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soaringwide · 2 days

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Pick a Card: What do you need to hear right now?

Hello and welcome back to a new pick a card reading!

Today is a general and open one, where we're going to look at What you need to hear right now.

As always this is a general reading meant for multiple people so it might not resonates 100%. There are only three piles and a shit ton of you. Takes what resonates and leave out the rest.

Check out my pinned post for more pick a cards or to book a paid reading.

PILE 1

Cards: 10 of Cups, King of Swords, 5 of Swords, the Chariot, the Empress, the Hanged Man, Queen of Cups, 4 of Pentacles, the High Priestess, Sweet Oblivion, Acceptance

Right now, you seem very preoccupied, by the idea of happiness and emotional fulfillment. I see you wanting more from life and not wanting to settle for your current circumstances. You are an idealist who wishes to enjoy life to its fullest, and I think that includes multiple areas of you life because you don't want to neglect any aspect of it.

But at the same time, there is this idea that your idea of ultimate happiness is an ideal, and ideals are not reality. Reality is uncertain and mysterious, we never know what's around the corner, and I think you're trying to get a hold of that by using your logic over your heart to try to understand and break down what it is you want from life. Truth is, when we want something, even when we get it, it never quite look like what we imagined, and that's quite a struggle when we want to control outcomes.

And I think you're fully aware of the fact that there are going to be some losses on your path towards this beautiful goal of yours. Perhaps you even have already experienced some. You might be wondering if that was all worth the effort in the end and feeling quite defeated on the inside. There might be frictions with you values and feeling like you have to sacrifice something dear to you.

However, despite these sour feelings, you feel like you have to stay determined to make it work and get out of the realm of what's known and comfortable. With the Chariot paired with the Empress, representing respectively Cancer and Venus, there is this idea of slow but unstoppable movement toward you ideal. It's really hard for you to let give up, unthinkable even. Both characters are crowned in stars, representing the hope for something better and the faith you have for yourself.

What you don't see, however, is that you are currently trapped in your own perspective and struggling to see things in a new angle. You are tied to the emotional baggage of your past and it's like you're trying to run away from the pain but you can't, you're stuck with it because its part of yourself, of your story. And I think to some extent you fail to see how these past emotions are affecting the way you see the situation. You learned to be very protective of your well-being, up to a fault because, right now, this inflexibility is creating struggle and pain where there is no need for it.

I also see that you're so focused on the prize that you're blinding yourself to everything else, which is part of why you are stuck in some way.

You advice regarding this situation is all about accepting that you cannot control everything, nor that you should. As we pointed out things will not always unfold the exact way you want them to, which is not necessarily a bad thing. You don't need to know everything, to see 10 steps ahead. It's okay to not know what you are doing, no one does. Yes you are doing that because you want to feel safe, but that's not how reality works. You can't trick your mind into thinking you have full control over your life, that's a delusion, and you're missing out on the mysterious adventure that is life.

So you need to let go a bit, surrender your desire for control and float through life with peace in your heart. What will be, will be. Some things cannot be changed with force and willpower alone. Some things are out of your control and all you can do is accept and let things unfold naturally. Right now you need to let loose a little and learn to have more faith in life and to trust that sometimes, the detours are exactly what we need to experience.

Key words: crisis of faith, winning at all costs, go big or go home, sunken cost fallacy, if i don't help myself then who will, crawling out of a hole, disillusionment, swimming against the current vs floating with it

PILE 2

Cards: King of Cups, Empress, 7 of Pentacles, the Hermit, the High Priestess, 3 of Swords, Ace of Wands, 7 of Cups, 8 of Pentacles, the Hanged Man, 3 of Cups, 8 of Swords, Rebirth

What you're being asked to look at today, is your emotional balance and the emotional work you've done on yourself to nurture and repair. It seems you've been working at it for quite some time, steadily and patiently. You've been caring for yourself, healing, like a gardener working in his orchards day after day, waiting for the harvest to finally come.

And you did quite well it seems! A lot has been accomplished already. You've done the work and sought inner knowledge; with bravery you looked at every shadow, every past hurt, every trauma, and you've learnt so much from it. You really consciously took the matter into your own hands and were directly acting on your issues. It still hurts at time though and you might be wondering when it will cease to be painful. Truth is, you keep touching the wound so it's probably not helping. I see you quite stuck in waiting for this harvest, the harvest being the point where you feel finally free from all of this ready to seize life again.

You also went through a time of isolation that made you stronger, but I'm also getting that you're struggling to get out of that isolation mode out of comfort and fear mostly. Sometimes when we go through something hard, it makes us feel alienated from others, like it's hard to relate to the everyday problems of people who were lucky enough not to go through something traumatic. It can make you feel envious, or at the very least, a bit disgusted and void of interest to connect with those people, because they just don't get it, and honestly, some people lack the emotional intelligence necessary to handle people who suffered a lot…hence the isolation.

What you don't see, is that you're ruminating your problems and that it's past the point of being helpful. It's like you're going over it again and again and again, trying to see if you can find yet another answer that would end the search once and for all. You're clearly overthinking your feelings and obsessively trying to find a solution to something that has none. What is done is done. Yes you need to mourn, yes you need to let time and introspection sooth the pain, but at some point, the only thing left to do is to move forward again.

The advice regarding this is that you need to drastically change your ways. Flip the way you live on its head. The cards point at getting out of this isolation mode, because the only thing holding you back is yourself in this case. It's like you're scared of going out into the world. You might not feel ready. You might not feel strong enough. You might not feel adequate for this world. But it's not true, it's just another result of overthinking your past hurt. It's time to step out and connect with other people. Celebrate, have fun, laugh, connect with others sincerely and without fear of not being understood. Yes some people won't get it but you'll also be pleasantly surprised by others, and you won't know until you tried.

It's time to leave the old behind, the old being those past hurt you're so familiar with, and this way of being you became so used to contain yourself in. You've spent enough time in the cocoon, now is time to break free from it and spread your wings. It might not be easy in the beginning, you might need to learn to fly again and it will be scary, but it's so, so worth it.

So ask yourself what living your life fully looks like to you. If you were completely free if nothing was holding you back, what would you want to? What would you want to become? Switch the overthinking from the tiny box you stuck yourself in, to the expansiveness of a mind that wants to reach to every corner of the world. The sky is the limit and it's time you look up.

Key words: breaking the shell, chrysalis, rebirth, being stuck in a maze of your own creation, scared to open up, meaningful connections, sunlight, removing the bandage

PILE 3

Cards: 6 of Pentacles, 6 of Swords, 2 of Cups, 2 of Swords, 2 of Pentacles, 10 of Cups, Page of Swords, 3 of Cups, 5 of Swords, 7 of Swords, 10 of Pentacles, 8 of Pentacles, the Great Goddess, Spirit of the Tree

The theme of your reading today is centered around the way you connect to others, be they people or spiritual forces.

More precisely, in the act of service you do for others, with a strong emphasis on keeping the balance in the exchange and the necessity to preserving the harmony between your thoughts and feelings.

With two 6 cards in this position, this highlights reflecting on the way you find the middle point in the way you give and receive your time and energy, but also what it costs you mentally and emotionally. This is a general reading so it's quite nebulous without context, but to some it could point at a specific relationship, or if you're someone who provides service for others, it could point at that, and it could also be relevant for those who do spiritual work.

In any case, what you're clear on in this situation, is that you've reached a point of no return. It's just no possible to keep doing things as you're doing them right now. You've been contemplating this recently and reached the conclusion that you can't make everyone happy at all costs, despite your desire for things to be perfect for all involved. You are sacrificing yourself in the process, to an extent that is not healthy for you. Exchanges between people are never fully balanced and that's just reality, but in the long run you should find some type of balance and not just giving yourself to keep everyone happy but yourself.

What you don't see in this situation is that you're getting the short hand of the stick when it doesn't have to be the case. If every interaction feels like a battle that you have to fight to sourly win, then was it really a win? Others can be here for you as well, for support and enjoyable shared moments. You should be able to all get something from this. If they never give you that, is it truly worth investing yourself in it?

There is a strong need for protecting your boundaries mentally as well. You don't see how letting others step all over you is detrimental to the way you perceive life. It maintains you in your little box where you need to expand your horizon. I think you somewhat lost that side of you. The side that seeks truth, that is strongly rooted in its individuality and critical mind. The you that seeks mental stimulation and adventurous ideas.

For the advice, you need to be honest with yourself because from what I understand, you do see the situation clearly, but for some reason, you're not acting on it. It's like you're lying to yourself a bit. You keep trying to make things work in this very unbalanced state, harming yourself in this task for the sake of others.

You need to look further and think of your abundance and legacy. What will you be remembered for? For what you did to others? It's very noble of you, but what about your enjoyment of life? What about your personal goals? What about what your heart desires?

Think of trees: we now know that despite being fully rooted in themselves and being whole and independent life forms, they do live in community and are able to communicate with each others across species and help each other. The big tree provides shade to the small plants, and the small plants keep the ground moist and fertile. They all benefit from this and create an ecosystem for all to live in.

You are being called to re-balanced things within you and in your life. To get to the root of this blockage you have regarding exchange and service in order to transform yourself. Perhaps what you're doing is actually detrimental to your ultimate goal, and being a bit more focused on yourself, selfish, even, would be the key for more stability.

Key words: giving and receiving, overworking yourself, beneficial selfishness, harmony between extremes, losing yourself in the work, waking up to what matters to you, long term goal, the wisdom of trees, creation and destruction

#pick a card #PAC reading #pick a pile #pick a card reading #tarot reading #tarot #tarotblr #tarot community #divination #soaringwide #soaringwide tarot reading #pick an image #pick a photo #pick a picture

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livelaughlovesubs · 3 days

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Nini!! Guess who’s back from hibernation!! :D

Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve interacted on your page, I got busy with stuff :(

Anyways, incubus Fyodor and priest reader! (Yes, ik old request, wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t remember.) punishing Fyodor for becoming cocky bc you were not paying attention to him, he even went as far as threatening to go get fucked by someone else! (He was bluffing. He’s too addicted to your cock at that point) now he has to learn the consequences of his actions when he’s forced to cockwarm you with his mouth while you read the bible, not even sparing him a glance! You even made sure to chastise him so he wouldn’t try anything. Every time he tries even moving at bit, you grab his hair tightly and push in more of your dick, making his eye tear up as he grips onto your thighs desperately. By the time you finish Luke’s gospel, Fyodor is looking up at you pleadingly with drool dripping down his chin for you to finally use him. <3

- 🍮 ( ๑‾̀◡‾́)σ"

Incubus Fyodor 3

Dom!reader x sub!fyodor

Warning: I’ll use dick - interpret it however you want, blow job, cockwarming, hierophilia - (incorrect) religious aspects, hair pulling, choking/ gagging, dacryphilia

🍮 anon!!! I missed you and your fyodor requests! I love that little bastard hehe. Also nope, I did not forget, cuz I freaking loved those ideas.

