#i was having a great time not thinking about it but then he struggled to give clear consent and boy howdy did that dig it all the way up

[ohnoitstbskyen]

So I know you headcanon Nami as a lesbian and Luffy as aroaco (both which is heavily agree with!) What are your romance/sexuality headcanons for the other Strawhats?

Hm. I think Zoro is ace, but not aro, but also the only thing he's really in love with is his dream of fulfilling his promise to Kuina, becoming the greatest swordsman in the world. Once he accomplishes that... well, I am not 100% sure he'll survive accomplishing it, actually, I think the story is signaling pretty hard that his moment of transcendence is going to be connected with the moment of his death (the "King of Hell" thing, all the Buddhism imagery, his tendency to find revelations about swordsmanship on the brink of death) but if he does survive it, that's when maybe romance can become a consideration for him. Maybe. That's when he can figure out who he's even into.

Sanji is extremely romantic - hyperromantic, even - but honestly in a way that's... almost totally disconnected from actual romance? He worships women as divine goddesses and sources of extreme aesthetic and emotional joy for him, but he seems to struggle enormously to actually relate to them a lot of the time. He seems more invested in Being A Gentleman Who Loves Women than he does in... actually being in any sort of a realistic relationship with a woman.

Pudding is the closest he comes to forming an actual romantic relationship, and even then, so much of it is ultimately motivated by his romantic fantasy of Being The Prince, of being the noble, self-sacrificing hero who Saves The Girl, of Being A Good Man. Committing to her is, for him, an act of self-sacrifice, for the sake of his crew, for the sake of his family (Zeff and the Baratie, not the Vinsmokes), and for the sake of her more than it is an earnest desire to build a future with a true partner. He's resigning himself to a life of being her perfect domestic husband servant, in worship and adoration of her, but never in partnership.

In an extremely weird way, the vibe I get from Sanji is he's like a... hyperromantic... aromantic? He's EXTREMELY invested in romantic fantasies, but not so much in the actual day-to-day mundanities of romance, he's in love with the idea of being in love, with the experience of being in love, with the thrill and act and performance of being in love, more than he is in love with any actual person?

Partly this comes down to One Piece just not being a romance story - romance is generally sidelined and elided in most situations, and Sanji's romantic obsessions are played for comedy 99% of the time, they are not taken seriously, so he never has an opportunity to really go through the process of romance as a grounded, flesh-and-blood process, but I can only discuss him as he is presented.

Robin, I think, might be the most straightforward of the crew. I am on board with the Frobin agenda, I think she's probably straight and... if not cis, then about as cis as you can be with a power like the Hana Hana no Mi. And I think she genuinely would be very attracted to a loud, dependable eccentric like Franky, as the other half to her quiet dependable eccentric personality. Especially since he is loudly and obviously an extremely decent man with a heart of gold, and Robin carries so much trauma of being a "devil child," I think she probably needs that kind of uncomplicated light of goodness in her life.

Usopp, again, is probably a fairly straightforward sort. The live action gives him a thing for Kaya, but I could see him being bi or pan, but much like Zoro I don't think he's going to quite have the capacity for Romance™ until he fulfils his dream of becoming a great warrior of the sea (he already has, of course, but he needs to internalize it and realize it within himself). I ONE HUNDRED percent believe he might end up taking a Giant for a spouse.

Franky is... okay this makes no sense whatsoever but I feel that he's gay? But also would fall for Robin? ... but in a gay way???

Look I don't know how that works either, it's a vibe it's a brain feeling it's a wibbly wobbly romance gender sort of situation. Franky is clearly in love with the male body, with masculinity, with maleness, and he especially loves building himself into those images of hypermasculinity, but he does in a way that feels hella queer to me. I don't really think you can be a self-made cyborg building his own body without being some flavor of queer-coded, like, I just don't think that that can be a cishet thing anymore.

He would fall for Robin is my point, in part because they share a knack for creating themselves, in part because Robin would appreciate and need him, in part because she would adore his cybernetic self-creation and find it charming and beautiful, and I think he needs someone who will love his creations (including, y'know, his body) as much as he does.

It's like... y'know how Neo and Trinity in the Matrix are clearly, OBVIOUSLY a t4t couple even though they're both technically cis in the text of the story? It's like that with Frobin for me. Yeah, sure, they're both cis and straight, but also they are trans and gay.

Jinbei I have no idea, actually, he could be into absolutely anything. Kind of a gay bear vibe? That's the best I got. Chopper is a child and I don't think he really has any idea yet either, and Brook... look, I don't think you can be THAT level of flamboyant rockstar and not be some flavor of queer. The Soul King wears Elton John outfits half the time. I don't know that he has a sexuality anymore necessarily (he could be ace, what with the having no carnal flesh and all), but if he's not at least bi romantically then nothing about him makes sense.

[lieslab]

To be alone with you

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎ ꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎ ꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

Pairing: Minho X gn reader

Summary: After your boyfriend makes a bet with his band members, the two of you go on a camping trip that ends in a disaster.

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 2.3K

_ _ _

Ever since you were younger, you weren’t an outdoorsy person. You hated the warmth of the sun in the summer. The bugs were too much of a risk. The last thing you wanted to do was go outside, let alone multiple days for a camping trip. 

It was your boyfriend’s suggestion. He promised you that it’d be fun and you’d both have a great time. A great time, your ass. You assumed that you’d be at a campsite with premade tents. The kind that were already set-up and you could rent them out. 

You had no idea what kind of trip you were in for until Minho parked the car. You grabbed your backpack and got out. He popped open the trunk and dropped out a tent. An actual tent wrapped securely in a traveling bag. 

“You cannot be serious,” you mumbled beneath your breath. 

All you got in response was a cheesy grin and Minho chucked your sleeping bag at you. The weight of it caught you off guard. You stumbled back, nearly hitting the ground in the process, which caused him to laugh. That was just the start of this endless nightmare. 

Tucked in a pair of leather hiking boots, you made the correct choice. The walk to the actual campsite was almost a mile. The whole time you grumble in disapproval while Minho mocked you. 

“You do realize that thousands of years ago, this was how it was, right? No internet, no toilets, no air conditioning, nothing. Just people and the endless outdoors.” 

“That’s why they were constantly dying.” 

“Are you going to complain this whole trip?” 

“Can you blame me? I’m soaked in sweat, the mosquitoes keep biting me, and I’m practically going to die from dehydration.” 

“We’ve only been walking for five minutes!” 

“Five minutes?” Your eyes widened in shock. “It feels like we’ve been walking for five hours!” 

He rolled his eyes and continued trudging along the dirt path. In the forest, you were surrounded by trees and the chirps and warbling of nature. Birds were chattering mid-day and the rest of the animals were scattered out and about. 

Minho dug out a flask of water and pushed it towards you. You took it with a sigh, unscrewed it, and began to slowly sip. You really hadn’t prepared enough for this trip. When it was first brought up, you refused. You refused until the rest of his band members made a bet. 

They bet Minho a hundred bucks that you wouldn’t last three days in the wilderness. He bet against them and you weren’t one to let your boyfriend down. You were determined to prove them wrong. 

After walking for nearly a half hour, you mumbled that your legs hurt. Minho dropped the tent onto the ground and jerked off his backpack too. You had no idea what he had packed. The entire thing was bulging and was on the verge of busting. Earlier, he barely got it to zip. 

He was in a pair of cargo jeans and a t-shirt. It was warm enough outside that the two of you didn’t need jackets. On the other hand, you were regretting the denim overalls. It seemed like a good idea, but they were itchy and too hot. You should have gone with Minho’s suggestion earlier and worn a pair of denim shorts and long socks. 

“How much farther?” 

“Another half a mile, maybe.” 

You tipped your head back and groaned. 

“You could have stayed home.” 

“And let your friends win their stupid little bet? Fuck that! Let’s go.” You jerked your bag back on your back and began heading up the path. Minho chuckled, grabbed his stuff, and began to follow you. 

With your head down, you began to trudge on. You were struggling, but your determination was fierce. You were going to prove your worth if it was the last thing you did. On and on the two of you went. 

“We have another five minutes, I think,” Minho announced. 

You let out a soft sigh of relief and slowed your brisk pace. The two of you had been trudging along in silence for a while. You couldn’t believe you were actually starting to enjoy it, but only a little. 

The crunching of the twigs beneath your feet. The soft smell of pine lingered in the air. Pine cones scattered around the area near your feet, along with pine needles. Occasionally, you’d kick one or two of the pine cones from your way. 

You reached up with the back of your arm and rubbed off sweat from your forehead. Exhaustion was an understatement for you. You hadn’t done much and yet you were exhausted. 

The sudden brown flash of fur darting across the path in front of you caused you to scream. You jerked backwards and slammed into Minho’s chest. He reached out and steadied you via the handle on your backpack. 

Your heart was thudding in your chest as you glanced over between the trees that the thing disappeared between. “What the fuck was that?” 

“All that over a small harmless chipmunk?” 

“Oh my god!” Your hand slammed into your chest and clutched your heart. “I nearly had a fucking heart attack, holy shit.” 

He laughed and jerked an arm over your shoulders. “Come on, we finally made it. You can go be miserable in the middle of this empty space.” 

He led you towards a large spot in the forest. The mossy area was shaded beneath towering trees. You glanced around to survey the area and let out a soft sigh. You slung off the backpack and let it drop to the ground. 

