#so it’s important to me that people continue to see those drafts
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could you pretend to be in love? (01/10)
The Proposal
pairing: modern!aemond × fem!reader (fake dating)
summary: with his last relationship ending in disaster and giving the college a lot to talk about, the most popular guy comes to you for help to save his reputation. but you never expected him to need to fake a relationship... with you.
word count: 4.8k
series masterlist • next part
AHHH GUYS I am so excited!
okey this is an unexpected idea, obviously I have been inspired by all the boys i loved before because recently i watch the three movies and i love the result of this and I have so much prepared for it that I'm so excited for you guys to read it already:)
I still have a bit more to work on but so far I'm loving it so I look forward to reading your opinions on it, for now enjoy a small part of everything to come! thank you for reading and for your support❣
also leaked everything I have planned a few moments ago but in spanish. I didn't even put the draft to post it, so I don't know what happened but it was my cue to finally share this hehe
"Y/N... I need your help."
That was the first thing someone said to you one Thursday morning in the library before your Science class started, this beginning a rather... peculiar day.
But you didn't expect those words to be said by Aemond Targaryen, the most popular guy in basically the whole school, to you, the most introverted girl in the class and probably not in the whole school since there are people even more introverted than you, but something like that.
So you slowly put your book down, raising your gaze to watch Aemond in front of you slightly confused and expectantly.
And the first thing you see is his eager and needy gaze in your direction, completely attentive to you. His hand grips the strap of his backpack and his gorgeous silver hair falls elegantly like a curtain down his back.
"Y-yes?"
"I'm..." he starts to tell you a little hesitantly, "I'm interrupting you with something?"
"Hum..." you look at your books scattered around the table for a moment, "I'm just... studying for the test on Monday."
"Oh," he nods absently, "Okay, listen, I don't want to stop you but this is really important and I need you to listen to me," he pleads quietly, looking really desperate, "The faster we talk, the faster I'll leave you alone and you can get back to studying."
And this is what gets your attention completely.
However, you continue to feel a mixture of mild surprise and confusion as it is unusual for him to address you or for you to talk to him despite being in the same classes.
You almost always find yourself in the corners, away from conversations and curious glances, although that doesn't mean that you are not participative and one of the best in your class, since you are always taking notes and concentrating on your studies.
You don't really talk to many people, only to people who are just as untalkative and quiet as you are.
And on the other hand, there is Aemond Targaryen, also a student just as dedicated as you and the best in the class, with the difference that he always occupies a place at the front of the classroom, always surrounded by friends and admirers.
He is the type of person that everyone notices and not only because of his unusual appearance, which in fact drives all the girls crazy, but also because of his charisma, personality and for being the captain of the lacrosse team.
And this is why despite being in the same classes, neither of you had ever had a reason to cross words before. You didn't even know that he knew your name, while everyone around you knows his.
"Okay..." you say not entirely convinced, "What is it?"
Aemond takes a deep breath of air, taking his gaze away from yours for a moment, looking a bit nervous and hesitant, which is very rare from him, as he has always proven to be a decisive and firm person for everything.
And in an act of nerves, he quickly takes a seat in front of you, still looking just as desperate as before.
"Look, I know we don't talk much even though we share classes..." he pauses a little, "Well, we don't really talk at all," he corrects himself, "And I also know you don't have any reason to... help me, but..." he sighs frustrated, "I really need your help."
You look expectant, waiting for him to tell you more, but apparently he himself doesn't know what it is he's going to ask you for help with, or rather he can't believe it, as he looks very nervous and can't find the right words to tell you.
So before asking the big question, he speaks again first.
"Do you know my ex-girlfriend? Alys Rivers?"
You raise your eyebrows at him a little, still expectantly, not understanding what that has to do with him asking for your help and you make your confusion clear for a moment, but still nod in his direction.
Because of course, how could you not know who Alys Rivers is?
She's like a more modern version of walking Regina George, with the other difference being that Alys is black hair.
"Ah... yeah."
"And I'm sure you must know what happened between me and her recently," he tells you cautiously and also a little expectantly.
"I think the whole school knows," you make it clear to him, in a soft tone.
"Yeah, of course, I just wanted to make sure," he tells you without further elaboration, "Anyway, I need your help with that."
You frown and look at him not entirely convinced.
"You want to talk about how your ex-girlfriend cheated on you?"
"No, no, not that, of course not," he hurries to say, "I need your help with her, with Alys," he clarifies but you're still just as confused.
"Aemond, you're not being entirely cle-
"I need you to fake a relationship with me."
He tells you bluntly, in an impulsive act to tell you once and for all before it becomes more difficult, causing you to become speechless and disbelief and surprise to flash in your eyes and gaze.
Suddenly your heart starts beating too fast, completely bewildered, waiting for him to tell you it's a joke.
However, the expression on his face makes it clear to you that he is not joking and that he is being terribly serious and honest about this, despite how absurd his words have sounded, making you feel only even more confused.
"I'm serious, Y/N. I'm really asking you this," he states to you, in a low voice, completely honest and desperate.
Again, surprise washes over you and a wave of insecurity washes over your entire insides, as you can't quite believe it and understand it.
"W-what?"
You almost whisper, even with all the disbelief in your gaze. And he lets out a sigh, bringing his hands to his head.
"Look, I know it sounds crazy and ridiculous, but... I really need to do this with someone," he says softly, pleadingly and quietly, "And not have anyone suspect, of course. This just to make Alys jealous and to stop me looking like a fool in front of the whole school after what she did."
You continue to stare at him incredulously, your lips parted and your brow furrowed, saying nothing for a few moments as Aemond in front of you begins to lose patience.
But he understands and knows what you must be thinking, it's the same thing he thought when he came up with this 'great' idea. He knew you would look at him the way you are looking at him now, like a madman.
"I'm sure it won't take us long, just enough time to convince the whole school and no more," he tries to convince you, insistent.
"But..." you say incredulously, "Do you realize what you're talking about?"
"Yes, I realize it. But it's not like it's the biggest crime or the biggest scam in the world either," he tells you absurdly.
Another silence.
You definitely didn't expect him to tell you all this and why he wants to. You understand his desperation since literally the whole school found out that Alys cheated on the hottest guy in the whole school with a college guy or something. And she along with him were the perfect couple of the moment.
So you understand that he's upset and humiliated, but he's willing to go to this length?
You are not on the same page as him.
"Please, Y/N," he begs you low and watching you completely intently.
"Hum..." you say beginning to feel uncomfortable, as you look away from him, "I-I'm sorry, but I'm sure someone else could help you, Ae-
"Please," he says desperately, "At least consider it."
"Aemond, this is literally the first conversation we've both had after sharing classes for almost three years," you tell him incredulously, trying to prove your point, "We don't talk to each other, we don't really know each other and for you to suddenly ask me for help with this..." you pause, then shrug, "I don't understand."
"It's not that hard to understand," he says still insistent, "And I get what you mean, but..." he lets out a sigh, "Look, I haven't asked anyone else for help, you're the first because I want you to be the one to do this with me-
"You don't need to try to make me feel special, you know? I-I don't...
"No, that's not why," he assures you, "In fact you're the only one who could help me, there's no one better," he explains, "I've been watching you lately, you're discreet, you hardly talk to anyone, basically no one notices you and this way, no one will expect it, not even Alys."
And even though he tried to explain himself in the best way without malice in his words and without referring to you in a bad way when explaining why you, you feel a slight sharp pain in your chest with confusion, sadness and resentment invading you.
"You don't need to explain who I am or what I'm like," you say in your low voice, avoiding looking him in the eye, trying to control your tone that conveys sadness but also seriousness, "Nor do you need me to be the resolution to your problems."
Aemond's gaze transforms to one of concern and distress, watching you completely intently.
"No, no, wait," he says instantly, his tone full of regret, "Fuck, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant, rea-
"Don't worry about it anymore," you reply with a nonchalant wave of your hand, keeping your gaze serious as you begin to put your things away.
"No, please, Y/N, wait," he pleads, trying to stop you, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to put you down or anything. I just wanted to explain-
"Look, I understand what you want to accomplish, but that doesn't justify using someone else, especially someone you barely know, to solve your own problems."
"Y/N, please. I'm sorry, just let me-
He tries to stop you, looking for an opportunity to clear the air, but you're already leaving.
"I can't help you," you interrupt him again in a final tone.
And without further ado you turn away from him, not caring that you've left the books on the table without returning them to the shelves. And even though he tries to stop you between apologies, you don't let him and walk away from him.
Of course, that wouldn't be the only time Aemond would try to talk to you.
After what happened in the library, no matter where you were, even being in the last empty halls on the top floor during lunchtime, Aemond would always find you to try to talk and apologize.
But you whenever you saw him approaching, you would always slip into another hallway or blend in among all the other students, looking for and finding any alternative to avoid talking to him.
But he kept trying.
And you didn't understand how you suddenly went from having your nose stuck in books all the time, to going from avoiding the hottest and most popular guy in the whole school.
Because you knew that not only would he try to apologize, he would also try to convince you again about his idea and right now you had too many things on your mind to worry about other people's needs.
So one day, taking advantage of the fact that you have a free class after lunchtime and you won't have to worry about Aemond for a while, you head to the schoolyard, choose a table, set up your laptop, open a folder and put on your headphones.
But it seems that things are not in your favor today.
You haven't even played your Spotify playlist when you see Aemond approaching in the distance from the lacrosse field.
You almost want to cry from frustration.
So without wasting any time, you stand up and quickly start putting your things away.
"Oh, come on Y/N," you hear his disappointed complaint in the distance and he starts trotting towards you.
You can't help but feel annoyed too, but before you can take a step, he gets there first.
"Would you stop stalking me, please?" you demand as you start to walk away.
"Please, just let me talk to you for a second," he pleads, stopping you gently but firmly.
"There's nothing even to talk about," you tell him earnestly and disinterestedly at the same time, trying to fend him off and move forward.
He again blocks your path.
"Please," he repeats, "I just want to apologize for the other day."
"We both know that's not what you really came here to say."
He lets out a long sigh as he looks away from you for a moment, then returns to watching you intently and with some concern.
And you wonder what he's doing here. He's wearing his lacrosse uniform so shouldn't he be training with his team or something?
"Look, I understand that you're upset....
He starts to say and you understand at that moment that he has no intention of going anywhere until he has finished talking to you.
"... but I need you to know that I'm really sorry I said those words to you. It wasn't what I really meant, it was cruel and I didn't realize it at the time."
You let out a long breath as you look away and press your lips together.
"It's okay, I understand," you look at him, "And I forgive you, if that's what you need to hear, fine, I forgave you. Now it's all forgotten and we can call it even."
Again, you try to dodge him to get away, but he steps in your way again, blocking your path.
"Wait," he asks, "Just wait," he repeats to you in his insistent voice, full of longing and concern evident on his face. "Can we talk, please?"
You shake your head as you bite the inside of your cheek, feeling your frustration mounting.
"I already told you I won't do it, Aemond."
"Have you at least considered it?" his tone becomes expectant and frustrated.
"Yes and it's an idea that makes no sense," you reply absurdly, interrupting him. "Or well, maybe to you it does, but-
"So that's it?" he interrupts you immediately, his gaze fixed on yours, "Do you want to benefit from this too if we do?"
You immediately shake your head in his direction, trying to deny any hint of that.
"No, that wasn't what-
"What do you want in return?" he interrupts again, his expression completely willing and attentive. "Tell me what it is you want to agree to pretend to be in a relationship with me."
Seven Hells.
You think as a frustrated sigh escapes your lips.
You feel trapped in an emotional interrogation, struggling to find the right words as you desperately search for a way out. His direct and persistent questions leave you blank for a moment.
"Listen, I can't and don't have time to help you with something like that."
He sighs, looking away from you for a moment.
"Okay," he says, moving to take a seat on the other side of the table you were sitting at earlier, "I'm listening," he watches you carefully.
You frown at his change in attitude.
"You hear me?" you repeat, confused.
"Yes, I hear you," he replies, looking at you expectantly, "Tell me why you can't and why you don't have the time."
"Don't you have training or something?"
"Yes, but it doesn't matter."
"You'll get into tro-
"It doesn't matter," he interrupts you, keeping his seriousness and attention, "So tell me, I'm listening."
He lets out an incredulous, absurd laugh.
"I don't have to explain myself with yo-
"The point here is that I don't believe you," he lets you know with determination, interrupting you again, "And if you don't tell me why, I'll keep insisting and bothering you until you tell me yes," he says with a slightly amused but determined look on his face.
You look at him slightly confused and surprised, not understanding what is wrong with him, also feeling a mixture of annoyance inside you and curiosity for his persistence.
"It doesn't matter, I'll still keep telling you no," you affirm as a final word to start walking away from him.
However, as soon as you advance a few steps, you feel how someone snatches the folder you are carrying with you quickly and abruptly, which stops you in your tracks. And you turn to him in surprise and confusion.
"Hey!" you protest, puzzled by his action.
"Uh, what do we have here?" he comments with a mischievous grin and a look full of amusement, getting up to turn away from you as he flips through the papers.
"That's none of your business!" you reproach him, running up to him and trying to retrieve your folder.
"Citadel University," he mentions with a tone of interest, running away from your attempts to catch up with him.
"Aemond!" you call, demanding that he give you back what is yours. But he continues to back away and read the sheets at the same time.
"Uh," he comments in concentration as he reads something specific, "This really is bad news."
"That's enough!" you yell at him, completely annoyed and frustrated, finally managing to snatch the folder from his hands and slam it shut.
The tension between the two of you increases as you hold the folder tightly and definitely start to pull away from him.
"No, no, okay, I'm sorry," he stops you instantly, grabbing your arm and stepping in front of you, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-
"Sure, you never meant to," you tell him half-heartedly, trying to dodge him but he won't let you.
"Okay, fine, I was an idiot, I know. But-hey, listen please....
"Are you going to leave me alone or not?" you inquire annoyed, releasing yourself from his grip, watching him expectantly.
He lets out a sigh.
"Y/N-
"I don't have time for this. I have to go."
"But-wait!" he urges you, also on the verge of tears from frustration as you dodge him but he again steps back in front of you, stopping you, "Could you just-listen to me, please."
"No."
"Please!" he insists, "Y/N, I-I... fuck," he lets out a sigh, looking away from yours for a moment, "I'm really sorry," he tells you sincerely, "But let me talk to you. You won't have to do anything but listen to me," he implores, "And after this, if you still want me to stop bothering you and leave you alone, I will."
You watch him completely intently, assessing his words and noting the desperation reflected in his gaze. And even though your mind tells you to forget him and get away from him and this whole situation, something inside you makes you hesitate.