Normally you were nice enough to satisfy his needs, he needed it to survive after all. But he was an incubus, his sex drive was way higher than what a normal human can handle. One of the reasons why incubi’s never settle down for only one partner. In your case, you forced him to stay here with you, as if he was your personal pet. To be honest, he was just your plaything after all. The pretext of cleansing him of his sins? A dirty thing like him can’t be redeemed, you didn’t believe in such things anyway. Rather, accepting and repenting for one’s sins, and that is something he has to want for himself. The most you could do was prevent him from being even more sinful. That alone would be of great help, since otherwise he would seduce other people and make them succumb to Asmodeus too.

Today you were busy reading when he came up to you. You knew what he wanted, but this time you ignored it, there were other things to take care of. At first he just stood there, staring at you, wondering why you were so carried away. He took a few glances at your book, it was the bible in the Old Testament. No wonder you seemed busy, that one’s difficult to understand. This wont stop him from desiring you though, so he kneeled down and crawled under your table, slowly settling down between your legs.

“Y/nnn~ I’m so hungry, can we please do it?” Fyodor asked, looking up at you with those pretty scarlet eyes. “Not now, maybe later.” That’s weird, normally you always agreed. “Can’t you read that damn book later?” “This is not a ‘damn’ book, I have to concentrate so be quiet please.” You answered him, eyes never leaving the paper in front of you, scanning one line after another. He pouted, furrowing his brows as he thought about what to do. “But I’m really hungry.” The incubi complained again, though to no avail. How stubborn you were. Fine, if that’s what you want. “Never mind, I’ll find someone else then.”

Fyodor turned his head around, about to get up to leave when he felt your hand on his head. Before he got the chance to question you about it, you yanked on his hair and made him arch his back. Now you were towering over him, pulling his head back by his raven black locks. “MhmMM-ahHHNHgG..?!” He moaned out, unable to bite back a smirk. “I wont allow you to defile other innocent souls.” You told him harshly, without an ounce of concern. The gaze you bore was cold, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. It wasn’t due to fear though. His face was red, eyes foggy and expression melting, no matter what you’d do to him he’d take it with no hesitation.

“Haaah…” you sighed, feeling a little annoyed with him, then you commanded, “Go to the drawer there on the left and bring me the box in there.” He looked at you with confusion, but did it anyway. Getting up to get the box you wanted, then returning to his previous position. The demon watched with curiosity as you opened it. There were many sex toys in it, most of them have been used on him already. You reached for the things you needed, afterwards you put the rest away. Fyodor was still kneeling between your legs while you prepared everything, his body filled up with anticipation. He knows exactly what those toys do, god he wanted you to abuse him with them.

First thing you did was take the cockring and bring it to the base of his cock, it was to keep him obedient. You can’t have him squirting around his filthy essence. He squirmed when you grabbed him by the shaft as you used it on him, it looked so romantic~ That was all it took to get him hard. Then you pulled on his hair again, making him face your abdomen and dick. “Keep it in your mouth, you can’t move until I’m done, understood?” Instead of making him cockwarm you with his hole, you wanted him to use his mouth. It’s because he talks too much, you couldn’t think when he keeps babbling nonsense.

Just as you guessed, he happily took all of you inside his throat, gagging a little at the length. Forget about talking, he can barely breath with how deep it was in his throat. A bulge could be seen on his neck, right there where his Adam’s apple is. “Good boy.” You said, now stroking his head gently, as if he was really your pet. How he loved it, chocking on your dick like this, tears were on the verge of spilling. The reason why your fingers were still tangled with his locks was to prevent him from moving, since this was a punishment. That’s why every time he bobbed his head, intentionally or not, you’d force his face down further, until his nose hit your pelvis. Poor boy gagged and choked so prettily whenever you’d die that, letting out sweet moans akin to an angels singing,“guUHH..! Uh-hm,,.mHMmnGH..”

At first he was pretty enthusiastic about it, after ten minutes he got bored and needy. This only continued to the point he started crying. He was so desperate for any friction he could get, since he couldn’t even touch himself. Well, he could, but it’s not like he can cum anyways. Drool was running down his chin while tears rolled down his cheeks, leaving behind a shiny trail. His hands were bawled into fists while his tail wagged around like crazy. The look he had in his eyes were so hot, looking up at you all submissive while his pupils turned into hearts. Internally, fyodor was begging for you to finally pay attention to him, or finish reading that book soon. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold out.

This was pure torture, was what he thought after not 30 minutes, but an entire hour passed. His head felt light, and his body twitched everywhere. Just a single touch from you would cause him to yelp that’s how sensitive he became. Quiet sobs could be heard from him while melting expression plagued his features. You weren’t exactly done yet with your reading, but seeing how pitiful he looked, you just had to help him. Putting the bible aside and caressing his ruined face, “you’ve been pretty good for the past hour, want to have your meal now?” As soon as he heard that he started choking on it again, the surprise and excitement caused him to inhale too fast. Only difference was, this time you let him pull his head back. “AhHh..! Cough- uh-urGHh..ahh, ye-yes!! I want it, p- guUHH.. pleaseee..” Suddenly he started sobbing intensely again, he also stuck his tongue out after pleading with you so obediently. Right, such a good boy, it is time for him to get his blessing.

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alicenthightowercore · 2 days

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𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝

𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥!𝐀𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐞𝐧 𝐱 𝐅𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: You're a medical student with the perfect family and friend group, your friend recommends a Pen Pal site and you are paired with the most unlikely person, you decide to give him a chance but what will it cost you?

Warnings: Aemond is a criminal (he killed Luke and Viserys), pen pal situation, this fic will have certain themes like smut (consensual), angst, sadness and still debating a happy or sad ending, this will contain mentions and descriptions of murder, warnings will be more detailed as parts go on (I guess you can call it dark Aemond since he kidnaps you but he doesn't hurt you if you get what I mean)

You were not sure whether this was even a good idea, you palms were sweaty and your leg bounced up and down, Sara had told you about her pen pal, recommended the site for you to find one yourself, she explained it as entertaining

You weren’t quite sure if you even wanted to do this but it couldn’t hurt right?

You would feel guilty to personally choose your own pen pal so you decided to allow one to be chosen for you, you closed your laptop and walked away from your desk for a while.

“How have you been?” Doctor Godfrey smiled at Aemond while his monotone stare made her cross her legs, the woman had been his doctor for years, he was incarcerated when he was 17 and now he was 23

“I’ve heard you read books like there’s no tomorrow, do you like books?” She asked and still no answer, she let out a defeated sigh removing her black frame glasses “Aemond I want to help you, but I cannot do anything unless you allow me to” she explained and he held an emotionless face

“Who said I wanted your help” his voice was robotic almost, programmed to sound emotionless and empty “Aemond I’ve been here since you first came here, I’ve helped many people let me help you” she almost pleaded and to no avail “I’ve sighed you up to be apart of the pen pal program, you could make a friend out of this little world you’re in” she smiled softly “No” was all he could say

“I’m afraid that would be out of the question,” she stood up and walked out of the room leaving the guards with him, Doctor Godfrey loved her patients, no matter what they’ve done, that’s what she is here for, to help.

Aemond had been imprisoned for exactly 2,623 days, he counted the years, months, weeks, day, minutes, and seconds, he was in his own cell, he had cellmates who believed they were, better, he didn’t care but when they touched his belongings he did not take too kindly

A seven pointed star his mother wore, the necklace he’d cling to as a babe when she’d hold him and hum him a lullaby to sleep, it was a memory of her, the woman was locked away in an asylum owned by her paternal aunt, Aemond had no updates but he could only hope his poor mother was okay, alive at the very least

He read a book from the book cart everyday, he didn’t like leaving his cell, if he could he would fucking rot in the damn thing.

You were in the middle of class, a literature lecture which was worth a big part of the semesters grade, a vibration from your phone caught your attention, you furrowed your brows looking at the email notification, “A pen pal has been found and available for you, come start a chat!” The bold letters made your skin crawl, you wanted to try it and it was supposedly a 100% safe site but something gnawed at her belly

“Ms. L/n” your attention moved back to your professor “I’m sorry sir, what was that?” You asked embarrassed a pink tint all over your cheeks “If you found the lecture understandable” he repeated and you nodded “Yes, yes of course” he gave a satisfied nod and continued on with some announcements while you began to put your things away

“Hey, hey Y/n!” Sara’s voice was loud and clear making you turn “Have you tried it?” She asked and you gave her your phone “I have to do some log in to get started or something” she chuckled “well, you’ll have lots of fun with this believe me, you get to talk to some possibly hot prison dude and he gets a friend win win” you truly didn’t understand Sara one bit

“Yeah sure, thanks I gotta go” you left since you got a ride home through Lyft, you got home locking your door and opening your laptop going to your email inbox, you pressed the green highlighted link and saw that you had to enter basic information, name, verification of age, address, and other info

You entered it and waited for it all to process, you saw a information sheet with your pen pal’s info, you saw his name, mugshot, age, and whatnot

He was actually kinda cute, “hmm, Aemond” you tested his name out as his name rolled off your tongue perfectly, he had such a pale face, his hair was very unique, white like snow almost and he had a surgical patch covering his left eye, a scar slanted down his face and his other eye was a bright purple, it was not unheard of, he must’ve been of Valyrian descendant

You saw he liked books, that’s all that was listed, he did not have much hobbies listed down, you smiled.

“Aemond, can you guess what good news I bring ?” Doctor Godfrey smiled and he was stoic, she sighed and gave him a soft look “We’ve found you a pen pal” she announced and Aemond shook his head slowly

“Oh good, I see we are improving with communication” she wrote down on her clipboard “And you quite frankly don’t have a choice, I am making this a assignment or a chore in a sense, and if you do well I’ll allow you to write to your mother”

Aemond’s eye softly widened at that, “She is still registered at the Green towers institution and I myself am making sure she is being taken care of” the sigh he let out was barley audible but it was of relief, his sweet mother

“I’ll make sure you get your stationary, I hope you stay well Aemond” the blond haired woman walked out of the room where her evaluations and sessions with Aemond were held

Aemond was led back to his cell, the cell mirrored him somewhat, blank, neat but nothing that described him, no personality almost.

You were stuck trying to figure out what to even write, what could you possibly say? You did not want to be too short nor write as if you knew the man

“Hello, my name is Y/n and I am not so sure how to begin this letter nor what to mention in it but I’d guess the basics, I’m 19, 20 soon, and I kind of don’t really understand why I decided to do this, well a friend did mention it but I decided it would be nice to try, this is all I can really come up with for now and it may be too short and not interesting but I do hope our conversations progress.”

You signed the letter, maybe this letter wasn’t the best but it was a start so if he decides to answer great and if not well you both will never meet so what would it matter?

"where you headed off to?" your mom asked "Store!" you yelled out before leaving your front door, you couldn't really tell her about this because she tended to worry about pretty much nothing at all, and that was the last thing you wanted to do

You walked to your local post office dropping the letter into the blue box, you left and only hoped for the best really.

