#if i was separated from my mother at birth and she was told i died

[thelastevilregal]

Not Jane calling Maura a whiny baby.

That's a little on the nose don't ya think?

[myocsfanfictions]

THE WRATH OF FIRE

House of the Dragon Fanfiction

MASTERLIST

Princess Ysilla Targaryen is the only daughter of Prince Daemon Targaryen and lady Rhea Royce. The affection that she felt for her mother was strong, while her father had never been there, acting as if Ysilla was not even his. But she was. The dragon egg that had been put in her cradle hatched. An outcast of a dragon was born. A dragon with no legs. An outcast of a dragon for and outcast of a dragon rider. Ysilla’s hair were dark, but streaked with white. She was a Targaryen and her wrath was not different from the one that burn inside the members of the House of the Dragon.

《 Previous - Next 》

CHAPTER 2

Ysilla had been right. Her dragon had survived for the first weeks of his life, and it kept getting bigger. No one believed it, but he did, and the girl spent the majority of her time with her dragon.

Since it survived, her lady mother had agreed to make the Maester write to King's Landing so that the keeper of the Dragonpits could take a look at the dragon.

Soon, Ysilla found herself on a ship, cradling her dragon in her arms, heading to the Capital.

She had been when she was only two, or at least that was what her mother had told her. She had to go because her uncle wanted to meet her. But Ysilla had little memory of that. At that time, her aunt Aemma was still alive and the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. But only some months after her visit, she had died, giving birth to her son.

Her aunt came from the Vale as well, and Ysilla would have liked to remember her. But she really couldn't.

"You'll be taken care of," she whispered to her dragon, caressing his head. He seemed to like her touch, which made her giggle. "You are a strong one," she said proudly as his tail circled her wrist and moved his black wings.

Ysilla arrived at King's Landing by ship in five days. When she could see the shape of the city, the girl ran to the front.

King's Landing was huge, and she could already see the Red Keep and the Septon of Baelon. It looked so different from Runestone. Her castle was set on the tall mountains, and it was smaller than the Red Keep.

When her ship arrived at the dooks, her eyes noticed a knight wearing the white cloaks of the Kingsguard. He was a young man, olive-skinned and dark-haired. For some reason, his features made her blush. Her mother didn't let her hear songs much; Royces were strong warriors, and in a hard land like her own, there was no time for stories. But the few that Ysilla had heard talked about beautiful knights, such as the one that was waiting for her at the docks.

"Princess Ysilla," the knight greeted her with a bow of his head, which she reciprocated, holding her dragon in her arms.

"Good day, Ser," she answered politely, feeling a faint blush creep upon her cheeks at the realization she had no clue what the knight's name might be.

"Ser Criston Cole, my princess," he said gently, "I'll be escorting you to the castle. The King is waiting for you." He gestured towards a big carriage. The girl blinked her purple eyes in amazement. She never used those in Runestone; her mother taught her how to ride as soon as Ysilla could. Even her ride to the port had been made on the back of her pony.

Ysilla nodded silently, ready to follow the knight, but she didn't miss the way Ser Criston's eyes lingered upon her dragon.

"He is good," she said, suddenly afraid that they didn't want her dragon to enter the carriage. "He always obeys me, I swear," she assured him.

Since her dragon was born, Ysilla has never separated from him. He has become a dear friend to her, and he was always with her.

"Do not fear, princess," he smiled down at her, "Shall we go?"

Sadly, the carriage had no windows. Ysilla would have liked to watch the busy streets of the city, but she could only hear the people outside. She could not understand any words; they were just buzzing. Riding on horseback to the castle could have been more entertaining.

The dragon in her hands moved, and Ysilla looked down at it. He was still trying to find a way to move as swiftly as possible, trying to put all his strength into his front legs. Sometimes, he hurt her with his claws, accidentally scratching her skin. But Ysilla was patient with him.

"How old is he?" Ser Criston Cole asked her. She knew he had seen her dragon's missing legs, as he had noticed her dark hair streaked with silver.

"Almost two months old," she answered, biting her lower lip, feeling a bit shy. "Ser Criston," she called after some moments of silence, "Is my father here in King's Landing by any chance?"

The knight shook his head, "I'm sorry, princess. Prince Daemon is still fighting on the Stepstones." She flushed with shame. She should have known, but she stupidly had hoped that maybe he would have came in King's Landing after hearing of her arrival. She had just being stupid.

"Oh, thank you." The little claw of her dragon trying to keep himself up made her look down so that their eyes would meet.

You are here, though, she thought, caressing its head.

Once they arrived at the Red Keep, Ysilla felt so small looking up at the stone that built the castle.

"Ysilla Targaryen," her presence was announced as she stepped down the carriage, helped by Ser Criston. On the steps at the entrance of the castle, Ysilla noticed a man with long silver hair wearing black and red vests. On his face, there was a short beard, and he was smiling at her. He was the King Viserys and Ysilla's uncle. Next to him a young lady, with auburn hair tied at the back of her head. Her hands were resting upon her swollen belly. She must have been the young Queen Alicent, her aunt.

"My dear niece," the King said, walking towards her with open arms.

"Your Grace," she knew how to talk to the King; her Maester had thought of her well.

"You've grown so much, my dear," he said, gently smiling at her. At that, Ysilla felt like blushing. She knew how she was supposed to talk to the King, but not so much to her uncle, so she decided only to smile.

"You must be tired," the sweet voice of the Queen got her attention to see her stopping next to her husband, "And hungry."

"You are very kind, my Queen," she spoke shyly, "But I'd like to ask you to make sure my dragon is healthy."

Both the King and the Queen looked at the little beast in her arms. And Ysilla noticed their eyes linger at on the dragon, searching for the hind legs.

"It is-"

"Strong," she spoke, interrupting her uncle, blushing, "But we do not have Dragonpit in Runestone."

"Then we should bring him to the Dragonpit," another voice said from behind the King. She was a pretty girl with long silver hair and a smile, dressed in a soft yellow gown. Ysilla knew who she was: Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the heir to the Iron Throne.

"You want to think about it, Rhaenyra?" Ysilla's uncle asked. The girl noticed the princess making a strange face when her father spoke as if she didn't want him to share words with her. But when Rhaenyra's eyes went back to Ysilla, she smiled again.

"Of course," she said, gesturing towards the carriage.

"He is so pretty," Rhaenyra told her once the carriage moved again to bring them to the Dragonpit. Then she frowned as she got closer, taking a better look at the hatchling. Ysilla brought him closer to her.

"Thank you, princess," Ysilla answered, waiting for a comment from her cousin. She knew she would; everyone did. Ysilla's mother was not even sure that he would have survived.

"How's he called?" The question surprised her. She was ready to answer any question about her dragon, but not that. Ysilla blushed.

"I still have not named him," she admitted, ashamed.

"And why is that?" Asked Rhaenyra curiously.

"No name fits," the girl answered, caressing the head of her dragon.

Rhaenyra smiled. "It will come," she assured her, "Give it time."

Ysilla looked up, her lips curling up, appreciating her cousin's words. When she did so, she noticed the neckless of smoke-grey steel with a deep red ruby in its center. It was shining brightly, even if there was not so much light inside the carriage.

"You like it?" Rhaenyra asked, touching the necklace with her fingers. Ysilla nodded shyly.

"It's Valyrian steel," her cousin said, and Ysilla's eyes grew large.

"Like Lamentation!" She exclaimed, remembering the Valyrian Steel sword that House Royce possessed.

"And Blackfyre, or Dark Sister," Rhaenyra said, talking about the swords that one Aegon the Conquerer and his sister-wife Vysenia possessed.

"Father wields Dark Sister!" She knew all about those matters. Ysilla loved Valyrian Steel. Rhaenyra chuckled, nodding her head.

"Exactly!" She exclaimed before touching the neckless once again, "This was his gift."

Those words confused Ysilla. Her father had given that necklace to Rhaenyra? Why? Perhaps for her name-day, no doubt. If not, why? But did her father usually give gifts on name-days? Ysilla never received anything from him, nor did she know. Or maybe he did!

He must have if he had given something to Rhaenyra, Ysilla though. Her mother probably never gave her presents because she was still a little girl of five—too young for such jewelry.

It must be it, she thought, looking down at her dragon when he moved in her hands.

The Dragonpit was huge. Set atop one of the hills of King's Landing. The Hills of Rhaenys, Rhaenyra called it. The main door of bronze and iron was so tall that Ysilla felt her neck ache when she tried to look up. The Dragonpit was the home of the royal dragons of House Targaryen. Ysilla looked at her dragon as they walked inside, wondering if he would have liked to stay with the other dragons more. Maybe, that was the right place for him.

The Maesters of the Dragonpit were like nothing Ysilla had ever seen. They spoke a strange language that she had never heard before.

"Do you know High Valyrian?" Rhaenyra asked from next to her. High Valyrian was the language that was spoken by the people of Valyria. But Ysilla did not know it. No one in the household was Targaryen. And her mother wanted to raise her proud and strong like the people of the Vale and Ysilla wanted to be. But a part of her wanted to be Targaryen. She was a Targaryen, and she felt ashamed when she shook her head, admitting that she did not know High Valyrian. Rhaenyra observed her for a moment before starting to talk with the Dragonpit Maester. The man spoke to Ysilla, who only frowned, but then Rhaenyra touched her shoulder with a gentle smile.

"He'd like to see the dragon," Ysilla held it a little more, knowing that she had to let him go. The man was waiting, but she could only focus on the dragon moving in her hands.

"It's going to be alright," she assured, looking at the purple eyes of the hatchling. You are a good dragon," she said before moving her arms so that the man could take him. He squirmed, complaining as Ysilla took a step back.

The man put the dragon on a stone table. The little beast had some difficulty staying still due to the lack of its hind legs. But Ysilla observed him proudly as he found his balance using his wings, his long black and purple neck standing eloquently as he got more confident.

The man started to talk, and Ysilla turned to Rhaenyra, who was waiting for her to translate.

