#the poet grieves; fic tag

[grievingpoets]

t, 832 words, ragnvaldr braiding enki's hair. (cant seem to find the source of this image. but this is literally the main inspiration of the fic. ;__; i hope someone recognizes this image...)

[ao3feed-crimeboys]

My Masterpiece (I Was All I Ever Got to Keep)

by Cherry_TheGenZ

"You don't get it. I was all I ever got to keep," Tommy cried, "I was all I ever had. Nobody else even existed to me."

Selfish, selfish, selfish. Selfish little boy, are you proud? Are you happy? You have yourself now. Smile. You're alone.

..Is this not what you wanted?

Or; the fic where Tommy is the writer-artist-theatre-kid-singer, desperately reaching and searching for any creative outlet at all, anything at all, that could explain the sorrow rooted deep in his chest.

("I think," he says, "I've been grieving for a long time. Maybe since I was born. I am not sure.")

Words: 1317, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Dream SMP, Video Blogging RPF

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Phil Watson | Philza, Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot, Kristin Rosales Watson, Toby Smith | Tubbo, Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Sam | Awesamdude, Ponk | DropsByPonk (Video Blogging RPF), Niki | Nihachu, Cara | CaptainPuffy, Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Alexis | Quackity, Dream SMP Ensemble, Clay | Dream's Sister Drista (Video Blogging RPF)

Relationships: Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Alexis | Quackity & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit, Technoblade & TommyInnit, Sam | Awesamdude & TommyInnit, Cara | CaptainPuffy & TommyInnit, Ranboo & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), GeorgeNotFound & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Sapnap & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Ponk | DropsByPonk & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Niki | Nihachu & TommyInnit

Additional Tags: Bad Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Neglective Phil Watson, TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, TommyInnit Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit are Siblings, Sad TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Theatre, Actor TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Poet TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Writer TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Artist TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Singer TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), tommy is a lot of things ok, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - High School, Artist Toby Smith | Tubbo, Engineer Toby Smith | Tubbo, Writer Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo & TommyInnit Friendship (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit Friendship, Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit Friendship, Child Neglect, Neglect, Phil Watson is Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit's Parent, vent fic

[liladiurne]

snarry self-rec: with great outbursts and lightnings

I posted the first chapter of this fic in the winter of 2017, but I started writing it long before that. Most of it was still in my head, but I had two chapters and a half down already. It was my first snarry, though I’d been around the hp fandom for years and years, under different pseuds, writing different ships, in French first, and then eventually in English. I’d been drifting, unsure where I was heading, where I belonged, and I think it’s with this particular fic that I found my place. Not only in the fandom, but as an author. Because of Outbursts, I found my style, my voice. 

I’ve often said that this is the fic I’m most proud of. It wasn’t easy. In fact it was very hard. I had basically no readership at that time, and I understand why. Who wants to dive into some slow-paced Muggle AU with a first chapter that’s nearly 20k by some unknown author that just pops out of nowhere and only updates once a month? I understand why now, but at the time the lack of feedback was quite hurtful, and I almost gave it all up many times. But I just couldn’t. Because there were a few people who seemed to enjoy the story I was telling, but also because it was inside me and it just had to come out. 

It took me until July 2018 to complete it. Outbursts is heavy and so emotionally packed that I needed long breaks in between chapters, to come up for air and find my footing again, and remember that the pain of my characters was not my pain to bear. At least not entirely. But that’s how intense this was for me to write. I carried it all on my shoulders: Severus’ loneliness, Harry’s craving for love, and all the horrible things that they’d had to endure, I carried it. I felt it. 

It’s been years now, but still I feel for this story more than for all the others that came since. One day I’ll come back to it, and I’ll tell the rest of it, because there is so much more to tell. Hopefully, one day. Until then, I thought it might be nice to bring it back, let it see the light again. And maybe some of my new readers might be tempted to give it a try.

with great outbursts and lightnings

Rating: Explicit

Length: 7 chapters / 148k

Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe, Muggle AU, Modern Setting, Angst, Depression, Grieving, Anxiety, Insecurities, Infidelity, Panic Attacks, Toxic Relationships, Mental Health Issues, Past Child Abuse, Past Teacher/Student Relationship, Past Underage, Implied/Referenced Dubious Consent, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Strangers to Lovers, Love at first sight, writer Severus, violinist Harry

Summary:  They stand there for a moment, just looking at each other. Harry has developed smoking to an art form that fascinates Severus. Everyone smokes in Paris, but he’s never taken up the habit himself. Watching Harry smoke, however, is strangely erotic. It feels like watching something that ought to be done in private. He wants to say something, anything, but he’s speechless. He’s a bloody poet, and here he is, standing speechless in front of a nineteen-year-old boy. March 2013. In which Severus is a semi-famous poet with writer’s block who moves back to London after the death of his lover and meets Harry, a prodigy struggling with his own demons.

Read it HERE on ao3. 

Listen to the Spotify soundtrack HERE.

[castiowl]

* DeanCas Fic Recs *

God Tier • Named | M | 95k | Canon Divergent | Angel shenanigans happen; Dean and Cas figure their shit out (eventually); THEE fic to end all fics • Cruel Angels (series) | E | 127k | Canon Divergent | Plot, trueform angels running rampant, grace/soul sex! What’s not to love! This fic IS unfinished, but the author put their notes for what they planned to happen at the end and it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger/the Dean & Cas stuff is resolved. • thunder road | T | 21k | Post-Canon | Cas is human; he and Dean take a road trip and talk about stuff • psalm 40:2 | E | 45k | Canon Divergent/Post-Canon/Time Travel | The Empty sends Cas into the past where he meets Stanford era Dean. • Galveston (series) | E | 57k | Canon Divergent | When Cas becomes human, he leaves the Winchesters to find his own path. Dean visits him every year until they finally figure their shit out. • And This, Your Living Kiss | M | 57k | Human AU | Dean is a famous poet under a pseudonym; he decides to audit a college poetry course with Professor Castiel whose favorite poet is...Dean; feelings!! • Crazy Diamonds | E | 25k | Canon Divergent | 2018 Dean and 2008 Dean switch places; 2008 Dean is very confused about his apparent relationship with Cas; 2018 Dean is determined to get back to his own Cas. • Seek to Know You Better | E | 33k | Post-Canon | Dean and Cas answer the 36 questions while attending to cases across the country. This one is SO SOFT and just SO GOOD. • What Has Eight Tentacles and Isn’t Allowed to Eat Pie? | T | 16k | Canon Divergent | Dean touches an artifact in the bunker that turns him into an octopus; inexplicably, this helps him figure his shit out re: Cas Top Tier • The Dean Winchester Beat Sheet | E | 144k | College AU; Dean is a closeted dudebro. Cas decides to be his gay experiment. • Halloween Horror (series) | E | series of horror fics and each one fucked me up in new and fun ways! beware of tags • a turn of the earth | M | 95k | Canon Divergent | Cas is ripped from time, fleeing a monster called The Darkness that erases people from existence, and ends up popping up in Dean's past timeline over and over again. Dean is determinied to save him before he disappears forever. • A Complete Kingdom | E | 85k | Canon Divergent | (Beware tags please) Dean, Sam, and Cas hunt a monster on the coast of Maine; fucked up shit happens; no happy endings here • The Path of Fireflies | M | 64k | Canon Divergent | Dean wakes up 12 years in the future married to Cas; they own a B&B ; Dean is a dick about it; emotions happen • Tall Grass | E | 57k | Post-Canon | Bunker living wherein Cas tries to make peace with being human and Dean continues to be so so stupid about their relationship. • Teaching Poetry to Fish | M | 52k | Canon Divergent | Follows Cas throughout his long life and his attempts to literally teach poetry to fish; it’s very sweet • Deeper and Deeper Into the World | E | 47k | Canon Divergent | Cas and Dean travel across the world on the heels of Metatron and Castiel's stolen grace. They figure their shit out on the way. • Fenario | E | 47k | Post-Canon | Dean and Cas buy a lakehouse to settle in after the Empty. Cas grieves Jack's disappearance. Dean has issues accepting his feelings for Cas. • the lover's choice | M | 44k | Post-Canon | Dean rescues Cas from the Empty. This is such a fucking funny fic. • This ain't a love song | M | 33k | Endverse | This is 'depression: the fic' until the end, so hang in there. • Where the weeds take root | E | 30k | Post-Canon | Dean and Cas settle down, but Cas is dealing with being human and sometimes that means time away from Dean; lack of communication is the key here! • On Drowning | T | 29k | Canon Divergent | Human Cas nearly drowns and it causes Dean to address some issues. • There Are Many Things | E | 29k | Canon Divergent | The angels fall, Cas is human, Dean kicks him out of the bunker, Cas deals with abandonment, identity, and Dean being an absolute dickwad. • Command Me to Be Well | E | 28k | Post-Canon | They get Cas back from the Empty, but Dean still has repression to deal with. They deal with it. • On Labor | E | 25k | Post-Canon | Dean tells Cas he loves him back when he gets back from the Empty. But he's not capable of love, right? So it's a lie? • Après | E | 24k | Canon Divergent | Cas falls with the angels but lands in France. Dean flies out to meet him. ROMANCE!! • There’s Only One Sure Thing That I Know | E | 20k | Canon Divergent | Dean and Cas get trapped in Ohio; they learn to be domestic and accept their horrible fate of living in Ohio forever • Kingdom Come | E | 17k | Post-Canon | Cas returns from the Empty. Dean figures his shit out. • Under the Same Sun | E | 14k | Post-Canon | They get Cas back but Dean makes things weird because he’s one repressed motherfucker. Cas doesn’t stand for it. • Coals Aglow | E | 11k | Canon Divergent | While in apocalypse world, shortly after finding Sam alive, Dean decides he's done tiptoeing around what he and Cas feel. • Happily Ever After (series) | Canon | Cas gives Dean a ring. Dean has feelings about it. • Deancas codas: season fifteen (series) | Post-Canon | A bunch of fix-it fics that all hit Honorable Mention • The Shawnee Trail | E | 166k | Western AU | Western AU where Cas is a doctor and Sam and Dean work for Wells Fargo. Plot stuff happens! It was fun and super well-written! • Emergence | E | 58k | Canon Divergent | A spell causes Dean & Sam to forget Cas's existence after he falls from heaven. Cas thinks they did it on purpose. • Though The Course May Change | E | 52k | Canon Divergent | Fake married case! These two are so dumb!! • Architecture of the Minotaur's Heart | E | 45k | Canon Divergent | Dean buys a haunted cabin next to Cas. Hidden memories begin to return of a life they spent together. • Strandlines | E | 41k | Canon Divergent | Cas is sent to protect Dean Winchester in 2006 but instead lands in 2003. • When It Comes to Being Loved | E | 38k | Canon | Dean and Cas have some alone time and learn to take things slow. • things happen | E | 28k | Post-Canon | Cas comes back from the Empty and while Dean can't reciprocate his love, Cas says he doesn't mind except he keeps being really earnest about his love for Dean and Dean is losing it • Asunder | E | 24k | Human AU | Cas is a pediatrician, Dean is a social worker; loosely based on The Wedding Date; Sam and Ruby are the best part of this tbh. • The Tunnel of Love | E | 21k | Canon Divergent | Human Cas joins the boys on a hunt involving the tunnel of love ride at a carnival. It requires them to kiss. • i projected (series) | T | 20k | Post-Canon | these are fucking hysterical; chronologically, you should read Sam, Mary, then Dean • No Kingdom to Come | M | 17k | Canon Divergent | the pandemic hits and Sam, Dean, and Cas quarantine in the bunker; Dean is having an existential crisis; he and Cas become FWB and even though they both want to be more than that, they don't talk about it until they finally do • The Thirty-Six Questions that Lead to Love | M | 13k | Canon | Claire needs Dean and Cas to pretend to be a married couple for a case; turns out it's basically a couples retreat; feelings happen • Heaven Sent You Downstream | T | 11k | Canon Divergent | Dean investigates a monster on his own. Very cool mythology/monster with some introspection on Dean’s part. • The face of heaven | T | 10k | AU | Cas is a fallen star; they fall in love; the star thing makes things complicated • Keep the Home Fires Burning | T | 4k | AU | Dean goes selectively mute again. Pure hurt/comfort that targeted me directly. • Flirting 101 with Professor Claire Novak | NR | 2k | Canon | Claire learns about the Supernatural books and schools Cas on the art of being flirted with using them Not Dean/Cas But Required Reading Anyway • an unclean man who went down to immerse himself | T | 23k | Pre-Canon | How batshit Castiel's testing of Jimmy's faith would've been had it been Old Testament biblical. • body of proof | M | 7k | Canon | HEED CONTENT WARNINGS. Sam writes Dean a letter describing past traumas, including hell. Stuff I Wrote • Vox In Rama | E | 50k | Post-Canon | WIP // Cas returns from the Empty feeling lost and numb; weird shit is happening at the bunker; part case fic, part cas introspective, part dean and cas being incapable of communicating. • Sensational | T | 6k | Canon Divergent | Cas experiences the best of all 5 human senses with some help from Dean. • It's Not Traditional | T | 1.5k | Post-Canon | There's a wedding proposal and it's all Sam's fault. • Truth | G | 1k | Canon | Regarding Dean coda; Sam gets some answers from his brother re: one angel

