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champi8n · 6 months

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witch in love | kit walker

sypnosis: kit walker’s girlfriend is… a witch!

warnings: none it’s just happy!

you knew you were different to other people from a very young age, of course, you weren’t exactly sure what made you different until you turned 16 and after an argument with your dad you made everything in your room float for a split second before everything fell down and broke, causing your mother to sit down with you and have the talk

no, not the talk about sex, the talk about witches and how you were a direct descendant to one of the witches of salem or something like that, you weren’t paying much attention since you got stuck on the part where said “you’re a witch” but you kind of got an idea of what she explained

however, your mother had the option to send you away to learn more about those arts but she refused it, deciding it was better to homeschool you and teach you herself to control and expand your abilities

you didn’t complain, you quite liked it at home and you loved being the only student, apart from that you led some sort of double life, witch in secret and a normal student on the outside

you knew you couldn’t go around showing your abilities and screaming to everyone “i’m a witch, i’m a witch” but you also were good at hiding your little impulses

no, you weren’t a bad person and you totally wouldn’t use your powers to get your own way, but you couldn’t stand seeing injustice and bad things happening in front of you without being able to do something about it

so you began to act, you first made some boys who went to your school and bothered a poor girl in your english class with mean comments pay for their rudeness, you hated the way they made that girl cry by laughing at her hairstyles and her shoes, so after learning how to control people you made those boys slap themselves every time they opened their mouth towards that girl

you giggled in the back of the class as they looked at each-other confused, wondering what was happening as they felt the burn of their own slap on their cheek every time they tried to talk

that was the beginning of a new period of your life and boy, anyone who thought they could mess with you without any consequences were in for a complete ride

as you got older you graduated with top grades which came from pulling all nighters to study, not from using your abilities, and you decided to pursue a career in fashion

many people laughed at you for that choice, saying you should go for a career in healthcare or look for a job as a book keeper, but you were ambitious, you wanted more than the typical jobs women could get at the time

you managed to find an intern position in a small fashion magazine, however, you were treated poorly by your male co workers and it drove you mad, how thought multiple times about casting a spell to make their lives miserable yet you stopped yourself, knowing better than to waste your skills for those dumb boys

every time you had a hard day you would go to a diner that was near your work and would order yourself a chocolate milkshake with extra cream and unfortunately for you, today was one of those days

the cling of the bells as you opened the door of the diner and the sound of your thigh high boots as you walked to your usual table resonated in the place, catching some attention but that wasn’t unusual for you

you were very pretty and you knew it so you weren’t exactly surprised at heads turning to look at you when you go out, however you’ve rarely been out on dates as nobody has caught your attention

you twirled your hair as you looked through the menu even though you were gonna order your usual you still wanted to roam through the food in case you get hungry later

but you were surprised when one of the waiters in the place came over to your table and placed your pleasure chocolate milkshake in front of you even though you haven’t even ordered yet

“you must be mistaken, i didn’t order anything” you said, batting your eyelashes as you smiled to the person serving you

“we know miss, this is from the guy over there” they pointed over to a man sitting in the counter having a sip of what seemed to be a strawberry milkshake

his brown eyes met yours and he smiled at you, giving you a small wave with his hand to then look away and keep minding his business

you had no idea how he knew that was your favourite milkshake and you also had zero clue who he was as you haven’t noticed him before in the place yet the gesture did make you a little bit happy

but you didn’t want to make the guy pay for your order, you weren’t that type of person so you stood up with your milkshake in hand and walked towards the mystery man

you tapped on his shoulder to get his attention and you saw the way his expression went from surprise to a smile “yes?” he said

“did you send me this?” i looked at the milkshake in my hand and he nodded “thank you but i couldn’t possibly accept this, let me pay you back” you reached for your wallet but he immediately stopped you

“please, there is no need for that, pardon me m’am but you just looked like you were in a bad mood and i wanted to be nice” the man replied, brushing his hand through his hair as he continued to smile at you with courtesy

you blinked, amused at the stranger’s nice action “well, thank you…” you paused, your eyes wandered off to the man’s shirt, he seemed to be wearing a uniform and you managed to spot a name tag “thank you, kit” you smiled, taking a sip of your paradise on earth aka your milkshake

he smiled back at you and said nothing back, you sat down next to him expecting him to try and initiate a conversation with you yet you were surprised by how he kept minding his business, letting you enjoy your milkshake in peace except you weren’t exactly in peace, you were bothered as you wondered why he isn’t speaking to you

you glanced at kit multiple times and every time he would look back at you, you quickly turned away until he would go back to drinking his strawberry milkshake

after doing that for a few times you heard him laugh, making you wonder what he found so funny “what is it?” you said, frowning at him

“i’m sorry, you’re just funny ma’am” he replied, looking at you as he tried to regain his composure

his response left you even more confused and slightly offended, what exactly did he mean by that you didn’t know “excuse me?” you said, sounding mildly angry

“do ya think i don’t notice you keep glancing at me?” he said, a big smile on his face as he seemed to find the whole situation funny “if you wanna tell me something just do it” he said, looking at your blank expression as you’ve been caught

you didn’t know what to say exactly, you were slightly embarrassed but you didn’t want to make that obvious “well, that’s what i should be asking you!” you replied, deciding to be honest

kit raised an eyebrow as it was clear to you he had no idea what you were trying to say “i mean, you buy me a milkshake, you obviously wanna ask me out so i’m waiting for you to speak” you say bluntly and also realising how self cantered you sounded

this time both of kit’s eyebrows were raised as his face was filled with surprise, he chuckled for a second to himself as he was completely gagged by your words “wow, big ego there…” he said looking away from you, making you even more flustered

“no! i didn’t mean it that way it’s just-“ he interrupted you

“it’s just acts of pure kindness don’t exist anymore, i guess” he said, taking a big sip of his milkshake as you felt slightly bad

“well, i don’t know!” you replied, you didn’t know what to say, you were blushing as you felt helpless and then suddenly you said it “go out with me… on a date”

kit began to choke a little bit as he didn’t expect the words that came out of your mouth “excuse me?” he said, a small playful smile on his face

“you know you wanted to ask me first don’t act coy” you rolled your eyes, smiling a little bit

he sighed, feeling defeated “yeah you’re right i did…” kit admitted

“fine so, tomorrow 8pm this diner?” you asked, finishing your milkshake

“o-okay, but what’s your name?” he said a bit desperately as he realised you were getting ready to leave

“you’ll figure it out tomorrow” you winked at him before deciding to head out, swaying your hips as you walked away from him and turning your head for a last smile as you opened the door and left

kit was left flustered and charmed as his eyes were frozen on the door, he smiled to himself as he began to count how many hours until tomorrow

…

the next day you got off work and decided to head straight home for a shower, you then chose to wear a white miniskirt with a black fitted turtle neck, an outfit perfect to match your favourite white high heeled boots

you then sat in front of your mirror and did your eyeliner the way you liked it, applied your lipstick and fixed your hair, being ready to go

you were unsure why you were so nervous about this date, you told yourself it was gonna be just another boring one multiple times yet something inside you kind of hoped it wasn’t

as you got to the diner, you found kit waiting outside the door and you smiled at him as you walked

he looked at you up and down as his mouth slowly opened in surprise “you look gorgeous” he said, making you blush a little

he opened the door for you and you both sat down opposite each other at one of the tables

to your own surprise it wasn’t uncomfortable at all and in fact you discovered you quite enjoy kit’s company, you learned he works as a gas station attendant and how he loves to dance and he listened to you talk about your ambitions and even supported it, saying you should start your own brand

as it got late it was soon time to say goodbye but not before you decided to break the obvious rule and do the most impulsive thing a girl can do, you kissed him