Aemond was given stationary which was still placed neatly at the small desk all the cells had, he rolled his eye looking away from the stacked up white papers and envelopes with a single pencil

Days had passed and he couldn’t help but think about the fact that if he exchanged a couple stupid letters he could truly write to his mother, she was the only person he cared for, for him she was above everyone and everything else

A bang against the bars of his cell caught his attention “Got some mail Targaryen, a miracle” the guard held a single white neat envelope and Aemond took it from his hand

He sighed sitting at the desk opening it with a carefulness to save the envelope, he looked through it reading the paper, he couldn’t help but notice a tint of awkwardness yet kindness to the person who wrote it, a girl, her name was Y/n, 19 soon to be 20 no wonder,

Aemond himself wasn’t sure how to write but he wanted to check all the boxes, be respectful and exchange the needed letters to write one to his mother

He sighed before picking up the pencil

“Hello Y/n, my name is Aemond, I’m 23, my birthday is in a few months too, I don’t know what to write about either but I hope this letter won’t make you change your mind or bore you, I’m sure we can find some sort of topic to write about, you can write five questions for me like my favorite things and I will write some back after, hope this wasn’t too short for you, and yes I can see our conversations progressing in the future”

Aemond ended the letter at that signing it and putting it inside the white envelope looking at his sheet to see where to write the address, he had left the letter on his desk

Another guard would come around a few days a week to get mail and Aemond without saying a word gave him the letter

“That’s a change, got a girlfriend or what Targaryen?” Aemond ignored him walking away back to his bunk and looking up at the bottom of the top bunk.

"Hey, left your mail on the table" your father tapped your arm softly as you mumbled in your sleep "What mail?" you grumbled out "I don't know a letter" he then left the room making you slump back down on your bed with a soft groan before stretching

then it hit you, a letter

you rolled out of bed waking up in the process looking down at the white envelope, you picked it up slowly and carefully opening the piece of paper

you took a seat on your desk reading over it, it made you softly smile, he didn't sound mean and the letter looked sincere at least, and that was enough

maybe this won't be so bad.

A/n: I have high hopes for this fic and I hope many of you enjoy it, if you would like to be tagged please let me know!

I appreciate all likes, comments, and reblogs but they are not required, as long as you enjoy the fic I am happy loves !!!

much love!

#house of the dragon #hotd #modern house of the dragon #aemond targaryen #aemond one eye #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond x reader #ewan mitchell #helaena targaryen #alicent hightower #rhaenyra targaryen

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lifeandlies-of-regulusblack · 2 days

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The Portrait of Regulus Black

How his features change over time and what it meant for the people around him. / How Molly and Sirius finally come to an understanding in front of a dead boy's portrait.

Regulus clearly grows up to be beautiful. But as a kid, all the sharp features the cousins shared didn't sit quite right on his small baby face. So Regulus, until puberty, looked weird. He wasn't ugly but he looked like a cut and paste collage of aristocratic features that made him come off as an uncanny valley child. People look at him and register the features that should all but make a most precious kid. But it never feels quite right. People, instead, are unnerved by the hallmarks of beauty waiting to settle down on a too small face.

Narcissa was exactly the same as a child.

Regulus starts getting looks from girls and the occasional boy at 13. By 15 people know who Regulus Black is, he's asked out often and sent letters in distressing frequency (not that his friends don't have a good time reading them all and eating the treats that come with it). James looks at him like he's trying to figure him out, Regulus doesn't care. James asks him if he's going to this week's meeting for Slug Club and if he'll be staying for tea after — Regulus walks right past him.

James starts looking at the people coming up to Regulus like they offend him and it's Barty who calls him out on it.

"Oi, Potter! Are you jealous Reg's getting all the attention or do you want to line up yourself?"

Regulus merely rolls his eyes at his friend, always looking for a reason to piss off his brother's mates. Meanwhile, a rabbid James is held back by Frank.

Eventually, James tells him that Regulus had always been pretty to him. That he was 12 and Regulus was 11. And all James could think about, was how not to embarrass himself so he could impress Sirius' doll of a little brother. Now, everyone wants a piece of Regulus, James sourly points out. He was there first.

He gets a kiss on the cheek for the sulking and James chases after the lips that dare to call his woes, cute.

By 17, the Dark Lord takes notice. By 17, Rabastan starts approaching him... To take him under his wing, he says. By 17 Greyback starts staring. Tells Regulus that boys like him should be careful not to end up alone.

By 18, a portrait of Regulus Black sits on the wall of 12 Grimmauld Place — immortalizing his beauty and youth.

At 35 Sirius looks up at his brother, his portrait asking him, hopefully, if he'll finally be staying home for the holidays, perpetually stuck some time in the past where he and Sirius still came home together but went to Hogwarts separately. He looks at his brother, or what remains of his existence, and says yes, he'll be spending the rest of it with Regulus.

The Order, ever curious of the dark, once mighty, Black family (though ashamed to ever outwardly admit it) will occasionally look up at the portrait of the dead heir — final whereabouts, unknown... Body, still yet to be found. His death, a debate of his detraction or failure. Ever unresponsive, wary, and snobbish except when Sirius is the one asking him about his day, only then will the painting answer.

The painting haunts the people who come over with business to discuss among other members. The young boy's features speak of unfinished growth creeping towards adulthood. Maturity never achieved.

Molly, in a rare moment of peace with Sirius, sits with the once heir as she finds him looking up at the portrait, late at night, lost to memories in his childhood home.

"Do you miss him?"

"People expect me to say no, you know? Youngest Death Eater, and people say he was quite eager to join up, my fool of a brother."

"That's not what I asked. I miss my brothers and nothing could ever take that away from me. They were my brothers. Sometimes, my grief is all I have left of them."

Sirius sighs, "And he was my brother. I wish I could've seen him grow up. I'm 35 and he's 18. It haunts me, Molly."

There's nothing much else to say after that.

"He's beautiful," she says, looking up at the painting, at the imitation of a young man looking at them with apprehension, no — looking at her with apprehension and looking at his brother with mild confusion. As if to say, 'who is she Sirius and why is she here?'

"I remember him, quite a few years below me. Walking like a prince through the halls of Hogwarts. Haunting its walls, with James behind his heels."

"They thought no one ever noticed," Sirius says.

"You did."

"I'm his brother and James was my best friend. He never talked about Regulus, he kept him like a secret." Sirius recounts with an odd tone to his voice.

"I watched. Waiting for James to act in shame, I was waiting for a reason to start a fight. Regulus and I weren't talking but I wasn't ashamed to be his brother. If James was ashamed, I would've stepped in between them and put an end to it."

Molly waits, realizing she's seeing Sirius anew for the first time. She and Sirius never got along well and a good part of it was because she thought he was rash. Impulsive and blindly inconsiderate of others. She never liked that he kept looking for James in Harry. Wanting to relive the past. But sitting with him like this, hearing how much he knows when people don't expect much of him at all, the way he speaks of his brother — it's sobering.

"I figured out the reason for James' silence. Why there was never a hint or mention of whatever fleeting relationship he had with my brother. It wasn't shame, it was selfishness. Greed. He loved Lily, fully! No one could ever say he didn't. Knowing what I knew didn't change that. But Regulus was his to keep. And he kept him all to himself.

I do the same thing with Harry. I talk about James. I share James with him because James was never mine the way Regulus was mine. All my best memories with Prongs I tell him and I watch his eyes light up — hungry for more of the father he never met. Lily too, of course. But Regulus? I—" Sirius pauses. He tries to say more but can't. Regulus was his brother.

"It's so hard."

"Bill asks me about them too. Fabian and Gideon. I share with my kids my grief because it's easy to admit loss. But how we spent our childhood together? How brave their uncles were... Charlie asks why I wouldn't hang pictures of them up on the family mantle, why I keep their smiles in a box."

But they were her brothers.

The silence they share is one of understanding. What a price they had to pay to finally see each other eye to eye.

"Regulus would've been devastating, wouldn't he? Growing up into a man."

Sirius laughs. A bark more than laughter, really.

"I'd like to think he wouldn't have been. At least not by that much. I'm the good looking one, remember?"

"I don't think you'll stand for my answer. But I'm sure people weren't too hung up on you leaving Hogwarts. I think the students were just fine."

#regulus black #sirius black #james potter #the black brothers #jegulus #starchaser #marauders era #regulus headcanon #marauders era fanfiction #marauders era headcanons #hp marauders era #hp fanfiction #my writing

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xonavia · 2 days

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Hello!! How are you? I hope youre doing well!! :D

Could i request reo, nagi and rin having a crush on professional volleyball player!fem reader that is quiet and a bit intimidating?

Have a nice day!! (⁠ᗒ⁠ᗩ⁠ᗕ⁠)

Hii! I'm doing good! So excited for the last week of school but I'm swamped with end of year tests 😭 And I hope you have a great day/night as well!! So sorry it took me a while to get around to writing your request, and I hope you enjoy!!<3

Reo Mikage -> Is most likely a little intimidated when he first met you but when he realized that you were actually sweet and just a little quiet he wasn't as nervous -> Kinda excited that your also an athlete, since you know about the harsh trainings and when he went through the Nagi thing about teammates and things like that -> Will buy you things that you need, even if you make your own money, since ya know being all professional and stuff, but still does try to swipe that card when you're not looking -> Will come to your tournaments, and will invite you to all his games, unless you two have something else going on were you can't make it but he really does try -> Being in the news, both as professional athletes you most likely are in the news together, but it's fine, everybody thinks y'all are cute together, even if they only see the RBF face that you normally have -> When you're done with your games and stuff has actually had to convince a couple of your fans that you're not as mean as you may look -> Overall, y'all are really cute and even cuter behind closed doors after a practice, for either one of you and are just laying together, maybe in silence, maybe the background noise of a TV show playing Nagi Seishiro -> Probably just gave you a weird look when he first met you, I mean you did look a little scary to him, maybe it's just an athlete thing.. -> He kinda related you and Barou in his mind and at first, even if you looked nothing alike besides the fact you had a little bit of an intimidating expression -> A little more intrigued when he realized that you were also an Athlete, I mean somebody else to understand his pain of always being sore and not wanting to go to practice, right?? -> When he finally met you though and realized that you weren't as intimidating as you seemed and were actually quite quiet he was a little off put but soon learned that you weren't anything like Barou -> Has possibly tried to convince to skip practice and stay home, but if you say no, he'll actually get up and try to work on something with you, but if you say yes then he'll cuddle up to you and just sit there in silence -> Both you and Nagi have faces that kinda seem to have faces that don't really tell you what you're thinking on the inside, so you're def a hard to read couple, and most people don't even know your dating -> But once when an interviewer mentioned his need to be somewhat close to you at events he just outright said that you two were actually dating Rin Itoshi -> Also looks pretty intimidating, so y'all work well together -> The media's favorite RBF athlete duo -> Anywho, kinda loves the fact that you are also an athlete, I mean (again) you understand the amounts of training that he has to undergo, and with like ball control and stuff -> Loves when you two talk about what you've been working on, and even when he doesn't fully understand what you mean by "setting to outside hitter" or "Jump serves" he does still try his best to start understanding -> Likes going to your games, and trying to understand what the hell you were talking about -> Also likes when you show up to his games, even if he never actually shows it -> Loves learning about your sport even if you don't always talk about it, and even if he never actually shows it, also tries to include some of the things that you tell him about your sport into his, kinda like a little memento towards you

#blue lock x reader #blue lock #bllk #bllk x reader #reo mikage x reader #reo mikage #nagi seishiro x reader #nagi seishiro #rin itoshi x reader #rin itoshi #xonavia's writings!

