing or cloud watching? Hand-holding or snuggles? Early mornings or late nights?

Cloud watching for the sun elf! Hand-holding, I think, as she's very expressive with her hands and mysteriously keeps grabbing Ori's. And Ranna can easily do both early mornings and late nights. Sleep whomst?

🌹 How easy is it for them to connect with others and make friends? On the flip side how easy is it for them to make an enemy of someone? Are they the kind of person who hangs around the food table at a party and never talks to anyone or are they the type who can talk to anyone?

The thing you have to understand is that Cutter does not care about making friends. It's a happy surprise when someone has the good taste to appreciate him.

On the other hand, it's very easy for him to make enemies, and it's also a fun hobby. People are so sensitive. Maybe if they were better at things they wouldn't have to get so offended.

🍐 What is your OC’s mentality? Are they overall positive? Negative? A bit of both? Describe their thought patterns and reasoning behind their choice making!

I would call Cutter's mentality very... focused. It's positively gleeful when he gets his way, and mournfully glum when he's personally inconvenienced. He's a surgical robot built for a single purpose. He has found personal fulfilment in frightening people also. Those are the two things he's after and how he makes his decisions.

🌀 Where is your OC from? Where were they born? Do they still live there, if not why did they move? If they still live in the area how has it changed since their childhood? How many places has your OC lived in and where has been their favourite?

You caught me; I'm not sure exactly where Cutter was made. I can tell you that he was a hospital surgeon, but the organic staff found him deeply off-putting. He has the bedside manner of a vulture whom you owe money. The hospital probably sold him off for cheap, which dearly insulted his pride. He's worth at least ten times that much! Ingrates!

[sweetcloverheart]

Clover Rants Miraculously: Gabriel and the Lesson (un)learned

You know, what pisses me off the most about Gabriel never having his identity as Hawkmoth exposed to Adrien or being brought to justice (which would be a little more tolerable if it was a Lex Luthor-esque situation where Gabriel just has too much power/sway in his civilian life that making him face justice for his crimes as Hawkmoth/Monarch is just near impossible for the heroes at the moment) isn’t just that the plot is basically giving him a literal “Get out of jail free” card - it’s that even with all this, nothing will change. Come season 6, the Miraculous-less Gabriel will simply go back to being neglectful of his son and keep him at arms length as he tries to manipulate his friends and girlfriend away from him for being “bad influences” and continues to try and have him isolated from the world at large - and the only difference between that and the past will be that he no longer has his Hawkmoth/Monarch activities as an excuse anymore. Oh sure, they’ll play up that his grief over Emilie is still weighing him down (though now without any miraculous to help save her, does he even have any excuse to still morn anymore?), but other than that? No excuse. He can’t purposely upset people now that he can’t akumatize them, he can’t force Adrien to leave the country for modeling jobs now that he’s let him quit and can no longer make large-scale schemes to endanger all of Paris to threaten Ladybug over, and he can’t excuse being absent/uninvolved in Adrien’s life because no longer being Hawkmoth means he has all the free time in the world to interact with his child. And yet he’ll continue on. Gabriel will no longer have the means to justify his emotional abuse towards Adrien except that the story simply demands it (unless they plan on sending him to Brazil too).

And when it finally comes time for Adrien to learn of the secret kept from him (Not that his father’s a supervillain, mind you - That would make Adrien imperfect, and the narrative can’t allow any sort of flaw to touch their protagonist’s perfect boyfriend. He can learn that both Marinette and Gabriel know who Hawkmoth is though...), it won’t be Gabriel who apologizes, for neglecting and emotionally abandoning his son to wallow in his own grief to the point that he dabbled in dangerous magics and indirectly assisted in Lilamoth’s ascent to supervillainy just to spite his nemesis (and for using his amok to pull him alongside his whims like a puppet). And it won’t be Nathalie who apologizes either, for numbly standing by while his father basically abandoned his child (who she’s come to see as her own) in a desperate attempt to rebuild his family, and then aided him out of her own misguided form of love until she finally realized things had gone too far. It won’t even be Felix or Plagg, the former who knew what a dangerous person his uncle was and the crimes he was committing but chose to tell his cousin nothing out of spite and “tough love”, while the latter likely chooses to keep Adrien in the dark out of love and loyalty (and because the laws of the Kwami prevent him from saying anything).

