#headers broken knight

[targaryen-dynasty]

AND NOW I SEE DAYLIGHT.

Aemond Targaryen x niece!Reader

WARNINGS: SEXUAL CONTENT - MINORS DNI; canon typical incest/targcest, loss of virginity, p in v, handjob (fem and m receiving), size kink, breeding kink, westerosi bedding ceremony, forced marriage, mentions of underage marriage (but no consummation), fluff, female reader (appearance is not mentioned)

WORDS: 5.2 K

NOTES: The timeline is altered a bit. The events of episode 8 take place later, like sixtish years or so. @ivvypg and @sapphirehearteyes thank you for your glorious request. I hope you enjoy this. Thanks to @arcieleefor betaing this bad boy. This is dedicated to my beloved @black-dread. Thanks for all the amazing icons, gifsets and headers and for always having my back. ILU.

That one particular night at Driftmark haunted your every being ever since you and Silverwing flew home alongside Sunfyre, Tessarion, Dreamfyre and Vhagar the following morning. 

King Viserys had ordered your betrothal to his suddenly mutilated second son so abruptly, stating it was the least both parties could do to make amends, that not even your mother nor the queen had a chance to intervene. 

Everyone was aware of the large chasm between the members of House Targaryen, yet Viserys was blind to see that it could not be diminished anymore – especially not by the betrothal of you to your uncle. 

Not more than a sennight had passed until Aemond and you cited your vows, and the sea green cloak of House Velaryon that was draped over your shoulders was replaced by the same black cloak your mother had once worn at her wedding to your late father. And besides your husband's side of the family, with your grandsire removing your cloak, no one else was present. 

You had understood the threat of the situation like no other back then, and did not resent your mother’s absence, highly doubting that a raven even had left King’s Landing to inform your family on Dragonstone about the wedding being pushed forward. 

Ravens of Dragonstone, however, frequented your chambers on a weekly basis. 

Sometimes they were shoved into your hands as you were walking the hallways of Maegor’s Holdfast, and other times they were slid under the door to your martial chambers when Aemond was not present. 

Cryptid messages, and more often than not paragraphs written in High Valyrian, adorned the scrolls handed over to you by maids and knights alike you knew were loyal to no other than the heir to the Iron Throne and her uncle-husband. Neatly kept away from whom it could be a thorn in the side. 

The letters were your only solace in this lonely time – and did little to mend your homesickness. 

Until Aemond had stumbled into your shared chambers one night, his silver curls tousled and the little braid at the back of his head loose. He ashamedly had admitted that Aegon had taken him to the Street of Silk to ensure he was as educated as his older brother was in the prospect of you having to consummate your wedding at some point, his voice breaking more and more with each word he said. 

You had not understood the significance at first, but once it had settled, a lingering feeling of betrayal had spread throughout your bones. But there was no chance for it to linger any longer than a sennight, because that incident had seemed to bring your husband closer to you than he had been all the years you two spent together in the Red Keep. Two broken and lonely souls drawn to each other, searching for the comfort they had longed for for so long. 

He sought out your presence more often than before, adamant to join you during your lessons and whenever you and your dragon ascended into the sky. Your presence during his training with the sword was greatly valued by him, something he had not bothered to acknowledge before.

You were hesitant to reciprocate his gestures and subtle affection at first, however, it overtook you in an ambush – and he was just as surprised as you were to learn that you were falling for him. 

But regardless of how many hours you had spent together, how many kisses you had shared in secret, one mystery remained. 

The black patch of leather concealing part of his chiseled features and what lay beneath. 

Aemond rarely showed his vulnerability, even after being married for a few years already, and his missing eye was his biggest weakness. You did not push him, but regardless of how often you had told yourself you did not care about it, a part of you craved to see what was hidden, just as he craved your touch whenever you retired for bed. 

Knowing your patience would bear fruit at some point, no matter how long it took, you just waited to finally be rewarded. 

And there you stood now. Surrounded by a group of no less than five men. 

Seven days of festivities and feasts lay behind you, tiring you to a certain degree. They were celebrating the night your husband was finally meant to claim your virtue, making your marriage fully legitimate. 

And of course it was none other than your drunken uncle whose gruff voice had silenced the chatter of your guests, followed by a clap of his hands as if he had seen the servants bring another tankard full of the finest wine the capital had to offer. 

“I believe ‘tis time for the bedding!” 

It was not the thought of bedding Aemond, his promise of him not hurting you lingering in the back of your mind. It was the men crowding you, ready to tug and tear on the white gown queen Alicent had commissioned to be made for this occasion. For the official celebration of your wedding. 

The bedding ceremony was a tradition particularly valued in other parts of the realm, however, with House Targaryen – or Hightower – in dire need of some more loyal allies, they had opted to follow along to those traditions. And, with Aemond being the ever dutiful son, he of course did as his grandsire and mother bid. 

There was a loud cheer in the hall that quietened with Aemond eventually speaking. “Very well,” he said, a much smaller group of women surrounding him already. “But if any man offends my wife in word or deed, I shall have his head and feed him to Vhagar.” 

No one dared to mess with the rider of the biggest dragon alive, had not before and most certainly not now. So it was that, when you were swept off of your feet, the men did not tug on your gown as hungrily as they had looked at you before. 

You had no chance watching how Aemond was led to your martial chambers after you, the gaggle carrying you disappearing so quickly, as if they had to be somewhere else not long after. And once your bare feet were set on the cold ground, the men hurried around you to undo your dress, loosening the bodice and leaving you clad in nothing else than your smallclothes with the white dress pooling around your ankles. 

The giggling of women grew in volume, catching your attention and forcing you to look past the group of men to the door, watching your husband enter. A sullen look overcame your features as you spotted Aemond with the buttons of his embroidered tunic opened, more so as your eyes flickered to the three undone laces in the front of his breeches. The women stopped outside of the door while he entered, and it seemed that his venture to the Street of Silk years ago had affected you more than you thought.

Aemond’s sharp eye, the purple striking even more with the patch of black leather next to it, cut through the group of men to find yours, moving slowly as he took you in. Where the chill air of your chambers had caused goosebumps to prickle on your skin before, they now were replaced by a feeling of liquid fire running through your veins. 

There was a longing in you, suppressed by nervousness. 

Ever since your first flowering, not long before you turned ten-and-four, there were little to no nights you found sleep without thoroughly exploring each other's bodies – but not once going far enough for him to take your maidenhead. 

Aemond had told you that his mother had requested for you to preserve your maidenhood until the bedding ceremony, stating she would want you to avoid the death in childbirth the maesters at the citadel had recorded for very young mothers. Though you and him both knew she just did not like the thought of you losing your maidenhead and him possibly putting a child in you without the official ceremony of the second wedding, with more witnesses. You chose to follow her orders - to a certain degree at least. 

He stalked towards you slowly, and there must have been something in the way his eye had darkened, because without another word, the men around you disappeared from your marital chambers, the doors falling shut behind Aemond. Coming closer, you were forced to tilt your head up to keep your eyes locked with his, his tall frame looming over yours. “They might listen at the door if they wish, but none will watch,” Aemond purred, voice cutting through the silence and sending a shiver down your spine. 

Shifting your weight from one foot to the other under the intensity of his gaze, you reached to pinch the thick, embroidered hem of his tunic with your fingers, rubbing it between them. When your eyes trailed from his down to your fingers, you briefly spotted his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths, matching your own. 

“Take-Take it off,” you stammered, barely hearing yourself with the feeling of your heartbeat pounding in your ears. As he did not move straight away, your wide eyes locked with his good one again, before he eventually pushed the tunic off his shoulders, joining your gown in a puddle on the floor. 

You had seen him bare before, but this time was different. It felt more intimate, more vulnerable, given what was to be expected of the two of you. 

Sparse, silver hairs adorned the expanse of his chest, and raking your fingers through them had never seemed so inviting. You could not admire the whispy trail that pursued from his navel down to disappear below the waistband of his breeches, because Aemond placed the tip of his finger under your chin to not only close your slightly opened mouth but to bring your focus back on him, forcing your head up for you to look at him. 

“Are you enjoying the view, wife?” The term of endearment in combination with his demanding touch flushed your cheeks with desire, and caused your words to die on your tongue. 

Glancing around the room to escape his heated gaze and regain your composure, you nodded your head, a sheepish smile on your lips. “I love you,” you whispered. And then, his lips captured yours with such ferocity, it enticed you with the promise of more and made you aware that he felt the same, even if he did not voice it. 

Wandering hands grasped every part of your body they could reach, settling on your waist, while yours seized his shoulders for leverage, fingers dancing along the sides of his neck. You pressed your body against his, the heat emanating from him pleasant and comforting. 

Your mouths hardly parted as his tongue dragged over your kiss-swollen lips just in time with you squeezing your thighs together, eliciting a shaky moan to slip past your lips. His fingers had started to undo the ties of your smallclothes, their movements stuttering at the sound. Aemond pinched the fabric between his fingers, stopping it from falling from your body just yet as his tongue persistently pushed past your lips again, claiming them with newfound vigor. 

When he pulled back, you kept your eyes shut just a moment longer before your half-lidded eyes met his, one shaky breath after the other fanning into the chill air. You tried to chase his lips, but when his hand came up to grab your chin, your smallclothes dropped to the ground. The reassuring squeeze of his other hand on your waist did little to stop you from shivering, the cold hitting your heated skin and the wetness between your legs.  

You gasped as his hand came up to grope your breast, watching in awe as Aemond bowed forwards to wrap his lips around your nipple, nibbling and suckling on it. Shock widened your eyes, given that he had never done that before, yet you were desperate to keep his lips right there with your hands buried in the silver strands of his hair. 

His fingers danced across the curve of your waist down to your arse, groping your flesh and holding you in place, if not even drawing you closer towards him than you already were. You writhed and panted in his grasp, keeping your eyes locked on his face as he licked over the curve of your breast, tongue swirling around your hardened bud. 

“Stop teasing me,” you whimpered, inhaling sharply as a tug on Aemond’s silver tresses caused him to groan against your sweaty skin. Pulling back, he smirked up at you in a manner that gave away he felt flattered to have your undivided attention, the purple of his eye almost completely eclipsed by black. 

Rising back to his full height, he mused, “I have only just begun.” Bringing his hand to your cheek, he nuzzled his nose along the side of your face, inhaling your scent. Your head tilted in the opposite direction to grant him even more access, allowing him to lick a flat stripe from the crook of your neck up to your ear. 

“Why don’t you stop tempting me with those sweet sounds you make?” he breathed against the spot behind your ear before turning you around, your back flush against his chest. The protruding bulge in the front of his breeches pressed against your arse, alluring enough to push back against him. But with his hand trailing from your waist down between your legs, that urge was forced into the back of your mind. 