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nalyra-dreaming · 3 days

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I'm sure you've heard already but ppl on Twitter tearing sentiment about Louis entering relationship with Armand for protection TO SHREDS. Going off how flirty Louis looked on the date. I just have two question for them:

1)What is that happened after that date that would've made Louis change his heart? (Sarcasm) Yes, Louis clearly boldly flirted with Armand there (lets ignore lestat third-wheeling and Louis taking photos of lestat with Armand being at the side). And AFTER he nearly died by Armand's hand. And Assad confirmed that Armand was planning to kill him, it wasn't just a sham. So, it's understandable that Louis started to look at Armand differently there.

2)"it's also the beginning of the ultimatum with Armand and the beginning of the darker side of their relationship" from Jacob's mouth. They need to look up definition of ultimatum. It's a CONDITION usually combined with a threat. We're being NICE when discuss this scene because I haven't seen single person imply that Armand was pressuring Louis into sex. All I saw people saying this situation happened unintentionally on Armand's part because he's used to power plays, toxic relationship etc

People are sooo hypocritical in this fandom. They SWEAR they love toxic love stories but get scared by toxicity. Bet same people who are pissed about this believe that Louis didn't want sex in ep6 and that he did it to appease lestat. Picking and choosing where to see abuse and where don't.

Also it seems like some give more importance to reviews than cast's interviews. I read reviews and read about tender romantic loumand in Paris.

I also heard Hannah saying that cage in bedroom was intentional. I also read jacob saying Armand is dark looming presence and that he serves function to Louis and that Louis becomes dissatisfied. There was a lot in Jacob's interviews actually.

Reviews and interviews don't always say the same thing, sometimes even contradict each other (Assad and Eric mentioning devil's minion and reviews saying there's nothing between them). And you would think people will focus on words of someone who WORKS on the show, but they prefer to hear only things that support their headcanons

Tbh, I have been taken aback by how willingly everyone is jumping/hating on that post (and, I mean, I have pointed out the same thing???), because... it completely dismisses what Assad and Jacob have said...

AND it completely dismisses Jacob's acting there.

Really look at him. I'm not going to pull up the gifs now, it's the current episode, go look at Louis' face and expression and body language... and then remember what his "inner Lestat" said.

And we all know how good an actor Jacob is, right.

I mean. The fandom dismissing what cast and creators say in favor of accusations is nothing new. God knows I've ranted about this. But... I mean... how can you think Louis, after Armand almost kills him... would just happily enter a relationship? When he just asked to be decapitated??? When the only thing that stopped him - was Armand's comment that Claudia wouldn't be around for long.

THAT is, as far as the tale is currently spun, what made Louis stop. Literally.

Jacob said that it would go darker from here and I... don't doubt it. But I think some people are not prepared, lol.

Dubai is a golden cage, by intent and set design as stated. And Louis was "the little birdie for the next 50 years".

Or does anybody really think the overlay with the coven telling Claudia that was a coincidence....

Or wonder why AMC did not promote Loumand as a couple... at all.

I'm just glad the gag orders have dropped away, at least I can listen now to Assad, Jacob, Sam and Rolin telling it like it is.

#Anonymous #ask nalyra #iwtv s2 #iwtv #amc iwtv #interview with the vampire #interview with the vampire s2 #amc interview with the vampire #interview with the vampire amc #iwtv amc #louis de pointe du lac #armand #loumand #jacob anderson #iwtv cast #sam reid #assad zaman #fandom wank

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queerbuckleys · 6 hours

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i made a short post here referring to my own experiences and wanted to expand on it, you can reblog both of these posts btw. I am only writing this all down because the way some of you have spoken about chris and his decision very much bothers me. trust when i tell you i do not want to completely lay out my trauma on the internet for all of you to read, but if it makes one of you understand why this works, why it is important, then it will have been worth it to me.

When I was 12 my father was diagnosed with frontal temporal dementia. the adults in my family and his doctors decided that it was best for him to be moved to a a full time care facility. The next year, and after hearing, seeing, and understanding my father's condition and where it would go, I, at thirteen years old, made the decision to say goodbye to him, that I did not want to hear about what levels of deterioration he had reached. I wanted to remember him as he was when he remembered me, and all the adventures and fun things we did together.

I made that decision. I made it because it was easier than watching him deteriorate, forget who his sister, his brother, my brother, my mother, and me. And I knew that at twelve and thirteen. It was never a decision I ever thought I would have to make, it wasn't a decision I should've had to make.

Now, the important part, over the next few years my decision was questioned and ignored by the adults in my life and even my brother, some of the questioning I can understand now that I am older, but it should have never reached the level it did. My aunt and uncle would openly discuss his condition over dinner when he came to visit, and I would run away to the restaurant bathroom and cry my eyes out until my mom came to get me. I was forced into visiting him in his care home, which ended with it causing far more harm than good. Only then was my decision somewhat respected, it took me being retraumatized for it to be taken seriously.

Despite all of that, I do not regret that decision.

I can't know how I would be different if none of that happened. But at this point in my live, eleven years and some therapy later, I am fairly certain I would be less traumatized, carry less resentment and anger, if maybe my mom had spoken up at those dinners and made arrangements to get updates without me next to her trying to enjoy my pizza. Had I not had to see my own father forget my name and then have some sort of mini medical emergency. Had my brother heard me in a way only a sibling could.

So, yes, Christopher at thirteen made a indefinite and truly most likely temporary decision to remove himself from an environment where he doesn't fully trust his sole and primary caregiver. He knows his dad loves him, Eddie made that so clear. And it could really be 5 minutes, 5 days, 5 weeks, and so on and so forth until Christopher is ready to come home. And him knowing that Eddie respected his decision and loves him no matter what is what is going to make that time shorter. If he had walked out with his father begging him to stay, to forgive him before he was ready, the chances of him coming back would in my opinion would be far slimmer than the circumstances under which he did leave.

with that i leave you this, "yeah people go away. and it's sad. and it hurts. but you know, not everyone goes away forever. sometimes they come back. and as much as we miss them, that's how happy we are to see them again."

#like i feel like i had to take my lived experience and put it out there cause i think it is rare that it is relevant like this #and many of you are posting from a place of idk what but its not that #sorry if this feels tmi or something idk #also this way of dealing with things is encoded in his dna from both sides #and this is truly the safest way he can do that #and some of you are acting like phones do not exists ffs #911 abc #911 spoilers #i might regret this or whatever #ok to rb #i said this to amelia in a text but tbh this kind of respect toward chris from eddie is just as important to me as bi buck #and i guess if i am the only one that feels that way or you can understand why after this...then well i cannot help you #anyway back to my hiatus ig

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angelsdean · 2 days

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I know it's a bitter pill to swallow in this fandom for many reasons but, the phrase "open to interpretation" IS inherently a positive phrase that good creators use to affirm to their audiences that stories and art belong to the fans, and that every fan is able to find their own meaning through their own interpretive lens. It's not up to creators or actors to tell people what something--especially ambiguous or subtextual moments--mean. Everyone will come to a different understanding, some views might be more supported by canon than others, but it's still within every viewer's right to see things how they see them.

All "open to interpretation" means is: you get to interpret it! And you! And you! This is a key tenant of any creative work. It can be interpreted. And that is what literary analysis is all about. You build a case for your interpretation. You go into the text and find supporting evidence for your view, your thesis. And some interpretations are argued better than others. But everyone's still allowed to have their interpretation. (Also, literary analysis is fun).

I say all this because I've seen posts about Jensen going from "open to interpretation" to "clear text" as if he's now against the fact that things can and will be interpreted by fans. In terms of Cas's declaration of love? Yes, that is "clear text." It's romantic in nature, that's not up for debate, and Dean processed and understood it as romantic on the dungeon floor. But for stuff that is still ambiguous, still subtextual in some ways, like Dean's own feelings? Those are still open to interpretation by all sides, whether we like it or not. Until we get to see more of Dean and Cas's story in the basically guaranteed reboot, Jensen is not going to speculate about Dean's feelings or Destiel's reunion. He's never going to word-of-god confirm anything about this on stage at a convention. We have to wait to see it play out on screen.

As an actor, it's also not his place to confirm or deny these things. He leaves it up to the fans to read into his performance whatever they want. And yes, that sentiment IS affirming to a Destiel interpretation. We can read reciprocation into his performance. We can read romantic love into his words about Dean wishing he'd said "I love you back." We can look back on the years of queercoding and subtext and Jacting Joices and read Dean as being in love with Cas for years. And, well, the other side can read what they want into it, and we don't need to care what they think, tbqh.

This, IMO, is also part of the reason Jensen tends to give "vague" answers or use language that can be perceived in different ways by either side. As an actor, at a fan convention where fans of all sides of the fandom have paid to be there to have a good time, it's not his job to personally validate specific headcanons and interpretations. Jensen may have his own personal beliefs about Dean's feelings, but he's not going to divulge them in full if they close off one side's interpretation. So he will weave his way through answers. He will use terms like "brother in arms" which one side will hear as simply "brother" and think "platonic" and Destiel shippers will hear as the full meaning, a strong bond between men, and see the queer history associated with these warrior bonds.

He does this, IMO, to keep all lanes open for every fan, because first and foremost he's an actor at a convention being paid to entertain. He's also not a writer, he's not someone who can definitively say what was intended. Personally, I feel that his metaphor about being in an art gallery that he gave back in 2020 is incredibly apt. People come to the gallery and look at the art and find their own meaning. And the artist isn't standing there beside them confirming or denying their interpretations. That's not the artist's job. Once it's out there, it's for others to find meaning in what the artist made.

And again, it's not his place to speculate or write fanfiction for anyone on stage and personally confirm or deny headcanons. He's pretty adamant about the reboot, so I think for some things we'll just have to wait and see.