[sunflowerheartsandstarryskies]

The Red Viper and the Honeybee - Oberyn Martell x Bridgerton AU

Bridgerton AU!Oberyn Martell x Fem!Bridgerton!reader

Author’s Note: I fell down the rabbit hole of Oberyn content and I watched Bridgerton on Netflix, it is terrible from a historical standpoint but from a story standpoint it is fantastic. So that is why I am labelling this as Bridgerton as its own au instead of a historical au and also I am putting you (reader insert) as the diamond of the season or Daphne Bridgerton, but trying to be as inclusive as I can be with your skin, hair, and body type (by not putting my bias involved). Also I will be basing a lot of etiquette and phrasing from the regency and romantic era. I hope that clears things up for you.

TL:DR: Bridgerton horrible for historical fiction but fantastic for story inspiration. Bridgerton is basically the Regency Era!Lite with a dash of modernism in it. Also you are 21-23 years old and Oberyn is mid 20s-30s years old in this fic.

Warnings: Men being pretentious, some misogyny happening, society having expectations for  women, historical misogyny in general (please take care of yourselves before and after reading this if these sort of things can hurt you, I love you all), Game of Throne characters being OOC (I mean like all of them, sorry)

Taglist: @ ilikechocolatemilkh , @janelongxox Thank you for being interested in this mess enough to be tagged in this

Word Count: almost 10k (this got over me, yikes)

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For a man to capture my whole heart and attention, they must treat me as their equal and partner in life, for if they don’t then I would be a fool for yearning for them in the first place. My mother was the one to instill these ideals in me since I was young and wants me to find a partner that will be my best friend in all that I am and the same for him.

I debuted in the social market of Westeros rather late in the standards of high society but my father recently passed away so it was overlooked in that sense as my family was given a grieving period to be allowed to be secluded from the world to grieve properly. My father and mother are my favorite people in the world who I adore as well as my younger sisters and older brothers. I am the eldest daughter whom I’ve been giving responsibility to secure finances with suitors, but my family (may the gods bless them so) will forever love me even as a spinster if I never find one in my lifetime.

My homeland is Honeyholt and my mother is the Duchess of Honeyholt, my family is in a unique standing with the high society of Westeros so our family may seem odd and quirky but society is keen to overlook that factor because of our business. Honeyholt prides itself on being fair and equal to all members of their county and business, which lends itself to the citizens and workers of Honeyholt giving us high praise for our practices. 

Our land and business is best known for our signature honey wine, brandy, and teas specifically floral teas are our best ones. The Bridgerton name is branded with pride on each bottle and jar of our products. 

My older brother, Anthony, is being groomed to take the title of Marquis of Honeyholt. He is very protective over me whenever we go out to social dances, so even if I wanted to find a suitor he yanks me away from them to dance with him or my other brothers Colin and Benedict. It is exhausting between the three of them, Benedict is just as protective as Anthony, but less overbearing, and Colin is much like a guard dog, silent but ready to bite the hands off any man who comes near me. My two allies against them are my younger sisters Eloise and Hyacinth, when I want to dance with a young man they both cause mischief on my brothers before they intervene. 

My family got invited to a ball out in the Westerlands near the House of Lannister, and that meant great news to my mother who was excited to show me off in the Westeros season of dancing. Which hopefully by the good graces of the gods that I will be allowed to find a potential suitor. This ball would be a formal social event to all that attend, and my good friend and mentor Lord Tyrion Lannister promised me to make an appearance there.

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

We all got dressed in beautiful formal wear, with our signature bee insignia placed somewhere on our persons. My brothers have it embroidered on their collars, while my sisters and I have bee hair pins in our hair styles. The bees do a lot of hardwork in our county and business, so we wear it proudly on our coat of arms and whenever we go out to social events. It is a sign of a united front to us, and that family is of the utmost importance to all of us.

We are all in the carriage riding to the Lannister mansion’s assembly room that was used for such occasions. 

“I hope you are not looking forward to the company of Jaime Lannister, this evening? You know how much I oppose his character,” Colin starts.

“I agree with Colin on this one, you know of the gossip that is surrounding him dear sister,” Benedict states.

“Yes dear brothers, if there is one thing in this family that you have taught me to be is to be wary of all of the Lannisters. Except for my dear friend Lord Tyrion I hope,” I say. 

“Not to mention the salacious scandal that the Kingslayer has with his oh so dear sister, Lady Ceresei,” Eloise mocks. Me and Hyacinth snort behind our hands in response. 

“That is exactly the reason why we don’t want you to hang out too much around ‘The Kingslayer’’ Anthony spits out the last part.

“Then why are we even going to visit the Lannisters then if all we are going to be doing is to bicker around them?” I inquire.

“Because there are some rather interesting bachelors that have promised their arrivals in Westeros that I am certain will be a great match for you,” my mother states reaching over to squeeze my hands in assurance.

“I hope you’re right mother,” I say, “But let’s hope my brothers won’t do too much meddling then.” 

“Oh I’ll make sure they don’t darling,” mother soothes me leaving my brothers with gaping mouths trying to argue back but was cut short with our arrival at Lannisters’ ballroom.

We all made our ways out of the carriage with my mother and I being escorted by my brothers. As we entered the ballroom my ears were immediately greeted with beautiful orchestral music played by the band that the Lannisters hired were quite skillful. Benedict immediately led me into the first dance of the night so I was too occupied to catch a glance at all the handsome men in attendance. 

“Thank you for the dance, dear brother” I remarked with a curtsy. 

Benedict returns the curtsy with a bow as he says, “my pleasure”

Colin, Eloise, and Hyacinth comes over to us with Hyacinth saying, “Do you see who is in attendance (Y/N)?” 

“No, who?” I ask as I immediately glance around the room. As soon as I said it my brothers soon said, “On guard,” and immediately tried to disperse themselves.

“Too late, I already caught your eye,” a woman said. I turn to fully look and it’s the Lady of the House, Duchess Joanna of Westerlands.

I curtsied at her attention as did the rest of my siblings as we say, “Lady Joanna”

“Ah Lady (Y/N) Bridgerton I was hoping that you would come to visit me again. You know my dear son Tyrion remarks about how intelligent you are,” Duchess Joanna states.

“Your Grace flatters me, I merely have a good teacher is all,” you say.

“I wish you were as flattering to me to my face, my lovely student,” I hear a familiar voice say to me. Tyrion soon appears in my vision right next to his mother. 

“Is there a reason why I haven’t seen you on the dance floor, for I have heard and seen you are the brightest star this season,” Lady Joanna states.

Benedict stands a bit straighter as he hears her say that and states, “All in good time, Lady Joanna. One mustn't rush these matters.”

She raises her eyebrows at him then takes her leave away from them, as I take my leave to walk with my friend Lord Tyrion. 

“Oh dear me, (Y/N) you always seem to have your hands full with your guard dogs don’t you?” Tyrion teases me. 

I huffed as I reached for a glass of champagne, “Don’t I know it. I know my family says they’ll love me forever if I never get married but what of the rest of the world? I hardly wouldn’t want my family to be shunned simply because I am not desirable.”

“Now who would say that my dear, hmm? You are quite desirable simply on your looks alone, but coupled with that of your smart wits and sharp intelligence, you stand on equal footing with any man who even dares to look at you,” Tyrion expressed. 

“Oh if only that were true, but no man in today’s society would hardly want or look for a woman who can stand to attest to what he or his business has to say. Merely look at the fact that my brothers won’t even let any bachelors come near ten feet of me let alone get a word in,” I argued. 

“That I do agree with you on the count of your brothers, but to the argument of your abilities to be undesirable to men I do have to argue on that for if I was even close to an eligible match for you, you know I would propose to you but if a man comes to know that you are knowledgeable on all the great poets of our age and the classics, but are also quite fluent in the language of economics and business as well as just the languages of the Old Tongue, Dothraki and both levels of Valyrian my word all the men would be rushing to you as we speak. Also do not ever volley my teaching like that again, I am quite proud of what you have accomplished in my stead,” Tyrion lectured.

“I-Tyrion, thank you for those kind words, I will take into account my skills, because it does seem I need to seriously improve on my self-confidence so to speak,” I agreed.

We then fell into a comfortable silence of us standing on the edge of the dance floor with us sipping on the glasses of champagne that come to greet us, when a handsome man comes into view of me.

“Ah Duke of Dorne, what a surprise it is to see you after all this time,” Lannister greets the handsome stranger.

“It is good to see you again, old friend. I wanted to see how you have been holding up, seeing as your siblings have come back from the big city,” the Duke of Dorne says. 

“Ah well you know how they are, I’ve been trying to avoid their company as much as possible so I have been keeping busy with my studies along with my teachings,” Tyrion responds. 

“I’ve heard that you’ve become quite the scholar. I assume this is one of your students then?” the Duke of Dorne asks, glancing at me. 

My face immediately feels like it’s on fire just from his gaze alone. What is wrong with me? Has it really been so long that I forgot what a handsome man’s gaze felt like?

“Ah! This my dear friend and student, Lady (Y/N) Bridgerton of Honeyholt, Lady (Y/N) this is an old friend and classmate Duke Oberyn Martell of Dorne,” Tyrion introduces us both. 

“A pleasure to meet you,” Duke Oberyn says as he takes my hand and kisses it. 

I curtsy in return as I say, “and I you, Duke”

“May I have a dance with you?” Duke Oberyn offers. 

“It would be my pleasure.” I accepted as I let him guide me to the dance floor.

A new song started to play as we entered the dance scene, and I was immediately taken by the beauty of the music and the strength that hides beneath the Duke’s clothes as he falls into the role of taking the lead in the dance. With his lead, dancing felt as natural as breathing to me, and I got so taken by the charm of his onyx eyes and the scruffy facial hair as he gracefully takes the lead on the waltz we started together.

This particular waltz I knew so well by now because of my brothers and my own learning of it, but to dance it with him, it was enchanting and I became mesmerized with our own beating hearts becoming intertwined with each other and the music. 

Then as soon as the dance started, it ended and we both dutifully took our bows and thanked each other for the dance as we began to walk back to our places. As soon as we do so, the Duke is still standing by me when my brothers almost tackle me with how fast they were coming towards me.

“What are you doing near my sister?” Benedict demands. 

“You are not to be near our sister, Viper,” Colin reprimands.