You held onto his arm as two of his fingers parted your folds, dragging back and forth to generously coat them in your arousal. Tipping your head back against his shoulder, you turned it sideways slightly to nuzzle your nose against the side of his face. “My, my,” Aemond purred, “it seems as though someone is feeling frisky, mh?” You replied with a quiet whine that was elicited by his fingers circling around your little bud, prompting Aemond to scoff. 

“I have not even had the chance to show your cunt enough attention, and you are this wet for me already.” Heat crept onto your cheeks at his words, your teeth digging into your bottom lip to stifle a moan. 

Squeezing his arm to keep yourself grounded, you looked at him from over your shoulder with hooded eyes. “I can not help it, husband,” you whimpered, taking in a sharp breath as his fingers breached your tight cunt mid-sentence. “You–” taking in a deep breath, “you are just too tantalizing and make me want you so desperately… please.”

A hum rumbled in his chest at your words. “Patience,” he simply mused, continuing the ministrations of his fingers. The pleasure that soared through your body had you grinding your hips against his hand, chasing as much friction as possible. But before your peak could wash over you, his touch left your body, his arm pulled from your grasp to place the hand on your hip. 

Your mouth opened and closed without any words leaving your lips, slowly processing what had happened, and when it opened again, he was quick to cut you off. 

“On the bed.”

Moving too slow for his liking, he pushed you towards your marital bed, and you sat down at the edge of it, keeping your eyes fixed on him. 

Aemond stood not too far away from you, giving you the perfect view of his flushed chest and the large bulge of his confined member in the front of his breeches. Your breath hitched in your throat as his nimble fingers started to undo the last laces of them. He ridded himself of the dark fabric, kicking it aside as it pooled around his ankles to walk towards you. 

His member stood to full attention, a slight curve to it and the tip slightly flushed in the same color of his lips. It had you squeezing your thighs to suppress the aching between them that yearned to be soothed by him. By it. 

Before he was able to touch your chest to push you flat on the bed, you gripped his wrist, staring up at him with determination flickering in your eyes. “Everything,” you said, trying to not let the slight tremble in your voice become too audible. 

His one good eye widened in surprise, his brow raised. For several moments, Aemond remained silent, taking in your words and the request implicit in it. To you, it felt as if you had pushed your luck with him taking a tad too long, but the softening of his gaze betrayed the genuine interest he found in your proposal. 

He was half tempted to do what you requested just to surprise you, to gawk at your expression at seeing what he had hidden beneath the leather all this time. Would it be worth taking the risk of scaring you for the rest of your lives?

There was a flush creeping onto his cheeks, you spotted it even in the dim light the candles granted, it was there. His stiff posture coaxed you to get back onto your feet, standing in front of him. 

The proximity and the softness and reassurance of your gaze made it difficult for him to deny you, yet you knew you mayhaps had asked too much of him. “Issa sȳz,” you whispered, cupping his face. “Gaomā daor emagon naejot urnēptre nyke.” It is fine. You do not have to show me. 

You were not sure what you were expecting of him, but certainly not his next words. “Jaelā naejot ūndegon ziry?” You want to see it?

Raising a brow, you pressed your lips into a thin line while the corners pulled into a slight smile. “Kesan daor henujagon, nyke kivio.” Aemond’s eye widened again, but this time with something indefinable flickering in it. I will not leave, I promise. 

Reluctantly, his hand came up to cup yours, inching it closer towards the eyepatch. Your eyes flickered between them and his good one, the slight bow of his head giving you the reassurance you needed to continue. Carefully undoing the clasp at the back of his head, you removed the patch of leather. 

With it slowly lowering, Aemond took in a deep breath and closed his eye as if he meant to brace himself for your impending rejection - yet it never came. There was silence, yes, but he could not hear any sounds of disgust or shock, and he was not sure if he liked that. 

Opening his eye, Aemond was blessed by plain curiosity written all over your features. There was concern and interest alike etched into them as you inspected the glimmering sapphire, and suddenly it made sense why he had gifted you a necklace with the same gemstone the day you turned ten-and-four.

His mood seemed to thaw, and his lips twisted into a smile the moment he spotted one of your hands reaching for the delicate pendant hanging around your neck, rubbing it between your fingers and seemingly noticing that you had been linked to one another all those years. 

Staring at him, not the precious gemstone in the socket of his eye, you captured his lips in a kiss that had him grunting once, his arms wrapping around your body. A haze of desire and want clouded your mind, as this kiss turned into all teeth and tongue. 

Aemond slowly herded you against the bed, toppling over onto the mattress the moment your calves hit the edge and caused you to lose your balance. 

The kiss, however, did not break. With your hands still on his jaw, he shifted onto his side, barely parting your mouths and allowing you to crawl further onto the bed while his lips chased yours hungrily. 

Aemond moved to tower over you and ran his hand along the outside of your leg, traveling from your ankle up to the curve of your hip. As you tried to sit up, he squeezed your flesh harshly enough to have a giggle die on your tongue, and pulled you towards him, the force of it sending your head back into the pillows. You squealed in surprise and stared up at him with wide, innocent eyes, the desire in your veins reigniting. 

Your lips parted into the perfect ‘o’-shape the moment Aemond’s finger slid in you, a sight that almost had him spilling his seed right then and there. “Gods,” you whimpered, your back arching against him as one of your hands grabbed his shoulder. 

Spurred on by your sounds and the sight of you unraveling beneath him, he inserted another digit. The way your cunt squeezed his fingers so tightly did not make it easier for him to hold back, the thoughts of it being replaced by his cock sooner or later clouding his mind. 

“That’s it,” Aemond purred, moving his fingers at a torturously slow pace, completely mesmerized as he watched your face contort in pleasure and your body react to his touch. But no amount of curiosity could fool you, knowing that he had not listened to you. 

“You are teasing me again,” you whined, and with your impatience getting the worst of you, you hooked both legs around his waist, using them to pull yourself closer towards what your body desired. Now it was Aemond looking at you with parted lips, his breathing coming out ragged. When you reached for his hard cock, straining against his lower belly, you saw the bump in his throat bob and felt his member twitch in your hand. 

The innocent in your eyes was gone, a sly smirk now draped across your lips. He raised a brow, but did not stop your hand from slowly dragging across it, tugging on him in the rhythm he had set. 

“Give me what I desire,” you panted, rolling your hips against his hand to race for completion. “Please.”

It was evident that with your hand on his cock that he was not able to form one coherent thought, and much to your disliking, he used the hand that previously was between your legs to seize your wrist, pinning your hand to your belly. 

“My love,” he rasped, raising his brows. “We have had many times to practice with our mouths and fingers, but this will be a new experience for you, and I want you to be thoroughly prepared for it.”

You nodded softly, understanding his concern, “we have waited for this night for so long. You have prepared me well, Aemond. Please, let me enjoy you… I am ready.” 

All was lost when you pushed your soaked mound against his cock, trapping it in between your bodies. Aemond drew in a sharp breath, and not having had him inside of you before, you were surprised at how different it already felt merely pressing against your swollen lips. The moan you released was wanton, pleasure and surprise both filling your veins.

His grip on your wrist tightened at that, and his eyes darkened in a way you had not seen before. It sent a shiver down your spine, your cunt clenching around nothing. 

Without a word, Aemond released your wrist and grabbed the base of his cock. Sitting back on his haunches, he lined his cock with your entrance but did not push inside. “Jaelā bisa?” he asked, a concerned edge to his voice that asked for your reassurance. You want this?

Hooded eyes gazed at him as you bowed your head slowly, your heavy breathing and hardened nipples showing just how much you wanted it. “Kessa.” Yes. 

A shuddered breath escaped him as he thrusted into you, eyes squeezed shut in pleasure. Even if he wanted to go faster, your cunt was choking him so tight, there was no chance for him to do so without spending himself. He pushed inside at an agonizingly slow pace, every ridge and vein of him dragged along your walls. 

He had prepared you tonight, and he had prepared you all the nights before that, but it still felt entirely different to what you had expected, if not even painful. You winced, and on cue, your body went rigid. 

Aemond gripped your hip with such force it was meant to bruise in the following days, not making your discomfort any easier. “Gods, shit, I–” he grunted, taking in a deep breath and stilling his movements. He had yet to bottom out completely, but your ease was his priority. 

“‘Tis alright,” he cooed, running one hand along your side in a calming manner. His other grabbed yours and pinned it above your head with your fingers intertwined. Dipping his head down, his lips captured yours in a gentle kiss. It was languid, sensual even, and did not lack any passion. 

You arched your back against him, melting into the warmth that radiated off his body and relaxing almost instantly. Aemond used the opportunity to gently push the rest of his manhood into you, giving you time to adjust to his size once he was sheathed inside. 

You both released a deep breath at the same moment, fanning across each other’s kiss swollen lips. There was a burning inside of you, and you felt filled to the brim, yet it did not sting as badly as it had before. 

“Gods be good,” he rasped, voice tinted with deep desire, “you were made for me. You were always meant to be mine.” Light kisses trailed along your jaw and the side of your neck, meaning he could not spot the color his words forced onto your cheeks. 

Sinking your teeth into your bottom lip, you craned your neck and granted him more access, drowning in the calming feeling of his lips on your skin and the burning desire that pooled between your legs. “Feels s-so good,” you half-moaned, half-whimpered, and Aemond took that as his cue to move. 

His eye searched your face for any sign of discomfort, as if there was the possibility of you only saying it to please him. When he found none, he began rutting his hips into yours. The pace was slow, just like it had been throughout the whole night, and despite it being unsaid, you both knew that was not what this night was about. It was about your unity, making peace with your past and embracing your future together. 

Entangling your other hand in his silver strands, you gently tugged on them, tilting his head back to the point you were able to press your lips to his throat. Aemond groaned, and in response to his cock throbbing inside of you, your walls clenching around him. 

“Tell me… Tell me how I make you feel,” he stammered, breathlessly. His jaw was set, and the bump in his throat bobbed against your lips each time he swallowed his saliva. You mewled against his flushed skin, slightly sucking it between your lips only to release it a few seconds after. 

Running your hand from the back of his head down his spine, it rested on his arse, gently squeezing his flesh. “So good,” you panted, pressing a chaste kiss to his throat. “... incredible.”

Aemond buried his face in the crook of your neck, driving himself into you with a little more determination and force. His body was rutting against your little bud in a way that had the familiar feeling of your peak settling in the pit of your belly, even tingling in the soles of your feet. 

It must have been obvious to him how close you were with your walls trembling and the grip of your legs around his waist tightening; he squeezed your hand once, twice, before grunting against your skin, “peak for me. Can you do that, mh?”

Far too lost in the pleasure his presence granted you, you nodded your head, humming a ‘hmm’ as you wanted nothing more than to please him. And with your peak crashing over you, you did just that. 

