#i find alice interesting but i also find her very annoying

[hikaaa-bi]

btw. this might seem like a crazy take but. people are allowed to dislike some of the characters. okay? if you like them, cool. but maybe stop getting so worked up over a stranger on the internet saying that a particular character is annoying.

[solkara]

❛ 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐄𝐍𝐕𝐘 , alicent hightower and rhaenyra targaryen ❜

⌗ 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 , as the eldest and only heir to viserys targaryen naturally you were born with more responsibilities than you could count your sister being one of them

⌗ 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 , alicent hightower x male! targaryen! reader x rhaenyra targaryen

⌗ 𝐬𝐨𝐥'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 , omg this took forever to write but I think it was worth it hehe also this is quickly becoming one of my fav headcannons to write so def gonna do at least 2-3 more parts so stay tuned !!

previous part , house of the dragon masterlist

⌗ after the death of your mother everything around you seemed to change. you stopped fooling around with rhaenyra. instead you decide to throw yourself into your duties to ignore the pain you feel. which she did not enjoy. though you couldn't bring yourself to care. your father also declared that he would not wed another. which was a silent relief for you as you did not wish to play house with a woman who wasn't your mother. but your father also said he was looking to find you a match. which brought attention to you for all the wrong reasons.

⌗ the following weeks were nothing short of painful. as women from all over the realm flocked to king's landing to throw themselves at you. in an attempt that you would take to them and make them your wife. your future queen. but truth be told none of them sparked your interest. which annoyed your father and delighted your sister. who had yet to convince your father to marry you to her. much to your relief.

⌗ now here you were. wandering the hallways in the dead of night to clear your head. you had expected there to be no one else awake at this hour but it seemed you were wrong. "my prince?" and there stood alicent. who you had not spoken to since the funeral. as it seemed that whenever the two of you were within distance of each other rhaenyra would step in and drag the other girl away.

⌗ "alicent what are you doing awake at this hour?" you asked slightly surprised to see the hightower girl wandering around at this hour. "I could not find sleep my prince" and for a slight moment. you wondered what could be troubling such a seemingly unshakeable woman. but you decided not to press the matter.

⌗ the silence lay over the two of you like a blanket. comfortable and soft. as the two of you ended up sitting next to each other on the floor. until you decided to speak. and from their the two of you spoke freely with each. freer than perhaps either of you had been before. as you two talked about everything and anything.

⌗ sharing everything from deepest secrets and fears to future plans and aspirations. and though this was the first full conversation the two of you had it felt like you had known each other forever. and it showed during the following moons as the two of you spent more and more time together. much to rhaenyra's dismay. but not even she could get in the way. as it was clear between you that the chemistry you shared with alicent was nothing short of electric.

⌗ and your father began to notice too. as one day after a small council meeting once again brought up the conversation of suitors and marriage. much to your annoyance. "and what are your thoughts on the lady alicent?" he asked watching your facial expressions very closely. as your features softened at the mention of the girl you had become so close with.

⌗ "what of her?" you asked unsure why your new friend was being brought into the conversation. "I think she would make a good wife for you as I can't help but notice the two of you have gotten closer in recent moons" you couldn't help but look at you father with a look nothing short of bewilderment.

⌗ alicent. as your wife. the thought had never crossed your mind but now it certainly had. as you wouldn't deny that she was beautiful as well as polite and kind. to you at least. you would be honoured to have her as your wife. but the last thing you wanted to do was force her into something she does not want. as her heart may already be taken by another. the thought made your heart clench slightly. as your chest was filled with an unfamiliar feeling. jealousy.

⌗ "I have talked to her father and he thinks it will be a wonderful match what do you think my boy?" your father asked once again. "may I have time to think about it father?" to which the king nodded. and with that you left to see alicent. to know that if this union were to happen. would she be happy with it or not. if she would hate you for the rest of your life or not. and you prayed to every god that ever existed that the answer was no. as the thought of her hating you. hurt in ways you didn't know you could be.

⌗ arriving in front of alicent's room. you were short of breath. knocking on the door. you enter once you hear a small "come in" from the other side. entering with haste you were then stopped in your tracks by the beauty that had been your rock for the last moons. the only person you felt understood you truly. "what's the matter is something wrong?"

⌗ "our fathers want to marry us off to each other" to which the girls expression went from concerned to shocked. "and what did you say?" alicent asked her eyes shining with something familiar. hope. "nothing yet I want to marry you but I came here because I wanted to ask you if you wanted this as I will not force you into a marriage you do not want beacuse I do not want you to hate me" you blurted out. now barely holding back tears.

⌗ approaching you quickly alicent cupped your face with her soft dainty hands. "I could never hate you" she said looking you dead in the eyes. "I too wish to marry you and it would make me the happiest woman on earth to be able to call myself your wife" and with that the two of you crash your lips onto each other in a passionate kiss. and once you broke apart the two of you walked hand in hand to your fathers to tell them the good news. to bad not everyone could be happy for you.

[charliedawn]

Can u do headcanons for the cullen clan with there s/o whose a flilrt can this be for femake reader please

You *lean towards Carlisle as he is taking care of work* : "Hey, can I get your number, angel ?"

Carlisle : "...Y/N. We've been married for the past 100 years."

You : "...So ?"

Carlisle *sighs* : "You already have my phone number in your phone."

Carlisle would pretend to not understand at first, but would secretly find it endearing.

He fell in love with you for your fearlessness and honesty.

He would try his best to reciprocate your flirting, but it would mostly end up with him acting all reasonable and you, flirting your way through life.

A combination none could have seen coming, but you're both glad to have each other.

You *dreamily* : "I bet I could take you."

Jasper *smirks* : "Well, what are you waiting for ?"

You *blush* : "Right now ? I mean...With all your family around and...?" *you notice his confused face and suddenly realize* "Wait. Ooooh...You meant in a fight ? Yeah. No. You would definitely win that one."

Jasper *frowns in confusion* : "...Y/N. What did you exactly mean by 'I could take him' ?"

You : "..." *walk away using super speed*

Jasper *runs after you* : "Y/N ! Do not dare walk away from me. What did you mean by that ? Y/N !"

The wonderful thing about Jasper is that he can be so clueless at times, even if he is smarter than most people.

He knows flirting and would understand sometimes, but would still have problems figuring out the meaning.

Rosalie would pretend to be annoyed at first, but would slowly warm up to you.

She would then start playing along and let you flirt with her, only to try to outflirt you. Literally.

You *wrap your arms around her neck from behind and smile* : "How is the most gorgeous creature in all the world doing today ?"

Rosalie *smiles* : "I don't know..How are you today, my darling ?"

You *stunned for a second and pretend not to be sobbing tears of joy. on her shoulder afterwards* : "I'm...fine."

Rosalie can be pretty smooth too when she wants to.

However, be careful if she sees you flirt with someone else..

Rosalie was cheated on once, and we all know what happened to her last 'betrothed'.

You and Bella on a date :

Bella *smiles at the majestic view before you* : "Thanks for bringing me here. It's beautiful.*

You *suggestive wiggling of eyebrows* : "You know what would make this all better ?"

Bella *oblivious* : "No. What ?"

You : "Your lips on mine." *wink*

Bella *shakes her head with a small smile of disbelief* : "I should have known." *still takes you by surprise by kissing you*

Bella likes that you are ongoing and are not afraid to speak your mind.

She would pretend she doesn't, but you would make things more interesting.

And it would end up with her acting more confident too.

Alice can see the future, she sometimes knows when you're going to flirt with her and lets it happen, or even flirts first sometimes.

You *smile* : "Do my eyes deceive me ? Or did a literal goddess just grace me with her presence ?"

Alice *smiles back knowingly* : "My little flower. I've seen my future, and it was perfect."

You *ark a quizzical eyebrow at her* : "Really ? What was so perfect about it ?"

Alice *looks you right in the eyes and grins* : "It was you. You are perfect."

....That was smooth.

Alice would like your flirty personality from the start and would not hesitate before flirting back.

She would also not be very jealous, she would understand if your personality was like this.

What she wouldn't allow however is you actually falling in love with someone else. Your heart is for her and her alone to enjoy.

Emmett *reading the newspaper*

You *entering with a new dress you had bought especially for him/did not notice Carlisle seating next to him* : "~Hey Emmett. What do you think ? On or *notices Carlisle* offfffffff....? Fuck."

Emmett *tries not to burst out laughing* : "...I mean, I love it. Oh, sorry..You wanted Carlisle's opinion ? *turns towards Carlisle with a sly smile* : What do you think, dad ? On or off ? I can't decide.."

You *run upstairs*

Carlisle *gives his son a disapproving glare* : "...Emmett. Go apologize to her right this instant."

Emmett *chuckles knowingly* : "Wait a minute..Here comes the good part."

You : "EMMETT CULLEN ! GET YOUR BUTT UPSTAIRS OR YOU WON'T SEE ME OUT OF THAT DAMN DRESS !"

Emmett *laughs* : "Yes, ma'am." *winks at Carlisle* "I wouldn't tell you to get out but..."

Carlisle understood and was out in a flash.

Emmett likes that you are not afraid of being assertive in the relationship. He is usually the one who flirts and jokes around, so he likes having someone else doing his job.

He would get used to it pretty quickly.

You : "Hey, handsome. Did anyone ever tell you that you glow ? You're like a rainbow after a rainy day.."

Edward *smiles* : "And you are like lightning."

You : "Really ? Why ?"

Him : "You are a light in the dark.."

You : "Aww.."

Him : "And loud."

There was absolutely no sexual innuendo behind that last part, and it made it even funnier for you when you answered with a devilish smile.

"~Only for you, darling.."

Edward's jaw almost hit the floor.

He was born in an era where courtesy and chivalry were the only kinds of 'flirting'.

