#his influence did make her better and hers made him somewhat better too

[julesnichols]

One day (when I've slept enough to both remember enough to make all of my points and be coherent) I'll explain what I meant when I joked about Sophie being worse

[racinggirl]

best I've ever been

Lando Norris fic - requested

My inbox for requests

a/n: thank you for this request, anon! I tried to write it the way I see things, and the way I've experienced things. I do want to put A MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING on this story, as it contains loads of things that might trigger anyone that has some sort of eating disorder. I also want to say that if you struggle with any form of eating disorder or any other mental health struggles, please please contact someone. If you're scared to do that, tell someone, even if it is a stranger online, slide in my questions, but look for help. you do not have to do this alone, and there are many people that want to see you smile, even if you might not see it yourself. Enjoy this story, and keep sending in requests 🧡

FEB 28th, 2024

Being a student at university while dating one of the most famous people in the world wasn’t something that was on everybody’s to do list. But it was on yours, and it brought along a lot of hate, high expectations and stress.

You have never been that perfect WAG, you weren’t like Lily, who was a professional golfer. You weren’t like Kelly, who had a beautiful daughter and was an amazing model. You weren’t like Alexandra, who was stunningly beautiful with an amazing career. You were just you, and that’s something Lando loved about you.

‘I don’t want to date a professional model, someone famous or some sort of influencer. I want to date you, because in my eyes you are more beautiful than all the models together. You’re the one that stole my heart and please, never give it back to me.’

He always made sure to reassure you, tell you how beautiful you are, how proud he was of everything you were doing, how grateful he was for calling you his girlfriend. All those things made you love that man even more and more every single day.

‘’You look stunning, baby.’’ His lips pressed a gentle kiss to your temple, his hand intertwined with yours as he pulled your body closer against his own.

‘’You feel cold, my love, are you okay?’’ His hand moved to rest on your forehead, then on both your cheeks as his bright eyes looked at you with worry.

‘’I’m okay, Lando, it’s just a bit chilly in here.’’ You smiled, giving his hand a gentle squeeze before you both walked out of his hotel room, on your way to the parking lot so you could go to the track immediately after.

He never noticed, and you were somewhat happy, but somewhat sad as well. You see, you weren’t like all the other WAGs, instead of wearing a size XS or S, you’d squeeze yourself into a medium or large at some times. Those cute outfits the other girlfriends would wear wasn’t something you’d find in your own wardrobe, simply because you did not feel comfortable wearing something that showed skin.

Lando didn’t mind, though. He never did. He knew you were absolutely gorgeous, and he worshipped you every time he saw you because he was aware of your insecurities. He tried his best to make you feel better about yourself, but you always had this mental note that you wouldn’t be good enough for him, let alone be good enough to be his girlfriend.

‘’No, thanks.’’ You politely rejected the small snack you’d find at the McLaren hospitality, something you used to say yes to because let’s be honest, they were extremely tasty. Lando smiled at you, squeezing your hand gently before whispering something in your ear. You smiled at his words, feeling extremely grateful for having such an amazing boyfriend.

DEC 2nd, 2023

‘’Sooo, how are you and Lando doing?’’  Your best friend had a smirk plastered on her face as the two of you got into the building on campus.

‘’I heard he’s going to Finland to ski with Martin Garrix, will you go along, too?’’

‘’We’re good, but no, I’m not going.’’ You told her while the two of you made your way to the elevator.

‘’Actually, I’m taking the stairs, will you come with me?’’ You asked, watching how your friend nodded and followed you to the staircase.

‘’I’m not good at skiing.’’ You explained, counting every step in your head. ‘’And we have exams in the second week of January, I want to pass those.’’

You weren’t lying, completely. You did have exams that you wanted to pass, and you weren’t the best skier out there, but there was another reason.

FLASHBACK

NOV 4th, 2023

‘’Baby,’’ Lando was in the kitchen preparing dinner as you sat on the couch, working on your laptop for those damn deadlines.

‘’Hmm?’’ You hummed, typing away a few words for your thesis as you glanced up at your boyfriend.

‘’Will you come along on the ski trip? It’s in your holiday period, isn’t it?’’ He asked, sitting on the edge of the couch as he read through a few paragraphs of your thesis.

‘’I’m sorry, babe, but I can’t.’’ You started. ‘’Things will be busy, and I really want to finish my final exams and get this thesis done with.’’ You explained, feeling his hand on your cheek to make you look at him.

‘’Okay, I understand.’’ He whispered and kissed your forehead gently, like he always did.

The moment he walked to the kitchen to finish dinner, you looked at your schedule. Just a few more months till the season started, a few more months till he would have to show up at the paddock with you on his side, because you knew he loved having you on his side, and you loved supporting him.

However, it also meant you had just a few more months to lose as much weight as possible.

END OF FLASHBACK

DEC 2nd, 2023

Never did you think you’d end up in a situation like you were now. Never did you think you’d end up on the ground, your best friend next to you as a random girl brought you some water.

‘’Are you okay? You scared the living shit out of me.’’ Your best friend had her hand on your back as she thanked the girl that gave you the water. You took a sip, carefully, and you sighed.

‘’I’m okay, I just… I didn’t sleep too good last night, maybe I should have gone to sleep earlier.’’ You lied, again. It was something that had become a part of your routine lately.

‘’Okay, well, stop doing that then because you scared me.’’

You had passed out once you had reached the top of the stairs. Not eating properly for a few weeks in a row had probably been the reason for that, but you did not want to worry them. You knew for sure that if you would have been skinny, it was the first thing people would say, and you somehow put that as your goal. You knew it was bad, you knew relying on other peoples’ reactions for your goal to be reached wasn’t something that was a good indicator, but it was what you did.

AUG 7th, 2023

Hate, it’s something every celebrity and WAG has to deal with, but somehow you were shocked when it actually happened to you. Lando had warned you about it, and he had also tried his best to reassure you. Somewhere you knew the things those people said was fake, and only came from an act of jealousy, but that didn’t mean it hurt less.

You were scared to mention it to Lando, because you knew he loved his fans, and the fact those fans sent hate to you, would absolutely break him. That’s why you never mentioned it to him. Until you had to…

You and Lando had been dating for almost 6 months now, and the world found out about a month ago. You wanted to keep it quiet for longer, but after fans spotted you together more than once, there was no more denying of the fact you two were dating.

At first you were excited, because Lando always made you feel so good and so comfortable, you thought you could take on the world with him on your side. You weren’t scared of anything when it came to the adventures you’d go on with him, but those things quickly changed the moment you opened your phone to go to Instagram.

 The hate seemed like it was never ending. You had never posted a picture with Lando because you feared the reactions. You never even posted selfies anymore due to the fear of judgement from others, from fans. It wasn’t all hate, and people were extremely kind as well, but whenever you start to receive hate, those things don’t matter anymore.

FEB 5th, 2024

15 kilos down, you had lost 15 kilos since you started losing weight, and today was the day you saw the number go down again. You had been stuck on a plateau for almost a week, and you started to panic when the number wouldn’t go down. You started to restrict yourself more, and more, and eventually the number went down.

Surviving on two crackers and a bit of dinner wasn’t good, but it worked, and you were determined to keep it going.

Lando was away quite a bit for work. He had complimented you a few times already, because of course he saw that you had lost weight. 15 kilos weren’t a little bit.

‘’You lost weight.’’ He smiled, his lips on that same place on your temple again as you closed your eyes. ‘’Mhm, I did.’’ You whispered proudly; your arms wrapped around his torso.

‘’You look beautiful, darling. I just, you know you didn’t have to, right? I mean, I’m glad you’re feeling better, but you know that you didn’t have to do it, at least not for me. I’ll love you no matter what size, shape, or weight you are.’’ His hands moved to cup your cheeks, causing you to look directly into his eyes.

‘’I know.’’ You whispered, leaning up to press your lips to his. That kiss turned into something more, because now you were comfortable enough to take the first step.

FEB 28th, 2024

‘’You look amazing, Y/N.’’ Lily, Oscar’s girlfriend, wrapped her arms around you, hugging you before pulling away to take a look at you. ‘’How much did you lose?’’

‘’Ehm, around 20 kilos.’’ You smiled at her, hearing her gasp. ‘’Oh, wow, that’s a lot!’’ She smiles, but you could hear the worry in her voice as well.

‘’Yeah, I mean, it’s alright, I feel a lot better now.’’

You groaned, put your phone away and took a deep breath. You were annoyed, both with yourself and with others. You knew you promised yourself you’d stop the moment others commented about your weight loss, the moment others would get worried, because that’s when you would have reached your goal. But you couldn’t stop, and that’s what worried you.

‘’Hey, let’s get lunch.’’ Lily smiled at you, and the panic immediately started in your head. How could you get out of it, how could you not eat anything, how how how…

‘’Sure.’’ You smiled back, because others couldn’t suspect anything, they’d stop you, and that’s what you feared because you did not want to go back to that summer of last year.

As you sat down next to Lily, you had ordered a salad because that was the meal with the least number of calories on the menu. It had become a habit, searching for the lightest, most healthy, and smallest portions and meals.

You had barely eaten anything, though, and Lily noticed, too. ‘’You barely touched your food, are you okay?’’ She asked softly. After reassuring her everything was fine, the waiter came to take the food away.

‘’Are you sure you’re done?’’

Lando and Oscar came to join you not long after, both boys taking a seat next to their girlfriends.

‘’Hey, did you have lunch already?’’ Oscar asked Lily, causing Lily to nod. ‘’Eh, yeah, we did.’’ She says, hesitantly though. She glanced over at you, and then at Lando. He knew enough by just that look.

He was aware of the fact you were losing weight. At first, he was proud, and he tried to help you with choosing the right foods, the right supplements for extra vitamins and even did his workouts with you. However, when you started to lose more, and faster, he got worried. He talked to you about a healthy weight loss multiple times. He even talked to Jon about a diet that would help you slowly go back to maintaining weight, because you had lost a lot.

Lando tried to have that conversation with you a few times, but you always brushed it off. He was barely ever with you because of the preparations for the start of the season, which he absolutely hated. He contacted your best friend, asking her to keep an eye on you as well.

‘’Babe.’’ He said, this time very seriously. ‘’Can we talk?’’ He asked. ‘’Alone.’’

‘’Ehm, maybe later, okay? I must do something first.’’ You always came up with an excuse because you had a feeling Lando was going to talk to you about your weight loss. You had a feeling he was going to tell you to stop losing weight, because that’s what was going through your own mind as well. You knew you had to stop, you just couldn’t.

‘’Did you eat lunch?’’ He then asked, causing Oscar to look at you as well as Lily. ‘’Yeah, I did.’’ You said, or actually, you lied. ‘’Okay, fine, then you won’t mind me asking Lily.’’ He continued and glanced over at his teammate’s girlfriend.

You looked at Lily, nervously. You couldn’t ask her to lie for you, but you also didn’t want her to tell him the truth. ‘’We had lunch, Lando.’’ You quickly said.

‘’I’m asking Lily.’’ He said, a little more dominant this time.

‘’Lando…’’ You sighed, but he had enough.

‘’I think I already know the answer.’’ He started. ‘’Come with me. Now.’’ He grabbed your hand and pulled you up, walking with you to his driver’s room. He had to talk to you, and even though he hoped it would never come to this point, there was something that had to happen, and you knew it as well.

‘’Lando, what are you… Hey!’’ You frowned, watching how he put you in the chair and how he stood in front of you. He was mad, but mostly hurt, it was written all over his face.

‘’You’re gorgeous, Y/N, you’re absolutely beautiful and it hurts me so much that you’re not seeing it. I wish, I honestly wish you could see yourself through my eyes, because then you’d see the most beautiful, gorgeous, perfect girl I’ve ever laid eyes on.’’

You stayed silent, but immediately felt a tear rolling down the right side of your face.

‘’You lost weight, and I’m so proud of you for doing so. I always told you you didn’t have to lose weight, that you’re perfect the way you are, but I knew you wanted it. I knew you didn’t feel comfortable the moment you showed me those DM’s, the hate you received. I was supporting you, I wanted to help you because I knew it would make you feel better once you’d lose a few kilograms. Damnit Y/N, I was so proud of you for losing the weight with the right food, the right workouts and at the right pace. But ever since you started restricting at the beginning of this year, I should have stopped you. I wanted to let you figure it out yourself, because I know you’re strong, and I know you could do that. I hate myself for not being with you more, for not looking out for you, for being the worst boyfriend ever because I didn’t give you enough love-…’’

‘’You do…’’ You whispered; your voice soft as you wiped the tears that were falling from your face. ‘’You give me so much love, Lando.’’

‘’Then why.’’ He asked, his voice breaking in the middle of the next sentence. ‘’Then why are you doing this to yourself.’’

You looked down at your lap, then at your fingers, and then at his hands that took your hands in his own. You watched how he kneeled in front of you, wiped your tears with his thumbs and forced you to look into his eyes which had tears in them as well.