#if the man says something is open to interpretation again one day i don't want to see ppl screaming and crying that he's 'walking back'#like no nope! all art is inherently open to interpretation. he's right abt that.#this fandom's personal baggage with that phrase doesn't make it less true #it's a neutral to positive phrase that affirms that fans get to find their own personal meaning in a story or work of art. that's it.#things that have been made textual and defined. such as cas's romantic declaration. those are not up for debate #but other aspects of canon are. whether you like it or not. and personally i love a thesis. i love analysis. so i have fun with it!#vic.txt #fandom vs media literacy #jensen and destiel #long post

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lvcky-g1rl-syndr0me · 17 hours

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⋆୨♡୧⋆l-l-love🤢⋆୨♡୧⋆

as y/n walked to the hype cafe, she immediately spotted riki, a head above the rest. so tall she could point him out in a crowd anywhere. she took a deep breath and took a moment to compose herself before eventually walking over to him. she tapped him on his shoulder as he was facing away from her. "oh! hey!" there it is that smile. to say she loved his smile would be an understatement. she thought it was the prettiest thing she'd ever seen and she nearly felt as if she was going to die at the sight of it. she couldn't help but smile back at him. "hey! how are you?" what he wanted to say was "so much better now that i'm with you", but what came out instead was "good. yeah, i'm good, what about you?" his eyebrow raised, it was single handedly the cutest thing y/n had ever seen. "i'm pretty good. doing a lot of schedules for debut, you know, usual stuff" could she be anymore awkward? clearly yes. first "thanks you too" and now "usual stuff" she felt like she wanted to disappear right then and there, but riki absolutely loved it. this whole time he thought she was so cool and calm, but really she's cute and awkward, which he secretly liked more than if she would have been chill. he finds himself staring at her for a moment before quickly catching himself "oh um- did you want food? I didn't get any cause i wasn't sure if you'd want anything." she smiled at his thoughtfulness and said "no thanks, i'm not super hungry right now. thank you though." he thought back to their conversation yesterday, the whole reason why they're here now. "so, you wanted some tips about mcing?" he asked. "oh! yeah. im kind of nervous, i have no idea what i'm doing and you've ben an mc before, so i was hoping you could give me some advice?" she was hoping this didn't come off as pathetic or anything. i mean, who needs advice on how to talk into a mic? y/n apparently. "well," he starts "for me, i find its best to interact with the fans while waiting for our speaking parts. it calms my nerves before speaking because i'm talking to people that support me. often times it's mostly your own fans watching you in person. that’s at least what sunghoon told me. and if you're worried about messing up lines or something, I'll be there to cover for you, reading from a prompter is hard, so if you mess up its okay. don't worry too much about it." she nodded along to his words, taking mental notes on his advice. "thank you, i really appreciate it. i don't know why im so nervous. its just talking into a mic to a camera." she sighs. "I mean, I understand. it's nerve wracking when it's your first time. I felt like that too when I mc'ed for MAMA one year. it can be scary talking in front of a bunch of people and trying not to mess up. that's why you have a co-host, me! if you do mess up, I can cover you so it doesn't look too much like an accident." her heart fluttered at that. over something so small? she knew it was corny, but she couldn't help it. she felt so strongly for him. she always thought that if she actually talked to him, this whole little crush would go away. but to her surprise, it only got stronger. "you know, since we're going to be working together, we should get each others numbers." her heart stopped, and so did his. hers in shock, and his in fear. what if she said no? what if she thought he was weird? did he really just ask her for her number? there's no way. she froze for a moment, but realized she really should probably respond to him "yeah! yeah of course!" riki was never more relieved in his life. he handed her his phone "here, put your number in." she took it from him and put in her number, texting herself. "there. i can send you a picture for my contact photo later" his heart raced, he had just gotten his crushes number, and she's going to send him a picture of herself later. could his life get any better then this? "okay, sure, yeah, that sounds good" he stammers. is he really flustered right now? oh my god she thought. as the two talked and laughed together, they figured out they're more similar then they thought they were.

the pair quickly growing closer in just mere hours, both feeing significantly strong for each other than when they first said hello earlier. as the time drew later, the two decided to end their night, quickly realizing the ghost town that the hype cafe had become. "oh- well, its late, and my members are blowing up my phone asking where I am" she laughed as she scrolled through the countless messages left by yunjin and hanni. 'yeah, I should probably go too. I told jay I'd help make dinner tonight" he sighed, wishing he didn't promise jay anything and he could hang out with y/n for longer. she laughed lightly "ill let you go then. text me though, okay?" what had come over her? did she really just say that? (y/ns version of flirting was a bit different then others, that being because she didn't know how to flirt) riki nodded and smiled "yeah, I'll text you. see you later!" he waved to her and started to walk away. she waved back and watched him go. she sat back down and sighed once he was out of her sight. she was so fucked. she was completely and utterly melted by him, and they had only just official met yesterday. maybe there was something wrong with her. but frankly, she didn't care. maybe she was being delusional like usual, but she was pretty sure she could see something there with riki.

masterlist | next | previous

luckys note!: guys i’m so good at writing😎😎

(📌) PERM TAGLIST IS OPEN!

(🩷) MIDNIGHT FICTION TAGLIST! @nctislifue @akuspic @pkjay @siya-bean @eun-chaez @wavetosunoo @gweoriz @luminouskalopsia @soobiary @ivyannemarie @rikikiynikilcykiki @emma2black @enh4ht @wooziswife @jjunie-0 @yumilovesloona @wth121 @riksaes @isaxshin @allforhee @rikisgeef @sunghoonsarmpit @autumn583 @tzuyusluv @lukesboo @anormieee @rockyhedgehog @thomawifey @lovrqis @akashisthighs

(dm me/comment under the midnight fiction masterlist to be added!)

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oldshrewsburyian · 20 hours

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I see a lot of posts about how ASOIAF isn't obligated to be accurate to real medieval history since it's a fantasy world rather than real life.

For example, I saw a post saying this:

"Asoiaf fans: "Here's a fantasy story written by someone with an understanding of history and how the societies that often inspired fantasy worlds functioned, as well as an understanding of gender and class relations throughout western history. This work explores a lot of questions that most fantasy stories brush off, and it deconstructs a lot of the romantic (and often conservative) narratives about-"

Person who gets mad when fantasy stories aren't the same Tolkien clone over and over again: "But you have ice zombie and dragon? And it's wrong to think about plausible implications of anything. Having dragons means you can't try to write humans realistically. Also this isn't actually historically accurate because..." (Proceeds to incoherent rant that ignores how both history and fiction work.)"

I wouldn't say that GRRM has an "understanding of history" beyond surface-level, let alone an "understanding of gender and class relations throughout western history" or how the societies the cultures in the books are based on functioned.

I can name the dothraki as an example of entire diverse and fascinating cultures being reduced to one-dimensional racist caricatures, which can't be excused by being set in a fantasy world.

My questions are:

Is the way GRRM portrays race, gender relations and other aspects of his worldbuilding harmful to our understanding of past societies?

Does GRRM succesfully accomplish deconstructing "romantic and conservative narratives" common in other fantasy stories?

To what extent does GRRM understand how societies that inspired fantasy worlds functioned (feel tempted to ask about race and gender relations, but you already covered it in an earlier ask so lets leave it as optional).

Hi again. As a sort of prolegomenon, I'd like to object to the straw Tolkien fan, here. There are immortal races in Middle Earth. There's a giant spider. There are Ents. Tom Bombadil is there. It's not as though LOTR is devoid of fantasy elements; it's just written by a man who spent decades immersed in medieval literature and culture (deeply affectionate.)

Based on my experiences in the classroom and beyond? yes, 100%

I'm not sure what "other fantasy stories" are being invoked, here, so I'm not sure what GRRM is allegedly trying to deconstruct. I would argue that even and perhaps especially Lewis and Tolkien are a lot more complex and less essentially romantic/conservative than is usually acknowledged. But, uh, my short, more or less instinctive answer would be "lol no." If a narrative trying to deconstruct narrative conservatism and romanticism still focuses on about 5% of the population and tends to insist that women's sexuality matters to the narrative more than anything else about them... mm. The deconstruction, I am not seeing it. It is very clear to me that GRRM wants us to believe that this is a nasty world where people are nasty to each other by default, where power is routinely abused with impunity. And? I want to ask. So what? What's the intended gotcha, here, besides a reinforcement of bad medieval stereotypes?

Oof. Um. The thing is that based on the three novels of the ASOIAF cycle I've read so far: I have no idea. His societies don't function the way medieval and early modern societies in Eurasia did. I would also argue that his societies mostly don't, uh, function, at least on the evidence we see. But his historical cherry-picking means that I simply do not know how much he has learned, or cares to understand, about historical realities. And honestly: this is fantasy! It has no intrinsic obligation to correspond to historical reality! I'm just mad because both GRRM and his fandom seem to think it does. Moreover, this is, in a very real sense, my problem (see the answer to #1, above.)

#a medievalist does got #grrm critical #asoiaf #bad medievalism bingo #fantasy #asks and answers

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hwanchaesong · 19 hours

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☞🍹Seventh Drink: Beyond the journey of espresso to dry martini, the only thing that he manages to remember is his baby. 🍸

🎧: The Weeknd - Blinding Lights

wc: 651

genre & warnings: angst, fluff, comfort, singer!jisung, bar setting, drinking, implied friends to lovers, etc etc

a/n: this is a part of The After Hours Bar series. if y'all want, you can read the other album inspired fics of other groups here.

"Don't you think you're overstaying your visit?"

Jisung tilted his head to look for the source of the voice, spotting you beside him, sitting in the bar while you motioned the barista to give you a drink as well.

"I work here." he chuckles, answering your question and relaxing in his seat more, "What brings you here?"

Interrogation is necessary for you, considering that you are not one to go to bars. You usually stay at your house, enjoying ramyeon and rewatching your favorite movie.

You hummed, sipping on the alcoholic drink that the barista concocted before cringing at the bitter taste, "I am here for you."

He points at himself, "Me? Why is that? And why are you being weird?"

You gave your friend a side eye, slightly offended by his words, "First, I am not weird. I am completely normal. Second, you are the one being weird because see, your gig just finished but here you are..."

Your sentence trailed off, not wanting to continue it but he understands.

He'd usually go back to his own flat after a performance at the bar, but this time, he stayed for a drink. Which for you, his neighbor slash friend, is unusual.

So you went on a journey, despite clubs not being your thing, to check up on him.

It was safe to say that you were worried about him. You are well aware that you might have overstepped his boundaries but you really couldn't care, his welfare comes first.

"Can't I loosen up a bit?" he smirks at you, then his mood suddenly turns gloomy, "It's blurry."

He admits and you listen intently as he attempts to open up to you.

"I don't understand what is happening, actually." his eyes are downcast, slowly swirling the glass of tequila on the wooden table, "You know how much I love performing, right?"

"Yes, why?"

He laughs without any humor, and your concern rises when he blurts out his next words.

"I feel like I can't do it anymore. Like.. I am slowly losing my passion for it and I don't know what to do."

Your eyes widened, not expecting his confession because this man loves singing. Maybe he's confused? Or what he said a few minutes ago, he's tired and he needs to rest?

Surely, he must be mistaken because this, this city that he chose is his lifeline.

The way he talked about it made you realize that achieving your dreams in life is possible if you worked hard for it, just like he did.

He basically fought his parents for this, going against their wishes for him to become a doctor— and if you're going to be honest, his zeal for singing made you love him the way he is.

"Jisung I-" you stopped yourself, is it really worth it?

You urged yourself to do it, if no one else will push him, then you will take it upon yourself to do it.

You left your seat in lieu of extending your hand in front of him to take, and you gulped your nervousness.

"Listen, Jisung. I am not well versed when it comes to things like this but," you bit your lower lip, bashfully meeting his curious gaze, "let's go back to my apartment and think of ways on how to motivate you."

He raised an eyebrow, not moving an inch until you groaned in exasperation, grasping his hand in yours.

"Come on! If you lose interest in this then.. I'd miss those moments where you sing to me the new songs that you're composing."

It is now Jisung's turn to be surprised.

Amidst the neon lighting of the bar, illuminating the place and promptly blinding the eyes of people who dare to look straight into it, Jisung thinks that he's already seen the brightest glow of all.