“So this is our home for the next three days?” 

“Yep. Better get used to it.” 

“And what am I supposed to do?” 

He gestured to the tree behind you. “Entertain yourself. Go ahead and climb a tree, unless you think you can grasp some patience and help me put up the tent.” 

“Put up the tent?” You echoed with furrowed eyebrows. 

“Did I stutter? Did you think that we were just going to sleep beneath the stars? With the wild animals?” He scoffed and shook his head. “The tent has to be pitched.” 

“I can’t believe you didn’t buy one of those pop-up tents.” 

“And I can’t believe you haven’t stopped complaining since we got here.” 

You huffed, spun around, and headed towards a tree. Minho watched you with eyes full of amusement. He couldn’t help it, this pouting bratty thing you had going on, it was wildly entertaining for him. 

“Where are you going?” 

“To climb a tree, so I can watch you put up the stupid tent!” You shot back. 

You huffed and began to climb the first tree you saw. Branches curled out in multiple different directions. You placed your foot on an opening, used your arms, and jerked yourself up with a huff. 

You placed one foot up, grabbed a branch, and climbed higher. Higher and higher you went until you found a nice spot. You were about ten feet off the ground and Minho rolled his eyes. 

He spun around, grabbed the tent bag, jerked it open, and dumped out the contents. You watched in silence as he began to grab the fabric and lace the bendable poles through them. Your head found the sturdy side of the tree trunk. 

You let your body rest against it and shut your eyes. You didn’t get too much sleep last night, since you were up most of the night wondering how today would go. Honestly, you had been dreading it since you agreed. However, a bet's a bet and you didn’t want to let Minho down. 

Unfortunately for you, with his back turned, Minho was focused on perfecting the tent. The sound of the birds was pleasing to his ears. When he noticed a squirrel peeking down at him from a tree, he smiled. 

The needled and moss ground beneath his feet felt nice. It was nice to be out of the studio and the dorm. He sucked in a deep breath and relaxed. For the next three days, the weather was supposed to be perfect. Not too hot and not too cold; all sunny without a chance of rain. 

This was a blessing and he was glad to partake in it. Camping wasn’t something that he did often. Despite your annoyance and bickering, he was happy to spend time alone with you. He was sure that you’d get used to it rather quickly. You were good at adapting to whatever situation was thrown your way, even if you complained about it. 

Up on the tree, your body began to relax. The ambiance of the birds was nice. When Minho was done, he planned to take the two of you to a nearby stream to relax. You liked finding different kinds of rocks. He was hoping it was something that you’d enjoy. 

While you were scouring for rocks, he’d be pulling out his fishing pole and attempting to catch dinner. He had packed a few side dishes, but freshly cooked fish was delicious. He even packed some seasonings to spruce it up. 

You were squeamish, so he was on his own for cleaning the fish. If he was lucky, maybe you’d attempt to help him catch one. At least, as long as he put the worm on the hook because you hated anything squirmy.

He began to whistle as the tent started to take shape. After doing this multiple times before, it kind of became a second nature. You still observed from the tree until your eyes slipped shut. The last thing you remembered was the back of Minho’s layered hair and then- 

Thunk! 

He froze with the tent pole still in his hands. His eyes darted around, but nothing was out of place. He jerked his head back towards you and that’s when he spotted the empty tree joint that you had been perched on. 

On the ground, you groaned as pain blinded you. Your head felt fuzzy and the air had been knocked from your lungs. It took you a moment before you could breathe in air again. 

“Babe?” Minho called. He began to rush towards you. 

You were on your back with your head up against an overgrown tree root. His voice sounded faint and your eyes drooped. He dropped to his knees beside you and gently cupped his face. 

When you glanced up, he looked down at you with eyes full of concern. “Hey, can you hear me?” 

“Mm-hmm.” 

“Did you fall?” 

“Uh-huh.” 

“Can you speak?” 

“Everything hurts.” 

“Well that’s what happens when you fall out of a tree. Were you trying to get down? Did you slip?” 

“Fell asleep.” 

He glanced up and his mouth opened, but no words came out. His eyes narrowed as he took in your words and shook his head. “That was a dumb idea. Nothing good comes from falling asleep in trees when you’re that high up. Are you injured?” 

“My wrist hurts.” 

“Which one? Did you hit your head? Do you remember falling?” 

“Can you stop pestering me and just let me sleep?” You grumbled and your eyes slipped shut again. 

“No, you don’t. Hey,” He aggressively gently patted your cheeks. “Don’t do that. Stay with me and stay awake. Come on, don’t fall asleep.” 

“But I’m tired.” 

He stood up, bent down, and scooped you up. “If you stay awake, I’ll buy you ice cream.” 

“Really?” 

“Really. Any kind you want. Screw it, we can have ice cream for dinner, but you have to stay awake. If you fall asleep, you’ll lose your chance.” 

You were exhausted, but the offer was too good to resist. Minho was always insistent on healthy and filling meals. He just wanted you to take care of yourself. Ice cream for dinner was an absolute blessing. 

“Can we get the good kind?” 

“What kind?” 

“Can’t remember. Just the good one.” 

He chuckled and began walking back down the trail you both followed to get here. He couldn’t carry you and take the stuff along too. Who knew if you were severely injured. Just by the way you were speaking and your actions, you might have had a concussion. 

“Minho?” 

“Yes?” 

“It’s kinda nice out here.” 

He laughed and continued walking. He kept glancing down to make sure nothing would topple him. He didn’t want to add another injury to your body. 

“I can’t believe you had to fall out of a tree to admit that.” 

“I was gonna admit it.” 

“When?” 

“Eventually.” 

“Yeah, right. How do you feel? Does anything else hurt?” 

“Feels like I fell out of a tree.” 

“No shit, Sherlock.” 

“Where are we going?” 

“Straight to my car and then the emergency room.” 

It took you a few moments to soak in his words. A frown dropped across your face. “What about the bet? What about the guys?” 

“Who said we’re going to lose the bet? We don’t have to tell them what happened. They don’t have to know that we didn’t stay in the wilderness. I’ll take you to a hotel after the hospital. We’ll get you a fancy hotel room. We’ll share a nice king sized bed and I suppose I’ll let you cuddle me. Can’t forget about the ice cream for dinner to go along with that.” 

“Thank you, you’re the best.” 

“Maybe you should fall out of trees more often.” 

“Take me camping again and that can be rearranged.” 

| ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ | ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ | ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ |

Masterlist

Requests, taglist, and inbox rules

[missglaskin]

Hi I had a question have you ever considered writing for ACOTAR and what do you think about the series and who would be the worst? Yandere to have if you could do a ranking this is not a request. I just wanna know your opinion. I hope you have a good day or night. 😊🥰❤️

I didn’t make a ranking but I did rate them (1 least worst, 10 being pretty bad) hope you don’t mind

Feyre only wants what's best for you, at least that's what she thinks. She feels a great deal of guilt when her mind wanders to dark places. Feyre doesn't like lying or deceiving you, but she always tries to justify herself. She is extremely protective and fiercely loyal, going to great lengths to keep you safe; the end always justifies the means. Everything goes well with Feyre as long you don't struggle against her and just let her take care of you. 6/10

Elain seems harmless at first, lost in her own world, spending hours daydreaming about you rather than approaching you directly. She's shy in approaching you, but her infatuation with you grows steadily and soon enough you start seeing her more often. She does not resort to violence like the others but pretends to be your friend while subtly isolating you from everyone else. You realize a little too late that Elain is scheming to keep you all to herself, not when she gives you that sweet girl. 4/10

Nesta appears cold and distant at first, often trying to push or avoid you altogether. Unaware it’s Nesta’s realization of her intense feelings and maybe it was her way of trying to protect you. But in moments of jealousy or danger, Nesta’s possessiveness becomes glaringly apparent. She does not want to chain you down, but she fiercely wants you all to herself. Desiring to have you solely for her own gaze and touch. You should just trust her and let her make all your decisions on your behalf. 6/10

Mor's danger lies in her manipulative nature and her relentless desire to get what she wants. The second she set her eyes on you; she wanted you. Mor takes the role of your friend, gaining your trust and coaxing you to confide in her. Letting you reveal your deepest secrets and positing herself as your savior to ensure you feel indebted to her. You can never point the finger of blame to Mor, she’s always one step ahead even when you find yourself isolated and powerless to make your own choices. 7/10

Amren is not someone who immediately raises suspicion, but there's an air of uneasiness. Not interacting all that much with her at first. But you'll feel eyes watching your every move yet when you turn to look, nothing is there. She in a way positions herself as an ally, subtly guiding you in the way she wants, all to assert control over you. As time passes, her tendencies begin to surface and she can no longer conceal her possessiveness. Finding yourself isolated and confined to a little place all alone with her. 8/10 

Rhysand is charismatic and not even you are immune to his charms, despite your better judgement. He's so good at pulling the strings, steering situations to his advantage. You could accuse him of an act that you know he has done, but he'll turn it around, making you feel guilty for doubting him. When Rhysand senses you're slipping away from his gasp, he won't hesitate to resort to extreme measures. You're trapped with no allies and no means of escape leaving you no choice but to depend on him. 9/10 