"He is deformed," Rhaenyra said, "The hind legs had not developed. He should have been dead by now," Ysilla's heart beat fast, full of worry, "And yet he is strong." Rhaenyra added, "Strong muscles, strong wings. It is unlikely that he will perish." Ysilla felt tears in her eyes, "He is growing good for his age. He says it is a miracle."

"So he will be fine!" Ysilla exclaimed happily. Rhaenyra nodded her head with a happy smile. Then the man talked again, and Ysilla waited patiently for her cousin to translate.

"He needs to be watched over," she said, "If he survives the furst year of age, he will be fine."

Ysilla was so glad to hear, and after asking the permission to go to her dragon, she happily caressed his head.

"You are going to be fine," she assured him, "And we are always going to be together."

________________________________________

Taglist: @watercolorskyy @darylandbethfanforever9

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[reticent-writer]

Hi Can I Ask for a Scenario of the Hashiras (Apart from Rengoku, Shinbou) With Their Father Figure Discovering They Are Blood Relatives and Being Their Real Father.

Which Was Separated From Them. I'd Love To See Sanemi Discovering That The Monstrous "Father" He Had Isn't The Real One And Obanai Discovering That His "Family" Stole Him From His True Parents And The Fact Of Obanai Discovering He Was Loved By His Real Parents.

They Deserve So Much Love Please.

I've had this picture for a while and been wanting to use it.

An: for fathers figures I go with their occupation from other fics.

Mitsuri's ff is a Baker. Giyuu and Rengoku's is a retired hashira. Shinobu's is a doctor. Obanai, muichirou, sanemi and tengen are people from their past.

demon slayer master list

✿✼:*ﾟ:.｡..｡.:*･ﾟﾟ･**･ﾟﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*ﾟ:*:✼✿　　

Sanemi

When Sanemi was younger you would constantly visit him and his siblings, oftentimes helping his mother with his "father" when he was drunk. Sanemi and his siblings were yours.

You hated seeing how Kyogo would treat your kids, but you vowed not to say a word because Shizu did not want to tell him that they weren't his.

Unfortunately, you weren't there when tragedy struck.

You came clean when everything settled down. Genya was ecstatic but Sanemi was about to beat your ass.

"You let us deal with that asshole for YEARS and said NOTHING!" He screamed as he pounded on your chest.

"I'm so sorry, Your mother swore me to secrecy. I wanted to tell you so bad." You said, catching his wrists as he tried to punch you. You could barely see his frustrated and tear-stained face right before he pushed it into your chest.

This poor 14-year-old boy had lost his mom and siblings but at least now he has a proper father.

"I'm glad your my actual dad." He muttered as his arms fell limp.

"Me too."

Obanai

When Obanai was born he was immediately taken away from you and your wife, who unfortunately just passed from birth complications. Being in the infamous Obanai clan is hell on earth.

They didn't care that he was your son, what mattered to them was that he was the only born blood male of the entire clan.

(ya know when your family thinks that they are entitled to something you own just because they're family) Obanai grew up just thinking you were a father figure who called him son. You were always there for him especially when he was still in the clan's clutches. While he was with the clan you told him many stories, one of which is about your wife and that she was pregnant but had complications and died during labor, but you never said what happened to the baby.

Today you were watching him train, he looked a bit off, like he had something on his mind.

"Hi son, did you eat today?" You ask interrupting his training with bento boxes in hand.

"No."

"Come eat I made lunch." You beckon him over with a wave of your hand and he listened.

He sat next to you and asked, "What happened with your baby?

All you could do was look at him. It just came out of the blue. You were tongue-tied and didn't know what to say.

"My child?"

"Yeah, what happened to him? You never told me you always stopped the story after your wife died." He asked again. You had to tell him eventually, why not now?

"Well, my son was taken from me, but I still got to watch him grow up. Unfortunately, I couldn't save him from getting hurt. A snake demon didn't like his uniqueness and wanted to make him more like her, She had the clan slit his mouth."

Your words marrinated in Iguro's mind as he realized you narrated his childhood.

"I'm sorry I never told you. I was scared of your reaction."

He didn't respond, instead he scooted a little closer and laid his head on your shoulder and started to eat.

It felt like an entirety before he said something, "thank you... For everything."

Giyuu

You were absent for most of his life, he only knew you existed from letters you'd send him and his sister.

He didn't know what you did, where you lived or if you had a second family, so when he met you he didn't think you were his father. More like someone who looked out for him while he took your spot as the water hashira.

He only found out because he went to your house and found a picture of his sister on a offering table in a spare room.

"Hey who's this?" He asked and you walked into the small room.

"My daughter. I wasn't there to save her but my son is an excellent fighter, a hashira."

Giyuu just stared at you. His eyes starting to tear up

"Are you alright?" You tried to comfort him but he backed away and covered his face with his hands.

"I'm fine this room is just dusty."

"Okay." You chuckled and patted his back.

In a blink of an eye and turned to face you and hug you.

If any other Hashira were present they'd certainly tease him.

✿✼:*ﾟ:.｡..｡.:*･ﾟﾟ･**･ﾟﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*ﾟ:*:✼✿　　

[t-m-o-axel]

Hi! I think I would have released an informational post about one of my OC earlier if I hadn't felt like a crumpled potato... Oh well! The main thing is that I finally released it!

So, out of all the characters, I decided to choose for now... Cervantes? It seems that he and Elvis went to people a little more (and I myself did a little more content with them), therefore... I will try to fit important information about him, but I will not mind answering questions if you have any! ( :c please )

So... Cervantes is the father of the twins. He does not live with them, but only comes occasionally. It is considered as a guest/visitor.

Basic information on his appearance:

Two moles (one on each side)

Long mustache

Always closed eyes

Smiling (huh)

Always has a walking stick with him

————————————————————————

I would like to tell you right away about his relationship with his daughters!

Cervantes himself loves both daughters very much, but still he spoiled and treated Selenne more flippantly - he saw in her a small copy of himself and his mother. And she was more attracted to him herself. In short, Daddy's princess. Elenois was more interested in the life of some models or stately women, she always looked at them as a role model... And every time she saw photos of her mom in a magazine or at home, she hoped to become as beautiful as she was.

Cervantes did not prevent this, but on the contrary, tried to help, remembering everything that Giselle (his late wife) had once told him. At least he managed to help them become models.

The girls' relationship to their father can be built from their communication with him or when they talk about him. Selenne constantly refers to him as "daddy" and always smiles, trying to mention only the best, she is frisky towards him. Elenois still refers more often as "father" (or "dad"), but she rather portrays respect for him in this way. When mentioning him in conversation, she will tell everything that she can remember, but hiding some moments. That is, Selenne is more open to her father, and Elenois is less open.

Although the girls live separately from their father and already work, he does not stop sending them material gifts.

He also has minor problems with his leg, which is why he has to walk with a cane, but he believes that he looks even more statuesque this way.

A little bit about Cervantes' wife... Cervantes is a widower, a widower since the age of 18. His wife died 2 weeks after giving birth, leaving her husband with a broken heart and two very young daughters. It was difficult, no doubt, it took Cervantes a couple of years to get used to the death of his beloved and try to be better for the twins. He's bored, obviously bored... He does not allow himself to fall in love too much - his Giselle, his swan of the heart, will always be in his heart.

I think I could tell you more about him, but I think it would be interesting for me to hear your questions about him! I will be really glad to see them :)

Thank you if you liked the post! Have a good morning/afternoon/evening/night!

[mellowwillowy]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐦 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲

sc: The Lunacy of Duke Venomania's Manga

The late Empress did not change her stoic face, her eyes merely glanced at his stiff body. This was the sign of the end of his tyranny and the beginning of her son's tyranny.

For 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 I , II , III

Warnings: Unknown and Unaware Incestcual Relationship, Attempted Murder on Reader, Mental, Physical, and Power Abuse. This is dedicated to the fic's clarity. Only read this after you finish the fics(If you are ready to cry that is).

This family is cursed, its bloodline is nothing but filled with filth and sin, all flowing in fheir body as well. This is the confession written by the late Empress to that child, the embodiment of karmic debt.

That child was born out of a heinous act of the late Emperor, the crown prince's wife was assaulted by him. She cried to me, begging for a miracle to happen, to take the baby in her womb away. She tried aborting it but was faced will countless failures as was evidently shown by her enlarged stomach.

Truth be told, I was grateful for the fact that it was her who bore it and not me. Is it a sin for me to think like this? I am merely praising God for his benevolence to me. Had it been me in her position, what would be left out of me?

The baby was born under the sky that was blanketed by stars as though all deities were laughing at its state. Not only was it an embodiment of guilt and shame, its condition was pitiful.

Am I in the wrong for praising God that my sons were born healthy and normal without any anomalies? Perhaps God started to doubt me and punish me...

The mother of that child was unhinged. It wasn't a rare sight for me to see her crying along with the baby. It wasn't rare to see its father glaring at the baby with hatred and grudge.

As time passed, the baby grew up into a toddler. One day, it crawled to me with these large eyes blanketed with the stars I saw that day on the day of their birth. It smiled at me warmly. It made me feel ashamed of how I was grateful for my fate. It made me feel guilty. With trembling hands, I embraced it. The child laughed at me and its hands flapped to my side.

Have they even been embraced by their parents?

That didn't matter. What matters is that I saw her try to murder her own child years later. I saw it. I saw it. I saw it. The pillow was placed on top of her child's face, and the child stayed still. Dead?

... if the child died... and if her crime was discovered... she would be banished... and the crown prince would be devastated and decided to descend from the throne...

That way my husband would be the next Emperor with my son, Erickson, standing next in line!

God, please forgive me for I have sinned all this time.

Forgive me for being greedy.

-- 01

In the end, I remembered how the child looked at me. It was looking at me as though I was their mother...

I yelled for the guards and they immediately separated the mother from the child. Had I not been fast with my voice and thought, I would have never been able to see the stars in their eyes.