With time, he learned to adapt and even became a rather big fan of many human things, but he still has trouble understanding standard modern pick-up lines.

But, once he does, he will be smug about it. I just know it.

Edward *magical wave of wonderfully voluptuous and well-kept hair* : "You make my heart beat."

You : "...You don't technically have a heart."

Edward *smiles* : "Exactly. You gave me one. And it beats whenever you are around."

You *laugh whole-heartedly* : "...That was so cheesy and sweet. You almost gave me a heart attack. But, I'll take it."

[lady-ashfade]

Yandere house of the dragon x Hybrid Dragon reader:

The first declare.

Taglist: @dangerousbluebirdpoetry @second-try-stevie @prettyinblack231

Notes: Man. Not going to like this is a bad time to lose my spark when I have 100 requests but it just because of the holidays. Also wanted to make this longer but I wanted to get something out. So I hope you enjoy. 

Warnings: Yandere, yandere tendency, bad writing, obsessiveness, protectiveness, unhealthy relationships.

Years has passed from when you were takin in by the king and queen, and only few when you had shown your true powers.

You hadn’t seen daemon and his wife and children in a few years but they had written letters, or when he would come late in the night to visit but you swore to keep a secret.

You had grown into a small young woman and to the people around you, they care so very dearly for you. Obsessed to put it lightly.

Daemon treated you like his own daughter and bought you gifts from his adventures. He missed you very much and he considered kidnapping you away from the life in the castle away from all the drama. They all had place you in the center of their war not caring for just you.

Speaking of the war, the two that were the head of it was your mother and sister. Alicent and rhaenrya.

Alicent thanked the gods everyday for sending you into her life and her childrens. You grew up to love them as your own siblings and treated her like your mother.

Rhaenrya did try and take you away from Alicent and push her way to also raise you. Sometimes in the morning when Alicent would come to help get you ready rhaenrya was right there already helping you.

But as time grew their sworn protectors also took a interesting in you and become protective as well.

Sir harwin and sir cristin cole tried their best to win you over. They both would promise and help you train when it was allowed, they even got you very small gifts to make you like them more then the other. Of course the girls encourage this.

Sir hawrin was always kind to you and you liked him very much, sometimes you did wonder if he was jace and Luke’s father but you never asked because it didn’t matter. You loved the boys no matter.

Cole followed you around at your mothers command and it go annoying. But he’d find a away to flip it around and say he’d take you train later. Alicent did push cole into your life because he was always with her.

Viserys over time got sicker and you were always called to his room. You’d read to him and talk to him some nights. You walked around with him more then anyone because he was your father. He welcomed you in court as a cup barer. And sometimes if you had a opinion he’d listen to you.

But as the children grow with you, the more their feelings did. Just like their parents.

And now two of the boys have crushes.

The strands of hair between your fingers felt soft as they usually do, the white shine it had was always something you cared for. You looked down at the boy who laid his head in your lap while his face was coved by the book in his hands. “Aemond?” you ask. The boy quickly dropped then book down to looked up at up at you- He usually dropped anything he was doing for you.

He didn’t give a vocal answer but you could tell his focus was solely on you, his eyes filled with Curiosity of your next words. “Do you think one day you’ll get a dragon? I know you wish so hard for one, but one day when you do get a dragon..” you looked away and a breath was let out.

“Will you love it more then me?”

Aemond didn’t believe the words he listened to, Will he love it more then you? How could he love anything more then you, you being the most important thing in his life: His twin flame. The prince was quick to shot up from your lap and careful not to harm you. Taking your hands into his and holding them so soft and sweet but the grip was still there to get his point across.

“These words you speck are far from anything I will ever be capable of doing my dear sister. No dragon, big or small, no matter it’s color or strength.” His eyes held the truth and you could see the darkness behind his eyes from as long as you could remember. “I will never love anyone or anything more then you, my love. I might not have a dragon, but I have you.”

A smile of happiness and relief reached your lips and you pulled him into a hug which he quickly returned with a laugh. No matter how many times you hugged him you seemed to bring a light into his dark and lonely mind. “I’ll get you a dragon one day but i’m glad you settled for me.” You had dreams of one day getting a dragon for your brother so he could be happy. Maybe you had some doubts of him loving it more then you but as long as he was happy you would try.

Before he could respond the door of the Library swings open and the faces you see are your younger nephews, Jacaerys and lucerys, the brown headed boys took a second to scan over the room but soon their eyes fell on you. The spark in their eyes got wider in excitement but it fell short when they noticed the boy holding you. Aemond’s face lifted up as a small smirk planted on his lips and held you closer. “What is it now?” His annoyed voice called out but you rolled your eyes and pushed him softly away to stand up. He looked hurt but you held out a hand to help him up.

“Our mother called for her. She has gone into labor and she wants her to be there.” You gasped and rushed away from aemonds side and over to the boys. “Thank you for telling me.” Dashing passed to boys and out into the hallway disappearing, leaving the boys glaring at each other. Aemond was the first to speak up, “You do know this is our special place right? I’m surprised you even know there is a Library.” Walking closer to them the boys stand defensive.

“And what about you? You always take her away from us when we should be the ones with her, or you constantly take her out of her duties. My mother said you aren’t even her real brother and that we are closer.” Jaces words hit aemonds heart like a knife and it got him fired up. “You want to say that again?” He got closer in jaces face ready for any move about to be made.

“She is my sister.” The white haired prince yelled. Only for the shout of the other prince made him freeze.

“She will be my betrothed.”

The words lefted jaces mouth in a harsh truth and his pride and demanding tone as he recalled the words and whispers his mother told him. Aemond’s hand clinched tight as rage filled his body and over take him almost too bearable to shake. Blood of the dragon did run deep through his veins.

“Say that again.” The older prince took steps forward to close the gap between them, the youngest held tight onto his brother in slight fear. “Y/n is ours, she’s our aunt.” No one payed attention to him because he was not important at the moment.

“What’s going on here?” A stern voice bounced off the walls and broke the glares of hatred between the two princes. The boys turned to see sir harwin: a knight of the kings guard but only young Luke was blind to what he really also was, who he fathered. Jace quickly smiled and swung a arm around Aemond’s shoulders, “We are just bickering about a stupid game.” It took all of aemond to suck up his anger and force a smile back. 

The boys quickly ran behind the guard as he lead them out and told them it was time to leave the library and go to the dragons pit. The biggest man’s back was turned and it gave Aemond one last time to speck and get his point across.

“She is mine.”

You walked back and fourth with anxiety as you listened to the yells and screams from the next room. No matter how many times you listened you couldn’t get used to it. The panic you felt made your blood pump faster and the wave of emotions all collided. Golden eyes shined brighter then normal like the sun had taken their place, black nails replaced your normal ones at your fingertips looking like it could cut through anything, then wings on your back ready to come out at any second. 

It’s been a few years since your powers showed and yet you still do not know how to contain them as best as you wished. You could do more things then you could before and are better now but emotions are your down fall.

The screams come to a end and you smiled waiting to be welcomed into the room by the maids. You waited and waited for a minute or two but the doors never opened but you were joined by sir leanor and he gladly took you into his arms seeing your distress. “My dear ease your mind, no need to be worried let the thoughts drain out.” His soft voice hushed you and you hadn’t noticed everything becoming calm and quiet.

You sigh of relief and pulled back as he brushed your hair and he said asked you “Better?” You nodded along and offered his a smile. “Better.” In times of panic you often find yourself being calmed by your family. He was one of them. He pushed the doors open and you followed behind him while walking into her quarters. “A boy? Well done.” The pride in your heart that you had a new baby nephew blinded your head.

“Why are you walking.” His question pulled you out of your happiness for a moment seeing her limp in pain. “She wishes to see him.” You looked up at her confused. “Who?” You asked while she looks down at you and a light smile appears. “Your mother.” Confused you followed behind while listening to them and you stood behind rhaenrya incase you had to catch her if she falls. But she had other plans as she turned back to you and he followed, “I do believe you are needed by your teacher.” You shook your head no but she placed a caring hand on your cheek.

“I will let you hold the babe later but now you must do your duties, my sweet girl.” Even though you didn’t want to leave her side it was best, even though you did not know the situation she was going into, you knew you wouldn’t be aloud to follow. “Keep her safe leanor,” kissing the babies head and giving a final goodbye you walked off to your training hall. 

After training you had hoped to watch the boys train with your father as you had hope to give him company. He was getting worse over the years and it left a pit in your stomach knowing you’d lose him before you should but you still had time. “Father!” Yelling as you saw him sitting down over the edge of the wall next to his hand, Lyonel Strong he was Sir harwin father and you liked them both. Viserys brighten up and opened his arm out to you, kissing him on the cheek and giving him a small hug.

“How was training my sweet girl??” He asked. “As well as it can be though I am not sure my teacher sees it that way.” Humming you looked over at the training ground and saw your family. He nodded and laughed and told you that you’ll get better as time passes.

You saw Harwin bending down picking up the swords and other things while Cole walked to him but you couldn’t hear what was said. You watched as harwin froze then turned around to punch him in the face and you gasp. The scene played out and you gripped your dress as it got more violent and Harwin had to be pulled back as Coles face was blooded.

You heard him shout to ‘Say it again’ over and over while cole got up from the ground. “Take y/n to her mother.” Viserys told his hand but you shook your head, “No.” Before they could stop you, you had already taken off to the stairs and out into the grounds. The first one to see you was luke and he ran to hug you with Jace following. “Are you alright?” You asked both of them kindly.

“Princess you shouldn’t be here.” The bloody knight, cole stated. “I shall do as I wish no offensive, but I am not a weak maiden.” Rushing over to him you handed him your handkerchief and smirked. “Perhaps you remember the claw scar on your arm the last time we fought.” he just smiled and laugh. “I remember well princess.” He patted your head while looking at harwin as he glared at him back.