Cassian's intense loyalty and protective nature may seem his best traits, but it's a means of suffocation to you. Cassian is convinced he knows what's best for you, stubbornly insisting on his ways even if you push him away or outright reject him. His impulsivness guides his actions, causing him to raise his voice or grip you too tightly, but Cassian always apologizes afterward, you must forgive him right? Cassian is nice to have if you never resist and simply allow him to do as he pleases. 7/10

Azriel doesn't approach at first, preferring to watch you from a distance, meaning all the time. His shadows are tasked at keeping him informed and ready to protect you from any impending danger. When Azriel involves himself in your life, he becomes the center of it. Bid farewells to your past connections as he demands your full attention, confined under his very control. You may be allowed some freedom if you comply, but resist or fight back, it won't bode well for you. 8/10 

Tamlin is a storm that's looming, ready to engulf you. His protectiveness and possessiveness are like a chain around your neck; suffocating. He's controlling and has a desire to keep you by his side at all times. No matter how much you fight back, Tamlin believes you'll come around eventually, time is all he has. Sometimes, his temper flares and he lashes out, destroying things in his path, and seeing your fear brings him back to his senses where he apologizes profusely, promising it won’t happen again. 9/10 

Eris is intensely jealous and controlling, viewing you as his and his alone. There's a high likelihood he'll keep you trapped, unwilling to let you go. But beneath all his possessiveness, Eris is somewhat desperate. He long for you to just open yourself up to him, to surrender to his touches. With everything he went through, Eris doesn't wish to inflict harm on you. Why must you force him to restrain you, to him it's so simple, why not just give into him, a life where he shows you devoted love and loyalty. 7/10 

Lucien is aware of his tendencies and has tried to avoid you, but keeps finding himself drawn back to you, unable to resist gazing at you from a corner. He's consumed by his obsession, devoting himself to you completely, and Lucien finds himself unable to fight against it. He never wishes to harm or trap you; he has seen the damage it caused. He hopes his charms and time will be enough to win you over, and become so entwined in your life that you can't take him out of it. 5/10 

[aemonds-fire]

The Sapphire Spell Ghost Aemond x Female Reader Part Two - Cabinet of Curiosities

Summary: Can a spell cast by Alys long ago bring Aemond Targaryen back to life centuries later in Westeros? When the remains of the Kinslayer are found and put on display in a Cabinet of Curiosities, the ghost of Aemond discovers the proprietor’s beautiful daughter is the only person who can see or hear him.

Word Count: 2290

Warnings: None

The Sapphire Spell Masterlist

Aemond Targaryen Masterlist

Enjoy! Reblogs and Comments are much appreciated.

Centuries later

“Good morning, father,” you say cheerfully, leaning down to kiss his cheek before joining him at the small dining table. Once you are seated, he says a short prayer before beginning to help himself to breakfast. “What are your plans for today?” you inquire while taking a sip of your tea.

“Ah, my lovely girl, today is the day,” he exclaims, looking at you with a twinkle in his eye and a happy smile on his face. This morning, I will receive my latest additions to the collection. We have a great deal of work to do, much of it to prepare for our newest arrival.”

You stare at him with surprise. ”Oh, I finally get to know what this wondrous item is." You truly cannot remember seeing your father more excited than he has been recently. He still has an almost childlike wonder for new things, an enthusiasm unmatched by most for the curiosities of the world. “Will you at least give me a hint? You have tormented me long enough,” you ask him playfully.

Smiling mischievously, he says, “I suppose I could tell you that a former resident of the Red Keep will be brought to their new home today, but that is all I will say."

“The Red Keep? I didn’t think there was anything left in that old ruin,” you say, looking at him curiously. “What could have possibly been found there?” you ask him.

“Let’s just say that everyone in this city knows my reputation for paying good money for interesting objects,” he smiles, finishing his meal. As he gets up to leave, he tells you, “I’ll be next door; I’ll see you there after your lessons.”

After he leaves, you continue to linger over your tea, intrigued by your father's excitement. Long abandoned, the Red Keep had fallen into ruin for well over a century. New rulers had built palaces and government buildings. A fire several months ago mostly destroyed what remained. Workers have been toiling away for weeks, clearing through the rubble. What could have been found to cause him this much excitement, you wonder?

When you hear your tutors' arrival in the front hall, you hurry off to begin your lessons. While you are grateful for your father’s insistence that you continue your education, focusing today will be a struggle.

After seeing the tutor out, you rush to find your father in the adjacent building. Walking past the numerous displays of natural and man-made artifacts and oddities, you cannot help but smile, thinking about how your family’s fortunes changed in less than two generations.

Your family originally came from Flea Bottom, eking out a meager existence for generations. Your grandfather was born as one of six children. As a young boy, he dreamed of the sea, spending as much time as he could outside the city's old Mud Gate, where ships docked. Willing to learn anything he could about sailing and willing to do any task, he managed to gain favor with a ship's captain, who took him on as a cabin boy. At a very young age, he began a life at sea, steadily working his way up, taking on more responsibility with each voyage, and eventually meeting the great explorer, Lord Swann.

He was a member of Swann’s crew when the lost treasure of the Stepstones was found. With his share, he bought a respectable home in the city, away from Flea Bottom, married a pretty widow, and began a family of his own. He continued sailing with Lord Swann for several more years. During his sailing years, he amassed a number of unusual items he found during his travels to far-off lands. After an injury ended his career at sea, he dedicated his time to his growing collection, eventually buying the property next door and opening the first Cabinet of Curiosities Museum in King's Landing.

Your father inherited everything when he passed. Growing up with a love for the collection, he also possessed a flair for the dramatic and a sharp mind. He saw opportunity in the public’s fascination for things never seen before and kept expanding the collection. While he acknowledged the authenticity of most items in the collection, he also acknowledged the inclusion of a few forgeries.

There was still quite a bit of work to be done before the grand reopening of the collection in two days. Since your family had been adding oddities and artifacts for over fifty years, the assortment was getting quite large. It now takes up the entire first floor of the building. The new exhibit is part of an expansion to the second floor. Flyers had been distributed throughout the city, promising something new and exciting. The collection's temporary closure also allowed your father to have renovations done to the building. The major improvement is the installation of the new innovation of electric lighting, not only in the Cabinet of Curiosities Museum but in your own residence next door.

Once you find your father, you immediately understand his excitement these past few weeks, because this particular display is like nothing else in the collection.

He sees you standing back with a look of shock on your face and laughs. Coming over to put his arm around you, he says proudly, “I’d like you to meet the Kinslayer, Prince Aemond Targaryen."

The Kinslayer is the infamous second son of King Viserys. He claimed the dragon Vhagar as a boy and started the Dance of the Dragons when he murdered his nephew. He was named Prince Regent when his brother, King Aegon II, was seriously injured. After his half sister, Queen Rhaenyra, took Kings Landing, he went on a rampage, burning the Riverlands.

Besides his horrific deeds, not much is known about him. It’s as if he was a stain on House Targaryen that they tried to erase from memory.

The remains of a man are on display before you; his bones lie on black velvet within a specially crafted glass coffin, his skull still bearing the damage from the sword strike from Dark Sister. The suit of night black armor he wore, sword and dagger attached, has been cleaned and reassembled next to the case, as if standing a ghostly guard. Hanging on the wall over the case is a somewhat damaged painting of a young man wearing an eyepatch. He has the trademark silvery-white hair of the Targaryens.

Stunned silent for a moment, you finally manage to ask, “How did you find this? I thought the Targaryens always burned their dead."

Your father explains, "While clearing the rubble from the fire, an underground chamber was found." As you continue to examine this new display, you glance at him. "Most of it had collapsed, but one corner of the room remained unscathed. They had placed these remains in a stone sarcophagus and stored the painting and armor nearby."

“Why his body was not burned, I cannot say, but the fact that he was found under the Red Keep, along with the research I’ve done, convinces me that these are the remains of the Kinslayer,” he continues. “Now we have him, his armor, and his portrait. Once word spreads, people will be lining up outside to see him. He is going to make us a fortune.”

"The only thing missing is the sapphire he reputedly wore in place of his eye," you remark, noting that the prince was a rather tall man by the looks of his skeleton.

"That remains undiscovered, likely in the depths of the God's Eye." Small chance of anyone ever seeing that again,” your father sighs.

You chuckle. “If it is ever found, I’m sure you will find a way to acquire it.”

Smiling, he says, “I would try.” Gazing at the empty crates and packaging that the artifacts arrived in, he declares, "I'll assign the boys to tidy up. We still have a lot of work to do if we are to be ready to reopen.”

Taking a last glance at the portrait of the Targaryen prince, you follow your father to see what you can help with.

The next two days go by quickly as you spend most of your time making sure everything is in perfect order. Your father’s enthusiasm is contagious, making the work more enjoyable. You are both optimistic that more people will be eager to see the new and improved museum, and they will be willing to pay the increased admission price. While you are not wealthy, it is a profitable business that affords you a very good living. Despite society’s expectations that you should be looking for a husband, you are happy with your life.

You also find yourself drawn to the painting of Aemond Targaryen, standing in front of it several times. You can’t help but notice how regal he is, unsmiling but strikingly handsome; he has a strong jawline, good cheekbones, and a natural curve to his lips. His characteristically Targaryen silvery-pale hair, pulled back from his face, is long and straight. The eye patch over his left eye, with the scar trailing above and below, gives him a rather dashing appearance, you think.