I jump between the Duke and my brothers as I object, “What is the meaning of this, brothers? The Duke of Dorne had graciously asked for my hand in a dance and I accepted, had I known that you would be so up in arms on me wanting to dance I would’ve looked for him earlier.”

The Duke turned his head to try to hide his smirk at my comment but I saw it at the corner of my eye. 

“You see dear sister, he has quite the reputation of being a rake around the molly houses of Westeros,” Benedict explains. (Molly houses is a word for brothels in regency era which has both male and female prostitutes, and rake is basically a womanizer used for male protagonists in romance novels of the time)

“What is so wrong with that? From what I’ve heard our dear Kingslayer has been rumored around molly as well, and what is the point of this information I doubt he has any intention on taking me there,” I rebutted. 

“I thank you for your kind argument for my reputation but I must apologize to your brothers here because they think that I have an intention on taking your flower before courting you. I apologize to you both, however I will not apologize to the fact that I am very much looking forward to courting you in the near future. From what I’ve heard from Lord Tyrion and now your brothers, it seems you are quite the Incomparable,” the Duke states. 

“You flatter me sir,” I bow my head to him.

“I am very much looking forward to seeing you in the near future Lady Bridgerton, please think of my proposal?” the Duke insists as he takes my hand and kisses the palm of my hand as a way of goodbye. 

I blushed at the small gesture of his all the way back home. However as soon as we got to our home, things were soon broken into chaos with my brothers surrounding me asking how I managed to get the attention of the Red Viper of Dorne.

He was apparently quite well known in the boxing circles of both the Westerlands and Dorne, but equally well known was his pernicious nature with that of the ladies of the night surrounding Westeros and the Reach. 

“I don’t know what you all are rambling about. Have you not opened your eyes when the two were dancing? The Duke and her were very much smitten with each other and were not looking at anyone else when in each other’s company. Also I can think of many ill-fitting matches that could be worse then for your dear sister to be paired with a duke,” my mother rebutted. 

I grinned in victory at hearing my mother’s words knowing we won that round against my protective brothers.

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

Three days laters we were in the drawing room with me practicing my piano skills, and everyone was casually doing their own activities. Hyacinth was reading her favorite book, Eloise was writing, Benedict and Colin was playing chess, and mother was listening to me playing. Anthony was in the study deeper in the estate most likely taking care of the finances of the business and estate. 

A butler came in and announced, “Lady (Y/N) we have a bouquet here for you.”

I jumped out of my seat at the piano along with my mother, we both exchanged excited looks at who could’ve brought me flowers. What arrived was a beautiful large arrangement of red, pink and orange honeysuckles, tulips, and bachelor’s buttons. They were beautiful, I gasped when they were placed on an end table in the drawing room, they were even placed in a beautiful crystal vase. I went towards them and smelled them, when I realized what they all meant: declaration of love and hope. 

As soon as I was taking in the splendor of the bouquet I saw the letter placed next to the vase. I opened it and the letter read:

To the lovely Lady (Y/N) Bridgerton of Honeyholt,

You have quite literally and wholeheartedly enraptured my heart and mind with thoughts of you. I know it may seem like I am making haste with putting my thoughts in letters and ink, but I hope you may like that sort of thing. I am hopeful to see you in the dance of the season to arrive and for you to reserve a dance for me if you so can. I hope your brothers may allow me to accompany you in this way. May the gods and you bless me with your company. I wish you and your family good health and wealth for the rest of your days.

Sincerely and Earnestly, 

Duke Oberyn Martell of Dorne

“Oh mother, come look it’s from the Duke of Dorne, read this letter it's so thoughtful,” I gush as I hand her the letter. 

My mother gasps and reaches the letter from my hand, and as she reads from my periphery I see my brothers whisper to one another from their couch and I see Colin leave while Benedict stays.

“This is wonderful news! It’s only been half a week in this season, and it seems like you’ve already found yourself a suitor, my dear,” mother said.

“It’s all thanks to you mama, my wonderful wit and looks must’ve charmed him and I got them all from you,” I replied. We then looked at each other and bursted out laughing, hugging each other as we giggled at the letter and bouquet. 

“Do you really think he likes me though? Because I have heard what my brothers said about him and they went to the Academy together,” I said suddenly. 

“Oh don’t be ridiculous, you two are about to begin a beautiful courtship I can sense it,” my mother assured me.

“What is going on here?” I hear Anthony stomp over in the room.

“It seems like your sister charmed the Duke of Dorne,” mother explains.

Anthony grabs the letter from the end table and reads it, he hands it over to Colin and Benedict to read, who then turns just as angry as Anthony.

“This is ridiculous, don’t you think he’s going a bit too far and fast with this, mother?” Anthony questioned.

“Well sure it may seem a bit fast but it’s not like he asked for her hand in marriage yet, it’s the start of a courtship, have you seen the flowers he sent her?” my mother reasoned.

“Expensive ones,” I jumped in. 

Anthony glared at me for a moment but then returned to his normal posture as he then gestured to all three of him, Colin, and Benedict as he says, “Just know that we are only looking out for you sister, and if he even dares to touch a hair on your head without your consent, just give the word and we will fight him for you.”

Benedict and Colin nod in agreement but I scoff and replied, “Three against one, seems hardly fair does it?”

“It does when it accounts towards the family honor,” Benedict says. 

I just huffed at that and grabbed the letter from their hands and replied, “Well I think his charming, but if you can think of a better match than him I am all ears, however for now you will to be contempt with the fact your sister is in the dating season in Westeros and I hope you three can wrap your heads around that.”

With that I kiss my mother on the cheek as I bid my farewell to the rest of them as I take my leave to my bedroom where I laid on my bed clutching the letter to my chest. I laid there motionlessly for a minute before a smile spread across my face at the thought of Oberyn Martell writing the letter and handing the flowers himself. 

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The time has arrived for my family and I to arrive at the next gathering, which is to be hosted by the Tyrells this time. The House of Tyrell is known for their lavish spending on the decorations and music, the only family that comes close to their lavish spending are the Lannisters. Lord Mace Tyrell of Highgarden is rarely seen during the parties rather he has a much permanent stay over at the King’s Palace, as he is the King’s most renowned advisor, however the Lady of the House, Lady Alerie Hightower has a graceful demeanor and peaceful aura that one hopes they can be graced with in their lifetime. 

We all gathered into the carriage together when we were all dressed and ready to go, with Anthony being the last to arrive. Mother and I sat next to each other giggling to ourselves and clutching each other’s arms thinking about Oberyn. My brothers sat across from us sulking with their arms crossed, probably scheming about ways to get me away from Oberyn. 

The carriage stopped and the rider signaled us that we have arrived at the Tyrell estate at Highgarden. The estate is beautiful with the castle stretching for miles on either side of the front entrance, with the renowned beautiful rose gardens stretching around the landscape of the castle. It was beautiful, as to be expected of the Tyrells.

We entered the ballroom in which the party is primarily at, and I soon saw Tyrion talking to the hosts of the party, Lady Alerie and her daughter Lady Margery. They both are the belles of the ball tonight, it was also seen as Lady Margery’s debut into the social season, we haven’t talked much so I can’t really say anything about her character. 

Tyrion sees me and waves me over so I do with my mother in tow, we come to greet him and the hosts.

“Lady Alerie, Lady Margery, we are grateful for your invitation,” my mother greets her as we both curtsy in greeting.

I turn to Margery and say, “you look absolutely beautiful this day, might I add the color green really takes to you.”

“Why, I am quite flattered to hear that because from what I heard around the town, you are the Incomparable this season,” Lady Margery remarks.

“It is quite true, even if she doesn’t want to admit it, she is the best student I ever had,” Tyrion says for me. 

“Who cares for me when I heard that a certain prince caught your eye?” I question. 

Margery blushes under the question and Tyrion raised his eyebrows at me in response. Before anyone can further the conversation I heard the band begin to play the first song of the ball. Lady Margery excuses herself as she readies herself to be asked on the dance floor. Within the first verse she did get asked by a handsome bachelor. 

The prince in question was Prince Joffrey Baratheon, he was being groomed to take the role of King of Westeros quite soon, however room speculates about how prepared he may be. In the eyes of high society he was supposed to debut as a bachelor if he was anyone else, but he is the Platinum Prince as people liked to call him. Tyrion likes to call him the Plastic Bastard behind closed doors.

My mother soon takes off as she told me that she was going to try to fend off my brothers from scaring off any suitors my way which I thank her for. 

“So you are hearing things about that loathsome child?” Tyrion questions in a hushed tone. 

“Quite, but don’t worry it’s all gossip, it seems like Lady Margery is getting favors from Prince Joffrey. He seems to be quite adamant that he has found her princess, however the Queen might feel about it,” I state as I watch the dancing. 

“That is quite the speculation, but it does appear you are right, because Lady Alerie seems to think that this debut was only to announce that Lady Margery has come of age into the social season, because it seems like Lady Alerie already picked out and secured a quite permanent suitor for her daughter,” Tyrion speculated with a sip from his glass. 

“I wouldn’t even be surprised if the prince came here uninvited to try and win the people’s hearts with a grand spectacle. How the royal family do like their toys,” Tyrion continued.

“Bite your tongue Lannister, I don’t want to lose a friend simply due to gossip,” I paused then leaned down to whisper to him, “But you are quite right about the toys. It would be a shame if the prince realized he was also a pawn to the Queen’s game as well.”

“Aren’t we all,” Tyrion muttered. We both glanced at each other and shared a smile at that, we clink our glasses together as we drink with smiles on our faces.

“I see you two are together often,” I hear a voice approach us. 

I turned and saw the Duke of Dorne smiling at us, in a very catching navy blue, and golden yellow suit with a dappled blue ascot tied and tucked around his neck. His olive skin seems to glow from the ensemble, and I start to blush at how intense his gaze was at me.

“You see, your grace, it’s merely a ruse so my brothers aren’t as intense at protecting me, they don’t see Lord Tyrion as a threat, so I am able to breathe freely from such scrutiny,” I say with a conspiratory smile on my face.

Tyrion pretends to gasp as he clutches imaginatory pearls around his neck.

“My word, Lady (Y/N) if only your guard dogs can hear you now,” Tyrion states.

We both laugh at that while the Duke has a huge grin on his face, watching us.

“Well now that I know the truth, may I have this dance, I do believe they are about to start the Cotillion Dance if you care to join me?” the Duke offered with his hand out.

“I would be honored, Lord Martell,” I say cautiously as I take his hand and he leads me to the dance floor. 

The music begins and we all stand in formation at the start of the dance, then the dancing commenced. The man of course led this dance as well, and from our first dance together I took well under his lead in the dance. It felt like we were gliding on the dance floor with us twirling and spinning around each other, but I felt safe and confident as we danced together. I felt beautiful and radiant, I looked into the Duke’s eyes and it felt like he had his eyes on me the whole time. The Cotillion ended as we took our bows and he led me off the dance floor.

We found a corner of the ballroom as he took me there, and he began to speak.

“So, I was wondering and I know this might be too soon after our second dance but I would like to propose something to you,” the Duke began.

“Yes?” I urged.

“Well, I would like to begin a courtship with you,” the Duke says.

I let out a startled laugh at that as I immediately put my hand on my mouth at that, I grew hot with embarrassment almost immediately.

“I don’t mean to embarrass you, but you see my brothers are quite adamant at protecting me and if they heard you propose that to me, they would all beat you to a pulp. They also seemed to warn me against you as well I might add,” I warned him.

He quirked his eyebrow as he heard me which he then replied, “I wonder what those warnings might be? Is it that I am a rake? Or is it that I had frequented brothels?”

“There was that, but also that you are a bit of a brute,” I added.

He gave a quiet laugh at that as he shook his head and then let out an exhale. I gave him a soft smack to his torso as I reprimanded, “Don’t laugh! So tell me is it true then? Should I be cautious of you then?”