Showing the man that you came to his side before him to rub it in his face, there was tension again. “Let him go for a second.” You walked over to harwin and patted his hand, you waved your hand and he bent down. Everyone watched as you whispered something in his ear and as he smiled and laughed. You pulled back and they took him away.

“Secrets aren’t very nice, y/n.” Aegon yelled and walked over to you. “When have you ever cared about being nice?” He laughed at your response. “Have you come to train with me? Because these little boys know knowing.” He glanced at them and they rolled their eyes. You looked at him for a second and then your eyes got mischievous.

“Prepare to lose brother.” 

[irlplasticlamb]

PLEASE tell us all about rhaelor omgomg

OH MY GOD ❗️i’m so excited to talk about my mellow marshmallow ❗️❗️❗️

rhaelor is the youngest child of alicent and viserys, born almost a year after daeron (so they’re basically irish twins 🫶).

appearance: he’s very tall (almost as tall as aemond), with long, lanky limbs, prominent wrist and hip bones, and LOTS of freckles (i headcanon hightowers to be super freckled so he got it from his mom!!! let me be delulu in peace). he has excessively long hair (he has refused haircuts ever since he learned how to speak), more white than usual targaryen gold-silver, with a few streaks of pale ginger (because i thought it would be funny for him not to have the perfect targ look). alicent is the only one to notice his eye colour is exactly the same as rhaenyra’s, probably because she’s a massive dyke (same alicent, same).

personality/skills: rhaelor’s very sensitive, prone to histrionics and a massive mommy’s boy. he’s charming, well versed in court pleasantries and a gigantic gossip, which is probably why despite his dramatic nature, he’s so popular amongst the ladies at court (he’s like their token little gay boy but in a slay way). rhaelor is very into traditionally feminine things, adores all stuff soft, expensive and shiny. he LOVES art, being an excellent harpist, singer and lace maker. he’s TERRIBLE when it comes to combat though, hopeless with sword and barely passable with bow and arrow. he tends to be quite lazy and avoidant when it comes to anything that does not interest him, preferring to lounge around, engage in his hobbies and blabber to any poor soul who’s in his closest vicinity. he’s also so uninterested in serious politics and princely duties that it makes him even more useless. he’d probably prefer to be a pampered courtesan than son of a king and if not for alicent, who knows? maybe he would end up leaving and becoming saera 2.0.

relationships: so as i mentioned, rhaelor LOVES alicent so fucking much! refusing to ever leave her side for long, to the point where when daeron gets sent away to oldtown, he is allowed to stay in king’s landing. he hates to see her sad and sometimes spends hours upon hours playing and singing music to her. although rhaelor can be as frustrating of a son as aegon, i think alicent does have a soft spot for her flamboyant little creature.

when it comes to his siblings, while rhaelor is quite fond of all of them, it’s aegon who he has the best relationship with. they bond over wine (oh yeah, rhaelor’s a massive drunk as well, the „YAS GIRL LET’S PARTY” type to aegon’s „I’M GONNA FUCKING K1LL MYSELF IN 3 2 1”) and silly gossip. aegon and rhaelor have three brain cells combined, which results in a lot of stupidity (and headache for their poor servants).

aemond finds rhaelor annoying, a bit pathetic even, but rhaelor has that magical way of wrapping him around his finger anyways. maybe because he can be so helpless at times and aemond is Targtowers’ Guard Dog Deluxe. they have a funny relationship, full of bickering and little digs at each other, finding common language in aemond’s love for history and rhaelor’s of art.

helaena baffles rhaelor and the stupid lad does NOT know how to interact with her whatsoever. he’s probably a bit jealous of her being a girl because, well, what is a targaryen without a little gender envy 🫡 they do share some sweet moments though, long hours of helaena working on her embroidery and rhaelor on his lace (probably yapping like crazy that boy does NOT shut the fuck up)

and daeron, while they don’t have much in common with each other, they’re so close in age that they just get along well. daeron is very lenient with rhaelor, finding his freespirited, spoiled behaviour rather adorable and harmless. rhaelor thinks of daeron very highly, often talking praises of him (only half to annoy his other older brothers).

rhaenyra though? they barely have a relationship because he’s so much younger than her. he does not acknowledge her as the true queen solely because he loves aegon so much, he’s stupid as fuck when it comes to politics (and logical thinking lmao).

miscellaneous: rhaelor enjoys cross dressing, finding women’s fashion much more “darling and superb” than men’s. he takes great care of his skin and hair. especially hair, only one servant is allowed to touch it because he’s so particular about the way it’s treated. he hates meat, having a great compassion for animals, and rarely eats it. it gives very much “white woman putting animal lives over human” energy though because he does NOT acknowledge smallfolk as real, breathing, feeling beings. he DOES have a dragon, a slender pale-gold thing called starling. starling gets injured early in life, though, stunting her growth and making her unable to fly for longer periods of time. rhaelor LOVES her, think of an old lady and the cat she’s owned for like 18 years. that’s rhaelor and starling energy.

[targaryennumberonelover]

Betrothed.

Summary: In which reader is from the north (house Glover), but is betrothed to Daemon, and is annoyed of the southron ladies at court, and gets very excited to see Cregan Stark when he visits from the North as it reminds her of home. Reader spends a great deal of time with Cregan, who is a very pleased guest, almost completely ignoring her betrothed. This prompts Daemon's jealousy, because who else can have you but him?

Notes: This wound up being fairly vanilla. Also my first proper, non-crack fic. Also my first time on this app + first time writing Daemon; so yay! Big milestone. Saw some other stories on this app and got inspired (+love the font). Idk how to write short stories, so girl is long + very loosely spell/grammar checked (should be ok but some parts might be odd). I personally love the northern reader concept lol, hope y'all enjoy.

Warnings: swearing, canon-typical misogyny, Daemon Targaryen (man needs a whole warning, bffr)

In Deepwood Motte you detested late summer snows, they ate away the summer of your early childhood. You always envied Winterfell for the boiling water that runs through the castle walls; and rejoiced each time your house stayed as guests there. What you had envied most, as a babe, was warmth of the south. Now, however, that you had arrived in the southron lands, you missed those late summer snows terribly.

The south was unbearably hot, you'd have servants delivering you iced milk each day, and too often would you remind them to keep it unsweetened. The heat was not half as over bearing as the ladies of court and all their gossip. Back home, there was scarcely any gossip or other wasteful activities. You spent your youth being educated by the septa, learning the lady ways, and once you came of age, you spent your time putting those ways into practice.

The southron ladies always bragged of their luxuries, which were considered nonsensical in the north, their sweets and silks and careless grandeur. It was draining, sickening, even. Even ever modest Queen Alicent, soon to be your sister by law, would agree with the court ladies when they offered you a sweet as though it was an thing utterly unknown to your northern self, and on occasion would ask you to try a tart or cake she enjoyed.

The only person's company you could find peace in this blasted place was your betrothed, Daemon Targaryen. He was not overbearing, was not mocking of your northernness, but rather found common aspects in your values. Often, you two would walk together, and when there was a moment of respite from both of your busy schedules, he would take you to the skies on the back of Caraxes. You'd even visited Dragonstone, once, but most briefly.

Today was no different. The summer sun bore down over King's Landing, and despite the lush shade provided by the garden plants and sandy canopies that were stretched over head, you were hot. Despite the thick honey, you sipped on the iced milk gratefully, and made a mental reminder to gift the poor servants who fanned you generously later.

"These cakes are quite nice," one of the southron ladies said, sliding over a plate full of thick, layered cakes that smelt so strongly of sugar you might've smelt them when Daemon offered you a ride on Caraxes, leagues in the sky. You'd much rather be on Caraxes, with Daemon holding you close, leagues in the sky rather than here. You wished he would come and save you, but alas, you were stuck between a rock and several smothering southerners.

You smiled politely and took the smallest bite of one. "You're right, my lady, these are quite... tasty." You lick your lips, and are momentarily forlorn when there's nothing unsweet to remove the thick taste from your mouth.

Another southron lady seems to remember something, and rushes to finish her bite, fanning her hand in the air to invite our attention to her. "Have you heard?" She asks once she has swallowed, "lady [name], this would be of great interest to you, the good northfolk, like yourself, are coming to the Keep for a visit."

Despite the almost taunting way she says 'northfolk,' you find yourself intrigued. "Which house?" You ask, and your curiosity is not unheard. They seem to hold back snickers as another one of the ladies reply.

"The House Stark, and their party." She says, smugly, though you are lost as to why. It baffles you further how they regard the Starks, the wardens of the north, so casually. Did they not realise that every northern house beyond the neck swore their fealty to the Starks? The negative thoughts do not linger long, for you can't help but be excited at the thought of seeing Cregan Stark once more. In your childhood you had become acquainted with him, and his lord father offered your father a place on his table on several occasions, and later on he did the same.

You smile, widely, and ask, "do you know when they are to arrive?"

The southron ladies seem to look amongst each other for a moment, and it is Queen Alicent who replies from behind us. "They are to arrive on the morrow, Lady [Name]." You did not notice her arrival, and all seem to turn and stand to greet her.

"Queen Alicent," you exclaim, rising to bow to her. "I must excuse myself, I'm afraid I must prepare to see my fellow northfolk. I must catch you at court later, your grace." You give the ladies of court a small nod, before slipping away the way Alicent had came, glad to find respite from the suffocation of court.

-

The following morning you had dressed more northernly than you had in your entire stay here. You wore a gown with grey over white, with slim fur trimming, little enough that you wouldn't boil. It felt pleasant to be wearing northern colours once more, over the golds and silvers and silky things the south fashioned themselves in. You even found an old pin with the gauntlet of Glover on it, and wore it most proudly as you broke your fast with the court ladies. It was boring and tiresome, as it usually was, but you braved on without complaint and with a smile until, finally, the word came the Starks had arrived.