A row of wanton moans and whimpers slipped past your lips, growing in volume each time his cock dragged along that sensitive spot inside of you. With your convulsing walls, stars also started to cloud your vision, and it felt as if dragonfire was spreading throughout your body. 

“Please,” you begged, digging your nails into the back of his hand and the flesh of his arse. Aemond hissed at the stinging pain, but his hips did not falter. “Let me give you an heir,” you whined, “put your son in me. Kostilus… please.” It sounded more desperate than intended, but had the desired effect. 

“Seven hells, fuck, yes!” His body went rigid as his twitching cock spent itself deep inside of your quivering walls. Your cunt was choking him, squeezing him so tightly it had his thrusts faltering, coming to a halt despite him still spilling his seed. 

Aemond collapsed on top of you, trying to control his breathing with his face pressed into your dampened hair. Your body was limp, and while a steady breath came quicker to you than him, you weren’t able to do much more than trace your fingers over his back in mindless patterns. 

He pulled out of you as he rolled onto his side, fingers still intertwined with yours and no intention of letting go so soon. You watched him with heavy-lidded eyes, tongue darting out to wet your lips. 

It was surprising you both when you reached out to ghost your index finger over the red scar that emerged below his eye, an expression of concern crawling onto your features with Aemond wincing slightly. 

“Gaomagon daor mirre ruaragon hen nyke arlī,” you whispered, your eyes flickering from his lips up to meet his good one. Do not ever hide from me again. A chuckle came from him, juxtaposed by the nod of his head. “Avy jorrāelan, tolī.” I love you, too. 

Pressing your lips into a thin line was a fruitless attempt to stop them from pulling into a wide grin, and you giggled softly, before your arm wrapped around his neck to pull yourself against him. Mounting him like your beloved Silverwing, you straddled his hips, his cock already half-hard again. 

His member and the whispy hairs around it were glistening in the dim light similar to the sapphire in the socket of his eye, yet it was for a completely different reason. Your mixed juices leaked out of your cunt, coating him and claiming him just like he had claimed you as his before. 

“I might be yours, but you are just as much mine,” you said. 

Aemond smirked at you, before sitting up a little and cupping your face with both hands. His lips collided against yours, pulling you down and consuming you with a kiss that was less chaste than the ones you had shared before, swallowing you in passion. 

Sleep hardly found you in the hours that followed, and if it did, it was only to be interrupted again by lingering kisses and touches, making up for the years you had gone without. 

Taglist: @seabasscevans @dixie-elocin @thelittleswanao3@gemini-mama

[aftgficrec]

Hi! Thank you so much for your work. I'm looking for long finished fics, it can be canon or not AND I'm also looking for fics focused on Kevin and Neil friendship

Recs with Kevin and Neil friendship will follow in a separate post.

Now to get nerdy. 🤓 In a previous ask for longer andreil fics, we linked the official AO3 tutorial for honing searches to find what you’re looking for. The key for finding long complete fics is a combination of word count and completion status. 

“Complete Works Only” must be selected and the “Word Count” must be written as numerals with no commas. 

So, for complete aftg fics that are more than 200k words: 

Search AO3 for All For The Game - Nora Sakavic

Click Works

Go to the Sort and Filter menu on the right side of the screen

Look for the More Options header near the bottom

Click the arrow by Completion Status

Select Complete Works Only

Click the arrow by Word Count 

Enter 2000000 in the From field

Click Sort and Filter

Current yield: 19 complete aftg fics over 200k words

For complete aftg fics that are between 100k and 200k words:

Repeat steps 1-7

Enter 100000 in the From field

Enter 200000 in the To field

Click Sort and Filter

Current yield: 54 complete aftg fics between 100k-200k words

Etcetera, etcetera. The real fun begins when you select the pairings and types of stories you want to read! Below you will find some specific long complete previous asks, and a handful of previously featured fics. -A

previous asks

long complete parental andreil here 

long complete Raven!Neil here

long complete kandreil here (more of these sorted by length on ao3 here)

long complete post canon fics here

long andreil fics here (all completed)

staff top long post canon fics here

staff fave longer fics here and here

long fics for a return to fandom here (many are completed)

fluff

‘Pinch of Salt.’ here (51k)

canon universe

‘Dead Girl Walking’ (217k) here

‘A Falling Star’ series 245k here (updated)

dark/angsty

‘Armies’ 300k, ‘The Nameless Monster’ 118k, ‘I Spy a Broken Heart’ 205k (completed), ‘what it takes to survive’ 100k here 

‘Not Damsels, not Knights’ 93k here

‘Joseph’ series 119k here

‘Red Rabbits’ series 729k here

action/adventure/fantasy/scifi

‘The Foxhole Force’ 245k (completed), ‘In Reel and Rout’ 91k here 

‘Of Smoke & Bone’ 200k (completed) here 

‘The Wonders I've Seen’ 158k, ‘if you get lost (you can always be found)’ 68k, ‘F.O.X.E.S. Division’ 270k here

‘The Odds Are Never In Our Favor’ 258k here

[sonicstorybook]

The King’s Champion

A SatBK AU where Shadow is the one sent to Camelot and Sonic is the doppelgänger- the one and only King Arthur!

Part: 3/4

Summary: Arthur the Hedgehog pulled the legendary sword Caliburn from the stone, and he became King Arthur, the ruler of Camelot. Shadow the Hedgehog appears in a flash of magic in the middle of his banquet hall, and he becomes Arthur’s problem. As the sun rises over the kingdom, a pre-dawn conversation between both hedgehogs also helps them reach... well, not quite a mutual understanding, but progress is progress!

(Shadow doesn’t know where he is, what’s going on, or why he’s there- but it doesn’t matter. He’s Shadow the Hedgehog, the world’s ultimate life form, and he’s going to play this weird game by his rules.)

Contains: Pre-relationship/platonic Arthadow (Arthur the Hedgehog x Shadow the Hedgehog)!

Rating: G

Word count:   1,820

Note: I figured out the issue! The new post editor. C,: Back at legacy and no word limit- but I’m going to split the last part into another post so I can make another lil chapter header image ahaha.

Also, other characters introduced this part:

Sir Gawain is Knuckles the Echidna! Sir Lamorak is Jet the Hawk! Sir Kay is Scourge the Hedgehog! Sir Gareth is Mighty the Armadillo!

“Sire!” Well, more like broken open, as Gawain’s armored fist tears through the solid wood easily. (Arthur makes a mental note to get the tower and the door repaired.) The knight of the sun runs up to him, a worried frown darkening his face, “Are you well, my lord?!”

“I'm great!” Arthur tries to keep his composure, but he’s still energized from the unexpected adventure. Lamorak, his newest knight, is the first to follow after Gawain, followed by more of his knights. Kay is the very last one through the door, looking bored and unconcerned as he picks at his sharp teeth. Typical. His brother didn’t care about things outside of his area of responsibility, and he knew Arthur could take care of himself. 

Arthur gives his knights a reassuring smile, gesturing at them to lower their weapons, which most do with varying levels of reluctance. Lamorak, notably, does not, but the hawk is too hungry to make a name for himself to ever take a passive role. Most of his other knights seem content to let Gawain take the lead, “Shadow just showed me the most marvelous trick with the wind, ‘Wain! It was like a dream-”

“Is that so?” Gawain glances at Arthur, scanning him quickly for visible injuries, before turning his attention to Shadow. He puts himself between the hedgehogs, standing in front of his king as he eyes Shadow warily, “Where is your cape? Did this churl take it?”

Arthur sighs deeply as Gawain doesn't see him. His knight noticed his symbol of authority was missing, but Gawain didn’t notice the brightness in Arthur’s eyes or the genuine smile on his face. A true warrior and protector, so focused on the potential threat to the crown that he doesn’t realize the crown is fine. Actually, the crown is better than he has been in a long time.

“I’m a hedgehog,” Shadow answers Gawain defiantly with a chilly glower of his own. 

“And what do I want with a rag?” Shadow crosses his arms over his chest, a sign of dismissive self-assurance that has Gawain bristling. Only someone very brave or very foolish would dare face Gawain when the sun is so high in the sky, and Arthur isn’t sure which one Shadow is as he keeps antagonizing the knight of the sun, “Your king is simply careless.”

“How dare you!” Gawain takes an aggressive step forward, slicing the air with his hand in his outrage. Some of his other knights react poorly to the comment, too, making sounds of disagreement as their hands rest on their weapons threateningly. (It’s a pity Guin isn’t there. She’s mastered the art of laughing in her eyes while keeping her expression prim and proper, and she would have undoubtedly agreed with Shadow’s assessment. At least Lamorak, still so new to knighthood and not yet versed in the ways of the court, guffaws as his beak widens in an amused smile that makes Arthur feel like he’s more than just a king.)

“Do not speak to him so familiarly, imposter!” Gawain demands angrily, circling Shadow warily.  In his haste, the knight of the sun did not bring Galatine with him, but his armored fists and legendary strength are formidable enough on their own.

“Imposter?!” Shadow echoes back, offended, baring his teeth in a snarl. He matches Gawain step for step, quills bristling up angrily, “Me?!”

“You may look like Lancelot, but you cannot fool me!” Gawain cracks his knuckles, and stretches his shoulder, telltale signs he’s getting ready to fight, “I will not allow you to try and steal Lancelot’s place! Just like you took the king’s cape, no doubt! You are undoubtedly seeking to replace him as the Queen’s champion!”

“Gawain…” Arthur calls out wearily, knowing that now that he’s worked up, the echidna won’t listen to anyone- not even the king, “He didn’t take my cape, the wind did.”

Gawain, predictably, ignores him since his attention is glued on Shadow.

“You have Lancelot’s face, but nothing else!” Gawain reaches back and lunges forward, fist first. Shadow jumps out of the way, but the force of the wind nearly knocks Kay off of his feet, “You don’t have his skill!”

“Kay-” Arthur starts to call out to his foster brother, but the green hedgehog waves him off irritably as he dusts off the front of his robe.

“His grace!” Gawain roars, throwing another punch Shadow skillfully avoids, although the stone floor isn’t so lucky. Debris flies into the air as several cobblestones burst with the force of the impact.

Shadow doesn’t dodge the next punch so much as he disappears from where it was aimed. “And none of his honor- Huh?!”

Gawain only has a few moments to look confused before Shadow appears behind him in a flash of energy. The hedgehog’s eyebrows are drawn together tightly in a ferocious scowl, and in the blink of an eye, Shadow kicks the knight in the back of the head. 

Gawain’s helmet takes the brunt of the impact, metal meeting metal with a hollow clunk, but the force of it still sends the echidna flying face-first into the ground. It’s deathly silent as everyone seems to hold their breath, surprised and not sure how to react.