‘’I love you, so much you have no idea, please… please let me help you. I will not force you to gain weight but let me help you get back to a healthy lifestyle. Let me ask Jon to put together a plan for you so you will maintain a healthy weight. We can do workouts together. I promise I’ll be there more often, in between races, for your graduation. I see a future with you, Y/N, and I want you to accept my help… No. I need you to accept my help, because it hurts me so much seeing how you treat yourself, my love. You deserve so much better than how you’re treating yourself. I’ll go to therapy with you if you need me to, okay? I promise you I’ll make it my own personal goal to see you have a healthy relationship with food again.’’

You never expected the words of the love of your life would turn everything around. You never expected Lando to have such a big effect on your thoughts, on your view on weight loss.

‘’Please help me…’’ You whispered before breaking down in his arms. Every word he spoke hit you right in the heart. Seeing the tears in his eyes and hearing his voice breaking were the things that made you realise you weren’t only punishing yourself, but also the love of your life. And it wasn’t just him that you were hurting.

Your best friend.

Lily.

Oscar.

Your parents.

That random girl in the hallway that gave you the glass of water after watching you pass out.

That one fan that told you you were gorgeous, that told you to not believe the haters.

The waiter that took away the almost untouched salad, asking if you were sure you’d had enough.

You were hurting more people than just yourself, and right now it was the time to give back to those people by working on yourself, by taking care of your own health so Lily wouldn’t have to lie for you anymore. So your best friend could stop worrying about her best friend. So Oscar wouldn’t have to feel sorry for not noticing. So that fan can continue sending positive messages and not feel like what they say doesn’t matter. So that waiter can take back an empty plate knowing that the food they served was tasty. So that random girl doesn’t have to look at you and worry every time you walk up the stairs.

So you would be happy.

AUG 12th, 2024

if you struggle with mental health in any way shape or form, please call 988. A life line for anyone that needs support. You are beautiful, you are worth it, you are amazing <3

[theblue6ook]

The Young Years PT 2

Summary: This is a prequel to "Shit Interview" in the "Out of My League" series. Read about Bruce and Y/N in their troubled tweens. What about their past makes them work so well together? You'll find out. (Hint: they've both been through major struggles.)

Pairing: Bruce Wayne x fem!reader

a/n: There's some alcoholism, guns, and daddy issues in this. You've been warned. [Eventual slow burn with Bruce]

Daddy Issues [B(14) Y/N(12)]

The cold pricked at her face, and snow seeped into her old rain boots. Her hands gripped the flannel with all her might and pulled. No dice. She tried again and pulled... nothing. Sighing, she turned toward the house and saw her brother's eyes peeking out the front window. No, I can’t leave him out here. This time, she stepped into the garage and grabbed a sled.

“Come on, Dad,” she said as she approached him. “Let’s get you onto the sled just- ugh- Come on, old man, help me help you.” Her father, in his drunken state, pulled himself out of the snow and onto the sled. Slowly, they made their way towards the house. 

She had sweat dripping down her back, but with minimal help from her father, they made it through the front door and onto the rug by the stairs. He passed out immediately.

“Listen, boys,” she sighed and turned to her brothers, “I have to go to the shop, but I wrapped some sandwiches and put them in the fridge for dinner. Eat and sleep, you hear me… and don’t wake up Dad. He’ll probably sleep there until tomorrow.”

“But you just got off your shift at Dorthie’s Flowers,” her brother Eric looked up at her. 

“I know, but Dad needs our help right now, so I have to double up.”

Both of her brothers looked at each other, unsure. Y/N gave them each a hug and stepped past her father and out the door.

She trudged through the snow to her dad's mechanic shop just down the block. After her mom ran out on them, her father was in a tough place, to say the least. So his good friend Ronnie took it upon himself to manage the shop. Ronnie was somewhat of an irresponsible uncle to Y/N. He cared a lot about her father, a lot, so, naturally, he cared about his kids, but when it came to advice, Ronnie wasn’t exactly the best influence.

They slowly worked in silence on a Purple Honda Odyssey. Ronnie was changing the tires as Y/N worked on the oil change. The silence felt good. Y/N needed to get away from everything for a bit. Working on cars did that for her.

“How’s your dad been?” he asked, breaking the silence. “Are you guys still having trouble with the bills?”

She sighed, “If he could come back to work, we’d have double the money, and maybe we wouldn’t have problems with bills.”

“Listen, kid, your dad has been through it, and he’s lucky to have you,” he seemed unsure, rubbing his chin. “You know there are other ways to make money quick.”

“Yeah, right, I’m already working two jobs,” she looked over at him. He looked like he knew something she didn’t. “Like what, Ronnie?”

“Nah. You’re too young for this conversation.”

“Like what,” she repeated. “Do you want us to starve?”

He was silent for a while and then eventually said, “You know, I know you’re good at working on cars, but how are you at driving them?”

“I’m twelve."

“Your dad hasn’t put you behind the wheel even once?” The look she gave him confirmed what he was thinking.

“You know how I always say when you know how cars purr on the inside, you drive them better on the outside.”

“Where is this going? Does this have a point?”

“You ever heard of drag racing?”

-

He claimed he didn’t mean to kill them. Then, why would you pull the trigger? He claims prison has shown him a different light. Well then, I can put you in the ground. 

Bruce sits silently, watching his parents' murderer spew nonsense. He was on the run for a month before he was caught when Bruce was eight. Alfred had hoped that would be the end of it little did he know, Bruce would be the end of it. He was ready to end it officially, and he didn’t care what would happen to him after. Rachel sat next to him, trying to offer support, and Alfred sat on the other side.

I could do it. I could do it right now. I could shoot him. He felt the cold metal against his hipbone, stuffed into the waist of his pants. A gun he had found after cracking his father's safe. In a way, it was poetic he would die at the hand of his father's own weapon. How this asshole got off with a life sentence, plus a possibility of parole, he would never know. Doesn’t matter now though. He sat and waited for a good moment. He sat and waited… and waited… and waited…

The trial was ending in no time, and the gun felt heavier and heavier. He started to sweat; he started to panic. He has to do this. He has to. Alfred noticed his panic and went to pat Bruce’s leg in reassurance, but the motion made the gun slip further down, barely holding onto the top of his pants… when Alfred felt it. Bruce knew he felt it, and there was a sole-sucking silence between them. 

Alfred looked at him, panicked and disappointed from the corner of his eye. He held Bruce’s arm by the bicep hard and started breathing heavily. As people started to filter out of the courtroom, Bruce remained silent, staring forward, and Alfred nodded towards Rachel in a goodbye as he pulled Bruce up and out of the courthouse. He had him by the bicep all the way to the car. 

He shoved Bruce passed multiple reporters and newscasters, and straight into the back of the Rolls Royce. Bruce noticed when he sat down that the weight was gone. Alfred stepped into the front of the tinted car, leaning back into the driver's seat.

“Where did my-”

“Sometimes I think you forget I was a part of the Royal Marines.” Alfred easily slipped the magazine out of the gun. He huffed, “You don’t- You don’t ever touch a gun. Do you understand me? Where did you even get this?”

“That asshole deserves it!”

“WHERE DID YOU GET THIS?”

“IT WAS DAD’S,” he called out.

Alfred sighed, pulling away from the crowd of people, “You really think this is what your father would have wanted? You going to prison for the rest of your life? To kill someone?”

“You wouldn’t understand. You weren’t there-”

“I’ve seen death! It is nothing to think about when you’re fourteen years old. It’s something no one should ever think about.”

“It’s all I think about! Do you think this has been easy for me? They were actually considering offering him parole! It wasn’t an accident. He meant to kill them, and I’ll prove it to you.”

“I think you need a break. I think you need to get away from all of this. Let’s take time off; let’s go somewhere.”

Bruce knew where he needed to go, but he definitely wouldn’t be taking time off.

[itsabouttimex2]

Where's Wukong in LSO? Is he like retired and far away? Just doesn't want to butt into how MK is mentoring his student? Sorry if I'm being too noisy. Just curious about the au ^^'

(No worries, dear! I love answering questions about the things I write anyhow! 💕 I’ll go into a few characters here!)

Let’s Start Over

Friends and Family

After many, many long years… Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven… has retired, actually!

Our lovable Sage is kicking around wherever he pleases (with a strange shadow following him about), leisurely traveling the world and enjoying everything that it has to offer. He stops for fans and scholars alike, signing autographs and answering questions.

The ginger-furred simian especially enjoys visiting different zoos and aquariums to admire the animals- and they seem to like him, too. Old Sun also stops by local pastry shops pretty often, looking for something sweet and made of peaches. He’s got his photo hung on at least two dozen walls by now.

He’s got a pretty good thing going now. Wukong is more than content- he’s happy.

Of course, our powerful King’s not just going to leave an entire life behind.

He’s got a new kiddo to dote on, after all!

Yeah, this man adores you. Every other week or so he’ll come zooming in on his mystic cloud, blazing into view with a shower of vaporous mist trailing behind him.

‘Sun Yeye’, as he’ll frequently call himself, comes bearing gifts and stories. He’s in a better place both mentally and socially, and he’s grown more comfortable with physical contact- somewhat. He’ll ruffle your hair and ply you with something expensive or unhealthy, then bound off to chat with his loyal monkey subjects.

And… there’s someone with him?

As ever, this little rat is mostly unrepentant and prone to lurking about in the shadows. Still training and eavesdropping and scheming, just a little less cruel about it.

He’s slowly becoming a better person, off journeying with Wukong and learning about everything he’d missed while stuck in the underworld.

But Macaque doesn’t get to have ‘cool uncle/granddad’ title that the Monkey King has been bestowed, I’m afraid. After all, where Wukong was willing to accept his wrongs and shortcomings and actively work on them, Mac just kinda… gets away with his bullshit without ever trying to making amends.

MK keeps him at a full arm’s length from you, considering the sable simian to be not only a bad influence, but a dangerous one.

But, theoretically, if Macaque were to:

1. Apologize to every person he’s hurt

2. Make reparations for all the destruction that he’s caused

3. Acknowledge his own shortcomings and mistakes and try to become better

Then he might consider allowing you and ‘Uncle Macaque’ to meet up. Just for an hour.

Maybe.

As always, Pigsy maintains his grumpy fervor for cooking and serving, but in a far more lowkey fashion than before. Mei helped to hook him up with topnotch streaming equipment, allowing the chef to start a personal channel where he teaches beginner’s to prep basic meals and take care of their equipment.

He’s found some degree of fame with it, spreading his culinary skills across the internet, which quickly comes to love him.

And speaking of love- Y/N. Oh, how this man cherishes you.

MK gave him a grandbaby.

Ok, so he was a little worried at first. Pigsy thought that his son had gotten someone pregnant (irrational, but he was still worried!) and now was raising the kiddo as a single father.

Once all that has been cleared up, our favorite chef settles into the “granddad” role admirably, tending to you as he did to little MK.

He comes over every Friday to make a family meal for the three of you, and Tang always tags along- usually with a book that he thought you might like.

Although MK’s relationship with Mei has grown notably… strained, the two still keep in touch. She’s grown to be a massive streamer, and frequently competes in city-wide races as something of a celebrity. A decent chunk of her hard-earned cash goes to local charities or is spent sponsoring young racers that she sees worth in.

Mei is super dedicated to seeing the city grow healthier and happier, opting to visit and buy from only local stores and restaurants. She gives very fair reviews and often causes surges of growth for whatever business she stops in to check out.

She still finds time to game with MK on occasion, trying to bridge the gap that’s grown between the two in recent times. It’s not a phenomenal success, but they have fun and part on decent terms.

For what it’s worth, they’d both still go crazy if the other was injured.

Also, Auntie Mei??? Bringing you fun games and snacks and getting you a custom motorcycle helmet for the rides she takes you on (away from the crowded city streets, of course) and telling you embarrassing stories about MK.

(Also also, Goldendragon?? Moving apart from being friends and then reconciling into being lovers? Or even Chimera? In that final case Y/N is absolutely screwed.)

Mr. Tang, as always, remains a dedicated scholar and mooch. He’s still spending every day by Pigsy’s side and sampling his food, but now he’s got an audience eagerly watching his every bite. The internet loves this man, both for his honest enthusiasm for food and for his interesting historical lectures.

Tang switching from calmly explaining the history of jajangmyeon to outright squealing about how damn good the dish is the moment he takes the first bite.

Him and Pigsy have moved in together at this point, sharing the streaming equipment for both cooking videos and history lessons. They absolutely share the same channel.

(I cannot think of a name for what that channel would be called. Delicious History? Culinary Chronicles? Past and Produce? Freenoodles?)

I think that Tang would read to you as he did MK, sharing stories both old and new to keep you updated on the dangers you might face.

So much bonding over food. With MK’s permission, he takes you out to different stalls and shops to broaden your horizons. It also helps to build your social skills and the sense of community you feel with the locals.

Also, those Golden Cicada powers? He busts them out whenever you’re in danger, wrapping you in a sphere of glittering light. Actually pretty good at keeping you safe, all things considered.

The pacifistic view that Sandy has inherited is explored a bit more in this AU, with MK coming to view it as selfish, if not outright stupid.