He gave a dramatic pause as he gave a thoughtful stroke to his facial hair and he looked up to the ceiling as if in quiet deliberation.

“Well all those rumors used to be true a couple months ago, I was quite rebellious towards my family affairs and myself I suppose. I didn’t want to take responsibility quite yet,” he said.

“Well what changed?” I inquired.

“Well to put it quite simply, my older brother, he has his own state of affairs with his own estate at Godsgrace and with our sister Elia passing away so suddenly from influenza we were both stricken with grief,” he pauses as if in reflection.

I nod in understanding, I put my hand on his as I squeezed it in reassurance waiting for him to continue talking. 

After a moment of soft silence between us as the music and society dances around us, we were caught up in each other, in this moment. 

“Well, I suppose that brought things in perspective for both of us, let’s say. I know she loved us until the very end of her life, but I suppose that grief has left me stricken to try and chase anything that made me feel something other than grief and molly houses, duels, boxing, and fencing were all things that did,” he seemed to emphasize the past tense in his sentence.

“Well I am sure if she saw you now, she would not blame you for what you have done. Grief does strange and terrible things to us all. I was similar to you as my papa had just recently passed away this past year, I had locked myself away in my room and not talked to anyone except my mama and even then it was short sentences. They loved each other dearly, my parents,” I explain.

“What got you through the grief?” he asked.

I paused in thought then answered, “Well to be honest, there will always be an ache in my heart for him but what got me through in acceptance was my family and the world outside my window. Nature allowed me to relapse in my head and to just breathe fresh air without thinking of my father, my family, businesses or anything else. It allowed me for a moment to collapse and I think I needed that.”

“You are quite wise for someone so young,” the Duke remarked.

“Well three older brothers and two younger siblings someone ought to be,” I answered.

He smiles at my comment and then replies, “Well I think that does it for our serious conversation. Would you like another dance, my lady?”

“Why I would be happy to, sir.” 

The next dance was led by a bright happy tune and we instantly knew the dance was to be of a country dance. We beamed at each other as we both realized that, it was as if the band realized we needed a reprieve. The dance was filled with bouncing and skipping around the entire floor, and it led to us with bright smiles on each other’s faces as we continued to stare at each other throughout the whole dance. From the corner of my eye I saw my brothers with concerned expressions as they saw me dancing with the Duke, and I also saw my mother and Tyrion both smiling at us. 

“It seems like we have fans,” the Duke whispered to me. 

“And critics,” I added, which made both of us lean back a little and let out a small laugh. 

“I assure you that the criticisms that your brothers may have me are of past consequence,” he tells me. 

“Oh I’m quite confident in that,” I say.

The dance then ended with us as routine in society, we take our bows and he leads off the dance floor. Which we were then greeted with three angry faces and two smiling ones. 

“What are you doing with him, (Y/N)?” Anthony questioned.

“Well I'm having a lovely time, if you must know, brother,” I answered.

“I was also going to ask you something before your family came over,” Oberyn says.

“Oh what is it?” I asked.

“Since we have twice tonight, and from our conversations I would like to make our courtship public and to get approval from your family,” Oberyn announces. (In regency era, if a lady dances only with one man,  especially twice in one night, it is seen as either she is “easy” or she is engaged to that man) 

“How da-” Anthony started. 

“Wonderful,” my mother finished as she elbowed Anthony.

“It seems you have taken fascination with my student, eh Red Viper?” Tyrion asks.

“I sincerely have, and I want to make this an amazing courtship, I know that your family is known for honeyed alcohol but what of sweets? There is an amazing cafe that I would love to take you sometime this week,” Oberyn offered.

“I would love to, Duke” I answered.

“You could take her this weekend, that’s two days away, I’m sure you can take her then,” my mother responds.

“That sounds wonderful,” Oberyn answered.

“Then it’s settled, I can’t wait to see you that day. Well I think we’ll take our leave then,” I say and my mother reached for my arm and we were escorted home leaving Oberyn and my brothers to their own disposal.

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Two days have passed with relative ease even though all three brothers have badgered my ear off with the countless requests to put Duke Oberyn in his place by way of a duel, which I vehemently denied. My sisters have taken to making fun of me for being so enchanted by the Duke of Dorne, and it seems the only person who was my confidante in this new relationship was my mother. 

The clock in the drawing room has struck 12 o’clock meaning that it was time for me to be heading out towards the main town in the Reach which was only 30 minutes away from our estate by foot, so it was easy for me. I took to wearing my riding boots and my favorite dress and wearing my hair in a simple updo fashion, well as simple as one can make it with the fashion trends these days. 

I ended up making it to the main road of the town in enough time that I was allowed to stroll around the town window shopping, until I heard my name being called.

“Lady Bridgerton, there you are,” I heard a familiar voice call out.

I turned to see the Duke of Dorne walking my way to me with a lazy grin etched on his face, which got me to smile back at him.

“Why hello Lord Martell,” I say as I do a small curtsy to him. 

When he fully approached me he presented his hand to me and as I took it he said, “Shall we?”

“We shall,” I grinned at him.

We made our way to a small cafe that he was adamant that was amazing about their sweets and pastries that they are known for. We found ourselves at a corner of the shop sitting on opposite sides of the table. He ordered for the both of you when it came to that, because he insisted that there were some things that he simply must do for me and to trust him.

I huffed and playfully glared at him as we got our treats in order for us., and he returned my glare with a stare of his own. A smirk plays across his features as he takes a dip into a lemon custard that he got, wrapping his tongue around the spoon. 

I inhaled sharply as I watched and I got flustered when he caught my eye, I hurried myself with drinking my hot chocolate that I got. I saw his expression become bemused at what he saw me doing from my periphery, and I tried to shake my head of the thoughts that were swirling in my head. 

“So, I was thinking…”

“Oh a dangerous activity indeed,” I teased.

“Hush, I was merely about to ask, what are some things that you would like to do while we are courting, because I would like this to be a worthwhile endeavor for the both of and make this the best courtship for you”

“Well, that’s rather kind of you, but I am sure you are aware that I have not courted anyone at all, and to be quite honest with you I don’t know a thing about courting. Sure I know mannerisms and what to say as well, but what goes beyond that? I simply don’t know. My brothers won’t tell me a thing, and my mother won’t tell me a thing about it.”

“Hmm, well we’ll take it slow then, okay? If I do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable or strange tell me, hmm? I have every intention of making you my wife, so let’s get to know each other during this courting period and don’t worry about not knowing certain things about life because from what I heard you are quite the scholar,” Oberyn responds to my rant.

“Well I try to be, I would love to be a writer one day but that is off limits in today’s society, I’m afraid, so I make do with learning as much as I can with the limited options I am able to. Lord Tyrion makes an excellent teacher, whenever he is not professing his love for alcohol or gossiping about the royals,” I let out.

“Lord Tyrion is quite the conversationalist and wine tester, he knows about everyone and everyone’s cousins, unlike his siblings people have no problem extending an invitation his way. Now, what is your favorite thing that you like to learn? There has to be something that you enjoy out of all your lessons,” he asks.

“Well, I do enjoy painting, and I’m rather indifferent towards my sewing lessons which I suppose is mandatory, but I also deeply enjoy playing music. Painting and music are something I am deeply in love with, I love to go to the Opera theater in town. The touring groups that play there are almost always amazing. I also love going to the art galleries whenever they have a new exhibit to display,” I respond. 

“I heard there was going to be a new exhibit opening up in a few days from now, I’m bringing my sister’s favorite painting to be displayed there,” Oberyn states.

“I will be there, I got an invitation from Lady Joanna to be there actually, I’m sure she just wants to keep an eye on me, “ I say.

“Who wouldn’t want to keep an eye on the diamond of the season?” Oberyn questions.

“I hate that people are calling me, as well as the Incomparable? What am I that the other women are not?” 

“Well I am not sure how to put it, but you surely have captivated me, and it seems like your focus and intellect has in fact enraptured all that talk to you,” Oberyn assured me.

“I surely hope not, for there are some that I would happy to never come near me again,” I state.

“Oh? And who would that be? You surely couldn’t be talking about the Kingslayer or the Prince?” 

“You listen to about as much gossip as my mother, I swear.”

“Well is the gossip wrong?”

“No, not exactly but even if I was interested in them, I doubt that my brothers would even think about letting them breathe in my general direction.”

Oberyn laughs at that.

“Well, then I shall count my blessings that I allowed to still be alive so I may take in your beauty,” Oberyn flatters.

“You already got an outing with me, I hardly think you need to do anymore flattering, Duke,” I respond.

“Hmmmm, I think if we were to continue this courtship I think it would only be fair if you would call me by my first name?” Oberyn insists.

I got flustered by his sudden request but then I went to say, “Of course, only if you do the same.”

He raises his eyebrows at me and had a light smile on his face as he says, “Well of course it’s only fair, (Y/N)”

“Oberyn”

“How sweet it is to hear my name from a lovely flower,” Oberyn compliments.

“Well I think that’s enough pandering today, I am sure you must have more important business then just hanging out with me all day,” I say as I brush my dress and start to stand up.

“Oh there is no more important business then spending time with you, honeybee,” he comments and he winks at me when he calls me that new nickname.

My face got hot with that new nickname as I tried to make my way out of the cafe with Oberyn hot on my trail. He suddenly pulled me aside into a walkway that was a clearing in a park that I hadn’t fully noticed before. 

“What? Oberyn? Where are you taking me? I thought we were just heading back,” I questioned him.

“You didn’t think that I would want to part with you so soon, honeybee?” Oberyn asks in return as he spins back to face me.

“I assumed so, my brothers make a point to make sure there are no suitors within an arm’s length of me and I thought you would be the same yet you keep coming back. I thought you would be scared to come near because of my family,” I admitted.

“Ah well, I know how my family is, I am lucky that I was able to grow an estate of my own because my elder brother is the viscount of our family estate and he can be a pain on trying to get me a wife and my personal schedule in general, so believe me when I say I understand siblings. Maybe, not to the extent of your family but to an extent,” He explains.

“Well that explains some of it, I suppose,” I replied.

We were walking side by side at this point and I noticed the sun was just about to set and I realized that we were out together for at least 4 hours, and I was starting to worry what my brothers would think. 

After a few moments in silence Oberyn breaks it as he asks, “I just want to ask, why are you so hesitant about this relationship? Is it truly just because of your brothers that you are not willing to enter this relationship or is it something else entirely?”

“It is mostly because I am afraid Oberyn,” I tell him.

We now stood in front of a beautiful ficus tree with its branches spread all in different directions but the leaves always reaching towards the sun. I turn my focus on studying this tree instead of looking at him, embarrassed for admitting my fear. For I want to love him with my whole being already but scared of the novelty of it. 

Oberyn hummed in thought as he heard my fear and after a moment of silence he spoke up, “Well then we shall take it slow, as slow as we can in this season anyway. The gods know how the Queen loves a good wedding.” 

I turned to him and I smiled softly at how gently he spoke. “Thank you Oberyn then I will see you at the gallery then,” I say to him.

“Yes you shall, now let’s get you back before your brothers come looking for us and to take my head.”

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The days seem to blur as I wait in anticipation for my next meeting with Oberyn, it has been less than a week since we have started courting but I am already infatuated with the man. Relationships have started off with less in these times, right? I mean Countess Daneryes had an arranged marriage with Count Drogo, they seem happy enough from the little times they do make a public appearance but I can only imagine if things were to have been worse.

During the few days between my dates with Oberyn, I had been pressured to practice my music skills more, as my mother thinks that a Duchess should know the masterpieces of the piano. I just hope one day I’d have the liberties to be able to compose my own piece on the piano.