“good night, kit” you said as you walked away, leaving him frozen in his spot completely shocked at the fact that you had given him a kiss

when you got home you replayed the events of the date and you wished that everything would continue to go great with kit and lucky for you, your wish came true

you and kit went out on a few more dates as time went by and they were perfect, you used to believe boys were stupid and untrustworthy but with kit it was different, you liked him and you sure did hope he liked you too

soon, kit’s relationship with you took the next step as he asked you to be his girlfriend on the prettiest night of september and you didn’t hesitate to say yes

you wanted to be with kit forever, you would do anything to have him by your side always and so it was no surprise when you began to have worries about kit finding out the fact that you’re a witch

the last thing you wanted to do was to scare him off and you were sure telling him who you were would definitely do that but you also felt bad as you believed shouldn’t be hiding that part of you to the man you love

you were keeping that detail to yourself until suddenly the world caught you by surprise and decided to stop being in your favour

kit had mentioned to you that he has been struggling with his energy at work and how he feels extremely overworked by his boss, you suggested to him to confront his boss about the unfair amount of hours he has to work for how little he gets paid but he refused to do so, making you have the great idea to cast a spell for kit to make him be less tired and remove his fatigue

you gathered all the materials you needed and you lit a few candles in front of you placing them in a circle, you then followed what the spell book which you had opened in front of you said and focused a little bit too hard since you didn’t realise that kit had gotten off work earlier and now he was home, looking for you

you had given kit a spare key to your home and it wasn’t a surprise for him to come see you after work so it was stupid of you to not lock the door of your room

“baby, where are ya?” it was too late when you heard him because a moment later he had opened the door of your bedroom, revealing yourself in a very sketchy and hard to explain situation

he frowned as you were frozen in your spot, his eyes staring deep into yours as you blinked twice, blowing the candles off slowly

“what are you doing…?” he asked, walking towards you slowly

“nothing” you replied almost immediately, standing off the floor and giving him an awkward smile

“it doesn’t seem like nothing” he said “what were you doing?” he asked again, standing in front of you

you sighed, the time for the truth had come and you were scared shitless, you’ve never told anyone besides your mother about your abilities and the thoughts of kit leaving and exposing you were lingering in your mind, however, you knew you had to trust him

and you also knew there had to be some sort of erasing memory spell

but besides that, you took kit’s hand and sat him down next to you on the edge of the bed “you’ve gotta promise you’re not gonna freak out, okay?”

“what?” he said, still not catching on completely on what you were saying.

“kit… i’m a witch” you said… staring deep into his eyes searching for a hint of any negative emotion behind his eyes but on the contrary all he did was frown.

“um… okay…” he said in a whisper, his face being completely blank “sure, whatever you say suga’” he said, slowly caressing your elbows and giving you a reassuring smile

it wasn’t hard to tell that kit didn’t believe you but you had no clue what to do now, you already had told him so what now?

“kit…” you spoke slowly “did you understand what i said?” you asked

“um… kind of” he replied, making you sigh “you’re trying to tell me you’re high, right?” he spoke cautiously slow, almost as if he’s speaking to a toddler as he didn’t know how to act

you broke into a smile, you couldn’t help but think he was adorable “no!” you lightly hit his arm as you giggled “i’m not high you dummy! i’m a witch!”

his expression was still confused but he began laughing with you, causing you to laugh even harder as you didn’t understand why he was laughing with you

“kit, why are you laughing!?” you asked between giggles

“i don’t know, why are you laughing!?” he replied, you both looked so stupid laughing at nothing but you loved it, he was way too sweet

you obviously knew kit was never going to believe you were a witch so you had no other choice but to attempt to do a demonstration when you and kit managed to calm down the laughs

“okay, kit, i’m a witch and i’m gonna prove it but you can’t freak out… okay?” you said as you began to use telekinesis to slowly lift kit off the bed, almost too slow making it hard for him to realise what was happening

“honey, don’t call yourself a witch, you’re just a stressed lady okay, there’s no need to… woah wait” his attempt at comforting you or whatever was interrupted as he realised he wasn’t sitting down on the bed anymore, instead he was floating above it

you smiled at him with reassurance as you kept making him float higher and higher above the bed, he looked at you in utter shock as he muttered some surprises noises yet all you could do is smile in hopes he wouldn’t panic too much

kit had no idea what was going on, all he knew is that he kept going up and he muttered an “ouch” when he felt his head boink against the bedroom roof

you immediately panicked as you completely forgot about the fact he was going to hit his head and in your moment of worry you accidentally dropped him, making you scream as you forgot he was going to land on the bed and thought he could get badly injured

“are you okay?! kit?!” you asked, climbing more towards the centre of the bed where his head was resting and slowly caressing his head

he had his eyes shut as he was obviously afraid of the landing and still didn’t quite piece together that he didn’t fall on the floor “i’m good, baby” he replied, opening his eyes a little and looking at your face over him, you’re worried expression making him want to kiss you

you helped him sit up on the bed and after a few moments of silence, you decided to ask the question that was eating you up on the inside “so… do you hate me?”

“what?! no!” his response was almost instant as the last thing he wanted to do was to make you feel bad “i don’t completely understand what’s going on but something like this would never make me hate you! hell… i don’t think anything would ever make me hate you…” his hand reached for your face as he tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear “i thought stuff like that only existed in movies but hey it’s kind of cool… my girlfriend is a witch!” he chucked to himself

your eyes were slightly teary as you felt relieved and also moved by his words, you felt thankful to have someone that cared about you so much and the feeling of being accepted by kit made you wanna break down and cry for love

you felt kit’s lips press against you in a soft kiss, you could feel his lips curving into a smile, making you do the same, the only thing you could think of as your kisses escalated was how grateful you were to have him in your life

…

“so what type of thing were you doing down there… you know with the candles and stuff” you felt the vibrations of kit’s voice as your head was resting on his chest, his shirt was off (like yours) after the make out session you guys were having turned into something more

you looked up at him through your eyelashes and you bit your lip, your fingers tracing meaningless patterns on his skin “a spell…” you said in a cheeky manner

kit frowned slightly, his hands caressing your hair as he gave you a confused look “what kind of spell?” he asked, curiosity killing the cat

“a spell for you…” you replied, aware of how bad it sounded as he could obviously misunderstand what you were saying and he could take it the wrong way “but it wasn’t a bad spell, i just, i wanted to help you” you added

“oh baby, like a love spell? cause if it was then i think it’s pretty clear you don’t need to do one of those on me” he said with a small smirk resting on his face “unless you’ve already done one of me and i just haven’t realised…” he said in a playful tone, obviously kidding

you rolled your eyes at him “very funny, kit, ha ha ha” you said sarcastically “it was a spell to help you have more energy at work… you told me you were feeling burnt out and i wanted to help” you looked away from him, suddenly feeling shy

he went quiet for a few seconds making you doubtful of what he could be thinking, but you knew it was fine when all of a sudden one of his hands went to your chin in order to lift your face and give you a soft kiss

“you’re the sweetest girl i know” he said in a whisper, making you blush slightly “so can you fly?” he changed the tone of the conversation swiftly, making you giggle at how dumb he sounded to you

“you’re so stupid sometimes kit…” you replied, a bright smile on your face as you rolled your eyes

