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#his corruption arc hasn't hit yet
ministarfruit · 2 years
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simon blackquill peaking at age 17 is so funny because it's only downhill from here, buddy. enjoy it while it lasts
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gendrie · 6 months
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How do you see Sansa’s story unfolding in TWOW? People seem to want to rush it so she can get to Winterfell and kill LF, but she can’t have the Vale’s knights without the consent of the lord of the Eyrie (I don’t know why that’s so overlooked) so SR needs to die so she can marry Harry, but at the same time she’s married to Tyrion and LF is obsessed with her. He brags about taking the Tully girls’ virginity, and I’m sure he won’t be happy with the prospect of Harry having her before he does. And no one can tell me the Vale lords will be fine with SR’s sudden death and have no suspicions. Things won’t be that simple. I’m of the opinion Sansa will only slay LF after she learns what happened to Jeyne. Maybe Arya will return from Braavos with Jeyne? Dunno, but I know Arya will tell Sansa about it. Arya’s mere existence ruins LF’s plans. While there’s a Stark succession crisis going on in the North Arya returns with Robb’s crown and LF’s freaks out and tries to sow intrigues between the sisters. He’s too important an antagonist to be shoved aside that early.
you covered a lot of my thoughts on the subject. most of the fandom is just not engaging with sansa's material beyond a desire to see her as the qitn who never did anything wrong so they cut out the vale shenanigans, not unlike d&d, and imagine her going directly to wf to be fawned as the most perfect lady. for some thats the full extent of their investment in asoiaf lol.
but theres no reason for her to go up up north asap. nobody is checking for her, no weirwood is calling her name, no direwolves howling in her dreams, no magical association, ect. her arc is almost entirely devoid of northern symbolism tbh. she's never even spoken to a northern character on page who wasnt a relative or her bestie. and yet the fandom refuses to even entertain alternative courses for her.
whether or not littlefinger is telling the truth is kind of secondary now that he's revealed his plot to the audience. storytelling convention dictates that it will not come to pass. but i dont think he's being entirely forthcoming anyway. i suspect his plan is actually to frame harry (who seemingly has the most to gain) for sweetrobin's death. thats been his entire M.O. since day one (see jon arryn, see joffrey, see lysa) i agree that theres no way littlefinger intends to marry the object of his obsession to another man too. thats like losing catelyn to brandon/ned all over again. not that he could marry her off even if he wanted because tyrion refuses to die.
i also agree that jeyne p. will play into this. the fact that sansa hasn't heard about "arya stark's" marriage is downright conspicuous at this point. almost everybody (arya included) heard about it in storm. she heard about jon being elected lord commander already too. that was easily brushed off. as was littlefinger's revelation that he intends to kill sweetrobin. i don't think she will be able to brush off arya/jeyne, though. how she finds out remains to be seen, but i do think its likely grrm is withholding this info from sansa for a reason.
littlefinger's got his work cut out for him. he is not accounting for robb's will which names jon a stark and the heir to robb's kingdom, nor for bran, rickon and the real arya stark. this will give sansa a lot to deal with too. for good and ill. her siblings are alive, but she has been removed from the line of succession. that will sting and yeah, arya will obviously intend to give the crown to jon which will create conflict between the sisters.
ultimately, i think a variety of factors will cause sansa to turn on littlefinger. the biggest might be, simply, that he corrupted her for nothing. he's a liar and fraud and he hasnt done anything for her. he's tricked her into forgetting that with a promise of wf, but it won't last. she's going along with his plan to murder a child, her own cousin, but it won't give her what she wants in the end. the fantasy will be destroyed. when that realization hits her she will move against him.
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midnightpretenders0 · 6 months
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blue lemonade
i'm so glad i got this done in time (at least my time lol). a lovely birthday fic for my wonderful, beloved best friend @the-kipsabian💚💚💚 i have a message for you at the end of the fic 💚 i'll upload this to AO3 if i get crow's approval.
@ss-trashboat @stormbornpirate
title: blue lemonade rating: T parings: orange cassidy/kip sabian, kris statlander/penelope ford (mentioned) content warnings: not really? but my brain is still in lowkey sick mode. if you see something, let me know summary: after confessing and finding out the feeling is mutual, kip realizes they missed what he considers a big step in their relationship. takes place in the belt corruption arc/immortal fears AU.
AO3 link (locked to registered users)
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Even since losing the international title, all Kip wanted was some sense of normalcy. Something to go right, to go the way it should go. No matter how much he tried, everything went completely wrong. He couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat well, couldn’t function like a human being and couldn’t handle his emotions.