If an enemy needs to be fought, pacifism is pointless. It’ll only get you and your friends hurt, refusing to fight when your assistance is needed the most.

If an enemy doesn’t need to be fought, every sane person becomes a pacifist temporarily to solve the issue in a non-violent way.

And in a world like Lego Monkie Kid? When fighting is frequent and necessary?

People are absolutely going to look at explicit non-combatants in a certain way.

The real value that Sandy finds in pacifism isn’t strictly for himself- he also doesn’t want to hurt anyone else or go too far in a fight, which are both reasonable. There’s nothing inherently wrong with his refraining from violence.

The main problem is that MK just doesn’t believe that Sandy would be able to protect you if you were in actual danger. Would he run away with you in his arms? Yes. Would he stuff you somewhere safe and force you to hide? Also yes. Would he take someone on, hand-to-hand for your safety?

It’s way harder to be sure. All visits are supervised just in case of a surprise attack

You, on the other hand? You adore this man. Sandy is great for the soul, giving you a chance to drop the training drills and stretches and pick up a paintbrush and put on some music. Also, kitties? Falling asleep on his couch and waking up covered in therapy cats with a cup of tea left within reach.

He’s just so good to you, and a perfect display of what healthy familial behavior actually is.

Here’s another person MK has soured his view of- Red Son. Given that he falls square into the “instead of actually becoming a better person, I gave up on being evil” category, our hero doesn’t have much fondness for the fiery demon.

Red has settled into life on the outskirts of Megapolis, working as an engineer/mechanic. If you’ve something strange/dangerous to build or fix, he’s your man. A fair price, and he doesn’t even ask questions.

His parents, who often visit, absolutely will. DBK leering down at you as you try to explain that an enemy threw a brick through the window of your tuk-tuk and if your mentor finds out he’s going to go full demon-hunter. PIF raising one eyebrow slowly as you trudge in covered in bruises, a new set of blueprints tucked under your arm.

The evil->helpful but menacing pipeline is real.

If you doesn’t know how to drive, Red’s a good bet for a teacher… if you can handle the yelling. Hit him with an ‘Uncle Red’ and he’ll loosen up a bit.

Also, taking into account his little insulting nicknames he has, like Noodle Boy?

Give that MK treats you like his own child, and may well even outright adopt you under certain circumstances-

You are absolutely getting called ‘Noodle Baby’.

(I’m admittedly not a fan of Spicynoodles, but that dynamic would be somewhat interesting to explore here. MK giving this one villain the ‘redemption’ card, not because Red Son has earned it, but simply because… MK likes him. It would be one hell of an angle for Y/N to attack him with.)

[embodyingchaos]

my barbie review

(obvious spoilers ahead)

okay so, i watched the barbie movie on the 22nd, and i must say, it exceeded my expectations and i was very happy with it.

the movie was quite political and i found it the most perfect opportunity to get political. the way the movie was done was that there were two worlds, barbie land, where all the barbies and kens reside, and the real world, where we all are.

i believe i should tackle each and every one of the movie aspects one by one in different topics.

let's start with barbie land. barbie land is a place where all the dolls of the barbie franchise live. you've got midge, allan, skipper, multiple different kens and multiple different barbies. in barbie land, it seems that the gender roles had switched. women took the higher-ranking jobs, like president, doctor, etc. while the men just had beach offs and basically did nothing, they were inferior. this was interesting since in the barbie franchise, ken was made just as barbie's boyfriend, that's all he was meant to be. he was at her every beck and call, he was the perfect boyfriend.

in the movie, ken(ryan gosling) was just barbie's friend. they didn't make them a couple, which i liked, they were just really good friends. however, ken wanted to be more. ken wanted to be acknowledged by barbie, included and respected. the kens in the movie weren't friendly with each other, they were all competitive and wanted to be better than the other. the kens were very dependent on their barbies and they believed that their whole purpose was just to get barbie to be their girlfriend. they basically believed that they were just barbie's boyfriend, nothing else.

barbie(margot robbie) was stereotypical barbie. the perfect, blue-eyed blondie that everyone thinks of right off the bat when someone mentions the name barbie. the thing is, she didn't do anything either. she mostly just woke up perfect, spent her day driving around and greeting other barbies, spends time at the beach and then has a dance party every night. it was the same thing every day. oh and "every night is girl's night." said barbie, ignorantly.

the way the barbies treated the kens were somewhat similar to how the men treated women; like they were secondary to everything. even though the gender roles are switched, the barbies were still women and the kens were still men. the way that the barbies ruled weren't discriminatory, they didn't sexualise the kens in any way, but when the kens ruled over, they brainwashed the barbies into believing that they their only roles were to do nothing and just serve their own kens. they ruled by making weird decisions like horses (you will only understand what i mean if you watch the movie, trust me).

however, i believed the only reason they had ruled this way was because when barbie and ken had come into the real world, ken was influenced by the men there. that's the reason he brought misogyny back into barbie land.(though when ken said "every night is boy's night." to barbie as a backfire, i was really happy LMAO)

all in all, all ken wanted was barbie's respect, her acknowledgement. he even said he lost interest in the patriarchy when he realised that horses weren't really a big thing in it. (he just wants a horse)

what i didn't like about what a few of the commentators and reviews said was that the movie was mostly focused on women. i believe that it wasn't. they talked about men's issues too. when ken said he wasn't suppose to cry, it made him weak but barbie told him it's okay to cry. barbie apologised to him for making him feel unseen and unheard, like his existence all depended on her. he got independency from this movie, he got closure. he is more than just barbie's boyfriend/love interest.

another thing that my friend had pointed out was that the way that the barbies ruled was similar to how the management in mattel(barbie's toy company) is. the ceo, cfo, etc. in mattel were all men. they believed that feminism, was women > men, when feminism is women = men. which is why the barbies didn't give the men any actual job, they just got lifeguard at the beach or surfer or anything beach related honestly.

when barbie went into the real world, she realised that women power wasn't as big as it was in her world. she realised that women weren't working in every high-ranking job like in her world and that they got constantly harassed and it somewhat shined a light on the whole situation she was in once she got back to barbie land. she probably realised that things were still one sided in barbie land, and they should strive to make both kens and barbies equal.

anyways, my favourite character was definitely allan. ally to the barbies, ally to the kens. after all, there is only one allan.

[etincelleart]

Analysis of RWBY Volume 9 and V9 epilogue

So I have some thoughts stuck in my brain since I saw the epilogue, and I wanted to share them here ! o/

I've been thinking a lot about the overall message and meaning of Volume 9, and the epilogue is an interesting contradiction in some parts. There are different oppositions in there that I'd like to talk about.

Note that I'll (of course I mean who do you think I am) talk about how Penny's death is described and shown to us and from all of these characters' point of views, because there are interesting oppositions here to :]

----------

Volume 9 is about hope, it's about accepting that who you are and what you do is enough, and it's also the main and overall message of the story since the beginning. That even if everything seems to be pointless or doomed, just trying and doing simple acts can be enough. I think it's interesting to see how that influences Qrow especially in the epilogue, because he's very optimistic and doing his best, while Winter is spiraling and feeling guilty because she took a long time to finally act against Ironwood.

These two characters have a different point of view about everything, Winter thinks that they failed team RWBY, Jaune and Penny, and that it's better they never see this. Qrow thinks that they've done good despite everything, and his biggest regret is that they can't see all the good they started.

I'm also really glad to see that Qrow learned from Clover and is able to move forward, and make something of this loss. Qrow used to be completely pessimistic and alone for years, thinking that it was only because of his Semblance, while in fact the perspective and vision of the world is what allow him to decide of how things will go. Anyway I just thought it was nice as I loved their bond in Volume 7 ♥

The opposition of Qrow and Winter here is interesting, and I'm really curious to know now they'll both be developed in Volume 10 !

Btw, note that they mentioned before showing the epilogue that some parts of this epilogue were cut (it's a portion of the epilogue), because it leads to future plot that they probably want to keep for Volume 10. So some informations are probably missing too

----------

So what I also and especially wanted to talk about here is Volume 9 informations : if you think of the RWBY story in a larger perspective, you can see that :

life and death are the only known and "good" balance made by the two Brothers (who aren't the true Gods of the RWBY universe, but "only" Afterans with lots of powers basically--)

reincarnation/reviving people from the death is BAD and break the balance.

reincarnation is also seen as painful : Salem doesn't reincarnate, but she never dies. Ozpin reincarnates, but in a painful way as he keeps his memories, he stays the same and merge with a new person all the time.

But in Volume 9, we learn that :

the Tree and the Blacksmith are (is ?) the one who created everything, included the two Brothers, who created Remnant and other worlds

death doesn't exist in the Ever After (EXCEPT with the Jabberwalker). the balance here is to ascend, aka reincarnate, and lose some parts of your memories : you might not remember anything of your previous life, but you do remember deep down the very important things (like as we saw with Little who came back as Somewhat, who don't remember the details of their bond with Ruby, but they DO remember her and their connection deep down).

the Blacksmith talks about "the true balance", and we can see that what the two Brothers are (compared to two forces), isn't what this true balance is. So it's implied what the Brothers did/are isn't what balance is, or is supposed to be. At least, that's my interpretation of this scene.

I wanted to sum up all of these infos to have a clear and large vision of the story. Those in Remnant don't know a THING about what we learned in V9, we can see it with Winter spiralling on her failures and mistakes.

Now about life and death, there's this thing : in Remnant people die, they don't come back, yet everyone in Vacuo is about to see 5 young adults/teenager "come back for the dead" after seeing them fall in a dark void. They weren't really dead, but for everyone on Remnant they were, and I just feel like with V9 they're playing more and more around this idea of balance and life and death, and the vision around it.

Some funny thing I thought of too is that Little died, but they came back as Somewhat and no one really complained about how it would erase the meaning of their death, the impact etc. But I don't feel the same way, it was STILL impactful, it still pushed Ruby to give up everything and drink the tea. And it was mostly accepted by everyone to me because they're Afteran.

I'm kinda rambling a lot until now, but I want to talk about Penny and how I think things are even more confusing about her-

----------

There are two lines in direction opposition in Volume 9 and this epilogue, first we have the scene with Ruby meeting the Blacksmith in Chapter 5 of V9, when Ruby asks where they found Penny's sword. The Blacksmith answers "nothing, no one is ever truly lost". The "no one here is interesting" as Ruby only asked about Penny's sword, an object, and not Penny herself. And in this overall chapter, we have a whole scene with the Cat explaining to team RWBY what is ascension in the Ever After. They are shocked when they ask if people can die here, or even remember anything. Weiss says that "things have to die someday", but the Cat is shocked and denies it.

Then in this epilogue, we have Winter's point of view, saying "Because of me, Penny is gone, forever".

I'd like to note two things here :

this line is in opposition with what Penny and Winter said to each other during the transfer of the Maiden powers at the end of V8 : in this scene, Penny is reassuring Winter by saying she won't be gone, she'll be a part of her, just as Winter told her Fria was a part of Penny in V7 finale. Here in this epilogue, Winter is feeling guilty and doesn't truly believe what they said to each other, she thinks she's gone (and this "being gone" thing isn't just a metaphor : it's confusing because of the nature of the maiden powers. Penny is literally a part of Winter because her Aura was transferred to Winter with the powers, it's not just meant to be comforting.).

this line is also in complete opposition with the overall volume, a volume about reincarnation/ascension, about this idea of balance that might not be what we think it is maybe ? I would say that it's normal because Winter doesn't have this knowledge, we're only in her thoughts and she's feeling bad. The thing that I think is strange is this "forever" : Winter saying "Because of me, Penny is gone", would have been enough for the audience to understand that she's feeling guilty. This "forever" is subtle but to me it's still an important emphasis because we literally had the God of the RWBY universe telling us a few chapters ago "nothing, no one is ever truly lost". Once again, Penny had a LOT of references during V9, almost every chapter except 2 (I talked more about it in previous posts). She was literally haunting the narrative with these subtle moments, discreet enough to be unnoticed (or Penny's fans are just insane idk) : this moment when Ruby meets the Blacksmith, this moment in chapter 8 when Penny's illusion says "I died in Atlas too, didn't I ?".

So Penny is mentioned almost all of the volume, and directly paralleled to reincarnation with a character VERY similar to her (Litte/Somewhat), who's friendly, wants to help Ruby, loves hugs, loves to help their friends and be their guide. I just feel like they're playing a lot with Penny on the topic of death, she's truly an allusion to Pinnochio omg.