As you remind yourself there is work to be done, you become aware of the freezing cold air around you, and you swear something grazes your hand. Startled, you whirl around to look behind you, only to find yourself alone in the exhibit. Nervously brushing back the tendrils of hair that have escaped your loose chignon, you sense there is another presence here with you.

Trying to steady your breathing, your eyes dart around, but you see no other person near you. You can faintly make out the voices of some of the staff you employ, but they are distant. With a quick shiver from the cold, you shake it off and head downstairs.

Finally, the time has come to reopen the Cabinet of Curiosities Museum to the public. With a glance out the window, you can already see that a crowd has begun to line up for the ticket window. Joining your father just inside the entrance, you can’t help but think he looks rather distinguished today. Your father is a natural showman, which is one of the reasons the collection has remained a popular attraction in the city. You love watching him, dressed elegantly in a tailcoat tuxedo, enthrall an audience with history and somewhat embellished tales of artifacts.

Playing your part as well, you are dressed in a fashionable gown with your hair styled up and adorned with jeweled combs. You act as a hostess for the collection, guiding visitors and answering questions.

You smile, knowing your father will be in rare form tonight, telling the tale of the Kinslayer from the Age of Dragons.

The afternoon and evening pass by in a blur. The grand re-opening is a stunning success, with high society rubbing shoulders with common folk. It seems that regardless of one's status in life, all share a fascination for the unusual and mysterious.

Several times, your father holds court, telling the tale of Aemond Targaryen. He captivates the crowd with the tale of the villainous prince who murdered his nephew to begin the Dance of the Dragons, declaring himself Prince Regent, mercilessly burning the Riverlands, and consorting carnally with a witch.

It was long past nightfall when the last patrons were ushered out and the doors locked. Your father brings out a bottle of the finest Arbor champagne for you and your small staff to celebrate the night’s success.

By the end of the week, you're exhausted from the nonstop activity and the throngs of people surrounding you, and you're relieved that the museum will close tomorrow for the weekly day of worship of the Seven. After you and your father visit the Sept in the morning, you look forward to a more peaceful day with a pleasant walk if the weather allows. However, as you get ready for bed, Prince Aemond occupies your thoughts once more.

Whenever you are in the museum, you feel compelled to visit his display. You’ve found yourself looking down at his remains that lie on black velvet, staring at the bones of his hands, noticing how long his fingers are and how much larger his hand would be compared to your own. You've even had the strange urge to open the glass case, reach in, and touch him. But it is his portrait that captivates you the most. While his angular features may not be considered conventionally handsome, you see a strikingly unique splendor to his image. His scar and eye patch only deepen his mystery for you.

You confess to yourself that you find it difficult to reconcile this portrait with the accounts of the cruel monster he was said to be. The story of his short life and terrible deeds should repel you, but they intrigue you more. You have an intense curiosity about him. 'What was he thinking as he sat for this portrait? What did his voice sound like?’ Questions like these have been going through your mind all week.

Also on your mind are the odd feelings you have when in the museum.

Many times, you have the feeling of being watched. You experience sudden, icy cold drafts that come out of nowhere and make you shiver. A few times you feel as if someone is standing beside you or behind you, much closer than would be proper, and each time you are alone with no one around. And tonight, as you were preparing to leave, you thought you heard a hushed voice whisper your name.

As you drift off to sleep, your final thought is that everything started when the museum received Prince Aemond's remains.

[amerricanartwork]

Hewwo!

I just want to say that I LOVE your lilypad and Moon and Pebbles being adorable siblings drawings and headcanons! 🥺❤

Have a great day :3

Awww, thanks! It's always nice to see your support, Tanya!

Although, since you decided to mention both Lilypad AND the siblings, mind if I take this opportunity to actually introduce some more character headcanons and story plans tying both of these character relationships together?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

First of all I want to establish, if I haven’t depicted it in my other content thus far, that in my general interpretation Five Pebbles and No Significant Harassment do not like each other. A lot. I won’t go into detail as to why right now (it’s based on a lot of deeper character knowledge that I’ll save for an official headcanon post), but I’ll say that Sig likes to tease Pebbles a lot — which given what I just said about him hating being disrespected, especially by older iterators, already creates tension easily — and while Pebbles’s stubbornness alone isn’t too unbearable, the arrogance and excessive pride he carries into his endeavors really ticks off Sig. 

Now, this conflict alone I headcanon as having played a part in the Moon’s collapse/Pebbles’s rot situation, but this issue will likely come to a head once again in my AU story because of one factor: Lilypad. 

You see, I currently expect Lilypad to become official pretty early on in the story for character development reasons, and because with my character headcanons on Sig and Moon and their relationship it just seems like a natural choice for them to make in that situation. However, this occurrence would definitely also heighten the tension between Sig, who doesn’t trust the guy who literally killed his new lover anywhere around her, and Pebbles, who really doesn’t like the idea of one of his least favorite people snuggling up with the one person he’s actually somewhat willing to open up to. Although for a while he won’t directly admit that he takes issue with it (which is an example of another, more fundamental problem of his in-and-of itself), and that last part isn't saying too much considering how awful all of Pebbles’s relations are by the story’s start. 

I also want to reiterate that Lilypad alone isn’t the biggest reason why Pebbles and Sig hate each other so much. Rather, the relationship and their reactions to it are the clearest physical manifestation of what I headcanon as the actual main reasons for their conflict and frequent disagreement on various matters.

But anyway, the “debate” over Lilypad ends up being another conflict between these two, and of course poor Moon struggles a lot trying to keep the peace when her little brother and new boyfriend are frequently threatening to throw hands (metaphorically), while also trying to work through some of her own issues that this development highlights. She feels horribly guilty for re-igniting their conflicts, and is afraid of siding too much with one of them and making the other feel ignored or attacked, but it also gets harder and harder to hide how much it hurts her to see them hate each other so much. Although now that I think about it, this situation could end up being something aiding Moon’s character arc as well. But once again, I don’t wanna give away too much here, so that’s something for another time!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I hope I didn't bombard you with this, Tanya! I kinda just saw the opportunity and wanted to talk more about these characters and their relationship. I definitely plan for it to get a lot better, but I thought I needed to give a bit of the setup first.

Regardless, thanks again for the ask! I can't wait to start unpacking my major headcanons regarding these characters' psychology, especially Five Pebbles's...!

[the-badger-mole]

In a Time of Adversity

It was just his dumb luck, Zuko thought. All year he had been butting heads with the city's most annoying overachiever. Katara, the prodigy with a 9000 IQ, who'd managed to skip a grade and end up in all of Zuko's advanced placement classes, had been thorn in his side since the day she'd corrected one of his physics equations in front of the whole class. Ever since they had been locked in an increasingly heated battle of who would earn the highest marks in their class, and every week felt like a new face off.

Sometimes he would come out on top, but he had to grudgingly admit that while gave as good as he got on tests and assignments, she had the upper hand when it came to quips and put downs. Too often Zuko had been left sputtering in her wake, struggling to find a comeback from some scathing retort she'd just delivered. It wasn't until after yet another one of these exchanges, when Zuko in his frustration had the thought that he would love to throw her against a locker and kiss her until she didn't have the breath for one of her smart remarks, that it occurred to him that there might be more to his feelings towards her than animosity. And that was the last time he ever spoke to her directly. Disaster averted.

So, of course, when their science class goes on a weekend long camping trip in the middle of Backwoods, Nowhere, he would end up being partnered with her to find a rare fungus. Of course they would end up losing the trail and wandering through the forest with no clue how to make it back to camp. And of course, it would start raining, sending them scrambling up the mountain to a cave that was hopefully abandoned.

"At least we won't have to worry about dehydration," Katara said, pulling the water from their clothes.

"Sure," Zuko replied gruffly. He looked around for something to burn, but there wasn't anything but some leaves and twigs around. Not exactly the makings of a bonfire.

"I'm sure they're looking for us already." Katara sat down against a wall and drew her knees up to her chest.

"Great." Zuko wasn't optimistic about the prospect. Their science class wasn't exactly full of the great outdoors types. Katara had the most camping experience of anyone. The best they could hope for was that the chaperones would call search and rescue early the next morning.

"Do you think we should look for some firewood or something?" Katara suggested. She was shivering a bit, and Zuko could feel the chill settling onto his skin, too.

"It'll all be wet," he told her. "All we'll end up doing is smoking ourselves out."

"I can dry it," Katara reminded him. There was a sharp edge to her voice now. Zuko looked over at her and realized she was scowling at him.

"What's your problem?" he asked, irritably.

"You!" Katara shouted. Her voice bounced around the shallow cave jarringly. "You're my problem."

"Me?" Zuko drew back, affronted. "You're the one who got us lost, Katara, Queen of the Jungle!"

"Alright, fine! I'm sorry, alright?" Her voice cracked dangerously. "I just thought we could work together on this and things could go back to normal between us." Whatever Zuko had been expecting her to say, that was not it.

"Normal?" he repeated, completely baffled. "Normal between us? What are you talking about?" Over the sound of the falling rain, Zuko thought he heard Katara sniffling. Was she crying?

"You-you've been avoiding me for weeks," she said. Zuko was stunned. He'd heard Katara laugh (usually at him), and yell (again...usually at him). He'd heard her confidently dressing down a teacher that once made the mistake of telling her that women didn't get far in the science field. But this...this vulnerability in her voice. That was new.