You let out a long, deep breath, telling yourself that you just have to give him a chance to talk and you can finally walk away without feeling remorse.
"Okay, but make it quick," you agree reservedly, keeping your distance.
And even though you're still firm about continuing to tell him no and feel annoyed about earlier, you're curious what he has to say.
"Hum... do you want to sit?"
He points to the table you were sitting at earlier with an awkward and strange gesture. You're about to tell him no but not wanting to argue again, so this will end quickly, you resignedly take a seat and he instantly follows you.
He takes a seat in front of you and you continue with all your belongings in your lap, not trusting to leave them on the table within his reach because of earlier, feeling a knot in your stomach and a slight ache in your chest as you briefly glance at the folder he was snooping through earlier.
"I won't take up too much of your time, I just want to get back to what we were talking about earlier," he tells you softly and with some caution, taking a moment before speaking again, "You want something in return for agreeing to fake the relationship with me?"
You let out a long sigh.
"No, I don't want anything, Aemond. There is nothing I want that you can give me in return," you clarify in a firm tone, "I don't even have the time to do that. I have other important things to take care of instead of.... that."
He exhales, starting to look just as frustrated as you do.
"Like what?" he dares to ask.
"None of your business," you reply immediately.
He looks away from your gaze for a moment, feeling more frustration, swallowing hard and looking hesitant for a moment, but still determined, not wanting this conversation to end before he can try.
"It has to do with the Citadel thing?"
The mention of the college you fought so hard to gain access to makes you feel that sharp pain in your chest again, making your heart flip.
Sadness, disappointment, all those emotions come flooding back just like the first time you read that rejection letter from the college. All your effort, all your performance, was simply not enough for the university to recognize.
The college of your dreams.
"I told you that's none of your business," you act instantly serious and defensive.
"I don't mean to intrude, Y/N-
"That's exactly what you're doing," you point out incredulously.
"You applied for a scholarship and didn't get it, didn't you?" yet you still dare to say, taking a risk, "That's what I read."
"And you shouldn't have," you say firmly, trying to hide the sadness and disappointment his words have triggered in you, "You have no right to go through my personal business."
"I know and I'm sorry, but-
He begins to try to say, but you interrupt him, determined to end the conversation.
"That's what you were going to say?" you tell him, starting to get up with all your things to leave, "If that's all, I'll just go-
"You haven't really let me talk," he interrupts you, insistent, "I can offer you something in return and worth considering to get you to accept the fake relationship with me. But only if you stay and listen to me-
"Oh please, Aemond," you interrupt him in disbelief, sensing the absurdity of the situation, "You know what? Okay, let me hear it," you say with sarcasm in your tone and an expectant look, "Tell me what you could offer me in return that would be worth considering," you add wryly.
"I can help you with your college application," Aemond hastens to say.
Surprise invades everything inside you, listening attentively to his unexpected proposal, definitely not expecting to hear that.
You remain completely silent, just watching him intently, while he gives you a firm and sincere look back. You have no idea what to say, feeling how suddenly your heart starts beating too hard.
"I have connections there, my grandfather and my sister," he lets you know, "I can send them all your information, personal recommendations, all your academic history and have them give you a place with the scholarship you wanted," he tells you and the surprise grows more inside you, "Graduation is near, I can facilitate the whole process for you and I am willing to do it if you help me."
Again, you say nothing.
But the surprise is more than evident on your face.
Their offer, this, really is too much, to the point that your mind starts to be a whirlwind of emotions and you begin to feel distrust, uncertainty and inner conflict.
But on the one hand, his offer is tempting. The idea of getting help from him to get a place in the college you so long for definitely catches your attention, but it also makes you feel a little uncomfortable.
Honestly his words stir something in you, but caution prevails.
The desire to get a place in that university is basically a dream come true, but it clashes with your principles and at the same time you think ahead with lingering doubt whether not accepting was a grave mistake.
Although... are you really able to say no to this? Your dream? To the university that will give you the opportunity to offer a better quality of life for you and your father?
Certainly, Aemond's words are not something you would have believed from anyone else. You would have laughed too hard at the big lie since it is basically impossible to get a place at a high-demand university like Citadel.
But you admit that Aemond Targaryen is not just any person.
Everyone knows that his father owns the most important company in the whole country. And his mother's surname is linked to and owns the influential Hightower banks. The combination of both surnames carries with it a network of influential contacts and connections, so you believe him.
The reality is undeniable; Aemond is exaggeratedly rich, his whole family is, so knowing all this basically gives you to understand that he can undoubtedly secure a place at Citadel University for himself and, apparently, for you as well.
But the hesitation you still feel stops you, still thinking carefully about his proposal.
"So what you want in return is just that?" you ask him wanting to be all clear, "To agree to pretend a relationship with you?"
Your voice reveals a hint of disbelief as you stare at Aemond, waiting for a more detailed explanation. The idea that this all revolves around a farce of a relationship never ceases to generate confusion in you.
The simplicity of his request sounds almost surreal, and makes you question his true intentions.
"I know it sounds ridiculous, but yes, that's all I'm asking, Y/N," he replies without hesitation, his tone serious and direct.
His intense blue eye remains fixed on yours, as you give yourself a small second simply out of curiosity to appreciate his prosthetic left eye up close, an accident as a child or something you heard.
But your mind returns to his request immediately, still feeling the mixture of uncertainty and curiosity. An awkward pause settles between the two of you as you finally break the silence with a doubt-laden sigh.
"But, why me?" you can't help but ask, "I mean, why offer this to me, something really important and big to agree to help you," you explain your point, "I know you said that with me it will be easier but.... there are other girls who could help you with this, or not?"
Aemond adjusts slightly in his seat, sighing as he searches for the right words.
"I misspoke about you at first. It wasn't what I really meant about no one noticing you, you're invisible and all that shit, because it's not true," he tells you softly, "You are different and definitely calmer than other girls who I know will tell me yes without hesitation, but I'm not looking for that, I need someone genuine, someone I can trust to make this work and someone who won't get too excited."
His answer seems sincere, you know he really is sincere, but you still feel the knot in your stomach.
Accepting to help him would mean immersing yourself in a world that you never had any interest in fitting into and that most of the time you've been trying to keep your distance from.
You don't care about having a lot of friends, having followers on social media, being popular, being the prettiest and getting attention from guys. You also wouldn't want to be looked at and given too much attention just for dating Aemond Targaryen, if you accept.
But would you really be proud enough not to accept so you wouldn't have to do all that, letting go of the chance to get into Citadel University?
A shiver runs down your spine as you consider the implications of accepting his proposal and after a brief pause, you let out a sigh and finally nod your head as you swallow hard to speak nervously and with determination.
"All right. Let's do it."
The surprise and disbelief is completely reflected in Aemond's gaze to then quickly rise from his seat and take a couple of steps towards you, completely delusional.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes but don't make me regret it."
And then his whole face transforms, with relief reflecting in his gaze and... strangely, letting go of that worry that has invaded him for days now, also stress along with frustration and a weight on his shoulders.
"Thank you. You don't know how much I appreciated it. And this will be over sooner than you think, I promise."
A wave of uncertainty washes over you as you wonder if you have made the right decision. He seems satisfied with your answer, but deep down a trace of doubt clings in your mind along with the echo of consequences that resonates eerily.
You wonder how others are going to view you seeing you very soon at Aemond's side and whether it will drastically change your school life, which is irrelevant, but in their world, absolutely everything matters.
"So, what's next?" you ask, really unable to believe you've agreed.
Aemond straightens up completely, watching you attentively and with that readiness in his gaze, there is also a certainty that you do not possess, as you actually feel very small before the whole show you will put on together with him and it hasn't even started.
"First of all, a contract."
#aemond targaryen#aemond fanfiction#aemond targaryen fanfic#hotd aemond#aemond x reader#aemond targaryen x reader#aemond targaryen x y/n#aemond targaryen x you#aemond x fem!reader#aemond x oc#aemond one eye#aemond x y/n#modern aemond#modern au
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The Oxygen Breathers: With one hand tied behind my back!
The human sat on the bench in the common area for at least one of their hours before the children worked up the courage to approach.
"You're a human right?" One of the children - an Innari - said as they approached the human. They were taller than the human, and seemed to have barely any bones. They moved and undulated like an octopus that was used to being out of the water.
The human's helmet flashed an cartoon icon of its face and smiled - without their teeth - broadly. "That's right! My name is Harold, but everyone calls me Harry. What's your name?"
"I'm Opian, this is Downward Draft, and standing in the back is Vizxxian." They gestured with their tentacle-like appendage. It had manipulators on the end which could be seen a little like fingers. Good for fine detail work.
Harry put up his gauntleted hand and spread his fingers. A wave. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. What can I help with?"
"Downward Draft says humans are the strongest of the Coalition peoples. Is that true?"
Harry sat up slightly. His icon continued to speak while he did. "Well, I don't rightly know if that's true, Downward Draft. I haven't met everyone. Of the ones I did meet, I have a hunch I might be stronger, but you also have to remember, we come from a heavier world than most of the other Coalition species. Earth's gravitational pull is half again what it is here on this station.
There were gasps and noises of surprises from the kids. "That's so heavy!" Downward Draft rustled their feathers they caught the light and sparkled. "This station is already heavy for us; our homeworld's gravity is even less. I bet I couldn't' even walk on your planet!"
Harry's icon nodded. "You might be right, Downward Draft. But, gravity aside, it's nice here. I like the colors you use to decorate, and I like your plants. Everything back home is just different shades of green."
Vizxxian was working themselves up for something. Harry peered over Opian's head. "How about you? Do you have a question?"
Viz's eye slits squeezed shut and they blurted out "My parent says you're all a bunch of 'rock throwers' and that we should have never let you into the Coalition. They say that outside of your suits and ships, you're not so tough."
Downward Draft nudged Viz. "Don't be mean Viz! Harry is a guest here. You know how to treat guests."
Harry chuckled. "It's all right Downward Draft. We learn things from our parents. Part of growing up is trying to figure out what is true and what isn't. Now, I'm not mad, but you know that 'rock throwers' is a slur, and not a nice thing to say, right?"
Viz's ears wiggled in assent. "Yes, but that's the word father used. I know it's a bad word though."
Harry nodded. "Context is important though. I could say 'I picked up this rock and threw it' and that's not a slur, but if I said 'those rock throwers always go back on their deals' that is a slur. It's all right though, I'm not angry." Harry's helmet cleared. The kids looked across as his face became visible for the first time. Opian's eyes dilated in surprise. "So your dad thinks that we're not so tough outside of our suits? How about we place a little wager? I'll get out of my suit, and if any of you can touch my arm, I'll buy you a snack."
Opian shrinked back. Downward Draft raised their feathered arms in a gesture of dismissial. "You can't breath the atmostphere here! You'll die!"
Harry put up a hand. "It'll be all right. I'll wear a breathing mask, and the pressure and atmosphere difference won't hurt me for the time I'll be out of the suit."
"Oh we couldn't-"
"I'll do it!" Opian and Downward Draft turned in shock to Viz. They had stood to their full height, just a little taller than Harry and bent their legs just a little. "I can touch your arm."
Harry grinned. "Good. Let's see." Harry stood up, and touched the pad on his suit's arm. There was orange light that illuminated his face and he frowned and pressed more buttons on his suit. After a moment, it turned green, and lines appeared all over the suit. Joints. With a hiss of pressure and a whine of servos, his suit unfolded like a flower, and Harry stepped out.
He was much shorter than the kids. Just two meters tall if that. On the top of his head was a dark fur that was closely cropped, and he had fur all over the lower part of his face that was the same color. Under the outer, armored suit he wore a tight body suit that connected to the outer suit with thin wires. Harry reached down and unplugged them and they slid up into the suit he was wearing and disappeared. Opian was impressed. Their suits seemed to be far more advanced than ones of Innari make.
"There." Harry's voice was much lower than his translator made it sound. Maybe it was the difference in breathing gas? It was also a little muffled by his mask. "Okay Viz. Whenever you're ready."
Opian and Draft stood back and watched. Viz stood stock still and seemed like they were trying to decide what to do. Suddenly, Viz howled and ran towards Harry. Their long legs consumed the distance between them relentlessly. At the last half meter, Viz spun and in one fluid motion bend down and lashed out with one of their legs. Opian gasped. He was attacking Harry! That's a lethal kick if it connects.
Before Opian could react any further, Harry... wasn't were he was before. He was standing a meter to the side, and Viz was flying backwards into the bench. Viz jumped up, and roared again. This was a roar of frustration as well as a battle cry, and charged Harry. Once again, Harry stood there watching, and as Viz turned to kick him, he wasn't were Viz expected, and they went skittering across the smooth floor.
Harry stood with his hands on his hips. His eyes flicked to Opian and Draft. "Remember, strength isn't everything. Know your opponent. Know how they attack, watch for signs, paying attention and then you can move out of the way and dodge." Harry was grinning and put his hand out and curled his fingers towards himself. "Come on, Opian, Downward Draft, you try too!"
Downward Draft bent low and leapt towards Harry, using their legs to absorb as much potential energy as possible, releasing it as they sprung towards him with arms outstretched. Quicker than Opian could follow, Harry ducked underneath the Avar, and Draft sailed harmlessly overhead.
Harry, looked at Opian and raised one of the small lines of hair above his eyes. "What about you, Opian? Give it a try?"
"No, thank you Harry. I concede. There's no way I could touch you."
Harry's nodded. "That's all right. Mayb-"
Harry looked over and Downward Draft was standing mere centimeters away, with his arm out, and the barest edge of one of his iridescent feathers brushed against Harry's arm.
"Got you." Draft whispered.
Harry tipped his head back and laughed. The kids all took a step back in fear. "No, no, it's all right. that's a fair touch. You win, Downward Draft. I'll buy you snacks. Just let me get back into my suit. My skin is starting to itch."
It only took a moment for Harry's suit to climb onto him and fit around him as he stood there. "I have to say Downward Draft, you can move quietly."
They ruffled their feathers in pride. "Thank you Harry. On my world, moving without noise is a prized skill."
Harry darkened his helmet and his icon re-appeared. "Harry?"
He turned, "Yes, Viz?"
"You don't have to darken your helmet. We don't think you're scary anymore."
Harry's helmet cleared. He smiled without showing his teeth. "I'm glad to hear that Vizxxian. I'm glad to hear that."