It took you little time to find yourself in the vast throne room, standing happily by Daemon, your sweet betrothed, awaiting Cregan Stark and his party. It had been nearly two years since you had last seen the Lord of Winterfell, never finding cause to visit before your betrothal, and finding it impossible to do so after.

"Eager, are we?" Daemon hums, noting your excitement. You do not make it difficult. You're practically jumping up and down in anticipation.

You look up at him with a small chuckle, "yes, I'm afraid so." You say, looking down the length of the throne room, a tad disappointed when there are no northerners marching down the hall. "Whilst the south has it's certain... qualities, it has been difficult not to miss the north."

Daemon only chuckles, seemingly amused by both your enthusiasm and desire not to offend any southerners by your distaste for their society.

When the Starks arrive, murmurs flutter around the hall for a moment, then spread madly like wildfire. They come down the hallway, proud and honourable as the Starks are, and bow down to their king and his new queen. There are compliments exchanged, and brief conversation, all the while you're teetering away, waiting for a moment to greet Cregan Stark; when it finally comes, it feels like you are back home.

"It is good of you to make the trip, Lord Stark," you smile as you speak, "not only for the court, but for myself. It may be selfish, but I've been missing the north terribly."

Cregan laughs, lightly so, at my comment. "And the north as been missing you, Lady Glover. Your house is morose without you, and Deepwood Motte emptier than ever. It is a shame you are not to return, you'd make a fine lady for the north."

You let out a laugh at his words, and speak, almost bashfully, "you are too kind, my lord. I am sure my family is doing fine with out me. I would love to return, alas, my place is in the south now."

Cregan lets out a long sigh, and rests a sympathetic touch on your arm. "Alas indeed, but if you ever feel inclined to visit, both Deepwood Motte and Winterfell would be more than glad to take you." He offers, and you smile warmly up at him. You have missed the north grievously, and it brings you deep comfort to speak with a northerner, and to see the direwolf of House Stark, the embodiment of the north, in plenty now.

"It would be good to have another northerner to keep me company, show me the ways of the south... if you would be so kind, my lady?" Cregan asks after a moment of respite, and you are to kind to decline, too glad to have another north soul to save you from the court ladies to say no.

So, you give him your prettiest smile and say, "of course, my lord. I'd be honoured."

-

Perhaps it was the way he spoke to you, how he called you a lady for the north, never of the north, the sly remarks he would make about the south, of how utterly glad and honoured he would be to take you in the north. Perhaps it was the light touches he placed on your arm, your back, and the way you returned them so innocently. Or, perhaps it was the fact that for the last two day's he had been in King's Landing you had utterly ignored him that made Cregan Stark not sit right with Daemon Targaryen.

More than once he'd clenched his fists and gritted his jaw and ignored the way you two laughed together, the obscene amount of time you spent together. How interested you had been in his gnarly, overgrown dog that slobbered after him everywhere he went. Daemon was left baffled, why would you want a dog when you could have a dragon? He couldn't understand your obsession with the Stark boy, and watching you ignore him and give into the flirtatious prick made him angrier than words could explain.

He didn't know how often his hand strained around his cup until his knuckles went white, or how often he took long sips of his wine to keep himself from saying something that would ruin your happiness. It was the only reason he put up with the ugly cunt as he flirted with you, took advantage of your innocence. He'd longed to kill him, but seeing you more content at court than ever before had prompted him not to.

His patience was wavering thin now, as the two of you sat together, ate together, practically glued at the hip as you laughed over something trivial. Jealousy burned in his stomach, it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

And when the feasting was over, and it came time to dance, he wanted to slam his fist down when the bastard stood up before you. "Your hand, my lady?" He asked, with a gross smirk he was sure you'd perceive as a kind smile. "For a dance." He adds, and it is like a cruel taunt directed to him. Did the boy not know you were betrothed to him? That you were happy with a prince? That you didn't want a little lordling instead?

"Yes, of course," you agree, ever glad to indulge in his northernness. Daemon feels his nails dig roughly into his palms as he clenches his fist, and he doesn't care if he draws blood. All he can feel is horrible, terrible jealousy. You were his betrothed, his and his alone. Who did this winter cunt think he was?

He might've ripped off the bard's head for playing such a jovial tune. He watched as Cregan's hands gripped your waist and twirl you around the room. He reached for his goblet and tilted it it back into mouth, and when it emptied, he jerked over a serving girl and had her fill it to the brim. He'd drank overmuch already, but it was all he could do to not knock that poor boy to his feet like the dog he was.

His eyes remained fixed on you like a predator to prey. He watched as the bastard spun you into the crowd, as he lifted you by your waist, at the wide grin on flashing on your lips. Your pretty lips that were meant to be his, and his alone. He took another long sip from his cup. Through the gowns and the jewels he watched you with the ugly winter dog.

And, when Cregan Stark dipped his head down and whispered something to you, too close to your ear for his liking, making you through your head back in laughter, Daemon had enough. He stood up, his movements too sharp, sending his chair scraping behind him. He navigated his way through the heart of lords and ladies, past some drunken fool lifting a serving girl and spinning her in the air whilst the tray she carried clattered onto the ground.

Soon enough his hand found it's way to your shoulder, and held onto you a little too tight as he yanked you away from your dance with the winter boy. "You don't mind if I share a dance with my betrothed, do you, lordling?" He asked, his tone curt; he saw no reason to give this bastard any respect. Trying to steal his own betrothed from right under his nose. No, he would not have it.

His eyes seemed to squeeze with delight and his smirk widen as he watched Cregan's face twitch. "Of course, my prince," he says with a smile, and a short bout of laughter so fake Daemon might've puked. "I do hope you enjoy your time together." The winter dog says, and lift's up his betrothed's hand and gives it a disgusting kiss. The nerve.

"Thank you," you murmur, ever the sweetheart, as Cregan Stark finally takes his leave. You watch after him as he disappears into the crowd, as Daemon's grip on your shoulder holds you tight against him. Once the Stark boy is well and truely gone into the mass, he releases you momentarily.

When you dance again, it is him gripping your hips, it is him picking you up and twirling you around the room. Exactly the way it should be. "You seemed to be enjoying your time together," Daemon croons, looking down at your face with devilish eyes. There is anger in his voice, but it is swallowed up by his affection for you.

"Yes, I suppose I was." You say, meeting his gaze with a soft smile. "IT is nice to have a break from the southron ladies, to have a friend who doesn't mock my northernness."

Daemon's eyes narrow, and he lets out a short hum, his head tilting to a side as he watches you. "I think the little lordling wanted to be more than just your friend, sweet thing." He murmurs.

Your soft expression furrows into one of confusion, and you let out a slight scoff. It's almost amusing how disbelieving you are that pissy lord of the north took an interest in you. "Lord Cregan is merely a friend, I assure you," you say, ever innocent in your ways.

"Oh, my sweet thing, you can not be so naive. Surely you've seen the way that dog eyes you," he says, shaking his head, "it's disgusting, frankly."

You laugh nervously, your head swishing back and forth in denial. "He would never, he knows I am betrothed. I haven't shown any interest in him, regardless." You argue. It's almost frustrating how you jump to defend the boy's actions, but he can not blame you. The ladies of Westeros are often too sheltered, made to think every lord is a gentleman. Sure, you knew of whores and cunts, but Daemon found there was much your sweet, trusting nature kept from your grasp.

He runs a hand gently down your cheek and offers you a kind smile. "Oh, my princess, your betrothal only makes you want him more. Do you not see the strays that sniff under the tables for food just beyond their reach? It matters not if you'll have him or not, he wants you the same." He coos, tilting your chin up to look at him. "The mutt wants something nice to warm his tiny little cock, and what better than a prince's wife?"

"Even if what you say is true," you pause for a moment, perhaps you're contemplating the truth of his words, or uneasy by his vulgar language. With a weak smile but a firm gaze, you finish, "I would never entertain his desire."

Daemon smirks at that, "of course not." He says, proudly so. "Why walk a bitch when you can ride a dragon?"

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

medialog july 2k24

watched

the seven samurai - classic that holds up IMO!! like lawrence of arabia, one where you can see why basically every person to make a movie since cites it as a formative influence. lots of really beautiful shots but what really stood out to me was how human it felt - small scale but not in a way that means "minor," in a way that emphasizes that even the smallest of scales is everything to the people living it. every character feels so real and carries such a sense of a life lived, thanks to both the writing and the absolutely wonderful performances. it feels so empathetic and compassionate and warm even though it's ultimately a war movie - one of those movies where you get the sense a fundamental love for humanity is one of the animating creative impulses. also toshiro mifune, one of the hottest people ever to live, spends the back half of this movie, to quote nick, dressed like hercules with his ass hanging out and it's incredible.

tank girl - every single Look and Aesthetic in this movie is an absolute 100/10 and lori petty is a foul-mouthed delight, but wow was I not prepared for how much of this movie is about the discovery of a secret underground society of kangaroo people

read

megan whalen turner, the thief - a pair of friends of mine basically shoved this into my hands when i was at their apartment with the promise of great craft & an ending that goes crazy. the first in the series of six, this one is more or less a sturdy and fairly straightforward middle-grade adventure story, and while it was at times a little heavy on descriptions of the characters making their way across various types of terrain, overall my interest was sustained by a few things: a clean, deliberate writing style that washed me in nostalgia for the middle-grade classics of my own youth (which this could have been - it came out in 1996 - but somehow i never came across it); a setting deliberately out of any real historical time but clearly influenced in Vibes by (among other places) ancient greece, which contributed to the nostalgia; glimpses of a convincingly rendered mythology (and the fascinating choice, which continues throughout the series, to render the characters' occasional glimpses of the actual divine as more unsettling than anything else); and a wonderfully compelling set of characters, above all gen, the book's narrator and the series' central character (although not most of the books'), who as i said a while ago is a classic blend of clever, brave, and incredibly annoying to everyone he meets.