Benedict had recently taken art classes, Colin also started taking fencing lessons, and Anthony has been Anthony. When I announced that I would be attending the new painting gallery, Benedict showed his interest in escorting me there as well as wanting to see the new art in general. With that settled, Colin and Anthony begrudgingly said that they’ll let me go on my own with Benedict. My mother seemed equally as excited as I am about the art gallery, because I have talked to her about Oberyn and she approves of the relationship.

Benedict and I went off to the gallery once we were already ready to go. We stepped foot in the carriage and off we went to the main city’s art gallery. The ride went quickly and rather quietly as well, but I didn’t pay any mind to the silence. I was just excited to see Oberyn again. 

We arrived at the gallery, and once we stepped inside I was absolutely mesmerized by the decor and ambience of the entire place. The paintings were displayed in front of a beautiful burgundy backdrop all throughout the place. My brother and I bid our farewells to each other as we went to go look at the different paintings. 

I explored and looked at the different types of paintings that were displayed around the gallery.

“Well if it isn’t Lady Bridgerton, how very nice to see you,” I heard a voice coming up to me. 

I looked to my right to see Duchess Joanna, I bowed my head towards her and gave her a polite greeting as well.

“I’m glad to see you got my invitation well, how is your relationship going with Duke Oberyn?” Duchess Joanna asked. 

“I think it’s going well, at least I hope so,” I respond.

“So when do-” 

“Ah Duchess Joanna, how good to see you here. I want to thank you for extending an invitation and for me to display my family’s paintings here,” I hear a familiar voice interrupt.

I tilt my head to Oberyn as he made his appearance between the Duchess and I, it seems he must’ve heard the conversation and wanted to circumvent the question the Duchess was about to ask.

“Of course, and I see you have found each other so I will be taking my leave,” Lady Joanna says and with that she walks off.

Oberyn turns to you and as you meet each other’s eyes you both smiled.

“It seems that you were about to meet a very uncomfortable question with Lady Joanna,” Oberyn began.

“So you decided to intervene then? Ah, my hero,” you stated. 

The smiles never faded from either of your faces as you two began to walk around the gallery. When you were passing by an entry to a hallway of another gallery, Oberyn nodded towards it and guided you to walk through it, and when you got there you were amazed by the two pieces adorned on either side of the wall. 

The first one we saw was on all accounts a technical masterpiece, but as I was looking at it all I felt was cold calculating movements and techniques that are being taught today. The second one however was of a landscape, and it looked like it was of Dorne, there was a familiarity to it and a warmth surrounding the piece that I felt like I was home already.

“So what do you think?” Oberyn asks.

“Well, the first one felt frigid like it was only made to be appraised for its techniques and nothing else. However this one, this one, felt so warm, so comforting, it feels like hiraeth,” you say as you turn to him. 

He hums in acknowledgement and looks at you with a small smile on his face.

“This was my sister’s favorite, and behind was our father’s commission piece, I think you spoke well on the differences here. I feel the same, I began to feel that this was my favorite as well, after she died. What is hiraeth? I’ve never heard that word before,” Oberyn responded.

“It means to be homesick for a home that never existed,” I answered.

Oberyn nodded in acknowledgement and we both turned to the painting again, looking at the beautiful image in front of us. The distant voices of the rest of the guests slowly faded away as we continued to stand almost shoulder to shoulder with each other. I felt a pull towards him, I wanted to hold his hand so badly, it was strange, but did he feel the same? I glanced quickly to see our hands reaching for each other and we felt our fingertips touch. As soon as we felt them we heard a loud crash. With that loud crash, our little microcosm came crashing down with that sound. 

We turned to the source of the sound and we were greeted with the sight of my brother Benedict sliding on the floor and met my eyes. 

“Ah there you two are, I was wondering where you ran off to,” Benedict states.

“Like I didn’t see you running off to see your mentor just in time to avoid Lady Joanna,” I bounced back at him.

“That doesn’t prove anything, dear sister, and anyway we should be getting back, I should escort you back to the house, even if you do have a suitor now,” Benedict eyed Oberyn as he spoke.

“I hope to see you soon, maybe we shall go for a picnic?” Oberyn asks you.

“Speaking of picnics, well not really, how would you want to come to dinner one day? Our mother seems keen on meeting you properly, you know my brothers, and my precious little sister, but pray my mother, so here is an invitation for you to come over tomorrow. Don’t worry, mother knows about it (Y/N),” Benedict interrupts.

I just gaped at him as I heard him talk, I knew my mother wanted to talk to Oberyn, but have him over for dinner? Isn’t that a bit much? I turn to Oberyn, I see he had a lazy grin stretched across his face.

“Well, how can I say no to such an invitation,” Oberyn lamented and he claps his hands together looking between the three of you with a smile on his face.

With that you all started to head back into the thrums of the gathering in the gallery, as Benedict walked ahead you walked a bit slower with Oberyn.

“I am eager, adamant and sincere about this relationship, honeybee, and I hope you and your family see it that way as well,” Oberyn tells you.

“Oberyn, you make my heart burn with such sweetness that you say to me, and if you keep that up I’m sure my mother will fall under your charm as well,” I murmured to him.

After that my brother and I said our farewells to the appropriate guests and we headed our way back home.

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News has reached all of my brothers and sisters about how Duke Oberyn has finally decided to make an appearance to the Bridgerton estate, which got my sisters and mother very excited about this new man coming to visit that wasn’t family.

My brother, Anthony, seemed to be brooding the most about this new development, which I could’ve seen coming from a mile away. Colin and Benedict were taking it better then expected except now they have decided would be an excellent time to warn me against Oberyn even more vehemently before. I still don’t understand why my brothers are so against this, I like him, isn’t that enough? Or is it because they were friends in the same academy? 

The preparations have made for the table and the maids and butlers have made sure that everything is pristine in the household, and as the time ticks down for Oberyn to arrive, I’ve become increasingly more worried that something might go wrong. 

Then once the hour arrived, we got word that Oberyn had arrived and we all got ready to greet him. Oberyn walked into the drawing room where we all were loitering, Hyacinth and Eloise were reading and embroidering, I was talking to my mother, and the three brothers were all talking amongst each other. Once we were aware of his presence we all said our polite greetings, with my mother going straight away to compliment him which Oberyn took and reflected back to her.

We all made our way to the dining table where the food was already present on the table, as we all took our seats Oberyn moved his way to me and sat down with me.

Then dinner began and with that our usual chaotic family conversation began. Hyacinth refusing to eat her vegetables, Eloise teasing her, Benedict and Colin teasing each other and shoving each other at the table and my mother chastising every one of them. 

Oberyn leans to whisper to me, “I didn’t know family meals could be so entertaining.”

“Oh you should see them during the holidays, they’re entertainment all by themselves,” I whisper back. 

I look up and see Anthony glaring at us, I turn back to Oberyn and asked him, “Why is Anthony so opposed to our relationship?”

“He’s your brother, ask him,” Oberyn answered.

“And he’s your friend, plus he won’t talk to me no matter how many times I ask,” I pressured him,

“I think it’s all about my past, I normally wouldn’t have seen myself with a longtime commitment but with you I do, and I think your brother is having difficulty realizing that I grew out of my adolescence,” he answered.

I nod and smile at him in understanding, I reach for his hand under the table and squeeze it in reassurance, which in turn made him smile at me.

“Well, Duke, I have seen and heard that you have become quite attached with my dear daughter,” my mother spoke up.

Oberyn straightens his back in his chair and he replies, “I am very much attached with her, Lady Violet. I’ve come to nickname her honeybee.” 

“Did you allow him to call you this?” Anthony glared.

“Yes I did, brother, and he allowed me to just say his first name as well, I do hope you realize that we are sincere about each other,” I replied.

Anthony sighed while mother gave me a soft smile in return, and I looked to see Oberyn beaming at me.

“Well, Duke, I do hope to see you marry her before the season ends, it’d be a shame to see this season go to waste,” my mother pestered.

“Mother,” I warned her and all I got in return was a confused look from my mother.

“I have every plans on doing so actually, I hope for every one of you to see how sincere and earnest I am with your daughter,” he turns to me and takes my hand and he kisses it lightly, “she has me so under her spell, she has me bewitched body and soul, and I am not sure how any marriage proposal would befit how she has me feel.”

I felt my whole body flush with heat and tears pricked my eyes at the praises and endearments he was giving me. He was ethereal, otherworldly, with how he treated me and I swear to the old gods that if that wasn’t his marriage proposal then-

“Well I think that was as good of a marriage proposal as any,” Hyacinth quipped from the other side of the table. 

Oberyn’s face turned as red as the roses set on the table. I see from the corner of my eye my mother nods to Oberyn and he takes a deep breath. He stands up and kneels before me with both of my hands in his and what I saw in his eyes made it click in my head what was happening.

“(Y/N), my honeybee, we may have known each other for two months and started courting for half of that time, but I already know in my heart of hearts that you own my everything already. Whenever we part I am always thinking of our next meeting, and I may have already talked to your mother about this, and I want you to make me the luckiest man in all of the world, and let me call you my wife as I am already yours fully, so you can call me husband. So will you marry me?”

Tears flowed down my face as I slid off my chair to cling onto him tightly as I said, “Yes, a thousand times yes, I will marry you Oberyn Martell, I love you so much.”

“As I do you, my love, I love you too,” he whispers to me as he caresses my head. 

Applaud littered the dining hall with my family congratulating us as well as the staff on our new engagement. As we stood in this new feeling, I reveled in it and I felt elated, like I was floating and I couldn’t get down even if I wanted to. 

I looked at Oberyn and he looked at me with such love and adoration that I knew I made the right choice. I found the love of my life and I found it in him.

[gffa]