…

ever since you told kit the truth about you being a witch he’s insisted on trying to learn as much as he can about it in order to help you and support you, you’ve told him plenty of times it wasn’t necessary for him to burden himself with all that knowledge but he won’t listen

you didn’t hate it though, if you were being truthful, it was nice to have someone you can talk about that stuff that isn’t your mother and not feel judged

however, ever since kit learned about the horrible things people have tried to do to witches such as burn and murder them even if they aren’t causing harm, he’s began to be slightly more protective of you and you haven’t failed to notice

you thought it was cute so it didn’t bother you, plus you knew he really is just trying to do what he can to be there for you when it comes to stuff related to your abilities

but when you were surprised today in the middle of your at home date night with kit by one of your neighbours that’s where you really noticed how much you liked it

the lady that lived next door from you was a very religious woman, you had no issue with that whatsoever since even though you didn’t agree with her beliefs you still respected it, yet you didn’t fail to notice how she’s been acting odd towards you throughout the past month

you were used to saying good morning and maybe stop for small talk when you left for work early yet recently she’s been giving you a strange look when she does, and she also used to bake you pies often since she insisted she must take care of you since she was in her 40s and you’re just a “baby dove in your 20s” according to her, but lately she has failed to do so and so you could clearly tell something was wrong

you liked to pretend like you had no idea what could’ve affected her perspective of you but unfortunately, you do

on a late tuesday around a month ago you were almost by your place when she spotted you since she was sitting in her porch sewing, you cordially said hello to eachother and she iniated small talk when suddenly she accidentally stabbed herself with the her sewing needle

when you heard her complain about the pain in her finger you went up to her and checked it, making the dumb decision to use some of your abilities to heal it quick as it broke your soul to see the poor lady suffering, you brushed a hand past the stab and suddenly it was gone

after that you arrived home and since then the havoc started upon her demeanour towards you

“may i help you, miss thornhill?” you asked after opening the door, smiling kindly to the woman in front of you

suddenly the woman invited herself into your home and pulled some garlic out of her purse, pointing it at you “this must stop now! what are you creature?!” she screamed erratically, loud enough for kit who was waiting in the kitchen with a glass of wine for you to come running towards you

“what’s going on?” he asked, observing the scene in front of you

you sighed, you hated this “miss thornhill, i don’t understand what’s going on….” you replied, backing off from her a little bit

“you are not god’s creature, you must disappear!” the woman once again screamed, making kit get in front of you, worried about you

“garlic, really? does she look like a vampire?!” he said, slightly joking around but immediately regretting after realising it wasn’t the time “ma’am you need to leave” he said

“son, you don’t know her, she’s not what she looks like!” the woman said this time to kit, almost as if you weren’t even in the room “she’s different from you and me” she whispered to kit, making you want to roll your eyes “the devil…” she continued

kit sighed “lady, you need to leave immediately” he asked in a gentle manner, trying to avoid a bigger issue

the woman however seemed to take it the wrong way, getting offended “fine! i will leave, but i will accuse you with the church and with all the ladies in this town and expose what you really are!” she screamed, raising her finger at you

“which is?” you asked, regretting it instantly but you couldn’t help but be carried away a little bit by your emotions

“a witch!” she shouted

“hey! my girlfriend is not a witch!” kit replied, lying obviously but trying to do what he can, “how dare you even think of accusing my girlfriend of that…” he pretended to be mortified by the woman’s blabbering

it was a serious moment but you couldn’t help but to find it a little bit amusing, you never took kit for being an actor or at least a good one at least but boy, you were wrong

he gave you a quick glance obviously signalling to you he needed your slight support “yes, exactly, how dare you say that about me, ms thornhill! i’m shattered” you acted hurt, leading a hand into your chest and closing your eyes

kit stood next to you as he gasped, pretending to be in distress about your pain as he held you “oh, suga’ are you okay?” he asked, looking at you with worried eyes

the woman just stood there, here eyes following every action you both did

“look at what you’ve done! she’s sick and you’ve made her worse” kit said as the woman’s mouth opened in disbelief, obviously falling for the trick

“oh, lord, i’m so sorry i didn’t mean to-” she struggled to find the words to say, obviously being conflicted wether on to carry on her point or not and that’s when you got the perfect opening for a little… trick

“you’re going to leave now and forget every single speculation you have about me, including the accusations of sorcery” you spoke in a confident tone, staring deep into the lady’s eyes as you felt kit looking at you unsure of what was going on but still not saying anything

not even a minute later the woman was looking around as if she was lost, you immediately approached her, a sudden worried expression painted your face

“miss thornhill, are you alright?” you said, doe eyes looking at the lady with care, kit still stood in his place wondering why your demeanour was changing

you gave him a quick glance, widening your eyes and mouthing to him to act like nothing happened

he didn’t get exactly what you were meaning to say at first but he attempted to, walking towards you while running a hand through his hair

“oh my… what am i doing here?” the poor woman asked, clearly confused

“you slept walked all the way here and began knocking on the door, i was extremely worried but i think you’re awake now” you replied, sounding way too believable “right, kit?” you gave him a tense smile

“oh, uhm, yeah, we thought something was going on” he said, quickly frowning at you before going back to acting coy

“christ… i’m so sorry about this, darling, please don’t tell me i interrupted anything with you two” she said, genuinely worried

you quickly gave her a reassuring smile “don’t worry about that, miss thornhill, please, let me walk you home next door” you replied, holding her arm and guiding her towards the door

she kept apologising as you were leaving but right as you were exiting the door you turned back and winked at kit, making him smile

he was still not sure what just happened, kit felt proud of how you handled the situation and managed to defend yourself and he could assume you used some sort of magic but if he was being honest, he did get particularly scared at the thought of that lady trying to hurt you

but all of those worries disappeared when he saw you wink with a cheeky smile on your face, reassuring him that you were fine

kit walker’s girlfriend was a witch but he knows it isn’t a bad thing, ignorant people will try and tell him it is but he knows he wouldn’t trade it for any normal thing in the world.

#kit walker x you #kit walker #kit asylum #ahs asylum #american horror story #american horror story asylum #evan peters #evan peters imagine #evan peters x you #evan peters ff #kit walker ff #kit walker imagine #evan #asylum #idk what else #evan peters supremacy #evan peters fanfic

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abeautifulblog · 9 months

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Thoughts on the Radovid romance

A couple people have asked about the Radovid/Jaskier relationship, and I thought it was... fine? As fine as anything in this show gets?

I wasn't expecting it to dethrone Geralt/Jaskier, because 20+ years of Jaskier building his life and legacy around Geralt is a lot more compelling than Some Twink He Met Yesterday, but I did go into it with a genuinely open mind. Everyone on tumblr was gushing over their chemistry, and I was like, Yea I'd believe it, given that this is Joey Batey we're talking about. So I was expecting to enjoy it the way I'd enjoyed the Yennskier content in S2, the rare treat of two characters having a real emotional connection.

And then I watched it, and it wasn't bad, but the relationship was a lot more disjointed (and their "chemistry" a lot less compelling) than tumblr had led me to believe. (Lol, mea culpa, I should have known better than to take tumblr's word for it.) Also it’s unclear whether it’s supposed to be a cute romance, or whether it’s two people using each other for their own ends?

But it did brush up against some interesting thoughts I'd had before about Jaskier and his patrons, and got me to thinking about consent and power dynamics again, because I am THEE MOST predictable little beastie in fandom. 🤣

First off, I'm not sure what we're supposed to make of Radovid. Obviously he's ~hiding his true self~ in some way, but I can't tell if we're meant to take at face value the side of himself he shows Jaskier -- that he's more intelligent than he's been letting on, and is actually deeply lonely in the empty-headed partyboy role he's been playing, desperate for genuine connection and for someone to truly see him for who he is -- or whether that is yet more deception, and this is all part of some big ambitious scheme that he'll whip out in a mustache-twirling villain reveal. There are elements that make me think it's the latter, but Hugh Skinner's acting is also just weird (and why are his eyes so wet o_o), and I can't tell whether that's supposed to be deliberate foreshadowing, or if, once again, the people making the show are just clueless about how their creative choices are coming off.