She cursed me for doing so. My brother-in-law was not happy with me but who was I but if not the mother of this nation? Even if I wasn't the mother of this nation, I was still the mother this child wished they could have. Had I been consumed with greed completely, I would have never been able to live without guilt placed on my shoulders. The bruises and cuts on the child were merciless, inhumane.

It took 3 years for me to be able to take them into my care. It took 3 years for my brother-in-law to back away from the position. It took 3 years for me to finally be able to embrace that child again.

I introduced them to my sons, Erickson was the first to talk to them although his question was rather unethical.

"Mother! Are they a girl or a boy?"

Nonetheless, they were not hurt by that question. It made me think, that if I couldn't take them in as my child, then they would become my lady-in-waiting. Starting then, I started dressing them up in dresses, growing their hair, and teaching them the etiquette of a lady. They were smart enough to understand everything in a short time, allowing me to let them study what Erickson and Noel had been studying.

The three grew up together, they were going along with each other whims. Noel who had always been quiet once eventually opened up to them while Erickson would always try to monopolize their attention.

Erickson, there's something wrong with him ever since he was little. He didn't have the mind of children around his age, he matured too early. Noel, on the other hand, was a bit slow in his studies as he showed more passion for martial arts.

-- 02

Erickson was crowned shortly after he reached his teenage years, I am glad Noel did not show any sign of envy toward his brother. The Emperor did not oppose the idea of Noel being a knight as well.

Then, a prophet came to visit us, Her figure was hooded by a cloak but it appeared that she was a little girl of 12-year-old.

'One of your sons shall be of a priest,' she said, 'and that man would be the downfall of this nation.'

That man. Who exactly was this 'that man?' Brother-in-law was out of this nation, his whereabouts unknown.

-- ripped

Noel came to me, he insisted on his plan of marrying that child. God, what am I capable of? To tell them this bitter truth? I should have noticed how blushes crept through my son's ears whenever he was around that child. What should I do? He threatened me. He threatened me with his own life and that child's life.

'I don't have the heart to kill my family but I am well capable enough to bring who I love to my grave.'

Even if I told him the truth, he would not falter, I can see that. Because he is my son. Right? This is for his own happiness, right? What am I doing wrong God? If I ever told him that one truth, what would he do? I doubt he would just let things be. I truly doubt that's the case. Because he is capable of bringing someone he loves to his grave if he couldn't have them in this life. I don't want the two of them to die, God, am I doing this right?

Please forgive your Mother for doing this, Noel, Erickson. Mother couldn't decide what's best for everyone. Mother wants Noel to live. Mother did not realize that Noel was feeling lonely this whole time.

And I did not know Erickson was too.

'Mother, I'll be courting them as the next Empress.'

Erickson had always been the child that took what Noel had. Everything Noel had will be monopolized into, including his honor as a knight and his fiancee.

I opposed it of course, not only was it because of the filth in their blood, but they were Noel's fiancee and were incapable of bearing children.

'Mother, I don't care about my descendants. Noel could just continue it for me.'

He had no interest in looking for concubines, he was serious about them. Why? Didn't Erickson want them only because they are Noel's bethroed?

I couldn't do anything. I can't do anything. The person you two love is your Royal Uncle; how am I supposed to reveal that truth without having one of them spilling bloodshed?

I don't know. Perhaps this is my punishment. Perhaps I have always been sinful all along, feigning ignorance and self-justification, this is my punishment.

In the end, I remain selfish. I will bring this truth to the grave with me, this way everyone will be spared this unnecessary bloodshed. Noel was sent away while Erickson wedded that child.

Yes, this way, no unnecessary bloodshed would happen even though Noel had to lose his footing, literally.

-- ripped

...saw him here. There was blood all over him, with an eerie smile, he held my hands in place and said,

'Mother, I am the child of God. I am his son, and I will bring down any form of injustice.'

I trembled at his words, this form of injustice he was talking about was Erickson. In the end, he didn't kill me. My whole room was searched for something and I was locked away in the Twin Tower.

What would happen if I told them the truth now? Would it even matter?

I understand now, what I should do.

I will lock this truth into the Pandora's box so that the child won't have to feel disgusted and bathed in guilt.

I will follow him even after my death. I will follow them all.

I'm writing these all as a form of confession to the Church. May God forgive me, for I have sinned even until my last breat-

--Blood splatters

[dreamymoonpearl]

What we do for love

I

Jason Lannister was dead.

A tragic accident for an alpha in his 40's and a sad loss for his alpha-wife Aemma Targaryen, they had only been married for four years and to the sadness of the Lannisters along with the Hightowers there were no children, many murmured that it was the punishment of the mother for forcing the she-alpha Aemma to marry a man who was not even compatible with her.

The poor woman only followed the orders of her mother (grandfather) to please the beta and leave her “deviant” preferences that kept her from continuing the good path of the seven, so she kept quiet and did her duty for four years. Is this how the gods paid Aemma?

Alicent was pinching her cuticles, the funeral is beautiful and everyone is there, especially many noble families and their alpha son´s, her daughter was sitting in the front line beautifully dressed and with a poker face expression, the veil marked her thin face without a trace of tears and just accepting everyone's condolences with a nod, she looked away at his father, Otto Hightower speaking discreetly with Vaemon Velaryon...he was doing it again.

His daughter's husband had only been dead for four days and from the second day her father was already looking for a new husband/ally for Aemma (him), but why wasn't Alicent surprised? He was just waiting for Viserys Targaryen to die, so Aegon would take full command of the company and all his assets, it didn't matter that he had to use his own grandchildren, he had already done it with his only daughter.

 What difference did it make to use her children as exchangeable currencies?

At least she hopes that Aemma could enjoy her freedom for a whole year in her mourning, breathe easily unlike her, who seemed that Viserys would not die soon, if Alicent died before the alpha she did not care anymore, it would make no difference.

But at the same time the female beta wanted to make sure that she left her children happy and in good marriages, at least with Aemma and Daeron, she had already ruined the lives of Aegon and Helaena by forcing them to marry. Having to force her first little girl to give birth to babies...quickly all that happened to background when the brown hair omega, Lucerys Velaryon, approached the alpha who seemed to light up and even shared more than five words with him.

He was holding her hands and Aemma was stroking her white hand with her thumb, she looked calm and radiant with him in front of her.

“Aemma”, she called calmly, as if she had not almost run to separate them, “we must continue, let's go, the hearse is waiting for us… Lucerys”, greeted politely to the omega who gave her a soft smile and a nod with a low Mrs. Alicent.

"Yes, thank you Lucerys, I hope...", Aemma looked at her nephew and left the words hanging in the air, the beta raised an eyebrow, were they secreting talking in front of her?

“I will do it aunt, thank you, I will leave you both alone and I won't take any more of your time.”

Quickly Lucerys turned around and went to his family who were in a group talking among themselves and several nobles who supported Rhaenyra as heir, Alicent frowned. She didn’t like that at all.

“What did that omega say to you?”, with the hearse in front of the dark limousine that mother and daughter boarded to have privacy and finally talk alone, the beta expressed her confusion.

“Jason wanted to invest with the Velaryons, but they always rejected him, Corlys Velaryon told him it wasn't worth it, I'm doing this for the sake of my family..." the silver hair woman replied calmly, looking out the tinted window, “if it's still my family for the next month…”

"Dear"

"It´s fine mother, I understand, I'll have to accept what he's going to do", she still didn't look at her and Alicent felt like she was dying, her daughter knew what her grandfather was up to and knew that her mother wouldn't protect her again, “only if he can”.

Before Alicent could ask what she meant the hearse stopped, it was time, they had to give Jason Lannister a proper burial and her daughter had to do something that no wife should do, that no wife should see or feel, losing her husband in such a short time and be left alone, unprotected in that horrible world.

The funeral was beautiful, great words of consolation from the Lannister family, twin brother and widow, there were many truly crying and others hypocritically, the farewells were prolonged by each guest, and she found herself searching for her daughter in the large crowd without success, ten minutes had passed, and she couldn't see her tall daughter's hair adorned by the veil anywhere.

“Maybe she left”, Aegon say drunken, a glass of wine in his hand and he was swaying a little, “or she must be hidden so that no one sees her, you know how Aemma is, she doesn't like to be seen crying”.

"She wouldn't leave. It's her husband's funeral and it would be disrespectful!" she yelled at her son as she walked away from the crowd, desperate to find her, "you're right, she must be devastated and doesn’t want anyone to see her like that, help me find her”.

With a snort, her eldest son followed her to find the alpha widow that only the seven would know where she was hidden so that they would not see her in such a terrible state.

-

Muffled moans and the lascivious sound of two mouths colliding with each other were the only things that could be heard in the limousine, gloved hands caressing the naked body in front of her in desperation, after all they didn't have much time and at any moment they would be interrupted, it would be a great scandal that the she-alpha no longer cared about, in that moment.

“Auntie, please”, with a string of saliva joining their tongues, big brown eyes looked at her, “I'm so wet”.

“You are, I can smell you”.

“Aemma, please”, pushing her a little to raise his legs on the seat and show in all his splendor his pussy that was dripping slick, all red from the torture that the alpha gave him with her fingers minutes before, “I need your cock”.

“Aren't you a needy slut spreading your legs for a widow at her husband's funeral?, bad Lucy”, slapping the pussy in front of her and making the omega squeal with pleasure, Aemma crouched down and knelt on the ground upholstery of the limousine, "we can't, not now at least, but I can eat this delicious cunt, will you explain to your mother, our family and all the guests what an omega does by offering himself to a poor alpha devastated by the death of her alpha?"

“Yes, yes, yes I will”, he spoke desperately pushing his hips, Aemma smiled and kissed his swollen clit superficially, “AEMMA!”

“Shhh…they will hear us”, with one hand she opened his lips and felt her dick begin to grow in her dress as the entrance opened and closed, desperate to feel full, “don't grab me by my hair, I won't be able to fix it, and everyone will know what we did”.