Every time I put together a list of STAR WARS fic recs, I keep wanting to add to it because, here’s the thing about this fandom, people keep writing more amazing fic. I’m especially fond of this set because it contains a whole bunch of novel/novelette length fics that made for incredibly satisfying readings, like, sure, we’re all worried about what TROS might bring, but it’s a lot easier to relax for awhile when I have twenty novels worth of fic to distract me. So, here, have a bunch of crying about some of the incredible fic this fandom has given us, before I decide, no, I’ll wait until I read just ten or twenty more fics (because I have them sitting on my reader to read already!) and cry about them at everyone, too. STAR WARS FIC RECS: TIME TRAVEL RECS: ✦ Legacy by myrlendi (thehistorygeek), luke & leia & obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & cast, time travel, 130k wip    Three months after the Battle of Endor, Luke Skywalker goes in search of a rumoured Jedi temple in a secluded part of the Mid Rim. He finds within the temple nothing but a strange artifact, which unexpectedly brings him much closer to the Jedi of old than he ever thought he would be. ✦ The Desert Storm by Blue_Sunshine, obi-wan & jedi & cast (too many to tag), time travel, 409.3k wip    The storm screams at him, and Obi-Wan Kenobi screams back. PREQUELS RECS: ✦ One Thing You Lack by maychorian, obi-wan & anakin, ~1k    Considering how easily Anakin wins at just about everything, it’s only fair that Obi-Wan have the best of him in at least one area. ✦ Adrift by Ripki, obi-wan & anakin & padme & yoda & palpatine & cast, 32.5k    In the aftermath of painful revelations, Obi-Wan and Anakin struggle to come to terms with the heavy price of secrets. But the war gives no respite and soon enemies are closing in, putting the Team’s honesty, loyalty and trust in each other to the test. ✦ Help me, Master by fireflyfish, obi-wan & anakin, 2.4k    Obi-Wan Kenobi watched in a kind of numb horror as Anakin Skywalker coiled his legs and summoned the Force to his command. ✦ Anamorphosis by saltyavocado, obi-wan/padme & anakin & cast, 33.5k    A distorted or monstrous projection or representation of an image on a plane or curved surface, which, when viewed from a certain point, or as reflected from a curved mirror or through a polyhedron, appears regular and in proportion; a deformation of an image. ✦ Knightrise by Deviant_Accumulation, obi-wan & yoda & satine & ahsoka & cast, 22.4k wip    “Strong enough to fight the Sith Lord, you are not.“ And just like that the fight drained out of Obi-Wan, the barely scraped together agitation running out of him like water from a broken glass. He looked at Yoda, the other Master already hobbling towards one of the back exits, his presence burning with focus, obviously expecting Obi-Wan to follow. ✦ Ensuring The Future by Shouting_at_God_in_Latin, obi-wan & anakin & mace & cody & yoda & cast, 44.1k wip    When both Yoda and Darth Sidious have a vision of the future, both send reinforcements to Cato Neimoidia. One fleet is sent to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi, the other is to save his life. The fate of the Light requires Obi-Wan to stay alive until years after the end of the Clone Wars, but can he even survive Cato Neimoidia? ✦ Rainfall on Geonosis by ealcynn, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & cody & cast, 33.9k    Obi-Wan Kenobi attempts to land his troops at Point Rain. Geonosis is not kind. ✦ Trust Fall by devilinthedetails, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon, 1.4k    Two generations of Masters and Padawans. Two generations of trust falls. ✦ Lay Me Down by TrickyTricky, rex & obi-wan & cast, 7.9k    War is hell, and the terrible fate that lies in store for the clone troopers casts its long shadow over them even now. ✦ -when skies are hanged and oceans drowned, by glorious_clio, bail/breha, 1.1k    Bail’s had enough, and goes home to Breha. They know just how to take care of each other. ✦ Something Borrowed, Something New by Raven_Knight, qui-gon & dooku/jocasta, 1.6k    Qui-Gon Jinn had only been claimed as Knight Dooku’s Padawan for three weeks before he’d managed to get himself into trouble with his Master. ✦ Vestiges by Quark_Logic, obi-wan & anakin, ~1k    While duelling in the Death, Obi-Wan tries to connect with Anakin through their old Force Bond, not really expecting it to work. OBI-WAN/ANAKIN RECS: ✦ not too particular, not too precise by AozoraNoShita, obi-wan/anakin & padme & ahsoka, modern au, 8.4k wip    Obi-Wan and Anakin both run food blogs and they have Opinions about each other’s recipes. Then it turns out they live in the same apartment building and they have the same friends and when they finally meet? It’s like a cooking competition meets a rom-com. Kind of. ✦ Upfall by bell (belldreams), belldreams, usomitai (belldreams), obi-wan/anakin & obi-wan/satine & ahsoka & cast, NSFW, 71.1k wip    Anakin is doing just about everything he can to hold himself together; it won’t last. ✦ Transactions and Negotiations by zarabithia, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, modern au, light d/s, 5.3k wip    Obi-Wan Kenobi is Anakin Skywalker’s favorite client. ✦ This time we’ll fall together by liv_k, obi-wan/anakin & padme & yoda & cast, 27.6k wip    In the aftermath of Order 66, Anakin Skywalker’s miraculous survival after his confrontation with the new Sith Apprentice Darth Vader ignites a sparkle of hope in the remaining Jedi, in the fledgling rebellion and, above all, in his former Master, who thought he had lost everything to darkness. But darkness is generous, and it is patient. ✦ Home by little_tales, obi-wan/anakin & shmi & mace & qui-gon & cast, NSFW, time travel, 39k wip    Time travel fix-it story with a bit of a twist. After his death, Obi-Wan wakes up on Tatooine, in the body of his padawan self. But instead of trying to prevent Anakin from Falling, he decides to change the future by stopping Qui-Gon from ever meeting the little Ani. ✦ After the Pillars Come Down by Virgo827, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka & cast, 19.7k    Anakin, Obi-Wan, & Ahsoka investigate the death of a Senator, and an accusation against the Jedi Order. But as the shadow of their last offensive campaign looms over them, the Jedi find it harder and harder to come to terms with what the war has made them. ✦ In the Heat of the Moment by Gwendolyn (storiesofchaos), obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 5.5k    In which Anakin and Obi-Wan are stranded on some lonely desert planet, and what first appears to be a dull, annoying mishap turns out to be full of pent-up desire and feelings that come to light. ✦ Mutual Acquaintances by Ghost_Owl, obi-wan/anakin & obi-wan/satine & anakin/padme & padme/satine & cast, 36.6k wip    In which Satine’s distress call puts Obi Wan under Council scrutiny, Anakin offers to save her for him as a Totally Platonic Favor, Satine would like one good day, please, Padmé has everything under control, and Maul manages to cause an even bigger problem than before. ✦ Adrift and Entangled by WhiteMoose, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka & padme & maul, some torture, 68k wip    After the Hardeen operation, emotions are raw. But before anything can be fully sorted out, the boys are sent to Christophsis for their next mission. Things don’t go as planned, and they find themselves alone in an unknown system with no hyperspace capabilities and no effective means of communication. ✦ Distractions by SingManyFaces, obi-wan/anakin 1k    Being distracted by Obi-Wan wasn’t anything new, but the circumstances always were. ✦ untitled by subskywalker, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, some d/s, 1k    “Remember dear one,” Obi-Wan reminded him as he pet his curls with one hand while the other stroked his cheek gently. “If it gets to be too much or if your need a break just tap our signal, okay?” ✦ The Seduction of Anakin Skywalker by DontCallMeShirley, obi-wan/anakin & anakin/padme & obi-wan/anakin/padme & cast, 20.2k    Anakin is falling to the dark side. Obi Wan and Padme concoct a scheme to bring him back. ✦ So Warm by amyfortuna, obi-wan/anakin, 1.2k    Anakin needs body heat. Well, maybe he needs a little more than just body heat. ✦ untitled by subskywalker, obi-wan/anakin/padme, sith!obi-wan, sith!padme, 1k    Anakin falls in increments and everything else happens in between. ✦ Dear Fellow Traveler by Glare, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, modern au, 17.4k    When strangers Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker both miss their flight, they become unlikely partners in the quest to get home. ✦ Satisfying Victory by zarabithia, obi-wan/anakin/ahsoka, NSFW, 3.4k    The Force gives and Ahsoka takes. (Or, Ahsoka goes back in time and is totally going to fix everything. But there’s another order of business to attend to first.) ✦ Cinnamon by birdcat, obi-wan/anakin, 2.4k    “Was it the same dream, today?” It took Anakin a moment to process Obi-Wan’s question. “Yes.” ✦ The Lives We Live Before the Present Moment by lyhoradka, obi-wan/anakin, 1.2k    The Jedi’s best-kept secret is that the Force lies. (Anakin finds Obi-Wan a flower.) ✦ Immortals by SingManyFaces, obi-wan/anakin/ahsoka, vampire au, ~1k    They tried to picture their lives without Obi-Wan, but they couldn’t. ✦ Soldier, Poet, King by Glare, obi-wan/anakin & qui-gon & dooku & cast, NSFW, time travel, d/s undercurrents, 102.5k wip    Second chances are very rarely given, but the Force smiles upon two of its favorite children and returns them to a time before their actions have met their consequences. ORIGINAL TRILOGY RECS: ✦ Yet Peace by theLoyalRoyalGuard, obi-wan & luke & cast, 3.7k    Grieving and unable to part with his best friend’s son, Obi-Wan raises Luke. Turns out, he’s pretty good at it. ✦ Hidden Relics by Burning_Nightingale, aphra & ahsoka, 1k    When Aphra goes searching for Sith relics on Malachor, she gets more than she bargained for. ✦ More Than Just a Treat by JessKo, obi-wan & luke & beru & owen, 1.3k    Beru and Luke bake cookies for Old Ben. REBELS RECS: ✦ we don’t have to have everything at once by Burning_Nightingale, thrawn/eli & thrass, 12.3k    Eli is reunited with Thrawn by chance on a mission for the Ascendancy; their changed circumstances give both the chance to voice things previously left unsaid. ✦ Lights In The Storm by Burning_Nightingale, thrawn/eli & faro, 13k    An Admiral being asked to investigate reports of smuggling at a tiny listening post in the ass end of nowhere would in normal circumstances be insulting - but Admiral Ballenrost is asking as a ‘personal favour’, and one does not turn down that sort of request from a man of his standing, even if one is the Imperial Navy’s most unorthodox and sole non-human flag officer. ✦ A Second Honor and Privilage by katsu, thrawn/eli & cast, NSFW, 10k    Eli and Thrawn smut held together with a thin veneer of plot. ✦ Dear by ambiguously, kanan/hera, fem!kanan, 4.8k    Kanan’s life has been a mess ever since Order 66, but now she has a new business partner and a new job to do. What could go wrong? SEQUELS RECS: ✦ Coneflower Honey by ambiguously, leia & rey & ben & finn, 3.2k    General Organa is seriously ill. The Supreme Leader of the First Order is the only person in the galaxy who knows what’s wrong with her. FULL DETAILS + RECS HERE!

[labyrinth-runner]

Which Fic...

Tagged by @anakinswhore

I had to break out the master lists for this. ALSO. I’m leaving out any sinful sunday things for this lol

…did you think would get a bigger reaction/audience than it got?

Oh gosh. Literally any of my song fics? Like literally any of the Obidala ones.  Specifically Guys My Age and One Thing. I also had high hopes for Senate Submission (Obidala) and Love Drunk (Obi-Wan) and I feel like those both flopped.

Also The Greatest Thing. It’s one of those things where you put hours and hours of effort into it and no one really reads it, so that’s discouraging.

…got a better reaction than you expected?

A Garden in Gotham. When it comes to fics on here, it’s definitely the one series that’s garnered the most asks. 

Also, Pirate!Obi. Everyone seems to love him.

Off of here, my most popular fic is actually Come What May, which is my modern AU Obidala fic but it’s also very centered around Obi-Wan and Anakin’s bromance (they’re foster brothers in my AU).

…is your funniest?

Oh gosh. I have a lot of funny one liners that I sneak into things that no one ever catches onto. But. Probably either Come What May, or Hauntober Day 25, Crystals. I’m here for the roasting of Anakin for losing his lightsabers

…is your darkest/angstiest?

Oh gawrsh.

I feel like there are bits and pieces of darkness in my multi-chapter fics.

Come What May deals with grief for a stretch.

Aconite in the Night from AGiG was sinister.

The Greatest Thing has a lot of angst here and there.

Senate Submission is dark in the sense that what he does is fucked up.

There’s one oneshot I wrote where I wrote it based off Obi at the end of the slave trade arc in TCW.

…is your absolute favorite?

Fuck. Guys My Age, Come What May, and Some Like it Hot for Obidala

For Obi-Wan x Reader... Love Drunk and the Pirate!Obi oneshot where he goes back to reader’s home.

I’m also hella proud of my Alex Law Series. And The Greatest Thing.

…is your least favorite?

My Obi x Reader fic Settle Down, purely because it was my first and I used “Y/N” instead of you and Y/N is my pet peeve in x Reader fics.

Also, Unholy Version 3. I wrote Padmé cheating on Anakin and I feel guilty about it.

…was the easiest to write?

Come What May at times because I’m purely writing that fic for my own self healing and indulgence. And the Banter just comes so easily.

…was the hardest to write?

The Greatest Thing. I’ve done. So. Much. Research. When I wrote that fic.

Also, Across the Stars. It’s my Obi x OC fic that I literally haven’t touched since I wrote the first part. RN it just lives on AO3. 

…has your favorite line/exchange/paragraph? (share it)

Okay so I’ve got like two.

Come What May, Ch 13

"I don't think I will ever get used to talking about him in the past tense," he said hollowly. Her heart broke for him.

"Obi, you don't have to. I don't think it's something anyone would ever get used to. He was your father, and the idea that he should have been around a lot longer isn't something odd. If it helps you to talk about him as if he's just gone out and he's going to come back for now, then you should," she said gently. "This is still fresh and raw for you. You will heal, but you have to heal at your own pace. You don't have to force yourself to haphazardly stitch up the wound. That will only make it worse. It'll either get infected, or it won't heal properly and you'll be left with a scar."