(I assume this will get answered at some point, possibly already has in part 2, but I haven't watched that yet.)

Honestly, the part that caught my interest the most was when Jaskier showed up at Radovid's salon wanting to talk about new intel he had on Rience, and Radovid was blithely uninterested, just wanted Jaskier to sing for them -- and then proceeded to casually, completely disregard Jaskier's No.

gremble: Oho? 👀

That's a red flag! 😊 Jaskier tried to set a boundary, and Radovid brushed right past it. And in any competently-executed piece of media, I would expect that to be deliberately signaling something. It doesn't necessarily mean that Radovid is evil -- could just mean he's a crown prince who doesn't have much experience with people telling him No -- but seeing him blithely override Jaskier's wishes in a low-stakes situation sets a bad precedent, and foreshadows how he might behave later, when the stakes might well be higher.

...Except that this production team is so HILARIOUSLY bad at writing healthy relationships -- for three seasons they've been feeding us the most toxic slop imaginable and telling us that's what love looks like -- that I have no idea whether that was on purpose or not. 😂😂😂

The Radovid storyline does touch on some concepts that I've long found fascinating, about Jaskier's system of patronage and how he trades on his sexuality. How his work is canonically sex work, or at least sex-work adjacent (that's made explicit when he talks about the Countess de Stael, that they were involved sexually while she was supporting him financially), and the balancing act of keeping his patrons happy when they are always, always going to be second in his affections to Geralt -- and how they probably wouldn't be too happy to learn that.

Because for all that S3 tells us Jaskier is developing a crush on Radovid, Joey Batey's acting says something very different. He did not come off as a man in love, to me -- he came off as someone who's acutely aware that when the crown prince of Redania rolls up and tells you he's your biggest fan, you fucking smile for him.

(Why yes, Moulin Rouge is my all-time favorite movie, why do you ask? 🤣)

Jaskier's interactions with Radovid feel very... 'calculated' isn't quite the word for it, but Jaskier is conscious of the power differentials there, and always carefully choosing what he does and says in light of what he knows Radovid wants from him. He's conscious of having to keep Radovid happy, yes but he's also conscious of what he stands to gain from having a crown prince clamoring to win his affections, and what he could leverage out of that. (Like, say, having the entire Redanian army to protect his little found family.)

And the power imbalance isn't entirely one-directional either. Radovid wants Jaskier's affections, something that can't be bought or coerced, and wants his specifically, which means Jaskier has all the power to give or withhold it... while also being aware that toying with a prince's affections is a dangerous game.

........Or maybe I entirely misread that, and Jaskier's feelings for Radovid are meant to be genuine, and the whole thing was supposed to be a cute little romance. The way that Joey & the production team have talked about that relationship makes it sound like that's what they were going for, but what's onscreen is very ambiguous.

It will surprise no one to learn that I think the more interesting option would be the one that complicates Jaskier’s motives. That even if he likes Radovid well enough, he's still deliberately leveraging Radovid's crush on him to get help for Geralt -- and that if he oversteps, he's risking the wrath of a very powerful man. (And that as the perceived rival, Geralt could wind up as the target of Radovid’s retribution.)

Anyway, it's a fascinating situation, and almost identical to a fic premise I've been tossing around for years. It's never quite coalesced enough to get written, but it does compel me.

(Alternately, if you wanted Radovid to be noble and tragic, @coffee-mage-sans-caffeine suggested a situation in which Radovid and Geralt are in peril together, one of them is not going to make it out of this, and Radovid sacrifices himself so Geralt lives -- because he knows which of them Jaskier loves more.)

#witcher shit #radskier #witcher meta #twn season 3

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ladytauria · 5 months

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oooooh for the made up title game, "gotham blues"?

thank you sm for the ask!!

ahhhh

my brain keeps reading that as “gotham city blues” but regardless!!! i’m picturing a 20s/30s era wip. jazz age, prohibition, flappers, rise of the mafia, early hollywood…

as a general note i think it would be more like… aesthetic than strictly historically accurate, as there would be some topics i wouldn’t be comfy handling / including. (altho maybe not glossing over entirely??)

was just talking with @deepwithintheabyss abt a new money jay (in a different context but) which. finally gave me the insp to figure out exactly what i wanted for this lmao

i’m a little split between jaytim & jaysteph for this—working in a throuple could be really cool. i’m thinking jason is ofc from the park row area. it’s being hit hard by the rise in crime; his parents having been middle class but poverty hitting them when his mom gets sick / his dad gets fired, or in debt to the wrong people. jason’s life is turned upside down as a kid, watching his dad fall deeper & deeper into crime. at first he was determined not to follow the same path but as he gets older, he gets more jaded, and much like in canon decides to stop crime by controlling it.

steph is a flapper—heavily involved in feminist circles, rebelling against the life she was raised for. her father is maybe an early actor, though he falls out of grace for,,, idk, reasons. her mother got hooked on drugs in part due to the stars & producers they hung out with. anyway, steph is determined to make something of herself.

tim—

i think the drakes are newish money, so there’s some stigma among the rest of high society. he never wanted to take over his parent’s business, despite his razor sharp mind, but when they die in a tragic accident he has no choice. his paths cross with both steph & jay.

jay is pro-feminism from the start i think; tim has some stuff to unlearn. bit of conflict there, but they manage to work through it. i’m picturing them somehow all getting tangled up together.

maybe,,,

jason is trying to unseat black mask or penguin or joker or—someone from the top seat. or. okay, maybe that’s ambitious, so let’s just go with black mask. black mask isn’t the ~top~ criminal in the city but he’s up there, and he’s jason’s first target now that he’s got his own following. sionis is competing with drake industries and viewed tim as a non-issue, figuring DI would dissolve after janet & jack died, so he arranged their deaths. tim discovers this during some digging, because he has a bad feeling about their deaths.

steph is tangled up in it too—her own vendetta with mask maybe, or mask being obsessed with her somehow? or maybe she’s just. guilty by association ig, and once she learns what’s going on ends up involved despite herself.

i’m not sure how i would / if i would work in the others; it would maybe come up as needed?

but yeah, basically a very… noir (?) type tale of intrigue & danger & love that isn’t a the best of ideas but is irresistible nonetheless.

would have a happy ending / happy for now ending tho bc i’m a sucker

[ send me a made up title & i’ll tell you what kind of fic i’d write for it ]

#asks and answers #midnight-owl #jaytimsteph #jaytim #jaysteph #timsteph #timjay #stephjay #sorry this took so long

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whorediaries-09 · 3 months

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make confessions 🤍- send in a request and i'll ship you with a character.

Hi!! I love your valentine's day event, the false god theme is so fun, it's my favorite song from lover!!

I'm a straight female and my pronouns are she/her

Physical description - I'm 5'9 and I have long and curly dark brown hair and brown eyes. I have a fair skin tone, I'm slim and I've got full lips and fairly large eyes. I also have these dimples that I really like!

I love reading, my favorite genres are poetry, Russian lit, and mysteries! I love learning about new things and knowing a little bit of everything. I adore adventures, witty and playful banter, joking around and having indepth discussions on anything and everything! I adore all forms of art and I have quite a few creative hobbies! I listen to a lot of modern/indie rock and I love watching films very much! It takes me a while to feel comfortable around new people but once I do, I become really talkative and outgoing. I love helping out and I'm the therapist friend, people come to me to vent or for advice and comfort. I'm smart and ambitious; I love being the best at everything I do. I'm quite the hopeless romantic and I love being in love! I adore big and small romantic gestures and I love domesticity sm!! My love languages are acts of service and quality time. I'm a ravenclaw, my mbti is infp and my enneagram is 4w3!