But strangely enough, he can clearly see how gorgeous she is.

taglist:

@sunghoonsgfreal @yeosayang @mystverse @shakalakaboomboo

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ysabelmystic · 1 day

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Spent some time trying to see if there was any logical reasoning amongst the Americans refusing to vote for Biden and honestly, not seeing any. There seems to be a complete inability to think ahead.

Honestly, ask yourself:

1) is trump going to be better for Palestine than Biden?

The answer is no. Fuck no.

2) is there anything you can do personally to help Palestinians?

Donate money and protest. Are people being attacked for exercising their free speech on the matter? Yes, and that will continue to happen, possibly to a more extreme extent, under Trump. This country sucks ass.

So all they’re really doing by trying to punish the Democratic Party is convincing themselves that they will avoid having blood on their hands. Somehow, this same logic does not apply to them when it comes to the inevitable outcome, which, since there is no viable third party option, is that republicans win. I guess the republicans can do whatever they want to Americans, Palestinians, and people around the world, and these arrogant, “well read” fools will continue to pat themselves on the back, saying that America was already fascist anyways, that this couldn’t be prevented, that America deserves to fall actually, that voting does nothing, and aren’t they just so enlightened and moral for using “the real tools of the revolution” (which is almost always something that they aren’t willing to do themselves). If 2016 and 2020 taught them nothing, I suppose they’ll be harping on about it until the internet gets shut down.

It’s not a “Zionist take” to want my community to live. This isn’t a choice between Palestinians and Americans who aren’t cishet white men. This is a choice between shit staying the same amount of fucked and possibly improving, and full blown Christian nationalism. I’m guessing most of these people don’t know what that is. They probably didn’t grow up around it and they probably don’t live around it. They probably live in blue states or very blue cities and haven’t experienced right wing religious people consistently enough to really understand the extent of that threat. Or maybe they don’t care about themselves enough to feel like they have skin in the game at all (so fuck the rest of us I suppose).

Grit your teeth and vote for Biden, and if you think you’re too good for it and Trump wins, I hope you experience the fallout in the most direct way possible. If basic logic doesn’t work, maybe some personal experience will, that is, assuming you’ll still be able to vote in 2028.

#I pray this is a small minority in blue states that’ll be going to Biden automatically anyways #stupid fuckers #joe biden #biden administration #project 2025 #2024 elections #american politics

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kaminari1 · 1 day

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Izuku Midoriya x reader with a quirk like Toge Inumaki's cursed technique!

(Do not repost or reblog pls)

So basically you posses the "Snake Eyes and Fangs" quirk! You have little black spirals on your tongue and around both sides of your mouth. Your quirk allows you to infuse your words with cursed energy to improve the spirit of your commands, forcing all who hear it to obey.

However, you choose not to speak in a conventional manner in order to protect people from your quirk. Speaking in rice ball ingredients makes it difficult to understand you, and people usually don't have the patience to learn to communicate with you. Which means you don't have friends. Sorry.

You've gotten used people giving you weird looks and side glances. All throughout your childhood, you were constantly teased or bullied. It was even hard for your parents to understand you. Most of the time they dismissed your wants and needs because it was hard for you to communicate them.

So decided to push your feelings aside and focus on becoming a hero. And the person you wanted to be like was none other than Present Mic. He used his voice to fight bad guys! And he had funny hair, so that was a plus to you. He was everything you wanted to be. Confident, loud, and accepted.

When you were around thirteen years old, you moved away from Shibuya and to Musutafu, where you began to attend Aldera Middle School. It was pretty much the same as all schools, only there were rumors of a quirkless boy attending the school.

You assumed these were rumors because you had never seen the quirkless boy. You thought he was a myth. Until one day, you saw a blonde kid standing over a green haired boy. The blonde kid seemed angry, and was shouting hurtful things at him.

This bothered you. So you lowered the scarf that covered the lower half of your mouth, and spoke a command.

"Leave."

The blonde boy had no choice, and suddenly left. The green boy looked over at you in surprise. He quickly got to his feet dusting off his uniform.

The boy had messy green hair, soft green eyes, and a few freckles on his cheeks. He wears a nervous expression as he looks at you. You simply cover the lower half of your face with your scarf, and turn to leave.

Until the boy calls back to you. "U-uhm!" He calls, stepping forward a bit. "Wait, please!" You're a bit surprised, but turn back to him, tilting your head to the side.

"Thank you." He smiles softly. "I didn't expect Kacchan to just leave like that.." the green haired boy says, looking back to the place where the blonde kid was. Was Kacchan his name? Then he looks back at you, his green eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Was that your quirk that you used on him?" He asks, stepping closer to you. You nod, a bit confused. Why was he so eager? Weird.

"That was amazing! What is your quirk, exactly?" He beams, stepping closer. This was a bit of an awkward situation. You couldn't really answer him, but at this point, you carried a paper with you that says everything you know about your quirk on it. So you decide to give him that.

He seems a bit confused, but takes it and reads it. You can see the curiosity and wonder sparkle in his green eyes. He finishes reading and looks at you. "Your quirk is amazing!" He proceeds to ramble about how amazing it is for three minutes.

Eventually, you put up a hand to stop him, and he silences. "Sorry." He smiles nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "So...you can only speak in...rice ball ingredients?" He asks. You nod again. "Salmon." You reply. His eyes sparkle and he beams. "Does that mean yes?" He asks, and you nod again.

He suddenly pulls out a notebook and begins to write in it. You both spend at least an hour making translations for your speech.

Salmon was yes, Bonito Flakes was a negative response or just no, Kelp is used as a greeting. Mustard leaf is used to express concern. Tuna is as to say: look! And Tuna Mayo is used to say to do something.

Ever since that day, you and Izuku Midoriya have been bestfriends. You often defended him from this..'Kacchan' character. And he brought you over at his home a few times. His mother, Inko, did her best to try and communicate with you, and she treated you like her own kid.

Izuku eventually developed feelings for you. Everything about you made him happy, and he found himself wanting to be near you at all times.

So, he gathered up the courage to tell you his feelings. He waited until you both had a moment alone, and took his shot. He quickly confessed, rambling nervously about how much he cared and loved you, and wanted to become heros with you.

To silence his ramble, you leaned forward, pulling your scarf down, and connected you lips with his in a sweet and gentle kiss.

Izuku felt his face heat up quickly. It took him a few seconds to realize what was happening, but then slowly leaned into the kiss. He cupped your cheeks with his hands and your hands rested on his shoulders.

The kiss lasted for a few seconds, beforw you both pulled away slowly. Izuku smiles softly. "I'm in love with you..." He says in a soft voice, as if he didn't say it enough. You chuckle softly and look him in the eyes. The two of you kiss for a bit longer.

Izuku's favorite part of yoir relationship together is how you enjoy listening to him ramble. Izuku enjoys holding hands, and when you press gentle kisses to his scars or freckles. Izuku likes to kiss the black spirals on your cheeks, and sometimes when you guys makeout, he does his best to trace the outline of the black spiral on your tongue.

Izuku has definitely become happier and more confident since the two of you started dating. After all, you mean everything to him.

Until one day, his whole world fell apart.

The League of Villains found put you were important to Izuku, and took you away from him. They tore your vocal cords out. Then burnt your body. And sent it to U.A as a threat.

Izuku never felt so sad and alone.

You ment everything to him. He loved you.

Why did you have to die?

So he took Bakugou's old advice, and took a swan dive off the building, wanting nothing more but to reunite with you.

To his disappointment, his friends saved him.

Izuku kept the scarf you used to wear on him at all times. It still smelled like you. And it was the only thing he had left of you.

Izuku could never forget you. Never.

And he got his revenge. Dabi was the one who burnt you, so his head now stands on a spike as a warning to the rest of the villains.

Izuku loved you. And he shows his love by killing every villain that crosses his path without a single thought.

He was eventually expelled from U.A for his actions, and he became a villain himself. He became the very thing he swore to destroy.

And he didn't regret a thing.

#izuku midoriya x male reader #izuku x reader #deku x male reader #deku x reader #Deku x female reader #mha izuku #izuku midoriya x reader #Villain deku #Izuku Midoriya x female reader #Villain deku x reader

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thesparkling-diamond27 · 2 days

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The Second Bridgerton and I: Part 3

Benedict Bridgerton x Reader

Summary: Y/n Clearwater becomes named the “Sparkling Diamond” by Queen Charlotte herself, but she doesn’t know what to do with all this attention. Of course she has her family, but sometimes that doesn’t seem enough. But what happens when she encounters a specific Bridgerton, which changes the course of her season.

Author’s Note: This chapter includes scenes from season 3 episode 2 & 3 of Bridgerton indirectly. Down below is the link to the part 2. I hope you enjoy! Y/nn= reader’s nick name

I walked into the drawing room to see my brothers and sister sitting at a table while my mama was sitting on the love seat while sipping tea. My father was nowhere in sight, so I assumed he was in his office taking care of business. I walked in without greeting and began searching for my small purse.

��Are you not going to say good morning to us sister?” Noah asked

“Are you not happy to see us?” Alex jested.

I paused from my searching and turned to my siblings.

“Good morning.”

“Well someone seems happy to see us.”Alexander said sarcastically and continued to read his morning newspaper.

I continued my search.

“What is it that you are searching for Y/n and why are you in such a haste?” My mama asked.

“My small purse.” I replied.

“Oh are you planning on shopping? I was planning on going to the modiste this morning with Adeline.”

“No!”

My mom looked startled at my tone towards her and so did my siblings.

“I’m sorry. I do not know what came over me. I meant no, because I am a planning on shopping with Penelope. I want to cheer her up after the news.”

Lady Whistedown’s latest issue was released this morning and it was anything, but good for Penelope right now. Now the whole ton knew about the agreement between Penelope and Colin and I know this will definitely cause a setback in her search to find a match. I haven’t spoken with her since last night’s ball and I want to make sure that she is well.

When I mentioned Penelope my mama showed a look of understanding. We all read the paper this morning and the dreadful things that was said about Penelope.

“If you wish to see Penelope then you may do so.” My mama said, “Maybe she can join us.”

“I think she would like that.” I said.

“I will look for your small purse while you go over to the Featherington household.”

“Thank you mama.”

I quickly rushed out of the drawing room and out of the house to walk to the Featherington household. When I stepped outside I noticed what a beautiful day it was. I couldn’t help but admire the flowers that were starting to bloom and appreciate the breeze that would blow occasionally. I enjoy the spring and summer seasons more than the autumn and winter seasons and I am glad the weather will become warmer.

I made it to the door of the Featherington household and knocked. Lucy answered the door. She was a maid who I encountered whenever I visited Penelope.

“Y/n it is a pleasure to see you. Are you here for Penelope?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll go get her.”

I smiled and she let me in. It was quiet, but it was usually quiet in the Featherington household. I hope I wouldn’t encounter Lady Featherington or her daughters. I only have been visiting Penelope this season and I have interacted with the other Featheringtons and they are very vexing people. Especially towards Penelope. I hope they are out shopping somewhere and not here.

I heard footsteps approaching and I saw Lucy walk down the stairs, but with no Penelope in sight.