The only thing that has gone right since then was confessing his love to Orange Cassidy, who accepted his nerve wracking confession with such a gentle touch and soft words of love in return.
It’s nothing short of a miracle to Kip. After everything he put Orange through, the long nights, the fights with his friends, making him put his whole career on hold just to care for him, Kip never thought he would actually be loved in return.
These are the thoughts that run through Kip’s head even as Orange kisses him. One hand in his hair to keep him close, even if Kip started the whole thing craving physical affection before falling asleep. The desire is mutual, feelings both need to express after suppressing them for so long. Yet a thought keeps nagging in Kip’s mind that there’s something missing. Like there’s another step they should have taken before getting to this point.
As they part, catching their breathes while Orange continues to run his hand through Kip's hair soothingly, it suddenly hits him what they were missing.
"… We need to go on a date."
Orange looks at Kip slightly confused at the seemingly out of nowhere comment. For a moment, Kip doesn't even realize he spoke his thoughts out loud. Once he registers the confusion on his face though, he stutters a little to try and elaborate.
"I-I mean, we just kinda jumped to this point, you know. Not that I don't mind and circumstances and all that. But like, we haven't been a proper date yet even though we started dating like, a month ago." Orange shrugs as best as he can laying on his side.
"Well, we could still go on a date. Where do you want to go?" Kip opens his mouth to answer, but immediately closes it as he thinks of his usual spots or ideas, and how none of them would really work in his condition. The furthest he's been able to go outside is the backyard and only between sunset and sunrise. He hasn't really interacted with anyone outside of Orange in these past months due to his condition and he only just started to turn the corner. Being in a relationship with Orange has helped things, but it's not an instant cure. He still has his days of being unable to function, of his mind tormenting him and throwing him into a state of panic. He can't risk having that happen out in public in front of strangers or worse, people that do know them.
The more he thinks about it, the more deflated he becomes. Orange is quick to pull him in close for some comfort, but it can only do so much.
"Guess we can have a date at home. That's our only option, really."
As Orange rubs Kip's back, doing his best to keep him from falling into that spiraling depression again, he hums in thought. Kip wants to tell him to stop thinking about some alternative because there clearly isn't one, but he's too tired and depressed to stop him.
"I think I have another idea. Want to keep it a surprise though. Is that cool with you?" Kip sighs. He trusts Orange. After everything they've both been through, Orange knows Kip and his condition better than anyone else, even himself at times. He has no idea what he has in mind though or what other possibility there is.
"Sure. I'll think of movie ideas though, just in case." With a quick kiss and a mumbled "good night", Kip tries to fall asleep instead of engaging in the conversation further. He doesn't want to think about what he's lost in this stupid curse, what he's been deprived of and what he's missing out on because his brain literally can't handle it anymore. Even something as simple as a date is now nearly impossible for him.
It isn't brought up for the next couple of days, both going through whatever routines they did have as normal. It isn't until Kip wakes up one morning to go to the kitchen and get some breakfast that something is out of the ordinary. He tries to enter the kitchen, but he gets blocked from entering almost immediately by Orange.
"What do you want to eat? I'll get it for you." Kip blinks at Orange, still blurry eyed from waking up and not able to think that well this early, despite it being almost the middle of the day. Even in his sleepy state, he can tell something's different here.
"Uh, I'll eat whatever. Can't I come into the kitchen though?" Orange shakes his head and starts to gently push Kip into the living room.
"Not right now. I'll make you something and bring it out to you, okay?" There's a hesitant nod as Kip sits down on the couch, watching Orange disappear back into the kitchen with whatever mystery he had going on. He doesn't think too much about it though, picking up the remote and turning it on to something he can watch to pass the time.
While Orange does return with a plate of food for Kip, the rest of the time he's hidden in the kitchen, working on who knows what. It's only half way through eating his very late breakfast that he thinks he has an idea of what's going on. He might be preparing for their first date, with Kip assuming that it's some fancy dinner he's trying to pull off. He knew there wasn't anywhere else they could have a date except at home, but he appreciates Orange trying his best to at least make it a good one.
Confident in his assumption, he relaxes for the rest of the day, not bothering Orange so his preparations can go smoothly. Some videos, a video game here and there, and browsing through their movie collection to see what would be a good date night movie. It's not until sunset that Orange finally leaves the kitchen. However, instead of a grand dinner ready for them, Orange comes out with his backpack over his shoulder and a cooler in one hand.
"Go get dressed. We're going out." Kip blinks at him, confused as to why Orange had such items with him and why they were going out. Kip had a decent day, sure, but they both know it can very easily go the wrong way fast.