Thank you very much!! I hope you have an amazing valentine's day regardless of dates and all!

hi angel, thank you so much for sending this in! <3 false god is my fav song from lover too! it's so underrated.

i ship you with remus lupin!

remus and you would love to read and talk about the books the both of you picked up during the week. and during quiet rainy nights, you'd light up cinnamon candles, putting your head on his lap while he'd read to you, and playing with your gorgeous curls. BUT if the both of you picked up the same book, you'd have contrasting opinions about them and would banter endlessly about who's right and who's wrong. it was a tradition the both of you had since you were friends, but it didn't stop even after you started dating, because it was one of the roots of your relationship.

remus is the mastermind behind the shenanigans of the marauders, and the two of you would pull a few fairly devious pranks on your mates. maybe color sirius' hair in a fluorescent color or maybe change the power on james' glasses or maybe set a few harmless spiders under peter's bedclothing. it was all fun and games until it fired back on both of you.

the two of you have very intense conversations sometimes, discussing about mostly about psychology, literature and art. he likes to listen to you and your views about different aspects. and sometimes if you'd rant about something he didn't have an idea about, he'll learn about it and discuss it with you the other day (and vice versa).

remus loves to sketch, so maybe when you're daydreaming or sleeping, he'll sometimes sketch a portrait. but he'll never show you them, of course. because some of them he'd sketched when the both of you were friends. he didn't know you had your own stock of little paintings and poems about him where you describe every other feature of his in a mesmerizing way. eventually his secret is revealed, and so is yours.

remus wouldn't like your choice of music at the beginning. but it starts to grow on him over the time. because the music reminds him of you, and he feels it's a piece of you and your mind which he wants to keep close by him.

remus was never one for parties and neither were you. so the both of you sulk around when james and sirius run around like little children, drinking endlessly. it's not alcohol or any other substance to abuse, but it sure as hell feels like it. he'd very happy to say the least, to find a sulking partner at parties. it fuels his introverted side, because he knows once the both of you escape the party with pizza boxes tucked under your shirts, you'll open up once again and fill his eardrums with your voice.

at an aspect, of your love for him, it becomes like fire and ice. because he's loathing himself after a dreadful full moon, but you're sitting by him, taking care of him. it melts his poor heart how much you take care of him and how much you love him. but he thinks he doesn't deserve it. he thinks he's holding you bounded. he thinks he's being selfish. but you advice him, and even scold him a little, telling him that being selfish sometimes wouldn't harm anybody. you'd also tell him that if you wanted to not be with him you'd leave him in the blink of an eye. but you wanted him, and loved him, so he could hold you bound as long as he wanted to.

remus loves your affection. he likes how you remember certain details about him and do little things for him. he likes how you ask for permission before you hug him, because he's very sensitive to touch sometimes. he thinks he's living in one of the books the both of you made fun of one day.

all in all, the both of you are blissed with each other! <3

#remus lupin #remus lupin x reader #remus lupin imagine

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dream-trail-rpg · 1 year

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Genuine questions, what are some struggles you guys have had with making a game? What are things you’ve enjoyed? And what are some advice you would give for someone trying to make their own game?

I hope to make a game of my own one day, and I’ve been meaning to ask! It was you guys that gave me hope to try and achieve that goal again, so I felt asking you guys may be a good idea!

(Also, I hope things are going well! Have a nice day!)

Howdy! Sock here!

This is going to be a bit of a long answer, so I'll hide it under the cut:

It means so much to hear that we helped as some sort of motivation towards working on your own game,,, My advice in that department is to just GO FOR IT! See what happens! See what you can manage! That's how Dream Trail got started. If you have an idea that you really want to make, just take the plunge. Push yourself and rip off that bandaid! If you don't make the choice, you may miss out on a really interesting, exciting, and life-changing future path. Just don't take on more than you can chew. Try and stay around your skill level, but if you have bigger dreams then it's not a bad idea to start learning some new skills. Be ambitious, just not too much! Sometimes, ambition can outweigh your capabilities. Try not to overfill your game and include what's NECESSARY. Sometimes you have to make unfortunate cuts, but it's important to do what benefits your game best.

As a team, we've definitely had our fair share of struggles. There will be disagreements and road-blocks that take awhile to climb over. Coding has definitely been our worst enemy, haha. But it's important to keep going. Don't let anything stop you!

Here's a message from Chip/Mod Fay, I think they've got a better way of putting this all on one plate, similarly to what I explained:

"Don't bite off more than you can chew- especially if you're a solo dev, make sure what you're making is manageable. Try to make something that focuses more on your skillset! If you're an artist, make something focused on visuals. Writer, make a story-based game. Etc etc. Of course branching out and learning new things is good! But for a first game, try and cater to your skills, unless you wanna get burnt out- Take it from someone who Didn't Do That, starting slow is the way to go. Make sure to keep things organized, otherwise things can get complicated and messy fast. It's okay to ask for help from others in areas you're less experienced in. And if you're ever realizing you're not having fun- it's always okay to take breaks! Don't overwork yourself, it ain't healthy. Trust me- The most important thing is having fun! And if that requires a few breaks, whether they be days, weeks, months, or even years long, if that what's best for you, don't feel bad about it!"

No matter the struggles, it's always worth it. We all enjoy working on Dream Trail so much, we've shared so many laughs this past year. And nothing will ever beat the satisfaction and excitement of finally releasing our demo a couple months ago. Coming up with ideas and writing dialogue and thinking about character designs, it's an amazing process that I couldn't be happier to share with my friends.

I hope that you can make the game you want to make! I'm so honoured that our game has given you a little bit of hope for your own projects! I BELIEVE IN YOU!! No matter who you are, if you make something, there will ALWAYS be someone who loves your content. Show the world what you've got!

We're still slowly getting off of our break from after the demo's release. We've starting up again, but we're not fully back on track yet, so we have nothing to write in any dev-logs. We hope to have something new for all of you soon! Thanks again for your support, and I'd honestly love some more genuine asks like this. I love answering questions!

#ask response #mod sock #dream trail #dream trail rpg #indie game development #indie game #indie rpg #indie gamedev #indiegamedev

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sweetorangepoptart · 2 months

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23,29,28

23. How do you write endings for your fics? Do you prefer open-ended or conclusive conclusions?

I pretty much always have the ending in mind before I start really writing. For Secret in particular, I've had the ending very clearly mapped out, though the way we are getting there has changed over the course of writing it. I do like more conclusive conclusions, unless there's a sequel or it's a oneshot that's part of a series, then a little open ended is great! Especially if it's yearning! I have written a Mass Effect fic that I left extremely open ended because in-game there is a major choice you can make about one of the characters, and I thought it would be fun to leave it open for the reader to fill in whatever choice they ended up making.

28. What's the most ambitious or challenging fic you've ever written?

Ambitious? Secret for sure. It's my first serious attempt at writing a real multi-chaptered fic, my first mlm fic, the first one that I really worked hard on to plot and outline, got some serious beta reading for it... overall it's been the most ambitious but I'm living up to it! We are so close to the end! However for challenging I'd actually say Unnatural, because I dove into some unpleasant feelings and it's also angsty and I just struggle with that in general.

29. Are there any characters, relationships, or general character dynamics you've never written about but would like to try?

There are SO MANY. I'm actually really wanting to write from Bolin's perspective, because I've had a lot of fun every time I write dialogue for him and I'd love to get into his head. Romantically I am planning to write some Korrasami. I also want to write some KyaLin? I've never hardcore shipped them before but I think it might be fun!