She didn't give him time to respond and stuck out her tongue to lick his pussy from bottom to top, stopping at the clit to pull it gently with her teeth. Lucerys moaned loudly and clung to the seat following her aunt's orders, quick with her soft hand his aunt covered his mouth, a muffled scream came from the omega's throat as he felt the she-alpha suck hard on his red bud.

"I told you to be quiet, understand?", using her alpha voice, she made Lucerys become self-conscious and nod slowly, she withdrew her hand, spitting at his entrance inserting two fingers and the brunette quickly covered his mouth, moving his hips looking for more contact, offering himself before her, opening his legs impossibly wider, “good omega, tomorrow you can have my knot and mark, would you like that?”

Crystal-clear eyes with tears of pleasure answered what the omega wanted to say, his eyes shouting a clear yes, fuck me alpha made her return to her task of torturing her nephew's sweet cunny, her inner alpha howled with happiness for finally having her omega at her side and savoring his delicious slick, her tongue melted into his inner walls and her nose collided with his clitoris, caressing it, she felt the omega's body tremble from the pleasure he felt.

She also felt her erection throb desperately, four years of sexual frustration of having to tolerate the kisses, caresses, and knot of an alpha like Jason Lannister took their toll, she felt like she would come at any moment, she squeezed her legs trying to please herself. She couldn't fuck her nephew, she wouldn't stop until she destroyed Lucerys' tight pussy, she wouldn't stop until she was satisfied with the sexual frustration that she had carried throughout her marriage, she wished so much that she didn't care what everyone thinks of her and she didn't plan on risk Lucerys, now that she finally had him where she wanted him.

This time her grandfather would not interfere in her plans, not with a soon pregnant omega, when the funeral was over and both went to her home she would fuck him in the mouth, in his tight pussy and ass until dawn, she would knot him as much as she wanted, would make him fat with her pup and mark him, but for now, she would be happy with just using her mouth to please Lucerys.

-

“AEMMA! Where you been?!”, the beta woman strode over to her daughter, looked her up and down, “Are you okay?”

The alpha had her hair perfectly combed, but her dress was wrinkled, and her face was a mess, her eye makeup was smeared, and she wasn't wearing her red lipstick, her eyes were even a little red.

“No, my husband is dead, how am I going to be okay?”, she licked her lips, avoiding looking at her, “is done, I'm going home, please say goodbye to everyone for me, I feel bad”.

“I'm going with you, Aegon go to your grand-”

“I want to be alone, mother”, she interrupted her dryly, Alicent looked at her daughter in surprise, “before I have to get married again”.

“Aemma…”, trying to hug her and being cruelly rejected again, her hands were trembled, “tomorrow I'll go see you, I'll bring you something to eat”.

“I think you know what I trying to say, mother, I want to be alone for a few days”, she murmured annoyed, her older brother opened his eyes surprised by the attitude of the apple of his mother's eye, “I'll call you if I need anything or if I feel alone, thank you”.

Still without looking at her, she called the driver and headed to the parking lot that was far from the chapel and the pantheon, alpha and beta watched the silver hair widow walk away and get in limo when the man opened the door for her, the older woman knew that this was what she deserved, she let her father use her children like her, she let them be victims of Otto Hightower and she never lifted a finger, if her daughter did not want to see her for now, she would understand, she would give her daughter the peace she couldn't have a single minute of her life when she was 16 and pregnant.

She can only pray for her daughter and secretly hope that she will run away, like her young self-had planned so many times when Aegon was born, taking her baby, and fleeing away from the clutches of her husband and father. Now it was just an old dream, and she hoped her daughter could forgive her, like she still tried to do with her father.

English is not my first language, RESPECTFUL comments are accepted

[keepwonderingwoman]

going to be mean and blunt about the robins rq

dick: the First one. you can dress it up as whatever as him being a minority him being a marysue wunderkind him having eldest daughter syndrome whatever whatever idc his value is inherent in being the first one. he’s my favorite but he’s the first and that’s what he brings to the table. literally every part of his character is just the idea of the The First One amplified. they could write him out of the dc story they could ! but it’s not his flexibility as a person/character that keeps him relevant it’s because he sets the tone always. everyone else gets to be different because he set the standard first and it’s BECAUSE he came first that he’s written like this.

jason: the Dead one. stephanie’s dead too, you say. god i wish DC would acknowledge that, i reply. death arcs are sexy and cool and put everyone else in the wrong because dying and coming back makes you the ultimate object of pity. unfortunately dc found jason so boring that somehow even with a death arc as his only personality trait his run was so boring without other characters they had to shut him down at 50 issues

tim: the Boring one. this post was actually motivated by seeing a post that tried to make tim interesting and i would just like to say: stop. there is nothing fundamentally unique or likable about him. name one thing tim has going for him i’m begging you…smarts? dick is smarter*. skills? damian’s been training since birth**. strength? jason is 6 2”. humor? stephanie literally slapped batman. initiative? duke started a robin collective WITHOUT walking up to a dude and saying “hey remember when ur parents died ! sucked for me tbh” PLEASE. “oh but he’s the relatable one :(((!” i hate to break it to you but if you relate to tim you’re probably just as boring and no one’s told you yet. consider this your wakeup call. now try to imagine a world without him. you can’t because DC won’t stop putting him in things. it’s killing me

stephanie: the Girl one. white and blonde and the target of every horrific Women As A Cautionary Tale storyline in the batman universe ever. because she already has MAJOR diversity points for being female in the robin costume, the writers and the fandom decided to ransack her character for things to beef up tim’s disgustingly sparse resume with. this has left behind a Girl Best Friend Doll in purple with a drawstring in her back to let her say unfunny one-liners and the words “We Can Do It!” © Rosie the Riveter

Damian: the Exotic one. god forbid we have one story that does not involve his Evil Heritage and Evil Family. where are he talia and ras from again? the Mystical Orient, did you say? come again? oh, you mean the [unspecified landmass] of the Savages who Must Be Converted To The American Values of Apple Pie and Bravery? everything about damian has to tie back to his exoticism, his temperament his weaponry his fucking dialogue (and like the vernacular (separate story) that he’s given that conflates east + antiquation -> to imply backwardness) of it establishes him as the Other and makes it the conflict all the time. you don’t see tim’s white people manners learned from his mother being an issue to overcome do you

Duke: the New one. technically not even robin to begin with, thank GOD because while it would be sweet to see a younger duke maybe have been a robin it would have come at the expense of his family, AND ON THAT NOTE in fanon it constantly does??? the guy is Batfamily but he has his own cast (and that’s how you create a HeroProtagonist in the dcverse) and he was established as an outside individual a la Kate or Dick (90s). try and respect that

there’s no point to this btw. but i said what i said

*babs is not mentioned because she’s not a robin

**cass, again, not mentioned because she’s not a robin

[hum-suffer]

We'll say hello again (Nevermind the chasm between us) 4

Bhairav doesn't leave her hand at all. He stands there, back rigid and new scars displayed on his chest proudly, but he doesn't leave her hand, even as she bends down to take Amrendra's sword. He knows not to interrupt her, knows that even his touch on her brother's sword is forbidden.

The horse hilt brings all the memories that had borrowed themselves in her mind and as Katappa talks about the day she and Amrendra were born, Gauri unsheathes the now clean sword. The scabbard stays in her left hand while she manages to prick her left thumb on the sword carefully.

No swords should be used prior to the sacrifice of one's own blood.

This is the sword that Katappa killed Bahu with. The sword that Gauri ordered forge. The sword that Bahu named Kaali. She doesn't register any pain from the prick and carefully holds the hilt. The surge of life feels incredible and somehow, Gauri feels every ounce of power that she's not had in the past twenty five years.

She closes her eyes, tightens her hold on Kaali, and twirls it in an arc that would have sliced the belly, upper arm and neck of someone, had they been in her way.

"The Queen died while giving birth to the twins," Katappa says in the distance,"Your father, Amrendra Bahubali and your aunt, Gauraangi Devi."

Gauri smiles,"He never lived in a world that did not have me. Even when I wasn't breathing out of our mother's womb, he cried and sobbed— refused to be handled well until he was near me." She doesn't remember all this, obviously, but she knows what her maid in waiting, Srivika told her.

"I didn't breathe until he was near me."

»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»

They are seven today. Maa sits down between the three of them and smiles,"What do my darlings want for their birthday?"

Bhalla begins to speak but a raised eyebrow from maa shuts him up. He received his gifts on his own birthday, a fortnight ago. Bahu looks at Gauri and tilts his head. She knows this look. He wants to ask maa for something that is ostentatious and needs her to back him up in expressing want for it so he feels less guilty.

She exaggerats her nod to him, pretending to let Maa see that she wants Bahu to speak.

"A window sill, Maa," he says,"the moon looks beautiful from the window in our room but standing there for hours is exhausting." She doesn't care as much for the moon. Yes, it's pretty, but Bahu's smile is better. Seeing him excitedly ramble about the state of the stars and the moon is everything Gauri wishes until the day she dies.

Maa looks between them like she knows this is a plot and Gauri still has to ask for her own gift. She wants to ask Maa for her Mata's, her birth mother's, information but she holds her tongue. She can ask that any day. Asking for a whole new piece of furniture to be made needs the courage and self assurance Bahu seldom has.

She nods and looks at Gauri, who doesn't say anything but smiles. Maa once said she smiled like her Mata.

(Did Mata smile like this when she saw two children whom she died for?)

Maa looks haunted for a moment and sighs. "You know that this is a big gift and it is for two of you combined, yes?"

Guilt flashes in Bahu's eyes. Gauri beams at maa and nods. Bhalla narrows his eyes but doesn't say anything.

»»»»»»»»»»»»»»

"You two lied to Maa," Bhalla says half an hour after maa left. They all know maa has the horrid habit of eavesdropping when she thinks something is fishy.