I did a little sketch/doodle to sum up all of that because I think it'll be clearer than my disorganized thoughts oops

Most of the time, adding such an emphasis on one character's death is pretty suspicious and means there's something more coming for them. I just think the parallel of seeing a character reincarnate and having this emphasis on Penny's death by multiple characters look pretty curious-

Now I know we could ask what about Pyrrha, Clover, Ironwood and many others who died then ? Well the thing is that even if I talk about Penny, I'm starting to think about them too and wondering at this point if they could not be back at some point in someway someday. I won't talk too much on this because I'm really not sure of anything and it's still complicated to talk about them when for most of these characters, you can see there's a form of "conclusion" to their death : Pyrrha got the statue scene in V6 and it felt like some sort of closure to me. Jaune moved forward and did his best to train with her videos. Clover died but Qrow has been able to move forward too and learn from his friend. Penny died to transfer the powers and save people, but if she's not coming back, then I'd like to see the effects on Ruby, to see her stay kind and friendly, to see her think about her friend and remember how positive she was about the world. Until now we only can see and feel Penny's death and character linger on the narrative, and we still don't know how Pietro, Penny's dad and creator, is taking all of this. As I mentioned before I highly doubt he would just stay there and mourn his daughter, he will definitely try to understand more how Aura works, Aura transfer, or even close himself to others and try desperately to rebuild her.

Ok it's late idk how to explain more my thoughts on these topic but I FEEL. LIKE. SOMETHING IN ALL OF THAT IS OFF. So I'll finish this with two doodles from yesterday when I continued to lose my brain and tried to analyse and speculate on the overall RWBY story/narrative, as well as how I see Penny's narrative and arc too. xD

Things just often happen in threes, and I feel like if Penny comes back, she will definitely stay this time. Idk if us Penny fans are just seeing things too far, being delusional or else, but aside all shipping or favorite character or anything, I still just think in a narrative point of view a lot of elements are leading to something big about her and death in general.

And I'll also add one image that sums up the structure of a narrative arc, to understand where I came from with all of this, and how we can try to predict how things will go for the Vacuo arc and the last part of the series :

I'll stop the massacre and go to sleep because I can feel my brain drifting off *runs*

[takusan-no-ai]

Sassy Pants

PAIRING: Carrie/Chris/Norma x Male Reader (Romantic) (Separate)

SUMMARY: (Y/N) is very kind to his girlfriend, but he also has some sass to him.

Carrie absolutely adores you. You’re the first boy, let alone peer, to ever treat her kindly. And because of her lack of companionship it led to her developing a crush on you.

She was nervous to tell you about her powers, and while you were shocked, your understanding nature nearly made her cry. Even her own mother would rather see her as a freak of nature, but you just held her hand and didn’t judge at all.

Not only were you kind to her, but others as well. However, Carrie did wonder if you had a hidden dark side; anytime someone would try to bully her, you’d slyly lead the person out of the public’s eye, and then they’d never bother Carrie again.

She eventually learned of your sassy nature after you’d slipped up and in front Chris, who was currently berating Carrie. From then on she encouraged you to be more sassy with her. She enjoyed this knew side of you and wanted to see more of it.

You both later went to regularly teasing each other and becoming more than just girlfriend and boyfriend, but best friends too.

Chris hated you. She tried to win you over since everyone at school liked you. But when you rejected Chris because of her cruel behavior and attitude she practically choked on air. For once, someone actually had the guts to tell her like it was, and she didn’t like it.

Yet for some reason, she still liked you. And that’s what made her even angrier; that she loved you but couldn’t have you. So she pretended to be nice in order to garner some favor from you.

Of course, this lead to her spending some time with you. And call it a miracle, but your positive influence was starting to make an impact, even though it was slow. People wondered how you could stand being Chris’ boyfriend. That was until they saw exactly how.

Your “less than child friendly” way of speaking served as a way of explaining and leaning Chris towards more positive choices, which served to counter her bullying lifestyle.

The firm grip and swift action you have on her made it easier for Chris to listen; she followed you like a sheep does it’s herder. And she loves you too much to not change for the better if it meant she could be with you.

Norma didn’t really care about your existence. In fact, she actively avoided you since she knew of your nice nature. The both of you would never get along under normal circumstances and she didn’t have the time for that drama.

That was until she realized Chris was interested in to you. Norma may be Chris’ right hand mate, but she’s also a back stabber. If you were such a hot shot that even Chris wanted you, then Norma wanted you too.

When she asked you out, you said that you’d only be her boyfriend if Norma worked towards being a better person. She begrudgingly agreed, not really meaning it.

She thought you would be easy to manipulate, just a major pushover. That was until she saw first hand what you were like in the face of confrontation. Never before had Norma felt so small.

The only authority she ever listened to somewhat were the adults, and now here you were looming over her like the principal does to soon to be expelled trouble maker. Safe to say, she ended up similarly to Chris and became more willing to change for the better.

- Fin

[thegloweringcastle]

On the Edge of Losing You

Thank you @azrielshadowssing​ for organizing this lovely event! It is so much fun to be creative and get to work with the lovely people in the fandom!

I had the absolute honor of continuing On the Edge of Losing You by the wonderfully talented @starfall-spirit​!! My dear, I hope you like this chapter and that it does justice for the beginning you created. I adore this story with every bit of my being and was so excited (and somewhat nervous) to be continuing it!!

If you haven’t read the first chapter, what are you doing?!? It’s amazing. You can find it (and more delightful fics) here on @azrielshadowssing​‘s masterlist for the summer writing circle.

Now, let’s pick up where we left off...

CW: None

Chapter 2: On the Edge of Losing you, We Tipped Over the Brink

“Feyre, what are you doing?” He knew what she was doing. Her hands cupped his face, and his heart leapt at the contact. He groaned, her name on his lips a benediction. “Feyre.”

Finally, she kissed him.

There had been dozens of instances where Rhys had nearly given into every last temptation. Dozens of instances where he had nearly met her halfway in the space between. Dozens of instances where he had fantasized about her lips on his, her hands tangling in his hair, her body covering his own.

One moment he remembered distinctly; a single memory that has ruined him over and over again with everything he wished he had done.

They had been strolling through the woods enjoying the cool of the night in quiet company. Of course they lingered at the back of their group, eventually staking out seats on old stumps to watch the night sky come to life. One by one, the stars winked into existence until they formed a river from sky to earth. Feyre would make up her own constellations, cackling as Rhys grew more and more distressed. Her smile was bold, her eyes sparked with mischief and life. The stars had never been so bright; Feyre had never looked so beautiful.

She paused her antics to face him while he did the same. They were so near, their noses brushed on accident. That was the closest Rhys had ever gotten to kissing Feyre, to simply letting go and discovering every hidden and forbidden bit of her. To finally letting himself have a chance at one joy he craved the most.

Until now.

He wasn’t sure how, or when, but she had made her way onto his lap, now straddling him in the sand. It was just as he had imagined - better.

But then reality snuck up and ruined everything, as it was prone to do.

“Feyre,” His voice was hushed between kisses. “Feyre darling, you’re still engaged. To someone else.”

She broke the kiss, gasping for air. They sat and breathed, fire draining from veins and stars fading from eyes. The weight of what she had done seemed to crush Feyre in an instant, even if Rhys wasn’t complaining.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Rhys. Gods,” She dropped her head to his chest, her weight on his lap a comfort to both. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Rhys spoke slowly, treading carefully on uneven terrain. “Feyre, you need to do what you want to do.” He leaned back on his palms, fingers slipping through sand he wished were her hair. “You need some time to think about what you want, no one influencing your thoughts. But Feyre…” The confession came out with hesitance. “I can’t walk you down the aisle to Tamlin.” I love you too much to let you go, was the hidden side of the coin.

The look in her eyes - it killed him. She was so infinitely sad, utterly alone in the secluded world Tamlin had constructed around her. Feyre broke their staring match, slipping back onto the cool damp sand. Rhys shivered at the loss of contact.

Time and time again, Feyre had asked him why he didn’t like Tamlin. How he could possibly know what type of man he was. What led him to believe Tamlin wasn’t good enough for. Every time Rhys brought it up, Feyre would, without fail, interrogate him to no avail.

The truth? He recognized Tamlin for who he was because of his own father. Rhys was under no illusions, he knew what type of situation his mother found herself in. And while she was fortunate - a safe marriage, even if it was loveless, and a calm ending that left her and her family well off - many women were not. He couldn’t live with himself if Feyre ended up like that and he had done nothing to stop it.

Her voice was thin, stretched taut between all that had transpired in mere hours. “I am very sorry, Rhys.” His chest tightened as he watched her stand, brushing sand from her clothes. “I didn’t mean it.”

“Feyre, wait a minute,” Her wrist. His panic. Their kiss. “Don’t-”

She slipped back into her flipflops. “I understand. Thank you for- thank you. I’ll see you when we get back.”