#humans are deathworlders#writing#humans are space orcs#humans are space oddities#jpitha#sci fi writing#humans and aliens#humans are space capybaras#humans are space australians#The Oxygen Breathers
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— who am i to you?
summary : do you even exist to diluc?
genre : angst; hurt no comfort; argument
note : not proofread drafts! this is a depiction of an unhealthy relationship. read with caution
"yknow, diluc, just sayin," you call out from the couch, perking the ears of your busy partner, "you can always take a break and chill out from all the work you're doing."
sounds of paperwork ruffle heavy with the weight of its value to diluc. he pauses, thinks, and continues. "i don't quite get what you mean." you groan and shift your stature to face him. "i mean, come and spend time with your dear partner, please?" with every word comes a breathier tone, and you hope it pulls him towards you.
it doesn't. "apologies, my honey, this is due tonight. it's crucial for the winery to keep running," his eyes take no chance leaving the mess of text and ink. "what about tonight, then?" your dejection spills all over your voice. silence. he takes a breath; "i'm heading out. justice will never be served for as long as those thieves do not face punishment."
"you've said that for the fourth time this week."
diluc sighs. "the lives of the citizens are important, love, you know that. their safety is important. justice is important." only now does he look at you; not because you need him, but because he needs you. he needs you to understand.
"more important than me, luc?"
thin are his lips as he presses them together- stopping himself from answering you. "there's- look, there are hundreds of citizens, and only one of you; i don't- don't you understand? we need to think of the people, i-" he stands and staggers towards you. "you know what i stand for, dear, you know what i need. don't you?"
now it's you who stands, toes curled into the floor as tension grips you.
"what about what i need? it's always been about you, where do i come in your life? who am i to you, diluc? just another citizen? hell, you'd treat a random citizen way better than you'd treat your own fucking partner, won't you?"
he pinches the bridge of his nose. "[name], listen-"
"i've been listening to you for so long, and all you talk about is justice and citizens and thieves, like you're a knight of fucking favonius. don't you know how lonely it's been- day and night all alone because someone's life revolves all around work and so-called 'justice'? it hurts, diluc."
fire swells up within him, and he shouts; "you signed up for this! you signed up to be my partner, even though i told you how important this work is to me!" his voice is thick, molten lava burning his held-back tears.
"if you can't stand the way i live, then just leave." a crack in his voice substitutes his hesitation. all tension that held your bones rigid shoot straight for your heart. of course. of course he'd pick his work over you. of course he'd pick the people over you.
"fine," you whisper, except it comes out as a croak instead. he staggers, like he's shocked.
"only if it means you'll treat me better than you do now." he stammers, like he wants to stop you.
"[name], wait- i didn't mean that," you shift back when his hand reaches for your shoulder. "you never meant anything you said to me, diluc. i get it now." you shift back further without prompt.
every word you say; every step you take puts out and reignites the rage in his heart. in his throat. "i don't- you're just being irrational now." "and you're not?! you just fucking told me to leave because i asked you to take a break. get a grip, diluc."
you tug your ring off your finger. the ring he bought you- and so expensively etched his vow into. 'i will always protect you', it says. he said it better, you remember.
"this is for you, [name]." in your palm unromantically slipped a ring which you didn't see, because your eyes were on your partner whose sheepish face turned as red as his hair.
"it is.. to always remind you of me," he mumbles, eyes not meeting yours. "if you ever feel alone, i will always be there for you. wherever you are, i will always protect you. i.."-
the memory trails off with the tear that trails down your cheek.
"goodbye."
you drop the ring.
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How To Have a Good Beta Reading Experience (or: what I've learned from 3 years of beta reading)
So lately I've been having a lot of discussions about beta reading with my discord groups so I thought I would write it out here and also share some resources I've used over the years.
This is mostly by and for writers, however readers can learn from this post as well!
DISCLAIMER: I'm by no means a writing expert, but I have been either beta reading others' books, or having my own stories beta read consistently since 2020.
THIS IS ALL PERSONAL EXPERIENCE/OPINION. Others may agree or disagree ❤️
Here are the main points I'm going to talk about in this post, and I'll do it under the cut to save your dash space:
Understanding Alpha vs. Beta Readers
Choosing Readers
Being Clear About Feedback
Swapping / Compensation
The Importance of Writing Community/Groups
Websites/Resources for Finding Beta Readers
1. Understanding Alphas vs. Betas
So this is extremely important and for me, this may be the difference between me finishing your book or not. Many times, especially from new writers who had never had anyone read their work before, had extremely rough drafts that were barely coherent and were NOT beta ready, but asked me to beta read. I am not a person who can look past extensive grammar errors, nor am I the kind of person who will sit and fix all your grammar line-by-line for you.
Alpha Readers - for first/second drafts
Beta Readers - for polished drafts
It is ok for alpha reads to be unpolished and have grammar issues, and it's even ok if they have plot issues, continuity errors, etc. Because alpha readers are there for that purpose: to be the first eyes on your story and help you find and fix those issues.
The issue I have had over and over, though, is people asking for a beta reader when what they really needed was an alpha. I went in expecting a polished draft and got someone's Draft 0. In some cases, I got 100k drafts where the writer obviously had no idea how to format dialogue grammar and every single dialogue was wrong. Obviously this made me slow and in many cases, unable to finish.
Alpha readers will go in expecting it to be unpolished, and will be prepared to look past grammar/stylistic errors in order to focus on the big picture issues (plot holes, character consistency, pacing/engagement issues, etc). A Beta may be too frustrated by an unpolished draft to finish it or provide the feedback you're looking for. If you have been experiencing a lot of betas backing out and not finishing your work, you might consider this as a possible reason why.
I would also recommend, if you have never had anyone read your work before, even if you have had multiple drafts, it might be safest to ask for alphas rather than betas.
A quick way to see if your work is beta ready (again, personal experience): Pick up a published book from the shelf in your genre. Does your book read similarly? Does your formatting & grammar look the same?
Bonus: read it out loud! If reading the published book out loud is significantly easier than reading yours out loud, you're probably in the alpha stage.
TL;DR: Understand your draft and which level of reader your draft is ready for. Know the difference between polished and unpolished, and be upfront about it.
2. Choosing Alphas/Betas
You may not like it but: Just because someone is your friend, real life or online, does not mean they will make a good reader for you.
#1 MOST IMPORTANT: GET READERS WHO LIKE & REGULARLY READ YOUR GENRE!
I cannot stress this enough. As someone who writes vampire content, I cannot begin to express to you the amount of useless comments I got from readers who had clearly never read a vampire book in their life.
You need someone who is familiar with your genre and you likes your synopsis/blurb.
Caveat: that said, I did find a few great betas who had never read vampire content before and gave awesome feedback. However, these readers knew and admitted they knew nothing about the paranormal genre, and because of that did not make any comments on worldbuilding, instead sticking to plot and character development only. Some readers can't make this separation.
Another thing I would recommend, especially if you are swapping or the beta reader is also a writer/on writeblr, I would recommend reading their writing before having them beta read. If you read their excerpts and see that it's really unpolished or a style that's vastly different than yours, that might change whether you want them to read for you.
In my most recent beta round, I used a google form to do a quick survey to see who was interested in beta reading. This worked really well for me and I would recommend it! You can also use this to make all potential readers agree to not share/distribute/plagiarize your work, so you have it in writing just in case someone were to try something.
This was also a great way to see which genres they usually read and how many times they have beta read in the past!
TL;DR: Get readers who LIKE your genre. Read their writing and see how they write. Use an online signup form to narrow down.
3. Be Clear About The Type of Feedback You Want
This is perhaps the second most important thing when you get readers. Many readers will shy away from reading your work if you have nothing in mind for them to look out for. Also, being clear about this shows that you 1) know it isn't perfect and needs work and 2) you have insight into what the issues already are.
For Alphas, these traits are what I have found to be the most helpful:
Immediate inline reactions - particularly emotional engagement and pointing out lines that resonated with them
NO grammar/stylistic comments (unless incomprehensible)
Questioning of worldbuilding, character decisions, and character development - particularly if confusing or unclear
Comments on action sequences & their readability
Comments on believability of the plot points/progression
For Betas, these are what have been most helpful to me:
Comments on grammar, especially if repetitive
Stylistic comments, particularly for over-used words or noticeably repetitive sentence structures
Comments on pacing
Comments on plot initiation point and buildup/execution of the climax
Not questioning my worldbuilding/plot and trusting that what I have written is intentional. Only pointing out areas that have on-page evidence of inconsistencies.
Everything above is simply personal preference. You might find other comments to be better for alphas/betas. However, being upfront about which comments you want or don't want can drastically change which people want to read for you!
Some readers are obsessed with in-depth inline grammar/style comments, some aren't at all. Some writers LOVE these in-depth grammar comments, and some don't. Being clear about what you want is the best way to make sure you and your readers are compatible for the stage of editing you're at.
4. Swapping / Compensation
So this one I might have a bit of an unpopular opinion, but I wanted to cover it because so many people talk about it on here and other sites.
Again, based on my personal experience, swapping and compensation does not mean you're going to get better feedback or have a better experience or relationship with readers.
For the record, for everyone who beta reads for me—and finishes—I always offer to read theirs, even if it's a genre I don't like.
Personally, I have never tried compensation (re: money) for beta readers. However, there are a few issues I've come across with swapping:
Mine was beta ready and theirs was unpolished first draft
Our types of feedback didn't align
Our genre preferences didn't align
Their feedback was nowhere near as high quality or constructive as mine
In these cases, one or both of us burnt out on reading the others' work, and then we'd both bail. Especially with #4, it was very disheartening for me to spend hours finding their plot holes, helping them come up with ways to fix them, for them to then write 1 paragraph about what they thought of my story that was extremely surface level. To me, that wasn't even a swap, and was practically worthless. There was even one who got sensitive about the feedback I was providing (which was a queer sensitivity read) and then left almost identical comments on my story, which weren't even relevant. It was like revenge-commenting.
All this to say: I have had positive experiences with swaps. My alpha for twtr was a swap and I really enjoy her work and she enjoys mine, and we will probably continue to swap forever.
This goes back to #2 above: be picky & choose your readers well. Your story is your baby, and it deserves to be critiqued by people who value you and your story, and want to help you make it the best possible version of itself.
To summarize, I have had two good swapping experiences. I have had 10+ good uncompensated betas—with an offer for me to read their stuff when it's ready. Do with that what you will.
5. Writing Community / Groups
On to a more positive note! I have had the best experience here on writeblr, and this is coming from someone who has tried multiple other communities (which I discuss in the last section below). Having my own discord server from tumblr, joining a few other writers' discord servers, has completely changed the game regarding finding consistent betas, more resources, and just having an overall much more positive time writing and editing.
Writeblr keeps me grounded, keeps me hopeful, and even if I share something that doesn't get tons of notes, it's so nice to have interaction. It's so nice to give and get back, consistently.
I do want to emphasize the importance of giving to get back. If no one is liking/interacting with your excerpts, tag/ask games, etc. then that's probably because you're not interacting with them! It's very important to show interest in other people's work!!
I'm not saying you need to jump onto everyone's taglists for all their wips, but join the ones that genuinely interest you the most. Play in ask/tag games consistently. Follow writers back who follow you (if they post things you're interested in, ofc).
I have the same amount of followers as the people I follow right now, and I think that goes to show that people reciprocate here on writeblr! It's a lovely community and don't be afraid to reach out ❤️
I have found almost ALL my recent betas from my tumblr and discord groups. They have been lovely so far and I would highly recommend building up community here if you are interested in finding betas.
6. Websites/Resources for Finding Betas
Alright, last section. Thanks for bearing with me. I'm going to go through the sites I have used, and why I still use them, or why I dropped them.
Scribophile
So, for starters, this is one I don't use anymore. This was the site I first used when I had a polished draft in 2020 and had no idea how to get feedback. Essentially, they have a point-system. The more comments you make, the more points you get, and then when you have 3 points, you can post a chapter. It continues in a cycle.
Pros: Personally, I think the site helped me a lot in realizing what a bad critique looks like (which is helpful!) and also helped me learn which comments/feedback types work for me, and which don't. I don't regret my time there by any means, and I found one life-long friend and beta reader there I wouldn't trade for the world. It also allows you to post/remove your story and the readers don't have direct access to it—meaning if they want to download/steal/plagiarize, they'd have to copy and paste or screenshot chapter by chapter. It's a little safety precaution.
Cons: It's not the best place to get constructive feedback. The issue with their system is it encourages quantity over quality in critiques. Because of that, you'll get strangers rewriting your entire chapter in their own style so they get 2-3 points for one critique, but... was any of it actually helpful to you? Maybe, maybe not. It's also random, so you can't control who comments on your stuff, and they might just comment to get points even if they hate your genre. I also don't think it's fair to have to do 3-5 chapter critiques in order to save up enough points to post ONE chapter of your own. And if you want to post your story for full beta reads and control who reads it and who doesn't, you have to subscribe monthly.
So I keep an eye on it occasionally to look through their forums on writing, agents, publishing, etc. But most of the forums gets nasty, because there are a lot of really pretentious writers who think they know all the rules. If you join small groups (e.g. sub-groups based on diversity, etc) they tend to have better and more meaningful discussions.
Personally, I would never use it for beta/alpha/feedback ever again. This is the site where most of my bad swaps came from. But you might find it useful! So I thought I would share it.
Nanowrimo Forums
This is another one I don't use anymore, but might consider reusing in the future. The biggest issue I have with nanowrimo is that a lot, and I mean A LOT, of these participants are first-time writers and have no concept of what polished vs. unpolished even means. I did find two really good swaps there (actually the only two good full swaps I've had) but those were very hard to find.
There is also the issue that a good chunk of them only write during November, not year round. So for finding consistent, year-long partners, this is not the best option. I'm a member of 2 discords that have all fallen silent as soon as Nano actually ended.
Also, in my experience, asking questions about anything related to "controversial" topics (especially trans and minority ethnic groups) becomes toxic very quick, which is unfortunate. There are even a few moderators who seem to be contributing to the toxic/immature discussions rather than fixing them/shutting them down, which is the main reason I stopped using it.
However, it's a GREAT place to get free, simple covers! Their artisan section is fantastic and there are a lot of people there willing to make basic covers/banners for you for free.
BetaBooks
I've only been using this one about a month so far, but I'm really liking it. It's set up that you can invite betas to your story specifically, or you can look through a beta reader library, read their profiles, and invite them to see if they're interested.
This is essentially an alternative to Scribophile. It allows you to post your story online and find betas and become a beta.
Why I like it better than Scribophile: it's not a point-based system, meaning it's uncompensated so the readers have nothing to gain other than enjoying/helping your story. There's no hard feelings if someone bails. It allows you to see all comments in one place (which Scrib can't do). (And with discount codes found through google, it's cheaper, too. Message me if you need help with this 👀)
It also is all online, easily removable, so readers would have to copy/paste or screenshot chapter-by-chapter to steal it. So again, just a little safety net that makes me feel better.