#answered ask #fanfiction #ask game

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solar-synapse · 5 months

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🌒⭐️💬 🎭

(I am only somewhat sure I got all those right have fun sol~)

🌒 - Do you prefer Sun & Moon to be separate animatronics or share the same body?

I think if I was going to write a more canon-typical AU, I would write them as animatronics sharing the same body. The tension in their relationship is fundamentally tied to how unequal their control is over their shared body, and that's something I would want to dig into in my own writing, but I love seeing other people write them as separate animatronics too.

In my existing AU's, I've done both! The boys in Star-Crossed are twins, but they're very different individuals. In the Silt Verses crossover, they're two aspects of one god. So I guess my answer is both. Both is good.

⭐️ - Favorite AU character design?

If you asked me this three days ago, I probably would have said the Fairweather Fool, but now I'm looking at some of these proposed Digimon evo line designs and sweating over Sun and Moon's mega fusion.

If we're talking about other people's AU designs, hands down, it's gotta be Dusk and Dawn from head-in-the-icloud's Royal Jesters AU. They're just so appealing.

💬 - How would you describe this AU to a friend who wasn’t in the DCA fandom?

Both of the AU's I am actively working on are already so far removed from DCA fandom, they lend themselves really well to being read by people who aren't familiar with the source material! I have a couple friends who have read and enjoyed Star-Crossed who aren't in the fandom. I'd honesty just summarize the premises.

Star-Crossed: Sun is the Seelie court jester, well known and well connected, but in political decline. In order to bolster his waning popularity, he has written an ambitious stage play, a tragedy between star-crossed lovers that is certain to satisfy his fans, if only he can find the perfect actor to step into the protagonist's role. That's where you come in.

You are a sidhe seer searching for someone who was taken to faerie many years ago. In exchange for passage to faerie, you sign a contract with Sun agreeing to perform in his play. However, his twin, Moon, doesn't quite buy your story or the convenient timing of your appearance. Faerie is a treacherous place. He suspects there is someone working in the shadows to sabotage his brother's career, and you are his prime suspect.

TSV crossover: It's been generations since your people's god was outlawed during the religious wars that codified the legal faiths. Your rural, largely agricultural village is struggling to modernize, until a man from the city in a purple suit arrives one day with a tantalizing offer: a newly rebranded god of sunlight and celebrations, guaranteed to help your crops flourish in a way the pesticidal gods never did.

While the village elders and elected council members jump at the opportunity to expand in a new direction, one that promises increased opportunities for religious tourism, you pay the new god little mind, until it becomes clear you've caught his eye. However, the attention of a god isn't necessarily a good thing, and it seems Fazco hasn't been entirely transparent about this god's original aspect.

🎭 - Tell us one cliche/trope you love in AUs and one you dislike

Love: Enemies/rivals to friends/lovers. Bonus points if they were friends before they became enemies too, so you have a friends to enemies to friends/lovers reconciliation arc. Listen, I love a ship that makes me work for the payoff. The more baggage they bring to the table, the better. Messy people make for interesting stories.

Hate: Love at first sight and/or stories with pacing that doesn't give sufficient time for realistic romantic development to take place before characters start making dramatic life-altering gestures for their love interests or choices that go against their established natures. I'm an aromantic who loves ship fic, but nothing makes my romance repulsion flare harder than this. Just start in media res if you don't want to write the build up.

#solsyn speaks #ask meme #I tried to be brief in my responses to each ask but there were several so this got a bit long!

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contreparry · 11 months

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“When you laugh like that, it just — you’re so beautiful, you know that?” for the pairing of your choice?

Absolutely! Here's some DagnaxSera for @dadrunkwriting!

Sera was a great deal cleverer than people gave her credit for.

She was chaos incarnate and reveled in mischief, but she was thoughtful as well. Observant. She planned things, just with her own process and in her own time.

Sera was also insatiably curious, much to Dagna's delight. It was all well and good to have someone willingly be a captive audience to her academic ramblings, but Sera asked questions. Good questions. And her questions built up on her previous knowledge, grew more and more insightful the more she knew about Dagna's work. If she had the inclination and patience, Sera would probably be at Dagna's level of expertise with rune translation within the year.

Perhaps that was a little bit of an overstatement, but most people underestimated Sera. Someone ought to make up the difference.

"What's that?"

"Oh, that's an ancient rune- might have something to do with imprisoning? Not quite sure-" Dagna wiped the sweat off her brow with the back of her wrist. The runes were practically swimming in her eyes. Too much work and no breaks made her slow and tired and bad at her job, but Dagna wanted to finish translating this last rune before she retired for the night.

"Hmm. It's got those wiggly dashes like that other rune you had, Widdle," Sera grabbed the magnifying glass off the worktable and held it before the rune. "Yeah, three wiggle dashes, like tadpoles. Wasn't that a... eh... freezing symbol?"

"Suspension!" Dagna exclaimed, and at a second glance (a better glance) Dagna could confirm that Sera was right. A suspension rune, combined with what had to be time... Dagna turned the stone over in her fingers, examining the etchings with a critical eye. The translation was there on the tip of her tongue, but it was...

"Freezing time?" Dagna frowned. "That sounds ridiculous. But all things considered, it's hardly a surprise."

"Dorian does time stuff. Did? Got scared proper because of that, ummmm, thing," Sera said, and she hoisted herself up onto the workbench. "Doesn't look like any of the runes you work with, though. All... cloudy-like. Not clear at all." She wrinkled her nose, glaring at the stone as if she could unlock all its secrets with her gaze alone. Dagna beamed with delight. Sera really had been paying attention these past three months!

"An excellent observation, Sera! The stone is cloudy because the rune is... hmm... how to say this properly..."

"It's shite?"

"... it's shite. It pains me to say that about a fellow arcanist's work, especially one who was so ambitious, but... this stone is poorly crafted. Grand concept, bad foundation," Dagna sighed. "I've got a whole chest full of ancient runestones like this. Such a waste of material, and I can't fix them. All I can do is take their mistakes and learn from them." And she had learned a lot, learned what didn't work, learned what was a waste of time, learned what ancient arcanists thought was important (a steam stone was certainly... something).

"Or you can hand them to me. And I'll find a use for them colorful pebbles," Sera suggested coyly, and she curled her hand around the dead runestone. Dagna clicked her tongue and reached for the stone, but Sera stretched and kept it out of her grasp.

"Sera. Scattering useless runestones in front of the doors of visiting nobles isn't useful," Dagna scolded.

"Useful for me! Reminds them exactly what they're dealing with. Keeps 'em humble," Sera grumbled, but she returned the stone into Dagna's expectant hands. "Keeps me entertained, too."

"You know... I have some other runes that need translating. Ones that might be a little more... immediately useful." she suggested, and Sera's grin was infectious.

"What're we waitin' for, Widdle? Bring 'em out!" Sera insisted with a bright and bold laugh. magnifying glass in hand and a wild light in her eyes. Dagna smiled and pulled a small jewelry chest out from underneath the workbench.

When you laugh like that, it just— you’re so beautiful, you know that?” Dagna said when she emerged and set the box on the bench. Sera rummaged through the runes like a magpie, nimble fingers plucking every stone that caught her fancy and her eyes darting this way and that. Dagna loved watching her twist and turn new ideas, loved trying to guess what Sera would work out on her own when she picked at a new problem to unravel. As she sorted through the items Sera giggled.

“Oooo, flattery! You always know how to butter me up,” Sera coyly said. “What do you think would happen if we combined one of ‘em time runes that worked proper like with some ice? Make a insta-frozen puddle in the dining hall during one o’ them big affairs, hmm?”