Shadow kicked Gawain in the back of the head.

Gawain shakes his head, looking at Shadow over his shoulder with a bewildered expression. The serious hedgehog glowers back at him, half-crouched down like he’s ready to continue the fight. Time has come to a standstill in this long, quiet moment.

It’s not funny that Shadow kicked Sir Gawain of Orkney, knight of the sun and a proud son of Camelot, in the head.

Gawain’s temper and hostility make sense- he’s worried about Lancelot. He sees a stranger with his best friend’s face and immediately assumes it’s Shadow’s doing. Quite a reasonable assumption, given Lancelot’s mixed experiences with magic. Even worse, Shadow is with Camelot’s king now, and is too dangerous an unknown to leave unchallenged. Gawain was simply getting carried away while trying to protect those he loved.

Shadow, for all his stoic indifference, is disoriented and frustrated. He doesn’t understand his new social environment, or realize how his words and actions are seen as provocative and insulting. Well, initially anyway. When Gawain unfavorably compared him to Lancelot, the echidna pushed on the still tender wound of his self doubt. Naturally, Shadow lashed out to protect himself and assert himself as powerful and capable by his own merits.

It’s not funny at all, in fact, it’s serious- Arthur only has moments to think of a suitable solution that keeps Gawain from being embarrassed, mollifies his knights, and somehow protects and restrains Shadow all at the same time. And yet laughter bubbles in his chest because Shadow kicked Gawain in the back of the head for calling him something other than ‘hedgehog.’ Just like he promised he would.

“Arthur?” Kay asks from his side in a moment, although he doesn’t look particularly concerned. His brother has a habit of sniffing out trouble and getting in the midst of it, no matter the collateral damage. Kay’s sharp teeth are pulled into a smile, blue eyes glinting with mean delight, which means he found this just as amusing as Arthur did, “Are you laughing?”

Of course his brother would use this opportunity to try and drag him into this, and make Arthur the object of ridicule instead! Kay’s sense of humor is as sharp and deadly as his green quills, and always pops up at the most inconvenient time.

“Of course not!” Arthur regains his composure quickly, laying a hand against Kay’s shoulder with a strained smile and a subtle glare to convey his annoyance, “I was choking in surprise!”

Kay, as expected, doesn’t look the least bit regretful, shrugging his brother’s hand off with a flippant wave. With a low sigh, Arthur makes his way to where Shadow is standing and Gawain is getting to his feet. He slips back into his royal persona like a glove, “Splendid! I asked you to impress me, Shadow the Hedgehog, and you have not disappointed!”

Arthur claps his hand on Gawain’s back, giving his knight a friendly shake, “Rare are those who can catch Sir Gawain by surprise, and rarer still those who can land a single blow! Particularly when the sun is casting her full blessing on him! You have proven yourself, and I will grant your boon!”

“A test.” Gawain brushes some dust from his pauldron, moving his arm in such a way that his rippling muscles are in full display. The echidna eyes Shadow with distaste, forgetting himself and demanding an answer from Arthur rather than asking, “Boon? What boon?”

Arthur lets it slide with great relief, elated that Gawain readily accepts the explanation without further questioning, “The boon of being given the opportunity to prove his worth in skill of arms, noble deeds, and succor to those in need.”

It’s not an uncommon request, in fact, many of Arthur’s current knights have asked for this same boon. Gareth the Armadillo seems to be particularly moved by this request, likely remembering his own path to knighthood. He exchanges a glance with Gawain, pointedly relaxing his posture as if proving to his older brother that there was no need for hostility. Several other knights follow Gareth’s lead, willing to give Shadow an opportunity to prove himself after his impressive demonstration against Gawain. 

Arthur feels his shoulders begin to relax-

“Strange,” Kay comments airily from the side, buffing his claws against his vest. His eyes are calculating and cold, scrutinizing Shadow in a way that leaves Arthur increasingly nervous. His brother’s voice is cloyingly sweet as he asks, “My King usually extends this boon to every hopeful, young squire who stumbles through the doorway… Not getting stingy, are you, Wart?”

“Sir Kay,” Gareth gives the green hedgehog a disapproving frown, voice cool but calm, “You would do well to remember your place and to hold that sharp tongue of yours.”

His ears twitch as the armadillo smiles in Shadow’s direction, “This fellow does not strike me as patient and forgiving as our king.”

“Hear, hear!” Someone calls from the left, setting off a volley of snickering that has Kay’s quills bristling in annoyance. Arthur does wish his brother would speak a little less loudly and boldly so the target on his back wouldn’t be quite so big. 

“Tch,” Kay sucks air between his teeth dismissively, biting his thumb in Gareth’s direction with a scoff, “Perhaps this Shadow’s request was just as pathetic as yours, Beaumains-”

“Kay!” Gawain comes in defense of his brother, looking over his shoulder at Kay in obvious warning. Much to the armadillo’s chagrin, who felt his ‘big brother’ weighing in on his disputes discredited Gareth’s own deeds and reputation. Gawain would answer back hotly, and this is would devolve into unnecessary family spat- 

“The King’s Champion.”

[skyboxeye]

Capturing the ambience of Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars KoTOR offers countless interesting locations across planets, in space, and even under water.

Fast traveling

There are segmented game-save archives around for download which allow you to replay desired levels.

You can also jump around, even more efficiently, by using console commands. First, open swkotor.ini and add EnableCheats=1 under [Game Options]. Now, when you start the game, you’ll be able to use the developer console by pressing the tilde (aka grave) key. For our purposes, the most relevant cheats are warp <area ID> and turbo, which respectively allow you to load a specific area and run faster.

Capturing footage

The draw calls used by KoTOR are capatible with the GLIntercept library. Enter first-person mode to hide the HUD, and then use GLIntercept’s freecam plugin to manipulate the camera as desired.

Note that certain effects, like halos around suns or underwater bubbles, are relative to your player-character rather than the camera. This limits how much you can move the camera if you’d like to capture these.

You should also be mindful of our view frustum as all polygons outside of it will be culled.

Extracting audio

Main ambient streams are files named like al_* found in the streammusic directory of the game’s files. However their packaging is quite unconventional - despite their WAV file extension, they are actually MP3s. Furthermore, their headers are replicated for some reason.

We can get working MP3s by trimming some bytes off these headers:

@echo off

set /p byteno="Please enter the number of bytes to trim from the header: "

for %%F in (*.wav) do dd if=%%~nF.wav of=%%~nF.mp3 bs=1 skip=%byteno%

pause

Provided we have DD in the same directory. Use an offset of 470 bytes [1] [2].

Supposedly the process is easier with Miles Sound Tools, but I had trouble running this on Windows 10. If you want to go this route, note that you may need to use the Internet Archive to locate a working download.

Determining sounds

Kotor Tool allows us to read specifics on global and positional sounds effects for each map. Opening a map‘s Dynamic Area Info git file shows the AreaProperities we’re interested in: AmbientSndDay. The index value maps to the ambientsound.2da visible inside BIFs -> 2da.bif. Note that this array is sparse, so the index values may be off-by-some rather than a direct mapping.

We can look at the SoundList to get specifics on sounds placed in the map. We can also information on any randomized pitch/volume variation by clicking into the corresponding uts file.

To match sounds to map locations, we can use the whereami console command to print player-character coordinates for reference. We can also delete files from streammusic before running the game if we’d like to hear positional sounds only.

We can also use Kotor Tool to explore reverb settings for a given room.

Putting it all together

You’ll need to fix the loop points in your trimmed streammusic files - they shipped as broken for some reason. This is usually pretty easy - just delete any junk samples at the ends of the stream in your favorite editor (e.g. Audacity).

From there, drop in the BIFF and streamsounds sound effects we identified using Kotor Tool, varying the pitch, volume, and reverb as desired. Once we have a soundscape we’re happy with, we can mux it with the video we captured.

[admiral-michova]

THE UCC KNIGHTS ORGANIZATION FILE #4224

KNIGHT HOUSES:

The knights have been an ongoing and ever evolving group of special forces heavy soldiers specialized in melee combat, hand to hand, CQB and rebuilding/stabilization efforts. Most knights belong to a house to follow a lineage or to join specific units and companies. Every culture and world has their own version of knights or knight like warriors and subsequently also poses splinter groups of special forces and sub-divided units that stem from the knight like soldiers. The 24TH’S are the traditional looking image you see when you think of a knight due to most of their forces coming from European cultures or designs. This is not to say other knights could not join or mix into the 24th however they are the most standardized company, consistent quality and the largest of the current divisions in the UCC’S forces and fleets they are earths home guard. Their houses are a check and balance for the insurance of self policing and a way to show clear and defined unity among the different divisions also sometimes clearly defining their current role, for example the steel queen AKA Sletya is from the sword and quill house hold, she is adept at combat and also governmental involvement within her division. Most knights undergo specific training to become individual leaders should their commanding officer and or knight commander go down. This means leadership structure largely follows the concept that the American military does. Some knights are trained mainly as peace keepers and most are trained to be front line spear headers to dig into the enemy line and drive them back, the knight house holds also help to categorize the number, current status, availability and location of knights including their recruiting programs a lot of knight house holds will be sent to delegate broken or destabilized portions of planets and help to create a stable and safe environment, they are soldiers but most of all, they are the peoples soliders

END OF FILE 4224 UCC CATEGORIZATION STANDARD COMPLETE

[windmaedchen-oceanhorn]

Master Mayfair

Part of the still wip header image.

Ah, Master Mayfair. We know nothing about him. Mesmeroth considers him the be the most honest man he ever met. It sounds as if Master Mayfair was a true Knight: righteous, courteous, loyal and honest. Strong, beloved by all, respected.

But do we know anything about him? No. Did he have family? A wife and children? All we know is that he was entrusted with a newborn and took care of Hero/Theo like a father/grandfather and raised him to be a good knight.

I think the events of the Direfolk war scarred him deeply. He lost not only Sir Corbin, a very good friend of the same age, but also Mesmeroth. Mesmeroth is much younger and I have the feeling that Master Mayfair not just was a friend to him, but also a father. It sure must have broken his heart to see Mesmeroth retreat and hide behind the mask and leave to never be seen again (until much later).

I have this idea in my head, that keeps nagging... a personal moment between the two, which I shall tackle soon, I hope!

[ringedits]

Broken Knight headers by ringedits

• like or reblog if you save credits to @reedroyai on twitter

[lukovedits]

broken knight headers

like if you save/use or credits on twitter @rareperfct

[jexsuisprest]

broken knight headers.

like or credits me on twitter @balfehoran if u save it!

[ifwewerevillain]

dean and rosie headers

/ if you save, like/reblog. credits to @oliverrjames on twitter

[vaughnedits]

Broken Knight (#2 All Saints High) headers.

like or reblog if you save it.