Writeblr
Yep, that's right. Right here. Actually right here on tumblr has been where I have found the most beta readers and in the shortest time. I talked about this in the section before so I won't regurgitate. But there's a reason why this community is so long-lasting. It really is the best one out there I've found.
TL;DR / IN CONCLUSION:
Know where your book is in terms of reader-readiness. Know the difference between alphas/betas and polished/unpolished. Know the types of feedback that work for you and specifically request it when recruiting betas.
Interact with a community. Give interaction in order to receive, and don't expect people to reblog/like your content if you don't reach out first. Join small, niche writing community discords. Find like-minded writers.
Decide to swap or not, but this won't make or break you.
There are many writing communities out there designed to help you not only find betas, to provide beta-reading feedback forms and commentary. Try them out and see what works best for you.
And above all, thank Writeblr for being such a lovely community ❤️
#writeblr#writblr#writers on tumblr#writeblr community#writerblr#writer community#writing community#novel writing#beta readers#fantasy writing#wtwcommunity#mj posts#mj mumbles#mj talks about beta reading#100#300#500
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Fire & Desire
Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x reader (mentioned) , Aegon ii Targaryen x reader (wc: 2.2k)
Summary: Many sacrifices have been made to get Aegon on the throne. Including ones made by you
A/N: this had been sitting in my drafts for sooo long. I thought I’d revise it a bit, give me a bit of a break from fool me once. Hope y’all like it 🫶🏽🫶🏽. Sorry if there is lots of typos this was sort of posted on a whim
When Aegon becomes King, it is up to us to guild him in the right direction. To have the ear of your husband is ever important…. That may mean giving things up in return.
The words had been ringing in your head all night. Along with the image of Alicent’s uncomfortable grimace. Your instinct was the ask her what she meant by that; play silly and confused. Easily moldable and docile, the way most people like.
But you know your good mother too well for that. She knows all. You should have seen this moment coming.
The next thing you wanted to do was apologize. Tell her that you do not know how you got yourself in this predicament. But Aegon has never been one to apologize for his indiscretions, so why should you. All you can give her a curt nod.
You know she advices you without any malice. The bolstering hate you sometimes saw in Queen Alicent, the kind you see in all her children in different dosages, had cooled to a melancholy resentment over the years. She’s grown older, a bit wiser. Or maybe she is just tired.
The type of debilitating exhaustion that only women would get. Women forced to do the bidding of those around them.
It was never going to be simple. It is never easy with this family. An heir that is never around, a dead King that was never suited from the job, and a circle of scheming noblemen. Recipe for chaos and destruction.
Alicent does not have the hope to be disappointed anymore. Everything is for survival now. So much has been given up for this, and now comes your time to pay the price. Just like Alicent has.
If she knows, you can assume that means Aegon does too. He is more observant than anyone would give him for.
There are days he looks at you, and you think he can tell what you have been up to. He can look right through you and see what his brother did to you that morning, or late the night before.
Does he wonder where you run off to, the way you did with him at the beginning of your marriage. When there was a blinding and painful need to make it work. If he does know, you are surprised he has not said anything to do… or to Aemond. Aegon’s emotions flow hot and wild. Being on the opposite end of it is a sight. But then he levels off, normally numbs whatever he feels with wine or whores. He is simple in a complicated way.
If he has any inkling about what you have been doing, he has not made it known. You don’t know if that is a relief or if it hurts. None of that Targaryen madness dealt out for his wife.
Your thoughts are broken when he stalks in. Freshly washed, slight bruises on his face, and wrapped in despair.
He does now acknowledge for presence, just climbs into bed after blowing out the few candles on his side of the room. The two of you lay in silence before you feel like you will crawl out of your skin if you do not say anything.
“I will stop seeing him… in that way,” you say into the darkness, voice stronger than you thought it would be. “If that pleases you.”
You turn from your back to your side to face him; you are greeted with a eyeful of silvery hair that seems to glow in the dark. His back facing you, rigid and uncomfortable.
“Aegon, did yo-“
“I heard you the first time,” he sighs, interrupting you.
There is more silence. You continue to stare at his back, till he slowly turns to face you. Even in the dark you can see the frown on his face. The moonlight illuminating him It is like speaking with his mother all over again. Does Alicent look at Aegon and get frightened? To give birth to someone who looks so much like you but disappoints you so deeply must be haunting. A terrible mirror to have.
“I am surprised you are even admitting it,” he mutters.
You decide not to tell him that the admission comes at the behest of his mother. There is no need to add to the list of things that splitter that relationship.
“We are going to need each other, now more than never. I am willing to admit… wrongdoing and repent for it. But we both have to do that for it to work.”
Your tongue feels heavy calling whatever Aemond, and you have wrongdoing. The proper term for it does not come because you don’t know what you two are. Lovers, confidants, prisoners. It’s all the same.
The frown deep softens a bit.
“Aenar is mine.”
It comes out like statement, but you suppose it is meant to be a question. Aenar is all Aegon is best and worst ways. Sweet cherubic features and a rambunctious spirit. They even pout in the same way when they do not get what they want. They are so alike that it stupidly makes you wonder at what age he will let you down. The way his father has before him.
“He is yours,” you whisper. “A tiny terror.”
Aegon lets out a short fit of playful laughter. The affection Aegon has towards the kids is something you were constantly taken aback by. When he was around, and in his right mind, he is electric with them. It made you a bit jealous. You pushed your body to the max, and Aenar follows him like he is a god. A Targaryen God.
“But Valaena…” he trials off bitterly.
You do not answer immediately. While Aemond barely even looked at you by the time you became pregnant with Aenar, things were different by the time you had your little girl. Your relationship with Aemond sweet and syrupy. The glow of intimacy neither of you had experienced before.
“No, she is yours.”
It is easier to say that, her features still soft and indiscernible. You think she is his. You hope for his sake she is. Aegon becomes extra warm around her. Baby talk and soft looks of love.
Perhaps you hope he is for her sake as well. If Aemond thinks Valaena is his daughter, he makes no effort to show it. At first, you thought it was him being smart. Knowing that taking too much of a liking would be suspicious. Then you quickly learned he just has no interest in that part of you. Sometimes you fear he sees that extension of you, your kids, as obstacles instead.
Living and breathing embodiments of the duty you put first.
“You would really stop,” Aegon rips you from his thoughts. “Tell Aemond that it is done?”
His voice lifts intrigued. A different conversation you had with Alicent floats in your mind.
Their want for different things keeps them from expressing their love, but it is there.
“Will you stop fathering flea bottom bastards?”
Aegon scoffs at your question, but nonetheless shuffles closer to you. He smells like lemon and roses.
“This is going to be so bad,” his voice wobbles a bit.
You want to agree, because it will; it is going to be blood spilling amounts of terrible. Instead of expressing that you lean forward too.
It is how the two of you fall asleep. Foreheads pressed together, noses brushing, and slow breathes mangled together.
Is that what having your husband’s ear is like?
You know you are staring, unabashedly and grotesquely.
The only saving grace being that you are not the only one. Everyone in the dragon pit has their gaze on Aegon. Small folk watch on in confusion or admiration. Everyone on the stage hold more somber or stoic faces. Everyone accept Otto that is, who looks as pleased as you have ever seen him.
Alicent’s face is serenely flat. Helaena cannot look at her brother for too long, looking away at times. You do not dare turn to see Aemond’s reaction. Especially not after avoiding him all morning. There was a sinking feeling you got when your lady in waiting told he was outside of the door. Cowardly, you told her to tell him you were occupied. You did not know what to say to him yet.
Now all you can do if stare, and fiddle with the crisp fabric of your mute pink and gardenia dress.
It is terribly quiet in the pit. It only makes the affair even more uneasy.
There is something so devastatingly beautiful about his tear-stained face. You enjoy Aegon like this. Needy, helpless, and metaphorically flat on his back with shock and despair.
When he finally rises, Conqueror’s crown on his head, his eyes darts to everyone on stage. When his large, watery eyes finally get to you, you try to give him an encouraging smile. You are sure it reads more painful than reassuring or comforting. You bow your head expectedly.
King Aegon, Second of His Name. Gods helps you all.
The tides change once he turns to face the crowd. When the cheers start, there goes your meek Aegon. He lifts Blackfyre with a vigor you have never seen from your husband. There is a satisfaction that radiates off him. It’s stunning and terrifying to watch.
Despite everything, your eyes tear themselves away long enough to briefly glance at Aemond. If Aegon’s feeling burn fast and dissipate to light fizzles of hate, then Aemond’s resentment simmers for years, and flares when the flames are fanned.
His eyes never leave his brother’s back. Everyone enraptured by Aegon’s attitude change for different reasons.
The cheers reach their peak, and foolishly you think maybe things will be alright.
Then everything goes black.
This is going to be so bad
It is only in the comfort of his own chambers, where Aemond feels like he can finally let out the breath he has been holding in for days.
His stomach has been in knots for days, waves nausea fluttering in certain moments. It reminds him of after he first lost his eye. He would get such painful headaches that it made sick. 
Now it is not his lack of an eye ailing him, it is you.
He should have known something was wrong when you would not allow him to see you. The necklace was missing too. The sterling silver locket with a sparkling sapphire in the middle of it. You had not taken it off since he gifted it to you… till today.
Aemond knows what it means.
You could barely meet his eye, as if you think your rejection would break him. He would rather gouge his other eye out than give Aegon the satisfaction of that.
The only time you seemed aware of his presence is when you squeezed his arm when they were all face to face with Meleys. The squeeze was surprisingly strong. Though it was not a scared squeeze, it was almost reassuring. You were ready to die. You had told him one night; whispered it in the dark. You knew it would be coming, and sooner than you wanted.
“Of course, we are going to die young,” you smile with little mirth. “Think of family we are in.” 
You had only expressed sadness for your children. That you hope when that time comes someone kind will take care of them and prayed, they would remember you as a gentle mother.
What a way it would’ve been to die at the fire of dragon. You, him, his siblings, and his mother… one big happy family.
Aemond decides not to tell you that sometimes he goes in Valaena’s room and just looks. He waits for the paternal instincts to kick in. One day he expects to look and see flashes of himself. As of now all he sees is your eyes. He supposes that is the next best thing. He already must see his brother, and mini version of him that hides behind your skirts.
He has no desire to take care a child right now, and he is not even sure she is his. But to be bound to you another way would be so lovely. So many parts of him are now yours, and vice versa. What is one more?
Aemond is not mad. He finds the whole idea of a mad Targaryen a bit macabre, even for his taste.
But he sees visions of Aegon sitting the throne with you at his side as queen and thinks it would be ok to see King’s Landing up in flames. Even better if he is the one to light the fire.
He saw the way your demeanor instantly shifted. Tending to hurt small folk, telling guards where to go and what to do. There was not a lick of fear in your eyes when someone addressed you as the queen. In fact, Aemond was sure he saw a flicker of glee run through your eyes. He cannot fault the self-serving side of you. He wishes to devour it the way he wishes to devour every other part of you.
You would have never agreed to marry Aegon if this outcome was not a possibility. Giving up a chance to have your name in the history books as Queen and your son as future heir is not an opportunity you would give up. Certainly not for him. Aemond knows Rhaenyra is coming. If not his half-sister, then his uncle will be plotting and planning. So, he will do what he always does. Sit and wait. One eye firmly on his clever girl.
When the spark is finally set, he hopes you two will burn together.
#Aegon… girl dad?#so true#obsessive Aemond? so true#aemond x reader#aemond targaryen x reader#aegon x reader#aegon ii x reader#aegon ii targaryen#aemond targaryen angst#aemond targaryen imagine#hotd imagine
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part 1
so. this is part one of a red dragon!krs fic ive been building up… this first chapter doesnt really have much much interesting scenes as of right now, and I’d love love love the input from everyone on how to continue, ideas for characters, and if theres anything i should consider changing!! that doesnt mean that i’ll be changing everything according to commenters, but i’d value all opinions to help build this plot 🥲
I’ve already finished around 3 similar length chapters and recently got stuck, so think of these posts as drafts and final revisions will probably go officially on AO3. thanks everyone 🤪
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Oh, Pitiful Dragon (1)
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Ever since his birth, the child longed for death. If it could take away his pain and grant his freedom, he’d trade anything he had so scarce of already. And on a particularly horrible day— the day that terrible man decided he would rip out his heart and use it for evil— the little child met a god.
The God of Death.
He thought it was ironic, seeing how soon his own demise was due soon. But this God didn’t come to reap his death, rather it came to propose a deal.
And the red dragon would accept any deal to be free of this pitiful life.
-
Kim Roksoo awoke suddenly from his slumber. His vision was black and only began to adjust to his blurred version after continuous blinking. Why was it so dark? And how had he fallen asleep? He was just finishing Volume 5 of The Birth of a Hero series and now— wait, are those chains?!
His eyes blew open and his vision was finally adjusted to the pitch darkness that surrounded him. He tried to stand but winced when pain spiked all across his body. Only then did he realize just how badly injured he was. Why was he so weak? Had someone kidnapped and beat him to a pulp?! He was completely blinded by the inexplicable pain that he hadn’t realized something much more important. No— wait, pain is important! It’s definitely concerning! But… why was his whole body covered in crimson scales?
‘Oh geez, well isn’t this new.’
Shortly after he had that thought he passed out from exhaustion and shock.
-
When Kim Roksoo woke again, he was practically being strangled. He quickly gasped for air and focused in on his current situation. He was being held up tightly by a metal collar on his (very, very sore) neck by some strange man in front of him. His hair was a long, spiky mess of blond and didn’t look very well-maintained. But his eyes… they were bloodshot red and had a crazed glint to them.
‘Crazy bastard…!’
Roksoo’s breathing was beginning to strain more and more, and suddenly he felt something prick beneath his scales painfully. He looked down and saw a clear tube running from his body all the way through an open passageway not so far from him. His blood began flowing through it.
‘Blood— They’re.. taking my blood?’
His thoughts were becoming even more incoherent by the second but after securing the clear tube into the little red dragon, the crazed man dropped him to the floor.
“You’re blood is so pure and vibrant, it’s so beautiful.. just like the color of your scales! It will definitely aid our liege and his cause. Haha!”
All Roksoo could think of was how crazy this lunatic was. He was still heavily panting, because honestly when was he not at this point, but thankfully he hadn’t passed out again. Instead, he glared with all his being towards the crazy bastard standing above him. Unfortunately, it only seemed to excite the lunatic even more.
“Maybe I really should visit you more. That look in your eyes gives me chills!”