"I haven't been avoiding you," he said. It wasn't entirely a lie. It's not like he turned the other direction when he saw her in the hall. He just didn't engage in their verbal sparring matches.

"You won't talk to me," Katara said. "You barely acknowledge me when I talk to you. When Piando assigned us as partners, you looked like he had just told you to eat a raw snail. I don't know what I did to offend you this badly, but I'm sorry, okay?" She was definitely crying now, and Zuko was panicking.

"I'm not...I'm not angry at you," he told her hesitantly. "I just...it's just that our bickering was beginning to feel....I don't know...childish?"

"So it's because I'm younger?" Katara demanded. Zuko winced. That was a frequent sore spot for Katara. Because she'd been moved ahead in school, some of her teachers and classmates made a big fuss over her age whenever she did something they didn't like. Zuko thought it was stupid. She was a year and some change younger than him, and only two years younger than the oldest people in their grade. Hardly a mind bending gap, especially given how mature she was generally.

"No, that's not it," Zuko said. "It's not about your age, or grades or anything like that. I just don't feel like having an enemy I don't need to have." Katara fell silent for a moment. Zuko thought he could still hear her sniffling every so often.

"I didn't think we were enemies," she said softly. It took a moment for Zuko to understand what she'd said. Then he snorted.

"Right," he scoffed. "That's why you called me a spoiled brat who probably paid someone to do my homework for me."

"Okay," Katara huffed. "I'm not saying we were besties or anything. But I thought we were at least friendly rivals. I wasn't seriously accusing you of cheating. It's just...school isn't always a challenge."

"Egghead," Zuko muttered. Something small-an acorn, probably- hit the wall next to his head. He smirked at Katara in the dark.

"That's more of a criticism of our curriculum than a brag," she said defensively. "Anyway, I was saying that you challenge me. If I wasn't trying so hard to be better than you, I would be so bored."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Katara's soft spoken vulnerability hung in the air between them for a long moment. Then Zuko laughed. He sensed Katara stiffen, draw into herself, and he slid over to her side of the cave.

"I'd be bored without you, too," he admitted. "And for the record, the only one in our school who would be worth paying to cheat from would be you." Katara scowled up at him, Zuko was actually close enough to see it in the dark. Then she laughed, too.

"So what did I do to piss you off so bad, then?" she asked him. Zuko drew back, feeling the heat rush to his face.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "You didn't say or do anything. I just wanted to be different, I guess."

"Oh." Katara wrapped her arms tightly around herself and a hard shiver ran through her.

"You're cold," Zuko said.

"Aren't you?" Katara asked through clenched teeth.

"Firebender," he reminded her. "Um...if you want, you can..." Zuko opened his arm towards her, an awkward invitation. Without hesitating, Katara scooted over and curled into his side, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"You're better than a heating pad," she sighed contentedly.

This was a mistake, Zuko thought immediately. Katara lay her head against his shoulder and every thought he'd had about kissing her until she was dizzy came rushing back. He would be a complete gentleman, of course, but he prayed that sleep would come quickly and end his torture.

"Hey, Zuko?" Katara lifted her head to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're here with me." Zuko's mind screeched to a halt. What did that mean? After a moment he decided it didn't really matter.

"I'm glad, too," he said honestly.

[ellaa-writes]

inspired by this, enjoy :) (unedited)

the bell above the door alerted you to someone entering you small little studio. It was right in the heart of downtown, use to be a bake shop. The smell of fresh bread still can be smelled if you pressed your nose up against the wall. You wiped at your furrowed brow, taking a step back to look at your latest painting. It was all wrong, you couldn't get the shading right. You abandoned your pallet and brush on the stool next to you, making sure you didn't have paint on your face as you walked to the front.

Usually Horace man's the front but he just stepped out for a smoke, leaving you alone in the studio for the next 15 mins. As you emerged from the back you looked around the small space. Not only do you sell original art work but you also sell local art work as well. It was hard to miss him, with the way he towered over everything around him. His back was turned to you and you thanked the heavens it was. You never hesitated to great someone before, your hands started to shake with nerves before you clenched them closed.

His back rippled before he turned his head back in your direction. You smiled quickly, rubbing the sweat from your palms onto your painters apron.

"Hi, sorry for the wait. Is there anything I could do for you.. Sir?" the sir came out hesitantly and nearly a whisper. His green eyes narrowed at you, taking in your form. They traveled down to your waist and back up, locking onto your own. His face softened as he flashed a smile.

"I'm in town for the weekend, thought I'd take a walk around before I saw a sign for an art studio. Do you run this place?" his voice had a thick accent but you were still able to understand him.

"Oh no, that would be Horace. He just stepped out for a minute. I just work in the back most of the time." you spoke lowly, coming around the counter to stand in front of him.

His eyes lit up at the full sight of you, your shoes were covered in many different colors on paint, fresh and old blending together. The warmth in his eyes shifted to something you couldn't quiet make out, but it did make the hairs on your arm stand straight as a small shudder rippled through your body.

"Could you tell me about this piece?" you had to step forward more has he was blocking the painting he was referring to. As it came into veiw and you could feel the heat radiating off his body the closer you got.

It was of the lake, with the mountains in the back. A soft glow from the stars bouncing off the calm waters. You painted in about 3 years ago, took you weeks too but mostly because it was mid December when you decided to trek out to the lakeshore. The black rocks surrounding the lake weren't kind to your feet those days.

"Um... sorry what was the question?" and this was exactly way you stayed in the back. You always struggled to communicate with others.

"The painting, is the artist still around?" he asked as his eyes scanned other paintings.

"Oh yes she is." you shifted from him, you need some distance to think properly. You walked over to a stack of painting, rummaging through them.

"Is it possible I could speak to... Her?" unbeknownst to you his eyes were trained in your backside. Watching as you bent over to look through the stack of painting before finding the one you were looking for.

"Sorry, speak to who?" you asked as you set the new painting next to the one he was looking at.

"The artist who made this." he pointed at the landscape in front of him.

"Oh, well. Your already speaking to her." you avoided his eyes as you looked over the twin paintings. "This one here" you pointed to the new one. "Was painted part summer, same area but different season." looking at the pink sky reflecting off of the water. You could still feel the warm breeze flowing around you.

"They are beautiful, the brush strokes ever so slight. Makes the water come alive." his voice was right behind you, you could feel his breath fanning against your ear as he leaned down to take a better look at them both.

"You have a real talent. How long have you been painting?" the bell dinged again as Horace came in, the slight smell of tobacco filling the space. You shoot him a glance as he takes in the giant.

"Sorry, didn't hear this damn bell. Been meaning to get it upgraded." Horace crossed the space and gave you a get back to work look.

"It was nice meeting you, uh-" you couldn't recall if he told you his name or not. "König, please call me König." his smile didn't quiet reach his eyes but it was big and gummy. You left the two men to make small talk. Horace was ways good at selling, even better at getting more than the asking price.

You focused back on your discarded painting. Standing back from it, looking at it like a lost map. The sound of low muffled voices wafted in, the sound of Horace too happy of a voice and the ding of the cash register. His footsteps entered into your space as he grabbed a packing box and slipped back out.

The chime of the door altering you to the departure of Mr. König.

After you finished up what you could, the sun setting behind the mountains. You gathered your belongings, slipping your purse over your shoulders.

"Horace?" you called out to the older man, and he rounded the corner to bid you far well. "Here" he reached out his hand, a small black card rested between his pointer and middle finger. "What's this?" you asked. Grabbing it and looking at the gold text.

Art Dealer

"Sold those two painting for well above the worth they are. Finally getting my moneys worth outta ya." Horace was a rough man, having taken over his father's operation begrudgingly.

"See you tomorrow!" you called out as he disappeared from view. The walk back to your small cottage wasn't far, and at this time of year the air before dusk was crisp.

You walked along the side walk, unknowingly being tailed by a sleek black car.

[nightgoodomens]

Quick question. Is it just me or recently there has been an increasing pattern of random stuff on TL from a million years ago about something DT/GT related or the same story PD always says about David? People just losing their minds over how romantic they are with zero prompts or just you know... Anything romantic happening? It's weird cause I don't follow any of her fans or anything related to her but nowadays I bump into some fan\anon Twitter accounts suddenly digging things up??? If everything is perfect, then what's with the struggle babes?😂 If it's PR trying to actually draw attention to the fact that everything is going downhill and NOTHING romantic or nice has happened in the recent year, then GENIUS. It's working beautifully. I'm laughing so hard at how PR is dying to shove the good old " perfect marriage" into our faces while aggressively hammering the doors of that closet to keep the dudes from breaking out and failing miserably at both.

Oh I remember when GT’s dad tried to rewrite history but she’s the one who confirmed she was stalking DT until he gave in and it’s great because he’s a great asset.

Their fans are bringing stuff back because they have no actual sweet content nowadays. And I think more and more people are noticing that things aren’t the way they used to be. How many times can you laugh at the same “joke” of GT being the way she is about DT? How many times can you ignore the way he’s been looking with her lately - minus staged red carpets? These haven’t been perfect either.

Wordle is a perfect excuse to keep fans thinking everything is ok while they sort things out. Absolutely bare minimum effort required from both parties to keep the rumours dead. Look - they’re playing, hashtag marriage, everything is great! Honestly seeing how done DT was with the paparazzi I think he’s loving needing to just play a game and text it over. But what people are ignoring is that there hasn’t been proof of him being home for a very long time now - that’s why I’m expecting a paparazzi shot at one point to kill that rumour 😂 Unless the negotiations really went well. I hope they did for his sake.