© vaughastalis on twitter if you use it.

[bookstwipacks]

broken knight headers

like/reblog or cr to awronwarner

[userholland]

overdrive (biker!tom) | one

genre ↠ strangers to lovers, love at first sight, idiots to lovers

summary ↠ somehow you ended up at a frat party that’s already gotten out of control. feeling out of place and socially awkward, your best-friend relentlessly tells you to talk to someone, specifically a curly-haired boy with the bright smile and tattoos shaded and painted from his shoulders to his wrists. from one glance, you could see a whole live with each other.

word count ↠ 6.7k

warnings in this part (?) ↠ gushy, gushy, and uh—gushy. both tom and reader slowly becoming completely smitten. tattooed!tom w/ eyebrow piercing <3 (sleeves along both arms + some self-tattoos on his fingers), drinking alcohol, cursing.

chapter playlist ↠ girls like you - the naked and famous / in your eyes - the weeknd / godspeed - frank ocean / spinach - timothy infinite / 9 and three quarters - txt

a/n ↠ this fic has been a work in progress for months. there is a mention of a city but, that's up for the reader's interpretation because I didn't want to put a specific location on it. but i hope you guys enjoy it! always appreciate the love i get !!! honestly been focusing on escapism and true self in my fics so please let me know how they are. major credit to my header made by @venomsilk aka the hottest girl on here :'D much appreciated besthie ! this series will be mature so, 18+ so please, again, minors dni! as always, i hope everyone is doing alright and please stay safe <3

series masterlist ♡ main masterlist

*✭˚·ﾟ✧*·ﾟ*✭˚·ﾟ✧*·ﾟ* PART I. I Trust You… I Think

True love was complete and utter bullshit.

How could someone give their entire heart to another person? How could they not understand the fear of being let down? How were they able to fall so fast? Fairytales were tailored to little girls growing up and walking around with one glass slipper to find their knight in shining armor or their blue-eyed prince who doesn’t even need the say anything to know they are in love with them. It didn’t make sense as to why someone would risk all their love on a whim because of the way their eyes connect with someone else’s across a room. It seemed like a fast way to create a Cinderella complex and high expectations through the eyes of any girl.

If anyone embodied a modern-day princess, it was Sloane. Granted, you were best friends since you were in the playpen, she always got her heart stepped on and broken into pieces. Guys adored her while girls envied her but how couldn’t they? She exuded confidence and walked with poise, owning whatever hall she walked through with a glare in her striking green eyes, but with that, she was prone to be taken advantage of for ‘just a pretty face’.

You’d been at her side through every heartbreak, from fifth-grade crushes to college fallouts. Throughout it all, you never shamed her but, rather, you became more protective of her. They say blood may be thicker than water but Sloane was practically your sister. Even if you had differences in the portrayal of love, that didn't stop her from dreaming about finding her prince; you just didn’t think she’d find him at a crowded frat party with beer-covered floors and Kappa Sig brothers making freshmen do keg stands.

“Chug, chug, chug!” The group of boys yelled in unison, watching the scrawny freshmen’s face fade into a bright red from the alcohol.

You furrowed your eyebrows as you passed them, your arms crossed over your chest as you followed behind Sloane. Purposefully, she wore a two-piece set that was a creamsicle color. Her clean, blonde locks and glossy lips completed the look as if she were a movie star from the 1960s. It always impressed you how she managed to be the most put-together one in the room, which was even easier in a setting like this. A light groan came from your lips as you heard the bottom of your shoes stick to the ground, quickly looking under one before you walked to the kitchen island littered with hard liquor and cups.

“Look, they have Grey Goose!” Sloane smiled, unscrewing the cap.

“Great way to forget about tonight...” You trailed as you grabbed two cups from the stack.

“Yeah, I need to loosen up already. I saw this guy by the door and I think I might try to talk to him.”

“Talk talk or just hooking up?” You asked, pouring orange juice into your plastic cup.

She giggled, “Talk talk, you know, just get to know. Mingle.” She nodded, adding the vodka to your drinks.

“...Have you heard from Devin?”

“No. But, hopefully, he’s not here tonight.” She raised her eyebrows before taking a short sip of her drink before she turned around to scan the room, “Don’t want to talk to him, don’t wanna deal with him.”

“He’s an asshole.” You commented, holding your drink. You leaned your back against the counter, searching around the party, but you doubted that you would see anyone you knew. Frat parties were never your scene, hearing enough stories from your friends that it seemed sketchy to go to them, but it wasn’t that bad right now. But as the night went on, you noticed it fill up and the booze flowed quickly.

With the main room starting to feel smaller, you decided to find a bathroom while Sloane was talking to one of her friends. She assured you she’d call you if anything happened, feeling comfort in that before you left. You brushed past a few guys, trying not to touch any one and simply sliding by, yet still got a slab of sweat along your arm from them. With a disgusted look, you hesitantly wiped it on your shirt before a few people bumped into you along the way.

Being anywhere else was preferable when compared to the pungent and overwhelming mixed reek of booze and sweat created throughout the entire house. You could almost grab at the air with how thick it become from the rising humidity, even though it was winter and the doors were opened for anyone to enter.

Before you got to the start of the stairs, someone shook their beer to spray it throughout the crowd and you tightly closed your eyes when you felt the drops land on your face and hair. As you wiped the beads away with your forearm, you realized how sticky your hands had become from how many things and people you didn’t intend to touch－ more of a reason to use the bathroom.

“‘Cuse me.” You said, passing by another guy. You placed your hand on his back before moving past and walked up the stairs.

Looking over your shoulder, you saw the stranger you passed was a brown-haired boy with a piercing at the tail of his eyebrow. Flashing neon colors, like blue and orange, highlighted his sharp jaw and made the brown in his eyes turn light. Your eyes traced the sterling-silver chain peaking by his neck then shifted to detailed tattoos hiding under the fabric of the sleeves of his white t-shirt that perfectly fit around his toned arms.

The right corner of his mouth pulled as you maintained those few seconds of eye contact before you turned back around, heading toward the bathroom. You shook your head at yourself, that guy probably thinking you’re a creep because you ogled him for longer than you should have.

Look away now, look away now.

Heat rushed to your face, like a burst of fire slapped your cheeks. Your feet thought before your head, continuing to pace up the stairs; you brushed past strangers coming down. As your shoulder collided with someone else’s, you still persisted to not look back. But, one look was enough to know that there was something about you he found alluring.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!”

There’s neon lights illuminating the hall as if you were entering a strip club, and you push open the already-cracked bathroom door. As much as you wanted to hide, the bathroom of this frat house was scarier than any embarrassment you could face downstairs. The sink looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in months, a ring around the basin and hair products around the space. Not a toothbrush in sight either-- it was worrisome, but not as bad as what could have been behind the shower curtain or behind the toilet.

You shook your head, a chill trailing your spine that made you roll your shoulders and shake your head. Only twenty seconds, then you were going back out there. Taking a few glances in the mirror, then stretching your neck then wipe your hands down your face.

The loudness of the party came back when you opened the door, surprised by the couple pressing themselves against one another by the door. They squeezed behind you and shut the door, the air blowing on your face when it closed.

“Christ…” You muttered.

As you made your way back down the stairs, inhaling the volatile scent of beer and weed, the party only got bigger. You shuffled your way through the thick crowd, the bottom of your sneakers sticking to a mixture of booze on the hardwood floor before you found Sloane at the kitchen bar talking to a guy.

You froze in the middle of the room. She looked so happy, that big smile on her face from ear to ear and her bright eyes could be seen as stars in the dark sky. You weren’t sure who the guy was, but when you saw that familiar smile, you knew she was interested.

“Y/N!” She gestured, sitting on the countertop.

The bass of the music vibrated the floors the closer you got to her, leaning your head down when walking by the cute boy with brown locks. The mysterious yet handsome stranger held his gaze as you passed once more, a cheeky smile painting on his lips then turning back to the conversation with his friends.

“Y/N, this is Christopher. He’s in my French class.” Sloane giggled her arm around his shoulders.

“Nice to meet you.” You smiled. She raved about him since she broke up with Devin, showing you their cute texts and funny photos. Always hearing them gush and giggle to each other, the whole “you hang up first” line back and forth.

He grinned in return, but the two of them continued their conversation while your eyes searched around the room for anyone you knew-- doubtful. You hoped your gaze would fall on the cute stranger again, already embarrassed about staring at him once, but he was nowhere to be found. Wouldn’t have been surprised if he was some illusion, a ‘too good to be true’ moment.

“We’re gonna leave here, go to this bar downtown. I think it’s called Stella’s… Chris said his friends are in a band and they’re playing tonight.” She smiled, “You coming with?... this place is getting too crowded for us.” Sloane furrowed her brow, turning a snarky glare to the group of guys doing a keg stand in the corner.

You hummed, “As fun as that sounds, I’m gonna head back to the apartment.”

“Oh! C’mon, come with us. Have a little fun tonight. I don’t want to leave you alone… especially not here.”

She joked, but it wasn’t far from the truth.

“Well maybe if I hang around, I’ll find a guy too.” You jeered.

“If you smile more too.” Sloane lightly pinched your cheek, “You have such a beautiful face, gonna be on a billboard someday.”

“Haha, very funny. Why don’t you have some fun? But, I think I’m gonna head back to the apartment.” You trailed, not wanting to burden her with being the third wheel even though she wouldn’t mind.

“Alexis is here with her boyfriend if you need a ride.” She told you, holding your hand.

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine. Promise.” You comforted, curling your pinky around hers.

In her own giggling fit, Sloane accepted your reassurance, “Okay, text me, call me, anything to let me know you’re okay.”

“Yeah, of course.” You grinned.

As the group left through the party, you sat down in a chair by the wall opening to phone to the Uber app. Even though you barely had enough to your name, you chose an UberX and patiently waited in your seat instead of being outside in the freezing cold. The strong scent of Malibu surrounded you like a cloud, you could probably get a contact-high if you stayed in the room long enough.

People passed by, drinks spilling out of their solo cups and laughter barely heard with the loud bass of the music. You didn’t mean to stare at anyone for too long, but there was nothing else to do to pass the time. A few guys passed that caught your attention, but not the same one you bumped into going to the restroom.

Just as you didn’t think time could be slower, red and blue lights flashed through the front windows of the house. They beamed bright, strobing as if a rave moved outside, but from every one quickly pacing toward the back doors, you assumed it couldn’t have been good.

“Cops! Campus cops! Go out the back doors!” Someone shouted over the muttering voices.

No one was sprinting to get toward the front of everyone, but anyone who had a reason to jump the fence made you worry there was more going on at this party than you thought. People heaved against one another, like waves in a violent sea, bumping by anyone around you until feeling the cool air hit your face. As the crowd dispersed, you decided, on a whim, to follow a group of people exiting around the house to get back to your college down the road.