Mumbling to himself, the psycho soon left the room through the very passage his blood was being drawn towards, and Roksoo was left alone; unprotected and cold. He hated feeling this way. These people didn’t seem to want him alive for so long, considering his “luxury” treatment. He was going to miserably die at their hands sooner or later. And he was too weak to do anything about it.
His eyes suddenly flashed with memories— no, records— of his fight with the second unranked monster to plague Korea. Lee Soohyuk and Choi Jungsoo… he had let them die. It was his fault and he knew it. It was something he’d regret for the rest of his life. But… they had told him to keep living. To keep living for them. He couldn’t die. It didn’t matter how he got into this situation. He’d rather crawl in shit than die this pathetically. He’d survive his new predicament— this new life that’s been granted to him. He’d survive.
He’d definitely survive to smack these bastards in the back one day.
-
Roksoo had spent weeks in that dark hell. His blood continued to flow from his body to somewhere unknown, he was paid violent visits by that lunatic, and he got weaker and weaker because of it. But his will didn’t waver for a second. Whenever someone came in to check on him, he’d mark it in his mind every time. Soon enough, he learned their patterns and found openings. He finally had a plan to escape this hell, no matter how many holes there were.. it was a chance.
With his limited information, there was only so far he could get, but somewhere deep inside him, he knew he’d manage. So, he followed his instincts. The minute his opening came, he used all the strength he had gathered and focused.
‘Concentrate. Concentrate on that feeling you’ve been accumulating, Roksoo!’
Suddenly, Roksoo felt as if he’d achieved some sort of enlightenment like the ones described in murim stories. He felt an overwhelming warmth spread throughout his body and a rush of adrenaline pumped through his veins exponentially. This power… He didn’t know where it had suddenly manifested from, but he was sure now. He could get out of here using it. His mind and body began working beyond their limits, and eventually everything around him felt like it was moving at a snails pace.
‘Instant..?’
His second ability from his past life, Instant. Time would seize and he could move freely for a short while. With a heavy cost on his body of course.
‘But this… it’s similar to instant, but it’s not completely it. I think— No, I can definitely handle this much better than what I’ve been able to before in Korea.’
His new body must’ve integrated Instant into another power. And this new power was about to help him escape. A small smirk graced his torn and bloodied face. Perfect.
Shackles that were tying his limbs down shattered beneath the little dragon’s feet in the blink of an eye, and in a literal instant he was darting across the passage with his slashed and scarred limbs.
‘Keep going. I have to keep going and get out of here!’
He was sprinting through the corridors, and if anybody had looked his way all they would’ve seen was a long, red blur. A bright light was beginning to seep in between the cracks in the ceiling of the dark man-made cave he was confined in.
‘Screw the consequences, we’re blasting through!’
With incredible speed, Roksoo was right beneath the seeping cracks of light and expanded his unused wings for the first time. His wingspan barely fit within the wide corridor as he spread them out and up, blasting off from his spot on the ground and flying like a rocket towards the ceiling. He was making it out.
Just as he impacted and the dust and debris had shot up everywhere, he spotted a few individuals standing far off in the sunlight. The most notable was a red haired main of fairly tall stature completely frozen in place by Roksoo’s sudden escapade. He wore a strange white mask over his upper face, his eyes a bright red with hints of brown. The person looked far to similar to Roksoo. His prominent crimson red and his own piercing reddish-brown eyes. They would’ve looked entirely the same if it weren’t for Roksoo’s current form.
He only locked eyes with the man for a split second, and continued shooting up into the sky. He began to hear shouts and alarms blaring within his vicinity. He had been encaged in a mountain with a large encampment stealthily surrounding it. He’d remember this exact spot.
Massive fireballs and arrows began piercing the sky in an attempt to bring Roksoo down, but he clumsily maneuvered around each and just barely grazed a few on his crimson scales. Suddenly, a blinding white spear had crossed his vision. And before he knew it, another had pierced right through his wing, tearing it open a considerable amount. Roksoo stifled the cry of pain that threatened escaping his lips, and instead gritted his teeth and continued to fly towards any kind of safety. Anything other than here will be safe, he just needs to lose these bastards first. The adrenaline rush he had originally received numbed all the pain in his body, but he knew that wouldn’t last with his current levels. He had to make use of every last bit of this power that he had in him.
He flew over an ocean and kept flying as far away as he could. Eventually he reached the mainland. The forest underneath him was dark and vast, a perfect hiding spot. He glides over the tree-line and with his remaining strength he just barely managed a suitable landing right by a flowing river. His landing was a little on the rough side and he was still so sore, but… he had finally made it out. He was successful. Now, he could truly live a slacker life! Wait— he still needs to get back at the bastards who had tortured him in the first place. Ah.. he also needs to secure enough funds for his slacker life as well.
Sigh.
Roksoo had much to do before he got to live a peaceful life.
‘But first, let’s just lay here a little while longer…’
Roksoo succumbed to his exhaustion and pain, entering a deep slumber.
———
THANKS FOR READING to the end !! please let me know ur input, things i could change, add, etc, i lack a lot in this field and value ur feedback ! 😋
#<3#cale henituse#tcf cale#tcf#trash of the counts family#tcf novel#tcf manhwa#trash of the count's family#lout of the count’s family#kim rok soo as the red dragon#kim roksoo#kim rok soo#kim roksu#white star#aka white radish haha#red dragon krs#red dragon cale#red dragon#red dragon krs au#alternate universe#dragon krs#dragon cale henituse#dragon cale#fanfic#fanfiction#au fanfiction#au fanfic#thanks for reading <3
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Your “Bodyguards”
-What happens when you tell Leona, Jack, and Ruggie about a guy that just couldn’t take the hint that you weren’t interested? Well, not exactly how you expected.
Pronouns: They/them
Warning: Contains harassment and very uncomfortable situations. Swearing, violence, and stalker behavior
Word count: 3,112
Note: This is actually based off a true incident (that may or may not have happened to me a while back) I also apologize to anyone named Cale (if there are any) This may not be Halloween based but I had it in my drafts so I decided to post it for the occasion. Just think of it as comfort I guess
...Maybe getting these three involved was a good thing?
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“So, you want a favor from us? Well, whatever it is, I'm not interested in the slightest.” Leona said, walking away to find a spot in the Botanical Gardens to lie down for a nap. Ruggie and Jack had followed him just to keep track of him for the day, this just happened to be your luck. Jack was an unexpected surprise, but you need them to do something very important for you anyway.
“Oh, come on! Please? It’s just a small favor and it won’t take up too much time. You don’t even know what it is yet.” You complain as you follow about a foot behind them.
“Why don’t you ask Ace or Deuce to help?” Jack asked, turning his head to look at you while still walking.
“I tried. But they couldn’t do much. Plus, you guys are the only people who can get this weird guy off my back.” Jack stops at those words and fully turns his body to face you. You stop in front of him while Leona and Ruggie continue to walk. He’s genuinely confused and concerned as to what you're talking about, so he decides to ask about it; “What do you mean by that?”
“There’s this guy that’s asked me out before. I don’t know him or anything about him, other than that he’s a second year and is in Savanaclaw.” You answer Jack's question. Leona and Ruggie stop and slowly turn back towards you, now fully invested in the conversation.
“I’ve rejected him before, but then he started to hang around me more. Kind of like how Rook is, but more creepy. To me, it is at least.” You continued. Leona and Ruggie begin to walk back to your location to see if there is any other information that they needed to hear.
“I got Ace and Deuce to walk me back to Ramshackle a few days ago because I felt uneasy. But the moment they left and Grim walked through the front door, magic wind closed it shut so I couldn’t get inside. That’s when I realized it was him. He had waited for Ace and Deuce to leave just to get my attention alone. Of course, it wasn’t enough because Grim was pounding on the other side of the door asking what happened. All the guy wanted to do was talk but I couldn’t help but get weird vibes from him. The way he talked, the way he looked at me, the way he acted. Everything was just too unsettling. So I told Grim to sit on the other side of the door, just in case he tried something. All he did was talk about how pretty I was and asked me if I wanted to hang out while trying to get physically close to me.” You recounted the events that took place days prior. All three of the beastmen began to look a bit disturbed by everything you were telling them. Or maybe, perhaps it was irritation.
“I know I’m probably overreacting and you guys probably think so too, but I just want him to know I’m seriously not interested.” You finish off your explanation, waiting for them to respond. You look at all three of their faces. All of which seem to be in thought, yet they all seem very bitter.
“You guys can refuse if you want, I’m not forcing you! He’ll probably back off as time goes.” You say with a nervous smile. ‘Maybe they’re annoyed that I brought something silly like this up. I should have just let it be.’ You thought to yourself, wondering if you’ve made the wrong decision.
“Do you know his name?” Leona asked nonchalantly, to which you respond; “Uh, I think it was something like Cole or Kyle. I’m not sure but he has a weird birthmark on the side of his neck. Kind of hard to miss.”
“Cale! Ugh, I should have known he’d start messin’ with you!” Ruggie suddenly blurted out. This left you and Jack a bit confused. Ruggie has never brought Cale up before and Jack only knew the guy because he’s also a Wolf beastman. Leona on the other hand seemed more irritated. Leona has had his fair share of run-ins with the guy, all of which were not so good. Especially the first encounter.
“Other than Cale being really strong and a good fighter, he’s also a big flirt. He flirts with almost everyone he finds attractive. Except for the Pomefiore students. He found out to leave those guys alone the hard way. Sh ha ha~” Ruggie explains as a result of seeing your confused face.
“He’s annoying, that’s what he is. During his first year here he tried to fight me for the spot of Dorm Leader. Heh, we all know how that played out. But once he gave up he tried to butter me up instead. Seriously, that guy gets on my nerves.” Leona chimed in. Looks like Cale isn’t a very fond character, even at his own dorm.
“If he flirts with everyone, then no wonder he can’t even remember my name. He’s asked me at least 5 times already.” You laugh off jokingly, not expecting the reaction you would get.
“He doesn’t even remember your name?! Hell no! And he’s still trying to ask you out? If he can’t get something so simple then he’s not trying to care about who you are as a person, he wants you because he’s greedy!” Leona exclaims, his tone ever so slightly laced with anger. He soon calmed down and thought for a moment, placing a hand over the bridge of his nose and pinching it with his fingers.
“Fine, we’ll help you. But you have to do at least one thing for us once we’re done. How does that sound?” He asks, concluding.
“Perfect! That doesn’t sound bad at all!” You agree excitedly. Leona continues while turning his head to look at Jack and Ruggie; “What about you guys? Sound fair?” Jack and Ruggie both nod in agreement.
“We’ll talk to him first to try and get him to leave you alone. If that doesn’t work, text me if he’s still bothering you.” Ruggie says with a soft smile, knowing you still had his number from the Fairy Gala mission.
“Thank you guys so much! Sorry I had to bother you with this. You guys have a nice day!” You say, returning the smile. Jack and Leona nod while Ruggie waves as you take off, down the path towards the exit. As soon as you were out of sight all the boys turned around and began walking in their original direction.
“Jeez. What number is that?” Leona suddenly asked, placing his hands in his pocket.
“They’re about the 50th person he’s tried flirting with,” Ruggie replied nonchalantly while placing his hands behind his head for support.
“Wait, you two kept track of it? That’s a bit weird.” Jack retorted.
“You start to keep count when Vil comes to see you in person, complaining about one of your dorm members flirting with not just his dorm residents but him as well,” Leona replied. Shivers ran down his back as he recollected the horrid moment. Let’s just say; Vil wasn’t so kind to Leona or Cale at that time.
“In any case, we need to talk to him about that. I understand if he might genuinely like them but I highly doubt that’s where this is going. On top of that, stalking them is weird as hell. There’s no way I’m letting a Rook-wannabe slide from shit like this.” Leona says while turning into a pile of bushes to reach his napping destination before continuing; “Let’s see how long he thinks he can fool us by playing innocent.”
~~~
“I’ve got no clue on what you’re talkin’ about. Listen, I just want to get to know them. That’s all.” Cale states to the three beastmen as he remains seated in a chair in the Savanaclaw lounge. They had indeed gone up to him to clear things up, and just as they suspected; he’s playing innocent.
“The last time you said that I had an angry blond at my door. On top of that, you don’t hang around people like that unless you’re attracted to them. Stalking them, however, says more concerning things, don’t you think?” Leona brought up, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the wolf-beastman. Cale was very unimpressed with their approach to him, but his composure did not falter.
“Alright, fine. You want honesty? Well here,” Cale stands on his feet, he isn’t as tall as Jack but just about the same height as Leona. He looks Leona dead in the eyes and smirks a toothy grin. “I just want the fun you guys are having.”
“What?” Leona responds confused. He now is the one unimpressed. “If you mean the trouble that herbivore brings, then buddy I can assure you it’s not exactly what I would consider fun.”
“Oh, not that. Come on, don’t play dumb with me. A person from another world with no magic? No way to fight us back without their little squad? You guys hang out with them from dawn till dusk in that rundown dorm of theirs, and you mean to tell me you aren’t having fun in there? You must be joking. Why not just share the meal-“ Before Cale could continue his absurd accusations Jack and Leona pushed him to a wall with their magic pens at his throat.
“I don’t know what kind of things you heard or what horrendous rumors you’ve spread to these idiot jackasses around this school. But (y/n) is NOT like that and we would never force them to be in such a position.” Jack growled through his teeth. For the first time, his composure completely dropped and he went almost full feral. He was holding a lot back, but no one knew just exactly how much.
“You’ve got some nerve to think you know them better than we do, and you sure as hell have some damn nerve thinking that you were just going to use them like that. They're not stupid! They can see right through you and your little schemes. Whatever you’re doing stops now.” Leona finished off, pushing his magic pen closer to the beastmans neck. Cale seemed shaken by the actions but tried to hide them. He hadn’t realized you were being so heavily protected, and by his dorm leader no less. That certainly does cause trouble for him, so not wanting for it to get any worse he backs down…for now.
“Fine. I’ll leave them alone. I see I’ve lost this hunt.” Cale says, his voice strained slightly. However, neither Jack nor Leona backed down. It seemed as if they were trying to drag something more out of him. “Jack, Leona. He backed down. We can leave.” Ruggie said, breaking the silence that the men had created. Ruggie himself wasn't so happy about the situation. But he knew those three couldn’t get into a fight or else everyone would be in big trouble. It wouldn’t look nice if the dorm leader had gotten into a fight with a dorm resident. Not only that but he ganged up with Jack as well, it wouldn’t make for a pretty picture.
Jack and Leona slowly backed off by taking their magic pens away from Cale's neck. Cale himself was left a bit shaken from the event but remained on his feet. “Remember this, Cale; You get anywhere near them,” Leona began and he turned around to walk out the lounge but turned his head around to make eye contact with Cale before continuing, “, and I’m coming after your ass. You understand?”