Interesting how it’s been, isn’t it? Everything that happened since Cali… How bad things have gotten with Oliviers, the snap, the dead silence, and the triumphant come back of both MS & DT to the NT.

So bloody curious what we are getting at BAFTAs.

[thisisnotthenerd]

bigger and better things

an exploration of the bad kids as children and what it means to be destined for greatness

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

iv. riz gukgak

riz hears that his father has died a week after he saw him for the last time.

the length of time isn't unusual--his dad was often away in bastion city, working as a government investigator. he would commute down and it would just be riz and his mom for a bit and then he'd come back and be home. it feels like a normal week.

he's just not coming back this time.

the funeral is quiet. there's no body, just a cenotaph with his name, resting under a tree at the edge of cravencroft cemetery.

(there is a chair next to a tree with a headstone beneath it, a place in heaven for stories to be shared and memories mourned, for a life spent showing love through work)

what's strange is almost nothing has changed. riz rides in the car with his mom every morning, getting dropped off on her way to work. it's the same routine they've had since riz started going to skullcleaver elementary.

he hops out of the car, bag in hand, and looks at his mom through the window. her hand fidgets at the wheel as she mouths, "what are you waiting for?"

he walks toward the door, ducking around ankles and dodging people in the crowded halls. No one really pays attention to him when he hides like this–it’s better than the alternative.

goblin. puny. sticky fingers. wicked. not meant for adventuring, for glory. 

(in five years he will taste the blood of kalvaxus and know his father avenged)

over time the words are exchanged for others: teacher’s pet. nerd. briefcase kid.

he wears a crisp shirt and carries his briefcase with a strong grip. he introduces himself relentlessly, always working to make a connection. when things go missing he finds them, magnifying glass never far from reach. they will have nothing to say about him that he doesn’t already know.

when penny comes to babysit they talk about everything and anything, sharing knowledge and camaraderie and the struggles and joys of being small in a big world. she talks about her classes at the aguefort adventuring academy and riz thinks, i could do that. i could be a good rogue, a good investigator.

his mom goes to work early and comes home late, case files spilling out over the kitchen counter as they eat dinner together. 

riz sneaks peeks when he thinks she’s not looking and holds resolve in his heart. it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t have a license. he has to do something. she works so hard to solve these cases–why can’t he?

he already sleeps so little that when penny goes missing, he locks in, searching for anything, any clue as to where his best friend has gone. he’s lost enough. she’ll come back and the case will be solved.

(a few years down the line, riz gukgak is a licensed p.i., the name on call to find clues and discover the unsolvable, with tenacity and unmatched grit.)

[insomnya777]

Hello! First I want to say I adore your boat boys super power AU so much, it’s currently rotating at light speed in my brain like a broken microwave. I think I’ve read at least six times all the way through with what you have, it’s fantastic!

I was also wondering if you had any other recs or personal favorites for boat boys fics, or just fics in general, I’m always looking for recommendations and wonderful authors usually also have great tastes in other fics as well! Thank you for what you do for the boat boy and smalletho community, you’re keeping us well fed lol

Oh my god I have many many recommendations!!!! I've actually been waiting for someone to ask me this LOL

Completed:

Settled is one of my favourites of all-time. If you read it you'll see the long ass comment I left on it lol. Description: A five plus one type of fic where Etho struggles to voice his feeling about double-life, and Joel is there to make it harder.

BIR Universe is a classic, a staple, even. One of the most iconic series of all time. Description: A very messy college universe with a bunch of hermitcraft/life series members.

Somehow, I always end up back in Marianas Trench is another personal favourite. I reread it way too often. The writing is incredible in this one + has a side of ranchers and impdubs. Description: AU where our three favourite soulbound couples go on a triple date! Except it's not a date, all of them broke up sometime before or during their last year of college and none of them are over each other.

Holy Father, judge my sins is so, so good. Anything by giddyfenix always is, I think I've read, like, all of their works. Description: Joel and Etho as the seven deadly sins. After all, what were they if not corrupted?

I Don't Smoke (Except for When I'm Missing You) made my heart break a million times over. I actually cannot read this fic without breaking down. It is a clockers-centered fic, exploring the Etho-Scar relationship, but I had to include it because it's just one of my favourite fics of all time. Description: A look into Etho's perspective on the life he and Scar share. They're not so different, you know? They both like to run away.

Works In Progress:

to all the ships at sea is another personal favourite, because the writing is just so, so good. There are currently six chapters out! Description: Etho has a job as part of the crew manning a lighthouse on a small island. With Cleo and Bdubs gone for a few weeks, Etho settles in to keep the Light running single-handedly. He wasn't expecting his life to be turned upside-down when a visitor turns up on the island, completely out of the blue...and he definitely wasn't expecting to develop feelings for the mysterious young man.

Good Luck, Babe is also very, very good. There are seven chapters out right now! Description: Etho couldn't get himself to turn Joel down. Even when Joel has made it clear time and time again that he had no problem doing the same to him. The lengths he was willing to go for a guy who would barely even let them be seen together in public...

hi, etho is super cute, too. I read it a while ago, and it's still one of my favourites, so do what you will with that. Description: About a month after going missing and having no memories to show for it, Etho gets a weird letter from a strange, anonymous sender who might have the answers to his questions.

And that's about it!! If anyone has more recommendations feel free to comment or leave in the tags because I'm always looking for more fics LOL <3

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

reading roundup: April 2024

oh my god you guys I've read SO MUCH this month!!! I got BIG into reread N.K. Jemisin's tremendous Broken Earth trilogy and it's been jaw-dropping, and I have been reading a HEAP of comics and manga a

on the extremely off chance there's anyone following me who doesn't think comics, manga, graphic novels, etc don't count as "real reading" lmao lol get out of here??? you're on the Reading 1000s of Pages of Old Batman Comics blog. go feel the whimsy of reading a whole graphic novel in one afternoon and maybe you'll calm down.

ANYWAY!!! what have we been reading?

Earthdivers Vol. 1: Kill Columbus (Stephen Graham Jones, Davide Gianfelice, Joana Lafuente, 2023) - Stephen Graham Jones is one of my all-time favorite authors, and I was super excited to check out his first comic series. Earthdivers takes place in the wasteland of the 22nd century, where four Native survivors have hatched a plan to try to stop the disasters that are killing the world: use a time-travelling cave to send one of their number back in time to kill Columbus before he can launch the colonization of North America. it's a one-way trip, and the time traveler will have to be ruthless to achieve their goal. beyond the attention-grabbing hook of killing Columbus, this story dives (you see what I did there) deep into an exploration of what it means to sacrifice everything for a cause and find the will to be ruthless in pursuit of the greater good. I'm not 100% sure I tracked all of the twisting threads of time travel in this first volume, but the hook is compelling and Gianfelice's art is beautiful, so I'm really looking forward to seeing the series progress!

Spoiler Alert (Olivia Dade, 2020) - at this point I've written 8000+ words about this book on my patreon and it's becoming difficult to figure out what else to say or how to say it briefly. this book ties itself up in knots with its contrivances and makes both of its protagonists look dumb in the process. I don't like either of these people but - spoiler alert! - I still think April can and should do better. Olivia Dade please call me I just want to talk.

Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 1-3 (Ryoko Kui, trans. Yen Press, 2017) - I don't need to explain Dungeon Meshi. surely you've seen the gifs of Dungeon Meshi. all that matters is that I fucking love Dungeon Meshi, this shit rules and it's going to be so hard to hold off on reading Volume 4 while I try to prioritize some other books first. this world is great, the characters are a delight and a joy, and the way that Kui is so fascinated by the food and biology and exploration of adventurer fantasy tropes in her world makes my brain go wheeeeeeeeee!!! I'm having so much fun.

The Fifth Season (N.K. Jemisin, 2015) - historically I've very seldom reread books, but I'm starting to think that I need to change my stance on that. revisiting the Fifth Season years after I first read it, with the time to really enjoy it and also the maturity and perspective to actually appreciate what Jemisin is cooking, has enhanced the experience immeasurably. a thing that really struck me this time was how artfully Jemisin depicts the way orogenes are conditioned and groomed from the jump to be subservient and scared and willing to settle for life at the margins of society; it's not something that I could totally understand the nuances of when I read this book fresh out of my first year of college. this novel and its sequels are so brilliantly devastating, I cannot say enough great things about them.

My Pancreas Broke, But My Life Got Better (Nagata Kabi, trans. Jocelyne Allen 2022) - I did it, I'm officially caught up on all of Nagata's works that have been translated into English! and man, I'm still worried about her. the experience of reading My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness hasn't quite been replicated for me; I think that was a once in a lifetime event, although I've certainly found a lot that I relate to in Nagata's subsequent struggles to sort of out anxiety, independence, art, and figuring out what kind of relationships she event wants to have in her life. at this point I feel like I'm just reading the illustrated life updates from a friend I haven't seen in a long time who stresses me out because her life is a mess. which is still interesting! but god I hope something good happens to this woman soon.