The sight of Feyre walking away had never hurt so damn much.

~~~

Her steps on the stone pathway were the tick of a clock, the sound her flip flops made echoing through the night. Somewhere in the distance was music, cheers, and the sound of beer bottles shattering.

Her thoughts wandered back to Rhys. For the first time in six months, Feyre had truly seen her friend. She had looked into his violet eyes and found the maps of years gone by; the marks left by those he loved, the marks left by those he didn’t. Like glass: inevitably broken and worn, beautiful in every state.

She had nobody to blame but herself for the most jagged crack that now ran through him.

Around the bend in the path, the cottage Nesta and Elain shared came into view. Lights shone through the windows - a beacon in the night. She couldn’t reach the door fast enough, her fist raised to knock a few steps too soon.

Elain opened the door, her gaze snagging on Feyre’s tearstained face and bruising wrist before pulling her in without a single word.

Silence was a thick blanket over the three sisters. Elain puttered around in the kitchen, steeping tea and arranging sweet treats on a plate. Nesta kept busy with organizing the disarray of books that had taken over every horizontal surface in the few days since arrival. What they were really doing: dancing around the events leading to this moment.

Feyre sat on the couch, staring into space while the world carried on around her. Now that she was finally away from the frenzy with Rhys and the upheaval with Tamlin, she found the idea of going over it all again too dizzying. Her eyelids tugged downwards with exhaustion; maybe it wouldn’t have been the worst thing to just flop over and fall asleep. Sleep through the next two decades.

Elain foiled her plan with the clink of ceramics and a pointed look. Though Feyre’s sisters sat on either side, they were anything but her jailers.

Feyre sunk back into the cushions, tea in hand. Despite the humid heat, she wished desperately for long sleeves, if only to cover the bruise beginning to form on her wrist.

Nesta sighed, forging ahead through the tangled vines. “The way I see it is, you’re not happy.” She eyed Feyre’s wrist. “Perhaps not safe, either. Am I correct to assume that?”

Feyre opened her mouth to find the answer choking her.

Nesta remained unruffled. “I’ll take that as a yes, then. But I think it would benefit all of us to go through it. Step by step.” Clever Nesta. Logical, steadfast Nesta.

So Feyre told them. She began with Rhys’s aversion to Tamlin, listing some of the choice words he used to describe him - which both Elain and Nesta chuckled at - and carried on through asking Rhys to walk her down the aisle. This led to the most distasteful part, and Feyre’s voice sank when she brushed over Tamlin’s aggression mere hours ago, providing the minimum scraps of their altercation and quickly proceeding to meeting Rhys on the beach.

Now, she set her tea down and dropped her head to her hands. “And then I ruined it all. I kissed Rhys,” Her voice was muffled. “And now he won’t walk me down the aisle. And I don’t know what to do.”

“What do you want to do, Feyre?” Though Elain’s voice was soft, she did not coddle her little sister. They had all been through too much to be so delicate.

“I don’t want to marry Tamlin,” Her lip quivered with the admission. “But I have to.”

Nesta’s quirked a brow, her expression discordant. “Um, I think the fuck not. You don’t have to do anything, Feyre.”

“Have you forgotten how he helped us? I am literally indebted to him.

My student loans, our inherited debt, my car, the wedding, our house… all of it he helped to pay for.” Her eyes welled with unshed tears, overwhelmed just mentioning it all. “It’s too late.”

Nesta’s glare spelled danger. “Is it really too late? Or are you too scared?” It came out an assault. Abrupt. Harsh. Feyre flinched as if struck.

The entire situation - a minefield. Nesta had just stepped through it ruthlessly. “Shit. Feyre, I- that’s not- I didn’t mean it like that.  It’s just… it’s easy to believe something that’s not true when the reality is so intimidating.”

“Is there something else, Feyre?” Elain set her mug down, placing a calloused hand on Feyre’s shaking shoulder. “If you…” She cleared her throat. Tried again. Even still, her voice was timid. “If you really do love Tamlin, Feyre, then we can’t stop you, but-”

“No.” Feyre wailed, quivering with the confession. “No, I don’t love Tamlin. I love Rhysand.”

Silence smothered the world, seeming to stretch out beyond their small cottage. Feyre could feel The Look her sisters passed over her shoulder, but still, they were patient while she caught her breath.

She straightened, wiping her face and gathering her control. “No. I don’t love Tamlin, and Tamlin clearly doesn’t love me. I’m in love with Rhys - have been for so long. But I don’t think that he loves me either.”

Feyre held her breath, and then -

Elain and Nesta burst into laughter. Not deep, full-bellied laughs, but laughs all the same. It just made Feyre more upset.

“I call bullshit,” Elain gasped out.

Nesta scoffed, a smirk playing on her lips. “I’m with Elain.” She slapped her hands to her thighs, standing from the couch and offering a hand to each of her sisters. “Feyre, I think we should sleep. We’ll hatch a plan over breakfast, we’ll do whatever you want. But you look dead on your feet, and I need to rest before kicking ass. Whaddya say?”

Eyes swollen and sticky with tears and exhaustion, Feyre was struggling to stay awake. She let her sisters guide her to bed, and the three of them huddled up in the dark just as they used to.

She was just drifting to sleep when Elain whispered, “You could always elope with Rhysand while you’re here. It could be so romantic, like in the movies.” That was Elain, always thinking with her heart.

“Or you could dump Tamlin, sue him, take his money, and buy a secluded island where you won’t have to worry about anyone bothering you - man or woman.”

…and that was Nesta. Using her head.

Feyre smiled in the dark, too tired to think too much about it but happy to have her sisters by her side. “I think those ideas both have potential; different aspects of charm. But… we’ll see, I guess.” She could find equilibrium again, maybe this time with the person she wanted the most with her head and her heart.

~~

Thanks again for reading! Hope you liked it <3

[aladaylessecondblog]

Fallen Star, pt. 5 "That Ain't Spring Water"

Author's Note: No sex this chapter, but our dear Nerevarine is certainly remembering some.

-----------------------------

They were cocooned in pure and unrestrained bliss for a solid two weeks.

Certainly, Voryn kept slipping by calling her Nerevar, rather than her own name. And seemed rather overfond of being called a god, specifically for her to do so in the throes of passion. And he kept practically throwing symbols of House Dagoth at her...and there was the looming mammoth in the room that was his entire plan for Morrowind...

This was already an impossible decision and now it was even worse.

But other than that, Sadara thought somewhat darkly, things were perfect.

When a lack of color had bothered her she'd taken some of the dried golden kanet flowers in her bag and woven them into a braid one morning. The next day there was a basket waiting with even more of a variety of colored blooms. She'd seen him smile when she did the same with them, and then tell her that it was wonderful to see more than cold metal and the glow of lava against the barren walls he was accustomed to.

When she'd mentioned her rations were running low and she planned to make a trip to Ald'ruhn for more the next day--a hefty bag of rations and assorted foods simply turned up in the morning. Voryn had admitted with a wry little smile to forgetting that she hadn't yet learned to like corprusmeat. Perhaps she never would. He would not let it be said, though, that he neglected the needs of his Nerevar.

It stung just a little...but his arms slipping around her and pulling her close absolutely did not. That was one of the things that comforted her when she began to doubt - his seeking or giving touch.

Voryn was there. He was there, she saw it every day, and she COULD reach him.

And I would have you at my side as I elevate them.

And yet his darker self was there too, the half she preferred not to name, that had plans for Morrowind that had not yielded in an era. Who spoke with such conviction that her mind whispered back that surely it made sense to listen and really, he had a better plan for the future than Vivec's "wait and see" approach.

The half that had Morrowind in terror of him, that could send someone running in the other direction for fear of falling under his influence.

The half that embraced her as though she might vanish if he didn't hold tightly enough, that kissed as though he were trying to devour her, that made love as though he were going to war.

You can help him, a part of her would whisper when she was held close against him, as her body still sang with the afterglow of satisfaction. He isn't lost. He isn't beyond hope.

She would just have to keep trying.

-----------------------------

Along with the supplies of food at the beginning of the third week came the expected accompaniment of water. Though when Sadara looked at the bottles, one stood out. It wasn't made of glass, but silver...perhaps it was Voryn's?

But he didn't seem to need food or water...that she knew of, anyway.

Perhaps it was wine?

She picked the bottle up and opened it. There was no scent like wine, or sujamma, or flin or...anything else intoxicating, really. So what was it?

Sadara decided to risk it and take a sip.

It was water. Just water, that was all. But why in so fancy a bottle if that was the case?

As she sat and drank another bit of it she found herself thinking back. Leyawiin...that last day she'd been there. Not doing well, had enough to eat, but the ability to pay for another week's stay under an actual roof had become a pressing concern. And then had come the emperor's...

...huh.

The details were fuzzy. The details that had been so starkly lined in her mind that they felt etched into her very bones were suddenly fraying at the edges. Faces she remembered precisely were mysteriously unclear, the bumps and cracks of the carriage ride, the--when had that happened? She thought back further. Skingrad she used to be able to remember too, if slightly hazily. But now? Her mother saying their cousin had taken liberties with the dead and it was a good idea to leave was all that remained.

Suddenly, she was afraid. She put down the water, and wondered what had caused this sudden lapse in memory.

"I see you've found the delivery."

Sadara stiffened slightly, and turned in Voryn's direction.

"I was just working on getting it into my room and got a bit thirsty."

"I can have others do that," he gestured briefly, "Really? Such work is beneath you now, you know."

Then Voryn's eyes fell on the bottle in her hands. The mask was on, so she couldn't see his face, but his stance tensed, and he strode over to take it from her.

"Where did you get this?"

"It came with the rest of the water," she said, "Why?"

Voryn growled. "It's not--you shouldn't be drinking this particular--if more comes, simply turn it over to me."

"It's not poisoned, is it? Something only you drink, but that would...hurt me?"

There was a pause as he lifted the bottle.

"In a sense. Don't touch it again..." He trailed off at that, and set the bottle back down with the others, "Perhaps I should be more worried about you than I already am. You picked up the different bottle and took a drink from it without a second thought."

That statement broke the tension that Sadara had been feeling, and she managed a little laugh. "Guilty as charged. I suppose that was something Nerevar did?"

"On any number of occasions." Now Voryn gave a laugh, too. "It really is astonishing how alike you are. I have heard little of the prior, failed incarnates, so perhaps they had these little things about them too. But you...you! I practically see him bursting out of you, Nerevar."

"Sadara. Please." She looked away, feeling bad for correcting him. "It's not that I don't value this, it's not that I'm trying to deny who I am. It's..."

"It's what?"

"It's that I don't...I feel it would be almost...disrespectful?" she looked up at him, tried to make eye contact. With the mask it was impossible--there were no eyes, only the empty, impassive stare of that golden mask of his. "I am him, and yet I'm not him, because if I was, I wouldn't be...me. But I want to honor him somehow. I don't remember what house I'm from, but I don't want to use Indoril, because--look what the Tribunal have turned THAT name into!"

Silence.

"Do you understand what I mean?"

"I understand perfectly." There was a slight amusement about Voryn's tone. "And I have an easy solution."

"I'd love to hear it."

"Take it as your house name, and it works beautifully. Nerevar Sadara."

"That...you're right." Sadara thought for a moment longer, and shrugged off the lingering doubt. Why should it not go like that, after all?

[yumedoca]

What do you think about the slapstick in Urusei Yatsura? Most especifically, Lum electrocuting Ataru. I don't take it too seriously generally but sometimes it troubles me.

Hai there, hope you're doing great!!

The slapstick makes most of UY's comedy and I like the comedy so yeah, I like the slapstick.

As for Lum's electrocution specifically? Let's just say, if I've said it once, I've said it a million times: Slapstick does not equal abuse, and yes, this applies to Lum as well. Slapstick isn't supposed to be serious since a) it's done for comedic effect and b) the victim is shown to be completely fine with no injuries whatsoever (and if there is, they'll recover in one or few shots) and acts like the pain just lasted for one second. I won't explain that in even more detail cuz yeah, like I said, slapstick isn't abuse. Lum's electrocution at full force is stated to be just somewhat a bit higher in terms of pain than Shinobu's desk throw or Sakura's slap. And if it makes you feel better about this, did you know Lum actually holds back while electrocuting Ataru?

Ok, so at first, Lum would electrocute Ataru if she's made or if she just wants to show her love but as soon as she learns that electrocution can actually kill humans, she stops showing her love with it. At first I thought RT just forgot that aspect, but much later in the series, in 'Catch the heart', she uses her electricity on Ataru at full force to show her love under the influence of the love candy (those affected don't really think logically btw). Also, In that one chapter where has Tobimaro has a sunflower on his head, Lum says that she'll give Ataru a million volts which shows that the power of her electricity can be controlled, and in the bubble gum chapter, when Ten burns (fake) Ataru and it goes blank, Lum says Ten went too far, again showing that Oni can control how much power they use. And since Lum said that, she probably makes sure she doesn't use too much volts on him just in case. And as time goes on, she sometimes adopts other methods to punish him, the most obvious being her various sized gag hammers.. And of course, her methods also acts as punishment for his various sexual harassment.

Yeah, so rest assured anon, Lum isn't murdering Ataru or anything. He seems to be fine after she's done with her divine retribution (to the point he may even go for round two) and at the end of the day, it's not all that serious and it's all in stupid fun.

[gracesshelves]

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

Usually, TikTok romance books are not my thing, but The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams surprised me. I would rate this novel three out of five stars. At first, I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about it, but after the first hundred pages I could not put it down; at one point I was reading it at a red light on the way home from work. Some moments were a bit too cheesy for my taste, and I had a hard time relating to the characters. I think part of this is because I am definitely not the target audience for this book, which I assume is cis-het married women, most likely millennials. However, Adams was able to get me invested in the stakes of the story. I was genuinely interested in whether or not Gavin and Thea would be able to fix their relationship. Honestly, I’m glad that I did not know this book got popular off BookTok, because that would have influenced my perception of it. What I admired the most about this book was its exploration of the mental load placed on stay-at-home moms (SAHM), and how that can ruin marriages.