Cale nodded as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. Leona turned his head back to look ahead and continued walking. Ruggie and Jack, however, couldn’t help but glare at the guy for a few seconds longer before following Leona out of the lounge. Cale was left there alone with his thoughts. He didn’t like Leona and found Ruggie irritating. He didn’t know Jack too well, but he thought he’d understand. Apparently, his view on the fellow Wolf Beastman was completely wrong. It’s fine though. They were clear with what they said, extremely transparent even. But who said Cale would follow the rules?
~~~
Everything was going fine. You hadn’t seen or heard about Cale for a few weeks. You had thought that Leona did something to kick him out of the school since you hadn’t seen him. But Leona assured you that he was still in the school but won’t be bothering you anymore. You were extremely grateful. You had thought that your life could carry on…that was until Cale cornered you in an empty classroom after school.
“You really went ahead and told on me to my own dorm leader, huh? Was I botherin’ you that much?” Cale asked with a smirk on his face. A smug smirk that rubbed you the wrong way and gave you red flags.
“I had already told you that I wasn’t interested and that you even made me feel uncomfortable. What else am I supposed to do?” You ask nervously, unsure of how to get out of this situation without needing to get the boys involved. Maybe you could defuse this without their help. You don’t want them to think you’re a nuisance. But little do you know how far from that you actually are to them.
“Am I being too pushy? Is that it? Do you not like me like how you like them? Come on, tell me what I’m missing here, sweet thing.” Cale says as he steps closer to you. You back up, trying to keep the distance between you two. You’re back hits a wall and your mind decides that maybe it was a good idea to get the boys. You quickly pull out your phone and tap Ruggies number to speed dial him. As soon as you did Cale slapped the phone out of your hand, but he hadn’t realized you had called someone. The phone rang silently as he cages you in with his hands on either side of your head.
“Listen, I would have left you alone in time. Personally, I don’t like hunting prey I can't get for too long. But you pissed me off. You couldn’t have just sat tight, like a good little pet?” He mocked angrily. “You really expected me to live in anxiety and paranoia until you left me alone?” You asked nervously, trying to not completely lose your composure.
“Well, maybe. But would that have been so bad? I’m not a bad guy, not unless you make me. You, sweet little Herbivore, seem to want me to be the bad guy.” He said as he attempted to gently caress your cheek. you smacked his hand away as you snarled at the use of the nickname he had stolen from Leona.
“Oh what? You don’t even like me touching you? Or was it because I used Leona’s little nickname he has for you?” He teased with a smirk. Suddenly his whole demeanor changed, a scowl now replaced the mischievous expression on his face. “Enough games. Clearly, I had everything all wrong, and that’s my fault. But you’ve irritated me a little too much for me to just back down.” He then swiftly grabbed you by the collar of your shirt and pulled you closer to his face. You could see the anger in his eyes, it paralyzed you.
“What makes you think that a nobody like you could snitch on me? You have no powers, no extra physical strength that challenges mine, you say you’re a dorm leader but all you are is a weak freelancer living in an old shack! You are nothing. Now I’m gonna show you what happens when you mess with-“ Cale could even finish his sentence before being pulled off you and tossed to a pissed Jack Howl. Jack grabbed him and held him in place until he could wrestle him to the ground. The person who tossed him to Jack in the first place was none other than Leona Kingscholar himself. Who is also extremely pissed. Leona turns to you and scans your trembling figure. He gently pulled you into a hug and rubbed your back to calm you down.
“H-how the hell did you guys know?” Cale was able to ask. Ruggie walked up to him and showed the ongoing call on his phone. Cale then turned his gaze to the phone he had slapped out of your hand just moments before, it rested on the ground but the screen was lit and he could see Ruggies contact name. He snarled and realized they heard everything he said.
“Sh ha ha ha~ I don’t think you can get yourself out of this one buddy.” Ruggie laughed at Cale with a dark smirk. Leona released you and walked over to your phone and picked it up. He ended the call and handed it back to you. “Ruggie, take the prefect to the infirmary to check for any injuries,” Leona said as he turned to Ruggie and placed his hands in his pockets.
“I’m fine, I promise. You guys made it just in time.”
“Then go back to your dorm. Ruggie will escort you there,” Leona said as his gaze landed back on you but more sternly. He then turns to Cale and looks at him with a frown of distaste. “Jack and I have some business to take care of.”
Just like that you were walked out of the classroom by Ruggie and safely escorted back to your dorm, where a worried Grim and concerned Ace and Deuce were waiting for you. You told them that the story would have to wait and all you wanted to do was relax. The rest of the day Ruggie didn’t leave your dorm and slept in the guest room on Leona’s orders. On the other end of the situation; Leona and Jack roughed up Cale a little bit, most of it being Leona’s work of course, and dragged him to Crowley to confess everything he had been doing. Crowley couldn’t expel him since you weren’t physically harmed and he feared a bad image for the school if he did so without evidence, but he did suspend him for a while. After this incident, no one ever tried to mess with you and would rarely ever think about trying. Sure you had your friends but that’s not what they were scared about. It was the Lion King and his two assistants of Savanaclaw that struck fear. It’s safe to say that you have some pretty good, yet terrifying bodyguards.
#twst disney#twst#Twisted Wonderland#Savanaclaw#Leona Kingscholar#Ruggie Bucchi#Jack Howl#twst x reader#twst x you#twst x y/n
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so you're ready to socialize
You've got your blog set up. You've posted or reblogged something. Your icon isn't a faceless orange shape. You're no longer in danger of being blocked on sight as a bot.
Now what?
I recently got an ask in my inbox for help with this whole 'tumblr' thing. The person that asked me had a lot of the basics down so I focused on expanding your social circle - except it took me so long to write that I saved it in my drafts to add to and only then found out that once its in your drafts you can't reply privately.
so - Imma post it here without the actual ask so if the person didn't want to be mentioned they won't. Let's go!
First off, doing what you're doing right now by sending me an ask is a great way to get the ball rolling. Reaching out to other people and engaging them is a big part of how you can build a circle on tumblr.
You can do that with inbox messages.
You can do that with DM/PMs (the box that pops up to the side where you can have real time text conversations).
You can do that by reblogging other people's posts and leaving notes in the tags commenting about the post (most posters read these, though they're more for your followers to get your thoughts on a matter, like whispering in a movie theater except without the dirty looks)
reblog their post and add your own comments in the body of the post, basically chaining a response to their post, usually used when you've got something that adds to the original post like a continuation of the joke or more facts, etc.
and you can comment on the posts via the little speech bubble next to the reblog button, which is kind of like replying personally to the post (interacting with the poster themselves).
Not everyone will automatically engage in response. Some people are just here to chill and don't want to be social (some days I know I don't have the brainpower for it). A lot of people do want to be social though and so the more you comment outward the higher your chances of finding other people you can jive with. A good way to make your chances better at finding someone that will back and forth with you is over shared interests. We're a very interest based site. So find something you're excited about - maybe its a hobby like knitting, maybe its a streaming series like Good Omens, maybe its hamsters, maybe its Elizabethan neck ruffs! Whatever it is that you're interested in punch the words that will get those kinds of results into tumblr's search bar and look at the posts that come up. I tend to search by 'newest' instead of 'most popular' because it guarantees me people that are currently interested in whatever I am, who are actively putting their posts out there for others to find. Often if you start reblogging someone's posts, they'll see it and check out your blog. If you really want interaction though, the best way to go is one of the above bullet points, especially inbox or speech bubble commenting. It shows you want to talk about something they want to talk about too. A lot of times this is a great way to get more interaction with others and widen your circle (as well as find new stuff about something you enjoy). It might be slow going, I still haven't figured out what the magic is that gets someone a blow up of followers overnight, especially not the all important holy grail of Interactive followers but slow and steady still builds a good group of people you can enjoy sharing things everyone's interested in and it keeps growing over time.
This also works in reverse. A good chunk of my followers (friends honestly) come from my days in the Voltron fandom. I was VERY active making posts while the show was airing. Lots of fanfiction, lots of meta, lots of speculation, just lots of being loud and excited (and then loud and not excited). A lot of other people were interested in VLD too at the time and they found me and bounced off my ideas with ideas of their own and things really ballooned. To this day, a huge hard core of my social group are ex-VLD fans who have moved on to other things (mostly) but still hang around because we built that core and we enjoy seeing what the others in the group have moved onto and found to share with the team. So, again, find your interests and make posts about them so that other people with the same interests can find you. The more popular something is the more attention its going to get - but also the easier it is to get lost in the shuffle of everyone talking about a thing. Not every post is going to get responses. Sometimes I'll post something I think people will enjoy and get crickets. Sometimes everyone and their cousin jumps onboard. Don't get discouraged. DO use the tags. tumblr sucks when it comes to finding things in the tags but its still worth doing because sometimes, randomly and with no pattern, it doesn't suck. The first five tags are the really important ones. Make sure you put the biggest details there. For instance if you're making a post about the One Piece live action from Netflix your first five tags should be something like: one piece, opla, netflix, zoro, swords are cool. You want people looking for One Piece posts about Zoro and his swords to be able to find you easily. And, once they find you, hopefully to engage you about Zoro and his swords.
There are a lot of ways to find other people to interact with on tumblr. One of the pleasures of the site is you get to take things, for the most part, at your own pace and level of comfort. Just remember, the more active you are interacting with other people and their posts, the wider your circle will grow. Its not a 100% success rate, like I said, a lot of people are just here to vibe after a long day of having to be socially 'on' all day, but a lot of people are happy to find other people to get to natter about interests with. Do what you're comfortable with and before you know it, you'll have a group of people that interact with your posts, and you, regularly!
#tumblr#how to tumblr#getting started#lets get socializing!#answering asks#let's tumblr#finding friends#okay to reblog#feel free to add tips#and any help#or things that worked for you
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What the fuck is bro going on about??? Especially the Kya and Izumi like huh??
I won’t comment on the two hour dissertation because I haven’t watched it yet. from what I’ve heard on those that have, half of it is proving why the canon ships are poorly written, while the other half of it is proving why zuko and katara would be the better endgame option.
i will comment on the fact that it would be very easy to create an even longer dissertation on why people ship kataang and why it makes complete sense as the canon ship of avatar, without so much as even bringing zutara in the mix. if i ever get the time to do so, i could look into creating it. because i think there should be more discussion in fandom on the depths of katara and aang’s arcs and relationship. if anyone is interested in helping, please let me know :)
“aesthetic coordination and color synergy is the most important part of any relationship.” i do hope this person is speaking solely in terms of fiction. because how aesthetic two people look beside each other should not be the basis for any healthy, long-lasting relationship, at least not in real life. reality continues to show that two people can look incredibly good beside each other, but can be extremely incompatible.
example: celebrities coordinate their red carpet looks to present as a power couple each year. but in actuality, their relationship deteriorates by the second. in a couple of years, that relationship will no longer cease to exist.
i searched up aesthetic coordination and i couldn’t find a single resource on it. but on the topic of colour synergy, here are the colours that are established as complementaries to one another:
so you mean to tell me that red and blue aren’t complementary colours, but instead red is complementary with green, and blue is complementary with orange/yellow?
interesting. now which couple do we know of that wears orange/yellow and purple/blue in avatar?
oh. that explains why katara and aang’s colour palettes go so well together, and why their scenes (in both the show and the comics) and accompanying fanart are always so visually pleasant.
in regards to oma and shu, they are colour-coded as zuko and katara, just like they are also colour-coded as katara and aang. if we are meant to take the colours seriously, that would imply that oma (the girl) is zuko, and shu (the boy) is katara. if the writers truly wanted zuko and katara to represent omashu, i see absolutely no reason as to why oma couldn’t be depicted in blue and shu couldn’t be depicted in red.
we have confirmation by the writer of the cave of two lovers that the legend of omashu is based off of romeo and juliet. we also have confirmation from the same writer (who also advocated for zutara as the endgame ship, by the way) that the legend of omashu was written to push katara and aang’s love story after direction from mike dimartino and aaron ehasz. the first draft of the story proposed by the writer joshua hamilton was just going to be sokka and a bunch of the nomads. we also have confirmation that avatar’s love (katara and aang’s theme) played while katara was recounting the story of oma and shu.
i truly believe that if oma and shu were meant to be about zuko and katara, joshua hamilton would have no problem stating that it was. instead, he confirms that it was meant to be written with katara and aang in mind, as a part of katara and aang’s love story.
also, zuko and katara aren’t forbidden lovers. they started off as enemies, with the fire nation committing ethnic and cultural genocide against the southern water tribe. the fire nation and the southern water tribe aren’t two fighting sides of an equal battle - it’s one larger nation with all the militaristic power in the world committing colonialism and imperialism on another nation.
katara and aang could not canonically be together because of the war. that is what katara states herself. as soon as the war is over, they are free to pursue a relationship with one another. that aligns itself more with omashu’s story than zuko and katara’s arc from enemies to friends does.
katara being a phenomenal firelady is not canon, just this person’s headcanon. firelady holds no political power in canon. it’s just wife to the firelord. kya and izumi are clearly not twins, but i suspect this is part of the “katara secretly cheated on aang with zuko” set of headcanons.
lastly, zuko is the father that stepped up? yeah, okay. let’s assume that aang is this horrible, awful dad that people make him out to be. that would mean that zuko was complicit in allowing his best friend to traumatize his children for life. kya and bumi hold no relationship with zuko whatsoever. but sure, he’s definitely the father that stepped up.
finally, father and secret lover of the year zuko did next to nothing in ensuring katara canonically received her worth and recognition among the world, even after her actual husband’s passing. isn’t zuko also co-founder of republic city? so where is katara’s statue?
what you have sent me is someone speaking an entire different language, about an entire different character that they created. but headcanons are not canon, no matter how much this person wants them to be.
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On Maglor’s Fate
(and why it’s a good thing)
I’ve seen several excellent posts by people far more knowledgeable about HoME than I pointing out that Maglor’s fate in the published silm – wandering the shores in eternal lament – was in fact taken by Christopher Tolkien from a single draft of the legendarium, and that JRRT’s later conception of Maglor’s fate was that he died by suicide at the same time as Maedhros, casting himself into the sea along with his Silmaril. This is a very good point, but despite the fandom’s general lack of adherence to published silm canon (see the prevalence of crispy Amrod truthers, or the lack of consensus on Gil-galad’s parentage) most people seem to have cleaved rather strongly to the idea of Maglor’s survival. Why?
Well, I would like to argue, because it’s SO much more interesting.