“I’m sorry Y/n. Penelope does not wish to meet with anyone at the moment. However, she wanted me to tell you that she would like to spend time with you another day.”

“Yes tell her I would love that. Good day.”

“Thank you. Good day to you as well.”

I smiled and made my way back to my house. It was unfortunate that my efforts were in vain, but I hope I get to speak with Penelope soon.

—————————

“Can I stop by the library?!” I exclaimed, “I’m in need of a new good read.”

“Go ahead dearest.” Said mama. “Adeline and I will be in the shop across the street.”

I thanked my mama and walked into Thomas’s book store. Thomas was a nice old man who owned a book store at the end of the street. Many people visited the huge bookstore in the main plaza, but I liked coming here instead because Thomas would always set books aside for me that he thought I might like.

The bell rang as I entered and Thomas was seated by the front desk.

“Well look who it is my favorite customer.”

“I’m glad to be back. Do you have any good books?”

Thomas pulled a book from the shelf behind him and placed it on the counter.

“The newest romance novel by your favorite author.”

“Only one book? Really Thomas!” I joked.

“It’s the only new book I have that I thought you might like. Unless you want a book of fact.”

I showed a face of disgust and Thomas laughed.

“Yeah I didn’t think so.” He said,”You can search the store for more books yourself if you would like.”

“I think I will. Can you hold that book for me?”

“Of course!”

“Thank you.”

I began my search to find a book I might find interesting. Thomas picked a book of romance for me, so maybe I should read something different. Something I usually would not read, but also not boring. Usually I turn right to the romance section, but this time I decided to turn left.

I entered an aisle and began reading the spines of the books to see if any of the titles peaked my interest. I saw a book that was named women in society and it seemed interesting enough. It is a book of fact, but it would be good for me as well since I do not pay much attention to society anyway. I tried to reach for the book, but I was simply too short. I looked around for a ladder, but there was not one in sight. I reached as far as I could for the book, but it was still out of reach. I huffed in annoyance and looked around for someone to be of help, but there was no one around either. I stood on my tippy toes and attempted to grab the book again. My finger tips touched the bottom of the spine when a hand came into my field of vision. Someone stood behind me and grabbed the book I wanted from the shelf.

I turned around and the owner of the mystery hand was revealed to be Benedict. He held the book out in front of me.

“I believe you wanted this book.” Benedict said.

“Yes thank you.”

I grabbed the book and our hands touched. My hand stayed there for a second too long before I pulled away, but I wish I hadn’t.

“What are you doing here?” I asked

“Looking for a book to read. We are in a bookstore after all.”

“…Right…sorry. I am looking for a book as well.”

I motioned towards the book in my hand and he read the title.

“Women in society. A great pick. My sister Eloise raved about it so much last season that I had to read it for myself. It was quite fascinating I must say.”

“I usually read books of romance and I figured I should read a book like this for a change.”

“Romance you say?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve always found romance in literature quite daft.”

“Daft?! Have you ever read a romance novel.”

“No I can’t say I have.”

“Then you have no right to say that romance in literature is daft!”

Benedict looked amused.

“What genre do you like?” I asked

“I enjoy poetry.”

“Poetry?”

“Yes what is wrong with poetry.”

“Nothing it is just that….you do not seem like the type of person to enjoy poetry.”

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me Y/n.”

Y/n. When he escorted me back to my family at last night’s ball he asked me to call him Benedict and he began to call me Y/n. He decided that it is only fitting since we are friends. I agreed to it, but only when we were alone, since I did not want people in the ton getting a wrong impression of our companionship. I guess it is okay now since we are the only ones in the bookstore at the moment.

“Well Benedict, I would love to learn more about you as time goes on.”

“I would love to learn more about you as well. Have you ever read poetry?”

“No I can’t say I have.”

“How about this. Why don’t you pick out a romance novel for myself while I pick a book of poetry for you to read. It can be a way for us to get to know each other better.”

“I would like that. Would you like to share our thoughts with one another as we go on?”

“Yes! I would like to know what you think about poetry and it would give me an excuse to see you again.” He said with a wink.

I blushed. Benedict wanted to see me again because he enjoyed my company like how I enjoy his. Our friendship has become an unexpected surprise this season and I am forever grateful.

“Now on to the poetry section.” Benedict said.

Benedict led me to the poetry section and picked out a book from the second shelf.

“This book is not like the sappy stuff that you read in your romance novels.”

“They are not always sappy!” I argue.

I take the book from him and playfully hit his head.

“Hey what was that for?!”

But he didn’t seem mad at my action. He was smiling.

“Knocking some sense into that head of yours! Now it’s my turn to pick.”

“Lead the way.”

I began to walk to the romance section and Benedict followed me. I scanned the shelves until I came across one of my favorites and it will definitely be quite a shocker for Benedict. I plucked the book from the shelf and handed it to him.

“Here you go.” I said.

“The Ancient Legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. I’ve never heard of it.”

“It is an Ancient Greek myth. My grandpa is from Greece, so he grew up with tales from Greek Mythology. He read those kind of stories to his children, my mama, aunt and uncle, and my mama read those tales to my siblings and I growing up.”

“You are Greek?”

“Yes. There are a lot of things you do not know about me Benedict.”

I repeated the same words he said to me earlier and he seemed to notice because he smiled knowingly.

“The story is a love story, but it is a tragedy and it involves real life scenarios. You will see.” I said.

“Tragedy you say. Like Romeo and Juliet?”

“Both stories may be tragedies, but Romeo and Juliet can never compare to The Ancient Legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. It is different in so many different ways.”

“Wow! You have such high praise for this book. I can’t wait to read it and I hope this will be a good read.”

“Of course it will be a good read! I would not have recommended it to you unless it was.”

“I know I’m just teasing.”

I whacked him with the book again.

“You and your teasing!” I giggled.

“Why do you keep hitting me?!” He said with laughter.

“Because it’s funny.”

“Well I’m glad you hit me repeatedly for your own amusement.” He said sarcastically.

“Oh don’t be such a baby! Let’s go purchase these books. I don’t want my mama waiting for long.”

We were walking through the aisles, on our way back to Thomas, when Benedict asked,

“Did you find out how Miss Featherington is doing?”

I told Benedict about the situation with Penelope at last night’s ball and how I wanted to reach out to her to make sure she was alright. I was surprised he remembered.

“No. I went to her house this morning, but she didn’t want any visitors.”

He nodded in understanding

“I would just give it some time.” Benedict said.

“Ah look who it is! My two favorite customers!” Thomas said as we reached the counter.

“I thought I was your only favorite customer.” I said

“I can have more than one.”

I laughed in response. I was reaching in my purse for my money to pay for my books when Benedict’s hand stopped mine.

“I’ll pay for your books.” He said

“Oh no you do not have to.”

“No I insist.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes I’m sure. Let me do something nice for my friend.”

I figured there was no point in arguing so I let him pay. He finished paying for both our books and we started to gather our things.

“Please come again. Both of you. I like talking with you two.” Thomas said.

“Do not worry I will be back.” I said with a smile.

“As will I.” Said Benedict.

Thomas looked a both of us with a smile, but it did not reach his eyes. Something was bothering him, but I could not figure out what exactly. I was about to ask, but he had already walked away.

“Did he seem off to you?” I asked Benedict.

“He did, but he might be tired. He is old after all.” Benedict said with a shrug.

“Probably.”

Benedict and I both exited the bookstore and out to the sidewalk.

“Thank you for buying my books.” I said

“It was my pleasure.”

“It was nice seeing you again. I am going to head back to my mama and sister.”

“Wait before you go. Are you going to the event Lord Trumble is having next week?”

“I believe so. I recall my mama mentioning it.”

“Good I’ll see you there!” He said with a smile.

I smiled back. “Good day Benedict.”

“Good day Y/n.”

—————————

“Do not go far!” Aunt Athena shouted.

My two cousins, Nolan and Nikolai ran away to go play near the pond.

“Noah and Alexander.” My mama said, “Can you two go after them to make sure they do not get into trouble.”

“Sure mama.” Noah said and Noah and Alexander went after Nolan and Nikolai.

My family was currently at the local park. My mama, Adeline, Aunt Athena, my cousins, Natalia and Niya, and I are all sitting at two tables under a white tent. My oldest cousin Norah was promenading with her husband that she married last season. My father, Maxwell and his father are off having a serious conversation.

“Lord Findlay seems like a nice young man dearest. Both of you seemed to get along when he was over.” My mama said. “Do you wish to pursue him?”

“No mama. He is a fine gentleman, but I do not see him that way, because he suits a friend more to me.”

“What about Lord Harvey?” Aunt Athena interjected. “He is a noble gentleman and I have heard nothing, but good things about the young boy.”

“I do not feel a connection with Lord Harvey.”

I poured myself a cup of tea to give me something to do. I know my family had good intentions, but it felt like I was being interrogated by them.

“Well then if you are not interested in Lord Findlay or Lord Harvey then who are you interested in?” My cousin Natalia asked.

I looked over to where Maxwell was standing and continued to sip my tea. My mother must have caught on because she smiled and said,

“I think Y/n has an idea on who she is interested in.” My mom grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

My Aunt Athena and my two cousins all had knowing smiles when they realized who my mom was talking about.

“If Maxwell is the one then you must make haste my dear Y/n.” Aunt Athena said. “He is a wanted Lord from both the mama’s and their daughters of the ton. You better hurry before someone steals him before you. Ah Lord Maxwell.”

I whipped my head around and Maxwell was standing in front of us. I hope he did not hear our conversation. That would be so embarrassing!

“I was wondering if I can borrow Y/n for a moment.”

“You most certainly can.” My mama said.

I rose from my seat to Maxwell and he linked our arms together.

Maxwell had to leave for a business trip with his father tomorrow, so this will be the last time I will see him in a while. I heard my Aunt’s words in my head: “If Maxwell is the one then you must make haste my dear Y/n.”. Did I really have to make haste with Maxwell? Would he be interested in someone else?

“What is going on in that head of yours?” Maxwell asked.

“Nothing. I simply want this moment to last.”

“It will when I return. Listen I know I’m going to be away for a while, but I cannot help but think that you will wait for me as long as I am gone. I will return before the season is over I assure you. I want you to know that you are an extraordinary woman and I have loved every second of getting to know you……I know you and your parents have been waiting for me to ask this question, but I wanted to make sure before asking such a question and I am. I was wondering if you would allow me to court you?”

This is exactly what my family and I wanted for me. A nice gentleman who has become interested in me enough to want to court me. This was perfect, but why did I not feel satisfied. I was overjoyed and excited, but for some reason I did not feel whole. I think it is just nerves, so I decide to brush it off.

“I would love for you to court me.” I said.

We both smiled at one another and Maxwell brought my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.

“Can we keep this a secret between us?” I asked. “I want to keep this a secret from the ton until you return. We can tell our families of course.”

“I can agree to those terms. It can be our secret.”

“Our secret” I said with a smile.

A part of me agreed that I wanted to keep our courtship a secret in order to be romantic. However, another part of me knew the truth, but I did not want to admit it. At least not now.