"Out? Out where?"
"It's a surprise, but you won't have to deal with people. I promise."
Kip groans at the response, partially confirming his suspicions that it was related to a date, but he isn't too happy about agreeing to it being a surprise. Still, he listens to Orange and heads upstairs to get dressed, grabbing a hat to hide his messy hair and his sunglasses. Slipping them on as he goes back downstairs, he sees Orange smiling at him, but until Kip knows exactly what's going on, he's not in the mood to smile back.
"If this first date goes wrong, I get a do-over and I get to pick the date."
"Deal." The way Orange answers so confidently both annoys him and eases his worries at the same time.
They get in the car and Orange begins to drive thankfully in the opposite direction of downtown. He didn't think Orange would take them on their first date in some place noisy and full of bright lights and people, but the possibility was still there. However, Kip doesn't know this part of town that well and can't pick up any clues on where exactly they might be going. Oddly enough, it gives him a similar anxious feeling that he would have felt on a real first date. He has to wonder if Orange planned this excited nervousness all along when he said he wanted to keep this a secret, just to make the date feel more authentic.
It's about a half hour before they arrive at one of the larger parks outside of town. With the sun almost completely set though, the park is near empty and anyone still around are already starting to make their way back home. It still hasn't clicked in Kip's head what exactly they're doing here, but it seems to be exactly what Orange wanted as he's smiling when he parks the car.
"What are we doing here?" Kip asks, hoping he'll now get an answer after waiting so long.
"It's our first date. We're having a picnic here."
"… But it's almost dark."
"Yeah, and it's quiet here too since most people are gone already. Come on." Orange gets out of the car first, grabbing the cooler and backpack from the backseat. Kip at first wants to tell him he's absolutely ridiculous for taking him on a picnic this late in the day, but the more he thinks about it, the more fitting it is. Not just for the sort of couple they are, but for Kip's condition. It's dark, it's quiet, there's no one around, and yet it's still something different enough than home to make it feel like a real date.
Kip follows Orange into the park, always getting a little bit closer to him if any people get near them. Eventually Orange offers Kip his arm to hold onto if he wanted. He reluctantly takes it, feeling his heart race at the gesture. He will admit, after mentioning that they needed to go on a date, he didn't think it would draw out the same emotions as a real first date since they were already a couple for some time and it would end up being sort of awkward. That awkwardness is still there, but it's accompanied by a strange shyness with how sweet and endearing all of these gestures are. Taking Kip's condition into consideration for the place and time of their date, letting Kip hang onto his arm if he gets too anxious. It all adds up to a first date sort of feeling, even if he's already kissed Orange so many times.
They stop at a spot that's off the main pathway, right at the edge of the more forest like area of the park. Orange sets the cooler down to open up his backpack and pull out the blanket he packed. Kip still feels a little weird about having a picnic this late, but Orange calmly putting everything together like this is completely normal makes him feel a little less abnormal about this.
Once everything's laid out, Kip takes a seat next to Orange, wanting to take a moment to admire all of the homemade foods that he put together, all the effort made to ensure a good first date for Kip. Doing everything he can to work around his limitations to give him a little bit of normalcy outside of their home. It's only then that tears fall down his face behind his sunglasses. Although he doesn't realize it until Orange wipes them away.
"Are you okay? Is this too much?" Orange asks, worry obvious in his voice. Kip quickly wipes away the rest of the tears and shakes his head. Maybe it was a little too much, but in a good way. He honestly didn't expect tears, but he needs to explain them before Orange worries any more.
"No. I mean, yes, I'm okay. No, this isn't too much. I just..." Kip laughs softly to himself, more out of disbelief of everything. "I honestly can't believe you did all of this for me and my stupid wish. I've been on a lot of first dates. Some good, some bad, some I will never tell anyone about. After everything that happened though... I don't know. I thought I would never get any sense of normalcy back. I thought I was long gone, trapped in a nightmare forever, and I would be stuck inside my house forever." Kip reaches for Orange's hand, holding it tightly as the tears that fell early start to make sense, his body being a couple of steps ahead of his mind as he processes all of this.
"But here I am, a month after confessing to you, a month after you said you love me too... I'm actually somewhere else, on this date with you, that you put together specifically for me, doing things that you wouldn't have to do if you were with someone more stable."
"I wanted to do them." Orange's response is quiet, but Kip still hears it, nodding in acknowledgment. "Because I love you. Because you deserve this."