Instead of continuing to follow this pack of drunks into town, you walked the opposite direction to not get pummeled by the horde clogging the middle of the street and sidewalks as red and blue lights beamed against the windows of all houses.

You looked over your shoulder, the music and noise from the crowd fading into the night. A few people passed through backyards to get to where their cars were parked, immediately leaving as soon as their engines started.

Sighing, you called your friend, Alexis.

The ringing went on until it went to voicemail. You assumed she may have gotten caught up in the mess that happened. But, there was still hope in ordering an Uber. Quickly pulling up the app and buying a ride, you stood there and realized how alone you were. The empty street, not even a stray cat walking by or the sound of crickets.

Freezing, you crossed your arms to insulate the body warmth you had left. As you bounced your legs, your teeth chattered on and off with nothing else to focus on but how cold it was. You hoped that the uber would be here soon, preferably right now, so you checked your phone with your fingers clutched around it.

15 minutes away.

“How was no one else working on a Saturday night when they know drunk people are looking for some way home?” You thought.

With your head arched to the sky, the stars scattered in the dark midnight and the silence was eerily beautiful. The half-moon’s glow was your only way of seeing anything, almost making it less lonely than you felt right now.

“Hey, what are you doing out here?” A voice from behind curiously asked.

Your heart dropped when you saw his face, the cute guy that you passed by to go to the bathroom. Immediately, you turned your attention to him while still practically hugging yourself.

“Waiting to be picked up by my Uber. My friend left and I don’t want to walk this late.” You awkwardly chuckled, “But, it’ll be here any minute.” You lied, heat rising to your cheeks— somehow being the only warmth your body could suddenly produce.

He nodded, “I can give you a ride home or wherever you’re going.”

You turned back to him, hesitant with an answer since it was unprompted.

“Um… no offense, but I don’t take free rides from strangers.” You half-joked, even if the offer sounded better than your moral compass.

“Yet you’re taking an uber?” He asked, his eyebrow cocked and a smirk on his lips.

You chuckled, “Well, I’m pretty sure they have background checks done.”

Tom grinned, “You don’t trust me?”

“That’s exactly something a guy I shouldn’t trust would ask me, don’t you think?” You scrunched your nose a bit, still tightly crossing your arms.

The cute, curly-haired boy half-smiled, “Touche..” He chuckled, both of you sharing it.

“But, I’m actually headed to the city and dropping you off wouldn’t be out of my way.” He shrugged, “Plus, I’m scared that if I leave you here, I’ll come back tomorrow and you’ll be frozen to the sidewalk.” He teased, still trying to offer you a ride. You looked incredibly cold with your body closed off, so much that if enough wind knocked you on the sidewalk, you’d shatter into pieces.

You narrowed your eyes, “It’s not that cold.”

“Oh yeah?” He hummed, “Your knees have been shaking since we started talking.”

Cold or not, your knees would have been shaking regardless. The nervousness in your heart almost tickled, wanting to give into this rom-com like offer. Desperate, freezing and out of patience, you sealed your lips before telling him, “Fine. I’ll take the ride.”

He gave you his hand to shake and when you held it, the heat from his palm felt like it melted the icy frost in your numb fingers.

“I’m Tom, by the way.”

“Y/N… glad we got that cleared up.” You grinned, “So, where’s your car?”

Tom produced a light chuckle, making you furrow your eyebrows.

“About that…” He trailed.

Confused, your eyebrows pushed together once more as he took a few steps down the sidewalk and patted his hand on the leather seat of a motorbike. The streetlight shined against the black finish and the small windshield by the top of the speedometer. Two black, tinted helmets were placed on the top of the slim seat. Still surprised, Tom grabbed one and held it in front of your hands.

“I recommend this.” He joked.

Holding the heavy helmet, you ran your thumb over the worn-out sticker on the back of it before looking at the reflection of yourself on the insulated face field.

“I can’t even ride a regular bike.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m driving then.” Tom joked, hoping to ease your nervousness.

Once more, you faced into the helmet’s shield, staring back at yourself and wondering if this was a good idea. While your conscience was telling you to back away, Sloane’s voice repeated in your head about how you needed to have fun and meet new people; exploring the world of being spontaneous and adventurous.

As Tom gracefully sat on the bike, he pulled the key from his pocket and perfectly jammed it into the ignition. Even the sound of the engine gave you a rush, a tingle coming up your spine-- but that could have just been from the cold. You quickly pulled out your phone, seeing your Uber was 5 minutes away. Your thumb hovered over the cancel button, a hesitant feeling bubbling up in the pit of your stomach.

“Backing out?” He asked, placing the helmet on his lap.

You sealed your lips, quickly tapping the cancel button then shoving your phone in your back pocket.

“Nope. I’d never.” You show him a smug grin before sliding the helmet over your head. It fit a bit snugly, but rather than it flying off your head if, god forbid, something happened… with this complete stranger.

“Well, it’s gonna get chilly so… here, take my jacket.” He trailed, unzipping his black, bomber jacket.

You took it, the scent of a pine-like cologne coming off it, but you didn’t mind the scent. As you put one arm through the other, you replied, “Thanks.” then pulled it up in one zip.

You heard a light chuckle from him before he pulled down the shield of his helmet, squeezing his left hand around the handlebar while the right one lightly gripped around on the right hand clutch. When the bike began moving, you naturally tightened your grip around his torso with your head behind his shoulder.

“It’ll be a smooth ride.” Tom said, a bit muffled under the helmet.

At first, your eyes were squeezed shut, still not processing how you were able to get on the bike. His speed picked up as he turned off sidestreets, driving past a few drunk stragglers from the party before stopping at a red light.

Tom planted both his feet to the asphalt road, antsy to pick up speed, but your heart was beating against the inside of your chest when you couldn’t hear it over the engine. Stuck hearing your own breathing, Tom turned his head around and saw you look off to the distance.

“We’re gonna get on the bridge that goes into the city. Gonna be pretty loud… you okay?” He asked, flipping open his helmet shield.

You nodded, “I’m fine. It’s just a bit cold. I’m not afraid of going fast if that’s what you mean…”

He half-smiled, “Just enjoy it. What could possibly go wrong...”

He was trying to mess with you. Cute.

You cocked your head to him, “I wasn’t planning on it…”

Tom couldn’t help but tease you, it was too easy.

The opposite road’s light turned yellow, both of you noticing and Tom shifted his shield back down. His face was covered by the tinted plastic, his back lowering and your arms wrapped around his toned torso. You laid your weight on his back, keeping your head above his shoulder and staring down the road that led to the merge of the turnpike onto the bridge.

Green light.

You fastened your arms around his waist once again before hearing the sharp rev of the engine. Tom smirked when he felt your light squeeze, but focused on the road and what way he should take that could be the safest. There’s a pang in your chest as you stared at the number on the speedometer quickly increasing.

The cool wind froze your hands around Tom’s waist, making you hold him closer. In that second, you went from fast to even faster, and you were too afraid to see what was around you. As your eyes fluttered open, Tom passed a few cars while speeding down the bridge. A dull, orange tint from the bridge’s lights strobed every second, seeing the view of the lit-up skyline.

As you nuzzled your chin against Tom’s shoulder, he kept a steady pace. You found that if you stared straight ahead, the nerves turned into adrenaline. It made you think about all the times you tried to ride a bike, trying to look down the street to focus, but then everything turned and your skin was scraped on the hot asphalt. Embarrassed and frustrated, you’d always rush into the house and cry about it– swearing to yourself you’d never get on a bike again.

…Well, you didn’t say anything about when someone else was riding the bike while you were also on it.

After the bridge, Tom weaved through the traffic of the city streets. Tom stopped at a red light, putting his feet down and you pushed up your face shield. Blinded by millions of lights from billboards and decorated, tall buildings, a big smile painted on your face. Tom glanced in the side view mirror, seeing your eyes glimmer from the night scene before driving off when the light turned green.

Oddly enough, you felt safe with this complete stranger. You weren’t sure if it was the pine-like scent coming off his skin and clothes, his natural charm and wit or how easily your arms wrapped around him in those seconds of fear.

“How has my driving been, miss?” He jeered.

You tried to conceal your smile, “We're not there yet, so you still have time to impress me.”

He smiled to himself, quickly remembering he had to focus on the road and not how cute your giggles were as they filled his ear. You pulled him closer to you again as he worked his way through the lanes, passing stopped cars before he turned on a left street. There, you saw a group of people standing outside, under an awing as they drank beer from the bottle and smoked weed in each other's faces as they spoke in the freezing cold.

Tom drove into an empty parking garage, halting his bike in one of the many empty spots. The tint of the warm, orange lights under you created a saturated filter over your figures. When pulling the helmet off, a big smile was painted on your face– utterly giddy from the rush that coarse through your veins.

You stood in front of him, “How do you ride this everyday and not get a huge rush?” You giggled, pushing your hair out of your face.

He was a bit mesmerized, but the shield of his helmet covered his big smile.

“Well, when you scrape yourself a few times, you loose the spark in it and understand why people drive cars.” He joked as he pulled the helmet off, carding his fingers through his chestnut curls.

“Driving cars is definitely underrated compared to this. Makes me wish I did know how to ride a bike.” You smile as you give him your helmet.

There was a short silence when your eyes connected, like everything became silent and you felt like the only people in the world.

“Uh, you want to stick around? I can treat you to a drink, it’s the least I could do for the ride since I don’t have actual cash on me.” You jeered.

“Sure. Now I know I wasn’t just being used.” He chuckled.

You playfully, but softly pushed his shoulder, “C’mon, I’m freezing my ass off out here.”

The two of you exited the parking garage and walked down the sideway to the bar’s entrance. Tom moved his way through the small crowd, opening the door so he could let you in while being right behind you. His hand pressed against the small of your back as you walked in, and the bar was oddly somber compared to the people huddled outside.

Chris’ band was playing in the back, the lead singer pressing his lips against the mic to make his voice boom through the speakers around the room. People spun each other around, drinks spilled and dripped, and others kissed to the soft rock playing behind them like they were in the ending of a romcom.

“A huge difference from the raid we just left.” Tom smiled.

You giggled, “Yeah, and it doesn’t smell like actual hell.”

“Y/N!” Sloane’s voice boomed from across the room. She hopped up from Chris’ lap, walking over as fast as one could on wedged heels. An eruption of giggles came from her through the big and natural smile she always had, before shifting her eyes up and down Tom.

“And Y/N’s friend?”

“This is Tom, he gave me a ride here.”

Sloane giggled, “Oh, what kind of ride?” She asked in a seductive tone.

Tom chuckled, but his look was cocky as he rubbed the back of his neck and his tongue grazed the bottom of his front teeth. Such a cheeky smirk.