Gauri shrugs. Bahu looks down but still relentlessly continues,"We really do want that window sill! You sleep too early, or you can the moon every night there. It's beautiful."

Bhalla rolls his eyes. "I am not wasting my time like that, Bahu."

Here, even if she would never admit to even herself, Gauri thinks he's right.

What use is it to love something as impermanent as the moon?

»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»

The first time she fights with Maa, they're thirteen.

She has ordered that they have separate chambers and Bahu is getting new chambers adjoining to Bhalla's. Gauri wants to scream and shout; Bahu is her other half, she cannot exist without him, let alone relax enough to sleep!

"Why must it be so, Maa?" Gauri wails, improper, impolite and loud. Her teeth feel elongated and she wants to bury them in blood. A physical ache is what she feels at the idea of being separated from her brother, her twin, her everything.

He twists in his sleep. What if he fell off the bed? He only ever wants one pillow, he will throw every pillow away. He sometimes forgets to remove his accessories before going to bed and the few times Gauri did not know of that, he woke with impressions of rings on his face. He is extremely lazy, he almost never changes into night appropriate clothes until Gauri badgers him at least thrice. He likes sunlight on his face when he wakes up. He absolutely adores the window sill in their room and spends hours looking at the sky.

How will he do any of that if he's away from her?

Maa is flustered by her question. She sees anger that her tone makes and even if she wishes to apologise, she won't. She won't. She needs to be there for her brother more than she needs to be a good daughter.

"Please, Maa," she tries more softly and takes a step further, brushing her hand against Maa's knuckles,"Do not punish us like this. Whatever you are punishing us for, keep us together, please. Don't do this."

Bhalla stands to the side, looking pained and irritated. Bahu is quietly looking at the ground. She wants to hit him. Why isn't he loving her as mchh as she does him? Why isn't he desparate to stay with her? Why is she the only one who loves him so? Why is she the only one who ever loves them all so pathetically? Why doesn't she have the privilege of him fighting for her?

The tears in her eyes sting of betrayal and she doesn't spare Amrendra another glance. Let him stare at the ground, she thinks, juvenile, Bhalla loves me better than he does.

Gauri tries again in front of Maa's stony silence. "He is my brother, Maa. Please. Why did you let us be in the same room for all our lives if you wanted to wretch it from us? Why give us complete happiness if it was never permanent?"

"It must be, because I said so." Maa grounds out, not even glancing at Gauri,"Stop being stubborn, Gauri. Learn something from Bahu, he knows how to be obedient."

Gauri lets her hand fall from Maa's. "He knows how to be coward, you mean."

She curtises and leaves the room, her back to everyone she loved who did not understand just how much she loved.

»»»»»»»»»»»»

It's not Bahu that comes to her.

Bhalla doesn't speak. He comes to sit in front of Gauri, who is desparately trying to embroider a shawl for Katappa's upcoming birthday. It's difficult, because her hands keep trembling and her tears blur her vision. But she knows Bhalla. He's patient. He's going to let silent reign until she decrees that she wants to speak.

"He stood there, Bhalla. Like a coward, he didn't even speak of what he wanted! Am I supposed to fight for him? Is this what it means to be the sister of Amrendra Bahubali?" She stabs the needle in the shawl and throws it on the floor, beside her. Her hands are all red and there's tiny blood points at some places because she couldn't concentrate as well. She should wash her hands soon.

Bhalla rises to his knees and distantly, she thinks she's the only one for whom Bhalla will kneel. At least Bhalla will put her first. At least he will know she loves him more than he loves her and he will understand her for it.

She's resigned herself to never being understood about just how deep she loves her family, barring her uncle. But at least Bhalla will side with her.

He moves towards her and opens his arms. Gauri gladly hugs him. The tears fall and wet his tunic but he doesn't say anything. He rubs her back and sighs,"He wasn't being a coward, Gauri. He has too much pride. He did not want to beg Mata in front of you."

"I begged!" Gauri snaps but it's muffled in his shirt. "I begged for us like I was the only person who cares for the other! He can't raise a challenge in front of Maa for me? How is he going to protect me when he is the one that hurts me?"

"Hush, sister," Bhalla says, and his arms tighten around her. "I'm here. I love you. I'm sorry that I can't love you as much as you love me. I'm sorry Bahu doesn't understand how much you love him."

Bahu visits her two hours later, when her eyes are puffy and red. He runs a hand through her hair. Gauri turns away from him. She hears his breath hitch but she doesn't care to turn around.

Why should she always care? He's supposed to care too.

"I apologise, Gauri," he says, sits down beside her and wraps his arm around her shoulder. "I did not mean to abandon you, I promise. But I can't very well oppose Maa."

"But I do it!" She snaps at him,"I oppose Maa for you!"

He leans his temple against hers,"You're more courageous than I."

Gauri laughs in his face but doesn't move away from him. She can't. She can't. She can't. They fit together perfectly. He's her brother. Her brother. Her elder brother. Her blood. Half her soul, half her mind, half her personality.

She sneers at him,"You just don't love me enough to put me above Maa, Bahu."

He doesn't reply but the tears in his eyes tell her everything she needs to know.

She's right. She's right and he will always love maa more than he loves her and he hates it and hates that she's right. Bile rises in her throat.

Gauri runs away from her brother.

They reconcile, of course. She can never stop speaking to him for more than a handful of hours. She's lying on her bed and she can't sleep. Not knowing how Bahu is kills her and not feeling that idiot's foot hitting her calf makes her want to curl in on herself for warmth. She's alone and she's cold. She doesn't ever want to leave Bahu.

She keeps her eyes closed when she hears the bedroom door open, knowing who it is. The dagger under her pillow doesn't even cross her mind, she is so sure. When the bed dips, the exact way it has every night, Gauri relaxes. Her anger shimmers close to surface but the need underneath keeps it leashed.

He doesn't embrace her, he's never been a fan of physical touch like she and Bhalla are. But he moves closer and runs his hands over the crown of her head.

"I'm sorry," he whispers and it sounds like he's been crying and Gauri wants to sob again. "I'm so sorry. I will always choose you, sister. I'm sorry I didn't speak so earlier. You know I'm no good with words. I'm sorry I ever made you feel like you're my second choice, sister. You're not. You will never be a choice, you are my everything."

Gauri turns around to look into the darkness that cloaks her brother. She feels a lump in her throat that wants to make her claw at herself but she breathes instead.

Bahu is crying, and his tears are falling on the pillow that Gauri would usually hug in her sleep. He always liked it too, just never asked for it from Gauri.

His hand comes to her cheek and Gauri shuffles closer. "I'm so sorry," he repeats in a broken whisper that makes Gauri ache. She closes her eyes and lets her head fall forward to his shoulder. "I'll make sure to never make you feel like that again, Gauri. I promise."

Gauri melts in his hands. The assurance is everything she needs.

Even if Maa did make her understand why their rooms must be separated now, even if Bahu didn't speak up, even if Bhalla took Bahu away at the time of dinner to talk. Gauri knows he will choose her. Bahu will never break his promises and a promise of love from him is all she needs.

"I do not forgive you, brother," she tells him,"But I will thank you for never letting this happen again." He embraces her fully and the tightening of his arms lets her know that he knows what she's thinking.

She has to beg for promises of love from her own brother, has to have a tantrum for him to choose her, has to thank him for giving her scraps of love.

If he doesn't love her, who will?

____________________________________________________

Part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4

Tagging: @alhad-si-simran @vijayasena @satanicallysatanicchild @o-merebholebalam @multifandom-boss-bitch

[imperial-russia]

Maybe I missed it because you already wrote about it, but what is your view of Catherine I, as a person? She is called The Great which of course alludes to her reign and prestige, but as a person later in life she doesn't strike me as particularly kind, especially to her son. In my view, what I have learned of her so farm is she held onto the throne for so long, rather than give it to her son at some point in his adult life. Wasn't he the rightful heir, considering Catherine herself admitted i writing he was legitimate and her husband's son, not one of her lovers? His first wife died and he grieved and to snap him out of it she told him how she cheated on him? I know he was separated from Catherine from birth but she had the chance to make their relationship count later and she just didn't seem to have understood him, at all, I'm being mild here. And he resented her too, which reflects in his choices when he became Tsar. I just think the succession would have been so much more smooth and thus good for the nation if their mother son relationship wasn't as bad as it was. It wasn't Pavels fault his father didn't have a good marriage to his mother.

I find it extremely tricky to judge a character of these bygone personalities because they are so complex and often have to make decisions none of us could face.

Personally, I think Catherine deserves to be admired for many things. She was ambitious, highly intelligent, passionate, and genuinely wanted to better life for the Russian people and further the country´s progress culturally, scientifically, diplomatically, and of course militarily. And all that, especially the military bit, came at the cost of the suffering of the anonymous crowds we know nothing about. But her achievements were undeniable and her legacy is one of the greatest Russia can boast about now.

She had lofty ideals and was at first very much determined to make them a reality, but even an Empress, especially in Russia at that time, cannot just change everything. Catherine´s power, especially in her early reign, depended on the noble families and she had to keep those on her side, so her ideals of ending the serfdom had to be postponed and were so indefinitely, etc.

Her family life was a mess though, from the very start. Her mother saw her only as a pawn for her own ambitions, eventually leaving Russia in disgrace and without even saying goodbye, Empress Elizabeth liked her in her own strange way, but there was never any closeness or true warmth between the two women. her marriage was an utter disaster and her children were all snatched away from her the moment they were born and she was hardly ever even allowed to see them. Catherine overcame her losses and personal tragedies because she decided to become something more. In fact, had she not decided to seize the power, she may have well been driven out of Russia or even killed herself.

And once her little palace revolt had been completed, she would simply not give up what she gained to her little son for several reasons. Firstly, he truly was just a child, unable to rule anyway. Secondly, after years of humiliation and fear, she was now in the position of being feared and respected. And finally, the Rolov brothers and their forces wanted her on the throne, not Pavel, and she was beholden to them.