Of course, your headcanons are valid! If you prefer thinking that Maglor died at the end of the First Age, go for it; most of the texts support you! But for all the Maglor girlies (gender-neutral) out there, here’s a non-exhaustive list of reasons why Maglor’s survival is better, more satisfying storytelling, and you should continue to cling to this one outdated draft of the silm.
It fits Maglor’s arc better. For such a popular character, I always find it interesting that Maglor is only really developed in the final chapter of the silm – but what we do get in that final chapter is so fascinating. He takes pity on Elrond and Elros, he speaks against stealing the Silmarils, and, most pertinently to my point here, he effectively relinquishes his claim to Eärendil’s Silmaril. The straight line from "its glory is seen now by many, and is yet secure from all evil", to wanting to surrender to Eönwë, to actually throwing a Silmaril into the sea is SO delicious. A lot of that character growth is wiped out if Maglor instead casts both himself and the Silmaril into the sea.
It better sets up Maglor as a foil to Maedhros. I will never shut up about how Maglor's last debate with Maedhros is the best and most heartbreaking dialogue in the book. Its construction is exquisite, and one of the things I love about it the most is the way they mirror each other's words, becoming, in a way, reflections of each other. ("Who shall release us?"—"If none can release us...") All of Maglor's actions in the final chapter are in direct contrast to Maedhros': compare the fostering of Elrond and Elros with Maedhros' failure to save Eluréd and Elurín, and then consider why it is that Maglor still seems to have some hope that things will all work out (which is why he wants to surrender) while Maedhros despairs completely. That contrast makes it important to me that Maglor reacts in a different, more optimistic manner than Maedhros to the Silmarils burning them. ("More optimistic" by the bleak bleak standards of the end of the silm, at least.) I also really like the kidnap fam parallels of Elros and Maedhros both choosing death in very different ways, whereas Elrond and Maglor both choose life - E&E almost repeating M&M's decisions in a healthier and more wholesome manner.
It better preserves Maedhros' arc. Leading on from the last point, but, I think, separate. Maedhros' suicide, in addition to being just ridiculously tragic, is fascinating. The despair, the profundity of the realisation that it was all for nothing, the idea that Maedhros, who spent decades as a captive of Morgoth, is the one person knows exactly what being burned by the Silmarils means - aahh it's so good I can't dissect it all here. But do also consider Maedhros begging Fingon to kill him, and how he finally got his wish, centuries later! That terrible fall from grace is Maedhros' story. I think having Maglor also die by suicide actually diminishes Maedhros' tragedy, with the rather perverse outcome that two deaths end up being less sad than one.
Unresolved endings are good. This is a rather more personal one, tbh - but I love those last messy loose ends, and Maglor's survival is a quintessential one. Don't the great tales never end? There is, of course, so much excellent fanfic potential in Maglor still wandering Middle-Earth into the Second and Third Ages. Here's a legend from the Elder Days, and you can have him stroll into Rivendell if you want! So much more satisfying than neatly wrapping the story up and tying a bow on top.
As far as I can tell, Tolkien's own reasons for having Maglor die instead were that he wanted Galadriel to be the last surviving leader of the rebellion of the Noldor; I've also seen it argued that Maglor needs to die so that Celebrimbor can be the last surviving Fëanorian. To be honest, I don't think Maglor's survival does much damage to either of these arcs. He's effectively a non-entity after the First Age; the text specifies that he "came never back among the people of the Elves". So you can definitely prefer a version of canon where Maglor lives without losing all those Very Important Feelings about Celebrimbor!
There are, of course, myriad self-indulgent reasons why you might also prefer to think Maglor doesn't die. Maybe you just like him and it would be too sad if he dies; maybe you ship him very specifically with someone born in the Second Age; maybe you just want Elrond to have one thing left after everyone he's lost. I didn't include these in the above list because that was attempting to focus more on literary reasons why Maglor's survival makes for a better story, but they are all so valid and I agree with all of them! But hopefully Points 1-4 can be emphatically whipped out the next time someone implies that the fandom is clinging to Maglor's survival for solely sentimental reasons. There are good, solid grounds for wanting Maglor to live, we promise! It actually improves the story!
you're just jealous our blorbo survives and yours doesn't—
#silmarillion#meta#my meta#maglor#maedhros#the line of miriel#chris actually got some things right guys#this is one of them#cw suicide
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I don't know if you've been asked this before, what is your opinion/headcanon on Levi ? Personally I headcanon him as trans but because of how malnourished he is, you can't see any physical differences.
(I really liked how you said Levi and Marina were narrative foils to each other, that was really cool)
thank you! my original draft of this opinion was something of a marxist-critique on levi, spiraling into a critique of funger as a whole. i decided that’s really not the way the games are “supposed” to be interpreted, so instead, here’s a reading of his character rather than how i think he “should” be
i think levi, in place of “the girl” from the funger 1, continues to represent the series’ stance on suffering, on the pure visceral horror of modern existence. they are the “negative extremities” of a ulta-utilitarian system: levi needed to be a child soldier to uphold the war effort and potentially overturn the bremen empire—the girl needed to rot in a dungeon all her life to potentially ascend into a being that could overturn the old gods.
that is to say, levi in fungermina is yet another example of the flaw in the logic of “the end justifies the means”—was it worth it for this literal child to endure this? except, instead of ascending into a god that epitomizes his suffering, levi has the infinitely more realistic outcome of being shoved into a death battle scenario and relive the horrors of war or burn in the pits of fart hell with salami-jesus-satan.
levi in the game is a further testament to this ideology, moreso than the other characters. if you want to use levi, to have him live up to his “fullest potential,” to be “useful,” he needs heroin. all the characters get powered up, but levi practically requires it—the end justifies the means.
that’s my i’m-trying-my-best-not-to-be-too-marxist-about-this interpretation anyway, but it’s important to note that levi isn’t pure pity. a sort of “resolution” to his existence is by coming to prehevil, by living with other fellow absolute shitshows of lives, and Fungermina employs its second major theme: suffering as a form of empathy/compassion.
rather than levi’s pain being a simple fact of life on the battlefield, in Termina, it is acknowledged. therefore, levi is acknowledged. in essence, to exist in any capacity is to have your suffering acknowledged for what it is, and further to connect with other people using those experiences. to recruit levi (give him heroin, go to the orphanage) is to, in some small way, acknowledge his shitty existence and not merely pity him but actually do something about it. connect w the boy.
anyway, that’s my somewhat surface-level reading of levi fungermina.
my headcanons! i personally think levi is transfem.
i do also agree that he’s malnourished as shit, but i find the idea of levi not really living at all in his life finding purpose in marina’s existence. it’s almost like levi is—and forgive me if this is an awful interpretation—marina had she not transitioned. marina would have had to dedicate her life (without her will) to the servitude of old gods and live a cruel and painful life, supposedly a glorified dark priest. ain’t that like levi being forced into the army as a child, a talented and exceptional soldier, but ultimately a horrible, unfair life?
beyond that, i think it’d be cool if transness could be a vehicle levi can distance himself from his past as a child soldier and potentially become a version of himself that he can actually live as, not merely survive.
tldr; levi is “the girl.”
#fear and hunger termina#not the levi expert so hope this was good and accurate???#i’ll amend if need be—but tell me ur thoughts!#fear and hunger#mr president interviews#sorry to people who’s asks i have not answered i promise i Will. Someday.
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the rainlord
My entry for the Inklings Challenge! Well, the first draft, anyway. Although I guess it's technically complete and I might just tweak some things around? Might still try to get a different prompt done but it's probably too close to the deadline already...
---what a beautiful soul.
Ah, right. What you came for, little mage-in-training.
Your affinity is water.
Who--- what are you? Why are you in chains?
That… is not so important. So I may see those like you, little one.
and that I may help them---
Underneath the shade of a tree, the dreamer stirred awake. His mind bleary, the details from the vision already swiftly escaping him, he blinked open his blue eyes. He realized, as he reached to rub them, to get his unruly white hair away from them, that there were tears on them. A memory--- or something important.
He did not have too many of those--- or rather, they were beyond his reach, for now. Ever since that day he woke upon the ruins--- for a given amount of wakefulness--- he had been missing details of his past, although they did tend to crop up in his dreams, like just now.
"Oi! You finally awake?"
He found himself smiling despite his grogginess, his eyes turning towards the source of the familiar voice. It was the young woman who was his companion, looking as she always did, in her traveling gear that was much like his, a host of brown that blended with the dirt of the road, durable shirts and trousers and boots. With a few blinks he found her cherubic face, her short brown hair and bright brown eyes regarding his sleepy form with amusement.
"Hey, Ashe." he greeted, lamely. Slowly, his faculties came back to him. "Oh. Are we leaving already?"
"Well, that's the plan." she said, in a tone that mixed amusement and exasperation. "You didn't tire yourself out too much while I was away, did you?"
"Oh, I just helped here and there, much like you were doing." he lightly replied. "They were saying I was a guest and I shouldn't be helping so much, so in the end I ended up napping." he chuckled.
"Mrm." Ashe made a noise of agreement. "I helped them hunt for food and forage for plants and mushrooms and then the grandma at the inn ended up loading a lot of it for us when we go. They're very sneaky."
"They're very kind. Very warm." he said. He straightened from his slouch and then slowly stood up.
"Meanwhile, this weather is too hot." Ashe observed drily--- although the comment had a tone of concern--- a concern that they had ever since they stopped upon this farming village for rest.
The place was stricken with drought. From here, one could see the fields that the townsfolk tended to, the grains having grown… but were, in the pitiless gaze of the sun, starting to wilt. The ground was flaking and cracking into sand.
And even yet, for the two of them, who were mere strangers, they shared of their limited food, their limited drink.
"I've done a little bit of… filling their wells." he confessed. "But I don't know if that would be enough. And anything more…"
He paused.
"I… know that we should be cautious. Many people are on the lookout for… people like us." he continued. "Something as big as… what I'm thinking… if I can even do it… it would probably alert them. And then… they might be reckless in seeking us out."
Ashe considered his words. "Well, we can't be certain about a lot of things." she began. "But you're talking to the wrong person, I'm the reckless one here, remember?" she jested. "What's certain, though, is that they'd probably run out of their stores if nothing happens. And if what you bring down is big enough, if it covers so much area, they won't be able to pinpoint where it comes from, right?"
That… is not so important. So I may see those like you, little one.
and that I may help them---
With that, it was his turn to laugh. "You really have a gift for getting straight to the point. Although you're giving me an even harder hurdle to clear, huh?"
Ashe smiled back. "Then let's say our goodbyes and get ready our parting gift."
They proceeded to do just that. It took some more time--- while it seemed at first glance that the villagers were busy in their day-to-day life, everyone was ready to stop what they were doing to talk to them, and much like the grandma at the inn, some of them had gifts for them as well. They were… truly kind. He wondered if he could truly repay the favor.
Soon they were on the road. A good distance away, and yet the fields were still visible, past the brush and the trees.
"This might be a good spot. Keep watch for me, Ashe?"
"Sure, sleeping beauty."
He chuckled at the jibe, and sat on the ground.
What did he have from his past? What did he carry in his mind, in his flesh, in his bones? Just a name--- Rhyme--- and just a couple of strange abilities--- abilities he was informed were called magic. To hear, to feel, the feelings of others--- although that was not so important at the moment, with only the watchful, excited presence of Ashe to observe--- although it did help press the point for him just how sincere the villagers were. And the second---
Your affinity is water.
Water was an integral part of humanity, and even most other beings that dwelled in this world, but it felt even more integral for him. He could feel very little of it in his immediate vicinity, and yet he could feel… that he could pull it. From somewhere, from far away. It was like his body was also water, and like called to like.
He did not know the spells, or the rites--- or at least he did not remember them, at the moment. But still--- still, he thought he could try. For those who had welcomed them so easily, who had given of themselves, he will attempt to give a bit of himself.
He closed his eyes. He tensed, and he pulled.
For a moment, it seemed, nothing was happening, and the only moisture was the sweat on his skin. But he kept at it, pulling with all his might. He prayed to the Almighty, although his amnesia made it so that he knew little of the faith. He pulled, from an ocean somewhere, from clouds far away.
Oh, my Lord. I need an amount commensurate to my gratefulness.
Something began to collect, to congregate, to swirl. He could feel it in his metaphorical fingers--- it was starting to build, like a growing flow, a torrent--- no, he needed more. His body throbbed and strained. He kept pulling.
Absentmindedly he noted Ashe's gasp, but he dared not forfeit his concentration.
A torrent was not enough. A stream was not enough. A brook was not enough. What he needed… was a river. A fleet of gathering clouds. He heaved. He gasped. He shook.
Something like thunder rumbled in the distance.
What I need… is a flood. A storm.
He could not ignore it anymore. The wind was picking up, playing with his hair. A smell like dew, like petrichor, tickled his nose. More than that, his spirit throbbed and sang.
"Rhyme! It's working! Look!"
He opened his eyes.
The sky that had been mercilessly clear before was filled with a vast curtain of thick gray clouds. He wondered how it must have looked to Ashe, to see the clouds come, but well, he wasn't still sure how to pull this off. Already he was feeling tired, and he wasn't even done yet.
"You do know that I'm trying to focus here." he jabbed, but he was grinning. This was… this was the most he had ever tried to do, and it was looking good. There were still a lot of unknowns--- how all sorts of people would respond to this--- but right now, this was certain.
It was going to rain.
"I suppose we'll be using our cloaks again after so long." he joked.
He raised his palm towards the sky, tightened it into a fist, and pulled it down. In response, lightning danced and thunder rumbled, and the weeping of the sky commenced.
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Hi! I’m going to London tomorrow. Is there anything you’d recommend me to visit?
I tried to be nice for once, had typed out a page-long guide where to exactly go and which routes to take. And then my browser crashed, so it's gone, it wasn't saved as a draft. So my niceness has expired for today.
I can tell you what not to visit, and that is 221B. I don't want fans breaking into my flat to steal my belongings and sell it on Ebay. Unless you have a case, then you can enter. Maybe there is a museum close by you could visist. Museums are always a good idea, my favourite is the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery, which are free to visit. The British Museum contains the Rosetta Stone, which is quite important if you know anything about history.
I don't know where they got the information, but somehow someone made a list of places where we solved crimes, so you could visit those.
I recommend to avoid places with high entry fees and long queues, just take a walk along the Thames. I recommend the south bank, as there are more places of interest. Start at the Tower of London (north bank), cross the Tower Bridge to the south bank, walk along until the Millenium Bridge, where the Globe Theatre and the Tate Modern are located. You can see the St. Paul's Cathedral on the horizon on the south bank. Continue west until the London Eye and the Palace of Westminster and the Clocktower (aka Big Ben for stupid people, although that's just the damn bell, people never learn). And go visit the Horse Guards or whatever. Buckingham Palace. Too lazy to give directions just use your damn phone.