You rolled your eyes, “Why don’t you get us some waters, yeah? That party gave me a contact high and I need to come down from it.”

She showed a small smirk, and scrunched her nose before walking toward the bar.

Tom hummed, crossing his arms as he watched Sloane stroll then lean her mouth by the bartender’s ear.

“What?” You asked, facing him.

He chuckled, “Just didn’t expect you and her to be… friends.”

You lead in finding a free table, sitting down quickly before any drunken person stumbled into it, “She’s my best friend and… she’s sort of the reason I’m here.”

“Meaning?” Tom said, still smiling as he sat across from you with his elbows against the wobbly, wooden table.

“That I need to get out more… find a guy who might like me.”

“Which you did.” He shrugged.

He had this effortless ability to smile with his caramel brown eyes and a sparkle twinkled at the edge of his irises. Imagining waking up to that dreamy gaze was already planting a seed in your head of some life with Tom; watching his eyes flutter open to see those beautiful orbs first thing every morning.

You half-smiled, “I meant dating wise, but… that’s never worked out for me.”

“Okay, first, I’m offended.” He chuckled, and in return you did as well, “And why has dating never worked out for you… if you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

You twisted your lips, trying to summarize your answer as little as possible. There were plenty of reasons, but the one that left yours lips was, “I never find the right guy. There’s never a click or something that makes me think ‘I can see my life with this person’ or if I can even ask to get lunch with them the next day without it being too forward.”

Tom nodded, “Hmm, do you see that with me?”

Heat warmed your face, “If anything, you’re like a knight with… a nice, shiny steed.”

He smirked, “Oh, so I am your knight in shining armor?”

“More like rusted armor, but armor nonetheless.”

Tom chuckled again. His laugh was soft and charming, something you could get used to listening to.

He took that as an answer to his question before two plastic cups of water were placed on the table. Sloane smiled at each of you, “Enjoy, lovebirds.”

Applause erupted as the song ended. Lots of cheering and whistling before the band played another original song– this one with more of a tempo. Sloane arched her head back, her long locks moving out of her face, “Come dance with me!” She drunkenly whined.

Her hand quickly grabbed yours, giving it a tight squeeze. A small giggle left your lips as you turned to Tom.

“Go ahead, don’t let me stop your fun.” He grinned, “I bet you have some killer moves.”

“Exactly! She’s a great dancer! C’mon, Y/N. Show me off on the dance floor.” Sloane protested yet slowly pulled you out of your seat.

Tom smiled wide, taking a long sip of his water but his eyes watching you two walk to the center of the floor. Sloane gave you a slow turn, displaying your hidden confidence to a room full of strangers, but specifically Tom. She knew you’d never accept a ride from any guy so, something about Tom had your attention and she intended on helping you– without you knowing because she also knew you were too damn stubborn.

“Nice jacket! I don’t think I’ve seen it before.” She smiled against your ear.

Shit. You hadn’t notice you were still wearing it.

“It’s not mine. You giggled, “It’s Tom’s.”

“Your ride?” She happily smirked.

“Yeah…” You trailed, trying so badly to hide your smile.

The mysteriousness of Tom made you believe there would be an empty seat where he sat if you turned around, once again giving up your hopes too soon. But, he couldn’t take his eyes off you and the way you moved your body with grace.

Hundreds of thoughts tried to wrap around his head.

How could someone be so breathtaking in a single moment? He thought.

Simple. When they danced like no one else is watching.

You moved your body to the music with an intensive bass and drums that vibrated the floors. Hot pink and red lights streamed over your face, arching it back as the song continued. It was as if a single light shined over you, only you, and the rest of the room faded to black.

You were the only person in the room as far as he knew.

Tom wasn’t huge on the idea of soulmates either, but he seeked out love. He heard his grandparents’ long stories, watched his parents fall more for one another every day, but he couldn’t seem to find someone. Not because he didn’t want to, but the girls who did pass him by weren’t interested in the commitment he wanted. With tattoos along his toned arms and the piercing above his left eyebrow, it was easy to mistake him for someone who rejected love since, for some reason, he had to do that to his body.

Girls ran their bright acrylic nails grazed over the old ink when he dosed off in bed, but then he woke up disappointed when there was no one beside him when he woke up. It not that he expected there to be a relationship by morning, but it would be nice if they could stay for coffee or tea at least–

“Hey! James Dean!”

Tom shook his head. He didn’t realize he dosed off, but his brown eyes glossed when they looked into yours.

He chuckled, “You look good out there.”

Your face brightened, but you still chose to conceal your smile.

“You want to join us? We can request something slower so you can keep up.” You jeered as you sat in the chair next to him.

“Sorry, I’m didn’t bring my dancing shoes.” He shrugged.

You sneered, “Geez, you sound like such an old man.”

“Dad old or grandpa old?”

You turned your face, narrowing your eyes as if you were judging him.

“Great grandpa old.” You grinned, “Now, are you gonna dance with me or not, geezer?”

He beamed, his light brown freckles shifting as he scrunched his nose from chuckling. You gently pulled his hand toward you, close to your chest, and the two of you moved within the crowd.

There was a warm feeling in your chest when Tom pulled his body close to yours, proceeding to spin yourselves around and dance like nobody's watching. You didn’t know the words to the song, not even keeping up with the beat— But, you didn’t care, for once. It was all about being in the moment and right now, you could imagine dancing in a shared apartment to the sound of a low stereo.

You brushed your nose against his, swaying back and forth through the crowd. Just in the moment where your eyes met, the two of your faces became closer to one another’s before a strong force hit your back left shoulder and made you bump into Tom. It was a woman passing by, quickly apologizing to you before she left.

Flushed with a bit of nervousness, heat slowly rose your face and you gulped from your dry throat.

“Um, I’m gonna… go to the bathroom.” You told him, tucking your hair behind your ear before moving past the crowd. You wanted to hide your face away, looking down as you politely pushed through people blocking the bathroom.

When you entered, it was empty so you sighed in relief. You turned on the sink, then took a paper towel to douse it in cool water. Bringing it to your face, you thought steam would come from it as you pressed the cold compress against your warm skin. You didn’t realize how one guy could make you so flustered, especially not knowing what was to come as the night went on.

As you wiped your face, taking deep breaths, a strawberry-blonde exited the stall behind you and walked over to the sink by the corner. She wore boots with a chunky heel, making her legs look slim and herself taller. Just from looking at her, she had a confidence about her– the fitted leather jacket helped that image. She reminded you of Sloane almost, just by the way she appeared.

Quickly checking the eyeshadow on her bright green eyes, she wiped her thumb on the corner of his lips to fix her dark-nude lipsticks. When she turned to leave, she quickly grabbed a paper towel to wipe her hands then toss it in the trashcan. You didn’t mean to stare, only realizing until she left, but you wondered why she was at some place like this.

After leaving the bathroom, you fixed your hair as you walked back to where Tom was, except he wasn’t. You furrowed your eyebrows as you glanced around, trying to find a guy with tattoos down his arm and dark curls from the back.

Sloane, out of breath, smiled at you as she wrapped her arm around your shoulders, “There you are! Thought you ditched us.”

“No, I went to the bathroom… Where’s Tom?” You asked, still looking around the room.

“I think he went outside, he looked like he was making a call or something.” She guessed, shrugging before she sipped her drink.

You nodded, pulling Tom’s jacket around you, not realizing that you were still wearing it. As you passed by, someone opened the door for you on your way out. You turned to thank them, but when you saw Tom, he was standing in the alley next to the bar. He was going through his phone, the brightness of the screen against his soft face, and he looked confused from how furrowed his eyebrows were.

Just as you were about to ask, a girl walked up to him that must have come out the back door on the other side of the bar.

“Hey Tom! I didn’t take you for coming to places like this.” She teased him by the flirtiness of her tone.

You took a step back, hiding behind the corner but enough to see Tom standing with his back against the brick behind him. Suddenly, you felt the heat rising back to your skin even though it was freezing cold outside.

“I came here with a friend.”

“Friend? Like, girlfriend or?” She quickly asked.

You twisted your lips, your heart racing as you wondered what he would say.

“None of your business.” He retorted, sounding cold. It was the first time you heard him like that, suddenly matching his exterior for you. Even worse that she replied with a scoff.

“Oh, C’mon. I’m messing with you. You used to be so soft.” She jeered, but Tom didn’t laugh in response, “Did this friend of yours make you all sweet?”

Just as you wanted to leave, Tom made eye contact with you, instantly wondering how long you had been standing there and what was heard. The mysterious girl also noticed, scoffing as she linked you two together by your lingering stares.

“I assume you’re the girlfriend.”

Heat rose to your face, not knowing what to say on the spot until Tom walked past her.

“We’re leaving.” He calmly, retorted as he stood by your side. You hitched your breath as you felt his palm move around the small of your back, pulling you closer to him– not knowing if he means it or he’s using you as a prop for his manly act.

A scoff is all you heard from the mystery girl as you continued to be pulled with Tom until you turned the corner on the sidewalk. You gently pulled your arm away, but your heart panged as your head filled with so many questions.

“She seemed upset when you told her you were hanging out with me.” You shrugged, turning to Tom.

He appeared annoyed, not wanting to further on with the conversation by the way he lightly groaned in response.

“Just tell me… Is she your ex?” You asked.

Tom licked his lips, “She’s not important.”

“Well, I don’t want to hang around you if it turns out you’re some huge jerk who doesn’t care about other people’s feelings.” You stated, realizing it may have sounded like an ultimatum when you barely knew him.

It struck Tom’s interest, wondering if you liked him as much as he was starting to like you, but he sighed, “We had something, but it wasn't a relationship. She got kind of clingy.” He trailed.

“Wow. What? Did she pay a little too much attention to you?”

“More like she’d call me at every hour of every day and ask what I was doing. It crossed my boundaries.”

“...What are your boundaries?” You furrowed your eyebrows, glancing at your feet.

“Don’t call me at three in the morning and ask me what I’m dreaming about.” He joked, half-smiling.

You nodded, “Okay, that is crossing a boundary.” You jeered back, crossing your arms from the cold.

The two of you overcame the awkwardness of the moment, standing in front of one another with lingering looks. Tom partially felt like he could have handle the situation better, but his defensive instincts came out and didn’t enjoy having his heart on his sleeve. He mostly worried if he did something wrong, seeing how nervous and tense you also became once you saw the exchange.

“I can take you home if you want… unless you’re hungry.” He suggested, shrugging a bit.

You glanced back at him, meeting his brown eyes, the rings of different shades glistening in the streetlight above you. A chill passed by, making him shiver and goosebumps rose over his inked skin.

“Oh, you seem cold.” You tell him, beginning to take off the jacket, but he refused.

“Keep it on… you can give it back to me after we grab a bite.” He smiled, pulling the jacket back over your shoulders.