I think Catherine grew to dislike and later truly despise her son only when he grew older and as she became an old woman herself, she got that trait of many old people who become more capricious, and selfish and believe their experiences make them, if not omnipotent, definitely better informed and cleverer than anyone else around. And she did things that were deliberately aimed at hurting Pavel, like denying him any responsibilities, instead of giving him some function at court and trying to groom him into an heir. Perhaps the worst thing she did was take away from him his eldest children in the same manner Empress Elizabeth had done to her. And allowing the rumour/information about Pavel´s paternity to simply go around was yet another attempt to hurt him. Personally, I tend to believe Pavel was the son of Peter III, based on the inherited personality traits and recently I have also come across a report that Nicholas II´s DNA tracing led to direct ancestors of Peter III. furthermore, Catherine probably hated Pavel ALSO based on the fact he was, in many ways, like her husband. I imagine had he been as pretty and gallant as her lover Saltykov, it would have been a different story.

Pavel was so very different from Catherine and in opposition to her so vocally, that she was also afraid he would run to the ground everything she had built. And that was simply unthinkable.

Catherine could be generous and caring, but as a woman in a very unique position, a woman who controlled an immense empire and had a say and care about every aspect of it, she had to make (and made) many decisions which naturally we today find cruel, unjust and selfish. To be an effective leader, you cannot rule as an angel, unless your subjects, ministers, family members, and other monarchs, are also angels. What matters most is, eventually, what remains when you are gone.

Catherine had given much to too many people not to be remembered, if not kindly, than with respect. She was not a good mother to her son at all, but she was more successful with her grandsons, and she was especially successful in the role of the mother of the nation.

[neiliti]

Sarah scetch cuz it's my b-day🥳

Sarah headcanons btw!

Sarah Castillo

Born 22 of september, 1991.

Biromantic/Asexual/Cis-female

Her mother died during birth.

Barely speaks Spanish with Carlos.

Pretty short for her age.

Had a dog when she was a child.

Has autism and separation anxiety.

Doesn't know what is real friendship, bc she had almost no friends before and due apocalypse.

Know how to apply a plaster, a splint, what to do if a person is bleeding, because she read notes, etc. made by Carlos during his medical studies.

///////Relationship with others///////

Clementine - Best friend. Sarah made friendship bracelets for them.

Carlos - She's really afraid of the fact that she can loose him. After his death she didn't want something to do, like her rod by which she could hold on and move on was broken.

Luke - Friends. They sometimes prank other survivors.

Nick - Bestfriends. Their dynamic like a sun and a moon. Tried to light him up after Pete's death.

Pete - Friends. Pete tells stories and jokes from his youth.

Alvin - Friends. He's like Pete, but less serious and more guardian or better parent.

Rebecca - Friends. Sarah tried to help Rebecca, when she felt bad and when Rebecca started to give birth, Sarah tried to help again, but she could do anything because of her own death.

Kenny - Neutral. She thinks he's too agressive, but funny sometimes.

Sarita - Friends. They both helped each other sometimes.

Walter - Friends. Sarah thinks his nice and wise if he became a teacher.

Matthew - She doesn't know abt him more than he fact that Nick sh0t him.

Carver - Enemies. Carver thinks that Sarah is useless and a burden. Sarah thinks that Carver is too cruel and strict.

Bonnie - Friends. They talked when "worked" abt life before all this and after.

Mike - Neutral. They didn't talk much.

Jane - Neutral. Sarah was scared when Jane told Clementine about Jamie.

Becca - Neutral. Sarah doesn't know abt Becca's thought abt her.

Sorry for misspelling or etc. I used google translator

[cryptidclaw]

Shriketail! Aka. Longtail in my AU! I've made a Longtail design before but I changed stuff about him in my au, aaaannd I just wanted to update it bec I wasn't completely pleased with it!

I gave him one floppy ear and blue eyes from his mom Downnose, and I made him look more like Down overall. I made his brown a bit paler and gave him more white to reference Down as well, plus I think it looks better. 

reblog with image descriptions

Info about him in my au below! warning it is very long (as usual lolol) v

-First off he is trans masc and Gay! He eventually ends up mates with Firestar and he is best friends/ in a queer platonic relationship with Sandstorm who is Firestar’s other mate! 

-his mother is Downnose! Down had a short affair with a kittypet, which resulted in Shrike!

-Down was extremely exited to be a mom, despite the fact that it would definitely cause some questions ... but I think that Shrike's kittypet parent (who was the one to birth him since Down is trans) didn't want a kid like Down did, and had just been enjoying a dumb affair, so they were perfectly happy with letting Down raise Shrike in ThunderClan.

-Down took Shrike to ThunderClan once he was weaned. Her showing up with a child caused a lot of drama, but Downnose refused to say who the parent was stating "I am a molly and this is my kit, Queens don't have to say who the other parent is, and that should be no different for me." The clan begrudgingly moved past it bec they knew how stubborn Downnose was and that she would not budge.

-Down looooved raising her kit, and absolutely adored Shrike, and after a while most of the clan just tried to ignore the mystery of where he came from. Though the main theory was that he was from that kittypet Down was always caught talking to (which was correct)

-when Shrike became an apprentice things went downhill, Darkstripe was his mentor and was a strong follower of "outsider bad, kittypet weak" and with all the rumors about Shrike being half kittypet, Dark was harsh on him and was determined to train the kittypet out of him. As a result Shrike became very insecure, and that took its from as anger, he chose to conform to Dark (and Tigerclaw)'s ways of thinking to prove himself and to keep himself separate from the strong possibility of his kittypet blood.

-during this time he grew apart from his mother, feeling anger and resentment towards her for having a kit with a cat outside the clans. This hurt Down a lot and she tried to get closer to her son again, but that just pissed him off more.

-he eventually became a warrior, and soon after Rusty, soon to be Firepaw, was taken to ThunderClan. All of his resentment toward kittypets caused him to start his fight with Fire, and he was only more angered when he lost that fight.

-and so began his animosity towards Fire, caused by his indoctrination to Tiger and Dark's xenophobic beliefs as well as his internalized hatred for his kittypet blood.

-over time however, Shrike started to grow to like and respect Fire, this was a very slow process, and he refused to admit it to himself or others. This process was helped by his mom constantly telling him off for being an asshole though.

-after Tiger was revealed to be a traitor, it really started to hit Shrike that maybe the things he was taught weren't something he should be believing. He stopped hanging around Dark as much and even started speaking to his mother more.

-and once Dark was revealed to be a traitor too? Shriketail came to terms with the fact that he had been wrong and an asshole, and really he always knew that deep down, he was just insecure. 

-after Swiftpaw’s death, Shrike started to grow closer to Fireheart. Fire had apologized to Shrike, stating that it was his fault that Swift had died, because he had been unable to convince Bluestar to make him a warrior. But Shrike told him he was being dumb and that Fire had done everything he could. 

-After this Shrike admitted to Fire that he didn't hate him at all, and apologized for how he had acted in the past. Fire forgave him, and they started hanging out as friends, and Shrike took it upon himself to tell others off if they said something rude to Fire, or chose to undermine his commands. 

-Shrike also became besties with Sandstorm, both having similar personalities (and they both could bond over their crushes on Fireheart) 

-Shrike was also close to his mother again, apologizing for how he had acted, and wanting to make up for the time he had been an ass to her. Down was just happy to have her baby back, though she would be sure to keep knocking sense into him if he ever acted stupid. 

-After the battle at the end of the first arc, Shrike was deeply wounded in the eyes by another cat, and would later completely lose his eyesight due to infection. 

-During this time Fire admitted his feelings for Shrike and they became mates, Fire is poly in this au, and is mates with both Sand and Shrike. 

-It was extremally hard for Shrike at first after being blinded, he had to give up his apprentice, since he was going to have to recover for a long while, he had and extremely hard time talking to his mother at first since Down is deaf, and he was unsure if he could ever be a warrior again. 

-But Shriketail’s support system came to help him! Down was determined to talk to Shrike despite their barriers, she learned how to better her speech, so they could understand each other. Down along with Fireheart and Sandstorm were determined to help Shrike learn to be a warrior again, and after a while Shrike was able to be just as good of a warrior as ever!

-Shrike helped raise Squirrelflight and Leafpool being like another parent to them, and it is often joked that it was the combination of having BOTH Sandstorm and Shriketail as parents that caused her to have that strong snarky, stubborn personality, and it doesn't help that her dad Fire is just as stubborn! 

-Shrike would later train Jaypaw, though Jay would choose to be a medicine cat, right before his warrior ceremony. Shrike and Jay have a very close relationship, Shrike basically being Jay’s grandfather, and them both having similar snarky personalities and both bonding over being blind. 

[rise-my-angel]

Do you think that there was ever a way for Jaime and Brienne to end up together and have a "happily ever after"? Or do you think Jaime was always "meant to die" with Cersei? (Also, thank you so, so much for responding so beautifully to my ask about them earlier. Your writing is so poignant and lovely~) ☺️

Oh no thank you, I love having an excuse to talk about Jaime! But I have a few thoughts on that, first being I tend to think Jaimes story would not end up the way it was in the show.

It ties partially into Cerseis's end as well. When Cersei goes to Maggy the Frog, she is told a prediction of her future which ended up heavily dictating the course her life took. The most important part being when Maggy tells her this:

"When your tears have drowned you, the valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you."

The word valonqar is High Valyrian, translating roughly to the words "little brother." Cersei herself has become convinced this is referring to Tyrion. Their mother Joanna died giving birth to Tyrion three years earlier, and this vision of her future consumes her.

In the books as well, Jaime and Cersei have made many comments about how they think their lives and deaths are intertwined. That they were brought into this world together and therefore will leave it together. But the how, may not be romantic as they both perhaps once thought. They also both separately begin to think the other has become a stranger to the other. And in the Faith of the Seven, The Stranger represents that of death.

The thing is, there is a strong chance that it actually could very well be Jaime.