"Padmé, I'm sorry," he replied, looking off to the side. She could see the unshed tears building in his eyes again.

"Look at me," she said, gently cupping his face and refocusing him on her. "You do not have to apologize for grieving. You will always be grieving this loss. Sometimes you'll have good days, and sometimes there will be days where you see something and it'll remind you of him so much that you'll want to break down. But no matter what, those feelings are valid. He's your dad, Obi, and nothing will change that fact. But, you need to give yourself time. You shouldn't push yourself too hard to be okay, because you're not. That's not to say you won't eventually be okay, but right now you're not and that is perfectly fine. It's human. There's no correct way to grieve, but you need to grieve."

"Padmé, I..." he trailed off, a soft smile forming on his face as he looked at her. She wanted to ask him to finish his thought, but this wasn't about her right now. Instead, she used her thumb to flick away a stray tear.

And... In The Greatest Thing, Chapter One

"Is a woman not a flower?" she asked in response. "If one looked at the ball room like a bird in a tree looks over a garden, would they not see the same sight? Women in colorful dresses, putting on their best airs and making themselves colorful enough to be wanted in order to attract the bees of men."

His brow furrowed at her words. "You speak like a poet. Darling, what's wrong with attracting a bee?"

She smiled knowingly, wagging a pointed finger at him like she used to when they were children and she needed to teach him a lesson. "Bees pollinate flowers. They spread the pollen 'round and round. Bees have the ability to seek out other flowers when theirs start to wither and die. Bees don't have to tend to the flower as it dies on the vine," she gently reached out to hold a dying rose, smiling sadly at it. "No one wants the flower when its not at its best, for they don't truly love the flower. If they did... they'd know that the flower still had so much more to give, even after it looses its beauty."

He smiled at her as he softly asked, "And if someone cherished the flower in all forms?"

"Because they respected the flower or merely because they saw the usefulness of the flower?" she countered as she released the flower to regard him. She didn't quite realize it, but she was holding her breath as she awaited his answer.

"Perhaps they respect the flower, missing it terribly when it doesn't grow back every year. Still, as they're in the garden, they think of the flower and how the garden isn't quite the same without it," he replied.

"You missed me?" she asked breathlessly.

"Are we no longer discussing flowers?" he chuckled.

"Were we ever discussing flowers?" she countered with a raised brow.

…have you re-read the most?

Okay so. I know I said I wouldn’t talk about sinful sunday but. I think the ones I reread the most are the Imperial Obi Sinful Sundays And the one that I think I have titled “Dirty Talk meets breaking the bed’

…would you recommend to someone reading your work for the first time?

Tbh, I’d just direct them to my Masterlist of Masterlists and tell them to go at it. But, if you want to really get to know me, truly, deeply know me... Come What May, which is only on a03 and ff.net, and The Greatest Thing, because TGT is truly a labor of love.

…are you most proud of?

The first like. 8 chapters of The Greatest Thing. Those were truly like next level, Jane austen tier metaphors and writing and I am proud of it, even if no one reads it lmao. I get it, no one likes OCs, but I didn’t want to spend the whole fic using “you” because that just gets so repetitive. But, I also love the one shot that inspired TGT as well.

Tagging any of my writer friends, @sabinemorans @goldenkenobi @the-mandalorian-clone-lover

[radioheadyaoi]

I want to ask them all but I'm going to hold myself back. 3, 9, 10, 11, 20, 34, 43

thanks for the asks! 

3: Are there any fics that inspired you to write what you do? That I can think of, Tell Me About The Big Bang (I'm not sure who wrote it), fics by @dreamypope, you and so many of the fics written by the jjpope community 

9. Tag 3 fic writers you think are underrated/unknown in the fandom/fanfiction community. I have no idea, honestly. But, if you do know any underrated writes/fics, please send them to me! 

10. What’s your favorite fandom, pairing, or character to read fic for? I am about to expose myself right now. Let me check my ao3 tabs: dean & seamus (harry potter), arthur & eames (inception), todd & neil (dead poets society), jj & pope, boris and theo (the goldfinch), and newt & thomas (the maze runner). I have so many others but i can't remember them right now. 

 As 'research' for my WIP, I read a lot of wartime fanfiction because I did not do a lot of actually research and wanted light and fluffy ideas and because when I started writing it, I had just watched the movie 1917, I read a TON of will & tom so if you see my ao3 tab, that's half of what you'll see. It was actually very helpful when it came to writing. 

11. How do you come up with your fic titles? Lines from the writing, mostly. Or just the general idea of whatever I've written. 

20. What’s your favorite part about the fanfiction writing process? Posting it and seeing what everyone thinks. Sharing my writing on this blog has built up my confidence and made me feel proud of what I write and I love answering questions, looking at feedback and seeing everyone's thoughts. 

34. How much of yourself and your life experiences do you put into your writing? What do you think your readers’ image of you is? I've actually been thinking about this a lot. In an novella I wrote, one of the main characters dies and the other character struggles to move on after that. Their life falls apart and they do nothing about it. They let the sadness and grief consume them. Last summer, at the beginning of July, one of my best friends died. I was young, still am young, and had no idea how to process the grief. My life imploded and I fell into a deep depression. In March, another one of my best friends committed suicide, just days before my birthday, and even though I had grieved once, I had no idea how to handle that. A lot of what the character was feeling came from me, more than I meant. So much that my uncle began to worry about me when he read the second draft.  

On a less sad note, I like to add little quirks of mine in. Like how I like pie but only lemon and peach, how I eat frozen blueberries with a spoon, how I like swimming, being around people. I hope what readers think of me is something nice but I can never know for sure. 

43. Talk about a positive experience with fanfiction or the fanfiction community that you will always remember. Nothing specific, but anytime someone says they like my writing and quote my lines back at me. Like when @pope-obx said something I wrote was earth shattering, I will never forget that. And how you said my writing changed your view on poetry. How @dreamypope called me an inspiration. These little things that stay with me. 

 Feel free to send more!

[damienthepious]

this week’s lizard kiss fic contains... exactly zero kisses. and is entirely angst. and doesn’t even feature Arum physically. oops. uh, it still counts because it is rad bouquet endgame, fight me.

You Want To Live (When Life Is Achingly Unfair) [Chapter 1]

[ao3]

Archive Warning: Major Character Death

Fandom: The Penumbra Podcast

Relationship: Sir Damien/Rilla, Lord Arum/Sir Damien/Rilla

Characters: Sir Damien, Rilla, Lord Arum, Sir Angelo

Additional Tags: (angelo isn’t mentioned by name but You Know), (also arum won't technically 'be here' until next chapter), Second Citadel, Lizard Kissin’ Tuesday, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Alternate Universe - Orpheus/Eurydice/Hades, Grief/Mourning, Heavy Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, (though there will NOT be relief until later chapters), Death, (Death but it's Weird when the afterlife is a place you can just Go), Singing

Summary: Damien’s beloved dies in spring. His flower dies, among flowers. This cruelty is not without beauty.

Notes: The Orpheus/Eurydice/Hades au that I've been thinking about since before I even started writing Penumbra fanfic. Please hang in there with me. This is... very different from my usual style. Title from the song Don't Give Up by The Whitest Boy Alive.

~

Damien’s beloved dies in spring. His flower dies, among flowers. This cruelty is not without beauty.

Damien weeps. He rages. He barters with empty air, beats his fists bloody among lilies in the grass, howls his despair. He cannot understand.

Damien is a poet. Damien knows how stories are meant to go, knows the flow of meeting and curiosity and affection and settling comfort and long long years of peace that should follow. Damien the poet and his clever, keen-eyed betrothed are meant to be in the midst of a beginning, in a place of promise.

Endings come whenever they please, Damien learns, and then he weeps violently enough to make himself ill.

The flowers for their wedding are given new purpose. The ceremony shifts. The almost-widower is expected to speak, and when he is led with strong gentle hands to the front of the congregation he opens his mouth and for long, long minutes he fully believes his gift and his tongue and his own heart have died as well, have crawled in beside Rilla’s motionless, vacant form to be laid to rest.

Words, on their own, cannot carry her weight.

So, Damien sings.

If there are words among the melody, he does not remember them. All in attendance weep, as he weeps. All grieve, as he grieves. Like ribs cracked, like poison, like stillness within. He is led away again. He is caressed with words of comfort. With praise, for his weavers gift, spinning despair into melodic silk. He cannot speak to answer.

His mourning song is begun, his love pouring out from within him, and it will not stop, now. Not until every drop of lamentation is wrung out. Even with his mouth pressed closed, he cannot help but hum.

Damien languishes. Cannot remember hunger, cannot remember thirst. Cannot remember the straining of the sapling towards the sun. Remembers only the weight of Rilla’s smile, and the memory is as stone. Heavy, unmoving, unchanging, until the (distant, distant, still please distant) time when it will erode as well.

No other weight can Damien bear. Not even his own hands. Not even his own head, which bows his neck like the weakest of willows.

Blessed is he, then, with friendship bright and strong enough to lift such weight for him. If friendship need weep to be beside him as he croons and keens, friendship will never, never complain. Friendship will lift sweet water to his lips when they crack from his withering song. Friendship will carry him, feed him, sit beside him and mourn and love and mourn, and believe in change and light and sunrise soft and sweet enough until Damien at last lifts his head again to see it too. He sees the sunlight, sees that love is still here, though it is not the love that pulls his soul from his bones, though it is not the love that pours unceasing from his lips. He begins to play the part of the living again, feeds and cares for the body which still lives, to honor the sacrifices of his friend. To allow his companion, at last, to relent in his vigil.

Damien cannot cease his song, but he will remember, in time, to be half in love with life, for all it reminds him of the woman who once lived and loved him. He sees her smile in the waves, feels her touch in rainstorm gusts, hears her laughter in all laughter, and he aches. He is haunted by life that echoes and remembers the beauty and movement that once was his beloved. He is haunted by these pieces of her that transmute and shift, that move on while she cannot. While he cannot.

Damien falls half in love with death, as well. For it is death who embraces his flower now, and they who love Amaryllis must themself be lovely in turn. She touches everything with light; even death. Even grief.

He is more and less aware. More aware of change. Less aware of time. More attuned to decay, to erosion, to endings. Less aligned with his own body. The world changes, all inevitability running like a river, time unspooling each thread one by one, and all of life is change-

Amaryllis has ceased to change.

The dead are only ever still.

Damien sings, notes that move and flow as time does, notes that slide in subtle knives up his throat but never, ever stop, and the grief within him becomes grief without him, curling the tops of grass and summoning the keening howls of distant wolves. Her death is a living thing, his song a cloak whose hood shades his eyes and trails behind him, touching all.

He wanders, rather than allowing his misery to pool in one place, rather than allowing his pain to fester in the fields of his home. He wanders, and takes his sorrow with him, painting gray across the land.

He wanders, he sings, and rivers flow faster as he passes, tears of the mountains following him down. A copse of dryads wilt and weep with his passing, begging for relief at his heel, and he smiles sadly and quickens his pace, though he cannot put a stopper to his song. The stones shiver underfoot. The earth groans with mourning. The sky cracks, and roils, and pours.

He sings. He sings. Grief, and love, and every way he is changing and unchanging without her. He sings.

Once, his songs were sung in duet. He forgets where harmonies once lived, and he grieves for that as well.

Damien sings. The world listens. Damien yearns, and in some small way Amaryllis lives in echo as the world yearns in his wake.

Helios comes to him, eventually, wearing the face of his friend. Else his friend is sunlight itself and never thought it bore mentioning. The god embraces him, and Damien weeps for comfort, weeps as he did on the very first day, weeps as he sings his every fear and pain and plea, and the god weeps with him. The god weeps with him, but nonetheless Helios smiles when he leans close enough to whisper in Damien’s ear.