monique wittig, the straight mind - collection of essays by a french lesbian feminist/theorist i first heard of, to be very honest, because adele haenel was one of the panelists at an event at the local french bookstore and i wanted to see her in person, lmao. the first essay in the collection opens with a call to abolish the concept of sex, which is one of those claims i'm not sure i actually endorse or even fully understand but find really invigorating to read, all of which more or less applies to my experience of the collection as a whole (including the part where i was not sure i was always following it). i did particularly appreciate her interest as a writer (she was a novelist as well as a theorist) in language and the role it plays in upholding gender/the work of imagining a way to play a role in dismantling it. and i found her general rejection of "the myth of woman" quite bracing.

rick emerson, unmask alice: LSD, satanic panic, and the imposter behind the world's most notorious diaries - i heard about this book on an episode of you're wrong about before i stopped listening and it was in fact an incredibly entertaining and fascinating bit of light nonfiction about a truly bonkers episode in american publishing history. go ask alice is the obvious draw here, but a large chunk of the book is devoted to "editor" and professional liar beatrice sparks's follow-up, jay's journal, which emerson reveals to have, in fact, started as the actual diary of a suicidal teenager whose family entrusted it to her in the hopes that their dead son's pain might somehow be able to help other families prevent similarly tragic outcomes... only to have sparks expand his few dozen entries into a story of the absolute most insane satanic panic ground zero nonsense (this book predates michelle remembers!), but somehow leave in enough identifying details that everyone in the family's small mormon town knew exactly who it was about. truly truly monstrous and if emerson sometimes veers a little close painting sparks as a cartoon villain, it's honestly hard to blame him given how much time he spent contemplating this unbelievably heinous act.

courtney summers, i'm the girl - the simplest way to describe this book is to paraphrase the author in some interview i can't remember as a story about a girl who confuses beauty for power because that's what the world has told her is true; it's emotionally rough but highly readable, and as always i just so admire summers' lack of interest in morality tales or lessons learned, her keen understanding that having a sixteen-year-old being groomed come suddenly and fully into a perfect feminist analysis of what's happened to her would make the book more palatable to some but ultimately be a betrayal of the character she'd created. summers has alluded in her newsletter to this book, loosely based on research about the epstein/maxwell case & the testimony of their victims, closing the chapter on the first arc of her career as a writer - eight thorny, painful novels about interior lives of teenage girls struggling with themselves and the world they live in - and it feels like a fitting capstone, one that both calls on the skills she's developed over the years and feels like it digs even more deeply than the project into an area of interest that feels fitting for an author who started writing YA in her early 20s and is now in her late 30s, namely, how to write a book that makes space for real empathy with a young person naive enough - some might say, and indeed some have said, stupid enough - to be well and truly taken in? (and i think one of the smartest things the book does is foreground early on how badly its protagonist doesn't want to be thought of as stupid, which is part of what makes her vulnerable and part of what makes processing the reality of what's happening to her so difficult.) also, despite the fact that romance has never been a huge or simple part of summers's novels, she's always had a knack for crafting a YA dreamboat love interest, and as someone who it turns out was figuring out her sexuality in her 30s around the same time summers was - it was great to see her do it again but this time with a girl :)

ted chiang, exhalation - my friend recommended me this because i was looking to read more sci-fi short stories but running into my perennial problem with sci-fi which is that frequently the writing is bad. ted chiang is pretty good! i liked how much he clearly conceives of or intuits that form & story are one and the same - almost all the stories in this collection take the form of a document that has some in-world reason to exist, which keeps the style feeling fresh and which he often uses to merge character work & sci-fi concepts in a cool way (as in a story with the fascinating premise that creationism is real but earth is not god's favored planet). it was unfortunate that the longest story in the collection was by far my least favorite, being both the most subject to sci-fi bland prose disease and focused on a concept it is impossible for me to muster interest in (the ethics of digital sentience... they're pictures on a screen...). the last story, the only other one written in the third person, suffered a little stylistically as well, but made up for it with an INSANELY good premise, which is that it's a multiverse story focused on a variety of psychological challenges people might have in response to learning for sure parallel universes are real - there's a support group for people addicted to checking in on their parallel selves! that's the most awesome multiverse concept i have ever come across.

evelline adams, astrology for everyone - astrology got less fun when the ratio started shifting of people viewing it as A Fun Pretend Thing to people taking it very seriously, but i do retain the same aesthetic appreciation for the particular kitsch of vintage astrology writing that i did when i borrowed this from my friend several years ago.

patrick radden keefe, rogues: true stories of grifters, killers, rebels and crooks - a collection of 12 of keefe's new yorker #longreads that i read because (a) i liked empire of pain, his book on the sackler family, a lot (b) i'm trying to get back into my library ebook habit to keep me away from Scrolling and hopefully learn some things and substantive-but-still-easy-to-read journalistic nonfiction is my favorite genre for this purpose because i don't feel i lose anything by reading it in 5 minute snatches while waiting for the train, and (c) his other books had all the licenses checked out. anyway this gave me what i wanted! i think my favorite was the one about wine fraud just because i think wine fraud is funny because anyone shelling out crazy money on wine deserves to be scammed so it's basically a victimless crime. the book closes with his profile of anthony bourdain, which is a really lovely read although incredibly sad in retrospect because bourdain comes across as so full of life and would die the year after it was published.

megan whalen turner, the queen of attolia - book two in the series, and everything is growing up a bit, as we shift from an adventure story to a war story, from gen's narration to an expertly deployed omniscient/shifting third, and from an irrepressible protagonist to one Truly Going Through It. this book kicks off strong by opening with a set of circumstances that permanently and painfully changes gen's circumstances, and the question of how he's going to process this and move forward drives a lot of the emotional suspense of the book. it also upends our understanding of a character introduced in the first book en route to an absolutely insane romance that shouldn't work but in its quasi-mythical context absolutely does. i tend to prefer hard copies for fiction, but starting here and for every book after i got to the end and went straight to the library app so i could keep going.

megan whalen turner, the king of attolia - THIS BOOK SLAPS SO HARD IT'S UNBELIEVABLE!!!! at first you're like, WHY is the narration primarily focused on some random no-name member of the royal guard we have never met before? but then you realize it's so that the entire book can be propelled by the dramatic irony wherein we, readers of the series, know gen well at this point and also know exactly how and why things went down the way they did at the end of the last book, but almost no one else does and (partly because of the ways he is annoying) many assumptions are being made... so a lot of the "suspense" in this book comes from, like, when is this new guy's understanding of gen going to start aligning with ours? it's soooo cool and something i don't remember reading in a series before (although i don't read a ton of series), and this book is, like, relentlessly entertaining on its way to its insanely satisfying conclusion, and also contains two of the most romantic paragraphs i have read in my LIFE despite the fact that the couple they center on barely appears together in the book.

megan whalen turner, conspiracy of kings - we catch up with a character from the first book who's been having a rough go of it and now needs to toughen up a bit in response to his circumstances. i think as a novel this is maybe the weakest of the set but as a character i love my sweet baby sophos so much i would have read 500 more pages. also contains one of the DUDES ROCK scenes of all time.

megan whalen turner, thick as thieves - this one picks up with a minor character from book two that i was happy to see again, because he really punched above his weight in terms of interest. it kind of combines the adventure-story of the first book with the dramatic irony as suspense of the third, and both the narrator and the central dynamic between the two main characters are delightful. this book has the least gen of all the books and i did miss him but it was funny how intensely his whole Deal hung over the circumstances regardless, and also despite the fact that the ending of literally all of these books so far has involved the reveal of some five-dimensional chess magic trick, so to speak, and thus i knew logically it was coming, i once again found myself so swept up that i was fully :O when it all went down.

megan whalen turner, return of the thief - an incredibly satisfying ending to the series, even if it left me sad that it was over! as was often the case with these books, it was, like, so satisfying that part of me almost felt like it should feel like cheating... but it didn't and i was just so happy to be there rooting for all my close personal friends. also the narrator of this one is a new character who is both physically disabled and nonverbal, and a) i thought that was generally pretty cool and the way the text engaged with people underestimating him was interesting and b) the descriptions of him as a kid being fascinated by triangles & numerical patterns was THEE most endearing thing i have read in my life.

listened

willow, empathogen - i don't know why willow decided to put out the best tori amos record since scarlet's walk? but i'm glad she did, because this album rocks! (and, like, seriously, if you're a tori person, you owe it to yourself to check this out - the influence is strong and undeniable, IMO, and on its own merits the album sounds gorgeous and takes you on a rich and textured sonic journey, even if you do maybe get the sense that being the very rich daughter of two incredibly famous millionaires in the entertainment industry is an impediment towards having all that much to say as a lyricist.)

other

anna di resburgo - my friend had an extra ticket to a short-lived production of this, the only surviving bel canto opera by a woman (recently assembled for performance from its discovery in some archive). it was only her second aria and as per the program notes kind of flopped, possibly partly due to its thematic similarity with another opera first produced around the same time by donizetti, by then an acknowledged master of the form while di resburgo was a novice (she had previously composed one opera, which has since been lost, and none after, although iirc she did some other composition) (also disclaimer that i know very little about opera, like just barely enough for all that to kind of make sense to me lol). anyway the work is uneven and (as my friend pointed out) oftentimes the music, while pretty and sometimes interesting, is at odds tonally with the plot - the plot is in theory quite dramatic with life-or-death stakes but for much of the runtime the music feels more suited to a farce - and the libretto is... not a piece of well constructed drama overall or scene to scene or line by line (there are some, like, accidentally comical exposition dumps along the lines of "father, do you remember that mysterious orphan that showed up on our doorstep all those years ago?"). but it was not without its highlights, and we agreed that as a second outing it showed promise we wish the composer had received support for the way men with similarly Just Alright second operas did.

inwood shorts - we went with some friends (actually the same friend as above) to see some shorts by local filmmakers at a place in inwood with an incredible view of the river featuring on that day an unbelievably gorgeous sunset and while nothing really wowed me a nice time was had by all & there was a big laugh in the crowd when the guy in a short giving a little "tour of my neighborhood" schtick said "for a while i lived in this place upstate called yonkers." :)

[panlight]

not sure if you’ve touched on this before hint i’ve been curious lately: does edward actually like alice and bella or does he just appreciate their gifts? i’m not quite sure how to explain it but the more i think about it, the less alice seems like the kind of person edward would like. she seems to be more self-interested and cunning than the saint-like characters edward typically reveres. i’ve been wondering if their bond is less about a genuine like for each other and more about an understanding of each other's gifts.

i know edward's attraction to bella as a person vs her silent mind has been discussed before. do you think edward would've fallen for bella if she were more like characters like rosalie and jessica? for instance, assuming her mind were still closed off to him, would edward still have found bella fascinating if he perceived her to be vain and materialistic?