No - instead, it’ll be Marinette who apologizes, as the show forces her to self-flagellate and beg for forgiveness in Gabriel’s place over having to be made by the narrative and circumstances to keep mum about the identity of the man who spent the better part of their teenhood tormenting them through monsters and a manipulated public. Marinette will be the one to apologize, for the fact that Adrien’s father chose spite and villainy over his family and taking responsibility for himself, for the fact that a new Hawkmoth is terrorizing the city, for the fact that his mother has remained comatose, for everything terrible that has, can, and will happen after the last episode of season 5 because she has to learn her lesson no matter what, and because the story is adamant in preventing Adrien from having this one bit of agency and closure for himself in his storyline, and will now place the burden on his partner (who likely will be given no choice but to keep Gabriel’s identity a secret for him while the story treats it like a active act of betrayal) to bear - because god forbid we let the adult man who made the active and conscious decision to fight a pair of preteens over magical jewellery (to the point that he literally threw away the chance to save everyone the headache and suffering (and after having it basically handed to him on a silver platter)), then purposely threw away the magical brooch he was using to terrorize the city and its people just to spite them once he had been beat, face any consequences for his actions, let alone be forced to face the fact that maybe, his actions weren’t protecting his son like he thought

[dreamsstarsgalaxies]

Ch. 4. The Training Space

Nessa POV (17 y/o)

After spending six months in Driftmark, we finally arrived at Dragonstone. This time we were not a family of four anymore. My dad married princess Rhaenyra, and soon after, we moved to Dragonstone, leaving Baela behind with grandma so she could learn more about Driftmark customs. My grandparents were heartbroken. Both their children died too young, and my father and Rhaenyra moved on too soon. However, Daemon is somehow correct. Their marriage makes them stronger. With Daemon by Rhaenyra’s side, her claims for the throne will be undisputed.

The green and black’s rivalry has worsened since the night of my mom’s funeral. According to my sisters, Aemond stole and claimed her dragon, he insulted my sisters and cousins, and then an intense fight broke out where Luke knifed his left eye to save Jace. Later that night, the Queen attempted to harm Rhaenyra in front of the whole family in the name of justice. No one will forget the night the family broke into two bands, the Blacks and Greens.

Living with Rhaenyra and my cousins is better than expected. The birth of our new siblings, Aegon III and Viserys II, brought so much happiness, unity, and hope to our house. The clutch of eggs from Syrax made the family feel strong. Rhaena got a dragon egg for herself and now prays every night for a healthy dragon whom she plans to name Morning. In Driftmark, I claimed Seasmoke as my dragon. A stunning white and red dragon who belonged to my uncle, Laenor Velaryon. In Dragonstone, Rhaenyra raised us like a mother, and my bond with her developed into respect and love. We share the same views about society and how corrupted the system is towards women like her and Rhaenys. My loyalty lies with her, the blacks.

My cousins and sisters are at the age of marriage. It’s about time my parents betroth us to powerful families and allies across Westeros. Although I prefer not to marry and live a life without rules, I am part of the royal family, and marriage is my duty. I only hope my betroth is simply a kind man, not a vicious one. Since coming back from Driftmark, I do not feel comfortable talking to anyone about my emotions, particularly the ones I felt toward Aemond. I tried to suppress my feelings, but I cannot get him out of my head. Throughout these years, Jace and I got closer. Even though my feelings towards him are purely brotherly, it was clear that his feelings were a bit more romantic, like an innocent crush. A few months before our trip to King’s Landing, Jace stole a kiss from me and caught me by surprise. It was awkward for a few seconds before I chuckled to brush it off. Without saying a word, he ran somewhere far away from me, and I whispered to myself, “Well, that was painfully awkward” while heading to my room. We never talked about it, like ever. I think we knew it was only an innocent kiss. Oddly enough, although Jace is an honorable and kind man, I could not stop thinking about Aemond. I… I have to forget about him. He insulted my family. I’m supposed to dislike him, or at least I need to stop thinking about him and move on. 

After nearly eight years of living in Dragonstone, Rhaenyra received a letter from Baela. She said that Corlys Velaryon is seriously injured at war, and his brother wants to steal the throne from Luke (16). He requested an audience with the king, but since he is sick of old age, the audience will be held by the greens, Otto and Alicent Hightower. My parent said we need to travel to Kings Landing urgently. This trip is going to feel like an emotional rollercoaster. When we arrived at Kings Landing, no one welcomed us. The hostile environment didn’t go unnoticed. As we go inside the castle, it was nothing like my cousins said. It was dark and filled with many statuses of the faith of the seven; it looks like a Hightower’s house instead of a Targaryen house. While the king is terminally ill and spends the rest of his days and nights resting on his bed, the greens are running the country in his name and taking advantage of their position to conspire against Rhaenyra.