People really underestimated Sera, but that was to their detriment, Dagna thought as she watched Sera pick through the finished runes and analyze them with the air of a true professional. But Dagna knew the truth, and that warmed her to her very toes.

#my writing #da drunk writing circle

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lets-talk-spirituality · 9 months

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Heyy can I get a reading about my future spouse and also a message from them?

Hi, we can see if anything wants to be revealed to you at this present time!

Future spouse, what do you want to say?

Agh! I’m tired of waiting (pulling hair out and feeling frantic). I’ve been doing everything right on paper (I’m getting like anxiety spiral and I’m seeing a feminine presenting person, could mean at this moment they’re in their “feminine” energy) Dating the right person—good school, good education, good parents, ambitious— all the shit! And it never works! They’re always boring or something isn’t right. All my friends are having these destination weddings (getting that they have money and are around rich people, getting NYC apartment vibes, like they go to the Hamptons for sure) and I’m just there being the one everyone is trying to connect someone to (I’m thinking they’re like early 30s and being pressured to settle down, energy feels masculine here, like seeing a guy in a suit for a wedding)

You know, I focused on my career and education like I should’ve, I went to a good school, worked my way up to becoming partner (I’m getting they may be a lawyer?) I get paid well, I like where I work and who I work with, my job is important (I’m getting that whatever legal work they do, it’s something advocacy driven or that’s what drives them, helping the little guy or whatever, like they aren’t protecting big companies is what I mean, it’s hard to describe but maybe it’s like they work for ACLU or something) Anyway, I’m a catch and I know it and all that’s missing in this white picket fence world I created is my loving fucking partner!

Why is everyone the worst? If you could only hear my dating horror stories. Sheesh. I feel like all the people left single are single for a reason, at least the ones I meet. Crazy girls asking me about kids and marriage on the first hangout like damn. I know we’re kind of at a make or break point for them but Jesus. Freaks me out. I don’t even know you yet lady! Fuck. (Shaking head)

So okay, can you just come soon? Thanks. I promise I have a beautiful world waiting for you and I’m clean. Seriously been on the straight and narrow (immediately I’m getting that’s part of the problem and I’m getting this like baddie energy vibe from you, like they see you as this umm hmm like choice that for the first time it’s not steeped in perfectionism, you spark adventure in their life and living more freely and that feels scary to them and also highly alluring, they see you as sort of chaotic and all over the place, like I’m seeing a disarrayed apartment and stuff, that may not be how you are but this is how they’re envisioning you in their mind, what they deep down want is someone to push their boundaries and comforts and to help them feel alive, to be reckless (it’s not really reckless just how they see it) like they have a thing for the femme fatale/bad boy trope and they picture you that way. )

Okay! Umm interesting the energy was kinda switching between masculine and feminine when the wedding thing got brought up. Then switched to more masculine the rest of the reading.

Card Pull

Druid Craft Tarot

Ten of cups, reversed— problems at home or in a relationship, children may be leaving home, a dream may be dying— everything needs to die to make room for the new and for rebirth to occur.

Immediately flew out and I asked what else they wanted you to know. This card to me reiterates what they were showing in the channeling, this viewpoint of life they have is rooted in perfectionism and it’s starting to die, that’s why they feel so chaotic in the beginning of the reading. Maybe they’re going through their Saturn return because it really feels like this stable sense of how life works is being broken down for them. Almost like everything they believed to be true feels wrong now and is being questioned. I think this is less about a relationship ending and more about the never finding quite the right fit. Some of the ways they view love and relationships needs to grow and evolve for them to get what they want.

Anyway! Hope this helps you. I’d say just keeping focusing on yourself. Would love to know how or if it resonates.

#channeled message #soul mates #channeled reading #soulmates #future spouse #tarot reading #love tarot reading #love tarot free #free tarot reading #free tarot #tarotcommunity #tarot #taroteverydamnday #tarotblr #tarottribe #tarot requests #tarot reader

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margridarnauds · 10 months

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☔ for the WIP ask game?

Thanks!

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

I'm always very much on the "Never give up on writing a fic until I'm SURE that, for some reason, usually personal, it can't be written" -- there are a lot of fics that are half written in my drafts. That being said, there are some that are almost...too ambitious. I want to write them, still, they're very dear to me, but I have to acknowledge that, by taking them on, it would take a lot out of me, usually for the amount of research I'd know I'd have to do.

One of them is the Pirate AU -- AGES AGO, @fallenidol-453 gave me a request for an Arranged Marriage Prompt Meme that went along the lines of "Character A is a pirate who is raiding a village by the sea, and, while the crew is dividing the loot out, finds a chest with Character B in it", with 1789. And I thought it would be perfect, especially with Lazare as an army officer who the townspeople got tired of for being such a pompous little prick that they left him to the pirates, with Ronan as one of the men who chose piracy because they didn't have another choice. You'd have this slowburn, the realization that, while they are offering Lazare up as a ransom, that his own family won't pay it because, in their eyes, he was a disgrace, Lazare starting to bond with the crew, to bond with Ronan, to start coming out of his shell a little, and to eventually decide to live with Ronan on the sea. Given the limited amount of space available on the ship, a "there is only one bed scenario" would be inevitable, since it isn't like there are that many hammocks around.

Brilliant, brilliant.

There's only one problem.

I don't know anything about the Golden Age of Piracy.

Okay, that's a slight over-exaggeration -- I know some basic details. I know about how individual crews were often at least semi-democratic. I know that gambling, for example, was often forbidden. I know a little about the key players -- Edward Team, Sam Bellamy, Hornigold, Charles Vane, Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, Mary Read (and that, as many poor Reddit historians have reminded people, they weren't lesbians). I played the AC: Pirates mobile game when it was available. As a Floridian, I know a bit about things that happened off of our coasts; I have a lot of first hand experience around the ocean, so I can describe that aspect of things well.

But...it's the day to day stuff that trips you up. I wish there was a "Time Traveller's Guide To The Golden Age of Piracy" book like there was for Elizabethan England or Medieval England, you know? Because it's all the little intricacies of being on a ship, especially a ship from that time, that throw you off -- I once went onto El Galéon, a 16th-17th century Spanish galleon, but it isn't the same as being able to run around a ship for ages at my own leisure, with detailed descriptions of what everyone's doing day to day. I'm very much someone who needs to see everything in front of me to be able to describe it (I blame autism) -- For my 18th century stuff, I often run around various museums and take notes on any 18th century items or paintings I find, just so I can bring them in. For my Irish stuff, especially my non-fandomy Irish stuff, I try to go to the area where it's taking place as much as possible to get the feel of it, just because I need that personal experience. If I'm writing for a video game, if I have the game, I'll spend ages standing in a specific area so I can describe it better; if I don't, I'll go on multiple Let's Play videos so I can get different angles. It's a blessing and a curse. So seeing a bunch of graphs and such saying "oh this is what this thing does"...it helps me a LITTLE, but it isn't the same. And this is a time period that's wildly out of my wheelhouse so I don't feel as comfortable working with it.

And it's difficult when you're doing an AU for something like 1789 anyway, where so many of the characters are connected to real historical figures because...how many of them do you want to bring in? How do you want to adapt them? Marat as ship's surgeon feels like it's fine enough, sure, Artois as a generic aristocratic villain, fine, especially since the Takarazuka and Toho Artois are so removed from the historical figure, but do I want to make Mirabeau or Orléans the captain, you know? Will people take Pirate Ship First Mate Robespierre seriously? More importantly, will *I* take Pirate Ship First Mate Robespierre seriously? At what point do we reach Peak Silliness, even in the inherently self indulgent world of fandom? Do you not bring in the historical figures and create OCs? You know, those are things that are difficult to bring in.