This is part of why I'm less interested in the gifts stuff that a lot of other people. I think it does muddy the waters with things like this. Like, are Edward and Alice actually compatible as siblings/friends or is it just like "you're the only one who understands because our author gave us these specific gifts?" And at the end of the day maybe it doesn't super matter; they DO have those gifts and it DOES help them understand one another so what it would be like without them only really matters if you're writing some All Human AU that removes the supernatural. In their world, compatibility with gifts is a thing, and probably just as valid as other kinds of compatibility and sympathy.

It is interesting that Edward thinks Rose is selfish and vain but loves Alice, when you know if it were Rosalie spending all this money on clothes they only wear once and throwing parties he would see it as another sign of her poor moral character. But part of it may be that Alice and Edward are different enough that they don't annoy each other in the same way Rose and Edward do. Both of them are more melancholy, more negative, more judgmental. Alice is more fun and happy and extroverted so Edward probably doesn't see his own flaws in her the same way he does in Rose (although they can be similar, too, in their sort of manipulative "I know best" dealings).

With Bella I think the gifts thing is even more of a factor. I mean if he could hear Bella's thoughts he'd be getting a lot of "Edward is SO hot" because that's what her narration is in the book, and I don't know that he's find that any different than how Jessica or whoever thinks about him. But because he can't read her mind, he's able to project on her, and also interpret her choices and actions in flattering ways rather than negative ways as he does with most people. And like I get it. I certainly think things I wouldn't say or do. I'm very patient and helpful at my job at the library, for example, but in my head when I see certain people coming and asking for help I'm like "ugggggh not THIS person" and "why can't you do this yourself?!?!" so if Edward were reading my mind he might be like "oh she's not as nice as she seems, she's two-faced, what a scoundrel!" when it's really just . . . being human?

If Bella's behavior was more like Rose and Jessica but Edward couldn't read her mind, that would be interesting. I guess if she also still smelled delicious he might fall for her, and then make up flattering explanations or excuses for the behaviors he doesn't like in others. "She just moved here/she's lonely/she misses her mother/she will grow out of it/whatever" when he's not willing/able to extend that same grace to Jessica because he can read her mind and judges her on her thoughts.

And this isn't me badmouthing Edward; I'm sure it WOULD be genuinely hard NOT to judge people when you're hearing what they are thinking all the time. That's going to flavor your perceptions of people in a major way. But I do think it's not really a fair or accurate view of a person, because what we DO and SAY matters more than what we think. We can have bad thoughts and re-direct them. We can think something mean and choose not to say it. We can internally grumble but do the Right Thing anyway.

I also think having the first two people he spent any time with being the uncommonly "good" Carlisle (super compassion!) and Esme (unconditional love) probably didn't help Edward get a realistic picture of what most people's thoughts are like. Judging a teenager's developing brain against a centuries-old compassion-motivated vampire doctor isn't gonna be a fair comparison. "Carlisle would never think like that" sure but he's also been actively choosing to fight baser instincts for hundreds of years, and Jessica's a 17-year-old navigating social cliques and history exams. They are not the same.

[kazz-brekker]

hotd episode 8 thoughts

hmmm. i remember reading an interview with the writers of this show before the season dropped where they lowkey threw shade at hbo and very heavily implied that having 8 episodes rather than 10 was not their choice and i can very much feel that with this episode

it felt a lot more like a penultimate episode of a season rather than the season finale. all of that set-up with the marching armies at the end of the episode really felt more like a "and next week, a big battle!" kind of thing rather than a "in 2 years, you'll see a big battle!"

why is this show acting like the war is only just starting…we saw named characters toasting each other 4 episodes ago…

i was otto hightower-baited! i saw the name rhys ifans in the opening credits and went !!!!! only for a single shot him in the last minute of the episode, i feel robbed!

i did find tyland lannister's visit to the triarchy very funny. no bureaucrat in the history of westeroes has ever suffered like this man. also sharako lohar was DEFINITELY hitting on him, you cannot convince me otherwise

as someone perpetually annoyed that in game of thrones daario naharis has brown hair rather than blue i appreciate that the tyroshi sailors had dyed hair

the aegon-larys alliance really become one of the unexpected highlights of the second half of this season. they're going on their little essos vacation together!

god rhaena you deserved so much better this season and so much more screentime. we should have seen more of you and jeyne arryn!

entertained to see that ulf is quickly becoming that coworker that no one likes

rhaenyra. girl. i love you but please stop with this bloodless warfare thing. you have six dragons on your side, stop hesitating about using them!

all of those soldiers standing around in the background clearly eavesdropping on criston and gwayne's argument was very funny

kind of loving all this insecurity about his parentage they're giving jace, it's nice to have some conflict with his character

i liked the little dragon heads on rhaenyra's dress at the dinner with the dragonseeds

alys rivers sitting on the edge of daemon's bed like his own personal sleep paralysis demon made me chuckle a bit

his final weirwood vision was such blatant fanservice but as a fan of daenerys and bloodraven i can't be that mad about it

can someone check on that portion of the fandom that used to ship helaena and aemond, i feel like they're not doing so hot right now after those scenes

i did think it was strange that helaena could so clearly communicate aemond's death to him when she had such a hard time doing so with her other visions in the past? but perhaps nothing clarifies your sinister visions of the future like being mad at your sibling

i was really happy that rhaenyra and daemon reunited! i've missed matt smith and emma d'arcy having scenes together this season a lot. plus, i know their relationship is all kinds of fucked-up but i just loved seeing them speak in high valyrian to each other again. and it's always nice to see daemon kneel before his wife

glad that alyn got to really chew out corlys on his failures as a father, that's been a long time coming

i wasn't expecting rhaenyra and alicent to have another scene together this season but ngl it was kind of fun, emma d'arcy and olivia cooke really just eat up every scene they have with each other

plus the reversal of their dynamic from the episode 3 meeting was interesting, with rhaenyra being very unyielding and alicent being desperate to connect

i enjoyed seeing rhaenyra be mean to alicent, especially the whole "son for a son" thing. yes, rhaenyra! alicent's son killed yours! please be mad about it, you deserve it!

i just feel like the end of this seaon lacked the punch that season 1 had, it felt more like a little showcase of all the fun stuff that was coming rather than definitive cliffhanger. i mean, c'mon, we don't even get to see the fall of king's landing????

[magpod-confessions]

i find alice very insufferable right now BUT. i have so so much faith in her character developing. i can see the direction theyre going with her and im really intruiged. she reminds me of s1 jon, very annoying and one dimensional but look at what he turned into!! alice can be cool too!!! sam im much less interested in, his storyline is really predictable.

hes gonna fuck around and find out and maybe die because of it. either him or alice is gonna die and itll throw the other headfirst into The Horrors. and if that happens i hope alice lives, im much more attached to her right now

also am i the only one who thinks alice is somehow deeply related to the entities of this world or the externals? idk i theorize she is one because she clearly knows a lot more than she lets on and is all on that 'haha guys everything is fine dont look too deeply into these cases guys :)' vibes idk itd be cool if she was some kinda external/avatar/entity thing

.

[littlemisssatanist]

can i ask for a small favor? can you rant about daemon targaryen please? i just re-read your team green 💚 post and i'm reminded of how much ick i feel towards that character, especially in the wake of the team trailers being released.

hiii!!! tysm for this ask i was super happy when i saw it in my inbox i'm flattered people want to hear my opinions lol

my thoughts about daemon are very convoluted. i think he has the potential to be a very interesting character but it's kinda canceled out by the incest and pedophilia thing.

like. i understand it's an incest dragon show but my main issue with team black when it comes to their criticisms. they love to spout endless words about how aegon is a rapist and how alicent is a rape apologist for not... idk slitting his throat i guess.

it's really ironic to me, because these same people will turn around and then yap about how daemyra is the perfect ship. they'll be aghast when you even slightly suggest you enjoy aegon's character in any way but be in an uproar if you dare bash their dashing and roguish prince daemon.

honestly, name one terrible thing aegon did and i'll be able to give you something daemon did that is arguably worse than that.

aegon - raping a servant girl in the show (which honestly i'm treating more as a fanfiction considering how terribly written both the greens and the blacks are).

daemon - uhmmmm probably the whole thing with nettles. you know. the sixteen year old girl he groomed and raped (yes raped because minors aren't able to consent). actually, now that i think of it, he did the exact same thing with rhaenyra too, huh? or does team black find the whole fleabottom episode to be hot and rhaenyra being sexually free? that seems like the sort of thing they'd take from that whole fiasco.

on the topic of blood & cheese: the way some people defend this is honestly sickening.