As we were touring around the castle, we heard many people cheering. My cousins quickly ran towards the sound coming from the training space. I wanted to go there too, but I was carrying Aegon III in my arms, and by the time I turned around to tell them to wait for me…they were gone. I went to look for a handmaid, and as I walked upstairs, I saw two maids talking to my sisters. I gave Aegon to one of the handmaids and asked the twins if they wanted to join me. Baela (18) and Rhaena (18) felt unwell from all the traveling and wanted to rest. So, I went there alone. As I reach the training center door to peek outside, I see multiple people cheering in a circle, probably watching someone fight. As I step inside the training area, I skim at my surroundings, the people, the horses, the swords, and the whisperers about my hair color. As I got closer to the people watching the fighters, I could not help but notice Jace (17) and Luke across the circle of people. They look serious and focused on certain someone. He has long white hair and… a leather patch on his left eye… “Aemond (19)” I whispered while looking at him. He looks so different. He is taller, looks older, and his facial expression is quite intimidating. Before the fight began, he took a quick look behind his opponent, where he made eye contact with me for a few seconds before timidly looking back to the training fight with Criston Cole. “F***! Why did it feel like seven years ago?” I quietly whispered while having a mental breakdown inside my head. A moment later, he won the fight, and everyone clapped and congratulated him. He talked to my cousins for a couple of minutes. Then, he turned around, and we locked sights for a second time before I intentionally ignored it by looking down, turning around, and heading towards the castle door. We were definitely aware of each other’s presence, and I was evidently trying to avoid him. Before entering the castle, I turned around one last time, and he was gazing at me from the other side of the training space while cleaning his sword until Criston Cole interrupted him with a pat on his back.

@ramielll @thatmysteriousblog @ereminlover @courtney0-0 @jennieroseblack

[zorkaya-moved]

❛ who taught you how to do that? ❜

@thornicidxs

Weapons, the lot of it. From guns to knives to more. Every single one that people use in this world. They may not be needed with the abilities existing, but they are still the best way to kill, to fight, to live through dangers. Not many want to show their powers, especially exploring themselves as being unregistered as those who possess this 'modern day magic.' Lists can be faked, but being exposed is worse on many occasions, so... weapons that is. As a weapon dealer with one of the largest companies behind her back in Eurasia right now, Sokolova has to know what works and what doesn't. Checking all of the equipment became a routine she does before any mission.

Crystal's words make her look up but not stop what she's doing. Her hands continue to put the bullets in, counting them and writing them down in her notebook. It's been like that since she's been to the battlefield. The battles fought across the world aren't exposed to the large scales because many want to keep their conflicts hidden. It's politics, it's economics, it's a search for power and knowledge. There are no heroes, there are only those who want to survive.

"A man..." Zarina begins, thinking about how to describe the person who accepted her after Yaroslav's introduction. A man with broad shoulders, tall height, white beard and white hair, one fake eye of bright grey and another real eye of green. He had a woman next to him, a woman with bright red hair and similar green eyes. He told her the woman will be her leader and he will be the commander of their team. A man with a confident smirk and charisma oozing off him, he offered his hand and said that she will do well if she forgets how she's been raised and will stop being a brat. He didn't see her as a child even then, he saw a soldier in the making. And he made her into a soldier. "...Who was like a second father to me."

The picture of team meetings change into the office filled with blood and ash. The same older man holds onto his stomach, coughing out blood as his other hand is missing from being shattered. But he still looks at her without any fear as she is ready to make one final shot. He lacks the same brightness he did before, ever since [she] died. Vasilisa's laughter will never grace any of them, not anymore. He decided to betray her, betray their country, betray her family. He grew weak and he died from her hands with Yaroslav behind her.

"And a man who betrayed us all." She doesn't notice how she's already done with every single note. All equipment was checked and there is nothing left to do. For a moment, she can see the same figure - a ghost - sitting by her side and giving her a thumbs up and then ruffling her hair for catching up to everything so fast. Hw strange. She doesn't feel anything when she sees those mirages now, those recollections. He's been a traitor, he betrayed her, and he became weak. "He was a good commander, but the death of his daughter made him lose loyalty, his determination and... himself."

Does Crystal have a similar experience? Does she have those whom she respect so much yet they betrayed her trust and now they are no longer bringing up any feeling except numbness?

"Love... be it familiar or romantic... can be such a double edged sword, huh? We can so easily lose ourselves in it," Zarina chuckles but the smile doesn't reach her eyes. Her laughter is lacking any emotion, numbness continues to make her want to either smoke or to just do something else. "Can you pass me my cigarettes? They're on the table next to you." Another habit born from watching [him] and Yaroslav.