The most obvious being that Cersei was born first, making Jaime technically her younger brother. But also, Jaime's story revolved a lot around learning to let go of this toxic attachment he has to Cersei and becoming his own man, really for the first time in his life. His feelings about her severely deteriorate once Brienne gets him back to Kings Landing. In the books he literally burns her letter pleading for him to come fight for her when she is arrested by the faith militant.

I think it would've been smart to have Jaime lose the golden hand somewhere along the way, showing his final choice to leave her behind finally, the hand she had made for him after he returned to her a different man. I also think it would've been smart to somehow include Tyrion here.

Now I can actually see the way the show took as not unrealistic in its own way. Kings Landing is in a position where it will not survive the burning Daenarys is certainly about to horrifically inflict on the city, if not the Red Keep alone.

I think Jaime leaving to return to Cersei made sense but not how they did it. I can see Jaime thinking that if she is going to die, perhaps it should be by his hand. They came into this world together and they will leave it together but Jaime could come to see killing her himself is the final sever. He will never be free if she is alive to always try and pull him back in.

Have Cerseis final moments be so convinced against Tyrion to the point she likely may be desperate enough to try and kill him herself, only to have Jaime be the one to kill her. Not to end his last ties to Cersei, but in the end, kill her to protect his little brother.

I cannot see an ending for Jaime where he has any love for Cersei left, but that he kills her in the end not for himself, but to protect the little brother she always thought would kill her first. So in a way, both brothers were the valonqar one on each side of her in her death.

It also links back to the only time in Jaimes life when he made a choice as his own man to murder King Aerys II when he was young, and the second time he makes a choice as his own man is the literal representation of the one person who will never allow Jaime to be separate from her in the way he needs.

Now I do admit, I struggle to see a happy ending for him and Brienne, as much as I would salivate at them being genuinely happy accepting this strange love no one else understands but them, only unlike Cersei, his with Brienne is real and based off of respect.

But SO MUCH of Jaime's story revolves around living his life so toxically linked with Cersei. I do think their story does end with a mutual understanding between he and Brienne that what they have is real and Jaime does not doubt or question that, but whether or not he actually lives to see that through is very difficult for me to see.

Because even though, especially in the books, Jaime and Brienne are essentially written to represent two soulmates. Thats how much their own seperate arcs complete each others too, his entire life is defined around two things. Cersei, and the one time he made a choice to stand as his own man and murder his King.

And I think it makes sense that his final choice revolves around protecting his little brother, from the sister who spent HER entire life revolving around her obsession with Tyrion being the one who will kill her.

Jaime spends his entire life thinking his death will be with Cersei, and in the end, it is, but as a man that would not exist without Brienne having helped him get there. But he and Brienne, are not so toxically co dependant on each other, and so she lives, to make sure what they had together is not yet forgotten.

If only, just remembered by her. Because they love each other, but they don't need each other. Cersei needed Jaime to the point it was always going to be the reason it ends them both.

I have a lot of feelings about the end of Jaimes story, and Jaimes first sacrifice was his image and reputation for the sake of hundreds of thousands of innocent people. And his final sacrifice is his life for the sake of his little brother, who is innocent against the vengeance their sister sought on him her whole life.

I also like the idea personally of Brienne being the one to keep the golden hand, or Jaime before leaving for Kings Landing to kill Cersei, leaves Brienne the golden hand on purpose. The thing that Cersei had made for him, that so heavily represented a life Jaime did not fit into anymore, being kept by the woman he came to love so much that she was the reason he did not fit into that life anymore.

She has his sword, his armour, and the hand representing in their own way, how much Brienne influenced him to become his own man.

That she keeps it, because he could not have become this man without her. And she will always now be able to remember that.

[randomfoggytiger]

Mulder and Scully, Past Lives, and the White Buffalo Calf

An extract from the next part of my Scully Family meta series.

Albert Hosteen at first compares Mulder's recovery in The Blessing Way to the Navajo tale of the Gila Monster: "When the F.B.I. man Mulder was cured by the holy people, we were reminded of the story of the Gila monster, who symbolizes the healing powers of the medicine man. In this myth, the Gila monster restores a man by taking all his parts and putting them back together. His blood is gathered by ants, his eyes and ears by sun, his mind by Talking God and Pollen Boy. Then lightning and thunder bring the man back to life."

However, Hosteen soon receives word from another (unnamed) tribe that links the birth of their legendary white buffalo calf to the day of Mulder's recovery: "Like the Navajo, these people have their own stories and myths. One of these stories tells of the white buffalo woman who came down from the heavens and taught the Indians how to lead virtuous lives and how to pray to the creator. She told the people she would return one day, then she turned into a white buffalo and ascended into the clouds, never to be seen again. But on this day, when the holy people had given the F.B.I. man a miracle, a white buffalo was born and every Native American knew, whether he believed the story or not, that this was a powerful omen and that great changes were coming." 

Canonically, this sets up exciting possibilities that aren't followed through (or, at least, not very well); but if one takes a step back, the Mulder and Calf comparison doesn't work at all:

Melissa's sacrifice is drawn directly to Scully throughout the entire episode, with Scully repeating that fact in doomed tones over and over and over.

The White Buffalo Woman is a feminine mythology, tying more neatly to the mother buffalo/Melissa's "sacrifice" and the calf/Scully's "rebirth" (as foretold in the legend.)

Not only does Melissa act as the "maternal" guide to Scully's inner voice, she is also her protector, supporter, and keeper-- in this life and the next (Beyond the Sea, The Blessing Way, A Christmas Carol, etc.)

If parallels between Mulder's "rebirth" and Melissa's "sacrifice" can be drawn, so can Scully's escape from her assassins and "rebirth" back into normal civilization alongside Melissa's death. It would also line up narratively with Albert's monologue about the buffalos: “The white buffalo calf had survived; but after a day it would no longer drink its mother’s milk. On the third day, the mother buffalo laid down in her stall and would not get up. They said the men could do nothing for her. That night, she died." Scully, too, was separated from her sister for a period of three days; and Melissa, too, died on the third.

Furthermore, there is no connection between Mulder's set of circumstances and Melissa's, narratively or mythologically.

However, we all know The X-Files is loaded with errors because of a lack of a show bible and a broken, incohesive narrative; that means, unfortunately, there is one possibility for the comparison to work-- and that is by taking The Field Where I Died's canon seriously.

TFWID posits that Mulder, Melissa Rydell, and Scully are connected soulmates, recycled together as an unholy trio in each life (kind of like the vampires in 3) and doomed to suffer tragic fates until they get it right. (On the surface, this might further prove the hypothesis that "the X-Files was always a dark show with an unhappy ending" except that Chris Carter himself said that wasn't the case-- though he might have changed his mind recently.) Massive plot holes of the episode aside, TFWID also posits each soul is reborn into a new body regardless of the sex of that body, meaning Mulder was alternately a Confederate man and a Jewish woman in previous lives.

And the Jewish woman reincarnation is the stickler... because that was the last past life Mulder had (to my knowledge) before his current one. Meaning, Mulder soul could very well be the White Buffalo Woman at some point in his past, reborn in this life, again, to bring about the justice and better ending he'd failed to accomplish in the preceding ones. It would do away with the feminine-only bent to the mythology, at the very least; and it would tie into Chris Carter's overall vision for the show-- fate vs. freewill, with fate winning out again and again in Mulder and Scully's lives.

However, that would negate the more interesting and accurate interpretation of the White Buffalo Woman mythology: that Scully, not Mulder, was the woman fated to save the world.

That interpretation would also make sense because Scully often experienced visitations from the dead or dying in the series, including Albert Hosteen's apparition in Amor Fati... which was right after the revelation that shook her to the core: finding the key to everything in Africa. And if that be the case, then the files and the Conspiracy and being a part of Mulder's quest was Scully's fated journey; and that Mulder had made repeated mistakes that destroyed his life in each of the past ones. That Scully was here, now, to "keep him honest, make him a whole person" and safeguard him from danger (and himself) while saving the world.

Furthermore, this interpretation of canon (which I argue is the only factual one) would also negate the late-in-the-game comparison between William and buffalos in Season 9 since:

The White Buffalo Woman was prophesied to be reborn with agency-- to be a leader herself, not a vessel for the next "Messiah"

It would mean Scully's son was a natural product of her and Mulder's dedication to each other, a bonus to saving the world and setting her partner's life to rights

Conclusion

While Hosteen's narrative states that Mulder is the White Calf and Melissa's life was sacrificed for his, it does not fit narratively with the White Buffalo Woman legend nor the ensuing events of the episode and rest of the series.

Thank you for reading~

Enjoy!

[oc-aita]

AITA for killing my best friend?

I know this sounds terrible, but I promise I didn't kill her out of malice.

I [15 f] and my closest friend [15 f] got into a terrible fight recently. Her family is leaving the country, and we made plans to run away together to prevent that. We agreed that we couldn't bear to be separated. But then at the last minute, when we had already fled to a remote area outside of our village, she changed her mind and told me that she actually wanted to leave me and go with her parents. We had an argument that escalated into a screaming match, then I grabbed her arm to try and keep her from running off alone, and she got physical with me.

We were both armed because that remote area is dangerous, and she pulled out her knife to get me to let her go. Things escalated from there, and in the ensuing physical fight, I hurt her much more severely than I meant to.

Now, here is where I think I went wrong.

When I hurt my friend, I know I should have gone back home right away for help. Her parents are doctors, and they could have kept her alive if I'd acted quickly. However, that plan would ruin me.

We come from a small, insular village, and I used to be social pariah. Due to birth circumstances out of my control, everyone despises my mother and me. I was treated terribly when I was younger, and only a lifetime of working as hard as I can to sneak into people's good graces has made things better. Getting people to treat me well takes constant effort, and I know that the second I do anything wrong, I'll be shunned again. I have spent my entire life fawning and giving up all dignity to be seen as good and helpful and treated well. Letting the village find out that I got into a fight and almost killed someone would ruin me completely. And everyone would find out if my best friend survived this.