'but poor luke was killed by his terrible uncle aemond' he was an envoy of war (not to aemond, btw, he owed him no safe haven) and also he kinda. yk. took out his eye. i'm not saying luke deserved to die, but i'm going to be honest this is one of the more mild things that happened during the dance.

whether luke deserved to die (which i'd like to reiterate: i do not think he did. i can understand WHY aemond killed him, but that is not me EXCUSING him. this is for those of you who don't know how to read and will inevitably find a way to start putting words in my mouth) b&c is completely unexcusable.

it's team feminism until its a woman who doesn't fit your little box of badass hottie. it's team feminism until that woman doesn't bow down to rhae-rhae and betray her own family and children in order to join the 'good side.' it's team woman until you point out that rhaenyra was groomed by daemon and continues to make decisions that are decidedly anti-feminist.

this is why i can't stand team black stans who say things like 'i hate the greens except for helaena bc she didn't do anything wrong' because you quite literally cannot do that without admitting that helaena suffered because of the blacks NOT the greens.

helaena suffered bc of DAEMON not because of any actions taken by the greens. DAEMON was the one who orchestrated b&c, the one who sent men to terrorize her and kill her children.

daemon did that.

i have no problem with people who can admit that their faves have flaws. i admit aemond's flaws, daeron's flaws, aegon's flaws. the problem i have with daemon is that his stans are so insufferably annoying and they literally cannot do any of that.

my last thought about daemon (at the moment, at least) is his relationship with strong boys.

lots of tb likes to say that daemon loved those boys like his own and would never do anything to hurt them. and i... honestly find it a little strange, and also a little embarassing, because how am i going to have a better grasp on his character than those that love him most???

i genuinely believe that daemon, had rhaenyra ascended to the throne like viserys planned, he would have caused 'unfortunate accidents' for the strong boys in order to get his blood on the throne. which, btw, was one of the main reasons viserys named rhaenyra heir, to keep daemon from sitting on the throne.

i think it the succession crisis had been between daemon and rhaenyra instead, it would have been a much more interesting storyline.

then again grrm isn't that good at writing interesting storylines when it comes to daemon considering he's a self-insert. honestly i wouldn't be surprised if when he died it was found out that grrm had a fanfiction written somewhere where daemon survived the fight with aemond and got to live out the rest of his boring ass life grooming little girls. who knows.

[blues-sues]

@xhunterbeatsx

IM SORRY BUT. TUMBLR WOULDN'T LET ME EDIT MY POST SO I GOTTA DO IT THIS WAY

Anyway for Bambi, I decided to pair her with...

Farmer Newt! Who, for simplicity sake, we'll refer to as SB, short for Strawberry!

I really like Bagheera and Figaro, so I plan to keep them, but if hunter wants to keep Sabor and Dinah, they absolutely can!

Onto rambles;

Relationship between parents: I believe that honestly SB and Bambi would be ... An adorable pairing. Lots of playful compliments and I think they'd have very interesting conversations. SB would definitely welcome her with open arms if they ever met, and if any pranks were to be made, she'd find it delightful- so long as it didn't harm any of her crops or stress out her pokemon companions. I think she'd have a very strong affection towards Bambi and definitely asks her to help her with tasks around the farm... Disguising it as her needing assistance but reality is she wants her company.

Relationship with children:

SB; I feel like SB isn't quite sure how to feel about them at first. She probably didn't think it was possible at first, but now that she's seeing them- she absolutely gets emotional. I feel like she's a very gentle parent. Takes everything slowly, and definitely places talking the kids through things at the top of her priorities. She's only ever had a guardian figure via the lab, but she knows now how NOT to parent, because most of the workers sucked, so she vows not to be like them. I believe that Figaro and Dinah are definitely most clingy to both parents and they usually trail after her as she carries out tasks.

Bambi; oh Figaro LOVES her. He will be a nuisance anytime he can just to get her attention and they definitely set up pranks together. Sabor is a bit more hard to get close to, but I think he definitely finds his mom's mischievous attitude silly but tries to hide any giggles or laughs behind scoffs, making him look constantly annoyed. He's just not really sure how to express feelings and tries to be all tough but I'm sure Bambi can definitely see through that and knows when he finds what she's doing funny. Figaro and Sabor however are a chaotic duo, and bc they like Bambi a lot, they definitely are usually around eachother and Sabor is constantly being clung to by Figaro anytime he's around and just overall being harassed LMAO.

Bagheera is pretty neutral to both his parents. Doesn't have much a favorite. He's pretty quiet but you can see him trailing behind sometimes before he immediately hides... He's just a shy kiddo to literally everyone except maybe Dinah. I think they probably pick golden raspberries out in the fields together even when they're not supposed to be eating them.

Children Info:

Figaro, Male, he/him, jolly nature, somewhat of a clown.

Sabor, male, he/him, sassy nature, quick-tempered.

Bagheera, male, he/him, timid nature, quick to flee.

Dinah, female, she/her, naive nature, scatters things often.

Note: Hunter can make any changes with Dinah and Sabor if they choose to keep them! Also, fun fact; all are named after a fictional feline! Figaro is named after the cat from Pinocchio, Sabor is named after the leopard from Tarzan, Bagheera is named after the panther from The Jungle Book, and Dinah is named after the cat in Alice in Wonderland.

[letters-to-rosie]

another fic idea: the timebomb Howl's Moving Castle AU

Ekko's Moving Treehouse!

blatantly inspired by @redrum-alice's FANTASTIC artwork and developed in collaboration with @lullabyes22-blog, because I've been fawning over the art since it was posted and I just knew there had to be a way this could work because it was so cute and the potential just jumped off the page for me

(you've probably seen it but go look at it if you haven't it's so good)

me and Lullabyes have both read the book and seen the movie, so we combined a lot of ideas from both versions, and this is the result so far:

so Silco is the Witch of the Waste lol

Jinx's curse turns her eyes pink (and they stay that way, like Sophie's hair turning white!)

our girl is on a journey of ✨self-discovery✨ and to find her family. Silco does not understand why and just wants her to come home for dinner lol

instead of happening upon Ekko, Jinx goes looking for him because she heard there's a wizard wandering around who helps people

Ekko's castle is a treehouse, and the roots walk!

Jinx: "What a stupid way to treat a tree!" DX (a book line lol)

Jinx keeps arguing with the curse and it weirds Ekko out but she's just arguing with Silco lol

Ekko is a big grump because he gave his heart away to protect it after so much loss 😭

Jinx does not clean his house. she just redecorates. she draws on everything, including the Wall of the Fallen, and Ekko is thisssss close to strangling her at all times but he's promised to help

Jinx: "Ya gotta inject some levity into this narrative!" /casually breaks 4th wall

Silco's henchpeople keep showing up and Ekko fights them off but they're just trying to get Jinx to come back for dinner

Silco: "Discover? What are you discovering? Gold? Dinner's getting cold!"

at some point Jinx will have to cut up Ekko's clothes mwahaha

Ekko has the Slime Meltdown™ because Jinx breaks his hoverboard and he needs to be airborne and free or else there's no point in living

Heimerdinger is Madame Sullivan/Suliman, Ekko's old magic teacher who tells Jinx she's a witch like in the book 🪄

he even has the intro that makes him appear all spooky at first before his furball nature is revealed

maybe instead of giving life to things she animates machines???

they have a cute breakfast scene in Ekko's treehouse where Jinx eats real fruit the first time

Vi leaves a flare lit for Jinx all this time, and Ekko helps her find it

we didn't discuss this, but I think it would be interesting if Vi was Turnip Head, trying to communicate through Jinx throughout the story and maybe pushing her into situations that she doesn't really want (which has to do with how we're imagining the ending; Vander could also be Warwick instead and serve the same purpose???? wait I'm cooking here)

I also want Ajuna to be Michael/Markl lol

the end of the story sees Jinx decide to be true to herself; even though she knows that Silco and Vi both love her, she's gotta do her own thing

despite being super annoying lol she helps Ekko live in the moment and get his heart back, and they fall for each other and it's mushy as hell okay

"She's like very decorative lichen growing on his tree and he can't get rid of her, so by the story's end she's just become part of the natural treescape."

and at the end they keep traveling in the treehouse to see the world and help people and so Jinx can come into her witch powers

probably would be easy to insert all the war themes

Jinx coming into her own and being cute, Ekko learning to love again after this woman just barges into his life, family themes, romance, what more could we want???

[alicedehorner]

IT'S FINALLY HERE ⭐️💜💙CHAPTER 2 OF BETTER THAN A WISH!💙💜⭐️ I hope you like it, I think it's my most chaotic chapter because I had to do a lot of things but hey, it's here, it's finally here ♡. I hope you like it, comment, share, I really want to know your opinion on this.

I don't remember much about my childhood, honestly I didn't know many people as I moved from place to place, I was just a background character in the enormous kingdom of "Far Far Away", I never knew who my parents were, so I had a great time of my childhood and youth in an orphanage, I know what you may think, being an orphan in a world like this I would be a bandit or thief, someone derailed from life perhaps, but I never felt the need, I preferred to look for some small job when I had old enough to give me honest money to eat, I was lucky to meet kind people. And once I became a young adult, I had to find my own path, it was there that I found what would be anyone's dream job, "personal assistant to the fairy godmother", top-level public figure, owner and businesswoman. from the most prestigious potion factory in the entire kingdom, she found me by accident when she saw me working at Farbuk's Coffee and realized I could work under pressure, the rest is history.

Getting off the carriage I found myself outside the fairy godmother's potion factory, I walked to the entrance while talking about the fairy godmother's appointment for that night through a floating bubble, once inside I met Geronimo who replaced me On my day off, once I arrived I went directly to the factory to report to my boss, finding a complete disaster, the whole place full of broken potions on the floor and all the employees turned into other creatures. Quickly searching with my eyes I found her, talking to some employees, that's when she turned to see me. -Ms. Fairy godmother, what happened? - I asked alarmed - We had a very serious security problem and everything is chaos! - she shouted, spreading her hands in annoyance as she flew near me - I want you to take an inventory of all the potions and if Something is missing, also bring me something to eat, soon," he ordered, maintaining his composure. "Right away, Fairy Godmother," I responded to do my task.