            The novel follows Gavin Scott, a major league baseball player, who is having marital troubles with his wife, Thea. What seems like a problem with their sex life, is actually much worse. Gavin and Thea are forced to confront parts of themselves they’ve been hiding in order to avoid getting divorced. Gavin grew on me throughout the story. At the beginning, I struggled to sympathize with him because I felt that he should’ve been able to notice that his wife was faking an orgasm. However, as he continued to apply himself and make an effort to become a better person and husband, he did not bother me so much. With the romance genre specifically, the likeability of characters is big for me. By the end of the book, Gavin passed the test. As for Thea, I thought she was very complex, and I thought the way that her trauma wasn’t just magically solved was very true to life. Unlearning thought patterns you’ve had your whole life does not just change overnight. It was important to me that she wasn’t perfect either, they were two flawed individuals, which made them more relatable.

            One thing I did struggle with was how heteronormative all the relationships were, although, I think this is due to the fact that I am not the target audience. As a queer reader, I would honestly prefer an author to avoid depicting queer characters rather than write them incorrectly, but it did make it difficult for me to empathize with some of what Gavin did. I probably would not have picked this book up on my own, even though I do enjoy romance. But on the other hand, I have read BookTok books that I disliked much more in comparison.

            Going back to what I said earlier, I appreciated how Adam’s presented the discussion of mental load, and how much work is put on women, especially SAHM’s. It could be argued that this discussion is somewhat surface level, but I think even just brushing on it is better than nothing. For most of their marriage, Thea has been raising kids by herself, and when Gavin was present, she had to attend events as a wife of a player (Adams 21). The load placed on her stood out the most when the Scott family got home from Thanksgiving. While it’s important that Gavin helps Thea clean up after the girl’s vomited, he continuously has to ask questions about where things are even though he lives there. (Adams 150-151). Thea already has a lot on her mind with cleaning the girls themselves, and by asking her that instead of looking himself, Gavin only adds to her plate. This discussion reflects the current conversations of mothers on social media. A lot of women in heterosexual relationships are speaking out online about how exhausted they are. Nowadays, many women have corporate jobs on top of being parents, but the distribution of household labor is slow to change. While some heterosexual couples have adapted and evenly split parenting and household duties, there is still a huge issue with women being expected to clean, cook, and parent on top of a nine to five. A Gallup poll found that despite an increase in equity regarding household tasks since 1990, “the division of labor in U.S. households remains largely tilted toward traditional stereotypes: Women are more likely than their husbands to take care of the house and children, and men remain the primary caretakers of the car and the yard.” (Brenan).

            If this was book wanted to be a more serious critique on relationships, I’d have a lot more issues with it, but for a light-hearted contemporary romance I think this was pretty successful.

Adams, Lyssa Kay. The Bromance Book Club. Berkley Romance, 2022.

Brenan, Megan. “Women Still Handle Main Household Tasks in U.S.” Gallup.com, Gallup Inc., 31 May 2023, news.gallup.com/poll/283979/women-handle-main-household-tasks.aspx.

[discoscoob]

Hellcheer School of Rock AU

Hawkin’s 2000, Eddie returns to his old town to take care of Wayne after he has fallen ill

Eddie had been living in New York ever since he graduated from high school in ‘86

Originally he moved there to try and make it as a musician but eventually he ended up going to college to study music and he took a job as a music teacher in a high school and he enjoyed it

But since he’s returning to Hawkin’s indefinitely, he needed to quit his job and now he’s looking for a new one to support himself and his uncle while he’s living there

He finds out that Hawkin’s Middle School is searching for a new music teacher and decides to apply for the job

At the interview he’s surprised to find Chrissy Cunningham on the interview panel

She is the principal but he didn’t realise because the principal of Hawkin’s Middle School is called Mrs. Campbell

This is what Chrissy did after she graduated

She followed Jason to the college that offered him a scholarship for his basketball and studied to become a PE teacher

She and Jason broke up during their first year of college and Chrissy met someone new in her second year, Matthew Campbell, a fourth year medical student who she eventually married

Back to the present, Eddie is sure he is going to make a fool of himself during this job interview because all coherent thoughts evaporated from his mind as soon as his eyes met Chrissy Cunn- sorry, Chrissy Campbell’s from across the room

He doesn’t know how it’s possible but she got even more beautiful

Meanwhile Chrissy is trying to remain professional as her old high school crush enters the room, his hair is a little shorter (pictures for reference) he’s got some facial hair and he’s dressed in a loose fitted button down and a dark pair of jeans

She wondered if anyone else in town would’ve been able to recognise him as quickly as she did if they saw him like this

Both Chrissy and Eddie try to remain as professional as they can during the interview but it was undeniable that whatever feelings they secretly harboured for one another over a decade ago, quickly resurfaced as soon as they made contact again

But the fact that Chrissy had a new surname was sending a dull ache through Eddie’s chest, however he is somewhat relieved that her last name isn’t Carver, he just hopes that whoever Mr. Campbell is he’s a better person than Jason was

The interview goes as well as it could possibly go while Chrissy and Eddie’s heads are only filled with each other, thanks to the other two members of the interview panel

After his job interview Eddie needs to rush Wayne to one of his doctor appointments for a check up

At the appointment the doctor walks in and introduces himself as Dr. Matthew Campbell and Eddie’s heart drops, this is too small of a town to be a coincidence

Chrissy was a married to a doctor, Wayne’s doctor no less, meaning Eddie would have to talk to his high school crushes husband every two weeks when he accompanied his uncle to his biweekly checkups

Eddie overhears Matthew mention he has a son while making light conversation with Wayne and his heart sinks even further

Meanwhile Chrissy uses her influence as the principal to ensure that Eddie is hired as the new music teacher at Hawkin’s Middle

With his crush resurfaced Eddie is practically pining after Chrissy everyday at work and also trying to avoid her because she’s a married woman with a family

The fact that Eddie has been avoiding her hasn’t gone unnoticed by Chrissy, which upsets her because she has found herself pining after him as well

One day she finally confronts him about it and initially he tries to brush it off but she won’t let him and he finally admits he’s avoiding her because he’s got feelings for her that he shouldn’t have because she’s got a husband

And as much as Eddie hates to admit it her husband is perfect. He’s a doctor, he’s handsome with perfect hair, a perfect face and perfect teeth and on top of all that he is caring and kind towards both him and his uncle despite the fact that Eddie is rather cold towards him during every appointment he attends

But Chrissy finally has the opportunity to tell him that she and Matthew are getting divorced, she never had the opportunity to tell him sooner because he had been avoiding her and Eddie is shocked because Matthew is perfect why are they getting divorced, he’s instantly in protective mode and asking her what he did

And Chrissy can’t help but laugh and shake her head as she assures him he did nothing, it’s just one of those things that happens, they fell out of love but she doesn’t regret it because they have a beautiful son

I forgot to mention that Blake Campbell, Chrissy’s son is the youngest student in Eddie’s class and the most talented. Eddie considers him to be one of the most talented guitarists he has ever met and he’s only 10 years old. Blake worships Eddie and considers him the best teacher ever

Eddie has been considering entering Blake into a nationwide battle of the bands competition for middle school with some other kids from his class but he hasn’t had the opportunity to discuss it with Chrissy because he’s been avoiding her

The competition takes place during spring break and takes place in New York City

With parental consent, Chrissy and Eddie manage to sign up 4 students from Eddie’s class to the competition. A lead singer, a lead guitarist (Blake), a bassist and a drummer

Spring break comes and Chrissy, Eddie and Blake and the three other kids set off in the school mini bus on a road trip to New York City for the battle of the bands competition

During their trip together the pair grow even closer and when her son’s band wins the competition Chrissy can’t help but jump into Eddie’s arms and kiss him

At first she quickly pulls back and apologises, thinking she has crossed a line in a moment of overwhelmed excitement but Eddie quickly cuts off her apology and kisses her back

They’re met backstage with a bunch of ‘ewww’s’ from the four children and a “you’re so embarrassing” from Blake

They return back to Hawkin’s on the school mini bus with the kids, the trophy, a £10,000 in prize money and officially a couple

And the next doctor appointment that Eddie accompanies way to is a little bit awkward

[heartfils]

transferring some old but still important qi rong thoughts from his old blog to here:

˚ʚ ⁀➷ㅤ𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐗𝐈𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐍:

HE REALLY, REALLY LOVED HIM!!!! pretty sure he still has affection lingering but at this point it’s so mixed with years of hatred and resentment it’s impossible to break it apart... honestly xie lian was always like a savior to him, so he held him up in the highest pedestal and thus the fall was painful for them both... like, he grew up with his dad abusing him and his mom, then with the shame of knowing he ruined his mother’s life simply by existing, therefore inciting the mockery and contempt of the people around him —before he officially became royalty or not—, so obviously he wasn’t in a good mental state. being taken in by his aunt was a type of salvation, but being acknowledged by xie lian (someone whom he admires so much, the one person qi rong didn’t believe weak, someone who would never be pushed down and ridiculed — hah!), becoming like xie lian, that, too, was salvation to him but................ his anger and his pain got the better of him and he went waaaaaayyy off into the wrong path. to me it seemed like his family just kinda gave up disciplining him, and i understand his aunt’s position: he’s her late sister’s child, not her own, she didn’t want to disrespect her memory by disciplining her son too strictly, so all she could do was give him a metaphorical slap on the wrist while he got away with worse and worse each time. xie lian was also very young himself, it wasn’t his job to control him, but it also made me really :’( to see how qi rong was always so excited to be with him and xie lian kinda brushed him off (sometimes with good reason, others...) taking a child’s toy away is just gonna make them throw a tantrum and get more aggressive; this happens every time qi rong gets reprimanded and “punished”. he got worse because no one really taught him any better, and if they did, they dubbed him a lost cause, but it really comes down to "a lot of things could’ve been avoided if his family had known how to treat him more appropriately" because back then he was just a child who dealt with his trauma in all the wrong ways until there was no turning back, and now he's just like this. me thinking abt how xie lian wanted to save everyone but qi rong wanted him to save him too and he Didn't: guess i'll die!

  ˚ʚ ⁀➷ㅤ𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐄, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆/𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍:

personally i really like the sound of night drifting as opposed to night touring [green lantern] beccause drifting implies a lack of direction, gives a sense of wandering without real purpose, not knowing where you’re going but still walking, maybe because you’re being carried or pushed by an outer force, usually unseen. all of these really resonate with how qi rong refuses to see himself but are ultimately the way he is — he’s constantly drifting between who he is, who he thinks he is, and who he wants to be, which causes him to be all of those and yet none at all at the same time.  he has a very skewed view of himself, he gives off the vibe that he doesn’t even know who he is, so he imitates other people and to us spectators it makes him feel like he has a very fragile identity. who is he without the help or influence of others, directly or indirectly? who is he aside from his blood relation to xie lian, who is he without the tactless imitations of hua cheng and hei shui?  touring has somewhat different connotations than drifting, but touring does give off an air of not belonging to the places you’re visiting, which also fit qi rong really well!! he doesn’t belong with any of his family, not with the common people, not with the ghosts, obviously not the heavens either. no matter where he goes, he just does not belong anywhere.

˚ʚ ⁀➷ㅤ𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐘:

him imitating the other calamities is the same shitty behaviour he used to have as a kid imitating xie lian because back then, to him, his cousin was the paragon of strength. he thought if he were to be more like xie lian he’d never be pushed down and mocked again, thus he desperately wanted to be like him (with all the wrong methods). qi rong hates feeling weak, it throws him back to the times he was a defenseless child who was beaten or ridiculed by everyone, so xie lian, who was strong and respected, was literally a god to him. of course, coupled with qi rong’s temper and lack of empathy and morals, that was just a recipe for disaster, and it carried over to him seeking strength via imitation of those whom he deems the strongest, because he never really learned how to do it himself.

˚ʚ ⁀➷ㅤ𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐆𝐔 𝐙𝐈:

he doesn't fully realize it himself, but he's definitely attached to that kid. i joke about him loving his new son, but it IS the closest thing he's felt to loving someone and being loved back since he was a human child... and it is the first time he has family who loves him unconditionally. family who actually cares about him. i can't help but think that part of qi rong sees his old self in gu zi, because they both came from nothing and had abusive fathers. hell, gu zi's dad was so terrible that compared to him, gu zi thinks qi rong is kind. this definitely rattles qi rong in a way he's not used to, so while he's still an awful influence on the poor kid, he does canonically watch his behavior around him as to not cross the line and upset him. really does goes to show that all qi rong needed was a family who could both love him and be firm with him.

[oblivions-dawn]

Caw :)

12, 23, and 28 for Vigdis AND Serana. Have fun <3

The way I SCREAMED seeing both of them mentioned together AUGH MY HEART

✑ How long have they been around? Do you know their birthday? Is their birthday the day you made them or another day? What do they think of celebrating birthdays?

The dreaded birthday question . . . So, I imagine that the events of Petrichor took a year, maybe a year and a half. Vigdis starts out at 26, and by the end of Breathless she'll be 28. She doesn't know when her birthday is--she only knows that she was born in the winter during a blizzard. She was born under the sign of the Serpent--I know, cliché, but it works with . . . well, her. And her story. She doesn't mention her birthday mainly because it was something her dad did for her, and it always made him somewhat sad because her mother died in childbirth. So, naturally, her birth coincides with death. Symbolic, now that I think about it . .. Serana, on the other hand, I've deemed to be. 1000+. I don't have a solid age since there's a lot of speculation around how old she is [trust me . . . . I looked], so I just picked something that made the most sense to me. I imagine she was 26/27 when she was turned. I also don't have a specific birthday for her, but she was born in autumn under the sign of the Lady. I doubt her parents celebrated her birthday much once she reached a certain age, so she, too, isn't that keen on it. Plus when you're a vampire, age doesn't matter at some point. Especially after sleeping through the majority of it.

✑ How would you describe their voice? Can they sing?

Serana sounds like Serana! Laura Bailey my beloved <3 I imagine she has a good voice [I've been told she does], although I personally think Serana doesn't like to sing. She would probably hum sometimes, though. She's more of a dancing type. Vigdis, on the other hand, has a low, gruff voice. Her accent would be similar to Frea's, as her father was Skaal and so was influenced by his speech voice/pattern. I think Vigdis has a surprisingly good singing voice, meant for those velvet songs that hit just below your ear. She doesn't sing either, though, as she doesn't really know any songs.