Tears fall again, but Orange isn't worried with Kip still smiling. He laughs again, shaking his head as he wipes even more tears away. "You're absolutely ridiculous, but that's what I love about you." Orange smiles back at him, cupping his face with his free hand and pulling him in for a kiss.
"I just love you so much, and only want the best for you." Orange whispers as the kiss breaks. Kip keeps the thought to himself, but out of all the first dates he's been on, this is one of the few where he feels completely love for who he is, flaws and all.
After sharing another couple of kisses, they finally start eating. Everything being delicious as always, even if it had been in a cooler for awhile. They chat about random things as a couple would during a first date. They talk about wrestling, the games Kip has been playing, the videos Orange has been watching on stream with chat, and everything in between. As they enjoy their late night picnic, Kip watches a small group of people walking on the main pathway, oblivious to their picnic. It brings to mind something else. There's one last thing they need to do before they've caught up to speed in their relationship, so to speak.
Instead of sharing the thought out loud like before, Kip asks Orange a question.
"Have you told anyone... about us?"
Orange pauses before taking another bite, not expecting the question, but still needing a moment despite the answer being simple.
"... No, I-. I didn't know how you wanted to tell people. Or if you wanted to tell anyone." Orange has a good point. Orange taking care of Kip wasn't viewed as a positive thing. Kip barely remembers when Orange took them both back to Kip's place after trying to recover with Orange and Chuck, but he remembers the tension and yelling. An announcement of a romantic relationship between them isn't likely to earn them many "congratulations".
It's a matter of time, though. They won't be able to hide it for long and even though this night has been great and Kip doesn't want to ruin it, he's not sure when they'll get another moment of this sort of stability.
"... It's not that late now, right?" Orange checks his phone at the question, shaking his head once he's confirmed the time. "Then... let's tell them now. Better now than when I'm in a bad state."
"You sure?"
"Yeah... I have you, so it'll be okay." Orange nods, trusting his judgement as he calls Chuck first, thinking that would be the best person to tell first and get it out of the way. As the phone rings, Kip feels the anxiety rise in him again, but he clings onto Orange's arm again to keep himself grounded. Orange gives him a quick kiss on the cheek as Chuck answers.
"Hey, what's up? Everything alright?"
"Yeah, everything's fine. You got a moment though? Need to tell you something."
"Oh yeah. Trent and I are just hanging out. So go for it."
"Actually, can you put me on speaker? I need to tell this to Trent too." They listen to Chuck fumbling with his phone a bit, then hears him speak again.
"Alright, he can hear you now."
"Hey, what's going on, man?" Trent asks, confirming that he can hear the call just as well. Orange glances back at Kip, making sure he still wants to do this. With a small nod, Orange takes a deep breath and gets straight to the point.
"Kip and I are dating now. He's my boyfriend." There's a long moment of silence. They can see the call is still going, but eventually they hear the phone hitting the floor and curses in the distance from Chuck. They can hear Trent call after Chuck, sighing when it doesn't work. Eventually they hear Trent better, but it's pretty clear that Chuck was long gone.
"C-Congrats, you too. That's great. Really. Uh..."
"We heard him, Trent. It's fine." There's another loud, annoyed sigh from Trent in response to Chuck's little outburst being caught.
"He'll get over it. He'll have to. But if you're happy, I can't be mad about it. Wishing you two nothing, but the best."
"Thanks, Trent. I gotta call Kris and tell her next. We're not keeping this a secret or anything, by the way. So tell whoever you want."
"Okay, got it. I... I gotta deal with Chuck first. Take care though. Bye."
The call disconnects, getting the most difficult person to tell out of the way. There's still a tinge of guilt for Kip at Chuck's reaction. He knew he wouldn't be happy with it, but he wasn't expecting just outright leaving the conversation at the news. Orange doesn't seem to concerned with it, only letting out a soft sigh as he turns to Kip.
"Well, that's out of the way. Next is-"
"Wait. Uh..." Kip stops for a moment, unsure if he wants to ask this, but he knows this is a now or never moment. "Can we... tell Penelope next?" Orange's face becomes difficult to read when asks his question. He hasn't been good at reading his face in a long while, but this time seems even more difficult than usual.
He nods though, showing Kip his phone as he selects Penelope in his contacts and dials her number. It rings for a little bit as Kip tenses up again, but he's puzzled when someone does answer it that isn't Penelope.
"Hey, Orange. How's it going?"
"Hey, Kris. It's going. Is, uh, Penelope around?"
"She just hopped in the shower. Is it an emergency or can she call you back?"
The confusion on Kip's face grows more and more pronounced as the conversation keeps going. He's unable to connect the dots and figure out why Kris is answering her phone, but Orange continues the conversation.