The Obelisk Gate (N.K. Jemisin, 2016) - The Fifth Season is a book about the end of the world and of one woman's personal apocalypses that happened prior to that. its sequel, the Obelisk Gate, is a book that's extremely preoccupied with the tedium of figuring out how to run a halfway-functioning society in the midst of the apocalypse, which is genuinely fascinating stuff. and it's also a book about the fear and desperation and sheer levels of exhaustion that might drive someone to decide that, fuck it, maybe the world should end and we should be done with all of this, actually. it's also a book about devotion and dependence and destruction and devouring people you love in a VERY literal way, which it must be said is pretty sexy. the stuff that pops off between Essun and Hoa in this book makes me think of Octavia Butler in the best way; I think she would have adored them. I'm so excited to get to the final book and see how this all pays off, because the first time I read it I barely understood a single goddamn thing that was happening.

I Hate This Place Vol. 1-2 (Kyle Starks, Artyom Toplin, Lee Loughridge, 2022-2023) - a short and spooky comic series that wraps up in two tight little volumes. I have some gripes with the pacing, but it makes for a fun afternoon read. a mid-tier streaming service is going to adapt this into a live action series within a couple of years, mark my worms. personally I'm fancasting Mackenzie Davis as Gabby and Samira Wiley as Trudy.

[skepsiss]

Can you please recommend your favorite Steddie fics? One that you wrote one that someone else wrote?

Oh! Sure! I have to admit that I am very bad at reading fics because it is difficult for me to read off screens so I have a short attention span for fics. I have however read some great ones, but I'll highlight one. Fav of someone else's fic:

No Regrets by @strangersteddierthings

Loved it so much that I made a graphic for it! (That Jess now uses as a banner for the fic!!! /flattered). I really enjoy the concept, and I'm a sucker for Steve feeling guilty about things out of his control and then trying to do something about it.

As a summary, "No Regrets" is about Steve finding a way to go back in time to change the events of Season 4 Stranger Things. He can affect things marginally and then sees how much has changed in the "present day" through those actions. Essentially retrospectively stopping the apocalypse and trying to save everyone.

My favourite fic that I've written in the steddie verse is probably:

Because I want you

It's on my Ao3 account and definitely isn't a popular fic of mine, but I feel like I really captured Eddie's raw emotions so well here. The fic is just an excerpt of a bigger idea. It's a very self-indulgent fic because it's a "far in the future" AU where Eddie becomes a "Wraith" and Steve and him end up in a relationship. Only for that relationship to fall apart in their mid-twenties because of Eddie's addictions. This fic takes place AFTER all of that (their early/mid-30s), when they're both dads, and they're trying to rekindle their relationship.

Eddie has a lot of guilt surrounding their breakup and he struggles a lot with forgiving himself. His emotions are so incredibly raw and he is so vulnerable here, but I think Eddie's mindset is really relatable to anyone who has ever harboured guilt over their actions--big or small. I know guilt is an extremely visceral emotion for me, and when I've hurt someone I feel that so incredibly deeply.

Anyway! I made Eddie suffer a lot, but in the end Steve is always his biggest supporter.

[ratgrinders]

I can't get over how not a single person has voted for Ivy as their favorite rger; it's very funny, but also a LITTLE sad cause I personally would love to know more about her, as right now we have. Nothing. Her being Fabian's foil could imply that she has some kind of rich family, but absent parents, but she didn't seem to show any sign of being posh like Fabian is/was, she was just... mean. Same goes for Mary Ann in terms of knowing nothing about her, especially not how she contrasts to Gorgug. I really hope we get more information! Do you have any guesses?

Yes it's so funny 😭😭😭😭but also understandable unfortunately lmaooo. She's the Rat Grinder we objectively know the LEAST about, she's had maybe like what, one and a half scenes? We know she's besties with Oisin, and that type of dynamic within the larger group of the Rat Grinders is VERY interesting to me, but other than that??? Nothing. I DO hope we learn more though ghfsfks just because right now there's not a lot to dig into!

As for the second part of your question, oh god WILD speculation time only tenuously based in canon under the cut lets gooooo:

I think the basis for the Rat Grinders status as the Bad Kids' foils is that they have what the Bad Kids want, but have superficial beef with the Bad Kids based on the version of them they have in their head. So you got Kipperlilly who wants Riz's tragic backstory despite her allegedly normal and whole family at home. Oisin is rich thanks to his family while Adaine struggles with money thanks to hers, and maybe seems to have beef with the Elven Oracle as that's what led to Kalvaxus' defeat. Ruben has the song of the summer just as Fig is in the middle of an artist's block. Etc, etc.

So going off of that, what does Fabian want more than anything else this season? To not be lonely. I think it'd make sense then if Ivy actually had a really present, loving(?) family who nonetheless still turned out kind of mean. I think she has no problem living up to her family's expectations, no matter what they are. As for the family itself, well the Gloom Stalker subclass is "at home in the darkest places i.e. in primeval forests". And what's the nearest dark forest with a population of wood elves? Sylvaire, formerly the Forest of the Nightmare King. Specifically Arborly, since that's the town near there that protects the entrance to the forest. I think Ivy is possibly how the Rat Grinders got the Nightmare King connection in the whole reviving a dead god thing. Of course, this is all WILD speculation.

As for Mary Ann, what does Gorgug want? This is a bit less clear as his arc developed over the course of the season, but I'd say he wants a stronger connection to his artificing (and by proxy, his gnomish parents), he wants a balance between that and barbarian and a healthy relationship to his rage, and I think part of what ticks him off so much about Mary Ann is just how uncaring she seems, that she can seem so unengaged about things and still be such a great barbarian while he has to CONSTANTLY balance and filter his emotions and focus to succeed in his two classes. So I think it's possible Mary Ann was also adopted by a different species, but this time by barbarians so there was never any struggle on her part to relate to the classes of her parents. Her parents just Got rage immediately, she grew up with an innate understanding of it and is able to perfectly modulate it despite seeming so monotone outside it. And I think it'd be very funny if specifically Mary Ann, and only Mary Ann, has no outward beef with the Bad Kids and is actually kind of ok with Gorgug lmao.

I can't WAIT for all of this to get Jossed by the end of the season lmaoooooooooooo.

[haikyu-mp4]

Glowing

word count; 1047 – gn!reader, a bit suggestive

Hoshiumi Korai always wanted to be tough. To win everything. Some would call it a need to be ‘manly’ enough, but he just always had something to prove. In a weird way, it was one of the things that made you feel drawn to him while you were dating. His drive and competitive tendencies, as well as the little frown he did when he lost or got embarrassed. It was all attractive to you.

Completely unrelated, you cared a lot for your skin with a semi-intricate skincare routine every night. Korai, who you recently moved in with after being partners for a few years, would often stay in the bathroom while you did your routine, brushing his teeth for a little longer just so he could watch you and maybe throw out a question or two. Like why are there two soaps? Why are there different serums for different days? And then once a week, after you put on a face mask, he would pull you into his lap on the couch and complain about how you didn’t let him have any kisses. Instead, he settled for holding you closer and tickling your neck with kisses. Living together was pretty great.

One day he finally gave in. You both just finished drying off after a heated shower in each other’s company, when you started putting on this week’s face mask. Korai looked at you in the mirror with a soft frown as he snaked his arms around your waist and cuddled into your neck. It had been a long week, he was so tired from this damn sport he loved so much and felt a little extra thankful today that he got to come home to you. So when you asked “You want a face mask as well?” like you always did, he let out a small sigh before giving in.

“Yes, I do.”

After the short process of getting the mask on for each of you, trading giggles with hesitant grimaces, you both sat on the couch with a timer on your phone and some movie you had watched before on the TV. You even convinced him to put on a cute frog headband to keep his hair away from his face.

While you sat with your legs across his lap and told him about one of your colleagues’ gossip, he looked at his phone and picked it up when it rang. He just glanced at the name of the caller, too into your story to check anything else. Korai hummed as you slowed down your talking to see who it was as well.

“I’ll just check what he wants,” Korai mumbled. The two of you had taken so many cute selfies with the masks on that he didn’t realise the reason he could see the two of you on his screen now was because it was a video call.

Korai seemed to choke on his breath when his screen suddenly showed Kageyama and Hinata with a small image of you and him in the corner. Wearing... face masks and headbands. The girly kind. During Korai’s shock, there was unfortunately time for the man on the other line to fumble his way to the screenshot buttons.

“Idiotyama!! Why would you video me on a Friday evening?” Korai yelled, handing the phone to you and letting his head fall back against the sofa in humiliation. There goes my whole image, he thought dramatically. He couldn’t even cover his face with his hands in shame and instead just pointed an empty stare at the ceiling.

“Me and Kageyama needed to settle something but now I can’t remember what it was. Oh, hi y/n!” the orange-haired man said cheerfully. With a sweet smile, you held a short conversation with them before hanging up. Phone on the table, you put your arms back around your boyfriend’s neck and wondered what you should say. He put his arms loosely around you and waited in silence for you to find the right words.

“I think you look very pretty.”

Hinata and Kageyama had learnt a thing or two about teasing from their older teammates, and you bet the screenshot of you and Korai in pink face masks was sent to the Japan Olympic group chat with a nice ‘hope everyone is enjoying a relaxing weekend just like the little giant!’

Let’s just say you were struggling to hold back your laughter while you finally helped him wash the mask off after the timer went off. Korai was silent, keeping his eyes closed until you pressed a kiss to his freshly washed cheek when you were done. “Wearing a face mask isn’t embarrassing, Korai,” you told him, sneaking your hands under his shirt to warm them.