"I'm not interested in who did it, the only thing that interests me is that they clean," he ordered a group of his employees transformed into doves, while I arrived with the inventory and their food in my hands. "Yes, fairy godmother," they responded to leave. "And please someone bring me something fried and covered in chocolate," he asked into the air. "Mother." He spoke as soon as his son arrived. "Charming," he said flying in his direction. "What happened here?" she asked, seeing the state of the place. "The ogre, that happened," she answered, annoyed. "What? Where is mommy, I'll cut her head off, I'll cut her body into little pieces, she's going to regret the day she "He dared to strip me of my kingdom," he said while posing with his sword so that pigeon dirt fell on him at the end. "Oh, don't exaggerate, my son," he said, calming him down. "Excuse me fairy godmother, I have already inventoried everything, and there is only one potion left," I said, handing her the table with the inventory I had made. "What?" She took the table in her hands to see it. "Oh, I think we can take advantage of this." - She said to herself, immersed in her thoughts.

“I also brought you your food,” drawing your attention with the plate in my hands. “Ah, excellent Alice,” he said, taking it in his hands and handing me the board again. “I'm going to be in my office, I don't want anyone to bother me.” “Yes. godmother - I nodded to go and help with the cleaning of the factory, once done I went to my desk in reception and later my boss came out with her son - Alice I'm going out, I want you here early tomorrow - she said announcing that she was leaving - "Yes, fairy godmother," I responded, standing up to say goodbye to her. "This morning, her entrance for the royal ball tomorrow night was ready and organized." "Excellent," she said, looking at Charming with complicity. Alice― Charming said mockingly, watching me as I walked behind his mother, blowing me a kiss in the air while I rolled my eyes with a somewhat sarcastic but kind smile. And so they left, at night I along with the other employees already transformed into their normal form We left the factory, in the end I closed and went home. The next morning was a normal day, except that the fairy godmother and her son were not there, that day the production ended early and we all went home on time, when I arrived I turned on the television just in time for the red carpet and to see my boss on television, making her triumphant entrance with the dress she had ordered in the most exclusive store in Very Very Far as she asked me. Once the broadcast was over, I turned off the television and went to sleep in my large bed. I had been able to buy a house with my salary and I was living peacefully. I felt good in my job and I hoped to be able to continue doing so for much longer. But all that changed the next morning, I arrived by carriage to the factory while trying to contact my superior without success while there was the factory door, the noise of the employees in chaos made me divert my attention from the bubble to see everyone In a panic, in the crowd I found Geronimo, walking towards him as fast as my high heels and the crowd would allow me. "What's going on here?" I asked, completely confused.

And just like that, my comfortable life that I had had for a few months was gone, the fairy godmother had died and the company went bankrupt, everyone was unemployed, including me of course, I sold everything I had and with that money I left very, very far away. , I didn't have to say goodbye to anyone, my boss was dead and I never heard from her son again, I traveled for a long time, until I arrived at a rather gloomy town, with red, black and gray tones, and without much money I arrived to the doors of Lil' Jack's Horner Pie Co. Not knowing that what awaited me here was much worse.

[universitypenguin]

Hey Alice :) I know you did something already for Valentine’s Day where Lloyd spoiled princess but I was wondering what if the roles were reversed? Would princess 👑 do anything sweet for Lloyd? As always thank you so much for writing this amazing story 🥹

Thank you so much for this ask! 🥰

I had a lot of fun thinking about what Princess would do for Lloyd on Valentine’s Day if she were the one planning their celebration. I know for a lot of men it feels like a one sided bargain which is something a guy like Lloyd would find incredibly annoying. Of course he loves Princess, so his perspective on the holiday has shifted, but I feel like Princess would want to do something special for him, too.

When I was pondering the dynamics between the characters, I did a lot of thinking about that piece I wrote about Lloyd’s approach to Valentine’s Day. It’s clear that his plan for the day was mainly driven by his need for social validation. Yes, his overall goal was to please Princess, but his actions in the story centered around impressing her social circle and gaining attention. This is quintessential Lloyd Hansen behavior. He’s motivated by a very superficial type of recognition, because that’s all he’s ever known before.

Princess is very aware of this because she understands Lloyd and knows how to read him. That said, by the end of the day she was getting sick of the extravagance and the theatrical, exhibitionistic display it had become. She did appreciate his efforts, but what she really wanted was a personal connection that memorialized their relationship, not ones driven by external validation.

Side bar: The fact that Jenn was the one who realized the disconnect between Lloyd and Princess was so funny to me. Like, if you’ve read the backstory pieces you know Jenn and Lloyd absolutely despise each other. She really proved her devotion to Princess by going to Lloyd in private and re-orientating him in the right direction. It was kind of like watching the Grinch save Christmas. 😂

So, after all this reflection on what Lloyd’s take on Valentine’s Day represented to the characters, I came up with a plan for how Princess would choose to spend the holiday if planning it were up to her.

First, she wouldn’t try to steal Lloyd’s thunder by planning something for the actual date of Valentine’s Day on her own. Knowing how important it is to him to have center stage and step up to prove his worth as a boyfriend to her (and all of their friends and coworkers) she’d sit back and graciously indulge his extravagant public display of affection. Princess would wholeheartedly mask her desire for more intimate gestures in an effort to honor his intentions.

Which is why she would plan her own Valentine’s Day celebration… but in deference to Lloyd, she’d arrange it for the weekend after V-Day.

Her take on the holiday would prioritize their shared interests and revolve around activities they both enjoy, starting with a relaxing morning at the spa and a leisurely brunch. For the afternoon Princess would reserve a cozy spot at one of Lloyd's favorite restaurants for a late lunch, ensuring a quiet, private ambiance for uninterrupted conversation.

As for his gift, Princess would cater to Lloyd's interests, by arranging a golf trip to Myrtle Beach for him and his friends. The rest of their afternoon would be spent wandering through the D.C. botanical gardens, a favorite pastime of Princess’ that Lloyd has also come to appreciate. In the evening they’d go on a romantic sunset catamaran ride down the Potomac River to cap off the day.

The rest of their night unfolds at home. Having spent the day out on the town, Princess would opt for reheating leftovers at home over going out for a fancy dinner. After all, Lloyd’s homemade Coq au Vin from their Valentine’s Day meal is even better the second time around. Then they would cuddle up on the couch with their dinner as Lloyd picks out a movie for them to watch. When he suggests turning the weekend after Valentine’s Day into their own personal holiday, a warmth spreads through Princess’ chest.

For some, it would be devastating if their partners’ approach to celebrating a romantic holiday like Valentine's Day was very different from their own. However, at that moment Princess realizes that she’d never want to spend Valentine’s Day with anyone else. Despite the fact that they have incredibly different perspectives and values - something which could easily drive a wedge between even the strongest of couples - she and Lloyd somehow always come to a unique, peculiar state of equilibrium. They balance each other out, and in the end, that’s the best gift he could ever give her.

[panlight]

You've talked before about how horrifying and weird the vampires in Twilight not being able to sleep, but what if the Cullens suddenly had a need to sleep? Like all of a sudden Edward is laying with Bella while she sleeps and he starts to drift off and ends up falling asleep beside her. Or Alice who doesn't remember what being tired is or remembers sleeping just suddenly gets more and more fatigued throughout the day, along with the urge to flop down and close her eyes. She doesn't understand what's happening and when she looks into the future all she sees is black or maybe some nonsensical scene that turns out is her dreams. I bet there would be plenty of angst, shenanigans and confusion if this happened and hopefully some doctoring from Carlisle to figure out why all of a sudden.

This was supposed to be a short ask but it ended being a lot longer than I thought. Thank you!

I get where she's coming from with the no sleep thing: she was writing this story as a frazzled mom of three young sons who wished she had more time for herself. Hence, the vampires don't sleep, and when asked about her answer is usually like "imagine how much you could get done!"

But the psychological effect of never having and period of rest, of not having periods of sleep to break up time, to just live in one long, never-ending, ever-conscious day . . . sounds terrible. It takes the existential dread of eternity stretching out before you and only compounds it. Just . . . you're going to be around literally forever, and awake and conscious (hyper-conscious, actually, with all the vampire heightened senses and even psychic powers) for all of it.

All that said, yes, I'm sure they would panic if they suddenly started to feel 'tired' or if they fell asleep. That's not supposed to happen, something might be wrong. I've always wondered about like, a virus that affected vampires and what it might look like, and the sleep thing might be part of it. I also thought it would be interesting if some venom lines are immune, or if older vampires were less susceptible to it than younger ones, or something. Just to spice things up a bit and create drama (Alice and Jasper aren't from the same venom line as Carlisle and the rest, for example. Or Carlisle and Jasper are the only two Cullens who are 'old' and even in the context of vampires they aren't that old compared to like the Volturi, the Amazons, the Egyptians or even Jane and Alec or the Denali).

If it turned out the sleep was ultimately harmless, though, that would be a blessing. I'm sure all the couples would enjoy being able to truly just fall asleep in each other's arms or wake up next to their partner in the morning and get to experience those quiet moments of intimacy for real. To have their partner fall asleep on their shoulder, to tuck them in if they come home and find they've fallen asleep on the couch or whatever. Just those little tender domestic moments that don't really work when no one sleeps. But they might also find it lowkey annoying because of how USED to being conscious all the time that they are. Alice especially who doesn't remember being human at all, might find it VERY inconvenient.

I've also imagined that if some sort of 'cure' or 'antidote' to vampirism were possible, falling asleep would be the first thing that happens. You fall asleep as your body slowly 'thaws' and becomes human again.