✑ How do they show that they care about someone? How do they express that they don't like someone?

Oh god LKJDFLKGJKLDFGLKDFG the better question would be is there anyone Vigdis doesn't straight up hate at first sight WHEEZE Since Vigdis is cold and guarded and very shut off, it's hard for her to show that she . . . cares. Alas, she does--she has! It was subtle, at first, but as the story has gone on, it's gotten more obvious, even if she doesn't acknowledge/admit it. She's very protective, often grabbing Serana or using her body to block oncoming attacks. She gets angry at Serana, who she thinks is too kind and naive. She's even started getting Serana's attention by gently brushing the back of her hand. It's a slow process, as she says one thing and then does another . . . but she's getting there. Serana is sassy and sarcastic with people she doesn't like or agree with, as we've seen when she interacts with Vigdis. She also gets angry because she cares, and she's very much . . . she's touch-starved. We've seen her touch Vigdis in ways that our favourite redhead normally wouldn't allow from anyone else, which to me is so significant because it shows the immense trust that's grown between them also shows how much they actually care about each other. Is my rambling incoherent yet am I still making sense I JUST CARE SO MUCH ABOUT THESE TWO FUCKING IDIOTS

[endlesscrimson89]

FFXIV Write2023, Prompt 16: Jerk.

"Jerks," Raha hissed under his breath, tossing an offended look after the retreating back of laughing students. He refused to admit that his mismatched red-cyan eyes welled up, burning unpleasantly, as he set to gather the books, one of them made him drop, tripping him over. 

His fault for not expecting it. For letting the high stack in his hands cover his vision or for trying to get back to Baldesion Annex without getting picked on. Far too naïve, all things considered. There wasn't a day - when he left the compound - when someone wouldn't attempt to make themselves feel better or look better at his expanse. Even inside the compound, it was hit-and-miss sometimes, depending on which of the Students were present. 

All because of his stupid, mismatched eyes... And Thaliak, but he hated the unfairness of that. Hated that he was short, skinny, and an easy target to bully. That at seventeen, he was quite the youngest kit in the whole goddamn city without a guardian. Students of Baldesion didn’t really count since they barely bothered with him. 

He hated this whole fucking city, its citizens, and the fact that they rejected him for something he had no control over. He so, so badly wanted someone to come and take him from here... At this point, just about anyone would do. 

Raha sighed miserably, wiped his eyes before anyone could notice - not that any of the passersby had anything but smirks for him - and finished stacking books before heading back to the compound, this time trying to be more aware of his surroundings. 

Still, he missed the way the students who picked on him were stopped by the door of the Studium. Walking off, he didn’t see the tall, black-haired teen who grabbed the blonde who tripped him by the neck and slammed his face against the wall next to the doorframe. Neither did he see the staff of the Studium running in and separating the teenagers, soon dragging off the downright hissing, infuriated Seeker of the Sun, whose pale eyes glared daggers at the bloodied teen as his friends gathered him off the ground. 

Letting the door of the Annex slam shut behind him, Raha had no clue that by that point, two years older Senri - a new arrival in the city - gained a reputation of a violent freak by seemingly randomly attacking the other students... 

...not yet, that is.

*_*_*

With the Students penance to gossip, especially over the shared meals within the compound, he heard the rumors about him before he had to occasion to see the person who got all of them - as it seemed - quite... agitated. 

Busy with his own plate and trying to stay invisible, his ears twitched with the murmur of whispers of two older girls seated nearby, their dark-haired heads nearly pressed together as one of them giggled. 

"...I heard he's gorgeous!" The one giggling gushed, and covertly his eyes shot toward them. 

"He is... but he's freaking feral," the other replied, tossing quite a nervous look about that had him look toward his plate again and attempt to look disinterested as he picked on its content. "I've heard that barely two weeks here, he spent most of it in isolation so far. The professors at the Studium are livid! I heard they're already petitioning the Forum to remove him from the island!"

"Would that work, though?" The other whispered, clearly amused and less careful. "I mean, with Levellieur at the forefront...? I thought he was staying at their estate?"

"Seems so... but I heard that Fourchenault isn't any happier than any of them about his father's delivery," the girl on the right stated, waving her fork between them. "And he has the twins to think about, too. I hardly imagine that kid is a good influence for eleven-year-olds... no matter how intelligent everyone says Alphinaud is, right?"

"Why did his father send this... boy here, though?" The girl on the left asked, frowning. "Especially if he's dangerous?" 

"No one knows," the other shrugged somewhat helplessly. "I mean, perhaps Levellieur does, but even if... he's refusing to spill. Or so I've heard. Just the other day, the kid attacked the son of one of the other members of the Forum, but apparently, Fourchenault picked him up without a word! No explanation or excuses... not even an apology! The city's abuzz with speculation, you can imagine?" 

He could, knowing by now that the citizens lived for gossip! 

"Hm, perhaps this whole Senri would be gone before we know?" The one on the right suggested, and they switched the topic to the fashion, instantly losing his interest. 

He was mulling over it all the way until he was back in his bedroom, involuntarily intrigued by the mystery. 

It was still a week before the first time he actually encountered the object of those rumors.

*_*_*

Sitting on the floor and leaning against one of the bookshelves deep within the Noumenon, Raha leafed through the book spread in his lap when the sound of the footsteps closing in had his ears twitch before they laid flat against his head. He picked this darker part of the library for the solitude it normally offered, with anyone rarely interested in the dusty tomes about the Allagan Empire. Most of them being written in the actual Allagan, those were rarely borrowed, making this section quite a pleasant hiding spot whenever certain less than friendly Students were out on a prowl within the Annex. 

When those steps rounded the bookshelf he was resting his back against, he carefully kept his mismatched eyes on the text in front of him, hoping whomever it was would leave seeing the space occupied. 

...no such luck, however, even if the steps stopped, and in his peripheral vision, he saw a set of heavy-looking boots. For a moment, he thought that he heard this person's breath hitch, but he turned the page, pretending ignorance to the sudden, unwelcome company, in thought wishing they would leave him alone. 

Again... no luck. 

"H-Hey," That sounded hesitant, and perhaps that undertone of uncertainty in an otherwise pleasantly deep voice had him turn his head and look... and Raha froze, staring as his mouth dropped open. A matching uncertain expression on the other teen’s face took away none of its downright unreal beauty, with jet-black lashes surrounding the palest blue eyes he'd ever seen. The eyes that trailed over his face with the strangest expression - if he didn’t know better, he would be tempted to call longing - before that whole face seemed to close off, growing unreadable as the tall figure towering over him leaned one wide shoulder against the shelf, with free hand pointing toward the book in his lap. "You know Allagan?" 

Raha blinked, trying to gather his bearings as he cleared his throat, then took a deep breath and tore his eyes off the vision, forcing them back to the pages. 

"N-No," he hated the stammer in his voice or the way his tail flicked next to him with agitation. Instinctively - considering that the other teen looked fucking massive from this vintage, he curled in, trying to make himself small. Suddenly the seclusion of this dark corner seemed more oppressive than comforting, as his senses prickled with the strangest awareness of the presence of a predator. It was absurd, considering that the ink-haired boy - because he didn’t seem that much older than him, despite his size - didn’t look familiar (he would never forget that face!), but he was far too used to strangers picking on him. But also thinking of his size, if he - for whatever reason - chose to attack him, he doubted he had a chance to get away unscathed. Not to mention that, like this, he was blocking the only way out! "I l-like the silence here."

"Oh..." the tall figure shifted within his peripheral vision, and for a moment, Raha was sure that he - whomever the beautiful teen was - would take a clue and leave him alone... Nothing further from what happened, though, as before he knew what exactly happened, the male sighed, then dropped to the floor next to him, stretching his long legs in front of them. "Do you want to learn? Allagan, I mean?"

"You k-know it?" He stammered, trying not to freak out and forcing himself not to move away when the teen’s shoulder brushed his when the stranger folded his arms over his wide chest. 

"Sort of," he replied with a slight shrug that made their shoulders connect again. "I have the Echo so kind of... I know every language."

That had him gasp and, despite his nervousness, turn his head and look right into the painfully beautiful face... that looked a tad too close for comfort. The Seeker's ink-black ears twitched with amusement even while his pale eyes remained distant, expression neutral. His long tail, as dark as the longish hair surrounding his face, flicked slightly on the other side of him, involuntarily drawing Raha’s gaze to the movement. 

Even sitting, the older boy seemed massive, with obvious penance to wear black, as his pants and leather jacket suggested. The stiff material looked pulled taut over the teen’s muscular arms and wide shoulders, though open, it revealed a dark-red shirt underneath. He gave off an impression of power coiled in his form, barely restrained and waiting to snap... even when he didn't move, other than arching one of the dark eyebrows at the prolonged silence. 

Catching himself, Raha’s face blazed with a blush, realizing he was staring, when a slightly sly smirk curled the corners of the other teen’s almost too-pretty mouth. 

"Like what you see?" A strange glint sparked within the pale ice of those vertically slit eyes, and he found that despite the way his face felt on fire, he couldn’t look away - mesmerized - when his head nodded on its own. 

Moving slow, as if not to spook him, the teen unfolded his arms, then hesitated, his chest moving with a deeper breath. His eyes trailed over Raha’s face with that strangely longing look again, followed by a slightly shaky brush of gentle fingers against the edge of his jaw. He didn’t even register tilting his head into that touch, caught up in how longing seemed to turn into hunger. His hands clenched unconsciously around the edges of the open book in his lap when the tall Seeker shifted sideways, and then that hand lost its shaky uncertainty, instead curling about his cheek with a slightly rough brush of a thumb over his too-heated skin. 

So delicate and with such tantalizing affection - he was so painfully starved for - his eyes drifted shut as his heartbeat seemed to fill his ears when a scalding hot breath fanned his mouth. As shaky and uneven as his own, making him feel dizzy when the other teen’s sweet scent - so uncanny for such a masculine figure - filled his head and lungs until he could taste its apple-like tang on the back of his tongue. 

That thumb, still with its hypnotic tenderness, brushed his lower lip, making him gasp before his ears twitched with the strangled sound reminiscent of a growl - a deep and aggressive sound that should be unnerving, not make him shudder with a choked, embarrassingly submissive whimper. Then that big, hot hand curled around the back of his neck, keeping him in place when something unbearably soft, tempting, brushed the corner of his mouth. 

Unable to think or help himself, he tilted his head, following the sensation, and when another strangled sound teased his ears, making his stuttering heartbeat thump furiously as the blood in his veins turned to lava... next he knew, he was consumed, as the surprisingly soft lips pressured his open. He whimpered at the unbearable sweetness that filled his mouth with a rough push of a tongue that brushed his, seemingly inviting it to play. An invitation it was unable to resist as all of his senses grew sharper, yet narrowed down to the world of push and pull. 

His hands let go of the book that tumbled off his lap when he shifted half-consciously, his shaky fingers curling tightly in the stiff material of the leather jacket, lured by heat and helplessly attempting to tug the bigger frame closer. His face, on fire but his head blissfully empty of any sane thoughts, made it feel natural - necessary even - to purr his delight under the lips that seemed bent on devouring him alive. And when a matching but deeper sound made his whole mouth vibrate with it, he melted into mind-numbing heat. 

He couldn’t help the disappointed whine when these hungry lips pulled back, leaving him panting raggedly as his lungs burned for air. 

"I want you," whispered hoarsely against his cheek, and he swallowed thickly, licking off the lingering flavor from his swollen lips. "Since the moment I saw you... I can’t help but want you so bad it hurts..." 

"I... I..." he stammered, fighting to get his brain to cooperate. Impossible, as the Seeker wrapped both of his hands around his face, their tenderness bellying the rough press of those hungry mouth returning to swallow down his moan, feeding him more of that sweet, addictive taste. His arms on their own coiled around the other teen’s neck, and soon the embarrassing thought that he didn’t even know his name didn't matter in the face of the want with which the ink-haired male pinned him against the wall of books. 

He barely felt the way the teen shifted them before his hand curled around his thigh, on its inner side, and spread his legs roughly before moving to his knees, the male pulled him into his lap. His numbed brain didn't mind as he whimpered at the deliciously rough friction over his painfully aroused flesh, then choked on a groan when that big hand climbed up, unceremoniously curling over his groin. Squeezing it in a way that nearly had him meow, the Seeker purred over his mouth, then did it again until Raha whined softly with every clench of his hand, all his senses zeroing in on the nearly painful pressure building at the base of his spine. 

"Fuck... You're too cute," the male groaned as if in pain, then buried his face against Raha’s shoulder, his panting breaths teasing the redhead’s skin almost as much as the way he - this powerful, massive male - shook in his arms, while his arms coiled about his back almost painfully. Nearly choking on a surprised whimper at how that denied him movement, Raha fought to catch his breath as his chin dropped against the wide shoulder. His lashes parted, staring numbly at the plated floor behind the stranger's back, as his brain seemed to helplessly attempt to connect with the reality of that soothing sound of deep if shaky purrs accompanied by a tender nuzzle against his throat. "Sorry, babe... I got carried away. Don't be scared..." and perhaps only that note of a very real fear served to not make him freak out as he should, blinking rapidly as his arms involuntarily tightened about the Seeker's shoulders. Froze, pretty much, with his next words. "The day I landed here... I saw you and Azeyma... but I never imagined I could want so badly..." hoarse and yet amused, was accompanied by a gentle stroke of a big hand over his back, up and down until he couldn’t help but melt into his bigger frame with blissed-out purrs. 

He was so big and yet... so tender with him that that huge, starved part of him couldn't resist but force him to wrap around him, hiding his flaming face against the crook of his neck in embarrassment at his need. His ankles crossed behind the Seeker's back, and even as his brain insisted that he should have been appalled at himself, pull back and run... his body refused to comply, lulled into the alien sense of safety with the heat and sweetness of the soothing touch. 