“You wouldn’t understand,” he sighed, unintentionally pouting like a little boy and tracing his hands around to squeeze your bum like stress balls. Of course, the others didn’t actually care that much if any of the guys used a face mask, it’s just so funny because it’s Korai. He always takes the bait when they tease him.

So as you two finally curled up in bed, you let him spoon you this time with his strong arms curling around you. It made him feel a bit better as you cuddled into him. The morning after was spent cosying up under the sheets and enjoying each other’s bodies before going on your routine weekend jog together. Everything seemed back to normal.

Except that your boyfriend was plotting for the best revenge against his friends.

please excuse the timeline ignorance between the Adlers and the Olympics, it's just a little bonus because I love the Adlers trio

Monday came and Korai went off to work early in the morning. He put the lunch you packed him in his bag and pecked your lips before he was out the door.

“You’re glowing, Hoshiumi.” Kageyama tried his luck early on during warm-ups.

“What am I, pregnant?” Korai spat back. Kageyama just kept smiling at his own joke.

Ushijima switched which arm he was stretching and observed Hoshiumi. “Your skin does look refreshed, maybe we should all get face masks with y/n.”

“I know it does but get your own partner, man.” He just mumbled, moving away to warm up with a ball on the other side of the court. They were so going to get it for teasing him one day.

masterlist

[noideawhatshappenin]

I need to rant about a few things from Bad Batch so

SPOILERS AHEAD

I'm writing this based on memories right after my first watch because my emotions are overwhelming me and I need to rant about them to strangers on the Internet. They're also not in any chronological or logical order.

First off, Echo telling Emerie that he knew the Zillo was Omegas doing? Because he would have done the same?

Immaculate. Fives would be proud to see his brother still being up to dangerous shit. And even passing it along to his little sister/daughter.

On the same note, the Zillo breaks out and the boys outside immediately know it's not coincidence because of course it would be one of their genius madlads.

Crosshair: Was that Echo or Omega.

Wrecker and Hunter without missing a beat: Omega

Because of course it was her.

Then Crosshair saying Clone Force 99 died with Tech had me crying buckets. Baby really has lost all feeling of self worth and needs time to heal on Pabu. Poor boy. Probably feels hella responsible for his death, too, because he wasn't there to help them.

Next up, Hemlock's operatives? You cannot tell me that they're not reminiscent of the Clone Force 99 we saw in Clone Wars. Using debris as a shield, like the first plan we see them do? One fighting with knives, like Hunter? One having a rifle, like Crosshair? Hemlock saw the boys and said: damn I want that as well.

It also explains why many people (me included) hoped for the reveal of Tech being CX-2. They're meant to seem like the Batch.

Also I really hoped Scorch would somehow survive this, just because I'm currently replaying Commando and feel for my poor boy.

Then I think a lot of us remember the meme with the explosion? Absolutely adore, that it was Nala Se blowing the research and Rampart to pieces.

Don't get me wrong, Rampart was a great addition to the recent episodes and his screams had me dying with laughter, but he was an evil piece of shit till the end. He died as a selfish evil Empire guy instead of dying for redemption (like there is a tendency in Star Wars) or getting to live on without any change. He stayed an asshole, even if he was kinda funny in the end.

Now to get into some specifics about the ending and the fate for the boys.

The cut to black when one of the operatives threatened Crosshairs hand? I nearly shat myself, holy hell. What the actual fuck.

The constant pan to Wrecker being injured? I was fully expecting him to sacrifice himself in the end, very glad he didn't.

The scene in the rain on the bridge? Immaculate. The perfect climax to the show. Perfection.

Hemlock's threat being empty, because he needs Omega.

Crosshair still worried because, even if Hemlock won't shoot Omega, his trauma won't just go away and he cannot risk Omega getting hurt.

Omega realising Crosshairs struggle and helping out.

Hunter realising that Omega realised.

Crosshair getting the first hug.

And then we see them leave. Safely. Because it's over. Their fight is over. Bad Batch is over.

Seeing all the clones and children happy on Pabu was the kind of ending the show deserved.

I'd go so far as to call it the ending the show needed. Because the Bad Batch would never have stopped fighting, if there was still danger threatening one of their members. Omega wouldn't have stopped fighting if she had lost another one of her brothers or hadn't been able to free the other clones.

The only way for them to find peace in that world, was a happy end. And I think that's beautiful.

In fact, this leads right into my final thoughts on this. Omega leaving to fight for the rebellion is very on brand for her selfless nature. It's also why this has to happen in the future. The Bad Batch had done their duty. They had fought enough battles for their lifetime, which is why we don't see them joining the rebellion with her. Why it has to happen, when Omega is ready to leave on her own.

Then of course, I cried buckets for Tech's glasses on the dashboard. Because her following in his footsteps and becoming a pilot makes this story come full circle.

Sidenote, I'm pretty sure her hairstyle is, at the very least, inspired by Phee. And her flying is probably closer to Phee than Tech as well, because she is still a chaos child.

Perhaps we'll see more shows from this time. We're certainly still lacking important info.

How does Wolffe join his brothers?

Why are Gregor, Wolffe and Rex "retired" in Rebels?

What happens to Echo?

I imagine, Filoni will give us a Clone Rebellion show (possibly with a sadder ending than Bad Batch) to answer these questions.

Do I have a closing thought? Yes.

As nice as the final scene was, we were absolutely robbed of older Crosshair and Wrecker. ROBBED I SAY.

[heavenlymorals]

Warning: spoilers ahead for both Red Dead games.

Dutch Van Dir Linde is one of the finest characters I've ever come across and that I think about a lot because in many ways, he is represents the dreams that people have and the awful reality of it too.

Heytham, what the hell do you mean that this manic, selfish, delusional piece of shit is like you or me?

Here is an example. When you were a kid, did your parents tell you that your dreams will come true if you worked hard? And did you believe it? I know I did. I studied often, got a great SAT score, joined many extracurriculars, did volunteer work regularly, got a part time job, had all high grades in advanced level courses and in AP/honor programs and I had one goal. To get into my dream college.

I made my resume. I did everything right. I listen to what people better than me told me to do and I waited for that acceptance letter- so confident that I would get into the university. Never once did I imagine that I'd get rejected, but I did. For a 17 year old kid, it felt like the world was ending. I remember sobbing myself to sleep, waking up, and then just laying on my bed disappointed in the world and the lies it fed me. In a perfect world, I'd have gotten accepted. Worst people than me got accepted, why couldn't I?

But I moved on. Life continued and I was fine. I was bitter, sure, but I managed to get over it and work towards better paths and a better future.

But what if I didn't? What if I got hung up on that forever? What if I fought the rejection? What would I have done? What would I have not done?

This little experience, one that many people have gone through, is kind of a microcosm of the much bigger human truth that the world will never be an ideal place due to the human nature.

If I was like Dutch, I would have fought the rejection- I would stick so diligently to the ideal that I believed in so hard, even though that failure was more than likely a guarantee. I wouldn't find an alternative to be better and do better things. I'll get hung up on a dream and never move past it.

That's his dilemma. He believes in the ideal, like we all do, but he will fight tooth and nail to make that ideal real while we will sigh and realize that life will never be the way we want it to be.

Dutch feels betrayed by the world, or at least by his vision of the world- especially America.

America was a country built on the promise of all men being born equal under God and under the law. All men.

That was the dream, the hope, and the promise.

What happened instead? The continuing of the institute of slavery, the massacre of natives, the monopoly of magnates, and the constant discrimination of those not considered 'white'.

It was disgusting and awful and it should've never happened- but it did and people tried to remedy it in ways that were gradual but real. They found different paths and different dreams and though there is still much work to be done, people are finding a way.

Dutch couldn't do that though. He refused to do that. He wanted the ideal and he wanted it immediately, even though it was impossible. He killed for his ideal, he robbed for his ideal, and he led people to hell for his ideal.

But it didn't matter. His ideal will never exist and he couldn't accept that- which leads to his end.

He won't be caught. And he didn't get caught by commiting suicide- a final fight. He wouldn't surrender to John or the Pinkertons, because that would mean admitting that his entire life was a struggle for nothing because his vision will never be realized if people like Cornwall or Favours or the professor continue to exist. Life was hell because of those people and the American dream did not exist because of those people.

"What a beautiful dream. So poorly rendered," - Dutch to Arthur.

And Dutch is right! From the very beginning that this country was created, it relied on an ideal that turned out to be a lie.

And Dutch couldn't handle that and wanted a perfect world that can never be realized and he tried to get that perfect world by lying and stealing and cheating and killing. What a depressing dichotomy.

Now, of course, when it comes to the personal motivations of Dutch, whether pride, hubris, narcissism, or any of that, they can all by factors to Dutch's pointless battle, but his motivation has always been clear and it never changed-

"Yeah, I know it's tough. You like Dutch. He's a charming fellow. He makes sense. He's like one of those nature writers from back East. Only he takes things a tiny little step too far. Rather than just loving the flowers and the animals and the harmony between man and beast, he shoots people in the head for money. And disagreeing with him. Now, I'm not a great intellect, but the metaphysical leap from admiring a flower to shooting a man in the head because he doesn't like a flower, is a leap too far." Edgar Ross to John Marston.

Dutch lived and died to create an ideal that would never be real because he could never accept reality and that is one of the saddest fates a man could have.