So I didn't get help for her. I'll spare you the details of how, but I finished her off and and framed things so it looked like she'd died in an animal attack, and I'd been hurt as I failed to defend her. I only went back to the village when I was sure she was dead, and when they saw the scene, everyone believed me.

Now I'm seen as the victim. I'm the poor thing who was dragged along when her friend ran off somewhere dangerous, only to have to witness that friend's horrible death. My reputation as good and likeable is mostly intact, with only a small taint of foolishness. My friend's parents have fled the town, since they were planning on leaving anyway, and everything else has mostly worked itself out.

I got away with murder, and I kept myself from becoming a miserable pariah again, but the guilt of what I did to my friend is eating me alive.

AITA?

[tamiisnthere]

Asking because I am genuinely curious: how Tami and those three other kids came to be found by Talidea? Are they exist in same universe? And what happened with their parents?

I hope it's alright with me asking. I am curious 😅

It's okay! Thanks very much for ask! 💗

It's a long story, but I'll try to make it as short as possible. But I admit it probably will be a confusing mess. 😅

First, they all exist in the same universe, more specifically in my Crossover Universe. Tami, Emma, Takuya and Gavin lived together in an orphanage in one village before Talidea found them.

Regarding what happened to their parents and how they got to the orphanage:

The status of Tami's parents is unknown, as Tami was found as an infant by caregivers outside the entrance of the orphanage. She had a birth certificate with her, in which was written only her full name, date of birth and nationality. From the beginning, Tami was fascinated by animals, especially dinosaurs, and because of that, the orphans thought she was weird and boring.

Emma, as a three-year-old, came to the orphanage with her ten-year-old sister, who hated her because their mother died shortly after Emma's birth and blamed her for her death. Shortly after the arrival, the older sister dumped Emma and she was left alone. Fortunately, Tami came to her and asked her what happened. Emma told her everything, how her father tried to take care of her and her sister despite having cancer, which he later succumbed to and that's why they ended up in an orphanage. Tami got an idea if she could become her sister, to which Emma enthusiastically agreed.

Takuya arrived at the orphanage a few months later after Emma's arrival. His parents' status is unknown like Tami's, but he remembered how they had told him they were going on a short trip and would return to him soon... And since then, they have never returned… Takuya was found by his neighbor and put up for adoption. He tried to impress the other kids with his jokes and songs, but no one wanted to be friends with him... Except for Tami and Emma. They both had fun with him and played together that they decided Takuya would be their brother, which made him delighted.

And Gavin came to the orphanage a year later. He was taken away from his mother, who was an alcoholic and drug addict. Because of her abuse, Gavin became skittish that other kids mocked him and bullied him with scares. His only escape from reality was to observe the fish in the small aquarium that the orphanage owned. One day a bully scared Gavin so much that he started shaking with fear and crying. That's when Tami, Emma, and Takuya intervened, shooing the bully away and comforted Gavin. They decided that Gavin would be their brother too, and the four of them became inseparable. They were mainly brought together by their love of nature, animals and dinosaurs, of course.

But everything changed one evening when they heard from their caretakers that each of them would be transferred to a different orphanage, which horrified them. They decided to escape at night, which they succeeded. Four children went to the forest, where they got lost and did not know where to go. Luckily, at the time, Talidea was on a nighttime walk near her home and found them in the bushes. She asked them what they were doing out here so late and found out that they had run away from the orphanage so they wouldn't be separated. Talidea sympathized with them, because she too was an orphan and knew their suffering. She knew that she could not leave the four small children in the forest, nor did she allow herself to return them to the orphanage. So she decided that she would adopt them, even though she has her own two biological children and a niece. It was a great shock to Taino, Elphina and Talar that Talidea took the four human children into their family, but they decided to raise them as their own anyway. (here is the little comic I made three quarters of a year ago.)

And since then, Tami, Emma, Takuya and Gavin finally found a family and a home together. 💕🥰

(And also they got the nickname Hoodie Four later when they were older and started wearing hoodies more often at that time.)

[sea-owl]

I need to see the platonic yandere twins reaction to when yandere Eloise shows up at Romney hall. It would explain the trip wire a bit more. Would their pranks be more dangerous? Would they take longer to warm up to Eloise? Would their feelings towards Marina change? And how did Eloise feel about them?

Oooo, this interesting. So we do know Amanda's thoughts at least of Marina because the second epilogue of TSPWL from her pov and this is what she says

(Be warned there is talks of suicide under the cut)

It is difficult to explain what our lives were like before she (Eloise) entered them. I could certainly describe events, but the tone of it all, the feeling in our house . . .

I don't really know how to convey it.

My mother - my original mother - killed herself. For most of my life I did not know this. I thought she died of a fever, which I suppose is true. What no one told lm was that the fever was brought on because she tried to drown herself in a lake in the dead of winter.

I have no intention of taking my own life, but I must say, this would not be any chosen method.

I know I should feel compassion, and sympathy for her. My current mother was a distant cousin of hers and tells me that she was sad her entire life. She tells me that some people are like that, just another are unnaturally cheerful all the time. But I can't help but think that if she was going to kill herself, she might as well have done it earlier. Perhaps when I was a toddler. Or better yet, an infant. It certainly would have made my life easier.

But the thing is, now I have memories of her. Marina, my first mother. I don't want memories of her. The ones I have are hazy and muddled. I can't recall the sound of her voice. Oliver says that might be because she hardly spoke. I can't remember whether she spoke or not. I can't remember the exact shape of her face, and can't remember her smell.

Instead I remember standing outside her door, feeling very small and frightened. And I remember tiptoeing a great deal, because we knew we mustn't make noise. I remember always feeling rather nervous, as if I knew something bad were about to happen.

And indeed it did.

Shouldn't a memory be specific? I would not mind a memory of a moment, or of a face, or a sound. Instead I have vague feelings, and not even happy ones at that.

Amanda to some degree resents Marina. When she talks about her she is detached and I believe a part of that is due to her being seven when Marina passed and any memory she has of Marina is her being scared of the woman who gave birth to her. I really don't blame her for that, I don't blame Marina either, depression is a bitch, and honestly it was a shitty situation for every one involved, Marina, Phillip, and the kids.

But onto the ask, I don't think the kids would form a platonic yandere attachment to Marina. They would form one to Phillip though, the parent they actually know, love, and want to spend time with. It's why they play so many pranks to scare others away, they want it to be just them and their father. Eloise herself I think herself would see the kids as an extension of Phillip at first, so her yandereism at first attached to them because they were a part of Phillip and then she grew a separate attachment to the twins the longer she was at Romney Hall.

I imagine in this universe after Marina's death (which Eloise may or may not have had a hand in) they see it as their chance to finally have their father to themselves and not have to worry about being quiet all the time.

Then some random lady they don't know rolls up to their house like she lived there!

Well the twins weren't going to take that lying down. Coming up with a story about a frog Amanda started screaming while Oliver started to knock things over.

"Oliver!" Their father bellowed. "Amanda!"

Perfect.

Racing down the stairs they were met with the sight of an admittedly pretty lady. Glancing at one another they knew she had to go. It's only been a year since the other one died, they didn't need another lady living with them, taking their father's attention.

The pranks were tamer in the beginning. It usually didn't take much to get rid of people when the twins wanted them gone. A bucket on the door filled with flour was a good warning prank.

Ms. Eloise though wasn't screaming like other people in the past had been. As the children watched from their hiding spot they noticed there was something different in Ms. Eloise's eyes. It intrigued them.

Their father then came upon Ms. Eloise which was not part of the plan. They did not like the way he cradled her face as inspected her for injuries. It wouldn't be the first time their pranks injured someone.

The twins pouted when their father said, "I will see to punishing the twins."

"No," Ms. Eloise said, halting their father in his tracks. "Leave them to me."

Their father's eye turned steely, his demeanor took a cold turn. "What, precisely, do you plan to do to them?"

Extracting a promise from Ms. Eloise that they will be alive with all limbs in tact their father gave Ms. Eloise the go ahead.

The twins weren't worried. No one, except that horrible Nurse Edwards, ever really gave the twins much trouble.

They will come to regret underestimating Ms. Eloise later when Amanda finds her bed filled with fish guts.

Game on then.

The pranks kept escalating, getting more dangerous than the previous one. Ms. Eloise kept giving as good as she got though, all without causing any physcial harm to the twins.

Oliver and Amanda dared they say it, were having fun.

Then came the trip wire prank.

The twins had placed the string much closer to the stairs, to the point that Eloise landed on the very edge of the top step instead of near it.

"Oliver!" Their father bellowed. "Amanda!"

The twins never heard their father that angry before. His voice was icy, but his face was filled with rage. Ms. Eloise had a black eye from their prank. Later on in life the twins will comment that they were lucky they were Phillips kids because they were sure if he wasn't he would have killed them.

Ms. Eloise said they had to spend an afternoon with her, with no pranks. That day came sooner they either of them expected, literally the next day.

Ms. Eloise took them away from that horrible Nurse Edwards, her eyes narrowing at the nursemaid as she passed. The look was back in her eyes when they pulled that first prank on her, only much worse. When she looked back at the twins her eyes became warmer.

Spending the afternoon with her the twins decided they wouldn't mind if Ms. Eloise stayed.

They got their wish because that same night Ms. Eloise's brothers came crashing into their house, the twins hated how they tried to kill their father, but they were joyful because that meant Ms. Eloise could stay!

They liked life much better with their new mother. For one that horrible Nurse Edwards was gone! Their father came in when she was hitting them with a book and that same rage they saw before when they gave their mother her black eye was now directed at Nurse Edwards. Years later the twins will realize that Nurse Edward left that room alive was because they were there. They will also learn that she didn't survive long after, their parents saw to that.

The love that their parents brought to their home was very special. SO much so that a few pranks were still pulled in the years after, but only on those that say anything that would upset their mother, like how she wasn't their real mother.