"Uh, no. You can relay the message. It's fine. Just calling to tell you both that Kip and I are dating now. So that's... a thing."
"Oh. Well, congrats to both of you! I'll be honest, Penelope did have a feeling that would happen. I think she'll be glad knowing it's official. Is he doing well?"
"Yeah, he's, uh... here with me. We're on a date and stuff."
"... Oh." The awkwardness is enough for Kip to put the pieces together and realize what's going on. He can't describe what he's feeling right now. It's a feeling that hurts, but he's not mad about it. "Oh, uh, did you... ever tell him about, you know, or...?"
"I-I think I get it." Kip speaks up, voice cracking just slightly as he tries to keep himself composed. "I... It's fine. It really is. I hope she's doing well with you. I just wanted to ask you a favor. Could you... please give her all the happiness in the world? She deserves it." Kip has to pause, taking a deep breath and clinging onto Orange's arm even tighter. He feels Orange rest his head on his shoulder to comfort him, keeping him from getting too emotional with this news. "After everything she's been through, she deserves someone that can love her completely and unconditionally. I... I couldn't do that. So I'm counting on you."
"Of course, Kip. You don't need to worry about her. I’ll make sure she’s happy." Kip nods, even though she can't see it. He's afraid if he speaks again, he might not be as composed as he wants to be.
"Thanks, Kris. We'll talk later?" Orange answers for him. He doesn't really listen to the end of their conversation. His heart is beating so fast that it's all he can hear. He can still feel a hand on his face a moment later, redirecting his attention back to Orange.
"I think that's enough for now. You okay though?" Kip swallows thickly at the question. He doesn't know how to answer that. He's sad. He can't deny that it hurts a little knowing that door is permanently closed, but another door has opened. There's a new path for his future and happiness. He can also rest easier knowing there's a new path for Penelope as well, that she still has a chance at happiness after all of the pain he caused.
This is what these early relationships are about, putting things in the past and moving forward into a new future. Even though first dates usually involve lots of happy moments with the occasional awkwardness and anxiety, this bittersweet feeling seems appropriate for this date.
"Yeah... Yeah, I'll be okay. She has Kris. I have you. We'll both find happiness and that's all that matters." Orange's hand remains on his face, running his thumb across his cheek to make sure there’s some sort of physical comfort going on after finding out something like that.
"I'm sorry for not telling you. I just found out and didn't know when to tell you."
"That was probably for the best. This was probably the best time to find out anyway when I'm feeling more normal." Orange nods, but then looks away, looking a little ashamed.
"Also, sorry I ruined the date though. I really wanted it to be a good one for you, since you asked for it and all." Kip immediately shakes his head and to prove his point, he releases Orange's arm to move into his lap, arms wrapping around his neck.
"This date wasn't ruined at all. It really was great. It had that normalcy I've been wanting for so long... and a little bit of what our new normal will be. I feel like our relationship can actually go somewhere now." Kip gives him a quick kiss as his hands move around Kip's waist, pulling him in a little closer. "The date was perfect. You're perfect. I wouldn't change a thing."
Even though Orange smiles at him, there's a hint of concern lingering in that smile. "Are you sure?"
Kip won't deny that the pain from telling other people wasn't pleasant and maybe there would have been a better time in the future to tell them. He also doesn't know if the pain will really hit him later when the high of this date fades. He has the love of his life with him, though. No matter what he goes through, no matter how many things change in his life, from now on, he'll always have Orange. He'll always be that constant in his life, that space place he can escape to. No amount of cheesy, stereotypical dates could ever replace that.
"I'm absolutely sure. Although, more kisses never hurt." Orange leans up, closing the gap between them and fixing that issue with a soft, slow kiss that they both melt into. "I love you, clementine." Kip mumbles into the kiss, drawing a smile out of Orange that he can feel in the kiss.
"I love you too."
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yeah, i made you read the whole fic before getting my message. i'm sorry lol
i just want to say happy birthday and thank you for existing and being in my life. i know our friendship is still a new-ish thing, but the impact you've made on my life has been incredible. you've been with me through my highest of highs and at my very lowest. you've always been so encouraging and thoughtful and have accepted me for who i am, ridiculous interests and all. you're incredibly kind, creative, passionate, intelligent, and honestly one of the best human beings i've ever met in my life. i'm so thankful to have you in my life. i'm looking forward to spending another year with you. and another, and another, and so many more years after that.
my co-captain, my fellow agender aroace, my best friend, my beloved night. i love you so so much 💚💚💚
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