He couldn’t remember anyone touching him like this - like he was precious, wanted - and when that hand over his back moved to delicately stroke his tail... He didn’t even recognize the sound it tore from his throat, yet the ink-haired male cooed something nonsensical, tightening his other arm around his back and keeping him skin-tight close to his nearly overwhelming heat. 

"I don't... don't k-know you," he finally managed through his too-tight throat, barely restraining the embarrassingly loud purrs that wanted to slip his mouth. 

"I'm Senri," the grip around him grew tighter when he flinched at the sound of the name, his eyes shooting wide open and gasp leaving his bruised lips. "And I want you to be mine, G'raha."

"How..." he trailed off, swearing in thought at the naivety of the question. Of course, his stupid eyes made him all too recognizable to anyone who spent a few minutes in the city... Then he blinked again, frowning as he gingerly pulled back, and despite his nervousness, his fiery cheeks, his gaze met the darkened pale eyes. Heated as they instantly fell to his mouth when he bit his lower lip with uncertainty. Then he repeated his words at him. "When you saw me...?" He was certain that he wouldn't be able to miss - or forget - this face if he ever saw it before. 

"A few weeks ago..." Senri murmured, his face turning reddish as pale eyes darted between his mouth and eyes and back. "But... Ah, I was too nervous to... I mean..." and he flustered, of all things, his impossibly beautiful face turning redder and redder as he looked away, dark-furred ears flat against his hair as black tail swiveled nervously against Raha’s boots. Pretty much gawking - with open mouth at this point - it was hard not to gush because he looked so painfully adorable... his heart seemed to vault, then clench when those pale blue eyes caught his stare, then darted away again. "You're so... And I... Ah..." 

"You saw me... when?" He hoped that his voice sounded neutral enough because the way he looked like this was doing weird things to his insides. 

"At the harbor..." the male groaned, then dropped his forehead against his shoulder. "You were sitting with a book under this huge statue, looking sooo cute... But then those jerks started name-calling and pointing at you and... I have an awful temper," he murmured, wincing. Raha blinked rapidly, trying to recall the last time he was at the harbor. All he could remember was looking up at the sound of commotion by the registration office, huffing with annoyance, and heading back to the Annex... "Then, every time I saw you... before I could get myself to say something, they pissed me off..." he grumbled, then sighed miserably, leaning away with an amusingly sheepish expression. That grew stormy when he pulled his hand back and brushed his fingers against his cheek with that tantalizing tenderness. "I hate that they pick on you for something like this... Your eyes are gorgeous, G'raha."

His face burned, but he couldn’t look away, caught in the snare of the strange mix of humor and distress filling the pale eyes. 

"I want to protect you so badly," Senri whispered, dragging his fingers along his jaw. "But it's a real possibility Levellieur would have my sorry hide the next time I beat up someone, so... And it's not like I could tell him why, either..." he trailed off and sighed with exaggerated resignation, holding his stare with strange determination hardening his eyes into ice as he shook his head slightly. "So, you have to be mine, G'raha."

"...I do?" He was amazed by his voice, not trembling with how his heart decided to jump in his throat. 

"Mhmm," the ink-haired male nodded seriously, then blinded him with an adorable, slightly goofy grin that lit up his whole face and made it achingly beautiful. "Then I have a good reason to beat up those losers, yeah? And I'll teach you Allagan, so... win-win, right?" 

He couldn’t help it... Raha snorted, chuckling when Senri pouted, shifting his legs under his butt to sit cross-legged before he let him drop between them. Reminded of the situation, he flushed, falling silent as he awkwardly pulled his arms back and let them drop between them, shyly lowering his gaze. 

"Hey..." Senri breathed, closing two of his fingers around his chin, and tilted his head until he had no choice but to look up into the ice-blue eyes. Heated and wanting as they trailed over his face hungrily. "...don't look like that or else... I can’t help myself..." he growled softly, and Raha flushed darker, unconsciously picking on the edges of his jacket as he bit his lower lip with uncertainty. "Azeyma, now you're asking for it," the raspy note was the only warning before those pretty mouth fell on his, claiming them into another scorching, devouring kiss that left him dizzy when Senri raised his head. "You have to know... my self-control is crap," he rumbled on the growly note that sent a nearly violent shiver down Raha’s spine. 

"...oh," he gasped, feeling the corners of his mouth curl upwards as his hands moved up and grabbed at the open edges of Senri’s jacket. "I see..." he pulled simultaneously, surging up and swallowing the other Seeker's throaty groan, shivering at how it seemed to travel down his throat and spine and made his pants feel uncomfortably tight. 

Never before was he interested in the other boys, but that way Senri growled, then wrapped his hand around his neck, attempting to eat him alive... Had him melt, whimpering as he tightened his knees around his sides, so drunk on his taste that world spinning didn’t seem weird. Still, he gasped when he felt the weight of the bigger body pinning him down to the cold floor. Maybe he would mind if Senri didn't brace over him, numbing his brain with the pleasure of how he rubbed against him, just right to tear a moan out of his mouth and swallow it down with a rumbly groan. 

"Be mine, G'raha," it sounded almost like a pained plea as he pulled back just enough to whisper it against his lips, electing another gasp out of him with a slow roll of his hips. The heat in his gaze could melt steel as Raha fought to catch his breath. His hands gave into the temptation of those silky, inky strands, holding him still as he surged up, recapturing his delicious mouth. He swallowed Senri’s whimper, his fingers clenching in the fists and thighs into a vise around him when the ink-haired Seeker pushed harder with the next roll of his body, the hard length of his cock teasing his own. 

Soon nothing mattered but how they rolled together desperately, eating up each other’s sounds. He dug one hand under Senri’s jacket, grasping at the material of his shirt as the pressure grew painful, his breaths ragged and shallow when the ink-haired male pulled back, mouthing at his throat with hoarse growls and groans. Raha barely heard it over the buzz between his ears, nor was he aware of the strained whimpers falling from his lips in a rhythm matching their bodies. His eyes closed, all his senses focused on the inevitably approaching release, he nearly hissed with outrage when Senri froze suddenly. 

Opening his mouth to protest, he found a big hand covering them with a move swift like a viper when Senri raised his head, narrowing his eyes in a warning. He didn’t understand until the sound of footsteps tore through the rush of blood and made his eyes grow enormous as his heart nearly stopped. 

Thankfully, those footsteps - behind the bookshelf he was earlier sitting against - passed then grew distant without turning into this dusty nook. However, the scare was enough to sober him up. Senri, too, seemingly as he scrambled off him, then looked sheepish and flushed as he leaned back against the shelf, looking away from him while Raha awkwardly followed, his hands shaking badly when he picked up the forgotten book off the floor. 

"...so?" He didn’t dare look at his companion, despite the note of amusement ringing in the deep, still hoarse with desire voice. 

"So?" He repeated, proud his voice didn’t shake as much as his hands when he sat next to him, his face on fire while arousal still held a tight grip over his gut. 

"So... will you be mine?" Senri drawled, and he flinched when his muscular arm snuck behind his head, curled about his shoulders, and tugged him into the other Seeker's warm side. 

"So... you can beat up other students?" He deadpanned, hesitating a shy look toward the achingly beautiful, cheery grin that lit up Senri’s face at that, making his heart lose its rhythm completely. 

"Nah, so I can hold you, babe," the ink-haired Seeker pressed a kiss against his temple. Then he chuckled, making Raha shiver with the sound. "A reason to beat up jerks is a bonus, though," he snarked... and he wasn't exactly proud about how warm and fuzzy that made him feel, keeping his gaze down as he opened the book and set it between his and Senri’s thigh. 

"...maybe," he replied, tossing him a careful look from the corner of his eye. 

"Tease," Senri chuckled again, pressed another kiss on his temple, then tightened his arm around him. "I'll wear you down, though..." he purred, and Raha shuddered, lowering his eyes as his face grew only hotter, hyper-aware of the way ink-haired Seeker slowly dragged his thumb over his bare shoulder as he used his free hand to put a finger under Raha’s chin and tilt his face toward him. The heat in his pale eyes was scalding hot even as the kiss he set on his bruised lips was a tender, delicate caress that made his heart flutter. "...you'll see, G'raha," breathed against his cheek, had him speak before he could think of it better.

"Raha?" he offered and cringed internally, blushing furiously. No one - ever - used his given name... 

"Raha," the heat in Senri’s eyes reached a wholly new level, then he brushed his thumb over his too-heated cheek. "I told you to be careful about being cute, Raha," he growled softly, then pulled that hand back with visible effort and cleared his throat, looking toward the book between them. He blinked, seemingly reading the random page the redhead opened it on... then blinked again and snorted, snickering for no reason. 

"...what?" He frowned with confusion, looking between him and the book. 

"Ah..." Senri looked at his face, then toward the page, tightening his arm around Raha’s shoulders and pulling him tight into his side. "Never mind," Raha didn't know him that well - embarrassing as it was to admit, all things considered - but that tone for anyone sounded far, far too innocent. "So, want me to translate it for you word for word?" 

"Mhmm," he couldn’t help the suspicious tone if honesty was curious about what put sparks of amusement in those pale eyes. 

...he understood about bell later, when putting the supplied translation together, he learned that he accidentally picked a very steamy retelling of Allagan royal's exploits with his male lover... Educational as it was, he couldn’t stop blushing for bells afterward!

[blue-mint-winter]

House of the Dragon ep 9

Well, the most surprising thing for me was that they didn’t leave Viserys’ rotting corpse, because they were hiding his death as long as possible. I’m sure there were more changes from the book, so I’ll just stop here and only concentrate on what was in the episode and not what wasn’t.

I think several characters progress here.

Otto starts throwing his weight and ruthlessly moves to secure his own rule through Aegon (let’s be real, Aegon doesn’t want or know how to rule so he will be Otto’s puppet... unless he appoints someone else as his Hand, but I don’t see that happening). That means forcing the lords to bend the knee and killing any opposition as he quickly crowns Aegon. This is the moment Otto has been waiting for years when he can truly do what he wants. No king to shut him down.

Aegon himself is hiding and running from kingship until he’s dragged out and made to do it... then he gets with the flow and performs well before the crowd at the coronation. Because that’s what he is, a king for show. Despite previous episodes establishing he’s a terrible person that no one should trust with the throne, it doesn’t seem like he would actually do anything concrete with all this power. His character in this episode is somewhat sad because he can’t escape this destiny that Otto is forcing on him, just like he did to Alicent before. And even like it was done to Viserys when he was chosen over Rhaenys. I think they picked Aegon’s actor very well for the role, because in the coronation he really reminded me of Viserys. Maybe it was the shape of his jaw?

Literally everyone in this family thinks lowly of Aegon and they have good reasons for it. But it’s somehow very sad when you remember ep 3 and how celebrated he was as a child while in this episode he talks with Alicent about how he knew that Viserys loved Rhaenyra most and that he wouldn’t name him heir and then Aegon asks his mother whether she loved him and she didn’t say it because she couldn’t lie to his face. Probably she still has some small affection for Aegon but we all know who’s her real favourite - Aemond. So Aegon somehow from the first son went to the most unloved child by both of his parents and all relatives. There’s more to think about how it ties with his depravities but I don’t have time for it. Anyway, this episode kind of makes you consider what could have been, because there was a hidden potential in him to be great that just got wasted and buried under neglect and vices.

Cole murdering Beesbury in the council was nothing new as he’s always been a thug. His loyalty is to Alicent, not Otto, which is interesting with how the show is presenting an idea of the conflict between the two Hightowers. Also, this murder of a councillor, a defenseless old man, is a very symbolic and bad start for the Green take over in face of Alicent’s justifications of being morally superior to the other side.

Alicent is very interesting in this episode because she’s caught in the inner conflict of her own. It makes her look indecisive and weak unfortunately, but it’s worth looking into her motivations. As the Queen Dowager and Aegon’s mother she has her own influence now. This allows her to finally oppose Otto, who’s been controlling her life all this time. That’s why she has Aegon brought to her first to be the one who controls the king truly. She wants to wield her power to make better decisions according to her morals, but turns out it’s not so easy to practice. She opposes killing, but she can’t stop Criston who does it anyway and allows Larys to do it too. Her morals and battle for decency and righteousness are in fact an obstacle to obtaining and securing power over the kingdom. She knows Rhaenyra and Daemon won’t submit but she can’t bring herself to order them killed.

I like how the episode discusses that Alicent’s misunderstanding of Viserys’ last words doesn’t change anything for anyone but herself. No one would believe her that Viserys changed his mind. It’s only a justification for herself, for her theft of the crown from the rightful queen. Otto was planning and preparing for this takeover anyway. Alicent needed this misunderstanding to feel like she has the right to crown her son  - especially since she knows Rhaenyra also has a son named Aegon too and Viserys could have meant him.

Alicent also tries to persuade imprisoned Rhaenys to her side but it’s completely ineffective, because Rhaenys is in Rhaenyra’s camp. It’s just politically better for her. Alicent can’t make Rhaenys’ granddaughter a queen because Aegon’s already married, she can only offer to let Rhaenys live and have what she already has anyway. Alicent’s mercy is a political mistake, killing Rhaenys would have been strategically better because it would weaken Rhaenyra’s side in war by one dragonrider.

Rhaenys’ escape on Meleys was amazing. I love the symbolism, her literally crashing the ceremony of Aegon’s coronation. People running in panic while she stares down the royal family. In this moment, she could have burned them and single-handedly won the throne for Rhaenyra. However, she’s not Rhaenyra’s soldier to do her dirty work, only an ally, so she refrains from taking that first (kinslaying) shot. Rhaenys’ entrance is a warning and a reminder that this whole farce before smallfolk that don’t care who’s the king means nothing. Dragons are the true power of the king and they will decide this conflict. I like how Rhaenys doesn’t escalate, she repays Alicent’s mercy with her own by sparing them like she was spared.

I think Aegon may have inherited Viserys’ bad luck with big important events and ceremonies lol.

Some thoughts on other characters - Mysaria became an advocate of people in Kings Landing. She’s her own player that tries to navigate between the two sides of the succession conflict. Unless she was lying to Otto and she’s still Daemon’s agent. It’s hard to tell.

Aemond being both Daemon 2.0 and his mama’s boy on the side of decency and honour is just hilarious to me. The duality of man lol. It’s interesting that he has those thoughts about deserving the crown more than Aegon.

Helaena embroidering a spider is so funny. The girl never changed. Attention to details like this is what makes the show shine :)

The twin kingsguards are shown more but I can’t differentiate them. One was guarding Aegon and that makes him take Rhaenyra’s side and help Rhaenys’ escape. Good for him. The other has a philosophy of obeying orders from Otto and not thinking too much.