Welcome to London.
#i once threw a gun into the thames from the south bank close to the london eye#might have had a small meltdown there as well but i was high#rp#sherlock roleplay#sherlock rp#roleplay#johnlock roleplay#johnlock rp#sherlock gives advice#london#tourism#travelling#london tour#sightseeing
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Someone Close By
TW: references to a difficult past, blood and burning mentions (nothing happens they're used in conversation, it's mostly just fluff)
Note: Villain is referred to as 'Tiger' once. Also, I am incredibly tight on time, n I just found this in my drafts, I will get to the asks, I just have 16 million hw assignments to do 😣
One of the most annoying things about Villain was his stupid habit of throwing out a cryptic "You'll see," when anyone asked why he was doing something. He responded casually and automatically, with a languid gaze. And it was infuriating.
So when Hero had asked another question, she was quick to add a "Don't say it. Don't you dare say it."
"You'll see," he replied, tone lazy and offhand, maybe even a little self-satisfied.
She slammed one of her fists on his desk. "Why can't you just answer the question like a normal person?"
"Show, do not tell." He shrugged at her nonchalantly.
"You- you suck at writing," she accused, wagging a finger at him. Anything to gnaw at his ridiculously inflated ego.
"Hmm, tragic." The sarcasm lined his tone, like a thin, sheer veil draped over an otherwise emotionless attitude. The more striking irony was the fact that he complained about being assigned essays for school and his piss-poor writing skills on the daily. Bringing it up wouldn't affect him, she learned. Not after that reaction.
"You're incredibly dense, you know," she breathed out, frustrated, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Mhm. And yet here you are, wasting your time conversing with someone as incredibly dense as me." He spoke with a hint of amusement, more self-satisfied than anything, his eyes still fixed on his computer screen.
"Sometimes," she attested through gritted teeth, "you have to force yourself to endure what you don't really enjoy in the slightest, for a greater benefit."
"Ah," he concluded, some sort of finality to his tone, "so you admit that you have to put up with however I behave." The corner of his lip twitched up only slightly, the ghost of a smile gracing his lips. Unlike how she'd anticipated, it hadn't seemed so ill-fitting on a normally emotionless visage.
"I could still break your nose," she threatened, letting her shadow fall over his seated form.
He only raised an eyebrow in response, the dirt-eating smirk still visible on his lips.
"You know, you seriously need to relax." He continued typing with his left hand, and he let the cool fingers of his right hand stroke up and down her arm, almost soothingly.
At that, she froze. "Y-you don't like. . .you don't like touching people."
"True that," he admitted. "Does it make you uncomfortable?"
"No," she replied, before she could stop herself, and her face burned with an emotion she couldn't discern.
"Ah well, I remember you saying a touch could be calming?" At this point, he just sounded uncertain, a little confused if you will, every trace of the smug know-it-all from before vanishing.
"Yes, but I thought you were doing this to mess with me? Annoy me?"
This time, he finally met her gaze, lowering his hand to the desk again. "No. I think I've done enough of that."
She would rather be burned alive than to admit her arm felt cold where his hand had just touched. "That you have," she replied, rolling her eyes and earning a snort from him.
"It was reflexive. But I wasn't joking. You really do need to relax."
He was right, and she hated it. But she'd always been so tense; she couldn't even tell what being normal felt like to her. She didn't know it was so obvious that he could read it off her like a magazine.
"Do you want to watch a movie? I could use a break."
"You and a break? Don't you have a bad relationship with those? You never get tired," she mocked, smirking.
He turned around in his chair, "Not tired, just bored. Not doing something that important anyway."
Liar. He was both bored and tired, if the dark circles under his eyes and the way he seemed to slump, trying to let the tight line of his shoulders fade. He slowly ran a hand through his hair, a common tell for when he was exhausted. Except he hadn't known she could tell.
So, they found themselves sprawled out on the living room couch, the lights dimmed and a bowl of salted caramel popcorn resting on Tiger's lap.
He may have pretended to be a health nut, but deep down, he was a major sweet tooth. The movie playing on the flatscreen TV was terribly violent, gunshots and a ridiculous amount of blood featured in every scene or the other. It was definitely NOT the kind of movie one would relax to. Yet here they were, Villain was leaning back, one leg crossed over the other, and Hero had unclenched her jaw, her shoulders more slack now.
To the film's credit, there were a few light-hearted moments, mostly dark humour, enough to draw a laugh even out of him.
"He's not going to kill him," she said, completely certain.
"There would be no point of all this then. He's definitely going to kill him," he countered through a mouthful of popcorn.
And sure enough, he did not kill him.
"No way!" he protested.
"I've seen enough movies to read between the lines, kitty cat." She let a smug grin dance across her face.
The nerve of her. "Alright, Steven Spielberg, I get it," he huffed out.
The movie wasn't over yet. This was only half of it. Again, she found the fingers of his right hand running up and down her arm, his left currently sticky with caramel and tiny bits of popcorn alike.
The touch was relaxing, even with his calloused fingertips. Maybe even more so. "Do you want me to change the movie?" he asked softly, reaching for the remote.
He must've taken notice of how the line of her shoulders went taut only slightly. A scene in the movie where an older sibling took the pain to save the younger ones. The way it was acted out hit a little too close to home. "No. I'm fine really, and besides there's not much time left, and I wanna know what happens."
"Anytime you want me to change, just say it." And he continued caressing the skin of her arm absentmindedly. If she focused on that, then whatever the movie dished out wouldn't matter.
There was much worse she'd lived through, much more provocative to her triggers. At least right now, she had the comfort of someone close by.
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#hero x villain#writing#hero#villain#heroes and villains#villains and heroes#fluff#slow burn#enemies to lovers#sweet#lamy writes#a little gremlin's writing#writers on tumblr#fiction#my writing#f/m#female writers#humour#difficult past tw#Tiger
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some hockey players grow on you slowly — you come to appreciate them over time as you get to know the way they play and conduct themselves, pick up the tiny things that set them apart. but other players are the type you're enamored with right away, from the first shift onward. you see them play and you think, god, if only that guy could be on my team, we'd win the cup. i'd die happy. you just know in your heart that this is a guy you could love forever if given the chance. tj oshie is this type of player for me and i don't think i'm alone in this.
okay, picture this: 2014. sochi. usa vs. russia. it's pretty much a meaningless game, technically speaking. but fuck, it'd be nice to win. one of the really magical things about the olympics is that it brings heroes to light, and medals don't always have something to do with that. when tj oshie took six shootout attempts and scored four times to beat the russians, he cemented himself in the hearts of american hockey fans for life. and more than one person i know became a hockey fan because of this infamous shootout. a signature moment! american hero tj oshie, we said. tj sochi! he was considered a tossup to make the team at all, and ten years later, that shootout is basically all we remember about that usa squad. and yet tj always deflected the attention to the guy on the other end of the ice, the goalie who kept the game alive and gave tj the opportunity to ice the game. (thank you, jon quick!!!!) and i think maybe this is one of the easiest ways to explain who tj oshie is: a guy who always plays for his teammates, who digs deep and comes up big when needed, and a guy who will always uplift those around him rather than bask in attention alone.
in the summer of 2015, the capitals traded for tj. at the time, they were searching for a winger who could play to the right of nicklas bäckström. the young guns era was emphatically over; just ovi and nicke remained, and the team just. was not quite there yet. they were good, but not quite there. and gmbm and co. believed that this winger — high energy, physical with some offensive finish — would be able to put them over the top.
and, well, it turned out alright, didn't it?
i don't want to understate the importance of tj's blues era one bit; by all accounts he speaks of his time there glowingly. he did a lot of growing up there, playing for seven seasons with st. louis. so do not take this the wrong way at all but: tj oshie was always meant to be a capital — this is a team that has always seemed to have versions of a core four; there have been so many iterations of the caps with so many great players, but to me, despite my genuine love for the young guns, when all is said and done: the most impactful and truest core will be ovi, nicke, carly, and from the moment he arrived, osh. he fit so seamlessly into the ethos of the organization that it feels now, almost a decade later, like he has always worn capitals red. fans cheerfully joke about how glad they are that the capitals drafted him in 2005. he came into his own here. he's ours. not all big trades can be a home run. but thank god this one was.
he arrived in dc with his customary aplomb and good nature that would endear him to the fans, organization, and local media alike. his energy on and off the ice was notable. he always had time for the people around him, no matter who they were, and that's something that continues to this day — fans talk all the time about how warm and genuine tj is when they happen to meet him out and about. i think one of the most likable things about tj is how absolutely down to earth he is; he is so aware that he is, at the end of the day, just some guy! who's lucky to be living the dream.
but of course, it's not all luck! tj on the ice works as hard as anybody i've ever seen. when asked to talk about him, every one of his teammates and coaches mention his work ethic, his effort level, his layman's attitude in his approach despite having the hands to be able to play an entirely different sort of game. and it's like, the way he plays is not easy on the body; he's built solid but no one would ever call him big. especially when he was younger he played with reckless abandon; you could see his eyes light up when he had a guy lined up for a huge momentum swinging hit. these days he skates as hard as ever but picks his spots for that big physical play more wisely out of necessity. the last few years he's fought back from injury after injury; i think there's a lot of anxiety every time he goes down from the fans because there is this pervasive feeling of: what if he doesn't come back this time? what if this is the one that forces him away? so far, he's always come back. and i love him for that, but i also think he's given so much more of himself to the franchise than we could have ever reasonably asked, and when he eventually hangs up the skates, i hope no one ever wears 77 for the capitals again.
in the end, looking back, i think tj will be remembered for a lot of things that he'd be proud of. but the thing that stands out the most comes down to this: he's all heart, man. like. he's very good, don't get me wrong, but he's never been the biggest or fastest or most talented player on the ice. what he has been though, all throughout his career, is fearless and selfless and determined. heart and hustle, that's tj down to the bone. i love watching him play because he plays from a place of so much emotion. sometimes it's pretty, sometimes it isn't, but he always, always plays with love: for his teammates and for the game and for the people in his life, and that manifests in the way he works so hard every single shift. and just when you think he can't possibly give any more, that he's already giving 100% and there isn't anything left in the tank, he digs deeper and gives you 110%, 115%. he elevates the players around him, too, because when a guy is grinding like he is and sacrificing the body and finding ways to contribute whether he's on the scoresheet or not, you can't not do the same.
he is such a leader in this room; he's been the beating heart of this club in so many ways for nearly ten years. i have a bad habit of mourning the loss of players before they're gone and i'm trying not to. just the thought of a capitals team with no tj oshie.... it feels awful!! above all i want him to be able to live a happy and healthy life post-hockey though, and i do understand what every game costs him. like time and time again, he's put team before his own body and wellbeing. i hope he knows that as fans, we do appreciate him every shift he takes and that we will not begrudge him for a single second when he does decide it's time to retire. and i hope he knows that the love he gives to the people around him is returned to him tenfold.
tl;dr: tj oshie it has been and continues to be a pure joy to watch you take the ice. i will always be grateful for the player and person you are. we could never repay you for everything you've given to us. we love you so, so much.
#meg.txtpost#ok this one's a doozy!! extremely fucking long for no reason besides the fact that i couldn't get my thoughts organized well.#anyway. here's the tj essay that nobody has asked for but i needed to get off my chest!! i really love him i am always wishing him the best#tj1k
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Magic Eyes!Yuu HC part1
Ok folks , as promised, here's the Magic Eyes!Yuu stuff you asked !!
Hope you will enjoy, it might be one of my favorite homemade AU so far!
Don't forget this is only my interpretation. As long you give me credit, feel free to use this AU as you like.
I will also use a gender-neutral Yuu .
Let's cut things short first: here's the link for the very BASIC IDEA/DRAFT.
Today I will add more stuff . Still basic info , but with more context (I hope)!!
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First of all: I will use the last point I mentioned in my previous post-> The idea of Yuu/Mc's lineage being from Twisted Wonderland, but because of stuff, they were yeeted out into a magicless world where their magic eyes were dormant and have no idea they have it for their whole life until they got yeeted back into TWST
Whatever happened and who their family is is something I will reveal in the near future, don't worry ovo
What's really important rn is how they reacted the first time their Magic Eyes activated
For the sake of this exemple, and also because i really like the idea, I will name those eyes Magic Eyes of Magic Perception (remember Lucario's aura sensing powers in pokemon movie 8 ? That's basically it)
They can see people and everything else just fine, but everything magical has an aura around it. AND THEY ARE CONFUSED A HECK
Magic Eyes!Yuu: Ok , do you know you have a ... reddish aura around you ?
Ace: I have no idea what you are talking about. Unless that's your way to say I am dashing ?
Magic Eyes!Yuu: Not at all, but thank you for confirming I may have become crazy.
Note that each person's aura has a different color, but as long they don't have blot, it stays bright .
At first , they couldn't control it properly. It always activates on its own and when it does, it makes their eyes itch and burn to feel
Not even eyedrops from good ol' Sam shop can help them ;;;;;
Hopefully, with time (between Azul OB and chapter 4), they fixed the issue and can control its activation anytime they want.
Long story short, Magic eyes are a concentrated amount of nerves/circuits in the retina that produce energy/light, then become a sigil in the person's eyes. However, it leaves a burning/itching sensation. In Yuu's case, it starts like a little dot in the pupil and then grows bigger and more elaborate every time it activates until its final form
They keep it a secret from everyone, not even Grim, Crowley or the Ramshackle Ghost knows they have it. It's only after Riddle's Overblot they split the milk to the Braincell gang
Because OH BOI Yuu SAW WEIRD THINGS BEFORE IT ACTUALLY HAPPEN
Such as Riddle's Aura becoming darker every time they see him. At first, Yuu thought it was only their imagination (like this whole aura thingy to be honest)
But when Riddle's aura darkened during the duel in LIVE, they had cold sweat
Anyway I digress
Of course, no one knows what's going on with theirs eyes. And no one is smart enough to ask a teacher of course. Trein would have been a good choice in the matter...
Lilia and Malleus, however, seem to suspect something...
But the ones who seem to REALLY know what's going on are the little fairies👀
TO BE CONTINUED....
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AND done! I hope you liked it! I must say that out of the MANY AU I have made so far, this one is my favorite. Close next to Janitor!Yuu
After this I have planned a whole lore: starting from the origin of the Magic Eyes, to the event that led Yuu's in the non-magic world and even more! My brain is bubbling with ideas!
Until next time, have a nice day/night!
PS: sorry for any grammatical error!
#twisted wonderland#Magic Eyes!Yuu AU#twst#twisted wonderland au#twst mc#twst yuu#magic eyes go brrrr
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