Hope is a flower which blooms slowly, and the god is already gone before Damien understands the gift he has been given.

Hope blooms slow, but it also blooms bright and hardy, and Damien knows at last what he must do.

Damien sings, and Damien descends.

~

End Notes: Oh please hang in there. It will not always be this sad.

[gentlethorns]

eleven writing questions

thank you @neurtsy for the tag!

1. how do you choose titles or chapter headers? (or do they choose you?) truth be told, i don’t use chapter titles or headers much. unfortunately, i’m terrible at titling (and that goes for all types of titling - i’ve gotten slightly better at titling poems, through hard work and practice), so i find it works better for me if i don’t bother with chapter headers.

2. what are some pieces of literature that have heavily influenced you?

definitely stephen king’s work. if i had to pick a specific book, i’d pick the shining, but his body of work as a whole has taught me a lot and has had a hand in the formation of my style.

the harry potter series influenced my writing style and syntax style.

the work of poets here on tumblr (like @americansport and @exit152), as well as crush by richard siken, caused a gradual but extremely significant shift in my style of poetry and expression.

3. what certain themes do you find yourself more strongly drawn to? in fiction, i find myself often turning to the theme of twisted/soured religion - either religion used as manipulation or religion taken too far (i.e., cults). in poetry, i often draw on heartbreak or emotional turmoil (but what poet doesn’t?).

4. do you underline in books you read? how do you feel about this? i don’t underline, but i do highlight and jot notes in the margins. i don’t mind people marking books as long as they own the book and as long as they don’t plan to give them away or sell them in the future. personally, i don’t ever get rid of books that i care about or write in books i don’t enjoy, so i feel like i have a good system going.

5. if someone were to design a cover for one of your stories, how do you imagine it looking? i honestly think it varies with each story, because each of the stories i’ve ever worked on to a significant extent vary widely in genre and general vibe. however, one thing i do think they’d have in common is an element of mystery and danger, so i’d like their covers to convey that. in addition, i really enjoy book covers that focus on one object or character in particular that ends up having significance in the story, so that would probably play a large part in my cover(s) as well.

6. do visuals influence your writing? typically my writing is more influenced by action. i imagine things pretty vividly, but i transcribe them pretty loosely and leave much to the reader’s imagination as far as appearances go. i’m more descriptive with settings than i am with characters’ appearances, but even then i only mention important things or single details that enhance the reality of the setting. i guess visuals don’t inspire me much, typically, so they don’t influence my writing much either.

7. do you draw inspiration more from the people and happenings around you, or the writing and media you consume? definitely both! but i think i typically draw it more from media i consume, in the sense that after experiencing media that tells a particularly good story or is very well-executed, i feel inspired to create something on the same level.

8. what film(s) would you love to see fic adaptations/references of? i would love to read the dead poet’s society as a work of fiction.

9. what is one trope you think is overused, and one that is underused? i think “woman dies as a plot point” is drastically overused, and i’m tired of reading it. i hate it when one of the only women characters (if not the only) is made to be badass and likable, seemingly with her own autonomy, and is then killed so that her death can grieve/motivate the main male character. as for an underused trope, i’d really like to see more comedic tropes used in narration (such as unreliable narrators that tell events in an obviously contrived or biased way, or narrators breaking the fourth wall and adding commentary).

10. what book/story has absolutely rattled you to your core? here are a couple of faves that have really stuck with me:

the shining by stephen king

the alienist by caleb carr

crush by richard siken

bone by bone by bone by tony johnston

lord of the flies by william golding

11. when was the last time you felt truly moved by a piece of writing? yesterday, when i read LONELY BODIES by adrian bouvier ( @slaughtervoid ).

now, for my eleven questions:

1. where do you often find yourself turning for inspiration? 2. what genre is easiest for you to write? what genre is your favorite to write? 3. what literary work(s) have been major inspirations to you? 4. what was the event that set you on your journey to become a writer (if you can remember one in particular)? 5. what were some of your favorite books growing up? 6. what are some of your favorite books now? 7. is there any specific writing skill you’d like to become better at or master? 8. what is your greatest creative strength? 9. do you generally feel more inspired during the day or at night? 10. what are your long-term writing goals? (e.g. being published, just having fun, etc.) 11. what piece of your writing are you most proud of? (if you’d like, provide links!)

i’d like to tag @americansport, @anonymous-hoper, @victoria-writes-sometimes, and @christinawritesfiction! (ofc, only do this if you have time and would like to!)

[klbwriting]

Center of Two Worlds

Chapter 15: One Ending, new Beginning

Fandom: DCEU

Pairing: Orm x female!Reader

Warnings: none

Summary: The aftermath of the Manta fight is finally becoming bearable and the reader returns to Atlantis

Notes: So here’s the end of this story, but there is a sequel coming which will have a time jump of five years.  Hope you enjoyed this fic!  Comments are appreciated!

Tags:  @bookdragoneve @scuzmunkie @fangsweetpea @dulcerdzx @downsideright @aggie-the-poet @weakling-grace @singe666 @readytocomply15 @btheapsc @anxiety-station @whimsicalragnarok  @kings-never-die

(Nothing to do with the chap but like he’s just so pretty here?  So that’s what I’m using)

Two weeks had passed since the battle with Manta and he was still at large and Y/N was still on the surface helping her mother try to figure out how to survive without her other half around.  Orm had been back and forth from Atlantis, helping to repair the damage done by Manta's attack on the coronation and heightening security so that no one could attack them like that again.  He was returning to Y/N after being away for three days, hoping maybe she would be having a good day.  Some days she was just blank, numb to everything, including him, and other days she needed him close, needed his touch and his love and he was willing to do anything she needed whether it was just sit in the room with her or take her to bed to help her forget for a little while.

              When he arrived she was on the beach waiting for him and he could see a small change in her right away.  She was smiling at him, something she hadn't done since that night.  He smiled softly back at her and hugged her close despite being soaking wet still.  She didn't seem to mind and held him equally tight.

              "I missed you," she said, pulling back and looking up at him, ruffling his hair to mess it up like she liked.  He leaned in and kissed her softly.

              "I missed you too," he said, touching her face and smiling when she leaned into his hand.  "How is everything?"

              "Mom is doing better, she hired some help and her sister is moving in for a while to help with the ranch.  They still have some debt to pay off and then she will probably move to a smaller place, still on the coast so she can feel close to him," she said.  She moved to walk down the beach and sat on the grass just beyond the sand.

              "What about you?  How are you?" he asked, following her and sitting next to her.  She leaned to his shoulder and took a deep breath.

              "I'm feeling better, you told me it wasn't my fault and I'm starting to believe that," she said.  "I'm also understanding where Manta was coming from wanting to kill Arthur because I want to kill him more than anything right now."

              "I know the feeling, for years I wanted to kill my father for banishing my mother, he honestly died before I got the chance," he said.

              "Ya, but your mom came back," she said.  "My dad isn't coming back ever."  Orm kissed her head.  "I'm not angry anymore, or sad, I think I'm accepting what happened."

              "Do you think you'll be able to come back to Atlantis soon?" Orm asked.  He didn't want to pressure her but he still missed her terribly.  He had to return to Atlantis, having been promoted by Arthur to vizier in place of Vulko who decided to step down after his son's death.

              "Yes and no, I'm going to come back this time, but I'll need to go back and forth for a while, my aunt can't stay here forever so I will have to help out until my mom's debts are paid and she finds someplace to live," she said.  "She already said goodbye, told me to go home with you and be happy, tell everyone about us getting married and live my life, don't worry about her.

              "But you'll always worry about her," he said.  She nodded.  "I agree with her about telling others about the engagement though, but that's because I'm eager for everyone to know officially."  She nodded.

              "We'll go back now, tell them about it, celebrate.  I could use a night off from grieving," she said.  "And thank you Orm."

              "For what?" he asked.  Once again he wished he had the human ability to read their minds so he wouldn't have to ask.

              "For letting me us you, I know it wasn't easy some days.  I was all over you one day and then the next I didn't want you to touch me at all, I know it couldn't have been easy dealing with that kind of emotional whiplash," she said.  Orm just shrugged and kissed her head again.

              "You needed me, I would do whatever you need, anytime.  I do expect you to return the favor though," he said with a smirk.  She laughed and he was so happy to hear the sound.

              "I'll go change and we'll head back to Atlantis," she said after a few moments of silence.  Orm nodded and waited for her and once she was ready they took off back to the underwater city.

              Atlanna hugged Y/N tightly when they appeared in the dining room for dinner that evening.  Mera did the same, as did Arthur, and Vulko.  Y/N felt good being back with her other family, surrounded by people who loved her and wanted her happy.  She sat down at the table and waited for a few moments before Orm spoke up.

              "I know it's been a dark time around here, we lost a father, a son, and a friend, but out of this darkness I hope a light of happiness can be seen.  Y/N has agreed to marry me and I hope that I can give her all the happiness she deserves," he said.  The group cheered and smiled happily.

              "Your necklace is beautiful, can we hear the story?" Mera asked.  Y/N nodded and took Orm's hand, kissing it first before looking back at them.

              "Tom bought it for Atlanna when Arthur was a toddler, intending to give it to her on his next birthday, but she had to return to Atlantis before he could.  So he kept it, hoping she would come back and he could finally give it to her.  Then she came back and that very night he gave her the necklace that he had kept for her," she said.  "And she was good enough to let Orm give it to me."  Atlanna smiled.

              "I wanted you to have it, it means just as much to me as the bracelet that Mera wears and they are both full of love that I hope you all have until the end of your days," she said.

              "Well now, that everything is calming down again, hopefully we won't have to deal with anymore tragedy for a long time," Arthur said.

              "That reminds me, now that everything is getting back to almost normal...when is the wedding?" Y/N asked, looking to Mera and Arthur.  Mera blushed a little and Arthur smirked.

              "Going to be soon, we would like to be married before the baby arrives," he said.  Atlanna and Y/N both squealed out in happiness and jumped up, moving to both hug Mera at the same time, Arthur moving out of the way and going to where Orm was.

              "I'm happy for you Arthur," Orm said, putting his arm around his shoulders, which Arthur did to him also.

              "And I'm for you too baby bro."

              "Can I ask you something?" Orm asked.  Arthur nodded.  "Why didn't you ever tell me that humans can read minds?"

[grievingpoets]

t, 892 words, a quick thing about that rag demanded enki's services in a completely different thing (nothing happened) (maybe this is the first stage to something 💕 who knows 💕)

[ao3feed-tolkien]

with the one who never grieves

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2I74iTN

by TolkienGirl

This falls like a blow, too: the sight of my brother.

Words: 3700, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 38 of All That Glitters: Gold Rush!AU

Fandoms: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: Gen

Characters: Maglor | Makalaurë, Maedhros | Maitimo, Fëanor | Curufinwë, Original Characters

Relationships: Maedhros | Maitimo & Maglor | Makalaurë, Fëanor | Curufinwë & Maglor | Makalaurë, Fëanor | Curufinwë & Maedhros | Maitimo

Additional Tags: Catharsis? I hardly know it, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Brotherly Love, Father-Son Relationship, A TOTAL MESS OF ONE OR MORE, Implied/Referenced Sex, Implied/Referenced Suicidal Tendencies, Title from Poets of the Fall, A direct follow-up to the Thuringwethil fic...so...the fall-out continues, POV First Person

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2I74iTN

[tiip2ydoodles]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Homestuck Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: The Disciple (Homestuck), The Signless | The Sufferer, Darkleer (Homestuck) Additional Tags: Grieving, Diary/Journal, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Songfic Summary:

I have written you down now, you will live forever.

Art by @littleladylulub! Written for @homestuckartists Art/Fic Collab day!