I looked around the park to distract myself. I took in the scenery when I noticed a familiar head of reddish auburn hair. She seemed to notice me as well because she stopped walking.

“I will be right back.” I told Maxwell.

“Alright. I have to continue my discussion with our fathers anyway.”

I nodded in understanding and he walked away. I walked back to my mama and asked,

“Can I promenade with her for a moment?”

I motioned to the girl waiting for me.

“Yes you can Y/n, but do not walk too far.”

I thanked my mama and walked my way over to Penelope. This would be the first time I will talk to her since she ran away from the ball a few days ago. The past few days I couldn’t help but worry about her. However, she did seem somewhat okay when I got a closer look at her. I couldn’t help, but notice the whispers and stares directed towards Penelope as I walked. This is what always makes me afraid of making a mistake. One misstep and the ton would see you as an outsider.

“Hello Pen.”

“Hello Y/nn.”

“How have you been?”

“Managing. This is the first time I have left my house since what happened. I am glad I ran into you.”

I went to hug her and she did the same at the same time. I missed Penelope and our friendship. I haven’t seen her in a few days.

“I am glad you are okay.” I said.

“What has been going on with you?” Penelope asked.

She linked her arm with mine and we began walking.

“I haven’t told anyone this yet and this had just happened, but Maxwell asked to court me.”

“Oh Y/nn that’s wonderful news! You don’t seem excited. Are you not excited?”

“No I am excited! It’s just that….I don’t know. I thought I would feel complete or whole. Think that this path is the right decision. But for some reason I have a feeling in my stomach that is telling me that this is wrong.”

“Maybe it is just nerves.”

“That is what I have been thinking, but I do not know.”

“It is probably just nerves, but if it is not your parents want you to marry for love. If you do not feel this way with Maxwell then they cannot make you marry him.”

“My dad did say that I did not have to marry him.”

“Exactly! So I would not worry about it too much. Some of us are not as lucky.”

I knew when Penelope was saying this she was referencing to her mother. I felt bad for everything she had to go through.

“I have something to tell you.” Penelope said.

“What is it?”

“Colin kissed me.”

I looked at Penelope in shock. Colin kissed her? Did that mean that he finally reciprocated feelings for her.

“What does this mean for the two of you?”

“Nothing. I asked him to kiss me because I wanted to be kissed at least once. I do not think I will ever find a husband and I wanted to know what it was like to be kissed. Colin was the only man I trust to do something like that and the only man who would be okay to do such a thing.”

“Do not say such things Pen. I am sure some gentleman out there will see you for the beauty that you are. Inside and out.”

“Thank you for those kind words Y/nn, but I have to be realistic. I just finished talking with Colin and we both agreed that our deal will no longer continue. Our plan backfired and it did more harm than good.”

I wanted to argue more and prove her wrong, but I didn’t want to upset Penelope, so I kept quiet.

“Was he a good kisser?” I asked.

“Y/nn!”

“What I have never been kissed and I want to know what it is like. Plus I am pretty sure you have been imagining that kiss since you were a child.”

“Well you are not wrong….Yes he was an amazing kisser. It was everything that I could have possibly imagined and better. However, I know he does not feel the same way as I, but at the same time I feel like I needed that kiss. It was a way for me to have closure and now I do.”

I nodded in understanding. I can understood Penelope’s point of view with the situation. She has been pining over Colin for years and I thought maybe he might feel the same way after the kiss. But I guess he still sees her the same way and only kissed her as a friend.

Penelope telling me about her kiss with Colin made me wonder what it will be like to be kissed. I assume I might receive my first kiss with Maxwell soon due to marriage being seen in the future. I wonder what it would be like to kiss Maxwell.

“You know Y/nn. I trust you and our friendship.”

“I would hope so.” I joked.

We both laughed.

“There is something that I have been wanting to tell you for a while and I believe that I can tell you soon. I won’t tell you now , but when it is just the two of us and when I am ready I’ll tell you.”

“Okay.”

What she said brought me back to what Eloise told me at the ball a few nights ago.

“Not everyone is the way they appear to be. Some carry secrets. I discovered that Penelope was one of them.”

Was it true that Penelope was keeping secrets? And if she was, was she going to tell me?

#bridgerton #bridgerton season 3 #benedict x reader #colin x penelope #penelope featherington #benedict bridgerton #colin bridgerton #friends to lovers

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biconickyoshi · 3 days

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Hi! The Zukaang prophecy dream person here. What you said about a lot of people not even considering Aang and Zuko as a ship made me think. Following that thought, I fell down a rabbit hole that turned into something a lot deeper than just shipping discourse. I'm not a professional psychologist or anything, but I hope some of my insight on this topic is interesting. I apologise in advance for so many words to read!

As a kid I remember being very clueless about romance. I never really interpreted Aang's affection towards Katara as romantic at all, and I honestly have no idea why, since they literally kissed on screen multiple times. So that's why, for years, I remember trying to find a ship that I would like, yet nothing seemed to click just right. That is until the Avatar Renaissance of 2020 when a lot of new people joined the fandom, and a flood of new discussions arose, way different than it used to be years ago. It made me realize that the core of the issue lies in Aang himself. At least that's my own theory, feel free to disagree. A lot of popular avatar ships include everyone from the main cast, but rarely ever Aang himself, apart from the canon Kataang. In all aspects, Aang is an unconventional protagonist, one unheard of at the time. He is a monk, he is a pacifist, he is a vegetarian. For an average kid or teenager in 2005, I don't think much of these aspects are too relatable. We were and still are used to seeing agressive, determined teenage protagonists, ready to beat up the bad guy at any opportunity. That's what was considered "cool". So a bald 12 year old boy with an arrow on his head who grew up in a temple, surrounded by monks, who avoids hurting people, even those who wiped out his entire nation, is simply foreign. You often hear arguments against Kataang: he is too young for her, she sees him as a little brother, they simply don't fit. Those are all false statements, as rewatching the show without bias you can clearly see them love each other deeply and mutually. Aang is a child, but he is a person too, someone with his own values and principles, and so is Katara. To me, both of them are deserving of love, Aang is deserving of Katara's love.

I am now going to talk about the genocide of the air nomads, as I think I can provide a unique perspective on this. I am Ukrainian. The russian invasion of my country has been going for 10 years now, but two years ago specifically my whole world turned upside down when russia launched a full scale invasion, intending to conquer all of Ukraine. A lot of my beliefs of how the world worked changed drastically. Seeing myself from years ago in people from around the world, not yet knowing war, I think this is something you have to experience yourself to truly understand what it means for another nation to want yours erased from existence. Aang's entire nation is gone. Everyone. No one is alive, not a single person. I don't think many people truly let that sink in. He has to keep going every day with the knowledge that the world he is in doesn't have a place for his nation anymore. He has nowhere to go and no one to come to. He has the gaang, and that's wonderful, but it's not the same. He is the only person in the entire world who truly bears this pain. To me, imagining that for myself, is an indescribable horror. To imagine having no place to come back to, living among strangers who know nothing of you and your people. Yes, he has the temples that preseve history, but how much of them has been destroyed? Even the people at the Northern air temple, although fleeing a disaster, still contributed to the destruction and loss of that history.

Yet, bearing this unimaginative hurt, Aang is able to forgive. He is able to make peace with his loss, and let go of his feelings of rage. He wants to see good in the Fire nation people. And through that, he is the only one who can truly see Zuko as he is. Having let go of anger and hurt, he can see the genuine wish Zuko has for atoning for his family's sins. He can literally see through him, all his feelings and thoughts, like no one else. He holds no grudge, no hatered for him. If you ever have a war, genocide unleashed on your country, you would know how impossible it is to forgive. Yet, Aang, as the avatar, has no choice but to do just that, to let go. I think that alone makes Aang one of the strongest people in the avatar universe.

But how is this relevant to the Aang ships being dismissed? Circling back, to me, this is a matter of understanding. People resonate with Katara for her experience as a younger sister, thrown into the role of a mother figure, for her experience as a teenage girl in a sexist world, someone with a desire to become stronger despite being denied that opportunity, be it by the circumstances or by someone stronger than her deeming her "unworthy". People resonate with Sokka for his struggle to become a reliable leader, for his insecurity being the only one without a special "talent" (aka bending). Toph for her sheltered upbringing and parents that are unwilling to see her as more than just her disability. Zuko for his struggle with his identity, his own values versus those forced upon him, an abusive household, repressed emotions and anger, being a sibling of someone way more naturally talented, coming to terms with the hurt he has caused and atoning for it. But what can people find in Aang that resonates with them? All of what Aang is, is grand and bigger than yourself. I relate to Aang as someone whose nation is being subjected to genocide, but is that a common experience? I'm sure that nowadays a lot more people came to appreciate Aang's character more, but as a child in the 2000s, would you really say you saw yourself in Aang as much as you saw yourself in Sokka, Katara, Toph or Zuko?

In conclusion, my theory is that, because of how unique Aang has been written, that prevents people from seeing him as someone they could imagine in a relationship with someone else. After all, how can you write about someone you don't share many life experiences with? How do you write them in love? How do you make someone so different from you come to life?

Anyway, thanks a lot for reading all of my brain vomit. Avatar is truly a goldmine for character analysis and study. Would really love to hear what you think!

I absolutely loved reading your analysis on Aang's character, anon. I agree wholeheartedly with everything you've brought up here. I think it's so true that many people (whether they're conscious of it or not) view Aang through a certain lens due to how unconventional of a protagonist and person he is. To many, he's not "supposed" to be the one who "gets the girl". He's not your stereotypical handsome/buff/rugged teenage boy protagonist; he's small, kind, goofy, and pacifistic. And I think in general that people find it difficult to wrap their heads around a male character like Aang not conforming to Western and/or patriarchal society's expectations/conventions when it comes to behavior and overall physical appearance. I think this also results in a lot of people unconsciously infantilizing Aang and having a hard time viewing him in a shippable way.

It's also interesting that you brought up Aang's almost "otherness" when it comes to the world he finds himself in when he awakens from the iceberg - he is the last one of his kind in a world where nobody remembers his people. He's from a culture that is vastly different from the ones that remain in the world. His philosophy, mannerisms, gender expression, appearance, etc. are all completely unique, not only canonically in the post-genocide AtLA world, but in our world as well, especially in the West.

The fact that despite everything Aang has been through, despite all the atrocities he has witnessed, he still is able to remain true to himself at his core through to the very end is so moving to me. Aang will always be my favorite character all time simply because of who he is. Even as a kid, I loved him so much - I never had a crush on Zuko or Sokka, it was always Aang. He represented not only the type of person I would want to be, but also the type of person I would want to be with. And sure, he's not perfect, but that's another one of the many things I love about him - he's human, he makes mistakes.

I feel like I could say more, but you already wrote so much good stuff in your analysis, and I'm not sure if there's much I could add haha.

Also, thank you for sharing your perspective as someone who lives in Ukraine - I can't imagine how difficult it must be to be dealing with all of Russia's BS the past decade, and especially recently. I sincerely hope you're staying safe and healthy! <3

#asks #zukaang #atla #atla meta #zuko #aang #the gaang #avatar the last airbender #aanglove

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