So...maybe one day, when I feel comfortable and I can do more with the process of converting late 18th century France to the early 18th century Caribbean.

#long post

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what-do-1000-swords-look-like · 2 years

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gonna piggyback on that previous anon. if you were a book reader, would you have still supported that friendship regardless if you knew what transpired or not bc that show is irking a quite a few book readers since they're painting alicent as a victim

Hey, Anon. I appreciate the question but I am purposely avoiding all future book discussion thanks to that previous anon with the spoilers that you mentioned. I am letting the story of the show unfold naturally for me and I'm going by that narrative only. I'll check out the book after the show is done airing. I did the same with GoT and ASOIAF after finishing book 2 (sometime around season 5's airing I think), realizing the two worlds very different but from the same galaxy (if that makes sense), and didn't want to confuse the two for myself so I could go in with a clear head to each one and then look at them side by side. Now that the series is over, I do intend to finish books 3-5 when I have more time.

So to answer your question, if I had read the books first, I don't know quite how I'd feel about anyone or anything in the HotD universe in comparison to F&B. Since I don't have that context (and don't want it please, thank you!), I can't really tell you where I'd be at. But I will say that I do believe the show itself is painting a similar light to what we saw in the beginning of GoT (women only having their duty so to speak) but that mold was broken very quickly in GoT once the crap hits the fan (and even a little before with Arya and Dany). I feel that this show in particular is doing its best to show us that no matter how they try to break the mold, women are still reduced to their duty. That's why I think they showed the contrast in the Viserys/Alicent scene with the Daemon/Rhaenyra scene. Alicent didn't want it to happen, was hoping it wouldn't, and didn't enjoy it or want it even when it did. But she had no choice. Rhaenyra, even though that scene was disturbing to watch, was the opposite. She was excited by what she witnessed and even as they said in Inside the Episode, that she was learning that sex was a pleasurable choice she could partake in, that it starts shaping her views about sex (as something more than duty which circles back to that whole line that Daemon says about marrying who they have to but fucking who they want).

My whole long point is that I don't feel they're portraying Alicent as a victim. I think they're only showing what has been happening realistically at that time (you know, based on the whole medieval history thing). We see Viserys' and Daemon's laughter at the diplomatic suggestion about the tapestries. We hear Alicent telling Rhaenyra that it must be nice to choose who she can marry because some women don't have a choice. I think that is what they're choosing Alicent to give voice to and what may come into play later on for...future events. I'm not 100% sure but that's what I suspect. Because after the 1st episode, in Inside the Episode, they mention that Alicent is very much like Sansa was in the beginning of GoT, a rule follower and sticking to the rule book. And Alicent has done that thus far, to the letter. It's obvious (in the show) she didn't set out to be Queen and she's not as ambitious as her father. As a matter of fact, I very much see her relationship with her father as similar to the one displayed between Thomas and Anne Boleyn in The Tudors. Anne wasn't innocent in that show by any means, but she was definitely pushed so her father could gain favor (and power) with Henry. The showverse!Hightowers remind me so much of the Showtimeshowverse!Boleyns, it's uncanny. They also said that Rhaenyra is a lot like Dany, that she doesn't want to be bound by the strict rules of society and I see that, too, but I also see a lot of Arya in her, too. I would even say that showverse!Rhaenyra right now is leaning more towards the latter.

How this all changes once Rhaenyra marries and a time jump, I'm not sure, but I am looking forward to finding out. One of the things I enjoy most about this universe and type of show is that it takes me on a journey. It's not just great writing and a great overall story with richly layered characters, it also has me riveted from beginning to end. I literally wait each Sunday night for each episode to start airing and it's rare that I do that these days. But I did that with GoT and I'm doing it now again with HotD.

So to sum up, I don't think they're trying to portray Alicent as a victim as much as they are using her (and all ladies in that show) as a mouthpiece to show how against the odds these women were in that time, while also showing us many different facets of the ladies in this story. Perhaps it's a good way to think of it like this, had GRRM finished the books before GoT ended, maybe even before it started, & say Dany had the same ending as the show, how many people would have actually gone on to support her? Would book readers get as upset if say Dany and Sansa or Dany and Arya had a friendship or even when the Jon/Dany relationship happened in the showverse and people supported it or liked it (who hadn't read the books)? Knowing how she would turn out in the end?

There's a very clear line between bookverse and showverse for me, and truthfully in both shows. GRRM has written them one way in his books and while they are the source material that the stories for the shows are adapted from and glean inspiration from, that doesn't mean both won't be different. Look at GoT and how vastly different that is to the ASOIAF universe. Dany's character is slightly different. Sansa's story line got merged with another character's. Other important book characters were removed from the show adaptation altogether (Lady Stoneheart, anyone?). This always happens. So I get the passion people have that have read the books but I do feel it is unfair to go around passing judgement and heaping hate on those who are coming to this viewing experience brand spanking new and taking the story they're being told at face value, without knowing a thing from its source material (and only having the knowledge they do from the previous show). (I am not saying you're doing that btw, your ask was worded respectfully and civilly; I literally just blocked an anon ask that called me a delusional Jonsa which yay me, and then said of course I was okay with Rhaenyra hooking up with Criston who is an incel & that Rhaenyra needs better fans or something, and I was like what? Make it make sense, lol - those are the ones I'm talking about who just immaturely attack, attack, attack & are nasty and spew nothing but venom at unsuspecting people for no valid reason other than they didn't like that someone had thoughts different to theirs about a tv show)

And I think one other thing I'd like to point out that was pointed out to me in a comment on one of my posts from last night is the book is told from the POV of a Maester I believe, but it's also told in a historical format. Now, while I just stated the showverse and bookverse are different, they do have one thing in common: they are being told by someone else's POV, their POV of how history unfolded. And like this person stated to me, history is usually told by the winners. And the Targaryens at this point in time are the winners. But even more so, the show literally started out with Rhaenyra narrating the story herself. This is her story, her POV. Not only do we know from GoT and now this show how important and extraordinary that the Targaryens always view themselves to be in comparison to the rest of the world but Rhaenyra did love Alicent. She was her best friend, so it would make sense that a story Rhaenyra would tell before the end of her story, would see this Alicent still in that light. We are seeing the story through her eyes. We are seeing Daemon and Viserys and Otto through her eyes. It's very similar to 1883 (I don't know if you've ever seen it) where it's Elsa's story and she narrates, constantly. Rhaenyra may not be doing the same, but this is her history.

That doesn't mean I am agreeing with the book readers or saying Alicent is evil, I'm not. I happen to think she's a multi-layered character (in the showverse) that I am very interested to learn more about as they continue to flesh her out. I love Emily Carey's performance and I love the chemistry she has with Milly Alcock. I think she will be fascinating to watch and I can only hope the new actress will be just as much when the time jump happens.

So there you have it, Anon. I hope I answered your question (and then some lol, sorry I have a lot of thoughts on this show as you can probably tell). I don't know how I'd feel if I had the foreknowledge but I can tell you how I currently feel from the showverse perspective only: I love Rhaenyra's character, I love Alicent's story so far, I am not a fan of Viserys, I hope I get to see more Rhaenys, I despise Daemon right now though he is still very intriguing to watch, I want to see more of the dragons, I'm curious to see what will happen with Otto now, and looking forward to (but also dreading) the time jump. So overall, I'm excited to see where it all goes.

Hope you have a good rest of your night, Anon. =)

#ask #ask answered #hotd #house of the dragon #alicent hightower critical #slightly #just putting that tag to be safe honestly

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