[enchanted-lightning-aes]

Enchant Presents...

[ID: a header of a close-up of a ship sailing across the sea with red text that reads ‘Enchant Presents: Blasted Scorn. An Original Story Intro’ / finish ID]

A/N: thought of making a re-intro since the previous one doesn’t do the story justice. plus, it lacked specifics. >-<

Plot

A group of pirates succeed in their latest quest, only to bring back two knights with them. They’re assigned to search for a missing princess, who’s been captured from the palace one night. Dread Pirate Titanrin strikes a deal with the knights in exchange for valuables. Surely, it’s going to be a simple journey? However, along the way and dozens of broken bones, they contemplate on whether this was their worst decision yet or not.

Status: brainstorming

Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

Themes/Tropes: chaos, adventures, morally grey characters, reluctant allies, semi-established found family, magic, outcasts, accidental bonds. just people trying their best in unexpected situations. and getting into trouble. learning to move past differences and accept them.

Content can be found in this masterlist.

Sources: x, and image got filtered through photomania.^^

[libraryofloveletters]

9-1-1 masterlist

masterlist of masterlists // character list

Updated: January 18th, 2022

Note: All fics with fem!reader are indicated in the warnings, if not, it’s gender neutral :)

S = smut // F = fluff // A = angst 

header by @lovpacks

Eddie Diaz 

The Boy Next Door  (F) 

In which, you and Eddie grow up together. When he returns home, you reconnect. (gn!reader) 

The Parent Trap  (F) (+)

In which, your daughter and Christopher have a playdate and they have a plan to set you and Eddie up. (fem!reader)

Babysitter Buck (F)

In which, Buck babysits so Eddie can take reader on a date. (fem!reader) (blurb based on the parent trap) 

The Mistletoe Proposal (F) (+) - pt. 2 of the parent trap

In which, Eddie plans to surprise you with the help of the kids and a little holiday magic (fem!reader) 

Build A Home With Me (A/F) (+)

In which, Eddie hooks up with Buck’s younger sister. Things were going well until Shannon reenters Eddie’s life. What happens when Eddie and reader reconnect at Buck’s birthday, 4 years and 1 kid later ? (fem!reader)

Love To Loss (A)

In which, you retell the story of you and Eddie to the team and Eddie isn’t so pleased. (gn!reader)

Loss to Love (A/F)  - pt. 2 of Love To Loss 

In which, Eddie remembers his version of the story. He attempts to fix things. (gn!reader)

More Days, Fewer Words (A) (+)

In which, Eddie and you have a falling out right after he enlists. Days, weeks, months and years go by without seeing each other. The first week into your move to LA, you bump into Eddie again. (fem!reader) 

Sisters & Misters (A/F) (+)

In which, Eddie’s sister meets Buck. Eddie warns them about each other but neither of them listen to him, what happens when Eddie finds out they’re together ? better yet, what will Eddie do when he realizes he’s the reason that they aren’t happy anymore ? (fem!reader)

Misplaced Promises (A/F) (+)

In which, Eddie tries to be a good brother and keep his promises to his family - his sister, his wife, his child but some how he ends up lost and alone (fem!reader)

You Feel Like Home (F)

In which, reader has a shitty day and turns to her friend for comfort. (fem!reader) 

Crazy In Love (F)

In which, a day spent at home leads to a long time secret being revealed (gn!reader)

Evan “Buck” Buckley

The Covid Crush (F) (+)

In which, you and buck have a secret little friendship going. Everyone teases him about his little “covid crush” (gn!reader)

Babysitter Buck (F)

In which, Buck babysits so Eddie can take reader on a date. (fem!reader) (blurb of the parent trap)

Can’t Lose Him  (A/F) (+)

In which, Buck gets injured because he reacts before thinking. You have a secret to share but is now the time to tell ? (fem!reader) 

Broken (A) (+)

In which, Buck uses something you trusted him with to his advantage during the lawsuit. How does someone come back from that ? (gn!reader) 

God Parents (F) 

In which, Maddie and Chim ask Buck and reader to be mango’s godparents (gn!reader)

The Set Up (F) 

In which, you’re Maddie’s OBGYN. She keeps trying to set you up on a date with her brother, one day you finally say yes. (gn!reader)

LA Lights Never Burned So Bright (A/F) (+)

In which, you and Luke are dating but he cheats on you with Lisa. Post breakup, you move to LA and stay with your brother Eddie, where you meet his friend Buck. What happens when a case brings Luke to LA and he asks for forgiveness. (fem!reader) (crossover with criminal minds)

Unconventional (F/A) (+)

In which, Buck and you despise each other, or so everyone thinks. Buck gets injured and your secret is revealed. (fem!reader) 

Dispatch: Labour In Progress  (F) - Pt.2 of The Set Up (+)

In which, Maddie gives birth and Buck keeps asking you for pictures of his niece, you give in and sneak him in to see her in person (gn!reader)

Knight In Shining Armour (F)

In which, a guy at the bar is creeping you out and Buck just so happens to be there and also happens to be your knight in shining armour

Sisters & Misters (A/F) (+)

In which, Eddie’s sister meets Buck. Eddie warns them about each other but neither of them listen to him, what happens when Eddie finds out they’re together ? better yet, what will Eddie do when he realizes he’s the reason that they aren’t happy anymore ? (fem!reader) 

Emergency Contact  (A/F)

In which, Buck’s fiancee hasn't meet the 118 yet and the 118 doesn't know she exists. They meet her when Buck gets himself in trouble again. (fem!reader) 

Cake & Kisses (F) 

In which, you think your boyfriend and your team forgot your birthday, only to find out that they have their own surprise in store. (gn!reader)

Love Delivered To Your Doorstep (F)

In which, a love letter to someone that you think is the right person turns out to be the wrong one. The person that receives said letter ? That’s the right one.  (fem!reader) 

A June Wedding (F)

In which, the day a man walks into your coffee shop after hours would set up the rest of your life unknowingly. (gn!reader)

Just A Phase (F/A)

In which, reader and buck are in total different circles in high school but somehow connect, a party and the lack of words put a 12 year gap between the two of you. What happens when you bump into him in LA years later? (fem!reader)

Howard “Chimney” Han 

Home (F/A)

In which, Chim is staying with Buck and you accidentally call Buck while having a conversation with Eddie, Chim and Buck overhear. (gn!reader)

New Bonds (F) (+)

In which, you reconnect with your father and you meet his new girlfriend. You and Maddie connect, so much so that you look at her like your mom (fem!reader)

Albert Han 

Stranger In The Hallway (F) (+)

In which, Albert meets a girl in the hallway, a romance buds but leaves them in a awkward place after her secret is revealed. (fem!reader)

Ravi Panikkar 

Couldn’t Leave You Alone (F)

In which, Ravi comes over to take care of their sick partner even though they told him to stay home. (gn!reader) 

Madney 

Gravitating Towards Perfection (F) (+)

In which, Maddie and Chim spend the day together and each reflecting on how much they love the other.

Buddie 

Just Friends (A/F)

In which, Buck has conflicting feelings towards Eddie and just when he thinks he’s got it figured out, things begin to go wrong.

Soulmates In This Life & Another (A/F) (+) pt. 2 of Just Friends 

In which, Eddie and Buck drift after their kiss. Only after Eddie realizes he might actually lose Buck, he realizes that he’s in love with him. Will he get to tell him or will he be too late? 

pools of honey and ocean blue  (A/F) (+)

Eddie is oblivious to his love for Buck, everyone knows except him. How long does it take him to realize ? 

Promise of Pancakes (F) (+)

A 24 hour shift and only one bed, the boys are in for a morning of teasing 

passing ships  (A)

What if Eddie hadn’t forgiven Buck after the lawsuit? Where would that leave them and their relationship ? 

and the memories of you never wash away (+)

The first trip back to the beach since she passed came with mixed emotions, kinda happy and kinda sad but she was always there.

in a matter of seconds, the world crumbled (A) (+)

The thought of not being able to tell Eddie how he felt never crossed his mind until that moment, the moment the world crumbled // post coda for 4x13

[clean-casual-analysis]

What a Character: Mr Freeze (TAS and Arkhamverse)

If you saw the header of this blog, you probably guessed that I would talk about a certain character one day. Batman’s villain lineup is one of legends, and this probably won’t be the last time they’re seen on What a Character. But the one I’m talking about today is far and away my all time favorite. Gotham City’s cryogenic creep who’s heart is as cold as his body, Victor Fries. AKA, Mr Freeze. (I’ll be talking about the TAS and Arkham series version of Mr Freeze)

Revenge is Best Served Freezing

Before Batman TAS, there wasn’t really much to say about Mr Freeze. Mostly, he was just another bad guy with cool tech for the caped crusader to stop. TAS would change all that, with an origin story that’s so simple yet so heart wrenching in it’s execution. Once an unassuming and somewhat emotionally distant scientist, Victor becomes hyper focused on finding a cure for his terminally sick wife, Nora. He uses the resources of Goth Corp, the company he works for, to cryogenically freeze until a proper cure can be found. When the company wants to pull the plug on the project, Victor fights back. The following struggle results in Victor Fries getting doused in his own chemicals, causing his body to fatally react to environments outside a subzero temperature. His life broken into pieces, he vowed to do whatever it takes to heal Nora and make the rest of Gotham feel his suffering.

Fury of a thousand blizzards

With such a cold disposition and a blatant disregard towards those he hurts, it’d be easy to write off Mr Freeze as heartless. But his actions make it clear that the opposite is true, he’s driven by his emotions. If you steal his wife, he’ll either freeze and shatter you or reluctantly help with whatever evil plan you have. If someone makes the correct assumption that Nora wouldn’t want this, he turns on you in an instance. Just like the rest of Gotham’s super criminals, Mr Freeze’s emotions and obsessions completely control him. He may not be quite as flamboyant as the others, and he may claim that he’s dead to emotions, but a heart of ice can still feel pain and anger.

In From the Cold

While the execution in TAS is well done, Victor’s decent into a cybernetic nihilist isn’t quite the direction I prefer for the character. It’s the Arkham series’ concluding chapter where that version Mr Freeze’s story ends that I truly love. When the main villains of Arkham Knight ask for Victor’s help in finally defeating Batman, he refuses. They kidnap Nora and, in the process, damage the pod that’s kept her cryogenically frozen. Once awake, she makes it very clear that she hates what her husband has become and refuses to be frozen again. Victor is at a loss, unsure of what to do. With enemies swarming around his current HQ, he’s forced to destroy his lab. The two lovers decide to spend Nora’s remaining time together, forcing Victor to accept that the love of his life is dying and stop delaying the inevitable. The two leave Gotham, their fates left to the audience to ponder. A bitter sweet ending, but none more fitting for the character.